Shermar Pryce is ambitious, young and focused- a final year PPE student with a wealth of experience and determination to make Oxford student life more equitable and inclusive for all. Accustomed to taking on leadership roles, Shermar has served as the University College JCR President, Treasurer of the SU’s Campaign for BAME Students (CRAE), Th Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE|) Society President and The Oxford Union Social Events Officer. Now, he is setting his sights on a more impactful position within the Student Union (SU), ready to bring his experience and vision to drive meaningful change for students.
I sat down with him recently to discuss his manifesto and listen to some of his main ideas as part of a new series documenting the political campaigns of African/Caribbean heritage students at Oxford!
To start off with, If elected, what would be the first concrete action you take in office? I find this questiuon reflects candidates and their ambitions more clearly.
"Great first question. From day one after election, I will mobilise students to reverse the undemocratic and unpopular changes that have been imposed, ensuring the SU is truly student-led and rebuilding trust with our members.
Alongside this, I will also personally reach out to, meet with, and engage every common room president and college head over the summer to lay the groundwork for a stronger, more cooperative relationship between common rooms and the SU before the start of the next academic year."
In your short time at Oxford, you've managed to seep into several leadership positions and generate exciting new ideas and change. Tell me a bit more about your most rewarding and challenging leadership experience so far.
"Being JCR President was both my most rewarding and most challenging role. Managing tens of thousands of pounds and representing hundreds of students gave me a strong sense of purpose and invaluable leadership skills.
Balancing diverse student needs while maintaining good relations with college administration was difficult but taught me how to lead under pressure, mediate between groups, and push for meaningful change."
How would you make the SU more accessible and relevant to students? It often times feels so disconnected from actual student life and priorities- why do you think that is so?
"The SU needs to focus on tangible improvements to student life. Many students disengage because they don’t see the SU making a difference for them. I will work to ensure that SU campaigns and policies reflect student priorities—whether that’s improving financial support, making societies easier to run, or pushing for fairer treatment across colleges.
Clearer communication and direct engagement with students will be key in making the SU feel like a body that works for them."
Where do you see the Oxford SU in five years, and how would your leadership contribute to that vision?
"My goal is to push the SU towards this vision by fully utilising the Conference of Common Rooms model and laying the foundations for a stronger, more cooperative relationship between the SU and common rooms
I’d like to see the SU transition into a truly service-based institution—one that prioritises providing students with tangible resources and, more importantly, strengthens the institutions that support them the most: the common rooms.
What challenges do you foresee in streamlining room booking, and how would you address them?
The main challenge is Oxford’s decentralised college system, where each college has different policies on room access. A centralised system needs to accommodate these differences while making the process easier for students. I would work with common rooms and societies to identify key pain points and push for a shared framework that colleges can voluntarily adopt, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all solution.
How would your leadership help African students at Oxford overcome challenges such as visa issues, financial barriers, and cultural adjustment?
"At a university level, I will advocate for greater financial and pastoral support for African students, ensuring concerns around visa policies, scholarships, and integration support are addressed at an institutional level. However, I recognise that for most students, their day-to-day experience is shaped at the college level.
That’s why I would also focus on equipping MCR and JCR representatives with the tools to support African students more effectively—whether through financial hardship resources, social and cultural networks, or advocacy within their colleges. Strengthening support structures at both levels will ensure African students can navigate and thrive at Oxford."
You can vote for Shermar over here!
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