Elections 2012

What is the Students’ Union?

UCS Students’ Union is a democratic membership organisation that is the voice of all UCS students.

You are all members of the Students’ Union.

Every student at UCS is automatically a member and has a say in how it is run through elections and their representatives.

The Union ensures that UCS and the wider community are listening to what students want and it works to improve students’ experience at UCS.

The Union provides a number of student-run activities, like sports clubs, societies and social events, as well as on-campus services such as the Campus Shop, Kai (the Students’ Union bar) and Theta (the Students’ Union café).

What are the Elections?

The Union Elections are your opportunity to have a direct say in who becomes the Union’s next full-time officers – President (Education and Engagement) and Vice-President (Rights and Activities) – as well as the all the schools officers and campus officers.

UCS Union is an organisation where our leaders are chosen by all the UCS students. This make us truly representative of our members.

As a student of UCS, you are automatically a member of the Union and are invited to vote in all our elections, whether it’s for a School Officer, Campus Officer or for the President and Vice President of UCS Union, the elections is another opportunity for you to have your say.

When are the Elections?

The next full Elections for the President, Vice President, School Officers and Campus Officers will take place in March 2013. The elected students will take office on 01 July 2013 and stay for one whole year. However by-elections for campus officers for Bury, Otley and Lowestoft and schools officers for Nursing and mid-wifery, and science, technology and health will take place before the end of the calendar year.

How do I vote?

Elections for the Sabbatical Officers and Student Officers are now done completely online. When the election starts you will be sent an e-mail to your UCS e-mail address with instructions on how to register and vote.

You only have to register once! Once you have registered to vote, you can go straight to https://.www.vote.ucsunion.com and log in with your UCS e-mail address.

Who am I voting for?

UCS Union run campus wide elections for the role of President (Education and Engagement) and Vice President (Rights and Activities). Every student at UCS can vote in this election, whether you are full time or part-time, based in Ipswich or based elsewhere such as UCS Bury St Edmunds, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft or Otley.

School Officers and Campus Officers are also voted for by students in that particular School or Campus. These are part-time volunteers and members of the UCS Union Executive Committee.

To learn more about the roles of President, Vice President and the Executive Committee, click here

How do I know which candidate to vote for?

Once you have logged into the UCS Union voting website, you will be able to see a list of all the candidates and all their manifestos and other campaign materials they have produced.

There is a manifesto booklet which is downloadable introducing you to the candidates, why they are running for election and what they aim to achieve once they have been elected.

During the elections, there will also be chances for the candidates to hold question and answer sessions where you can ask the candidates questions about what they aim to do once they are elected and why you should vote for them.

Any questions?

If you have any queries about the elections, please e-mail su.democracy@ucs.ac.uk