LUSU elections: What do they actually mean and how they could effect you

Lancaster University Students’ Union (LUSU) have announced the timeline for the upcoming Full Time Officer (FTO) posts for the next academic year.

The nominations opened on Monday 26th January 2026, and close on Monday 16th February 2026.

All FTO roles are open for any Students’ Union member (any Lancaster University student) to nominate themselves for.

You may be a bit confused or lost to what LUSU actually is, what the roles entail, and how do the roles actually differ from Lancaster University itself. So here is a full breakdown of LUSU’s role in student life, what you may know it for, and which positions are up for grabs.

What actually is the Lancaster University Students’ Union?

via LUSU on Facebook

Every student at Lancaster University automatically becomes a member of LUSU when they join. According to their website, LUSU is “committed to ensuring you have a fulfilling student life”.

LUSU is a separate entity to the university itself, and focus more upon the lifestyle of students. LUSU provides numerous services to students, with notably ones being The Sugarhouse nightclub and LUSU Living, a student lettings agency. Profits from these ventures are then reinvested into other union activities.

Furthermore, there are over 200 affiliated societies under LUSU with an affiliation to LUSU potentially providing financial subsidiaries, logical support such as room bookings, pastoral support with society issues, and much more.

LUSU elected student officers often speak upon behalf of the student body, often presenting student opinion and opposition to the university action, such as increased parking charges. This sometimes results in the university compromising upon previous decisions, such as the implementation of an off-peak permit for society executives and other students.

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Full time officers in LUSU are the President, Activities Officer, Education officer, and wellbeing officers. These positions are full-time jobs that have an annual salary, so students that are successful in their bid for these roles may either defer their university education, or may go for the role in their last year.

Each individual in an FTO role can serves for a term (a year) following their start date, an individual can serve in an FTO role for a maximum of two terms (two years). This year, each of the for FTO roles are currently held by individuals for only one year, meaning they are able to run for re-election against other students.

In short, LUSU can be seen as the elected officials of the student body, providing both a service and representation to their fellow students.

Election timeline

The LUSU election operates similar to a general election, in which individuals will campaign across campus to gain votes for their chosen roles. They may do so through instagram accounts, handing out flyers or stickers, postering, or hanging bedsheets from various places on campus.

Nominations opened on Monday 26th January 2026, those wanting to nominate themselves for a role can do so here.

Nominations close on Monday 16th February 2026 (week 16), with candidate briefing taking place the next day.

Candidate announcements will take place at 10am, Friday 27th February 2026 (week 17), with campaigning beginning on the same day.

Candidate questions will take place on Monday 2nd March 2026 and will be open for any Lancaster student to attend and ask questions to candidates.

Voting opens at 10am Tuesday 3rd March 2026 (Week 18) and closes the same day at 6pm. Voting takes place online at this link. 

The election results will be announced the next day (Friday 6th March 2026).

Role up for election: LUSU President

The current LUSU president is Rory O’Ceallaigh. Rory is currently in his first term as LUSU president.

The role of the president can be understood in three main ways:

Leadership and direction – the president leads the overall direction of the LUSU and coordinates the FTO team.

Governance and representation – the president chairs boards such as the JCR committees and the Trustee board, and represents Lancaster students at the University Council.

Operational oversight – the president exercises authority in serious disciplinary actions under university policy.

Role up for election: Activities Officer

The current Activities Officer is Emily Houston-Woods. Emily is currently in her first term as LUSU Activities Officer.

The role of activities officer can best be understood in three main ways:

Student groups and participation – activities officer represents the interests of sports clubs and university societies and ensures that student leaders in these areas engage in appropriate training.

Liaison – activities officer acts as the main link between student groups, LUSU staff, and the University, leading communications with University Facilities on issues impacting students groups.

Media leadership – holds editorial responsibility for all LUSU affiliated media outlets, such as Bailrigg FM and Lancaster SCAN.

Role up for election: Education Officer

The current Education Officer is Liz Gillett. Liz is currently in her first term as LUSU Education Officer.

The role of education officer can be split into three ways:

Academic representation – education officer is the led student representative on academic issues for both undergraduates and postgraduates, helping to shape education policy, learning resources and academic direction.

University engagement and advocacy – education officer sits on university committees and works with academic senior academic leadership, acting as the main academic liaison between students, LUSU and the university.

Academic campaigns and academic representatives – education officer recruits, trains and supports Academic Representatives, leads student feedback process on academics, supports education campaigns, and chairs relevant Union sub-committees.

Role up for election: Wellbeing Officer

The current Education Officer is Leah Buttery. Leah is currently in their first term as LUSU Activities Officer.

The role of the president can be understood in three main ways:

Wellbeing leadership and campaigns – wellbeing officer leads LUSU campaigns and actives on student wellbeing as well as developing wellbeing policy recommendations for the LUSU and the university.

Representation, equality, and inclusion – the wellbeing officer is chair of the Wellbeing and Inclusion Sub-Committee, leads liberation and equality-focused initiatives, ensuring effective representation and communication across all parties involved.

Resource communication – the wellbeing officer oversees creation of digital wellbeing resources with Union staff, facilitates informed debated ono wellbeing an equality issues, and communicates university progress on wellbeing projects.

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