Worcester Students Union - Code of Conduct for Candidates

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1 Worcester Students Union - Code of Conduct for Candidates The success of elections will be down to you, the candidates. It is your ability to promote yourself successfully and convince students that the elections are relevant to them which will persuade them to vote. The Students Union is committed to ensuring that elections are conducted in a fair and appropriate manner and that they are a positive experience for all concerned. We aim to provide all candidates with support and guidance to ensure they understand the rules and procedures. This Code of Conduct contains rules and guidelines which ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to promote themselves and that they conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. NB This list of rules and regulations in not exhaustive, and the Deputy Returning Officer (DRO) and Elections Committee may further define or amend the regulations during the course of the elections. Election Rules in Context During your election campaign you will be involved in a series of activities. It is important to remember that you are bound by various sets of rules that, in addition to elections rules, still have a bearing on your conduct. a. Students Union rules: These include abiding by the Students Union s rules generally, as contained in the Bye-laws which can be found at the following link If you are in breach of the SU rules, even if the Deputy Returning Officer does not take action under the auspices of the election rules, you may still be subject to the Students Union s disciplinary procedure, which in its ability to revoke membership rights may put your candidacy in jeopardy. The Students Union also reserves the right to report any infringements to the University, which might affect your academic status. b. University rules: The University has a number of rules that relate to your membership of the student community and use of its facilities and property. The Student Code of Conduct can be found on the University s website If you are in breach of these and the Deputy Returning Officer does not take action, you may still be referred to and, therefore, subject to the University s disciplinary procedure, which may put your membership rights in jeopardy. c. The Law: The fact that you are standing in the elections does not remove you from the auspices of the law of the land. Again, if you breach any laws and the Deputy Returning Officer does not take action under the auspices of the election rules, Worcester Students Union may refer the matter to the appropriate authorities, which again may put your candidacy and student status in jeopardy. 1

2 Campaigning The following are useful guidelines and some principles of fair campaigning but are, again, not exhaustive. New rules and guidelines can be created throughout the election period by the Elections Committee. Any changes that are made will be notified to you via so it is very important that you check your University account regularly during the campaigning / elections period. Campaigning is seen as carrying out activities which aim to: inform groups of students that you are standing in the elections and seek their votes talk to students about why it is important to vote in the elections promote the Students Union and student representation/ the student voice in general. Candidates are permitted to form slates but, in doing so, are jointly responsible for any breaches of this Code of Conduct and elections regulations. Candidates running in a slate need to make this clear to the electorate and, therefore, have joint campaigning materials. If you wish to campaign together with other candidates, you must write to the Membership Services Manager, r.christie@worc.ac.uk before the Candidates Briefing at 13:15 on Friday 26 th February, providing full details of all members of the slate. Any candidates collaborating as a slate will be held jointly responsible for one another s activities and conduct, so that any complaint received about one member of the slate may result in sanctions being imposed on all other candidates in that slate. Campaign activities can be carried out in person, on social media, and via other channels but please see the list below of the do s and don ts of campaigning using these different methods: In Person You Can You Can t Be positive in your campaign: focus on what you Harass, bribe or intimidate other candidates, can offer to students HAVE FUN!!!! campaigners, students or staff members Discuss and challenge the policies of other Discuss the other candidates personalities or candidates in a constructive way comment on them as people OR base your Make sure your campaign materials stand out from the crowd. Be creative - you don t have to spend a lot of money to make your campaign team visible Explain why students should exercise their right to vote (and vote for you) in a non-aggressive way Build a team of trusted campaigners, but remember that you are responsible for their actions Plan your campaign ahead of time, to maximise your chance of getting elected Explain why students should exercise their right to vote (and vote for you) in a non-aggressive way which does not intimidate students campaign on being negative about others Spend more than your allocated budget on your campaign Carry out any campaigning activities in any locations which might cause an obstruction or impede people s progress Remove or deface other candidates campaigning materials (or allow your campaign team to) Post materials or posters anywhere unless you have express permission of the management, eg in halls of residence Stand over students when they are voting or help other students in any way to cast a vote. SU staff and volunteers will be on hand to explain the process and technology to voters and will 2

3 Leave students alone once you have finished talking to them, so they have the opportunity to vote in confidence report any activities of this nature by candidates immediately to the Elections Committee or the Deputy Returning Officer Stop students from talking to other candidates e.g. after you have spoken to them or if you already know them in some capacity Social Media You Can You Can t Promote your activities and campaign messages Post campaigning messages to any closed groups on your own profile pages to which all other candidates do not have access Set up an account specifically to promote your Allow groups, such as clubs and societies, to election campaign, provided it s completely open promote your candidacy using the club or for anyone to see society s social media platforms if this happens, it will be your responsibility to ensure any such posts are removed Other Channels You Can You Can t Be creative - you don t have to spend a lot of Create a new or utilise existing mailing lists for money to make your campaign team visible the purpose of campaigning based on the information gained from any third party such as the University, eg SOLE, the SU, any sports clubs or societies or any other lists to which you may have access. If in doubt, please ask! Make use of promotional materials produced Use the Union s resources for your campaign. and supplied by Worcester Students Union Current officers and elected representatives are which will be available to all candidates and their not allowed to utilise the Union s resources for a teams of supporters re-election campaign and resources of clubs and societies should not be used outside that which Ask permission to speak to groups of students, for instance in class is agreed. Use Worcester Students Union or University logos or branding in any promotional materials All candidates must attend the Candidates briefing which takes place at 13:15 14:45 on Friday 26 th February in CC007. The campaigning period starts after this meeting has finished. You must not campaign until then. The reason for this is to ensure a fair process and to prevent anyone from having an unfair advantage over other candidates. Failure to follow this procedure may result in disciplinary action being taken against you by the Elections Committee. You are, however, permitted to approach students you know and tell them you plan to run in the election on an individual basis i.e. via private message, , and face to face conversation to seek their support in preparation for the start of your campaign. Candidates may continue to campaign up until the polls close at 16:00 on Friday 4 th March. 3

4 Campaigning Materials Each candidate is responsible for producing and distributing their own campaigning materials; You must keep a record of the costs of your campaigning materials and be able to present receipts and evidence of expenditure if requested to do so by the Deputy Returning Officer; Any pre-owned materials eg fancy dress items count towards your campaign budget. As an example, if you already own a costume which you want to use in your campaign, the SU will work out how much it would cost another candidate to buy the same item new; Candidates should only do what other candidates have the opportunity to do. This means that any sponsorship or favours that exceed the maximum budget must be available to all candidates e.g. getting a family friend who owns their own business to print you a load of t- shirts for free. Candidates are responsible for making whoever is offering to help them aware of this; The budget for the election is 15 per candidate for full-time officer positions and 10 per candidate for NUS delegate places. As a candidate you must: Recognise that being a full-time officer is a responsible post which will require you to lead by example, to represent students and to have credibility in your dealings with students, SU staff and University staff. The Students Union is very keen that no students put their academic studies at risk through the elections process or through taking up an officer position. You must be confident, therefore, when you nominate yourself, that you are in good standing academically and that you are able to commit fully to the role for the full duration of the term of office. Conduct yourself in a way that is respectful of other candidates, students and staff members. This includes your actions on social media (if you are offensive this could lead to disciplinary action); Display your promotional material only in permitted locations. You should seek permission before displaying materials elsewhere, but there is no guarantee that these will not be removed. Failure to do so is likely to result in the SU receiving complaints and your materials being removed by University staff members (so it is just a waste of money). Where you are able to campaign within the SU building will be made clear to you. Be mindful of cultural and personal differences and respect people s personal space i.e. touching someone s arm might be seen as offensive by some members of our community and by some students with certain disabilities, even when in your eyes you re just being friendly; Take full responsibility for the actions of your campaign team and supporters. This includes their actions on social media and if they breach any Union or elections regulations, you will also be held responsible by Elections Committee; Represent the Students Union in a positive light please remember that you are acting as ambassadors for the SU during your campaigning period and your behaviour will reflect upon the whole organisation. You are, therefore, required to abide by and promote, 4

5 through your conduct, the values of the SU. It is really important that our members have a positive experience in the elections Under no circumstances should you: Carry out any campaigning activities or wear/display any campaigning materials when you are on duty if you re employed by the Students Union or by the University Use the Students Union s or University s logo on any of your promotional materials 5

6 Voting Voting is the most important part of elections; it is necessary that everyone involved in elections - candidates, campaigners, staff and, most importantly, voters feel respected during that process. Voting will be online through the Students Union website. Below are a few simple rules you and your campaign team must follow to ensure you conduct yourselves in a fair and friendly way. No candidate or campaigner shall approach another student and request or seek, by whatever means, personal information required to cast a vote; cast, or attempt to cast a vote or encourage another person to cast a vote on behalf of another student; harass or pressurise any members to vote - you must leave students alone if they show no interest in voting; attempt to influence a student who is engaged in the act of voting; use any electronic devices to encourage or help others to cast votes eg laptops, ipads, smart phone. Elections penalties Disciplinary action may be taken against any offenders under the Students Union s disciplinary procedures. Breaching the election regulations, bye-laws, and this code of conduct may result in the application of penalties. The Deputy Returning Officer reserves the right to impose any reasonable penalty in light of the circumstances. As a guide and depending on the severity of the breach, candidates might: receive an informal verbal warning receive a formal written warning be disqualified from the elections Important information to remember: Candidates can receive penalties incrementally if they commit more than one breach. Penalties may not necessarily be given incrementally and will depend on the severity of the breach e.g. candidates may be given a final warning without having received any prior penalty; Serious breaches may be referred to the Returning Officer (appointed by the National Union of Students) All candidates are advised to consult with SU staff or a member of the Elections Committee if they are uncertain about any of the elections rules and regulations. We would much prefer you to ask rather than breaching the rules! 6

7 Complaints and Appeals Any member of the Students Union (i.e. any student) may make a complaint by completing a Complaints Form. This is available from the SU Welcome Desk and the SU website Complaints will be forwarded to the Deputy Returning Officer, Val Yates, who will respond and take action, where appropriate, in consultation with the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee is made up of a maximum of 5 members of Student Council who are not nominated themselves or supporting anyone else who is nominated in the elections. Complaints about the conduct of candidates or their supporters should be reported as soon as is practicable and should be supported by evidence such as photographs and/or witness statements wherever possible. They MUST be made in writing ( is sufficient) at the time of or as soon as practicable after the event. Students wishing to complain need to collect any evidence, including witness statements if necessary, to substantiate the complaint. Complaints cannot be made third hand i.e. a student told you that another candidate breached an elections regulation so you complain on their behalf. The student who experienced the problem or saw it first-hand must make the complaint themselves, or the complaint will be rejected The deadline for all complaints is 16:00 on Friday 4 th March Complaints about the conduct of candidates that are submitted without good reason after the announcement of results will not normally be accepted All completed complaint forms should be ed to the Membership Services Manager, r.christie@worc.ac.uk Appeals against the decision of the Deputy Returning Officer regarding a complaint need to be sent to the Returning Officer (RO) of the Elections within two working days of the decision. The Returning Officer, appointed by the National Unions of Students, is Peter Robertson, Deputy Chief Executive Membership and Union Development. Results The results will be announced by the SU President in the Pear Tree from 19:00 on Friday 4 th March. All candidates and their supporters are encouraged to attend. Good luck and enjoy it! 7

8 Declaration N.B The declaration below must be signed by all candidates prior to campaigning. I agree to abide by all of the above regulations and understand that any breach of the above by me or my campaign team may result in sanctions. Name (Printed)... Position standing for... Signed... Date... 8