Applications for the 2024/25 Student Elections are closed.
So, what happens now?
Between now and the 24th of February, those who have applied for a role in the Student Elections will be working with our Student Voice team to get prepared for when the voting period opens. You will know who your candiates are ahead of the voting period.
Voting opens on the 24th of February 2025. Over the course of the week candidates will speak to students, share their campaign, and set out why students should vote for them to represent their voice.
During the week you can place your vote for who you most want to become your SU President, President of Faculty of Health, President of Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business, and President of Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Voting will close on the 28th of February at midday.
But, why should I vote?
There are many reasons why you should take part in the Student Election and place your vote, even if you don’t know someone who has applied for a role.
The four students who are elected will have a direct say in how the Students’ Union is run and the strategic direction of the SU by speaking on your behalf at high-level meetings and working alongside SU staff, the University of Plymouth, and external organisations.
Essentially, those who are elected represent the voices of the entire student community and will work to improve the student experience. This is why it is so important you have your say on who you want this to be, and you cast your vote carefully.
This year the roles have changed meaning those elected have an even bigger impact on your student experience.
This year the roles have changed. You'll see that each Faculty will have its own President as well as a SU President who will support students from each Faculty. All students were eligible to apply for the position of President, however, to apply for a President Faculty position the individual must be a student from that faculty.
This change was implemented after careful consideration of the feedback you (the student community) provided. You told us that you wanted us to focus on improving your academic experience, and so we made changes to the key representative roles to strengthen your voice.
The change in roles means that those elected will be directly leading individual faculities and therefore will impact your academic experience more than ever before. They will do this alongside also advocating for your rights to mental wellbeing support, representation, and study-life-balance.
Still don’t think the elections impact you? Well, you’re wrong...
Maybe you think the elections don’t impact you because you don’t think you engage with the SU so it doesn't matter – but you’re probably wrong.
The SU is more than just a nightclub, event space, or bar. It is those things, but so much more! Even if you don't go into the Students' Union itself, if you're part of a society or a sports club, if you volunteer, if you're a Student Rep or have ever spoken to your School, Course or Faculty Rep, if you've ever needed advice about Student Finance or sought to query feedback you've been given by academic staff, you've probably interacted with your Students' Union.
The things that we do and the direction and focus we take is largely driven by the elected Sabbatical Officers who speak on the student communities’ behalf to let us know what your unmet needs are and how we can enhance your student experience.
So, if you want to see change, first you need to vote – and vote carefully.
Only University of Plymouth students can vote in the elections, meaning the results are 100% decided by you.
With this past year seeing students impacted by the cost of living, rising student fees, mental wellbeing, and more, we understand the frustrations and challenges much of the student community are facing right now. This is why it is vital that you have your say on who you want to champion your voice and choose carefully on who represents your ideas for change.
Whether you vote because you want to see change for yourself or for your wider student community, including your course peers, house mates, or student group friends: please make sure you vote and take control of the change you want to see at your University.
When and how can I vote?
Once voting opens on the 24th of February you can cast your vote for each of the four roles.
Voting is online only, and all you need is your student login details to vote.
Voting is anonymous and takes just a few minutes.
Find out more about the Student Elections here.