What would you like the Union to do?

The Union should provide guidance to all SSCCs that it is permissible to allow students to remotely participate in SSCC meetings (e.g. via Microsoft Teams, Zoom etc.) where there is a need and facilities are available.

Attendance in person should still be encouraged and required for students which are able to do this. However, if students have a legitimate reason why attendance is difficult they could write to the secretary beforehand and say that they will attend virtually - for instance distance students, students on placement, disabled students (especially if rooms booked are not accessible to that student - this needs to be addressed too!), student parents or carers, or exceptional circumstances leading to a student not being at university that day - for example illness or family emergency.

Why would you like to do this?

It is important that all members of the UCL community have the opportunity to be a rep and be involved in all areas of this role. While the Rep team have now communicated that recognition can be received in other ways, attending SSCC meetings is a key part of this role and vital for a wide variety of voices to be heard and concerns acted upon. Without attendance and representation, disabled and distance students, as well as others limited in travel, voices may become silenced and unable to truly undertake the rep role.

The university now makes use of technology in many of their courses, and have courses which are studied from areas all over the world. These students should be able to partake in the university at all levels - including as reps. The next step to making the rep role accessible for all, would be to make SSCC meetings accessible for all too.

How will this affect students?

This will allow student reps to fully undertake their role whatever their personal background. It would make the rep role accessible and therefore encourage reps from distance, part-time, parent, international and disabled backgrounds.

It would ensure that the SSCC meetings are not unintentionally silencing these groups of students and discriminating against them in the process. It would allow their voices to be heard.