Anna Mckay shares a recipe perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year
Ding Huang demonstrates the art of paper cutting
A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
Laura Reynolds looks at the habits of exam-weary students
In a change from last year, the most heavily contested position in the 2010 elections is the role of President, with six people in the running. Current President Tim Ngwena, who beat Tom Langrish, Charles Bushby and Grant Bradley last year, has put himself forward again and will be in a strong position for re-election.
Current Chair of Union Council and former York Labour Chair David Levene, whose candidacy has been rumoured for much of the term, will be running against Ngwena, as will Matthew Freckelton, one of the founders of York Student Market and a director in the York Entrepreneurs. Former Halifax President Roberto Powell has also nominated himself, as has former Alcuin Chair Ollie Hutchings, who was until recently said to be undecided about running. Alongside these five well known candidates is a relative unknown – David Hansen, an Educational Studies student from Derwent College. Rumours of Women’s Officer Ellie Kuper Thomas running proved to be unfounded.
The four candidates for Academic Affairs Officer have all been rumoured in recent weeks. Among them is current Welfare Officer Ben Humphrys, marking the first time that a sabbatical officer has stood for re-election for a different position. Humphrys will be up against Jason Rose, who is one of the Campaigns Officers and has various other committee positions, Also in the running are Chemistry Board of Studies Rep Matt Bailey, who has been particularly outspoken about the portering campaign, and Elanin Vince, one of the current LGBT Officers.
There are three candidates for the role of Democracy and Services Officer, all of which have currently or previously held a place on Union Council. Two YUSU part time officers – Entertainment Officer Sam Daniels and Campaigns Officer Chris Etheridge – have nominated themselves for the role. Daniels was previously an Ents Rep for Alcuin College, whilst Etheridge had been rumoured to be running for Student Activities at one stage. The two of them will be up against former Goodricke Chair Dan Walker, who oversaw the college move to Heslington East at the start of the academic year.
The position of Student Activities Officer, which at one point looked set to be the most heavily contested, has four candidates running. Nick Scarlett, who is the RAG Charity Liaison Officer and Secretary of YUSU Volunteering (Student Action), will be up against President of York Come Dancing Luke Malkin. These two male candidates will be competing with two females - Rachel Hesselwood who is the current YUSU Volunteering Officer and a former Vanbrugh Student Action Rep, and Katy Unsworth, who is currently an Alcuin RAG Rep alongside Jasmine Smith and Callum Taylor.
There are three candidates running for Welfare Officer, the role which Ben Humphrys currently holds. Peter Warner-Medley is in the same position Humphrys was last year, and hopes to make the ascent from LGBT Officer to a sabbatical position. Warner-Medley will be up against Andy McIlwraith, who is captain of the York Hockey Club, and Laura Borisovaite, who was Vanbrugh Vice-Chair last year alongside Martin Mulligan.
The role of York Sport President is the least contested sabbatical position this year, with only two candidates running. Current York Sport Development Officer Sam Asfahani, who was Chair of Langwith College last year, will take on Hockey Club President Rob Newton. Adam Shergold, Sports Editor of Nouse and a History Board of Studies Rep, had originally been rumoured to be running for the role but announced he had no intentions of doing so before nominations opened.
Of the ten part-time officer positions, only three see more than one candidate running, whilst no one nominating themselves for the roles of Disability Officer or Volunteering Officer. In the contest for Environment and Ethics Officer, David Clarke is re-running for his current position, this year as a lone candidate. Clarke will be competing with Verity Hill and Robyn Heather, who are running together; Hill is the current Treasurer of the York People and Planet group, whilst Heather is a former People and Planet Chair.
The LGBT Officer role also sees two sets of candidates running, with Helen Houghton and Philip Morris taking on Tom Martin and Nell Beecham. Houghton is the current LGBT Representative for Vanbrugh College, and her running mate Morris is the Halifax Male LGBT Officer; Martin is the LGBT Representative for Goodricke College, and Beecham is the Lesbian Representative for the YUSU LGBT committee.
However, perhaps the most interesting contest among the part-time officers is the one for the role of Women’s Officer, which sees two men who classify themselves as women running. Third-year History student Mark Pickard is running alongside Peter Saul, who studies History and Politics. Both are students of Halifax College and have been involved in New Generation Society. Pickard and Saul will be up against first-year English student Janey Stephenson, who is running with second-year Philosophy and Politics student Charlotte Phillips.
Luke Sandford and Suzy Dodd are running together for Campaigns Officer uncontested. Sandford is an Ordinary Member of Union Council and is on the Derwent Big D Committee, whilst Dodd is one of the Hit-Squad Coordinators for RAG. YUSU Ents Assistant Tony Richards and Halifax Campaigns Officer Stephen O’Ryan are running for Entertainment Officer.
After running as a lone candidate last year, Mandi Madavo is re-running for Racial Equality Officer with Winnie Amoaku as her partner. Madavo is a History of Art student and former Derwent LGBT Rep, whilst Amoaku is part of the school of PEP. James Croydon and Jonathon Hare, the current RAG Officers for Halifax College, are running together for RAG Officer. Stephen Kenny is running for 21 Plus Officer as a lone candidate; he is currently on the 21 Plus Committee as Social Secretary.
Among the other positions, no one is running for Chair of Union Council. Only two students have nominated themselves as NUS delegates despite there being four seats available; David Levene is running in addition to running for President, as is Sam Westrop. Westrop founded the York Freedom Association Society and ran for Racial Equality Officer last year. Only one candidate has put themselves forward to take over from Anna Bucks are YUM Chair – Chris Young, who is the current Chief Subeditor of Nouse and a former Ents Rep for Halifax College.
I didn't run for NUS delegate because there were only 4 seats available and wanted someone with passion to go for it. I regret that now because I don't want Sam Westrop representing York - he's mental
Honestly, who cares about student politics? Most welfare matters are handled at the college level, and most study issues at the BoS. Just a bunch of people looking for something to put on their CVs (which is fine, but stop pretending otherwise), most of whom make unrealistic promises and end up delivering very little.
Also, why we have a Women's Officer and yet no Men's Officer is beyond me. Equality, anyone?
Nick Scarlett is also Campaigns Officer for Cheesy Pop Soc, and has been YUSU Kids Club Co-ordinator (with Charlie Ward) this past year...
comment deleted by the author "Among them is current Welfare Officer Ben Humphrys, marking the first time that a sabbatical officer has stood for re-election for a different position."
Not strictly true. Charlie Leyland went from being Academic and Welfare Officer, to Academic Affairs Officer this year.
Also Rory Shanks, who was then Societies and Communications Officer, stood for the new position of Student Activities Officer.
Completely agree with #2 I will definitely be supporting Pickard and Saul.
6 - So you'd vote for men to take the role of women's officer because, agreeing with 2, you think there should also be a men's officer position? So you'd hope that, if these people were elected, they would lobby the position they have been mandated to advocate? To point out only two problems with this: 1) why would anyone vote for men as women's officers if they thought they were only trying to controversially abolish the position? 2) Why, if elected, would they try and absolve the position, leaving themselves with no role? I sincerely hope that the guys running for this position actually have a genuine interest in women's issues and aren't trying to kick up a stink.
I agree that men's issues should be represented, but not by boycotting the needs of women who still face ongoing discrimination in a way that men have never experienced (the issue of pay is just one example, and we need to be aware of it). Be sensible and if you feel that the system should be restructured to include a men's officer, try and do something about it - just remember it's not women's fault that they're discriminated against so don't remove the provision in place to deal with the issues they face!
No idea why there are so many positions. Our university is not exactly a hotbed of sexism, gay-bashing and racist discrimination.
"Most welfare matters are handled at the college level, and most study issues at the BoS" (Anon no.2).
That'll be why both the GSA and YUSU have staff Academic and Welfare Co-ordinators and the University has Welfare Advisers, Disability Advisers and the Open Door Team then? Not everyone lives in Colleges and wants to trust their personal issues to lightly-trained volunteers you know!
8 - Perhaps our university is not a hotbed of discrimination because these positions enable students to be aware of potential issues and problems? I know that when I first came to university from a small-minded town, I had barely known anyone who was a different ethnicity to mine let alone someone who identified as LGB or T. I think it's fantastic that University opens up opportunities to learn about difference. Additionally, at University I have personally encountered homophobia in the classroom, and with the recent articles on nouse about the race and gender discriminations from landlords, discrimination (largely through ignorance) is still clearly a local problem. These positions are vital in raising awareness of such issues for all, as well as giving minorities a voice within the University.
I totally agree with #1. Fancy running for the other two places to outweigh the mentalness?
Why is Sam Westrop mental? He's at least got the balls to stand up for Israel, a state under attack from terrorists and the political Left the world over.
Way to prove somebody's not mental: mention how their point of view differs from a LOT of other people's.
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