On Monday night, it was announced that Samuel Boath has been elected as your new LGBT+ Officer for 2020/21. Samuel was declared the winner after one round of voting, winning 262 votes out of the 306 cast. Impact caught up with Samuel to ask him a few questions after his win.
What are you most looking forward to in your role?
I am most looking forward to supporting and representing the LGBTQ community at this university. I have many plans for this role and I’m very excited to implement them across our campuses. I am in contact with the current LGBT+ Officer and asked what he didn’t get time to do and what he would still implement if he had the time. So this has also given me a few ideas to make our community feel safe, supported and accessible.
What do you feel is the most pressing problem faced by LGBT+ students on campus, and how will you address that?
Gender neutral toilets is a big issue here which I would like to implement more across campuses. I want to also standardise preferred pronouns on every student/staff record and make sure it’s used by both the university and its staff.
“Making use of social media and making sure everone is informed and supported.”
How are you going to balance your new responsibilities with all the other demands of student life?
I am a busy bee! I know I will be stressed in my final year of nursing, writing my dissertation and being on placement but I am very well organised and use my time wisely. I like to keep a diary and a ‘to do’ list to make sure all my jobs are done by that day. Most of all, have fun and enjoy it!
How might you respond to the coronavirus situation in your new role?
Making use of social media and making sure everyone is informed and supported. Any student can reach out to me with a question they have via Facebook or Instagram and I will be more than happy to help! Hopefully by September the University will be back up and running and I can really start to make change.
What was the highlight of your campaign?
It was nice seeing my friends supporting from my course, housemates, sports clubs and the LGBT Facebook page. It was also great to see other people’s campaigning and making use of TikTok!
Were there any aspects of campaigning you found challenging?
It was hard not seeing people in person and I am more of a face to face chat than it being over a message – I am sure it would have been lots more fun.
How will you be celebrating?
There isn’t much you can do at this moment in time except drink, so that’s what I will be doing. Champagne bottle at the ready!
Kit Sinclair
Featured image courtesy of Nina Sasha.
For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved!
