How do we ensure that the diversity of student academic and wellbeing issues are tackled effectively? Anuoluwapo Ayo Ubikitan explains how the officer model at Salford helps

The post Faculty-based officers are about giving student communities power appeared first on Wonkhe.

Since the professionalisation of students’ unions to develop student representation and voice teams, all UK universities follow the Quality Code’s Student Engagement Theme to embed student-staff engagement in voice activities across their provision. Student engagement in the development of education through student voice activities such as student academic representation at course level is assumed as … Continued

The post Why we need a new benchmark for academic representation (and how you can get involved) appeared first on Wonkhe.

Alan Roberts finds a food bank in Oregon - and identifies the work going on around and underneath it to make the wider approach one that has maximum impact

The post Meeting students’ basic needs is about more than just a pantry appeared first on Wonkhe.

When campuses are quiet it's hard to engage students in the usual activity we might see during an election. Jim Dickinson identifies what SUs could do to maximise influence

The post What should SUs do when an election is in the Summer? appeared first on Wonkhe.

In tough financial times, it becomes even more important to collaborate to get things done. Over the last year, we have collaborated with our careers service regarding skills development, events, and awards, providing significant mutual benefit. With employment rates of Aberystwyth Students less than average in the sector, boosting employability is one of Aberystwyth University’s … Continued

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Amber Snary has been to her own Education Awards - and worries that the method of reward and recognition that it represents might need to change or evolve

The post Isn’t SU awards season all a bit elitist? appeared first on Wonkhe.

Oluwasola O’Adesulu has been to Westminster to communicate the concerns and issues facing students to policymakers. Here's how it went

The post What it’s like to advocate for students, SUs and HE in Parliament? appeared first on Wonkhe.

Taher Gadiwala and Tom Snape talk us through how community organising can help SUs get more involved in their local communities

The post Community organising can make a difference in local action appeared first on Wonkhe.

Huma Hasan sets out why it may be that students have less influence than they did in the past - and what needs to change to turn that around

The post Students need more influence. Here’s how we get it appeared first on Wonkhe.

Jim Dickinson wonders why he can't work out what SUs think about things - and reviews how it's done across Europe

The post Yes but what do students think? appeared first on Wonkhe.

Launching a student manifesto for the election, Beth Elder and Tesnime Safraou translate the struggles of students into proposals for government

The post Manifesto proposals driven by the struggles faced by students appeared first on Wonkhe.

Livia Scott considers the long-term strategic action that SUs might take as the cost of living crisis converts into a grim “new normal”

The post What should SUs do next on the cost of living crisis? appeared first on Wonkhe.

Orestis Collins-Alamanos describes the challenges to belonging when students don’t feel represented in their community

The post We need to make our sector much more inclusive appeared first on Wonkhe.

Mike Hill wonders if there's a tendency to sweep issues under the rug, or a shortfall in capacity to effectively address them, when issues arise for students

The post Sometimes student representation is about what’s not being talked about appeared first on Wonkhe.

Reflecting on a year in office and looking forward to the next, SU Bath President Jimena Alamo has a handover letter for herself

The post Why did I re-stand as SU President? appeared first on Wonkhe.

Reflecting on a week in the Balkans, Reece Lee argues that when we ensure students feel part of the community, they're better supported in all sorts of ways

The post Students are a part of society here appeared first on Wonkhe.

On the final day of our study tour to the Balkans and Austria, the team encounter populist politics, practical projects and education that promotes cooperation

The post Because nothing has to stay the way that it is appeared first on Wonkhe.

On Day 3 of the study tour to the Balkans and Austria, the team put down roots in subjects, pick up some credits and undergo a ceremonial philistration

The post Jump over the leather with a shout of salvation appeared first on Wonkhe.

Covid opened the doors for increasing numbers of neurodivergent students on campus. Nelly Luckett explores how SU disciplinary procedures might be letting these students down.

The post Covid exposed flaws in discipline for neurodivergent students appeared first on Wonkhe.

How can SUs and universities support neurodiverse student officers to represent their students effectively? Ibby Williams has advice

The post How to set up neurodiverse student leaders to succeed appeared first on Wonkhe.

Neurodivergent students may benefit particularly from clubs and socs - but only if they're run an in a way that these students can access them. Delane Hammill has tips for success

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On Day 2 of our tour to the Balkans and Austria, there’s a student Kampus to explore, mascots to meet and an endless array of project work to be impressed by

The post We live in a time when we are all too busy with ourselves appeared first on Wonkhe.

On Day 1 of our spring tour to the Balkans and Austria, the team fill their stomachs and notebooks with impressive student basic needs and rights work

The post Sometimes the rice is undercooked appeared first on Wonkhe.

On Day 0 of our spring tour to the Balkans and Austria, Jim Dickinson, Livia Scott and Alan Roberts come across a radical student community in Belgrade

The post 90 per cent of students are right and 10 per cent are not appeared first on Wonkhe.

Election(s) are coming - and SUs play a key role in making sure that students have their voice. Rhys Wallis gets into the whys and hows

The post We musn’t miss the boat on registering to vote appeared first on Wonkhe.

Sometimes universities decide to shutter a course - but beyond campaigning to reverse the decision, what can SUs do? Joe McGarry and Ellie-Mae Goodfellow roll their sleeves up

The post What can be done for students when their course is closed? appeared first on Wonkhe.

Duncan Abrahart has been talking to SU officers in small and specialist SUs - unearthing intolerable levels of pressure on those that lead them

The post What happens when the SU is… just you? appeared first on Wonkhe.

Back in September we first met a group of ex SU officers starting new university roles – and we caught up with them a few months later. Our cohort of past SU officers have now had over 9 months in their current roles as university staff members. So we’re catching up with them again as … Continued

The post Surviving, thriving and letting go: How to be an ex-SU officer appeared first on Wonkhe.

A disco, a fair and a series of dry talks. Olivia Flavell identifies what students need from the induction period - and what SUs can do to deliver it

The post High time to refresh our approach to Freshers appeared first on Wonkhe.

It’s not that long ago that the freshers bar crawl was pretty much a staple of freshers’ weeks across the UK. It might linger on, risk assessed to within an inch of its life within the odd society, but the days of lurid press coverage covering students covered in both fancy dress and vomit on … Continued

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