EUSA: governance, democracy & representation Sarah Purves; Acting Director (Representation, Student Support and Activities) Alex Munyard; Vice-President Academic Affairs Edinburgh University Students’ Association
Dec 22, 2015
EUSA: governance, democracy &
representation
Sarah Purves; Acting Director (Representation, Student Support and Activities)Alex Munyard; Vice-President Academic AffairsEdinburgh University Students’ Association
Overview
• Organisational governance• Student democracy framework• Student Representation• Elections• Referenda: membership decision-making
• Relationship with national representation frameworks• Impact of representation and engagement• Challenges
History
• The 1889 Universities (Scotland) Act made provision for universities to establish structures for student representation.
• The University Court (Edinburgh University governing body) recognises EUSA as the official body that represents Edinburgh University Students.
(through formal regulations made in 1895)
• The UK Education Act (1994) sets out very clear responsibilities for Universities and makes provision for Student Union recognition.
EUSA’s Organisational governance
1. Constitution: ‘Articles and memorandum of Association’Sets out the legal framework for EUSA:
it’s purpose and scopeit’s membershipwhat it can and can’t dowhat the governing body is and how it should operate: Trustee Board
2. ‘Regulations’: set out detail of particular aspects of our operation, and can be changed more easily to reflect changes within or outside the organisation
3. Delegation of Authority: sets out the responsibilities the Board delegates to it’s subcommittees, and to the Association’s staff.
Organisational governance
EUSA’s Trustee BoardResponsible for:• legal and financial health of the organisation.• That good governance processes exist and that good
processes and structures are in place for the day to day running of the organisation• Strategic direction of the organisation• Carrying out legal duties under Scottish charity legislation:
including submitting accounts.
• 4 sabbatical officers, 5 other elected students, 3 appointed External Trustees (appointed for skills and experience)
Organisational Governance
• The Board has established subcommittees to process business efficiently• Our ‘Delegation of Authority’ document makes responsibilities
clear.
TrusteeBoard
Finance Human Resources Elections Nominations Trading Strategic
Planning
Student Democracy: Elected sabbatical officers• Current students• Take a year out of their studies to work at EUSA and lead
the organisation• Supported by professional staff for continuity and expertise
in day to day running of the organisation.• Paid – the University funds these roles• Training and support – they build up experience and
knowledge and these positions are well-respected within the institution• Some universities have part-time sabbatical posts – who
participate in the union and study at the same time.
Student Democracy at EUSA
Student Council
To debate and set policyTo agree how the budget should be spent
Represent groups with specific needs
Plan campaigns and carry them out Where students discuss school-related issues & influence local activity: mainly but not exclusively academic in focus.
Academic Committee
WelfareCommittee
External Committee
Schools Councils
Liberation Groups
StudentSectionGroups
Class Reps
Student representatives – what our student council looks like.
4 sabbaticals
Academic Campaign organisers x3
1st year Academic Rep
Welfare campaign organisers x3
1st year Welfare rep
External campaign organisers x3
1st year external rep
School Reps3 per school
(1 UG; 1PG; 1 UG/PG)
Liberation group conveners x4
LGBT WomenBME Disability
Section Group conveners x 3
International PGMature
Representation to the UniversityCentrally:• Students are well represented and their input is valued and respected on
university level committees• This has taken time to establish and was more challenging in the
corporate/behind the scenes areas (e.g estates management etc)• EUSA has worked with the university to increase the number of places
where the student voice is included• EUSA provides briefing and training, and we help our reps develop
positive working relationships with key university academic, management and administrative staff.• New initiatives and project groups always include students
Representation in a devolved institution• Formal Committee structures at School and College level include spaces for
student representatives.• At course level - class reps represent the views of students to their teachers
and course management team• Formal recognition and acceptance of this system by University Senate was
key.• EUSA provides training and support for these reps – working in partnership
with SPARQS.• New for 2013-14! School councils project: EUSA provides dedicated staff
support for students to shape local mechanisms to shape policy and practice at School level
Elections
• General election: in March• By-election: in October – to
enable new 1st years to participate, and to fill any seats not filled in March• Students must collect signatures
of students backing them before they can submit their nomination.• Need clear and simple rules
Elections
• Online voting – verified using student membership data from the university.• Single transferable vote system.• Any student can vote – except for School positions where you must be
in that school.• We provide a budget for candidates so they can publicise their
campaign.• We have an Assistant Returning Officer who works for EUSA to run the
election, and NUS provide a Returning Officer to verify the process
Referenda• Direct democratic engagement with our members• Our mechanism for ANY students/members to submit policy, and ALL
students can vote.• Students must collect 500 signatures supporting their motion, and
then we will hold a referendum.• Replaced ‘General Meeting’ as the ultimate decision-making body, as
it got harder to get enough students to attend in person.• Policy is binding on EUSA unless it is ruled by the Trustee Board to be
not in the best interests of the organisation’s financial/legal stability.• We now run this using the same system as our elections.• Referenda is also the only way in which we can change our
Constitution.
National representation
• We elect students in cross-campus elections to represent the Edinburgh voice within NUS Scotland and NUS UK
• NUS provides training and support for student reps, and opportunities for reps to run for national positions
• We participate in the formation of national policy, and come together with students from all over the UK to campaign on issues• Higher Education funding• International students and immigration• Sexism on campus• Better mental health provision
Impact of student representation and engagement by EUSA• Longer library opening hours• Preventing £3000 fee rises for students studying abroad• Getting our university to change it’s system of academic support for
students• Investment in student union buildings and facilities• Getting our university to change it’s investment policy, and withdraw
investment from particular companies• Free drinking water on campus• Anonymous marking
Challenges: thinking about new structures
• Find out how students want to engage• On what sorts of issues?• When do they want to engage?• What sort of student union do your students want? What should it’s scope be?• Support your students in developing the structures: who will champion this
work at different levels within the institution?
• We have struggled to engage Postgraduate students, and participation in structured meetings has declined as student finances/student life has changed.• For us, we’ve discovered that a lot of students care about what’s going on on their course or in their school – so our School Councils get great attendance whilst Student Council can be variable.