From CSR to President? Louise Nugent makes her bid

The Glasgow Guardian sits down with QMU presidential hopeful to discuss her upcoming campaign

With the Queen Margaret Union (QMU) presidential election taking place on 4 March, fourth-year International Relations and Public Policy student Louise Nugent has stepped forward with a campaign rooted in experience and personal advocacy. The three-term Current Student Representative (CSR) has built her bid around three main priorities which she frames as personal: women’s health awareness, meaningful inclusion for home students, and the continuation of the union’s fundraising work. With polling day fast approaching, she is positioning herself as a candidate who already knows the system from the inside. 

Louise’s involvement with the QMU began in 2024 through freshers’ helping. After a week of fun and making new friends, she knew she wanted a more permanent role, which led to her taking on the role of a CSR. During her time as a CSR, she accumulated what appears to be ideal experience for a potential president: sitting on many QMU committees, organising events like the Movember fun run, and working closely with current President Lucy Stobie and other senior management. While many final-year students default to a panic masters, Louise takes a slightly more unconventional path. As she puts it “I’m graduating this year and I’m just not ready to leave… I’ve really enjoyed that position, but I’m definitely excited to take on a more in-depth role.” 

The most distinctive strand of her manifesto stems from lived personal experience. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, Louise wants the union to take a more active role in supporting students affected by endometriosis and PCOS. Her proposals include strengthening union links with Endometrosis Scotland and introducing bathroom posters and directing students to relevant support services. “The QMU has always been a women’s union historically, and it was born out of protest,” she says. “I would love to bring focus back a little bit to women’s issues… I think it would be really, really powerful to start a campaign about women’s health and women’s access to healthcare within the union.” It is the clearest point of differentiation in her platform.

Louise also places significant emphasis on the experience of home students, an issue she speaks on with frustration. Having commuted during her first two years, she argues that campus social life can unintentionally sideline those who live at home. “I feel like home students get lumped into this box that [they] want to go home at 8pm, just because they couldn’t afford to move out or didn’t choose that for themselves”, she notes. Her proposal is to introduce dedicated events where commuting students can meet peers from similar home areas in a deliberately social setting. Serving to build stronger social networks which are more inclusive for commuting students, combatting the structural exclusion which comes from many university events.

Alongside these priorities, Louise intends to maintain the union’s established fundraising activities, including support for Medical Aid for Palestine, while also making Endometriosis Awareness Month in March with dedicated events. She also signals continuity on the QMU’s broader divestment stance, indicating that she would continue applying pressure on the university regarding this matter.

What ultimately defines Louise’s campaign is its grounding in personal experience paired with passion and familiarity with the QMU. She is no stranger in the union, and believes targeted improvements could make it more inclusive, all while embracing the core of the union itself. Whether that argument resonates with voters will become clear when the polls open on 4 March, closing on 5 March. 

Check out Louise’s full manifesto here:

1. Work with Endometriosis Scotland

Place posters with common symptoms of Endometriosis, PCOS, and other

women’s health conditions in the bathrooms pointing to resources for help.

Work to arrange annual fundraiser evening, raising money and awareness for

women’s health conditions with a particular focus on this during Endometriosis

awareness month.

2. Increased Home Student Events

During Freshers’ week arrange a home students’ event with the bar open and

tables set up with areas around Glasgow e.g. Paisley, East Kilbride. Allowing

people to sit down at tables and get to know people from their area and share

taxis home with. As well as meet other home students. Promoted as a fun event,

potentially with drinking games.

3. Work to get the Board more integrated.

Organise a social/mixer between upper management, staff, and the board after

every election. Have management explain their roles, so the Board know who to

go to and feel more comfortable working with management. And a visible and

accessible executive.

4. Work to increase the relationship between QMU and External Relations

Continue to strengthen our relationship with external relations team, allowing us

to increase publicity around events increasing turnout. More takeovers, weekly

emails of events.

5. Maintain the QMU stance on divestment

The QMU does not agree with the University investing in defence companies, I

would continue this and pressure the university.

6. Maintain QMU stance on Palestine and continue with our MAP fundraising

The QMU has done a lot of fundraising for MAP particularly during Freshers week, I

would continue this and explore other options for fundraising, such as an evening event.

7 . Continue the fight for better disabled access

The process is now underway to improve disabled access for the building. I would

continue this fight and not let up pressure on the University for funding.

Photo Credits: Louise Nugent