Manifesto analysis: Josh Stevens, Association President

Despite being the treasurer of the Comedy Club, Josh Stevens’ manifesto is no joke. The key themes of his pledges are dialogue and transparency, excellent buzzwords but lacking in commitments. However, his pledges may be achievable given his credentials as Marketing Officer of Saints LGBT+, a position in which he worked with the Union and the joint councils to pass hate crime motions.

Accommodation

Mr Steven pledges himself to prioritising the student body, promising to work towards stopping rises in University accommodation costs and ending the restriction of HMO licenses. While he gives little evidence as to how he would do this, the sentiment is admirable.

Sabbatical Collaboration

Mr Stevens aims to set up a forum for institutions that also are not affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS), such as the Universities of Glasgow and Dundee, to help work towards common goals and interests. He does not say what those goals are but reaffirms his commitment to “our rights as students”.

Demographics and Access

In this section of his manifesto Mr Stevens announces his commitment to equal opportunities. Once again, he pledges to working with various bodies of the Students’ Association to help those with disabilities get better access to facilities and also “encourage recruitment for groups traditionally underrepresented”.  As with the other sections, the sentiment will appeal to the electorate, but there is little substance as to how his aspirations will be fulfilled.

Financial Support

Mr Stevens wants the University to be more accessible and clearer with students about how much they spend on accommodation and to offer more funding/financial support schemes. He also pledges to work towards reducing access fees for the sports facilities: a popular policy but one espoused by many before to little reward.

Activism and Campaigning

Mr Stevens most coherent policy is to make Union meetings more transparent. He promises to add a detailed report to each weekly email that overviews the work of the sabbaticals. He also promises to lobby the council over their recycling policy.