At the end of November, your Vice Presidents chaired their first Student Executives, supported by their student leaders. Here’s how they went!
At the end of November, your SU Vice Presidents chaired their first Student Executives, supported by their student leaders. Find out what went down from Sharanya (VP Education), Nisha (VP Wellbeing and Diversity) and Alastair (VP Societies and Sport).
Education Executive
As VP Education, I chair Education Executive! We discussed a range of topics during the Executive such as MAB mitigations and Extenuating Circumstances.
I updated members on my work as VP Education, including lobbying for more 24-hour study spaces to be available. I was able to secure The Recharge Zone and PC Lab 1. I also have been contributing to the Access & Participation Plan working group which looks at outreach work and financial support for our students.
School Reps updated members on their work in the role which included the running of events and drop-ins, social media accounts and supporting the Schools in communicating information to students.
Members were updated on the progress of the Academic Communities project and were invited to share their feedback. In this project, we aim to form a stronger relationship between academic societies and their departmental counterparts so that students feel a stronger connection with their peers forming an ‘Academic Community’.
Other topics were covered such as the Extenuating Circumstances policy and the UCU re-ballot, and members were updated on the current situation with regards to the decision to not partake in industrial action.
Executive members have been so integral in enacting change and I’m so glad for their support in ensuring we represent your academic interests as best as possible!
Wellbeing, Community & Diversity Executive
This term, as part of my role as VP Wellbeing and Diversity I had the incredible opportunity to serve as chair of the WCD Executive for the first time! The agenda for this meeting was designed to align with the goals of the Executive and to allow for productive discussion around issues related to wellbeing, community, and diversity.
I updated the Exec members on my manifesto points and what I have been working on, they also can ask questions and provide any feedback they may have. I also presented my Healthy Relationships campaign plan and asked four prompt questions to the members to gain feedback and ensure that student perspectives and voice have been considered. This campaign aims to raise awareness of toxic/abusive relationships and encourage healthy ones. This campaign will be taking place next week so make sure you get involved!
The Executive members were presented with four questions related to creating a better sense of community and belonging on campus to encourage discussion and new ideas around this topic.
I also shared a report which outlines the responses to our annual equality and diversity monitoring questionnaire for 2023/24. This report was brought to the Executive to ensure awareness of the responses as well as to identify potential barriers to equality and diversity and any strategies that can be adopted to overcome them.
I was nervous before chairing my first Exec however, I didn’t need to be! The meeting went well, and we had some good discussions and brainstorming sessions around important topics. I’m super excited for the next one which will be this term so we can get student voice and perspectives directly incorporated into my manifesto points and other project proposals, meaning the work we do at the SU will be reflective of student interests.
Societies, Sports & Opportunities Executive
One of the highlights of last term was chairing the first SSO Executive of the year! This meeting aimed to introduce everyone to their role, share my plans and perceptions when it comes to the Soc Sport role, and get as many opinions from the range of different members of the group!
I updated the Executive on what I had been up to through my Officer Update, a 7-page document which stated why I ran for the role, what I’d been up to so far, and what my plans were for the rest of the year!
I shared some rough ideas and plans for Society Awards this year and wanted to get a range of different opinions. It’s hard to make a ceremony that works for all our 100+ societies on campus, so the SSO’s feedback here was really important.
I shared my thoughts through a presentation on how I see sport fitting in at Royal Holloway, and how we can represent the successes across every sport better.
The Student Voice Manager updated and explained a planned new approach to Academic Societies on campus. Our SSO Executive this year has a range of different experiences with academic societies, so their input was really insightful into what would work best!
I’m really lucky to have such an engaged Executive this year, and I’m looking forward to bringing them into the discussions to help make it the best year for student groups!