President
As president, you are at the head of LOKO. You keep LOKO running and represent LOKO – and therefore, in effect, all students in Leuven – to the outside world. The president is the face of the organisation and coaches the team. More specifically, you coordinate (some of) the Social Representatives within the LOKO team. In addition, you chair a number of meetings and act as the point of contact for student group representatives and partner organisations.
WHAT KIND OF PROFILE ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
As president, we are looking for a good team leader, someone who can quickly familiarize themselves with ongoing files, maintain a good overview, and communicate and delegate smoothly. The president must be able to be diplomatic and also work efficiently with their own team members and partners.
TIME COMMITMENT
You will serve throughout the entire academic year as the head of the organization. This means that you will chair meetings, lead the team, and maintain an overview. You will also sit on the Leuven Council for Student Services (Deelstuvoraad) and the Decretal (umbrella) Council for Student Services (Decretale Stuvoraad). As the social coordinator of LOKO, you are also responsible for (part of) the representation mandates that fall under social (Acco, Alma, Diversity, Sustainability, Mobility, City, Student Services).
MEETINGS
As the president of LOKO, you are expected to chair and attend a number of meetings. The number of meetings can be quite extensive. It is important to manage your time effectively and to assess where and when your presence is necessary, in consultation with the other Daily Board members and representatives.
- DAILY BOARD (DaBu)
As chair of the Daily Board, you lead the DaBu meetings. These take place on average once a week. In these meetings, you address the previously practical and day-to-day operations of LOKO: from changes in sub-budgets to discussing small and large problems and challenges for the team.
- BOARD OF DIRECTORS (RvB)
From time to time, a Board of Directors meeting also takes place. Together with some more experienced (former) LOKO board members, you discuss the long-term files and the larger budget changes.
- GENERAL OFFICE (AB)
As chair, you preside over the General Office. Here, all volunteers of LOKO - DaBu and representatives, possibly also project staff - come together and you discuss the progress made in the past period. Additionally, you prepare files and notes for the AB that will then be presented to the AV. The AB takes place biweekly during the teaching weeks and is usually followed by a small team-building activity: the après-AB.
- GENERAL MEETING (AV) & WORK MEETING STUDENT POLICY
Alternating with the AB, the General Meeting & Work Meeting Student Policy - AV & WV Student Policy - takes place biweekly on Friday evenings. As chair of LOKO, you also lead these meetings, with support from the vice-chair and other members of the DaBu. In the AV, board matters concerning the internal organization of LOKO are discussed, while in the WV Student Policy, we address representation issues. All student representatives from the student circles come together to take positions and make decisions on matters that concern their students. After the AV/WV, we usually head to a fakbar to get to know each other better!
- MANDATE MEETINGS
The chairperson leads a number of LOKO meetings, but also sits in several representative meetings. These can vary depending on personal interest, but your presence is expected at, among others, the Deelstuvoraad, the student consultation with the city of Leuven, and regular meetings regarding student policy from the educational institutions and the city. Additionally, as chairperson, you often meet to represent LOKO at various consultations, gatherings, events… on diverse themes that do not fall under a specific mandate. Moreover, there are occasionally some necessary meetings to keep the organization running.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU?
You commit yourself throughout the entire academic year as a motivated volunteer with loyalty to LOKO, as you are indeed a board member of the organization. Your priorities lie in leading the team and representing the Leuven student. You demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility and possess communication skills, tact, and the ability to make compromises. Maintaining good relationships with circles and partner organizations is also a must.
WHAT DO YOU GET IN RETURN?
Being the chairperson of LOKO means leading but also being part of a super cool team full of motivated students. You can achieve effective improvements for the Leuven students and learn useful skills for later in your life: collaborating, meeting, networking, leading a team... Moreover, you get to know a whole lot of interesting people!
PLACES: 1
TEAMMATES
You are assisted by the members of the DaBu, with each coordinator taking the chairmanship of their own department. The vice-chair assists you in the internal workings of the organization, so you can focus as much as possible on representation and external representation.
ARE YOU INTERESTED?
You will be put in contact with the current chair: they will explain to you what the chairmanship entails and inform you about recent files. Are you convinced? Yay! Then you may submit your candidacy by email to loko@loko.be, consisting of your CV and a motivation letter. As chair, you also draft a vision document, usually in consultation with the rest of the upcoming DaBu. You will then receive the questions you need to prepare for your election. After that, you will go through the election procedure at the General Assembly. Don't worry! It may all sound a bit scary, but you are never alone: the current and upcoming LOKO team will gladly guide you and is always ready to support you.