By Ellen Jones, Third year, Politics and International Relations
DISCLAIMER: In the interest of fairness, Epigram must outline that all full-time candidates within a given position were offered the chance to give more detail on their campaign. In this case, every Equality, Liberation & Access candidate was given a chance to have their voice heard in this publication.
With voting for the 2025 SU Elections entering their final day, Epigram spoke to Linlu Ye—one of two candidates running for Equality, Liberation and Access Officer—about her experience serving as ELA Officer this year, what their priorities would be if they're re-elected, and why she deserves your vote.
A recent Comparative Literature and Cultures MA graduate, Linlu Ye moved to Bristol in 2023. She describes her experience as a post-graduate student as ‘amazing’, in part owing to the student community fostered by the SU, and the friends they made by joining societies such as the Chinese Theatre and Film Society, and the LGBTQ+ Society (the latter of which has officially endorsed Ye as their ELA candidate this year).
Ye also ran, successfully, for the role of ELA Officer in last year's SU elections. When asked what first attracted them to doing so, they said that they had been thinking about what needed changing for a while.
‘I already had some ideas about areas for improvement [and how to] bring positive changes to the university,' said Ye. ‘That's what motivated me to run.’
Since then, Ye has worked on initiatives such as introducing a trial of free period products in campus bathrooms, and lobbying to improve mental wellbeing support. She described her time as ELA Officer as ‘absolutely wonderful’, and said she would like to to continue building on her achievements thus far.
‘I'm very proud of introducing the trial of free period products on campus, and I'm glad that the university has supported the initiative,' said Ye.
One of the key policies of Ye’s candidacy would be to see the free period products made permanent. Discussing their record, they spoke of how empowering it felt to be able to bring about positive changes for students, and how the ‘satisfaction’ it gave her has encouraged her bid for re-election.
Should she be successful again, Ye's priorities for the coming year include the aforementioned expansion of the provision of free period products, maintenance of the Gender Expression Fund, and addressing students concerns on issues of ‘accessibility and spiking’.
Given the salience of discourse surrounding freedom of speech and expression, particularly on university campuses, one feature of this year's ELA election is the emphasis, across candidate platforms, on facilitating ‘open dialogue’ within the student community.
One of Ye's policy commitments during this election is the ‘creation of safe spaces for open discussion on global crises.’ According to Ye, university should be a place where students from all backgrounds can thrive.
‘Feeling safe and establishing trust are key first steps to fostering an inclusive culture,' said Ye. 'Important conversations have already been taking place, and if I’m re-elected, I want to ensure these discussions continue.’
When asked what makes her a strong candidate for ELA Officer, a position which involves representing and supporting marginalised communities within the university, Ye noted her capacity to ‘put [herself] in others’ shoes’ and ‘consider diverse voices’ when bringing about change.
‘I’m open and inclusive to different perspectives,’ Ye said; she said it’s these qualities which they're hoping to bring to the role for a second year.
Ye ended our conversation by emphasising that, aside from policy or officer, the most important part of this year’s election is participation by students. Ye was quite emphatic.
'Please,' said Ye. 'Just VOTE!’
Voting closes at 9pm, on Thursday 13 March.
To vote, and look at candidates across all officer roles, visit https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/elections.
Would you like to see Ye re-elected as ELA Officer?
