SU Elections
DO NOT REMOVE
VOTE DOUG GERMAN for
Students’ Union President 2012-2013 “I’ve had some of the most incredible times of my life at Holloway, made friends I know I’ll keep for life and got to know how the SU works and what opportunities are out there. I want every student to be able to have the experience I had, and I want to help them get it” I want to be an open and accountable President at SURHUL, I want our union to be accessible and transparent to every single student at Holloway; for everyone to know what’s out there. So I want to: • Have weekly Presidential Drop-Ins, advertised on social media and the website, where anyone can come along and ask ANY question to THEIR President • Give lots of opportunities for feedback, through Facebook polls, website questions with prizes, even a President’s Question of the Day: asking students what they think about everything that Holloway does, and what we SHOULD be doing. You can’t claim to represent students if you’re not constantly striving to find out their views and feedback. ENTERTAINMENTS: • •
• Introduce a ‘how was your night?’ page on the website, letting students have their say in their entertain• ments Work to properly integrate all the fantastic performing societies at Holloway into our entertainments: • putting shows on the WhatsOnGuide, getting students out to support and enjoy them and making • use of that stage!
DEMOCRACY: •
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REPRESENTATION:
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Make a full student officer, committee, and staff structure easily available online and in the SU Build contact between the SU and students in freshers’ week, get them informed and involved from the start Make all minutes from meetings easily available to every student Inform more students about the Trustee Board, what it does and how they can get involved, let students have their say in the long-term strategy for our union. Build the relationship between the SU and college to start working for what students want Evaluate how officers truly represent students at Holloway, how we can build our relationship with NUS and between students
Openly publish the Calendar of Meetings and work • with student media so every student knows where to come with any issue they have and how to get involved with different groups that make decisions for Holloway Students A little about Doug’s life at Holloway: Work to better publicise General Meetings in new and creative ways; make them more accessible to • Geography, Politics and IR Student every student at Holloway, whether at home, abroad • First Year Representative or on campus • Entertainments Sub Committee Rep Undertake a review of how elections are run at Hol- • LGBT Male Welfare Rep loway, work towards creative and innovative cam• Equality and Liberation Officer paigning to get more students engaged • Cheerleading Club Secretary • Student Trustee
Head to “www.su.rhul.ac.uk” and have YOUR say about WHO RUNS YOUR UNION. Thanks for reading!
Ruth Nicholson for President – Make your voice heard! I am a member of the SU’s Entertainments and Campaigns sub-committees, a third-year course rep for Music and am active in the SU Education Campaign and Feminist Society. I am also a committee member of Save Our Services in Surrey and sit on National Committee for the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. I am standing for President because I want to build on the work done in the last year to make SURHUL an effective representative and campaigning organisation as well as a great hub of entertainment and culture!
For an outward-looking, campaigning SU SURHUL should be an active, involving organisation that defends and fights to improve the rights of its members. I want to ensure that every student sees involvement in the SU as the best way to solve their problems on campus. I’m committed to eliminating all racism, homophobia, transphobia and sexism on campus through the Zero Tolerance campaign, ensuring your safety on nights out and across campus. Better communication with other London universities via the University of London Union – we’re part of a bigger union of students and should be working more closely to achieve our goals! We also all benefit from working with campaigns like the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. Whether it’s the environment, anti-war activism or international solidarity, hundreds of Royal Holloway students are active in wider campaigns beyond education. I want the SU to support that activism and bridge the gap between our ‘bubble’ and the wider world by encouraging and developing political awareness and discussion on campus. Defend your education Run a campaign to defend education, involving large numbers of lecturers and campus workers as well as students. We should campaign to stop private companies taking over chunks of our education, which has already begun, and mobilise large numbers of Royal Holloway students for national demonstrations and other actions. Continue to strengthen links with lecturers and other staff who are fighting to defend their pay, jobs and working conditions. They back us and we should back them. Work closely with university departments to help protect them against cuts and establish better relationships with heads of departments. I will work with the Vice President (Education and Welfare) to help organise regular student forums where students can discuss their concerns with their course representatives. Stand up for workers’ rights – including student workers Encourage student workers to join unions such as GMB to help them fight for better terms and conditions, and extend this to a campaign to unionise all students who work. I want to produce Know Your Rights at Work materials to raise student awareness and build the campaign. The Zero Tolerance campaign would benefit students who work at the Students’ Union bars, in Rialto and as Sshh! bus drivers. Demand the London Living Wage for all workers at Royal Holloway. Democracy and accessibility: your say in how your union and university are run Campaign for increased student and lecturer representation on College Council – we are the university and should therefore have our say in how it is run! It is a disgrace that we have only 2 students and 4 staff on the College Council, of a board of 24! At the moment, our Trustee Board is 40% made up of non-students – this board can override decisions made democratically in General Meetings. We should democratise the Trustee Board by having more elected students on it. At the moment, it’s far too hard to set up societies and book rooms. That needs to change. Seek out under-represented minorities such as student parents and carers, mature students, postgraduates, off-campus and disabled students and run liberation campaigns to help increase their representation and ensure that all students’ voices are heard. Improving your nights out Make permanent SU staff such as those in Commercial Services more accountable and visible – let’s put events back into the hands of students! I want to encourage societies and departments to put forward proposals for SU nights. That way we can put on a wide variety of different events that people actually want to go to!
Vote online at www.su.rhul.ac.uk!
Here For You •Of course I cannot promise to be available to talk to you personally 100% of the time, but I will vow to have fixed and publicised times during which I will be 100% available. Come chat to me. Don't be scared... I'm quite nice. Student Safety •There are too many areas on campus where there is not enough light. The woods between Founders and The Hub have recently been made slighty brighter, which is fantastic, but there is still not enough light in the woods or on campus in general. I have heard first hand that people feel unsafe when it is dark on campus - this is simply unacceptable and I will endeavour to change this. •Who feels safe walking through Englefield Green at night? I barely do myself... It's not good enough for the council to encourage us not to walk alone or take shortcuts - something should be done. I will do everything in my power to see these alleys and footpaths cleaned up, brightened up and de-foliaged (I don't care whether that's a word or not). •It's great that the Sshh bus picks up from the station at 9:30pm and 12:20am but what about the trains that arrive between these times? I would aim to see more regular station pick-ups after 9:30pm, and on sold-out SU nights another bus running so people are not waiting out in the cold. On quiet nights, pickups from the station would make little difference to the running costs of the service as the bus will already be on duty and often unused for reasonable periods of time. Although the service as a whole is expensive to run and maintain, it's imperative, and it deserves the funding necessary to allow for these changes - this I would fight for as best I can. I would also campaign for a scheduled service to run to Egham and Englefield Green, semi-regularly, from an earlier time during dark winter months. On busy SU nights while there are still huge queues outside, there should be an organised and straightforward way, for students who are not going to the SU, to buy Sshh bus tickets. Looking After Our Own •Student-staff (and ALL staff employed by SURHUL) should receive, at least, the London Living Wage. It is ridiculous that the College pays their student-staff better than the organisation set up to represent and protect the rights and interests of students. •There is a need for greater communication between student-staff and the powers that be. Despite organised forums, staff members still feel un-heard. I will do all I can to change this. •On the subject of communication, there needs to be more accessible channels of communication between the SU and all students. General Meetings are not everyone's cup of tea and are intimidating to some. There should be better comunication and greater transparency without forcing less-involved students to sit through long meetings filled with discussions that are irrelevant or uninteresting to them. Access to Academic and Welfare Services •The union offers some amazing services from advice during academic disputes to help and representation during landlord/estate agent troubles. No one should have to face these issues alone but often people do not know where to turn other than a tearful call to their mum (guilty... minus the tears of course). The SU is here to help and I will actively aim (through campaigns, advertising and other methods) to make sure that students know where to turn, and feel comfortable doing so. •Study space is on the up, but I will not alleviate the pressure for this to increase further. •I will lobby the College to fund better access to academic journals. We should not take for granted the amazing resources at our fingertips and how far things have come in the past 10 years thanks to the internet - but our academic departments should be offering us the best access to journals that they can within reasonable departmental spending limits. Representation •I want to raise the profile of sub-committees such as the Inclusion and Representation Senate so all students from all walks of life, and all ethnicities and lifestyles can be, and feel, strongly and purposefully represented to and by the Students' Union - having their interests accounted for in sensitive and appropriate ways. •Half the time it seems that the only people who know about these committees are the people on them, and the main problem with this is that those who complain about being under-represented don't know where to turn. Let's change that.
Live:
I am still an avid supporter of all things SHAG related, and I feel this year we have really increased the level of awareness regarding everything from STIs to an individual’s sexuality. However, there is still work to do! I want to become even more creative in getting the ‘Safe Sex or No Sex’ mantra out there but also expanding the campaign’s focus, taking on initiatives from groups such as ‘Men can stop rape’ & ‘Hidden Marks.’ Student Safety has been a focus of mine throughout this year and I want to continue to work alongside Student Services, the local PCSOs and Campus Security to have more Safe & Secure days and evenings aimed at all students regardless of age or gender. I am also interested in looking at campus security’s response times to call-outs. The SSHH bus this year has extended its hours, allowing Kingswood students more opportunity to get home and onto campus safely in the dark. We have made steps to increase it further to allow for a 1am library pick up for those students choosing to work late and I am hoping to purchase ticket machines so that these students can buy tickets from Bedford, as well as preventing long waits at the bar when all you want is to go home. Lighting both on & off campus has been highlighted as a priority by RHUL’s Feminist Society and I would love to be able to follow through with the campaign & work alongside College and the local council to improve the lighting in the area. I am determined to get the pathways cleared of overgrown brambles and leaves, making them less intimidating to walk down. Home Sweet Home was launched this year. I want to build on the success of this year, creating a week-long series of events that will give students confidence when searching for housing, I am keen to work alongside Ulet to make sure that we are leading the way in appropriate lettings for the area. In conjunction with this I’d like the RHUL Student Housing bureau to have more vigorous checks for the housing/landlords they advertise as well as having easier avenues for students to make complaints. Mental Health is a growing problem amongst students. I want to make Mental Health & the issues we can all face regarding it something that we do not shy away from. Stressbusters is the first step in relieving the problems for you. I also want to increase awareness amongst departments & academics in what it means to have a mental health issue.
Study:
The library extension is coming and I am committed to making sure this leads to students being provided with an increased space to study & not a ‘one-stop shop’. I want to up the number of e-books available, in particular core texts that are so vital & in demand. The Summer/exam term is not currently working, either over-stressing students with awful exam scheduling or leaving students with nothing to do when you’ve paid to be here. I want to continue working with College to find a long-term solution to this tricky situation. Personal Tutors (or Advisors) has become one of my main priorities this year following discussions with Students and Academics & something that I want to get standardised and transformed for the better. By giving meetings structure and purpose helps you get the most out of your department but also gives you a first point of call if you’re ever unsure of where to turn. The Course Rep system this year is really starting to be given the respect it deserves, firstly earning a place on the RHUL Passport scheme & more recently reps themselves being invited to sit on decision-making meetings with the College. This is something I want to further build on, empowering students to have a voice within their department whilst also looking for a more permanent resolution to give Course Reps the support and time they need & deserve. In addition, I am keen to increase student representation on as many relevant meetings as possible. Employability is a growing buzz word here at RHUL and I’d like every student to realise how employable they are. Not only this but I’d like to look at how much advice & support is given to students who aren’t looking for a career after University but want to continue in education - where should you go for help filling in a Master’s application or applying for funding?
Experience:
I am determined to change Freshers’ Week into ‘Welcome Week’! RHUL is full of every demographic and our ‘Welcome’ Week should be all-encompassing and inviting for every student, not just the typical 18-21 year old Undergraduate. I want to make sure that all students, regardless of when they arrive have a similar welcome to those that arrive in September; any International & PG students arriving in January should get the same Students’ Union memorabilia and a clearer guide on how to sign up to clubs & socs. I want to further the fantastic work already started by the International subcommittee and faith groups to make sure we can put on a range of events to help celebrate the key events throughout the year. I have recently been approached regarding provisions for students with dependents and this is something I am extremely excited to support, from simply setting up an online support network to requesting that departments develop stronger understanding and support for these students. Additionally, by creating positions on the Inclusion & Representation senate I am hoping that their voices can start to be really heard. Postgraduates need a space on campus - there have been calls for the PG common room in Founders to be refurbished and I am eager for this to happen, providing commuting Post Grads with a place to go that is theirs. I am also focused on changing the SCR rules regarding PG taught and PG research. I want the local area guides that I made for this Freshers’ week to be more widely and more readily available to students both on and off campus, as well as creating an easy guide to campus and heavily promoting the Campus Me app to make the first weeks here at RHUL as easy as possible for all students. I want to further the Love Your Neighbour initiative, working with Insanity’s new Community Officers, the College and the local community to strengthen relations between students and local residents. By hosting family friendly events, drop ins & by creating awareness of what it can be like to live in a rented student house I am still hopeful we can slowly begin to remove the stigma surrounding students in the local area.
Carl Welch Vice-President Education & Welfare Education Review the library fine system. . Make sure any potential library expansion is used for books and study spaces, not for the relocation of the careers service/ a new lecture theatre etc. Immerse the SU in an educative culture, with a series of guest lectures in the day/early evening. The SU should aim to develop the whole person. Scrutinise every attempt that college management makes at “restructuring the academic portfolio” and campaign rigorously when their plans do not stand up to scrutiny. Push for the introduction of more plug-sockets on the newly refurbished floor 1 of Bedford library. Make sure students are consulted about the refurbishment of all teaching space.
Welfare
Work with College and Runnymede Council to ensure that the alleys leading to Kingswood are better maintained. Introduction of an Interfaith Week – Faith societies are among the most active on campus and provide important spiritual support to students complimentary to welfare support provided by the College and the SU. Improve integration of international students into the union allowing them to benefit from Welfare Support. Aim to make food on campus more affordable.
VICE PRESIDENT COMMUNICATION + CAMPAIGNS WHO AM I?
• Jamie Green, aged 22. • Media Arts Student. Insanity Radio Presenter 2010-2012. Former Full-Time Community Radio Presenter / News Editor before University. SU Security Steward 2011-2012.
MANIFESTO Bring Back NUS Cards:
• Let’s give students a real membership card for SURHUL! Let’s get students their discounts without having to pay for an NUS-extra card and allow them easy access to other SUs.
Widening Participation:
Let’s widen participation in the Union and listen to all points of view by: • Intending to launch a more interactive website with plenty of Online Polls and Surveys so you can make your views heard! • Setting up my monthly meeting called “Jamie’ll Fix It” where I’ll spend-time listening to the ways the union can be improved and take suggestions for new campaigns. • Making campaigns more creative and setting up of a regular Campaigns Forum where current issues/policies can be debated, or to be used as a focus group for current campaigns. • Campaigning against SU commercial services charging high amounts for the use of the SU venues, and rallying Societies throughout the year.
Defending Education:
I aim to continue with the current education campaign: • I will strive to widen participation regarding the current Education Campaign, expel the myths that we can’t make a
tion cuts. • I feel the role of the union during this time of re-structuring should to be to ask the questions to the college over cuts, and rally support from students to demand the answers. • I will support campaigns against unfair or unnecessary job cuts to support our lecturers!
Bigger, Better & Diverse Campaigns:
• weeks e.g.: Gender and Sexuality involving LGBT/Feminist Society and Black History Month involving ACS. • Helping the Student Workers by creating links with Trade independent representation and campaigning for a • Sustainability: I support environmental campaigns and believe we should strive for Greener, Less Wasteful and Sustainable University!
Insanity Radio:
• I intend to use my own personal experience in community radio to support Insanity and its FM License. • To Widen Participation and get as many hands on deck as • To create links with more organizations who can help Insanity • To make Insanity not only a sustainable business, but a pillar of the community!
The Orbital:
• Like Insanity, I feel it’s important that The Orbital finds a place in the greater community and build more ties with businesses who can help them and vice versa! • I will work to increase visibility and circulation of the Orbital – measuring these aspects will help sustain and improve the quality of this publication!
VOTE GREEN
Vote Lydia for VPSA! Improve communication speed and efficiency. Increase training spaces for clubs and rehearsal/meeting spaces for societies. Improve accountability and transparency. Provide clubs and societies with improved, effective committee training. Improve relationships between clubs and societies and Commercial Services. Increase sponsorship, fundraising and volunteering opportunities specific to clubs and societies. Promote clubs, societies and Student Activities effectively and continually throughout the year; and work closer with Insanity Radio, The Orbital and SATV in order to help enable this. Make better use of the Student Activities Committee to ensure a more productive and efficient Student Activities Department and a better relationship between Student Activities and clubs and societies.
Want wood? W Get wood!
HEYWOOD!
IAN STEWART
FOR
VPSA
YES WE CAN!
About Me: RHUL BSc Psychology Graduate Currently studying MSc International Human Resource Management Vice President and Captain of RHUL Bears American Football
Manifesto
Duty Manager/Security Supervisor for Student’s Union Residential Support Assistant All round big dawg
¥ Participation for all
o No one left behind – Working towards providing a platform for any student that wishes to get involved, so that no one is turned away
¥ Encouraging more innovative management of Sports Clubs and Societies
o Sports Clubs and Societies should be encouraged to build and develop in order to achieve growth and long-term sustainability, ‘breaking the mould’ through new innovations
¥ Greater transparency
o Processes like room booking should be more open and transparent with an interactive online booking service that all can use and see
¥ Increased collaboration
o Sports Clubs and Societies should be encouraged to collaborate on mutually beneficial projects so that there are more successful joint ventures such as Martial Arts Day and A Night At The Theatre
¥ Campaign for a better deal for Sports Clubs and Societies
o A reduction in the cost of using SU venues would allow for more events to be arranged without a Sports Club or Society risking their financial future
¥ Greater involvement in the wider community
o Sports Clubs and Societies should be provided with more opportunities to be more active in the local community
Some may say that the SU could never achieve all these goals, well I say with me as Vice President of Student Activities:
“Yes we can”
At a time when education faces difficult times ahead, it is paramount that our Union becomes more transparent and democratic in order to support education and address your needs better and more efficiently. I want to become YOUR Student Trustee. I believe in:
Democracy Student trustees are an opportunity to hold all external trustees to account and safeguard student welfare and interests. Decision making should be devoid of any personal or political agenda that will directly compromise student welfare. My top priority is equal say; every opinion will be heard and considered, so all subsequent decisions taken will be fair and relevant to current issues. Experience I am currently SURHUL People & Planet President and last year I was a member of SURHUL International Students’ Subcommittee. Governance In order to provide you with the high quality services you deserve, the Union needs proper oversight of our finances. I will constantly be looking at obtaining new channels of funding for our Union, but at the same time ensure the best possible allocation of our limited resources. Balancing sound finances and important student needs will be a difficult task. I will be fully supporting any lobbying of the University for increased funding by the Sabbatical Officers where and when it is justified. Strategic Direction Trustees are not a political position; they exist to provide support and oversight both to Union Members and Officers alike. The Sabbatical team is elected promising a vision for the future. As a trustee I will do my best to guarantee that the Sabbatical officers will have generous and effective assistance to fulfill their mandate legally and constitutionally. Commitment Too often unions are run by a dominant minority. We need trustees that will make the Union accessible to everyone and relevant to ordinary students. My most ambitious goal is to increase student participation and to actively engage people who currently see themselves as alienated within the student body. This will not only lead to fairer representation but also to improved accountability. Finally, I will ensure that strategies, policy and budget are appropriate and advantageous towards students. Please vote George #1 for Student Trustee!
As a Student Trustee, on the SURHUL Board of Trustees I would vote and raise issues in accordance to the following manifesto points: o
Increase channels of communication/support for those wishing to air views regarding the union and how it works by making myself, as a trustee available to members, the General Meeting, the executive and other committees, college and other involved bodies.
o
Ensure the union has efficient communication and relations with college and increases the representation of students in regards to college issues.
o
Support campaigns and causes voted for within relevant bodies of the Union.
o
To ensure the students’ union listens to YOUR views and is run in a democratic and representative manner and maintains credibility as a Students’ Union meeting the needs of all its members.
o
Ensure the Union maintains its current policies regarding equality, including no tolerance of discrimination towards any persons involved. Further to this, to encourage the Union to take any steps necessary should any policy on equality need to be improved.
o
To increase awareness of the Union itself and opportunities to get involved in and communicate with the Union.
o
Hold the Union accountable for actions (including financial action) to ensure it is being run in a fair and unbiased manner, at the same time maintaining the Union’s reputation and credibility.
o
To ensure the Union acts within the law and considers its status as a registered charity whilst maintaining their aims, values and missions.
Why should you vote for me? o I’ve been involved with the Students’ Union for about a year. In this time I’ve come to learn a great deal about how the Union works.
o I am familiar with the Students’ Union, Royal Holloway University of London constitution;
therefore have sufficient knowledge to ensure the Union acts within this. I’m also prepared to invest in knowledge regarding charitable laws and other policy the Union must regard.
o I’m aware of and believe in the aims, values and missions of the Students’ Union, therefore I can ensure the Union is taking steps towards meeting these.
Societies, RAG & Media Ball
11th February 2012
Renaissance Hotel
Tickets: ÂŁ38 Tickets available online from: www.su.rhul.ac.uk Champagne reception 3 course dinner and wine Awards ceremony Live DJ and dancing Coaches to/from venue