At the SU we’re all about Students Transforming. From being a student manager in one of the SU outlets to running campaigns and societies, thousands of UEA students every year get involved in activities and make a huge difference. It’s why last year UEASU was given a “Gold” NUS Award for Democracy and Campaigning, and why I stood for election to be one of the SU’s full time student officers this year.

At the centre of all that is our SU Council. Every few weeks students from across UEA come together to discuss the big student issues of the day – from student hardship to student mental health – representing their fellow students and making sure that the SU is doing the best it can for students. There’s reps for societies, courses clubs and other student groups – a brilliant chance to give something to the UEA community and make a big difference. Details about current rep positions can be found here.

This year we are also trying out some new opportunities. Currently, we don’t have specific representatives for students who are living in halls, and we want to change that. We’re looking for people who are passionate about issues which effect students living on campus. You might be interested in promoting Health and Wellbeing to first years; getting involved with social events and SU entertainments; or being the person who can raise issues and get concerns about halls fixed quickly. Being a Halls Rep will be a great way to get involved with the SU, and create real change in the way we do things. Details on how you can do this are included in this week’s SU newsletter, or can be found here. 

We’re also looking for student Board members to help oversee our services. It’s students that run the LCR, the Shop, Unio Coffee and the Waterfront. Board members influence what events get put on, what we sell and the overall strategy for the SU services. It’s a great opportunity to get your voice heard and looks amazing on a CV. Again, details are in the weekly SU newsletter, or can be found here. 

There are lots of other ways to get involved at the SU. Later this year there will be elections for SU Officer positions, elected students that sit on Uni committees, organiser events and campaigns and generally try to make UEA the best it can be. This year me and the rest of the SU Officer team will be out and about to talk to students so watch out for us and let us know if you’d like to find out more.