Autumn By-Elections: Nominations open Wednesday 8 November.
Imperial College Union empowers students to speak up for themselves and change the world around them - let's start with the student experience.
We have the power to shape our learning, access the support we need to thrive, defend the interests of under-represented student communities, build our Liberation Networks and ensure our voices are heard at the highest levels of decision-making.
Autumn By-Elections are our annual opportunity to elect the Reps who will lead the charge in those areas. Results are expected online Thursday 16 November.
- When are the Autumn By-Elections 2023?
- What positions can I stand for?
- What will candidates need to know?
Dates for Autumn By-Elections 2023 (AE23)
Nominations open: noon, Wednesday 8 November 2023
Nominations close: 23:59, Sunday 12 November 2023
Manifestos deadline: 23:59, Sunday 12 November 2023
Voting opens: noon, Monday 13 November 2023
Voting closes: 14:00, Thursday 16 November 2023
Results announced: 15:00, Thursday 16 2023
Positions in Autumn By-Elections 2023 (AE23)
The Autumn By-Elections comprise of Horizons Representative roles as well as any unfilled roles from the Autumn Elections. If you don't see the position you wanted to run for, this is because it has been filled in a previous Elections cycle.
Imperial Horizons/ I-Explore Student Representatives are undergraduate students taking an Imperial Horizons or I-Explore STEMM module either alongside or as part of their main degree. You can see more information about the positions available here.
Academic Representatives speak up for students on education issues such as coursework, feedback and learning resources. There's a Rep for every Year group and every Department for both UGs and PGs.
Wellbeing Representatives campaign and lobby on issues affecting students' lives, such as stress, finances, relationships and health. There's a Rep for every Year group and every Department for UGs.
Council Representatives propose and agree Imperial College Union's policies on critical issues such as tuition fees, widening access and the environment.
Liberation & Community Network Committees are responsible for organising campaigns, building a community and fostering the wellbeing with our nine Liberation & Community Networks.
Constituent Union Committees organise social events and campaigns within their communities, as well as maintain Imperial's traditions and mascots.
Choose your Undergraduate Horizons Representatives
The Imperial Horizons and I-Explore programs work in close partnership with the Union's Academic and Wellbeing Representation networks to make sure reps consider the student experience on these programmes, discuss student feedback, and suggests proposed changes to the curriculum, including individual modules, fields of study, and the programme as a whole.
Any undergraduate student enrolled on a Imperial Horizons or I-Explore STEMM or Multidisciplinary Project Module can apply to become a rep.
Choose your Undergraduate Academic Representatives
Imperial College Union works in close partnership with College to maintain the quality of the Imperial educational experience. At the heart of this partnership is the Academic Representation Network, which brings together hundreds of Reps from every year group, department and faculty.
Academic Representatives are elected to speak up for their peers and to collaborate with senior academics and professional staff to tackle problems within their course. Our Reps have succeeded in making significant and long-lasting improvements in a wide range of areas, such as the content of curricula, feedback quality and timeliness, exam timetables, online learning resources, and the physical facilities available to our students.
The following roles may be included in this election:
- Academic Year Representatives: one or more Reps for each year of Undergraduate study in every department. See role description
- Academic Departmental Representatives: at least one Representative per department. See role description
Choose your Wellbeing Representatives
Our Wellbeing Representation Network - the first of its kind amongst British universities - brings student Reps together to identify and tackle wellbeing, as well as pastoral and mental health issues across the Imperial community.
Wellbeing Representatives work with College staff, Welfare Officers and Academic Representatives to tackle big issues such as stress and pressure, mental health, the quality of personal tutoring, how our students are supported, the transition back into study for students who took time off, and more.
The following roles may be included in this election:
- Wellbeing Year Representative: one Rep per year for each year of Undergraduate study in every department. See role description
- Wellbeing Departmental Representative: one role leading Wellbeing work in each department. See role description
Choose your Postgraduate Representatives
Our Postgraduate Representation Committee brings student Reps together to identify and tackle postgraduate issues, both academic and wellbeing across the Imperial community.
Postgraduate Representatives work with College staff, and Wellbeing and Academic Representatives to tackle big issues such as stress and pressure, mental health, the quality of personal tutoring, how our students are supported, the transition back into study for students who took time off, and more.
The following roles may be included in this election:
- PGT Rep Chair: one Rep that represents all PGT students. See role description
- PGT and PGR Academic and Welfare Officers: one role leading on Academic and Wellbeing work in each faculty. See role description
- Note - For the Business School roles, please consult this role description
- PG Department Representatives: at least one Representative per department. See role description
- PG Year Representatives: at least one Representative per course. See role description
Choose your Council Representative for your area of study
Union Council is where our biggest decisions are made. The Representatives here decide policy for the entire student body. If you are a Council Representative, you will speak up for your area of study at Council meetings, participate in debates and vote on the direction of the Union.
You will be joined in Council by other student leaders across Imperial - Officer Trustees, Constituent Union leaders, senior Academic & Wellbeing Representatives, Liberation Officers, and Management Group Chairs .
Previously known as Ordinary Members of Council, these Council Reps (Representatives to Council) speak up for the students in their Faculty or course area, leading debate, proposing policies, and taking stances on a wide range of issues. In recent years, these Reps have led or influenced our stances on tuition fees, environmental change and ethical investment, bursaries and widening participation, and much more.
You can learn more about Union Council and the importance of democracy to Imperial College Union here.
The following roles may be included in this election:
- Council Representative (PG Business) x 2 positions
- Council Representative (PG Engineering) x 2 positions
- Council Representative (PG Medicine) x 2 positions
- Council Representative (PG Non-Faculty) x 1 position
- Council Representative (PG Science) x 1 position
- Council Representative (UG Business) x 1 position
- Council Representative (UG Engineering) x 3 positions
- Council Representative (UG Medicine) x 2 positions
- Council Representative (UG Science) x 2 positions
Choose your Liberation & Community Network Committees
In these Autumn Elections we’re electing committee roles in our nine new Liberation & Community Networks. Each network is chaired by the Liberation & Community Officer that you elected in the Leadership Elections earlier this year. However, there are an additional three roles available in each network, and you can find out more about what each does below.
The following roles may be included in this election:
Campaigns Officer
The Campaigns Officer of each network will be responsible for organising, coordinating and delivering campaigns to tackle issues related to each network. They’ll coordinate activities for Liberation and Community awareness and celebration months such as Black History Month or Mental Health Awareness Week.
Community Engagement Officer
The Community Engagement Officer of each network will be responsible for building a community amongst members of the network and keeping them engaged in the activity of the network. They’ll manage the communications to members – managing social media and writing emails – and create any publicity material.
Welfare Officer
The Welfare Officer of each network will be responsible for fostering a safe space and supportive community to benefit the wellbeing of the members. They’ll create welfare related resources that are relevant to members of the network, organise wellbeing activities and be a point of contact to offer signposting support to individual students.
Choose your Constituent Union Committee
Our Constituent Unions maintain the rich history and traditions of the various academic communities within the wider Imperial student body. There are six Constituent Unions, one each for our Engineers, Scientists, Miners, Medics, Postgraduates and for students based at our Silwood Park campus. Unique to Imperial, the historic origins of our Constituent Unions can be explored here.
The following roles may be included in this election:
- City & Guilds College Union:
- Education Chair
- Guildsheet Editor
- Events Officer
- Royal College of Science Union:
- RCSU Events Officer (#2)
- RCSU Sponsorship Officer
- RCSU Vice President Activities
- RCSU Broadsheet Editor
- RCSU Broadsheet Deputy Editor
- RCSU Deputy Science Challenge Chair
- RCSU RAG Officer
- RCSU Webmaster
- Royal School of Mines Students' Union
- RSMU Balls officer (*paired position, candidates should run as a pair, with one self-nominating online and making clear in manifesto who their running mate is)
- RSMU Wellbeing & Events Officer
- RSMU Postgraduate ordinary member
Constituent Union Committee role