Please fill in the Equality and Diversity Monitoring From 2026/27

BEFORE WE START

ACADEMIC REP INDUCTION

INTRO TO ACADEMIC REPRESENTATION

CJ White

Academic Communities Coordinator

Matthew Paterson

VP Education 2025/26

President-elect 2026/27

Mia Langston

Representation and Engagement Assisstant 2025/26

INTRO ACTIVITY

10 Mins

Turn to the people around you and introduce yourself

Ask each other:

• Why did you become a Rep?
• If you have been a Rep before, what changes have you noticed in your departments?

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YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT!

• Academic representation at Royal Holloway is not just a box ticking exercise.

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• The feedback you collect is raised and discussed in Staff-Student Action Meetings. Staff from these meetings act on this feedback and will deliver updates as the year goes on to ensure you know the impact you have.

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• But its not just your department! Feedback from SSAMs forms part of the University Annual Review. This means trends are found and analysed across the University, meaning your feedback causes widespread change.

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• In the past, reps have been able to...

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• Have their say on assessments
• Encourage more departmental socials to increase community building
• Get involved in SU campaigns to improve student life.

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What will you learn?

01

What is Academic Representation?

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The Academic Representation Structure

SSAMs & Collecting Feedback

Recognition & Awards

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WHAT IS ACADEMIC REPRESENTATION?

RHSU DEFINITION:

“The purpose of academic representation is to achieve

positive change that improves the educational

experience of students at Royal Holloway University and engages students as partners in the development, assurance and enhancement of their learning”

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

In short:

Academic Representation allows students the opportunity to make changes that they would like to see at a course level all the way to the university level.

THE ACADEMIC REPRESENTATION STRUCTURE

• Academic representation at Royal Holloway has five levels

• Each level of representation has specific responsibilities and duties to make sure the system is as effective as it can be.

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• Each level feeds into the one above it, and vice versa, to ensure a constant flow of information from one end of campus to the other.

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AS A REP YOU SHOULD HAVE:

SOME OF THE KEY SKILLS YOU WILL DEVELOP:

• Excellent communication skills
• An ability to listen and effectively represent students’ views
• A basic understanding of education policy issues
• A commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion
• Strong relationships with students, University staff and the Students’ Union

As a Rep you should have:

Some of the key skills you will develop:

• Excellent communication skills
• An ability to listen and effectively represent students’ views
• A basic understanding of education policy issues
• A commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion
• Strong relationships with students, University staff and the Students’ Union

• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Strategic thinking
• Decision making
• Problem solving
• Delegation

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P.S. These can go on your CV

COURSE REP RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attending, and contributing to, SSAM for your department and level of study.

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• Gathering feedback from students in your department and passing it onto Senior Course Reps ahead of the SSAM

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• Working alongside, and maintaining relationships with, academic staff in your department.

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• Maintaining relationships with VP Education and the SU Student Voice Team

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• Escalating issues to Senior Course Reps and/or staff when relevant

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SENIOR COURSE REP RESPONSIBILITIES

• Chairing (or attending) SSAM for your department and level of study.

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• Gathering feedback from Course Reps in your department and escalating issues to Faculty Rep and Department staff where relevant

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• Sending the feedback you have gathered from the Course reps to the designated member of staff for the SSAM so they can build the agenda

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• Working alongside, and maintaining relationships with, academic staff in your department.

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• Maintaining relationships with VP Education and the SU Student Voice Team

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Don’t forget that you are not responsible for looking after students’ wellbeing, but you can help to support them and guide them in the direction of someone who is trained and qualified to give support and advice.

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STAFF-STUDENT ACTION MEETINGS

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• Department Reps, Course Reps, and Senior Couse Reps attend the SSAM meeting for their department and level of study at least once per term and key members of staff will also be present.

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• Reps should speak to students ahead of the meeting and gather any feedback they have that they would like to raise.

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• Senior Course Reps send all feedback to an identified member of staff at least two weeks ahead of the meeting who will add each point onto the agenda for the meeting.

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• The identified member of staff should invite all attendees with plenty of notice and include important details such as time, date, and location along with the agenda and any other useful documents.

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STAFF-STUDENT ACTION MEETINGS

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• Staff will have the opportunity to update reps on developments happening behind the scenes that may be useful for them to know.

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• Identified members of staff and Department Reps will record identified actions which need to be completed as part of the ‘Staff-Student Action Log’.

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• These logs are a live document which are to be hosted in an individual department MS Teams channel. It is the responsibility of the Department Rep to upload these.

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• In agreement with the Students’ Union, Department staff may choose to adapt the model so it works as best as it can for their individual department.

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• Faculty Reps should attend SSAMs wherever possible to provide feedback and help inform their initiatives.

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PROFESSIONALISM AND EXPECTATIONS

PEER SUPPORT

As a Course Rep, you will regularly be in contact with other Course Reps and Senior Course Reps in your department throughout the year.

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The SU website has a ‘find my rep’ page which will be updated after training has been completed.

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Just type in your department and you will find the names of the reps, their role, course and year of study.

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Peer Support

As a Course Rep, you will regularly be in contact with other Course Reps and Senior Course Reps in your department throughout the year.

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The SU website has a ‘find my rep’ page which will be updated after training has been completed.

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Just type in your department and you will find the names of the reps, their role, course and year of study.

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SUBJECT TO CHANGE

TEAMS CHANNEL

As a Course Rep, you will have access to a Team's channel for your department and faculty.

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Use this to share information with other Reps in your department and find out which staff will be involved in your SSAMs!

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Your Department and Faculty Rep will also be on this channel so it’s a good way to contact them too.

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If by September, you have not been added to this Teams channel or do not know how to access it – please email the Voice Team

voice@su.rhul.ac.uk

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SIGNPOSTING

Don’t forget that you are not responsible for looking after students’ wellbeing, but you can help to support them and guide them in the direction of someone who is trained and qualified to give support and advice.

*University Wellbeing - The team are not a crisis service but do provide mental healthcare to students who require support.

Other key contacts:

voice@su.rhul.ac.uk

Student Voice Email:

Head of Department & Course Convenors

• Provide support from the Academic Communities Coordinator with 121s and other meetings
• Send monthly Rep newsletters directly to you
• Shout about your achievements and successes!

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SU SUPPORT

FACULTY REPS

Faculty Reps are elected during the Community elections in Spring – there is one for each of the three Faculties

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They are responsible for representing students in their Faculty and attend university meetings to advocate for students.

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They also work with Department Reps and the VP Education to collect and prioritise feedback, escalate relevant issues, and work on the Priority 8.

FACULTY REPS

Eton Holloway

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

JJ Littleton

Faculty of Science

Alia Akhtar (She/Her)

Faculty of Business and Law

DEPARTMENT REPS

Department Reps are elected during the Community elections in Spring – there is one for each Academic Department.

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They are responsible for representing students in their Department and attend departmental meetings to advocate for students.

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They also work with Faculty Reps and the Academic Communities Coordinator to collect and prioritise feedback and escalate relevant issues.

DEPARTMENT REPS

History & Classics

English & Modern Languages

Royal Holloway Business School

Royal Holloway Law School

Geography & Sociology

Politics, International Relations & Philosophy

Music, Drama & Media Arts

Economics

Psychology

Biological Sciences

Computing, Security & Mathematics

Physical Sciences & Engieering

Jessica Yoon Oo (She/Her)

Emma Chaudheri

Alexandra Bicher

Wania Ahmed

Jennie Charlton

(co-opt)

Vacant

Ruby Peresso

Damian Penko

Maisie Chan (She/Her)

Oskar Warren

Karis Luk (She/They)

Harry Mugridge

REP STRUCTURE

THIS DIAGRAM SHOWS HOW EACH LEVEL OF REP FEEDS INTO ONE ANOTHER

STUDENT LEADER CONFERENCE

UNIVERSITY STAFF SUPPORT

If you are unsure who to contact from your faculty:

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• Use Teams to see who is added to your channel or to send a message

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• Your Faculty Helpdesk can point you in the right direction

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• Contact the Secretary for your SSAMs

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• If you need to contact someone for a specific action, contact the person listed in the Action Log that is responsible for it

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University Staff are able to help you with queries related to the SSAMs or actions.

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Senior Course Reps will also need to send the collated feedback to the designated person two weeks before the SSAMs.

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A good relationship with University Staff will allow you to make more positive change.

Key Contacts

CJ White

Academic Communities Coordinator

Josh Walker

VP Education 2026/27

Additional Support

Representation and Engagement Assistant – Hiring for this role will happen in July.

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Drop ins:

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Mondays 14:30-16:00

Thursdays 10:00-11:30

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Website Resources:

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Rep Hub

‘Your Impact and ‘Rep of the Month’

Voice BBQ and End of Year Awards

If you have attended, or sent apologies for, at least 3 SSAMs over the year, you will receive a certificate to celebrate your work over the year and a burger and drink on the SU!

This is where we also award Course Rep and Senior Course Rep of the Year!

‘Your Impact’ and ‘Rep of the Month’ are great ways to shout about your achievements as a rep.

‘Your Impact’ submissions can be used to tell us something you have done that you want to share!

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Every month , the submissions will be reviewed, and VP Education will choose a Rep of the Month based off the submissions we receive.

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‘Rep of the Month’ winners will get to sit down with our VP Education and share their own news article on the SU website as well as have a section dedicated to them in the monthly Rep newsletter.

Next Steps

Completing Training

Admin

Over summer you will be added to the website and Teams Channels.

Autumn Rep Recruitment and Elections

First SSAMs

JUN 26

AUG/SEPT 26

SEPT/OCT 26

OCT/NOV 26

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ANY QUESTIONS?

STUDENT LEADER CONFERENCE