What are Student Officers and why should I even care?

Chances are you have just tried to get to your lecture and have had to fight your way through crowds of people singing, shouting, handing out flyers, waving placards wildy, threatening to attack you with a rhino, and even a dancing car/chicken or two. By this point you are probably wondering what on earth is going on, have the students gone mad? Is this a new form of tuition fees protest?

No it is the beginning of the Student Officer elections, and unfortunately for you there will be a few more people on the concourse to avoid than just your average, depressed, Embrace flyering teams.

What are Student Officers?

Student Officers in short are democratically elected once a year to represent students and to run the Student's Union. Officers work full time for one year and get paid for that year. They are a strange breed of students in limbo. They are technically students but they don't study and they are also full time members of staff. These people dancing across the concourse will one day be managing directors and sit in executive board meetings, finance committees and trustee board meetings, and will essentially be responsible for whatever the Union does for one year.

They also each have a portfolio or area of work, this is where they are expected to focus the rest of the time they don't spend on being managing directors. So that may be Activities, Welfare, Sport, Women's etc.

Why should I even care?

Officers have a fair amount of leverage when it comes to steering the political direction of the Student's Union. The Student's Union is frequently required to make political statements to the media, or with other trade Unions such as the UCU, and your Officers will play a huge role in writing these statements. For example, down in a particular Student's Union in London the Activities Officer was required to justify the existence of the Islamic Circle society to the baying national media. Not a task for the faint hearted.

These people will shape your student experience. Club nights, drink prices, nursery places, sandwich shops and the rest will all go past the Student Officers at some point. So although all drinks in bar one being bright pink* for the next year might sound like a brilliant manifesto statement right now, do you really trust this person to determine the financial forecast of a multi million pound charity?

*This isn't any one's policy...or I hope it isn't... I don't even like pink.

Women Mean Business! psst It'll look good on your CV too.

Ever been sat around with your mates and thought about what it would be like if you could set up your own business? Maybe a shop or bar, or even a quaint cafe.

If I could set up a business I think I'd make a cafe/bar which is set up like a late 60s time warp. There would be flared trousers, corduroy sofas, retro furniture galore and Jimmi hendrix on the juke box. Fortunately for the general public I'll probably never set up my Woodstock cafe, however if I went to the Enterprise event next week I could make that pipe dream a reality.

Myself and the Enterprise zone have teamed up to put on 'Women Mean Business' an event for female students interested in Enterprise. Here's the gist. Women as a whole don't tend to climb very high up the business ladder, a number of things get in the way. So this event is one way to tackle the pay gap and encourage more women on their way to becoming successful business women.

When is it? Wednesday 17th February, 5:15pm to 7:30pm
Where? Information Commons, Collaboratory 1
Who is it for? Final year University of Sheffield students from any discipline and any level of study.
How much is it? Tickets are £1 from the Students' Union box office. Spaces limited.

What does the event involve?
We have invited dynamic, successful business women to act as mentors for this event. Working in small groups, students will be assigned a mentor who will introduce their business and explain a real problem their company is facing.
You will then work with your group to research and develop solutions for your Mentor's business . You'll have the chance to ask them questions to guide you along the way. You can be as original and inventive as you want to be. You never know, your idea might be just the solution they were looking for!

How will this improve my job prospects?
Many graduate employers want to see evidence that you can work successfully in a business context -
this event will give you specific examples of the following in-demand skills for your CV:
Teamwork
Leadership
Problem solving
Awareness of issues facing businesses
Experience of solving real business problems
Experience of working with high level business people
Presentation skills

You will also be demonstrating your skills and making valuable contacts with some inspiring local business women.


Want to find out more? Visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/enterprise

Tickets on sale at the student's Union Box office for £ 1. Refreshements will be provided.