Welcome from your VPEWs Page 3
Session presenters Pages 4-6 Breakout A Page 7 Plenary Page 8 Breakout B Page 9
Rep Recognition Scheme Pages 10-11 School Officers Page 12
Executive Officers Page 13
Meet the Representation Team Page 14
Thank you Page 15
Timetable Page 16
Welcome to the Students’ Union’s annual Student Rep Conference, ‘RepCon’. The seventh conference of this kind that we have hosted! ‘RepCon’ is all about providing our reps, student leaders and the wider student body with an engaging afternoon of activity in order to enhance their overall experience at BNU.
Following several discussions with students, in particular our student leaders, we recognise the impact Covid-19 has had on your student experience. This year’s conference will explore the Student Futures Manifesto, a framework BNU has signed up, designed to guide Universities and their students to co-create a plan to help students regain their sense of belonging at university in light of the effects of the pandemic.
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our elected student leaders for taking on some of our key student-led positions here in the Union. We’re really looking forward to working with as many of you as possible throughout the course of the year. As our student leaders, your work is so important in keeping us informed on the happenings of your course and other aspects of student life at BNU. This means we can work with the University to help make the necessary improvements you and your peers want to see as well as celebrating those who are going above and beyond to support the student experience. The impact your roles can have can be profound, not only helping to make those changes that improve the student experience but sometimes your future jobs prospects and the prospects of those around you, further supporting the theme of this year’s conference. If you’re not yet a student leader but would like to find out more about available opportunities, please email surepresentation@bnu.ac.uk
So, without further ado, let’s get RepCon underway and we hope you all have a fantastic afternoon!
Brandon Tester & Emily Crawshaw Vice Presidents Education
Annice is the the Lead Safeguarding Officer at BNU. Her professional background is in Children and Families Social Work, and she has worked in Local Authorities and the voluntary sector. She is also a Practice Educator and Social Work Lecturer. Her role at BNU allows her to work with students on a daily basis to support and promote their well-being and safety.
Nicky is a Careers Advisor at Buckinghamshire New University. She is part of the Career Success Team based at the High Wycombe campus, and has spent over 20 years working in Human Resources, including experience of running graduate programs.
Charlotte started her career as a psychology student at BNU, afterwhich she commenced work in the legal sector, spending the majority of her career as a Mental Health & Prison Law Consultant. Alongside her legal work, Charlotte returned to BNU as an Associate Lecturer before returning permanently in March 2019 as a member of the Disability & Inclusion Services. Charlotte has a diagnosed mental illness herself, which drives her passion for supporting those with mental health problems and mental illnesses as well as challenging the surrounding stigmas.
Suzannah is the Academic Liasion Librarian for four Schools at Buckinghamshire New University - Art, Design and Performance, Aviation and Security, Business and Law, and Creative and Digital Industries. In her role, Suzannah ensures that the above Schools have all the relevant library resources students need to succeed in their courses.
Brandon is the Students’ Union’s 22/23 Vice President Education and Welfare (High Wycombe). Brandon was voted into this role by BNU students during the 21/22 elections and since then has been driven in making life better for students at Bucks. Their first big campaign was on the cost-ofliving crisis, which is still ongoing. Before his time as VPEW, he was also a Student Rep for 3 years and a Student Trustee in his final year of study.
Steve is the Head of Sustainability for Buckinghamshire New University. Challenged with developing the universities approach to sustainability, and how we can be a better BNU. Steve’s focus is building BNUs sustainability strategy around what is important to our learners and staff. His current focal points are biodiversity, decarbonisation and education for sustainable development.
Vytautas, who usually goes by V, is the School Officer for Creative and Digital Industries (Digital) at Bucks SU. In addition, V has also taken roles in the past such as Employability Ambassador, NUS Delegate, Societies Council Chair as well as multiple society committee positions. He was also the recipient of the 2022 Student Leadership Award at the Union’s annual awards night.
Sue is a third year Adult Nursing student, and is the School Officer for Nursing and Midwifery (February Cohort). Alongside this, she is also the student rep for her group and the Welfare Liasion of the Nursing Society.
Shelby Swafford is the School Officer for Creative and Digital Industries (Creative). She is an international student in her third year studying Music Production and Business at BNU. On top of being a School Officer, Shelby is the Events & Promotions Assistant at the Students’ Union, assisting our Bars and Events team in promoting the wide range of events happening at the Students’ Union.
Jessica is the Learning and Development Coordinator at Bucks SU. Jessica is responsible for the scheduling of your Additional Skills and Recreational Activities provided by the Students’ Union and The Big Deal as well as the staff contact for The Leadership Academy and Employability Ambassador schemes.
Amy is a third year student studying Adult Nursing at BNU. She is also student rep for her group and School Officer for Nursing and Midwifery (September cohort), Executive Officer for Students with Disabilities, Chair of the Bucks Nursing Society, and a Student Trustee.
Lisa graduated from BNU in 2022 with a BSc in Adult Nursing. Whilst at University, Lisa was the School Officer for Nursing and Midwifery, Chair of the Nursing Society, and the recipient of several prestigious Union Awards. She is currently a Staff Nurse in Critical Care at Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust.
A Falmouth University graduate, Nellie now works as our Digital Marketing Coordinator and spends her time writing awful puns, snapping students doing odd things for good causes, and analysing more data than you’d expect.
As a Student Rep, you will learn and develop many skills that will increase your employability. These include communication, teamwork, and leadership. In this session you will explore how to identify these skills, and how best to present them to a potential employer in applications and interviews.
This session will discuss the differences between mental health problems and mental illness, common stigmas surrounding mental health and how we can combat these as a community. This session with also touch on intersectional issues surrounding mental health problems and mental illness. Charlotte will discuss her own experience of mental illness and related symptoms which may be triggering for some participants.
How often are you frustrated by seemingly irrelevant results plaguing your searches on LibrarySearch, Google Scholar and more?
During this session we’ll look at advanced searching techniques that will allow you to ‘command’ LibrarySearch, Google Scholar and many other academic search platforms to give you more relevant results. With a few of these tricks up your sleeve you should be able to find the books and articles you need quickly, so you can spend less time searching, leaving you more time for reading and writing that assignment!
‘Me Time’ explores the importance of self-care, from your emotional state to physical and all in-between. Working together to set boundaries and value your self worth, we understand when studying at University can get stressful and on top of us. This is the perfect session to crack the answer of how to balance student life and look after ourselves.
In this session, Brandon will be presenting some of the statistics that were collated from the Cost of Living survey he conducted, alongside looking at other resources created to help students tackle the cost of living crisis. There will be plenty of discussions of the current economic crisis, and how this could have an impact on you as a student rep and your peers as a whole.
The Student Futures Commission recently released its manifesto calling for, among other things, enhanced pre-arrival, induction and international student support, together with greater investment in mental health and wellbeing. Panellists will outline their thoughts on what the University can do, throughout the development of this document to aid students in succeeding on their University journey. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on students’ mental health, and on the knowledge needed to succeed on their course. The Student Futures Manifesto is the chance to develop a core piece of work, produced by students and teams across the university, with a clear sense of ownership by students. So, what plans do the university have to improve these obstacles, and how will this impact the future of BNU students?
Panel Q&A – What, in your opinion, represents the biggest obstacle to improving the future of students at BNU and how would you look to overcome it? – hosted by Lucy Ryan
Can’t tell the difference between School Officers and Student Trustees? Wondering what an Executive Officer actually does? This session will focus on the countless leadership opportunities you may encounter in your time at BNU, and how you can get involved to enhance your employability and make a difference in the student community at Bucks SU. You’ll figure out which leadership roles align with your career goals and interests, and how the Students’ Union can empower and support you to make tangible chance and tackle issues our students face
Coming from a demanding and intense profession, Annice understands what it means to experience ‘burnout’, and that taking care of yourself is often at the bottom of most people’s lists. During her presentation, Annice will be demonstrating what could happen to you if you do not take care of yourself. She will also present to you what you can do to look after yourself and put yourself first so that you can meet your potential in all areas of your life.
Sustainability issues impact everyone, no matter who you are or what you study. BNU has a responsibility as a university to provide all learners with a sustainable education. What are the best ways of doing this, to maximise our impact and promote sustainability in all our courses and programmes? How can we maximise our impact? How can the university, SU and student reps work together to provide a suitable sustainability education? A workshop discussion to encourage discussion and explore concepts and challenges.
This session will be hosted by our Digital Marketing Coordinator, Nellie, and will cover all the important bits, both personal and practical, about working in a marketing team, understanding your audience, and developing your brand.
As a team of current and recently graduated student nurses studying at BNU, Amy Sue and Lisa know a thing or two about life on placement. They know placements can feel daunting and hope to ease your concerns and use their own experiences to help prepare you for your first or next placement!
Bronze (100 points) Silver (200 points) Gold (300 points)
Complete Rep training 10
Partake in first Coffee Session 10
Attend RepCon 10
Submit first Your Voice feedback 15
Attend first PCM 15
Partake in second Coffee Session 10
Submit second Your Voice feedback 15
Attend second PCM 15
Attend Union Council meetings 5 per meeting
Present at Union Council 10
Validation student panel member 20 Run session at Rep Conference 20
Co-Chair a PCM 20
Registered to vote in local area (Home/ Uni) 20
Complete 12 hours of volunteering (Max. 36 hours/ 60 points) 20
Raised money for charity three times 30
Join Rep WhatsApp group 5
Follow @BucksRep on Instagram 5
Follow @BucksRep on Twitter 5
Create course group chat 5
Share 5 Students’ Union posts on social media 10
Share 5 Students’ Union messages through traditional forms of media to your cohort (e.g., emailing or newsletters) 10
Write two articles for website/newspaper about Representation 10
Take part in one radio show about Representation 10
Collect 5 It Starts With You cards 10
Actively participate in two Students’ Union campaigns 20
Actively participate in one national campaign 30
Run one campaign 40
Complete the End of Year Rep Survey 5
Take part in any other Students’ Union survey 5 per survey
Attend one focus group feedback session 10
Submit a nomination for Rep of the Month 10
Get 5 ELT or Union Awards nominations filled out by other students (max 10 nominations/40 points) 20
Nominate a member of university staff for an ELT award 10
Nominate 3 students for Union Awards 10
Submit a nomination for Staff Celebration 10
Take part in sports for fun sessions
(Max. 3 sessions/ 15 points) 5 per session
Attend recreational activities sessions (Max. 3 sessions/ 15 points) 5 per session
Complete additional skills sessions (Max. 3 sessions/ 15 points) 5 per session
Agree your own goal with representation team Negotiated value
On the page opposite is the breakdown of how you, as student reps, can earn the Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels of recognition from the Rep Recognition Scheme. Every student rep should complete the ‘Rep Essentials’ section over the course of the academic year which would then result in you being recognised as a Bronze level rep. The ‘Rep Essentials’ section is also linked to your rep reward payment and so if you don’t complete parts of the work, you’re losing out on some easy money.
As our eyes and ears at a course level, we really value you and the work that you do. Your efforts help makes the changes you and your peers want to see and the Rep Recognition Scheme was created so that our student reps get the recognition they deserve.
We also have an online system to log your Rep Recognition Scheme points. This can be found on our website at bucksstudentsunion.org/yourvoice/repzone/recognition. You must be logged in so as to access this and record all of the work you’ve been undertaking both as part of your rep role and winder contribution. You can return and update your points throughout the year!
If you manage to become recognised as a Gold level rep, then you’ll be presented with a certificate at the annual Union Awards from the Vice Chancellor of the University. Make sure you start collecting those points as you don’t want to miss out on what will be an evening to remember.
As part of our Student Rep Newsletter updates, we’ll be informing all reps with details of who has reached which level since the last newsletter. Another great way to be recognised for all of your hard work. Once you believe you have completed enough points to gain the next level of recognition, make sure you drop into Students’ Union office and just show a member of the Representation Team your evidence to support the work you have carried out. For more information on collecting evidence to support your rep related work, please just email surepresentation@bnu.ac.uk. We can then explain in detail each of the areas and inform you of what evidence you’ll need to bring in.
At the very bottom of the Rep Recognition Scheme, you will see there is a section listed ‘Make your own way’. This sections allows you to decide on an activity that you believe is a good addition and has a positive impact on the student experience. This goal and the points total must be discussed with the Representation team. Once agreed, you’ll be able to get underway with this part of the Rep Recognition Scheme.
If you’d like to find out more information about the Rep Recognition Scheme or discuss any of the areas from it, please contact one of the Representation team using the details provided at the back of the programme. Alternatively, please email surepresentation@bnu.ac.uk.
Ellie Lee (she/her) Art, Design and Performance ellie.lee@bnu.ac.uk
Ioana Filon (she/her) Aviation and Security ioana.filon@bnu.ac.uk
Peter Ashiagbor (he/him) Business and Law peter.ashiagbor@bnu.ac.uk
Ashley Archibald (he/him) Human and Social Sciences ashley.archibald@bnu.ac.uk
Shelby
(she/her)
Amy Pile (she/her) Nursing and Midwifery (Sept Cohort) amy.pile@bnu.ac.uk
Hermione Ashford (she/her) Health and Social Care Professions hermione.ashford@bnu.ac.uk
Sue Davies (she/her) Nursing and Midwifery (Feb cohort) sue.davies@bnu.ac.uk
Brandon Tester (he/him)
Vice President Education & Welfare (High Wycombe) brandon.tester@bnu.ac.uk
Emily Crawshaw (she/her)
Vice President Education & Welfare (Uxbridge and Aylesbury) emily.crawshaw@bnu.ac.uk
Lucy Ryan (she/her) Student Experience Manager lucy.ryan@bnu.ac.uk
Matthew Kitching Deputy CEO matthew.kitching@bnu.ac.uk
Frankii Toms (she/her)
Student Engagement Coordinator (Uxbridge) francesca.toms@bnu.ac.uk
Tash Neal (she/her)
Student Engagement Coordinator (High Wycombe) natasha.neal@bnu.ac.uk
Alternatively, you can email us at surepresentation@bnu.ac.uk or follow us on Instagram @bucksrep
First and foremost, thank you to our Union staff who have organised today’s event. The University staff and presenters who have delivered some great sessions and made today possible. Without these sessions, there would be no Rep Conference.
Thanks must also go to today’s guest panel. We really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to come and discuss some interesting topics and answer some questions directly from our students.
Last but by no means least, thank you to you our student reps. You work tirelessly in order to improve the student experience and make the changes you and your peers want to see. We really appreciate all of your efforts. Thank you for attending today and making this a successful event. We hope you enjoyed your sessions, learned a lot and started the discussion that will see changes take place in 2022–23 and beyond. We also hope that some of you will even be inspired to run a session next year.
Remember to stay engaged with the Rep Recognition Scheme and log everything you are doing for your chance to be presented with a certificate by the Vice Chancellor at this year’s Union Awards. Finally, keep your eyes peeled for more information on our 2023 elections and how you can nominate yourself for a leadership position.
12:30 - 13:00
Register and Tea & Coffee (Gateway Building)
13:00-13:10
Welcome (Gateway Lecture Theatre) 13:15 - 14:30 Breakout A 14:30 - 14:45 Break 14:45 - 15:45
Plenary: Q&A panel (Gateway Lecture Theatre)
15:45 - 17:00 Breakout B 17:00 - 18:30 School Officer Social (S3.01)