We hold an in-person School Rep Training and Networking Session after you are appointed to the role. This session will cover the basics of the role, like responsibilities, expectations, practicalities and lots more besides. The slides from this session will also be uploaded to the Blackboard page.

 

There will also be time for you to meet your College Rep during this session, and to get to know the other School Rep(s) (both from your School, and across the University).

It is called School Reps – please use the search function at the top of your courses list, and you should be able to find it! The Course code is: ADX170

If you are not being invited to meetings, send an email to us and the meeting chair (if you know who it is). We will then ensure you are invited in future.

The School Rep Role is a part-time job, so you will get loads of useful benefits from it! The role with help to improve your skills to help while you are completing your degree, and will boost your CV for job hunting after you graduate – you’ll also gain lots of experience that will be great for giving you tangible examples for job interviews.

 

You can also us as a job reference going forward.

It is a key part of our role to support you – so we are always at the end of an email, or can meet to chat through what you’re up to. If you ever feel like you’re not sure what you’re doing, or where to go with any feedback, please just reach out!

 

We also host regular, monthly Check Ins to make sure everything is running smoothly (more info below).

We hold regular, monthly Check Ins with School Reps. You will be asked to book onto a slot for an in-person or teams meeting, where we will discuss what you’ve been up to, any feedback you’ve received, and any issues or concerns. These meetings take place with us (the Academic Rep Team) and up to 10 other School Reps (from across the University) so you can find out what Reps from other Schools have been up to.

 

These are a mandatory part of the role, so you do need to come along!

There can be many reasons why you might be struggling – from an increased Academic workload to personal circumstances – and we are here for you if that happens. It is our job to support you, and even though the role is a part-time job, we are flexible and able to help!

 

We would much rather you reach out to us and let us know how you’re doing, than for you to keep struggling on! You can reach us on su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk - please do reach out, we’re here to help!

School Led Visions are where you can make the most difference as a School Rep! The Visions are projects, decided in collaboration between you, the other School Reps in your School, and staff in your department.

 

Your School Led Visions can be on any topic you would like to work on, and Visions can also be suggested by staff. Visons last year included work on trigger warnings, group work, assessments, careers support and much more!

 

You can find more information on School Led Visions on the Blackboard site.

If you are thinking about stepping down from the role, for whatever reason, please just reach out to us at su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk. We are well aware that unexpected circumstances may happen over your term in the role, and are here to support you!

 

We will then have a brief, informal meeting to talk about the process, and whether there are any alternatives to stepping down (such as offering more support etc). If you still wish to step down, we will then action this and remove you from our system.

The Academic Rep of the Month scheme is where reps can be recognised for their exceptional hard work. Winners get a certificate and a badge, and are featured on our website and our social media. Any one can nominate someone for Rep of the Month – you can find the nomination form here.

Of course! Send us an email at su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk with the correct spelling of your name, and we will get that fixed for you!

Sorry about that! Just send us an email at su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk to let us know that you are not on the mailing list, and we will update our records to ensure you receive communications from us, and your department.

You will hopefully meet your fellow rep(s) is at the School Rep Training, where we will have designated networking time. There, you can set up the way you would like to communicate (in person/email/WhatsApp etc). If we are aware that you won’t be able to meet at the training for whatever reason, we will facilitate another meeting (probably with us and your fellow rep(s) so you can get to know each other there!

 

If you still aren’t aware who your fellow rep(s) are, please just let us know by emailing su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk and we will let you know.

This can be a very frustrating part of a rep role, but there are several things you can do:

• Try changing up the way you communicate – if you always use a group chat, try email, or vice versa
• If you’re both attending SSCs, try catching them for a quick chat before or after the meeting – then, you can choose how to communicate, and make clear your expectations of each other
• If you’ve tried these things, you don’t know who your fellow reps are, or they don’t attend meetings, please drop us an email. We will be able to check in with any reps and make sure everything is ok!
• Building the rep network is a core part of the role so please do let us know so we can make sure it is working as well as it should be.

You can find them on our website here.

Please just reach out to us at su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk and we will be able to update the photo on the website. We will also communicate this change to your department, but they take longer to update any Rep Posters they have shared with students, and we do not have any oversight of this (other than providing the material).

There are various ways in which you can gather feedback. As a Course Rep, you will gain access to email students on your course via the SU website. This will allow you to update students on your course on what has been discussed in your SSCs and give them a chance to give their feedback on any matters which concern them. You can also create surveys and send them out to students on your course to gather data which acts as a useful form of feedback.

 

You can also reach out to your course mates via social media apps, or group chats to gather informal feedback. Students may be more inclined to giving feedback in this way, as they may find it more comfortable.

 

Alternatively, you can rely on verbal methods to also gather feedback through talking to your course mates after lectures and tutorials whilst on campus. You can also do lecture shoutouts where your lecturer gives you time at the beginning, middle or end of the lecture to address students and gather any feedback. It is best to arrange this with your lecturer beforehand!

 

For more information, refer back to your training on the Feedback Loop and methods of communication.

Communication is important in ensuring that you are representative. Without clear and consistent communication, you cannot be an effective spokesperson for those that you represent, so always try to reach out to everyone on your course as one person’s experience does not define another person’s experience.

If you are struggling to gain feedback, you may want to check what communication method you are using, and see whether you may need to use a different communication method in order to gain feedback - using many different kinds of communication could be really useful! You can also remind students that their feedback is completely anonymous and helps to improve their academic experience on the course - closing the Feedback Loop here can also be a handy tool, as students will see their feedback has an impact!

 

You can also reach out to us at su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk if you are having issues as we can also help!

The SU is an empowering, innovative and inclusive student-led Union championing your interests and providing a community that is home away from home. Although we regularly collaborate with the University, we are a fully independent organisation made up of student elected representatives that work totally and completely for you.

 

As part of what we do, we run the Academic Representation system.

 

It is important to know what we do and how we do in order to be the best rep you can be! In our position as separate from the University, we are in a unique position to lobby for change – which is where student feedback comes in! You might also need to signpost students who come to you with concerns and issues you aren’t able to deal with to one of our other services, like Advice or Activities. More about what we do can be found in the training, or on our website here.

The SU if for all students – you are automatically a member when you become a registered student, you don’t have to do anything else! Whether you are full-time, campus-based, part-time, distance learning, undergraduate, post-graduate, just turned eighteen, a mature student or anything in between – the SU is for you!

The SU is run by students for students – every year, in March, the students vote in who they want to run to SU for the following year – these positions are called our Officers. We have two types of Officer – Full-time and Part-time. All our Officers are current students when they are elected – Full-Time Officers are either graduating and take up the role once they have finished their studies, or take a year out, and Part-time Officers carry out the role part-time around their studies.

 

Full-time Officers (FTOs) work for a year for the SU (paid) – elected on a manifesto, their job is ensure students have positive experience at university. Currently, our FTO roles are: President, Education, Community and Welfare, Sports and Societies, and Liberation. Our Full-Time Officers are also sometimes called Sabbs (short for Sabbatical Officer) or Execs (short for Executive Officer).

 

There are 10 Part-Time Officers (PTOs) and each PTO has a different remit, but their overall aim is to represent student views in the Students’ Union and advocate for positive change on behalf of students. There are 5 Officers whose remit is related to Liberation and 5 other Officers whose remit is related to student experiences and interests. PTOs run campaigns throughout the academic year and are a point of contact for students who want to provide feedback on what they want to see improved at university.

 

You can find more information here, including our Officers’ contact details.

You'll have a file with your name in the title in the School Rep teams site. This is where you'll edit your timesheet. Each month we'll give you the date the timesheet needs to be updated by and all you need to do is make sure it's up to date by then to get paid for all the work you've done!

Any work you have completed as a School Rep! No matter what the work is – from writing an email to attending an SEC – please put it down on the timesheet!

 

If you are ever unsure if you should include something, just reach out to us at su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk and we can let you know if it’s ok.

Your monthly report is there for you to keep track of all the amazing work you do across the year. You'll put your SSC & SEC meetings in there, your contributions to the academic network and much more. For more ideas and suggestions for your report, please refer back to your training slide, found on the blackboard site.

If you have any issues accessing your training, please email: su-repteam@leicester.ac.uk