This week the OUSA Executive candidate forums kick off with free pizza and too many hours spent listening to wannabe executive members say the same shit.
“I will make a change.”
“I will buy a student bar.”
“I will not let our student culture die.”
I’m not going to pretend I’m any more interested in OUSA’s student executive elections than I am. I tried to offer this editorial to someone who would try to inspire you a little more on the topic but no one wanted a bar of it. After five years here, and gradually working up to roles where I’m supposed to be more and more interested in the student elections, each year I come to dread them more and more. They’re an exercise in listening to naïve but ambitious nominees making false promises and talking bullshit. The discussion consists of the same shallow ideas instead of a focus on improving the lives of actual students.
I don’t expect this year to be any different.
The student executive should be focusing on real issues. They should be on the ground talking to students. They should be the ones kicking up a storm over the 54 per cent of medical students reporting harassment in our lead news this week. The seven EFTS cap has been a key issue for medical students for two years now and the most powerful student association in the country still hasn’t done anything to change it.
Obviously, the issues aren’t just with medical students. But it’s about time the executive start being the first to find these issues, without leaving it to everyone else.
On more interesting topics, we couldn’t pick impartial colours for the cover this week because too many colours were associated with candidates. Instead, go All Blacks and see if you can find the coloured pencils we’ve left all over uni.
We’re running a colouring in competition so make the cover pretty and drop your entries into the office to win a surprise prize. Anything to get you to visit us!
The creative inspiration for colouring in the cover came from working on the makeup for Phantom of the Opera - a show you should all go and see at the Regent. It’s a stunning creation involving some serious local talent and the most beautiful music ever!
Josie Cochrane
Critic Editor
