Presidential Candidates

Lydia Blundell

Lydia Blundell has been heavily involved in both student politics and societies throughout her time at York. She’s been Halifax President, Cheesy Pop Soc DJ and Fusion performer. However, in her manifesto she insists that she’s also been an “everyday student”, and that’s who she’ll be fighting for as YUSU President.
One of her main policies is to increase communication between the Sabbatical officers team and regular students, to find out what it is they want and then work for that. “It shouldn’t be five Sabbs sitting in an office wanting something to happen. YUSU should be there to support what the students want.”
She admits that the YUSU offices might seem a bit daunting to a regular student, and she therefore wants to introduce Sabbatical officers’ open hours, where students can come and speak to the Sabbs in an informal atmosphere.

She wants to go beyond Facebook to reach out to students, and said she’s even willing to go up to students around campus and ask them face to face if there’s anything they’re struggling with.
With the impending rises in tuition fees, she also pledges to fight against hidden course costs and higher living expenses. She especially stresses the importance of keeping academic costs low, stating that “students can manage without alcohol, but they can’t do their degrees without course texts.”

ODDS TO WIN: 2/1
Blundell has a well-researched manifesto with the charisma to match. And with the largest college behind her, she is sure to be a favourite come results night.

President: Lydia Blundell produced by York Student Television, released under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license

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Tim Ellis

Ellis is well known in Goodricke College having been Chair up until the end of last term. One of Ellis’ flagship policies is to retain York’s social diversity after the raising of the cap on fees, without compromising its standing, telling Vision: “At the moment we have a wide range of students from different backgrounds and I really want to make sure that continues after the rise in fees and that [university] stays affordable…We don’t want to become a cheap university and fall in the ratings.”

With regards to hidden costs and inclusivity, Ellis is adamant that the President can influence what steps the University takes so that it can charge more than £6,000. “We need to keep pressure on the university not to do the minimum, but to do as much as they can to not put people off coming to York.”

A key theme that runs through Ellis’s manifesto and during his interview is political activism, and he highlights how he would go about doing things differently: “There has been too much pre-occupation with keeping the university sweet and I think that was ultimately the failing of the portering campaign.

“If you can’t get an agreement through a meeting or dialogue you’ve got to go to the next stage which is amassing support from the student population…[direct] action can work.”

Despite this he is keen to add that the President’s primary role is a representative one, “I’m not going to lead an occupation of Hes Hall if no one is behind me as I am supposed to represent the student body.”

With the removal of Democracy and Services, a significant part of that role’s remit will fall under the President’s responsibility, including the Freshers’ Ball. Although Ellis maintains The Big Bang was a step in the right direction, there is still lots of room for improvement: “We had up to 2,500 tickets sold, but only 800 people got into Central Hall to see the main act, the capacity wasn’t advertised.”

ODDS TO WIN: 3/1
Ellis is a more than credible candidate. Although he may find the realities of meetings at Heslington Hall sober his current ideals.

President: Tim Ellis produced by York Student Television, released under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license

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Aaron Rolph

Aaron Rolph is, perhaps, an unlikely candidate for YUSU President. With no union experience to date and having only been a sports officer for his college in his first year, most media commentators were surprised when his name popped up in their inbox.

However he is undeterred, stating in his manifesto, “I want to approach this role from outside of the usual pool of candidates.”

Speaking to Vision, a central point that Rolph reiterates is that of a ‘mobile union’, which he explains is one which is more visible on campus, more accessible to students, and less intimidating than the current YUSU set-up. “Workshops can be held,” he explained, “to show a presence on campus.”

An interesting flagship policy of Rolph’s looks at how the full-time officers currently work: “The whole union currently uses desktops, I think a big move would be to get laptops so the Sabbs could do some work around campus and actually show their face as much as possible when they’re not in meetings.”

When asked how he would differ from the incumbent Tim Ngwena, Rolph said: “I couldn’t point out any flaws, I wouldn’t do anything differently, I just feel I can carry on from what he’s worked on.”

Rolph also holds a strong stance when talking about the dynamic between YUSU and Heslington Hall: “I think it’s extremely important to have a good relationship with the university. At the end of the day they are your funds and that’s where you are going to make the most progress… At the same time I do think it is absolutely essential to represent the students in terms of action…money does need to be saved.”

ODDS TO WIN: 9/1
Despite setting himself up as an alternative, Rolph fails to say how this would benefit him in the role. His laptop policy appears to lack prior research, coming across as an election gimmick that’s unlikely to be implemented if he was to win.

President: Aaron Rolph produced by York Student Television, released under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license

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Charlie Rowley

Union Chair Charlie Rowley seems well aware of the challenges of being YUSU President, telling Vision, “it’s definitely not a regular nine to five job”. Despite this, in his manifesto he promises that nobody can measure the passion he has for the role.

One of his main policies involves working out how to deal with the increase in tuition fees. He stresses the importance of keeping the inflow of future students as diverse as possible, while also ensuring that they feel they’re getting their money’s worth.

Rowley wants to increase the communication between the Union Officers and students. He wants to get more face-to-face time with students, claiming he’ll be a more present figure around campus. He’s confident in the feasibility of this plan, despite a busy presidential schedule, saying “I can’t imagine being a President who doesn’t actively engage with the students.”

Although he hasn’t held a formal JCRC position, Rowley also aims to better relations with the colleges, which he labels “the first port of call for most students.” He hopes to introduce weekly meetings, where the Chairs can bring up any issues they might have. He wants to work closer with the vice-chairs and the ents reps for college events, but stresses that YUSU would only be there as a support and not to infringe on college spirit.
Rowley is confident about the importance of Freshers’ Week, whose events would fall partly under the remit of the President as the role of Democracy and Services will be removed from next year. “It is the student’s first meeting with the Union, and can easily shape the rest of their time at York.” He therefore aims to set up a committee consisting of regular students to work as a focus group, in hopes of improving, especially the Fresher’s Ball.

ODDS TO WIN: 9/2
Rowley is a familiar face to those who attend UGMs, but may struggle in the recognition stakes against former college chairs.

President: Charlie Rowley produced by York Student Television, released under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license