As Chris Charnley is near to finishing the two years that he is allowed in office it means it will have to be all change at the top job in the SU.
So far throughout the campaign the two candidates, Dan Derricott and Ary Sharif, appear to have been the most competitive making this a very interesting competition.
Derricott is the current vice-president academic affairs and before that had part-time and rep roles within the SU.
In the past year Derricott has had to deal with higher education cuts and the rise in tuition fees, which at hustings he said going to London to protest against the rise in tuition fees was his proudest moment. He also says in his manifesto that he has helped “the academic team to focus more on big, serious issues that don’t necessarily bring glamorous quick wins, but do make a real difference” to the student experience.
Setting out his goals for if he wins the presidential title, there are a few ambitious aims such as creating a union lettings agency for students so that “students regain control over the market”.
As well as wanting to make the SU more independent from the university “by removing university staff from [the SU’s] board, taking back the management of [SU] staff and introducing a radical plan to diversify our income”. When asked what the plan would involve by The Linc Derricott said “the radical plan was still in its early stages”.
But Derricott believes the way to make his ideas successful is through “harnessing the power of the student body”.
Sharif, a masters student who is studying business administration, is new to the SU but is well known as he is a photographer at many club nights.
Running on a poster campaign of Buzz Lightyear, Sharif says in his manifesto that he wants to stand for what the SU is about “participation, inspiration and representation” and he would “take our opportunities and experiences to infinity and beyond”.
Sharif wants to improve the library aiming for the library to buy more core texts, encourage 24 hour library one day a week and get heating on the third floor.
Sharif also wants to improve communication between students and their faculties suggesting a forum where “students can meet all tutors and share opinions, giving feedback in order to raise quality”.
As Sharif is an international student himself he would, if elected, want to improve their community saying that they “have been forgotten” by holding forums giving them a chance to ask the SU any questions or redress any issues.
To listen to the presidential candidate interviews with Dan Derricott and Ary Sharif in full:
[audio:https://thelinc.co.uk/Podcast/suelections/President mp 3.mp3]