Student Reps

Welcome to SUBU Student Reps!

 

At SUBU we have over 600 student representatives who are here to represent your academic interests and make sure you’re getting the most from your education. Reps are the elected students who represent their cohorts on academic and university life issues to the University, and help make positive change to improve the student experience.

BU Staff Toolkit Rep Hub Shout Out Speak Week You're Brilliant Awards

 

What is a Student Rep?

A Student Rep is a student who has been elected by their coursemates to represent student views and opinions to BU and SUBU. Student Reps collect feedback, share this with the University and work with staff and other Reps to create positive change. To be a Rep, you don’t need any previous experience because you’ll get full training by the SUBU Voice Team.

We aim for at least one Rep on every course and year, and PGR Reps for every Faculty. Student Reps are students who:

  • Represent their course, school or PGR programme to the University
  • Are a vital link between the student body, academic staff and the Students’ Union
  • Gather and share your feedback with staff
  • Feedback any issues that students in their cohort have that are affecting their studies and/or research
  • Keep students informed of progress by sharing updates from staff
  • Are part of a team of representatives across the university, who work in partnership with staff to ensure that the academic interests of students are represented

They sit on the Student Staff Forums within their School, where they bring your feedback to university staff and push for change.

To read a bit more about what Reps do, take a look at the role description:

Student Rep Role Description

Not sure who your Rep is?

Find your Student Rep - search by course name:

How can I become a Student Rep?

1. Speak to your programme team

Let your programme team know you are interested in being a Rep. You’ll need to volunteer and then be elected by your peers to represent them.

2. Training

Once elected, your programme team will let us know you’re a Rep. We’ll then organise your training, and get you comfortable in your new role.

3. Represent students!

Throughout the year, you will gather and share feedback to improve the student experience and highlight existing good practice. You will work collaboratively with staff and other Reps to create positive change.

Reward and recognition — what’s in it for you?

  • Rep hoodie — stand out as the advocate for change on your course.
  • End of year certificate — digital and physical proof of your hard work and commitment.
  • Weekly socials — a variety of events to build the Rep community and give you a fun break from your studies.
  • Celebration socials — whether it’s a quiz night, day trip or beach celebration, we reward you for your hard work.
  • References — the Student Voice team can provide a reference for job or placement applications.
  • Personal growth — being a Rep builds confidence, communication and leadership skills that benefit you beyond university.
Find your Rep and share your feedback

Through our Rep Finder tool above, you can find your Course Rep’s email address and contact them with your feedback, or you can submit feedback via Shout Out. Your Rep should also be seeking out your opinions so that they can take them to the University.

Be sure to let your Rep know if you have feedback or suggestions — they are here to encourage the changes their cohort wants to see!

Please note the Rep Finder tool shows Reps for the current academic year. It is updated when the new academic year starts, after the Term 1 Rep elections. So, by November you will have a Rep.

Your course staff should also be able to let you know who your Reps are and your Reps should be listed on Brightspace too!

Still no Rep to be found, or struggling to get in touch? Get in touch with the SUBU Reps team!

Different types of Student Reps

Faculty Reps are students who are elected in our Student Leader Elections to represent their Faculty at the highest levels of our Student Representation Structure. They work hard to bring the collective Student Voice of their faculty to important meetings, and work together to discuss feedback with the University. They help support Rep Events too, to help support the Rep community!

Amongst our Faculty Reps we also have our Faculty Officer, who sits on our Executive Committee at SUBU, bringing your Student Voice to where it can make a difference and hold our Full-Time Officers to account.

Faculty Officer

  • Be the lead Student Representative for the faculty, supporting your faculty & Student Reps
  • Attends SUBU Executive Committee, representing student feedback and issues at this meeting
  • Attends Faculty Education and Student Experience Committees (FESECs) & Education and Student Experience Committees (ESECs)
  • Supports SUBU Rep events such as socials and Speak Week

Faculty Rep

  • Collates feedback collected by elected Student Reps and highlights trends between the Programmes and Schools in meetings
  • Works with programme teams and Reps to improve the student experience
  • Supports SUBU Rep events such as socials and Speak Week
  • Attends Faculty Education and Student Experience Committees (FESECs)

If you’re a Course Rep and want to know who represents your Faculty, please check our list of Faculty Reps.

If you’d like to be a Faculty Officer or Rep, keep an eye out for our 26-27 Student Leader Elections!

Thinking of becoming a Rep? Here’s the support you’ll get

SUBU have a team dedicated to making sure that Student Reps have the support they need. They can be contacted at reps@bournemouth.ac.uk and can help with any of the queries you may have as an academic Rep.

Training

The Student Voice Team will be in contact about training when you start your role. All Student Reps must complete core training to fulfil their role. If you need a refresher or guidance after training, our Rep Hub has lots of useful information.

The Rep community

You can find other Reps via the Find My Rep tool, or get involved in the Rep community by joining our WhatsApp group — just email reps@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to join. It’s worth getting to know your fellow Reps early on in the year so that you can support each other through the Student Staff Forums and share good practice.

Need support?

Help is always available if you’re experiencing homesickness, financial worries, academic pressure, loneliness, or anything else affecting your university experience. The SUBU Advice team can support you or direct you towards the right advice and support services.

Remember, asking for help early can make a big difference and you never have to face challenges alone.