The Leadership Race - Elections 2016

The Students' Union President’s role is all encompassing. They bring together all elements of The Students’ Union and direct the Executive to deliver the overall objectives of The Students' Union.

As a member of the University’s Board of Governors, the President is involved in the most important decisions the University makes. The significance of being the head of an organisation representing 30,000+ students also opens doors to work with many other important figures.

With this level of influence comes the responsibility to engage the student population and find out the issues that matter to them most.

Lobbying, campaigning, surveying, researching, relationship building, negotiating and networking are just some of the tactics Presidents use to achieve their goals. There are many methods you can use to create the changes students think are important, and knowing when and where to utilise them is an invaluable skill.

The flexibility the President enjoys ultimately gives them a huge say in the direction of The Students' Union, but with the high profile come high expectations.

Read the full job description here

The Vice President Education role really says it all in the name, it is everything Teaching, Exam, Coursework, Studying and Learning based.

There are certain meetings that the VP Education attends to better understand these issues many of these are with different departments and boards within the University. To ensure students are represented in the development of student academic experience at UWE.

More importantly is working closely with various student groups to find out what issues students face in their academic life.

This is because big part of the role is putting pressure on the University to make improvements that are important to students.

Lobbying, negotiating, campaigning are all tactics that VPs use to do this.

Within the remit it is really up to the individual what they want to achieve and how they want to go about it.

Read the full job description here

The Vice President Community and Welfare is there to champion the diversity, rights and welfare of Students.

Being able to inspire, understand and reach out to others are at the core of the role.

Having conversations with different individuals and departments within the University in necessary to challenge them to constantly improve the environment they provide for the student population.

By far the most rewarding parts of the role are working closely with minority groups, strengthening the student community, getting involved with local projects in Bristol and championing social justice causes.

Working with local and national charities, leading and supporting student campaigns and building networks are all ways in which VPs ensure they are successful.

Individuals can decide what they want to change and the legacy they want to leave.

Read the full job description here

The Vice President Societies and Communication is a role that embraces variety.

The most important characteristic a VP can have is enthusiasm.

The enthusiasm to get behind the 100+ societies that exist in The Students' Union so that they thrive.

The enthusiasm to inspire other students to get involved and follow their passions and the ability to communicate that enthusiasm to the student population so they know what is happening in The Students' Union.

Sometimes the role means sitting in meetings and championing societies to ensure they have the resources they need, while running events and activities that give students opportunities to get involved.

Working with the different individuals and teams within The Students’ Union to communicate messages the student body needs to know about.

Above all, is working with students to make sure that their time at UWE is as fun and enjoyable as possible.

How an individual goes about achieving this is entirely up to them.

Read the full job description here

The Vice President Sports and Health role is perfect for students that are passionate about Sports.

Striving to develop Participation, Fitness, Competition and Inclusion in the student population.

This role is working closely with students and the University’s Centre for Sport to improve and better utilise the facilities in its £5.5 million sports complex is key to achieving these objectives.

VPs are integral to the carrying out of Varsity, working with Bristol SU and the different strategic partners to ensure it is a success.

They encourage and enable students to lead healthy lifestyles through awareness raising, education and example.

Most importantly they make sure Sports are for all students regardless of background or circumstance.

Finding out what it is that students want from their sport provision and how they want to participate is necessary to deliver all of the other objectives.

Running campaigns, organising events, research projects and developing new opportunities are all methods VP’s use to succeed.

How an individual tackles this role is up to them.

Read the full job description here

Part time voluntary role

The Education Officer role is about loving learning.

Officers fight for their fellow students to get as much out of their academic lives as possible.

Teaching, exams, coursework, study space, learning facilities are just some of the areas that Officers aim to improve for students.

Meeting with University officials is one way of achieving this.

Another is building up support in the student population to pressure the University into making changes.

Education Officers though have a lot of flexibility with their role.

Really they can work on anything that relates to education and enjoy the support of The Students’ Union as a whole.

Read the full description here.

Part time voluntary role.

The Community and Welfare Officer cares for students.

Excellent listening, observation and communication skills are key to the role.

Finding out the issues that affect student’s welfare generally, in Bristol and specifically at UWE are one of the first things an Officer needs to do.

With that knowledge they are then able to work on improving the situation.

Having conversations with different members of The Students’ Union and meeting with University officials are methods that can lead to long standing changes.

Some issues require greater awareness in the student population. Running highly visible campaigns and working with their fellow officers to get messages out are important tools for an Officer to utilise.

Working with local and national charities, research, leading and supporting student campaigns and building networks are all ways in which Officer ensure they are successful.

Individuals can decide what they want to change and the legacy they want to leave.

Read the full role description here.

Part time voluntary role

The Societies and Communication Officer is about following passions.

Societies enable students do what they love and meet other people that love it to.

Working with the different societies so that they have everything they need for their members and representing their views to the rest of The Students’ Union is a large part of the role.

As is helping students that want to start their own societies and supporting them in their infancy.

Some students may not have found their passions yet so promoting The Students’ Union activities, having an input in the of activities and even leading on the creation of activities make for really successful Officers.

Societies and Communication Officers have a lot of flexibility on where they decide to focus their energy so it’s up to the individual what they want to achieve.

Read the full description here

Part time voluntary role

The Sports and Health Officer role is great for students that love sports.

They work to support the clubs and make sure their views are represented in meetings with the rest of the executive.

Promoting the clubs, supporting them in competitions, celebrating their successes and encouraging other students to get involved is essential to the role.

Finding out what sports students want and making sure there are opportunities for students to get involved in regardless of their background and circumstance is just as important.

Officers can organise events and campaigns to help them in achieving these objectives and have access to The Student’s Union resources to enable them.

Really it’s up to the individual, how they want to do the role.

Read the full description here

Part time voluntary role.

The BME Officer role is one of the eleven Part Time Officer positions that sit on the Executive at The Students’ Union at UWE.

The BME Officer is as a key figure in the movement for Black Minority Ethnic students studying at UWE.

They ensure that the BME perspective is taken into consideration by the rest of The Students’ Union by being part of the Executive and are in a position to meet with University officials to raise the issues that are important to BME students.

Bringing together the different BME groups that exist within The Students' Union is key to succeeding in this role and making positive changes in the University and local area.

Running campaigns such as Black History Month, lobbying the University, raising awareness and working in partnership with local organisations are all ways in which an Officer can make their time a success.

The issues that an individual decides to work on and how they go about doing it is entirely their choice.

When elected as the BME Officer you are also elected to represent UWE students at The NUS Liberation conference.

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The International Students’ Officer is one of the eleven Part Time Officer roles who sit on the Executive in The Students’ Union at UWE.

They listen to, speak up about and aim to solve the issues that face students studying away from their home nation.

Finding out what specifically effects international students and drawing on their own experiences is key.

Making UWE Bristol a welcoming place where students from across the world feel included no matter their language, culture or beliefs is a big part of the role.

As is working with the University so that it constantly improves its provision for international students. Meeting with different departments and individuals in the University to make them aware of issues facing international students can have big impacts.

Putting on events, running campaigns, carrying out surveys and working with different student groups, fellow officers and The Students’ Union staff are all methods Officers use to make sure international students enjoy their time at UWE Bristol.

It’s up to the individual what they want to achieve and how they want to go about it.

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) Officer role is one of the Part Time Officer roles who sit on the Executive in The Students’ Union at UWE.

The LGBT+ Officer is the face of the movement for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender students studying at UWE Bristol.

Officers give the LGBT+ community at UWE Bristol a strong voice in The Students’ Union and work with their fellow elected officials to make sure that voice is recognised by the University as well.The purpose of the post is the following: 

A) To represent and seek the views of LGBT+ students at UWE Bristol
B) To communicate and liaise with the Students' Union Executive Team
C) To campaign on issues that affect LGBT+ students
D) To work alongside societies at UWE Bristol who represent the interests of LGBT+ students.

Running events, lobbying the University, raising awareness and working in partnership with local organisations such as Bristol Pride are all ways in which an Officer can make their time a success.

When elected as the LGBT+ Officer you are also elected to represent UWE students at The NUS Liberations conference.

The issues that an individual decides to work on and how they go about doing it is entirely their choice.

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The Disabled Students’ Officer role is one of the twelve Part Time Officer roles who sit on the Executive in The Students’ Union at UWE.

The purpose of the Disabled Students' Officer is the following:

A) To represent and seek the views of disabled students at UWE Bristol
B) To communicate and liaise with the Students' Union Executive Team
C) To campaign on issues that affect disabled students. 
D) To work alongside societies at UWE Bristol who represent the interests of disabled students.  

Additionally, raising awareness through events and campaigns as well as working with local and national charities are just a few ways in which Officers can further the cause of Disabled rights at UWE Bristol.

The issues that an individual decides to work on and how they go about doing it is entirely their choice.

When elected as the Disabled Students Officer you are also elected to represent UWE students at the NUS Liberation conference. The part of the role is optional. 

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The Sustainability Officer role is one of the twelve Part Time Officer roles who sit on the Executive in The Students’ Union at UWE.

This role is perfect for any students that are passionate about the environment.

Every organisation needs to play a part in ensuring the planet is fit to live on for future generations.

By sitting on the University Sustainability Board the Sustainability Officer is able to hold the University to account on their environmental footprint.

Within The Students’ Union they work with various individuals and teams to make it greener and more sustainable in its operations.

Supporting the Green Team (one of the most passionate student groups in The Students’ Union) in their various projects and promoting their work to the rest of the student population is a large part of the role.

Running awareness raising campaigns, encouraging environmentally friendly behaviour in students, organising green events and working with local organisations are all ways in which Sustainability Officers can make big impacts.

An individual makes the changes that they want to see, how they go about doing that is up to them.

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The City Campus officer is one of the eleven Part Time Officer roles who sit on the Executive in The Students’ Union at UWE.

Each campus has its own personality; physically none of them are the same, they are located in completely different areas and most importantly the students that attend them have very distinct needs.

City Campus Officers represent the creatives and freethinkers of UWE. Making sure their views are heard by The Students’ Union and the University is a big part of the role.

As learning takes place on four different sites making sure that the facilities students need are available wherever they’re studying often means meeting with different departments in the University and individuals in The Student’s Union to put forward cases as to why they should provide them.

City Campus students also have different tastes and interests to students on other campuses so running social events that students want, carrying out campaigns and lobbying the University are methods Officers use to make sure the City Campus students are catered for during their studies.

How the individual wants to do this is up to them.

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The Glenside Campus Officer is one of the twelve Part Time Officer roles who sit on the Executive in The Students’ Union at UWE.

Each campus has its own personality; physically none of them are the same, they are located in completely different areas and most importantly the students that attend them have very distinct needs.

The students at Glenside are largely made up of health care professionals. Working long hours on placements and caring for members of the public is a huge part of their studies.

Glenside Campus Officers represent very hard working students that have little spare time so making sure their views are heard is an extremely important role. With the changes to the NHS, having the perspective of health care students in The Students’ Union will be invaluable.

As a lot of Glenside students live onsite, part of the Officer role will be making sure that the campus is a place students can call home. Running social events and activities, working to improve The Students' Union at Glenside are all methods that Officers use, meeting with university departments.

How the individual wants to approach this role is up to them.

This role starts on 26 June 2023 and finishes 30 June 2024.

Both September and February cohort welcome to stand and vote.

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The Frenchay Campus Officer is one of the four campus representative positions in The Students’ Union at UWE.

Each campus has its own personality; physically none of them are the same, they are located in completely different areas and most importantly the students that attend them have very distinct needs.

Frenchay is the largest of the fours campuses, it has a huge variety of facilities, many subjects are studied there and thousands of students are live on site.

Officers work to find out what is important to students living and studying on campus, making sure they are visible and approachable so that students know that they can come to them with their views.

Working with The Students’ Union commercial team to provide the big events students want and meeting with departments in The University so that they are aware of the issues in accommodation and university facilities are important parts of the role.

With so many students on the campus at any one time Officers can have huge impacts on The Students’ Union by working to engage them with activities and carrying out and assisting on campaigns.

With so many different aspects to the role Officers can be flexible and it’s up to the individual how they approach the role.

Read the full role description here

Part time voluntary role.

The Gloucester Campus Officer is one of the twelve Part Time Officer roles who sit on the Executive in The Students’ Union at UWE.

Each campus has its own personality; physically none of them are the same, they are located in completely different areas and most importantly the students that attend them have very distinct needs.

Gloucester is the the furthest in distance from the operational centres of the University and The Students’ Union.

Because of this sometimes Gloucester gets overlooked which makes the Officers position so important.

They ensure that the interests of students studying at Gloucester are recognised by being a visible link between the campus, The Students’ Union and The University that students know they can approach with their issues.

Meeting with different University Departments and having conversation with individuals in The Students’ Union are way in which Officers make sure Gloucester students are looked after.

The role starts on 1 July 2020 and finishes 30 June 2021.

Both September and February cohort welcome to stand and vote.

Read the full role description here