The results of the Stirling Students’ Union Elections 2023 have been announced.
Four paid full-time Sabbatical roles have been filled and will start their roles on June 1.
Alternative Pathways Officer, Engagement Officer, Health & Wellbeing Officer and Mature Students Officer were not filled.
There were a total of 1496 voters and the highest voting society was Brig Newspaper, with the Student Managed Investment Fund in second and AirTV in third. Women’s Football was the highest voting sports club, followed by Men’s Football and Netball.
Union President
Leen Mohamed Gaffer Ali has been elected as Union President with 648 votes, beating Andy Paterson who received 378 votes and Aaron Caulfield who had 141 votes.
Ali plans to focus on accessibility, wellbeing, inclusion and diversity and communication.
Vice President Communities
Zoe Crosher has been elected as Vice President Communities with 461 votes, compared to 400 votes for competition Eliot Wooding-Sherwin.
Crosher is planning to prioritise clubs and societies, wellbeing, cost of living support, sustainability, international students and transport.
Vice President Education
Katie Gethings has been elected as Vice President Education with 538 votes. Dan McPadden received 156 votes and Stewart Gallacher won 135 votes.
Gethings hopes to introduce life skill lessons, protect mental health services, introduce mandatory consent and harassment awareness courses, maintain and further accessibility, and reconsider the personal tutor system.
Sports President
Murray Bushell was re-elected as Sports President with 932 votes and no competitors.
Bushell wants to grow a closer connection with sports union alumni, promote the university’s wide range of teams and other success stories, as well as working on club development through coaching and umpiring courses.
Sports Zone Volunteer Officers
Neve Burrows won Sports Union Communication Officer with 714 votes, beating Zilong Guan who received 45 votes.
Burrows plans to increase the Sports Union’s social media presence in order to fully endorse different clubs and promote their achievements.
Lauren Bullock is the new Sports Union Participation and Engagement Officer with 568 votes. Akolad Agbebi obtained 90 votes and Muhammed Raheel Adil won 143 votes.
Bullock wants to improve the inclusiveness of the Sports Union by introducing more sports for disabled students and starting women-only sessions in the gym.
Communities Zone Volunteer Officers
Shani Doudet was re-elected Arts Officer with 732 votes with their manifesto aiming for further art society support and an Arts Ball.
Rebbecca Cameron-Park won Co-Curricular Officer with 447 votes, 111 ahead of Nick LaRue who won 336 votes. Cameron-Park wants to implement a volunteering system for charity work and introduce the Saltire Award to the union.
Justine Pedussel is the new Housing Officer with 796 votes, striving for better, affordable and more housing.
Khaliun Batbayar won International Officer with 403 votes, while Nurken Begali received 242 votes and Noyal Joji Joseph obtaining 134.
Batbayar intends to start a Culture Festival for Fresher’s Week, a space dedicated to bringing awareness to social issues faced by international students and Diverse Cultural Celebrations. They will also demand that the Sports Union actively pursues diversity within clubs and consider international students as they integrate to new sporting governance.
Arya Hasan was elected Media Officer, with 487 votes, 240 ahead of Sheraz Nadeem with 247 votes. Hasan wants to build on the existing collaborations between media societies and help them achieve their goals.
Anne Marie Hamfeldt won Sustainability Officer with 325 votes. Aneke Janentzky had 272 votes and Imogen Robertson had 201 votes. Hamfeldt aims to focus on biodiversity, sustainable housing and tackling food waste.
Education Zone Volunteer Officers
Yewande Ekene Salami was elected as the Care Experience Students Officer with 792 votes.
Salami aims to ensure that care-experienced students can access the support they are entitled to, run mental health awareness campaigns, have an anonymous experience and storytelling platform, and be responsive to the needs of the student body.
Nicola Foley was elected as Parents and Carers Officer with 642 votes.
Foley hopes to fix issues for student parents and carers, such as bringing back hybrid learning. She wants to find better ways to identify and support parents and carers.
Featured Image Credit: Jonathon Boomer
Editor-in-Chief of Brig Newspaper. Final year film, media and journalism student.
Film, Media and Journalism student who writes about things that catch her interest. Instagram @charlsutcliffe
[…] also commended her fellow elected Sabbatical officers for being such a brilliant support […]