By Jhanvi Vipin

There’s a bustle of excitement before the 2022 elections will reveal the new torchbearers of officers that will represent the student community. “But who to vote for?” students wonder as they scratch their heads in confusion. With so many courageous individuals running for various positions, it’s only justified that students have a difficult time figuring out which candidate should be chosen.

So yesterday, I interviewed two strong candidates for Vice President Welfare: Lewis McDermott, the previous VP Welfare, and Kofi Browne, a new contender in the elections. With their campaigns already underway, I asked them several questions about themselves and the direction they wish to guide Strathclyders toward.

If you haven’t already, voting can be done via the Strath Union website until 12pm TODAY (March 10, 2022). Use your voices to provoke change for the Strathclyde community and yourselves!

Tell me and the Strathclyde community a little bit about yourself, and also about the position you’re running for.

Why did you decide to stand for Vice President Welfare? Was there a situation that happened to you or a friend that impacted you strongly?

Tell me about your main manifesto pledge.

Lewis, since you were the VP Welfare for 2021-2022, what did you accomplish and what do you feel still needs to be worked on?

Kofi, you’ve mentioned in your manifesto that you’re a mature, international student. Do you mind highlighting the issues existing in both communities, and how you plan to take action for them?

Lewis, you’ve mentioned sexual health in your manifesto. Can you elaborate on the issues you think need to be resolved by the university and how you’re planning to work on them?

Kofi, how do you plan to increase the engagement of underrepresented communities in Strathclyde?

Finally, can you both sum up why students should vote for you?