The Big Choice Referendum

Students have direct influence over the priorities of the officers and the Union.

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GSU Believes

  • The role of the SU is to represent students’ needs, with Full Time Officers in place to facilitate this at a senior, practical level within the University and SU  
  • Students should have the power to determine what the priorities of the Full Time Officers are, as they will be holding their Officers to account on these throughout the year
  • Currently, only a small proportion of Greenwich students are actively engaged with Officer accountability and SU development
  • It is vital that the SU centres the views, needs and priorities of its members (students), and that all students are able to participate without additional barriers
  • To ensure that the SU is representative of all Greenwich students, it is important that the SU goes beyond facilitating members who are currently engaged, so that activity is not limited to only the interests and needs of these students
  • The SU should be facilitating meaningful and influential engagement with students
  • For this engagement to be useful for students, it should directly influence the priorities of the SU
  • Therefore, we believe engagement with SU activity, services and representation will increase if it is reflective of students, and if students have the opportunity to directly influence SU and Officer priorities throughout the year
  • If remitted roles are removed, it is essential that we are able to check and assess that student priorities are at the centre of SU representative work.

GSU Resolves

  • To support students to build priorities ahead of the annual elections cycle, through a variety of methods
  • Ensure the students who participate in setting SU priorities are reflective of the diverse needs of Greenwich students by working with student researchers to identify priorities
  • Provide multiple opportunities through multiple points throughout the year for students to influence Officer priorities
  • Facilitate student collaboration by providing a range of outreach events and opportunities for student input
  • For these student priorities to be combined and communicated to all students in February of each academic year
  • For these student determined priorities to be central in the accountability of Officers, both in reporting to Assembly and Trustee Board
  • For the SU to report twice annually on all activity that furthers student determined priorities
  • For the final mechanisms of student determined priorities to be approved by Trustee Board as part of the by-law changes to be submitted in May