And the nominations are open! Why we need Postgrads running in LSESU elections.
In just 3 short weeks candidates will be waiting baited breath to discover whether or not they’ve successfully been elected in the SU elections. These are the students who will lead LSESU and shape the future direction of the organisation. If you’ve got the passion and drive, it could be you!
Why postgrads should run:
Up and down the country in different Students Unions, too often our elections are largely dominated by undergrads. It’s key that our LSESU is driven at every level by the needs of our students, and to ensure that, we need a good mix of both undergrads and postgrads to keep a full focus of the student experience.
Chances are, if you’ve got a gripe about something, many of your peers will share it too, and you could be the person to take your collective voice further! Here are some ideas you might want to think about when thinking about running for election and to get the ‘postgraduate’ vote:
Issues of space (postgraduate social spaces or workspace for postgrads)
Issues of funding (how postgraduate fund themselves, and the cuts to funding by the government and research council)
Weekend/out of term provision (what happens when the undergraduates disappear? The postgrads are still here but provision may reduce!)
Matters of pre-course information (did you get everything you needed before you started?)
Employability (Is the university and/or SU doing enough do you think to support students find jobs in the big bad world? Have some nifty ideas about how to improve student employability or get our students better links with employers?)
International postgraduates ( for the fees that are paid, does the university and SU support the needs of our international students?
Caring responsibilities (do the needs of our student-parents and student-carers get sufficiently met? Perhaps the costs of the crèche are too prohibitive or the hours are too restricted and you want to do a campaign on this?)
Communication (perhaps you think there is a lack of clear communication or mixed messages from the school or the SU to its postgrads? Perhaps you’ve got ideas about how to utilise social media more to get in contact with our busy postgrads?)
What position can postgrads run for?
Well, quite simply, all of them!
If you’re a part-time postgraduate, have you thought about running for a part-time role for the forthcoming 2013-14 academic coming year? The great thing about part-time officer roles is that it allows you to get involved whilst still studying. There are a number of roles available which all specialise on their own focussed portfolio to further the needs of those students you represent, as well as participating in wider-related campaigns in Civil Society. The roles available are the Womens’ Officer, Disabled Students’ Officer, Anti-Racism Officer, Ethics and Environment Officer, LGBT Students’ Officer, Athletics Union President and International Students’ Officer as well as RAG President.
Or perhaps you are seeking the opportunity to break up your studies? By taking a break for a year, this would give you opportunity to seek election in a full-time paid position as a sabbatical? So often the sabbaticals of a students union are largely all undergraduates. Running for a sabbatical officer as a postgraduate at LSE gives you a unique position, as you know first hard the experience of the 55% of the student body who are postgrads.
Whilst you may want to become more involved with the students union, you might not necessarily wish to become an elected officer. This election period is calling for 5 democracy Committee positions to be filled. The Democracy Committee oversee the elections and run the UGM. This position serves as a great opportunity to get involved in the democratic policy and procedures of the SU.
Finally, you may wish to think about becoming a trustee of the union. Whilst you’re only expected to attend around 5 meetings a year, the position requires a high level of commitment and responsibility. Trustees of the Students’ Union are responsible for the legal, financial and strategic future of the LSESU.
For more information on the different roles and what they entail, read further on the LSESU website...
Interested? Where to go next…
For more information take a look at our elections FAQ.
Nominations open Monday 18th February, and close Monday 25th.
Voting takes place 6-7th March.
Visit our elections Facebook page.
