If you want to be a part of making change to improve both your course and your whole university experience then being a student rep could be for you! In this post I will tell you everything you need to know about getting involved as a student rep.
What rep roles are there?
There are 3 main types of rep role. Course Rep, School Rep and College Officer. There are over 800 reps across campus and these are across all 3 reps types. Each role has a different purpose within academic representation but all are centred around giving feedback.
Course Rep– Every course that the university offers has a course rep. The main aim of this role is to provide feedback on your course both positive and negative so that things can be improved. This means that course reps are the voice of your course and if you have any issues or feedback with your course, they are a great place to go to get your opinions heard. Being a course reps role also involves sitting on your schools academic subject committee. These meetings usually happen once every month and senior staff within the school attend. This is an easy way to get your voice heard at the highest level within your school and address ways to improve your course and make positive change that benefits everyone.
School Rep – Each school within the university has its own school rep. They are a point of contact for all course reps within their school and they can take feedback higher through the university system. One way school reps do this is through participating in senior rep group where they meet with the other school reps and the VP education to discuss everything that is going well within the schools and things that can be improved upon.
College Officer – There are four colleges within the university – Social Science, Science, Arts and LIBS. The main aim of the College Officer is to gather feedback from school reps and pass this on to the highest level of the students union and university representation. Not only this but they identify areas for improvement across their college and run campaigns with the VP education.
More information about what is involved in each role specifically can be found here.
Why should I become a rep?
Not only does being a student rep look great on your CV but it is also a great way to create meaningful change that will impact the university experience of yourself and others too! You will gain and enhance many transferable skills that you will be able to use when you graduate. These include communication, teamwork, presenting and problem solving.
How can I apply?
Becoming a rep has never been easier! To become a course rep you should apply on the SU website and you will go through an interview process. For new students these will be held at the start of the academic year and for returning students at the end of the year.
For senior rep positions – schools rep or college officer there are elections in spring of each year. You simply nominate yourself and then start your campaign to get other students in your school or college to vote for you. Throughout the election there is support provided by the SU to help you along the way.
I hope this post has encouraged you to become a student rep and help create change across our university for the better! Be sure to check out your school rep and college officer on Instagram. For more student life content follow us @UoLstudentlife while you are there too!
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