Student representatives at the Royal College of Art Students' Union (RCA SU) have a vital role in championing the student community and enabling efficient communication among students, faculty, and the administration.
The Student Representative role is a part-time volunteer position.
The student representative system at the RCA SU consists of 2 main roles:
- Programme Representatives,
- Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Representatives,
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Sabbatical Officers
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EDI Reps
of SoA
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Programme Reps
of SoA
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EDI Reps
of SoAH
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Programme Reps
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EDI Reps
of SoC
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Programme Reps
of SoC
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EDI Reps
of SoD
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Programme Reps
of SoD
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Students
of SoA
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Students
of SoAH
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Students
of SoC
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Students
of SoD
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Programme Representatives are responsible for addressing various issues related to the academic experience of students within their specific programs, including:
- Learning Experience: student workload and availability of staff support, timings, assessment, coursework, and addressing concerns regarding feedback.
- ILTS Resources: effectiveness of IT (Moodle, Panopto, softwares) platforms, Library (L),Technical Services (TS) (workshop, resource store, CAT zone) provisions, and the overall quality of learning spaces.
The Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) Representatives focus on promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity. They are responsible for raising awareness about and addressing issues such as:
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Relationships: Addressing concerns related to bullying, harassment, sexual violence, isolation, and loneliness.
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Equality & Diversity: Ensuring that minority groups are adequately represented and their voices are heard.
It is important to note that while the EDI Representatives raise awareness about these issues during meetings, students in need of support should reach out to the Student Support services, which are not part of the RCA Student Union. Student Support can be contacted via email at student.support@rca.ac.uk or in person at the Student Hub (Kensington Campus, Stevens Building, Ground Floor).
Student Support is responsible for addressing the following:
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Visa and Immigration Issues
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Disabilities, including Dyslexia
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Finance and Scholarships
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Housing and Accommodation
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Counselling Services
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English for Academic Purposes
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Faith based welfare support
Additionally, students with personal issues are encouraged to contact their assigned Personal Tutor in the first instance. The RCA Student Union does not know who is your Personal Tutor, you can ask the Programme Administrator or your Head of Programme (HoP).
Each representative serves for one academic year. Once the year concludes, the representative will no longer hold their position. If a representative decides to step down, obtain a leave of absence, or withdraw from their studies, communication with the RCA SU regarding this change is necessary. In such cases, if there is only one available volunteer for the role, the election process will be waived in favour of ensuring continuity with a representative in the course.
As Student Representatives, it is crucial to stay connected with the wider student cohort. You cannot do this job while isolating yourself! By actively engaging with fellow students, you can create a supportive and inclusive environment where you can collect their feedback and later convey it to the RCA SU.
How much time do I have to dedicate to my role as a Programme Rep?
There are monthly and termly meetings you will need to attend, such as the School assembly (once a term), Campus assembly (once a term) and College-wide Assembly (once a term). There may also be SU working groups you can sign up to participate in. Additionally we will ask you to organise meetings with your Head of Programme on a bi-weely or monthly basis, whichever you feel fits your programme’s needs. Sometimes these meetings are initiated by the HoPs or programme administrators as well. Finally, you will also need to make some time to collect feedback from your fellow coursemates regularly to make sure you are aware of (ongoing) issues and to circulate that information back to the SU.
How much time do I have to dedicate to my role as an EDI Rep?
There are termly meetings you will need to attend such as the College-wide Assembly, School Assembly and Campus Assembly. You may also be attending a limited amount of other consultative meetings with the College and SU. You should be having regular meetings with your Head of Programme to discuss ongoing issues (it may work for you to join the Programme Rep meetings). You will also need to collect feedback and circulate it through to the SU on a regular basis. You will also have the opportunity to raise any issues or concerns with the SU Communities Officer at Drop in sessions every Thursday, email halimo.hussain@rca.ac.uk to book a slot.
What are important qualities that make someone a great Rep?
EDI and programme reps both need communication and organisational skills. They need to be able to represent the opinion of their course mates, not only their own. If you like to get involved, and enjoy advocating on behalf of others, this is a great role for you. We will also provide training for all Reps and will always be there to support you.
What if I need more help to share my responsibilities?
A lot of cohorts in the past found it helpful to have several Reps working together or having additional Reps such as “Social Reps'' or “Studio Reps”. You are welcome as a year group to elect as many additional Reps in your programme as you like and share responsibilities, but there will be only one official Programme Rep per year group per programme who can attend assemblies, according to the RCASU Constitution. There will only be one EDI Rep total per Programme. The election of any additional internal Reps is up to each year group, and while we suggest that internal Reps should also be elected democratically, this process is not facilitated by the SU. The internal Reps may not come to SU assemblies or work groups but can feed in their views via their Programme or EDI Rep.
Student Voice Escalation of Feedback