Moir takes top role in Strathclyde student elections

A sports captain at the University of Strathclyde has been elected president of the Students’ Association for the next academic year after an election marred by dwindling turnout.

Malcolm Moir, who is currently completing a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at the Glasgow-based institution, saw off the close challenge of Nadia Ness in a four-way contest earlier this week.

Moir, captain of the Men’s Hockey Club at Strathclyde, edged the election by 125 votes, a margin cut by almost two-thirds after votes for the other two candidates, Ben Wray and Graeme Sloan, were redistributed under the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system employed by the Association.

The result came after a meagre 2,285 students – or 11.72 per cent of eligible voters at the higher education institution – cast a ballot online over the course of Monday and Tuesday this week, down 17.1 per cent from last year.

Moir’s margin of victory comes in spite of five of the six full-time sabbaticals at the University of Strathclyde Students’ Association (USSA) throwing their weight behind challenger Ness following the decision by existing vice president for services, Cat Morton, to drop out in the week leading up to elections.

The Diploma student said: "I tried to run my campaign on getting out and speaking to students and I think my campaign did a good job.

"I did a lecture hit earlier and said I don't need a microphone as I've got a loud voice. And hopefully I'll continue that next year. I'll do my best for students at Strathclyde and try and represent them and everything they need and want from the university so that it continues to be a university run by students for students."

Meanwhile, Kwaku Adjei will fill the full-time role of vice president for activities and development in 2012-13 after a five-horse race finished in his favour.

Rebecca Maxwell Stuart, current vice president for education, will return for a second year in the role, while Dominique Uqbas and Colin Evans – who both ran uncontested – will take on responsibility as vice president diversity and advocacy and sports and wellbeing respectively.