Election Information
The SPA is holding a by-election to fill two vacancies on its Executive Committee, for the positions of Conference and Events Officer, and Communications Officer. Any individual member is eligible to stand for the position, and the post will be elected by a ballot of member publications on Monday 8 March.The Events Officer has multiple responsibilities, including:
- Serving as the Executive Committee lead for the National Conference;
- Overseeing the activities of officers organising other events for the SPA;
- Recruiting new members to the SPA;
- Processing new membership applications;
- Maintaining the public list of member publications;
- Maintaining the private list of individual members;
- Maintaining two-way communications with the SPA's members;
- Creating a newsletter to be sent to all members;
- Taking and sharing minutes of all SPA meetings, and;
- Preparing a shared calendar, available to all elected members of the SPA containing provisional dates of all meetings.
Results
The election has concluded. The total percentage of votes received by each candidate in the elections were as follows:Communications Officer
| Candidate | Vote Percentage |
| Matilda Head | 88.9 |
| Re-open Nominations | 11.1 |
| Turnout: 6.1 percent |
Matilda Head has been duly elected as the Communications Officer until the 2021 Annual General Meeting.
Conference and Events Officer
| Candidate | Vote Percentage |
| Katie Evans (The Edge) | 88.9 |
| Re-open Nominations | 11.1 |
| Turnout: 6.1 percent |
Communications Officer candidates
There is one candidate, plus the option to Reopen Nominations, in the By-Election for Communications Officer.Matilda Head (individual member, University of Cambridge)
Tell us more about yourself
I am 19-years-old and a Psychology undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, and a passionate student journalist. On top of my love for writing I am an animal lover, bookworm and musical theatre fanatic.
Why do you want this role?
SPA is an incredibly useful organisation, and offers a secure base for many young people wanting to get into the journalism industry, so I would really enjoy being part of this organisation and play a part in helping young people get into this industry which can sometimes seem very intimidating. As communication officer I would enjoy the responsibility of recruiting new members and maintaining contact with current ones, and generally contribute to making SPA Journalism a welcoming and inclusive community!
What qualifies you for this role?
I am a conscientious and organised student. Working towards my degree whilst being enthusiastically involved with many student journalism platforms such as The Tab and The Collective Mag, have helped me to develop my time management skills. My passion for journalism ensures I would be very committed to furthering the work of SPA, and also means I would be confident in producing a newsletter. Generally I am very friendly and approachable, so I would be more than happy to foster great communication between SPA and its member publications.
Give one idea for a project/change you would lead if you are elected?
Creating social media/newsletter content that further publicises member publications and gets the students themselves involved, to encourage more publications and individuals to join. For example, hosting IG story takeovers from student journalists talking about how to get into student journalism, benefits of being an SPA member, and what student journalism involves.
I am 19-years-old and a Psychology undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, and a passionate student journalist. On top of my love for writing I am an animal lover, bookworm and musical theatre fanatic.
Why do you want this role?
SPA is an incredibly useful organisation, and offers a secure base for many young people wanting to get into the journalism industry, so I would really enjoy being part of this organisation and play a part in helping young people get into this industry which can sometimes seem very intimidating. As communication officer I would enjoy the responsibility of recruiting new members and maintaining contact with current ones, and generally contribute to making SPA Journalism a welcoming and inclusive community!
What qualifies you for this role?
I am a conscientious and organised student. Working towards my degree whilst being enthusiastically involved with many student journalism platforms such as The Tab and The Collective Mag, have helped me to develop my time management skills. My passion for journalism ensures I would be very committed to furthering the work of SPA, and also means I would be confident in producing a newsletter. Generally I am very friendly and approachable, so I would be more than happy to foster great communication between SPA and its member publications.
Give one idea for a project/change you would lead if you are elected?
Creating social media/newsletter content that further publicises member publications and gets the students themselves involved, to encourage more publications and individuals to join. For example, hosting IG story takeovers from student journalists talking about how to get into student journalism, benefits of being an SPA member, and what student journalism involves.
Conference and Events Officer Officer candidates
There is one candidate, plus the option to Reopen Nominations, in the By-Election for Conference and Events Officer.Katie Evans (The Edge, University of Southampton)
Tell us more about yourself
I'm Katie, a final year student film student at the University of Southampton. I'm passionate about all things journalism and have been writing for a range of online and print publications over the past year, whilst setting up and running the university Film Society as their president.
Why do you want this role?
I think that the Student Publication Association is a brilliant way to connect with young, budding journalists and therefore joining the team would allow me to help push its aims forward with a new perspective. Hosting events and conferences is the best way to draw in interest and offer up insights through discussions with a range of individuals, so getting involved via this role would be an incredible opportunity into understanding how the association is run and drawing upon my own new ideas to reach even more students.
What qualifies you for this role?
Over the past two years, I have held the role of President of the Film Society which has allowed me to understand how events are run from the inside by organising a range of events to promote the society and reach students who are passionate and want a clearer social experience at university. I have organised film screenings for large groups of students both in-person and online, as the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us to create online, engaging events. Alongside this, I have assisted in creating and running events as a course representative alongside a team of reps.
Give one idea for a project/change you would lead if you are elected?
Whilst conferences are a brilliant way to engage students in networking opportunities, an interesting idea would be a 'speed networking' event that has recently popularised. This would make the most of online platforms, connecting students with experts one-on-one, pushing them to ask questions and engage with the industry.
I'm Katie, a final year student film student at the University of Southampton. I'm passionate about all things journalism and have been writing for a range of online and print publications over the past year, whilst setting up and running the university Film Society as their president.
Why do you want this role?
I think that the Student Publication Association is a brilliant way to connect with young, budding journalists and therefore joining the team would allow me to help push its aims forward with a new perspective. Hosting events and conferences is the best way to draw in interest and offer up insights through discussions with a range of individuals, so getting involved via this role would be an incredible opportunity into understanding how the association is run and drawing upon my own new ideas to reach even more students.
What qualifies you for this role?
Over the past two years, I have held the role of President of the Film Society which has allowed me to understand how events are run from the inside by organising a range of events to promote the society and reach students who are passionate and want a clearer social experience at university. I have organised film screenings for large groups of students both in-person and online, as the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us to create online, engaging events. Alongside this, I have assisted in creating and running events as a course representative alongside a team of reps.
Give one idea for a project/change you would lead if you are elected?
Whilst conferences are a brilliant way to engage students in networking opportunities, an interesting idea would be a 'speed networking' event that has recently popularised. This would make the most of online platforms, connecting students with experts one-on-one, pushing them to ask questions and engage with the industry.
Election rules
- Candidates are subject to the following rules throughout the entirety of the restricted period. The restricted period ends at the closing of the election poll (10pm on Monday 8 March) and begins at the earlier of:
- The candidate announces their candidacy publicly; or
- The candidate completes and submits the nomination form.
- In order to be eligible to hold office, the candidate must qualify as an individual member of the SPA. An individual member of the SPA is defined as either:
- Somebody who registered themselves, and has been accepted, as an individual member of the SPA.
- Somebody who is a member of a publication member of the SPA, or who has been in the past 12 months.
- Voting shall be held on Monday 8 March between the hours of 7am and 10pm on the SPA website. Each publication shall be entitled to one vote, and the candidate with the most votes shall be elected (using a first past the post system).
- Candidates must follow the SPA Harassment Policy. Violations of the policy shall be subject to discipline in the context of the election separately from the considerations required for further action under the Policy.
- Candidates may make one (1) post about their candidacy on the SPA Facebook group during the restricted period. If a candidate wishes to make a post relating to matters other than the election during the restricted period, they must seek permission from the Chair prior to posting. This does not prevent candidates from commenting on other posts in the SPA Facebook group.
- Candidates may not make use of contact lists provided to them in an official role with the SPA for campaigning purposes.
- Candidates who bring the SPA into disrepute while gaining an unfair advantage may be subject to disciplinary action in order to restore parity between candidates.
- Disciplinary matters will be considered, in the first instance, by the SPA Chair. Candidates have a period of 24 hours after any decision is issued to lodge an appeal against it. Appeals will be heard by the SPA Trustees. There is no appeal against a decision of the SPA Trustees.