Campaigns officer interview: David Watters
Four candidates, one job, UCLan students will decide. Nafisa Sayani speaks to journalism and politics student, David Watters, about his position on top-up fees, what he plans to campaign on and why he’s the best person for the job.
Why did you decide to stand for this position?
Ever since I got here on Flying Start, I’ve really enjoyed the whole university experience, and it is a bit of a cliché, but I do want to give something back. I’ve had such a good experience, I want to make sure that people coming here have the same enjoyable experience. I think my personality quite fits the whole campaign – I’m quite open and I’d like to think I’m approachable. It’s just something that really interests me. I think it’s something I can definitely get my teeth into and I’ll really enjoy it.
Why should people vote for you?
In my manifesto I try and outline a set of core aspects that I want to campaign for – obviously things that I feel are a necessity, regardless of who’s at the university: student health and safety, the environment, diversity, obviously equal opportunities – but apart from that, really, I can’t impose what I think students want. I can’t say, ‘Well, I’m campaigning for this because this is what I think students want.’ I need to get out there and find out what students want, and I think I’m of that personality – I’m quite open, I can find out what students want, take that on board, and then campaign for that. I don’t think I should impose what I think students should mainly campaign for.
What makes you good for this position?
To be honest, once I do go for something I’m 100 per cent into it, I’m very committed, I like to be involved in stuff from the start to the end. My time management skills are very good – obviously at uni, with handing in essays and stuff, you have to meet deadlines! Like I say, I’m 100 per cent committed when I do something, and I think I can take that approach and just make sure that students are getting the best deal they can while they’re at university… I get on with most people, and that’s what I really want to bring to the role, in that people can approach me. I mean, obviously, I’ll go out and speak to a lot of students and find out what they want to be campaigned for, but I want to be quite open and people can come to me as well, especially freshers, because obviously moving to university is such a big thing, moving away from home and away from your family and stuff like that. I want people to feel that they’re safe and that they can enjoy the same student experience that I’ve had.
Do you have any experience that will help you in this position?
I play rugby for the university and back home as well, so obviously, it’s a massive team sport, so you’ve got the whole teamwork mentality there. It’s also about personal leadership – I captain my side back home, so you’ve got that leadership aspect, taking a group of people forward. Also, on my year out, I went travelling for a year, so I’ve met lots of different people. I quite enjoyed it as well; everyone’s got a different story, everyone’s got a different point of view, and I found that I was quite able to take that all on board…It was something I really wanted to do – I took a year out because I wanted to go travelling and I do have the travel bug a bit now! I think I’ve definitely taken that kind of confidence from meeting new people – It has taken me forward, and also, I grew up. It sounds like a cliché, you know, you go away and ‘find yourself’ and stuff like that, but I’ve definitely grown up a lot more, and I’d like to think I’m a responsible adult now!
What do you plan to do to get people to vote for you?
Well, obviously you’ve got posters and stuff like that, but I don’t think they’re that important, because obviously so many other people are going to do it. Really, what I want to do is go out there and get talking to students, because that’s what I want to do when I’m in the role. I need to get talking to students, find out what they want, let them know that I am an approachable person so they can bring their points of view to me. So yeah, I really want to bring that in my campaign to try and show that if I do get the role, I can go out there and find out what students want and take that forward onto the role.
What issues do you think are most important to students?
Like I say, I’ve got a core set of issues that I want to campaign for – obviously student health and safety is massive thing. People are moving away from home, to usually a new place they’re not familiar with and they may not have many friends, that’s why it’s one of the key points. You’ve also got the environment and Fairtrade – obviously the university and Students’ Union have made leaps and bounds, they got the Silver Award for the environment last year, and apparently, we’re running for the Gold Award this year as well, so I see that as key. I think we can lead from the front with that, really. Also, diversity – we’ve got like, 30,000 students here from different backgrounds, different cultures. I think we can not only learn a lot from those people, but obviously it just brings in a better mix. You meet some many people from different countries and different backgrounds, and they need to be represented as well. Just because there might only be ten Polish students or something like that, they still deserve a say in the way the Students’ Union is run, so I’m hoping I can campaign for that.
Do you have any ideas yet for campaigns that you would like to run?
Well, one of the aspects I do want to look into is student accommodation. I stayed in the traditional halls in my first year, and I wasn’t too impressed with them, to be honest. I think that needs to be looked into – there’s a few issues that I’ve got with that, that I’d like to take on, if I do get into Campaign’s Officer. Like I said, I’m trying to go into it very open, I don’t want to go in with a mindset of ‘this is what I want to do’, because I think the role should be based on student views, not my views. There’s a couple of things that I want to push forward, but it’s going to be very student-based, so what the student issues are, will be what I’ll be campaigning for, rather than me coming in and imposing my points of view on them.
Campaigns Officer is a new position this year; do you think it has been a good idea to combine Equal Opportunities Officer and Welfare Officer?
Yeah, definitely. I’ve been speaking to Chris [Lowden, current SU President] about it, and he seems to think that it’s a good idea and it will solidify the university and the student role in it. I think this year is massively important, being the first year that there’s a Campaign’s Officer. I think, because of that, if I do get the role, it needs to be taken on 100 per cent and solidify as a position- I need to take a stand and make sure that student lives aren’t affected by the fact that the two roles are being combined. So yeah, it’s a massive opportunity.
What is your position on top-up fees?
I think it’s a matter that needs to be addressed nationally, and I’m definitely 100 per cent behind a campaign to lower top-up fees. I don’t think it’s realistic to get rid of them completely, but the price they’ve gone up to now is obviously extortionate. I don’t think students can be expected to pay that back, and I think it will affect them later on, so it’s definitely something I’m very passionate about that needs to be campaigned for and it needs to be sorted out. I think we can make a difference – the whole point of a democracy is that people have their own voice and they can take that on, and I think that if we do something, both within UCLan, and nationally, we can take that on to the government, and hopefully we can make changes.
