Aston Students' Union is a student-led democratic organisation that represents, supports and provides opportunities to its members: all Aston students. We're led by a team of Officers who are democratically elected Aston students. Elections take place during Term 2 (usually March), and these decide who will run the Students' Union for the following academic year.
There are loads of reasons why you should think about becoming an SU Officer. Here are some of the best ones.
BECAUSE YOU ARE A LEADER.
Full-Time SU Officers are leaders of the Students’ Union in a very real way. As an Officer, you'd be a trustee and director of the Union. You'd oversee the daily running of the Union, to ensure it’s working in the interests of Aston students, and make real decisions that can change the whole direction of the organisation. In most placements and grad jobs, you start at the bottom: not as an SU Officer. You start right at the top. This is a truly unique opportunity.
BECAUSE YOU INSPIRE CHANGE.
You understand students, and you know what needs to change to make the Aston experience better. Being an SU Officer is the most effective way to make change on campus. Think the library could be better? Be our next VP Education. Think mental health services could be improved? Be our next VP Welfare. Think you could run the best events in town? Become our VP Student Activities.
BECAUSE YOU STRIVE TO GAIN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE.
A year as an SU Officer is potentially the best thing you could do for your CV. You’ll gain experience in:
- Project Management
- Campaigning
- Event Management
- Governence and Policy
- Research
- Public Speaking
- Attending High-Level Meetings
- Stategic Planning
- People Management
- Partnership Work with Diverse Stakeholders
- Diplomacy
- Negotiation
- Finance
And more!
You’ll benefit from extensive training, networking opportunities with university leadership, politicians, and business leaders, and the complete support of Union staff. Your opportunities after this are practically limitless. It’s a springboard to fantastic careers in business, charity, politics, or education – or pretty much anything else you set your mind to.
BECAUSE YOU DESERVE A PLACEMENT LIKE NO OTHER.
Although people often think of Officer positions as something people do after finishing university, a lot of Officers get the idea of running in the election when they’re looking for a placement. It’s a great opportunity – the gross annual salary is over £22k, and offers a huge amount of options for ways to develop your professional skills. The elections are also all over by mid March – so if it doesn’t go to plan there’s still plenty of options to continue your placement search.
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What do the officers do?
The Officer team is made up of 15 Officers: five Full-Time (or Sabbatical) Officers, and eleven Voluntary Officers. The Full-Time Officers work in the Students' Union as a full-time, paid job. They're also trustees (external link) of the Students' Union, meaning they contribute to managing the Students' Union in accordance with Charity Law.
Voluntary Officers undertake their role alongside their studies. They're not paid, but they have access to a budget, and to SU staff and resources to help them plan and deliver their projects. As they need to be a student during their year in office, this means that you must be a student during the 2020-21 academic year to be able to run for one of these roles.
PRESIDENT
The role of Students’ Union President is to lead the Union Executive in delivering on manifesto promises, driving strategy into reality, and directing the Students’ Union through the power of the Student Voice.
VP EDUCATION
The Vice President Education is chief representative for education at Aston; spearheading academic excellence through Course Representation and Student Engagement. The VP Education will be involved in a number of academically-focused working groups, steering effective change for students throughout the course of their degrees; using the power of the Student Voice.
VP WELFARE
The Vice President Welfare is responsible for the welfare of students at Aston, offering advice and support as well as organising awareness campaigns. They act as the chief liaison for the Union Executive and the Advice and Representation Centre (ARC). The VP Welfare focuses on all manner of campaigns, be it mental health, affordable student living, sexual health, drugs awareness, nightlife safety, consent or wellbeing; there is no end to the campaigns you can deliver as VP Welfare.
VP STUDENT ACTIVITIES
The Vice President Student Activities champions all Students’ Union work that improves the students’ extracurricular involvement. As the forerunner of the Student Activities Executive they create, coordinate, and develop the multitude of Sports Clubs and Societies available at Aston University, and through their leadership of the Student Activities Office, drive change and efficiencies through Clubs and Societies to encourage engagement, widen participation and improve the student experience.
VP COMMUNITIES
The Vice President – Communities leads the Students' Union's engagement initiative for groups and communities of students that fall outside the traditional remit of a club or society. The role will work to promote diversity and belonging between students who share a common characteristic such as but not limited to; mode of study, student classification, protected characteristics under the Equalities Act, geography and location of study. The post will further support projects to raise awareness of the Students’ Union amongst the wider student body with a view to increase engagement.
Postgraduate Officer
*Autumn Elections*: Represents Postgrad Students at Aston, read the job description here
> Learn More
International Students Officer
Represents Aston's International Community, read the job description here
> Learn More
Disabled Students Officer
Ensures that students with disabilities have a voice in the Union, read the job description here
> Learn More
LGBTQ+ Students Officer
Represents the interests of students who identify as LGBTQ+, read the job description here
> Learn More
Women Students Officer
Promotes Womens issues at Aston, read the job description here
> Learn More
BAME (Black & Minority Ethnic) Officer
Represents BAME students at Aston, read the job description here
> Learn More
Part-Time & Commuter Students Officer
Represents the interests of students who commute to Uni, read the job description here
> Learn More
Union Chair
Runs Union Council, and the Union Executive Committee
> Learn More
Mature Students Officer
Represents the interests of older students during their education, read the job description here
> Learn More
What is the NUS?
The National Union of Students, known as the NUS, is the national voice of 7 million students across the United Kingdom. It exists to promote, extend, and defend student rights, which it does so through the 600 student unions, associations and guilds across the country.
Take a look at the NUS website to find out a bit more about the NUS.
What is the role?
We elect a number of conference delegates to attend the NUS National Annual Conference, alongside the SU President.
NUS Conference Delegates are super important because they represent Aston University students at a national level. As an NUS Delegate, you will discuss and debate issues that matter to students; you can submit motions to change things for the better and ensure the views of Aston students are heard loud and clear on a national scale.
The role of an NUS Delegate is three-fold; they vote on policy, elections and reports. For more information about being a delegate at NUS National Conference go to the NUS Connect website.
What happens at NUS Conference?
The NUS National Conference is a key decision-making body within the NUS. It brings together delegates from students' unions affiliated to the NUS UK to discuss, debate and vote on motions.
As the sovereign policy-making body of the NUS, National Conference brings together nearly a thousand delegates from students' unions across the country. As well as discussing and voting on motions; they also elect the political leadership of the NUS for the year ahead.
STILL NOT SURE?
Get in contact with the SU if you'd like to have a chat with a current officer, or to find out more. Email union.voice@aston.ac.uk.