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College Exec Positions
I'm thinking about standing for a Hild Bede exec position, but I am really not sure what would suit me or what I'd be good at. Anyone here have/had an Exec job? What was it? How much time should be devoted to it? What did you do? I really hate husting and never get elected for ANYTHING because I am so terrible (
) so I might not even try, but I'd quite like to do something because I like getting involved in college stuff and feeling that I'm of some use to somebody!
) so I might not even try, but I'd quite like to do something because I like getting involved in college stuff and feeling that I'm of some use to somebody!Scroll to see replies
It's true - the best thing would be to:
1. Look at what you've already done at Durham, and what that would apply to on the Exec (i.e. if you've been on the JCR Committee then Secretary/Vice Pres/Chair would be obvious choices....Finance committee - Treasurer obviously)
2. Find out about the positions - just go up to the current members and say you're interested in being on the Exec because you really want to do something for college, but you're not sure which position would suit you best...and just ask them about their job.
3. Once you've done all that, seriously find out as much as you can about the position you are interested in and really focus on it. Then think of improvements you CAN (not "it might be possible" things...but things that COULD be done!) do in that position. Write it all down....and talk about these improvements to the current member - they may have already thought about them, tried them, and actually found it doesn't work!
4. Once you've done all that, you'll get plenty of guidance from college on applying, canvassing, etc. (well you should!) so don't worry too much. But I will say canvas plenty. Although everyone hates it, my big downfall when I didn't get Services Officer was that I had been away the previous weekend and not used the time to canvas....and so none of the first years really knew me!
5. Hustings - haha! Yeah these are crappingly scary!! Make sure you plan it well ahead, time yourself saying it, make it FUN not just blah blah blah this is what I'm gonna do blah blah blah! Make sure you're loud, seriously just SHOUT your points, keep it concise, and sound confident. After my Services husting everyone who came up to me was like "Wow! You were way better than the other guy"....but then as I say, hustings isn't everything!
6. Don't get down if you don't get it! I went for Services, didn't get it, then went for Shop Chairman and I'm very happy where I am now, I don't think I would've had time to actually do Exec duties now that I'm so busy doing Shop stuff (though some members of the Exec have pointed out that they see me doing more work in the shop than the Services officer does anyway! ha!)
I like getting involved in college stuff and feeling that I'm of some use to somebody!
Again - don't just look at the Exec. There are bazillions of positions within colleges that are really helpful! I'm also the Secretary of our Boat Club, which I thought would be an "easy job"...ha! Yeah right, I spend time EVERY DAY doing entries for races, ARA membership stuff, keeping e-mail lists updated, etc etc. And this helps the whole club....and because I try to advertise events well and get as many crews in as possible, it's doing something good for college!
Anyway....Good luck!
1. Look at what you've already done at Durham, and what that would apply to on the Exec (i.e. if you've been on the JCR Committee then Secretary/Vice Pres/Chair would be obvious choices....Finance committee - Treasurer obviously)
2. Find out about the positions - just go up to the current members and say you're interested in being on the Exec because you really want to do something for college, but you're not sure which position would suit you best...and just ask them about their job.
3. Once you've done all that, seriously find out as much as you can about the position you are interested in and really focus on it. Then think of improvements you CAN (not "it might be possible" things...but things that COULD be done!) do in that position. Write it all down....and talk about these improvements to the current member - they may have already thought about them, tried them, and actually found it doesn't work!
4. Once you've done all that, you'll get plenty of guidance from college on applying, canvassing, etc. (well you should!) so don't worry too much. But I will say canvas plenty. Although everyone hates it, my big downfall when I didn't get Services Officer was that I had been away the previous weekend and not used the time to canvas....and so none of the first years really knew me!
5. Hustings - haha! Yeah these are crappingly scary!! Make sure you plan it well ahead, time yourself saying it, make it FUN not just blah blah blah this is what I'm gonna do blah blah blah! Make sure you're loud, seriously just SHOUT your points, keep it concise, and sound confident. After my Services husting everyone who came up to me was like "Wow! You were way better than the other guy"....but then as I say, hustings isn't everything!
6. Don't get down if you don't get it! I went for Services, didn't get it, then went for Shop Chairman and I'm very happy where I am now, I don't think I would've had time to actually do Exec duties now that I'm so busy doing Shop stuff (though some members of the Exec have pointed out that they see me doing more work in the shop than the Services officer does anyway! ha!)
Jelkin
Again - don't just look at the Exec. There are bazillions of positions within colleges that are really helpful! I'm also the Secretary of our Boat Club, which I thought would be an "easy job"...ha! Yeah right, I spend time EVERY DAY doing entries for races, ARA membership stuff, keeping e-mail lists updated, etc etc. And this helps the whole club....and because I try to advertise events well and get as many crews in as possible, it's doing something good for college!
Anyway....Good luck!
Both posts above are good. Relating one to the other, applicants aren't allowed to canvas at Hatfield, I think the idea being that there are better ways of expressing their potential to be a good XXXXX than handing out fliers and putting up poster. You'll probably therefore want to check exactly what the procedure is at HB, you'll then be in a better position to cruise through it!
No, you're right, at Trevs you're not allowed to hand out leaflets or put up posters at all (with the exception that you're allowed to hand out leaflets on the afternoon/evening that you're husting, but not after your hust).
By canvassing, all it is at Trevs is going around the college, knocking on peoples' doors and trying to get a group of people together to say what you'd like to do in that position and see if they have any comments. It's pretty important you canvas all of the Exec.
But as I say, no posters/leaflets allowed!
By canvassing, all it is at Trevs is going around the college, knocking on peoples' doors and trying to get a group of people together to say what you'd like to do in that position and see if they have any comments. It's pretty important you canvas all of the Exec.
But as I say, no posters/leaflets allowed!
Exec elections are just a popularity contest.
Third years are apathetic, secondyears have already made up their minds as to who they're voting for and firstyears vote for the "cool" people in the year above (who tend to be the ones in the boat club).
I've seen many superior candidates lose elections simply because their opponents were, in one case, blonde, ditzy and best mates with the incumbent.
Third years are apathetic, secondyears have already made up their minds as to who they're voting for and firstyears vote for the "cool" people in the year above (who tend to be the ones in the boat club).
I've seen many superior candidates lose elections simply because their opponents were, in one case, blonde, ditzy and best mates with the incumbent.
Thank you everyone, you are all very helpful. I am in the DSU and really like it so I could try for Senior DSU Rep, but I probably won't because my DSU buddy has always said that he wants to go for it - I wouldn't like to suddenly stand against him - and I reckon he'd be much better at it than me! Plus, our current SDSUR is absolutely fantastic at it. I could never fill his shoes 
There is that problem (though in Trevs it's not really a boatclub thing)....as well as the problem that more and more people seem not to go for positions because they think (quite rightly usually) that they're not popular enough and so won't be elected in, even though they would probably do an excellent job at the position.
If you're on DSU Comm then options available to you (IMO) would be:
1. Senior DSU Rep (even if your mate is going for it, don't decide not to go for it!)
2. Livers Out Rep (they do a lot of stuff with the DSU - i.e. housing, welfare issues, etc.)
3. DSU Exec - If not doing something within college, why not something University wide?
1. Senior DSU Rep (even if your mate is going for it, don't decide not to go for it!)
2. Livers Out Rep (they do a lot of stuff with the DSU - i.e. housing, welfare issues, etc.)
3. DSU Exec - If not doing something within college, why not something University wide?
Mattmoy_2000
Exec elections are just a popularity contest.
Third years are apathetic, secondyears have already made up their minds as to who they're voting for and firstyears vote for the "cool" people in the year above (who tend to be the ones in the boat club).
I've seen many superior candidates lose elections simply because their opponents were, in one case, blonde, ditzy and best mates with the incumbent.
Third years are apathetic, secondyears have already made up their minds as to who they're voting for and firstyears vote for the "cool" people in the year above (who tend to be the ones in the boat club).
I've seen many superior candidates lose elections simply because their opponents were, in one case, blonde, ditzy and best mates with the incumbent.
This view is a pretty sad reflection on and lack of faith in Democracy! Whilst I wouldnt not saying these things don't occur, certainly in my experience apathy and stupidity among a JCR certainly doesn't stretch to the extent that voting patterns can be classified in terms of year groups. People don't want idiots running their JCR, even if they are friends with them. There's also the reasonably common occurance of multiple reasonably popular people running for the same position, in which case I think it's fair to assume that the difference is made in who can be percieved as the best candidate by the 'neutrals'. Those who rule them out in the popularity stakes are really only those who are hermits or nasty and therefore wouldn't be very good at communicating their job and progress within it, to other Exec members and a JCR on the whole.
There are also the types that everyone knows, and they go for EVERY position which actually ruins their chances. And so no-one votes for them hehe 
It doesn't help when they're actually up for the election of 4 different committees and puts THE SAME manifesto up for every single one. But it's funny when they don't get any of the positions. Hehehe
It doesn't help when they're actually up for the election of 4 different committees and puts THE SAME manifesto up for every single one. But it's funny when they don't get any of the positions. Hehehe
Ask your parents Jess! They know all about it and could give you a lot more help than we could. What are DSU meetings like, anyway? I only went to the first one as Junior DSU rep. It was rather boring.
This view is a pretty sad reflection on and lack of faith in Democracy!
Nope, it's the jaded view of a thirdyear who's been through it all and seen idiots elected.
EDIT: In case any of the Castle Exec are reading this, I'm not talking about all of you, or even the majority.
Mattmoy_2000
Nope, it's the jaded view of a thirdyear who's been through it all and seen idiots elected.
EDIT: In case any of the Castle Exec are reading this, I'm not talking about all of you, or even the majority.
EDIT: In case any of the Castle Exec are reading this, I'm not talking about all of you, or even the majority.
Alright then, so presumably you were referring to the previous year's Exec? It's more of a sad reflection on a community willing to vote in such idiots than the system, perhaps you'd agree? I have only been around for one Exec election, and there weren't any idiots elected.
In Hild Bede they're certainly not popularity contests - if they were I would have stood for election (wahey!) - I was generally impressed with how 'fair' it all was and how people actually did vote for the actual best candidate.
Alright then, so presumably you were referring to the previous year's Exec? It's more of a sad reflection on a community willing to vote in such idiots than the system, perhaps you'd agree? I have only been around for one Exec election, and there weren't any idiots elected.
I'm talking about the current exec, just not all of them.
Wait until your year gets elected, then you'll see what I mean.
goldenbarnes
Ask your parents Jess! They know all about it and could give you a lot more help than we could. What are DSU meetings like, anyway? I only went to the first one as Junior DSU rep. It was rather boring.
There were 8 Junior DSU reps, and one quit and another got "fired". Of the remaining 6, three I don't really know that well and the other 3 are me and 2 of my friends. I think most people find them horrifically boring. My two friends seem okay with them. I think that I am the only one who actually likes going to them! Even the mega three hour ridiculous one didn't make me change my mind. I suppose having 2 friends on the DSU with me makes it better.
I will ask my parents. Thanks Sean!
P.S. Any more advice/opinions welcome
Jelkin
P.S. Any more advice/opinions welcome
Go to a particularly under-attended JCR meeting, propose a motion to create a new Exec position, make up some random name for it, but put in the small print of the description that you must be called Jess, and be from Wimborne to have the position.
Hopefully enough people will not care that they'll vote it through....sorted!
Quorum?
ChrisH2107
I have only been around for one Exec election, and there weren't any idiots elected.
Really? I got on somehow
Jess, if you don't want to go for Senior Rep (and yes, Matt will be big shoes to fill, but it's not impossible by any means) then I'd really recommend going for a DSU officer position. Having good people in the positions, ones who really care and will make an effort, is *so* important.
You could always go for steering....?
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