THE TEAM AT THE HEART OF THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT RGU – STUDENT LIFE

STUDENT LIFE

Students are at the heart of everything that takes place at RGU and form a major part of the university’s strategic direction as both academic and support staff strive to enable them to be resilient, succeed in their studies and grow as individuals.

The Student Life team is core to ensuring the experience our students have is a positive one. The team is led by Director, Filippo Antoniazzi, who wants to put students at the centre of all decisions made at the university.

“Essentially, the Student Life team is there to provide support services to our students, to keep them on track and to help them enjoy life while here. We are, in part, responsible for their success as a student – and that is developing as an individual as well as passing their exams. We are there when they are going through hard times, but also there to help develop more co-curricular activities so that they are enjoying their time.

“We are there to help, and we can make an impact. Too often, the university community thinks we are only there to help students with a disability, or those who require counselling. When in fact, we are there for much, much more. It’s more about the whole, rounded individual. We can help the academic community and other support departments, and I think it’s important that everyone in their roles, whether academic or support, needs to understand that they can also be a part of ‘Student Life’.

“We are working very hard in the background to understand what our students need for them to be successful outwith the academic side of things. Increasingly, we are really interested in helping academics and the rest of the academic community to design what we do for our students in order to make it the best possible experience with student wellbeing at the heart of it.”

The Student Life team works in collaboration with the Student Union and acts as a bridge between the students and the institution. A major campaign which saw this partnership in action was ‘Speak Up Speak Out’ and the delivery of the Report and Support platform, both aimed at tackling gender-based violence.

Filippo continued: “Speak Up Speak Out has been a real partnership effort, but it is a real serious issue for us as a society, let alone a university. Speak Up Speak Out is really about empowering our community to be able to report these incidents and then for us to put structures in place so that we can support the survivors of gender based violence and also deal with the behaviours.”

“THE STUDENT LIFE TEAM WORKS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE STUDENT UNION AND ACTS AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE STUDENTS AND THE INSTITUTION”

This was just one example of the successful work being done by Student Life in partnership with students and various departments across the university. Constantly aiming for better, Filippo is eager to reinforce there is more being done to ensure RGU’s students receive all the support required.

“We are working very hard on a number of projects, looking at family friendly policies, support for Trans students, and a big focus for us just now is on mental health. It’s about a whole system-based approach to try and help our students cope with the demands of being a student.”

STUDENT LIFE COVERS

Chaplaincy – advice and support for students on issues relating to faith

ResLife – the first point of contact within RGU’s residencies. Key to building strong communities of students and providing support for those residing in the RGU accommodation

Student Help Point – a hub for all students, online or on campus, to ask any questions

Counselling and Wellbeing - the Student Counselling and Wellbeing Centre has Counsellors and a Student Wellbeing Advisor who can talk over issues that may be concerning students

The Inclusion Centre – a dedicated team there to support students with disabilities and/or dyslexia

RGU Sport – a dedicated sports facility situated in the heart of the campus. It boasts modern world class sporting facilities, and is available for use by the whole university community

StreetSport – outreach programme to reduce instances of youth crime and anti-social behaviour; promote health and wellbeing and encourage inclusivity through sport, physical activity and creative endeavour