Platform+Information+and+Examples

It's a platform

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Platform+Information+and+Examples

It's a platform

Uploaded by

jcikishorekumar

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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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Candidate Platform Information

What is a candidate platform?

A candidate platform provides information about your ideas, personal viewpoints, and initiatives
toward student issues. The purpose of creating a platform is to let your peers know why you should get
their votes. It provides context about what kind of student leader you intend to be, if elected. It also
gives students an idea of what to look forward to in the year ahead. A candidate’s platform is one of the
central parts of your campaigns messaging and should therefore be produced to a high standard of
clarity and quality.

What is a the wordcount for my candidate platform?

The Association recommends a 300-to-500-word candidate platform from each candidate. The
various responsibilities of Director positions mean that the word count may even be a bit limiting. Try to
focus on the most important points that your peers should know about. Remember, your entire campaign is
not your candidate platform. You should be trying to reach student through other means at your disposal as
well, so it doesn’t all have to be in the platform. The platform is just a statement of your key ideas for the role
you are hoping to be elected to.

Things to remember:

Don’t miss the submission deadline

- If you miss the submission deadline you may be ineligible to run for elections. Without a
candidate platform people don’t know why they should vote for you. It’s important to take the
time to produce your platform so other students can see what you’re about.
Don’t make promises you can’t keep
- Candidates shouldn’t overpromise. When putting out a platform it is important not to guarantee
initiatives that are beyond your control. For example, a free tuition guarantee for every student
if you are elected is unrealistic. It would take a lot of societal change and government support.
However, you could say that you are passionate about working toward this important and
worthwhile goal.
Don’t go over the word count
- The word count is important. If you are over, please edit your statements to fit within the 500-
word maximum.
Content should comply with the Student Charter of Rights & Responsibilities
- Specifically, support the safety, dignity and reputation of each individual and of the community
as a whole. Slander, unwarranted claims and inappropriate or hurtful language will not be
published by the Association.
- Link to the charter https://www.trentu.ca/governance/sites/trentu.ca.governance/files/
documents/Charter%20of%20Students%20Rights%20and%20Responsibiltiies%20FINAL.pdf
Candidate Platform Examples
These are real, but slightly edited, candidate platforms from student seeking
election from other Canadian universities. Keep in mind the contents of these
platforms are not specific to Trent University and do not demonstrate the wide
variety of student issues that you could base your platform on. Remember to be
creative and focus on what is important to you and your peers!

Example 1 – Events & Initiatives Focused [approx. 500 words]

My name is Rochelle Bee and I am a second-year sociology student running to be your next VP Student Life! This
year I hope to elevate student experience by improving event structures, funding and resource allocation by:

Hosting Inclusive Campus Wide Events. Events run by the Student Union need to be inclusive to all student
groups and collectively build an engaging student community. I plan to host a variety of events along the lines of
seasonal, cultural, and Holiday Events. This includes events for International Women’s Month, Chinese New Year,
LGBT Month, Black History Month, Holi, Autism Awareness Day, and many more. To achieve my goal of more
events, I want to better incorporate Union and Club involvement in event planning to utilize enlarged resources,
funding, and attendance numbers.

Increasing External Sponsorship & Partnerships. I plan to increase our number of external sponsorships for
events that we run to improve the student experience. I want to host Student Club Nights at University Town Social
Spaces, and work to receive discounted ticket pricing to special events or specific nights. For regular Study Pub
Nights, I want to obtain sponsorships from companies to sponsor these events and have their products available for
attending students. If these sponsorships are attained, I would then look into collaborating to host a viable Fall event
for students with feasibility as the main priority.

Self-Care Initiatives. To ensure sufficient resources for all students, I advocate for creating more opportunities for
long-term self-care practice. Examples of the events I’d like to host include workshops on stress-relief, self-care and
love seminars, life-coaching sessions, and bi-weekly drop-in yoga sessions. With these new events, we are able to
prioritize the health of students and provide greater structured support to students in our membership.

Weekly Food Resources. I want to increase the free food resources available around all campuses. New snack and
food options include Taco Tuesdays, Wing Wednesdays, and study treats. Though snacks can be great once a week,
I want to add food resources for students throughout different days and have them easily accessible in different areas
of campus.

Vote Rochelle Bee. I have been involved in numerous student organizations; namely, the one that organizes events,
the one that advocates for students and the one that supports academics. I have led multiple events managing 300+
attendees and stakeholders, budgets of $40,000+, and coordinators exceeding 40+.

Since November 2018, I have been involved with student organizations and understand internal processes of the
university. I have supported Clubs, Groups, and Unions for over one year and understand all administrative
procedures to work in the role. Therefore, I am able to begin event planning and working with students as soon as I
am elected to the position!

I have the necessary knowledge and experience to elevate student experience and am confident in my ability to do
so. Please Vote Rochelle for a year of lively events and student engagement!

Contact: [direct email goes here]

Campaign & Platform: [social media link or handle] [other social media links & handles]
Example 2 – Intro and Advocacy Focuses [approx. 320 words]

My name is Alvin Valera, I am a 4th year student studying economics, and I am running to be
your next Vice President of External Affairs. As a result of Covid-19 pandemic and cuts to post-
secondary funding from the provincial government, university life has become increasingly
difficult for students to manage. This uncertainty for many students, including myself, weighs on
our mental and financial well-being. This is why I want to run: to ensure that students can get a
fair chance at getting ahead during the 2020-21 semesters and beyond. My experience working
in politics among many youth political groups has given me the experience and skills to
represent the student body. As your representative, I will fight for the following issues that
directly affect students:
1. Oppose all tuition increases for students.

1.1: I will oppose any tuition increases for both domestic and international students as a result of
provincial government budget cuts towards post-secondary education.

1.2 I will directly voice student’s concerns with the provincial government funding cuts with the
university representatives, board members and Minister of Education.

2. Strive for more funding towards Student Supports.

2.1 There is a high level of uncertainty for university funding in the upcoming years. I will strive
to maintain essential student services such as the Wellness Centre and Financial Assistance for
those who needs support during their university experience.

3. Increasing Board of Governors Undergraduate Representation.

3.1 With the government reviewing the University Learning Act in the upcoming year, I will argue
for more student undergraduate representation on the board to ensure that student voices are
adequately represented.

3.2 This will be achieved by discussing the matter with the university and its Board of
Governors, as well as reaching out to ministers in the provincial government to ensure there is a
student voice in our universities going forward.

If you have any questions about my campaign or my views, please contact me below:
[Facebook]
[Instagram]
[Email]
Example 3 – The Cover Letter [340 words]
Hello,
I am a third-year student in the Concurrent Education program with specialization in
History. I am running for the Director of Academic Advocacy position with the Student Union
for the 2021/2022 academic year.
Over the past two years I have worked with the Student Union as a Director-at-Large on
the Board. This previous volunteer experience is one of my best assets as I am familiar in the
background mechanics of how the Student Union organization works. I am very familiar with
the various demands that come with the position of being one of your student leaders. Over
the past two years I also volunteered as the Education Studies student representative on the
University’s Academic Senate. I believe that the knowledge and experience I gained while
sitting on various senate committees puts me a head above the rest in terms of the advocacy
work that comes with this important role.
In the year ahead my goal is to stress the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had
on our education. Taking the feedback that I have received from my peers and making it clear in
Senate meetings will translate to a better academic experience in the future. Specifically,
multiple students have requested that online learning be better organized to help with time
management issues caused by its lack of structure. We can all see that this pandemic has
created a learning curve for students and university faculty that needs to be addressed. As a
Student Union we need a louder voice for the concerns of our students. We can also see many
issues when it comes to the welfare and educational experiences of International Students. I
plan to continue to investigate these concerns and want to strengthen international student
voices to better support them as they come to this university to achieve academically.
Thank you for your time and consideration for my campaign to be your Director of
Academic Advocacy. Remember to vote for me so that I can represent you!