Candidate 1
ACCESSIBILITY: Improving the accessibility of W&D is paramount in reaching students who are not yet engaged, for both support and volunteering purposes. I will ensure the website is maintained, detailing all committee and association sub-committee members. It is vital to retain students who are already involved in W&D. To do so, I will implement monthly updates from each association, such as newsletters, videos or blog posts.
COLLABORATION: W&D encompasses every student at Loughborough. I would like to collaborate further with other sections of LSU, for example, working with the Education E.O. to introduce W&D reps into every department committee, as well as developing the AU Welfare Rep system by providing additional training and support. Collaboration with the College and both University campuses is key. Creating a small W&D committee underneath the Loughborough in London W&D representative would help to initially filter the section’s campaigns through to the London campus. In the college, re-launching the committee is vital for the support of college students too.
EMPOWERING VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers are essential to W&D. It is vital to support the development of our volunteers, to benefit both the section and the individual. I will provide regular training and appraisals throughout the year for the W&D Committee, but also association sub-committees, to ensure volunteers at all levels feel supported. I intend to work with the Enterprise & Employability E.O. and the Careers Network to create an employability award for W&D volunteers to gain tangible evidence of their brilliant work to carry forward after graduation.
R.O.N
Hi, I’m R.O.N and I stand for Re-open nominations. It’s my job to make sure you’re aware of candidate shortcomings. If you don’t feel that the candidates are applicable to the role, have a read of MY manifesto, and vote R.O.N.
Their first point centralises around the accessibility of the section, and whilst their points could be fruitful, they don’t seem to convey actual progression as ideas. The candidate states that they would like to make sure the website is maintained, but this is a prerequisite of the job role and should be done as standard? So this point seems to lack weight. They also discuss the integral part of keeping volunteers within welfare. This is a good point, but is a monthly update enough to keep someone involved? If it is separate how feasible is this idea as different associations have periods of inactivity throughout the year? I would like to know how the candidate plans to involve volunteers beyond giving them something to read.
Their second point focuses around collaboration. What would be the improvement on adding W&D reps to department committee’s when students already have contacts? What are the aims of implementation? They also talk about how AU Reps need additional training and support. If the prerequisite is met why is this a point? And what would additional training provide? Their point about London is positive, but with a committee that is still very much in its infancy, is it not better to establish the basics before trying to get more volunteers, and has the candidate consulted the London welfare representative about the opportunities in the capital? How specifically does the candidate hope to re-launch the college committee?
Their final point is about the empowerment of Volunteers. Whilst admittedly training and appraisals are a good format for keeping volunteers happy alongside being supported, actually giving them opportunities and the power to do things, which is what empowering is, doesn’t seem to come into the point. The candidate hasn’t given an example of how they would provide an opportunity to volunteers. The point about awards is nice, but is there a more tangible way to award more than one volunteer?
