About us > Elections > Full-time officer elections > 2012 Full-time officer elections

About us

The University of Sussex Students' Union aims to make the lives of its members better by providing opportunities such as sports clubs and societies, advice and support services on issues such as housing and coursework and student-friendly shops and bars on campus.

► 2012 Full-time officer elections

Full-time Officers

Full-time elected officers, or 'Sabbatical Officers' are elected every February and take office from June until the following June. Students often run for full-time officer positions in their final year of study, but students from any year of study can 'intermit' (suspend their degree course) to become a full-time elected officer. There are six positions up for election every year, with each one having responsibility for different areas of Union activity.

Full-time elected officers get paid a basic wage, and are still classed by the Students' Union as students whilst they are in office. Any current Sussex or BSMS student can put themself forward.

Results

3511 votes were cast, you can see how these were spread across schools and level of study. The winners listed below will take over from the current officers in July 2012.

President

Kelly McBride
Global Studies

Building on extensive Students’ Union and national experience, most recently as Equality & Diversity Part-Time Officer, I will:

DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE UNION
- Continually lobby for high-quality facilities and student services
- Support initiatives for widening access to education
- Support creative and constructive campaigns
- Continue to scrutinise proposals for the privatisation of higher education
- Work towards improving complaint systems

INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT
- Support an equal, representative and inclusive Union
- Increase face-to-face interaction with students
- Guide students through more accessible democratic processes

FACILITATE SUSTAINABILITY
- Work towards a future funding increase for the Union
- Encourage and support ethical student-led initiatives
- Develop community engagement

Total ballots - 2803 : Invalid/empty ballots - 44 : Ballots used in the count - 2759

Kelly McBride - 1356
Alon Aviram - 1279
Re-open Nominations - 124

Initial quota (number of votes needed to win) is 1380, no one met the quota after the first round of voting so Re-open Nominations was removed from the count and their second preference votes distributed to the other candidates.

Kelly McBride - 1389
Alon Aviram - 1304

The quota is now 1347, Kelly is elected

Operations Officer

Carl Salton-Cox
History, Art History & Philosophy

If elected, I WILL…

Focus on our finances:

• Open a Union Bar in town to produce greater income for investment in Student Services and Activities, and to provide community links and a social space shaped by and for students.
• Involve students by giving regular updates on how outlets are performing and exactly where money is being spent.

Build upon work done in previous years, maintaining our environmentally friendly, ethical union and lobby for:

• A wider range of fair trade products in our outlets, and on a national scale.
• More high quality bike shelters on campus to encourage eco-friendly transport alternatives.

Total ballots - 2497 : Invalid/empty ballots - 30 : Ballots used in the count - 2467

Carl Salton-Cox - 1256
Catarina Carvalho - 974
Khanh Gia Ngo- 185
Re-open Nominations - 52

The quota (number of votes needed to win) is 1234, Carl is elected.

Activities Officer

Richard Mashiter
Global Studies

As Activities Officer my goals are:

1. Support development in all clubs and societies: encouragevolunteering, increase participation, seek external funding and develop students' coaching skills through opportunities for qualifications.
2. Sport for all! Keep sports accessible by freezing membership fees.
3. Enliven the campus through intra-mural competitions and multi-cultural activities to promote a more sociable atmosphere (e.g., quiz nights, football matches...)
4. Strengthen Sussex's profile in areas other than academic success.
5. Include postgraduates and BSMS more in activities and BUCS
6. Make Freshers and Refreshers bigger, better and even more exciting!

Total ballots - 2514 : Invalid/empty ballots - 64 : Ballots used in the count - 2450

Richard Mashiter- 848
Chrissy Durston - 797
Peter Overbury - 317
Piyush Parakh- 272
Ryan Foster - 162
Re-open Nominations - 54

Initial quota (number of votes needed to win) is 1225, no one met the quota after the first round of voting so Ryan and Re-open Nominations were removed from the count and their second preference votes distributed to the other candidates.

Richard Mashiter- 886
Chrissy Durston - 841
Peter Overbury - 345
Piyush Parakh- 287

The quota is now 1180, no one met this quota after the second round of voting so Piyush and Peter were removed from the count and their third preference votes were distributed to the other candidates.

Richard Mashiter- 1092
Chrissy Durston - 1047

The quota is now 1070, Richard is elected

Education Officer

Maria Da Silva
Global Studies

The interests of students are being treated as secondary to ideological reforms, undermining the quality, accessibility and nature of education.

Defend education quality by
• Rolling back initiatives to increase seminar groups sizes
• Investigating key issues related to assessment feedback
• Providing academic advisors in both subjects for joint honours students
• Increasing accessibility to learning resources through funding assessment printing and promoting online study packs

Increase inclusivity by
• Supporting international students to adapt to a new academic environment
• Adjusting seminar times to accommodate the needs of student parents
• Advocating equal treatment of foundation year students

Total ballots - 2554 : Invalid/empty ballots - 45 : Ballots used in the count - 2509

Rachel Gooch - 965
Maria Da Silva - 923
Maggie Fitzherbert- 566
Re-open Nominations - 55

Initial quota (number of votes needed to win) is 1255, no one met the quota after the first round of voting so Maggie and Re-open Nominations were removed from the count and their second preference votes distributed to the other candidates.

Maria Da Silva - 1159
Rachel Gooch - 1148

The quota is now 1154, Maria is elected

Communications Officer

Kit Bradshaw
Law, Politics & Sociology

As your Communications Officer I will...

STUDENT MEDIA

• Lobby for more money to invest in new equipment for all student media.

• Get student radio and UniTV played in campus shops and bars.

• Personally hand out The Badger on campus every Monday morning.

GETTING STUDENTS INVOLVED

• Engage students by launching a termly Sussex Question Time to debate the issues that matter to you!

• Transform our annual meeting into a Day of Action with protest, performance and discussion because we’re at our best when united around common causes.

• Reduce our environmental impact by cutting the amount of marketing materials we print.

Total ballots - 2563 : Invalid/empty ballots - 43 : Ballots used in the count - 2520

Kit Bradshaw - 1507
Kieran Burn - 945
Re-open Nominations - 68

Initial quota (number of votes needed to win) 1260, Kit is elected

Welfare Officer

Indi Hicks
Global Studies

Build on my knowledge and experience as the current Students’ Union Welfare Officer.

Well-Being
*Student-safety: raising awareness, easier reporting and greater support.
*Focus on physical and psychological health: promotion of support services, sports, activities, sexual health drop-in, recipes, food varieties.

Support
*Student Complaints: transparency of University’s complaints process.
*‘Buddy’ scheme to support international students.

Campaign
* Lobby for affordable accommodation. Ensure student consultation in the re-development of East-Slope.
*Continue to campaign for some Gender Neutral Toilets on campus.

Engagement
*Open the ‘Representation and Engagement Forum’ to all students.
*Community-engagement: collaboration with neighbourhood groups in Brighton. More community projects/opportunities for students.

Total ballots - 2733 : Invalid/empty ballots - 46 : Ballots used in the count - 2687

Mikey Matania - 685
Indi Hicks - 566
Stephanie Ndekwe- 543
Jess Bayliss- 418
Milly Parmenter - 215
Ankur Anand - 103
Nadiah Jamaa - 141
Re-open Nominations - 16

Initial quota (number of votes needed to win) is 1344, no one met the quota after the first round of voting so Ankur and Re-open Nominations were removed from the count and their second preference votes distributed to the other candidates.

Mikey Matania - 700
Indi Hicks - 591
Stephanie Ndekwe- 550
Jess Bayliss- 436
Milly Parmenter - 218
Nadiah Jamaa - 155

The quota is now 1325, no one met this quota after the second round of voting so Nadiah and Milly was removed from the count and the third preference votes were distributed to the other candidates.

Mikey Matania - 762
Indi Hicks - 665
Stephanie Ndekwe- 621
Jess Bayliss- 483

The quota is now 1266, no one met this quota after the third round of voting so Jess was removed from the count and the fourth preference votes were distributed to the other candidates.

Indi Hicks - 867
Mikey Matania - 832
Stephanie Ndekwe- 700

The quota is now 1200, no one met this quota after the fourth round of voting so Stephanie was removed from the count and the fifth preference votes were distributed to the other candidates.

Indi Hicks - 1087
Mikey Matania - 1003

The quota is now 1045, Indi is elected

The candidates

You can find out more about the candidates for each position by clicking on the role below and you can watch the candidates in action at our Candidate Question Time.

President - Operations Officer - Communications Officer

Activities Officer - Education Officer - Welfare Officer

The positions

You can download the role descriptions for each position [Word document]

President - Operations Officer - Communications Officer

Activities Officer - Education Officer - Welfare Officer

Each of the current full-time officers has written a short introduction to their role which might help give you an idea of the sorts of activities they are involved in.

Their complete job descriptions can be found in the Students' Union Constitution and you can find out more about the other elected positions in the Students' Union and how we make decisions.

Election guidelines & rules

We have put together a list of the guidelines and rules that relate to these elections. They include useful tips and resources, the rules outline how the elections operate. All candidates must download and read this guide [Word document]

Key dates

Mon 25th June - Training for successful candidates commences

Mon 2nd July - New officers take over

Fri 21st June 2013 - Final day