How to Submit a Motion to AMM | Your Step-by-Step Guide
Wednesday 14-11-2018 - 15:37
So, you’ve heard about our Annual Members Meeting (AMM) on Friday 30th November…
No?
Well, it’s in Venue at 17:30pm, and it’s your opportunity to hear all about the impact the Students’ Union has had on student experience over the last academic year. But not only that… the AMM is the place where YOU get to submit your own motions!
Want to make a difference to the Edge Hill student experience? Submit a motion!
Want to make an impact in a specific area of the university that will positively affect you and your student peers? Submit a motion!
Want to experience student democracy first-hand, before thinking about running for a position in our next set of elections? Submit a motion!
Now, what you choose to submit as a motion is completely up to you…
We can’t influence your thinking, and nor would we want you. Motions, after all, are the mechanism for students to have a voice. And that’s why the AMM is such an exciting, and hugely important event in the year!
Want to know the even better news?
Your motion will be debated and discussed right there, at the AMM meeting! You will literally get to see student politics in action, and the effect that your voice can have on the wider student experience.
Now, there might be one small issue in all of this…
If you’ve never submitted a motion, how are you meant to effectively get involved?
No need to worry, we’ve got you covered!
Read our simple step by step guide to drafting up and submitting a motion, and you’ll be ready to attend our AMM – motion in hand – in no time at all!
Step One – What’s your motion about?
The what is probably the hardest bit of this whole process, but it’s also the most important.
You shouldn’t just submit a motion for the sake of it. If you don’t feel passionate about your cause, and you haven’t seen other students talking and discussing it, then how do you expect it to get passed at AMM?
On the other side of that, topics that are hot on campus, and causes that are personal to you – and that might have been missed unless you raised them – make the best motions.
So, how do you find your motion?
Talk to students!
Look around you, what do you see?
Hundreds of fellow students. Without exception, the best way to gauge what matters to students most is by talking to them.
Start conversations on social media!
Social media can be criticised for a lot of things, but facilitating discussion and debate is certainly one of its strengths.
We all love to have a good argue on Facebook, or to wade in on Twitter tirades.
The AMM is your opportunity to transform that negative sentiment into positive change! Be the person to raise the difficult issues, because they’re what matters most!
The best motions are all in the detail
You don’t simply want to submit a motion that says, improve parking or improve resources for off-campus students.
As relevant as these causes are, without the details, there’s nothing there to debate or put into action.
Instead, think constructively about the exact changes that would make a difference to student experience.
Let’s take resources for off campus students as an example...
Instead of saying I want to improve resources for off-campus students, why not propose something like I want to improve accessibility and range of online resources and journals available in the library for off-campus students, while also campaigning for recorded lectures to become standard practice.
Step Two – Checking your motion has every chance of being passed
There’s a really easy test to see if your motion is ready… and I hate to say it, but you were probably taught it in school.
Ever heard of a little thing called SMART targets?
Once you have an idea for your motion, and you’ve thought about the specifics that you could bring to the AMM, think about whether your motion is SMART.
Specific – Is your motion focused on a specific cause, not a general problem on campus?
Measurable – If your motion was passed, could the effects on student experience be measured?
Agreed Upon – Is your motion likely to be agreed upon by the attendants of the AMM?
Realistic – Is your motion realistically achievable within the powers of the Students’ Union?
Time-Based – If passed, how long would it take to follow through on the targets set out in your motion.
Step Three – Writing and formatting your motion (+ ready-made template!)
Got your motion?
Great!
The next bit is the easy bit: putting it into writing.
The truth is, there’s no standardised template for motions, and as long as you have your idea down on paper, you should feel free to submit it before the Friday 16th November deadline.
However, if you need a helping hand in terms of formatting, we’ve got your back.
The trick is to keep it as simple as possible….
Headline – What is the cause behind your motion
Everything we’ve just discussed, condensed into a maximum of two sentences.
Think of it like a headline. You want it to be informative, but also to catch the eye of the reader (or in this instance, all the attendees of our AMM).
Body Text – Briefly, how will it affect students / student experience
Now, we don’t need a lot of information here.
This is basically your opportunity to briefly say how your motion will positively affect the student experience. If anything, it’ll help make sure that you’ve kept the wider student body in mind when specifying what your motion is going to be.
Sign Off – Your name, please!
You’re done, take credit for your motion!
With all that in mind, let’s look at a really quick example of what a motion might look like…
- I want to propose a concerted campaign to increase the availability of online library resources for off campus students. I also want to make sure that more lectures and seminars are recorded in departments with large portions off campus students.
My motion is aimed at bringing positive change to the experience of off-campus students. In my personal experience, and in discussions with students, I have found that many off-campus students struggle to attain access to digital resources, resulting in lengthy trips to the library on days where they have no scheduled lectures.
In this regard, recorded seminars and lectures, particularly in faculties with large portions of off-campus and commuting students, would make a huge difference to their ability to fulfil their academic potential.
Signed,
Joe Bloggs
Step Four – Seeking help, and another pair of eyes
Still not confident that your motion has what it needs to get passed at this year’s AMM?
We’re here to give you a helping hand in terms of formatting and refining your motions so that they have maximum impact when it comes to the meeting.
All you have to do is come up to the SU Office before Friday 16th November, and ask for Arthur or Mishal who will be on hand to guide you through writing your motion, and who will offer any advice you need.
After that, you’re all ready to submit…
Step Five – You’re nearly done, now submit!
Congratulations, you’re all ready to submit your motion to be debated at this year’s AMM!
To submit, all you have to do is save your motion as a word document, and email it to sucomms@edgehill.ac.uk.
And you’re done, it’s as easy as that!
If you’re coming along to our AMM on Friday 30th November, book your place here, and let us know by attending our Facebook event, where we’ll be posting updates throughout this month!
