On Monday 5th March 2018, one of the candidates running for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Officer in this year’s Students’ Union Elections participated in an election hustings.
Before the questions started, the audience was informed that one of the candidates running for BME, Malak Mayet, would not be in attendance as she is currently at the Malaysia campus. However, the same questions will be directed towards her and will then be posted online for people to read if they wish.
“she would like to connect with the LGBT+ society in order to work on the issue of identity”
Marvel Kalu, the candidate in attendance, was given a minute to introduce herself in which she explained that she is running because she believes that BME students need a more social presence both online and on campus. She further adds that she would also want to bring more of a social buzz to everything that they do.
When asked how she would be more inclusive to BME’s LGBT+ members, Marvel expresses how she thinks that representation is important and how she would like to connect with the LGBT+ society in order to work on the issue of identity.
“the network is not about what we do, but about uniting all students”
Talking about events, Marvel talks about BME related events that she has attended with other communities within Nottingham. She said that this has allowed her to become more aware of the different ways in which social events can be held.
Marvel highlighted the importance of raising awareness of the attainment gap between BME and non-BME students coming out of university. When asked what changes she is planning to bring to the BME Network, Marvel said she hoped to bring more visibility to the network. She feels it is “usually overshadowed.” Marvel wants to “bring social buzz to what we do”, because “the network is not about what we do, but about uniting all students.”
Sarah Lindgarde
Follow our SU Elections 2018 coverage on Facebook
