Pounds in Their Pockets

Elections are upon us, but will the new President really deserve £17,000?

guild president LGOS university of liverpool

Does the Guild President really deserve £17,000 when all we seem to get is a weekly email telling us a load of stuff we don’t want to know?

The Candidate Guide states the President “is responsible for representing and improving the academic experience of the student body.”

Sounds like a load of jargon; a wishy-washy job description to mask whatever it is they’re paid a ridiculous amount to do.

SO you want £17,000?

The average graduate starting salary in 2012 was £22,800.  That’s a full time job, with 28 days holiday a year if you work five days a week.

As Guild President, you serve a full year with entitlement to 28 days holiday plus two weeks off at Christmas.

So why is their salary £5,000 less?

Although their presence on campus is questionable, with many students fully engrossed in their own uni bubble leaving little room for union politics, the Guild President holds an enormous amount of responsibility.

This year, our current President, Sam Butler, secured £2 milllon additonal funding for the Guild project. Even the subtle, perhaps unnoticed changes, such as the new Webmail system, are overseen by the President.

Their term becomes focused on making our uni experience better; from improving financial support with the ‘Pound in Your Pocket’ campaign to making our old, dishevilled Guild that little bit swankier.

So yes, it is annoying they seem to get a shed load of money considering we never really hear/see of them; but it’s not just a title along the same lines of responsibility as a sports team’s social sec.

They might not constantly be in your face and you might have no idea what they’ve been elected for, but they’ll always be there making those tiny changes that make our lives that little bit easier.

 

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