During the election period there will be plenty of terms floating around relating to different topics. Below is a glossary of just some of the words you may come across during elections.
AAR
Stands for Area Association Representative. There are five roles that sit under this title:
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Wales.
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Ireland.
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Scotland.
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England.
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International.
Campaigning
Once nominations are announced, candidates are required to campaign and promote their candidacy. This will include creating their own promotional assets, speaking with students about why they are the most suitable candidate, and answering questions submitted by students (include link to question form). Campaigning must be fair, positive and respectful.
Candidate
Candidate is the title given to anyone who successfully submits a nomination form and stands for a role during the Student Elections.
Student Leadership Team (SLT)
The Student Leadership Team lead the Association’s strategic direction, run events and activities and talk to The Open University on your behalf about decisions that affect students. They represent the collective rather than individual needs of the student body.
Civica
Civica are the company who run and process the Association’s Student Elections. This is where you will find out information on how to vote, and all voting will take place on the Civica Election Portal.
External Elections Advisor
The External Elections Advisor will be an individual who independently oversees the election, working in consultation with the Deputy Returning Officer who will be a member of staff at the Students Association. They can act as an independent party for larger queries if and when required.
FAR
Stands for Faculty Association Representative. There are five roles that sit under this title:
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Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)
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Business & Law
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Open & Access
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Arts & Social Sciences
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Science, Technology, Engineers & Mathematics (STEM).
Manifesto
As part of the nomination process, candidates will submit a manifesto. The manifesto gives the candidate an opportunity to discuss why they are standing for election in a particular position and why voters should vote for them. For President and Deputy President, they should be no longer than 400 words, and for all other roles the word cap is 200.
Nomination
This describes the process someone must follow and submit in order to become a candidate in the Student Elections. The 2024 nomination period runs from Tuesday 12 March – Tuesday 10 May.
‘Teams’, MS Teams, Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a messaging and communication programme that will act as a central hub for conversations, events and meetings between candidates and the Association. It allows for document sharing, video conversations and instant messaging. To find out more Download Teams and check out their tutorials.