With this year’s SU Elections coming to a close on Friday, there was still one last opportunity for candidates to win over people’s hearts in the haven that is Crisis. Impact headed along to witness the debauchery of mixing alcohol with student politics, asking students what they really think about the whole elections process.
Our first victim was a poor lass stuck in the Crisis queue who goes by the name of Angelika Rayos De Sol.
What is the Students’ Union?
Angelika: [The] SU is a place where they give their opinion and their opinions count.
Do you care about the SU Elections?
Angelika: Not really, I don’t know what it’s about.
How many times have you been asked to vote this week?
Angelika: This is the first time properly, but I’ve seen it all around.
Are you going to vote?
Angelika: Yes.
How many full time current SU officers can you name?
Angelika: The Burger King one? I don’t know.
At this point, we had a clamouring from several others who wanted to be interviewed too. Betty, out campaigning for Community Officer hopeful Moonisah Iqbal, spoke to us next.
We’re not sure who is more excited over the SU elections – Betty, a member of Moonisah Iqbal’s campaign team, or our Comment Editor, Ben Lewis
What is the Students’ Union?
Betty: The student body who help effect change on campus and advocate the issues people have.
Do you care about the SU Elections?
Betty: I do, because it’s important that we get people who want to make changes and are representative of the student body.
How many times have you been asked to vote this week?
Betty: Zero times, because I do Architecture.
Are you going to vote?
Betty: I voted on Monday.
How many full time current SU officers can you name?
Betty: Ismail [Sadurdeen], Beth [Massey], Becky [Player], Abel [Hartman], Matt Bramley and Katie Leach.
Then, because we thought we’d test her a bit, we asked Betty to name Moonisah’s policies. She proceeded to cite them by heart.
After making our way across the sticky dance floor and avoiding the flying VKs, we entered the smoking area, where we came across Crisis-goer James Jackson, who requested not to have his picture taken.
What is the Students’ Union?
James: A bunch of lefty pricks.
Do you care about the SU Elections?
James: Eh, not really?
How many times have you been asked to vote this week?
James: Once. No, three times, in fact!
Are you going to vote?
James: Already have.
How many full time current SU officers can you name?
James: Ismail [Sadurdeen], Becky Player and Lauren [Heria], because I pulled her in first year.
Back on the dance floor, we bumped into Maria Tsaptsinos, sporting a rather fetching Yolanda King t-shirt:
Maria Tsaptsinos tells us she can name all eight of the seven full-time SU officers
What is the Students’ Union?
Maria: Fun.
Do you care about the SU Elections?
Maria: Yes, because Yolanda is running.
How many times have you been asked to vote this week?
Maria: Ten.
Are you going to vote?
Maria: Yes.
How many full time current SU officers can you name?
Maria: Eight! (There are only 7).
At this point, a giant flip flop appeared, a girl named Kat who was very keen to get in on the interview fun.
Kat, adorned in a glorious flip-flop costume, can name a grand total of three full-time SU Officers.
What is the Students’ Union?
Kat: Something that goes for every student if you have a problem – it has so many options.
Do you care about the SU Elections?
Kat: Yes – if you go for the SU elections it’s your duty to vote for who you want to.
How many times have you been asked to vote this week?
Kat: Multiple times.
Are you going to vote?
Kat: Already have.
How many full time current SU officers can you name?
Kat: Like 3?
Contrary to previous years, it seems that this year’s SU Elections have been less invasive and/or annoying.
Barring one person, who came up with the figure of ’20 times’, most people said they’d only been asked to vote once or twice, with some even claiming ‘none’.
There is a feeling of change this year, with some recollecting that it was ‘much worse’ last year.
For most, the SU Officers are just faces, hence why people don’t seem that enamoured by the elections.
That said, it’s undeniable that the current candidates are passionate about what they’re running for.
Hopefully they candidates are not feeling too hungover today, given that it is their penultimate day of campaigning.
However, the conspicuous absence of candidates outside Hallward Library this morning suggests the contrary.
Emily Harbottle and Ben Baruch
Images: Emily Harbottle for Impact Images
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the students we spoke to and do not necessarily reflect Impact Magazine as a whole.
