St George’s and the Students' Union (SU) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking an important milestone in the relationship between the two organisations.
One key purpose of the MoU was to clarify roles and responsibilities of the SU and the University, and the services provided by each organisation, to facilitate a strong, mutually beneficial working relationship.
St George’s, The SU and The Education Act
Under section 22(2) of the Education Act, the University has a number of duties to observe in relation to the Students’ Union (SU). These include legal requirements related to SU elections, complaints procedures and resourcing for clubs and groups.
Principles
The Committee of University Chairs and NUS UK set out the below, values that Universities and students’ unions are expected to uphold as part of their partnership:
- Strategic Partnership
- Student Centred
- Respect and Understanding
- Openness and Trust
- Mutual Support and Commitment
- Independence
- Accountability
- Diversity and Equality.
Activity outside the Education Act
The document sets out top-level principles for the SU and St George’s across the below areas, as well as identifying opportunities for the two organisations to work together to address student interests and priorities. Find out more about these below.
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The SU will:
- ensure student officers are trained in their role and have the capacity to undertake their representative duties
- train and support course representatives across the University and ensure they are consulted on relevant proposals
- ensure a student representative attends all relevant meetings of the University
- consult with its members to feed into key submissions such as the student submission of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
- ensure essential liaison between the sabbatical officers and their university leader counterparts.
The University will:
- recognise the SU as the representative body of students at St George’s, University of London
- fund the Students’ Union to ensure that it can adequately/effectively represent student views
- ensure all committees relating to student academic and non-academic experience and student welfare include a space for a student representative as part of their terms of reference
- promote the student representation arrangements to its staff members and students and encourage full participation within them
- ensure that committee papers are shared with a nominated Students' Union staff member as well as any elected officers to support any briefings that the student may need prior to attending.
The SU will:
- involve the University in the development of its strategy.
The University will:
- involve the Students’ Union in the development of its strategy.
Both organisations will:
- report their progress against the strategy on an annual basis.
The SU will:
- oversee the administration of activities that improve community and belonging
- provide sports clubs and societies as part of their activities.
St George’s will:
- fund the Students’ Union to ensure that it can provide suitable activities that improve community and belonging and offer student development opportunities – principally through clubs and societies
- allow reasonable use of the estate and promote these activities.
The SU will:
- provide timely, and independent, welfare and advice to students that is free for them to access.
The University will:
- fund the SU to ensure that it can provide suitable, independent welfare and advice to its students
- ensure staff are aware of the services provided by the SU.
The SU will:
The University will:
The SU will:
- keep accurate financial records and ensure that it reports its accounts to the University at least three times a year including the Audited Accounts.
The University will:
- approve the Union’s Subvention Grant by the end of April each year
- set the Subvention Grant, based on a set of principles agreed in advance by the University and Union, ideally on a 3-year cycle
- set the Subvention Grant on the core, charitable work of the students’ union. Any additional grant from the University for non-core work will be considered by on a case-by-case basis.
The SU will:
- be responsible, via the Students' Union CEO, for the day-to-day management of permanent staff and sabbatical officers.
The University will:
- appraise and support the Students' Union CEO via the Chair or the Board of Trustees and an appropriate senior member of the University, usually the Dean for Student Welfare and Support.
The University will:
- supply such information that allows the Students’ Union to represent its students and understand the different needs of the various demographics
- supply such information that allows the Students’ Union to hold its elections and ensure that all student members can vote
- both organisations will try to ensure the open flow of information wherever possible while still acting within the requirements of data protection and the sharing of personal data.
Both organisations will:
- try to ensure the open flow of information wherever possible while still acting within the requirements of data protection and the sharing of personal data.
The SU will:
- communicate with students regularly and in such a way that works alongside regular University communications.
Both organisations will:
- respect each other's identity and ownership of work and achievements
- ensure that, where possible, all attempts will be made to contact the other partner in advance of a relevant press story being made public.