This section contains information about the role of a student rep, and how you can become one. Student reps are recruited from the start of the academic year in September/October. We would normally expect all rep vacancies to be filled by late October. Student reps do not roll over from one year to the next, so there will always be opportunities to be involved at levels 2 and 3 of undergraduate study for students to be involved who did not sign up in their first year.
Hopefully the following will answer some of the common questions about being, and becoming a rep.
What does a 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 reps are invited to – ones related specifically to your course and programme area that focus on those issues, and the School Student Council, where all reps from your School are invited to discuss wider matters that affect a range of people. 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, 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 rep they will be your first point of contact with questions. The Union also offers full training to reps at the start of the academic year.
What rewards are there?
Being a rep is a great way of getting to understand how the university and the higher education system generally works. 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 back.
Student reps are also offered an attendance allowance for the time they spend inside of meetings. For 08/09, this will amount to £6.27. Full details of the attendance allowance scheme are available once you have become a rep.
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 onto other committees at both faculty and university levels. 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 School Student Council 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 rep?
Obviously people can’t just declare they are a 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 rep. After you become a 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, drop the rep coordinatores an email at the address below.
We hope this answers the questions you have about becoming a rep, if not, please don’t hesitate to contact us on studentreps@uwe.ac.uk and the appropriate rep coordinator will get back to you.
