Welcome to the Active Political Leadership Network

This is your opportunity to share best practice and information on leading your student body and generating change, both internally within your union and externally for the benefit of your members. The network is open to anyone who is responsible for negotiations with the institution, lobbying external bodies, driving change and leading a political organisation.

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Myspace and Facebook - Elections

“I'm chairing our elections committee this year, and we're struggling to get a decision on how we let candidates use myspace and facebook. We let people set up their own websites, but once they've been checked by elections committee they aren't allowed to update them. Obviously this wouldn't work well with facebook.” Rachel Jones, Education and Welfare Officer at the University of Teeside SU

“We have just had these discussions, the conclusion we reached was that facebook, myspace etc should not be used to pimp for votes unless every candidate running in the election was happy for it to be allowed. Candidates can state that they are running in the election but no more than that.” Rachael Clarke, President at Manchester Metropolitan SU

“Bound by the constitution - no electronic campaigning is allowed. I love facebook but it does give certain people the disadvantage and it becomes campaigning from a computer in your student bedroom rather than actually getting out on campus and studentsville speaking to actual persons!” Owen Morgan, President at Swansea University SU

Full Transcript of Discussion

Ensuring Fairness in Elections ; courtesy of Jim Dickinson, NUS

Entrance to your Students' Union

“We are currently running a referendum on NUS Affiliation and have received a number of queries from our students about other universities stances towards our students, were we to disaffiliate. Would a Students Union card from SURHUL be sufficent to allow entry to your licensed premises, even if we were no longer part of NUS?” Rob Coveney

I'm sure there would be no problems at all, after all we are still students whether you are in NUS or not, I'm sure you would be made very welcome. Aran Simm

I'm afraid I must disagree. We explicitly state NUS cards as we need to ensure that the cards are official (i.e - they are really students), something we couldn't confirm otherwise. Also, I do not see why our union should allow students from non-NUS institutions to use our services. If you do not believe in collectivism, and thus refuse to fund the national union - then you cannot expect to receive such support from other unions. Mark Ferguson

Full Transcript of Discussion

Student Charters?

We're looking to establish a student charter here at Northumbria and we're working in partnership with the University to develop it. We have a couple of examples of student charters from around the country but could really do with some more. If anyone has one they could forward it would be most helpful. Spike Reid, President at Northumbria Students' Union

We just recently developed our student charter and was approved by the University, and now our University has been awarded the Charter mark. So get in touch. Caston Matewu; UELSU

Full Transcript of Discussion

Electing representative officers

I've been asked by my Union Council to do some research into how liberation officers, ie: Womens, LGBT etc are elected at other Unions. At present we elect them in a cross campus ballot, and anyone can vote for any positions. I was wondering if other Unions found ways of only allowing Women to vote for Womens officer and LGBT students to vote for LGBT officers, and how successful these things may be! Mike Haw, Union President at Kent Union

Here at UEL only women students can vote for the women's welfare position - however any student regardless of sexuality can vote for the LGBT officer. We have found this to be successful. Voting cards issued to male students for voting simply strike out the post of women's welfare position. Glenith Williams; Welfare and Education Officer at University of East London