Officer Elections - Jan 2022

The position of President is one of the Union’s Executive Officer positions and is a full-time, paid role suitable for students for who will be graduating this year, or who will take a sabbatical year if elected. The ideal candidate would be a leader and team player as the President oversees the entire Union and works to enact real change that positively affects students’ lives. The successful candidate would gain experience leading an organisation with over 50 staff members and sit on senior committees among the leaders of the University and external organisations.

The Vice President (Education) position is one of the Union’s Executive Officer positions and is a full-time, paid role suitable for students for who will be graduating this year, or who will take a sabbatical year if elected. The ideal candidate would be passionate about education as a tool for personal development, for pushing the boundaries of knowledge, for supporting social mobility or as a vital part of our society, economy or arts. As Vice-president (Education) you will help to improve students’ academic experience and sit on the university’s most senior academic committee and agree policies that impact all students.

The Vice President (Welfare) position is one of the Union’s Executive Officer positions and is a full-time, paid role suitable for students for who will be graduating this year, or who will take a sabbatical year if elected. The ideal candidate would be passionate about equality and wellbeing and want to represent the needs and issues of all students studying at the University. As Vice-president (Welfare) you'll support student welfare by raising awareness of support services, you’ll sit on the university’s most senior equality committees and agree policies that impact our diverse student population, and will help run events for students who identify as being part of a specific demographic i.e. LGBTQ+, International Students or Students with Disabilities. 

The Vice President (Activities) position is one of the Union’s Executive Officer positions and is a full-time, paid role suitable for students for who will be graduating this year, or who will take a sabbatical year if elected. The ideal candidate would be passionate about supporting Union sports, societies and student led service members throughout the academic year, as well as promoting events and encouraging students to get involved? As Vice-president (Activities) you'll get to work alongside the University to help develop a cohesive approach to activities aimed at increasing and encouraging engagement and ensure students have the best possible experience.

The Commuter Student Officer will identify as being a commuter student, and will actively seek the views of other commuter students at the University of Derby across all campuses to help shape the work that they undertake. They will campaign and lobby the University on issues that may arise locally, regionally or nationally that impact commuter students. They will run at least one campaign that is related to the issues affecting commuter students. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Disabilities Officer will identify as having a disability and will represent the needs of disabled students at the University of Derby on a local, regional and national scale. They will actively seek the view of disabled students at the University of Derby across all campuses to help shape the work that they undertake and campaign and lobby the University on issues that may arise. The Officer will run at least one campaign that is related to the issues affecting disabled students. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Ethnic Minorities Officer will identify as being from an ethnic minority and will represent the needs of ethnic minority students at the University of Derby on issues that arise on a local, regional and national scale and actively seek the views of ethnic minority students at the University of Derby across all campuses to help shape the work that they undertake. They will encourage participation in the Union by ethnic minority students and they will run at least one relevant campaign and focus day. The officer will be the lead officer for all matters related to the NUS Black Students campaign including attending any relevant training or conferences. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Faith & Belief Officer will represent the needs of students from all different faiths and beliefs at the University of Derby, and actively seek the views of students across all campuses to help shape the work that they undertake. They will campaign and lobby the University on issues that may arise that affect students of different faiths and beliefs. The officer will encourage participation in the Union and run at least one campaign that is related to students of different faiths and beliefs. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Gender Officer will represent students with issues around gender at the University of Derby. They will actively seek the views of students across all campuses to help shape the work they undertake, and lobby and campaign the University on issues that may arise. They will encourage students from all gender backgrounds to participate in the Union and will run at least one campaign related to gender inequality. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The International Students Officer will be an international student and will represent the needs of international students at the University of Derby. They will actively seek the views of international students across all campuses to help shape the work they undertake. They will campaign and lobby the University on issues that may arise locally, regionally or nationally. They will encourage international students to participate in the Union, and run at least one relevant campaign and focus day. The officer will be the lead officer for all matters related to the NUS International campaign including attending any relevant training or conferences. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The LGBTQ+ Officer will identify as LGBTQ+ and will represent the needs of LGBTQ+ students at the University of Derby. They will actively seek the views of LGBTQ+ students across all campuses to help shape the work they undertake. They will campaign and lobby the University on issues that may arise locally, regionally or nationally that impact LQBTQ+ students. They will encourage participation in the Union and run at least one relevant campaign, whilst working with the Student Trustees to ensure activities undertaken within the Union are inclusive for LGBTQ+ students. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Mature Students Officer will define as a mature student and will represent the needs of mature students at the University of Derby. They will actively seek the views of mature students across all campuses to help shape the work they undertake. They will campaign and lobby the University on issues that may arise locally, regionally or nationally that impact mature students. The officer will encourage participation in the Union and work with other officers to ensure that mature students get the best possible support. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Mental Health Awareness Officer will need to actively seek the views of students across all campuses to help shape the work they undertake and represent them for issues around mental health. They will campaign and lobby the University on issues that are related to mental health that may arise locally, regionally or nationally. The officer will run at least one relevant campaign and will work with the Officer Trustees to ensure activities undertaken within the Union are inclusive to students with mental health issues. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Student Parents & Carers Officer will define as a parent or carer and will represent the needs of parent and carer students at the University of Derby. They will actively seek the views of other student parents & carers across all campuses to help shape the work they undertake and they will campaign and lobby the University on issues that may arise locally, regionally or nationally. The officer will run at least one relevant campaign and encourage student parents and carers to participate in the Union, whilst working with the Student Trustee to ensure activities undertaken within the Union are inclusive to student parents and carers. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Sustainability Officer will need to actively seek the views of students across all campuses to help shape the work they undertake and represent them for issues around sustainability. They will campaign and lobby the University on issues that are related to sustainability that may arise locally, regionally or nationally. They will be a lead student representative in the Green Impact submission and attend or feed into any meetings relating to this. The officer will run at least one campaign related to sustainability issues and will work with the Officer Trustees to ensure activities undertaken within the Union are sustainable. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Union Education Council Chair will advise and help shape the development of academic priorities for the University's corporate and strategic plans. They will chair and organise Education Councils and attend Academic Board and Union meetings. The chair will approve, implement, monitor and review the policies and procedures promoting the continuous improvement of academic quality and educational standards, as well as supporting in establishing and monitoring the policies on general issues relating to research, scholarship, curriculum content and learning, teaching and assessment. Full training and support is given to the role holder.

The Union Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Chair (EDI Chair) will actively seek the views of students at the University of Derby through the EDI Council and EDI Officers to help shape the work that they undertake. They will chair and organise Equality and Diversity Councils and then meet with the Vice President (Welfare) or a Union staff member to discuss the wider issues that have arisen at the EDI Council. Full training and support is given to the role holder.

The Postgraduate Research Chair will organise and chair the PGR Council and attend the UIRC and report back to the CRC (college research committee) reps within the PGR Council. They will represent the needs of PGR students at the University of Derby on a local, regional and national scale and actively seek the views of PGR students via the CRC reps at the University of Derby to help shape the work that they undertake. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Allied Health & Social Care Officer will be a student within this school and will represent the needs of students within Allied Health & Social Care at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities within the Department including but not limited to Student Forums, with the aim to improve the student experience. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Apprenticeships Officer will be a student on an apprenticeship course and will represent the needs and issues facing apprenticeship students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim to improve the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities.  This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Arts Officer will be a student within this school and will represent the needs of students within the Arts school at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities within the Department, including but not limited to Student Forums, with the aim to improve the student experience. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Science Officer will be a student within this school and will represent the needs and issues facing other science students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff. Please note you can only nominate yourself for one position, excluding the NUS Rep.

The Computing Officer will be a student within this school and will represent the needs and issues facing other computing students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff. Please note you can only nominate yourself for one position, excluding the NUS Rep.

The Derby Business School Officer will be a student within this school and will represent the needs and issues facing other business school students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Human Sciences Officer will be a student within this school and will represent the needs and issues facing other human sciences students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Humanities & Journalism Officer will be a student within this school and will represent the needs and issues facing other humanities and journalism students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Institute of Education Officer will be a student within the school of Education and will represent the needs and issues of students within this school at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat of, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities, including Student Forums. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Law & Social Sciences Officer will be a student within this school will represent the needs and issues facing other law and social sciences students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis, with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Nursing & Midwifery Officer will be a student within this school and represent the needs and issues facing other nursing and midwifery students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Online Learners Officer will be a student studying online and will represent the needs and issues facing other online students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the online student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Postgraduate Taught Officer will be a student on a postgraduate taught course and will represent the needs and issues facing other postgraduate taught students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the postgraduate student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Part-Time Students Officer will be a student who is studying part-time and will represent the needs and issues facing other part-time students at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the part-time student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The Psychology Officer will be a student within the school of psychology and will represent the needs and issues of other students within this school at the University of Derby. They will lead a team of Student Reps and gather feedback on a regular basis with the aim of improving the student experience. The officer will contribute to meetings they have a seat on, including Student Officer Committees, and voice the student view at relevant opportunities. This role will be fully supported by a team of Union staff.

The NUS Delegates will attend the NUS Conference for which transport, accommodation and some food will be paid for. The conference is a 2-day event where the NUS Delegates will get to vote on national policy which will affect students in Further and Higher Education across the whole of the UK. They will also vote for the national officers. There are 4 NUS Delegate places available and this is the only position where nominees can also nominate themselves for another role. The next NUS Conference will be in Blackpool in the Blackpool Winter Gardens on April 17th-18th and all nominees will need to be available to attend this.