SABB ELECTIONS SPECIAL: P 19-26
Exeposé
Monday February 7 2011 Issue 575 www.exepose.com
Photo: Henry White
Free
Uni Halls price cuts
Andrew Waller Editor
Election campaigns underway
Students begin their week of campaigning for Sabbatical positions in the Students’ Guild for the next academic year.
Hannah Sweet Senior Reporter
ON Friday February 4 campaigning began on campus for the Guild Sabbatical Elections. However, before voting opened, two rules had already been breached. In an email to all of the candidates, Gary McLachlan, Guild Senior Election Officer, explained the incident, stating, “An email was sent promoting an individual candidate and asking for votes. It was sent by mistake (without thought) by the candidate’s campaign manager.
The recipients were close friends including former house-mates. It broke two rules: The email rule itself. It was also pre-campaigning, being Active campaigning before the polls are open for voting.” Following these violations, the Campaign Manager has been removed from the campaign and banned from canvassing for the candidate; the candidate has been barred from campaign activity for one day and will be delayed in receiving any print materials, and the candidate has also been barred from the Elections Lemmy night on Saturday February 12.
These breaches come despite the fact that this year the campaign rules have been relaxed. Alex Bordoli, current VP Participation and Campuses, said, “This year there are no limits on internet-based campaigning (except for the University email system). Passive campaigning rules have been relaxed, for example, election T-shirts can be worn wherever and posters are allowed to be displayed in windows. We’re encouraging students to be creative in their campaigns.” The candidates were announced on Monday Jaunuary 31. There is a combined total of 39 students standing for
the five positions, significantly more than the 27 candidates who stood in last year’s election. Although campaigning started at 9am on Friday morning, campaign literature was not available to everyone until approximately midday. Bordoli said, “I am immensely impressed with the dedication and hard work that the candidates have already put in. This year is set to be a really interesting election, there is such a vast and varied selection of candidates to choose from, which is excellent news for the students of Exeter.”
UNIVERSITY accommodation will fall in price next year. With the latest figures for inflation at 4.8 per cent, a below inflation price increase will mean accommodation fees are effectively cut. Last year accommodation at Birks Grange increased by 10 percent despite extensive building works. The changes in accommodation price followed lobbying from the Guild. In a year marked by student protest, Jonnie Beddall, Guild President, argued that “this shows we can direct the nature of change.” Currently only seven per cent of University accommodation is affordable with a basic student maintenance loan raising concerns that Exeter’s high costs put students from low-income backgrounds off applying to the University. “We are pricing out students most able to learn but not to pay,” said Beddall, “this is the best deal for students given the University’s determination to charge students far above that of the universities we compare ourselves with.” The largest cuts come with Studio rents that will increase at 3.75 per cent. Noting the increasing cost of food and utilities, the University has said that it is, “seeking to keep the rents as low as possible within a difficult economic environment.” A notable exception to the cuts is a 10 per cent increase in the cost of the “most desirable” rooms at Holland Hall. With demand for Holland consistently high, plans had originally been to increase all rooms by 10 per cent. However, following a letter from the Guild to Campus Services, this has been limited to rooms with balconies. The University has also decided to scrap the free laundry service in catered halls over concerns of its “environmental impact.” A pay-as-you-go system is being implemented to encourage more efficient energy use with any profits going towards “green initiatives.”