If you nominated yourself and campaigned during the Election period, then you should be really proud of yourself! Even if you didn’t win and get the position you hoped for, it’s still an achievement and something you can shout about. But understandably, you’re probably feeling a bit disappointed that you’re not going to be involved with ARU Students’ Union the way you wanted to.

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So here are some ways you can still get involved!

Stand as a Course Rep

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If you’re already a Course Rep, then you know what a rewarding experience it is! And if you’re not, you should consider nominating yourself as a Course Rep in the next academic year. It’s a way you can get involved in the important matters of ARU Students’ Union, and make a difference to your fellow students’ experience and your course. It’s the matters that Course Reps raise that are discussed by the Faculty Reps. You can also log the time you spend as a Course Rep as volunteering hours.

Volunteer

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If you were keen to make a difference to your community, you might enjoy volunteering. There are so many ongoing volunteering opportunities you can get involved with, and they will also give you valuable experience. If you don’t have the time to commit to a volunteering position, we also offer one off opportunities, perfect for if you have an afternoon or weekend free. And don’t forget you can log your hours on our website to win awards.

Start or join a society

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Were you looking forward to running ARU Students’ Union? Then why not start and manage your own society? It’s a great way to get involved with ARU Students’ Union, and to give back to your community. A society can be based on anything you want, whether it’s a hobby you have, or a passion you want to share with others. You can run gatherings and events for the people in your society.

If you don’t want to make your own society, then there’s loads you can join! Joining a society is a great way to meet new people, and get involved in your community.

Take part in our events

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We always have loads of events going on with something for everyone. There’s everything from club nights, to live music events, to volunteering events and Give it a Go events. These are perfect for meeting new people, and finding new interests. Our de-stress events are also great if you’re feeling stressed out. Have some fun, and check out what events we’ve going on.

Try again next year!

Everyone falls down sometimes....

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Ouch! Hey, at least you didn't get attacked by a Christmas tree, right?

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Okay, okay, but seriously. If it’s something you really want to do, it’s worth trying again. Even the most successful people didn’t succeed straight away – Walt Disney was fired from a job for lacking imagination and having no ideas, Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first television show for getting too emotionally involved, and Dr Seuss had his first book rejected 27 times by publishers. Don’t think of this as a loss – it’s the first step to your success. And you’ve learned a lot along the way. There’s always next year, if you’re not in your last year of study. You’ll have learned so much by nominating yourself and campaigning, that next year you’ll be so much better and so much more confident.

So how are you going to be getting involved?