Contents 2. Your Key Contacts 3. How SUUG Represents You 4. Your guide to being a Programme Rep 7. Your guide to being a Faculty Officer 9. Top Tips for Success 10. Rewards and Recognition 11. Other Opportunities 12. Skills and Training 13. Employability and Volunteering Toolkit 14. Final word from your Deputy Vice Chancellor 15. Further Contact Details
This is Owais; He is the Vice President Education. He was elected by Students to lead the Union on all academic issues and to lead on the development of the Representational structures within your Students’ Union. o.chisty@gre.ac.uk @VPEDGreenwich
This is Harry; He is the Vice President Student Activities. He was elected to support and develop the clubs, societies and volunteers to ensure they can achieve everything they set out. To find out more send him and email or a tweet.h.hodges@gre.ac.uk @VPSAGreenwich
This is Ed; he is the Vice President Welfare and Campaigns. Ed leads on all campaigning activity across the University and make sure that all students are well looked after on campus. To find out about the current campaigns or to ask questions send Ed an email or a tweet! e.oakes@gre.ac.uk @VPCWGreenwich
This is Alex; He is your Student Union President. Alex is the leader of the Union and works with the University to represent you at the highest levels of decision making. To find out what he is working on at the moment follow him on twitter or drop him and email! Alex.brooks@gre.ac.uk @VPCWGreenwich
This is Ben; He is the Student Voice Coordinator for SUUG. Unlike the elected officers he is a full time member of staff and it’s his job to support all the SUUG representatives in their roles. If you have any questions or suggestions drop him an email. b.atkins@greenwich.ac.uk @SUUGVoice
Representational Structures: Your union represents you through a whole host of different meetings and activities you can see a brief overview below of what meetings students attend and follow this link to watch the video which explains it.
Representation Video
What are Programme Reps? A Programme Rep is an extraordinary student who wants to be at the for-front of making positive changes to their programme and the University experience. Programme Reps are the foundation for change at the University of Greenwich.
Why are Programme Reps important? Attending University is an amazing opportunity and can be a fantastic experience, by choosing to be a student in Higher Education you are making a large commitment to improve yourself, broaden your knowledge and gain skills. To be able to do this many of you will be paying substantial fees, some people have to spend time away from their families and children, other people take time out of their jobs. So when you make such a large commitment the University should do too. They should commit to providing quality education and services, protecting your welfare and challenging you intellectually. For the most part they do but on the occasions they don’t, we as students must be there to stand up and have our voices not only heard but counted which is exactly what Programme Reps are there to do.
What does a Programme Rep Do? You can check the full role description for a Programme Rep online but a Programme Rep is expected to:
To be the voice of students studying on your programme.
To take active engagement with how decisions are made.
To liaise with your Programme Leader and Tutors on a regular basis.
To represent your peers opinions and interests and address issues which impact the quality of the educational experience at University of Greenwich; by attending various meetings and activities.
To work with SUUG to develop policy, end bad practice, and educate students about important issues within their education.
To keep abreast of student issues amongst your programme, through actively engaging the opinion of your peers.
To feedback information to the Students’ Union, various committees, and University staff as appropriate.
What Meetings do they attend? Meeting Departmental Management Committee Faculty Forums Annual Members Meeting
How Often? 1 per month (roughly 1 and a half hours) 1 Per Term (Roughly an hour) 1 Per Year
How do I become a Programme Rep? You can become a Programme Rep by speaking to your Lecturer or Programme Leader in the first couple of weeks of term. There is the opportunity for 2 students per programme per year to be Reps. If more than 2 students are interested the Programme Leader will hold a small election. If you are successful SUUG will contact you to welcome you to the role.
What’s in it for me? If you… Attend at least 3 meetings Report any Issues via the website Attend the Initial Programme Rep Training Attend the Annual Members Meeting You will be formally accredited on the HEAR report to find out more about the HEAR and a range of other benefits to being a Programme Rep which you can view on page 12 (Reward and Recognition)
What are Faculty Officers? Being a Faculty Officers is similar to a Programme Rep however they have responsibility for an entire Faculty and different meetings to attend and roles to fulfil.
What does a Faculty Officer Do? You can check the full role description for a Faculty Officer online (Link) but in a nutshell Faculty Officers are expected to:
Proactively seek out and identify student opinion in the Faculty
To represent your peers opinions and interests and address issues which impact the quality of the educational experience at University of Greenwich; by attending various meetings and activities.
Update Programme Reps and the Students’ Union on any key topics
Attend Student Council
Co-Chair Faculty Forums with the VP Education
To work with SUUG to develop policy, end bad practice, and educate students about important issues within their education.
To feedback information to the Students’ Union, various committees, and University staff as appropriate.
Why are Faculty Officers Important? Faculty Officers are an integral part of the representation structures within the University as they require a student to have a level of oversight over an entire Faculty outside of their own area of study. They are also highly depended on by the University to bring useful and factual opinions of the student body to high level meetings in the University. Faculty Officers are also crucial in supporting the Programme Reps to identify and solve local problems and also allow them to.
What meetings do Faculty Reps attend? Meeting
How Often?
Faculty Student Experience Committee Faculty Academic Quality and Standards Committee Faculty Board Faculty Forums Student Council
2 per term (roughly 2 hours) 2 per term (roughly 2 hours) 1 per month (roughly 2 hours) 2 per term (roughly 1 hour) 1 per month (roughly 1.5 hours)
How do I become a Faculty Officer? In order to become a Faculty Officers you must be an elected Programme Rep and attend your Faculty Programme Representation Conference. This is an afternoon event where we give every Programme Rep an introduction to the role and offer a day of networking, training and discussion about the year ahead. This is also where we hold the Faculty Officer elections. All you need to do is decide to put yourself forward to be a Faculty Officer, stand up and says why you would make a good Faculty Officer and then the students at the conference will vote for you, if they think you would be a good representative.
What’s in it for me? If you… Attend at least 5 meetings (and submit meeting reports from them) Attend the Initial Faculty Officer Training Session Report any Issues via the website Co-Chair at least 1 Faculty Forum You will be formally accredited on the HEAR report to find out more about the HEAR and a range of other benefits to being a Programme Rep which you can view on page 12 (Reward and Recognition)
Tips for Success – 1. Ask your tutor if you can introduce yourself to your class mates. Either by standing up and shouting ‘Hello!’ or sending out an email. Whichever suits you best. 2. Attend your SUUG Programme Rep Conference. This is an introduction to Repping, a chance to meet other Reps, quiz some university big wigs and elects your Faculty Officers. Sign up online! 3. Put some key dates in your calendar. By adding your meeting dates and other exciting events and sessions your calendar you won’t rely on reminder emails and can be better prepared. 4. Speak to your students. This is the only way you will be a successful Programme Rep. if you’re having trouble with this, check out our “Ways to be Amazing Guide‟ online. 5. “Always be prepared”. The scouts had this one down but you need to as well. By being prepared and proactive for meetings you can really help to validate the points you are making, if you ever need help evidencing and issue just give the Student Voice team a shout. 6. Attend as much stuff as you have time for, because you can gain some great experience, meet loads of interesting people and can make an even bigger impact at UoG. 7. Every time you work on an issue, let SUUG know. This only takes a minute and it’s all done online via our reporting forms. All you need to do is fill in the form online. That way we can help to support you.
Rewards and Recognition – The skills and abilities you gain during your time as a Rep will be fantastic for your future. So you can make the most of your experiences here at SUUG we have created a few tools to help you and also some things to celebrate the fantastic work you do. If you fulfil your duties as a rep, as agreed in the role description you will be eligible for accreditation. HEAR Accreditation For those of you who haven’t heard about the HEAR you can read about it here. It is a document that accompanies your degree and explains all the extra things you have done during your time at Greenwich. This will help you to articulate the skills you have gained and also be a quick way for potential employers to see all the fantastic things you were involved in as a student. Student Union Awards Every year SUUG holds an event celebrating the successes of the year. This is a chance to reflect on all aspects of Students’ Union. You will have a chance to nominate and also be nominated for awards and it is also just a fantastic chance to celebrate another fantastic year working with your Students’ Union.
Progression / Other Opportunities – There are loads of fantastic opportunities to get more involved with your Union. If you’re interested in any of the below roles then give us a shout and let us know or check the website: http://www.suug.co.uk/studentvoice/yourreps/ There are 7 elected NUS Delegate positions which exist to represent you on a national level at the annual NUS National Conference. The 7 students attend the conference to vote on national policy and elect the NUS leadership for the year ahead. There are eleven voluntary Part-time Officer positions, with each of the Officers responsible for a specific portfolio. All Part-time Officers are members of the Union’s Executive Committee and the Union Council. They work closely with Sabbatical Officers, play a leading role in running the campaigns and assume an active role in promoting the Union and its values. There are four Sabbatical Officer Positions in the Students’ Union and they are full-time paid positions for a one year fixed term. They provide a unique opportunity to be part of the Union’s leadership, with the opportunity to shape and influence the academic and social life of students at University of Greenwich in pursuit of improving the student experience. Why not start an Academic Society for your programme? If you want a place to discuss the recent series of lectures and organise guest speakers to attend or just give people an opportunity to socialise in your programme why not start a society? Any questions about any of the above? Drop an email to b.atkins@gre.ac.uk
Skills and Training – Here at SUUG we ensure that all representatives have a base level of training and understand of their role. However, we don’t want you to just carry out your role, we want you to excel at being a Programme Rep or Faculty Officer so across the year we will be offering a whole range of training and development sessions from Public speaking to time management and whole lot more. All of these will be bookable through the SUUG website and opportunities will be emailed out to you as they become available. What Skills will you develop?
Time Management Problem Solving Decision Making Organisation Written Communication Project Management Team Work Verbal Communications New Skills and Activities
All training student rep related training sessions will be bookable through the Student Voice website via www.suug.co.uk/ImaRep
Reward Yourself: Being a volunteer is a fantastic opportunity for you to give your time to help improve things, but that that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot in it for you. Here at SUUG we have developed the Employability and Volunteering Toolkit. This is space on the website where you can create your own profile and log any activities you have been involved in and the skills you have gained from completing them. Its super simple to do but it will help you keep track of all the fantastic experience you gain during your time as a Representative. All you need to do is register online at http://www.suug.co.uk/activities/volunteer/toolkit/ Set up your profile and the rest is simple! By using this toolkit you will be able to track what you have done over the year. This will help you when it comes to articulating your skills in interviews and help you identify areas for self-development. It also informs the SUUG end of year awards so who knows! You might be a lucky winner.
A Message from your Deputy Vice Chancellor: Congratulations on becoming a Student Rep, This guide aims to inform you how you can make sure the student voice is heard. The University of Greenwich is committed to working in partnership with student representatives and the Students’ Union to have the best possible student experience. Assuring and enhancing the quality of the student learning experience is a priority for the University of Greenwich. The views of students gather via informal links between staff and students, student questionnaires and formal student representation are important drivers for managing the University’s education provision and identifying the need for change both now and in the future. The student representation system is a key formal way of engaging students and through which the student voice is heard. Your role will be essential in ensuring that the student voice is heard consistently in your Faculty and department, which is vital for enhancing the student experience and making changes. You will work closely with University and Faculty Managers, Programme and Course Leaders and relevant support staff to identify good practice, raise issues, make suggestions and get feedback on previously raised concerns. You will also be expected to communicate with your fellow students face-to-face, electronically and through posters/drop-boxes, for example, to gather the opinions of the cohort and communicating what the University is doing. Student Reps make sure we have a strong steer about things working well and those areas that need to be improved. Let us know what you think – we’re listening.
Prof Simon M Jarvis, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development)
If you are ever asked for support by a student on an individual or personal issue you should sign post them to the SUUG Advice Service or UoG Student Services Suugadvice@gre.ac.uk 020 8331 8267