WINNER

I have been elected as the editor elect of Leeds Student newspaper!

Firstly, thank you to everyone who voted and got people to vote for me. Every single person has given me this amazing opportunity. I can't express what it means that over 400 people voted for me.

Secondly, I promise to make sure that I put my manifesto into place and try and get as many people involved as I can. I'm going to sit down this week with Laurie (the current editor) and plan how to put everything in place. It is going to take a lot of work - the office needs a good clean for a start - but I am so excited for the challenge.

Thirdly, bye bye election blog.

DAY THREE

So it has only taken a few days for me to be fed up with LUU democracy again!

I've met some great people campaigning, as I did last time, but an ex candidate has sent a message asking supporters to vote for my opposition so it looks like I am trailing behind in the votes. That is if everyone votes though - and who knows. We never found out the count from last time. I wonder if they will tell us this time and I can see how I did out of interest last time as compared to this time.

Last day of voting tomorrow and I am going to give it my final efforts and then wait and see!

I would love this job and the opportunity to make Leeds Student properly engage with its students.

Please get anyone with a student number to read my manifesto and vote at

WWW.LUUONLINE.COM/VOTE

Thanks xxxx

Day One

Day one of the re run and I am exhausted, though I can't say that this is due to campaigning all day or even doing my uni work but more down to the fact that I stayed up late watching a film!

Anyway I did an hour campaigning at the ballot box today and actually had a really good time. I think that I should have gone out and spoken to students throughout the year to get feedback on the newspaper as it is so interesting to hear what they think. One guy today wanted science and technology to covered more and so I told him that I planned to have more diverse sections on the website and that he should get involved next year-I hope that he does even if I am not in charge.

It was nice to have a catch up with the other campaigners too, but I must not let myself get distracted hanging out with them when the hours that I can afford to give to the re run are limited.

Three more days - aaah!

Remember VOTE VIRGINIA #1 LEEDS STUDENT EDITOR AT WWW.LUUONLINE.COM/VOTE

RE RUN!

So here I am preparing my flyers to get printed again!

I cannot believe that John and I have to re run - but staying positive, here I am ready to go!

I really believe that I can make some needed changes and keep opening up opportunities at Leeds Student as I have started to do this year.

Thanks for all the support.

Check out my updated manifesto:


I am addicted to Leeds Student, and am passionate about the chance to edit it. In addition to the practical experience gained through my three years' commitment to the newspaper - as a reporter, Big Debate editor, and News editor - I have obtained valuable skills through working with the Regional Press and Radio and BBC Look North. Leeds Student is a powerful medium and I believe that I can take on the responsibility.
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VOTE VIRGINIA #1 LEEDS STUDENT EDITOR FOR:
• MORE INVOLVEMENT: I want to quash ideas that Leeds Student is cliquey. All students interested in journalism, photography and design would be valued as part of Leeds Student
• MORE JOBS: I will maximise the website by appointing a website editor, and content editors for each section.
• MORE COVERAGE: With a bigger team Leeds Student will be able to cover your cause.
• MORE MEDIA EVENTS: To build on the success of the writers’ workshops that my news team organised this year, I will seek to invite professional journalists to offer real career advice and tips on how to keep improving Leeds Student.
• MORE FUNDING: I will continue to look for solutions to Leeds Student’s financial problems.
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I will ensure that Leeds Student does not shy away from serious, controversial, or sensitive stories, delivers balanced, engaging and exciting content every week.

NO COUNT - RE OPEN NOMINATIONS

Thanks everyone for your support and time this week.

I am filling an official complaint about LUU democracy. Here is a copy:

I would like to make a formal complaint about the Leeds University Union (LUU) democracy process.
Firstly, it should not have taken a student to have informed LUU staff of their own policy. Then for a supposedly democratic organisation to ignore its policy, a policy that was voted for by students who believed that it would stand for three years, is despicable. The referendum ethos of the organisation has been made a mockery of by a small group of select people making a decision which goes against the beliefs of its members.
It is highly unreasonable that the steering committee members, despite being in some case elected, have made a decision for the student population. The blame in this situation does not lie with any particular individual but with the organisation as a whole. Why did it again take student members, Leeds Student sub-editors, to do anything about the injustice rather than a higher figure? The gross malpractice of LUU staff and NUS representatives cannot be underestimated and will not be concealed.
Secondly, the decision of LUU to re-open the editor elections is of great inconvenience to both myself and the other candidates. The decision made after a complaint made against a perfectly valid email is in my opinion null and void; the sender(s) of the email were to all intent and purposes members of the student public, and therefore nothing to do with the campaigns. To take this as a serious threat to the election is surely deeming all free speech as detrimental to an individual’s campaign. If LUU is attempting to make these student elections a microcosm of democracy on a national and international scale, they have failed unacceptably and have presented themselves as unreliable and biased.
I do accept that it could potentially have influenced voting not in favour of one of the candidates but this argument is void as this candidate should never have stood, and the intention of the email was to correct the miss information that LUU had presented about this candidate. This complaint has been a lucky chance for LUU to put right some of the wrongs that it has done previously. This is, however, too late.
Finally, it is vehemently clear that LUU realise their great faults in this election process as the original policy has been reinstated. Why was this not done sooner? I understand that it would be difficult to tell someone that they had to cancel their campaign when they had already started but the situation that I and my fellow candidates are now left in is vastly worse.
I have defended LUU to critics on many occasions but I have absolutely no desire to do so in the future as a result of recent actions. The national and international reputation of the union is in serious jeopardy and I strongly recommend that this is addressed to prevent further detrimental effects to the University and its students. On a more personal level I have also taken part in LUU societies for three years now and have strong reservations about continuing to participate. LUU should look after Leeds Student, not destroy it, as it is their best asset. As a result of recent events the reputation and success of Leeds Student are at great risk.
I have never been so ashamed of my university union and I have never been treated so badly.
I expect to be fully refunded for all the money that I have spent on my campaign and I would like a formal apology from LUU.
I am not afraid to take this issue further and will be contacting relevant parties.

DAY SEVEN - penultimate voting day

So the last day of voting is tomorrow and I fell almost on my last legs! I campaigned hard today and I think that it paid off. It has been cool speaking to people and I feel that the message is getting out that I don't want the paper to be as cliquey next year.

Voting ends at 4pm tomorrow and frankly it could not come sooner! I will be so relieved though I guess that the vote will be really tense.

Too tired for more words!

www.luuonline.com/vote

DAY SIX - more cardboard box time!

So I spent most of the day in a cardboard box again - I am so glad that there are only two more days left!

With news today that voting is at a record low for this stage of the election everyone was pushing harder, but was harder the right thing to do? I tried to do some more 'out there' campaigning to try and not annoy people into not voting! I went to Bodington halls which apparently has 1,000 students...maybe if all of them voted?....

There is quite a clear political divide between candidates and someone today actually stopped talking to me because they were told by someone else not to vote for me. This infuriates me as a good Leeds Student newspaper should never take a political stance or one stance on a story unless it is fully representative of the student population. Therefore people shouldn't be voting politically for this position but voting for someone who could produce a good newspaper each week.

Cardboard is the way forward- I'm going to do some more designs this evening and hopefully push things that way.

2 days left - www.luuonline.com/vote