The head honcho. The big cheese. The cat’s pyjamas. These are all terms that accurately describe the SUSU President, the person who will play an instrumental role in tackling the issues faced by Southampton students over the next year.
It is only natural, therefore, that you would want the lowdown on the candidates for this position. Fear not, the Soton Tab has got you covered. Meet Benjamin Franklin and Sebastian Vogelpoel, rivals for the SUSU throne.
We posed some key questions in order to provide you with insight into their characters and their policies, and to help you decide who is worthy of your vote when the elections open.
Explain the role of the SUSU President in your own words.
Ben: First among equals, chair of the trustee subcommittees, sets the tone and direction of the Union’s plans for growth and improvement… the Beyoncé to the Destiny’s Sabbatical Child.
Sebastian: The role of SUSU President is primarily a supportive one. Many of the tasks of the Union are undertaken by VPs, and it’s the President’s job to help facilitate all sabbs to contribute fully and in a balanced way. A President’s role should also include fulfilling their own visions so it’s important that they can communicate what those are. Crucially, the role of SUSU President requires the balancing the views of thousands of students. You can’t please everyone, so it’s important that a president can take criticism and react positively. One should also have an amiable relationship with the University of Southampton; it should be clear that SUSU works with the University rather than for it.
Choose three qualities you have which would make you an effective President.
Ben: Assertiveness, optimism and leadership. I think these would be useful in combatting the current indifference to SUSU shown by a lot of students. I want to listen and help people, not just snap my fingers and expect problems to go away.
Sebastian: I think the three qualities would have to be: leadership, adaptability and good communication.
What would be your primary objective if elected President?
Ben: Work on the next five-year plan, including plans for expansion of the Union building to give better facilities to our excellent, but under-resourced, student groups. Ultimately I would like to make SUSU so successful that people choose to come to Southampton University in part because of the reputation of the union and its members.
Sebastian: To ensure better student welfare at the University. That means making ‘special considerations’ something clearer to all students and making student supervisors more responsible for struggling students. I also want to alter the current penalty on late submissions from 10% down to 5%. I feel the current grading level is too harsh; not all problems can be defined as special considerations and it’s important that when we make mistakes they don’t completely undermine the final marks we get.
Is there anything you see as a problem for SUSU, and how would you go about addressing it?
Ben: SUSU is currently obsessed with trying to make people who just don’t care, care. ‘Stop trying to make fetch happen- it’s not going to happen’ applies here. I want SUSU to be focussed on making things better for the people who are involved, and attract those that aren’t by building a good reputation rather than by pandering.
Sebastian: As well as the special consideration issue I mentioned earlier, I think SUSU needs to be willing to support students as much as possible in areas outside their degree. I also think SUSU needs to shout about the things it does do right, so that it can maintain the interest required to flourish.
You’re being sent to a desert island, which three things would you take with you?
Ben: My phone (selfie game STRONG), Netflix, and white wine. It doesn’t matter where I am, with those three things, I am home.
Sebastian: Obviously food and water would have to be top of the list, but I’ll cheat and put them both together as my first answer. Secondly I think it would be a good idea to have a large tarpaulin sheet. It could provide shade, be something to signal to passing ships with, and could double as a sleeping bag during cold nights. Lastly, I would take a radio with me. I feel in the absence of human company it would help keep me going, as well as helping me keep track of time.
If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose and why?
Ben: To be a super-talented gymnast. Think about it, you’d be crazy strong and flexible, always have a party trick, all the fame that comes with the inevitable Olympic success. I’m also hoping that as it’s a superpower I’d be able to bend that into the ability to run fast, jump high, be really strong, have amazing reflexes and spatial awareness, it’d just be great.
Sebastian: This is a hard one; but I think I would go for the ability to transform into any animal. Not only would this give me the ability to fly or gain heightened senses etc., it would also allow me to retain an understanding of animals that would allow me to communicate to them in human form, perhaps not the most powerful of superpowers, but a source of endless delight no less.
Do you have a message for your rival?
Ben: I wish I could grow a beard, I congratulate you sir.
Sebastian: I’d like to congratulate him on his choice to run. Unfortunately this year it will only be a two horse race, but I relish the competition nonetheless. Ben is a capable individual and from what I know someone who is not afraid to think and act independently. I look forward to going head to head in debate and comparing our visions for SUSU. May the best man win!
Jesters or Sobar?
Ben: It’s not that simple, are you asking me on a Monday? A Tuesday? This is like choosing a favourite child Harry, don’t make me do this.
Sebastian: Neither preferably. The best night out I’ve had at Southampton was actually at Talking Heads and I encourage anyone who hasn’t been to give it a try. Between Jesters and Sobar I can’t say I think much of either of them, although I think I would choose Jesters simply because I feel it has a better outside area than Sobar.
So there you have it, two of Southampton’s political heavyweights going toe-to-toe for your vote. We hope this interview can provide assistance when you hit the ballot boxes. Your vote counts, so don’t let it go to waste.
Who do you think is the best choice for President? Vote in the poll below!
If Seb thinks Jesters has a better outdoor area than Sobar he was either too drunk or actually hasn’t been to either!
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Ben to win with 80% vote. Couldn’t be more one-sided.
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Isn’t that the case with the majority of candidates?
We’ve got a two horse race for President in which there’s normally around 6, Seb’s hardly well known so it’s clearly a popularity contest.
Then you’ve got education which is hardly democratic as there’s only one person running for the position. What a joke.
Engagement is basically two of the same person but one is more attention seeking while the other thinks she’s Katniss (the RBF is very akin to Katniss).
Welfare is a popularity contest.
Sport is a popularity contest and the candidates are all the same.
Communities is a total fix because you have a re-runner that’s done f all this year and is re-running because he’s “funny” and a girl who seems dedicated enough but hasn’t got a hope in hell of winning because Re-runner syndrome.
DCI is going to be the only race that’s tough to call.
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We could always try to break the re-runner syndrome. Get someone who seems to care in place, as opposed to just an in-between job.
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The re-run for Communities will be won because people know his name. Done absolutely nothing all year but gotten his name out there so we’ll give him 20-odd grand to do nothing… Again. Sweet deal for him to to be fair
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This is exactly why it’s terrible.
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You’re crazy, DCI is by far the easiest to call. Chris’ attitude towards media is a joke, he’s so arrogant in thinking he knows best, without speaking to any of the media heads and putting into place shit that already exists. Kerry’s been honest about her lack of experience in democracy and has asked all student leaders in DCI zone for what they want to see!!
I don’t know how you can say welfare is a popularity contest either, the 3 manifestos are very different! Similarly with sport – the 4 manifestos differ vastly.
If you think Anjit’s done nothing this year you are vastly mistaken. Maybe actually listen to what SUSU does and what work sabbs are willing to do before you just post bitchy comments on silly articles. At least these people have the guts to run.
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I don’t know jack, nor do you unless you’re a media head. The media heads will tell whoever gets DCI what they want to focus on in the next year, the zone is strong enough and capable enough to do that. The DCI can then look at strategic planning for the media departments that is longer term stuff, which is where I’ve put stuff in my manifesto, none of the media things in my manifesto are things that would be imposed on the media heads next year.
Democracy zone on the other hand only has one student leader which is why it’s important that the DCI has experience in this area, because that zone is no-where near as strong as CI.
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are you serious? do you genuinely think anyone who isn’t a media head knows ‘jack’ about media? So all those people on media committees, all wessex scene and tab and the edge writers know jack????? And similarly for all of those involved with SUSUtv and surge? There’s a yearly turn around, media has been great this year but you can’t make the assumption that it will be next year…by your logic only the student groups officer should be able to qualify for DCI.
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What I meant was that it’s the media heads who decide the direction for the year, so only that person knows what they’ll want to focus on, it’s the DCI’s job to support that, and then do strategic stuff too.
I would say any of the media heads could easily lead into DCI seeing as they’re the CI student leaders, but that that leads to the democracy zone not progressing as it is a weaker zone so the DCI having experience there is beneficial.
So really what you’ve said is actually quite a few aren’t going to be ‘80% victories’ – considering your analysis pretty much rested on ‘popularity contest’.
Engagement and DCI are likely to be the closest ones.
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I guess we’ll just have to see how this plays out. I think quite a few of these candidates are over confident and we may be in for a few surprises.
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Pres might be a popularity contest but it doesn’t alter the fact that Ben clearly has the stronger manifesto and a better grip on the job’s role.
I’ve found Hannah’s tactics pretty shitty. Knowing people involved within the Engagement zone she’s pissed people off by suddenly exploiting all their events for her own ends despite having shown no interest in her previous three and a half years here.
Chris really disappointed me at the Q&A. He ended up coming across as weaker on both democracy and CI. Made my mind up which way I’ll be voting.
And again, knowing people who are friends with Anjit, even they’re unhappy with the job he’s done this year – something along the lines of sitting in his office watching youtube videos all day. Plenty of enthusiasm, no real substance (not that Rebecca’s much better)
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So what exactly constitutes substance to you then? if you watched the debates you’d see all candidates have substance to at least some extent.
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Which one will crack first? Mentally weak they are, the kind of president you’d find being impeached after about 69 days in office, cowardly lads.
Theres only one thing for it fellas! Vote GarbageMan 2015
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Are you STILL here mate?
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The only tits in this book are on the front cover, so don’t bother!
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I think it’s highly unlikely that the university would ever allow late submissions to be penalised at 5% rather than 10%, but even by prospective SUSU candidate standards, that’s the stupidest suggestion I’ve heard for a long time. Just do your bloody work on time!
Normally I couldn’t care less about SUSU (aside from the cat, I love her), but for sake of preventing an attempt to weaken the university’s academic standards and hence lower the value of our degrees, I’m tempted to vote against Sebastian.
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