WWPD – What Would a President Do? (And have they done it?)

With only three months left to achieve what they promised, some of our Student Presidents are going to be held accountable to their manifestos.


NUS tells us “there is life after elections” so we thought we’d work out whether the Student Presidents have kept their foot to the floor post-election 2013 and done their jobs successfully this year.

Granted, they have another 3 months in office but here’s a little summary of the work they have done in relation to what they promised in their manifestos. Here’s a list from the worst to the best at their job.

*DRUM ROLL PLEASE*

7) Megan Dunn- Student President

Famous Phrase: “I’ll get stuff done.”

What she promised:

  • To freeze fees for Postgrads and Part Time students
  • Increase transparency of the extra costs of courses, like field trips
  • Create an Access Forum, working with charities and schools
  • Find funding to support societies and sports clubs to mentor local kids
  • Find funding for an AUSA housing coop to bring rent down
  • Create a tenants’ union to take down bad landlords
  • Launch a free rent a bike scheme for Kings, Foresterhill and Hillhead
  • A free taxi service if you have no cash, you can then use your student card
  • Create a wind farm on university land

The only win we can see is running regular forums to get student opinions of the student union. (Even that was a survey answered by under 1,500 students.)

Nearly there:
She has explained that she has been in discussions to get loans for Postgrads but the University have been uncooperative.
It has been discussed whether we should have a union building, this is still in process
She planned to meet Aberdeen Taxi Centre to talk about the scheme, but since October it hasn’t been mentioned.

Overall Rating: TBC due to missing work reports – but under 10% of her manifesto completed from reports handed in.

To be fair to our President, we’re still waiting on some work reports from her. Megan’s manifesto looked like a second term one – the groundwork needed to complete her pledges and visits around the country have swallowed up a lot of her time, regrettably.

6) Emily Beever- President for Charities and Communities

Famous phrase: “Have you got Beever Fever?”

What she promised:

  • Hall Forums to iron out student concerns
  • Weekly surgeries at Hillhead and city centre halls
  • More challenge events to raise money
  • Create a training manual for volunteers
  • A reward system for volunteers
  • Create outreach programmes
  • Hall representatives to attend local community forums

Emily has delivered on 3 of the 7 things she proposed, which is good, it’s been all in the name of charity. Her biggest achievement to date is winning the award for NUS Scotland campaign of the year award for “Child Free to Child Friendly”, which she won on Saturday. Her other wins this year include her promise to create bigger events with the bungee jump challenge.

Overall rating: 43%

So far she has made £7K. If she wants to make more money than she earns then she has some major work to do in the next three months – she has £12,000 to make from Bookends and The Student Show. Best of luck!

 

5) Bright Amponsah -President of Welfare and Equal Opportunities

Known for: Monty Python inspired election video

What he promised:

  • Equality and diversity training for university staff
  • Better equip liberation officers to make them more effective and better
  • Spend one day a week at Foresterhill
  • Weekly blog and video updates on welfare
  • Twice a month, listen to concerns of people in halls
  • Work reports in social media websites
  • Clarity and publicity for appeals procedure
  • Tailored academic guide for Postgrads
  • Exam stress busters in conjunction with sports
  • Part time jobs fare
  • Campus wide campaign on body confidence
  • Welfare Wednesdays
  • Increased publicity
  • Accommodation fare
  • Accommodation league tables to rate landlords

As you can see, Bright promised a lot, but also delivered a lot of it. It also read in his manifesto that if he does not complete 10% of it in his first term then he would take a pay cut of 10%. It’s okay Bright, you surpassed your goal easily. After introducing the first part-time jobs fayre and the second accommodation one, we can see events have been Bright’s thing. More on welfare, a Body confidence week, which no doubt will continue under Genna.

Overall Rating: 46%

It’s great that Bright’s managed to do so much, however, he hasn’t been as vocal he should have been, his work reports were on the AUSA website, nowhere else(manifesto promised us otherwise), and even then he failed to hand them in at least twice. Plus Rob carried out the bulk of appeals procedure pledge. All things considered you’ve done an average job.

 

4) Rob Henthorn- President for Education and Employability

Known for: His hair – and then his haircut.

Wanted to…

  • Digitise heavy demand with kindles to borrow from the library
  • Longer library hours at Taylor and Foresterhill
  • More recorded lectures for MyAberdeen
  • Guarantee late night study spaces
  • Digital submission, digital feedback and portfolios to track progress
  • Alter how we are accessed, so changing it  to How to improve work not just grades
  • Physical joblink and careers service on campus
  • Module specific work placements advice in course guides
  • Work with Intern Aware to protect your rights in work placements
  • Better access to career planning and courses at advising
  • Choose how you’re accessed
  • Feed forward- design courses you’ll take next year
  • Proper pay for Postgrad teachers
  • Real access to hardship funds, accommodation support and academic rep

Rob is one of three officers who started fulfilling his manifesto promises in October. Now being coined as the President of libraries, Rob has ensured that the New Library is open 24 hours a day, he’s also got longer openings at the Taylor and Foresterhill. He has also tweaked the personal tutor system so that they can help us choose the right courses for us, not the ones that fit our timetable the best.

Overall Rating: 50%

Rob’s hit dead on average, and that’s fine I reckon his manifesto was rather ambitious and hopefully next year, when we’ve been promised actual ebooks, he’ll score better. His lack of work for the employability element of his job description has not gone unnoticed, and I’d like to see some more work done there.

 

 3) Eva Nohe- President for Environment and Ethics

Known for: Being a German hippie.

Wanted:

  • A Free bike rental service between Hillhead, Kings College and Foresterhill
  • Organise bike saftey workshops
  • Improve bike lanes
  • Cheaper bus fares
  • Create cheaper alternatives in Alfies, all organic foods
  • Extend the Vegbag scheme to Hillhead and Foresterhill
  • Set up a food coop
  • Lobby for healthy inexpensive food options across campus
  • Recycling points in every building
  • Paper free submissions
  • Composting cycle- organic waste right on campus
  • Have thermostats in all buildings
  • Timer switches in corridors for replacement
  • Harvest energy from ASV gym equipment
  • Accessable water fountains in all buildings
  • AUSA to stick to fairtrade
  • Transparency of the involvement of Oil and Gas investments the university makes

A tall order from the newly elected, brand new post. Eva has done A LOT. She’s set up The Corner in Alfie’s, the university’s first coop whilst also keeping AUSA Fairtrade with a policy renewal this year and Student SHIFT who campaign to keep AUSA ethical and sustainable.

Overall Rating: 53%

I feel she’s done a fantastic job given her motion to make Aberdeen University Fossil Fuel feel at last month’s AGM. She still has a fight on her hands but with Dom taking over next year we’re confident that the hard work will continue.

 

2) Emma Carlen- President of Societies and Activities

Known for: Puppy room queues

What she promised:

  • More promotion of societies and activities
  • More days and more events for the Student Festival
  • Greater focus on activities, like Bookends, ASR, Gaudie
  • AUSA TV
  • Get a puppy room for exams
  • More events in Buchart

Emma’s had her fair share of success, including getting AUSA TV filled with the diversity of the societies she represents and achieving more promotion through a blog. Following this, there are now articles in The Gaudie and online about student activities, and the Student Festival 2014 was a week long.

However, she hasn’t mentioned whether the Puppy Room is going to be seasonal feature from now on, nor is it possible to effectively measure whether there have more events in Buchart because of her work.

Overall rating: 57%

 

1)Marc McCorkell- President for Sports

Known for: Being Northern Irish- need I say more?

Promises he made:

  • Expand intramural leagues
  • Create “Hall’s Sport”
  • Fitness classes in campus and halls
  • Greater provisions for disabled students
  • Better sports bursary system
  • Keep Wednesdays free for sport
  • Reorganise the finance system for clubs
  • Give national athletes greater support at uni
  • Make students a priority at ASV and The Aquatics Centre
  • Monthly sports union newsletter
  • Active discussions with captains at meetings
  • Lobby for healthy eating on campus

Some absolutely amazing work has been done this year by Marc already, he’s expanded the intramural leagues, created a Granite City Challenge which is dedicated to disabled students, has made students a priority to ASV, and has even managed to sort out the financial system to name a few of his successes.

He’s now looking at getting the Aquatics Centre officially opened by Tom Daley!

Overall rating: 75% 

With only four points left to complete and another year and 3 months to do them in (alongside his new set of policies) Marc’s had a fab year and we’re lucky to have him again. Plus all his work has been reported transparently. Well done, mate.