Your Guide to Term 1 Elections
Now that we’ve entered Term One (or, TB1), it’s time for our TB1 Elections. This is a unique opportunity for you to represent yourself and other students at university, making the change you want to see happen.
Why do Bristol Students’ Union have ‘Elections’?
If you recently joined the University of Bristol, you might still be wrapping your head around who Bristol Students’ Union (Bristol SU) are – let alone why we have Elections. And that’s understandable. You automatically become a member of Bristol SU when you join Bristol University – so how would you know who we are and what we do!
We’re a charity, independent from the university, and sit at the best parts of student life. For example, we organise Welcome Week which you may have recently experienced.
The most interesting part about our organisation is that we’re democratically run, which means you get to have your say and direct what we do.
We’re led by Full-Time Officers. These ‘Officers’ are actually current students who work for a full year-term, on a full-time salary, to campaign for change to the University of Bristol and improve your student experience. They work to make a difference, to lobby the university for cheaper food options or more study spaces, to make student groups cheaper so they’re more accessible, to highlight the housing crisis in the city and ask for support. They speak out for students and highlight what they want and deserve.
Full Time Officers are not hired by us, they are elected by you. It’s in your hands who represents you, and who you trust to make a difference. These Elections, for Full Time Officers, happen in March – Term 2.
And, they’re not the only representatives that are elected by you during your time at university...
In Term 1, you can engage in this democratic structure and get voting, potentially for the first time, to elect all other roles at Bristol Students’ Union.
We have a whole system of Elected Representatives – and you can nominate yourself to be one of them! Whether this is becoming a representative of your faculty, or as a Network Chair for our wonderful Networks, when you become a representative you can be a voice for your peers and even vote in Student Council.
Why will voting or nominating myself in TB1 Elections improve your student experience?
If you exercise your democratic right to vote or decide to represent other students by nominating yourself for one of our roles, then you can make a change to student lives at the University of Bristol.
Academic Representatives can make course or faculty-specific changes that improve the academic experience of you or your peers. Compared to Full-Time Officers, who make wider changes at a university level, Academic representatives make sure you’re represented in the very subjects you study.
Every one of our roles in TB1 Elections gives you space to make the change you wish to see, so check them all out below!
What are the roles?
There are plenty of roles in TB1 Elections so that you can find the right one for you alongside your studies! These are:
Academic Representatives
There is at least one Course Rep for every year on every course, and at least one PGR rep for every research programme.
It’s time to represent your course! Every student should get the most out of their university degree; and as a course rep, you can raise the issues you and your coursemates care about.
In TB1 Elections you can nominate yourself to be, or vote for:
- A first year Undergraduate (UG) Course Rep
- A Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Course Rep
Becoming a course rep is a great way to develop your CV and get involved with the wider Bristol SU community as a new student.
JCRs (Junior Common Room Halls Reps)
Every Undergraduate Hall has a Junior Common Room Committee responsible for running events in their hall of residence.
The committee consists of three people, and now you can nominate yourself to be one of them or vote for the student you’d like to see elected! They are:
- President
- Two Vice-Presidents (Treasurer and Events) who work as a team to spend a dedicated budget on the events that students in your hall really want to see.
Previous JCR's have led on events from club-nights and formals, to graffiti workshops and inter-hall sports competitions. Ultimately, the role is yours to shape.
Faculty Reps
Faculty Reps represent the issues and priorities of students in their faculty to staff at both faculty and university levels.
In TB1 Elections you can nominate yourself for, or vote for:
- PGT (Post Graduate Taught) Faculty Reps (all faculties)
- PGR (Postgraduate Research) Faculty Reps (for Science, Social Sciences and Law, Engineering and Life Sciences)
- UG Faculty Rep for Social Sciences and Law (SSL)
Network Chairs
As Chair of one of our Liberation Networks you can help create a community for students like yourself, all while developing your CV with relevant experience and transferrable skills like leadership and organisation. Being a network chair means you can lead campaigns, hold forums and organise social events.
You can become a Network Chair for, or a Chair vote for:
- The LGBTQ+ Network
- The Mature Students
- The Parents & Carers Network
- The Care Leavers and Estranged Students Network
Democratic Standards Committee (x4)
This all sounds great, when do the TB1 Elections happen?
Here are all of the key dates you need to know about:
- Nominations open Mon 9 September
- Reopen (extension period) at 5 pm 23 September
- Nominations close at 9 am 26 September
- Voting opens 9 am 30 September
- Voting closes at 5 pm 3 October
