Unions prepare 100,000 electorate
Posted: Friday, 10th February 2012
YOU'LL notice that this Spring’s student elections may be livelier and higher-profile than in past years.
Student politics is undergoing a revival and for the first time Man Met, Manchester and Salford will stage their elections simultaneously.
With a single election period and a single ballot paper, the unions believe that pooling resources will raise the profile of student politics and help raise participation.
The three SUs are collaborating on all aspects of the campaign, aiming to increase awareness of the importance of the election in "driving positive change for students with students at the helm", and capitalising on the traditional friendly rivalry between the universities.
18 posts
There are 49 positions available across all three unions, 18 at MMSU, but obviously Man Met students can only vote for Man Met candidates!
“All the communication and marketing campaigns have been together and effectively candidates from all three unions could join up to form a slate if they chose," explains Hattie Walworth, marketing and communications assistant at the MMSU.
Candidates are being accepted up to March 1 and voting will run from 9th to 15th March.
Tunde Adekoya, president of MMSU, said: “Manchester has one of the biggest student populations in Europe and it’s about time we shouted about it! We hope that our students' unions working in partnership will create a culture of unity among our students in Manchester.
More collaboration
“It will also raise the profile of our democratic structures, putting more students in the driving seat of their university experience. This is a really positive move and I hope to see more collaborations like this in the future.”
Phil Benton, chief executive of the University of Salford SU, said: “Together, the Universities have an electorate of 100,000 students. Our joint campaign will raise awareness of the elections and get more students coming out to vote.
“At a time when the landscape of the higher education sector is changing dramatically, it’s never been more important to ensure that students are taking an active role in their future.”