10 Reasons to Run in the By-Election

Written By: Edward Pollock

Nominations for this year's RGU:Union By-Election open on 22nd October 2015! You are automatically a member of the students' union, so why not get involved and decide how your union is run! There are a range of positions available in the By-Election, but why should you bother running for them?

Here are 10 Reasons Why YOU should run in the By-Election:

1. You get to be a part of our amazing exec team!

We have a wacky, wild, fun exec team already, and you could join us! We have the #BBQDreamTeam, #Anchorman and our #CondomWelfairy, and you could be next!

2. Be the next #BNOC

With your face plastered all over the walls, and included in all kinds of student communications, you'll no doubt become the next Big Name On Campus! Good or bad, it means you'll get to meet hundreds of students, and make a huge amount of new friends.

3. Those CV Gains

You want to leave uni and walk right into that £50k+ job, right? Well, to do that, you're gonna need a solid CV, and this isn't very many student positions higher than being on the executive committee for the students' union. Along with the title, you'll also be able to gain a host of awards and recognition, and a raft of skills and experiences.

4. Represent over 17,000 students

That's right. Over 17,000 students! You'll be their voice, and be responsible for making their student experience the best it can be. It's a scary number, but also pretty epic!

5. All those freebies

You also get your fair amount of freebies from being on the student exec. Whether that is the unlimited supply of condoms, or your exec t-shirt and hoody, or the current never ending supply of Macaroons, there is always perks of the job!

6. Be responsible for an organisation worth more than £500,000!

You'll sit on the executive board which is responsible for the running of the entirity of RGU:Union, which is worth over £500,000! You'll make decisions on how the union runs, how the money is spent, and your election manifesto will guide what the union does to make students lives better. Trust us, that's pretty cool!

7. Work with student officers across the country

RGU:Union is also affiliated with the National Union of Students, that means we also represent students nationally across the whole country. You can play a part in a national student movement making radical change in SU's across the country, and even with government and national organisations. You'll make friends with student officers from all over the country!

8. Make massive decisions

Most students go through their time at university silently pissed off about one thing or another, and never really changing anything. The student executive are the ones making the huge changes at university. They work with the university and lobby for the changes students want. You can be the vote that makes the huge changes happen.

9. All the balls

Yep, there are a lot of balls. Whether that is Student Achievement Awards Ball, Blues Ball, Graduation Balls, or all the various school/course balls, there is plenty going on. That's not even including national awards balls such as NUS events. The chances are you'll get to go to at least one, and who doesn’t love a good ball.

10. It's incredible fun!

The most important reason for running in the election is that it is amazing fun. You'll do things you never thought you'd do! From dressing up , to climbing mountains, to attending events, to participating in campaigns, and so much more!

That is ten simple reasons why YOU should run in this years RGU:Union By-Election! Okay, so obviously you're convinced now, because it's going to be so much fun, but how do you actually run? First off, find a position that suits you. These are the positions avaliable, all the information can be found here.

• Vice President (Entertainment and Events)
• Vice President (Environment and Ethics)
• Vice President (Sport)
• Vice President (Community)
• Student Trustee
• Postgraduate Governor

The next part is the actual election. Running in an election sounds tough, so it’s not as bad as it seems. Here is the process in some simple steps:

1. First thing you have to do is come by RGU:Union on University Street and pick up an election pack. In the middle you’ll find a nomination form. You need thirty nominations (just pass it around one of your classes with a note explaining why you want their nominations, you’ll have them in a day). 
2. You’ll also need to write a manifesto, which is just a plan of what you want to change if you win, and why people should vote for you. What needs changed for events at RGU? What could you do to make it better? Why you? Write this all down, and promote that during the campaigning. Finally, get a letter from your course leader to prove you are a current enrolled student. Your nomination, manifesto and letter from course leader must be submitted by 5^th November to RGU:Union. 
3. After that you’ll get a candidate briefing, where we’ll explain all the campaigning, and tell you how much money we’ll give you to campaign. 
4. After that, it’s campaigning time! (This is the fun part) Get your posters designed, t-shirts, videos, social media pages. Force your friends to help you, and try and speak to people and ask them to vote for you. It looks scary, but it’s a laugh, and most organisations recognise the courage it takes to run in an election, so this stage shows how determined and hard working you are!
5. Voting is from the 10^th – 12^th November, and you need to get as many people to vote (on the RGU:Union website) as possible! You’ll be invited to a Question Time on 10th November where you’ll be asked questions about why you’re running, and finally, you’ll find out if you’ve won (or not) on the 12^th November!

That's it! Easy peasy! Right, stop procrastinating, and get Word open and start typing that manifesto!  We look forward to seeing you campaigning in November, and hopefully we'll be working with you this year once you win!

If you have any questions, feel free to chat to any of the current executive, or e-mail elections@rguunion.co.uk