Autumn Elections 2020

Voting has now closed. View the results.  

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 Elections are our annual opportunity to elect the Reps who will lead the charge in those areas.  Results are expected online Friday 23 October.

Dates for Autumn Elections 2020 (AE20)

Nominations open: noon, Saturday 03 October 2020
Nominations close: noon, Tuesday 13 October 2020
Manifestos deadline: noon, Wednesday 14 October 2020 
Manifestos published / start of campaigning: noon, Thursday 15 October 2020 
Voting opens: noon, Monday 19 October 2020 
Voting closes: 14:00 Thursday 22 October 2020 
Complaints deadline: 17:00,  Thursday 22 October 2020
Results published: 17:00, Friday 23 October 2020

Eligibility and nominations

  • You must be a current student enrolled on a programme at Imperial College for the full academic year
  • You must meet the eligibility of specific roles, for example, you can only be a Department Rep for the Department you study in
  • You must not have recieved or be under current investigation for any Union or College disciplinary action that results in you contravening Union policy
  • The Union will check that candidates are eligible to run with the College prior to the start of campaigning 
  • If you fail to meet the above requirements you shall be withdrawn from the election
  • You must provide a manifesto to be published by the Union by Wednesday 14 October at noon.

Positions in Autumn Elections 2020 (AE20)

Academic Representatives speak up for students on education issues such as coursework, feedbackand 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 Leaders organise social events and campaigns within their communities, as well as maintain Imperial's traditions and mascots. 

Clubs, Societies & Projects leaders ensure their activities are managed in the interest of members. 

Choose your 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 over 500 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. 

Any student from any year can become an Academic Representative. The following roles are being elected:

  • Year Academic Representatives (UG): one or more Reps for each year of Undergraduate study in every department. Role description
  • Department Academic Representatives: at least one Representative per department. Role description
  • Academic Course Representatives (PGT): at least one Representative per course. Role description
  • Academic & Welfare Officer (PG): Five Reps operating at a Faculty level. 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 are being elected:

Wellbeing Year Representative: one Rep per year for each year of Undergraduate study in every department.  Role description
Wellbeing Departmental Representative: one role leading Wellbeing work in each department. 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 Council Rep roles are being chosen in this election:

  • Council Representative (PG Engineering) x 3 positions
  • Council Representative (PG Medicine) x 1 position
  • Council Representative (PG Non Faculty) x 2 positions
  • Council Representative (PG Science) x 1 position
  • Council Representative (UG Engineering) x 4 positions
  • Council Representative (UG Medicine) x 2 positions
  • Council Representative (UG Science) x 3 positions

Choose your Liberation & Community Network Committees

In these Autumn Elections, we’re electing, for the first time, 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. 

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 are being chosen in Constituent Unions this election:

  • City & Guilds College Union:
    • Clubs and Societies Officer
    • Guildsheet Editor (x 2 positions)
    • Media and Marketing Officer (x 2 positions)
    • Secretary
    • Wellbeing Officer
  • Graduate Students' Union:
    • Activities and Events Officer (x 4 positions)
    • Postgraduate Taught Academic & Welfare Officer (Business) 
    • Postgraduate Research Academic & Welfare Officer (Business) 
    • Postgraduate Taught Academic & Welfare Officer (Engineering)
    • Postgraduate Taught Academic & Welfare Officer (Medicine)
    • Postgraduate Taught Academic & Welfare Officer (Natural Sciences)
    • Publicity Officer 
    • Social Media Officer 
    • Sponsorship Officer
    • Website Officer
  • Royal College of Science Union:
    • Sponsorship & Alumni Officer
    • Sports Officer
    • Web Communications Officer
    • Wellbeing Activities Officer
  • Royal School of Mines Students' Union
    • Outreach Officer
    • RSMSU Ordinary Member
    • Website Office

Choose your Clubs, Societies & Projects Committees

Large Clubs, Societies and Projects (CSPs) elect their committees through our annual elections. You could be one of those leaders, helping to plan events, manage finances and ensure your club continues to enrich the lives of members.