Naoise Fortune

What made you apply for the role?

I have always been interested and involved in activism and have always wanted to try to make a difference in the world. As a member of the feminist society in the University I have had the opportunity to help out with many different activism projects which I have thoroughly enjoyed. The reason I decided to run for Welfare and Equality officer is that I feel that in this office I can provide a voice to the students that are sometimes forgotten and hopefully improve the university experience for those students.

Talk us through your manifesto, and the main thing you’ll work on if elected.

I tried to make my manifesto as intersectional as I could, representing as many different students as I could. I would really like to improve the process of officially changing your name in the University, as currently you normally have to get it legally changed before you can change it on your ID ect. I know that there is a significant portion of the student body who are going to have a different name on their degree than their actual name, if this doesn’t change. I would also like to improve the university experience of students who are parents by having breastfeeding/ pumping areas around campus and also opening a free daycare.

What do you think the greatest obstacle will be in your term, if elected?

As much as I hate to say it, I think that the biggest obstacle I’ll face is the University management themselves. From helping with FemSoc in our attempts to update the University sexual assault policy, I have seen that management can be quite stubborn at times. I have some quite ambitious ideas and I’m afraid that stubborn management will be a roadblock in seeing these ideas come to light. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to do my best to stand up for the welfare of the student body to the university management.

What is something you hope to carry on from the previous officer, if elected?

Imogen did massive work around pushing for more student accommodation and this is something that I will 100% be continuing next year if elected. Lack of accommodation is one of the biggest reasons why people defer, drop out, or do not attend university at all. This should not be the case and everyone who wishes to attend university should have a safe, warm, affordable place to live. That’s why if elected, I will push both university management and local TDS and city councillors to build more affordable and safe student housing as fast as is reasonable.

Finally, why do you think people should vote for you?

There are very few ways to answer this question without sounding incredibly conceited but I’ll try. If you vote for me you will be voting for someone who is working class, queer, non-binary, and who has struggled with their mental health. I understand what it is like to be at the bottom of the social barrel. I know what it is like to worry about not being able to pay your rent. I know what it is like to feel like an outsider. This is why I feel that I would be good as your Welfare and Equality Officer.

You can vote online by logging in to Yourspace. Links will be on SU social media platforms and your student email.