President of the Union - Candidate John Collins
Manifesto If elected I promise to:
Aren't you just another hack or career politician?
I'm not a career politician; I've already got several jobs lined up in Civil Engineering.
I'm not a hack either but rather a volunteer who knows a lot about politics. I've been involved in many committees and have represented many people.
What do you think of the problem of bureaucracy in ICU?
There are a few problems with this. Firstly, we're not on-line yet. The union have just funded a kick-ass web site, which will hopefully remove the need for any forms, which I will finish if elected.
The other thing is governance. We have many layers, which make it difficult to get things done quickly. It can take three months to set up a new committee. I want to do a governance review and flatten it out to make it more nimble.
What do you think of the Beit Quad redevelopment so far?
Sameena's done really well on funding, but we need more. The College's centenary is coming up, and they're going to raise hundreds of millions of pounds from alumni. We don't have any plans to do that. All the faculties have old-boy associations from which they raise thousands of pounds each year. We just need to make that extra effort.
On the actual project, I share everyone's concerns about energy efficiency. We need the building to be more sustainable and raise more money.
You're also critical of the Central Library...
There's not enough space. Every year a department loses its library. Thousands of students are moving into the Central Library, which is straining the existing space. The Rector needs to think about this; closing down the other departmental libraries will double pressures at Central. Give us windows that open!
They should also have textbooks in departments. In Materials, lecturers keep back textbooks and give them back to students, which is inefficient. More course material should also be put on-line.
You want to end two-year sabbatical terms. Doesn't this prevent experienced sabbs from standing again?
It's unfair. Sabbs get an advantage in being heard. Sameena wrote a column in Felix every week; there's no way anyone else could do that. Even though I was CGCU President, no one outside engineering has heard of me. A mediocre sabb can easily beat a good candidate.
You also want sabbatical officers for faculty unions. How are you going to fund this?
I would support fund raising efforts, but the faculties should help as well. Medicine is halffunded by the faculty; engineering and science need to do the same. I would also review how the sabbatical positions work in general.
