By Rowan Cunningham

Ru Wallace is the current VP Community at Strath Union – and is also more informally known for being the man who dressed up as the Livingstone Tower (Arguably one of the ugliest buildings on campus, which we still treasure anyway) for Halloween.

Last year Ru Wallace could have been considered something of a dark horse in the elections as to many people he came out of nowhere since he had previously not held any position within the Union or even a society. However, this is not the case this year. When speaking to him about being the Vice President of Community and campaigning to be it once again he could not hide his passion about “wanting to get more people involved” as he realises people need each other more than ever and community has never been more important. 

“The experience I’ve gained from supporting students and societies during lockdown will be indispensable for our route back to normality,” Wallace says. He believes that he is the person to help bridge the gap between covid life to post covid times.

Wallace’s manifesto includes aims to host local upcoming bands at the Union and to work with societies to deliver these events. In addition, he has plans to update the Nourish Cafes on campus, and to get the Union more involved with Campus Catering to ensure the same standard of food can be found anywhere at Strathclyde. He also has a special message for postgraduate students and student-volunteers. He said: “I want to bring a focus to some of the forgotten aspects of university life. Many post grads feel left behind by uni, as the primary aim is the undergrads, but I want them to know they are just as important. 

“I’m aware that volunteering is not counted towards credits and this needs to be recognised by the University.”

Wallace also has “a passion” for the environment, and is hoping to “let the student voices be heard about it.” He believes that student body has a wide range of skills and expertise that can often be overlooked by management, so he thinks a way to achieve his aim to accelerate the University’s Net Zero carbon target is by getting the students involved. In addition, Wallace aims to decarbonise the curriculum for all students and implement Education for Sustainable Development as he thinks awareness on climate change especially with COP26 coming to Glasgow this year is vital for the benefit of the university and the wider impact of society. 

Wallace’s full manifesto can be accessed on the StrathUnion website along with all other candidates who are running.

Voting is now open and polls will close at 12:00 on Friday 5 March 2021. Get voting!