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Dan Benson-Guiu: The Contender

Where are you from?
Half-English, half-Catalan but I went to Logan Park High School in Dunedin.
 
How old are you?
19
 
What are you studying?
Philosophy, Politics and Communication Studies.
 
Why do you want to be President?
I wouldn’t go for President if I didn’t think I could do the job, so I think that OUSA has to be much more informative, more democratic as to issues and assets which it is going to have to look into and I think students need to have a say in that. I think giving more of a voice to students is very important and I fancy democracy quite a bit, so I think I can bring that forward with more representation.
 
What qualities and experience would you bring to the role?
In terms of communication and talking to people, I’ve been working at Radio One since November 2009, and that shows that I’m not scared of talking, bringing those issues to the fore. I like theatre and that sort of thing, so [that] also shows that I’m not scared of just talking to random people. I’m quite friendly most of the time. In terms of organising, and leading a student organisation, through the radio I have contacted many people from high positions across the country, and I’m not scared of talking to people like Roger Douglas, despite the fact I despise him.
 
Do you think you are at a disadvantage running for President when you haven’t been involved in the Executive before?
Definitely. It’s a disadvantage running against Logan, because everyone knows who Logan is. In terms of Executive positions, in being part of Radio One and doing the odd thing for Critic as well, I’ve gotten to know the people on the Exec, so I don’t think it’s a disadvantage in terms of me knowing or not knowing what to do because I know what most of the positions entail. But I guess I just have to prove that I can do it, and that’s something that the students have to know or wonder about. I know I can do it because I’ve followed OUSA politics for quite a while.
 
Do you think Logan has done a good job this year?
Yeah, as I said in the debate the other day, when I first met Logan I thought he’d be quite a douchebag, but after talking to him in the first interview we had on the radio I discovered he was really, really keen to do the job, and that he had gone with the joking campaign, but when he realised that he’d actually won he knew he had to get onto the job. He’s done as good of a job as he can do, but I think I can bring it forward a bit more.
 
Are you worried about the following that Logan has as the incumbent President?
I’m not worried about his popularity, because I know that I have circles which I can tap into, and I have been tapping into, as well. There’s just the question of getting out there and showing that I’m keen to do the job and talk to people, that sort of thing. That will let people know I can do the job because I’m talking to them about it.
 
How are you going to deal with OUSA in the VSM environment?
OUSA is going to have to be, and I think it should be, much more informative – regardless of VSM. Even if VSM hadn’t gone through, OUSA should have been much more informative as to things that happen in the Executive, and things that would be problematic for students. OUSA needs to be more involved with student problems such as housing, students who are having problems with Studylink. So it’s showing that you’re the association that represents them, and in a sense take the job for them as well. In a VSM environment there would be a lack of money, or we would need to constrain funds, and I think we should definitely look at the assets and services such as the Aquatics Centre and the Rowing Club which receive way too much money for what they do, I think. We should have students decide whether we continue to fund it as much as we are, or not. And the same goes for other services which would be on the line.
 
What is your biggest weakness?
I find that I’m not scared of talking to people, but if I have a friend next to me I’m so much more likely to actually go and talk to people than if I’m absolutely by myself. Maybe it’s a bit of a showmanship thing or something, I don’t know. Maybe I need an audience.
 
Who is your political hero?
Gandhi, because he knew everything that there was to know in terms of law and that sort of thing, but he never had any barriers with the people he was actually interested in. His education wasn’t something that made him a better person, it just made him someone else, and he always knew he could give his talents to everyone at will.
 
How would you deal with the proposed fee increases to University students?
I’d definitely get protests going, I think the protests should involve students from all over the place, not just from Dunedin but a national movement. The more people you have, the less likely the government is to bring these changes about. The more expensive university gets, the less accessible it is, and I think everyone has the right to an education.
 
What are your ideas to increase student involvement and engagement in OUSA?
There should be more surveys of what we should have, also have people just walking around asking what the problems and issues with OUSA are. OUSA would then know how to go about fixing problems that students were having in their university life. I think there should be a place on the internet where students could anonymously post any problem they have had at university. Also, I think there should be weekly student general meetings which are unbinding, but are a forum for discussion for students more generally so everyone has an opportunity to discuss their issues. And OUSA should publicise this through Radio One and Critic so people know what is going on. As long as students know that their representatives can be found at a certain time in a certain place, students will know that they can go and talk as well.
 
What would you do if you were a woman for a day?
I guess I’d go put some makeup on, put on a nice dress, and just go on a spree – do whatever I wanted, just enjoy it.
 
What do you want to do when you grow up?
When I’m big, I’d like to be a journalist.
 
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would play you?
I’d be old and wise, and Sean Connery would be the person to play me.
 
If you won the lotto, what would you do with the money?
Give it to poor people in Africa… I haven’t seen my mum in quite a while, she lives in Spain, so I’d get her a ticket to come here, and buy her a house if she wanted to stay.