academic representation handbook 2013/14

2 Goldsmiths Students’ Union, Academic Representation Handbook

ContentsContents

Welcome and Introductions 3

An Overview of Representation 4

Explanation of Roles 6

Your Full-Time Officers 8

DSC Reports 9

Departmental Student Coordinator’s Role 10

Student Representative’s Role 11

Representation Advice 12

Communicating with Students 14

Boundaries 16

Impact 17

Key Contacts 18

Important Dates 19

3Goldsmiths Students’ Union, Academic Representation Handbook

Introduction

The student feedback that is provided through DSCs and Representatives is invaluable and integral to creating and maintaining a great student experience at Goldsmiths. You play a key part in effecting change and making a difference.

As Departmental Student Coordinators (DSCs) and Student Representatives you are supported in your role by your department, the University’s Quality Office and the Students’ Union.

My role is based in the Students’ Union, as the Academic Representation and Student Voice Coordinator. I organise training for Departmental Student Coordinators and Student Representatives and provide support to all of you in your roles throughout the year. The Student Representation system at Goldsmiths is a good partnership between the Students’ Union and the University.

I very much look forward to working with you all over the coming year.

Becky CourtAcademic Representation and Student Voice [email protected]

Many thanks for taking on the role of Departmental Student Coordinator or Student Representative this year. These are the key roles that create a real and effective engagement between students and staff (not only lecturers but professional services staff and senior management as well). We all look to our student representatives to offer us help and guidance to improve the student experience: critical friends who won’t hesitate to tell us when something is not right, and hopefully tell us about when things are going well! It is important that representatives work from evidence and the views of fellow students, so being in touch regularly with students in your department is crucial. Please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance from department staff when you need it: every department has at least one staff member whose role includes assisting DSCs and Student Reps.

Feedback from student representatives can make an immediate difference, for example in course content and its structure and use of resources. Our excellent DSC reports in previous years have highlighted areas of real strategic relevance: topics such as assessment, communication and student support. These reports are considered in detail by the senior management team (SMT) and by our University committee concerned with learning, teaching and quality (LTQC). Also, when our degree programmes are reviewed, the views of student representatives are an important element, which have led to real change and improvement in our programmes. To begin, you might like to read about our current learning and teaching strategy, and talk with students and staff about how your department is responding to it (http://www.gold.ac.uk/learning/).

I wish you the best of luck in your role, which I I hope you find enjoyable, challenging and productive, and I look forward to meeting many of you during the year ahead.

Michael YoungPro-Warden (Students and Learning Development)


ContentsAn Overview of Representation

Representation at Goldsmiths is about enhancing the learning of students through the building of partnerships. Goldsmiths is committed to listening to its students and to taking their views into account in the development of its provision.

The student voice has a key role to play at many different levels at Goldsmith. Firstly through the Students’ Union at University level, Departmental Student Coordinators at department level and Student Reps at the programme level. DSCs work at the centre of all representation activities; communicating between departments, the Students’ Union and the University as a whole.

Representation at Goldsmiths comes in the form of a Students’ Union consisting of four elected full-time sabbatical offi cers and twenty-one part time offi cers, around 50 Departmental Student Coordinators and a number of programme level Student Representatives.

This handbook outlines the representation structures that are in place for students at Goldsmiths. The handbook also provides a support tool for Student Representatives and Departmental Student Coordinators (DSCs). It contains an outline of the role of Student Representatives and DSCs, key contacts, schedules and relevant information to help you in your role.


Feedback is a multi-channel system between students, Student Representatives, DSCs, departments, senior University staff, professional services staff, the Students’ Union and the University’s Quality Office. It is crucial that feedback passes between all these layers and comes back round full circle to students with comments on how that feedback is being acted upon or discussed.Feedback is given at each Staff/Student Forum meeting regarding any issues from the previous meeting that required action. Students are also able to view the minutes from both Departmental Board, Departmental Learning and Teaching Committee and Staff/Student Forum meetings, often displayed on the departmental/programme notice board, website and/or VLE. Departmental staff, DSCs and Student Representatives work together to identify and implement best practice and disseminate outcomes to students. Issues that remain unresolved at departmental level will be reviewed by DSCs and departmental staff, and where necessary raised with the Quality Office, who will report the University response back to departments. This ensures that students are informed of action taken in response to their feedback.


ContentsExplanation of Roles

This is a fi ve-day a week full-time post. Sabbatical Offi cers sit on various University committees and have responsibility for running the Students’ Union, managing budgets and leading on the organisation’s mission aims and values.

Write bi-monthly reports which are circulated to department staff, the Learning, Teaching and Quality Committee (LTQC) and University management. DSCs also participate in writing and presenting an annual project, promote student surveys, coordinate meetings, attend Departmental Boards, department Staff/Student Forums and monthly DSC meetings with the Students’ Union and Quality Offi ce, and assist in the recruitment of future DSCs and the wider promotion of the DSC role. DSCs may also be asked to sit on programme reviews and support other University events as required.

Attend meetings with Departmental Student Coordinators, Staff/Student Forum meetings, meet with course and programme leaders and department staff as required, and communicate and provide feedback between students, DSCs and department staff.

Represent students on their course, programme and/or in their year of study.

Represent students in their department.

Represent the whole student body.

Who do you represent?

What are the workloads / requirements / responsibilities?

StudentRepresentatives

Departmental Student Coordinators SU Sabbatical Offi cers


This gives students a good insight into how departments and the University work and enables students to get more involved, without the larger workload or report writing pressures of a DSC. The Student Representative role often leads to students wanting to become a DSC or SU Sabbatical Offi cer the following year. Student Representatives receive training and support from the Union, develop core transferable skills and receive a certifi cate for undertaking the role.

Gain experience working as a team with other DSCs, improving communication, organisation, leadership and time management skills. DSCs have the opportunity to make a difference to the student experience and input directly into University committees through the DSC reports and projects. DSCs receive a £400 bursary during their year of appointment to refl ect the larger workload they are required to undertake, including attending a number of meetings, report writing, presentations and promotional work.

Get to take on a full-time professional role, with a full competitive London wage. Developing leadership, communication and professional skills. A varied and busy workload gives Sabbatical Offi cers invaluable experience.

Nomination or election at programme levelApplication and interview

Election across all students at Goldsmiths

How do you get into the post?

What are the incentives?


ContentsYour Full-Time Offi cers

Representation lies at the heart of democracy, whether it’s representing yourself or others. Goldsmiths will face a number of funding challenges over the next few years so it is critical that students are fully represented and that we set a precedence of accessible, quality education at the forefront.

We work towards providing our staff, lecturers, tutors and seminar leaders with constructive feedback, working with them to improve education practice, whilst at the same time recognising the increasing pressure they fi nd themselves under. Yours is not an easy duty - mostly it’s a juggling-swords-whilst-riding-a-unicycle act. Lecturers and educational staff

care deeply about students and the learning process and will want to engage with you. If you are in this role then you clearly care about the quality of education. That is our top priority.

Position Name Email

President Conrad Grant [email protected]

Education Offi cer Søren Goard [email protected]

Welfare and Diversity Offi cer Joe Killin [email protected]

Campaigns Offi cer Howard Littler [email protected]

Søren Goard, Education Offi cer


DSC Reports

As a Departmental Student Coordinator you will be required to submit 2-3 bi-monthly reports over the course of the year. These reports are written per department. There are separate undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) reports, so if there are 2 UG DSCs in a department they will work on these reports together.

The DSCs bi-monthly reports will collate positive feedback, areas of concern and recommendations for improvement. All DSCs will be given a report template and guidance notes prior to the first bi-monthly report submission. The reports are written on the basis of feedback, which DSCs must collect and collate from students and Student Representatives. DSCs are asked to collect as much feedback as possible so the reports are representative. If DSCs are unsure about any of the issues being raised in the report they should consult with the DSC staff contact in the department to clarify, so the content of the report is as accurate as possible. The reports should not name individual members of staff or students and must be written from the perspective of the collective feedback given. The DSC reports are then circulated to the Students’ Union, Quality Office and each department, as well as shared with the University Learning, Teaching and Quality Committee (LTQC).

Each year the DSCs work in groups to produce annual DSC group projects, which are then presented to an audience of senior management and staff in March each year. The reports are usually between 3000 and 4000 words and the presentations are up to 10 minutes per group. The themes of the annual projects are selected from the issues and key topics raised in the DSC bi-monthly reports.

As a DSC you are required to promote the following surveys: National Student Survey (NSS), Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) and any other surveys undertaken by the University. Goldsmiths uses survey results and qualitative comments to improve the quality of its provision and services. The feedback could influence prospective students on their choice of university and it could send Goldsmiths up (or down) in league tables. Most importantly, it helps us to know where we are getting things right, and where we need to improve at Goldsmiths.


ContentsDepartmental Student Coordinator’s Role

A Departmental Student Coordinator (DSC) is a student recruited by the University, Students' Union and each academic department to serve for one academic year, acting as a point of liaison between the student body within their department, the Union and the University's Professional Services. In each department there is usually a minimum of two undergraduate Departmental Student Coordinators and one postgraduate Coordinator, with additional Coordinators being appointed where this is necessary to achieve an appropriate level of representation in larger departments. DSCs receive training, a role description, as well as remuneration in the form of a bursary.The Students' Union keeps DSCs informed and up-to-date with developments on a regular basis, and hold a database of appointed DSCs. Coordinators are required to keep in contact with students and staff in their department, as well as with the Students’ Union and the University's Quality Office. The Students' Union ensures that Coordinators are fully supported in their roles through close contact, training sessions and regular catch-ups.Departmental Student Coordinators work closely with Student Representatives in their department to ensure that the wider student voice is captured at the programme level. DSCs are required to produce reports on departmental student feedback, promote student satisfaction surveys, attend departmental meetings (e.g. Staff/Student Forum and Departmental Board) and participate in an annual project.

A Breakdown of the Role of a DSC• As a DSC you should aim to obtain and articulate feedback in a constructive manner, which would underline positive and

negative elements of students’ experience, as well as providing realistic solutions to departments on how to resolve these issues.

• Making students aware of your role as a DSC.

• To work with Student Representatives: The DSC system should complement the Student Representative system in each department.

Leadership:• Liaise with Student Representatives and students

within the same department on a monthly basis to identify issues and take them forward as appropriate.

• Lead on student issues and represent students in formal departmental meetings and more widely within the University.

Communication:• Gather and collate student feedback and use this to

suggest items for the agenda of the forum meetings and to write DSC department bi-monthly reports.

• Inform students of action taken in response to student feedback.

• Use an array of communication techniques to inform students of the DSC scheme.

• Liaise with the departments in order to set up structured opportunities to collect feedback from students.

• Communicate with Departmental Student Coordinators within and outside of your department.

• Communicate with Student Representatives within your department and build good relationships with them so feedback from students can be clearly identified and communicated as appropriate.

Organisation:• Highlight key issues within the department to the

department student contact, Students’ Union and University’s Quality Office via the appropriate channels of communication.

• Organise forums for discussion.• Organise meetings with Student Representatives in your

department.• Attend the timetabled DSC Tuesday meetings (usually

once every three weeks).• Attend departmental meetings.• Participate in the annual DSC project presentations.

Student Voice:• Aid in the organisation and coordination of student

voice events which include the promotion of surveys such as the National Student Survey, Student Barometer, Postgraduate Surveys and Continuing Student Survey.

• Goldsmiths carries out a number of periodic programme/department reviews each year as part of its quality assurance processes. There will be opportunities for a DSC to be a member of the panel for such reviews.

Duties


Student Representative’s Role

Being a Student Representative is an excellent way to have a say in the development of your degree programme. Student Representatives play a vital role at Goldsmiths; providing an essential link between the students and their programme of study, as well as with their wider department, DSCs, the Students’ Union and the University. Student Representatives have a narrower remit than DSCs. Representatives are responsible for gathering and reporting on feedback from students on their course and programme of study, whereas DSCs have a broader responsibility for all undergraduate students, or all postgraduate students, within their department. Student Representatives liaise with DSCs where necessary to raise any higher-level feedback or broader areas for attention by the department.

Departments may invite all students to the Staff/Student Forum, or they may restrict membership to Student Representatives and Departmental Student Coordinators. Normally two Student Representatives are recruited for each level of a programme. Departments provide names of Student Representatives within their department to the Students’ Union, who provide training on the responsibilities of the role.

A Breakdown of the Role of a Student Representative

• Attend Staff/Student Forum meetings.• Meet regularly and maintain a good dialogue with DSCs.• Gather feedback from students on your course, programme and in your year group.• Pass feedback onto relevant department staff and DSCs as appropriate.• Attend Students’ Union training sessions.


ContentsRepresentation Advice

As someone representing students at Goldsmiths you will be working together with various departments and levels of the University, directly and indirectly, to improve the quality of education and learning. You’ll be invited to meetings and committees, hold and engage in open forum discussions, and attend the Student Assembly.

There are often certain procedures or formalities that you will need to adhere to, but it’s important that you always get the most out of such events and use them positively in your role. Here are some tips on how to be effective:

1) Make sure you read any agendas and papers available in advance of the meeting. Understanding what is being discussed and seeing how it intersects with your responsibilities is crucial. If there’s a proposal or action that is particularly controversial then you can seek the wider views and opinions of other students in advance of the meeting to ensure that you are representing their views accurately.

2) If you would like to get an item placed on the agenda of a specifi c meeting then you will need to talk to the secretary or Chair e.g. for your Departmental Boards, it is often the department administrator that you will need to contact. Find out the deadline in order for your action to be included in the next meeting. Make sure that your item is in writing, outlines the issue or point clearly and includes any changes or recommendations you want to propose.

3) Make sure you understand the function of the committee you’re about to attend. Some points are better raised in certain forums and knowing the most effective place to air an action, proposal or motion is important.

4) Make sure your argument is clear and don’t repeat what has already been said. If it’s something particularly important then it’s a very good idea to write down what you are going to say beforehand. Having time to write your argument or point will not only help you deliver your point but also make it easier for others to understand. If you feel you might need to defend it, then small fl ash cards with the key ideas can really help you stay clear and true to your idea.

Tips


Know Your Meetings

Staff/Student Forums (SSF): These meetings normally take place at least twice each academic year and is the primary forum to discuss student issues and feedback. Your department is the facilitator; academics, Student Representatives, DSCs and the wider student body is invited to attend the meeting.

Departmental Boards (DB): These meetings normally take place three to fi ve times a year and they are where departmental issues are discussed and student issues are raised. Your department is the facilitator; Head of Department, academics, Student Representatives and DSCs attend.

Monthly DSC Meetings (DSC): These meetings usually happen once every three weeks on a Tuesday from 5.00-6.30pm. In these meetings student issues are raised and DSC support, training and projects are discussed. The Students’ Union is the facilitator and DSCs, Quality Offi ce staff and the SU Education Offi cer attend.

Warden’s Meeting (WD): These meetings are held once a year and are where your projects are discussed. The Students’ Union is the facilitator and DSCs, Students’ Union staff, Quality Offi ce staff and University Senior Management Team attend.

5) It’s valuable to include your own experiences and opinions; however, your role is to represent the views of your fellow peers accurately. It’s important to bring the issues and opinions of the students foremost and clearly indicate where you have your own opinion on the matter. Your points and opinions later may be undermined if it appears you are only speaking for yourself and your opinions.

6) Ask questions if you don’t understand what’s going on! The meetings are a constructive way to initiate change. People will be happy to help.

7) Always remain as neutral as possible when discussing a point. Emotional responses such as harsh criticism or isolating individuals will get in the way of what you’re trying to say. Using non-threatening and inviting phrases such as “Could we consider ___?” and “Wouldn’t it be better if ___?” is a diplomatic way of raising counter points or arguments, in a way that invites further discussion.

8) Make sure you know the outcomes of the meetings you attend. Any actions or decisions should be disseminated to the students you represent, as this is a key way to demonstrate that you have presented their views and that the University has taken their points forward. Always be sure to ask if it’s okay that you report on the outcomes before you leave the meeting. It generally will be, as long as nothing sensitive was discussed, but it’s a good way to build trust and effective communication with the staff and meeting holders.

Some guidance on methods of communication


ContentsCommunicating with Students

An integral part of representing students is how you communicate with everyone. There are many ways to reach out to everyone, and it’s important to know the benefits and limitations of each form of communication. Sometimes the hardest part is reaching out to the quieter voices of a large group of people, so using different methods of communication is key.

Awareness: Creating an awareness of what a DSC and Student Representatives do and who they are.• Lecture shouts • FISHing (Finding Issues Students Have)• Utilising the Union website, Facebook, batch emails and other networks you may establish. Also encourage lecturers to

promote your activities• Updating notice boards and posters

Collecting Feedback: • Listening to what’s being said and not imposing issues• Being representitive, broaden your feedback beyond yourself and close friends• Make the feedback widely felt and deeply felt increase the legitimacy• Make sure informal and formal points are clear and separate• Propose solutions! They are key for change. Don’t focus just on problems but bring forward ideas

Clarity: • What is your message? Make sure you’re clear and address any questions• Avoid jargons and make your language accessible to everyone• Be specific and brief and always be to the point. • Always provide a contact detail

Disseminate: • Create awareness of yourself will help people come to you• Identify issues and focus on the groups of people they affect• Research issues. Try to understand potential arguements or reasons to issues so you’re more informed• Act! Try to be proactive and start a chain of events towards solutions• Disseminate the feedback from your department to your fellow students and spread positive changes


Email

Learn.Gold

Staff/Student Forums

Emailing students is the best way to reach everyone but it has particular uses and drawbacks. Everyone will have an @gold.ac.uk email so you can be sure if you’re passing on an email to a department secretary then it will reach everyone it needs to.

It’s great for wide and broad messages that may be more formal and official. Notifications of public meetings are a good example where you’d want to give everyone a fair chance to learn about it and attend. The down sides are that emails are often missed or not acted on by students and it’s a very indirect method. It’s good for getting a message out, but it shouldn’t be your only means to do so.

Facebook Groups

Lectures

It’s one of the easiest ways to talk and disseminate information to the largest group. It’s a social network with an increasing presence in many students’ lives, but you should be aware that not all students will be on Facebook and it is not a protected Goldsmiths method of communication (it is public and not moderated). Making a group for your department, for an issue or topic, is however a good way to start communicating with students. It’s easy for small discussions to escalate so it’s generally advisable to try not to hold a discussion there, but just spread information. It’s a good way to share links to documents and events, where relevant.

The online virtual learning environment, Learn.Gold, is an integral part of the learning experience and one you can use! As of 2013/14 we’re working with the Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit (GLEU) to create departmental student representation pages and forums for discussion inside Learn.Gold. These pages will be entirely student managed, with no staff overview apart from basic moderation from GLEU and the SU. It’s going to be a great tool for discussion and sharing information. A major benefit over Facebook is that each year as new DSCs and Reps come in, the discussions from previous years are archived and an institutional memory is created. Learn.Gold is entirely open to be used how you need, and we’ll be working on this as the year continues.

It’s important to get some face-to-face time and see people; it gets your face recognised among students, it gives you a chance to follow-up on student views and you can gauge how widespread feelings are within a wider group of students and to what depth it is felt. Work out which group of students you want to target and work with the departmental administrators to decide which lectures would be the most useful to go to. Most lecturers are happy to let you take some time during a session, but do make sure you check with the lecturer in advance about the most convenient time to do this.

Another key means for communication is the Staff/Student Forums. They are an open forum for students to meet and discuss any feedback they have with staff. The idea is that it’s a neutral ground where staff and students can speak openly and freely. It gives a good chance for staff to ask opinions about courses and programmes, how things are being done and seek student views on particular matters. Students also get to ask direct questions to specific people and they have a chance to explain how things are done, why they are done, or what limitations there may be. It’s a good place to introduce non-student facing staff as well, and encourage debate to continue outside the room. Opening channels of communication, and enabling students to understand their feedback, is important so they know that they aren’t without a voice.


ContentsBoundaries

As a DSC or Student Representative it is important to know your limits and boundaries.

Things that fall beyond your remit include the following:

• Disputes between students, academic staff and between individuals• Academic appeals, examination offences, breaches of the code of student conduct• Funding or debt issues• Immigration/visa queries• Health and personal issues• Accommodation issues

If a student comes to you about one of these matters you can direct them to the Students’ Union Advice Centre run by Limahl Macfarlane ([email protected]).

The advice service gives professional and friendly advice to help students with any problems they have with life while at Goldsmiths. All the advice and help is free and confidential. The SU advice service gives information in person, via email or via the website. The main service is Academic Advice; the Centre is there to guide students through the University procedures to achieve their ultimate goal, graduation. The SU advice service provides information, advice and representation on all aspects of University procedures, including appeals, complaints and re-sits.

Our Advice Centre also offers advice and representation on problems students may have with University accommodation. It also supports students wishing to find private sector housing. The SU advice service offers information on a range of support relating to student finances including loans, fees and funding, as well as advice on budgeting. The SU administer a hardship loan to those most in need. Students also find our free telephone line helpful for contacting student finance and for sorting out their unexpected housing issues.

Know your dates: Dates of meetings (DSC regular/monthly meetings), Staff/Student Forum meetings, Departmental Board meetings, Student Assembly meetings, dates for submission of bi-monthly reports and annual group projects, and dates of any other meetings between Student Representatives and DSCs.

Know your contacts: Each department has a DSC departmental contact to support DSCs in their role. Your departmental contacts are there to support you. Each department also has staff that are there to coordinate and support representatives in their role and keep you up to date with meetings and issues. Please ask your department administrator who the first point of contact for student representation in the department is. You can always contact Becky Court, the Academic Representation and Student Voice Coordinator in the SU at any time also ([email protected]).

Know the other reps: Student Representatives and DSCs should all get to know each other and be in regular contact about student feedback and issues being raised and resolved.

Things To Know


Key DatesImpact

DSCs and Student Representatives lobbied for increased departmental offi ce opening times to students, which was successful.

Your elected SU Offi cers, Student Representatives and DSCs have all been working hard to represent the views of fellow students to improve the learning and student experience at Goldsmiths.

Here are a few examples of what they did last year:

DSCs, Student Representatives and SU elected offi cers contributed to the University’s decision to keep the library open 24/7.

DSCs worked in groups to produce seven annual reports in March. These reports were circulated to Heads of Departments, as well as being presented to an audience of over thirty people that included the Warden, Pro Warden and other key professional service and academic staff. These reports have subsequently been discussed at Learning, Teaching and Quality Committee (LTQC) and at two follow-up meetings between the Warden, Pro Warden and key staff, with a series of action points being agreed to further improve the student experience and quality of learning going forward. The seven annual project topics were: Assessment and Feedback, Academic Support, Access to Learning, Student Representation and the Student Voice, Departmental Community, Organisation and Communication.

DSCs produced two bi-monthly reports that were tabled at LTQC, prompting various discussions around the topics these reports addressed.

The DSCs successfully promoted the National Student Survey (NSS) for two weeks. This promotion contributed to the response rate at Goldsmiths of 66.11% in 2013 (its own target was 66%), which was more than three percentage points higher than the previous year and the University’s highest ever.

You Said, We Did


ContentsQuality OfficeThe Quality Office is responsible for ensuring that the University’s quality assurance policies and procedures are effective and support the enhancement of the student learning experience. The Office manages key processes, including programme approval, annual programme review, student feedback mechanisms, periodic programme/departmental reviews, collaborative provision arrangements and the Office also supports external reviews of the University. The Office monitors the application of the University’s policies and procedures by departments, and carries out the analysis of the National Student Survey (NSS) results. It is essential that appropriate student feedback and engagement systems are in place so that an effective dialogue can occur between students, academic departments and professional services. The Quality Office, alongside the Students’ Union, works to foster an open and transparent system for student representation at Goldsmiths and provides students with the opportunity to engage in quality assurance procedures to improve the student experience. As a DSC or Student Representative, you have a key role to play in engaging with these processes. The Quality Administrator is the key point of contact within the team for DSCs and Student Representatives: [email protected]

Student Services Within Student Services you will find information to assist you during your time as a student at Goldsmiths. Staff are available to offer help and support with many of the practical elements of student life.Student Services provides administrative services to the University. Their principal roles are:• Student enrolments• Fee assessment and collection• Assessments and results• Advice• Counselling and Health Services• Administration of bursaries• Discretionary funding• Disability and equal opportunities for students

Advice Team: Room 131, Richard Hoggart Building E-mail [email protected]

Assessments Office: Via the Student Centre, Room 117, Richard Hoggart Building, Tel. 020 7717 2254 E-mail [email protected]

Bursaries: Contact the Fees Office via the Student Centre, Room 117, Richard Hoggart Building

Chaplaincy: Dixon Road, New Cross, Tel: 020 7717 2953, Email [email protected]

Counselling Service: 20 Laurie Grove, New Cross, Tel: 020 7919 7472, Email [email protected]

Disability Team: Room 129, Richard Hoggart Building, Tel. 020 7717 2292, E-mail [email protected]

Enrolments and Records Office: Via the Student Centre, Room 117, Richard Hoggart Building, Tel. 020 7919 7536, E-mail [email protected]

Fees Office: Via the Student Centre, Room 117, Richard Hoggart Building, Tel. 020 7078 5311, E-mail [email protected]

Student Funding: Via the Student Centre, Room 117, Richard Hoggart Building, Tel. 020 7919 7757, E-mail [email protected]

Careers Dept: 23/24 Laurie Grove, Tel. 020 7919 7137 E-mail: [email protected]

Head of Departments: know who yours is at http://www.gold.ac.uk/whos-who/

Department Administrators: you should know who your department administrators and managers are: A list of staff for each department can be found here: http://www.gold.ac.uk/departments/

DSC Departmental contacts: at training DSCs will be given a list of the staff in each department that act as a contact point for them. As a DSC you should aim to be in regular contact with this person in your department.

Key Contacts


Important Dates

Term 1 (all meetings will take place in RHB144)Tuesday 1st October 2013: DSC UG and PG joint meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 15th October 2013: DSC UG meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 28th October 2013: DSC PG meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 12th November 2013: DSC UG and PG joint meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 3rd December 2013: DSC UG and PG joint meeting with the Warden 5-6.30pm

Term 2 (all meetings will take place in RHB144)Tuesday 14th January 2014: DSC UG and PG joint meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 4th February 2014: DSC UG meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 11th February 2014: DSC PG meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 25th February 2014: DSC UG and PG joint meeting 5-6.30pmTuesday 11th March 2014: DSC UG and PG joint meeting 5-7pm

DSC Bi-Monthly Report submission deadlines:Report 1: Friday 1st November, 12 noonReport 2: Friday 24th January, 12 noon

DSC Group Annual Project deadlines:Friday 11th February 2014: 1st Draft of Annual Project reports submittedThursday 6th March 2014: Deadline of DSC Annual Reports, Final version, 5pmTuesday 11th March 2014: Rehearsal of DSC Annual project presentations, 5-7pmMonday 17th March 2014: DSC Annual Project Presentations, 2-5pm

DSCs and Student Representatives should ask their department administrator for dates of departmental Staff/Student Forums, Departmental Boards and any other meetings the department would like you to attend.

Student Representatives will have a training session with the Students’ Union. Departments will notify Student Representatives of the date for this.

Departmental Student Coordinators will be expected to attend regular meetings with the Students’ Union and Quality Office. The dates of these meetings are listed below.

DSC

Student Assembly

Student Assembly is open to all students. As DSCs and Student Representatives we encourage you to attend Student Assembly meetings to raise issues and put forward motions.

The dates of Student Assembly are:

All Student Assembly meetings will take place in NAB LG02

22nd October 2013 5:30pm19th November 2013 5:30pm10th December 2013 5:30pm21st January 2014 5:30pm18th March 2014 5:30pm

Goldsmiths Students’ UnionDixon RoadNew CrossSE14 6NW

www.goldsmithssu.org

academic representation handbook 2013/14

Documents

student representatives

student support

student representation

student voice coordinator

great student experience

goldsmiths students

department staff

views of fellow students