If you love volunteering, maybe you’re a regular volunteer, have run to be a Course Rep or are just really interested in making a difference, you would be perfect for a part-time role. But how exactly can you make a difference through a part-time role?

Firstly, what are the part-time roles?

So you can stand for either a Faculty Rep, or a Campaign Rep. These part-time roles mean you can carry on with your studies while you are a Rep.

Faculty Reps represent each of the faculties at ARU, and if you’ve been a Course Rep, you probably know about them already. You’ll attend an Executive Committee meeting once a month. This is where all the Faculty Reps, Campaign Reps and the Officer Team work together to collate ideas, think through issues across the faculties, and put ideas and policies into action.

Campaign Reps represent minority groups of students. There is a Rep for each of the following: International students, Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) students, Disabled students, self-defining female students, Trans students, and LGBT+ students. Campaign Reps also attend the Executive Committee meeting once a month. Together, with the Officer Team and Faculty Reps their job is to make sure all the campaigns, ideas, and policies are inclusive of all students. They also will run at least one priority campaign to benefit the group of students they represent.

To stand for Campaign Rep you have to self define as part of the relevant group to be its representative. So for example, you would have to self-define as a woman in order to stand as a Women’s Rep.

So how can you make a difference?

You get to make sure all students are well represented.

If you’re a Faculty Rep, you’ll be making sure the needs of every student in your faculty are met and you will speak on behalf of them all. If you’re a Campaign Rep, you’ll be speaking on behalf of a particular segment of the ARU community. It is crucial that all students feel welcome, and listened to, and that their opinions matter. And that is the main point of your job – making sure all students have a fair and equal representation.

You will have influence over ARU Students’ Union.

Because you listen to the views of the students, that means you have all the power! You will be directing the Union in the direction that best suits the needs of all students. You will have an active part in physically making a difference to your immediate community. You know your student group best, after all!

You can make change happen for the students you represent.

Even if it seems like something small and insignificant, any changes for the better can have a massive impact on the student experience, and the happiness of all the students at ARU. You might have some great ideas that no one has thought of yet – so why not make them happen?

You have the power to make ARU a better place for all students.

Being a Faculty or Campaign Rep means you are part of a team, including the Executive Officers. This means you have a direct influence on making things happen. The Officer Team act on the feedback you bring to the meetings, meaning that your input has a massive effect on ARU. The changes you help to implement can make ARU an even better place for students from all walks of life.