General
How do I find out more about Council and the SRC?
The best way to find out about Council is to read the rest of the ‘About SRC’ section of the website, and to speak to current Council Members. Have a look at the rest of the website too, to find out about each aspect of the SRC’s work. If you have specific questions, you can ask one of the Sabbatical officers, whose contact details can be found on the Sabbatical Officers page.
What does each position entail?
Each position comes with different responsibilities attached to it, and different positions represent different demographics of students. For details about each position, click on the SRC Council pages.
How much time does a position on Council take up?
To a great extent, how much time you will spend working in the position depends on how much time you are willing to dedicate.
There are particular responsibilities required of all Council Members. There are a minimum of 6 evening Council Meetings every year which you will be expected to attend. Your role also requires you to regularly communicate with the demographic you represent (e.g. your College or School, or disabled students): updating them on what’s happening at the SRC, finding out what improvements they would like to see made to the University, and working with Council and the Sabbatical team to achieve this.
It is extremely difficult to give a ball-park figure of how long you will spend performing SRC-related work. On average, you may spend around 3 hours per week on this. This will vary depending on what the SRC is working on, and how much commitment you are willing to give.
If you are a Sabbatical officer, and thus in a salaried position, you will work around 34 hours per week.
Standing for a Position
How do I stand for a position?
If you’re interested, then follow the ‘Elections Nomination’ link that will be provided when they are open, and submit an online nomination form. On this same page you will find information about the process of elections, details of when the hustings meeting will take place, and general guidelines.
You will need to complete the online nomination form with your details, and digitally submit a manifesto and photo to elections@src.gla.ac.uk. You will also need to electronically request fellow student sponsors. You can do this via the online nomination form.
Depending on what position you are standing for, you will need to collect 6, 15 or 30 signatures from registered University of Glasgow students who are eligible to nominate you. Please check the relevant guidelines to find out more information.
Once nominations have closed, a list of candidates will be uploaded onto our website.
Do I need any particular experience to stand for a position?
No. What you do need are ideas that you would like to implement in the coming year (they don’t have to be big: just realistic and beneficial), and a willingness to listen to your constituents and effectively represent them.
Members of council come from a vast range of backgrounds with very varying experience and passions: there is room for all.
Having said that, you should have a good understanding of what the SRC does before you run.
I’m a part-time / postgrad student – can I still stand for a position?
Yes, you can. If you are a part-time or postgraduate student you can run for any position.
However, if you are wishing to run for a position that represents one of these demographics, you should belong to that particular group to do so.
I’m graduating this year – can I still stand for a position? (Spring Elections Only)
If you are graduating this year, and not undertaking a postgraduate degree at the University of Glasgow, or starting a new degree, you can stand only for a Sabbatical position.
I’m studying abroad this year – can I still stand for a position?
Students on study abroad programmes are able to stand in the elections as all forms are submitted electronically. However, we would expect you to be no-longer a study abroad student while undertaking the role you are running for.
I’m still not sure about running… Any advice?
Deciding to stand in an election can be a big decision. If you have any concerns or questions that are not addressed here, email elections@src.gla.ac.uk who will be able to give you further information.
The election process
What format do the elections take?
Votes are cast online, via https://gla.ac.uk/vote, or by using the the UofG Life App. Polling opens at 9am and closes at 5pm. On 2 day elections, it opens at 9am on the first day of elections, and runs through the night until it closes in the afternoon of the second day.
How do people vote?
The voting system used is single-transferrable vote (see this useful Wikipedia article for details). This system can seem complicated but essentially it allows voters to number candidates in order of who they would most like to be elected, to least (1 is most). A certain proportion of the total votes is needed to be elected, and if this number is not reached once the votes have been distributed, the person with the least number of votes will be eliminated, and their votes will be redistributed based on who got a number ‘2’ next to their name on those ballots.
The voting system means that every vote counts, and that it’s essential to get people to vote for you as near to the top of the list as possible. The person who started with the most votes may not be the person who eventually gets elected.
What’s a Hustings meeting?
A hustings meeting involves each candidate giving a short speech to the audience of students about who they are, what they wish to achieve in the position they are running for, and why people should vote for them.
There is then the opportunity for audience members to ask questions for individuals, or all candidates. Candidates will be given a couple of minutes to answer.
The idea of a hustings meeting can seem daunting to candidates, especially if it is your first experience of one before. However, the meetings are a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability to people. The chair of the meeting ensures that order is kept and that everyone knows when to speak and when to listen. The atmosphere is inquisitive but not in the least hostile.
Does it cost money to run an election campaign?
The most important part of anyone’s campaign is their manifesto: a document that describes who you are, what your ideas are, and what you think you could bring to the role. All manifestos will be available online for people to read before voting.
Many people also choose to print posters to place around campus (guidelines for this can be found in nomination packs), and hand out flyers to students on election days to encourage them to vote. Please do refer to the guidelines for this, as this can change from year to year.
It’s not necessary to spend a lot of money on campaigns, and there is not a correlation between the amount of money spent on a campaign and the success of it.
If you’re not sure about the costs involved in running, you might be interested in our new election campaign grant funding. All candidates running in the SRC Spring Elections can apply for a grant towards their campaign cost. Find out more here.