2016 is shaping up to be the first year in over two decades in which no OUSA by-elections have taken place. According to records of meeting minutes and annual reports, the last Executive group to make it through an entire year without a by-election was the group from 1994. The last year in which no member of the executive resigned was 1996, but a by-election was held after the tragic death of Treasurer Craig Radka.
By-elections have been a constant reality for student unions across the country, simply because of the changing circumstances and unexpected realities of the job and the people involved.
Many students underestimate the degree of difficulty the job entails, and leave because they find it too difficult to balance their work and study, for personal reasons, or as a result of getting into an honours or exchange programme.
Probably the main reason for the lack of resignations is the rise of candidate tickets. Real Change, a ticket led by Laura Harris and Jarred Griffiths in the 2015 election, won eight of the nine races they contested and now hold all but two of the positions on the Exec.
The group is no longer particularly united and has devolved into petty infighting over a number of issues. However, the leadership of Harris and Griffiths, whom the candidates lovingly referred to as “Mum and Dad” during the election, has reportedly been responsible for convincing some executive members who were considering resigning their position to stay on.
Griffiths credits the lack of resignations to a “strong, united front,” and says the organisation welcomes internal disagreements, calling them “a strength, not a flaw.”
With entries opening for the next election at the start of September, it is all but a certainty that the Union will make it a full year with the same committee, although it’s not likely that will continue on to 2017. While Welfare officer Bryn Jenkins and Financial Officer Jesse Hall have both expressed an intent to run for re-election or seek higher office, none of the eight ‘Real Change’ members currently appear interested in returning.