SU21 - Our Questions to Campaigns and Engagement Candidates

Questions to Chloe Ferguson and Liam Magill from The Scoop

What’s your number one priority?

Chloe: My number one priority is the prevention of student isolation, embedding belonging and community in and outside of the classroom. Digital fatigue and poverty during the pandemic has made it more difficult for student to student connections to develop, restricting both academic and social engagement, preventing access to available support.

Liam: My number one priority is to promote and encourage social contact events on campus to help students to overcome any residual feelings of isolation or fatigue from the pandemic lockdowns. This, I hope, will be supported by school run events, clubs, and societies as well as the Students’ Union.

What active steps will you take to help Clubs & Societies recover from the pandemic?

Chloe: I will help Clubs and Societies recover in three main ways. Firstly, I will ensure there is a permanent promotion system, which gives opportunity for activities to be publicised on official SU channels to the wider student audience. Secondly, working together with clubs and societies, I will help implement membership growth strategies - including cross-club and/or society events, guidance on how to make events accessible and work to increase the presence of societies within the relevant faculties. Thirdly, I will invest into further developing the support mechanisms available for our student committee volunteers, prioritising their wellbeing and resources.

Liam: I believe clubs and societies are pivotal to a positive experience for students at Queen’s and will be essential to rebuilding the Queen’s community post pandemic. I will campaign for extra funding and offer my personal guidance to committees when applying for alternative funds such as the Annual fund, Green fund, Clifford Arbuthnot fund etc. I will actively seek out interested students to help struggling clubs that have fared badly during the pandemic. I will assist sports clubs in liaising with their national governing bodies to ensure a smooth return to sporting activity.

How will Queen’s declaring a climate emergency actually help solve the global climate crisis?

Chloe: Queen’s declaring a climate emergency definitively helps solve the climate crisis in two different ways: influence and accountability. Queen’s is a leader in the Higher Education sector, influencing policy at Stormont, alongside working with numerous organisations globally. A clear public commitment on the crisis utilises their influence to encourage others to act urgently, pushing for the integration of sustainability in decision-making. Declaring a climate emergency must also be underpinned by action, and this clear public statement will attach accountability to Queen’s to act upon their commitment, making sure their internal practices reflect what they are encouraging others to do.

Liam: By declaring a climate emergency, Queen’s would join 7,000 universities and become a force for positive environmental change. Providing a sustainable carbon neutral education without fossil fuel investments, would greatly assist Queen’s fulfilling its vision stated in the ‘Belfast Agenda Response’ paper to focus on the needs of society and commitment to improving Belfast. Queen’s contributes 1 billion pounds to the local economy, supporting over 9,000 jobs. It employs 3,700 staff and enrols some 24,000 students. Declaring a climate emergency would have a drastic, yet positive, impact on the local and global economies and the renewable energy industry.

Student engagement in SU Elections, Referendums & Campaigns is low. How will you change this?

Chloe: We must look at engagement structurally, whilst also taking the lead from students in how they want to be communicated with. My current work involves a Democracy Review, which is an evaluation and potential overhaul of our SU structures, including how Student Council and elections work. To me, it’s about increasing opportunities for students to amplify their views and opinions in areas that interest them, rather than shoehorning students into the one streamlined way of engaging. From there, it is increasing the tools available for student-to-student communication, as hearing from their peers is more likely to encourage others to be involved.

Liam: Fostering community spirit and consistent and frequent exposure to the student officers on campus is essential if we are to encourage more student involvement in their Students’ Union. Rather than expect Students to go to the Union, I believe that the student officers should be more visible on campus and regularly hold considerable amounts of surgeries or drop-in sessions in each school throughout the academic year. Moving the student officers to engage more often away from their office space and into the university community should pay high dividends in terms of reciprocal student engagement.

How have your personal experiences shaped your manifesto?

Chloe: My entire experience at Queen’s was shaped through the connections I made with other people. I came to university with a lot of doubts and insecurities about my value. Early on, I joined the debating society, meeting people who are still now my closest friends. They actively encouraged me and kept telling me my voice had value until I actually believed it myself. From there, I ended up in a variety of roles, including course representative, student councillor, and even Women’s Officer for a brief spell. These gave me the opportunity to both see the damage a marketised education system can do, but also that I was lucky I found the opportunities I did. What truly underpins my manifesto is that idea of value and belonging. It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from. You should be given opportunities to succeed and to grow and to belong.

Liam: My manifesto focuses on the positive contributions provided by clubs and societies and combating the negative effects of poverty and the lockdown on student wellbeing. My own membership in clubs and societies drives my interest in seeing them grow and prosper. To me they are a vital part of the university experience for students, acting as gateways to new friendships and life experiences. I have met a lot of very cool people and awesome friends in them. The range of experiences and opportunities provided is so huge I am always astounded to meet students who are not in any. The lockdown has been a difficult time for me. Completing my undergraduate dissertation and beginning a masters was the most difficult experience for myself in a very long time. I struggled to make ends meet. I am firmly against the existence of any form of poverty.

And finally… What is your most embarrassing experience?

Chloe: My most embarrassing experience by far was when I got a concussion at the English Society Formal last year. I was in the bathroom, reached down to fix one of my heels, tripped and knocked my head off the hand dryer. I think I’m glad I barely remember after.

Liam: I am a mature student, my most embarrassing experience was being nicknamed ‘grampa’ and referred to as ‘old man’ by members of a club I involved myself in regularly. It was a strange sensation, embarrassment due to my age, that made me want the ground to swallow me up.

To see all the candidates running for this position, visit the QUBSU Website.