The newly elected SU President, Eli Thompson, was announced last Friday. This came after an unorthodox by-election midway through the year, following the resignation of Daisy Watson in August.
Thompson won with over 500 votes, following a campaign with the slogan: ‘No more ducking around: Rely on Eli!’.
Forge Press had the opportunity to sit down with Eli and hear about their experience, motivations and plans for the role.
On the subject of their victory, Thompson said: “I just feel grateful for everyone that voted and everyone that helped me campaign and I’m just excited for the future now. I’m excited to get to work.”
The decision to run a by-election was debated in depth among SU council members, with the key concern being the strenuous workload on the current officers’ shoulders without a president to support them. Additionally, the decision to elect a new president took into account the needs of the student body as a whole, which the president represents on the university council.
However, a key point of contention in this decision was the potential impact on the new presidential candidate, who would have to take a leave of absence from their studies and restart their academic year afterwards.
On this aspect of the election, Eli Thompson said, “I’m in quite a unique position because I was going to have to take a leave of absence anyway. So I didn’t necessarily have to go through the process of thinking about how it would affect my academics.” For Thompson, resits were carried out during Welcome Week, just three days before classes were due to start, causing a delay in student finance loans.
“I got notified in week six that I would have to pay my tuition fees, so I was already in the mindset of I’m gonna have to take a year out and work. It definitely motivated me: there’s stuff that needs to change and be consistent across schools.”
With five candidates running for the position of SU president in a condensed time frame of only a week, the pressure to not only create a manifesto that stood out but also broadcast it to the masses was intense. Thompson said: “I tried to concentrate on what students are struggling with, what they would want, and, in a way, what I would want as a student. I think everyone loved the ducks!”
With the already fast-paced decision-making process of deciding to run a by-election, followed by a shortened campaign, the intensity does not let up now that Thompson has succeeded in being elected president. They begin work on Monday, with a busy agenda of meetings already scheduled and their training being carried out alongside presidential duties.
The shorter term as a result of the later election also raises the stakes of this presidential run, with less time available to make major progress towards their proposed goals, such as ‘getting an SU owned careers shop that is focused on sustainable careers and non-militarised careers’.
Many projects are also already underway thanks to the efforts of the existing officers. Thompson said, “I think it’s quite interesting and useful because I’m going in with foundations for projects already happening, so I can immediately hit the ground running rather than trying to start things from scratch. I can see what isn’t being started and lay the foundations for that so people in the future, or me, can continue with that as well.”
At the heart of this by-election was concern about the strain on the rest of the officer team without a president to support them. Thompson said: “I’m most eager to facilitate the other full-time officers and take the weight off their shoulders of having the president role split between them.”
Thompson has also been really open about how disability has affected their campaign, saying that the condensed campaign time was actually really positive for avoiding ‘burnout’. However, they are really interested in brainstorming with the SU about ways to make campaigning more accessible for future candidates.
Particularly when the presidential role represents the student body on the university council, diversity of representation is vital. Thompson said: “It is a role that we should have representation in and if people can’t campaign as effectively, not necessarily because of their campaign strategy or anything like that then that needs to be changed.”
On the subject of things that helped them campaign, Thompson said: “I think having a group of friends with you that are willing to either hold you up or campaign with you really helps. I also just like yapping with people so that was a good distraction.”
Furthermore, Thompson encourages everyone, regardless of disability, to reach out of their comfort zone and get involved in spaces that they never would have considered themselves able to before.
They said, “I wouldn’t discourage anyone who is disabled who feels like they can’t do it. I felt like I couldn’t go all the way to The Wave to put up a poster and do that kind of journeying; I thought that would impact my campaign. I don’t think it did. I think having good policies and talking to as many people as possible is the main thing.”
With the huge responsibility Thompson has taken on stepping into this role as SU President, the one thing they would like everyone to know about them is their determination to foster open and welcoming dialogue.
They said: “If you want to come and say hi, or you’ve got an issue, just come up to me. You don’t even have to send it in an email. I’ll be in the office from Monday.”
