Student Reps

Student Reps are one of the ways that your Students' Union represents your academic interests.

By collecting your feedback, and presenting your opinions to staff at the Union and University, Student Reps make sure that your voice is being heard in the decisions that will impact you.

Follow @sussexstudentreps on instagram and keep an eye out for the monthly rep newsletter shared in Flint and on Student Hub to keep up with what the Student Reps have been up to!

Nominate Yourself here!

What is a Student Rep?

Student Reps are responsible for representing the academic interest of students on their course/department within the schools, gathering student feedback and presenting them to schools in order to bring about positive and meaningful change!

Student reps are the bridge between students and University staff. They work to represent your voice in decision making about academic issues, bringing the demands and needs of students to the table!

Student Rep guide for 2023/24 academic year coming soon!

Need to contact your Student Rep with feedback?

Find out how to find your rep in this article.

Could you be our next Student Rep?

Do you want to take on a more active role and become part of a community of change-makers across the University and the Students’ Union?

Become a student rep! Visit the elections page to nominate yourself in this year's elections, or find out more in our step-by-step guide!

Core Rep Responsibilities:

  1. Complete mandatory training
  2. Collect student feedback on the academic experience of your course
  3. Attend school or department meetings or committees that you are elected to (sending apologies and feedback collected to chair rep if unable to attend)
  4. Come along to the rep training sessions, events and socials where you can!

Opportunities to get involved with as a Student Rep:

  1. Access to positions on a number of central University committees and formal groups!
  2. Student reps are also encouraged to identify other student leaders to work with, whether that be fellow Reps or other students, working together to make change at Sussex!
  3. You also have the opportunity to collect additional feedback on more specific academic issues such as how to work on decolonising the curriculum, how to make teaching on your course more accessible and how to tackle specific issues that underrepresented student groups face as part of their academic experience etc!
  4. Add a focus on sustainability to your rep role and work with staff at the Union, attend sustainability training and link up with the Sustainability Committee to help make the University a more sustainable place to study!

Benefits of being a Student Rep:

  • Make a difference and gain experience in a more active role as part of a community of empowered change-makers at the Students Union!
  • Opportunity to run in the election to sit on University committees and access important decision-making structures!
  • Gain access to an exclusive training programme!
  • Attend events and socials as part of the Rep Scheme!
  • Develop valuable transferable skills and track them using the Employability and Recognition Tracker to enhance your employability and CV with the support of Careers Hub and the Students’ Union!
  • Earn points towards the Spirit of Sussex Award in addition to various other recognition and awards schemes to get involved with!
  • Meet new people, make new friends!

The Student Rep Wall of Wins!

The image below demonstrates just a few of the amazing wins that student reps have achieved, by successfully lobbying the University on a variety of issues raised by students in their feedback including:

Other types of Student Reps:

International Reps

Are you an international student who is especially passionate about improving the academic experience of international students? Visit the International Students’ Committee page where you can learn more about the International Rep role and the committee you will be able to attend.

Doctoral Reps

Are you a research student studying for your PhD? The Doctoral Rep role is very important to ensure that the specific needs of this group of students are understood and met. Read the Doctoral Rep role description to find out more.

Are you interested in sustainability?

Rather than being elected as a separate role, any elected rep can now gain a specialism in sustainability. If you register your interest at the beginning of the year following your election, you will have access to the unique specialized sustainability training programme, workshops and contact with the Student Rep Scheme Lead and Student Living and Sustainability Officer, as well as working in collaboration with members of the Students’ Union Sustainability Committee to make change in your school.

Please Note

We remind any person considering becoming a volunteer to check whether they are allowed to volunteer under the terms of their visa or entry clearance conditions. If your visa does not permit you to volunteer, this may have implications for your future ability to work/study/remain in the UK. If you require further advice or information, contact UK Visas and Immigration, or contact Sussex University's Immigration Advisers.

Find your rep!

Have you got feedback about your course or an issue you would like to raise with your Student Rep? Find out how to contact your Student Rep in this article!

If you need further assistance finding your Rep, please contact the Student Rep Scheme Lead at studentreps@sussexstudent.com.

Run in the Election to be a Student Rep!

Nominationate yourself!

A step-by-step guide to nominating yourself for Student Rep:

  1. Head to our elections webpage.
  2. Click ‘nominate yourself’ and log in!
  3. Click ‘nominate’ next to the relevant ‘Student Rep election’.
  4. Write 100 words explaining why you would be a good Student Rep.
  5. Once applications close students will be able to choose who they would like to represent them through voting via the elections webpage.
  6. Reps will be informed by email if they have a position!

You can read the role description for Student Reps and Chair Reps to find out more about what they do.

Student Rep elections timeline (2023/24):

September 2023

  • Rep Elections Nominations open: 9am on the 1st of September

October 2023

  • Rep Elections Nominations close: 9am, 9th of October
  • Rep Elections Voting opens: 12 midday, 10th of October
  • Rep Elections Voting closes: 12 midday on the 12th of October
  • Rep Elections results announced: 13th of October (before 5pm)

Keep an eye out for our elections events on our What's On page and social media!

Resources and Training

Welcome to the hub for useful resources and training for our amazing current Student Reps!

Student Rep Guide - the go-to-guide for all things Rep-related!

STUDENT REP GUIDE FOR 2023/24 COMING SOON

We recommend that all Student Reps read through the Student Rep guide, worked on by previous Student Reps to help you to gain an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of the Student Rep scheme and your role as a Student Rep!

Mandatory Training

You must undertake the mandatory online training in order to fully undertake the role of Student Rep. Find your training by following the steps below:

  1. Login into your account on the SU website
  2. Go to your account
  3. Start the training!

You will also have a training day to attend on the 14th October, and a whole calendar of events and training sessions to attend throughout the year! Keep an eye on your emails for more details!

If you have any questions or accessibility requirements, please contact studentreps@sussexstudent.com.

Students’ Union’s Training Programme

As a Student Rep you have access to the new and exciting programme of free training exclusively designed for Student Reps!

Training sessions are delivered by a combination of providers including external trainers, organisers and staff from various organisations as well as internal members of staff at the University and SU! Training includes a wide range of topics including:

  • Community Organising
  • Difficult conversations and Signposting
  • Unconscious bias and Conscious Inclusion
  • Chair Training
  • Careers support and CV training
  • Communicating with your Peers
  • Networking
  • And Much more!

This programme is a unique opportunity for Reps at the SU to work on personal development so that you can further develop your skills as a community of empowered and experienced change makers!

Key Contacts

If you have any questions or concerns during your time as a Rep, please do get in touch, we are always here to help!

The Rep Team
At the Students' Union:

At the University:

Find out more about the recognition and awards you can get involved with as a Student Rep!

Recognition and Awards

At the SU, it is really important to us that we celebrate the amazing work that you do during your time as Student Rep!

Student Awards

Every year the Students’ Union holds its annual Student Awards event in the Spring Term. Students, reps and staff have the opportunity to nominate Student Reps for various awards. The winner is announced on the night of the Student Awards celebration. Look out for messages about this nearer the time!

Spirit Of Sussex Award

Get involved with the Spirit of Sussex award where you will earn points through your role as a Student Rep! Once you have earned enough points, you will be presented with your award at Graduation!

Celebrating Student Reps on Social Media and in the SU Newsletter!

Don’t forget to let us know about your achievements as a Rep and we will celebrate your successes on social media and in the newsletter, just email studentreps@sussexstudent.com

Employability & Skills Tracker

At the SU, we recognise that when you graduate you want to stand out from the crowd, and that there is so much more to University than a degree. You can use the Employability and Skills Tracker to record your skills and capture the experiences you are gaining outside of your studies through volunteering and be rewarded for that.

Certificates/Reference for LinkedIn

Student Reps can also request a certificate or reference for their LinkedIn account towards the end of the year. If you would like this, email studentreps@sussexstudent.com

Resources for University Staff

Student Rep Guide for Staff

This section is for University members of staff. Learn more about the Rep Scheme by reading our in-depth comprehensive Student Rep Guide for Staff.

If you have any questions and want to get in touch, please do not hesitate to contact us!

The Rep Team
At the Students' Union:

At the University:

In this section

Student Reps

Phone Number

01273 678319

Email

studentreps@sussexstudent.com

All contacts

SU contact list