The purpose of this brief guide is to give you, dear student, some clear guidance on where to go if want to influence the community you are a part of. Whether or not you have gone into a position of student leadership, we want to make sure we give you the agency to say your piece and, most importantly, generate change with it.
In the next few pages, you'll find different flow charts – made as simple as possible – with corresponding explanations. I divided the guide into four kinds of influencing pathways: operational changes; university influence; representational requests; and SU proposals. What each of these mean, you can see in their respective sections.
This is something that we're trialing for the first time this year, so please reach out with any comments, suggestions, questions, or concerns, were you to have any.
All the best and I wish you effective influencing!
Quick Links:
x Keep the emails or messages you received about it, just have them available as reference if needed.
x Wait for your change to be enacted :)
x
I want the university to...
If you have a University policy concern. For example: we need to have a university policy on support to students affected by conflict. Then please contact the relevant student leader:
Course related concerns: your academic reps.
Club or society related concerns: with your committee.
Accommodation related: your hall reps.
Was it addressed to your satisfaction?
Yes No
x Keep the emails or messages you received about it, just have them available as reference if needed.
x
Contact your relevant executive committee member.
Course related: there are academic, postgraduate, and doctoral execs.
Sport related: sports exec.
Society related: activities exec.
International student related: international exec.
Diversity and Support related: D&S exec.
Media related: media exec.
Did the relevant exec provide support / helped you achieve your goal?
Yes No
x Wait for your change to be enacted :)
x
Contact a SUmmit member to create a statement of issue and raise at the next meeting.
Did SUmmit address the issue?
Yes No
x Wait for your change to be enacted :)
x
I want the SU to speak out about...
If you have a specific stance you want the SU to take on an issue. For example: what the union's position is on UCU strikes that affect students. Then please contact the relevant student leader:
Course related concerns: your academic reps.
Club or society related concerns: with your committee.
Accommodation related: your hall reps.
The SU Officers - suofficers@bath.ac.uk
Was it addressed to your satisfaction?
Yes No
x Keep the emails or messages you received about it, just have them available as reference if needed.
x
Contact your relevant executive committee member.
Course related: there are academic, postgraduate, and doctoral execs.
Sport related: sports exec.
Society related: activities exec.
International student related: international exec.
Diversity and Support related: D&S exec.
Media related: media exec.
Did the relevant exec provide support / helped you achieve your goal?
Yes No
x Wait for your change to be enacted :)
x
Contact a SUmmit member to create a statement of issue and raise at the next meeting.
Did SUmmit address the issue?
Yes No
x Wait for your change to be enacted :)
x
Propose, whether to SUmmit or to an SU officer directly, that this issue is put to a vote by the entire student body ie, a referendum.
x
I have an idea...
If you have an idea for an SU proposal. For example: we should offer free first aid courses to all students. Then please contact a SUmmit member.
This is the main SU decision-making body that students can influence. Were the proposal to be successful with SUmmit members, they well then recommend it to the SU's leadership group (composed of the officers and senior management team).
Was it addressed to your satisfaction?
Yes No
x Wait for your change to be enacted! (Depending on the resource implications of your proposal, it might require approval at SU board level if it's above a certain cost threshold. You will be informed if this is the case, and it might take a little bit longer to implement the change!)
x
Contact one of the SU officers directly.
Either contact one officer directly or contact them all at suofficers@bath.ac.uk, and one of them will answer as soon as possible.
Give them about three weeks to get back to you, as sometimes it takes some time for us to gather all the relevant information.
Did the relevant officer provide support / helped you achieve your goal?
Yes No
x Wait for your change to be enacted! (Depending on the resource implications of your proposal, it might require approval at SU board level if it's above a certain cost threshold. You will be informed if this is the case, and it might take a little bit longer to implement the change!)