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

DAY FIVE - Flyers go black and white

Yes the coloured ones look pretty but times are hard now and the budget just cannot afford them so today I went black and white! It is all about who has the most people on the ground and is campaigning the hardest. I have even realised that those that I thought were guaranteed votes are not so I am going round everyone's houses tonight to make sure that they are voting. I need to campaign to my own societies too it seems.

The sandwich board worked a treat as even if people didn't vote or support me at least it drew attention to me.

Tonight I am going to make a timetable of how to best use the next three days.

xx

DAY FOUR - More spray painting

Today I have made a banner, hung it up on a tree outside the union, campaign at James Baillie and Lupton and made a sandwich board. A productive day! Well needed too after the lack of effort put in on Valentines day (though I guess I had an excuse!)

The next four days are going to be really tough. Students will get progressively fed up of campaigners so I need to play it well and ensure people's attention. The sandwich board is aimed to make a spectacle of myself so that people remember me! Hopefully the banner will do something similar - especially as Alex, Nat and I had a real job putting it up in the wind!

First candidates meeting at 10 tomorrow - then it kicks off for real. aah!

remember www.luuonline.com/vote Virginia Newman #1 Leeds Student Editor

DAY THREE - The voting opens

So the game is on and voting has begun.

I went to all the halls of residents surrounding Uni today and flyered and chatted to people. Canvasing is actually really fun. Every person that I speak to changes my thought direction and I think that this is really exciting. I feel that I really know what I stand for now as when ad libing I am focusing on opportunities for everyone at the paper. The more people working for the paper the more exciting it can be. Ideas are exciting!

So tonight is election Fruity and I am currently sitting in my living room pre-drinking. I'm not sure what the vibe will be tonight but basically me and my campaign managers are going to have to sell me to the max! Again I plan to emphasise the new position opportunities that I am offering.

Check here for day two of voting's extravaganzas!

thanks for the support, it really counts now and I need as many votes as possible.

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DAY TWO - The day before voting opens

So it is day two (well actually three as I missed out yesterday as I was singing in a competition!)

Anyway DAY TWO -

For a moment today it looked like it was going to be a two horse race as another one of the candidates Claire Freeston was disqualified yesrterday due to LUU policy which states that candidates must have had at least one year's committee level experience (eg. Sub-Editor), however due to an appeal she has been reinstated in the ballot. So it is a three horse race one more.

It is 'meet the candidates' tomorrow (2pm LUU Joblink) and I have to give a speech! I'm am pretty nervous though feel confident about the messages that I want to get across. It feels very strange being on the other side of the elections for once. For three years now I have reported and commented on LUU elections and referendum and now I am in it!! WEIRD! I guess my reporting experience has taught me a lot though - basically try not to look like a fool - so I hope that this stands me in good stead!

Speech - aaah I better go finish writing it!

Voting opens at 4pm tomorrow - go to www.luuonline.com/vote and vote Virginia #1 for Leeds Student Editor

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