Elections 2023: Nomination Form | ECSA

Elections 2023: Nomination Form

Your Details
Your post

Step 1: Choose the position you want to run for

President

The President represents the voice of students at the highest levels of Edinburgh College and beyond, campaigning to make change and improve the student experience. This role has a specific focus on improving Education across the College, working with Class Reps on all campuses.

Vice-President Activities

VP Activities is responsible for driving all types of student activities outside of the classroom, ensuring the promotion and continued support for student-led clubs and societies. They will work to provide more opportunities for sports, physical activities, and other social activities for students to make the most out of their time at college.

Vice-President Welfare

VP Welfare works to improve on key areas of services and support that impact students such as housing, child care & mental health. They also support liberation groups for LGBT, women, black, and disabled students.

Step 2: Choose a photo to be used throughout the election

We're looking for a high-quality square photo (we'll crop it if you don't!) that'll be used throughout the election - on the voting system and on the website. A phone selfie is fine - you don't need to go all out.

More information
  • Files must be less than 4 MB.
  • Allowed file types: gif jpg jpeg png.

Step 3: Tell people why you want to run for election

This space is for you to set out why you want people to vote for you. This will be available on our website and you'll be able to use this content for your election poster. Many voters will be reading your answers to work out who they should vote for. 

We have set out a couple of questions for all candidates to answer below, please take your time filling them out and remember you can use the "save draft" button. Just remember to submit by the 8th March 11am! You can use basic formatting too.

What are your top three priorities?
Tell students what your top priorities would be if elected. This will tell them more about what kind of student officer you would be. For example:

"I want to make sure all classes have an elected Class Rep" or "I want to make the college more inclusive for students with disabilities"

If in doubt, speak to students around you and figure out what they are looking for in the next ECSA student officers

What do you want to change that would improve the student experience?
If you think about your experience of being a student, what would you change that might have made it better? Consider if there are things that could be better, what would you want to change and how. 

Step 4: Record a video encouraging students to vote for you

You should record a video that explains why people should vote for you. We'd advise to keep it between 30 secs to 3 minutes long - voters will be looking through lots of them, so try and keep their attention.

Upload the video to YouTube and paste the URL here. If you need help, contact us on elections@ecsa.scot

Important information

If you are elected, you will be starting a full-time job running from 1st July 2023 to 30th June 2024 - this means you will not be able to study a full-time course next year.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us.

Key Dates

Nominations open: Monday 6th February
Nominations close: Wednesday 8th March at 11am
Candidate briefing: Thursday 9th March (TBC)
Voting opens: Monday 20th March at 11am
Voting closes: Thursday 24th March at 2pm
Results announced: Thursday 24th March at 4pm

Your Course

Don't fail your course standing for election. We strongly recommend speaking with your Learning Development Tutor or a lecturer as early as you can. You'll likely want to arrange permission to be out of class during some of the voting week, and they'll be able to help you with that. If they want to get in touch with us, they can email us on elections@ecsa.scot or call 0131 297 9500

Permission to use your information

By submitting this form, you give us permission to use your name, photo, and manifesto on election materials and associated publicity. We will not publish any contact details, nor will we pass that onto any other organisation without your permission.

Being a charity trustee

If you are elected, you will be a charity trustee of the Students' Association. Under the 2005 Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, you must not be disqualified from being a trustee. That is:

  • I am not an undischarged bankrupt
  • I have not granted a Protected Trust Deed (PTD) or entered into a Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) with my creditors
  • I do not have an unspent conviction for an offence involving dishonesty
  • I do not have an unspent conviction for an offence under the 2005 Act
  • I have not been removed by the Court of Session under the 2005 Act (or earlier legislation) from being a charity trustee or being concerned in the management or control of any charity or body
  • I have not been removed from being a charity trustee by the Charity Commission or the High Court in England due to misconduct or mismanagement
  • I am not disqualified from being a company director.

More information can be found on the website of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Criminal Records Check

If you are elected, you will need to apply for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme which is managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland. It helps ensure people whose behaviour makes them unsuitable to work with children and protected adults cannot do 'regulated work' with these vulnerable groups. You can find more info on the PVG scheme website.