Legally hardwired into our structures is a requirement to change some of the most senior leaders on our campus at least every two years.
We train and support them, put them into leadership positions and then say goodbye as they leave their SU officer roles.
The good news, and something which often surprises SU representatives at the start of their journey, is that these officers find a natural place in the university side of the partnership.
Back in September we first met a group of ex SU Officers starting new university roles – now we’re catching up with three of them a few months later.
So this is Christmas and what have you done?
The first term of the academic year is famously breakneck and the whole cohort discussed how much they had learnt and how quickly.
I really enjoyed learning as much as I did and at a real pace. Planning something like Welcome Week meant I got meet people from across the University, including many operational staff. I now feel like I have a much more confident grasp and picture of how the university works…
Oscar Minto explains as he reflects on his time at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:
I also got to hire and briefly manage some casual student-staff for Welcome Week and this felt like a bit of a milestone achievement for me.
As well as the formal learning, Ellie Short at University Arts London has learnt from her peers and the students she supports:
I didn’t totally understand how busy first term would be going into this role, despite being warned about it! Learning about how different disabilities affect students and what I can do to support them. I also have loved getting to know my team more, they are such a kind and understanding group of people who are helping me grow as a Disability Officer.
Deb Dey is undertaking a certificate for learning technology professionals but discusses some of the cultural events he’s been able to engage with such as Diwali or Halloween to build community. There are shifts from a sabbatical role too.
I’ve found it easier to balance work responsibilities with leisure activities, such as weekend travels and cultural explorations. I’ve got a more holistic approach to life.
The hat trick
Balancing different commitments, whether about personal space or areas of work is a common discussion among sabbatical officers. The “hats” model of activist, representative, trustee and portfolio work is tried and tested. Have the cohort noticed anything similar in their new positions?
There are definitely some cross overs in the hats of a Disability Advisor, I am still representing the students in my new role. I think there are also several different hats I have taken on from this role, as I have to work with students to identify their needs and challenges, liaise with course teams to ensure support has been put in place which I guess connects to representing students also, and connect with external providers and DSA to put support in place. There is definitely a big administration hat with my work, which is something I am adjusting to. It’s teaching me so much about being organised and efficient.
Oscar thinks that colleagues also call on his recent experience as a student representative (albeit at a different institution) more than he expected.
Instead of a representative hat, I would say this part of my role has transformed to more of an advocate hat. Perhaps it is because of my role… but colleagues sometimes rely on me to speak for, or in aid of students. For example, just before Autumn term started, I took part in a ‘AI in Higher Education’ discussion where I was labelled as bringing the ‘student/student experience’ viewpoint.
Although I do not attempt to ‘fill’ for the student voice at my institution, I do find myself working with colleagues who often query or try to understand how to better engage students. In this way, I feel like I am carrying the essence of my previously representative role. However, the clear boundary here is that my role is now much more focused on delivering and influencing the mechanisms from inside the university. I no longer speak on behalf of students, but work with colleagues to ensure we are actively improving student experiences.”
Sabbatical officer days often move focus swiftly between different meetings. Deb has been keen to get involved with different opportunities at work and this will mirror his experience at York Students’ Union:
I have been contacted to join our first alumni advisory board, then I will be joining the EDI and Staff Race Equality Forum (SREF) Operational Team steering groups. So yes, there are all adding up!
Poacher turned gamekeeper
One criticism of officers going to a university role is that they have in some way sold out or moved from ‘poacher’ to ‘gamekeeper’. We asked the cohort for their thoughts on this and would you have thought the same as an officer? Deb kicks us off.
As an officer, I was deeply committed to advocating for student interests and fostering positive change within the university community. I understand that some may perceive this transition as a shift in perspective.
However, I see it as an opportunity to contribute to the university’s mission and values from a different vantage point. While my role as an officer allowed me to actively engage in advocacy and challenge certain aspects of university operations, my current position as a university staff member allows me to work from within the system to effect positive change.
In many ways, I believe this transition complements my commitment to enhancing the student experience.
By working as a ‘gamekeeper,’ I have the opportunity to leverage my understanding of the challenges students face and use that insight to inform and improve university policies and practices. It’s a different approach to achieving the same goal – creating a supportive and enriching academic environment.
Ellie thinks her new position is complimentary to her time at Arts SU:
In my SU role, I was working towards projects to improve the lives of disabled students and I am still doing this in my role as a Disability Advisor, I think it’s been quite a natural progression for me! I still work to hold courses accountable when they don’t put the correct support in place for students.
Oscar:
I think there is an inherent “us and them” mentality when it comes to universities and Student Union’s (SUs) that is really forced upon you, regardless of the angle. I have seen Vice-chancellors and deans actively have to remember to incorporate the SU in their speeches and there is always politics around what the Union was responsible for and what it was not. By virtue of being two separate entities, even when a University signals that we are ‘one community’ it always does so in a way that singles out its holistic parts and drives a view that SUs are different from the core university.
With the context above, I think it is therefore only natural for many SU Officers, including myself, to view officer’s moving to work for the same University as selling out. This is especially the case when they take on work that the SU would deem as ‘union work’. There were moments where I felt similar feelings about former officers working at the University of Reading.
However, I was always keen to rationalise these, whenever possible – ultimately universities benefit from having staff members who value and advocate for strong student experiences. In some meetings I sat in as an Officer, I sometimes felt I played more of a ‘safety-net’ role. That meaning that I knew staff in that space not only genuinely cared about the best possible student experience, but also had a strong grasp of what the student body actually wanted. In those instances, I was confident that had I not been there, staff would have still found the conclusion that was best for students.
Therefore, my view of former officers taking university roles has actually taken on a much more positive spin over the past year. I believe officers take an inherent value of doing the best by students into their university roles. If, as SU officers, we are to stay true to our values of enhancing student voices, improving opportunities and bettering experiences for students, we should regard former officers in University positions as a generally good method of ensuring universities will value and listen to students.
Weighed and measured
The pressure of perceptions from others is nothing new to officers. They are often subject to scrutiny (both reasonable and unreasonable) from the student body. Is this something that they’ve noticed changing. Oscar:
The pressure of accountability from the electorate is no longer present in the way that it was. I feel it is potentially a bit easier working as a staff member, I feel directly accountable to my boss and the meetings that I report into and only indirectly accountable to the students around me. Of course, the desire to do a good job and to ensure students are benefiting from my work is still there, but I would say there is just less pressure on me based on the fact that I only feel directly accountable to a small amount of people.
Deb and Ellie agree that the values of integrity to do a good job are more important than the mechanisms of accountability that we see in SUs (such as student council).
Overall, while the specific pressures of accountability have shifted in my transition from an officer role to a staff member, my dedication to serving the best interests of the university and its stakeholders remains steadfast. I believe that will I continue to approach my work with a commitment to transparency, collaboration, and excellence, acknowledging that the accountability landscape evolves with each role and the specific context in which it operates.
And finally…
As current officers start to think about next steps, Oscar gives some insight into moving from a larger to a smaller organisation.
University roles in smaller institutions are likely to be a better place for former Sabbaticals than larger institutions. In my current role I have got to know so many different people from across the university – there does not seem to be a very long ‘chain of command’ which means I benefit from regularly engaging with directors and deans. In SU Officer roles we train ourselves to be effective at all levels and working for a smaller institution has really allowed me to do that.
