Double E, Double Oh-Oh

Environment, Ethics and Operations candidate Julian Bassey has received a formal warning from UCLU following an accusation of illegal campaigning from another undisclosed sabbatical candidate.

The complaint follows Bassey’s supposed wearing of a “Vote Julian Bassey #1 for EEOO” t-shirt at his job at the ISD helpdesk roughly one week before campaigning was scheduled to begin.

Under Union guidelines it was illegal for candidates for any position to commence campaigning in any way prior to its official beginning on February 24th. It was also forbidden for candidates to campaign whilst working for UCL or UCLU, according to guidelines sent out by the University to its workers. However the email containing the guidelines was only forwarded to some Union workers after the start of campaigning, so whether Bassey would have been aware of this policy is questionable.

When Pi spoke to Julian Bassey shortly after discovering this complaint, he was adamant that he had done nothing wrong. He explained that, following a discussion with DCO Dan Warham, he had received written permission to publicise the spring elections and had worn a t-shirt in the Science Library that simply encouraged students to vote, rather than to vote for him specifically. He was outraged at having received a warning without being consulted on his own version of events, and felt that there was something “fishy” about the way the Union had conducted itself.

Bassey also works at Bloomsbury Fitness, and it has been alleged that he has intimidated another candidate for the EEOO position whilst on shift by discussing and criticising his campaign tactics. Again this is purported to have been before the start of campaigning, however this is not the subject of the complaint, or indeed the formal warning which Bassey has now received. When asked about this, Bassey told Pi that he had not been aware of any complaint concerning intimidating behaviour, and that had he upset anyone, he would apologise to the concerned party immediately.

Bassey has now appealed this warning, and the results of this appeal are pending. He remains convinced that there is no case against him, and assumes that his written warning will soon be retracted.