Lucinda Dodd
Poppy Read-Pitt is running in the 2022 SU elections for the role of Women’s* Officer. Impact’s Lucinda Dodd asked her a few questions regarding her campaign.
Q1. Why did you run for the role?
Without oversimplifying it, I just fancied it. I thought I might do a decent job and that it would be good to take advantage of the opportunities that university offers. Women’s issues have been a big passion of mine since I realised I had a vagina.
“I will fight for what I believe in”
Q2. What makes you a good fit for the role of Women’s* Officer?
I’m decently confident and have no qualms bringing something to the university if I think there’s an issue, and I think we’ve all – especially in the last two years – realised there is. I will fight for what I believe in – which is the empowerment of everybody that the Women’s Network covers.
Q3. What steps should be taken to combat spiking of women in nightclubs?
Universities and clubs need to work together. It seemed to me like we had a week of like, ‘yeah, don’t worry guys, you’re safe’. Realistically, I don’t think it changed a single thing.
There needs to be more accountability from institutions for their workers. Bouncers aren’t given enough consequences for the responsibilities that they have. We’re seeing time and time again, bouncers leaving women and vulnerable people when they’ve been spiked in vulnerable positions and being unsympathetic because they haven’t received the right kind of training.
Also, increase the welfare teams in clubs.
Q4. What steps should be taken to make women safer, both on campus and in the city centre?
If elected, I’ll be advocating for more night buses that run through student areas as well as campus. The 34 is a great example – extend that service during the night because Ubers aren’t always the safest way of getting home.
Campus could do with more lighting, I also think that we should implement university wide consent and bystander training. I think it’s clear that these things start smaller, and then build themselves up. If we, as a university, could attempt to try and nip some of those smaller microaggression behaviours in the bud, we would be in a better position.
Q5. How do you plan to make the Women’s Network more inclusive to everyone who sees womanhood as part of their identity?
I see the Women’s Network at the moment collaborate with a lot of society’s with women’s interests, like FemSoc. There are loads of other societies like the LGBT Network and Women’s Engineering Society that they could bolster the interest for.
I also think having a regular feedback channel is important because if you’re running something, it’s understandable that you might miss some stuff, but it’s important that you’re always open and willing to hear feedback about how you can improve and make sure everyone feels welcome.
Q6. How can you help combat misogynist outlooks on campus?
Bystander training would be a big part of that. It baffles me that we don’t have that sort of thing at this university considering how prevalent we know sexual assault to be.
“She’s what politics should be: by the people, for the people.”
Q7. Which woman in politics inspires you the most?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She’s what politics should be: by the people, for the people. She’s not a trained politician, she didn’t do PPE. She came up from her community to make [change] for her community. It’s very inspiring.
Voting for the 2022 SU Election closes at 1pm on Friday 25th March.
You can read Poppy Read-Pitt’s manifesto and vote in the elections here.
Lucinda Dodd
Featured image courtesy of Chiara Crompton. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of Max Harries. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to these images.
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