Parliament is an entirely elected body, made up of 100 representatives (Members of Union Parliament) drawn proportionally from the University’s four academic colleges. It is a great opportunity for any student that wants to have an active role in the running of the Union and the direction it takes, while also looking great on your CV.
Over the past few years the Union has been blessed with a fantastic array of student officers who have made massive changes to enhance the Union including sweeping democratic reforms and better provision for the University’s sports teams. One of our student officers has even gone onto become this year’s NUS President, so there is a great opportunity for you to achieve your true potential during your time as a student.
The most common way to get involved is by running for election (info below). As an elected member of Union Parliament you will get a vote on Union all matters and be empowered to form and chair committees.
However, not to worry if you are not elected - you can still be involved!
Union Parliament is open to all students, and anyone studying at the University can come along and have their say on any matter, just will be unable to vote. All students are also welcome and encouraged to join Union committees and forums. So if there is an issue that you are really passionate about, then don’t hesitate to come along and be involved. If you are unsure about any matters talk to Thom French, Campaigns & Involvement, and he will be able to offer you any advice and guidance you may need.
campaign.involvement@le.ac.uk
twitter.com/ThomSUcampaigns
Posts avaliable:
Open Seat
Steering Group
NUS Conference
Elections take place in October and the nominations period begins the start of the academic year, a nominations form can be found that the bottom of this page.
Anyone studying at the University of Leicester can run for election, regardless if you are an Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Part-Time Student, Distance Learner or here on an Erasmus year.
For any more information contact Thom French, Campaigns & Involvement Officer (campaign.involvment@le.ac.uk or twitter.com/ThomSUCampaigns).
The Students’ Union Constitution is the governing document of the Students’ Union. Although, Leicester is quite unique in having its Constitution split into two documents:
Memorandum and Articles of Association
The Union By-Laws
The Memorandum and Articles of Association is the Union’s chief document, which contains all the legal responsibilities of the Union as a charity and is overseen by the Charity Commission.
The Union By-Laws contains the rules of the Union, such as all the standing committees and the standing orders as well as the roles for all the Union Officers and how Parliament is conducted.
Both of these documents are published at the bottom of this page
At the University Of Leicester Students’ Union General Meeting held in February 2010 a proposal creating a new Union Parliament based around proportional collegiate representation was passed by a two thirds majority.
The main benefit of this new system is the inclusion of Course Reps, who, this year, have proved to be a tremendous asset to the Union by engaging in grass roots representation. It seemed illogical under the old system not to integrate these views at the highest level of student representation at the University.
The new Union Parliament now incorporates the Course Reps, with a representative from each Student Staff Committee sitting on Parliament, alongside the representatives from the four different colleges.
This system should build and enhance the student representation at the University to make it both more efficient and more effective.
White Papers and Proposals are the process by which all policy gets set by Union Parliament. Any student can submit a paper to Union Parliament, regardless if they are elected to Parliament or not.
At the bottom of this page there is a guidance document, complete with templates, offering advice and assistance on how the process works - it is not as complicated as it first looks!
More information can be found by contacting Pat Newberry, the Executive Secretary (pmn2@le.ac.uk) or Owen Jones (campagn.involvement@le.ac.uk?
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