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.