ITHE
f
FELIX
est. 1949
Wednesday 21st May 1997 issue 1088F.
http://www.su.ic.ac.uk/Felix
Student Newspaper of Imperial College
Ding ding: Seconds out, round three.... NEWSTEAM A lacklustre campaign produced a surprisingly large turnout overwhelming expressed
with
preference
an
being
in favour of reopening
nominations for the position of I C U President. Ove r 600 students rejected the
single candidate,
with
Clare
Bunston receiving just 125 votes. The
result
DaVinci's
was
announced
at around
night, to the
largely
in
7.30pm
last
uninterested
masses preparing for the Bar Q u i z . The declaration was delayed when the returning officer,
current I C U
President Eric A l l s o p , was unable to find M s Bunston. On hearing the news of her c o m prehensive defeat. Clare's only c o m ment
before
leaving
the
Union
Building was " N e w Election won easily."
Prior to the
result
being
announced. M s Bunston insisted that she was calm saying that " I ' m one o f those people who believe in fate."
PHOTOS: M A T H E W &
Nomination Papers are due to be posted
tor the
second re-run
this
ALEX
The agony and the ecstasy - defeated candidate Clare Bunston before yesterday's result was announced, ami later removing one of her posters from a noticeboard in the Union Building.
morning at 9.30am, with the constitu-
Spring
sug-
wrangling was of lesser importance
tion specifying that they must stay up
gested that he would be a nominee
to "getting as much as we can from
for ten College days. W i t h a Bank
"not next time, but the time after
admin.", and that Imperial College
an
Holiday occurring during following
that." Both A l Hussein, one of the
Union
expressed
fortnight, it looks likely that the elec-
two candidates who withdrew from
President." Sami denied suggestions
tion campaign itself w i l l be limited
this election, and
Misra,
that he himself would be a candidate
shame. I think that she did quite a
to the subsequent seven days, with
another subject of speculation, were
insisting that "I've had enough, it's
good campaign." M r Brown suggest-
voting taking place on 16 & 17 June.
unavailable
time to return to study." He did admit
ed that her defeat could be accounted
Speculation now centres on
the
Presidential Election,
Guarav
lor comment
as Felix
went to press.
candidates likely to stand for elec-
W i t h the medics vote falling by
tion, with Laurie Tweedale and Paul
over 7 0 % since M a r c h , Sami Ansari,
Brown being the most likely n o m i -
the
St.
Mary's
Hospital
needs
"a
very
strong
that it's lime to get out." Paul B r o w n . IC Radio Chair and ICU
Council
member,
compassion
for
also Ms
Bunston saying. "I think thai it's a
however that he had heard "rumours"
for by her reticence to express her
that a medic might stand for the post
o w n views, saying: "I think that i f she hadn't been quite so un-opinion-
of I C U President.
Student
Sympathy for the defeated candi-
nees. M s Tweedale, former O p S o c
U n i o n President, commented that the
date came from Sarah Thomas who
It is unclear what w i l l happen if
Chair and a U n i o n regular admitted
he did not put pressure on members
said: "I really do feel for her and
N e w Election were to w i n for a third
atcd she would have been all right."
that her candidature was a very " c o n -
lo vote in a particular manner, but
know how hard it is, to run a cam-
successive time, in June election but
ceivable option." M r B r o w n
con-
"let it d r i l l . " This was despite reports
paign and lose." She went on to
it has been suggested that the current
that i f his P h D supervisor
that second year students had been
describe the embarrassment o f failure
I C U President may be asked to act as
agrees to let h i m take a year out from
heavily pressurised into voting for
and "having it broadcast college wide
a
his studies then " I ' l l stand for it."
N e w Election. M r Ansari also point-
- it's horrible." M s Thomas, the los-
Summer. M r A l l s o p confirmed that
firmed
Other possible candidates include the current
RCSU
President,
Mo
Dulloo. who has confirmed that he does not have a job for next year. Omar Kheir. who withdrew from the
President'
lor
the
ed lo the fact that many 3rd and 4th
ing candidate in the M a r c h Deputy
he would
year students are
President
request saving: " I ' m quite prepared
currently
away
from college on electives. t h e leader ot' the medics emphasised
his view
that
The Result New Election Clare Bunston
'care-taker
644 125
inter-campus
( C l u b s & S o c i e t i e s ) race,
discouraged
speculation
that
she
probably accept
such a
to give as much assistance as I possi-
might be a candidate in June com-
bly can", but he indicated his prefer-
menting that "after last lime I think
ence of returning to his P h D .
PAPERS FOR R O U N D 3 U P AT 9 . 3 0 A M T O D A Y
2 NEWS
Background
83.7%
16.3%
FELIX WEDNESDAY 2 1 S T MAY
CM i n oo 1— CO
>r, Tf T T o t a l r] —i sc
JITEN P A T E L A N D EDWARD SHIRMAN Since
' N e w Election'
was
intro-
duced for the 1989 sabbatical elec-
°-
tions, students have called for the re-
— 00 r-i ro —. in St M a r y ' s — ^-c — r-
opening of nominations only twice. Before 1989, the only way to register a protest was to casting your vote as an "abstention".
so' r^; — 00
The most recent time when a candi-
South K e n ^ » ^ , r^Os Totals — ir,
date failed to be elected in the Spring Elections was in 1993 when M a x
72.2%
27.8%
Jalil trailed N e w Election by
145
votes (727 to 582). This poll was for the
S i l w o o d / O SOt ~ so
— —'
Chem Eng
old
position
of
Honorary
Secretary (Events), before the two separate Deputy President positions were created.
Tt
In the June
SO OO *H C i v E n g -t
1993 re-run Charles
Leary, who had w i l h d r a w n from the March
2 °
election, took
the position
with one of the lowest ever turnouts;
t£ t£
he managed to gather just 82 votes.
r i oc
This was enough to see him home as New
— oc RSM
m
Election
scrape
together
only
managed
to PHOTOS: L I U T C H A E N G
a measly 32 first
&
preferences. The 1990 election for the Deputy President post was also won by N e w m -+
Southside
Election, when the single candidate
M A T H E W KEMPTON
The Usual Suspects: (Tare Bunston, leaving the Union; Eric Allsop, announcing the result; Laurie Tweedale, the only declared candidate; and Omar Kheir, a previous Presidential candidate, hearing the result.
was rejected by a margin of 103 (603 t£
#
lar fate to M a x Jalil when St. M a r y ' s
— oo Elec E n g a
LLIX
to 500). Ben Turner suffered a simipowered o OS
§
in with
over
170
votes
favouring the reopening of nomina-
Student Newspaper of Imperial College
18.0%
82.0%
tions. H o w e v e r M r Turner was elected
11.5%
88.5%
SO f ) r-, ON M e c h E n g — r - ' OO
Chem/
—
,r
>
t —— OS
B i o c h e m — 30 oo — 00
•oo C") 4.8%
95.2%
Huxley
(S i n SO
$ # in i n C-i t-^
So this whole ' I C students aren't
L a n d and Graeme Littler, in another
interested in student politics' thing is
the St. M a r y ' s vote. Both M e c h E n g
low turnout. This time less than 400
not exactly true. O v e r 750 students
and H u x l e y supplied more
votes
New
managed to take time out from revis-
than the medics, but suggestions that
Election managing just 40 first pref-
ing and go and vote. The South
the block vote is dead should be
erences,
Kensington turnout was down just
viewed with scepticism.
were
cast,
but
with
Ben secured victory
after
the first reallocation of votes.
Spoilt
voters
2 5 % from last M a r c h , which is a
The worst possible outcome o f
huge improvement when compared
this result w o u l d be a repeat perfor-
when Sam Baker suffered an incred-
with
ible defeat at the hands of a ' w e l l
won.
the
last time N e w Election
mance, with none of the rumoured candidates
actually
standing
for
organised' N e w Election campaign.
It was also gratifying to see that
election. Those who feel that they
O v e r 1,000 students east their votes
students from the South Kensington
are qualified and have aspirations to
favour of the reopening of nomina-
campus
serve as I C U President must not hide
tions, and this easily surpassed M s
agreed to such an extent. Although
in the shadows whispering about the
Baker's total of 144 first preferences.
this also happened in the vote for
quality o f those who do have Ihe
President
guts to put themselves forward.
II a President is not elected this
and those at St.
in the
Mary's
Spring election,
year then the question of how the
there was a serious division in the
Finally, we wish Clare Bunston
position w i l l be
next year is
polling for other positions. T h i s time
the very best for the future. There is
raised. The situation would be remi-
round there was no division, with IC
no doubt that she is a genuinely nice
niscent of the elections held in 1982
students for once uniting throughout
person, and that, although she may
when
the college.
the
filled
Deputy
President
elect
have taken a lot of Hack during her
his exams and
The surprisingly l o w turnout from
campaign, she will have benefited in
was disqualified from the position. A
the Paddington campus was one of
some way from the experiences of
re-election then took place electing a
Ihe
the last two weeks.
Phile Green failed
Totals Quota
New E l e c t i o n
Clare Bunston
*o (N 00 ^
Candidate
The Results
ICU
results, as was the unusual split in
came two other candidates, Spenser
Records were smashed last M a r c h
JCR m ~
E d i t o r Alex Feakes / A d v e r t i s i n g M a n a g e r M a r k Baker
the following M a y when he over-
John M c C a l l i o n , 3rd year maths student, to fill the vacant position. He was not, however, appointed as a full-time bin
salaried sabatical
officer,
was available part-time, three
afternoons office.
a week
in the
union
more
notable
aspects of t h e
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