YUSU

WHAT IS A COURSE REP?

Course Reps are elected by their peers to represent the views and interests of students on department committees and within the Union. There should be at least one course rep for each year within your department (often two or three), who you can go to with any concerns or suggestions about how the department or aspects of your course are run.

You may be invited to a student-staff committee attended by academics from your course, from which Course Reps will refer issues to the main decision-making body within the department, the Board of Studies.

Course Reps are also responsible for ensuring that students are properly represented in regular monitoring of quality within the department, including the Annual Programme Review and Periodic Reviews every 5-6 years.

WHY SHOULD I BECOME A COURSE REP?

Making a Difference

Representation gives students a vital stake in the development of the department and the University as a whole. Course Reps are elected to promote constructive change and as a rep you will have the opportunity to make a real difference for the students on your course.

Meeting People

Representing people means knowing what they care about and the issues that matter to them. To do this you should try to speak to as many students as possible, not just those you already know. Those students will also come to you if they want you to raise a concern that they have with their academic experience. This provides lots of opportunities for you to meet new people and make friends across the department. You will also have the chance to meet many staff and academics, developing strong working relationships with them.

Employability

As well as the personal satisfaction of promoting students' interests, being a Course Rep can provide you with the opportunity to develop a range of transferable skills that will help you in the workplace beyond university. These include negotiation, presentation, public speaking, communication and meeting skills. You will also get the chance to use your training as a rep towards accreditation under the York Award for further recognition of the role.

Sense of Community

Studying at University isn't just about receiving teaching and taking exams; we all belong to academic departments that are communities of learning based around the mutual interactions of staff and students, teaching and research. Course Reps are a key part of bringing together the professional academics and the students within a department, fostering a shared sense of identity and a partnership in making these interactions as rewarding as possible.

HOW MUCH OF MY TIME WOULD IT TAKE TO BE A COURSE REP?

Not too much, although many reps find that enjoy taking on other responsibilities either within the Union or their department. As a minimum you should be prepared to attend each Board of Studies meeting and any Student Staff committees that the department holds, usually one of each per term.

WHEN ARE REPS ELECTED?

Course Reps are elected at the beginning of the Autumn Term of the academic year across all departments.

In 2011/12 the dates for Course Rep elections are:

• Nominations Open: 12pm, Friday Week 1 (14th October)
• Nominations Close: 12pm, Friday Week 2 (21st October)
• Voting Opens: 12pm, Wednesday Week 3 (26th October)
• Voting Closes: 12pm, Monday Week 4 (31st October)

Each stage of the election process occurs online at www.yusu.org/coursereps.

WHAT WILL I HAVE TO DO IF I STAND FOR ELECTION?

When you nominate yourself online, you will have to provide a short 'manifesto' statement. This should say why you want to be a Course Rep, what would make you a good representative and what you would do if elected. It only needs to be up to 250 words.

In order to get elected, you will need to convince your friends and coursemates to vote for you. This campaigning can begin once the nominations close and there are lots of ways you can campaign, from posters to videos to Facebook events. The only thing you must do is to keep your campaign positive, don't run down the other candidates and instead focus on your own ideas and qualities.

Some departments also run hustings events, question-and-answer sessions between students in the department and the candidates for Course Rep. To find out whether your department plans to do this - or to encourage them to do so - you should contact your departmental administrator.

WHAT SUPPORT DOES A COURSE REP RECEIVE?

All Course Reps are primarily supported by the Students' Union (undergraduate) or the Graduate Students' Association (postgraduate). This includes introductory training to familiarise new reps with the role and to foster relationships between reps within and across departments; further training is also available from the Union to enable reps to develop new skills and become more experienced at their role.

All reps are supported by the Academic Officer (who can support them in the case of any disputes or concerns within departments) and the Representation & Democracy Development Coordinator, who can provide administrative support, advise on good practice from other departments and institutions, and provide individual training or support if required.

‘Faculty’ Coordinators: these are students recruited from among the experienced course reps to offer support, advice and coordination to departments within each of the three traditional areas of study (Arts & Humanities; Science; Social Science). They will:

• Arrange regular meetings for you to meet and share experiences with other reps.
• Act as your first point of contact for questions or concerns you may have.
• Keep you informed about developments in YUSU Academic Policy, training 
• opportunities, conferences and other events that may be of interest.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECOMING A COURSE REP?

For more information about the course rep elections visit the Become A Rep section of the website by following the link on the left.

If you would like more information about Course Rep elections or what being a rep entails, email m.kidson@yusu.org or pop into the Student Centre (James College) for a chat.