Representation Review: Changes at Bristol SU
Last week, some exciting changes passed at Student Council as part of the Representation Review, bringing a fresh approach to how the SU represents students.
What’s the Representation Review All About?
Last year, Bristol SU launched the Representation Review to ensure that our democratic structures and leadership roles truly reflect and support students' needs. After gathering feedback from students, officers, and staff, we discovered that Liberation - a topic which covers equality, diversity, inclusion, and student-led campaigning - emerged as a top priority for many of you.
For the last 10 years, Bristol SU has used Networks as a campaigning and liberation structure. Across the years, they’ve been part of important work, such as working to decolonise the curriculum, pushing for the creation of a Gender Expression Fund and running Reclaim the Night marches. However, especially since covid, these groups have become more of a space for community building and it has become more pressure for simply one person to be the sole representative of the issues of the marginalised group they were elected to lead – especially without being paid.
Through your feedback, a few key challenges became clear:
- Many students feel it’s tough to get involved in campaigns due to time constraints, unclear information, and financial challenges that stop them being able to do the admin and connecting work that makes a good campaign.
- The current structure often felt more like an obstacle than a support, making it hard to campaign on the issues that matter most to you.
- Marginalised students really value having a space to connect and support each other through shared experiences.
To make these changes truly impactful, we’re introducing a new and exciting campaigning arm to our organisation, incorporating paid positions that will empower you to lead and shape the future. Keep reading to find out what changes were voted on last week!
Introducing Your New Student Community Organisers!
We’re excited to announce six paid Student Community Organisers who will be elected in the Term 2 elections. These roles will focus on enabling campaigns by going to where students are, building and connecting vibrant communities, and building power through shared interests to make real change happen on campus.
Four roles will keep a focus on liberation as part of the job, each working with a specific marginalised group to ensure representation:
- Student Community Organiser (Global Majority Communities)
- Student Community Organiser (Disabled Student Communities)
- Student Community Organiser (LGBTQ+ Communities)
- Student Community Organiser (Women’s’ Communities)
Two additional roles will be ‘non-portfolio’ and open to anyone interested in community organising. All the roles will work together to ensure there is intersectionality across campaigns.
What about the Networks?
Networks will have a new home in the student groups team, meaning they’ll be independent and able to do things like fundraise, have control over what they buy and the events they put on and get sponsorships. We’ll ensure that these networks have a smooth and supported transition over the summer, and we expect them to be a vibrant voice in the campaigns that our Organisers work across.
Get Ready for the Term 2 Elections
These exciting changes will be part of the Term 2 elections, so keep an eye out for these new roles! You might be one of the next changemakers to help lead on liberation efforts on campus.
