Election week

Voting for the SUSU elections has begun! I’m sure if you’ve been on Highfield campus in the last couple of weeks you’ll have noticed the increase in activity and the sudden appearance of many vibrant banners and posters with numerous names and slogans splashed upon them.

With so many candidates vying for your support it’s hard not to get involved and become invested in the elections in some way. This year several of the candidates are people I know, which has made the elections appeal to me even more than they already did. I also think that now I am in my third year of University I am more conscious of what I actually want from a candidate.  This is because I feel I have a better understanding of how our Students' Union works compared to what I knew in my first year, through my continual involvement with societies and experiencing the general running of the union on a daily basis.

My main involvement with societies comes from my role on the fancy dress society committee. Last week I received an email which was sent out to all committees discussing the organisation of AGMs (Annual General Meetings) - I can’t believe it is time to start thinking about that already! AGMs are extremely important for societies, as they provide an opportunity for every member to discuss the future of their society and voice their own opinions. At the same time the society will hold their own small-scale elections to decide upon the committee for the following year, which not only provides a great way to get more involved in the club’s activities, but also looks great on your CV! On a side note, I can’t wait to get the fancy dress ball rolling again, as our first event of this semester will be coming about very shortly.

For most University of Southampton students, last Thursday was results day – a day that is anticipated with equal amounts of excitement and apprehension. I’m glad to say that I was pleased with my results, which makes all the hard work I put in over the Christmas period seem worth it.

Aside from my various Physics assignments, computer programming exercises and manifesto reading, several of my housemates and I decided to go down the Leisure World cinema in the centre of town for a much needed break. We went to watch ‘The LEGO Movie’ and although the reviews were widely positive, I still had some reservations of my own. However, despite looking like a children’s movie, it is actually a brilliant film that works on so many levels and had me in hysterics nearly the whole time. I doubt it’ll be long before SUSU’s very own cinema, run by Union Films, will be showing it and I will definitely be first in line to see it again!

Dressing up for Valentine’s Day

Just across from the Leisure World is Ocean Village, which some students often forget about because it is right at the end of the Uni-Link bus route and is situated on the dockside. In the summer the docks are a beautiful place to visit and can be viewed from the several restaurants which look out over the water. Unfortunately the February weather didn’t lend itself too kindly to gazing out over all the boats on Valentine’s Day, but we didn’t let that spoil a wonderful night dining at our luxurious sea-front table!

James