Have you heard what they’re saying about Dom Fearon?

SU elections: they come around every year, the campaigns, names, posters all merge into one. You probably hadn’t even noticed they’d started. But this year you might have heard people talking about a diamond in the rough.

“He’s the kind of guy I’d trust with my house key to water my cactus whilst I was away for a weekend.” This is Dom Fearon, and he wants to be your president.

We asked some students about the lacrosse player, the amateur DJ, the savior to drunken freshers.

George Mayfield: “Dom is the kind of guy who walks into a room and people say ‘ah yes, there’s a man who should be president of the SU’.”

He adds: “Since I met Dom in first year I’ve watched him evolve from a sloth-like creature to the fine, respectable gentleman he is today, and can confirm he has nothing too incriminating in his past.”

Eddy Brown, second-year NU:DJ member, says: “When I was younger my father was often away on business. It was Dom who took me fishing, taught me how to play football, watched me ride a bike for the first time. These are the qualities we need in a leader.”

Too good to be true?

Will Sanderson, Dom’s housemate, remembers one of his finest moments: “In freshers week at Pandamonium, Dom crowd surfed to the front and fell onto the stage, Sub Focus came from behind the decks and pushed him off.”

Alistair Hogg, fourth-year Businessman from Blyth: “I drunkenly Roy Keane’esque slide tackled him down the stairs of the students union, and despite having an injured leg, he took it like an absolute champ. Shows grit and determination as well as resilience”.

Dom drinks wine from a bag

Alex Nobahar, third-year Law, overheard people talking about Dom in the library: “They were talking about their mate running for president, saying how they think he has a chance as they don’t think much of the other candidates. Apart from that one guy – what’s his name, Dom? Yeah, he looks good”.

Dom is just one of the people

Here’s a brief overview of Dom’s policies:

• Recap. Everything.
• Healthier food in the library and more water fountains.
• More and better events at the union: “Aside from throwback they don’t really have any good events on and the uni has spent millions in renovating the place. We should have better acts and DJs on”.
• Increasing the provision of rehabilitation services for AU members – Dom tore his ACL last year (playing football on the beach on tour in Salou) and feels there should be better resources offered to injured sportspeople.
• Microwaves to heat up food in the library – “downstairs so the whole place doesn’t smell”.
• Tackling hidden course costs – for example lobbying the library to provide more core textbooks, having the uni bulk buy and sell to students.
• The uni “doesn’t pay enough attention to their agreed environmental policy”. One of their investments in Black Rock funds BP and like companies: “as students we should be the forward thinkers in society. I’m not saying the uni should fully back out of these investments but they should stick to their word”.

Here’s his manifesto in full: http://www.nusu.co.uk/elections/manifesto/98/.

There was only a 27% turnout last year. Dom says: “73% of our students are not being fairly represented by their officers. People were not voting out of apathy – people don’t see any reason to care about it. The union seems very cliquey, people don’t think these positions are available to them”.

Dom will be applying a variety of campaign tactics: “You can find me on tinder too, I’ll have a presidential profile. Don’t be afraid to say hello!”

Voting opens Monday 2nd March at 3pm and closes Thursday 5th March at 12 midday. Vote here: www.nusu.co.uk/vote.