Label Exec Elections Leaflet One by Label

Exec Elections Leaflet One 22. 02. 16

Who is R.O.N? Live Launch Review President, Union Affairs, Action and Rag Manifesto Critiques

MANIFESTO CRITIQUES

UNION AFFAIRS

EDITORIAL Exec Elections Media Week has been and gone (rather quickly) with some really fast turnarounds on articles which I hope you’ve seen on the new Elections website! Many of the Label committee have volunteered their time this week to interview candidates (we had a really fun Valentine’s Day!) as well as finding out what they’ll be parading around in as part of their campaign themes when the candidates joined us on Thursday and Friday for our informal Label and LCR combined chats.

Maybe you’re wondering what these “Executive Officers” are. Currently known as Vice Presidents, the titles are set to change for next year to avoid confusion. For instance some people may wonder “if they’re the VP, who’s the President” of a section. Truth is, there aren’t any, so “Executive Officer” should unite them all and really seeks to explain what their role on the Executive Committee is, and it’s just that, they’re part of on big team representing your views as students, so make sure you follow the elections and vote for the candidates who represent you the best. Check out all of our Label coverage in print and online as we seek to comment, criticise and consider exactly what will be happening over the next ten days (other LSU Media mediums are available). Enjoy! 2

Katie Wilson Label Editor

Matt Gill is this year’s only Union Affairs Exec candidate, and he has a strong focus on how to improve student awareness and involvement with union initiatives. Building on current Union Affairs Exec member Max Crawford’s focuses this year, Matt has aims to make the union a transparent and accountable organisation so students get the most out of their university experience. There are four main ideas presented in his manifesto, they concern tailoring student offers and opportunities, making the work that the Exec do more prominent in the university sphere and developing formal guidelines concerning the union constitution. Whilst all of his points reflect the personality of an interested and determined candidate, they do leave some room for questions. For example, some points made are quite vague and, to some extent, unoriginal. He regularly references developing “previous innovations” or things Exec “already have in place” and, although this shows that he recognises areas that have room for improvement, this is discussed without suggestions regarding their resolve. Therefore, we have no choice but to question how involved and engaged he really would be as a potential Exec member. Matt’s manifesto also seems short and impersonal compared to other candidates, who have gone for a more detailed approach when presenting their ideas. Because of this lack of solid detail and neglected use of examples of how he plans to use his time outside of previously stated vague ideas, I wouldn’t be surprised if people are a little sceptical of his candidacy. How is he going to “publish beyond social media”, for example? Why does he think the issues he’s raised are important? There are a lot of gaps when it comes to his manifesto, so let’s hope he can fill them in the weeks to come. Katherine Hardiman, Label Culture Editor

Design by Emily Forrester and Hannah Mclaren

Now that all manifestos and our corresponding interviews have been released, our Label Exec Elections leaflets seek to bring you a focus piece on every candidate, looking into the manifestos and posing a few questions on the ideas presented. For our first of the three leaflets, we cover candidates for Union President as well as Action, Rag and Union Affairs Executive Officers.

CANDIDATE

Illustration by Sarah Rathbone

MATTHEW GILL

Illustration by Robyn Hastings

UNION PRESIDENT CANDIDATES ANDREW STAINTHORPE

JONATHAN AKO

Andrew Stainthorpe’s manifesto outlines how if elected he plans to work cohesively with the other sections of the Union. As the role of President is an all-encompassing job, he does well to appeal to the numerous and diverse groups of people the students’ union affects.

Jonathan Ako’s creation of the acronym P.R.E.S within his manifesto is unconventional yet ingenious. Throughout his manifesto Jonathan is able to make detailed points while remaining succinct and comprehensive.

In recognising the union as a commercial entity, as well as a facility for students, he strives to ensure the union will be run like a successful enterprise. Often an overlooked aspect not considered by many students, Andrew’s attention to creating financially sustainable strategies to ensure the maintenance of the union is a key part in the running of LSU. The emphasis he places on increasing the awareness of Student Voice, Hall Students Federation (HSF) and Department Students Federation (DSF), shows how adamant he is to increase student engagement with the union and the things on offer. He recognises that not every student necessarily has a hall, but every student has a department. By increasing the awareness of the various channels available to students he is able to represent a wide scope of the student population. Andrew’s hopes to sustain the Exec buddy system with halls is encouraging, as keeping those vital links with hall communities allows the channels of communication to stay open. He also plans to take this a step further by integrating departments and societies as well. Creating a closer relationship with Postgraduates is Andrew’s penultimate statement. In targeting an often lesser known and somewhat forgotten group, Andrew demonstrates that he aims to increase the involvement within underrepresented groups as he specifically targets Postgraduates. Andrew’s wide scope of points will appeal to numerous students. If elected, the future of the union should be a lot more engaging for all of the students the union serves.

His first point aims to better the way in which Exec changeover is executed. By extending the changeover period, Jonathan aims to allow a smoother transition between the current and new Exec. I believe that this extended period will allow the new Exec to get to grips with their positions earlier and make the most of their roles. The focus placed on often the underrepresented groups such as Postgraduates and town students adds an inclusive element to Jonathan’s campaign. His vision is not solely focused on on-campus students. However, discussing ways to increase engagement from the international student population could have further reinforced his point of representing all of the various groups in the union. The proposed careers employability initiative is promising and also sees him cross-sectioning with the Education EO and potentially the Alumni and Employability DO, although he does not state the latter in his manifesto. Raising awareness of the Exec appears to be a running theme in this election with various candidates making reference to this notion. Jonathan’s proposed re-introduction of video reports aims to target the student body in the most interactive form of engagement, social media. The creation of a student activities calendar would benefit all sections of the union, as well as allowing students to be kept up to date on all things union related in an efficient manner. Jonathan makes very good points, if elected, the future of the students’ union looks encouraging. Beatrice Quarshie Label Features Editor

ACTION CANDIDATES ANDREW LONG

Anna Milewska is running to be your next Action Executive Officer. Anna is passionate about the cause and has been involved across many departments, including her post as a former hall rep, International Officer and as a current member of the Action Committee. Her commitment is a crucial element to have when running for a post which involves such a great deal of active responsibility.

Andrew Long hopes to take the crown as the next Executive Officer of Action. Andrew has been known to get stuck into opportunities, serving time as Hall Rep for Bakewell and the Holt, and is currently a Project Leader for the Special Events and Youth Offending Service as well as the Action Community Outreach Officer. Andrew has completed a whopping 600 hours in volunteering, which really shows his commitment to the cause.

Anna’s main goals to achieve if successful for the role of Action EO include increasing involvement of International and Postgraduate students on both the Loughborough and London Campus, spreading awareness of Action, continuing support of Action’s development and establishing Action as a mentor for other universities for volunteering opportunities. Anna proposes a revamp of the Action website, allowing for more “selective, clear and concise volunteering opportunities where students can search for information and their preference for projects through a ‘criteria’ option” – this will help with recruiting more students for great causes, and ultimately making their decisions easier and more catered to the student. Reaching out more to societies, departments, AU clubs and the college will ensure Action becomes more widespread throughout the university – but what exactly will be done to make this achievable? Though Anna proposes many constructive ways for Action to improve, will there realistically be a way to show the developments of both campuses collaborating? Would this immediately benefit student opportunities to get involved? Nevertheless, Anna says: “my time and involvement in this section has given me a broad insight, contributing to my desire to enhance and expand the section”, which undoubtedly shows a promising future for Action should Anna win.

As next year’s Action EO, Andrew would plan to “overhaul the Action website” and make access easier for students to browse projects online and be able to sign up instantly, encouraging more activity. Additionally, Andrew says “by consolidating the sign-up process onto a single online platform, [it] would [be] much simpler to see who is working on which project and which projects still have spaces available”.The site also has potential to show a league-style table to show students’ progress on a regular basis. His second promise involves organising a second ‘Pick a Project’ evening in semester 2, wherein students can get involved in projects requiring further help and generally engage them more. Running a hall competition will also encourage higher attendance, and hopefully, more involvement. But are the two promises he’s made enough to secure the success of Action? Will his proposals prove constructive enough to actually encourage more volunteers to sign up? Andrew feels he has “gained a great insight into how Action operates and thus feel[s] wellplaced to uphold and improve the section next year”; nevertheless he has Action’s greatest interests of the section’s future at heart. Alice Priestley Label Features Editor

Illustration by Alice Bindloss

ANNA MILEWSKA

RAG JONATHAN KING

CANDIDATE

Design by Emily Forrester and Hannah Mclaren

Jonny King clearly has experience in all things Rag, and it seems that he has thoughtful ideas and inspiration also backing him for the position, which is uncontested. Jonny King’s manifesto definitely highlights areas in which Rag can be improved especially with the less daunting fundraising targets for trips and the training for volunteers, as both will surely increase student participation in Rag and make it more accessible to everyone. He initiates a promising idea of a loyalty points system to keep students’ interest in Rag as a whole and invite the classic Loughborough spirit of competition into the section. I think if he expands on his plans for better marketing of Rag in town and in the college then he could be onto something that will really expand the awareness of the section and the variety of people that choose to get involved. It will be interesting to see how he plans to connect Rag with the other sections of the union and whether he has any specific events, functions or other methods in mind to further this idea.

Illustration by Sarah Rathbone

Overall, Jonny has put together a promising manifesto with some ideas that if they all come together, could benefit Rag immensely and put him in stead to be an asset to the team. Let’s hope he can put his inspired ideas into action if he secures his place on the Exec team! Jade Ledingham Label Head of Marketing and Events

MANIFESTO CRITIQUES Why do candidates get campaign bans? Campaign bans may be a new concept to many of you, especially if you’ve never experienced an LSU Exec Elections previously, or if you didn’t take a massive interest last year. Candidates can be banned for all sorts of things, some may seem entirely trivial, for instance no one is allowed to do any filming for their campaigns upstairs in the union, and if you breach that, you’d probably face a ban of a couple of hours. But what could a ban entail? Often, there is a ban put on social media and so nothing about that candidate may be posted anywhere during that time, or they may face an extended or additional ban. Candidates may use a ban as a way of actually gaining more publicity, as LSU and LSU Media release press releases and possibly even critical articles on the bans. Last night saw the first ban. As social media went live (I’m sure you didn’t miss that, ten notifications to like pages and join groups?) one candidate was missing from the spamming fun… Whilst social media campaigning is a fundamental part, presence on campus is massively important, and that can be restricted too, but was not in the case of Luke Thomson last night. Restrictions are often for just a few hours, and are at the discretion of the Elections Committee who are informed of any campaigning issues and breaches of rules. Keep up to date with all ban details in our “Who’s banned NOW?! article on the Elections website. Katie Wilson Label Editor 5

: K E E

P RS

I CT

Last weekend saw the interviews for all the candidates running for the upcoming Exec Elections. Candidates had the chance to film their videos, have their photos taken and were finally interviewed by Label where they were given the chance to expand on the points in their manifestos and clear up any questions we had. Overall, the candidates came across as very positive and enthusiastic, with some great ideas. There was a mixed bag when it came to responding to the questions, with some having detailed answers and some needing to look into the feasibility of their ideas a little more. Either way, there was a lot of promise.

L’S E B

With regards to the contested positions, I don’t think there are any clear winners yet, and it will be interesting to see who has done their research when they are grilled in the Bubble Debates. Ellie MacKenzie Label News Editor 6

This year you have the chance to be more involved in, and gain more from, Exec Elections than ever before. Something of a competition is to begin, and everyone knows Loughborough LOVES a competition. Stamp cards have been introduced in order for students to collect a stamp from each candidate. If you successfully do this you can turn your card in to Reception to receive a prize! Each hall will be given one card per student, and it is then your job to listen for door-knockers, approach candidates during dining hall shout-outs and chat with them around campus to gain stamps. For those of you outside of halls, you aren’t missing out on all the fun as cards will be available at Reception! Of course, this is not compulsory, and some students may choose not to take part in the game. However, it’s a great interactive addition to Exec Elections which should make campaign week a lot more fun – candidates know they have reached out to a number of students, and students may take this as a chance to get to know the candidates personally; all ideal when soon enough (on Monday 29th February) the tense voting period opens. So, if you are a lover of Exec Elections and want to get involved in this fun and innovative idea, or just want another loyalty card to add to the already bulging collection us students have, make sure you grab yours today! Leanna Kightley Label Assistant Editor

Design by Emily Forrester and Hannah Mclaren

Although this year there are a surprising four positions that are uncontested (Rag, Media, Education and Union Affairs) I think there will be a lot of competition within the contested positions. The two candidates running for Action were both particularly strong, both with lots of experience. In many respects they have some similar ideas, with both of them wanting to redesign the Action website, and I think it will be a close call as to who gets it. In contrast to this were the two candidates running for Welfare and Diversity: one already had in depth knowledge and experience of working in the union, whilst the other had more experience with the NUS. They were both very passionate, but it will be interesting to see whether students vote for the candidate with existing union knowledge, who could probably easily slip into the role, or the one who could potentially bring in new experiences from outside the bubble.

Stamp Me!

Whatwe can

expect from

campaign

week?

Exec Elections are here and despite candidates manifestos already having been released you are in for one hell of a surprise for campaign week, especially if you’ve never seen one before. Campaign week is where the candidates will fight for their spot to become your next Exec member, be that Action EO, Finance EO or even Union President. You will be asked to join these candidates’ Facebook pages and groups, see students profiles and cover photos change stating who they will be voting for; not to mention the dozens of campaign posters you’ll encounter around campus.

Candidates will also take part in numerous interviews and the Bubble Debate where they will have a chance to explain their manifesto and to try and claim your vote. To make campaign week even more exciting, candidates normally have a theme, such as current VP Finance’s ‘James and the Giant Peach’ in 2015. Prepare to see the candidates and their entourages in wacky costumes, you’ll definitely be asked to pose in a picture with them on a night out in campaign week! They’ll also make an appearance in your lectures and will even knock on your flat door! There is no escape, they’ll make themselves well known and are eager for your vote and engagement. Any sign of pre-campaigning or the bending of rules, you’ll know about it as it candidates will be faced with a time ban! Social media and promotion for Exec Elections went live last night, so it’s all systems go. Be prepared for fireworks! Abbey Gardner

WHO IS RON? Whether you’re a fresher or a finalist you would have definitely come across hall committee elections at some point during your Loughborough lifetime so far. The question is, when we vote for people to be elected as a new committee member, they always run against RON, but who is RON? Let me enlighten you... As the Exec Elections 2016 has taken off and at the end of the campaigning process every student here has the opportunity to vote for the new Exec team, it’s important we all know who RON is. Sadly, RON is not Ronald Weasley or anyone as interesting as that, instead it stands for Re-open Nominations.

The students running for Exec this year, will either be running opposed or unopposed. However, every candidate will be running against RON. When you get the chance to vote for the new Exec team, if you think a candidate is not suited to the position they are running for, for whatever reason, then you have the ability to vote for RON. If you do so, you are voting for the position to re-open and for someone else to run for the role instead, most probably in a by-election after Easter. If people think similarly to you and RON receives more votes than the candidate(s) running and exceeds the quota of votes, then the position will re-open and other candidates will be able to run at a later date. The aim of RON is to uphold fairness amongst voting and to express that there is always another voting option.

Don’t forget to consider RON when you place your votes from 29th February 2016. Flic Carr 7

Live Launch Reaction

Picture this. With twenty minutes until kick-off, the Piazza is already starting to fill up. The atmosphere is upbeat and alive with conversation. With candidates already announced there may not be same level of anticipation as last year, but it’s clear that most are eager to see campaigning begin… Just before 7 o’clock there was a run through of the candidates and as the cheering and whooping began in earnest, it was easy to tell whose campaign teams had come out in force. When 7 arrived and the candidates walked out the Piazza still only seemed half full, an unfortunate downturn from last year’s turnout. Everyone was asked to move forwards. A bit more atmosphere was created as the candidates walked out and took their places on the Piazza steps and pockets of applause and cheering was heard from their respective campaign teams. Some candidates seem nervous but most excited and enjoying the limelight. The loudest cheers came with the announcement of the Presidential candidates, often the most talked about and a decisive contest of the elections. There was a mad rush as campaigning began and people scrambled for posters to be taken around campus. It now became clear that most in attendance are campaign teams, each grabbing their candidate’s posters to begin campaigning as quickly as possible. Within minutes the Piazza had all but emptied, with campaign teams running off in all different directions to seek out the best campaigning spaces on campus. Although the atmosphere this year was somewhat lessened by a drop in numbers, due in no small part due to the prior announcement of the candidates, the campaign teams seemed as enthusiastic as ever. A sense of formality surrounded the short launch but once campaigning officially began, the excitement that surrounds Exec Elections erupted with force. Whether that enthusiasm lasts through to results remains to be seen. Jamie Hutton Label News Editor

Overheard Loughborough

"Can you scratch the undercarriage of my leg please?" "There should be a Men Day, a day where you can appreciate all the beautiful men in the world."

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TWEETS

@VPMedia_LSU Feb 17 The @VPSocieties_LSU candidates have been revealed, and @labelonline have taken a closer look! Check out execelections.lsu.co.uk #EE2016 @LCRLive Feb 21 12 hour ban for Luke Thomson - LCR reports #EE2016 @LoughboroughSU Feb 21 Social Media goes live...NOW! #EE2016 Disclaimer: Label is the publication of Loughborough Students’ Union. The opinions contained are those of individual contributors, not of Loughborough Students’ Union, the editorial team, or any other officer of the union unless otherwise stated. Cover Design by Gautham Kannan