Want to make and shape your SU: Get the lowdown on the LSESU Elections
We wanted to give you a heads up on one (well, two actually…) of the biggest events of the year at LSE! These are our elections, where you have a direct say on who runs the Students’ Union and makes sure student life is the best it can be at the LSE.
Every year, you get two chances to join in on the elections hype - in Michaelmas Term, and Lent Term. You not only get to vote on who gets the job, but you can also put yourself forward to call the shots at the LSE. These are a huge deal - the winners of these elections go on to represent students at the highest levels and make huge changes to how we do things. Not only this, but some of the roles up for grabs are full-time paid jobs.
Now, we want to be really clear about something - anyone can run in the elections! We realise that we don’t always get as many international or postgraduate students putting themselves forward as candidates and we want that to change. So before we get into everything, here’s a message for our international and postgrad members: don’t count yourself out! The more diverse our group of student reps are, the more effective we can be at advocating for, and understanding, students at the LSE!
The roles we elect have an impact across the Students’ Union and the School. In Michaelmas, we’ll be electing the Postgraduate Students’ Officer, who will work part-time alongside their studies to speak up for postgrads at the School. We’ll also be electing a member of LSE Council (the highest ranking decision-making body at LSE), a number of Part-Time Officer roles, and a range of committee roles. There’s something for everyone, so make sure to check out the roles when nominations open in early October!
In Lent Term, we elect the Sabbatical Officers of the Students’ Union - so, the General Secretary, Community & Welfare Officer, Activities & Development Officer, and Education Officer. We also elect the Part-Time Officer team, and a range of committee positions!
So what happens once we’ve elected these positions? Well, the people who take them up can have a really huge impact and have the impact to make the stuff you want to happen, happen. Don’t believe us? We’ll let the figures talk for themselves… Officers in the past have lobbied for huge increases in mental health funding, secured £250,000 from the School for the Students’ Union Fund, and ensured all students can afford to graduate with the Graduation Gown Support Fund.
Not bothered about the money? Officers have secured better nights out, shaping the Students’ Union’s social offer, and ensuring huge impact through the redevelopment of the Three Tuns. Not about the nightlife? Officers have a huge say on spaces across campus, and have been involved in the planning of new spaces on campus, including the new Centre Building, and the Marshall Building. Want to empower students making change on the ground? Officers have worked to link campaign groups with the highest level decision makers there are at LSE.
Basically, the elected Officers at the SU have a huge opportunity to shake things up at the LSE. They meet the biggest decision makers at the School, and can make things happen. Not only do they hold the power, but it’s also a pretty sweet deal. Being an elected rep, whether you’re a Sabbatical Officer, Part-Time Officer, or committee member looks fab-u-lous on your CV, and gives you a great opportunity to impress employers with your skills in the future. Beyond this, if you run for a Sabbatical Officer role (including the Postgraduate Officer position), you get paid to represent students!
Want to get involved? Well, nominations open for our Michaelmas Term elections are now LIVE!
But seriously, here are three things you can do:
- Save the dates! Nominations are open from 7-15 October, and voting is from 26-29 October.
- Check out the reps page on the website to see who is currently speaking up for students at the LSE and what they’re up to.
- Get thinking about what you’d want to change at the LSE - it’s never too early to start planning...
If you’ve got any questions, drop us a line at su.engagement@lse.ac.uk!