The Tab Presents: Your VPS Candidates

The election has now officially begun! As of today, you can finally contribute to our glorified popularity contest. Following our brilliant article on Presidential candidates, The Tab is following it up with guides to your Vice Presidential wannabes. Voting goes on for another two days, so it’s not too late to get some last minute info to help you make these really important decisions!

So, to start us off, here is the guide to candidates for the Vice President of Services (responsible for finance and amenities, probably most important/interesting after President) that will get you really inspired and involved!

Tommer Spence

[Running for both VPS and VP for Societies and Activities]

Bio: “I am able to carry out my manifesto from either of these roles, and this only demonstrates that the current system is inefficient and confusing. The remits of the President and Vice Presidents overlap so much that it’s often not clear who should be doing what, and key issues such as welfare and societies fall through the cracks. I am trying to draw attention to these problems with my campaign, and build a more effective and accessible organisation. I am only able take up one of these positions, but if elected I will have a mandate to reform EUSA as well as enact my manifesto promises.”

Flagship Policies:

• Running for two positions
• Accommodation: Make University act as guarantor for International students. Stricter landlord regulations. Halls and catering to be run at cost price
• CV: Community engagement courses (volunteering that gets credit for degrees) and paid internships in every school
• Safety: Library-laptop-lockers, pay-later-for-taxis (by giving them matriculation number), and more bike locks
• Societies: organise society festivals and give Pleasance to societies
• Make EUSA pay the living wage (give more money to his mates)
• Cut graduation costs (free gowns and cheap rooms)
• Official reading weak in semester one, and more study spaces in EUSA buildings
• Open dentist in Potterrow
• Liberation groups to be taught how to speak in public
• Yoga on Wednesdays

Tab Analysis: Makes a fair point about vagueness of job descriptions. Nonetheless, running for two positions is still annoying. Platform seems largely decent, but split between uncontroversial and slightly odd. The Tab was unaware of demand for a dentist, but probably a good idea. Public speaking lessons and Yoga are a bit random, but fair enough. Study, CV, and safety ideas all seem good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly8U7-DJ9kA

Tasha Boardman

Bio: “I want to create a EUSA which is more enjoyable, more sustainable and more inclusive. A students association that listens to the voice of students and acts on what you ask for. Our students association plays a huge role in our university experience. Although we are here towork hard, we mustn’t forget to play hard too! As Vice President Services, I would create a fun and exciting student union which actively engages students.”

Flagship Policies:

• More club nights, more festivals (Laser quest, foam parties, beer festivals, live bands, big name acts…)
• Accommodation: Non-profit student letting agency, expand co-op, challenge landlords, and reclaim illegal fees
• Disability: Cut waiting times, standardise special circumstances
• Ethical stuff: build a wind farm, divest from arms and fossil fuels, ban unethical products, sell fair trade, make EUSA pay living wage (more money for her mates), enforce zero tolerance of sexual harassment, help minorities
• Food: More vegetarian/vegan options, more curly fries, and midweek drink deals
• New student union building
• Online forum
• Longer gym/library hours
• Market days at KB [whatever that means…]
• EUSA shop at Easter bush
• Stop marketisation/privatisation and staff pay cuts

Tab Analysis: On things like accommodation, disabilities, food, and ‘fun’, her platform is decent enough (if a little uncontroversial). Unfortunately, she also advocates a lot of ideological policies. Opposing sexual harassment, and providing more fair trade and vegetarian options are decent ideas. Banning “unethical” products is classic EUSA nonsense. Building a wind farm may be the single most unrealistic policy of any candidate ever. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjD0BuugPCU

Luke Campbell:

Bio: “We all have the responsibility to do whatever we can to make life better for every group that we come into contact with. It makes their life better, and it gives our life meaning. And it doesn’t matter whether we personally identify as a part of that group or not, we have the duty to work to enrich that person’s life and help them to get all that they can out of the time that they have. I want to bring this ethos to EUSA.”

Flagship Policies:

• Hold regular surgeries around our different campuses bringing EUSA to you
• To form closer bonds between all levels of staff at the university and our Trade Unions
• To continue the fantastic work of the current Sabbatical team on the Housing Co-Op
• To increase safety on campus for all cyclists
• To strive to have the services in place to support our students in whatever challenges they may face that would otherwise threaten their opportunities to continue with their education

Tab Analysis: Kudos for running a no-nonsense campaign with straight-forward, realistic policies. All proposals seem legitimate. However, his policies are very general and pretty vague. Also very uncontroversial – this is not a bad thing, but having no stand-out original flagship policy could be a disadvantageous. Plug-earring may divide opinion.

Or, of course, there is RON (forget two positions, RON is standing for everything!)

RON FOR EVERYTHING