During the election period, there will be plenty of terms floating around relating to different topics. Below is a glossary of just some of the words you may come across during the elections.
Vice President
There are four Vice President roles:
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Vice President Finance and Membership
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Vice President Welfare
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Vice President Belonging and Opportunities
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Vice President Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Faculty Representative
There are five roles that sit under this title:
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Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)
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Business & Law (FBL)
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Arts & Social Sciences (FASS)
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Science, Technology, Engineers & Mathematics (STEM)
EDI Reps
Three roles fit under this title:
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Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Student Representative
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LQBTQIA+ Student Representative
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Disabled Student Representative
Area Representative
There are five roles that sit under this title:
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Wales
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Ireland
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Scotland
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England
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International
Campaigning
Once nominations are announced, candidates are required to campaign and promote their candidacy. This will include creating their own promotional assets, speaking with students about why they are the most suitable candidate, and answering questions submitted by students on OU Student Connect. Campaigning must be fair, positive and respectful. More advice can be found on our campaign guidance page and in our Election rules.
Candidate
Candidate is the title given to anyone who successfully submits a nomination form and stands for a role during the Leadership Elections.
Student Leadership Team (SLT)
The Student Leadership Team lead Open SU’s strategic direction, run events and activities and talk to The Open University on your behalf about decisions that affect students. They represent the collective rather than individual needs of the student body.
Board of Trustees (BoT)
There are six vacancies for elected Student Trustees in this Election. The Board of Trustees are ultimately responsible for the governance of Open SU including all matters relating to staffing, finance, governance and strategy.
Civica
Civica are the company who run and process the Open SU's Elections. This is where you will find out information on how to vote, and all voting will take place on the Civica Election Portal.
External Elections Advisor
The External Elections Advisor will be an individual who independently oversees the election, working in consultation with the Deputy Returning Officer, who will be a member of staff at the Open SU. They can act as an independent party for larger queries if and when required.
Manifesto
As part of the nomination process, candidates will submit a manifesto. The manifesto gives the candidate an opportunity to discuss why they are standing for election in a particular position and why voters should vote for them. A nominee's manifesto is essentially the answers to the candidate questions on the nomination form.
Nomination
This describes the process someone must follow and submit to become a candidate in the Leadership Elections.
‘Teams’, MS Teams, Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a messaging and communication programme that will act as a central hub for events and meetings between candidates and Open SU. To find out more Download Teams and check out their tutorials.