Are you ready for it?...

Over the past few months, we've been on a mission to develop our approach to ensuring we're able to fully represent your needs as a student at the University of St Andrews.

How did we get here?

In January, we appointed a Change Director, with two consultants as part of the team, to conduct a full review of the organisation. As part of this, we’ve been working with them to review the core elements of our democratic practices. The team have met with elected officers, volunteers, union staff members, and key university stakeholders, they've read many reports and internal documents, and we've looked at the results of the all student survey we ran in May. All of this info has been used to determine a range of recommendations for the high level engagement of students in our democratic findings. Those findings have now been delivered to the students’ union and we’re looking to you to determine if these Heads of Terms are the right pathway forward.

What have we learned?

The report covers a lot of bases, but there are some elements that are really important to us. Most importantly, we've learned that there are loads of people out there who are passionate in ensuring that the Students' Association is as successful as possible. From students, to union staff, to university staff, there's a real want to see the Union and its members succeed.

Next, we've affirmed that our volunteers and elected officers do a ton of amazing things throughout the year, and that we could be doing more to support and celebrate them.

Introducing Plan A

Be Accessible to all students

Reformat the Student Representative Council to become an all student meeting, creating a space for any student to engage in the cocreation of strategic developments within the Students' Association. With clear communication ahead of any meetings, you'll be able to decide if you have something you want to contribute.

Introduce a new level of representation: Forums. These forums will align to each of the three portfolio areas - Education, Wellbeing and Community, and Societies. These Forums would create policy within their own portfolio areas, and will engage a wider audience of volunteers in the process.

Promptly Act on student feedback

Create an online portal for anyone to submit an idea for change. Utilising a principled approach, based on action vs belief, more change on both a small and large scale would become easier.

Give Assistance & recognition to our Officers and volunteers

Creating additional permanent staffing roles to develop clearer and easier processes, boosting availability of staff elsewhere in the team to provide support to our elected officers and volunteers. These new staff members would be a Student Advocacy Coordinator, a Student Opportunities Coordinator, and a Democracy and Insight Coordinator.

Adjust the sabbatical officer structure

Remove the President role, as its position has become confusing due to the lack of hierarchy within the team, and has lost clarity within its remit. Introduce the role of President of Union Affairs, a streamlined role focusing on the strategic development of the Association.

Remove the Director of Events and Services from the sabbatical officer team, and replace it with a graduate job role within events. The role would still be the link between student groups and our spaces.

Refresh the naming of the sabbatical officer team to modernise and better reflect their working relationship. The team would continue to be in a non-hierarchical structure, and would contain the following roles: President of Union Affairs, President of Education, President of Wellbeing and Community, and President of Student Opportunities.

Acknowledge our achievements

Build a reward and recognition scheme for all volunteer positions, utilising the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) and other functions, such as Rep of the Month, to highlight the amazing work completed by our volunteers. There should also be dedicated communications plans aligned with each area to ensure appropriate communication to all our members of what our volunteers do, why they do it, and their impacts throughout the year.

 

Got feedback (or questions?)

Over the next week, we'll be running some social media takeovers and some drop in sessions for you to come and ask us questions about the contents of the review. You can also email sachange@ and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Then, from 10am on Tuesday 3 December you'll be able to vote as to whether you think we should take these recommendations forward or not.

What's happening when?

20 November

1. Democracy Review released

10am 3 December

1. Voting opens

4pm 4 December

1. Voting closes

5 December onwards

1. To be determined...