Student reps are the bridge between students and University staff. They are responsible for representing the academic interest of students on their course/department within the schools, gathering student feedback and presenting them to schools in order to bring about positive and meaningful change.
As some of you may know, the University Education Committee approved a review of the student rep recruitment system in June. This review recommended a 2 Year Trial of the removal of elections for course reps. This trial will begin in September this year and conclude with a full review and recommendations in Summer 2026.
How will course reps be appointed?
Course reps (reps who were previously elected for each year of their academic course) will no longer be elected by the Students’ Union. Instead, they will be able to sign up on the Students’ Union website from the 1st of September until the 7th of October, they will only become reps if they complete online training modules before the deadline on the 14th of October. The sign up form will be found on the Students’ Union website which is currently being updated.
It is very important that all reps are inducted this way via the form, as this is the only route that we can ensure reps are supported by the Union and University, that they have access to online training and resources, gain additional paid opportunities, receive certificates and more.
Once the deadline has passed, if certain courses or rep positions are left without adequate numbers of reps, please let the member of staff that coordinates the student rep scheme for your school know. This member of staff will work with the central Rep Team to ensure that the form for any given course is reopened to continue recruitment
Additional support will be provided from the central Rep Team for courses with larger rep cohorts so reps can work together to share feedback and delegate meeting responsibilities .
(Please note that the systems for the Institute of Development Studies and the school of Education and Social Work do work slightly differently, if you’d like to know more please email Flo at studentreps@sussexstudent.com.)
Election of Senior Course Reps and Committee Reps
Senior Course Reps (previously known as Chair reps) and reps that sit on senior committees such as Senate, University Education Committee, Student Voice Sub-Committee, Portfolio Approval Committee, PGR Board and it’s sub-committees and more, will all still be elected in October by the Students’ Union. International Student reps and Accessibility reps will also be elected for each school.
If you are promoting the student rep scheme as part of your role, or come across a student or PGR who would like to be a rep, please direct them to the Students’ Union website where they can sign up from the 1st of September. We will be sharing promotional resources for the rep scheme shortly.
If you have any questions, would like to learn more about the rep scheme or enquire about further support, resources and promotional materials please contact Flo at studentreps@sussxestudent.com any time!