In February, 1,658 students voted in the election as to whether it was time to change the positions of the SU Officers team. These votes only reflected around 5.5% of students at the University of Sheffield. There’s no denying that being stuck at home in lockdown with a few online lectures a week has left many of us disengaged with our university experience and subsequently, our Students’ Union.
It can sometimes be difficult to see what your Students’ Union can offer you. For some it may just appear to be a building, for others it’s where you can have a study sesh and grab a coffee, for others it’s making drunken memories dancing to Taylor Swift at Poptarts or joining My Nu Leng at The Tuesday Club. The SU is all of these things, but it’s also the heart of the university. It’s a place for students to make changes, to have their voices heard and to make the most of their time while studying.
This year, there are seven full time officer roles and six part time. The officers are chosen by the whole 30,000 student population to work in the SU for the year. Today is the final day to vote for the full time roles (SU president, liberation, education, activities and development, wellbeing and sport, welfare and sustainability and international and community). Voting for the part time officer roles will be later in the semester. The SU is run by students for students, and allows you to make real changes.
Here’s are just some examples of the many changes that have been made as a result of students:
- Removing the sales of single-use bottles of water to reduce unnecessary plastic waste
- Installation of water fountains across University buildings
- The freezing of university-owned accommodation contracts over the pandemic for students unable to return to university
- The opening of gender neutral toilets and lobbying by Matt Graves for trans-inclusion in university sports
- Organised strikes such as Reclaim the Night
- Mental health campaigns to break down stigma and increase support
- LGBTQ+ university accommodation
- Lower bus prices
In previous years, the SU has been the heart of campaigning for Officer candidates. Flocks of people giving out flyers to students grabbing coffees, posters on the back of toilet doors, and chanting on the concourse under the sun. This is the best way for candidates to interact with their fellow students and allows people to ask questions about their manifestos. As things have moved online this year with a series of Instagram accounts and TikToks it can be harder for candidates to connect with their audience but it still remains as important as ever to read everyone’s campaigns before casting any votes. This is not a popularity contest, this is who can represent the full variety of student voices and make the necessary changes. Our Students’ Union has been voted #1 in the country for 10 years running in several award ceremonies, but we’re not stopping here.
The university’s voting system uses Single Transferrable Vote (STV), a proportional system that aims to minimise ‘wasted votes’ – meaning yours is more likely to count. Even if you’re worried that who you will vote for won’t win, your vote is still important and will be seen in the results. By not voting you become another statistic of someone who doesn’t care. Even if you don’t agree with any of the campaigns being led by candidates you should still take part and vote for Re-Open Nominations (RON).
Still not convinced? Here’s just a small list of more reasons to vote:
- Your SU Officers can campaign to the university about things that matter to you. This could be making Sheffield’s streets feel safer and setting up compulsory anti-racism campaigns, or what food is offered in the SU and how Varisty is ran.
- You can have your say in where money is spent in the SU by voting in the right officers. This could help better the facilities in the SU or give your favourite society a bigger budget to do more.
- If you’re a minority student, it’s important to have your voice represented, particularly by people who share your experiences. By reading each candidate’s manifetos you can see who has policies in these areas. Our SU also has elected student councillors to help support different groups of students and oversee what the SU does.
- If at any point in the year you disagree with how your Officers are handling their position you can hold them to account.
We’re a resilient network of students who continue to come together despite difficult circumstances. Get your voice heard and cast your votes.
Voting ends today at 5pm.
