This month will see the biggest changes to your union in years. On the 1st March we will know who the completely new full time officer team ready to take over in the summer will be and on the 2nd the Concourse Lounge will be shut forever as we begin building work on our final project in redeveloping University House, work that started back in 2000!!!!

Elections
The elections will see the 6 main officers change completely meaning you as a student are at your most powerful. Alongside this there will be elections for Union council positions from across the organisation from AU executive to Chair of HUSSO. Elections are important because if there is something you enjoy about the union, university or city and wish for it to continue you need to find the candidate that thinks the same way you do. Equally if there is something you wish to change find the candidate who agrees, get involved and help them bring about the change you want to see. By voting, campaigning or being vocal for what you agree with you are enacting your most powerful tool for change and that is by voting.

This week will see the election season kick off with candidate question time in Hull on Thursday 16th in Asylum. This is the first glimpse you get of your candidates promoting and defending their policies and is the best arena for questioning their plans, motives and vision that you have so please make sure you join us and test the candidates.

Voting is important and will have real benefits to your time at Hull university and is why it is now easier than ever to vote. From Friday 24th February at 5pm till 1st March 5pm you can vote by either logging on to portal or hullstudent.com using your 6 digit university code and password and going to elections, simple!!!

You can also join us for our biggest election celebration on 1st March as we hold the results party in Asylum from 8pm onwards with all positions up for grabs announced on the night. Make sure you are there joining in the fun and share the drama of the climax of what could be the biggest election season in HUU history. The Results party will also mark the end of the concourse lounge on the 1st floor as we lock it up for the final time.

1st floor building work
Why?
We at HUU are committed to constantly improving our services and we have come to the juncture where to continue this trend for our non-commercial services we need to bring them all together rather than scattered across the maze which is the 1st floor of University House.

When?
On March 2nd the building work will begin to create a vast open space which will house all our staff, volunteers, officers, marketing and finance in one area which is now the concourse lounge, the Student Activities Centre, job shop and Media Hub.

During the building work
During the building work all the services that will be disrupted will be housed in the other half of the 1st floor and will be accessible from the doors that lead out onto the path above Sanctuary linking the Wilberforce building to University House. We will also be utilising the foyer to make ti easier for you to find services you need. The building work will replace the concourse lounge but for the rest of the academic year we will be utilising Asylum as a place for you and friends to use during your downtime just like you use the concourse lounge now.

These are two great changes but are not unique in recent times as we have constantly renewed our leadership and seen big building projects before and I am sure these two challenges will be overcome and achieve what their predecessors have achieved and that is an improvement to your time at Hull University.

Aidan Mersh
HUU President