On Tuesday 3 February, the Oxford University Students’ Union held their hustings for the upcoming elections. Elections will be held between 9 and 12 February for a number of offices. These include 4 full-time sabbatical roles: Presidents for Undergraduates; Postgraduates; Communities and Common Rooms; and Welfare, Equity, and Inclusion. In addition, elections are being held for part-time equity offices and other roles. The hustings was the first opportunity for candidates to explain why voters should support them in the forthcoming elections.

This year, a high number of candidates have put themselves forward, with a total of 11 candidates applying for the sabbatical offices, and many more running for part-time officer and student trustee roles. Pleased by the strong interest in this year’s elections, a spokesperson from the SU provided the following comment: “We are delighted to see so many students engaging with the SU Leadership elections and now encourage all students to review candidate statements for all positions, and exercise their democratic right to vote in the SU Elections to select their student representatives for 2026/27 academic year. Oxford Shapes the world. Your vote can shape Oxford”.

Candidates were invited to make an opening case for why they should be elected, answer questions, and summarise their candidacy in a one-minute closing statement. The candidates for Welfare, Equity and Inclusion were the first to face questions. The four candidates for the office are Catherine Kola-Balogun, Henry Morris, Fitzroy (Pablo) Wickham and Khansa Maria. Kola-Balogun’s opening statement was first. She said that studying at Oxford has transformed her life, as she comes from a non-traditional background for this university,and that her wealth of JCR, access and society roles, including being Law Society’s president, stand her in good stead for this role. Morris sees Oxford as an institution they profoundly love. They want a chance to give back, and spoke of their role in the Class Act Society and its sub-fusc scheme as examples of their work. Wickham talked about his significant experience as a peer supporter, welfare officer and junior dean, among other achievements. He pitched himself as a candidate equipped to solve problems. Maria pledged to use her experiences of living with a disability and working with people with disabilities. She aims not to bring a “one size fits all” strategy and listen to people’s problems. The candidates were then questioned on a number of issues: how the SU will ensure equity officers and marginalised groups are represented and what initiatives each candidate would like to bring about. Incumbent president Alisa Brown questioned candidates on which of her 12 priorities they would choose to act on if they were elected.

Next were the candidates vying for the Presidency for Postgraduates: David Quan, India Kelly, Mergen Dorjnamjil, and incumbent president Wantoe Teah Wantoe. Wantoe was the first to give an opening statement, saying he loves the institution and his role and that this motivated him to run again. He also remarked about his happiness to be facing opposing candidates this time, compared to his unopposed run a year ago, which he suggests is a result of the work of the SU in the past year. Kelly’s motivation for running was to improve awareness of the SU, given that many friends in her division didn’t know what it was. She seeks to show postgraduate students that they can make change, even if they are studying for a short time at Oxford. Quan focused on the importance of education, speaking of how his family pioneered education in China, and how school was an important place for him during difficult  times for his family. Finally, Dorjnamjil wants to focus on students who are only here for a few months and don’t have time to engage in many societies. They want to help these students find out about events in as quick and accessible a way as possible. They were then asked how they’d engage with other representatives (including MCR presidents), what motions they would like to bring to the Conference of the Common Rooms, and which initiatives from the current team they would  like to see continued.

Afterwards, the two candidates competing to be President for Undergraduates – Digby Gough-Boyack and Zagham Farhan – faced questions. Gough-Boyack’s opening statement emphasised delivering meaningful change. He remarked that the president role is all about representation, and listening to communities and individuals, which he believes being Hertford’s JCR president has given him experience with. Farhan spoke of his love for the University, and his various roles in sports teams, societies, and his JCR committee. He wants to make the SU feel like a more meaningful part of Oxford student life. They were questioned on how they would engage with JCRs and how they would increase engagement with the Conference of the Common Rooms, which has previously failed to pass a motion due to lack of votes.

Finally, the audience heard from the sole candidate for President for Communities and Common Rooms, Roxana (Roxi) Rusu. Her pitch for the office is “to add another ‘C’ for connection”. She described the role as being like a ribbon, connecting the different aspects of the University together. She wants to increase engagement between societies, advocating for a shared calendar where all of their events would be easily accessible. As the former St. Anne’s JCR President, she emphasises that her experience with the Conference of the Common Rooms, and the power of that body, would allow her to understand the MCR perspective too. Inspired by the forum for JCR and MCR presidents, she would like to create a forum for society presidents to meet the SU.

The elections to the SU will be held from 9 to 12 February. For more information on all of the candidates running, visit the Oxford SU elections website, and stay tuned to The Oxford Blue as we will be making sense of the elections for you.