Speak up. Cast your vote. Make change at York.
The Timeline
It’s time for the YUSU elections! This is the chance for you to decide on the representatives of your Union, and the future of YUSU, for the year ahead.
20 roles are open for this year’s elections. Speak up, nominate yourself, recommend your friends, and cast your vote to make a change.
Nominate:
Nominate: 16/01/2023 from midday - 03/02/2023 until midday
Campaigning:
Begins from Week 6
Vote:
20/02/2023 from midday - 24/02/2023 until midday
Roles
There are 20 exciting roles up for grabs in this year’s elections!
You could…
- Represent thousands of students in your Faculty
- Run student Networks and campus-wide campaigns alongside your studies
- Or spend a year as a Full-Time Officer leading YUSU and representing students in the University, York and nationally
You could even be part of YUSU governance and procedure as the Accountability and Scrutiny Chair, or represent York students at the NUS National Conference, where policies to benefit students across the country are made.
Have a look to see what excites you!
Full-Time ‘Sabbatical’ Officers
The Full-Time Officers are elected to work at YUSU for a year to deliver on their manifestos and represent students at York. They serve as trustees of the organisation and ensure the issues that matter to you most are represented in meetings with the leaders of the University, the city, and nationally.
To find out more about how we will support you as a Sabb, click here.
Part-Time Officers (Voluntary Officers)
Part-time Officers are student volunteers who are currently studying at York University.
They represent students on a range of issues including liberation, volunteering, raising and giving, and environment and ethics. Alongside delivering their manifestos, they also become the leaders of the student Network for their position and are supported by a committee.
Two Students can run as a pair and ‘job-share’ the role if they win!
To find out more about our current Part Time Officers, head to our Officer page.
Non-Officer Roles
Like the Part-Time Officers, these students volunteer their time to carry out their roles alongside their studies.
Accountability and Scrutiny Chair
This role focuses on making the Union more transparent and accountable for its actions, by holding Officers to account. This role includes chairing a committee of randomly chosen students to uphold these goals and providing opportunities for students to engage in with Officers about their work. The position is responsible for:
- Chairing the student committee who will oversee accountability processes such votes of no confidence against Officers.
- Hosting termly open meetings with Officers
- Chairing the annual general meeting (AGM)
- Approving the Election rules
Please note this is a non-political role that centres around objectivity and following process rather than political change, as you would expect in a normal Union elections. Therefore your nomination is an opportunity to set out what you would bring to the role and why students should vote for you, rather than a traditional manifesto.
Two students can run for this role as a pair and ‘job-share’ if they win!
Faculty Reps
Each Faculty has an elected undergraduate student rep. Faculty Reps work behind the scenes, sitting on University-level committees such as Faculty Boards and Senate, representing all students within their Faculty. They champion student feedback and create large scale positive changes. They deliver projects based on their manifesto. Faculty rep roles run from the 1st July 2023 to the 30th June 2024.
NUS Delegates
As an affiliated Union to the National Union of Students (NUS UK), YUSU sends 6 delegates to the NUS National Conference. Delegates represent students’ views on a national level, decide on priorities and policy and elect the NUS leaders for the following year. NUS Conference will take place on the 15th and 16th March 2023. You don’t need to hold any other student roles, you just need to be available to attend the conference and be passionate about representing students. Training and travel expenses will be provided.
There will be 5 delegate positions up for election, with the 6th space automatically being given to the Union President. The NUS stipulates that delegations are made up of “at least 50% self-defining women, rounded down”. For us, that means that at least 3 of our 6 delegates will be self-defining women. There will be an option to put yourself forward for an open place or self-defining woman space at the point of nomination.
Useful Resources
Why vote?
Key Achievements by Past Officers
What is it like being an Officer?
Below are interviews with past Student Union officers talking about their time in the role and where it has led them in life.
Interview with Laura Carruthers
Skills workshops
Introduction to Professional Communication
Introduction to Project Management
Hack Yourself - Campaigning and building a personal brand
Student Activism - theories and discussion with inspirational past officer Effy Hayle
Useful reading
University of York’s Access and Participation Plan 2020/21 - 2024/25
WonkHe – a platform with lots of useful articles about Higher Education and Students’ Unions. Subscribe for free!
Contact us
If you have any questions please email elections@yusu.org.
We can offer support by email, or even one to one chats with relevant staff members.
