The Big Choice Referendum

Change our current full time officer roles to four full time open positions. All students run against each other, the four students with the most votes win.

Back

What we know and believe:

  • The core role of a Full Time Officer is to reflect the needs and views of students at the most senior levels within the University
  • Many students do not know about or understand the current Full Time Officer remitted roles (President, Education, Welfare, Activities)
  • The current remits and roles for Full Time Officers do not necessarily reflect the interests of the whole Greenwich student body
  • If roles were simplified, it could improve student engagement, and facilitate more flexibility from elected Full Time Officers to represent the needs and views of students effectively
  • There is not an even spread of candidates across current roles
  • The Full Time Officer roles would attract high quality student leaders if they were more flexible, so students could campaign on their needs and interests, which often go beyond the current role descriptions  
  • Full Time Officers will achieve greater impact by working together on common interests
  • SU permanent staff have the resource available to support incoming Officers to divide ongoing work evenly amongst the team to ensure that all work is given equal attention
  • Officers should reflect an ever-changing student body, and students must have the power to direct the priorities of their leadership

GSU Resolves

  • To change the current Full Time Officer roles (President, Vice President Education, Vice President Welfare and Vice President Student Activities) to four full time open remit roles. The candidate with the most votes will have the opportunity to become President, and the three candidates with the next highest vote count will become Vice Presidents.
  • All Full Time Officer Candidates run against each other, the four candidates with the most votes win.
  • Review all by-laws associated with Full Time Officer roles
  • Replace any Union policy associated with the current roles and remits of full-time officers with the updated terminology and process
  • Provide new guidance to students and candidates ahead of the Spring 2019 Election cycle
  • For the final mechanisms of the Full Time Officer roles to be approved by Trustee Board as part of the by-law changes to be submitted in May