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I N PA R T N E R S H I P

Content

Introduction page 2

Summary of Election Regulations page 3-4

The Regulations page 3

Operational Responsibility page 3

Recruitment Numbers page 3-4

Important Timescales page 4

Data Sharing Procedure page 4

Other Election Procedures page 4

Planning your Student Representative Elections page 5-8

Type of Student Representative Role page 5

Number of Student Representative Roles page 5-6

Student Eligibility page 6

When to hold elections page 6-7

Nominations page 7-8

Ballot/Voting page 8

Four Stages of running an Election page 9-16

Stage One: Notice and Publicity page 10-11

Stage Two: Nominations page 12-13

Stage Three: Ballot/Voting page 14

Stage Four: Results and Announcement page 15-16

Guild of Students Support page 17

Handling Complaints page 18

Best Practice page 19

Frequently Asked Questions page 20

Please not that this document has been hyperlinked throughout for ease of navigation



Introduction The Student Representation System is founded on the belief that through effective student

engagement in the quality and enhancement of their programmes, students would have a

sense of ownership over their education and research. The system does this by giving

students the opportunity to be represented to the University, and the Guild of Students,

through a fellow student (Student Representative) therefore, engaging in enhancement by

providing feedback to these representatives. This means that engagement with their

representatives is essential for the system to work.

It is believed that through an effective recruitment and election process, that involves

students in the decision of who would be their Student Representatives, that engagement will

develop within the system. Through effective representative elections, students would have

already engaged in the system and are more likely to participate by providing feedback to

the student they have elected to represent them.

This Election Guidance, like the Operations Manual, is a working document that will provide

advice, information and best practice on how to effectively run the election process of

Student Representatives. It is hoped that this document will be developed over time with the

input of staff from across the University recognising best practice and account for any

regulation changes.



Summary of Election Regulations

Introduction

The ‘Code of Practice on the Student Representation System’ and the ‘Student

Representation System Election Regulations’ are both regulations that underpin the

recruitment and election process of the various Student Representative roles within the

Student Representation System.

This section seeks to inform you of these regulations and highlight some key points but will not

run through each regulation in its entirety.

If you have any questions or concern regarding these regulations, please contact registry or

the Student Voice team at the Guild of Students by emailing [email protected].

The Regulations

The ‘Code of Practice on the Student Representation System’ is the key piece of regulation

that sets out the operational relationship between the University and the Guild of Students for

the system. It also outlines operational actions, such as recruitment and elections, deemed

as essential for the system to run effectively. Section 6.3 of the Code of Practice covers the

recruitment and election of Student Representatives.

The ‘Student Representation System Election Regulations’ is the document that looks at the

election process of student representatives and is referenced in the Code of Practice. This

document covers elections in more detail than the Code of Practice and outlines

procedures to be used at different stages of the election.

Copies of these documents and any election procedures can be found on the student

representation intranet page (click here) or can be requested from the Guild of Students.

Operational Responsibility

The Student Representation System is a tiered system of representation that has four types of

student representative roles. This works like a hierarchy where each role, as you move up the

tiers, represents more students and has additional responsibilities. More details can be found

in the Operations Manual.

These documents set out who is responsible for ensuring that the election process for each

role takes place and adheres to the regulations. These responsibilities are as follows;

Staff Liaison Contact (SLC) for Student Representatives and Senior Student

Representatives in their Staff Student Committee (SSC)

School Leads for School Student Representatives

Guild of Students for College Student Representatives

This person can delegate the operation of the elections to another staff member but still

remain responsible for ensuring free and fair elections run in accordance with the regulations.

The regulations also state that no registered student at the University, eligible to stand in the

election, should be involved in the operation of these elections. This also means applies to

any student group or academic society. The operation of elections should be undertaken by

University or Guild of Students staff members only.

This is to avoid any potential conflict of interest and ensure that these elections are run free,

fair and consistently across the University.

Recruitment Numbers

The Code of Practice outlines how the number of positions for each role is calculated.

mailto:[email protected]

https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/registry/policy/studentreps/index.aspx



The number of student representative roles should be calculated by a student to student rep

ratio that is determined in consultation with the Guild of Students. There should also be a

minimum number for Senior, School and College Student Representative roles.

These numbers have been set to ensure that the system has representatives in place at all

tiers. These numbers can be changed and increased to cater to the needs of the students in

each college. This, however, should be done in consultation with the Guild of Students with

all numbers approved prior to the beginning of the election process.

The Code of Practice also allows for the roles of Senior, School and College Student

Representatives to be shared. This is to ensure that the role does not have a detrimental

effect on the students’ academic progression, but this should be agreed in consultation with

the Guild of Students.

The consultation with the Guild of Students over numbers is essential for the planning of

training and any other initiatives, such as the incentive scheme.

Important Timescales

The ‘Student Representation System Election Regulations’ set out some key timescales that

should be adhered to when planning and conducting your election process. These

timescales are as follows;

Notice of an election should be given no later than five working days prior to the

close of nominations

Nominations period should be no shorter than three working days

Results should be shared with the Guild of Students, through the Data Sharing

Procedure, no later than five working days after determining who has been

successfully elected into a role

The election process for Student Representatives is expected to have been

completed by the end of week five (autumn term for September starts and spring

term for January starts)

These timescales have been set to ensure that students have been given enough time to

determine whether they would like to nominate themselves for the role as well as ensuring

the system is able to effectively operate.

Data Sharing Procedure

When a student is elected into a role their information should be shared with their student

cohort, and the Guild of Students, in accordance with the Data Sharing Procedure

(available on the Student Representation Intranet Page).

The procedure involves Student Representatives agreeing to Terms and Conditions implicit of

their roles and allows their information to automatically be shared with the Guild of Students

once successfully recruited into the roles.

Other Election Procedures

The Student Representation System Election Regulations’ also refer to;

Complaints Procedure for all Student Representation System election complaints

Paper Ballot Procedure for voting held physically and not electronically (e-voting)

These procedures are available through the Student Representation Intranet Page and

should be followed, where applicable, for all student representative elections.



Planning Student Representative Elections

Introduction

This section seeks to provide you with the information you will need to consider before

starting the election process. It will provide suggestions and ideas to help you plan and

organise your elections.

If you have any questions about the planning of your elections please email

[email protected].

Type of Student Representative

The first thing you will need to know is the type of Student Representative role you are running

the election process for. This role will determine how you calculate the number of positions,

student eligibility and when you will need to run your election process. The type of role will

also tell you who is responsible for ensuring that the election process occurs in accordance

with all regulations.

There are four Student Representative roles in the Student Representation System each with

their own role descriptions. Each role has been described in the Operations Manual with the

role descriptions available on the Student Representation intranet page (click here).

We have provided a short summary of each role below;

Student Representative (Student Rep) attends the Staff Student Committee (SSC)

representing the student cohort on their programme and year of study, where

applicable. The Staff Liaison Contact (SLC) for the relevant SSC is responsible for the

election.

Senior Student Representative (Senior Rep) attends and co-chairs the Staff Student

Committee (SSC) representing the student cohort on the programme(s) the SSC

covers. The Staff Liaison Contact (SLC) for the SSC the representative co-chairs is

responsible for the election.

School Student Representative (School Rep) attends School committees that discuss

their type of programme. For example undergraduate Representatives would attend

education committees that discuss undergraduate programmes. The School Student

Representation System Lead is responsible for the election of the School Reps in their

school.

College Student Representative (College Rep) attends College committees that

discuss their type of programme. For example undergraduate Representatives would

attend education committees that discuss undergraduate programmes. The Guild of

Students is responsible for the election of the College Reps in each college.

Number of Student Representative Roles

Now that you know the type of student representative that you are recruiting you will need

to determine the amount of positions that are available. You will need to know this number

before you start your election process as it will need to be fixed at the point that nominations

open.

The Code of Practice sets out how you should calculate the number of positions. This

information has been provided below for each role;

Student Representative should be based on a student to Student Rep ratio. It is

suggested that this is 40:1 for undergraduate, 30:1 for Postgraduate Taught and 20:1





for Postgraduate Research. You should have at least one Representative for each

year of the programme.

Senior Student Representative should be one per Staff Student Committee (SSC).

School Student Representative should be a minimum of two per school with one for

taught programmes and one for research programmes.

College Student Representative should be a minimum of two per college with one for

taught programmes and one for research programmes.

You should consult with the Guild of Students when determining the amount of positions you

have available. This is particularly important if you are changing the number of Senior, School

or College Representatives from the minimum advised above. This is so that the Guild of

Students can account for these numbers for training and other initiative such as the incentive

scheme.

Please note: that the roles of Senior, School and College Student Representatives can be

shared. If you are looking to have one of these roles as a role share you will need to consult

with the Guild of Students Student Voice team.

Student Eligibility

Now you will need to set out student eligibility for the roles you are recruiting for. This will

determine who is eligible to stand for the position as well as vote for the position and will

depend on the type of student representative role. However the following eligibility factors

must always be applied to all representative roles;

They must be current registered students at the University of Birmingham

They can only run for positions in their primary programme, school and college.

In addition to these eligibility factors, there are further eligibility restrictions to positions. These

are usually used if the position is reserved to represent a particular group of students.

Below we have described further restrictions you can apply to the different roles.

Student Representatives

This role is open to any student within their programme or department. You can however

create a representative position to represent a particular group of students. For example you

can have an international Student Representative. In this case only international students on

that programme would be able to nominate and vote for that position.

Typically restrictions would be for year groups so that the first year rep will only come from first

year students on that programme.

Senior Student Representative

This role should only be open to student representatives that attend the Staff Student

Committee (SSC) that the position is for.

School and College Student Representatives

The School and College Student Representative positions should only be open to Student

Representatives and should be reserved to represent undergraduate, postgraduate taught

and postgraduate research students. This means that a student representative can only run

for the position that represents their type of programme. For example, an undergraduate

Student Representative can run for the undergraduate College Representative position.

Please note: the Guild of Students can provide further advice and guidance upon request.

When to hold Student Representative Election

Now you will need to plan a timeframe for your elections which should ensure that;



Nominations are open for at least three working days

Students are informed of the election five days before nominations close

The data sharing protocol is completed five working days after the result

It is expected that you hold elections for the role of Student Representatives by the end of

week five of the student cohorts first term. This means that if the student cohort started in

September you will need to run elections and communicate the results by the end of week

five of the autumn term. This five week deadline does not apply to the positions of Senior,

School and College Student Representatives.

Once you have elected the Student Representatives you will need to elect students into the

positions of Senior, School and College Student Representatives. This timeline will depend on

whether you will be electing a role at a time or opening the roles up to any student

representative to stand (see ‘Student Eligibility’).

Suggested election timeline

It is suggested, where possible, that you;

Elect continuing cohort student representatives (second year+) towards the end of

the previous academic year, ideally around March/April.

You elect Senior, School and College Reps towards the end of the previous

academic year, after you have elected continuing cohort representatives, with only

the continuing cohort representatives eligible to stand

You would be able to apply this to programmes that are longer than a year, either full-time

or part-time. You can work with your Guild of Students Representation Coordinator to plan

this.

Nominations

The nomination period needs to be open for no less than three working days and notification

of the election should take place five working days prior to the close of nominations.

This is a self-nomination process and whichever way you decide students should submit their

nomination you must ask them to provide the following information;

Student Name

Student ID Number

University Email Address

You should also allow them to write a short, 200 word statement that would be provided to

the student cohort if a vote needs to take place. This is not compulsory but students should

be encouraged to explain why they would like to be a Student Representative and how they

would represent their student cohort.

Below we have provided some options of how students could submit their nomination. For

each option you will need to ensure that the date and time of receipt of each nomination is

recorded.

Option One: Email

This option means that students would need to email all their nomination information to a

particular email address. If you decide to use this option you will need to ensure that the

information that they would need to provide as part of their nomination is well advertised.

You should also ensure that the email account is accessible to the staff member organising

the election process when nominations close. This email address may also receive questions

about the system and the roles available so ensure that it is regularly monitored and the

email owner is able to answer or direct questions to the relevant staff members.



Option Two: Physical

This option means that students would need to physically complete a nominations form and

hand it in. This form should include all the information that you need and could be emailed

out to students when you are advertising the election.

If you choose this option it is advised that you get students to hand the form into a place that

is easily accessible such as a reception or admin office. The staff that work there should also

be made aware that nominations will be handed in and that they will need to be dated

once handed in.

Option Three: Survey Monkey

This option means that you would create an online form using Survey Monkey. This will allow

student to complete the form online and will mean that it is easier to monitor and access for

the staff member organising the election process. A step-by-step guide has been provided

on the Student Representation intranet page (click here).

Voting

Now you will need to plan how you would hold a ballot/vote in case you receive more

nominations than positions available, making the positions contested.

When planning how the vote will be conducted you should also ensure that you have

factored the time this takes into your election timeline. This information should also be

provided to students when you notify them of an election (see ‘Stage One: Notice and

Publicity’). Below we have provided some options of how you can run your ballot/vote.

Option One: Paper Ballot

This option means that student will cast their vote with a physical paper ballot. If you decide

to use this option to conduct your ballot/vote you will need to follow the Paper Ballot

Procedure that can be found on the Student Representation intranet page (click here).

This option should be used if electronic voting (e-voting) is unavailable. Running a paper

ballot is useful if you are running an election for small cohorts of students in a short period of

time such as a lecture. If, however, you are running a ballot for longer periods of time, such

as a couple of days, it is advised that you use an electronic means of running your ballot.

Option Two: Survey Monkey

This option allows students to vote online through Survey Monkey. By using an online tool, like

Survey Monkey, you can keep the vote open for longer periods of time then you could by

using a Paper Ballot. This allows you greater flexibility to monitor the amount of vote received

and ensures that only student eligible can vote only once.

A step-by-step guide on using Survey Monkey for you ballot/vote has been provided on the

Student Representation Intranet Page (click here).

Option Three: Qualtrics

This option like Survey Monkey allows students to vote online and gives you the same flexibility

as Survey Monkey to monitor votes cast. A Qualtrics survey template is available by request

as well as support in using the online tool if you are new to Qualtrics. Any request should be

sent to [email protected].







Running an Student Representative Election

Introduction

Once planned, the operation of your elections can be split into four stages as depicted in

the Student Representative Election Flowchart (Figure 1). This section will take you through

each stage providing information on what you should do as well as advice and suggestions

on what you could do.

This may be different to how you currently run your elections. This is ok as long as the way you

run your elections still adheres to all regulations and works for your students. If this is the case

please share this best practice by emailing [email protected].

Figure 1: Student Representative Election Flowchart




Stage One: Notice and Publicity

The first stage involves informing students about the Student Representation System and its

importance to enhancing their academic experience as well as the roles that are available.

This stage has been split into promoting the Student Representation System and informing

students of the election process for their student representatives.

Promoting the Student Representation System to the student cohort

Before you start to advertise the student representative roles available you should promote

and inform the student cohort about the Student Representation System. It is suggested that

this promotional information about the system should include;

How the Student Representation System works

The importance of feedback to the enhancement of the programme and student

academic experience

Examples of issues raised through student feedback and how it was resolved through

the Student Representation System

The role of student representatives and the benefits of being a student representative

How they can get involved in the system

Who their student representatives are, if already elected

Departments have communicated this information to students by;

Providing information on the Student Representation System in student handbooks

Sending out information in welcome materials prior to the start of term

Promoted the system during open days

Holding an induction talk about the system and the importance of student feedback

during welcome week

Providing space on their webpages about the system and directing them to more

information on the Guild of Students website

Emailing all new students about the system when they start

Running a ‘you said we did’ marketing campaign

Inviting the Guild of Students to hold information session at your department or school

Once you have promoted and informed students about the Student Representation System

you can begin to run your election process. It is suggested that you continue to promote the

system during your election process.

The Guild of Students can provide a variety of assistance and support at this stage (see

‘Guild of Students Support’ for more information).

Providing the student cohort with election information

Once you have promoted and informed the student cohort about the Student

Representation System you will begin to start your election process in order to fill the student

representative positions available.

To start the election process you will need to notify both students and staff about the election

process, which must be done five working days prior to the close of the nominations period,

and should include the following information;

The type of Student Representative role, including where to access the role

description for that role

The number of positions that are available

Where they can access further information about the role

Who they can contact to answer any questions they have about the role



How to submit their nomination, including what information they need to include in

their nomination

When the nomination period will be closed and that no nominations will be

accepted after that deadline

Provisional dates of when a ballot will take place, if required, and how that ballot will

take place

Notifying the Eligible Student Cohort

It is up to you how you would notify the student cohort, but below are some suggestions to

promote and encourage nominations;

Email all eligible students with all the election information they need, as well as where

they can find out more

Email and work with student groups/ academic societies to promote the positions

and encourage students to nominate themselves

Mention nominations at the end of core lectures

Advertise the election information on Canvas, My Portal and notice boards

Inform the Guild of Students so they can direct any queries they get

Get current/ former student representatives to talk to any student interested

Hand out promotional materials to encourage nominations

Follow up any student representation information event with the relevant election

information

The Guild of Students can assist and support you at this stage (see ‘Guild of Student Support’

for more information).

Notifying other staff members

As well as notifying the student cohort of the relevant election information it is also suggested

that you inform relevant staff members in the department. It is suggested that you do this by;

Emailing a brief overview of the Student Representation System and the role of

student representatives

Emailing the election information and who they can direct any student queries to

Provide an update of the election process during department meetings

It is suggested that you also get staff to encourage students to nominate themselves for the

role highlighting the importance of student feedback for the enhancement of the course.



Stage Two: Nominations

The second stage of the election process is when you run your nominations period. This is

when students will start to express interest in becoming a student representative.

Opening your nominations

When you open your nominations it is suggested that you email out all students eligible to

stand in the election with details of how they can submit their nominations, what this

nomination should include and when the nomination period will close.

What a nomination should include

A nomination should include the following information;

Students Name

University Email Address

Student Number

Short Statement (no more than 200 words)

If you are not using an online form for students to submit their nominations this information

should be included in any nomination advertisement to encourage students to provide this

information.

The short statement is not compulsory but it is encouraged that students include this as part

of their nomination just in case a ballot needs to take place to successfully elect candidates

into the available positions. If a ballot is taken it would be this statement that will be provided

to voters to help inform their decision.

During the Nominations Period

During the period when nominations are open it is advised that you monitor the amount of

nominations that are being submitted. You should also continue to publicise the Student

Representation System and the benefits of being a Student Representative in order to

encourage as many nominations as possible.

It is also suggested that you send out reminders of when nominations will close in order to

encourage anyone who is thinking about nominating themselves to do so. These reminders

should also include who they can contact to ask questions or where they can get more

information about the role.

When you receive a nomination

When you receive a nomination, regardless of the method you choose to collect

nominations, you should check that all information is provided. You should also include the

date and time that you received the nomination.

It is suggested that if the student has not included a short statement that you contact the

student and encourage them to provide this statement before the nomination period closes.

It is up to you if you still allow candidates to submit this statement to you once nominations

have closed but before the vote has opened. It is suggested that you do not allow

candidates to submit a statement once the ballot has opened, if a ballot is required.

When you have closed nominations

Once you have closed your nominations, and have collated all the nominations that were

received, one of three possible outcomes would have occurred. This outcome will determine

what you will need to do next in order to proceed down the election process.

Below is a description of each outcome and how you will need to proceed in order to

complete the election process.



Number of nominations is more than the number of positions available

If this is the case then some, if not all positions are contested and that a ballot/vote will need

to take place in order to elect candidates into the positions. This means that you will need to

move onto stage three: voting and open the ballot using the method you chose to run the

ballot when you were planning your election.

Number of nominations is equal to the number of positions available

If this is the case then all positions available are uncontested and therefore all candidates,

that nominated themselves for the role, have been elected unopposed. This means that you

will not need to run a ballot/vote for these positions and can skip stage three and move

straight to stage four: announcing the results.

Number of nominations is less that the number of positions available

If this is the case then one of two possibilities would have occurred. Either no nominations

were received and all positions are still available or some nominations were received

meaning some positions can be filled.

If some nominations were received then these candidates would be elected unopposed

into the positions available. This would still mean that you will have vacant positions available

and that these should be treated as if no nominations were received.

If no nominations were received then all positions would still be vacant. This means that you

would need to reopen nominations for an extended period of time.

Reopening or extending nominations

If you have to reopen or extend the nominations period it is suggested at this point that you

contact the Guild of Students Student Voice team (see ‘Guild of Students Support’) to see

how they can assist you in encouraging more students to nominate themselves for the role.

If the vacant roles have been reserved to represent a particular demographic then it is

suggested that you re-evaluate whether this student representative position is required or

whether it can be opened up so that more students are eligible to stand for the role.

Once you have closed your extended/ re-opened nominations period, if you have once

again not received any nominations or some positions are still left vacant please contact the

Guild of Students, via [email protected], who will then work with you to

determine the way to proceed.




Stage Three: Ballot/Voting

The third stage of the election process is to hold a ballot/vote in order for the student cohort

to elect their student representative(s). You will only need to do this stage if the number of

nominations received exceeds the amount of positions available resulting in those positions

being contested.

Before you open the Ballot

During the planning stage you would have already decided how and when you would run

the ballot, if needed, and would have provisionally informed students of this during Stage

One.

Now that you know that a ballot/vote needs to take place you will need to do the following;

Update the method you will be using to run the ballot, whether this is paper or online,

with the names of the candidates running in the election.

Ensure that you have an accurate list of who is eligible to vote in the ballot.

Inform candidates that the positions are contested and that a ballot will be taking

place. It is down to the candidates to promote themselves but the statement given in

their nomination will be provided to those eligible to vote. Candidates should be

encouraged to promote themselves online or face-to-face but all opportunities such

as lecture shout outs should be available to all candidates.

Staff members should be emailed information regarding how students can cast their

vote and when voting will close. They should also be encouraged to promote this to

the students they interact with.

The student cohort eligible to vote should be informed that a vote will be taken place

and be reminded of how they can cast their vote and when the ballot will close.

During the Ballot

If you are running the ballot online or over a period of a couple of days it is suggested that

you send reminders out to those eligible to vote to encourage them to participate and cast

their vote. It is up to you how you send this reminder but it is suggested that you use a variety

of communication methods such as Canvas, email, lecture shout outs and posters on notice

boards.

When you have closed the ballot/vote

Once the ballot has closed you will need to process the votes cast in order to determine

which candidates have successfully been elected into the available positions. The way you

conduct the count will depend on how you ran the ballot. Both the Paper Ballot Procedure

and Survey Monkey step-by-step documents inform you of how to run the count. If you are

unsure please contact [email protected].

Once you have completed the count you will either have clear winners or the vote would

have resulted in an election tie. If there are clear winners then you can move onto Stage

Four: Announcing the results.

If, however, the ballot has resulted in an election tie you will need to notify the Guild of

Students, via [email protected], so that they can arrange for the Education

Officer at the Guild of Students to break the tie in accordance with the Election Regulations.

This rarely occurs but if it does the Guild of Students will contact you back to request

information that they need. Once the tie has been broken they will inform you and the

candidates involved of the results. You can then proceed to Stage Four.





Stage Four: Announcing the Result

The fourth and final stage is announcing the result of the election process meaning that

candidates have successfully been elected into some, if not all, of the positions available.

Announcing to the Candidates

The candidates should be the first people that you announce the result to. How you do this is

up to you but some departments have done this by telephoning, meeting informally or

emailing the candidates the result.

However you choose to inform the candidates you will need to provide successful

candidates with the following information;

They will need to complete the Data Sharing Consent Form and return it before it

can be announced to their student cohort and the Guild of Students.

Provide them with a copy of their role description and information on the meetings

they will need to attend.

Provide them with the contact details of key contacts such as their Staff Liaison

Contact (SLC) and the Guild of Students.

Inform them that they will be contacted by the Guild of Students regarding training

and other information relating to their role.

It is suggested that all this information is emailed to them if they were not initially informed of

the result via email.

If the result was through a ballot then this means that you will also need to inform

unsuccessful candidates that unfortunately this time they were not elected into a role. This

can sometimes be difficult but they should be thanked for participating in the process and

encouraged to engage in the system and run for the position in the future.

Data Sharing Procedure

Each successful candidate will need to complete the ‘Data Sharing Consent Form’ prior to

their information being shared with the student cohort, Guild of Students and other staff

members. This will need to be completed every year regardless of whether they have

previously been a student representative or not.

Announcing to the Student Cohort

Once you have informed the candidates and successful candidates have completed their

‘Data Sharing Consent Form’ you can begin to inform the student cohort of who their

representatives are so that they can begin to provide feedback and engage in the system.

This information should include the Name, Role and Student Email address of each

representative. If known, you should also include the dates of Staff Student Committees

(SSC). Once again it is down to you how you announce to the student cohort but

departments have done this by;

Emailing all relevant students

Putting the information on a department notice board and including a photo of the

student representative if the representative consents to the use of a photo.

On a slide at the end of a lecture and providing the representatives with an

opportunity to stand and introduce themselves

Through canvas

This year they can also use a ‘Find my Rep’ function on the Guild of Students website once

the Guild of Students has been informed of who the Student Representatives are.



Informing the Guild of Students

Once the successful candidates have completed the ‘Data Sharing Consent Form’ you can

inform the Guild of Students and other staff members of who the student representatives are.

This should be completed within five working days of you knowing the results of the election

process in accordance with Election Regulations and the Data Sharing Procedure.

How you inform the Guild of Students will depend on the type of student representative role.

Student Representatives (Student Reps)

Following the election of student representatives, once they have completed the consent

form the staff member responsible for the election, typically the Staff Liaison Contact (SLC),

will need to confirm on BIRMS who the student representatives are. How to do this is shown in

the Data Sharing Procedure.

Once you have updated BIRMs you should email the Guild of Students, via

[email protected], that this information has been updated on BIRMs. The Guild

of Students can then access this information via BIRMs to start informing students of training

and other information relating to their role.

Just like the form this process will need to be completed annually even if the student has

previously been a student representative.

Senior, School and College Student Representatives

When electing students into the roles of Senior, School and College Student Representatives,

they should typically currently be Student Representatives. This means that the Guild of

Students will already have access to their information via BIRMs however they will not be

aware that the student has been successfully elected into one of these roles.

Due to BIRMs only have a tick box for Student Representative and not these roles, you will

need to email the Guild of Students directly, via [email protected], to inform

them of the name, student number and position that student has been elected into. They will

then update their records so that student can be appropriately trained and included in

communications specific to that role.

If, however, this student is not a current student representative then you will need to

complete the data sharing procedure as if they had been elected for a student

representative position before emailing the Guild of Students to inform them that the student

have been elected into one of these positions.

Information other staff members

Once successful candidates have completed the ‘Data Sharing Consent Form’ you will also

need to inform relevant University staff members of the representatives information.

If this is the position of Student Representative, or Senior Student Representative, this would

be the Staff Liaison Contact (SLC) if they did not run the election process and any other staff

members associated with the Staff Student Committee (SSC) that the representative would

attend.

If this is the position of School, or College, Student Representative you would need to inform

the Chair and Secretary of the relevant committees that they would attend. This would

depend on whether they represent taught or research students.

If you are unsure of the committees that these representatives would attend or who you will

need to inform please contact registry or the Guild of Student by emailing

[email protected].






Guild of Student Support The Guild of Students is responsible for the recruitment and election of College Student

Representatives (College Reps). They also provide support, assistance and guidance, as part

of the partnership between the University and the Guild of Students, on the Student

Representation System.

This support is available to students and staff members involved in the Student

Representation System and encompasses everything from training and regulations to the

recruitment and election process of student representatives.

The type of support the Guild of Students can offer in relation to the election process is listed

below (this list is not exhaustive);

Answer any questions regarding regulations and the election process

Meet with staff to run through the planning process of your student representative

elections

Consult with schools and departments on their student representative recruitment

numbers

Arrange for someone to attend programme induction lectures, meetings or events to

provide information to students on the Student Representation System

Hold Student Representation System information sessions within your school or

department

Provide information and marketing materials about the system that can be

distributed to the student cohort

Provide templates, step-by-steps and useful documents that you can use for your

student representative elections

Advertise information on a section of the Guild of Students website where you can

direct students and staff members to find more information about the system

Assist in the setting up and running of online nominations and/or elections

Assist in communicating to students who their student representatives are

Ability to process votes through Open STV, if applicable, to determine successful

candidates

This support is broad as the Guild of Students aims to cater support offered to the needs of

individual departments, meaning that a comprehensive list is not available.

Requesting Support

The Student Voice team, at the Guild of Students, has three Representation Coordinators

that support the Student Representation System. Each coordinator has a college that they

work with and provide support for at a local level. These Coordinators and the college they

work with are as follows;

Haf Rees ([email protected]) works with the College of Social Sciences (COSS)

and the College of Life and Environmental Science (LES)

Lewis Lay ([email protected]) works with the College of Medical and Dental

Science (MDS) and any non-college based programmes

Shelby Whitehead ([email protected]) works with the College of Arts

and Law (CAL) and the College of Engineering and Physical Science (EPS)

You can contact the Coordinator that works with your college directly or can contact the

team by emailing [email protected] or visiting the student voice office in the

Guild of Students building (O1 on the Edgbaston Campus Map).







Handling Complaints The Student Representation System has a complaints procedure for the recruitment and

election process of student representatives. This complaint procedure can be found on the

Student Representation Intranet Page (click here) and only applies to elections for positions

in the Student Representation System.

If you have any questions about the election complaint procedure for student

representatives then please contact [email protected].

About the Complaint Procedure

The complaints procedure takes the handling of election complaints out of the hands of

individual departments and staff that have responsibility for the operation of the recruitment

and election process of student representative and instead handles the complaints centrally.

The complaints process is administered by the Student Voice team at the Guild of Students

but the decision on any complaint is made by the Student Representation System Advisory

Board (SRSAB) or a nominee of the board. This procedure also has an appeals process where

the affected party can appeal any decision made.

This procedure is conducted in accordance with the Student Representation System Election

Regulations and is reviewed annually with any changes made easily assessable to every

registered student at the University of Birmingham as well as university and Guild of Students

staff members.

What you should do

Any student, this could be on the course or a candidate in the election, can raise a

complaint about the election process of their student representatives. If a student does wish

to raise such as complaint they should be directed to the complaints procedure, which can

be found on the intranet page or by requesting a copy from the Student Voice team.

This procedure describes the complaint process but also includes a form which they would

need to complete and send to [email protected]. Once received the Student

Voice team will then process the form in accordance with the procedure and inform the

student and affected party of the result of any decision taken.

If an action is taken the affected party will be informed and also be told about the appeals

process. The affected party will not be told who issued the complaint along with the

individual/group that made the decision.

If a student comes to you with a complaint that does not concern the election process of

student representatives but still concerns the Student Representation System itself then please

consult with the Student Voice team within the Guild of Students by emailing

[email protected], so that the complaint can be resolved to taken to

appropriate channels.

If the student wants to issue a complaint that is not about the Student Representation System

then they should be directed to the appropriate University complaint channels that are

appropriate to the nature of their complaint.

Staff are encouraged to avoid getting involved any discussion of the complaint or about

how the complaint was handled.







In the College of Life and Environmental Science (LES) we look after the Student

Representation System for all undergraduate programmes including. This includes

organising the elections of student representative for those programmes.

Over the summer we send out information to all incoming first year students along with

their course information. This tells them about the student representation system, what

it’s about, the benefits of getting involved and when they should expect more

information.

During Welcome Week we run induction talks about the student representation system

that goes into a bit more detail about why the system, and their feedback, is so

important. We also talk more about the role itself regarding the time commitment, skills

they can develop and how it does not get in the way of their studies. During these

inductions talks we also, sometimes, invite previous student reps to talk about why they

got involved in the system and what new students should to. We also use quotes from

previous student reps in a lot of our marketing materials.

Shortly after talks and the excitement of welcome week, an email is sent out asking for

students to nominate themselves to become a rep for their course. We do this through

Survey Monkey, which asks for a short statement about why they would like to be a

rep as well as their personal information like their name and University Email address.

When nominations close, if more students are interested then the amount of positions

available a vote is done through Survey Monkey where students put candidates in

order of preference. When the election occurs we also give candidates the

opportunity to read out a short statement before the class. When the vote closes we

contact the winners and losers first and leave a bit of time before announcing it more

widely.

We then run elections for senior rep immediately after. We also run the election

process for student reps for continuing cohorts towards the end of each year around

Easter time. This is so we can have year 2, 3 or 4 reps in place before the start of the

new academic year.

Best Practice The Student Representation System develops through recognised best practice from across

the University. We strongly encourage you to share any best practice you have, regarding

any aspect of the system, with other staff members involved in the system and the Guild of

Students. Through sharing best practice the system can develop in a way that has been

catered by successful engagement with students.

This example has been provided by Hazel Burton (Student Engagement Project Officer) and

outlines how the College of Life and Environmental Science (LES) operates its Student

Representative elections for Undergraduate Students in the college.

The approach, taken by the College of Life and Environmental Science, in the organisation

of its Undergraduate programmes Student Representative election, is one that clearly reflects

what the new election regulations and guidance is trying to achieve across the wider system.

If departments are looking at how they run their own student representative elections I would

suggest looking at the College of Life and Environmental Science especially if you are

looking at Undergraduate programmes.



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Who can I talk to, in the Guild of Students, about the Student Rep System?

The Education Officer leads on the Student Representation System, working closely with

Student Reps to support them in their role and can be contacted by emailing

[email protected].

The Student Voice team within the Guild of Students supports the Student Representation

System providing training and operational support such as election support. The team

comprises of three Representation Coordinators that each have a college that they work

closely with on the Student Rep System. You can contact them directly or through the

generic [email protected] email. Their details can be found in the ‘Guild fo

Students Support’ section of this document.

What support can I receive from the Guild of Students?

The Guild of Students can offer a variety of support with the aim to cater any support to the

needs of individual departments to further ensure the system works for both the Students and

the Staff in that department.

This support encompasses the recruitment and election of your student representatives as

well as the wider Student Representation System. Details of this support and how to contact

the Guild of Students can be found in the ‘Guild of Students Support’ section of this

document.

What if a student group wants to run the student rep election?

A Student Group, or Academic Society, cannot organise or administrate the recruitment and

election of Student representatives. This responsibility should remain with either University or

Guild of Students staff members to avoid any conflict of interest and ensure that the election

process is Free, Fair and Consistent.

Student Groups can however assist in the promotion of your student rep elections and assist

with getting students engaged with the system as a whole. These groups should be advised

to avoid getting involved in behaviours that may be seen to endorse a particular candidate.

What should I do if no one nominates themselves for the rol e?

It is hoped that this does not regularly occur, however when it does we advise that you

contact the Student Voice team as the Guild of Students who can look at assisting in

increasing interest in the roles or providing information sessions to promote the system.

When no nominations are received or you still have vacant positions you will need to reopen

nominations to fill the positions that are available. If you have restrictions on these positions it

may be worth relooking at this in order to open the position up to more students. More detail

is provided in the ‘Stage Three: Nominations’ part of this document.

What happens if there is an election tie?

In the event that your election results in an election tie you should contact the Guild of

Students by emailing [email protected] or a member of the Student Voice

team that works with your college.

When an election tie occurs the Guild of Students have a process in place where the

Education Officer breaks the tie by drawing lots. When you contact the team they will ask

you for information such as the candidate’s details in order to arrange this tie break. This does

not regularly occur but the team can provide you with the more information upon request.






Documents

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