As every year, the Student Union Election is around the corner during the month of September/October. To be more precise, the elections will be held on 2 days: Wednesday 28th October and Thursday 29th October 2009. For this year, we are having the election in parallel with the Test Week at UOM. (Test week – One Week where there are no lectures.Only Tests)
We have two major groups namely; Student Front and United Students fighting for the Student Union Election. There is one “smaller” group; Voice of Students, which consists of mainly Year One students with  3 office bearers and a faculty representatives.

Firstly, I will compare Student Front and United Students since the Voice of Students points are just amazing and I leave that for the last part of this post.

Their manifesto seems to be “photocopies” of each other. They have mostly the same aims and objectives.

Some common points on both Student Front and United Student Manifesto.

Reduction/Removal of Penalty fee for repeaters

There is no way that they can remove the penalty fee. But even some lecturers agree that the penalty fee should be reduced. (Note: reducing the penalty fee does not mean having more failures. I will come to that topic later.)

Online feedback questionnaire on S.U(refers to Student Union)

This seems increasingly familiar to me. I read about this last year too. But there was no questionnaire after the S.U election. And will the feedback have any importance or will it be like the feedback for lecturers on the module registration page?

S.U Expenses

A sense of Deja vu?

Some points which are total Epic:

Extension for dissertation due to swine flu break, End of year party in private club with provided security(We are not allowed to organize UOM parties outside the campus.), Radio Campus(Yeah the radio which plays crap and shit music for 2 hours per month.),Allocation of a specific area for FSSH students in FOE(at least 2 floors)(And where will the FOE student go?Currently, even the Engineering tower is at its max with its +4000 engineering students and they want to put FSSH students into that?You guys planning on using the 9th and 10th floor of the Engineering tower?), Provide headsets for computers through companies(Yeah for watching movies and playing Counter Strike in the ETB labs.Cool),Setting up of a first aid kit(And how to you intend to set that up?Oh wait, what about the first aid offices?You will set them up too in kits?),Allow FOE students to use CISCO lab(Euh No comments.), Negociate with the Ministry of Justice for hard copy of the Mauritian Constitution(Are law students so lazy that they can’t get their own copies?),Souvenir shop proposals(The same souvenir shops which sells articles extremely expensive), Monthly SU gazette(Every year we have this same point), Kiosks infront of classes(classes too far from the canteen)(Cool, I will have a kiost infront of room 4.1), Provision for water dispensers(As far as I already know, we do have water dispensers where students DO NOT USE THEM.), Promote Mauritianism(Oh My FUCKING GOD)

Words in Italics are my views.

The Student Front team is:

Office bearers:

• Jissury Avishkaar
• Doorgakant Parleshwar
• Lallah Basant
• Ramdin Devesananda

Faculty representatives:

• Ruchpaul Khirtee
• Nazurally Nadeem
• Deedarun Aassan
• Khoody Yashveen
• Buttohee Monesh

The United Students team is:

Office bearers:

• Koladoo Nitish
• Maudarbaccus Rhyan
• Ramen Morgini
• Ramful Parsad

Faculty Representatives:

• Fokeerah Avidanand
• Hurreram Hunsraj
• Jeeool Harvind
• Sookun Parvesh
• Roopun Darshan singh

Now we move on to 1 particular Independent candidate. Jeetah Deepak who is going as Faculty Representative of FOE.

His about me:

Hello friends, I am a Computer Science and Engineering student and actually in my final year. I am a counselor, giving free counseling services to youth and provide free tuitions to needy people. I am president of various organizations and have a network with youth of different countries. I also work p.time and do my studies. I was an ex student of SIG SSS and ex headboy of PSC SSS. I am here to work for the betterment of FOE students and for our faculty. I sincerely hope to get all your support to be ready for a positive change in our faculty. Sincerely yours, Jeetah Deepak Kumar.

Some of his points:

1. Bricks to walk from library to phase 2 and cover shelter
2. More internal and external dvd writers
3. Increase connection speed of cits and labs
4. More revision exercise and case studies before test and exams
5. Make sure there’s soap gel in all toilets for hygiene and face potential flu problems
6. Air purifiers in all labs and classes which is a solution in case of flu
7. A first aid post

My replies to him:

1. We already have a concrete path to walk from library to phase 2. Did you ever happen to notice that?And there is another way to walk from Library to Phase II building without getting wet in the rain. Stop being lazy asses. Don’t tell me that students can’t walk like 1 more min to reach the phase II from Library.
   
2. Oh cool. Now I will be able to bring dvd writers from Uni to Home. Awesome.What a rubbish from a CSE Yr3 student.
3. Increase connection speed?Oh wait, don’t bother. The speed won’t be increased since UOM will have to invest too much money in that project and sharing connections among so many computers in labs will result in massive reduction of connection speed. Unless you’re planning to have a 10GB/s connection speed.
4. And who will correct those exercises?We are already doing revision classes at UOM.
5. How to face potential flu problems?I seem to miss the trick.
6. Air WHAT?
7. A first aid post? We already have so many first aid posts on the campus. And you need 1 more?And where you intend to place that first aid post?Above my head?And furthermore, you are in YEAR 3. How many times did students use the First Aid post for injuries?(Going to ask for “panadol” does not amount as INJURY)
   

I noticed something quite ‘No Comments’ on his manifesto.

Send your suggestions by SMS in this format:

sug xxxx on 916147*(Note: The number is available on the manifesto)

Note: This line is only for SMS.

Finally to move on to the most Epic failure group going for the Student Union Election. Voice of Students. They have no hardcopy manifesto but they are doing their campaign through facebook and emails. I will copy paste the email in full. I will not edit anything from the copied material.

Guys and girls,

This is ‘Voice of Students’, we are a group of first year students at UoM,We are candidates for the upcoming election for Student’ Union, maybe you have read our privous 2 email (as attached) and/or read on our forum on facebook… http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=186997304656&ref=mf

As you would have noticed, or will now, we don’t have resources to make flyers nor banners to campaign, nor are we spending to expect something in return. We want to work according to what students say and decide,and come to us with everyday, not just dictate or impose what we think is right. Responses from the majority of students have been poor on our forum, lack of time maybe…

One big item on most candidates’ manifestos is the famous Rs.20,000 penalty fee, and the only way this will get scraped is with a neverseen Strong Students’ Union backed by all students’ votes, not merely 30-40% students voting. If each of you who actually receive this email and send it to all your friends, and attempt to realise the potential for changes if 80-90% ( ideally 100%) of students actually go to vote,then only will a Union really be the true Voice of Students. Else, honestly, we don’t want your votes, there is no incentive into trying to make concrete changes, the old ways would be good enough, the big freshers parties and Divali shows is good enough items of expenditures to virutally spend  Rs millions of students’ money and University grants on, else where does the rest of the money go????? Don’t you want to finally find out every month where your money goes???This we promise end of this november itself on the notice boards, the rest you tell us what is to be done, and see it being done.

An ambulance or dedicated vehicle always present would be nice in case of any emergency, actually working computers with each one having a USB port in front and decent Internet speed all day are actual priorities, a smoking sections away and discrete would be welcomed instead of finding cigarettes butts everywhere, not only vain promises you get each year. Myself, Pravesh Kumar Gobin, Annishta Budloo and Khesina Kripa are candidates for Office Members, No. 2 , 5 ,9 plus one more person you can give your vote to. And Annuja Budloo for FLM faculty representative would be appreciated but only if ALL of you go and vote.

Anyway, please realise it’s your time to vote and say who will represent you, and answer your questions and seek answers for your queries. We’ll still be around to help and comment and ask questions on the work of the new Students’ Union as and when. If not actually be the people working with and for you guys and girls and any other memebers you elect along with us. You got 2 whole days to come and vote, make it count. Good luck for exams all of you, Smile it’s always nice to be happy and have someone smiling back at you on the campus.

Regards,
Voice of Students
*2* Annishta Budloo   *5*  Pravesh Kumar Gobin  *9*  Khesina Kripa  **Annuja Budloo(FLM FacRep)

Remember 2 5 9 on the white voting paper. Thanks

A smoking area? What an epic fail point. It is ILLEGAL to smoke in public places, let alone at an Education institute. Front USB working computers?The ex common labs has new computers but unfortunately some students are fuckingly retarded. They broke many computers parts including the Front USB ports. Anyway, I’m off to revise as I have a formal logic test tomorrow.

I have surely made a lot of enemies with this post. But who cares.

UPDATE:

So, you don’t have time to leave a comment here but you do have time to reply on facebook. Anyway, it’s not me who needs your vote. And the readers can make their own mind after reading the article.

Smoking area #EPIC FAIL