This Is a Great Opportunity for You to Represent Over 40,000 Students in the Highlands

Introduction

Congratulations! By opening a candidate pack, you have taken the first step to becoming one of the first principal officers of the new Highlands and Islands Students’ Association (HISA).

This is a great opportunity for you to represent over 40,000 students in the Highlands and Islands.

HISA is a new students’ association that exists to represent all students in the Highlands and Islands – whatever you study, wherever you study.

For more information about HISA, visit

As a principal officer of HISA, you will represent the student voice from organising campaigns to playing an active role in decision making at the highest level at the University of the Highlands and Islands.

This candidates’ guidebook will help to guide you through the key things you need to knowfor the elections:

-Key dates

-How to nominate yourself

-How the election works

-What positions are open for election

-Rules of the elections

Deciding to run in the elections is a fantastic first step, and we’d like to wish you the best of luck in your campaign.

Jenny Lees, Returning Officer (NUS Scotland)

Key dates

This section of the guidebook outlines the schedule of the elections.

Election dates

Wednesday 18 March 2015-Nominations open

Thursday 26 March 2015-Nominations close at 12.00 noon

Monday 13 April 2015-Campaigning begins

Thursday 16 April 2015-14.00 – 16.00 Hustings via VC

Monday 20 April 2015-Voting opens at 12.00

Thursday 23 April 2015-Voting closes at 15.00

Friday 24 April 2015-Winners of the election will be

announced by email

Nominations will open on Wednesday 18 March and candidates must submit their completed nomination form no later than 12:00 noon on Thursday 26 March. Nominations should be submitted electronically to . Forms will not be accepted after this time.

The submission deadline for candidate material will be Friday 3rd April. At this point, yourmanifesto, mini-festo, photo and poster design will be submitted. An electronic copy posters will be sent to election coordinators. However, it is the candidates responsibility to send posters to academic partners for display. The manifesto and manifesto will be displayed on the HISA website. Material will not be accepted after this date.

Election hustings will take place on Thursday 16 April. Hustings are an opportunity for voters to scrutinise election candidates about their views, manifesto and their plans if they take up office. All candidates will be invited to take part to speak to students from around the highlands and islands by videoconference (VC). The hustings will be recorded for those students unable to participate at the time.

Positions open for election

HISA will be electing three principal officers – the President, the Vice President (Further Education) and the Vice President (Higher Education).

All students will be able to vote for the President; only students studying a further education course are eligible to vote for the Vice President (Further Education) and only students studying a higher education course will be able to vote for the Vice President (Higher Education). Full role descriptions are attached to this candidate pack.

President

The President is the leader and figurehead of the students’ association. The President chairs the Executive Committee and acts as delegate leader to external organisations. The President will champion the development of HISA and lead it in a way that ensures it achieves its goals for students to enhance learning and teaching and the student experience in the highlands and islands. The President will work closely with the Vice Presidents and will be a member of the University Court, the Further Education Regional Board and other committees to make sure the student voice informs policies and decisions.

Vice President (Further Education)

The Vice President (Further Education) – or VPFE – is responsible for leading HISA’s activities, policies and work around further education (FE) to continually inform and improve learning and teaching and the experience of FE students. The VPFE will work closely with the President and student representatives from all academic partners that deliver FE courses to ensure HISA achieves its goals for further education students in the highlands & islands. The VPFEchairs the Further Education Regional Committee and will sit on the Further Education Regional Board (FERB), as well as other committees.

Vice President (Higher Education)

The Vice President (Higher Education) – or VPHE – is responsible for leading HISA’s activities, policies and work around the academic experience of higher education (HE),to continually inform and improve learning and teaching, and the experience of HE students. The VPHE will work closely with the President and student representatives from all academic partners to ensure HISA achieves its goals for higher education students in the highlands & islands. The VPHE chairs HISA’s Higher Education Regional Committee and will sit on the University Court and Quality Enhancement and Assurance Committee (QAEC), as well as other committees.

All roles are full-time, paid sabbatical positions. If you are successful, you shall take a year’s break from your studies to fulfil the duties of the position. Students who are in their final year and are due to graduate will be eligible to stand as well, as long as they are registered as a student at the time of the election.

An introduction to HISA

The Highlands and Islands Students’ Association has been established to represent all further and higher education students of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its 13 academic partners at a regional level. This means that the issues and topics of importance to students at all the academic partners will be communicated to the right people at the right time.

Regional representation

There will be a team of Principal Officers who are full-time paid sabbaticals who will work in partnership with student officers across the academic partnership to discuss, agree and deliver the regional agenda of HISA. This team will comprise a President, Vice President (Further Education) and Vice President (Higher Education). The Principal Officers will help inform policies and decisions at a regional level through their membership of the University Court, the Further Education Regional Board and other sub-committees of Court and through delivery of their strategy and associated campaigns.

Local representation - HISA

HISA will represent the local interests of students at ten academic partners:

-Argyll College UHI

-Highland Theological College UHI

-Lews Castle College UHI

-Moray College UHI

-NAFC Marine Centre UHI

-North Highland College UHI

-Orkney College UHI

-SAMS UHI

-Shetland College UHI

-West Highland College UHI

There will be a presence of HISA at each of these academic partners, structured to suit the needs of local students. Students shall elect a Depute President at each of the 10 of the academic partner and determine their preferred structure to make sure the student voice influences local decisions and policies.

The students at academic partners where they are represented by HISA locally will all be members of HISA. The elected Depute Presidents at these academic partners will be full voting members of the Executive Committee of HISA.

Local representation – existing students’ associations

Students at Inverness College UHI, Perth College UHI andSabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI will continue to be represented by their existing local students’ association on local matters.

Students at these academic partners will not be members of HISA but will be entitled to vote for the regional team of Principal Officers and will be eligible to stand for election for these roles. The elected Presidents or Conveners of existing students’ associations at these academic partners will also be full voting members of the Executive Committee of HISA.

HISA will work in partnership with these students’ associations to make sure they understand the issues and topics to inform the regional agenda.

Regional and local representation for all students

Therefore, no matter where you study or what you study, you will be represented at both a local and regional level.

Structure of HISA

The following diagram depicts the structure of HISA:

HISA has the following committees within its structure:

-An Executive Committee

-A Regional Student Council

-A Further Education Regional Committee

-A Higher Education Regional Committee

Executive Committee

The membership of the Executive Committee is:

-The President, Vice President (Further Education) and Vice President (Higher Education)

-The Depute Presidents from each of the ten academic partners where HISA represents students locally

-The Presidents or Conveners from the three academic partners that have retained their existing students’ association

The role of the Executive Committee will be to discuss and agree the topics of importance to students across the partnership and agree the priorities for the regional agenda. The strategies, plans and policies developed by the Executive Committee will be approved by the Regional Student Council who will hold the officers to account for their performance.

Regional Student Council

The Regional Student Council is the ultimate decision-making body for HISA and shall approve all policy decisions,strategies and plans of the Executive Committee. The Council will also hold the Executive Committee to account for its activities and performance.

The members of the Regional Student Council are:

-The President, Vice President (Higher Education) and Vice President (Further Education)

-The Depute Presidents from each of the nine academic partners where HISA represents students locally

-The Presidents or Conveners at the four academic partners that have retained their existing students’ association

-A nominated higher education student from each of the academic partners and the elected Subject Network Officers;

-A nominated further education student from each of the academic partners.

Further Education Regional Committee

The Further Education Regional Committee is responsible for developing HISA’s policy on all matters relating to further education. By liaising with students through local structures throughout the academic partnership, it shall recommend policies and actions to Regional Student Council. The Committee will support the work of the Vice President (Further Education) and hold this officer to account for their performance.

The Further Education Regional Committee will be chaired by the Vice President (Further Education) and the President of HISA will also attend the meetings. A nominated further education student from each of the academic partners will sit on the committee.

Higher Education Regional Committee

The Higher Education Regional Committee is responsible for developing HISA’s policy on all matters relating to higher education. Through the work of the elected Subject Network Officers and byliaising with students through local structures throughout the academic partnership, it shall recommend policies and actions to Regional Student Council. The Committee will support the work of the Vice President (Higher Education) and hold this officer to account for their performance.

The Higher Education Regional Committee will be chaired by the Vice President (Higher Education) and the President of HISA will also attend the meetings. A nominated higher education student from each of the academic partners will sit on the committee where an academic partner is not represented by the Subject Network Officers. Subject Network Officers are elected by the students in each of the respective subject networks.

Nominations and eligibility

-Candidates may only stand for one position in the election.

-To stand for election, you must be proposed by one other student.

-No student can propose more than one candidate in each position.

-Nominees must match the same eligibility requirements of the respective position i.e. only FE students can nominate FE students for VPFE.

-After close of nominations, your eligibility to stand as a candidate will be checked and confirmed by email by the Returning Officer or a Deputy.

President

To be eligible to stand for President, you must be registered on any course at the University of the Highlands and Islands or any of its academic partners.

Your proposer must be a student that is currently a student at the University of the Highlands and Islands or any of its academic partners.

Vice President (Further Education)

To be eligible to stand for Vice President (Further Education), you must be registered as a student at any of the academic partners studying a course at further education level at the time of the election. N.B. if as part of your studies you will be progressing to higher education level in the next academic year, you will be eligible to run for VPFE as that is your student status at the time of election.

Vice President (Higher Education)

To be eligible to stand for Vice President (Higher Education), you must be registered as a student of the University of the Highlands and Islands, at any academic partner, studying at higher education level, at the time of the election. N.B. if as part of your studies you are a further education student that will be progressing to higher education level in the next academic year, you will be not eligible to run for VPHE as you will be a further education student at the time of election.

If you are unsure whether you are a further education student or a higher education student, you may contact the Returning Officer or a Deputy.

Manifesto and mini-festo

For every position, each candidate must submit a manifesto, a mini-festo, and a campaign poster by 12noon on 3rd April 2015.

What is a manifesto?

The manifesto is the basis of your campaign and expresses why students should support and vote for you, and what you will do if elected to that position. It is one of the most important ways for students to understand what you have to offer them, particularly those students you may not get the opportunity to meet during campaigning.

Examples of what you may wish to include is a short introduction of who you are, what you pledge to do if you are elected and your views on any important issues.

There is a 500-word limit to the manifesto and this must be submitted by email.

What is a mini-festo?

Essentially, the mini-festo is a smaller version of your manifesto. It will express the very fine details of your manifesto in a shortened form.

When we email students information on the election, and post information on the website, we will display the mini-festos as “tasters” for each candidate. This is an opportunity for you to quickly catch the eye of possible voters.

There is a 50-word limit to the mini-festo and this must be submitted by email.

The campaign poster

We will send an electronic version of the campaign materials for each candidate to the election coordinators at each of the academic partners to display – in a fair and equitable way - to students. This is an opportunity for you to catch the eye of potential voters at each college. It is up to you to decide how you wish to convey your message to students and you may decide to make a video, design a poster or use social media. Please note that we only send one copy of each poster to each academic partner. It is your responsibility to send posters to partners, as part of campaigning.

Posters must be size A4 size, can be in colour; submitted as a .jpg, .pdf, or .pub.

Candidates’ briefing

Once your candidacy is confirmed by the returning officer, you will be required to attend a candidates’ briefing. This is a compulsory session which all candidates must attend, or send a designated alternative. Any alternative must be made known to the Returning Officer in advance, and must be an enrolled student at the University or one of its academic partners.

The session will be delivered by the Returning Officer and will cover the rules of the election, and the election process.

The candidates’ briefing will take place on Friday 27 March 2015 at 3 pm and information on venues will be circulated to the candidates.

Hustings

Hustings are debates that take place for elected positions. The candidates for each position will present a short speech appealing to students to vote for them, then a question and answer session will take place with opportunities for students to question the candidates and for candidates to debate each other.

The hustings will take place via video conference on Thursday 16 April, with details of venues below. You may attend the event from any of the venues below.

Hustings are lively but respectful events. We encourage all students to attend to hear from each of the candidates and to participate and ask questions.

Debate is best, more informative, open and enjoyable when everyone feels able to participate, so we will ensure that the hustings are conducted in an orderly and fun manner. It won’t be acceptable for students or candidates to intimidate each other. The hustings will be recorded so any students unable to participate in the event can view the session later from the HISA website.

Further information on the format or the hustings will be circulated to candidates and advertised by the Returning Officer or an appointed Deputy.

Venues

Argyll College UHI(Campbeltown)- CH4

Argyll College UHI (Oban)- OB16

Argyll College UHI (Islay)- IS2

Argyll College UHI (Hazelburn)- CH4

Highland Theological College UHI- Classroom 1

Inverness College UHI (Longman)- C9

Inverness College UHI (Midmills)- D122

Lews Castle College UHI- Room C212

Moray College UHI- LRC002

NAFC Marine Centre UHI- VC Room

North Highland College UHI- ERI Seminar Room

North Highland College UHI- CfEE Ground Floor Meeting Room

Orkney College UHI- Room available – ask at Reception

Perth College UHI- Room 220, Brahan Building