Feb
Elections: FAQ
There’s one week to go until nominations for our spring elections close. That’s still plenty of time to nominate yourself or a friend for a role. So what are you waiting for? All your questions are answered right here 👇
1.) How do I nominate myself?
You will need to log in to our website and follow this link. If you have not used our website before, or are a new student starting at Southampton, you do not need to set up a new account. Please use your University credentials; these are the login details for your iSolutions account.
2.) How much work is involved?
This varies depending on the role you choose. You can find out more by looking at the role descriptions here. As a volunteer with SUSU, you will take on your new role alongside your degree and so the work you do with us will be part-time and flexible. We understand that your degree should always come first and so you can change the amount of work you do according to the intensity of your studies through the year.
If you would like to got for a Sabbatical Officer role, this will be full-time and you will become a paid employee of the Union. If you are in your first or second year of University, you will need to take a year out of your degree in order to be a Sabbatical Officer.
3.) What experience do I need to have?
You do not need any experience to come and join the Union. All you need is to be a current student of the University. We give full training and provide ongoing development opportunities for all our volunteers. You can take up a role without prior knowledge so long as you have passion for representing students and ideas for what you would like to achieve next year. At the end you will be able to evidence fantastic skills such as public speaking, budgeting, consultation, leadership and more.
🎬 Watch: Nominate yourself in 6 quick steps
4.) What do I need to do?
When you nominate yourself, you will need to write a short statement to tell your peers “Why vote for me.” This will be a maximum 250 words for a student leader or voluntary officer role and 500 words for a Sabbatical Officer role.
When voting begins, you will need to let other students know that you are a candidate in the election and encourage them to vote for you. Please remember that you can vote for yourself as well.
During the period of Online Campaigning, you will not be able to campaign face-to-face or put up any posters around campus. During Physical Campaigning when you are talking to students directly and putting up your posters, you can be creative and fun with the election. There are some basic rules and guidelines in the By-Law which can be found above. Remember, your studies do come first and the University do not allow for extensions to deadlines or time out of lectures for campaigning with SUSU.
5.) What if I need some help?
If you have any questions or concerns during the Spring Elections period, you can get in touch with the team by emailing elections@susu.org. You can also come and speak to a member of staff in person by popping by the Representation Office; this can be found in Building 40, Highfield Campus.
After nominations have closed, we will let all candidates know about our drop-in times and other ways of getting in touch with the team. We provide support and guidance to all candidates throughout the election period so please remember to get in touch with us if you have any questions.
If you need any additional support after returning from the winter break, you can come and speak to someone at our Advice Centre. We are completely independent from the University with 4 trained advisors who can provide guidance on issues such as Housing, Finance, Academic Appeals and well-being. You can find more details on our website or by emailing us at advice@susu.org
Already planning on running but need some tips? Check out our Top Tips For Candidates blog post by clicking here.
Tags: Elections, nominations, representation, students, Vote Now