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Students & Staff: Login
SUSU is governed by students. Every February, many of you love the place so much that you decide to help run it by battling it out to be elected as a Sabbatical Officer for the Union. You can propose motions at the AGM, vote in the elections, or even run for Union President yourself.
Your Union is completely run by a team of sabbatical officers democratically elected by the student population to represent and support you. There are seven Sabbatical overall who work full time for the union for a year, each one is responsible for a different area or department of your Union. They are:
| Union President | Sam Ling |
| Vice President Academic Affairs | Sasha Watson |
| Vice President Welfare & Communities | Frankie Fry |
| Vice President Communications | Joe McLoughlin |
| Vice President Student Engagement | Shane Murphy |
| Vice President Sports Development | Jonny Brookes-Bartlett |
| Vice President Winchester & Sites | Vacant |
All the Sabbatical Officers are trustees of the Union, which means they are involved in all large-scale decisions within the Union. So as well as overseeing each of their departments, they also are partly responsible for the decision-making process on issues such as the Union’s budget and staffing.
All members of the Sabbatical team also meet regularly in Union Council to make decisions on any motions brought forward by students. Union Council is made up from students across the University who represent every student in different areas. This includes elected presidents from each academic school, JCRs and departmental representatives.
For issues that may apply specifically to only a certain part of the University, the Union also holds separate committees which meet outside Union Council. This includes committees for departmental committees for the AU, RAG, each media department, The Performing Arts, Community Volunteering…etc.
Other committees include:
The Union’s Annual General Meeting is the highest decision-making body in SUSU and every student is invited and encouraged to attend to sway decisions about the way their Union is run.
At the AGM you can ask your sabbatical team questions, vote on big changes that affect the Union and see how the Union is spending your money.
If there is an issue upon which you, as a student, feel the Union should have an official opinion upon , then you can also submit a motion. If it passes, the motion will pass into policy and will be acted upon by the elected officers. Your motion could be on anything you feel matters to students e.g. the quality of education, accommodation, finance, social events, clubs, society, volunteering etc.
Minutes are taken at all Union meetings and committees, including Union Council and the AGM, and can be accessed online: www.minutes.susu.org.
SUSU, while part of the University, is an autonomous organisation with its own rules and regulations. These are set out in the Students Unions Constitution and define who is allowed to be a member of the Union, what kind of activities the Union can carry out, who is responsible for the management of the Union, and so on.
The Constitution is a document that sets out the fundamentals of how the Union operates. It's a cross between a roadmap and a bible, and if you can understand the constitution, you understand how the Union works.
The Students Union is a democratic organisation, led by elected officers and student run committees, responsible for deciding what the Union should be doing and for representing the interests of its members to the University and externally. The constitution provides a framework to ensure that all Officers and members of the Union are acting in accordance with the organisations aims and any legal requirements.
The Constitution consists of the following parts:
The Union's accounts are publically visible to all students once they have been approved by UMB. You can view past accounts below
Every March, the Union is consumed by election fever, plastered with flyers, leaflets and posters of students campaigning to try to convince others to vote for them into Sabbatical and Executive positions. Candidates campaign for a week and voting is open for three days. The results of the elections are announced in The Stag’s Head and is widely known in Southampton as one of the biggest nights of the year.
Absolutely anyone who is a full member of the Students’ Union and studying at Southampton can run for a position within the Union. Whether you are a first year, a mature student, an international student, a disabled student, or any other kind of student, running for these positions is open to all. The only qualifications that you need are enthusiasm, willingness and commitment once elected.
There are endless reasons why becoming a sabbatical or executive officer would be a smart move. Firstly, it looks fantastic on a CV; being in charge of and steering the development of facilities and activities available on behalf of 25,000 students looks extremely impressive. So does running a 7 million pound organisation. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for you to develop your personal ‘transferable skills’. You get proven advances in communication, time management and team building skills. The list is endless, and the job is what you want to make it. Furthermore, becoming a trustee of the union means that you get to make decisions, guide, and change things that will affect students and their time at University now, and in the long-term future.
