About us > Elections > Part-time officer elections > Autumn 2012 Part-time Officer Elections

About us

The University of Sussex Students' Union aims to make the lives of its members better by providing opportunities such as sports clubs and societies, advice and support services on issues such as housing and coursework and student-friendly shops and bars on campus.

► Autumn 2012 Part-time Officer Elections

Part-time Officers

Three of the four Part-time Officer roles were elected in summer 2012 and students will be electing a Community Engagement Officer in October 2012.

All Part-time Officers have a vote on the Union’s Operations Committee and Union Council, the role’s time commitment varies according to how much students wish to commit, as an estimate, it could be anywhere from one to five hours a week. All the roles have great opportunities to learn and develop skills, work with enthusiastic peers and change life at the University for the better.

Part-time officers hold unpaid elected positions, which take a far smaller time committment than full-time positions. Each position has a specific portfolio (area of responsibility), and it is the responsibility of each officer to promote that portfolio in the activities of the Students' Union. Part-time officers continue with their studies during their time in office.

Time commitment: 2-3 Union Council meetings of approximately two hours per term plus fortnightly Executive Committee meetings of up to two hours. Additional time can be spent on relevant projects and finding out what students think.

Community Engagement Officer

Community Engagement Officer

The Community Engagement Officer is responsible for developing partnership working and positive relationships between University of Sussex students and other sections of the local and wider community, and for working to improve and extend the rights of students in the local and wider community.

Being elected as Community Engagement Officer will mean developing the Union’s links to the wider community. Whether it be through University or local government, volunteer groups or Falmer and Stanmer village there is so much that can be done and learnt through this role.

As Community Engagement Officer you will be member of the University’s Community Engagement Forum

Result

Jack Philo
School of History, Art History & Philosophy, Undergraduate Year 4

Experienced, dedicated and

The campaign to bring the lemon bus back has served as a wonderful reminder of the uniquely involved student-body we enjoy at Sussex. As Community Engagement Officer, I’d aim to assist with such campaigns, but also aim to engage students in non-student specific issues, using the excellent experienced I gained whilst studying abroad, where I was elected as a committee representative for a 100-person student-housing cooperative, working on a committee that served a wider affiliation of nearly 1,000 students. We live in the midst of a vibrant community- I want to see more students than ever engage with it.

Total ballots - 513 : Invalid/empty ballots - 14 : Ballots used in the count : 499

Jack Philo - 299
Gavan Harrison - 141
Re-open nominations - 59

Initial quota (number of votes needed to win) is 249.5.

Jack Philo reached the threshold and was elected

Candidates

Gavan Harrison
School of Law, Politics and Sociology, Undergraduate Year 2

Building a stronger community for all

I believe in building…

Partnerships – We all have an important voice. I will push for our views to be heard and develop links with organisations and community groups to build a better, community based union.

Involvement – the opportunities available in our local area, whether in the public or private sector, are there for all of us to benefit from. I will push for greater awareness of what is available and build positive relationships with providers.

Services – I will engage with all groups, representing the interests and needs of the student community to build excellent services.