Part-time Officer and Rep Positions Guide
Are you thinking of running for a position in the upcoming elections but not quite sure what they are or what they do? Well, this guide has been created to answer anything you are unsure of before you take the plunge, or dive deeper, into student representation. Let’s start with the basics. As a Union we are member led but unfortunately we cannot have 23,000 students in a room making decisions; we instead elect representatives each year to attend those meetings on behalf of the student body. Most of these representatives are the part-time officers and representatives. These are voluntary positions which are great for enhancing your CV with new skills and experiences that you may have not considered before. Each of the roles has different remits within the representational structures of Wolves Students’ Union (notice the apostrophe in Students’ Union, this means students
own and lead their union.)
The positions available in this election are: Volunteering Engagement Officer Environmental Officer Walsall Campus Officer City Campus Officer Telford Campus Officer Accommodation Officer Mature/Part-Time/Student Parents Officer International Students Officer Postgraduate Engagement Officer Council Chair Students with Disabilities Rep Ethnic & Diversity Rep LGBT+ Rep PHD Reps
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All the officers are members of Union Council with all but the chair having voting rights; the chair does have a vote but only in the event of a tie. Union Council is the democratic decision making body of the Union with over 30 student representatives proposing and debating policy to help improve the experience of their peers. Any decision made here is made representationally of the student body, not on behalf of, meaning representatives are expected to talk to students about any issues before casting their vote. Policies created at Union Council can only be overturned by referenda, another motion or by the Trustee Board. Some of the officers will also sit on the executive committee. This group exists to lead campaigns around student issues or problems raised with the committee providing the formal process to approve expenditure on these campaigns and projects that are led by the officers. Officers talk about the issues and discuss different solutions before deciding on the best action to take.
Volunteering Engagement Officer This role engages with our student volunteers and students thinking about volunteering to discuss and suggest potential projects that students wish to get involved with.
Environmental Officer The environment officer is responsible for leading student campaigns on environmental issues such as the Switch if Off campaign.
Walsall/City/Telford Campus Officers The campus officers are here to represent campus specific issues. Whether that’s campus security issues, catering provision, inter campus transport or more the officers help raise these issues and look for solutions.
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Accommodation Officer The accommodation officer is here to represent accommodation issues that may be affecting students.
Mature/Part-Time/Student Parents Officer This role is there to engage our diverse student population and issues that may only affect the non-stereotypical student. This could be around child care support or access to facilities for students that may not be able to engage during the typical 9-5 day.
International Students Officer The international students officer engages with our international student population, highlighting issues or concerns that may affect our overseas students.
Postgraduate Engagement Officer The postgraduate engagement officer works with PG students to understand how they wish to be involved with our services and representational models. This could range from how we communicate with PG students to the events we can provide.
Council Chair The Chair, unsurprisingly, chairs the Union’s Council meetings; ensuring meetings are kept to order and run to time, they remain neutral and keep good order. They also help to hold the Union’s Executive Committee to account.
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Students with Disabilities Rep This individual will liaise with students across all campuses while working with students with disabilities and the Student Enabling Centre (SEC) to raise student feedback and make improvements to the student experience.
Ethnic & Diversity/ LGBT+ Rep There are reps that represent LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender)+ students and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students with any issues specifically raised by these communities as well as helping leading any campaigns that raise awareness to these issues.
PHD Reps The University has a growing research community and the reps try to gain feedback by holding forums, listening to feedback from other researchers across the University.
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For more information on the elections go to:
www.wolvesunion.org/elections