2026 LUSU Elections: Anna Muchardt (Activites)

Why are you running for Activities Officer?

Sports and societies have been a massive part of my time at university and without them I don't think I'd still be here at Lancaster, they've played a massive role in my sense of belonging. With the cost-of-living crisis, I really want to make sure that sports and societies are accessible to everyone, regardless of their background.

Can you tell me more about your pledge to put students first?

Within the Sports Centre and bookings there, they tend to prioritise members of the public over students. I want to make sure that students are getting prioritised in terms of bookings and that they're allowed to use the facilities to their full advantage.

This ties into prioritisation within University bookings and flat floor spaces. It's about giving students the ability to use all available space on campus when it's not in use. Right now, most flat floor space is limited to use after hours. Where I can, I'd open that space up to students during teaching hours because not everyone can come onto campus at late hours, so they might find earlier slots more accessible.

Obviously, the University is meant for university students and so I'd like to see that reflect in the way that they act.

How do you feel about the current situation with parking charges, and what would you like to see change?

This year, we've got the parking permits for sports and societies after 6pm at a small cost, but still at a cost. Ideally, moving forwards, I would like to after-hours parking to be at no additional cost to students participating in societies and sports.

Obviously, it's difficult when clubs run in the daytime. However, the parking by the Sports Centre and fields doesn't have the same 2-hour time limit, so students can park there and walk up to campus to avoid being limited by the two hours.

What more can you say about your pledges to protect and expand the Sports Access Fund and create a Societies Access Fund? With the influx of money for the Sports Access Fund relying on alumni donations, what can be done to protect it?

It's difficult because the University has a ring-fenced amount of money for sports and societies as it is. Currently with the Sports Access Fund there's a ring-fenced amount of money for five years, and so it's difficult to guarantee that there will be money after that. However, I'd do what I can to make sure there are alumni willing to donate to the University to fund student activities.

Similarly with societies there's a ring-fenced budget but not necessarily enough for students to ask for things to be funded for them as an individual, like with sports. In terms of setting up a Societies Access Fund, it's a matter of working with the University to see if we can get a similar donation on the societies side because the societies side is just as important as the sports side.

How do you plan to increase the coverage of women's+ sports in student media?

I'd really like to get student media more involved and also bring more exposure to them, so showcasing not just women+ athletes but sports and societies in general. I'd like to utilise student media in a way that means everyone has the ability to see the sports where they might not normally. I love Roses Live with all the different livestreams of events and incorporating that into a more regular pattern is something I'd really like to work on.

I've had a great experience appearing on Women+ in Sports show on Bailrigg FM, it's really great to be involved with that side of student media and it's something I regularly tune into now. This show is run by Nyxon Rockliffe-Fidler from Women+ in Sports Society, it was great being able to talk about something I'm so passionate about and being able to listen to other women talk about their sports. If we can do things like that with other societies and sports it would be great, and could really bring lots more exposure to the radio station.

What do you think would be the value of the women's only development and turn up and play sessions you're proposing?

As a woman in sport, I've seen firsthand the difficulties that come with that and the disparities with men's sport not only in how they're showcased how female athletes are treated in comparison to male athletes. As a woman, it can be really difficult to get into a sport, particularly a male-dominated sport, so creating a space where women feel safe to join and feel like they're included is so important.

Rugby and football, for instance, are typically very male-dominated, so creating development sessions or turn up and play sessions would open pathways for women to feel comfortable and participate in sports they might not normally participate in.

The Women+ in Sports Society have done lots already this year in regards to women's only training sessions and development sessions and I'd love to really expand on that.

In your manifesto, you highlight your experience contributing to discussions about trans athlete participation following the Supreme Court ruling, focusing on maintaining accessibility. Have you got any plans for promoting trans participation in sport?

There are slight limitations because of sports' national governing bodies (NGBs). If a particular NGB says trans athletes can't participate in a particular event or a section of that sport, that's not something I can change overnight.

I'd like to work at the grassroots level to try and essentially ignore that barrier. A trans woman is a woman, a trans man is a man, there's no reason for them to be excluded from sports. The turn up and play sessions and the development sessions should be accessible for all because they're there for fun, they're not competitive BUCS teams. You can turn up and learn a new sport without feeling that barrier of the NGB saying 'no'.

Do you think there's a reason why there are fewer candidates this year compared to the last couple of years, and why do you think so many women are running?

I think that there are a lot of issues, lots of things that are cropping up that are becoming almost overwhelming. Therefore it's hard to step into a role where so much is expected of you and so many things you'd like to draw attention to, but you know that you can't fix everything.

On gender, I saw the list of candidates who were running and I noticed the big disparity, I'm really pleased to see it. I think it's great that female students are wanting to step into these positions of power and they're growing in confidence as we go along, with more and more women+ students wanting to be involved in the student voice.

Our interviews with candidates have been edited and abridged for brevity and clarity.

If you'd like to learn more about the candidates, you can view their manifestos on the LUSU website, watch LA1TV's interviews with them, or attend Candidate Questions, held at 18:00 on Monday in LEC Lecture Theatre 1 and livestreamed on LA1TV's YouTube channel.

Voting will be open from 10:00 on Tuesday until 18:00 on Thursday.

Here is the full list of candidates for Activities Officer:

• Emily Houston-Woods
• Anna Muchardt
• Re-open Nominations