In this section you receive practical information and tips before, during and after meetings in your role as a student representative.
During the meetings, all members meet to discuss the items on the agenda. This means that you participate in meetings alongside university staff, such as teaching staff and professors.
Below you will find tips on how to prepare for these meetings, what to bear in mind during a meeting and what you need to remember after meetings.
Prepare for your meeting
1. Read through the material provided to you by us at SöderS and by the university
Before the meeting, you will be sent a notice and an agenda with the items that will be discussed. Ahead of meetings, you also need to read through the meeting documents that are attached. Examples of meeting documents can be reading lists or syllabuses.
2. Discuss with your fellow students what you are going to highlight
Different programmes at Södertörn University can vary significantly in student numbers and have different teaching formats depending on the course content. Because of this, you must decide for yourselves which forum is best suited for gathering feedback ahead of meetings.
In the section Unite the student voice we have gathered some concrete tips on how you can do this.
3. Is there anything in particular you would like to raise? Contact the chairperson!
If you have anything specific to raise during the meeting, you can add an item to the agenda prior to the meeting by contacting the chairperson or equivalent contact person.
4. Does the meeting time clash with teaching? Remember to check with the course coordinator!
The higher education institution shall make it easier for students to attend meetings by, for example, allowing students to switch seminar groups if necessary or to catch up on missed components. How missed components are compensated for may vary across different courses and programmes, but this is often done through a makeup assignment, and in some cases you do not need to compensate for what you have missed at all.
Remember that you always need to check with the examiner if a meeting clashes with an assessed component. It is always the examiner who makes the decision on how these components can be compensated for.
5. Notify the chair if you are unable to attend a meeting and contact any deputy
If you cannot attend a meeting, you need to notify the chairperson of the meeting and check if there is a substitute who can replace you. All student representatives, including substitutes, can be found on the SöderS website.
Things to consider during a meeting
Your vote carries just as much weight as any other member's
During the meeting, the members gather to discuss the items on the agenda. This means that you participate in meetings alongside university staff, such as teaching lecturers and professors. In the beginning, it can feel a little challenging to be a student representative in such a forum, and then it is important to remember that your voice carries just as much weight as everyone else's.
Remember the student perspective!
If Collect the student voice for tips on what you as a student representative can raise during a meeting.
If you do not agree with a decision, you can enter a dissenting opinion against it
Remember! If you feel that you have been withheld information that others seem to have or consider the information to be insufficient – request that the matter be deferred or lodge a dissenting opinion against the decision. Making decisions based on inadequate information does not give a good gut feeling.
Remember!
Things to consider after a meeting:
- Contact the student and doctoral student representatives if you are unsure how to take forward something raised during the meeting
- Write down your meeting times
- Follow up and discuss with your fellow students after the meeting if there is any information they ought to know.
- Do you want to bounce some ideas around? Get help from other student representatives in Google Chat and come along to the Influence Forum!
This is how the meeting works
Ahead of the meeting, you will receive a summons with an agenda. The summons states where and when the meeting is taking place and who is expected to attend. The agenda is a list of the matters and issues that the meeting is to address.
This is what a typical agenda for university meetings might look like:
- Opening of the meeting
- Appearance of adjuster
- Approval of the agenda
- Previous minutes
- Information
- Students' Point
- The teachers' point
- The doctoral students' point
- Other questions
- The meeting is closed
Decision outside a meeting
A presidential decision, or a decision by an individual, is a decision taken between meetings. This usually involves contact via email, but can also take place over the phone or during a presentation. A presidential decision may, for example, concern the appointment of a new examiner or the determination of new course dates. Here you need to consider the information and reply.
An answer can be as simple as “it looks good” or “I have no particular comments”, or by asking follow-up questions if you feel something is unclear in the decision.