Niamh Roberts
EUSA President 2022-2023 who was passionate about student participation in both EUSA and the university
Natalia Ellingham
EUSA Vice President Activities and Services 2022-2023
Isi Williams
EUSA Vice President Community 2022-2023
EUSA President 2023-2024 candidate
Sharan Atwal
EUSA President 2023-2024 who is passionate about long-term change and full transparency on progress
Katie Hardwick
EUSA Vice President Activities and Services 2023-2024
Carl Harper
EUSA Vice President Education 2023-2024
Lauren Byrne
EUSA Vice President Welfare 2022-2024
Dora Herndon
EUSA President 2024-2025
John Rappa
EUSA Vice President Activities and Services 2024-2025
Dylan Walch
Business Undergraduate School Representative 2023-2024
EUSA Vice President Education 2024-2025
Jeremy Pestle
EUSA President 2022-2023 candidate who was passionate about King's Buildings
Hugh Beaumont
EUSA President 2022-2023 candidate who was passionate about better services and community engagement in EUSA buildings
George McAdam-Cross
EUSA Vice President Activities & Services 2023-2024 candidate who proposed the idea of an inter-society support network
Their idea of an inter-society support network was adopted by the New King's Buildings Union as a way to encourage more social events happening in the Nucleus
Florence Hockaday
Chemical Engineering Society President 2023-2024 candidate who was passionate about improving the Society
Diya Goel
EUSA Vice President Education 2023-2024 candidate
EUSA Student Awards 2023 Winner: Outstanding Representation
Diya actively participates in the student community by holding the position of Assistant Producer in Footlight's Bring it On show and by volunteering with the Students' Association during Welcome Week. She has gone the extra mile in welcoming incoming students and providing them with advice and guidance on where to get support, acknowledging the challenges faced by first-year students. After realizing that she was being asked similar questions repeatedly, she established her blog, DeepFriedBagPipes, to offer incoming students a platform to receive support and advice.
Hope Conway-Gebbie
EUSA Vice President Welfare 2023-2024 candidate
Steve Anderson
EUSA Vice President Welfare 2023-2024 candidate
Salman Wael Mirza
EUSA President 2023-2024 candidate
Jerry Li
EUSA Vice President Community 2023-2024 candidate
Japjot Singh
Most Famous Engineering Student at the University of Edinburgh
Tobias Hansen
Biological Sciences Undergraduate School Representative 2022-2023
Sam Marks
History, Classics, and Archaeology Undergraduate School Representative 2023-2024
Ademiku Adeleye
Geosciences Postgraduate Taught School Representative 2023-2024
Zahid Mushtaq
EUSA Vice President Activities and Services 2024-2025 candidate
Bridie Gill
EUSA Vice President Community 2024-2025 candidate
Alix Mccoll
EUSA Vice President Community 2024-2025 candidate
Interview with EUSA Presidential candidate, Jeremy Pestle – The Student
In this interview, the EUSA Presidential candidate Jeremy Pestle speaks about his motivation for running, his ambitions, and how he plans to represent the diverse student population at Edinburgh University. He cites his experience as a student dealing with mental health, physical health, and financial challenges, as well as his work as the Commuter Students’ Representative, as evidence of his qualifications for the role of EUSA President. He explains that he chose to run for President rather than VP Welfare because he believes it gives him a wider opportunity to advocate for the issues that affect King's building students.
When asked about his most ambitious manifesto point, he responds that he is not focused on short-term goals but is more interested in the medium and long-term future of the Students' Association. He hopes to use EUSA's voice to advocate for the things that affect students and push for change over a sustained period of time. He acknowledges that nothing in his manifesto is a one-year-long thing, but he hopes to start the ball rolling for the next person to carry it forward and create a lasting legacy of change.
He highlights the issues with the Activities department, specifically the low engagement with the role of Activities rep. He also discusses the lack of a powerful voice for King's Buildings students and the need to energize school reps to engage with students. He notes the differences between Central and King's Buildings and the challenges faced by King's students with limited food outlets, study spaces, and transportation. He is committed to advocating for these issues and making sure that the voices of King's students are heard.
When asked about how he plans to represent such a diverse student population, he acknowledges the difficulties and stresses the importance of reaching out to students and expanding EUSA's reach. He hopes to reach out to brand new first-years and prospective students to educate them about the Students' Association and its services. He also acknowledges that some students may just want to focus on their studies and that it's important not to pressure them too much.
Overall, Jeremy Pestle seems like a committed and passionate candidate with a focus on advocating for the issues that affect students and using EUSA's voice to push for change. His experience with mental health, physical health, and financial challenges, as well as his work as the Commuter Students’ Representative, make him a qualified candidate for the role of EUSA President. His commitment to long-term change and making sure that the voices of all students are heard make him a strong contender for the role.
Interview with EUSA Presidential candidate, Niamh Roberts – The Student
In this interview, EUSA Presidential candidate Niamh Roberts discusses her motivation for running for the role of President, her manifesto points, and what she would focus on throughout the year if elected. She is passionate about ensuring that students are heard, understood, and have power in making decisions that affect them. She notes a disconnect between students and EUSA as a whole and aims to bridge that gap through improving representation.
One of her manifesto points is to have a Citizens' Assembly, which would serve the purpose of educating, encouraging unity and dialogue between different groups, and ensuring that students understand what is going on at the university. This would be achieved by putting the power in students' hands and creating a stratified sample of the student population. She emphasizes that students would be consulted on how to run the Citizens' Assembly to prevent it from being overwhelming. Additionally, Roberts wants to address student fatigue caused by overwhelming communication between EUSA, the university, and the student body.
She also plans to focus on keeping her finger on the button to ensure she understands what is happening in all departments and responding to challenges as they arise. She believes that much of the role is about helping other Sabbatical officers and Liberation officers and amplifying their manifesto points. Furthermore, she aims to put in place a mandatory module for students and staff about unconscious bias training, active bystander training, and sexual violence prevention training.
She also wants to protect the small everyday occurrences of student life, such as the King's shuttle bus, and improve accessibility and choice in EUSA buildings. She aims to respond to whatever crisis comes next, given that the university seems to be incapable of avoiding major crises every semester. If another round of strikes occurs, she plans to prepare for that and support staff while also encouraging hybrid learning to ensure that students do not miss out on their learning during those weeks.
If there was one thing Niamh Roberts could change about student democracy or the Students' Association, she would make it more meaningful and transparent, ensuring that information is accessible and easy to navigate. She believes that everyone should be clued up and know what is going on, and that everyone should have the power to hold the university accountable. She also aims to change student democracy so that it is not always the same groups of people carrying the burden of change on their shoulders, but rather, students are involved in the co-creation of solutions. She wants to carry the burden for a little while herself, having been in the privileged position of not having any idea what is going on.
Interview with EUSA Presidential candidate, Hugh Beaumont – The Student
Hugh Beaumont, a presidential candidate for Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA), shares his vision for a more vibrant and engaging student community. Having been engaged in student politics for the past five years, he feels that the wider student population's experience and sense of community has been neglected. One of his priorities is to promote sports at the university, live-streaming games in Teviot, and increasing advertisement. He also wants to make the student union building, Teviot Row House, more accessible to students by offering more affordable drinks and opening up more of the venues.
Furthermore, he wants to organise a large, affordable, and accessible university ball, and make use of the university's resources to celebrate the multicultural student community by organising events such as Octoberfest, Chinese New Year, Diwali, Thanksgiving, among others. He believes that these events would create a sense of community and provide opportunities for cultural societies to showcase their culture.
Hugh acknowledges the low democratic turnout and EUSA's focus on important issues, but not always relevant to the wider student population. To address this, he proposes that EUSA should try to engage more with the wider student population by going out and talking to them, asking about their issues and what matters to them, and raising issues that are relevant to everyone. He believes that transparency is key to effective representation.
In conclusion, Hugh's manifesto is focused on creating a vibrant and engaging student community by promoting sports, making the student union building more accessible, organising a university ball, and celebrating the multicultural student community. He also aims to increase democratic turnout by engaging more with the wider student population and being transparent in his representation.
Niamh Roberts elected EUSA President – The Student
Niamh Roberts has been elected as the President of Edinburgh University Students’ Association, following a week-long delay due to an investigation into a breach of electoral rules by a candidate. Niamh ran on a campaign centred around accountability, which included the creation of a Citizens’ Assembly among students and the implementation of a mandatory start-of-semester training module giving students and staff active bystander and violence prevention training. Hugh Beaumont came in a close second, and the remaining candidates were Eda Inal, Jeremy Pestle, Fredrik Mohr, Marco Garcia Mendez, and Hayth Hosnine. Niamh expressed excitement about taking on the role and said she was eager to integrate some of the ideas of her competitors. The new Sabbatical officer team consists entirely of those assigned female at birth, and Niamh said they were committed to creating space for wider representation.
EUSA election results: Sharan Atwal elected President – The Student
Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA) has announced the results of its annual elections, with Sharan Atwal elected as President, and Lauren Byrne, Alma Kalina Reißler, Katie Hardwick, and Carl Harper filling the Vice-President Sabbatical roles. Voter turnout increased by 5% from the previous year, with over 20,000 votes cast. The newly elected officials highlighted their focus on transparency, improving student experiences, addressing the cost-of-living crisis, and supporting tenants. The incumbent president, Niamh Roberts, was re-elected as a campaign officer for sustainability, emphasising the need for the university to be more accountable for its impact on climate change. Despite the increase in voter turnout, many students remain apathetic towards EUSA and its involvement in student life.
EUSA elections unlikely to see major student turnout – The Student
Apathy towards the Edinburgh University Student Association (EUSA) elections was prevalent among students at the University of Edinburgh, with many either not knowing who was running or not caring. This may be due to a perceived lack of direct involvement in student life. However, addressing the cost-of-living crisis was a popular manifesto point for many, and some students called for greater involvement from EUSA in the student community. Despite some vocal efforts on women’s rights and petitioning for help with the cost-of-living crisis, some students felt that EUSA was not doing enough to support students, potentially due to poor representation beyond the George Square campus. The College of Science and Engineering, which makes up almost a quarter of the student population, felt particularly detached from EUSA. Some students felt that the apathy of most students reflected a level of privilege. However, this year’s elections saw a 5% increase in turnout from last year.