LUSA 2019 Election Guide

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Important Dates!

Nominations Open: 31st July

Nominations Close: 6th August

Campaigning: 7th–13th August

Election Voting: 15th–18th August

For more info, pop into the LUSA office in Forbes or head to lusa.org.nz/2019-elections

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LUSA Exec?

What’s in it for me?

Support

Confidence

Voice of Influence

BBQ Legend

You’ll get to know all the important people and they’ll care about what you think.

You’ll be a mad hand on the Barbie, you might stink of onions for a bit after, but at least you’re guaranteed free food!

Connections

Cha-ching

LUSA staff and fellow Exec members will help you get things across the line and make awesome shit happen.

You’ll meet some pretty interesting people at LU and beyond! They’re the type of people you’ll want to be in with when you get out into the real world.

CV Fodder

If you’re looking at your CV and thinking you need the wow factor, then this is definitely a perk! You’ll gain some awesome skills and experiences that’ll make you the pick of the bunch!

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By the time we’re done with ya, you won’t be phased by speaking your mind (in the right ways, of course) and using that skill to get things done!

You’ll be paid for your work because we appreciate you and the effort you put into the role! Here’s the dollar figures: President: $52,000 Vice-president: $4,450 Secretary: $4,450 Postgrad Rep: $4,450 General Reps: $4,450 International Rep: $4,450

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LUSA Exec

Position Descriptions President 40 Hours a Week $52,000 Salary One Position The President works towards the common and collective interests of students. They spend a lot of time in meetings chipping in with what students are concerned about, or just ways to make things easier.

They’re also the spokesperson for LUSA and students meaning they’ll speak on behalf of Students to media, and external organisations.

The President sits on the National Exec of NZUSA to share Lincoln student views nationally and is also subsequently appointed to the Lincoln Uni Council as the Student Member.

Vice-President 10 Hours a Week $4,550 Salary One Position The right hand to the President, the VP supports the President in what they are doing, and steps up as Acting-President when they’re not available.

They also help keep the rest of the Exec on track and help them on with their work.

Secretary 10 Hours a Week $4,550 Salary One Position

The rest of the time the President is working on LUSA projects and pitching in to make sure everything stays on track and that LUSA keeps doing it for students.

The Secretary's role is to keep things on track and keep a record of what the LUSA Exec have decided.

They take minutes of meetings, ensure polices are up-to-date, and just generally ensure the LUSA Exec are obeying the rules and staying on track.

General Rep

Postgrad Rep

10 Hours a Week $4,550 Salary Three Positions

10 Hours a Week $4,550 Salary One Position

The General Reps are as grass-roots as it gets. They listen to you, work with the Student Reps and pass this information on to those at the coal face to make some quick wins to change the not-so-flash things and make sure the really good bits aren’t lost.

The Postgrad Rep is responsible for representing and advocating for postgrad students on all matters that impact their uni experience. They also support postgrad student engagement to foster their wellbeing and apply to connect with campus life.

International Rep 10 Hours a Week $4,550 Salary One Position

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The International Representative is responsible for representing and advocating for international students on all matters that impact their university experiences. They also support student engagement to foster their wellbeing and apply to connect with campus life.

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2018 Exec Portfolio Updates: Ally Burns

Portfolio: Cultural Diversity As the cultural diversity representative my goal this year was to make sure international students feel welcome at Lincoln University and to see increased integration between domestic and international students. So far I have worked with students and staff to update the International Student Guide so that when arriving international students have relevant information to help them settle in. Also in the works has been the re-development of a ‘buddy system’, this will continue this term so keep an eye out for any further updates!

Hope everyone has a fun filled second Semester!

Mac Thomson

Portfolio: Student Well-Being/Campus Life Semester 1 was a great time with LUSA, it has been an awesome learning experience and being able to act on my passion for improving mental health support has been very fulfilling. A great part of this has been supporting the roll out of free nation-wide counselling for individuals under the age of 25. I’ve seen how well this has worked in Australia and it’s a big step in the right direction for providing more help for NZ uni students. We are also facilitating the process of having a group of ‘well-being mentors’ who will offer student-to-student support. As well as this, we are revamping the graduate attribute profile to make it more relevant for students- stay tuned! The research, relationship building and planning that took place in Semester 1 has all lead to what will be a great end of the year. Cheers.

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2019 LUSA Student Exec Nominations open on Tuesday 31st July!

Dawn Hopkins

Portfolio: Club and Media Engagement This year I would like to assist in creating a stronger representation by first year students in clubs and events within the University. This is where I believe being a first year halls resident on the Exec will help as I can make sure our voice is heard.

I would like to help encourage involvement through increasing the engagement between LUSA and students.

By doing these things I believe we can create a stronger presence in clubs and events such as Thursdays in Black and over all create an awesome student experience for 2018. I can’t wait to begin an exciting year with a bunch of amazing people.

Shaun Snoxell

Portfolio: Postgraduate Voice The Postgrad Rep portfolio is pretty broad! Its covers pretty much everything related to the postgrad student experience here at Lincoln. I’ve focused on improving postgrad representation and ‘voice’ at the uni. What that looks like on the ground is a lot of time chatting with postgrads and university staff, and sitting on the committees that influence postgrad study, to make sure the Uni is aware of what Postgrad’s need and want. We’ve set up the Postgrad Voice Committee to funnel student feedback up decision-makers, which has had a great early reception from the Uni. Other things I’ve been working on include pushing for better postgrad facilities, capping the number of students/supervisor, PG social events, and PG mental health support.

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Exec Q&A

We asked the current 2018 Exec to answer the following questions to give you an insight to what’s it’s like being in these leadership roles.

If you’ve got other questions you’d like answered, flick them to president@lusa.org.nz

Q. What’s an important decision that you were a part of on the Exec? How did it feel to be involved?

Jan: Yes it defiantly did. My eyes were opened to how large organisations are run and structured. I underestimated its complexity.

Jan: Most likely the chairing the Campus Service Council and implementing greater accountability into the reports that LUSA, LHL and Student Health have to give when our Student Levy Fee goes to them.

Mac: It has definitely made me appreciate everything that goes on behind the scenes, but the biggest thing for me has been the appreciation of how good we have it being a small university. It definitely helps with versatility in decision-making as well as allowing swift action to take place.

Ally: Helping decide on the Student Service Fee amount was cool! It was exciting to be involved and see the ideas and possibilities of what can be provided through the fee and most importantly getting to look into where it is going, making sure it is going towards what is important to students.

Mac: Aside from helping plan events such as Garden Party, Winterball and next years O-Week, decisions involving planning for the new Joint Facility and new Student Space have been great to be a part of.

Shaun: I didn’t anticipate the level of decision making that I’ve be involved in! The Exec make decisions around a six figure budget, and decisions on everything from what bands we want at Garden Party to what the design of the student cafe should look like.

Q. Has being on the Exec changed your University experience? If so, how?

James: Yes. Especially as President. Some people look up to you, some come to you with their issues, some think you have all of the answers. It’s pretty cool to be seen in that light. Rather than being just a student of the university, I am a part of the system.

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Dawn: As a student you are only told so much, but being apart of the Exec has really helped me understand everything the university does for us and love and effort people make to give us as students the best possible experience.

Q. What have you learnt so far or what has surprised you the most while being on the Exec?

James: I have been surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Although the President role can at times be full-on, it is incredibly diverse and so I learnt heaps! It's not often that a student supports a bunch of people and oversees an organisation and gets to be a part of the national voice of students lobbying the government.

Event planning is pretty cool too – expect big things for Garden Party!

Jan: Democracy takes time! If you want to do it well, decisions wont be made over night.

Ally: I have been so surprised by how much work LUSA puts into providing students at Lincoln with a fun, positive experience at the uni. I never realised

that what we actually want gets taken into account and everyone in LUSA speaks on the students' behalf.

Honestly if you’re a student and have something you want help with, fixed or just think would be totally cool go and talk to someone at LUSA to get it done.

Mac: I have learned a hell of a lot of how important good governance is and what makes a good Exec.

A good Exec needs people with a diverse range of perspectives and be progressive in nature.

Q. What made you want to join the Student Exec? Is it what you’d expected?

James: Lincoln for me was a great experience, and I gained heaps from it. As I drew towards the end of my time, I felt like it was only right to give back.

Ally: I really wanted some things to change round the uni and I wanted to help future students so that processes could be improved for them. LUSA turned out to be the best place to go to have some influence to help this. It's very different to what I imagined!! It has been a looot busier than I thought but such a great opportunity to become more involved in uni life and what’s on offer for all students!

Shaun: I wanted to sign up to have an input into making Lincoln an even better place to study and play.

To be honest, I hadn’t anticipated how much talking and meetings are required to get anything done in an institution the size of a University!

Dawn: As a new student coming to Lincoln Uni, I knew what I expected and what I wanted to see. I felt it was important to get a fresh opinion in the mix and make the association as student based as possible.

Q. What is the best and worst thing about being the Exec?

James: Best thing? The diversity, and the fact that I can choose where to put effort. This naturally comes from what I deem as the more significant student issues. Worst thing? It’s a big role that has a lot of responsibility. This can be seen as a good and a bad thing, as it sets you up with some decent skills for later in life, but it also ties you down for another year.

Jan: The Best: Students faces when they get free food. The worst: Bearing the blame for university management and staff decisions.

Ally: My favourite thing is being in meetings and hearing what is going on around the uni, I’m always interested (perhaps a little nosy) as to how things work!

Mac: The best thing has been giving out freebies to students, it’s a fun and easy way to support students who are battling away with study. The worst thing was that one dusty Exec meeting we had at 8am...

Shaun: Best thing: Get to be part of what’s happening behind the scenes at uni and influence it for the better.

Worst thing: Way to many meetings.

Dawn: My favourite part of being on the Exec is being heard. At Lincoln I feel like I can help make the university the best place for our student. The thing I find the most challenging is holding a strong portfolio as it can be quite time consuming.

Casey: The best part about being on the Exec is being able to create positive experiences for students on campus and to represent the student voice within all areas of the university. The worst thing is that there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything.

Q. What's one piece of advice you have for future Exec members?

James: Be totally honest when in meetings. If you think where our time is being spent could be better, let us know. The Exec are the drivers of the association at the end of the day!

Jan: Gleam as much as you can at hand over. The more you pick up, the easier it will be to have an impact during your term.

Ally: Put your time and effort into the things you are most passionate about and the whole experience will be made easier and more fun!

Mac: Definitely give it a great crack if you’re looking for a rewarding challenge! You will gain huge amounts of personal development, awesome connections, and a skill-set that will be valuable for whatever the future has in store for you.

Shaun: Do it.

Dawn: Don’t take on to much at the very start, focus on what is important to you and let it grow naturally.

Casey: People at Lincoln University are really lovely and want to see you succeed. Reach out and get to know as many people as you can.

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