From Spring 2023, the role previously titled Central Committee Representative has been renamed Student Representative, as selected and voted on by the Appointments Committee.
One of our highest priorities is to ensure that we can clearly communicate opportunities that are available to students so that they may participate in their university community. We had identified that the name Central Committee Representative presented several barriers for prospective applicants and has the potential to limit our reach and therefore engagement with students that are new to volunteering.
The name Central Committee Representative referred to the group of committees and not necessarily the role. The Onboarding and Training Survey Feedback collated in July 2022, highlighted that it was not clear to students why we were referring to the Central Committee, despite explaining and presenting the governance structure at the training, students said that it felt confusing –
“Clarification on the title CCR is needed early on...Some people thought that they were on a committee called the Central Committee”....Anonymous Student Representative.
Key stakeholders throughout the Open University, including staff and academics refer to students that sit on committees as ‘Student Representatives’ and this is significant because this does create confusion for prospective students.
The Volunteer and Representation Team are responsible for responding to enquiries from students interested in volunteering. May –June 2022 we opened a smaller recruitment specifically for areas with no representation such as WELS. We received a high proportion of emails from students seeking clarification that they were applying for the correct role and each student received a personalised response sent by the Volunteer and Representation Team.
This name is in keeping with how the role is often referred by students and staff alike, and is now in place for the Spring '23 Student Representative recruitment.
If you are interested in applying to become a Student Representative, you can do so now! Find out more information on the role and apply through the opportunity here.