SU21 - Our Questions to Equality and Diversity Candidates

Questions to Niamh Oddy, Laurie Reavy and Astrid Rudjord from The Scoop.

What’s your number one priority?

Niamh: My number one priority is to support liberation groups through building activist skills. There is no better advocate for students from minority groups than these students themselves. I will establish activist skills workshops, including political lobbying etc. As well establish an online forum and create a rights guide for activists.

Laurie: Tuition fees. I have a track record of success in getting a response and holding QUB accountable when it comes to things concerning money and I aim to do exactly the same when it comes to tuition fees. These aren’t empty words to encourage votes!

Astrid: My main priority is ensuring international students are listened to, ensuring they have, as far as possible, the same opportunities and rights as local students, and ensuring they and other non-local students are supported when the campus goes quiet at weekends and holidays.

6 months after you start, what real differences will LGBTQ+ Students see in their university experience?

Niamh: LGBTQ+ students need tangible action now to promote equality. 6 months into the role, I will ensure LGBTQ+ students feel safer in accommodation. I will ensure these students can access an emergency housing support fund to access temporary accommodation and other necessities. I will ensure QUB Elms staff are trained to better support and advocate for LGBTQ+ students experiencing homophobic behaviour in accommodation. There will be a range of events across academic schools showcasing the work of LGBTQ+ staff and students, increasing visibility of the academic contribution of the community.

Laurie: LGBTQ+ needs more from QUB in terms of visibility and support. I want to see pronoun preferences as a practice on all official correspondence. There needs to be a review and better representation when it comes to inclusion in the curriculum.

Astrid: As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I can tell that Queen’s lags behind many other universities regarding LGBTQ+ visibility and rights. LGBTQ+ students require support and a non-judgemental university experience, perhaps more so than many other students, as university may be the first time they feel comfortable being themselves, and I will implement regular catch-up sessions for LGBTQ+ students, which would provide the opportunity to meet other LGBTQ+ students and exchange experiences and get support.

How can you represent the needs and interests of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) students?

Niamh: BIPOC students need to feel safe, supported and valued by the SU. I would introduce by-standby, establishing by-stander intervention training to empower students to call out racism and help BIPOC students feel safer. I would establish an annual Black Lives Matter student protest on campus to show solidarity with international movements. Coupled with this, I would host events during black history month educating students on Northern Ireland’s history, including its compliance in the slave trade. For activists, on issues including racial inequality, I will produce a comprehensive rights guide to aid students if targeted by police.

Laurie: I will be pushing for the “decolonising the curriculum” stance to be better acknowledged and promoted by QUB. I will be promoting more BIPOC events and campaigns. I will also be opening an investigation into BIPOC specific health and support needs to try and encourage an awareness of the different needs of this community and provide sufficient support.

Astrid: Because I am not a person of colour myself, the best way for me to ensure that I correctly represent BIPOC students at Queen’s is to ensure a dialogue between myself and and the BAME Officer and BIPOC students as a whole, ensuring that I listen to their experiences and their needs at Queen’s. People of Colour at Queen’s may experience even more alienation and racism than at many other universities because the communities of BIPOC students are smaller, and it is essential that they are afforded the attention they need and that we act quickly in any case where their safety or comfort at university is threatened.

What would you have done differently from your predecessor?

Niamh: This past year has been difficult for activists across Northern Ireland to continue to remain active and connected. Roisin has done an incredible job producing solidarity events etc. However, as we come out of the COVID crisis I would like to prioritise action over words and focus on establishing initiatives that will make a real difference to the lives of students from minority groups. This includes initiatives aimed at easing financial pressures for international students. These initiatives include introducing specialised career support, more VISA compliant jobs and extending the COVID care boxes to act as a financial safety net.

Laurie: Roisin has done a fantastic job so far, but personally, I would have been more vocal and visible. I want to be on everyone’s devices, shouting loud about the changes that QUB needs to make with regards to the underrepresented groups and communities.

Astrid: It is clear that the current E&D officer was faced with a very different and difficult situation regarding the pandemic and I think she has done an amazing job considering the circumstances. I aim on working even more directly with students, organising more events where I can communicate directly with students. I also aim to take a more direct position on language rights, particularly regarding bilingual signage.

How have your personal experiences shaped your manifesto?

Niamh: As a GB student, my first year of university was extremely isolating, I spent most weekends alone in Elms as local students had gone home. To combat this isolation, if elected I would introduce support initiatives such as a peer mentoring scheme and more weekend social events, as well as extending the GB scholarship scheme. This will allow these students the opportunity to create support networks, as well as maintain ties to home. I am also a dyslexic student. Online learning has made education more accessible for a range of disabled students, however, simply extending it isn’t enough. I would lobby for investment in functional lecture capture technology, an overhaul of the lecture closed captioning system as well as ensuring there are closed captions on all social media posts from the SU and QUB.

Laurie: I belong to 5 of the 10 groups represented by the E&D officer and my grandfather was from India. So, I have first-hand dealt with many of the issues such as homophobia, sexism and racism. I’ve been ignored as a mature student and forgotten as a student parent. So, my manifesto is built from experience!

Astrid: As an international student, I have experienced first hand some of the inequalities facing international students, including financial and housing inequalities and the loneliness that may arise from an, at times, exceptionally quiet campus My aims regarding LGBTQ+ students is also based on my own experiences of struggling to meet other LGBTQ+ students, although I recognise that my experiences are not the same as many others within the community, so I aim to listen to others throughout my term. As an Irish speaker, my aims are shaped by my experiences fighting for language rights, and constantly hearing that the language is “useless”, “offensive” or “discriminatory”. There are also aspects within my manifesto not based on my own experiences. This is why it is vital to listen to students from other backgrounds, including student carers, mature students and students of colour. Only in this way can we create a truly intersectional movement, and that is what I will do.

What is your most embarrassing experience?

Niamh: When I was 11, I entered my school’s talent competition with a group of friends. They all dropped out the morning of, and my teacher made me do it alone. I was young and awkward, so I just stood on stage frozen in front of the whole school.

Laurie: We spend all day in our study at home in lectures and meetings. I always end up undoing the top button on my jeans for comfort. One day I got up to answer the door and my partner informed me that I had walked past her teams meeting on camera with my trousers undone!

Astrid: As a chronic overthinker, it is hard to choose a single experience, but a noble contender was at Tesco one time when I was very close to high-fiving the security guard at the door because he held up his hand to tell me to wait.

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

NewsEntertainmentFebruary 26, 2021