Central Reps

About
Central Representatives are students who sit on Open University committees and groups that meet weekdays on campus in Milton Keynes (they generally meet 3 to 5 times per year, and the year currently runs from September to August). Consideration for appointment as a Central Rep is by application (supported by references). Applications are processed and references followed up and then everything is sent to an Executive Committee (E C) appointments panel who meet once face to face in May or June and online throughout the rest of the year. The appointments panel considers the applications and makes recommendations for appointment. The recommendations then go to the full E C for confirmation of appointment.

Recruitment and Selection
When considering suitability for appointment many factors are considered and the E C appointments panel has a document appropriately called the Principles of Appointment which it uses to help make decisions about suitability or not.

Once appointed a Central Rep will be allocated to a committee/group - usually this is based upon the preferences they express, but this can’t be guaranteed with applications that arrive outside the main appointments period as their preference may have already been allocated to someone else.

Having been given a committee or group the rep will be sent all available info about it including dates of meetings for year, and the Terms of Reference (T o R) for that particular body (the T o R details the scope, remit and usually the membership of that body), they will also often be contacted by the secretary to the committee/group to say welcome.

Training and Support
Reps in place by August are invited to attend the O U S A Central Training event which generally takes place in September. This is a residential weekend where old and new reps will take part in training sessions helping them familiarise themselves with their new roles (and just as importantly begin to build contacts with other reps and so develop their own support network.

Speaking of support networks there are a couple directly available to Central Reps. First of all the role falls under the remit of Vice President Education so all the Central Reps are supported and facilitated by V P Ed and that roles support team at the O U S A office. There is also a FirstClass conference where the reps can meet up, exchange ideas, discuss issues – this is also where the reports from meetings are posted for the attention of V P Ed.

Good To Go
The university committee year starts in September soon after training takes place and that’s when the Central Reps begin to fully perform their roles by attending their meetings, using their student voice to speak up about student related issues raised there, and reporting back to V P Ed about matters of interest coming out of the meetings.

Is It For You?
It all sounds very formal doesn’t it? I suppose to a certain extent it is – Central Reps are one of the main tools we have for making the university aware of our views and it’s important that we have people in those roles who are not only prepared to do the role but are also capable of it. The meetings themselves though generally friendly are disciplined affairs so can be a little intimidating to a lone student in a room full of university staff. The issues discussed can be technical and/or wide ranging – it is important we have the right people in the roles. All that said the roles can also be fun, interesting, equip you with new skills, hone some existing ones, build confidence, empower, help develop negotiating skills, and lots of other things that employers look for in their prospective employees.

More Info?
Interested? Have you got what it takes? Like to develop some worthwhile employability skills? Like to help make a difference – together? Want more information? Vacancies for Central Reps exist throughout the committee year and applications are always welcome – we are particularly always on the lookout for research student applicants who are significantly under represented amongst our pool of reps

Contact

O U S A P O Box 397
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6BE

ousa@student.open.ac.uk

01908 652026