Student Leader Elections 2024
What is it?
Chester Students’ Union (CSU) is an organisation that exists to represent and further the interests of students at the University of Chester. What makes us special is the fact that we are led by students just like you, chosen through an election by the student body in which every student gets one vote.
Every year the student body elects three positions: a President, Vice President Education, and a Vice President Student Life. As a team they focus on improving the lives of students on everything from academic experience to student accommodation.
There are three available positions any current student is eligible to run for. If elected, you would be paid a full time salary (currently £21,543, pending pay increase 1st August 2024) for one year and work in the office with the SU staff. Most of our officers are final year students and take on the role after their degree has finished, however we have in the past had some second year students who take a sabbatical break from their studies for one year.
Why should you get involved?
Becoming a full time officer is a fantastic opportunity and a graduate job unlike any you’ll have come across before.
As well as a salary and secure job for 12 months, you will:
- Get the chance to run activities, campaigns and initiatives with staff support for the benefit of students.
- Change student lives for the better on issues and ideas you care about.
- Boost your CV and skillset in multiple areas including: leadership, communications and advocacy – which will make you stand out to future employers.
What are the roles?
Click on the below role to see what their main purpose is. For the full list of duties and responsibilities, view the job descriptions here.
Oversee multiple responsibilities, including the management of the Chief Executive Officer, advocacy for students in University committees, and fostering a democratic environment by encouraging student participation and providing regular updates.
Take on the role of an academic advocate for University of Chester students, representing their needs and ensuring an engaging academic experience across all sites.
Foster connections with support services and extra-curricular activities, ensuring students enjoy a fulfilling experience beyond their academic experience.
Timeline
Nominations open: 22nd January 9am - 23rd February 4pm
Candidate training/manifesto writing week: 26th February - 1st March
Campaigning: 4th March onwards
Voting opens: 11th March 9am
Voting closes: 14th March 5pm
Results announced: 15th March, time TBC
What support is available
From the 22nd January we are hosting daily informal chats, held every weekday Monday-Friday at lunchtime, 12.30pm - 1pm via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to attend, email csuelections@chester.ac.uk indicating which day you would like to chat and you’ll then be sent joining instructions.
All candidates will be offered support on everything from writing a manifesto, to campaigning, to public speaking. These dates will be announced once nominations have closed.
Next steps
- If you’d like to have a conversation about running or have any questions, you can contact csuelections@chester.ac.uk.
- Decide which position you want to run for.
- To run, you need to nominate yourself first – this simply means putting yourself forward officially as a candidate. You can do this by logging in to the Chester SU website>Name>Account/Profile> and clicking My Nominations. You’ll need to put yourself forward before nominations close at 4pm on 23rd Feb.
- Anyone who has nominated themselves will be invited to training and a briefing where you will be given advice, guidance and instructions about the forthcoming election.
- Once campaigning starts and during voting week in March your goal is simple – to get as many students as possible to vote for you. You will do this by sharing your manifesto, having conversations to see what they care about and how you can help them, and creating excitement about your candidacy for office.
