Who Can Run?
All current BU students currently enrolled on a programme of study can stand in the SUBU Elections. SUBU is here to represent all students at BU so we’re searching for students from all walks of life and areas of study. Don’t worry if you don’t think you’ve got the right experience because you’ll receive training for your role.
For Full-Time Officer roles, it doesn’t matter if you are part way through your studies (you may be able to take a year out or do it as your placement) or graduating this year. It doesn’t matter what course or level you are studying at, or if you are a home or international student; all BU students can become a Sabbatical Officer.
You must be able to start full-time employment in early July. If you are still undertaking a programme of study you would be expected to suspend this, unless you are undertaking the role as a placement.
If you are running for NUS Delegate, you will need to be a current BU student and will need to be able to attend the NUS National Conference in Blackpool on April 17th-18th - travel and accommodation will be provided.
Manifestos
You are required to submit a manifesto as a part of the nominations process. This is your chance to state what you intend to do if you were to be elected.
Your manifesto will be available for voters to view. Full-Time Officer manifestos can be up to 300 words long, but you will also be asked to supply a condensed 50 word manifesto. NUS Delegates will need to submit a single 50 word manifesto.
You don’t have to submit your manifesto at the same time as your nomination but it must be submitted by the manifesto deadline on the 28th of February at midnight.
The key to writing an amazing manifesto is being in touch with the students who will be voting for you. Think about why you want to run and share it with BU Students have different experiences during their time at university, so think about what issues are currently important to students and to you. It is also worth remembering that there are many different types of students at BU and the manifestos promises that are the best are the ones that speak to ALL students. The best way to find out what students want is to speak to them.
You'll want to include:
- Who you are
- What role you are running for
- Any relevant experience you have
Aim for around four of five policies that are the most important to you and the most appealing to students.
Be original and creative, but also practical. Students will expect you to achieve whatever you lay out in your manifesto so it is important that you keep this in mind. They’ll also know if something is unrealistic. The best policies strike the balance between what students want and what is achievable in a year.
Below is a simple guideline on how to set out your manifesto; you can lay your manifesto out as you wish. But feel free to use this template as a basic idea.
Introduction:
Hello my name is....
I am running for...
I am running because...
I have these experiences which I could use to benefit students...
I have previously been involved with SUBU through...
Key Campaign Points:
If elected I will campaign on the Following things:
1. Campaign Point 1
This issue is important because...
I will achieve the aim of this through...
2. Campaign Point 2
This issue is important because...
I will achieve the aim of this through...
3. Campaign Point 3
This issue is important because...
I will achieve the aim of this through...
Closing Statement:
Please make sure you remember to go out and vote...
My name is... and I am running for... Please consider voting for me
You could also include contact information and links to where to vote.
Campaigning can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be! We have put together a few pointers to help you get started.
Planning your campaign
Start at the beginning by making a plan for your campaign. This is a really important step that cannot be missed. You might want to jump straight in with designing posters and talking to students, but first, you need to map out who you are, what you want to achieve, and how you are going to go about achieving this. Create a timeline of key dates and work out what you need to do and when you need to do it. Brainstorm all of your ideas and then workout what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.
Running a campaign can be a bit like project planning (don't forget to highlight this on your CV and in interviews as real life experience!). As such, productivity tools such as Trello or Notion (or even good old Excel spreadsheets) can be very helpful for both keeping your campaign on track and collaborating digitally with others.
Your Brand
Part of your strategy may include creating a personal brand. You may want to take some time to consider how you can reflect your personality and make-up within all your communications and artwork. Your campaign and brand should represent you in the best light.
Your brand needs to be identifiable and clear. Once you have decided on your brand, stick to it! If your main colour is mint green, keep using the mint green, don’t use any other version of green and keep it all ‘on brand.’ If you have a tagline, keep it consistent and use it on all your advertising. Make them remember you!
Branding take many different shapes and sizes, whether this be tying it to your favourite TV show, coming up with a funny pun or putting your policies and ideas centre stage. You need to make sure that your brand is memorable.
You may also want to tie a slogan into your campaign this should be short and snappy and attract students to your message.
Campaign team
A crucial part of a successful campaign is a team that will help you spread the word. You can ask your housemates, friends from your course, or friends from student groups you are involved in. The more people who are supporting and promoting your campaign, the more students will know who you are and why they should vote for you. There are loads of things your campaign team can do. If they're a wiz at design why not get them to design your posters, or if they're great with a camera why not ask them to film your promotional video.
Try to arrange a time where you can familiarise them with your policies and campaigns and even put together a rota so you know who will be helping you when. You’ll need to go through the rules with them because you will be responsible for their actions while they are campaigning on your behalf.
Make sure you say thank you to those who help get the word out.
Physical Campaigning
Your physical campaign may be the most daunting part, but it can also be the most fun and engaging tool at your disposal.
A good place to start is simply talking to students. You could ask a lecturer if you could give a shout-out at the start of a lecture, or go into some of the social areas on campus and politely ask if you can have a quick chat. Chat to your course mates, housemates and the person you met that one time, and ask them to talk to their friends and get the word out.
You can also put up posters and handout leaflets on campus. Just make sure that you do not campaign in any of the campaigning free zones.
Beyond posters and leaflets, think what you can do that will stop students in their tracks and makes them pay attention and want to listen to what you have to say.
You could do an old school flash mob, get your campaign team to come on to campus in fancy dress, recreate a meme, organise an activity for students to get involved with. The possibilities are endless.
If you've got an idea for physical campaigning but you are not sure how to go about it, make sure you reach out to SUBUdemocracy@bournemouth.ac.uk who will be able to provide advice.
Design
Design can be a big part of your campaign and lucky for you creating designs for posters, social media assets and other campaign material has never been easier. There are some really good free or low cost online sites that can help you with this. Here are a few but there are a plethora of other ones out there too:
While these graphic design tools often have a built in free photo library (if not, check out pixabay, pexals or unsplash), you will most likely want to feature some of your own photos to get you as a person across to potential voters and provide unique and individual communications, oppose to stock photography.
Make your designs eye catching and distinct through comedy, colour, shape and size.
- Keep the poster in line with your brand
- Don’t overcomplicate your design
- It should include your name, a photo, key policies and slogans
- Get someone to proof read it
Check out this course on LinkedIn Learning to find out more about how to use Canva.
Social Media
Start to think about which social media platforms you will want to use for the election you could use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn or Snapchat. Think about which platforms would target the students you want to vote for you and where you would be most likely to get high engagement. Make sure to use the hashtag #SUBUElects on your posts.
Facebook page - raise your profile and get students to show their support. You can publish your manifesto, updates and photos to keep people engaged, and even share live videos throughout the week
Twitter - a great way to communicate with BU students
Instagram - stories are a great way to reach students and you can post key points in your campaign as posters
TikTok - Great for making quick and fun videos
Consider if you will want to use the social media accounts you already have set up or if you will want to create election specific social media accounts. There are pros and cons to each; with new accounts you’ll need to build up followers in a relatively short time frame but also consider your privacy on existing personal accounts if you open them up to new followers and the student population.
There are good tools out there can help you manage your social media accounts from one dashboard. Hootsuite is probably the best known but other affordable options include Buffer, Sensible and Loomly.
Now that you have the identified the social media platforms you are going to use and your strategy - it is time to start thinking about what content you will populate them with.
Examples:
- e-posters and other graphic design elements
- videos (including easy to do animation)
- websites, blogs and podcasts
- sponsored posts
- direct messaging
- hosting lives
We recommend flipping through this FutureLearn course.
Videos
Candidates are encouraged to film their own videos for the election, they are a great way to interact with students. You could record a rap, song of film!
You can create as many videos as you like to share yourself but send us your best two with the specifications below and SUBU will promote them on their channels
1. 90 Seconds, Landscape, will be shared on SUBU's YouTube page and on the elections webpage alongside your manifesto and picture.
2. 30 Seconds, Portrait, will be shared across SUBU Social Media platforms.
If you want the SU to share your campaign videos they must:
- Be submitted by midnight on February 28th (the same time as the manifesto deadline).
- Have no copyrighted background music (you can find copyright free music on YouTube's Audio Library)
- Be no longer than 30 and 90 seconds
- Filmed in the stated orientation and must stay in the chosen orientation throughout the video
- Be sent along with an attached script (this will be used to subtitle the video)
- No graphics at the bottom as this is where captions will go
You can film your video and use free software available online, or already downloaded on your computer such as iMovie for Mac users or Movie Maker or Video Editor on PC. You can even download video editing apps from the app store and do it on your phone! You're video must be submitted with a script - without this your video will not be accepted. Please do not subtitle it yourself.
Video Editing Software
Photos
Your campaign photo:
- Should be clear and in focus
- Must be in colour
- Should be at least 500 pixels wide/tall
- Must be no larger than 1 MB
- You should be facing forwardShould not include other people
- Should not be taken at a high or low angle
For best results:
- Avoid harsh lighting/shadows. Take photo outside.
- Avoid busy backgrounds and text on clothing
- Keep hands out of photo/away from face
- Use a recent photo
Your campaign photos will be used as submitted. We cannot correct lighting/colour on your behalf. If you are unsure about your photo, you can consult subudemocracy@bournemouth.ac.uk for advice.