Academic Reps

At Lancaster, Academic Reps make change possible.

They work to improve the experience of students by campaigning for change and passing students’ ideas, feedback, and requests on to their Departments and the University. 

In their day-to-day activities, Reps collect feedback from students and then attend meetings with members of staff in their departments to make change happen. They also meet with the Students’ Union, and we collect their feedback to pass on to even higher levels of university management. 

To find out more about the role Academic Reps play, download the role description here. 

To become a Rep, you must be appointed by your department! 

Find Your rep

There are lots of different ways to find your Rep and get in touch with them.

Through Your Department - Your department might email your Reps contact information to you, or they might publish them on a noticeboard. You can also email a member of staff in your department to pass on a message to your Rep.

Through the Students' Union - You can contact us via email at reps@lancaster.ac.uk. We will be able to pass a message on to your Rep, or if your Rep has given us permission, we can provide you with their email to contact them directly.

Your Faculty Reps

FAQs

Academic Reps are all about representing their fellow students. They exist as a method of communication between students and the University (Departments/ Faculties/ University management) to identify good practice, make student voices heard, and work towards continuous improvements for students.

In order to achieve this, a Rep’s primary responsibility is collecting feedback from students and then feeding this back to their Department and/or Faculties. Reps also provide the Students’ Union with student feedback to inform our work representing students in higher levels of University management.

  • Department Reps are positions created in collaboration with the Students’ Union.

    • Department Reps - these Reps act as a spokesperson in Faculty Forums for their department, overseeing the effective communication of departmental updates to the Students’ Union, and writing reports on their Reps’ activity.

    • Faculty Reps - these Reps attend faculty level meetings, and sit on the Students’ Union Academic Executive Committee, and the Educational Assembly. They chair all Faculty Forums but don’t directly speak into departmental issues. Two are appointed per Faculty: one Undergraduate and one Postgraduate.

    Both Department and Faculty Reps are elected at the Rep induction event at the beginning of the academic year. If your Reps are appointed or registered late and miss this event, they will miss the opportunity to run for these positions.

  • Departments oversee the appointment of Academic Reps, so if you want to get involved, contact your department’s Academic Rep Coordinator.

    The scheme begins at the start of the academic year, which includes nominations opening around Welcome Week, with Reps to be elected shortly after. Academic Reps should then complete registration and be ready to start by Week 4 of Term 1. Sometimes if a position is unfilled or becomes vacant throughout the year, departments will re-advertise for Academic Reps and new Reps will be appointed.

    Students can only nominate themselves to be an Academic Rep for the department they belong to. Some departments might accept minoring students whose major department is not their own, but please ask about this in advance.

  • Reps have a few core duties that include:

    • Gathering student feedback

    • Attending departmental meetings

    • Attending the Faculty Forums (discussion groups for Reps to feedback and receive updates within their faculties) organised by the Students’ Union

    However, there are lots of additional opportunities Reps can get involved with during their time in the post which includes:

    • Being a Lead Rep for their department

    • Being a Faculty Rep for their Faculty

    • Leading or participating in Academic / Educational campaigns run by the SU / VP Education

    • Participating in additional Student Voice activities

    • Have the opportunity to participate in complaints panels and consultation groups for the University

    • Attend additional training sessions to develop relevant and transferrable skills

  • Reps have done loads of things, but a few examples from the last few years include:

    • Worked with FASS to implement trigger warnings for set texts

    • Developed Student Only Spaces (now called ‘Talk to your Rep’ Teams) with ISS

    • Run campaigns on Moodle best practice to improve its implementation

    • Worked with the VP Education to get the University’s online exam policy refined to reflect student demands

    • And many, many other small changes across departments that have made a big difference to student life.

  • Being a Rep has so many benefits, from representing your fellow students, identifying best practice, and initiating positive change in departments and faculties that will benefit hundreds of students for year to come.

    From a personal perspective, being a Rep is great experience for your CV and personal development! Loads of our Reps report that their work has helped them develop better time management, public speaking, negotiating, networking and analytical skills.