KUSU Officer Blog
Brace Yourself: KUSU Elections take their toll.
Monday 13 February 2012, 3:29pm
by Sam Higham
Brace Yourself: KUSU Elections take their toll.
Ok, so a lot of tips, tricks, advice, guidance and other such stuff has been thrown around lately to candidates running in the elections this year. I just thought I would take a minute to write something down, not just for the candidates, but for the candidates friends and also, for every other student who reads this…warning the elections will not go away.
Firstly, to the candidates, congratulations. I mean it. It takes a lot of courage to put your name in the ring. This time two years ago, I had collected a nomination form and talked of running as a candidate for one of the Sabbatical positions, but then realised I was nowhere near prepared enough. So I pulled out and watched the elections pass by without me, preparing from then on to run in the following year. Realistically the next month is going to be a time of immense pressure for all of you, your every action will be scrutinised, there will be a whole rumour mill dedicated just to you and you will probably have at least one moment where you think “I AM NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE!” But get through that, stop listening to all the rumours, and rely on your friends. You will never forget this experience.
Secondly, be yourself, forget the competition. That sounds like an obvious thing, but it’s pretty important. The thing about “being yourself” is that, in reality, you won’t end up being yourself. You’ll end up going out every night and drinking, but not DRINKING, you’ll speak to a million people you’ve never spoken to before, you’ll find yourself typing and retyping a response to a question just to make sure it’s right and you’ll forget about that thing you used to call sleep. The other part is arguably more difficult, things said at Keele spread like wildfire, the elections amplifies this. You will, at one point, probably hear that someone else in your category said something about you that was less than complimentary. Please ignore it, you will be the better person for it, and it won’t turn into a handbags-at-dawn bitching match; let’s face it, no student wants people like that representing them anyway!
To the friends of candidates, I apologise to each and every one of you on behalf of your friend, who for reasons beyond their control, may have done of the following:-
- Ignored you to speak to a random student
- Shouted at you for absolutely no reason
- Stolen your milk/coffee/sugar/tea/shoes
- Fallen asleep on your bed/desk/kitchen floor/wardrobe
- Criticised you for being too drunk/offensive/fun
- Treated you like their personal slave
- Demanded you attend a night out with them
None of the above is done on purpose; they are in ‘election mode’. They become very conscious of who they are, what they need to appear to be doing, who they hang out with, what the people they choose to hang out with do, and a multitude of other things that make sense to nobody other than themselves. I’m please to say that after the elections most of them will turn back to normal.
To all the students who are not directly affiliated with the candidates, I apologies if you get irritated by this elections process, but it is one of the most important time in the year for not just the candidates, but for the student body as a whole. You need to think about who you are going to vote for to represent you, you need to see what they are promising and not be scared to ask how they are going to do it. If they knock on your door, take the time to listen to what they have to say, it may change your time here at Keele for the better.
For third years who “don’t care” because “it won’t affect them”, I ask you this, have you ever used the 24/7 library? The Safety Bus? Used the toilet paper in the Halls of Residence? If you have done any of those things, you have already been affected by the elections. Believe it or not, all three of those things were achieved by previous Sabbatical Officers (Adam Mason got the improved toilet paper, if you were wondering), so your vote is still very important, use it or lose it.
Finally, relax…it’s all going to be over in a month, win or lose you’ll have a great time. Your friends will get their friends back, and all students will have a brand new set of voices to fight their battle. Where’s the downside?!
Good Luck to all involved,
Sam Higham,
[Current] Vice-President (Education)