This week, Her Campus Leeds talks to Liron Velleman, who is running to be the Union Affairs Exec at Leeds University Union (LUU)!
Hi Liron, thanks for talking to us! So, tell us a bit about yourself…
Hi, I’m Liron Velleman and I’m a third year Politics student. I’m from North London originally and now I live in Hyde Park. I’m the external canvassing coordinator of Leeds Labour Students, and an avid sports fan – particularly Arsenal FC!
What made you want to run for LUU exec?
I have been involved in the Union since I arrived in Leeds. In many ways we are an excellent student union and have been rightly recognised as such. However, there are still many ways to improve it and I believe I am the right person to drive this change.
What’s a typical week like for you?
A typical week involves a lot of time doing various political things from campaigning in the local area on voter registration and the upcoming local elections to Twitter discussions and chats in Hidden Café and elsewhere on anything political. My week also involves a lot of watching of sport, be it football, cricket, tennis or pretty much anything else! My week ends with the Sabbath including having a meal with friends on a Friday night. Oh and a little bit of uni work on top of that!
What changes do you want to make if you are elected?
My main policy areas focus on tackling the cost of student living, making it easier to be healthy on campus and connecting you to your union. I want to create a loyalty card to incentivise students to buy things in the Union, to tackle the rapid increases in rents, to introduce healthier meal deals, to extend student counselling services, to create an outdoor gym and to create an app that features what students want from it, to improve engagement with forums and to widen the scope of the recognition you get for volunteering on your degree classification.
Why should people vote in this year’s election?
There’s not long left to vote but you really should do it! It’s the best opportunity during the year to make your voice heard about how your union is run. Candidates have also spent a lot of time over the past few weeks setting out their visions for the Union and it’s a wonderful feeling when other students engage with us. Finally you get lots of incentives to vote including free printer credits and the chance to win money or tickets to the Leeds Ball.
Anything else to add?
I’m really honoured to have been chosen as this week’s Her Campus Celebrity. Remember that voting is only open until 4pm today (Thursday) so don’t miss out on your chance to vote!