So, it is more than obvious that I tried to come up with a
clever name here (I watched Sherlock at the weekend and thought that I was more than qualified for this task, with a clever yet witty name. More fool
me) but somehow failed miserably. None the less, we move on and are better for
the experience.
It’s that very magical time of year that we all look forward
to the bestest and brightest of our students getting the chance to put
themselves forward to be a ‘Faculty Rep’. They're in one of the most
influential roles that a student can be in within the University, with the
power and responsibility to change just about anything that they see fit. Powerful, right?
So, I bet I know what you’re thinking (or at least you will
be thinking in a second or so) HOW DO THEY DO THIS?!?! (Ok, you weren't...but you are now, MAGIC). They are in a position to sit on the most senior
boards within the university, giving them the perfect chance to“create change”. These boards feed directly into UBTL (the University Board
for Teaching and Learning) where all the big decisions are made with concerns
to teaching and learning, AKA your courses.
Why should you become a Faculty Rep?
All in all, why would you want to be one? What could you
possibly get out of it? I’m sure when you leave university you'll want a job. Well, why wouldn’t you? None of us want to worry about security
and money, which is often a problem for many unemployed graduates these days.
However, what if this is something that didn’t have to apply to you? Employers
these days are looking for graduates who stand out more than others, with
skills that are gained from outside of your degree programme. As a faculty rep
you will be leading a group of course reps (approximately 50+), using their
feedback within some of the highest decision making processes (Senate) and
working very closely with myself and the VP Academic Affairs (HOW LUCKY ARE YOU,
that should be reason enough to run on its own).
Other benefits
Other than getting to represent your fellow students (a benefit in itself) you'll also get a couple of other benefits. These can vary depending
on the VP AA but I will tell you a few that I've put in place. I try to
keep the meetings as fun and informal as possible where we can share
information and ideas, but yet have a laugh. At the beginning training sessions
we ordered pizza (on RUSU of course) with dessert of Phish Food
ice-cream. In addition to this I have put them on the Union guest list so that
they don’t have to pay entry to Wednesday and Saturday nights out (which is a SICK new benefit I've put in place).
The long and short of it is, if you want to stand
out from your fellow students in securing that job you always wanted, and
feel you have what it takes to represent your fellow students in committees
that can have tangible affects across the whole University, then go
nominate yourself!
Much love.
Alex
VP Academic Affairs
