SRC sabbatical candidates make their pitch at hustings

The candidates for sabbatical positions at the SRC took to the stage yesterday evening to discuss their vision for the future of Glasgow’s largest student union. 

All but one of the 10 candidates in the Student Representative Council (SRC) Spring elections made it to the John Macintyre building last night for the official sabbatical election hustings. 

The sabbatical positions are the SRC council’s only paid student roles, and are among the most senior positions within the University of Glasgow’s four student unions. 

Three of the four sabbatical positions are contested this year, after Vice President Student Activities was left vacant following the confirmation of nominations.  

Vice President Education 

Ayush Garg: “I believe every student deserves a fair, supportive, and empowering student experience” was the preamble to Ayush’s hustings speech. The VP Education candidate made it clear that, if elected, he would “push for more flexible assessment methods that reflect real-world applications” and make sure that “student voices aren’t just heard [but] lead to action.” Ayush also highlighted previous experience on SRC council as a college convenor saying that he tackled issues such as “assessment overload, lack of study spaces, and unclear feedback.”

Gerardo Guio Archila: Gerardo also pointed to his personal experience relating to the role, saying: “as an international student I know how hard it can be to transfer to academic life and I believe that education should be accessible, transparent and truly supportive.” Gerardo also made mention of his experience of a class-rep, responding to the needs of students and prioritising outreach, such as coming to seminars to speak to students directly. A key point of Gerardo’s platform was also to “connect with Glasgow’s campuses in Dumfries, Garscube, China, and Singapore.”

Aimee Storer: Aimee provided her apologies as she was unable to attend the hustings event. However, she provided a video in which she said as VP Education she wants to “continue working on the educational changes I have made as Undergraduate Convenor for the College of Arts and Humanities.” Aimee mentions previous successes, such as measures to make study abroad for language courses more accessible, and says she would like to continue this work for a wider range of subjects. 

Vice President Student Support

Tasmia Ahmed: Tasmia focused her hustings appearance around her policies on accessibility, as well as mental health and disability awareness. She highlighted that University is often difficult to navigate and said that “too many students feel unsupported…I want to mobilise the student body to use their voice so I can lead policy change and new initiatives with evidence.” Tasmia pledged to campaign for better access to counseling, “cultural competency training”, and better accessibility for disabled students. 

Ayshah Jansen: Ayshah began her hustings speech by criticisng the University’s provisions for mental health support which left her “lost and confused.” She highlighted her experience in a number of societies, including as President of the Feminist Society as well as taking part in the ‘Fight for the Night’ march against gender-based violence. Aysha also said: “I’m on campus and I’m here, I’m ready to help and listen to other people” and pledged her support for implementing the Emily Test Charter.

Frank Chen: In his pitch to become the SRC’s next VP Student Support, Frank highlighted his identity as a “queer, neurodivergent, feminist student of colour” who is running because “students deserve a better life at UofG.” Frank pledged to “cap accommodation costs, review the University’s approach to gender-based violence, and improve SRC transparency.”

Rahul Ramesh Baviskar: Rahul is a new student at the University, only being enrolled here for six months. In his speech, he talked of “cultural barriers” and “finding it hard to connect with students from different backgrounds” which motivated him to run. If elected, Rahul promised to improve mental health resources, tackle student loneliness, and champion sustainability.

President

Duncan Calvert: The first Presidential candidate to speak at hustings made a personal pitch to voters: “I am a home student, as well as a student carer, which is why I see that it is vital that student representation functions as well as it possibly can”. Ducan’s campaign pledges were to: “work towards a good cause report that protects students that have been affected by gender-based violence, tackle classism on campus, and publish a student activism guide that will help students who want to stand up for what they believe in to protect themselves.”

Muhammad Waseem: Second to take the stage for the position of Present was Muhammad. A postgraduate student, Muhammad only arrived in Glasgow from Pakistan four months ago and claims that despite, perhaps, a lack of experience at Glasgow, he has useful ideas. Muhammad said he “wants the SRC to put students first and pursue student interests”, pledging to “advocate for equal opportunities for all”, tackle the issue of affordable housing, and introduce “personalised career coaching” for students.

Hamza Ramzan: Hamza began his speech by referring to the SRC as “the most important institution that this University has.” Hamza outlined an extensive experience of student life including in GUU Debating, International Relations Society, and helping to found the MMA society. Hamza mentioned his plans to establish “a personalised mentor scheme”, an SRC “entrepreneurship incubator”, and “make sure the senior management hears our calls and puts a stop to injustice whether it is here or overseas in Gaza.”

All candidate manifestos can be viewed here.

Voting will open for students at 9am Wednesday 5 March via the UofG Life app.

Published 4 March 2025