Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Student Rep actually have to do?
Student Reps act as a link between the university, the Students’ Union, and the student body. As a Student Rep your primary duty is to ensure that you effectively collate and communicate the views of the students you represent. You will need to use a range of communication methods to find out what people think about their course, the faculty, and the wider university. As the name suggests, it’s important that the views that are put forward are representative, and not just the views of you and your closest friends!
Once you have collected the views of your fellow students, there are a number of meetings that you attend to put forward those views, have discussions on what action needs to be taken in the university, and then put things into practice. There are two types of meetings that all Student Reps are invited to – the Programme Staff Student Liaison Group which focuses on those issues related specifically to your course and programme area; and the Student Rep Department Forum, where all Student Reps from your department are invited to discuss wider matters that affect a range of people. Student Reps are then expected to feedback to students on the outcomes of discussions at both types of meetings.
What sort of issues might I encounter?
In the past few years, Student Reps have covered a number of issues from the types of textbooks offered on some courses, to the accessibility of facilities, and overcrowding of lecture theatres. In any year however, it is not possible to predict what issues may come up that affect a student’s academic experience.
What support do I get?
The Students’ Union employs dedicated staff to support Student Reps, throughout your time as a Student Rep they will be your first point of contact for rep related questions. The Students’ Union offers full training to all Student Reps at the start of the academic year. You can also use the Rep Resources pages of this website.
What rewards are there?
Being a Student Rep is a great way of getting to understand how the university and the higher education system works generally. It’s a great opportunity to get to know staff better in your faculty, and can work to enhance some important transferable skills that will benefit you when you are applying for jobs in the future. Being a Student Rep requires you to put in some effort to get the full range of benefits, the more you do, the more you will get out of it.
Student Reps are also offered an attendance allowance for the time they spend in formal meetings. For 2011/12, this will be £6.74 per hour. Full details of the attendance allowance scheme are available at the Student Rep training session.
If I’m interested in doing more than represent students on my course, are there other opportunities to get involved?
Yes! Each year we also elect a number of students to sit on other committees at both faculty and university level. The functions of these committees range from those that have a wide focus across the university’s functions, to those that specifically focus on narrower areas, such as the library. Elections to higher committees take place in the first Student Rep Department Forum at the end of October, and while there may be a few remaining vacancies after this time this is never guaranteed.
How do I become a Student Rep?
Obviously people can’t just declare they are a Student Rep – the other students on your course need to know what is going on so that they are happy with who is representing them. At the start of the academic year, programme and module leaders will advertise that the positions that are available and you should follow their process to become a Student Rep. After you become a Student Rep, you need to register your details with the Students’ Union rep team which will allow us to train you, pay you if you meet the conditions, and most importantly, keep you updated with what is going on.
It never hurts to get a head start, so you can get in contact with the relevant person in your faculty soon to get started. To find out who they are, email studentreps@uwe.ac.uk with your Programme and level of study.
Do Student Reps actually change anything?
Yes! Student Reps have managed to do lots of great things to make the student experience a better one. Take a look at the Action and Successes to see what was achieved by Student Reps last year. And the more feedback Student Reps get from students the more they can do to improve things.
How can I contact my Student Rep?
Student Reps for each course and level will be elected in your faculty in the first few weeks of term. If you don’t know who is arranging this, ask a module or programme leader, or contact us at studentreps@uwe.ac.uk.
Some of the meetings clash with my lectures; can I still become a Student Rep?
Of course you can, we understand that with the number of Student Reps we have, meetings are bound to clash with some lectures and of course we emphasise that your studies take precedence over the meetings. However, we have now set up the online forums so that Student Reps can still be involved with discussion and raise any issues. This forum will be open for a week before the meeting so there is no excuse not to raise an issue!
How many meetings do I have to attend?
All Student Reps should attend their Programme Staff Student Liaison Group and the Student Rep Department Forum (or Online Department Forum). Therefore as a minimum you will be attending 3 PSSLG meetings and 4 Department Forums which is a total of 7 meetings spread over the year.