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Crouch, Touch, Read, Vote

After another brilliant weekend of Six Nations rugby (hence this editorial’s headline), Monday sees voting for the Exec Elections open and, from previous years we know that a vast majority of votes are cast on the day voting opens. However, before you do, here are a few things to think about.

Josh Hurrell (President) – basically flawless in my opinion through the entire elections.

Becky Lauder Fletcher (VP Education) – faces a huge task to meet the standards set by Lazar Zindovic. Thought she was shaky under pressure on The Bubble Debate and I worry about her promise on postgrad funding which I think is completely outside of her control. I like her academy mentor-matching scheme but seriously question whether there needs to be an education committee – does the union not have enough as it is?

Zak Evans (VP Finance) – I feel that Zak has handled what could have been a really difficult election very well. He has good policies and a good campaign. His pledge to introduce cash on campus conflicts with the current VP Finance’s cashless policy, so it’ll be interesting to see where he takes this.

Chris McKenna (VP Finance) – the less said here the better.

Hannah Chrisp (VP Democracy) – Chrisp’s huge lead in the polls suggest she has utilised her marketing skills. However, will she be able to learn the necessary skills to run union council and elections in such a short space of time? Personally, I doubt it. She was notable by her absence from Union Council on Thursday and two Thursdays before and…

David Haines (VP Democracy) – despite Haines’ significantly greater knowledge of Union democracy, where has he been for the past week? I’ve barely seen him. Not since he suggested an extra costly sabbatical officer and a review of the current Exec wages at least; hardly policies which are likely to win an election. His ideas, no matter how good, are worthless if he isn’t able to get them across to the voting public.

Isobel Ford (VP Welfare and Diversity) – Ford’s campaign has been solid if not spectacular. She has spent a year on Welfare committee and her good policies reflect this. I hope that she has more success with her drop-in sessions than those who have previously promised similar schemes from the locked confines of the Exec Office.

Dave Tingle (VP Welfare and Diversity) – while Tingle’s 500 students/week policy came under scrutiny on The Bubble Debate, I think he has the right ideas. However, I fear his very good policies have got lost among a manifesto which I fear too few students will bother to fully read.

Maz Haider (VP Welfare and Diversity) – Haider has some good ideas, but I’m not sure he has the support to really implement them. He has cut a lonely figure around campus over the past week.

Georgia Cheyne (SocFed President) – Cheyne’s experience on SocFed committee and as a society chair has shown through on her manifesto points. Shame she resorted to “Promote” has part of her SPICE acronym. How will you promote Miss Cheyne?

Helen Crossley (Head of Media) – I like Crossley’s Head of Content idea and her promise to build industry links. I think both of these will be invaluable parts of media next year. Hall media is a great vote winner which we’ve not seen change dramatically in either of the past few years, and I’d argue the same about Loop. How will she increase consumption?

Jennie Cooper (AU President) – Cooper is right to target communication with the AU, which at times this year has been worse than dreadful. ‘One AU’ sounds remarkably similar to the Loughborough Sport rebrand; will clubs continue to lose their individual identities? If so, will they buy into this idea?

Tim Jenkins (AU President) – I like Jenkins’ manifesto. More AU club input, fairer and more open finances, ironing out the Kukri kit deal and widen non-AU members in events. I don’t think anyone can argue with those. Would more details have ensured more votes?

Michael Jordan (Action Chair) – it’s very difficult to find faults in Jordan’s manifesto. Improving employability is likely to prove a very popular policy and from what I’ve read and heard, he’s done his research on the swipe card registration. Research before a policy, how refreshing.

Sarah Haar (Action Chair) – Action working in partnership with other sections and offering SportsMAD are both excellent ideas in my opinion. An online newsletter and newly developed Action website are also good, but this is not the media section’s job. This is why the Union has a marketing department.

Paul Nanson (Rag Chair) – greater rewards, monthly forums, marketing (how?), more feedback from students, better training for reps, boost Rag’s profile and more sponsorship. I’m struggling to pick those apart. However, how often have we heard the word “forums” thrown around Union politics recently with very little to show for it.

Mike Lyness (Rag Chair) – the first point on Lyness’ manifesto is encourage involvement, isn’t this a Rag Chair’s main job description? At least he offers some examples as to how. More support to students sounds good but re-establishing an event in the mayor’s parade which was fast loosing popularity and using media for promotional material? The media centre is for developing journalists, technicians, production crew etc. The marketing department is for promotional material.

Andrew Lawton

Andrew Lawton

Editor
Andrew is the founding Editor of The Epinal. He is responsible for the final edit of all content that is published on the website and works closely with the editorial team to maintain regular high quality output.
Andrew Lawton

@LawtonAJ

Maths & Sport Science Student. Founding Editor of @TheEpinal and future journalist
Andrew Lawton
Andrew Lawton

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Posted by on February 24, 2013. Filed under Andrew Lawton,Editorial,Elections.
  • Anon

    For anyone that has ever taken part in an Action A-TEAM Project, they know that writing down your name and B number on a piece of paper doesn’t take long.
    The idea that actually going to the office and seeing the Action Chair is a good one, I believe. As students then get to meet to Chair AND see where the office is actually located.
    Personally, I think a swipe card system is unneccesary. We’ve had NO problems with the good old piece of paper.
    Also, when you sign your name on the piece of paper, you’re signing to say you’ve agreed to the risk assesment. How do you get that if you just “swipe a card.”
    Therefore, I believe Micheal Jordans manifesto DOES actually have faults.
    His main idea is unneccesary.
    Whereas I don’t know much about the projects that arn’t run through halls and therefore believe Sarah Haars manifesto is better- making action more accessible. That’s what Actions needs.

  • Jon Remnick

    There are already mentoring schemes existent within some departments, e.g. the Politics, History and IR Department already run a scheme where 2nd years mentor 1st years and it is administered by a small group of 3rd years with the help of a member of staff in the department. This has worked really well. Are Fletcher’s plans really necessary?

  • Anon

    Surely anything that saves action time and money and saves volunteers extra effort is a good thing? With regard to Sarah’s main manifesto point concerning Sports MAD… I’ve heard that Sports MAD is fully funded and run by the SDC and is thus not an action project. Regardless of who is successful in obtaining the action chair position this project will be available to volunteers. Although I believe greater links between Sports action and the SDC will be mutually beneficial, this manifesto point has no worth to action. In my opinion sports action needs to fill the gaps left by the SDC to offer students more opportunities apposed to taking credit for a project that will function with or without action.
    MJ’s main manifesto points concern employability and the service action can provide to students. The swipe card system is just one of many good ideas.

    • Anon

      Not 100% sold on the saving student time approach to Michaels idea. WIth paper risk assessments you can technically have a ‘unlimited’ amount of registration ‘points’, as the same risk assessment can be printed out lots of times, rather than having hundreds of students crowded round one piece of paper. With the swipe card system it will most likely be limited to a couple of registration points, so might take longer. I have seen hundreds of students go out on a A-team before with the process taking 10-15 minutes.

      However he did say in a previous article it would save the Administrator time, which I can see as it must take ages logging all those students on the system. Could perhaps also look at the environmental impact of printing out the lots of risk assessments for the hundreds of A-teams Action does, but this has not been explored. The Union is the best Union in the country for E and E in the past few years, so is obviously something which should be upheld

  • D. Chambers

    It would appear that Jordan has original and new manifesto points whereas Haar is using a mix of previous and current ideas. I’m pretty sure the current action chair Billy Marsh has been promoting and completing his action roadshows for the past few weeks? Haar would not be introducing anything new in that regard. However good luck to both candidates in the next few days.

  • Unknown HF resident

    Haar already made it clear that she wanted to continue the idea of Action Roadshows. If you watch the Bubble Debate she mentions that it started in Adam’s year. Anyone who’s seen the girl door knock will realise how much she has to give. As far as I’ve seen, Jordan has been sending his ‘crew’ out to do all his jobs for him. He’s not been out every night but has sent his team to do a lot of the hard work for him. I don’t even know Haar, but she’s been doing an absolute job over the past week. She made the costume herself for crying out loud!
    What the Union needs is someone to continue the current Exec’s work and develop on it, and that’s exactly what she’s doing.
    Also, Jordan has been claiming that he “thought about asking the dance societies if they wanted to teach within the community” which was clearly Haar’s idea, there’s even an Epinal article where she talks about getting Street Dance involved with Action!
    Personally I think it’s a joke. His team are fantastic, but I don’t think Jordan himself is right for the role. Good luck Haar, it’s going to be close.

  • Anon

    I still think the swipe card system is totally unneccesary. The admin side of this argument (saying it saves time entering them onto the system) has nothing to do with saving volunteers times. Yes, it will save Anne Cato’s time but not the volunteers. So why is this his manifesto point?
    I literally just don’t get it..

  • Brick Tamland

    I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE YELLING ABOUT

  • Jack Lodge

    It’s easy enough to slate people when you are anonymous. Pulling out wild accusations doesn’t help anyone, as it’s probably a member of the opposite campaign team. It’s not just this thread, it’s happened throughout.

  • Catherine

    Probably my favourite article of the past week, if you ignore all the comments…

  • Anon

    The MJ swipe card system will stop people putting down names and A numbers of people who aren’t actually there, simply to gain extra hours. Which is something pretty much all halls have been known to do at some point.

    Its a great improvement.

    • Anon

      but couldnt people just give their mate their ID card to sign them in and effectively do the same?

    • Anon

      surely though theres nothing stopping people getting their mates their card to swipe them in to gain extra hours? Unless someone from Action checks every individual card, which then slows down the process, thus negating the original reason for introducing the system…

  • Anon

    What’s to stop people swiping their friends’ cards? There’s no difference! People will always find a way to cheat!

    • Anon

      Mainly because people won’t want to be without their student card for hours and hours. Plus its hard to get someones card by text message. If you had to do all the hard work getting peoples cards its just as much work as getting someone to an A team – so you might as well just do that.

      And its pretty obvious if you swipe two cards. Whereas with the sheets going round, its pretty difficult to police.

      I think Sarah Haars campaign team should shhh. You’ve both got good ideas, so instead of attacking the others candidates’ ideas just talk about your own ones or shut up.

      • Anon

        why not question other’s manifesto’s though, surely that is what a election should partly be about? With not all students able to watch the various live broadcasts due to time constraints, something like the Epinal presents a fantastic opportunity for students to scrutinise manifesto’s. Not quite sure what the problem is here…

        As long as the arguments dont get personal (which at times they have in Action) there is nothing wrong with either campaign teams or random students, or the candidates themselves looking at questioning the manifesto’s, and it should be positively encouraged

  • Myra

    Personally I think Helen Crossley and David Haines’ lack of campaigning is abysmal. Some may argue Helen Crossley has the uncontested factor to consider. This is invalid. Just look at the amount of effort put in by Josh Hurrell and Becky Lauder Fletcher who are also uncontested and have lead excellent campaigns. David Haines has basically put himself out of the running completely in my opinion. Personally I would struggle to even recall what their campaign theme is or remember any of their manifesto points. When considering the campaign period is likened to a ten day long job interview I don’t believe either of these candidates deserve the position and I would be disappointed to see such undriven and lacking candidates win a position on exec. Georgia Cheyne also deserves little credit for her efforts, in my opinion.

    • Jade

      In which case Myra you clearly haven’t been paying very much attention. All three of the candidates you just attacked have been out every single night, unlike many of the candidates such as MJ and co. Georgia and David Haines may not have huge campaign teams but they’ve made the effort to door knock every single hall personally, have attended every night out, taken photos and actually got to know the voters. They’ve also done lecture shout outs and dining hall shout outs like all other candidates, and if you bothered to check any of their social media pages you’d realise that they’ve been getting involved. Furthermore, Georgia has visited over 10/60 societies this week, which is quite impressive considering the current SocFed president is attempting the 60 over an entire year.

      So maybe instead of judging a campaign on how many people have been drunkenly slurring chants about the people involved you should see how much the candidates are doing for themselves.

      P.S. I do not deny that Becky’s campaign has been particularly impressive, but having been on the campaign trail every night I haven’t seen Hurrell once…

      • Josh Hurrell

        Hi Jade,

        Sorry we have not come into contact over the last 9 days. I can promise you I have been out on every night and have managed to door knock as many halls as possible (maybe this is why you haven’t seen me).

        Hopefully we will bump into each other in what is left of the campaign period and that Myra’s comment hasn’t given you a negative view on the hard work myself and my team have put in over campaigning!

        Josh

    • Helen

      Hello Myra,
      Firstly, my apologies that you feel this way. I would just like to clarify that I have been out door knocking, doing lecture shout outs etc every single day of campaigning. I have particularly focused my campaign around door knocking and have managed to door knock the majority of halls as personally, I felt that this was the best way for me to run my campaign by speaking to as many students as possible. This may provide an explanation as to why I have missed you. Also, if I have missed any one night out I have had members of my campaign team out to represent me. If you have any questions about my manifesto points then please get in contact with me and I’d love to give you all the information that I can. Thanks!

  • Rupert

    Jade – do you go to this university?
    I think you may find that your information may be abit muddled. Having been out every night since elections started i can personally vouch, as will others that i have seen a select few candidates out every night – Becky, Josh, Zak ,Izzie and contrary to your facts MJ. You only have to look at the social media to realise that Georgia has 2 albums from nights out – both union nights, Helen has a closed group and david has one album from stupid tuesday. They have not been there and i think their lack of presence in the evenings and on social media should and will be reflected in the votes tomorrow night.

    p.s i’d very interested to know where you’ve been going on nights out? VIllage bar? The Amber Rooms? because you really can’t have been at the usual hotspots where actual voting people go.