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“I’m Mahek. Your Wellbeing Matters!!

And for that, I will push for a single, easy-access platform for mental health and champion inclusive opportunities so every single student thrives.”

Hi, I’m Abinaya. University should be a place where every student feels comfortable being

themselves and taking part in campus life. Sometimes people feel different or unsure if they

belong, but no student should ever feel that way at Leeds.

During exam season many students study late into the night. I will work with LUU and

campus cafés to explore late-night opening hours so students have access to coffee and safe

study spaces.

I also want to introduce anonymous forms so students can raise concerns about welfare or

student life safely. My aim is simple: a campus where every student feels they belong and

every voice matters.

I am running on the equality and justice slate with AJ (union affairs and community), issy (opportunities and development), and nico (academic experience). The growing crises in society, from genocides and wars to the rise of the far right, mean we need a collective fight back against the system. We are students that believe in a free Palestine, anti-racism, and trans rights, and we are committed to building a bottom-up student movement that can challenge the increasing attacks on our community.

Above everything else, I value community. I have experienced for myself the ways that the university treats students and I want to work with you to squash the overly individualistic mindset they use against us.

One of the ways that the university has let students down is through its disability services. I have personally been denied help with transferring my diagnosed ADHD care as an international student, which left me stranded and without a support system. I worry about all the students who likely experience similar issues; I have witnessed my neurodivergent and disabled friends struggle with reaching out to these very inaccessible accessibility services. I don't want others to continue experiencing the pain and frustration that I have.

There are also flaws in the university's trans inclusion policy. Recently, the word “transphobia” was removed from it. Yes, the word for discrimination against trans people was removed from the trans inclusion policy. This has made me and other trans people feel like the University favours political neutrality over our basic wellbeing . Minorities need to feel safe, and so many people I have spoken to have felt like they change who they are in uni just to fit in.

This also applies to the Palestine diaspora, as students who have moved here from Palestine feel unsafe and unwelcome. The university needs to stand with these marginalised groups unconditionally.

We are more than just political pawns; I need students to be able to rely on each other and the university. It saddens me how often people are incentivised to put themselves over others, but it doesn't have to be this way. The university should not feel like a free for all, it needs to feel like a home. We need to learn to trust each other again.

About me: Hi, I'm Amyra! I’m a second year English and Sociology student, because my passions lies in people and the stories they have to tell. Everything I do in life, from my favourite hobby of watching films to painting and reading, is because I love learning about the world we live in through other peoples perspectives. Getting to know a complete stranger and care for them is what I live for.

In my free time, I run events for LGBT+ society, manage money for SSAFE as their treasurer and help my community whenever I can. I serve queer people free food once each month at @teatimeleeds (you should come and say hi, I promise it is lovely!) and I produced a play with Open Theatre called The Abyss this semester. There is nothing I love more than just love going around meeting people!!  

My campaign focuses on three crises students are currently facing: access, belonging, and the cost of participation.

First, the Access Crisis. When students reach out for help, the system should respond quickly and clearly. I will push for greater transparency in wellbeing wait times, clearer signposting across the Union (including multilingual and accessible formats), and visible welfare pop-up support during high-pressure periods like exams. I also want to introduce a simple one-minute support system, a single place students can go to be directed to the right help immediately.

Second, the Representation and Belonging Crisis. Leeds is an incredibly diverse community, but too many students still feel peripheral. I will relaunch and incentivise the Buddy Programme so new students, international students, commuters and postgraduates can build connections early. I will also work with societies to create a visible cultural celebration calendar that properly recognises and celebrates the many communities on campus.

Third, the Cost of Participation Crisis. University life should not depend on how much money you can spend. I will push for weekly low-cost or free Union events and create a Society Inclusion Fund so students are not priced out of joining societies or opportunities.

I’m a third-year international law student, who is balancing part time work, committees and academic pressure while managing my mental health. I understand the challenges of exhaustion, homesickness, having to pay more, wait longer for support, and navigating systems that are difficult to access when we need them most.

Welfare exists on paper, but too often struggle to access it. That is the gap I want to fix. I am promising structure, transparency and a Union that works better for students.

Vote Myra. 

If safety is your top priority? If so, I am the candidate for you, my name is Seb Glasper, and I’m running to be your next Welfare & Liberation Student Executive.

Safety should not be something students have to negotiate.

I know what it feels like to move through spaces feeling unsafe, whether because of my identity, my circumstances, or feeling powerless in the systems that were meant to support me. Those experiences are not unknown to me, and they are very personal. And they are the reason I refuse to accept that nothing can be done to change it.

I am tired of watching the same issues repeat year after year, with new students facing the same barriers, the same risks, and the same silence. At the heart of my campaign is a simple commitment: to break that cycle. Whatever role I hold, my goal is the same: to build structures that prevent harm before it happens and strengthen support when it does. I want to ensure no student has to navigate university feeling unsafe or alone.

If you are affected by any of the following issues, please check the link below for resources and support: https://linktr.ee/saferwithseb

Why me?

• President of SASHA (@sasha_uol) and committee member for four years
• Trauma-informed certified with experience supporting survivor-centred worK
• Co-hosted a cross-sector conference on sexual violence, addressing stigma around Child Sexual Abuse
• Volunteer with Rainbow Junktion foodbank and Basis Yorkshire, supporting communities facing food insecurity and sexual exploitation
• West Yorkshire Community Leader on the Tackling Serious Violence Strategy and member of the Violence Against Women and Girls Board for Leeds

Safer housing

Housing worries, whether it’s rent increases, exploitative contracts, or unlivable conditions, are known issues for students across the country. And we also know that students’ welfare does not stop at the edge of campus. Here are some ways I want to make housing safer:

• Lobby for mandatory DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) checks for landlords. A DBS check is an official document of an individual’s criminal history, including convictions.

1. A DBS check should be enforced by city council licensing agreements, with the results of the check shown to tenants before a lease is signed.
2. This will not only help protect students from landlords, who, as we know, have power and access to a student in what should be their safest space at home, but also the wider community.

• I will establish an LUU Housing Advisor, working alongside other support services like Advice & Wellbeing, Unipol, and housing unions, to provide the most accurate support.

1. A housing advisor can aid with house hunting, raising complaints to landlords or escalating to the city council, as well as well-being care. The advisor can also support students dealing with unsafe living environments due to flatmate conflict, domestic violence, or entrapment.
2. Better support for students who are living at home/commuting and the struggles they may face.
3. There will also be improved online resources, so students who cannot come to campus can still have access to the same information and get signposted to the best support.
4. Students are often pressured to sign contracts early, without clear knowledge of their rights, and with unclear support routes. This means students must navigate complex Union and University structures to find the right person.
5. A dedicated advisor reduces that burden, provides earlier intervention, and ensures students get the right support quickly, protecting both their safety and their financial well-being.

• Improve information and education about renting rights, contracts, and things to avoid when house hunting, alongside holding higher demands for landlords to provide safe, clean, and appropriately priced lets.

1. This can include workshops and drop-ins on campus, as well as regular updates to online guides and student communications.
2. In particular, co-producing resources for international students, as statistically these groups are often the most exploited due to issues around UK-based guarantors and inaccurate information being provided to students (Unipol, 2024, International Student Housing Briefing).
3. Strengthen landlord accountability through accreditation and transparency, working with Unipol, Leeds City Council, and the National Union of Students, to tighten standards for approved landlords. Require clearer disclosure of safety compliance and past complaints, and make it publicly available which landlords and agents meet the higher standards.
4. Use collective and institutional leverage to challenge poor practice and unfair pricing by making clearer reporting pathways for students, publishing anonymised trend data, and applying pressure through the University’s influence and coordinated student voice.

Students should never have to choose between their safety and financial stability.

Safer people

Feeling unsafe on and off campus is a reality many of us have unfortunately faced. Particularly those of us from marginalised groups. As the President of SASHA (Students Against Sexual Harassment and Assault), I have spent four years as an activist making change, such as establishing SASHA Accreditation consent training, helping to re-launch Reclaim the Night in LUU, raising money and awareness for local charities, and representing students nationally and locally in government on sexual violence issues. Here are the ways I will make us safer people:

• Increase funding for the LUU Night Bus so it can travel further and more regularly.

1. The Night Bus is a minibus that leaves from the LUU foyer every evening and will take students directly home. This is an amazing service that we can push to make students more aware of.

• Implement Trauma-Informed training for all University and LUU staff, which empowers staff to understand and safely respond to the impacts of trauma. This training can embed trauma awareness into the organisational culture.

1. I completed this training myself this year, to strengthen my knowledge for SASHA and when working with West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and I believe this training which was developed nationally in the Public Health Approach, is extremely valuable learning to improve our campus culture.

• Restructure Universities’ Student Experience and Support services, such as Harassment & Misconduct, Counselling & Wellbeing, and Disability Services, to be better aligned with LUU’s Advice and Wellbeing team. I believe these services, whilst acknowledging their own pressures, have not been serving students to the level that is needed.

1. A restructure will prevent students from being referred to other departments in an endless loop of disclosures and re-traumatisation for the individual. These services must prioritise putting less pressure on the student to be proactive when getting help in a crisis.
2. Alongside, LUU’s complaints procedures for societies must be explored and improved upon, with the process being well communicated to committees so that students are not spending time finding the procedure and instead are empowered to handle the issue safely.

The University and the Union should be a safety net for students, not another barrier to accessing support.

Safer Liberation

Liberation to me means the freedom to exist without fear of discrimination. It requires safety that actively removes barriers. For me, liberation ensures no student has to alter themselves, hide, or accept feeling unsafe as part of their university experience. A safer community is fundamental for liberation.

• I will empower Liberation Engagement Leaders and students by ensuring their concerns are not only heard but translated into tangible action and policy change. Liberation work cannot thrive in environments where students feel unsafe, dismissed, or tokenised.
• I understand personally what it means to feel unsafe, and that experience drives my commitment to uplifting students so that they are protected and confident to speak up.
• Also, when students are repeatedly asked for feedback, they must see the outcomes. I will push for clear communication on what has changed as a result of student voice, so engagement leads to visible, accountable progress.

Students should never be afraid.

I can only make this change happen with your support, please vote for me to help us make our campus safer. If you wish to speak to me on any of my points, come find me on campus (I’ll be wearing green!), message me on Instagram @seb4welfareliberation, or email me me22sg@leeds.ac.uk. For support, you can find resources here: https://linktr.ee/saferwithseb

Thank you for reading. I look forward to making our campus safer.