This week, the new MMUnion executive officers begin their new jobs. In a year of change for the union I have decided to challenge the union's officers with five goals for the academic year. These are by no means a must, but I believe they also shouldn't be ignored.
Big-Up Student Forums
I am more than happy to help with this! As the indirect replacement to the General Meeting and the political side of Student Council, this will be the best opportunity for normal students to tell you what they want. Stop telling them what you're going to do, and get them to tell you what to do.
My challenge is for at least 100 students to attend every Student Forum, so big-up Student Forums in your lecture shouts and the freshers fair.
Ensure Effective Communication
One of the most annoying things in my time within the union, is that the student body has no idea what the union does! There is no effective communication between the officers and the students. How should this be overcome? Well there's no one way to reach every student in the university.
I suspect less than 5% of students read the digest email. I suspect less than 5% of students read the posters around the union buildings. I also suspect they're the same people.
I would like to see every officer have a blog which they regularly update. I would like to see officers give a monthly update on MMU Radio (I'm sure Glenn would be more than happy to set this up). I would like to see officers go around every kitchen in Cambridge and Cavendish Halls in September and again in January. This is achievable!
PULP. Is it working?
What I really mean, of course, is anyone reading it? The simple answer is probably not. I really am at a loss as to what to do about this and my conclusion is that Pulp should be dumped.
Last year Bolton University joined Salford and the University of Manchester in distributing Student Direct. Considering some friendlier people have just been elected down the road, this might be the ideal time to join the party. Salford and Bolton both have their own inserts to the newspaper, and I see no reason why we can't do the same.
If this is to be done for launch in September then obviously the wheels have to be put in motion now. More likely this year would be the last for Pulp with SD taking over in 2009.
NUS Governance
You don't have to tell me, I know you're already board with it. As I bloged about the way forward for NUS Governance, the students must be told about the review. Something for a Student Forum perhaps. Let the interested students make an informed decision, and encourage them to stand for the NUS delegation. Our informed delegates can then talk to other union's delegates, or even make speeches (in favour, I hope) so we can pass the review at conference.
While you're at it, the students will learn about the national union and maybe they will view it as more than a discount card!
Achieve 10% Turnout in Elections
OK, we've got about 33,000 students. An achievable turnout target is 3,300 in my opinion. By far and away, the best way of doing this is at least an equivalent of three full slates of candidates standing. Forty-eight candidates (for 16 positions) should bring in over 4,000 votes. That would be 1,500 more than UMSU had this year without electronic voting. Lets see if we can beat them when they bring in the e-voting this year.
And finally ...
Above all, I ask the executive, in the forthcoming twelve months, to do their best; the only thing anyone should expect of them!
Have fun over the next year. I'll be watching you!
JR
0 comments:
Post a Comment