Voting in the November 2021 EGM is open from Friday 26th of November until Wednesday 1st of December. On this page you can find information about how to vote, who you can vote for, and how to watch the results live stream on Friday 3rd of December.
(Any & All Pronouns)
MANIFESTO
LGBTQ+ Soc Secretary Manifesto
I’m Roux, a Queer second year Philosophy student, I’m running for the role of Secretary in this election. There are three major roles played by the Secretary, these are:
> Accurate minute taking
> Communicating with external parties
> Ensuring LGBTQ+ Soc and SU policies are adhered to
I’m certain I can carry out these roles here in the LGBTQ+ society. I’m enthusiastic to get working with the excellent committee to pursue the society’s goals. In addition to working with the committee on their own plans, I also have my own input to contribute. I have two primary targets as secretary:
Growth of the society – through my role as secretary I would endeavour to grow the society. Growth is important in two measures:
Growth within the society – It’s important the society does not just exist here at the university but that it is lively and growing, ever expanding both in terms of memberships and events that give us the opportunity to come together in support of one another.
Growth outside the society – Outside of supporting and providing excellent experiences to students who are members of the society, it is important also that LGBTQ+ visibility is increased across campus. In the role of Secretary, I will actively pursue every available opportunity to increase LGBTQ+ inclusion, awareness and visibility throughout the university and its Campuses.
Outreach – I’m dedicated to providing the best outward image the society can provide. As Secretary I will maintain and ensure the high-quality of outreach held by the society. My goal would be to further increase communication with both the university and external bodies to secure what is best for the society, whether its events, venue discounts or anything else.
what makes me the best candidate?
I have much experience working with LGBTQ+ groups on a wide variety of projects. Everything from working with Viva LGBT (My local queer group back at home) to organise a stall and place in the parade at Pride, gaining experience in admin at RainbowBiz (a Social Enterprise which “Support some of the most marginalised members of the community.”), or working with Mermaids’ Director of Communications Andy West to produce and distribute articles and blogs dispelling transphobia in the media. All of these prior roles provide me with excellent experience to fill the three major roles of Secretary.
Outside of prior experience I also have a genuine love and care for this community, I want to contribute to its thriving and growing over the next year. It would be a blessing to work with the current committee to do the best I can to further this already amazing society.
(aromantic)
(She/Her)
MANIFESTO
As an Aromantic student, I feel strongly that this often overlooked identity shouldn’t be ignored. It is incredibly important to me that aro members are acknowledged and not dismissed, and I would hope that my presence as an Ordinary Member could help facilitate this. I have previously given informal feedback to committee members, and would enjoy the opportunity to formalise this.
(They/Them or He/Him)
MANIFESTO
I hope to provide the space for people to discuss romantic orientation and the lack thereof with curiosity and nuance. Generally, being a voice for Aromantic members in the committee and helping out however else I can are my goals.
(She/Her)
MANIFESTO
Hi, I’m Janine! I’m a 3rd year fashion marketing student and I am running for the Ordinary Member BAME role because I would like to represent the wants and needs of ethnic minorities within our society. As a black queer woman, I understand the intersections of the race and sexuality/gender and hope to encourage our members to be open about this and any suggestions or changes they may feel are necessary. Ultimately, I would love to be able to help in making our society even better, for everyone!
(She/They)
MANIFESTO
If chosen as the BAME ordinary member, I intend on initiating events and socials relevant to our vast and diverse community to try and engage with and increase the number of BAME society members. To do this, I plan on reaching out to cultural societies to discuss mutual promotion and joint events so that LGBTQ+ people within those societies can feel more encouraged to join this society or even to simply check us out. I have also engaged in some discussions with the committee about the aforementioned idea and some other exciting opportunities for the pre-existing BAME members within the society to find each other and be able to share any experiences or conversations that arise as part of being a BAME LGBTQ+ individual.
As a POC myself, I understand that sometimes it might feel like there are spaces that aren’t intended for us. Therefore, my main aim as the BAME ordinary member is to make sure everyone feels like they belong in this society.
(They/Them or He/Him)
MANIFESTO
I want to ensure that the society evolves as an increasingly more comfortable social space for our BAME members whether present or prospective. Since I am in year 1, I am eager to become more involved with the society, be social and communicate the collective voice of our BAME members where necessary.
As a black person, I hope to ensure that policies within the society’s manifesto are and remain firmly anti-racist. I want to ensure that our role models within the community are diverse and that our acceptance of diversity in identity is intersectional. I feel as though my BAME manifesto is unintentionally political, as our identities as LGBTQ+ people often are, and that is okay. Whether it is political or not, I am proud to be here
(She/Her)
MANIFESTO
Hi there, my name’s Janine and I am a 3rd year Fashion Marketing Student at Winchester School of Art. Being at WSA is the biggest obstacle that has stopped me from participating in as many society events. I am running for the Ordinary Member WSA role because I would like to better represent and involve the Winchester students so that we build a closer community.
(She/Her)
MANIFESTO
As a student at the Winchester School of Art, I am very aware of how isolated the campus can feel from the ones in Southampton in terms of societies. Though I know several others in the community on campus, very few are involved in the society, perhaps due to a lack of presence in Winchester. I feel that it is important for there to be society events in Winchester and would push for a recognition of this.
(They/Them or He/Him)
MANIFESTO
As a member attending WSA, I want to provide more opportunity for events and interactions between students at WSA and the other campuses. At WSA, I found out that my Year 1 peers feel discouraged to join societies when there are fewer or less engaging events happening in Winchester. I picked up on this late since I commute from Southampton but it’s because of that commute that I understand why they don’t feel very involved. I want to make sure there is more for us to do in Winchester where possible.
“Hey, isn’t this different to how you usually do AGMs?”
Yes! Because of the global COVID-19 outbreak, we’ve taken a look at our constitution and at advice from SUSU and University of Southampton and decided that this is the safest way to conduct voting this year. This is the fourth election we’ve run in this way – if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email the committee.
