Here are a few reasons why voting in the upcoming student elections is worth your time
The sabbatical officers within the Students’ Union play a significant role in how students experience life at Royal Holloway, ranging from the clubs you take part in to the support available to you within your courses. Championing the role of a sabbatical officer represents the ability to shape and change the Students’ Union.
It’s important to choose the right person to represent your ideas and values so that you can get the best out of your time here in Royal Holloway. Here are a few reasons why voting in the upcoming student elections is worth your time:
- As a student enrolled at Royal Holloway, you are regarded as a member of the Students’ Union. This means that you are entitled to the equal opportunity to voice your opinion in how the Union should be run. Voting in the elections is a great step to making your voice be heard.
- Officers have the chance to make genuine changes within the Union and across campus. This ranges from the way the new venues (such as The Packhorse, previously Monkey’s Forehead) are refurbished, to how funds are allocated within Summer Ball and how the clubs and societies are funded. Choosing the right candidate allows you to have the right representative embodying your ideas and can help open up opportunities in how you experience the activities take part in and the facilities you use.
- There is a specific sabbatical officer representing the minority groups such as LGBT+, BME and Disabled students. For those affiliating with these groups, giving your vote within the student elections allows the opportunity for these groups to be represented and heard in the most effective way within the all-inclusive Students’ Union.
- If you cast your vote, you will be in the stronger position to hold the successful candidates accountable. So, if you feel that they have not done what they said they would within their manifesto, you can rightfully ask them why.
- The chosen candidates that are available for nomination have reached that spot for a reason. All of them are of a high calibre and have had a vast amount of previous experience contributing and helping the Students’ Union. They have spent a lot of time thinking about the policies that matter to the student population, which could make them stand out from the rest. This means as a student make sure you read through the manifestos thoroughly and choose the candidate that represents you the best.
- If you don’t vote it will make it more difficult for the officers to declare that they are the legitimate voice of the student population. As a group, the students within Royal Holloway are the largest influencing force for affecting change within the Students’ Union. By voting, you can say that the changes that are put in place are due to the contributions of your ideas and voice.
Be sure to head down to the Candidate Question Time at Stumble Inn from 6pm today (07 March). This is your chance to meet the candidates and hear from them. Voting opens on Wednesday 08 March at 10am and closes on Friday 10 March at 4pm. Have your say in the future of your SU.