Our new President: - The Founder

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Should this Union remain affiliated to the NUS? | Yes - 1160 No - 257 2 NEWS Tuesday 13 February 2007 thefounder Complaints, insults and campaigns: Election results announced at 6:50pm last Wednesday By Victor Bernards The Sabbatical and Media Elections were held last week as the Students’ Union saw a record number of ballots cast. The positions that were up for grabs were President, Vice-President for Education and Welfare, Vice-President for Communications and Services, Vice-President for Student Activities, Publication Editor, Deputy Publication Editor, Station Manager and Deputy Station Manager. Canvassing had already been under way since Wednesday 31 January with student candidates storming the campus with flyers, posters and leaflets as to why they should be elected in (see last week’s edition of The Founder). As well as having a record voting turnout, the elections are also reported to have seen a record number of complaints ranging from slander and poster-pulling to abuse of Facebook. The SU’s Elections Code of Conduct, which is considered Draconian by some, is very strict and states that candidates are not allowed to canvas themselves online by any means. Of course, the success of the website, Facebook, over the past couple of years has meant that regulating this rule is becoming increasingly more difficult. With ‘Facebook campaigns’ being the subject of many official complaints, it is likely that the website will be properly incorporated in the Code of Conduct by next year, with candidates either President Winner in 1st round Joff Manning | 796 Ellen Garrett | 319 Jayne Mills | 118 Judith Ratcliffe | 115 RON (re-open nominations) | 37 Clockwise from top: another vote is cast; Joff Manning grins contentedly as result is announced; noticeboard covered with election posters (like most round campus) DAN NICHOLLS being allowed to use it, or having their profiles disabled during the canvassing period. The candidates had more or less Vice-President: Education & Welfare Winner in 3rd round Cat Vince | 568 Marcus O’Shea | 824 a free reign over campus between 9am and 9pm so it is likely that readers will have run into them at some point. The favoured areas for canpaigning were the dinner halls and certain halls of residences (some were out of bounds). Student apathy is reported to currently be at an Vice-President: Communications & Services Winner in 3rd round Will Sudlow | 532 Nicki Robinson | 718 all-time high and many candidates reported that students responded in a hostile manner when approached. This was particularly prevalent at the Kingswood, off-campus site where posters were repeatedly torn down and/or heavily defaced. Some graffiti accusations were particularly offensive though no action was Similarly the SU were criticised for not acting on a number of official election complaints, some of which After heated campaigning on the final days of canvassing, the ballots were closed at 7:00pm on Tuesday 6 February and counting started at midday on Wednesday 7 February. The counting session normally lasts around four hours but with record voting (over 1500 ballots cast), the Elections Committee did not emerge from the International Building until 6:50pm to announce the results in Tommy’s Bar. As students crammed themselves in, the tense and emotions were beginning to break through as the results were announced (as below) with some insults being shared between candidates and official aides. For the losing candidates it was a sad moment and some of the winners had mixed emotions. It is now a matter of seeing if our newly elected representatives can follow through with their taken by the SU. included illegal use of Facebook. atmosphere became extremely promises. Listen to Insanity’s podcast: www.insanityradio.com Vice-President: Student Activities Winner in 1st round Kate Manning | 763 Matt Shepherd | 336 Cath Welsby | 254 RON | 40 Publication Editor Winner in 1st round Deputy Publication Editor Winner in 1st round Station Manager Winner in 1st round Deputy Station Manager Winner in 1st round Jack Lenox | 589 Adam D’Souza | 1017 Joe Friel | 824 Naomi Sharpe | 1232 Mario Creatura | 688 RON | 330 Callum Just | 486 RON | 175 RON | 53 RON | 53
thefounder Tuesday 13 February 2007 NEWS 3 By Will Adams Last Monday five brave members of RHUL Boat club shed their clothes and their dignity in aid of the Raise And Give (RAG) Calendar. Not wanting to do anything by halves, they then embarked on a leirates of some elderly lunchers, they headed under Staines bridge, getting those all important pictures taken, only to be attacked by two rather angry swans (think they saw what looked like a snack). After that it was full steam back to the boat house and some warm pants, until the bowman caught a crab, knocking him for six and made the crew worry that they may to have done such a deed; members of Dance, BALADS, Absolute Harmony, Expedition, Women’s Rugby, Lacrosse, Men’s Rugby, Hockey, the Executive Committee and Netball have also showed skin in the pursuit of charity and fame. The RAG Calendar will be on sale in RAG week (12th-18th February) for a fine sum of £5 at the RAG stand in the SU, the proceeds go to the Willow Foundation that grants the terminally ill opportunities and experiences. RAG made over £20,000 last year for various charities and Get your cox out for RAG Week! “...they gave each other a smug smile in the knowledge that their buttocks would very soon be the public property of Holloway students...” aims to improve this year. With RAG week kicking off next week there is a whole host of fundraising events on show. If you want to get involved and a free t shirt join the RAG triathlon on Thursday consisting of a 2km row, 5km cycle and a 3km run on the Friday, sign up sheet and sponsor forms in the student activities office. It’s all for charity so get up, get involved!!! See this week’s ‘What’s on’ in the Arts section for the full run-down of the RAG events! The team steam down the Thames surely early afternoon row through Staines. As heads turned, camera phones shot out of onlookers’ pockets quicker than you can say “look it’s a boat full of naked rowers!” Needless to say the cry of “It’s for charity” was almost on repeat. At a cosy 3 degrees, the team decided to keep the outing short parading themselves past the HA!HA! Bar, Outback restaurant and the Swan Hotel, not to mention numerous local resident’s houses, wearing nothing but rowing shoes and reluctant smiles. Having risen heart With the Sabbatical and Media elections out of the way, one can look back at the sheer intensity of reactions from both the high quality of Candidates and Students on how they felt about the election. This year has set to bring about the highest turnout of voters for a long time. It can also be branded as one of the dirtiest elections with high levels of complaints from across the board. Looking over the week campaign, as a student, I can say that it has been toughly fought with Candidates working hard promoting themselves and their policies. This has hit a variety of student audiences from the enthusiastic and receptive, those who have an element of interest but were unaware of who have to swim home. As they travelled home they gave each other a “...Needless to say the cry of “It’s for charity” was almost on repeat...” smug smile in the knowledge that their buttocks would very soon be the public property of Holloway students. They were by no means the first The team in photo from left to right: Cox: Jane Reid, 1: Will Adams, 2: Malcolm Munelly, 3: Nic Watson, 4: Tristan Stewart Politics, apathy and students: all in a day’s work By Sahar Mirhadi was running, to the full spectrum of apathy and disinterest. Will Sudlow, Candidate for Communications and Services, has described the Campaign as ‘Surreal, where people recognise you through your leaflets and policies’. Joe Friel, Candidate for Station Manager has come across a good reaction during his week campaign, where he has received points he had never considered and has quoted that ‘this is “..one of the dirtiest elections with high levels of complaints from across the board...” what doing the campaign is about, listening to people’. This is all fair and well, but students have felt that they have been bombarded with leaflets showing the many candidates and also not being fully informed by the Union “...a variety of student audiences from the enthusiastic and receptive...to the full spectrum of apathy and disinterest...” about who is running for what and the candidates having to explain this. Further some students have expressed a level of apathy, stating that the election will not affect lives of students and that casting a vote, will not make a change. This is true of the opinion of some third years who as Christopher Chapman, Official Aide to Will Sudlow stated ‘they are cynical as they have heard the same policies time and time again, but rarely are they delivered’. There have also been concerns throughout the campaign about the rules and the level of increasing complaints considering certain candidates over the campaign. Candidates and Students have expressed views that the rules and regulations are too rigid and do not allow for creativity and imagination for ideas on how to promote oneself. However, speaking with the Elections “...the rules and regulations are too rigid and do not allow for creativity and imagination...” Officer (James Bromige), there will be a possible review on making elections more open, in time for the executive elections, coming up in march. So taking all this, the campaign has definitely had a mixed reaction from students and candidates alike with some candidates saying “...This election will hopefully push for more radical and innovative ideas...” that it has been an enjoyable week and have met lots of new people to some hating it and wishing it to be over, but all putting in so much hard work. This election will hopefully push for more radical and innovative ideas and might change the way things are done at Royal Holloway, with more creativity around elections and according to Andrew Coleman, Communications and Services Candidate ‘making it more fun’.
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Our new President: - The Founder

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