15 candidates are battling for LUSU’s six 09/10 sabbatical posts, as campus saw the start of election campaigns this week.
The official election period, in which three candidates are campaigning for the position of LUSU President, opened last Friday evening.
Second year Pete Macmillan of County is taking on Michael Payne, the current LUSU President who is standing for a second term, alone after Peter Slaney of Cartmel dropped out of the race.
The most contested position is Vice-President Media & Communications/SCAN Editor, with five candidates running for the job; the same number as ran for SCAN Editor last year.
Sabbatical Officers take a year out between academic years, or at the end of their degree, to work full time in the students union.
The positions up for election are LUSU President, and five Vice-Presidents, with responsibilities for Finance, Events, Democracy and Societies (FEDS), Academic Affairs, Equality, Welfare and Diversity (EWD), Media & Comms, and Sport.
As well as the two candidates for president, former Union Council Chair, Sandeep Banwait, and former County JCR President, Andrew Johnston, are battling for the FEDS position; Current Sabbatical Women’s Officer, Sara Dunn, and Block of Six Officer Torri Crapper are running for EWD; University Council Rep, Si Rimington, and Academic Affairs Non-Sabb, Danny Ovens are in the race for Academic Affairs Sabb; and current Athletic Union Non-Sabb, Sue Wynes, is running against her predecessor, Tan Farrell, for the Sports position.
In the race for the Media & Comms/SCAN role are Societies Council Chair, Edwin Burrows, SCAN Comment Editor, Liam Richardson, former Cartmel President, Sam Fitton, SCAN Sports Editor, Charlotte Parker and former Bailrigg FM Station Manager, Charlotte Henry.
Also being contested are elections for seven delegates to the National Union of Students’ Annual Conference, taking place at the end of April, and two places on LUSU’s ‘Block of Six’ officers without portfolio. There are 13 candidates running in the election for NUS delegates, several of whom are simultaneously running for sabbatical posts.
However, not all students seem caught up in election fever. On Tuesday night, banners belonging to at least three different candidates were torn down from above Pizzetta Republic.
According to witnesses, the two vandals said they were protesting against student politics in general. A bystander told SCAN: “It was pretty clear that they weren’t doing it in favour of a particular candidate.” Porters and LUSU’s Chief Returning Officer are investigating the incident.
