The Green Party Society hereby gives notice of our Annual Elections with nominations opening on Monday 18 March, and voting opening a the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 27 March. We encourage you to consider standing for a committee role for the next academic year! Not only is it a great addition to your CV, but it is also a great learning experience and helps you develop life skills that employers value hugely. Plus, it is your way to shape the Green Party Society for 2024/25 - one of the fastest-growing societies at Exeter!

The Annual General Meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 27 March, between 16:00 and 17:30, in Forum Seminar Room 10 (The America Room).

Timeline:

• Notice of Annual Elections served Thursday 7 March 2024. Please take the time to read this newsletter and consider applying for a committee role!
• Nominations Open  Monday 18 March 2024, at noon. To nominate yourself, go to the Green Party Society page on the Student Guild website, and press on Elections. The election is named ‘Green Party Society - Annual Elections 2024’. You can then nominate yourself for the roles you wish to stand for, which are listed within this newsletter.
• Nominations Close  Tuesday 26 March 2024, at 23:59.
• Annual General Meeting & Voting Opens  Wednesday 27 March, at 17:00. During the AGM, prospective candidates will be given time to pitch themselves to society members before voting opens.
• Voting Closes  Saturday 30 March, at 17:00.
• Winners Announced  Sunday 31 March via the Newsletter.

Roles to be Elected:

• President

The President/Chair is the most senior committee position within the Society. Their role involves the day-to-day running of the society, leading committee members to success in their roles, and being the spokesperson of the Green Party on campus. 

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The President/Chair is expected to be the spokesperson of the Society. They are expected to give up a significant amount of their time each week to coordinate with their Committee, the Green Party, and other university societies to make sure events are well planned and run smoothly every week. They must attend every society event unless they have good reason not to. They must have a deep understanding of how the Green Party works, electoral law, the Exeter constituency, and be competent at public speaking. This is a very demanding role, and often will require 10+ hours a week, excluding event attendance.

Parameters of Success:

A successful President/Chair will have led a University of Exeter Green Party Society with ideally at least 40 members, including a good Freshers cohort to ensure the future success of the Society. They will have led a committee who will have run many events throughout the year, including a regular weekly event/social, and at least one marquee event, such as a Christmas Dinner or Ball.

• Vice-President

The Vice-president is the second most senior committee position within the Society, and in the absence of the President/Chair, is the leading figure of the society. Their role involves the planning and execution of society events, coordinating with committee members and other societies to run a diverse range of events throughout the academic year.

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The Vice-President is expected to be fully involved in planning, organising, and running events. They must work closely with the Committee to make sure venues are booked, risk assessments are completed, and socials are creative enough to attract members to attend. 

Parameters of Success:

A successful Vice-President will have executed an extensive and varied collection of events throughout the year, including several collaborations with other societies. 

• Treasurer

The Treasurer oversees managing all the society’s finances. This involves keeping check of the account balance; tracking, recording, and auditing transactions; keeping tabs over memberships, and ensuring the society does not fall into arrears.

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The Treasurer is expected to ensure the society does not fall into financial trouble. They must keep the President and Vice-president well informed of the society’s financial situation throughout the academic year, and complete any budgets as required on time. As a committee member, the Treasurer is expected to attend most socials and as many other society events as possible.

Parameters of Success:

A good Treasurer will have experience of managing finance in a similar student group, such as Young Enterprise, or in employment. They should have a good understanding of how Student Guild finance works, with training provided over the summer. They should keep the President and Vice-president updated with the society’s financial situation throughout the year.

• General Secretary

The General Secretary is responsible for the admin of the society. Their biggest commitment is the Annual Risk Assessment, to be completed over the summer. They will then be expected to help with booking venues, working with the Social Secretary and the Vice-president.

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The General Secretary’s greatest responsibility is the Annual Risk Assessment, which they are expected to complete and have approved on time. Throughout the year, they will be expected to help book rooms and venues for events and complete any other risk assessment required by the Student Guild for larger events. They are also expected to complete any other relevant admin task. As a committee member, the General Secretary is expected to attend most events.

Parameters of Success:

A good General Secretary is organised and knowledgeable of the workings of the Student Guild. Advice is on hand from previous committee members. 

• Media & Publicity Officer

The Publicity Officer oversees the society’s social media and communication accounts. Their role involves creating content, posting on social media, and coordinating with the Student Guild to promote society events.

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The Publicity Officer is expected to create and publish content several times a week. They will be expected to promote events on time, and in good time before the event is scheduled to take place. They are expected to develop a good working relationship with the other committee members, especially the Sports Secretary and Social Secretary to collaborate on content. As the Publicity Officer will have access to all social media accounts, they will be expected to always act professionally and not abuse their privilege. All content must be approved by a Senior Committee Member before being published. They should always follow the agreed house style to maintain a professional and recognisable image of the society. As a committee member, the Publicity Officer should attend most socials, and as many other society events as possible.

Parameters of Success:

A good Publicity Officer will have previous experience in creating content, ideally on Canva. This is not a prerequisite and training will be provided where needed. They will be creative and adaptive, and able to work several hours a week to produce and publish frequent content.

• Social Secretary

The Social Secretary is one of the most important roles in the society. They are given the responsibility of planning, organising, and executing social events within the society. They will work closely with the Vice-President to organise and plan a wide range of socials throughout the academic year, but the social secretary will oversee socials making sure they run smoothly.

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The Social Secretary is expected to run regular socials throughout the academic year, thinking creatively to run a wide variety of socials, and innovatively to attract as many members as possible at our events. They are expected to spend time over the summer working first with the Vice-president to plan and organise events, then the General Secretary to ensure the Student Guild approve our events, then the Publicity Officer to ensure all our events are publicised. The Social Secretary must attend all social events, and where this is not possible, delegate responsibility to the Vice-president or President.

Parameters of Success:

A good Social Secretary is fun, kind, and organised. They will have developed very good working relationships with all the committee members and developed a good understanding of what the Student Guild will allow and what they won’t. 

• Sports Secretary

The Sports Secretary manages the intramural sports teams of the Society. They will manage the existing football team (Exe Green Rovers), booking pitches and entering the intramural league. They will also work closely with the President and Treasurer to explore the possibility of other sports ventures.

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The Sports Secretary is expected to successfully manage and organise all the society’s intramural sports. They should enter the intramural league on time, and book other sessions frequently throughout the year. They are also expected to develop relationships with other societies to organise friendly matches. As a committee member, they are expected to attend as many events as possible.

Parameters of Success:

A good Sports Secretary is compassionate and well organised. They ideally will have had previous experience of organising a sports team and learn how to book sports facilities at the University.

• WIDE Officer (Welfare, Inclusion, Diversity & Equality)

The WIDE Officer is the face of welfare in the society and is responsible for ensuring no protected characteristic is discriminated against in all elements of life within the society. If society members come to them with welfare issues, complaints, or concerns, the WIDE Officer will act professionally and deal with the situation sensibly and promptly. Therefore, it is a dynamic role.

Responsibilities:

Expectations:

The WIDE Officer is expected to ensure any Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion issues are raised immediately to the President, making sure that they also resolve the issue promptly. They are expected to act professionally and compassionately when dealing with welfare issues. They are also expected to maintain confidentiality, except in the circumstance of serious welfare issues which are to be escalated to the relevant channels.

Parameters of Success:

A good WIDE Officer will be one of the friendliest people in the society. They will be approachable, and a very good listener.