Contents

Introduction 1
Message from the
Chief Executive 2
Elections Timeline 3
Available positions 6
10
Nomination work-
shop & candidate
briefing

12
The Rules: keeping
elections fair

18
Frequently asked
questions
Introduction
What is this pack for?

This pack is a guide for people interested in running for elections. It should
give you everything that you need to be a candidate. If you want to run for
elections and be a candidate all you have to do is complete a nomination
form online
The Nomination form can be found online at www.uwlsu.com/your-voice/elec-
tions/
You will receive a confirmation that this has been received.

What are elections?

UWLSU is a charity directed and run by UWL students that is here to make things
better for students at UWL. From Tuesday 12th March to Friday 15th March
2019, UWL students will vote to decide who they want to represent them. By
handing in these forms you nominate yourself to become a candidate for one of
the positions available to be run and lead UWLSU for students.

Can I talk to somebody about nominating myself?

Yes! You can arrange a meeting by coming along to SU Central or email su.elec-
tions@uwl.ac.uk.
Message from the
SU CEO
Tye McMahon, Chief Executive

Hi!
You’ve picked up a nomination pack, which means you might be interested in
becoming one of the student leaders who direct UWLSU and make sure amazing
things are happening for UWL students.
Becoming a sabbatical officer of UWLSU is one of the best things you could possi-
bly do. It’s hard work, but you are able to meet some awesome people, enhance
your employment prospects through learning new skills and do things to enhance
the student experience of those that follow you. You will also have a lot of fun
along the way.
Some people might think that students can’t change anything. Well, over the
coming year, UWLSU staff members are here to support you and help you lead
change for students, making UWL a better place. Over the last couple of years
along the SU has won you more shuttle buses, extended library opening hours,
enhanced teaching and learning and secured over £10 million of investment in
new student spaces including the Sports Centre currently under construction.
Students are really powerful, and you could be one of the student leaders that
make UWL the best possible place to be. Plus, as an added bonus, you get paid
fulltime for your year in office.
You don’t need any training or previous experience to become a student lead-
er; you just need to be passionate about making things better for UWL students.
These roles are perfect for anybody who wants to make a difference, and we will
give you all the training you need to win your election and do the job brilliantly.
I really hope you decide to nominate yourself for election, next year this could be
you!
Good luck!
Tye McMahon
Chief Executive Officer
UWLSU
Election Timeline
Keep an eye on these dates...

Nominations Open: Voting Closes:

Monday 11th February 2019 10am Friday 15th March, 12pm
Via www.uwlsu.com
Nominations workshop: Complaints Deadline:
(Optional session for prospective candi- Friday 15th March, 12pm
dates)
Monday 18th February at 1pm in the Read- Expenses Deadline:
Friday 15th March, 12pm
ing SU office (9th floor)
Wednesday 20th February at 12pm in the Results Announced:
Monday 18th March, 5pm
SMR SU Conference Room This is subject to delay at the discretion
of the Returning Officer
Wednesday 20th February at 5pm in the
Paragon SU Conference Room
Nominations Close:
Friday 22nd February 2019 12pm
Candidate Briefing:
(mandatory for candidates and campaign
teams)
Monday 25th February at 5pm in Paragon
PHG03
Tuesday 26th February at 5pm in SMR
BY.01.017
First Manifesto and Publicity Deadline:
Wednesday 27th February, 5pm
(This is not compulsory but we will give
you some feedback on your material so you
can make some changes for the final dead-
line on Thursday.)
Final Manifesto and Publicity Deadline:
Monday 4th March, 5pm
If you miss this deadline, your photograph
and manifesto may not appear in our elec-
tions materials
Publicity Collection:
Friday 8th March, 12pm SU Conference
room, SMR
Candidate Breakfast:
Tuesday 12th March 10am,
SU Conference room, SMR
Campaigning Begins:
Tuesday 12th March, 12pm across all cam-
puses
Voting Opens:
Tuesday 12th March, 12pm
www.uwlsu.com and ballot stations across
all campuses (SMR Reception, Heartspace,
Paragon Reception, Fountain House)
What positions are
available?
In this Spring election there are 3 paid positions available; President, Vice
President Education and Vice President Activities & Participation. There is also
1 volunteer position of Student Trustee.
To be eligible for a paid position, you can either take a year out to hold office
and then return to your studies, or you can run for these positions in your final
year and hold office after you have graduated. The only requirement is that
you are a current student at UWL and over the age of 18. For the voluntary
position you will be holding that position during your studies.
President

The President is the principle representative

of UWLSU. They speak on behalf of all UWL
students and lead on making the UWL student
experience the best it can be. As well as over-
seeing and chairing many of the democratic
functions of the union, they chair the Trustee
Board, which ensures legal compliance, fi-
nancial security and strategic performance of
UWLSU.

They sit on a large number of the most pow-

erful university committees, including the UWL
Board of Governors. Being a university governor means that the President is
not only responsible for UWLSU, but also for the financial, strategic and legal
performance of the university too.

Vice-President Education

The Vice-President Education spends most

of their time in university committees rep-
resenting the opinions of all UWL students
to improve their educational experience,
focussing on issues such as fees, academic
support, contact hours and timetabling.

They work closely with hundreds of student

course representatives to improve the way
UWL delivers teaching for all students, and
they are responsible for student welfare
issues such as health, safety, finances and
equality. They are also a trustee of UWLSU, responsible for the legal, strategic
and financial performance of the organisation.
 Vice-President Student Activities
and Participation

The Vice-President Student Activities and

Participation is responsible for ensuring
there are opportunities for extra-curricu-
lar student activities such as volunteering,
sports, and societies, so that UWL students
can feel a sense of community and belong-
ing and enhance their employment pros-
pects.

Student Trustee

Every year, two students are elected to sit

on the UWLSU trustee board. They lead
and influence the direction of Student Un-
ion. You will be required to attend up to 6
meetings per year, as well as other training
opportunities and meetings. We will be
electing one student trustee during these
elections as we already have one in post.
To find out more information about being
a charity trustee, check out the National

Council for Voluntary Organisation’s website:

https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/governance/getting-started-in-governance/trustees
Nomination
Workshop
If you are unsure about being a candidate and want to know more about the
elections and what the roles and elections entail, please come along to one of the
following sessions where you can ask any questions, go through the nominations
form and get any extra help you may need!

• Monday 18th February at 1pm in the Reading SU office (9th floor)

• Wednesday 20th February at 12pm in the SMR SU Conference Room
• Wednesday 20th February at 5pm in the Paragon SU Conference Room

Candidate briefing and training

You will get a full briefing and training on how to run an election campaign. This
will provide useful in giving you the skills to run a successful campaign, promote
yourself as a candidate and also how to ensure you follow all the rules. The brief-
ings will be at the following times;

• Monday 25th February 2019 at 5pm in Paragon PHG03

• Tuesday 26th February 2019 at 5pm in SMR BY.01.017

It is mandatory for all candidates and campaign teams to attend the

briefing as it will give you guidance on how to run your campaign.
Please confirm on the nomination form that you can attend one of these training
sessions.

If you are unable to attend training, please email su.elections@uwl.ac.uk as soon

as possible to arrange another time for training.
The Rules
Keeping elections fair...

Keeping elections fair is our top priority, and these rules are designed to
ensure that no candidates get an unfair advantage and that voters have an
equal opportunity to elect their representatives. We’ve done our best to make
sure there’s no reason for anybody to feel discouraged from participating in
the elections.
Breaking a rule is very serious – if any of these rules are broken, the Return-
ing Officer will act to ensure the elections are fair, which can include disqual-
ifying candidates or stopping the election. We don’t want this to happen –
please follow these rules, and remember that winners have positive attitudes!
Please note, that this list of rules is not exhaustive, and it will be up to the Re-
turning Oficer to decide if candidates or campaign teams have broken rules.
Please make sure you campaign within the spirit of these rules:

Campaign when/where you’re allowed

Only campaigning between Tuesday 12th March, 12pm and Friday 15th
March, 12pm No campaigning inside voting zones, in the library or
in Villiers House. SU office is a campaign free zone, however the SU
conference room at SMR is campaign HQ where the Deputy Returning Officer
will be based and you can pick up your material.

Stick to the budget (£15)

Keep your receipts - you’ll need to hand them in by 12pm on Friday 15th
March
If any candidate could get a material for free, it doesn’t cost you anything.
Be considerate when asking people to vote for
you and respect their choices
Let them vote in peace and decide for themselves.
Don’t vote on their behalf.
Only the person voting is allowed in the voting areas. Candidates and campaign
teams are not allowed to enter the voting area, or campaign to a voter who is in
the voting area.
Don’t campaign to students who are using a computer or tablet device.
You may use your connections through student groups to support your campaign,
but you and your campaign team members cannot use any committee positions or
other positions of power to pressure students into voting for you.
For example, you can message a Facebook group with a campaigning message.
However, if you are the President, a committee member or otherwise have a po-
sition of power within the student group, you can’t command other students in the
group to campaign for you or vote for you.

Be considerate of other candidates

Respect their campaign materials.

Don’t make it personal.

Access to resources must be open to all

For example, any student who is a member of a student group (such as a sports
team or society) must have fair and open access to the student group’s resources
to use for campaigning, including Whatsapp and Facebook groups.
Only UWLSU members (UWL students and current elected sabbatical officers) are
allowed to participate in the elections as candidates or campaigners. Candidates
may decide to support each other’s campaigns and run as a ‘slate’ (a team). You
may not have non-members (anybody who is not a current UWL student or sab-
batical officer) on your campaign team.
You may use social networks such as Facebook and Whatsapp groups to ask for
support with your campaign or for votes, but respect the choice of all students to
not support you or vote for you.
Rules apply to campaign teams too
A list must be provided stating the names of all campaign members that will be
taking part in the elections. If anybody acting on behalf of your campaign breaks a
rule it means you have broken a rule.
You are responsible for making sure your team understand and follow the rules.
Campaign teams should attend training from the Deputy Returning Officer, and if
you need further support with this then you should ask the Deputy Returning Officer
for help at the earliest opportunity.

University Rules and Regulations and the

Law
Please ensure that you campaign within the university’s rules and regulations
and how you campaign is not illegal.
Be aware that the university do not want any posters or helium balloons in the
new Heartspace on campus. (Posters may be put up on pin up boards)

Voting will be by ‘alternative vote’

This means voters will number their candidates by order of preference.

If in doubt, ask!

Ask for Matt in the SU HQ on the Ealing site or email su.elections@uwl.ac.uk

 Returning Officer

Peter Robertson from the National Union of Students is the Returning Officer
in charge of making sure the election is fair, so their say will be final. Matthew
Myles-Brown is our Head of Membership and Deputy Returning Officer, so will
be acting on NUS’ behalf in the first instance.

Complaints

If you are worried that a rule has been broken by another candidate, email
su.elections@uwl.ac.uk with the details of your complaint and you will receive
a reply within 24 hours.
For complaints about the election, the deadline is 12pm on Friday 15th March.
Any requests for a re-count must be submitted within 24 hours of the verbal
announcement.
 Things that you don’t need to submit receipts for

We want you to be able to spread the word about your campaign to the best
of your ability. So for the following items, which we feel no candidates would
have trouble accessing in reasonable quantities, we won’t need you to submit
receipts and they won’t form part of your budget.

Cardboard
Paper
Paint
Sheets (e.g. bed sheets)

String
Sticky tape (not to be used on the walls!)
Cable ties
Glue (not to be used on the walls!)
Pens
Blu Tack String
Sticky tape (not to be used on the walls!)
Cable ties
Glue (not to be used on the walls!)
Pens
Blu Tack
Scissors
Paintbrushes
4 T-shirts for your campaign team
Any other reasonable craft materials (if in doubt, ask!)
Scissors
Paintbrushes
4 T-shirts for your campaign team
Any other reasonable craft materials (if in doubt, ask!)
Rules about how to
campaign
No balloons on campus at all.

Under no circumstances are posters, stickers or anything allowed on the walls

or floors in Heartspace. You can campaign there, but you need to keep the
space new and fresh. You can put posters on the SU display boards we will
have there.

Do not interrupt a class with campaigning. You can ask the teacher if you can
speak for 30 seconds at the beginning of classes. If the teacher says no, you
must not campaign to that class.

Do not put campaign material on fire exits, fire extinguishers or anything that
puts students’ safety at risk.

Nothing permanent can be used. For example you cannot glue posters to the
wall, or put anything up that leaves a mark.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Who is able to run for positions?
UWLSU members, as defined by the UWLSU constitution, are eligible to
run in the elections. In order to have a trustee position at the Student’s
Union there will also be an additional eligibility declaration that must
be completed before the elections start, you will be briefed on this once
your nomination is received. There will be three eligibility checks; once
nominations are submitted, once again if you are elected, and finally
at the start of your term in office. You have to be a UWLSU member
throughout all checks. If you are worried about your UWLSU mem-
bership status, you are obliged to tell us, failure to do so is deemed a
breach of rules. You can find the constitution online at https://www.
uwlsu.com/pageassets/about/find-us/FINAL-ARTICLES. Candidates must
be over 18 at the time of the elections.

Is being a Sabbatical Officer full time?

There are 3 positions available and all are full-time. The sabbatical of-
ficer positions are for one year, paid £22,500 p.a. salary (including
London weighting) and you can take one year out of your degree to do
this.
When does it start?

All roles start at the beginning of June 2019. You will receive confirma-
tion of exact dates after the elections.

Do I get holiday?

Sabbatical officer positions get 25 days paid annual leave as well as

university closures at Christmas and standard bank holidays as paid
holiday.

Can I have another job??

Sabbatical officers must request permission from the trustee board if they
wish to have another job alongside this one.
Do
Can IIstudy
getattraining?
the same time?
You can’t study at UWL alongside a sabbatical officer position without the trustee
All positions will get lots of training to make you as prepared for the job as you
board’s permission.
can be.

Can
Do you Ihave
sudyto be at thefinal
inv your sameyear? time?
You don’t have to be in your final year to run for any of these positions.
You can’t study at UWL alongside a sabbatical officer position without the trustee
board’s permission. For the trustee position you will need to be a student during
the
Cannext academicstudents
international year. run for these positions?
Yes, for any position. Be aware that for sabbatical positions there may be visa impli-
cations,international
can students
so we will point you to some advice onrun for these
this when you let us positions?
know you are an
international student.
Yes, for any position. Be aware that for sabbatical positions there may be visa im-
plications,
When can Iso wecampaigning?
start will point you to some advice on this when you let us know you
are
You an
caninternational student.to vote for you and distributing materials from midday
start asking students
Tuesday 13th March 2018 until 2pm Friday 16th march 2018. Before this time you can
When can I start campaigning?
ask your friends for advice on your ideas and for their help with your campaign. If in
doubt, write to su.elections@uwl.ac.uk to ask.
You can start asking students to vote for you and distributing materials from 12pm
on Tuesday 12th March 2019 until 12pm Friday 15th March 2019. Before this
time you can ask your friends for advice on your ideas and for their help with
Do I get any help with my election from the union?
your campaign. If in doubt, write to su.elections@uwl.ac.uk to ask.
Yes! We are putting on two training sessions called “How to win your election” on
Do I get
Monday any
5th and help
Tuesday 6thfrom theinSU?
March 2018 the William Barry Theatre at 6pm -
9pm. It is compulsory to attend training. You will also be able to access staff support
throughout
Yes! We areyour election
putting and will bebriefing
on candidate refunded up to £15
sessions for following
at the your campaign
times costs.
to help
you prepare for the elections, go over the election rules and also answer any
questions;
What happens
• Mondayif 25th
I break the rules?
February 2019 at 5pm in Paragon PHG03
The
• Returning
Tuesday 26th February 2019 atdisqualify
Officer could potentially you BY.01.017
5pm in SMR from the election or stop the
election altogether.
You will also be able to access staff support throughout your election and will be
refunded up to £15 for your campaign costs.
What happens if I want to do something but I am not sure it’s allowed?
What
Come intohappens if or
the office and ask I break the rules?
email su.elections@uwl.ac.uk.

The Returning Officer could potentially disqualify you from the election or stop
the election altogether.

What happens if I want to do something

but am unsure?
Come into the office and ask for Matt Myles-Brown or e-mail su.elections@uwl.
ac.uk

Can I run if I’m FE?

If you are an FE student, you must be over 18 years old to run.