Democracy Review

We want to give you the power to make more decisions and to tell us when things need to be better.

We are conducting a Democracy Review in 2017/18 to analyse our systems and processes, and make it easier for you to engage with them.

Have your say now: https://goo.gl/forms/GfjhpX5bxvhhuE7b2 

Read on below for more information and to input into the review.

 

 

 

Did you know that the Students' Union (SU) is run and lead by students, for students?

Did you know as a Greenwich student, you are automatically a member of the SU?

If you don’t, you’re probably not the only one!

Students have a lot of power at the Students' Union – in fact, they have all the power! It’s hard to get it right when we’re trying to represent 20,000 students, but we know we could be making it easier for you to talk to us.

We know that Greenwich students are busy, and we also know that we’ve been doing things the same way for a long time. When you have back to back lectures, a part-time job, essays to write, children to care for, jobs to apply for, a social life to maintain – who has time for old and tired ‘governance procedures’?!

But the SU is here for you and run by you, so we need to make it easy for you to use your power as a student to shape your University (and even the world around you!).

 

We want to make it simple. We want to give you the power to make more decisions and to tell us when things need to be better.

We want you to be able to get help when you need it and make a change when you see a problem.

To do this, we’re hosting a Democracy Review – and we want answers to questions like:

  • What is the easiest way for you to get in touch with us?
  • What kind of things need to be changed?
  • How can we help you with an issue?
  • What is your biggest time zapper day to day?
  • How do you want to use your power as a student?
  • Where do you spend your free time?
     

Our aim is to help you use your power, and make it easy for you to participate in key decisions. But we need to talk to as many of you as possible to make this happen! Even if you think what you have to say isn’t relevant – it probably is!

If this sounds like something you want to have a say in, e-mail us at change@gre.ac.uk.

Have your say and fill out our survey here: https://goo.gl/forms/GfjhpX5bxvhhuE7b2 

 

A word from our President


 

The Students’ Union has come a long way since I started university in 2014. I sat on our Student Council throughout my whole degree as Faculty Officer and LGBTQ+ Part-time Officer and have seen the changes which were put forward, discussed and voted for or against. Over the years I realised how complicated our structures and processes are.

Currently, our democracy and the way students can implement changes on the ground as well as on a strategic level, are very complex and confusing. The language alone makes it difficult for the beautiful diversity of our students to engage. Numerous times could we have saved time and effort in the past when motions that we could have just implemented rather than having to discuss and vote for them, were discussed. Instead of discussing issues that affect ALL students, we got caught up with bureaucracy and administrative changes.

The frustrating realisation that the SU was not relevant to most of our students, that a lot of students held negative perceptions regarding the SU and that structures and events were not accessible for most students to get involved, was probably the main reason for me to stand in the elections last year. It was important to me try and change the culture at our Students’ Union as well as the University. After numerous conversations with engaged and non-engaged students, I discovered that there was a huge discrepancy in the students’ experience.

I know that regardless of which aspect; social, employable, supportive or political, there is something we can do for or help with all of our students regardless of their demographics. Having been involved with the SU through different roles throughout my time at university and even more so as president now, I know that we need this Democracy Review and that we need to radically change the way we are representing our students and the structures of how students can get involved with us.

I am in full support of this review and am super excited to take a lead and consult with our students to change the culture of our Students’ Union and make us more relevant as well as accessible!

Meike Imberg
President- Student Union, University of Greenwich