Editor's Note #36
Dear readers of the Spirit,
Welcome to our final edition of the Spirit for this academic year. I never really know what to write in these notes because, unlike an academic essay, I don’t have to stick to a theme or a certain structure. I don’t have to constantly analyse, evaluate and refer back to the question. It’s 500 or so words of completely free space.
As you can tell from our front page, the election season is over, and the new co-presidents have been chosen. This election season was much more contentious than last year’s, providing us with a wealth of candidates who campaigned hard and who genuinely seemed to care about the future of this university. I tend to always like a bit of chaos, and certainly, this election season did not go without it. The inevitable poster war ensued, with candidates putting up their campaign posters, only for them to be mysteriously taken down shortly after. And I am sure there were plenty of complaints being made behind the scenes that you and I were not aware of. Student politics can become dirty, especially when you have a 30k salary at stake. Not only is it a competition for an elected position, but it's a competition for the well-sought-after graduate job, which is becoming increasingly hard to obtain.
SU structures are notoriously tricky to navigate, but the incoming co-presidents should try their best to uphold the manifestos they have promised. Just because you had the flashiest Canva posters, or you were the best dressed or spoke the most eloquently, doesn’t mean that you know how to run an SU. Whilst, of course, experience is the most important factor, it’s also the realisation that your role is more than a LinkedIn job title or a rung on the career ladder; you are an active representative for student voice and welfare.
I digress. Let’s have a look at what is in this issue of the Spirit. Camilla Taylor has written a very important piece on vulnerable individuals from Africa being lured onto the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine War. Kenza Bajjar has written about the ongoing sovereignty dispute over the Chagos Islands, particularly the island of Diego Garcia. We, of course, have some ‘Wuthering Heights’ discourse thrown in there, written by our local film enthusiast, Midnight Adams.
If you fancy a challenge, and by that I mean really get the cogs in your brain to start whirring, we even have a cryptic crossword puzzle on page 17 for you. Two SOAS students under the names of ‘Mr. Mesilla’ and ‘Ink Eater’ designed it for us. The only thing I suggest is that you work in groups, unless you were a candidate on ‘Child Genius’ growing up.
Lastly, it is also time for me to close my chapter with the Spirit; it really has been great. It may seem melodramatic, but the time and effort I have put into the Spirit, especially over the past year, has been quite consuming. I’m sure Amy and Maaryah would say the same.
I hope you enjoy issue #36.
All the best,
Roxanna Brealey
