Two candidates drop out of elections
The overall smooth start of this year's election was marred when the sole candidate for the position of Deputy President (Finance & Services) dropped out after a few days of campaigning, leaving no candidates for the position.
Dan Lehmann, a final year electrical engineer, was the only candidate for the position of DPFS but withdrew his entry on Monday, despite already having participated in hustings. The election for this post will now be re-run in the summer term. It is hoped that the position will be filled in time for next year so that someone can oversee the Union redevelopment budget.
Another candidate, Arlette Cole, dropped out of the contest for Deputy President (Education and Welfare), but this causes less concern, as there are still enough candidates to run a contested election.
These were the only blemishes on an otherwise smooth start to the election of sabbatical officers. The sabbaticals are six students who will take up full-time positions helping to run the Union.
The remaining candidates have already undergone three grilling hustings sessions at the time of going to press. Turnout peaked at the second hustings on Monday evening in dB's. However, this was more to do with the location and the chance to see the candidates down pints as part of the questioning.
At each hustings the candidates for ICU President underwent the most questioning and scrutiny. John Collins outlined a ten-step plan of his aims as president, concentrating on improving the College's libraries and keeping the new Ethos gym free for students.
Joseph Eldridge called for a Union that students could rely on and aimed to cut entry prices to the Union and offer cheaper drinks.
Kian Low expressed his dismay at the lack of turnout for such an important event and called for a more open Union, with more open meetings and less bureaucracy.
Simon Matthews, the current Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) said that as a current sabbatical officer, he has the experience to complete ongoing large projects, such as the Beit master plan.
A hot topic was the direction the Union will take after Imperial pull out from the University of London. All candidates agreed this would cause problems, with John, Joe and Kian agreeing that it could cause Imperial to leave the University of London Union (ULU), thus losing representation. Simon expressed concern about the sports teams losing out from leaving ULU leagues. When asked whether they would consider a referendum to join the National Union of Students (NUS), all agreed, except Simon who simply stated "No, the NUS sucks."
One student asked whether Simon should be allowed to stand again, raising the issue of two-year sabbatical terms. Both John and Kian were adamant that two-year terms were unfair, and Joseph wanted smaller terms to encourage fresh ideas into the Union. Simon called the question a case of `sour grapes', discrediting the idea that being a sabbatical officer gives more time to campaign as you've also got a job to do.
On-line voting opens today and closes next Tuesday 28th.
