Monday 15-01-2024 - 16:00

 

LUSU election season is almost upon us once again! We are excited to announce upcoming elections for the Students’ Union Full-Time Officer (FTO) and Liberation & Campaigns Officer (LCO) posts for the 2024/2025 academic year. 

 

 

2024 brings a refreshed line-up of Full-Time Officer (FTO) positions, as well as the return of the ever-important Liberation & Campaigns Officer (LCO) positions. Do you have what it takes to lead your LUSU? 

Please see the positions up for election and key election dates below.   

 

Key dates and timeline: 

Nominations Open: Monday 29th January 2024 (Week 13) @ https://lancastersu.co.uk/nominate

Nominations Close: Friday 16th February 2024 (Week 15)   

Candidate Briefing: Monday 19th February 2024 (Week 16)   

Campaigning Opens: 10am, Wednesday 28th February 2024 (Week 17)   

Voting Opens: 10am, Tuesday 5th March 2024 (Week 18) @ https://lancastersu.co.uk/vote

Voting Closes: 6pm, Thursday 7th March 2024 (Week 18)   

Results: Friday 8th March 2024 (Week 18)       

 

Full-Time Officer (FTO) positions up for election:

President 24/25

Leads the Students’ Union’s Full-Time Officer team, supporting them to deliver for students. The President acts as Chair of the Trustee Board and College Presidents’ Committee. They are also the Students’ Union’s lead spokesperson and have a seat on University Council and Senate, as well as LUSU’s lead NUS Delegate. Read the role description here.

Activities Officer 24/25

The primary student representative and political lead for sports, societies, student media, and extracurricular events. The Activities Officer acts as Chair of Societies Committee, Sports Committee, and co-chair of the Roses Committee. They also take responsibility for Bailrigg FM, LA1TV, Take2 Cinema, and SCAN. Read the role description here. 

Education Officer 24/25

The lead representative on all academic matters; your teaching, learning, facilities, assessments, learning resources, and placements. The Education Officer facilitates and support the work of Student Academic Reps and has a seat in important decision-making spaces in the University. Read the role description here.

Wellbeing Officer 24/25

The primary student representative on student wellbeing matters, campaigns, and initiatives. The Wellbeing Officer works for the betterment of students’ health and wellbeing, as well as supporting the work of our Liberation and Campaigns forums and officers. Read the role description here.

 

Liberation & Campaigns Officer (LCO) positions up for election:

International Students’ Officer 24/25

You must be an international student to nominate yourself for this position.

The lead representative for all international students at Lancaster University. The International Students’ Officer sits on Union Assembly and works closely with international student-led communities and affiliated societies.

This is a voluntary role for the 2024/25 academic year. You must be a student next academic year to undertake this role.

Read the role description here.

 

LGBTQ+ Students’ Officer 24/25

You must self-define as LGBTQ+ to nominate yourself for this position.

The primary representative for all LGBTQ+ campaigns, networks, and initiatives. The LGBTQ+ supports the LGBTQ+ Forum and attends Union Assembly.

This is a voluntary role for the 2024/25 academic year. You must be a student next academic year to undertake this role.  

Read the role description here.

 

Postgraduate & Mature Students’ Officer 24/25

You must be a postgraduate and/or mature student to nominate yourself for this position.

The lead representative for all postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students, as well as both undergraduate and postgraduate mature students. The Postgraduate & Mature Students’ Officer sits on Union Assembly and leads the Postgraduate & Mature Forum. They also work closely with the Graduate College PG Board and postgraduate Student Academic Reps.

This is a voluntary role for the 2024/25 academic year. You must be a student next academic year to undertake this role.

Read the role description here.

 

Racial & Ethnic Minority Officer 24/25

You must self-define as being from an ethnic minority to nominate yourself for this position.

The primary voice for all ethnic minority students in the Students’ Union and University. The Racial & Ethnic Minorities Officer sits on Union Assembly and works to support the Racial & Ethnic Minority Forum.

This is a voluntary role for the 2024/25 academic year. You must be a student next academic year to undertake this role.

Read the role description here.

 

Students with Disabilities Officer 24/25

You must self-define as a student with disabilities to nominate yourself for this position.

The lead representative for all Lancaster University students with disabilities. The Students with Disabilities Officer supports the Students with Disabilities Forum and sits on Union Assembly.

This is a voluntary role for the 2024/25 academic year. You must be a student next academic year to undertake this role.

Read the role description here.

 

Women+ Officer 24/25

You must self-define as a woman or non-binary person to nominate yourself for this position.

The primary representative for all self-defining women and non-binary students in the Students’ Union. The Women+ Officer attends Union Assembly and supports the Women+ Forum. The Women+ Officer also oversees the Students’ Union’s She Should Run initiative.

This is a voluntary role for the 2024/25 academic year. You must be a student next academic year to undertake this role.

Read the role description here.

 

Nominating yourself:

Nominations open on Monday 29th January. At that point you will be able to nominate yourself for any position you are eligible for via the Students’ Union website. You will need to sign-in to the Students’ Union website using your normal University details.  

Once on the nomination platform, you can select the position(s) you would like to nominate yourself for. Remember you cannot nominate for more than one position.

To nominate yourself, you must supply a candidate photo (jpg or png files work best) and submit a manifesto no longer than 250 words. Your manifesto is your opportunity to explain to voters what makes you the best candidate for the position and detail any promises you would like to make.   

We know submitting a nomination in an election can be daunting prospect. We want to support you through the process and have taken efforts to make the nomination process as straight-forward as possible.

If you have any questions about the elections, please email lancastersuelections@lancaster.ac.uk.      

 

About the Election:

To be recruited into any of the above positions you must be elected by the student body. As a democratic organisation, the Students’ Union is led by a team of Full-Time Officers, Liberation & Campaigns Officers, and other student leaders elected by students.

All students can nominate for Full-Time Officer and Liberation & Campaigns Officer positions between Monday 29th January and Friday 16th February 2024. All students who wish to nominate themselves will be offered training and support from the Students’ Union’s Voice team to prepare for the campaigning and voting period. The Students’ Union reimburses the campaign expenses of election candidates to ensure everyone has the opportunity to run a successful campaign, regardless of personal finances.

On Wednesday 28th February, campaigning will open for the Students’ Union elections. Candidates can campaign for students’ support from this point forward, though students won’t be able to vote until Tuesday 5th March. Voting is then open for 3 working days: closing at 6pm on Thursday 7th March.

Voting in our election works on the basis of a single-transferable vote, meaning you can vote for candidates in order of preference.

After the close of voting, all ballots are counted, and results are verified by our external Returning Officer (National Union of Students) before results are announced on Friday 8th March.  

 

If you have any questions about our elections, please email lancastersuelections@lancaster.ac.uk.

You can find the 2023/24 election rules here.