Just before Hallowe’en, we held our first Rep Social – an informal opportunity for student representatives from across the university to gather in Ember for a drink, some food, and just generally to get to know each other – and it went swimmingly. A massive thank you to all who came, and we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.
Events like this are really important for keeping everyone connected. We’re always hesitant to use words like “networking”, but that’s exactly what it is – making sure you know the people you might want to help you solve a problem in advance. It’s not just about knowing you your subject rep is, or which course reps you work with – it’s also about knowing who to send your mate in Psychology to when you’re a Games Art student, but you’re the only rep they know. It’s about getting to know the Officers as more than a face on the side of a building, it’s about getting to know the Voice Team as more than a picture that posts announcements in Rep Hub. Often, effective representation isn’t about knowing how to solve a problem – it’s about knowing who does. It's also a way for us to catch any places that might need an intervention that haven't reached us yet - as happened with the overlapping mandatory sessions reported in Graphics Design, which have been raised with the university executive as a result.
We’re really looking forward to our next social (December 20th, if you’re interested please grab a free ticket first so we know how much pizza to order and any dietary requirements you might have) – and we hope to see you there!