Presidential election special: Hustings update and candidate interviews
T h i r d Presidential Hustingzzzz... NEWSTEAM Imperial College Union's otherwise wholly unremarkable third sabbatical election campaign of the year was thrown open this Tuesday, when presidential front-runner M o Dulloo sensationally withdrew from the race. Mr Dulloo, a fourth year physics undergraduate and president of the Royal College of Science Union, made the announcement on the morning following the hustings in dB's. M r Dulloo went on to explain that he had received confirmation of a job offer from a leading IT firm, having been notified of his successful application on Saturday. "I wanted to have the contract in my hand before making a definite decision." he stated, and offered apologies to his many supporters. Around 60 students, many visibly divided into camps of support for the different candidates, turned out to the Hustings at I C U , which Eric Allsop, ICU president, described as "Rapidly becoming a regular event." ICU Deputy President, Sarah Corneille spoke briefly in favour of 'New Election', suggesting that the candidates were only standing because of their poor immediate employment prospects. "We can get through the summer without a president." She explained, "It will be difficult, but not impossible." Paul Brown was the first of the three remaining candidates to speak, delivering a short speech in which he claimed he knew "...where the Union goes wrong." He refuted the suggestion that any of the candidates where standing solely to bolster their C V s . Richard Stultiens spoke next, admitting his lack of comparative lack of involvement with I C U so far, but professing to "...know what College is about." Mr Stultiens drew specific
attention to his idea to set up an 'unofficial blacklist' of local landlords who had given IC students trouble in the past, and reaffirmed a commitment for I C U to stay out of the N U S . Laurie Tweedale, described by her proposer Sarah Thomas as "...not the classic Union hack", highlighted the disaffection perceived among IC. students, and how she would attempt to remedy it. Miss Twecdale stated that she would be a team-player, not just a figurehead President, and went on to reiterate the points in her manifesto. A question and answer session followed, a large number of written questions being submitted from the floor. As usual, the candidates attempted to give serious answers to continued overleaf
Above: Drink for victory! Paul Brown, Richard Stultiens and Laurie Tweedale race to finish a pint supplied by the medics. Right: Clockwise from top left: Richard Stultiens, Laurie Tweedale, Mo Dulloo and Paul Brown at the ICU hustings.
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NEWS & INTERVIEWS
F E L I X FRIDAY 1 3 T H TUNE
continued from front.
Paul Brown
irreverent questions concerning their
Richard Stultiens
Laurie Tweedale
dress sense, favourite sexual position
Who are you? What have you done so far
Who are you? What have you done so far,
Who are you? What have you done so far,
and whether they thought the prac-
and what are you going to do?
and what are you going to do?
and what are you going to do?
tice of urine-drinking should be out-
r m me. I've done a lot of stuff so far. I've
Well, I'm me, I've spent the last three years
I'm a final year computing student. I've
lawed. On the more serious issues,
spoken to a lot of people about what they think
doing a BSc in Geology in the RSM and gen-
enjoyed my time here, mostly through a social
such as how they might
procure
the problems are for the Union currently and
erally enjoying life at Imperial. I want to make
life. I have to say, I don't feel I particularly
greater representation for IC students
I've also been on many Union committees; I
it more straightforward for people trying to get
enjoyed my time in my department. I've been a
outside the N U S , how they would
know how the Union works, I know what the
accommodation in their second and third years,
very active re-app -1 put my heart and soul into
improve academic
representation
Union does, and I think that is one of my great
after all, the majority of IC students don't have
organising lots of social events in hall. I man-
and whether they preferred a gradu-
strengths. My other great strength is that I am
the luxury of having rooms in Halls. They have
aged to gain a very friendly atmosphere in hall
ate tax over larger student loans, the
not a total hack, I know what the problems of
to go outside and find a decent landlord. I want
last year, and included all students in the activ-
four candidates said little to distin-
the Union are, know what people think of the
to make finding a decent landlord just a bit eas-
ities I organised. A large proportion of the for-
guish themselves.
Union and what can be done to improve it.
ier than it is at the moment. NUS affiliation:
eign students, who, I felt, would not normally participate, I went deliberately out of my way
The same was true at the similarly
These are mainly to improve people's knowl-
well, people seem to be leaving it at the
second set of hustings,
edge of what goes on in the Union so that they
momentrather than joining it and that seems the
to encourage them to join in the trips I organ-
held on Wednesday in Gladys' bar at
can take advantage of all the services the Union
way to go, and I think that ICU has a lot to
ised. I've put a lot of time into OpSoc. It
St Mary's. The medics' traditional
offers.
teach other people who are leaving at the
requires 110% effort at all times. It's very dif-
custard-pie flinging antics were not
Why did you decide to stand?
moment. St Mary's merger: the merger itself is
ficult to put on a show. I think we will gain a
lacklustre
in evidence, the three remaining candidates being forced to down only a
Two reasons mainly. Because of the people
taken out of our hands. The decision was made
lot from the Clubs and Societies resource cen-
who have stood at previous elections weren't in
by Sherfield and I would hope if I got in to
tre, as, when I was vice-chair, we were trying to
single pint. Subject to a barrage of
my opinion up to scratch. They weren't bad
make the transisition as pain free as possible
operate as a society without those facilities and
questions concerning the problems
candidates but they didn't really know enough
for St Mary's.
I found it extremely difficult.
Why did you decide to stand?
facing the medical schools, the can-
about what was going on. It made it clear that
didates struggled to provide satisfac-
someone who new what was going on had to
tory answers. Richard Stultiens in
stand. Also, people said to me: Why aren't you
previous two candidates and I thought, without
First of all, I would change the voting sys-
particular
the medics
standing? Which made me think. I initially
wishing to rain down scorn upon them, their
tem. I really do feel that, at the moment, apart
through his inability to name any of
thought that it's not the sort of thing I would
ideas were not fitting for someone who was
from voting, there is no need for the Union
the four schools which will make up
normally go for. But once people had raised the
running for president. I thought firstly that
card. The Union say that you have to have this
the new Imperial College School of
question, it made it clear that it was something
some of the ideas were a bit naive and that
card to vote, but according to Union rules,
infuriated
A number of reasons. For a start I saw the
What are you going to do, assuming you are elected?
Medicine. The consensus of medical
that I could do well.
there should be more than one candidate avail-
everyone who is a registered student is allowed
opinion was that none of the candi-
At the South Ken Hustings you mentioned
able for any election. I was talking to one of my
to vote. I really do feel that the academic repre-
dates satisfied their interrogators.
that you would consider campaigning on
subwardens in my hall, and he said to me "well,
sentation system at present does not work.
ethical issues as ICU President. Could you
why don't you run, seeing that you have opin-
People don't know who their reps are and just
give us an example?
ions on these matters", and I went and dis-
don't communicate. I hope to look at this and
cussed it with quite a few other people and they
devote a lot of time to making sure that students
As ever, St Mary's representatives remained tight-lipped when speaking to Felix regarding the likely size and direction of their 'block vote'.
There's a campaign going on at the moment, for example looking at countries where cash
seemed supportive, so I announced my candi-
can express their problems to the right people
With M o Dulloo out of the race,
crops are promoted over sustainable crops so
dacy.
and get something done about it.
none of the three remaining candi-
that the people are relying on the income from
Where so you think that your support wil
Why did you decide to stand?
dates is a clear favourite to win on
those crops such as sugar coffee, when they
Icome from then?
Tuesday. Although it falls to them to
could be growing food for themselves to eat,
I'm hoping my support will come from peo-
Union. I have a lot of respect for people who
I care a great deal about the students in the
run the 'New Election' campaign,
that maybe is an issue that could be addressed
ple who maybe aren't that involved in Union
put hours of their time into their clubs and soci-
the current sabbaticals must be hop-
on a bigger level, but basically, it is things that
affairs, seeing that I seem to be the candidate
eties, into Council, into representing the stu-
ing that the electorate
can bring
are relevant to people that are saying "look, by
coming from outside the Union infrastructure
dent views. This is just my way of helping rep-
unambiguously
buying this I am supporting somebody whom I
at the moment.
resent the students. I care and I want to support
for one of the three, or the Union
shouldn't be supporting".
In your manifesto you mentioned accommo-
them.
dation, why is this important to you?
themselves to vote
may face uncertainty next year at a
In you manifesto you said that you would
time when it will need clear leader-
help students have a good time at college.
ship. Felix will be bringing you the
How do plan to achieve this?
It's important to me becasue it seems from
Where do you think your electoral support will come from?
what I've read and discussions I've had recent-
I feel I make the effort to mix with a wide
There's a lot of ways a students' union helps
ly there seems to be a big issue about rent in
variety of students. I feel I devote time to the
people have a good time, through clubs and
halls. If hall rents are too high, then fair enough
wide variety of people I know.
societies, ents and so on. By promoting them,
they should be brought down, but I think that
What are your plans for the buildings in
you are helping people enjoy themselves. We
maybe the people that are most in need of help
Beit Quad?
NEWS: ROBIN, M A R I A ; PHOTOS: L I L I ,
are in London, and there are a lot of things to
where accommodation is concerned are being
A L E X A N D ROBIN; INTERVIEWS:
do, we need to focus on things that you can
forgotten about and those are the people who
accommodation space, athough it would be
only do through the students' union.
aren't in halls in private accommodation. My
nice, obviously, I think, to place it all in
Are there any other commitments in your
proposal is to enact an unofficial blacklist of
Prince's Gardens, but because of the surround-
manifesto that you intend to carry out?
landlords which would take the form of a list of
ings, we obviously can't have a 50 storey
The main other commitment I've made is to
names with whom students have experienced
accommodation block. I would like to see some
greater academic representation. I think that the
problems in the past, not giving any reasons,
rooms in hall that are multi-purposed, that can
system at the moment is pretty good, but its
obviously, for legal reasons.
be used for clubs, for Friday nights...I think the
flawed in that they get as far as the academic
What would you look for if you were to set
clubs and societies do lack space, but also an
affairs officers in the Guilds or the RCS union,
up a new national body like the NUS?
element of things like Friday nights selling out,
result of the election in our end-ofterm
summer
special,
out on
Wednesday.
ROBIN, A L E X A N D JACKIE WITH T HE INVALUABLE A S S I S T A N C E OF I C RADIO.
ICU Presidential Elections
Voting i n all departments
Mon.16tha Tues. 17th You will need your Union card to vote.
they don't get any further. The President is the
I think we have to accept that we need
I think that one of the number one priorities
so we need some ents space. You can't get into
ultimate representative on academic issues, it
would have to be that the new organisation
the Union on a Friday night after a certain time,
needs to be clear that this is where things are
would have to be apolitical. I think one of the
and when increased numbers of students come
done.
reasons the NUS seems to have gone downhill
across here, if can't currently provide for the
What about a fifth sabbatical for ICU then?
is that it has become too closely affiliated with
size of Imperial College today, then we are
That would be very useful. There are a lot of
the Labour Party. I think it's important that any
going to have to expand bar space and social
issues that are currently under the president's
national body for students is seen to represent
space.
remit and it would be better if it were one per-
the students interests rather than the interests of
Interviews have been edited for
son's job to sort it out.
a political party.
length and clarity.