in the 2011
elections
eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections
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Timeline Nominations Open (7th February)
You can now submit your nomination form to EUSA reception and officially start your campaign.
Printing Opens (7th February)
Providing you have submitted a nomination form you will have access to your printing budget and be able to start ordering publicity. (See page 10)
Nominations Close (17th February, 12 noon)
Ensure you have submitted your nomination form and photo by now.
Election Statement Deadline (21st February, 12 noon)
Make sure you have submitted your election statement online at www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections. (See page 9)
Multiple Candidacy Deadline (21st February, 12 noon)
You can stand for more than one Student Council or Union position but you may only take up one of these. Go to www. eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections to specify your order of preference.
Last Printing Orders (25th February, 12 noon)
This is the last date on which you can order printed publicity from your allocated budget. To be guaranteed return of your print job by end of day 28 February you must submit by 3pm, 24 February.
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Elections Debate (28th February, 7.30pm)
A debate for the Sabbatical candidates. If you are standing for a Sabbatical position you will need to be prepared to answer questions about your campaign and your policies. If you are standing for any other position, you should come along and ask questions!
Pollock Door Knocking Day (27th February, 3pm-6pm)
Times during which you can door-knock in Pollock are restricted. You can go door knocking in Pollock on this day between 3pm and 6pm.
Pollock Door Knocking Days (28th February - 2nd March)
You can go door knocking in Pollock on these days between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
Voting Period (2nd March, 9am - 3rd March, 6pm) Vote online on MyED.
Election Count (3rd March, after 8.30pm)
Head to Teviot Debating Hall to find out who has been elected.
Cleanup Deadline (7th March, 9am)
If you have put up posters on lampposts or railings then they need to have been taken down by this deadling or you’ll pay a fine.
The Elections EUSA is a democratic organisation run by students, for students. This means that we have elections to decide who will represent student views and campaign on student issues. Many students have never stood in an election before so we thought it would be a good idea to give you some tips on what running an election campaign involves. Student activists who have a lot of campaign experience often have lots of tips to pass on to those who are new to it. Here, we have collected some of that advice and condensed it into a short but sweet election guide. Enjoy!
the elections
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Before it kicks off The majority of your election campaign itself will happen in the fortnight before elections, once nominations have closed. This means that you have to have your campaign prepared and ready to go in advance, which can involve lots of planning and organisation. Here’s what to do before you hand in your nomination form.
What to run for
Choosing which position to run for is just about the most important decision you will make in the election. Make sure you do your research in advance, in this guide and through www.eusa.ed.ac. uk/elections, to identify the role that suits you. You can stand for more than one position, but you can
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only take up one seat on Student Council. Let us know your order of preference in advance, and we’ll make sure we announce your preferred position first.
Asking questions
The opportunity profiles available on-line give a pretty good explanation of the roles, but nothing can beat talking through the role with a real person. There are always people more than happy to answer questions about any of the roles and there are two key ways to get in touch with them: 1.
E mail reception@eusa. ed.ac.uk to get in touch with EUSA reception, they will find the best person to answer your questions.
2.
P op into the EUSA office in Potterrow and make an appointment to see one of the Sabbatical Officers.
Tell your friends
Your friends are an invaluable asset during the election and will come in handy at just about every stage. So let them know you are standing. Get their ideas and advice, get them excited about helping you. It is always easier if you have other people supporting you, and getting their input on your policies makes them feel part of your campaign right from the start.
Start Planning
Different positions require different amounts of work and different amounts of planning. Have a read
through the rest of the guide and identify everything you will need to do in the weeks running up to the elections. That includes looking up academic deadlines, holidays or anything else that takes up your time. Things will be a lot easier if you organise your time in advance.
The Elections Every candidate should be ready for an election campaign and be ready to prove themselves as the best candidate to the student body. Voters will have the opportunity to “Re-open Nominations”, so if they don’t like any of the candidates they can still vote against them. This means that even if you are the only candidate, you still have to run a campaign to be elected.
How To Vote
All voting is done online and is accessible day and night whilst the polls are open. During polling days links through to the elections get a top spot on MyEd and the EUSA website, plus candidates with their own websites usually put a prominent link on their
front pages to direct people. Students can vote for as many or as few positions as they want and can go back and change their vote up until the close of polls. You can rank all of the candidates in your order of preference, including “Re-open Nominations”.
Transferable Vote
In any EUSA election you can rank candidates in order of preference. You choose your first choice and then rank as many or as few further candidates as you want. This means that if your first choice isn’t elected then your vote transfers to your second choice and so on. More detailed information on this can be sought from EUSA. The key thing is that even if someone doesn’t want to
put you as their first choice, you still want to persuade them to list you later on in their rankings as their vote could still clinch you a victory.
Multiple Candidacies
You can stand for as many or as few positions as you want to, but you can only hold one seat on any committee. So you could stand for every position on Committee of Management, for example, but you only get to take up one seat. Prior to the elections you will need to rank your candidacies in order of preference and the returning officer will try and ensure that the position you want most is announced first.
VOTE!
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Positions up for grabs Student Council School Reps School reps form the backbone of the Student Council. They are the key link in communicating students views on a school level, up through Student Council and to the university. They draw on their own experiences as well as listening to their peers to identify problems then driving solutions throughout the university. Council Members There are many positions available that improve the student experience in specific areas including accommodation, student finance, ensuring equal opportunities and enhancing student services around campus. The roles tackle
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issues affecting student within the university, in the local area and parliament from Holyrood to Westminster. Convenors Student Council is made up of sub-committees which formulate policy in specific areas. Each committee has a convenor, so there is one for Academic Services, Welfare, Teaching & Learning and External issues. These individuals chair the committees, channel everyone’s problems and solutions into an effective campaign that makes a difference and solves the problem. Convenors also form the Student Council Executive committee. There are also several Action Groups (such as LGBT
Action Group and Women’s Action Group) which focus on campaigns surrounding specific liberation campaigns. If you are elected to one of these roles, you will be coopted onto Student Council so that you can bring policy and engage in debates, but you are not a full Council member so you won’t get a vote.
Committee of Management (CoM) Union Exec These five roles are there to ensure the Union (as in, the services that EUSA run) is delivering for students; they work with managers throughout EUSA to improve services for students. The roles are split, with one officer focusing on Shops, Catering, Bars, Entertainment and Ethics & Environment.
Ordinary Members The ordinary members work with the members of Union Exec to define a vision for what difference the Union should be making on the student experience.
Societies Societies Convenor This role chairs the Societies Executive, which is made up of leaders from across many societies. The Convenor is key in pushing for improved society facilities and resources from EUSA and the university. Societies Secretary Provides support to the convenor, helping students wanting to set up new societies and organising big profiling opportunities like the Societies Fair during Freshers’ Week.
Societies Treasurer Doesn’t have to actually organise every societies’ accounts but helps give support to society treasurers and helps societies secure outside funding. Finance Committee Most of these positions are filled by students elected from other committees, however there are three ordinary student positions available in the elections. Finance Committee oversees the finances of the organisation and acts as the board of trustees, ensuring that all parts of the organisation are using their resources effectively to deliver for students. The Finance Committee are also the board of directors for EUSA’s spin off trading company EUSA Co. NUS Delegates EUSA is a highly active member of the National
Union of Students (NUS) within Scotland and the whole UK. The focal point of this involvement is at national conferences, to which we send a delegation of students to represent EUSA. Delegates are responsible for representing the views of students as defined by the highest student decision making body, the Student Council.
Sabbaticals The sabbaticals are four elected students who take a year out of their degrees(or who are about to graduate) to work full time to improve the student experience. Each sabbatical has a specific remit and set of issues to tackle, but they are also collectively responsible for ensuring that EUSA as an organisation is developing to meet the future needs of students.
President The figurehead of EUSA and the main point of contact with the world outside of the university. The role is involved in everything that EUSA does, but particularly focuses on tackling student issues outside of the university from funding to accommodation. It is important to remember that the president is not in charge of EUSA and is not the boss of the other sabbaticals. Vice-President Services (VPS) The VPS remit covers the student unions, ensuring that the buildings we have and the services we operate are run for students. The role provides a constant student voice within the unions, driving through changes and improvements that students need and demand. The VPS is also responsible for overseeing the finances of the whole of EUSA.
Vice-President Academic Affairs (VPAA) The VPAA has a very busy role, always out and about round the university, working directly with university staff to improve the quality of teaching and academic facilities. The role can make a massive impact on students, acting as the student voice driving issues right into the heart of the university. Vice-President Societies and Activities (VPSA) The VPSA splits their remit between societies and student welfare. They are the sabbatical officer responsible for ensuring EUSA provides effective support to over 200 student societies which can be enough in itself. The role is also responsible for representing students on welfare issues to the university and leading welfare campaigns across campus.
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Manifesto Your manifesto sets out what you want to achieve should you be elected. It will be presented in different formats on posters, online and in your online election statement. Having an idea of your objectives for the year are important in winning votes, but can also help drive you to make an impact in the year to come.
Research
A detailed knowledge of the internal working of EUSA and the University is not necessary to get elected, or to do an excellent job later in the year. However it is important that you have an understanding of the issues effecting students in relation to the role. This can come from your personal experience, but make sure
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you speak to as many of your friends as possible to share ideas and experiences and to help give you a clearer picture of what students really care about.
Pulling it together
Before working on printed publicity, canvassing around campus or starting lecture announcements, you need to know why you are standing and what difference you want to make to the student experience of your electorate. You need to work out the best way to present this, whether you need a website or a flyer with just three key points. At some point you need to sit down pull together all your ideas and all the conversations you have had with students to develop a clear vision for your year ahead.
Election Statement Many people regard this as the most important piece of publicity you have, your election statement appears alongside your photo on the election site and may be the last thing people see before they vote.
Submission
You submit your election statement online, by following the links from www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/ elections. Your statement is submitted through an online form. The deadline for submitting your statement can be found on the election timeline, after the deadline you will not be able to modify the content or formatting of your election address.
Content
Your statement is your key opportunity to explain who you are, why you are standing and what you want to achieve. Each position has a different maximum word limit, which will force you to keep your statement short and to the point. You must consider what will persuade people to vote for you, not just what you say, but how you say it. Most people devote their space to talking about what they want to achieve, rather than about themselves.
Style & Format
People will be reading a lot of election statements and will possibly just flick through them as time wears on. So you need to think about how you present your statement, do you want big blocks of text or snappy bullet points. You need to think about how simple tools like the bold and italic buttons can grab attention. Don’t be afraid to be original, and don’t be afraid to look around for inspiration either; you can view election statements from years gone by at www. eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections and get some ideas on the best way to style yours.
Word Limits Position
Words
President, VPS, VPSA, VPAA
450
Societies Convenor, SRC Executive, Action Group Conveners, Union Executive Members, Debates Convener, Finance Committee Senior and Ordinary Members, Committee of Management Senior and Ordinary, SRC Officers
200
All Other Candidates
100
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Printed Publicity Nominations open and the university morphs into a forest of smiling faces on brightly coloured paper, heralding the on-set of election season.
The Budget
Printing for your election publicity can be ordered through the EUSA website, the budget allowance can be found on the following page. Students can also use their own money for extra items like t-shirts, but this is capped to match the funding provided by EUSA for publicity. So for example if you are running for a sabbatical position you can spend up to £120, which is the same as the funding provided by EUSA. But remember to keep all your receipts as these can be requested by the Returning Officer and if you go over this amount you will be subject to disciplinary action and this could result in you being disqualified from the election. If you have any questions about funding drop into the EUSA office.
PROMOTE YOURSELF
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Design
There isn’t a set route to success on what works design wise. You need to consider what message you are trying to get across, how you are going to present yourself and your ideas in a way that will encourage people to pay attention and ultimately vote for you. Remember that as the elections draw closer students will start to switch off to the mass of posters and flyers around them. So don’t rely solely on printed publicity and make sure what you produce stands out. At the very least you have to include your name and the position you are standing for, due to common sense and the election regulations. One big (or small) decision to make is over the size of poster or flyer you go for. You only have so much money for publicity and potentially 27,000 students to reach. The bigger your material the more it costs and the less you have. You can hand out A5 leaflets, but they won’t last as long as getting A6. At the opposite end you can economise with A4 posters rather than A3, but then you need to balance the design to ensure you have the same visual impact in a smaller area.
Posters (A4 & A3 size)
Posters can be put on notice boards around the campuses. Poster can also be pasted onto cardboard and tied to lampposts. If you plan on taking the cardboard option then you can try local shops and scavenge cardboard boxes they are going to throw out or recycle, but don’t leave it until the last moment as it can take time. There are only certain areas around campus that you can place posters on lampposts and railing, so check the map in the full election regulations first.
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T OP TIP: Make sure you’ve got a warm coat and gloves, tying up posters outside takes time and gets cold.
2.
Don’t buy cardboard, just pop to your local supermarket in the late evening and they have loads of free cardboard up for grabs!
3.
Use wallpaper paste for sticking posters onto cardboard – it’s really cheap and more durable than other glues.
Budgets Position
£
President, VPS, VPSA, VPAA
120
Societies Convenor, SRC Executive and Union Executive, Action Group Conveners
30
Finance Committee, Committee of Management, SRC Officers, NUS Delegate
15
Societies Council, Other SRC positions, Debates Committee
10
School Council Positions
0
SPEND YOUR BUDGET WISELY! 11
Speak to people Despite an ever increasing number of ways to communicate with students, the results show that the candidates who get out there and speak to people win votes. That can be you on your own, with one or two friends or a huge campaign team. Chatting to people around the unions, in the street, through lecture announcements or knocking on doors throughout University accommodation is the best way to get students to engage with your campaign.
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Lecture Announcements Where Work out where you are going. Sometimes it’s easier to just go to somewhere there are lots of lecture theatres – David Hume Tower, Appleton Tower and many more. You may want to look up timetables, but this can be more bother than it’s worth. Before the announcement When you arrive, ask the lecturer if they mind if you do it. They are normally fine with it, although some will ask what it’s about. If they say no, politely leave and run to the next theatre – you might get there in time to do that one instead.
The announcement Keep it short and simple. Look up at the people in front of you, and imagine you are speaking to the people in the back row. This will help you be loud enough. Speak slowly and clearly. Keep it brief and to the point. Say your name and the position you are running for at least twice – remember, your name is the one thing they have to get. If they don’t get that, there is no point in telling them anything else. A good lecture announcement can get a laugh, applause and a key message across in less than a minute.
Random Approaching This is best done in cafes etc. around campus. Start by saying something like, ‘do you mind if I pester you for a second?’. Once you have got them, introduce yourself to each of them. You have to gauge how chatty they are. Some people are busy and only want to hear your key message. Others will want a bit of a chat and to get to know you. However long it takes, don’t just talk at them, people zone out very easily. Make sure it’s a conversation.
TOP TIP: Make your pitch relevant to the student you’re talking to and they are more likely to remember you, e.g. if you’re running for Societies Convenor first ask them if they are in any societies and go from there!
Door Knocking Where
To guarantee you are reaching as many students as possible, it’s advisable to hit the university halls and flats. By doing so, you’ll potentially reach every first year and more in other years; that’s a lot of time and a potential sore throat! You can get a city map with all the university accommodation from the
Accommodation Services website at www.accom.ed.ac.uk.
When
You can visit non-Pollock flats pretty much anytime during your campaign, just be considerate of the residents (not too early in the morning or too late at night). You should also consider when people will actually be in; think about lecture times and
the day of the week. Door knocking in Pollock is far more restricted and is nailed down to just a few hours on a restricted number of days, check the election timeline to clarify when these are.
How to get in
Flats have buzzers. Press the button and wait for someone to reply. If no one does, try the next one, and so on. If asked who it is if you say ‘it’s about the students’ association elections’ they will normally let you in. If it’s in Pollock, you just have to wait for someone to let you in.
What to say
Again, introduce yourself and ask if there are any flatmates in. Make sure you have your key messages and that you get them across. Give them
a leaflet. You have to gauge how long you are going to talk to people. Some will appreciate a bit of a chat. Others want you to be brief. Remember, they will only really remember one thing that you tell them, so make sure you choose the right message for the people you are speaking to.
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Other Publicity Website
While a website is not necessary, if you have the time and the skills (or friends with skills) this can be a handy way to have all of your information in one space. However using Facebook and other social networking sites as a launching pad for your ideas is probably a better and cheaper way to get in touch with students on campus. If you do want to go ahead and create a website don’t worry if you have no idea how to create one from scratch, there are plenty of inexpensive and simple solutions for even the most novice website designers: 1.
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T here are some free brilliant sites such as Moonfruit.com which allow you to build a website using an interface similar to Microsoft Word. With a bit of an eye for
design and enough time you can produce some excellent sites. 2.
Wordpress.org is a free Blog tool, allowing you to upload pictures and text content quickly. Plus, with a little know-how, the tools are easy to manipulate to create really dynamic election sites.
3.
Find a friend who can – friends are great during elections and are often keen to help but make sure at the beginning that they can meet the deadlines you need. If you have a friend who can do the design side, they should be able to give you some advice on where to host the site too.
An election Facebook group has become a staple of any
election campaign and takes relatively little effort to set up. The first group of people you need to get voting for you are your friends, so an invite to your Facebook group can be a good reminder. There are many more features on Facebook to tap into including applications, fan pages or integration with your election website, plus many more. If you would like any advice on how to create a web presence EUSA is happy to help. Just e-mail martin. gribbon@eusa.ac.ed.uk or ask at reception to make an appointment.
Videos
Videos are a pretty new addition to the election arsenal; you can now embed a video next to your election statement for people to see whilst voting. The use of videos is fairly uncharted and there aren’t any firm guidelines on what works and what doesn’t. Key points to remember are that people will not want to spend a few minutes hanging around whilst voting to watch everyone’s video and a lot of people will vote in Microlabs where there isn’t usually any sound.
TOP TIP: remember to have your facebook address, twitter username and website (if you have one) on all your publicity.
T-Shirts
Candidates are allowed to buy t-shirts out of their own money, providing they are running for a position with a personal expenditure budget (see publicity section). Top tip: Professionally printed t-shirts tend to work out quite pricey so will take up a lot of your budget; to save money maybe consider buying t-shirt transfer paper that irons on to plain tops – quicker and far cheaper!
Returning Officer The Returning Officer is responsible for administering the elections and ensuring candidates are following the election regulations and is aided by an Assistant Returning Officer. From here on in where the Returning Officer is referred to it includes the Assistant Returning Officer.
Questions
No one other than the Returning Officer can give you advice on the election regulations and their interpretation. Many people will have their view or ideas on what is acceptable within the regulations, however if you fall foul of the rules then you cannot fall back on their advice as a defence.
Discipline
The Returning Officer is responsible for enforcing the election regulations. Should you breach the election regulations it is up to the Returning Officer to make a ruling on any sanctions. Disciplinary action can be anything ranging from a reduction in publicity budget, to having voting for yourself suspended, up to disqualifications from the elections.
Appeals
Any disciplinary decisions taken by the Returning Officer can be appealed and the decisions will be reviewed by the Elections Appeals Committee, a panel comprising of two EUSA Sabbatical Officers and University representatives.
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Edinburgh University Students’ Association Potterrow 5/2 Bristo Square Edinburgh, EH8 9AL Tel: 0131 650 2656 Fax: 0131 668 4177 Email: reception@eusa.ed.ac.uk Website: www.eusa.ed.ac.uk EUSA is a Registered Scottish Charity (No. SCO15800)
eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections