Candidate Briefing POSITIONS AVAILABLE KEY DATES MANIFESTO CAMPAIGNING
Candidate Briefing
POSITIONS AVAILABLE KEY DATES MANIFESTO CAMPAIGNING COMPLAINTS, RULES & REGULATIONS ADJUDICATION SCENARIOS VOTING & RESULTS, ANY QUESTIONS? CANDIDATE WELFARE
Who is being elected? Spring election positions: • Full-time sabbatical officers (x 7) To lead the Students' Union and work alongside the SU staff team. • Part-time officers (x 6) Represent the interests of specific groups of students, running campaigns and raising awareness of the experience these students face. • Faculty Representatives Ensure that your academic interests are heard in your Faculty, University and within your Unions democratic structure.
Key Dates: • Manifesto deadline — 12 pm Weds 19 th Feb • PTO Hustings — 4 -6 pm Weds 19 th Feb SU Atrium • Campaigning opens — 9 am Mon 24 th Feb • 1 st FTO Hustings — 5 -7 pm Mon 24 th Feb SU Atrium • 2 nd FTO Hustings — 5 -7 pm Tue 25 th Feb SU Atrium • Results Night — 8 -10 pm Fri 28 th Feb Dirty Duck
Workshops (All held in Kevin Gately Room, SUHQ) Sustainability at Warwick: Greener Manifestos workshop 4 -5 pm, Monday (17 th Feb) • Led by David Chapman (Sustainability Champion) Effective Campaigning workshop 4: 30 -5: 30 pm, Tuesday (18 th Feb) • Led by Sam Parr (Campaigns & Liberation Advisor) Public speaking workshop 2 -3 pm, Wednesday (19 th Feb) • Led by Susie Cleverly (Student Development Manager) • Additional session for PTO Candidates Monday (17 th Feb), Led by Ashley Storer-Smith Open workshop 4 -5 pm, Thursday (20 th Feb) • Open session with the Democracy Team
The Boar - Election special edition Candidates will have the opportunity to appear in the Boar election edition Send the following to democracy@warwicksu. com by midday Mon 17 th Feb: • Photo, campaign colour and slogan • A 100 words (max. ) statement • Plus answers to the following questions: 1. Why are you running for this role? (80 words max. ) 2. What, in your opinion, most needs changing at Warwick? (80 words max. ) 3. What has been your favourite memory from your time at Warwick? (80 words max. )
Manifesto advice A manifesto is your statement to students explaining why you believe you are the best candidate, your aims and promises and why students should vote for you Quality not quantity! Speak to others about what they care about/want the SU to focus on Be realistic, evidence based and impactful Make sure you upload a plain text version alongside your manifesto See here for more advice: https: //www. warwicksu. com/studentvoice/elections/rules-guidance/manifesto-guide/ See here for advice on having an accessible manifesto - https: //www. warwicksu. com/student-voice/elections/rules-guidance/
Campaigning Full-Time Officer candidates can spend £ 50 in expenses Part-Time Officer & Faculty Representatives can spend £ 30 in expenses ALL materials MUST be printed via SU Print, emailing print@warwicksu. com NO Printing will be available until Monday 24/02/20 but can order before the date! (to be picked up on Monday) Props (hats/fancy dress etc) candidates can claim back £ 5. 00 Please note - Strikes are going on Mon/Tue/Weds of Campaigns week
Candidate welfare Campaigning can be stressful – so please make sure you take time out to get enough sleep and have breaks throughout the week The Kevin Gately room is booked out as a Candidate Welfare Room for the duration of campaigns week There will also be a smaller quieter room available if needed No campaigning is allowed in here - this is a space to relax, take a break and get support. Free refreshments will be provided here! • We are giving out daily Bread Oven vouchers during voting week • There will be various events and activities to take your mind off elections in the welfare room e. g. games, music, films and hopefully a visit from some Pets as Therapy dogs!
Complaints • How to make a complaint? Email Democracy@warwicksu. com with the complaint with accompanying evidence and a time stamp • The Adjudication panel convenes to make a ruling on the complaint (as soon as they can) • Some advice about complaining: “lots of my posters have been removed, but none of candidate X’s have – it must be them doing it”, this is an accusation with no grounds, and we are unlikely to be able to do anything but dismiss the complaint. If you come to us and say “at 3: 30 pm on Monday I saw a member of candidate X’s campaign team remove one of my posters”, • Deadline for complaints is the 6 th March 2020 at Midday
Rules & Regulations: Publicity • Absolutely no campaigning, in any form until 9 am on Monday 24 th February. This means you can declare you are running and for what position once, but you cannot say what your experience is, why you would make a good candidate, or what you will do if elected. • Your campaign materials should be accessible in the English Language. • Your publicity must not violate the Students’ Union’s policies or governing documents • (visit Democracy in SUHQ for further information or www. warwicksu. com/democracy/documents/). • You must abide by the Estates agreement when affixing publicity – this will be shared to all candidates prior to campaign week • No negative campaigning: Negative campaigning can take the form of smear campaigns, comments about other candidates that have no basis, excessive and malicious complaints about candidates, and a campaign focusing on other candidates rather than concentrating on gaining votes for your own campaign. This extends to digital campaigning as well as physical. • You cannot campaign inside the library or any study space. This includes leaving any campaign materials in these spaces, e. g: leaflets, flyers etc. • Do not defame the character of any other candidate. You may criticise another candidate’s policies, but attacks must NEVER be of a personal
Rules & Regulations: Responsibilities • Societies and clubs, SU representatives, and staff cannot endorse candidates • If you are already a Union Officer, it is important that you do not use ANY facilities which your position gives you special access to for your campaign. • You will be responsible for the cost of cleaning or repair of any damage to Students’ Union or University property caused as a result of your campaign. • All actions must abide by the Unions Equal Opportunities By-Law which can be found on the Democracy webpages. • Slates (running together on the same platform of ideas, e. g. the same manifesto) are not allowed; candidates will naturally support one another and most likely be friends with one another but explicitly standing on the same platform is prohibited. Candidates can be out in public with each other but can’t endorse or directly support each other's campaigns (e. g - giving other candidate leaflets to hand out)
Rules & Regulations: Social Media • Social media: you must abide by the SU and University code of conduct when posting to social media – rules regarding candidate behaviour apply to social media as well. • Guidance will be sent out to SU Clubs and Societies regarding allowing candidates to post in groups. • Candidates can post in groups on social media that all candidates would have the opportunity to post in • Social Media pages that have previously been used to run campaigns cannot be used again as this will create a disadvantage for students running for their first time (private page now until campaigning starts) • It is reasonable to have “likes” on social media from people outside the SU (e. g – friends & family), but they can’t be solicited. • External campaigners are not allowed on campus. Only SU members can form part of your campaign teams and campaign on your behalf.
Adjudication Scenarios 1 • Ursula’s friend, who is the NUS President has endorsed them online (without Ursula knowing) with a photo of them at the Fight Against Fees march in a tweet saying “Love this activist! Solidarity with their campaign to transform Fibchester SU. Don’t forget to vote (www. fibchester. su/vote)”. • Lilo has recruited Stitch to their campaign. One day, Stitch is too tired to campaign for Lilo so they get some of their flatmates from Coventry Uni to campaign for Lilo on that day. • Lumiere has not been able to get many people to be a part of their campaign team. They have invited a few of their friends who aren’t students from their hometown to campaign with them on campus.
Adjudication Scenarios 2 • Buzz, Woody, and Bo are running in elections for different roles. They have taken a selection of each other’s leaflets so that they can promote each other whilst campaigning for themselves. • Barry and Paul are brothers who are running in different roles. During lunch, they sit and chat to each other about how their campaigns are going and take ideas from each other. They do this every day in election period to help them get through the week. • Iago is campaigning on Friday but has run out of leaflets. They need some more for the final day, but they have no budget left. They print off 10 sheets of paper to cut into small leaflets and doesn’t declare this.
Voting & Results • Voting will take place from; Monday 24 th February 2020 - 12: 00 pm (Midday) until Friday 28 th February 2020 – 7: 00 pm • Candidates will be informed of the results in The Graduate • Provisional Results announced publicly in the Dirty Duck from 8 pm • The results are finalised after complaints deadline – 12: 00 pm March 6 th, 2020
Checklist ü Nominate yourself online at: www. warwicksu. com/elections (don’t forget to self-define) ü Complete the online trustee declaration form before the close of nominations if you are running for a Full Time Officer position ü Attend one of the Compulsory Candidate Briefings q Come to the optional training workshops set up to support candidates this year q Begin planning your campaign – gather your team, consider how you will market yourself, attend the campaigning workshop q Send your paper manifesto answers for the Boar before 17 th February. Send to democracy@warwicksu. com q Upload your online manifesto before the deadline at 12: 00 pm on Wednesday 19 th February 2020 q Begin campaigning, 9 am, Monday 24 th February and don’t forget to vote from 12 pm! q Attend the Candidate Question Time events and other events put on for candidates q Take time to recover – book something nice to do at the weekend after voting q Attend the candidate debrief sessions to give feedback on your elections experience If you have any problems please email us at democracy@warwicksu. com
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