Race On: LSS Sets Election Dates

NICHOLAS BAUM
Volume 4, Issue 5, (Originally published on Monday 26 August 2013)
 
While many students remain coy about the upcoming MLS Law Students’ Society elections, a number of students, including prominent members of the current committee, have publicly announced their candidacy.
 
The Law Students’ Society (LSS) announced last week that the 2013 committee elections would be held from 9 – 13 September 2013. An informational session scheduled for 1 pm tomorrow, 27 August 2013, in Room 109, which will provide information about the positions.
 
Nominations open today and close on Wednesday, 3 September 2013. Results from this year’s elections will be released at the lunchtime LSS Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, 17 September 2013.
 
Second-year JD and current Activities Director Nick Jane confirmed he will be nominating for the position of President, and indicated that the issues of building access hours, room availability for law students, and improved wireless Internet would be central to his campaign.
 
Education Director Daniel Osvath could not confirm rumours of a potential presidential bid, stating on Friday that he was “considering it”.
As for other positions, Andrew Frawley said he will run for the role of Vice President and plans to make financial support for students his top priority.
 
Maddy Miller has reportedly considered running for the vice presidency, as well, but refused to confirm her intention.
In the contest for Treasurer, only current LSS Sports Convenor John Azzopardi has yet to publicly announce his candidacy, and has declined to make further comment. Erin McMullin has also put her name forward for Secretary.
 
Among first-years, there has been much speculation about possible candidates, but few clear contenders have emerged.
 
Current first-year representative Larissa Chan has announced that she and Zoe Anderson will run for Education Directors, while Alex Dworjanyn and Caitlin Louth stated that they plan to nominate for the Equality portfolio. Anthony Pitruzzello and Matt Pierri are running for Activities Directors, Marijana Banovac and Emilia Budisavljevic are running for Competition Directors, Liv Chapman and Giorgi Mack are running for Women’s Officers, and Alex Horton is running for Second Year Representative.
 
In the 2012 LSS elections, some 291 students voted, out of over 700 enrolled. MLS Associate Professor Joo-Cheong Tham was publicly quoted last week warning that low voter turnout among young voters in the Australian federal election constituted ‘a serious democratic deficit’. It is estimated that 1 in 5 young people nationally do not vote or are not enrolled to vote.
 
As is traditionally the case, the LSS election marks the beginning of a transition in leadership across a variety of MLS student organisations, with the two major journals and the Global Law Students Association electing new executives over the next six weeks. Only the LSS conducts elections in which all students can vote.
 
As with all major issues within the student body at Melbourne Law School, De Minimis will be covering this year’s LSS elections closely, bringing you up-to-date information on all the key issues.
 
[Editor’s note: References comparing potential candidates to Federal politicians were removed on the basis that they carried potentially defamatory imputations.]


Nicholas Baum