Originally published on February 17th, 2009

CAMPAIGNING HAS begun for the 2009 EUSA Presidential election and four students have already announced their candidacies.

Liz Rawlings, Thomas Graham, Oliver Mundell and James Rodger have each spoken to the Student about why they entered the race to replace incumbent Adam Ramsey.

Liz Rawlings, who used to edit this newspaper, said – “I have spent four years campaigning on student issues through journalism, mainly because I have been frustrated with the lack of action and agency of former EUSA presidents.

“I want to open up EUSA and make it more representative of the student population at large rather than just a small minority.”

Thomas Graham, current EUSA  External Convener, stressed that the current economic climate will dictate much of the work done by the association over the coming months: “Scottish universities have a particular set of funding problems.

“At the moment it’s an issue, in five years it’ll be a crisis.”

He went on to say: “It was not right to introduce top-up fees, but keeping education free means that the Scottish Government needs to match that commitment with proper public funding for universities to ensure that they don’t lag behind their English counterparts.”

Liz Rawlings echoed this sentiment, concluding – “Edinburgh students should be proud of their University.”

Divinity student Oliver Mundell will be campaigning from a wheelchair after accidentaly impaling his foot on a George Square fence, through he was eager to stress that he would not allow his injury to ‘hijack’ his campaign.

“I am standing in this election because of three simple words: funding, feedback and freedom,” he told the Student, “The job of EUSA President is simple too – it’s about giving students a strong voice both within the university and beyond.”

He went on to congratulate Iain Macwhirter on his successful Rectorial campaign, and endorsed his plans to reform the central library – “When it comes to 24 hour libraries, I think they are now a requirement for top world universities.”

His father is a leading Conservative politician who has served as shadow secretary of state for Scotland since 2005 and is the only Conservative MP elected by a Scottish constituency.

Debates Union convener James Rodger concurred on the matter of a 24 hour library, but made it clear that partisan politics and wider political loyalties should not mar the campaign.

“The welfare of the student body should be the ends in question, and policies should not be in place to win brownie points with political parties,” he said, “This is why I will be calling for a pledge from all the other candidates to join me in disavowing their affiliations to political parties both during the weeks leading up to the election, and if elected, during their sabbatical year as well.”

He went on to say, “The most important think I can do though is open myself to the ideas, desires and requirements of the student body.”

To that end James Rodger will be running two surgeries a week to ‘hear peoples concerns’.

Adam Ramsey, the current EUSA President who had an eventful campaign of his own last spring, spoke to the Student about his time in office.

“I probably haven’t done absolutely everything I hoped to, but I have been given the chance to make some real changes,” he said, “Perhaps the most frustrating part of the job is how much time is spent on internal administration of the organisation – although it is also the part that has taught me the most.”

“My advice for the election campaign is the same as my advice for the job: Stick to your priorities, work had, stay calm, remember that everyone else makes mistakes to and have fun.”

Tess Quinton, who had planned to run, withdrew her nomination citing degree commitments.

EUSA will continue to accept nominations for the Presidency, along with nominations for the other 125 positions available, until 12 noon on Thursday 19th February.