Students' Union elections open today
Birkbeck students are invited to vote for their Student Union representatives in a variety of roles: Liberation Officer, Course Representatives, Non-Sabbatical Officers and Student Councillors. The election will be running from 1-15 November.
Birkbeck Students’ Union is holding elections for a wide range of positions from 1-15 November. Students have been putting their names forward throughout this month for several positions including Course Representatives, Non-Sabbatical Officers, Liberation Officers and Student Councillors.
These students are responsible for the direction and policy of the Students’ Union, ensuring that everything we do is ultimately decided by the student body here at Birkbeck – which is why it’s so important to vote.
The positions that are open for election are:
- Liberation Officers: Liberation Officers are paid representatives of the Students’ Union; working 7.5 hours a week to ensure the Union is representing their respective demographics effectively. The Union is electing a Black Members’ Officer, Disabilities Officer and LGBQT Members’ Officer over the November election period, who will make up three of the six-person officer team. This team forms the major decision-making group at the Students’ Union, working to reach these decisions by liaising with the students that elected them.
- Course Representatives: Course Representatives are your first port of call when it comes to academic issues. They act as a contact who can bring concerns you have about your course to Student Council; in turn, the Student Council can create and act on a plan to tackle the issues raised by students.
- Non-Sabbatical Officers: There are a huge variety of Non-Sabbatical Officers who work in a number of specific fields relevant to student interests. These Officers take the time to work on events and campaigns pertinent to their remit; for example, the Environment and Ethics Officer would take the lead on Fairtrade fortnight. They are also eligible to vote at Student Council.
- Student Councillors: Union Councillors are elected members of the council and their job is to ensure that Student Council represents the student voice, to hold the elected officers to account and to approve appropriate resolutions to guide and direct the work of the Union. Any Birkbeck student (who has not opted out of Student Union membership) may submit motions to Council for debate but only elected Council members may vote on whether the motions become Student Union policy.
The Students' Union is a democratic entity - run by students, for students. As such, the best way for students to make their voices heard is through a representative democracy, electing students to represent them on a variety of different issues.
The Students’ Union uses the single transferable vote system for its elections, whereby voters rank the candidates for a position in order of preference (where 1 marks your first choice, 2 marks your second choice, and so forth).
Voting online is quick and easy. Log into our website and select the elections you wish to vote in.
For more information about elections, just head to the Birkbeck Union Elections page for a comprehensive, detailed run-through of all of the different positions and candidates.
Happy voting!