VICE PRESIDENT

STUDENTACTIVITIES

elections

NOMINATION PACK

Nominate yourself atwww.leedsbeckettsu.co.uk/elections

campaigns

NOMINATION CHECKLIST

By 12noon on Thursday 18 February 2016

Submit your nomination online at www.leedsbeckettsu.co.uk/elections Complete the Trustee Declaration (Full-time Officer & Chair of Council Candidates) (This can be found at the bottom of the above website)

At 6pm on Thursday 18 February 2016

Attend the compulsory Candidate Briefing Large Meeting Room, Students’ Union, First Floor, Portland Building, City Campus

By 12noon on Monday 22 February 2016

Submit your manifesto (PDF, JPEG or Word) to studentvoice@leedsbeckettsu.co.uk

For help with any of the above please speak to the Election Team on studentvoice@leedsbeckettsu.co.uk or pop in to the SU Office at City Campus.

Thank You Congratulations on collecting or downloading this nomination pack and taking a keen interest in being a candidate in this year’s Students’ Union Elections. The election of the Union’s leaders for the academic year 2016/17 is the most important task we take on this year. Those who are successful in the elections will have huge opportunities to influence a wide range of people who influence the experience of all Leeds Beckett students. A topic that will run through the work of all Officers next year will continue to be that of the increasing number of government cuts to higher education and student grants, and our place in preparing our members to speak up through voter registration and their presence at the ballot box. It has never been so important to get education back on the agenda of our government and it is expected that the officer team next year will need to consider how they represent the needs of our members on a national scale, working with the NUS, to lobby both local and national government. As with any year there will be unseen challenges to our membership that will require strong and persuasive communicators to secure the best outcomes for students at Leeds Beckett. Those who will prosper in these elections will be those of you who know what makes your fellow students tick and what is ticking them off during your time at University. Your campaign must confirm to voters that you are the candidate who can make the changes that they want to see happen. It has never been more important to have imaginative, resourceful and dynamic leaders for the organisation. Our membership is diverse and complex which can make every day challenging, fresh and exciting. These elections provide an ideal opportunity for our members to discuss big ideas; tuition fees, academic feedback, community partnerships, equality & diversity…etc. Those same members will expect candidates to demonstrate drive, enthusiasm, innovation and a creative approach to suggesting potential solutions to those aspects of student life that frustrate and new approaches to meet the challenges yet to come. We have attempted to anticipate most of the information candidates will require. If you have any questions at all, please ask me or any of the current officers. Alternatively election staff will be available for drop-ins and can answer any queries or offer practical advice on all aspects of campaign planning; from designing manifestos through to managing campaign budgets and all points in between. As I come to the final 6 months of my time at SU President, it only leaves me to wish you the best of luck in your efforts and to thank you for taking this interest in being part of the next leadership team of this fantastic organisation. See you soon!

Jay Malpass-Clark, Students’ Union President, 2014-2016

ROLE DESCRIPTION: VICE PRESIDENT STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Start Date: 1st July 2015 (successful candidates will also be expected to make themselves available for training and induction from 15th June, and will be also be paid for this period) Expected Hours of Work: 37 hours per week (average) with occasional evening and weekend commitments Remuneration: circa £17,000 per year (exact figure confirmed by close of nominations) Who can stand for this role? All Leeds Beckett students may stand. Final year students will take office from July for one year at the end of their course. Students who are part-way through their course may take a year out of their studies. What does this role entail? This role is all about the importance of getting students as involved as possible in university life outside their studies – so an interest in extra-curricular activities would be beneficial! Throughout the year you will work closely with the permanent staff team in supporting students to set-up and run student societies, the various student media outlets and get involved in volunteering projects. You will also work with staff to develop training for societies, ensuring they are properly run and that their financial affairs are in order. Job Description The Vice President (Student Activities) shall:

Work with the President in promoting student participation within the activities and decision-making processes of the Union.

Be the lead officer with regard to supporting community volunteering projects organised by the Union

Ensure that all Union recognised Societies comply with the Constitution.

Oversee the funding procedures for Activity Groups.

Represent Members at regional and national organizations on all issues relating to student activities.

Chair meetings of the Activities Forum

Oversee the organisation of all activities for student societies.

Take an active interest in all clubs and societies and their activities.

Ensure that all clubs and societies are properly run and their financial affairs are in order

Be the lead Officer responsible for organising the Union’s Annual Awards

Additionally: Multiple Accountabilities and Line Management

With regard to representative and campaigning matters, the Full-time Officers are accountable to the Student Members through the Student Council, Student Members Meetings and Referenda.

With regard to Trustee responsibilities, Full-time Officers are responsible to the Board of Trustees.

Duties of all Full-time Officers In addition to the specific responsibilities listed above, the elected leaders of the organisation are required to carry out the following duties:

Carry out all duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Union’s Articles, Bye-laws and policies.

Always behave in a manner that maintains the good reputation of the Union and the office to which they have been elected.

Strive to represent fairly the opinions and issues of their constituencies and Leeds Beckett University students as a whole.

Represent the Union and its members’ interests in a professional manner, both internally to the University and externally.

Promote and defend the rights of members.

Promote greater intersectionality and inclusivity of students, including but not limited to different faiths, backgrounds, disabilities, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, ages, nationalities and races.

Attend University meetings to represent Leeds Beckett University students.

Carry out any other duties as may be assigned to them from time to time by the Student Council, the Executive Committee and/or the Board of Trustees, which are reasonably consistent with that Full-time Officer’s position.

Consider the development of the Union’s provision to the student body as an integral part of their role.

Attend Executive Committee, Student Council, and other Students’ Union meetings as appropriate, and report to those meetings on their activities and actions.

To be Trustees of the organisation.

To be responsible both to and for the Executive Committee as a whole.

To ensure the Student Council and the Board of Trustees are kept up to date on the action of the Executive Committee.

To support the Student Councillors in the fulfilment of their roles.

To liaise with external organisations appropriate to individual roles.

To be impartial and not publicly to take sides in representative elections.

To promote involvement in all Union activities.

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The life of a Students’ Union Exec Officer Whichever role you have chosen to stand for, you are putting yourself forward for a unique job that carries responsibilities and opportunities quite unlike those you would normally associate with a first graduate job or a sabbatical year. The role The Exec Team consists of the President and four Vice Presidents who each have their own areas of responsibility. Each have their own jobs to do but must also spend a lot of time working together as a team. Like any job, there are minimum requirements – a 37 hour working week will be expected of you, with occasional evenings and weekends, and as you will be an ambassador for the SU there will be times you need to dress smartly and ensure you behave appropriately. As Trustees, the Exec Team are responsible for setting the direction of the Union for the year. The Exec Team are in charge and make day-to-day decisions about how the Union is run. If successfully elected to one of these roles you will have a budget to control and campaigns which you are responsible for. There can be lots of meetings to attend and reports to write, but don’t be put off by this – they are necessary formalities needed to put your ideas into action, and more than balanced out by the time you will spend talking to students. The lifestyle As well as the day to day work, there will be a range of conferences, seminars and training events aimed at giving you more knowledge, confidence and insight towards achieving your goals – so you can expect to be doing some travelling around the country from time to time visiting other institutions and building a network of contacts. The social life of an Exec Officer can also be whatever you want to make of it – at the very least you will get to attend a number of high-profile award ceremonies such as the Golden Robes and the annual SU Awards. Relationships Your diary will have a significant number of discussions (some formal, some less so) with University managers, Students’ Union staff, external organisations, and of course – students. You may have to demonstrate your ability to maintain calm in the face of disagreement from time to time, so staying focused on the best interests of our membership as well as

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being able to politely disagree with others will ensure that the SU will remain influential and not left outside the numerous decisions that impact on our members every year. You will also need to maintain relationships with various student groups including student societies. As a leader of the organisation, and to avoid any accusation of bias or conflict, it is strongly recommended that you don’t sit on the committee of any student society whilst you are a student officer. This also helps to ensure that your focus remains on your officer role and to avoid accusations of favouritism or conflict of interest. Staff support You will have at your disposal a team of dedicated staff, employed to perform specific duties within the SU, and to offer their knowledge and expertise to help you achieve your goals. Being the figurehead Having your picture as part of any number of posters, handbooks news articles, web posts will be second nature by the time Freshers Fortnight comes around. Officers will get used to total strangers approaching and saying anything from “you’re that person in the students’ union…I think…” to “What are you going to do about..?” Be prepared to say “I don’t know, tell me more about that?” to even occasionally “thanks, it’s great to hear that you enjoyed the event…” Being in the spotlight might take some getting used to, but there will be a number of you all in the same situation with whom you can relate. Representing the needs of 27k+ students There will be a number of times when people will ask you, “and what do the students think about this?” Clearly the variety of students at Leeds Beckett is remarkable, whether considering faith or ethnicity through to the mode of study chosen by students here. What this adds up to is one thing – student interests and opinion is not a simple matter and often there are specific groups of students with specific needs that shouldn’t be forgotten. This is an advantage when dealing with those who expect the simple answer; we can be seen as far more influential when we have knowledge of extra options or needs.

“Being…” Vice President Student Activities by Harry Walters – Current VP Student Activities

There are few things I can say that are defining things in my life that has changed the way I am for the better. Without a shadow of a doubt being Vice President Activities is one of these. It has been eye opening, challenging but most of all very enjoyable. Here I give a brief insight into what it’s like to be a full- time officer. If you want to ask me anything please feel free to pop into the SU offices for a chat, I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.

Elections/Handover

I thought I had prepared well for the elections but it turns out that you can never be too prepared. You need to be thinking about your manifesto far in advance of campaigning and can create your posters, t- shirts and flyers before campaigning starts so that once it does start all of your concentration can be on talking to students. Going into the process with the idea of hitting the ground running is the best start to your approach. Although it can be tough it’s also a really rewarding experience that teaches you a lot. The skills that I have gained from it such as public speaking have proved invaluable. It will be challenging but also really rewarding so stick with it.

Winning an election is the most amazing feeling; to know that hundreds of students believe in you is quite something. However, once you do win you have a long time until you actually start on July 1st. It’s important that after you win you try and forget about it and concentrate on your studies. Let the current officer get on with their job because at the end of the day, it is still their responsibility until they handover to you.

Once you start it can be a bit of an information overload but as you go along you pick things up really quickly and the staff are absolutely amazing in supporting you so it’s important that you utilise their knowledge and experience as much as possible. Before Freshers starts you will travel around the country going to various NUS training events. I think the best thing you can get from these NUS events is the networking opportunity, I met with a huge number of other officers some new and some going for their second year. I discussed my ideas for the year and they the same. This can give you the chance to think how their ideas can inform your own and create an even better approach to what you want to do.

You’ll also have a residential with the other full-time officers and the senior managers of the SU where you will set your team and individual objectives for the year. You can change or modify your individual objectives throughout the year so don’t worry about them being set in stone. However, you can’t really change your officer team objectives so make sure you put a lot of thought in to those and express if you aren’t happy with any of them whilst you decide. Looking back it was valuable to socialise with each other outside of work and this can help you build good relationships with the important people you’ll be working with throughout the year.

A day in the life of VP Activities

The one thing I would say that VP activities needs to understand is that you work for students and sometimes this means that your plans may need to change and your workload isn’t always going to be about what you want to do; it is so important to be adaptable.

The thing I probably like most about the job is that you do something different every day. You might be talking to students, shooting a video, having lunch with the Vice Chancellor Group or attending Societies Forum. Some of these things can seem quite daunting at the beginning but they come so frequently that it just because the norm and it’s a breeze now! This is great and it means that I will now go into future jobs with much more confidence.

One of the things you will have to learn quickly is to prioritise. You will find out once term starts that people will be asking a lot of different things from you and it’s important to keep in mind what will benefit students most. This should always be in mind with everything you do since the tag line of the union is “Making students’ lives better”. Try to think, “Am I the most appropriate person to being doing this? Is this something a member of staff or another officer should be doing? And do I really need to be doing this at all or could I focus my attention on more important things?” It’s important to develop relationships with students such as society leaders, the media committee and volunteers. They will be able to give you feedback about your changes and policies; after all they are the people that your changes will affect. They are also more likely to come and talk to you about issues and they will give you some really good ideas too. It’s important that you listen to feedback but also believe in yourself and don’t be put off if people are negative about what you are trying to accomplish. There are always going to be people that aren’t happy with change.

A great way of improving your relationships with societies and it leaders is through the inter society nights that have been running for a while now, it gives you the opportunity to work with different teams of people and learn more about the societies. More importantly it gives them the platform to run a great event and to learn about organising people, setting up content for these events which all goes towards improving their employability prospects.

Part of my main drive as activities officer this year has been working with BeMedia. The student media has real potential to affect change and represent people alongside the ways that already exist. Further more encouraging our students to get involved with BeMedia will gain them skills that they can take into the career they want, particularly jobs in journalism, television and radio production. A number of our alumni are working for organisations like, the BBC, Made in Leeds, and a number of newspapers.

Throughout the year you will spend a lot of time with the other full time officers and they will become like family to you. It’s important that you look out for each other and are honest with one another. When people spend so much time together there will inevitably be disagreements or arguments and that’s fine. Don’t let issues linger, address them quickly. Make sure that you are aware of what the officers are doing and that they know what you’re doing. You’re all in the same boat and you will achieve more if you work together.

I wish you the best of luck for your campaign! Harry!

How to Write a Manifesto

Writing an election manifesto needn’t be something to tear your hair out about. Essentially, your manifesto should state what you would plan to do in your time in office and what changes you would make. It is not an excuse to bad mouth your opposition, or make unrealistic promises. Take some time before you write to think about what you believe you can achieve and what the voters would respond to. Some top tips for writing your manifesto:

Be concise and use clear language. Avoid long, complicated words – you won’t win awards for being clever and you might just alienate important voters.

Use a font that is easy to read and at a suitable size. Text should be no smaller than font size 12.

Make sure you have clearly stated what position you are running for and where students can go to vote (www.leedsbeckettsu.co.uk/elections).

Set out your goals for your time in office and ensure they are realistic & achievable – officers are answerable to the student body who might decide to ask why you’ve not managed to rebuild the Union building. Work out what would make you vote for someone and think about which points would appeal most to students.

Your manifesto is about you and not about your opponents. Avoid discrediting or disrespecting others and making reference to members of staff is a big no-no!

Be relevant. There’s not much point telling everyone you like cute pussy cats when you’re standing for President. However, instances where you have shown leadership, tenacity, and tact would indicate to voters your suitability for the role.

Keep it to a maximum of one side of A4. Voters will want to read what you have to say and are likely to give up if you have written the equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Be creative and inspiring.

Once you have drafted your manifesto, you can run it past the Elections Team by popping in to the SU Offices at City Campus or by emailing to studentvoice@leedsbeckettsu.co.uk. Remember, the deadline to submit your final manifesto to the email address above is 12noon on Monday 16th February 2015. Good Luck!

The three previous images are examples of good manifestos. Manifestos are not posters; they should let students know what your ideas are and why they should vote for you so detail is important. They are clean and clear, list a number of achievements and provide detailed information about what the candidate wants to do if elected. Two have even included places where you can find more information in the form of a website or Facebook group.