How do I get started in my role?
- Introduce yourself at the start of the year in a lecture or seminar group. Make sure everyone knows your name, what your role is and how to contact you.
- University staff will ensure that your details appear on My Class Reps once you have been elected/selected as a rep. You can upload a photo of yourself to personalise it a little more and ensure your classmates know who you are. (You will find out more about My Class Reps at the training).
- Inform the class about upcoming Staff Student Liaison Committee meetings, get your classmates’ input and remember to feed back to them about what went on at the meeting.
- Keep in contact with your School Rep / College Convenor, who can give advice and support and may even have dealt with similar issues in the past.
How do I deal with a problem a student has brought to me?
Make sure you get the full story from a student who wants you to help. Decide if it’s an isolated issue or affects other students as well. If it’s isolated then the Staff Student Liaison Committee may not be the correct place to address it, and a less public approach may be necessary (for example, you might need to refer the student to the SRC Advice Centre for help).
Approve any plan of action with the student. Follow the plan through and report back to the student. Remember if you’re unsure or need any help, speak to your School Rep/College Convenor or the Vice President (Education).
All this information and more can be found in the power point presentation ‘Becoming a Class Representative‘, which you can find under the ‘Additional Information’ tab on the Senate Office website. Also check out the resources available in the Student Representation Toolkit.
What does training involve?
The introductory training package offered to Class and PGR Reps by the SRC was originally put together in conjunction with sparqs but has been tailored by the SRC to specifically meet the needs of Glasgow students.
- It involves group activities designed to get reps thinking about the kinds of areas in which you can have an impact and things which are outwith your remit. You are expected to participate in the discussion and you will get more out of the training if you join in.
- It enables you to meet and discuss issues with other reps from within and outwith your area of study.
- The training breaks down the learning experience to get you thinking of specific questions you can ask your peers to gather useful feedback.
- Support structures are outlined so you know where to look for help and who to ask about important issues.
- Problem-solving and communication are addressed in an interactive way.
- Relevant University policies are signposted to give you an idea of what to look out for at Staff Student Liaison Committee meetings.
- For 2021-22, training is split between a self-study Moodle, followed by a one-hour Zoom seminar. Enrol yourself on the Moodle course here, and book your place on the Zoom seminar via MyClassReps.
What should I do if elections haven’t been organised?
If your tutor or lecturer has not facilitated the election of student representatives, ask why or contact the SRC. For more information on the Class Rep system in general, please contact the GUSRC Workshops email address or the SRC Vice-President (Education).
What if I’m a distance learning student or at an overseas campus?
Any student will be able to enrol on, and complete, the self-study Moodle course.
We hope that the dates and times scheduled for the Zoom seminars will also be suitable for everyone, but in the event that your time zone or other issue makes these problematic, please contact the GUSRC Workshops email address for further advice.