What is the Candidate Approval Committee?
Elected officers take on an important responsibility. They listen to students, represent different views and help students influence decisions within the Students’ Union and the University.
Before entering an election, prospective candidates meet with the Candidate Approval Committee, known as the CAC. The Committee’s role is to assess whether each person meets two essential criteria:
- They have relevant experience of student representation or engagement.
- They can represent students effectively in a range of settings.
The CAC does not assess a candidate’s political views, manifesto commitments or popularity. Those decisions belong to students through the election. Its role is to make sure that everyone entering the election meets the same two published criteria.
The Committee is made up of trained students. Committee members cannot stand in the election they are supporting and must remain publicly neutral throughout the election.
What happens when you meet with the Candidate Approval Committee?
The meeting normally takes place online. Members of the Committee will ask you questions about your experience and how you would approach representing students.
It is an opportunity to talk about the skills and experience you already have. This could come from your course, employment, volunteering, involvement in a society, being a Student Rep or other experiences within or outside UWS.
You do not need to have held a senior position in the Students’ Union. We recognise that students develop relevant skills in many different ways.
If you have already been approved by the CAC in an election within the previous 12 months, you will not normally need to attend another meeting.
Relevant experience
You must be able to demonstrate relevant experience of representing or engaging with students. This could include:
- Being a Student Rep
- Taking part in or leading a student society
- Volunteering
- Supporting or organising activities for students
- Representing people through employment or community activity
- Similar experience at another college, university or organisation
The Committee may ask questions such as:
- How have you been involved in supporting or representing students?
- Can you tell us about something you have done to improve students’ experiences?
- What experience have you gained that would help you undertake the role?
Representing students
You must also demonstrate that you can represent students effectively in a range of settings.
UWS has a diverse student community across different campuses, courses, levels and modes of study. Elected officers must be ready to listen to students from different backgrounds and represent their views fairly, including views that may differ from their own.
The Committee may ask questions such as:
- Can you tell us about a time when you represented the views of a group?
- How would you find out what different groups of students think?
- How would you represent views that differ from your own?
- How would you communicate students’ views in meetings with the Students’ Union or the University?
A fair and supportive process
All Committee members receive mandatory training on fair and impartial decision-making. Every prospective candidate is assessed against the same two criteria.
The Committee is not looking for a particular type of person or for someone who already knows everything about the Students’ Union. It is looking for evidence that you have the experience and ability needed to represent students, with training and ongoing support from the Union.
If you have questions about the process or would like to discuss any adjustments you may need for the meeting, please contact the Deputy Returning Officers at elections@uwsunion.org.uk.