As you may or may not have been aware, last week was the Union By-Elections.
The By-Elections are triggered when a Union role is not filled in our main Elections which take place every year in February. It’s a smaller event than the main Elections (you may not have seen banners, posters or lots of campaigners around this time) but it’s no less important. Our aim in the Elections, and thereafter in the By-Elections if they are needed, is to fill all of our roles so that all students are properly represented.
In this year’s By-Elections we had 6 positions to fill, and we had numerous students put themselves forward for these, with some roles being very hotly contested. The candidates worked really hard and diligently to get their faces and names out there and it really paid off, we had a really successful By-Election with over 340 votes cast – which (though we’re not counting…honest…) is over 100 more votes than were cast in last year’s by-elections!
Voting closed at 12 Noon on Friday 27th April, the candidates laid down their campaigns, the votes were counted and the result were announced.
Those students who got the most student votes and were therefore duly elected in to their roles are as follows:-
Part Time Officer (Joint Honours) – Holly Smith
This position consists of representing joint honours students to the student body, the union, University, Partners and the wider community. Sitting in on Programme Representative conferences and to be a part of the Education Council.
Part Time Officer (Chesterfield) – Victoria Bradley
This position will voice and represent the issues that face Chesterfield students. This will include the attending of Course representative forums, FE Governing Council and any other relevant college meetings.
Part Time Officer (Life Sciences) – Monica Erdos
This role will be to gather feedback on a regular basis from Programme Representatives and students within the college department of Life Sciences and to lead their team of programme reps. Attending Programme Rep conferences and to sit in on College Quality Enhancement Committees.
Part Time Officer (Education Chair) – Abigail Luscombe
The role consists of chairing the education council who oversees the academic representation of the Union of Students. You will also sit on the Academic Board, one of the most influential meetings at the University, as a representative of all students.
Equality and Diversity Council Chair – Lewis Roden
This position will chair the Equality and Diversity council which is made up of the part time officers which represent minority student groups (LGBTQ+, BAME, Disability etc). They will set the agenda and assist the PTO's in their work. This position will also sit on the University Equality and Diversity Committee where they will represent the views of all minority groups.
Part Time Officer (Buxton Education HE) – Josie Moss
This position is responsible for representing issues facing Buxton based programmes of study to the student body, the union, University, partners and wider community. To also attend the Education Council and be an active member of the decision-making bodies within the union.
A huge congratulation to all of those who campaigned in this year’s By-Elections. Though you can’t all be elected, nothing brings us greater joy than seeing Derby students getting involved and wanting to represent their fellow students in partnership with the Union.
If you think you might want to get involved in volunteering with the Union alongside your studies, these positions come up annually (sometimes sooner if people leave post), so why not get in touch and see how you could be a part of this. You can email our Democracy & Governance Coordinator at laura.maher@derbyunion.co.uk