Candidate Handbook 2017

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TAKE A STAND

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CONTENTS About your Students’ Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Why should you stand? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 What roles can you stand for? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 What do the full time positions involve? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Key Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Rules & Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mythbusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Writing a Manifesto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Campaigning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS’ UNION Hertfordshire Students’ Union is a non-profit organisation led by students for students! Our aim is to make your student life incredible, and we’re proud to be led by your Elected Officers and student leaders.

Our annual elections are fundamental in making sure students’ voices are heard. So this is your opportunity to elect students to represent, act, and speak on your behalf!

As a Students’ Union, we represent you academically by listening to your opinions and ensuring that your voice is heard by decision makers in the University, community and government. We also provide an impartial, confidential and free Advice and Support Service including academic, housing and money advice.

We also run Hertfordshire’s top nightclub, The Forum Hertfordshire, to bring you the best in live music and events. Plus, we give you access to societies, volunteering, RAG and events!

In this handbook you will find everything you need to guide you through standing in the elections. If you have any questions about being a candidate, feel free to drop in to the SU office to talk to us!

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WHY SHOULD YOU STAND? Do you want to…

•• •• •• •• ••

Lead the Students’ Union?

Represent students within the Union, university, and wider community and campaign for positive change?

Deliver services for students?

Be responsible for the strategic direction of the Union?

Gain fantastic employability skills?

Then a full-time or part-time role could be for you! Being a fulltime elected officer would allow you to do these things and more!

These roles are full-time, paid jobs with an elected term of one year.

Part-time roles are a fantastic opportunity to change things for the better for students around you, and gain invaluable experience in campaigning, project management, and a host of other skills. All of these roles are voluntary and flexible, fitting around your study schedule.

WHAT ROLES CAN YOU STAND FOR? FULL TIME POSITIONS

PART TIME POSITIONS

President

Student Trustees x 2

Vice President Education

School Officers x 10

Vice President Activities

NUS Conference Delegates x 6

Vice President Community College Officers x 4 Vice President Services

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WHAT DO THE FULL TIME POSITIONS INVOLVE? PRESIDENT Could you lead the Elected Officer team and be the voice of students?

The President leads the work of the Officer team and represents students to the University and wider community.

In this role you will meet regularly with senior University management and community leaders, being the lead officer for democratic and governance structures as well as for campaigns and change. You will also oversee the work of the Officer team, Chair the Trustee Board and sit on the University’s governing board.

VICE PRESIDENT SERVICES Do you have ideas on how to improve The Forum, eleHouse and the shop?

The Vice President Services shapes the work of our student and commercial services.

In this role you lead the development of the Union’s student and commercial services, ensuring that students are an active partner in developing them. You will also meet regularly with senior University staff and subsidiary companies on service-based issues, and ensure students are considered in shaping the Union’s accounts and finances.

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VICE PRESIDENT EDUCATION Could you represent Students’ views and support their employability?

The Vice President Education lobbies for a great academic experience at the University.

In this role, you will work to improve and continually develop the academic life of the University through working with Student Reps and others to ensure that students are partners in their education.

You will support employability throughout the University to ensure students leave with a great degree and are employable.

Additionally, you will champion a culture where students’ feedback is engaged with and used to continually develop the University.

VICE PRESIDENT ACTIVITIES Love societies, sports or volunteering? Help students organise exciting events!

The Vice President Activities oversees student opportunities for fun and development, making sure you get the most out of your time at University.

In this role you will head up our recreational and development activities such as societies, volunteering, RaG and media. You will be the lead officer in development of sport and social activity on campus and the champion of student groups and extra-curricular activity.

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VICE PRESIDENT COMMUNITY Passionate about Student Welfare and Social Responsibility?

The Vice President Community works with on and off-campus partners with the goal of developing a community of students at the University of Hertfordshire.

In this role, you will be the lead officer for welfare, working with organisations on and off campus to ensure that students are able to access the support and guidance that they need. You will be a champion for citizenship and social responsibly amongst our students, and ensure students’ interests are represented offcampus as well as on.

Full-time elected officers will officially take up office on 2nd June 2017 and finish their term of office on 1st June 2018.

There will be a week of handover between 2016/17 and 2017/18 elected officers between 29th May and 2nd June.

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WHAT DO THE PART TIME POSITIONS INVOLVE? To run for a part-time position you must have plans to study at the University of Hertfordshire for the coming year. Here are the positions available.

Student Trustees x 2 Our Trustee Board oversees the strategic direction, finances and governance of the Students’ Union, ensuring that we act within the law and are secure and stable for the future. Student Trustees play a vital role in ensuring that everything that the Union undertakes is in the best interests of students.

School Officers x 10 School Officers represent their Schools and head up the Student Reps for their School, liaising with key academic staff.

NUS Conference Delegates x 6 Each year we send student delegates to NUS Conference, the annual meeting of Students’ Unions. This is the largest democratic gathering of students in the world, and is your chance to have your say on national student representatives and NUS policy.

College Officers x 4 The College Officers represent the needs and views of higher education students at their College to Student Council and make sure the Union can effectively represent their academic needs to the University. There will be an Officer for each College:

•• •• •• ••

Hertford Regional College North Hertfordshire College Oaklands College West Herts College

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KEY DATES NOMINATIONS OPEN: Monday 27th February, 9am

CANDIDATE ACADEMY:

CANDIDATE ACADEMY:

COLLEGE LANE, 1F383

DE HAVILLAND, N101

Tuesday 28th February, 2pm

Thursday 2nd March, 5pm CANDIDATE ACADEMY:

DE HAVILLAND, N208

Wednesday 8th March, 5pm

MANIFESTO DEADLINE: Tuesday 14th March, 9am

NOMINATIONS CLOSE: Friday 10th March, 12pm

CANDIDATES’ BRIEFING: Thursday 16th March, 5pm

CAMPAIGNING BEGINS: At the end of the Candidates’ briefing

RESULTS ANNOUNCED: Friday 24th March, 6pm

VOTING OPENS: Friday 17th March, 12pm

VOTING CLOSES: Friday 24th March, 2pm

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EXPENSES DEADLINE: Friday 24th March, 3pm

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HANDOVER PERIOD (FULL-TIME ELECTED OFFICERS): Monday 29th May – Friday 2nd June

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RULES & GUIDANCE RULES To make sure the Elections are fair, we have several rules in place. Please make sure that you and your team are well aware of these before campaigning starts. The full list and advice on rules can be found at herfordshire.su/elections.

1. You should not undertake campaigning activity which is not reasonably accessible to other candidates, including the use of mailing lists and social media accounts.

2. You must not campaign in the Students’ Union offices or meetings. This includes the Student Media Suite.

3. You must not incorporate Students’ Union branding into your campaign materials EXCEPT the elections strip which can be included, unaltered, on all materials.

4. You must allow voters to cast their ballot freely and must not communicate with voters in any way once they have begun to complete their ballot.

5. You are not permitted to pool resources or form slates.

This includes not having common campaign materials or campaigning for the election of other candidates.

BUDGET As a candidate, you will be reimbursed for legitimate campaign expenses up to a maximum of:

•• ••

£50 if you are running for full time positions. £25 if you are running for NUS Conference Delegate, Student Trustee or another Part Time Officer role.

Be careful not to exceed their budget! Please note that you will not receive additional budget if you choose to stand for NUS Conference Delegate in addition to another position.

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HOW TO VOTE We use the transferable voting system, which allows students to list candidates in order of preference. This means that they not only vote for their favourite candidate, but also for their second and third favourites, etc. Students place a ‘1’ by their preferred candidate, a ‘2’ by their second, and so on.

For every position we always include ‘Re-open Nominations’, or ‘RON’. This gives students the chance to vote to re-open the nominations should they believe that no candidate on the ballot sheet fits the role.

Therefore a sample ballot paper might look like this:

COMPLAINTS Sometimes Elections don’t always run smoothly. If you believe that rules have been broken and you wish to make a complaint, please email elections@ hertfordshire.su or visit the office to speak to a staff member.

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MYTHBUSTERS TRUTH

MYTH

Any student at all can stand.

Being an Officer is your chance to have an impact not just on the SU but on the University and wider community too.

I’ve never been involved in the SU so I shouldn’t stand.

TRUTH

Full-time Elected Officer positions are paid at £21,843 for the year. Your responsibilities include being a Director and Executive Trustee of the Union, managing a portfolio, and a number of career-related experiences that will look great on your CV.

MYTH I want a real job, so I can’t stand

TRUTH

MYTH

Students vote for who they think they can trust. If you don’t know everybody (and nobody does!) then you can convince them through your campaigning and policies.

Elections are a popularity contest and students won’t vote for me.

TRUTH

MYTH I’m graduating next year, so I can’t stand.

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All students currently registered at the University of Hertfordshire can stand. You will either take a year out of your studies, or take on the role after graduation if you are in your final year

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WRITING A MANIFESTO Your manifesto is your vision for the Union and your pledges for your time as an Elected Officer. From this, students can see whether what you are promising will be right for them, and why they should vote for you.

Your manifesto will be listed on our website for students to read before voting, so make sure it looks exciting! Keep your points clear and make students want to read it.

OUR TIPS! 1. Think about the issues that you’d like to change in the University, your School, or the wider community. Have a chat with your friends or course mates. What are big issues on campus?

2. Pick three or four issues that strike a chord with other students and are most achievable. What would you do to resolve these issues? These are your policies.

3. Who are you? Why should students trust you as their representative? Tell voters about yourself!

Still have questions? Come along to one of our Candidate Academies for more information!

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CAMPAIGNING The key to a successful election is a strong campaign. Here are our top tips for campaigning:

1. Think outside the box! Every candidate will have printed posters and leaflets, but what else could you create to stand out from the crowd? Go big and bold and voters won’t miss you.

2. Talk to students. Voters want to know who you are and what you stand for. Don’t sound like a robot when you’re discussing your policies – take the time to have a proper chat.

3. Plan your time well in advance. Campaigning shouldn’t take over your life and definitely shouldn’t stop you attending lectures! Ask your team or friends to help if you can’t make an event.

4. Check that students know how to vote. Don’t forget that you’re asking students to vote for you as their first preference, or if not, then their second preference. Voting will take place online at www.hertfordshire.su/vote Jot down your ideas here:

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NOTES

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NOTES

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Email elections@hertfordshire.su Drop into our office at the Hutton Hub, or read more at hertfordshire.su/elections

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