"As your current SU President Exeter, I thought it would be useful to tell you a bit about what your SU presidents do in order to help you decide who to vote for in the upcoming President Elections. 

No. 1: The Manifesto 

All candidates have a manifesto, and you can already see these on the SU website (at www.thesu.org.uk/presidentelections2021). A manifesto is a pledge of things that the candidates promise they are going to try and achieve if they are elected. They spend the year working on these projects with the help of SU Staff. 

No. 2: Acting on Your Feedback

The Presidents gather feedback through Reps, Surveys, ROS, etc. and take this feedback to important meetings with senior University staff, trying to make sure that no decisions are made by the Universities which negatively effect you as students. 

No. 3: SU Networks 

The Presidents will create and build on networks with other SU Officers from across the country, and engage in national, and sometimes even international, campaigns that are in the student interest. 

No. 4: Trusteeship 

The Presidents also sit on the Board of Trustees for the Students Union, and help to make sure that the organisation as a whole is financially sustainable, is being governed properly and is fulfilling its organisational objectives, which are around serving and representing you, our student members. 

No. 5: Activities and Opportunities 

The Presidents help to engage students in and with fun and enriching opportunities, including events like the Big Presidents' Quiz, fundraising opportunities, sports clubs and society activities. 

So, with all of that in mind, here's a list of things you might want to consider when deciding who to vote for this year:

• Do you like their manifesto?

• Will they be good at representing students in University meetings?

• Do they care about the same issues as you? 

• Will they be able to wrap their head around complex governance issues?

• Are they fun, engaging and charismatic?

Remember, Voting opens on 22 February, at midday, and all of the lists of candidates and their manifstos are already accessible on the su website, at www.thesu.org.uk/presidentelections2021. Check them out and get involved! "