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This section outlines each step of recruiting Academic Reps to ensure you can make informed decisions for your department. Don't forget, if you'd like further guidance just ask The Students' Union Voice team.
Based on feedback from the Rep Review, you said you wanted more flexibility within the Academic Representation system. We also know that each department and course has different types of students who will engage with different types of recruitment methods. That is why, from Spring 2026, we will be providing you the freedom to decide how you will recruit Reps to ensure it is a way that works for both you and students.
We appreciate that as teaching staff you are very busy and that the thought of trying to organise an election to find your Academic Reps may sound unachievable. We have created a guide with a variety of different election methods, with a view that one of them will be suited to you and the needs of your cohort.
We generally recommend recruiting Academic Reps in a democratic and visible way means that students are more likely to engage with the process of student voice and representation and engage with their Student Reps as they feel involved in the decision and can begin potentially putting faces to names.
We ask Academic Rep candidates to self-nominate, i.e. put themselves forward to be a Rep. This is often best done in a welcome lecture where you have students all in one place.
Once you have conducted your chosen method of recruitment in one of the suggested methods or another approved method, please send over the name and email of the student or students who will be undertaking this representative position. They will be given access to the appropriate resources and training needed to complete their role.
For Spring 2025, we will continue to recruit all Academic Reps through our online elections.
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Within the SU, we conduct online elections which are done through our website. The benefit of doing this is to provide an easy way for all students to engage whether they are on-campus, at home, or in a lecture. Online elections also provide an anonymous way for students to vote which is not always possible with an in-person vote. Finally, all of the work into producing the result is done by us, which means no physical counting for you!
Each nominee will be required to provide a preferred picture of themselves and a manifesto stating their reason for standing for the position. Within this 500-word manifesto, nominees should express why they would like to be an Academic Rep, including any previous experience in representing their peers. Additionally, they may wish to state any objectives they would like to achieve if they were to become an Academic Rep.
Inevitably, despite recruitment efforts, there will be some Rep roles that remain vacant. From Spring 2026, you will be able to choose which method you wish to use for filling this roles. We recommend either using the original recruitment method or a sign up form. To uphold fairness and democracy within the sign up method, we ask that you include the requirement of writing a supporting statement (500 words max) about why they should be chosen as a Rep. This should then be approved by a staff member and at least one current Representative.
For Spring 2025, after the elections we will send a link to the by-election form. All "co-options" of Reps will be approved by one of our elected SU Officers.