So who actually won a visit from the alpacas?
Friday 22-02-2019 - 11:23
The main elections results have been announced, and you can find out who will be leading Durham SU next year here, but there’s still something we need to clear up: who will be visited by Sammi and Malik, the two handsome alpacas?
SU Reps have been working really hard encouraging you all to vote, with the incentive that the college with the highest voter turnout would win a visit from two alpacas.
The competition suddenly became controversial when Cranmer Hall’s voter turnout overtook Trevs’, and suddenly the question on everyone’s lip was: “What even is Cranmer?!”
Cranmer Hall is a theological college and community in Durham, but as it is part of St John’s College, it probably shouldn’t have had a separate bar on the voter turnout graph. The damage was done, however, and the hopes of Cranmer’s students were raised. The election’s Deputy Returning Officer received several emails (with the subject: “Alpacas for Vicars”) explaining just how excited they were that they might win the alpaca visit. When voting closed and Cranmer was still in the lead, we knew we had to do something.
After a bit of maths, involving adding the actual number of students who voted from Cranmer to the total for St John’s College, Trevs came out top again, and we decided to announce Trevs as the official winners of the College Voter Turnout prize. Their turnout of 43.66% was worth rewarding, and so were the incredible efforts of their SU Rep Nat Kunin.
But Cranmer didn’t go unrecognised. Using his powers as Deputy Returning Officer, the SU’s Chief Executive, Gary Hughes, ruled that Cranmer Hall would win the Divine Intervention Award, for their equally impressive turnout. A delighted Caragh Aylett, St John’s President, who had been on a rollercoaster of alpaca-related emotions, accepted the prize. Alpacas will be coming to both Cranmer and Trevs.
Alpacagate was solved, #Justice4Cranmer delivered, and yet another SU election over. Time to get back to helping some real student issues.
