Wessex Scene: What was your reaction when Alex Tanfield announced that Bradley Bailey was the new AU President on results night?

Bermuda Allan: Confusion, really. We had been told the result backstage, as well as the actual numbers. When the result was read out onstage, we didn’t know if they were the correct numbers, or if what we had been told backstage was right. The confusion was sorted out pretty quickly, so in hindsight it wasn’t as bigger mistake as it appeared to be at the time. I feel bad for Bradley having to go through that, but I feel worse for his campaign team. For them, when the announcement was made there was no element of doubt, so it must have been really deflating, especially after all the hard work they put it. Obviously, no one is really sure who was at fault, but it proves that telling the candidates the result backstage before hand is a good method. It was always going to be tough in a two man race, but what’s done is done.

WS: Do you think it is fair to say that Adam Parker, VP Media and Comms, was at full fault for the error?

BA: Yes, totally.

WS: Only a few years ago, the AU had a surplus of £90,000 (as reported in Issue 3). Do you think that the AU could rebuild its surplus to a level anywhere near that in the foreseeable future?

BA: Yes, I do. The Students’ Union has run itself into the ground over the past few years, simply by spending too much. This year we have shown much more financial awareness. The AU, for example, reduced the Capital Equipment budget to essential purchases only. Sport still needs to be available to all, so Capital Equipment is really important, but it’s a matter of priorities at the moment.

It’s really important that clubs do more fundraising. We will also need to improve the way clubs budget if we want to regain our surplus. I want to encourage clubs to introduce development plans, and get them thinking not just about the next year, but the next four or five. This will make my job, and subsequent AU Presidents’ jobs, easier, as we have to start working on the next year’s budget in June. This is something Henry did really well. He has taken all necessary precautions this year, but you never know how much a club will claim until the end of the year. That is why introducing club development plans, as well as training for treasurers, is essential if the AU wants to be prosperous in the future.

WS: Does this AU have an intrinsic drinking crisis?

BA: Well, let’s look at the numbers. Rugby has around 80 members. We might get 30 of them, tops, on a social. Cricket has roughly 60 active members before the summer term, and 20 might turn out on a social. Jester’s capacity is 400, and there are 10,000 members in the AU. Less than 50% of the AU will go out regularly, and some of them don’t even drink. The social aspect is really important in developing any club. It helps them to grow, and will hopefully help them raise money and help the AU and the SU out financially. Circles have also changed dramatically in the last few years. We have had no complaints in the AU Office about being forced to booze, or anything regarding clubs social activities. Whether you drink or not doesn’t affect if you play sport at University.

WS: Can you see a need for more salaried staff involved with the AU?

BA: We have a very large and diverse AU, and this means that not all clubs are competitive. So, some clubs are more admin intensive than others. I can’t see the AU growing a great deal in terms of competitive teams; we are more or less at capacity, and everything is running smoothly. It terms of sport for all, we offer so many opportunities but we should never stop striving to add new sports to the setup. However, I don’t think that this will warrant employing more staff.

WS: Can sport be made cheaper for the student, by, for example, reducing membership costs?

BA: I don’t think there is much year on year increase in membership to clubs, and the AU can’t help the increases in Sport Rec membership as they are run in the same way as any other business. The move to the South East should reduce the cost of travel, and help to keep memberships low. I have always said that we need to focus on fundraising for individual clubs. The AU can help here, by making members aware that there are more ways to fundraise then booking bars in Portswood and selling tickets. For big clubs with the manpower to sell tickets this works really well, but it’s the smaller clubs without the large membership numbers who struggle fundraising.

Getting Varsity right next year will be a really important fundraising tool. All events take two years to develop, and a few little changes, some small improvements, should keep people excited about Varsity for years to come.

WS: Are you concerned that the move into the South East division of BUCS will lower standards?