LeadLUU is our annual student leadership race, where University of Leeds students can run to become a Student Officer and lead the Union for a year.
This is where you decide who you think should lead your Union for the following year.
The campaigning, voting and buzz of the election period is so much fun, but why are we electing Student Leaders, and what changes do they actually make?
In 2021-22, LUU’s Wellbeing Officer, Beth Eaton, ensured that full-sized period and sexual health products were constantly available at your Union for free. This change has continued through every year since, and LUU is proud to be doing what we can for period poverty and student safety with this policy.
This same year, Natasha Fowler-Ekar was our Equality and Liberation Officer, and they introduced Liberate LUU. This transformed your Union into a more inclusive and anti-oppressive space, ensuring equal opportunity and wellbeing for all our students.
The following year, our Activities and Opportunities Officer, Ella Williams, made our Clubs and Societies more accessible for our students. They formed the ‘Allocated Plus Programme’ funding, to support financially disadvantaged students who needed support with the financial elements of getting involved with activities at LUU,
Student safety is a priority at LUU, and, in 2023-24, our Union Affairs and Communications Officer, Emily Tabern, made change in the right direction. They introduced free on-campus drug testing kits, so our students could feel safe, supported, and prepared if something were to go wrong.
In 2024-25, our International and Postgraduate Officer, Felix Ejessu made strides for our student body. They connected healthcare support providers with vulnerable and minority groups, who may not have known how to access healthcare support. Properly representing our whole student community is vital in insuring LUU is a positive, accepting place to be.
Lydia Shale, the Activities and Opportunities Officer from 2024-Present, has done so many incredible things for women at your Union. They expanded access to mixed gender sports, and introduced the Womens+ Sports Coordinator role to ensure complete, proper representation on campus. A huge part of their campaign was to improve campus accessibility, and make all people feel welcome in your union.
The Education Officer 2024-26, Shivani Gug, created The Diversity Blog. This is a place where second and third generation immigrants can submit their stories of what it was like to grow up, live and experience life in their shoes. This includes poetry, funny stories and serious, interesting articles about culture and life.
Our current Union Affairs and Communications Officer, Amara Relf, has made so many positive changes throughout your campus. They launched SASHA Accreditation, which helps our clubs and societies stand against sexual inappropriateness, and initiatives to prevent and tackle sexual violence on campus. They also headed LUU’s signing of the ‘Trans Open Letter’, urging the government to withdraw from anti-trans bills and help stop the transphobia country-wide.
Our student leaders have made so much change for your union, to make it as inclusive and happy as possible, but we won’t stop there. What ideas do you have to make LUU a better place for everyone? Do you have what it takes to Lead LUU?
More roles. More opportunities. More power.
LeadLUU: Why Should I Care?
LeadLUU: Why Nominate Yourself To Be A Student Leader?
