http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/Itemid,336/task,listcat/catid,130/ upsu.net/forums to get chatting with the rest of the student community.]]> en-gb Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:54:47 GMT Copyright: (C) 2008 UPSU.net - Portsmouth Students' Union online. Please visit www.upsu.net/conditions for conditions of use. admin [at] upsu.net http://www.upsu.net/rss/about 60 http://www.upsu.net/templates/forums/images/forumimages/forums.jpg http://www.upsu.net/forums http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4651.htm#4651 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4651.htm#4651 pete_williams Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:54:47 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4627.htm#4627
I am also running in this year's student elections but don't feel the need to write about why you should vote for me here (check out www.upsu.net/elections for all the info on all candidates!). Instead I'm gonna pop down a few notes as to why I personally believe it's important to vote.

The 6 elected Sabbatical Officers that get elected each year ultimately have the responsibility of running the Union. This does not mean the bar, however, instead the Union means all the voluntary stuff that is organised for students (so clubs, societies, volunteering projects, campaigns, etc) and includes dealing with student welfare issues, whether personal or course related.

The elected Sabbs will earn around £16,000 per annum, so it's important you pick the right people so you get your money's worth! All the candidates' manifestos are available online or in a little printed booklet you may see floating around. They are an interesting read and give a deep insight into the candidates' previous experience and vision for the future.

So why should you vote? It's a common misconception that many people believe that voting in such elections will never change anything. This I believe to be false. I believe that us students have a choice on how our Union should be run, and this choice is in the form of the candidates. All the candidates have somewhat different visions and beliefs and it's important you have your say and vote for the candidate whose vision you agree with. Alternatively, there is also the RON (re-open nominations) option where you can vote for RON if you believe that none of the candidates are suitable.

So all in all, enjoy the election period, whether you are campaigning or not - it creates such a fun and buzzy atmosphere around the whole university! And remember to have you say and vote on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday this week!! :) ]]> http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4627.htm#4627 babyvengeance Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:14:23 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4621.htm#4621
Remember these people are being paid with your money so choose the best people for the job ]]> http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4621.htm#4621 lukesimmonds Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:41:52 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4519.htm#4519 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4519.htm#4519 babyvengeance Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:18:27 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4514.htm#4514 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4514.htm#4514 Carl_Jackson Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:36:02 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4461.htm#4461one thing that I will be doing in the week before the next union council is putting a report on the web/ facebook and the paper outlining the motions that are going to be discussed at the next meeting.

Cool beanz :) ]]> http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4461.htm#4461 AlexH Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:44:49 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4456.htm#4456 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4456.htm#4456 steventopazio Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:56:37 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4455.htm#4455
As I said before, a lot of people don't understand what it's all about - the Union needs to make sure it's much more transparent, and although we've got one great website, there's another one out there that gets a whole lot more traffic: Facebook. For all its sins, it definitely knows how to reach the majority of students, and I've heard so many people say that it's not a real event unless it's on facebook - so maybe we need to embrace this and create an event each month, where the agenda and relevant motions can be viewed.

For the majority of students that do attend Union Council, they do not see the motions that are being debated until they come along on the day - giving them absolutely no time to read up on the subject themselves. It would also give them the chance to feed back to the Officers and Chairs, as of course, this is why we have been elected - to represent the views of the students - not to just be putting our own point across on a particular subject!

Look forward to getting my invite soon!!

Message edited by: thegumqueen at: 10/02/2008 13:38 ]]> http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4455.htm#4455 thegumqueen Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:36:50 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4454.htm#4454 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4454.htm#4454 adamsunman Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:33:51 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4451.htm#4451 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4451.htm#4451 thegumqueen Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:46:52 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4450.htm#4450
Steve Topazio
Union Council Chair http://www.upsu.net/components/com_simpleboard/uploaded/images/n503303336_4622.jpeg

Message edited by: Steven Topazio at: 11/02/2008 00:57 ]]> http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4450.htm#4450 steventopazio Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:40:40 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4281.htm#4281 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4281.htm#4281 livethinme Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:02:01 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4272.htm#4272 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4272.htm#4272 adamsunman Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:24:16 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4269.htm#4269 http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4269.htm#4269 skribla Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:15:35 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4268.htm#4268
Moreover, the selling of the SLC would create a massive inequality in the Higher Education System. Universities like Oxford and Cambridge are openly admitting that they are looking to charge in the tens of thousands per annum to study at their prestigious Universities. Because private investment student loans would be income assessed, school/college leavers would be forced to choose their Uni not on merit, but on cost. This, as I'm sure you can see is unaceptable. -

What can be done to stop this I hear you cry, surley nothing a group of students says will affect the Prime Minister's descisions? - As every cynic knows, however, the government always bows to pressure as soon as 'critial mass' is acheived, the level of popular support for a cause that voices the opinnion of the electorate. If we can mobilise students, and network universities across the country, we could easily prevent this catastrophic 'bargain bonanza' for private investors happening and ensuring free and fair education for all.

The Campaign Coalition, as Aforementioned by Ben and Sarah, is striving to acheive this critical mass and ensure that the government understands the wishes of tomorrow's CEOs, Lawyers, Doctors, Dentists, Cleaners, Academics etc. We meet every Wednesday at 5.30 in the union, but maintain a high level of communication throughout the week to ensure we don't loose any momentum.

If you need any information on Campaign Coalition, seek Ben in the Sabbs office or e-mail me on adamsunman@googlemail.com

Message edited by: adamsunman at: 29/11/2007 14:23 ]]> http://www.upsu.net/go/int/rss/-/forums/v/message,130,4268.htm#4268 adamsunman Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:57:18 GMT General discussion > Democracy and elections chat