The Big Choice Referendum

Replace Student Council with a Greenwich Assembly focusing on enhancing the power of Academic Representatives

GSU Believes:

  • Greenwich students are most concerned with changes affecting their course (80% of students from research in 2018)
  • Greenwich students identify most strongly within their course
  • Representing students’ interests is one of our core purposes as a Students’ Union, as determined by both the SU Big Plan and the Education Act 1994 (“promoting the general interests of its members as students”)
  • The success of the Academic Representation programme signifies the appetite for student engagement with representation when it is explicitly connected to academic matters
  • Internal changes to the Students’ Union’s processes are not students’ priority be involved in (from 2018 research), therefore we should facilitate changes at a more relevant and local programme or Faculty level.
  • All students are part of a programme or Faculty at University of Greenwich, therefore all students should have the opportunity to participate equally by facilitating at this level.
  • Research has consistently shown there is low engagement from wider students with the current system of Student Council

GSU Resolves:

  • Remove and replace all reference to “Student Council” with “Greenwich Assembly”
  • Implement the structure proposed by the “Greenwich Assembly” model for academic year 2019/2020, with decision making facilitated at a programme or Faculty level, ensuring that all students have access to local level decision making through existing Programme Representatives.
  • For the “Greenwich Assembly” to oversee decision making, officer accountability, and make recommendations to the University and SU Trustee Board.
  • SU Trustee Board to provide reports through an appropriate means to the “Greenwich Assembly”
  • “Greenwich Assembly” Chair/Co-Chair mechanism will be determined through student collaboration, ensuring that this is facilitated to promote fair Officer accountability and effective decision making
  • For student researchers to provide data, insights and recommendations to the Greenwich Assembly, based on data gathered on Greenwich students’ needs
  • Collaborate with students and current representatives on the implementation of the “Greenwich Assembly” model and its annual mechanisms
  • For the final mechanisms of the Assembly to be approved by Trustee Board as part of the by-law changes to be submitted in May