Welcome to the page for Exeter Reps. You can find information about each rep role, the meetings that you will attend, and other information which will help you to be as effective as possible in your role as a rep.
Rep Roles
Subject Chair
Subject Chairs are senior academic representatives, representing all students studying in their subject area and chairing their subject area Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC). Some subject areas have separate undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate taught (PGT) Subject Chairs, whereas others will have the same Subject Chairs represent all students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Subject chairs work closely with the reps within their SSLC to ensure that student feedback is actioned and all students within their subject area are aware of the positive changes being made.
Course Reps
Course Reps are the foundation of student representation, promoting a partnership between students, academic staff, and the SU. They ensure that the experience of their peers is represented throughout their studies by collecting feedback to present to staff at various points throughout the year, primarily at Student Staff Liaison Committees.
It is the responsibility of a Course Rep to ensure that the majority opinion of their course year group is heard by academic staff and that appropriate action is taken in response to student feedback.
It is also a key function of Course Reps to ensure that students are aware of how they are represented through The SU and how they can have their voice heard during their time at university.
EDI Reps
EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) Reps work alongside Course Reps and Subject Chairs to monitor and champion Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion within their course cohort and wider subject area. In this role, you will gather feedback from students in underrepresented groups and share this feedback with fellow reps and their department, making sure that these discussions are mindful of the whole student community.
EDI Reps play a key role in ensuring that underrepresented students within their cohort know how they can gain support and representation through the SU on matters that impact them based on their personal identity.
Please note that, whilst this role specialises in supporting underrepresented students, this role does not negate other academic reps' responsibility to ensuring all students are given a chance to have their voice heard.
Portfolio Reps
Portfolio Reps are course reps that focus on a specific area within a department’s Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC). Each subject area may vary on what portfolio rep roles they have within their SSLC. Some examples of portfolio rep roles include, but are not limited to:
Employability reps – Work with course reps to ensure a focus on the development of employability skills within the department, as well as the provision of the Career Zone.
Study Abroad/Placement (outgoing) reps – Representing the experience of students on a study abroad or placement year within their subject area.
Study Abroad/Placement (incoming) reps – Representing the experience of students who have just returned to university after a study abroad or placement year within their subject area.
PGR Reps
Postgraduate Research (PGR) Reps operate incredibly similarly to course reps; they still collect feedback from other PGR students and serve as a point of contact between staff and students on matters relating to academic representation.
There are some small differences between thee PGR Rep role and general course reps:
- Due to the nature of postgraduate research, PGRs represent their peers by research group rather than course group.
- The main meetings that PGR Reps attend are called Postgraduate Research Liaison Forums (PGRLFs). More information about these meetings can be found below.
Rep Meetings
Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs)
The main meetings that all undergraduate and postgraduate taught reps will attend is the SSLC. SSLC stands for Student Staff Liaison Committee and is where staff and students come together to discuss feedback and developments in the department. Chaired by the Subject Chair, and supported by the Director for Education and Student Experience, is the place to raise feedback that you have gathered from your course mates, and to share what is going well, and where there could be improvements. These meet one to two times a term, and the agenda will be shared with you ahead of the meeting.
Postgraduate Research Liaison Forum (PGRLFs)
If you are a postgraduate research rep, you will attend PGRLFs. This is a meeting forum composed of a research group’s Representatives and key staff members. Each PGRLF will typically meet four times a year to participate in the composition, management and review of a subject’s research community and culture, with a view to improving the quality of supervision and research.
This is a meeting with senior staff from the university for EDI Reps to discuss developments, and to share how the university could be more supportive of students from underrepresented groups. This meeting takes place once a term, and usually via Teams. You can always catch up with staff outside of these set meetings. Sometimes it is better to try and solve some problems in this way, as it will meet students will get their issues sorted, without having to wait for the next SSLC!
Extra Training Resources
Open Learn - Open Learn covers Open University free courses which you can create an account for, and for free! The courses cover a wide range of topics, and some are part of modules offered by the Open University as well.
LinkedIn Learning – LinkedIn Learning covers a whole range of courses around skills development, and really good IT and Microsoft Office courses.
CareerZone – Career materials and employability in general, as well as the Exeter Award.