Representation

1. Representing your representatives: Bringing your voice to the University. This year I have submitted five papers to University committees off the back of and through student consultation; papers on library opening hours, mitigating circumstances, late submission of assessment, student representation and research teaching links. They ve all come up through YUSU committees and changed to reflect the views that have been brought to them. I ve also consulted more widely; including talking to students in blocks and around campus about academic affairs, talking to JCRC members and using feedback solicited via publicity of issues around exams. Most importantly I ve been given really useful information about what s going on and the key issues in departments by course reps, and used that to create and strengthen discussions with the University. 2. Getting results with the tools of representation: fighting the sidelining of the student voice. This year we supported 22 course rep teams holding 40 focus groups creating submissions to ensure that the student voice is at the heart of the quality assurance process. We ve secured an independent student voice and student submissions to the new annual programme review process and provided training and support to course reps in representing their students. 3. Supporting the course rep network This year we trebled the number of students going for election as course reps, more than doubled the number attending training and have been able to hold four well attended course rep conferences to share best practice and ideas about representing students as well as get feedback on policy initiatives. We ve had a really strong course rep team this year and they ve been recognised across the University for the strong input they ve had into departmental decision making. 4. Course reps in touch with their subjects and their students: Course reps do a fantastic job but some face big challanges with hundreds of student being represented in each year. We ve successfully argued for a review of student representation to ensure that every department has a student consultative forum, and that those forums should work and where they do not work should be developed. 5. A society for every subject We aren t there yet but it is very close; more societies have been formed this year and we ve agreed a new society format to allow for departments to support an academic society.

6. A University of autonomous but accountable departments: Putting policy into practice by developing the faculty system I ve lobbied strongly and consistently this year that there should be accountability for departments who aren t meeting student expectations, as well as more opportunities to work with similar groups of departments, by the development of a new faculty ( cognate cluster in University terminology) support structure. We ve been unsuccessful in this, but at a Union level at least we ve developed the faculty system, establishing contact reps in departments to work with our faculty reps and allow discussions about similar issues to be brought up in a n informal setting.