A hectic week of campaigning, flyering and sweet-eating has come to an end as the Student’s Union elections results we’re announced in Red bar this evening.
Voting numbers have once again been broken as all UWE students were invited to pick from 30 candidates to become the new pat time and full time SU presidents for the 2009/10 academic year. The total number of votes cast was 3,440, over two hundred more votes than the previous year.
All the candidates looked exhausted and nervous as they waited for the results to be read out. Katy Phillips clinched the title of SRC President, beating off stiff competition from Andrew Kell, Gail Wilson won the title of SRC Vice President by a landslide, Will Harding bagged the title of Activities President and Nadia Harding scored, becoming the 5th female Sports President in recent years.
Speaking to Katy during voting week about how she would feel about winning the position, she said it would feel ‘ecstatic’, “It would be such a compliment for the work I’ve already done this year so to win again would show that the students have faith in me to be their president.”
Will Harding was less than confident about his chance off winning, hours before the close of voting, “To win? Oh, I don’t think I am going to win because [Andrew Kell and I] had votes taken away from us so we’re pretty screwed. But if I did win, from that, I don’t know what I’ll do; I’d go absolutely mental!”
Campaigning this year has had highs and lows, most notably with SRC President and Activities President candidates Andrew Kell and Will Harding offering students a prize draw to win a pair of Glastonbury festival tickets in exchange for voting. Speaking before the results were read out, Harding commented, “We know other candidates have been giving away shots and sweets: instead of spending £100 on sweets we spent our money on the Glastonbury tickets to raffle off.” After a decision taken by Returning Officer Stuart Hook condemned the action, the votes cast by the raffle ticket holders were removed and effected students were asked to recast their vote for the two positions.
Jenifer Grouse and Nicolas Williams are the new Sports Vice President and Activities Vice President respectively. The new Campus Chairs for St Matts, Glenside and Hartpury were uncontested. Kaley Macis and Jordan Sullivan are job-shares for St Matts, Kate Ezra won her seat for Hartpury and Katie Halstead and Judy Clipsom took to the stage in their underwear to accept a job-share for Glenside. Mark Hughes is the new Campus Chair for Bower Ashton, having succeeded over rival Jack Norris. Martin Hibberd and Simon Keble were elected as NUS Conference Delegates.
For further coverage and interviews with the winners, watch this space and don’t forget to pick up the next issue of Western Eye!
Above: The Activities candidates line up and nervously await the results. Above right: Nadia Harding leaps into a crowd of supporters as the Sports President verdict is announced. Below left: Judy and Katie accept their postions as Campus Chairs for Glenside. Below right: The reaction from the crowd as Katy Phillips is elected SRC President.
