{"id":57809,"date":"2026-03-05T16:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T16:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/?p=57809"},"modified":"2026-03-05T16:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T16:50:14","slug":"joshua-tandy-on-their-bid-for-election-as-su-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/news\/joshua-tandy-on-their-bid-for-election-as-su-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Joshua Tandy on their bid for election as SU president"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"57809\" class=\"elementor elementor-57809\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9fe0d6e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"27917\" data-id=\"9fe0d6e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-583a92e\" data-eae-slider=\"30110\" data-id=\"583a92e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd54300 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dd54300\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Edited by Olivia Griffin<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Joshua Tandy discusses his 2026 Students\u2019 Union Presidential bid with Head of Politics Ruaidhr\u00ed Gillen Lynch.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Prefer to listen to this interview? Follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gairrhydd\/\">@<em>gairrhydd<\/em><\/a> on Instagram for more information.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><em>This interview is published verbatim. Views expressed are those of the candidate and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gair Rhydd or Cardiff Students\u2019 Union.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:separator --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><!-- \/wp:separator --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Okay, Josh Tandy, you are of course the VP of Heath Park. Could you tell us a bit about your time as a student? What did you study, and what experience makes you the best candidate for President?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, of course. I studied biomedical anatomy under the School of Biosciences. I was a student rep, student chair actually,\u00a0 for all three years of my time, and I really enjoyed it. I\u2019ve always loved student voice, always have. You know, prefect and all of that in sixth form.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I was also involved in a lot of society work. I was Society President and Vice President, and also the Musical Director of Show Choir, so I\u2019m well accustomed to that sort of environment too. I\u2019ve done various other things as well: student mentors, working with the university quite a lot at college level even before I was a VP, so generally a nice spread of things. The most important thing is that I really do enjoy working in the higher education sector.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>In the future, after I\u2019ve finished my time as VP, and hopefully after my time as President, I really hope to go into the higher education sector and do it right. I think there are too many people who don\u2019t look out for students, and I want to be one of the people at the top that does.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us a bit about where you grew up, what kind of school you went to, and anything notable about your childhood.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, of course. I live in the southeast of Kent, very near France. You can see France on my doorstep because we live on a hill. It\u2019s really, really nice. I went to the Dover Grammar School for Boys.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Growing up in a boys\u2019 school was a little bit different to mixed schools, but I think it made me a little bit more confident and a little bit more persevering. It was hard at times, but I think it was a good challenge, especially because that sort of environment tends to be more hetero-centred. Growing up gay as well did present its challenges, so that was something notable in my childhood.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>When you think about your life outside of university and the campaign, what does that look like? How do you spend your time when you&#8217;re not running for VP?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>In my spare time, I still do musical directing of Show Choir, and I really, really enjoy that. I have tons of hobbies, you\u2019ll probably see eventually when I post it on my campaign page. I like candle making, I do some photography (probably not as good as you guys), and I compose my own music. Sporting wise I also do some skiing and squash as well!<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I play piano and I sing, and I teach both of those as well. I like my academic side too, and I will hopefully, fingers crossed, go on to do a PhD. But I also really like the duality of creativity, and I think both help each other, even with that extracurricular side of things.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have a favourite social event in Cardiff? A pub, a club or any sort of social event?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, so I\u2019m part of CU Pride, and I really like it. I just think it\u2019s a really welcoming environment, and I\u2019ve worked a lot with them this year to bring up House, which is the SU\u2019s queer club night. That was rebranded from Q last year, and we\u2019ve done lots of good work, and it\u2019s turned out really well.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s self-sustaining now in effect, but I\u2019ve really enjoyed the work I\u2019ve done with the community; even though, in some sense, it has been work. But when you take your lanyard off, everyone is just so lovely. It\u2019s really nice to be able to access that community, and I think I\u2019ll definitely have those friendships after my role, and probably after I finish at Cardiff Uni.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Moving on to your time as VP Heath Park. You\u2019re running against your current president, Maria. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I think that over the last year; I\u2019ve done really well. If you look at what I\u2019m working on, on the website, you\u2019ll see that all of my manifesto points are in the final stage or completed. I can guarantee you \u2013 and I know people throw that around a lot, but I do not throw it around easily \u2013 that all of those points will be completed by the time I finish.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not something you see a lot as a Sab (Sabbatical Officer), and it\u2019s because I do sometimes work until six or seven every day. I put in the hard effort to make sure I complete what I say I\u2019m going to do. I\u2019m not saying anyone else does or doesn\u2019t do that, but I want to take it up a notch, and I want to work on higher-level stuff.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I think I\u2019ve proven I can do Heath Park, and with the removal of the VP Heath Park position, I think I can make sure the transition into a new sabbatical structure is really meaningful for both campuses.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>In your time as VP of Heath Park, what are you most proud of having achieved?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>There are lots of things that, towards the end of your term, before elections happen, are kind of budding. On the 9th of March, Cardiff Uni is going to have a meeting with Cardiff Met, USW and Cardiff Bus to come together and agree a discounted student bus pass for students in Cardiff; for all students, not just Heath Park students and I think that would be really beneficial.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m also proud of the Heath Park Pantri opening up, which was really useful for the cost of living. And this weekend, I\u2019m going to run Heath Park on Tour, where we\u2019re running events over Wales. I\u2019m going up to Wrexham and Bangor, and I\u2019ve finalised those details and sent out the dietary requirements. I think it will be really good to support our students away, which hasn\u2019t been done for many, many years. It\u2019s hard to orchestrate, but it\u2019s going to be so worth it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a622489 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"36081\" data-id=\"a622489\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4128ed4\" data-eae-slider=\"27022\" data-id=\"4128ed4\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-666b481 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"666b481\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"541\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-1080x811.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-57812\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-1080x811.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-120x90.jpg 120w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/tandy-mid-article-1320x991.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c1671b3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"13357\" data-id=\"c1671b3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8872938\" data-eae-slider=\"39590\" data-id=\"8872938\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8f97dd4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8f97dd4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Perhaps the most notable event in your term was the abolishment of the role you hold. Why did you support this?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>You can either remain neutral, go against it, or be for it. The board\u2019s position \u2013 our external trustees, internal trustees, the Sabs and student trustees \u2013 was that they needed to do this because of one major reason. There\u2019s a rule now in elections where you have to be of the demographic you\u2019re representing to run for that position.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>That would mean if the role continued, Heath Park students would only be able to run for VP Heath Park, which makes perfect sense and should definitely be in place. I\u2019m not a Heath Park student. I\u2019d say I did a good job, but there was definitely a skill curve to learn and understand the environment because I wasn\u2019t a Heath Park student by nature. The only reason I think I was helped is because I worked at college level, so I did have experience.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The reason it was removed is because, looking back at previous years, only one of the last four years of Sabs were actually from Heath Park. If history repeated itself, and we were seeing that pattern, you\u2019d probably have no one fill the position. Then you\u2019d only have six Sabs, and although each has a specified area, the amount of work they do outside of that area is a lot. That would place pressure on a six-person team instead of seven, and you\u2019d also have no Heath Park representative.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Whereas now, if you look at the elections, you\u2019ve got four or five candidates for the campaign officer positions, which I put through the Senate and got passed. So it has been beneficial, and it should be the case that Heath Park students can and will represent themselves.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you say to people who feel the voluntary officer systems coming in are insufficient, and that Heath Park student voices may not be heard?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I understand that position, and I do sympathise. But I\u2019d say two things. One, you could end up with no Heath Park representative if the system stayed the same, and I think that\u2019s a very dangerous road, just chancing it. At least this way, representation is guaranteed.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Second, yes, we have campaign officers, but there\u2019s also a whole host of other things in the works. For instance, I\u2019m putting another policy through the Senate so that one executive committee member for every executive committee is reserved for Heath Park. That\u2019s another form of representation.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m also working on a good handover at the end of my position, not only to the next set of Sabbs, whether or not I\u2019m elected again, but also to the staff in the Students\u2019 Union. Because, for example, Freshers\u2019 Fair at Heath Park was a great success, really good, but that work was entirely led by me. If I wasn\u2019t there, it simply wouldn\u2019t have been done.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>What needs to be the case now is that the entire Sabbatical Officer team takes on Heath Park instead of it being one person\u2019s responsibility, which secures representation. The current, or should I say previous, system is very unsecure and unstable.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>At the AGM, you disagreed with the motion to not renew AGM affiliation. Some said your arguments were misinformed because the proposal was to leave NUS UK, not NUS Charity UK. Do you still hold that position?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I took a deep dive into understanding what people were saying. We interact with NUS quite a bit, and it can be hard to take an external view when you\u2019re part of something. So I took a step back and re-evaluated.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I do stand by that there are good commitments that come from NUS in terms of representing us at national level, and having the consortium, which is separate from the charity. There are benefits to those. Equally, I do understand what students said on that stage, and by no means do I stand by NUS in that regard. They should be fixing and amending those issues.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>As for my current status, I\u2019m going to do exactly what you elect me for, in the capacity you give me. It\u2019s not my decision whether we should be part of NUS or not, it\u2019s the students\u2019 decision, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s put to a referendum. Regardless of the outcome, I\u2019ll work within the realm of that referendum and do everything I can to do my job as effectively as possible while still listening to students.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Other candidates have policies to better safeguard and protect student media and editorial independence. What are your views and intentions regarding student media?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Student media is always an interesting one because of the location of it, being an independent group but also associated with the SU. In terms of free speech, you\u2019re an editor and you should be able to write what you want to write. However, because you are aligned with the SU and effectively funded from the SU budget, you do have to be careful in terms of the laws. That\u2019s not just my personal view; it\u2019s what\u2019s written.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been mentioned to me that you have to send SU politics stuff to the team to check you\u2019re not being overly critical or unfair. Sabbatical officers don\u2019t get involved in the democracy side because you can\u2019t, otherwise we could effectively rig elections, so we don\u2019t really deal with that. Anyone who says we do needs to take a hard look at the bylaws.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>In terms of funding, you have to acknowledge that no other societies get permanent funding every year. But costs are rising, and while I don\u2019t know your budget, I do think you should have increases in line with inflation. As someone who sits on the board and hopefully will continue to, those should be brought through the VP Societies and Communities role. The President role focuses on university-wide issues and supports the team, but you should elect the right VP Societies and Communities for your opinions.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Student media is usually aligned with communities, like societies, but you\u2019re not a technical society because societies can endorse and you can\u2019t. You need to be politically neutral. You are a community, and a good one, and I hope the new structure represents you more. If you ever don\u2019t feel you can go to that position, you should reach out, and I\u2019d be more than willing to help, because you should be represented by someone.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve sat on finance and risk, but I don\u2019t know exactly where your funding comes from. I assume it\u2019s under activities, and there are different budgets there. Elaine will probably talk with the head of activities Paul about how much you need. If you\u2019re worried about your budget, I\u2019d say get in touch with the Sabbs, they sit as board members and can raise concerns. We should be very proud of student media, and we need to support you with as much free speech as guidelines allow, and with the financing to do what you want to do.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>You referenced bylaws that don\u2019t properly protect student media. What\u2019s your view on reviewing them, potentially led by student media?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I had this prepared because I was genuinely intrigued. Bylaw 15.1.1 says student media won\u2019t express comment, criticism, or offer opinion about any candidate from the close of nominations until results; 15.1.2 that student media is prohibited from publicising names, aliases and pictures relating to candidates in that period; and 15.1.3 that the returning officer (or deputy) acts as a consultant on all election matters.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t think the returning officer part is an issue, because they\u2019re external and we need an unbiased perspective. The publicising names and pictures part exists to keep the playing field level \u2013 like with posters, where printing beyond the allowed amount would be election fraud.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The most contested bit is not expressing comment or criticism. At the moment, you can write what a candidate has said, but you can\u2019t say \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s going to do this\u201d or \u201cI think this candidate is really good.\u201d I think it\u2019s difficult because student media is tied to the SU in a way societies aren\u2019t. I would love for you to have the ability to do that, because it would make student media more functional and more enjoyable, but you\u2019d have to be delicate about where your funding comes from, and that\u2019s what causes conflict.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>More broadly, not just election bylaws but the wider bylaw set that dictates student media behaviour. If you want to change things, any student can propose changes to our rules. We\u2019re a union for students, so if you came to me as President, or after the election as VP Heath Park, we could start that conversation. I always encourage challenging the landscape you sit in, because that\u2019s how progress is made. There may be some hard lines, but there are always ways around things, and I think we should at least have a consultation.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>What systems did you go through in producing your manifesto? Whose voices did you hear, and why did they lead you to these decisions?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m VP Heath Park at the moment, but I do a lot of work for Cathays too, and I represent students generally all over, like all current Sabbatical Officers do. Throughout my year, speaking to people and seeing priorities, a lot of them are things I can see actively that the university is either dropping or trying to improve on but failing.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes university staff have really good ideas, but they\u2019re shut down by upper management. They need people at the top, and in this case, that\u2019s student representatives, to bring those good ideas up because we sit at those high levels. I\u2019ve seen examples from staff who genuinely care about students.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>And of course, students. I\u2019ve been speaking to a lot of students. I\u2019ve gone to loads of events, not only for the campaign, but because I genuinely enjoy it, and through that passive uptake I can see where student priorities lie. I think my manifesto reflects where students are and what they want over the upcoming year.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6d1d55a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"27968\" data-id=\"6d1d55a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e8bc313\" data-eae-slider=\"73097\" data-id=\"e8bc313\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25e0a9c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"25e0a9c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"541\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-1080x811.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-57813\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-1080x811.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-120x90.jpg 120w, https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-mid-2-1320x991.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5cdc7f87 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"50122\" data-id=\"5cdc7f87\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-77d35b02\" data-eae-slider=\"66901\" data-id=\"77d35b02\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-120dbada elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"120dbada\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- wp:paragraph \/--><!-- wp:paragraph \/--><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Your top priority is a student protection bill, recognising students as a vulnerable group. Some say it relies on lengthy lobbying outside your jurisdiction. How do you reassure people, and what would it tangibly produce?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>It has been done with other groups, but not students specifically in other countries. Recognising a group as vulnerable means the government has to consider them in policy; housing, cost of living, mental health and so on. That\u2019s crucial, because at the moment they can bring through, say, a housing bill and not really think about the effects on students, except for groups already listed as vulnerable.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Having that consideration in every law is a lasting impact \u2013 not a one-off \u2013 and it would roll on and help future Sabbatical Officers here and across the country. It could also give rise to more novel ideas around student protection. I think it\u2019s a good starting place. I\u2019m trying to be realistic: I\u2019m not putting something on my manifesto that I can\u2019t do, and you can see that because I\u2019ve delivered everything on my manifesto this year.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>You say you want to deliver on all Time to Act commitments. What are these, and how will you do it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>There are quite a lot of commitments, but they\u2019re accessible online. If you go into the AGM motions and then the Time to Act ones from the previous three years, you\u2019ll see them all there. Some are already done and some, even if they\u2019re done, could be done again and improved.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Earlier in the year, the Sabbatical Team and the SU put out a post about our work on Time to Act and apologised for a lack of work on sexual violence. We don\u2019t want to have to issue another apology. It\u2019s not really my jurisdiction as VP Heath Park, but I\u2019ve been doing work on sexual violence on placement, and I want to start working on bigger ticket issues and improve tackling sexual violence university wide. Being President would give me the ability to do that.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Is there anything within that work you feel most passionate about?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Consent and bystander training is really important. We do have a commitment from the university but it\u2019s a slippery slope because they can commit and say they\u2019ll put it in, but in what capacity, in what way and how truly mandatory it will be is another question entirely. We need to hold them to account on what they\u2019ve already committed to.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I also want to expand the Let\u2019s Talk Consent campaign. Having it in freshers is really important, because that\u2019s when people are arriving and some aren\u2019t educated on it, while others need refreshers. Then, if something happens, it matters that people have had the training. The university also needs to hold students to account in terms of tackling sexual violence and follow through with what the policy says. I don\u2019t think the current policy is up to scratch or being followed, so we need to review it, ensure it stands for survivors, and ensure they\u2019re actually doing what they say they\u2019re going to do, because we all know that doesn\u2019t happen in a fair few cases.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Your manifesto mentions monthly survivor working groups. How do you plan to deliver these, given the emotional cost for victims, and how will you safeguard people who come forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>At the moment we have the Tackling Sexual Violence working group, which is what I\u2019m referring to. They\u2019re doing great things, talking and actioning points, but I want to make the points more visible, to show we are actively doing things and to let people know what we\u2019re doing. If people disagree, they can come in and help: that\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>It\u2019s also not a hugely large group. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen the uptake I\u2019d personally be happy with so I want to expand it, get more important things on the agenda and have that group not just meet with the Sabbs, but meet with the university directly and involve them in those conversations. There\u2019s only so much we can do to support, in terms of the university upholding policies and putting in consent and bystander training. They need to see how much this means to students, because it means an awful lot.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>You talk about visibility of delivery, including a policy motion tracker. What is it, and how will it be displayed?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>If you look at any of the sabbatical officers\u2019 \u201cwhat I\u2019m working on\u201d sections, you\u2019ll see a tracker format: the manifesto point, then a drop-down showing what\u2019s been done so far. With an AGM policy motion tracker, it would function similarly.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>At the moment, AGM resolves exist and we\u2019re held accountable to them in the Student Senate, and minutes are published, but they\u2019re not accessible or engaging. I\u2019m not saying it should be fun to read, but it should be readable and more outgoing in how it\u2019s communicated. The tracker would let you click a motion and see exactly what\u2019s been done, with timelines, so students can hold us to account.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I also think we should make more presentable content: reels about what we\u2019ve done on tackling sexual violence, but in multiple formats. If someone doesn\u2019t like reels, they can read it, but if someone needs something more accessible, including people with dyslexia, formats beyond long paragraphs would help.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>On mental health, you want to reduce waiting times by introducing a triage system. Some worry that triage complicates access to vital support. How do you respond?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This is already something I\u2019m working on as VP Heath Park and I want to see it through to full fruition. The current proposal from the wellbeing team is triage: you file your case, it\u2019s triaged, and it immediately goes to one of two teams; SIT, the Student Intervention Team, for immediate support, or the therapies team if it\u2019s non-urgent.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>SIT waiting times are really good for emergency support if you contact the right people, and the emergency side would remain the same. Triage wouldn\u2019t affect emergency waiting times. The key is clearly communicating it, because right now SIT and therapies sit separately. With one clear access point, cases can be routed appropriately straight away. What it would do is massively improve waiting times because the therapies team would expand and there would be new treatments, one has already started and I\u2019d like to expand that and look into others as well.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Your manifesto also mentions expanding specialist therapy options like EMDR. Given funding pressures and the decline of services like Cardiff Nightline, how realistic is this?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I think the university is currently going through a process where they\u2019re trying to crack down on costs, and I think we can all agree there are costs that have been mismanaged by university management. They\u2019re trying to rectify this, and through that you\u2019ll hopefully make savings, and I think those savings can be used for very important purposes.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The discussion around how much responsibility universities have for student mental health comes up all the time. Quite frankly, they should be doing it for students, but even if they won\u2019t do it for that reason, they need to do it for the legal aspect. Because if someone\u2019s mental health is poor in that university environment and they can\u2019t access support, that becomes the university\u2019s problem, and they need to resolve it. That\u2019s why it\u2019s really important to cut waiting times.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Last question, what makes you the best candidate on the ballot for students?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Personally, I love this job. I commit so much to it, and if you ask any of my friends or the other Sabbatical Officers \u2013 maybe not my opponent for neutrality purposes \u2013 they\u2019d tell you I truly love it. I spend a lot of time after hours working with students and doing student things, and I\u2019m not being paid for it, but I\u2019m going to bring that same energy to next year for the bigger ticket items.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I think the reason is that I care. And I also have a confirmed masters next year, so I\u2019m going back into the university realm, so not for a selfish purpose, but because I\u2019ll actively see the issues, and I want to fix them because that is what I would want when I am studying my course. That really propels me into working. As they say, I\u2019ll be on it like a bonnet, and if you look at my track record, quite frankly, it is flawless \u2013 and if you want the same for an SU Presidential manifesto, then you should think \u2018it\u2019s time for Tandy\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Thank you very much.<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edited by Olivia Griffin Joshua Tandy discusses his 2026 Students\u2019 Union Presidential bid with Head of Politics Ruaidhr\u00ed Gillen Lynch. Prefer to listen to this interview? Follow @gairrhydd on Instagram for more information. This interview is published verbatim. Views expressed are those of the candidate and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gair Rhydd or Cardiff Students\u2019 Union. Okay, Josh Tandy, you are of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/news\/joshua-tandy-on-their-bid-for-election-as-su-president\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Joshua Tandy on their bid for election as SU president<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":691,"featured_media":57811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[8866,8286],"tags":[288,2985,547,1631],"class_list":["post-57809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-news","tag-cardiff-university","tag-cusu","tag-election","tag-students-union"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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Gillen Lynch.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/news\/joshua-tandy-on-their-bid-for-election-as-su-president\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gair Rhydd\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gairrhydd\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-05T16:50:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-05T16:50:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Tandy-thumbnail-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1922\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"deputyeditor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" 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Views expressed are those of the candidate and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gair Rhydd&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57809"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57817,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57809\/revisions\/57817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}