Part-Time Officers (PTO) are voluntary roles. Each PTO represents a specific group of students, and it is their responsibility to promote the interests of that group. They are key student decision makers within the Union and ensure that as a Union we are student led.

The Liberation Officers represent and campaign on the behalf of the students they represent. Each Officer is responsible for leading the relevant Liberation Campaign.

Faculty Officers and Reps represent their Faculty at senior levels within the Union and University. Each Faculty can elect up to 3 Faculty Reps, the candidate who receives the most votes will become the Faculty Officer.

The Chair of the SUBU Summit is a current student who provides an extra layer of accountability to the Union and the Full-Time Officers. The SUBU Summit is the meeting where Union Policy is set and the Officers are held to account. The Chair is responsible for deciding which of the ideas, submitted through the Your Ideas platform should be taken forward to the Summit.

A club or society consists of five elected committee members who are the leadership team for the society members. These members are a group of like-minded individuals with the same interests in a particular area such as a hobby or a sport, a profession or career, a culture or faith for example. The club or society is a place where students pay a fee to become a member and will come together to build friendships, take part in activities together and, in some cases, compete in competitions.

In order to be eligible to contest one of the roles you must be eligible at the point of election and for the remainder of the 2022/23 academic year.

In order to be eligible to vote or stand for the SUBU Summit Chair role you must be a Student Member of the Union.

In order to be eligible to vote or stand for a Liberation Officer you must be a Student Member of the Union and self-define as a part of the Liberation Group that the position represents.

In order to be eligible to vote or stand for a Faculty Officer or Rep role you must belong to the relevant Faculty. In order to be elected to the Faculty Officer position you must also be a Student Member of the Union. This is a multi-seat position with 3 roles available per Faculty. The individual who receives the highest number of votes in the election shall be elected as the Faculty Officer for that Faculty, provided that they are a Student Member and willing to undertake the role. Further information can be found in SUBU’s Bye-Laws.

In order to be eligible to vote or stand for a Club and Society position you must be a Student Member of the Union and be a paid member of the Club or Society. Affiliate members are not able to vote for any roles, or stand for a mandatory role (President, Treasurer, Secretary) but they may stand for a non-mandatory role, such as Health and Safety Officer.

Candidates can only contest one Part-Time Officer position. They may also contest a Faculty Rep position, but must indicate on nomination that they do not wish to contest the Faculty Officer role. Candidates can only contest one committee position per Club and Society.

PTO roles are all voluntary so the there is no formal time commitment, but expect to spend between 1-5 hours per week on the role. Depending on the role you apply for there will be different meeting commitments that you’ll be expected to attend, such as the Executive Committee, Student Summit and other university meetings.

Being a Part-Time Officer is an incredible opportunity for you to shape SUBU and BU by having a direct say in how SUBU is run. It’s also a great developmental opportunity for you where you’ll learn transferable skills that’ll look great on your CV, as well as being fantastic for developing networks and improving your confidence!

Part-Time Officers have a full induction programme to help them learn about the Union and their role, this includes ongoing training throughout the year. Part-Time Officers will also work very closely with other SUBU Officers and Staff who will help them achieve their goals.

A manifesto is how candidates sell themselves to voters; it sets out their aims and priorities and may also include a little bit about themselves and why they are the best person for the job. Manifesto’s become candidates promises to students about what they want to achieve if they are elected so it is important that they are realistic and achievable.

Candidates are asked to submit a 100-word manifesto during their application.

In the context of elections, campaigning is what candidates do to get votes - it's not just handing out leaflets though! Successful candidates take time to listen and speak to students, find out about the current issues relevant to the role they're standing for and persuade voters with ideas and enthusiasm. Don’t worry if this all sounds a bit daunting because all candidates have to attend a briefing where we’ll provide some tips and tricks.

There are regulations surrounding campaigning behaviour. Candidates must not supply or handle voters devices. Candidates for Club and Soceity postions should also not be campaigning outside of specific Club and Societies spaces, e.g. closed groups, socials etc.

Once applications open, simply fill out the online application form.

Voting will take place online via the SUBU website. SUBU uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) and Alternative Vote (AV) system which provides voters with much more choice and influence. STV/AV means that candidates do not need to win a majority, but instead must reach a quota/proportion of the vote. The quota is determined by the number of votes cast and the number of positions to be filled. For roles where there is only one position available the quota is half the total number of votes cast + 1. When voting students select their candidates in order of preference and are able to vote for as many or as few as they like. When the voting has closed, Candidates are excluded if it is impossible for them to reach the quota, their votes are then transferred in order of preference, this ensures that fewer votes are wasted.

If you have any questions, or want to have an informal chat about the election, drop us an email at subudemocracy@bournemouth.ac.uk