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Fit to Sit and Baltics Tour – President: Education on January

Tuesday 06-02-2024 - 15:29

Fit to Sit and A Baltic Tour – President: Education January 2024 Update

By President: Education - Dola Dada

The year started off with a trip to Europe to learn about Students’ Unions outside the UK. This trip was organised by WonkHe and had about 20 students’ unions from all over the UK and Ireland. On this Baltics tour, we visited Latvia, Estonia and Finland. The itinerary included visits to students’ unions, student associations, sororities and fraternities. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from our counterparts in Europe and look for practices we could replicate here.

President: Education Dola Dada

President: Education Dola Dada

A Baltics Tour

The first thing that was apparent was the level of influence students had in decision making across all the Higher Education institutions we visited. 20% of the university senate is made up of students. This is a regulatory requirement, we also found out that the political environment was generally student supportive. Students have subsided lunch, maintenance grants and healthcare paid for by the SU. Students’ union membership is compulsory and students pay annual membership fees which are used to fund the students' union.

It was exciting to see the level of engagement of students with SU activities. It is normal for a student to belong to a student association; many students actually belong to multiple associations. There is also a high proportion of students engaged in volunteering, signing up as tutors for new students and it is also worth noting that all the student reps are all full-time students, including the elected officers. In Finland, we found students’ unions that were running large commercial operations including student hostels, real estate and restaurants. Student associations also had offices and spaces in some students’ union buildings where they could hold regular meetings and special events like annual balls.

It would be incredible to see student engagement and involvement here like I saw in Europe where students live by the maxim that being a great student experience goes beyond academic pursuit but rather encompassing and experiencing all other spheres the school has to offer.

Campaigns

Campaigns continued this month as I gathered evidence to present to the University management on my priorities. The survey on the Fit to Sit Policy started in December and is running through January to the middle of February. The survey can be found here if you would be happy to take part. Research into the activities of essay mill vendors is also ongoing. All this data will be collated to write the report which will evidence the need for change. I’m looking forward to the meeting next month where I get to present my findings and I shall be updating everyone in my February blog about how that goes.

Another highlight this month was receiving my certification as Student Governor from Advance HE! Being a member of the University’s governing body carries a great deal of responsibility, therefore I'm delighted to receive the necessary training for the position. This has increased my confidence and skills in carrying out this role. I have gained skills in stakeholder management, prioritisation and negotiation in the last six months. As I continue to contribute my knowledge of the student experience to the Board of Governors, I look forward to influencing decisions that will improve the student experience here.

Other regular activities continued in the month, student representation meetings, lots of committees and steering groups, just another month in the life of an officer.

See you same time next month with more updates!

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Officers

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President: Education, January,

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