Elections for Trustees, Officers and National Executive Committee members are now open. As always, we asked all candidates to declare their position on academic freedom by indicating how they would have voted on “HE32”, a motion put to UCU Congress in 2019 to express support for academic freedom, with specific reference to gender, but which was voted down. Where candidates didn't reply, we used their previously stated positions or imputed it from their public statements. If you're a candidate and wish to amend your position as recorded below, please email ucu4af@gmail.com.
As a further guide to voting , we have indicated which faction each candidate belongs to.
(A) = UCU Agenda, formerly the "Independent Broad Left". Members range from Blairites to CPGB. Generally, they share a cautious approach to industrial action and wish to limit the union's activities to "bread and butter" issues. This seems to make individual members more sympathetic to academic freedom, but they have no collective position on this.
(C) = UCU Commons, a relatively new, "woke" faction, strongly associated with General Secretary Jo Grady. Their election statement is actively hostile to gender-critical feminists' academic freedom. Sadly, therefore, we have to recommend against voting for anyone in this faction.
(L) = UCU Left. Formed around a core of Socialist Worker Party members, this faction generally favours industrial action and campaigning on progressive issues. Members' views on academic freedom vary. However, their election statement evinces hostility towards free speech on campus.
We encourage all UCU members to give your strongest preference vote to candidates who back academic freedom, and to assign your lowest preference to those who do not.
TRUSTEES
Anna Marie Roos (University of Lincoln) (C) -- NO
Mike Barton (London retired members branch) (L) -- Unable to contact; election statement supports AF & free speech
Stephen Albert Desmond (Solent University) -- No response
Chris Jones (NPTC Group) (L) -- unable to contact
Professor Neil Macfarlane (Nottingham Trent University) -- unable to contact
David Limb (North West Regional College) -- unable to contact
Steve Brown (Nottingham Trent University) (C) -- NO
VICE-PRESIDENT FROM THE FE SECTOR (1 seat)
Juliana Ojinnaka (The Sheffield College) (L) -- unable to contact
Maxine Looby (Oldham College) -- unable to contact
Patricia Roche (Blackpool and The Fylde College) -- unable to contact
GEOGRAPHICALLY-ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE NEC
Northern Ireland HE (1 seat)(uncontested)
Linda Moore (Ulster University) -- NO
Northern Ireland FE (1 seat)(uncontested)
Martina Donald (North West Regional College) -- No response
Wales HE (1 seat)(uncontested)
Vida Greaux (University of South Wales) -- No response
North East HE (3 seats)
Laura Chuhan Campbell (Durham University) (C) -- NO
Mary-Ellen Large (University of Hull) (L) -- No response
Andrew Feeney (Northumbria University) -- No response
Matt Perry (Newcastle University) (L) -- No response
Nick Emmel (University of Leeds) (L) -- No response
David Harvie (University of Leeds) (L) -- NO
Joanna de Groot (University of York) (A) -- YES
North East FE (1 seat)(uncontested)
Elaine White (Bradford College) -- unable to contact
London and the East HE (5 seats to include at least two women)
Kyran Joughin (University of the Arts London)[woman] -- No response
Professor Paul Anderson (Queen Mary University of London) (L) -- No response
Dave Ashby (London School of Economics and Political Science) (C) -- NO
Maria Chondrogianni (University of Westminster)[woman] (L) -- No response
Esther Murray (Queen Mary University of London)[woman] (C) -- NO
Sean Wallis (University College London) (L) -- No response
Roddy Slorach (Imperial College London) (L) -- NO
Emma Kennedy (University of Greenwich)[woman] (C) -- NO
Sarah Brown (Anglia Ruskin University)[woman] -- YES
London and the East FE (2 seats)(uncontested)
Delmena Doyley (Croydon College) -- unable to contact
Richard McEwan (New City College (Poplar)) (L) -- No response
UK-ELECTED MEMBERS HE (5 seats; to include at least one post-92, one academic related and two women)
Esther Murray (Queen Mary University of London)[woman] (C) -- NO
Julie Hearn (Lancaster University)[woman] (L) -- No response
Emma Kennedy (University of Greenwich)[post-92, woman] (C) -- NO
Ann Gow (University of Glasgow)[woman] -- YES
Dr Rhian Elinor Keyse (Birkbeck, University of London)[woman] -- NO
Michael Carley (University of Bath) -- YES
Dr Richard Wild (University of Greenwich)[post-92] (L) -- No response
Maria Chondrogianni (University of Westminster)[post-92, woman] (L) -- No response
David Harvie (University of Leeds) (C) -- unable to contact
Carl Fraser (Oxford Brookes University)[post-92] (C) -- unable to contact
Stephen Albert Desmond (Solent University)[post-92] -- No response
Grant Buttars (University of Edinburgh)[academic related] (C) -- NO
Andrew Feeney (Northumbria University)[post-92] -- No response
Adam Ozanne (University of Manchester) (A) -- YES
Nicky Priaulx (Cardiff University)[woman] (C) -- NO
Roddy Slorach (Imperial College London)[academic related] (L) -- NO
Alan Barker (University of Nottingham) (L) -- YES
Ryan Prout (Cardiff University) (A) -- No response
Dr Peter Wood (Open University) -- NO
Dyfrig Jones (Bangor University) -- No response
Peta Bulmer (University of Liverpool)[woman] (L) -- No response
UK-ELECTED MEMBERS FE (3 seats; to include at least one ACE and one woman)
Nina Doran (City of Liverpool College) (L) -- unable to contact
Dharminder Singh Chuhan (Sandwell College) (L) -- No response
Sharon Norey (Novus prison education branch) -- No response
Naina Kent (Hackney Adult Education) [ACE, woman] -- N/A (will be automatically elected)
REPRESENTATIVES OF WOMAN MEMBERS
Higher education (3 seats)
Jo Edge (University of Edinburgh) (C) -- NO
Laura Chuhan Campbell (Durham University) (C) -- NO
Dr Rhian Elinor Keyse (Birkbeck, University of London) -- NO
Emma Rees (University of Chester) (C) -- NO
Ann Gow (University of Glasgow) -- YES
Joanna de Groot (University of York) (A) -- YES
Julie Hearn (Lancaster University) (L) -- No response
Maria Chondrogianni (University of Westminster) (L) -- No response
Further education (2 seats)(uncontested)
Regine Pilling (Capital City College Group (Westminster Kingsway)) -- N/A (will be automatically elected)
REPRESENTATIVES OF MIGRANT MEMBERS (casual vacancy) (1 seat)
Stephen Albert Desmond (Solent University) -- No response
Dr Khizer Saeed (University of Brighton) (L) -- No response
Dima Chami (University of Bristol) -- NO (voted against HE32)