Sally Sadik is running for Women’s Officer. She wants to bring an outside perspective into YUSU and work to introduce free sanitary products for women on campus.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi! I’m Sally, I’m a second year studying English Literature! I’ve recently got involved in poetry slams, which I’m loving, and I also like singing and spending my entire student loan on cute cafes.
What inspired you to run for this position?
If I’m honest, it was how the University responded to International Men’s Day, and how some people were allowed to get away with online harassment (which is a criminal offence) and the University provided virtually no support for students who were victims of this. This really opened my eyes to how YUSU needs to change the way it responds to women’s problems, and rather than taking a back seat when situations like this occur, they need step up – and this is what inspired me to run, because I want to change things.
Why do you think you are the right person for the role?
The only judgement I can make is that I am so determined to fight for students’ rights and liberation – I haven’t been involved in YUSU before, so I want to bring an outside perspective that will allow me to dream big and look past the YUSU bureaucracy that has been frustrating people for years. A big change needs to happen – and I want to be part of that change, and I promise I will fight for our rights as hard as I can!
In your own opinion, what is equality?
Equality for me is not a few token grants given to underrepresented students, it is a systematic total overhaul of responding to their problems and needs in a deeper, more effective way. This means employing measures that tackle head on the discriminatory aspects of University life and giving these students more say at University. I will believe equality exists when a woman can go outside and not fear assault, or be told that it’s their responsibility to stay safe.
Which of your policies are you most excited about?
I’m most excited about trying to get free sanitary products in some way in University – which I believe is also the most difficult to achieve. Even if I can help form policies that allow colleges to provide free sanitary products, this would be a great start to helping students with this inescapable cost, and make a big statement about the luxury tax placed upon them.
Who is your biggest competition?
Both pairs of candidates running against me are excellent, so definitely all!
If anybody, who are you backing for YUSU President?
Definitely Ananna Zaman, she has amazing policies and a wonderful spirit – she would make a brilliant president, and would change YUSU for the better.
Voting is currently open and will close on the 19th of February.
This is disgusting slander from low energy Sally Sadik (who also refused to be interviewed by me). That in itself shows her bitterness makes her unfit for office.
“If I’m honest, it was how the University responded to International
Men’s Day, and how some people were allowed to get away with online
harassment (which is a criminal offence) and the University provided
virtually no support for students who were victims of this.”
– Whether you consider something harassment will change depending given how you interpret the word. Legally, there was no online harassment and to claim people (clearly aimed at me given the wording of your manifesto) have committed a criminal offence, is slander. If there was legal online harassment, YUSU, or the University could have investigated comments made and reported them to the police.
When I met with Registrar David Duncan he confirmed I was under no University investigation, neither were any other students. Likewise, YUSU President Ben confirmed to myself that there was no investigation on YUSU’s end.You can’t just go around making up claims ( or at best implying) that people committed criminal offences.
Let’s see what the definition of slander is:
“In which someone tells one or more persons an untruth about another which untruth will harm the reputation of the person defamed. Slander is a civil wrong (tort) and can be the basis for a lawsuit…
Some statements such as an untrue accusation of having committed a crime, having a loathsome disease, or being unable to perform one’s occupation are treated as slander per se since the harm and malice are obvious, and therefore usually result in general and even punitive damage recovery by the person harmed. Words spoken over the air on television or radio are treated as libel (written defamation)”
You are walking a very fine line and it is terrible journalism that you were allowed to make that statement and not get challenged on it.
Good to see the people of York did not elect you in. When you run on a lie you don’t deserve to be elected. Justice.