An Election Is Happening Now!!
What this page covers:
- What does the KSU do?
- What is Council?
- Open Positions
- Election Timeline
- FAQs
- Campaigning Tips
- Contacts
What does the KSU do?
Every student at King’s is a member of the King’s Students’ Union. The KSU is the voice of King’s students, providing advocacy and representation through the Council of Students. Student organizing is vital to maintaining our collective power and it is our job to represent the wants and needs of our members in Council, in meetings with King’s administration, and in the daily work of the union.
We offer services such as the health and dental plan, and free menstrual and sexual health products. All King’s societies are ratified through the KSU and therefore can receive money for events and meetings. We operate and manage the Galley and Wardroom, which every student is a stakeholder in. Every year we organize one of the few student-run Orientation Weeks in Canada, and always do our best to give everyone a great first week at university.
Our office is in the Link and we are there if you need help, have questions, or just want to say hi 🙂
What is Council?
The King’s Students’ Union Council is a body that meets every two weeks, usually on a Sunday. It convenes with all Union representatives: all members of the KSU Executive; the Member-At-Large; 2 Board of Governors Representatives; and the Arts, Science, Journalism, Residence, and First Year Representatives. Together, they decide the direction of the Union and its ongoing actions and campaigns, bringing up and representing the opinions of each Councillor’s constituents.
Check out the positions you can run for!
For more detailed information about each position and election procedures, read the KSU Bylaws here.
Executive Positions
The Executive Committee members are responsible to support the entire student body, and they work to keep the union functioning on a day-to-day basis. They are expected to attend and report at bi-weekly Council meetings. Executive members are paid and hold (min.) 5 office hours per week.
The President is responsible for overseeing the executive members, union hired positions, and the daily operations of the Union. The President also represents students in meetings and communications with King’s, such as when sitting on the Wardy and Galley advisory boards, King’s committees, and the King’s Board of Governors (King’s highest decision-making body).
This role requires an understanding of the union structure and its bylaws, and is for anyone dedicated to ensuring the day to day functioning of the union and for students as a direct liaison with King’s.
The SLVP focuses on campus student life, including societies, athletics, academics, and residence. The SLVP organizes training for societies looking to be ratified and represents students’ concerns as a member of King’s Academic and Residence Committees.
You don’t have to live on campus to be the SLVP; this role is for anyone who wants to advocate for students’ needs on campus, work with societies, and help make student life fun!
The FVP is responsible for the finances of the Union, which isn’t as scary as it sounds! The FVP creates the Union budget, oversees the Galley and Wardy finances and sits on their advisory committees, and chairs the Finance Committee to approve society fundings requests.
You don’t need to study accounting to run; this role is for anyone who is reliable, cares about our student businesses, can read a spreadsheet, and wants to learn!
The EVP is the link between King’s students and external community organizations. The EVP works with groups like South House, NSPIRG, and Divest Dal to host events and campaigns on campus. They represent our Union on the Canadian Federation of Students NS (CFSNS) Executive, and sit on the King’s Investment Committee.
This role is for anyone who is passionate about community building, learning about King’s investments, and advocating for student needs on and off campus!
The CVP is in charge of communicating to general Union members about events, services, and Council decisions. They are responsible for making This Week at King’s (a weekly newsletter advertising societies and Union events), updating the KSU website and chalkboard, posting and responding to messages on social media, and chairing the Bylaw Review Committee.
This role is for anyone who enjoys connecting with fellow students, knows or wants to learn about the KSU structure and update it to fit our needs, and wants to have fun making Canva graphics, posters, and posts!
Council Positions
This rep represents the interests of students in art and music programs by sitting on academic committees and meeting with the CSP, EMSP, and HOST societies. This role is great for students who care about the quality and accessibility of education at King’s. (Note that the arts rep is open to both arts and music students)
Requirement: must be a Bachelor of Arts or Music student themself!
This rep represents the interests of students in science programs by sitting on academic committees. This role is great for students who care about the quality and accessibility of education at King’s.
Requirement: must be a Bachelor of Science student themself!
This rep represents the interests of students in the Journalism program by sitting on academic committees. This role is great for students who care about the quality and accessibility of education at King’s.
Requirement: must be a Journalism student themself!
The Residence Rep represents the interests of King’s students living on campus. This role is great for those who live in residence and are passionate about making res life at King’s as safe, fun, and accessible as possible.
Requirement: must live on campus themself!
The First Year Rep represents the interests of all first year students by sitting on academic committees and they are responsible for creating FYP t-shirts. This role is for any first year student interested in getting to know their classmates and making sure their needs are being met. This is a great way for new students to make a difference and learn about their union, all while settling into university.
The Member-at-Large represents the interests of all King’s students, sits on finance committee, and holds a meeting with the KSU executive once per month. This role helps keep all branches of the KSU operating smoothly and is great for those who wish to act as the council rep for all King’s students.
The two Board of Governors (or BOG) Reps sit on the university’s BOG as student representatives, alongside the KSU president. This role is great for those who care about university politics and shaping the future direction of the university.
Election Timeline
Nominations: open from Monday, January 22 to Friday, January 27 at midnight
Campaigning: TBD
Election dates: TBD
FAQs
Q: What can I run for?
A: Any King’s student (part-time or full-time) is eligible to run for an Executive role, Member-At-Large, or Board of Governor’s (BOG) Rep. To run for Arts, Science, or Journalism Rep, you must be getting a degree in the respective department. To run for Residence Rep, you live in residence. While the First Year Rep is a job meant for a first year, first year students can run for just about any position. And you should!
Q: How do I sign up?
A: Email our Chief Returning Officer Anna CJ for a nomination package. Once you read the material, complete the form, and get 15 signatures, send the completed package back to the CRO. Email Anna at cro@ksu.ca.
Q: I’ve handed in my nomination form, now what?
A: You can start thinking about campaigning! Post on social media, make posters, hold events, and anything else you can think of. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to new people! This is your opportunity to talk to people about what they want to see from their union or what they need to see on campus. Put yourself out there, let people get to know you and what you want to do in office. Be creative, but be wary. So long as your campaign stays within the range of what the KSU Elections Procedure and the Bylaws decree (below), it’s as good as gold. Also, up to 75 campaign posters can be photocopied in the office. Don’t forget that campaigning begins AFTER the mandatory candidates meeting!
Q: What’s election quorum? What happens if we don’t reach it during the election?
A: Quorum is the minimum amount of attendance required for decisions to be made. For example, our bylaws require at least 20% of King’s students (union members) to vote in each election. Quorum ensures that the election results are the result of the will of the student body, not just a few. If quorum is not reached by the election deadline set by the Chair, the election will be extended. This has become really frequent in recent years, but the best way to avoid an extension is getting your friends to vote and if you’re running – campaign!! Posters and social media posts get the word out about you and the election.
How To Run an Effective Campaign
The number one most important thing is to never step outside of the strictly defined rules laid out by the KSU Bylaws and Elections Procedure. These documents are available on this website and have been transmitted many times over in many different ways, so there’s no excuse for any transgression. Our CRO will be on the lookout for anything that is deemed insulting, unnecessarily vitriolic, offensive, smearing, or otherwise preventative of another campaign’s ability to function. You should read the Bylaws to the best of your ability, but the CRO will go over the information during the candidate’s meeting. As long as you understand your responsibilities and remain kind, you should be fine!
Also, be sure to know that you may only spend a maximum of $25 on your campaign (but printing out posters is free). When you are putting up your posters around campus, be sure to number them and write down each poster’s location, so you can take them down by midnight the day before the elections. Submit that list to the Chief Returning Officer so when they check for them the night before the elections, you’re not liable for posters that may have fallen off/thrown out, and so you know where they are yourself.
Otherwise, be as creative as you can! A good poster in good places works wonders (the Wardroom, the Galley, inside and outside Prince Hall, bathrooms, and the A&A are great places) and a funny theme or campaign slogan is effective at tying in your name with something positive. But always try to do more. Run an event that’s endorsed by you. Really get involved, because that shows you give half a damn, and that’s something people genuinely care about.
Just don’t forget to end all campaigning by 11:59 pm the day before the elections, or all that effort might be for naught!
How To Write a Platform
Crucial to any election campaign, a platform is important especially for a school that is rarely in the same place at the same time (with the occasional exception of Happy Hour in the Wardy). It helps if you come up with a list of what your policies and goals as you try to undertake your particular position. Then you can build your speech and 300-word statement. You have a five minute limit during candidate speeches, so you explain these in length. The statement is shorter and is available to voters at the election booth. Make it clear and concise but also charming and substantive. If people are going to be going to the ballots without really following the election at all, then those short sentences could make or break a vote in your favour.
These statements are due almost immediately after the speeches, but the earlier you make these available to the Chief Returning Officer, the sooner one can post them around the school. Not having one completed is a blow to a campaign, so don’t forget this crucial last step.