UOB: Campus poll fever hotting up

From Gulf Daily News (5th May, 2005)
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By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI

<> POSTERS and banners are appearing all over both Bahrain University campuses, as students prepare to elect their representatives for the Student Council. Thirty-four students have already nominated themselves for the elections, which will be held at the Isa Town and Sakhir campuses on May 18. Although candidates can't play the party card, many have already aligned themselves in unofficial lists being distributed outside the university. Thirteen seats are available at the 22-member council, which also includes nine students representing the university's societies and clubs.

<>Seven of the nine will be society presidents, while two club presidents will be selected from the seven clubs, based on an agreement between the presidents. Elections for the societies and clubs will be also held on the same day, rather than the usual appointments in October. Elections committee chairman Dr Huda Al Khaja said elections were being held for the first time to elect board members for the societies and clubs.

"Previously, students with the highest grade point average (GPA) were appointed as college society and club presidents, those with the second highest as vice-presidents and so on," she said at a Press conference at the Sakhir campus yesterday.

"We changed the timing and made it with the main elections, to allow college and club representatives more time to work on their projects at the council, rather than being changed after two months, considering nothing is done during the summer."

<>The seven college societies are the College of Engineering Society, College of Science Society, College of Law Society, Business Administra-tion College Society, College of Arts Society, College of Education Society and College of Information Technology. The seven clubs are the Information Club, Theatre Club, Environment Friends Club, Chess Club, Music Club, Photography Club and Fine Arts Club. Dr Al Khaja, who is also student affairs dean, said that every 1,000 students were represented with one seat at the council, but the number of representatives would change based on the decrease or increase in the number of students in each college.

"A college with less than 1,000 students will be represented at the council with one seat," she said.

"We have more than 18,500 students, but this doesn't mean that everyone is eligible to vote, as those on academic probation or who have just begun their courses are not eligible."

<>Seats available through polls would be divided as follows: four for the College of Business Management, three for the College of Arts, two for the College of Education, one each for the College of Science, College of Law, College of Information Technology, College of Engineering and the College of Science. Five students have nominated themselves for the College of Arts, five for the College of Law and five for the College of Engineering, four for the College of Education, three for the College of Information Technology and the College of Science. Three students have also applied late yesterday, which was the deadline for applications and their applications are being studied. <>

Dr Al Khaja said that candidates and those campaigning for them were free to use the election media centre at the Isa Town campus from 9am to 7pm, from Saturday to Wednesday and from 1pm to 7pm on Thursday. Students have until May 15 to withdraw from elections. For more information visit the elections website.