Who is the class rep?
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Your class rep(s) is the person who is chosen by you, your representative to the faculty and the student union. They are an integral part of the student council. Class reps gather feedback from the students and express their views to the students' union and/or the faculty directly.
How will the class reps be elected?
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At the beginning of the semester, the Students' Union will contact the faculties to have each class elect class rep(s). Each new class, both full-time and part-time, will be asked to elect a class representative(s), depending on the size of the class they can either elect one or two class rep(s). Returning classes can keep their current reps, if the class feels that the reps have fulfilled their duties to the best of their abilities, otherwise, a new class rep(s) can be elected. Throughout the academic year, the class rep council, consisting of the reps and the Student’s Union officers, makes decisions concerning the student’s needs and welfare based on student feedback received by class reps. The students reach out to their respective class representative(s), who will then raise those concerns in the class rep meetings. The class rep will be the first port of call, in reporting information from the Student’s Union and faculty to the students, so they are always up to date about everything that is going on in the college both academically and socially.
What will be expected from the class reps?
To be an active member of the Griffith Students' Union, attend at least 50% of the rep meetings (if more than 3 meetings are missed, the class has the authority to re-open nominations for the position), and have an open channel to connect with your classmates, I.e. WhatsApp group, to receive queries or concerns they may have regarding college academics or college life and to convey any information received from the Student’s Union and/or faculty back to students.
How can the class rep(s) address an issue?
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The class, when faced with an issue, will take it to the class rep(s), and the class rep will address the issue. If the class rep is
unable or unsure how to resolve an issue, they can go to their faculty or contact one of the SU officers. From there they will discuss with the class representative the appropriate route to take, to resolve the issue.
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Examples of issues you might encounter:
• Daily student needs (e.g., leap
cards, student IDs)
• Issues with lectures
• Program workload
• Timetable issues
• Health and safety in the
classroom
• Facilities issues
• Welfare queries
Why be the class rep?
Opportunity to network and form connections with department faculties, faculty heads, the staff of the student
Union, etc. Prepares you for leadership roles. Every elected class rep is given a certification from the National Student
Engagement Program (NStEP), which can be added to your LinkedIn or resume. NStEP: National Student Engagement Program, training provided to improve student engagement in decision-making across Irish higher education. This program is to improve the relationship between students and staff through practice-based projects, training, and capacity building, as well as informing policy developments.