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committee roles and responsibilities

Committees Roles

 

Every club and society is different so your roles will vary. However, all student groups must have a President, Treasurer, Secretary, an Equality and Diversity Officer and a Health and Safety Officer. It is necessary to have a representative at Union Council, therefore we also advise that you elect a Union Council representative.

We recommend that you think about having additional committee members to help support your club or society. You have flexibility to create specific committees position that you think will help your club and society. Examples of these roles include Events and Socials Officer, a First Year Representative, and a Vice-President, Trip Officer, Kit Officer, Publicity Officer, Buddy SU officer, and Postgraduate/Women/BAME/Disability Representative.

See below for more information regarding the responsibilities of these roles.

 

Role Descriptions

President (compulsory)

Student Group President - Job Description

As a President, you:

  • Must attend Student Group Induction, President training, and Finance training
  • Are a visible leader of your student group
  • Oversee the running of your club or society. This will include delegating duties, overseeing others in their roles and supporting committee members to ensure tasks are completed.

  • Set the direction, aims and objectives for the year after consultation with committee members, and student group members.

  • Lead your committee, supporting them with their own roles and making sure everyone is communicating

  • Are the first point of contact between the SU and your student group
  • Chair your student group’s meetings
  • Review expenses claims on the app along with your secretary and treasurer
  • Lead on elections for new committee members
  • Keep in contact with the SU via email and by reading the committee newsletter
  • Attend monthly president's meetings
 
Treasurer (compulsory)

Student Group Treasurer - Job Desciption

As a Treasurer, you: 

  • Must attend Student Group Induction and Finance training 
  • Create and manage budgets, and monitor the spending and general financial situation of your club or society
  • Understand financial processes established by the Students’ Union and help other committee members comply with these
  • Liaise with external companies and Union for purchasing and payments
  • Watch your ledger (your society/club account) so to accurately track the financial situation of your student group
  • Apply for grant funding from uea(su) and/or UEA Sport
  • Take a lead in seeking and securing external sponsorship
  • Review expenses claims on the app along with your president and secretary
  • Keep in contact with the SU and read the committee newsletter

 

Secretary (compulsory)

Student Group Secretary - Job Description

As a Secretary, you: 

  • Must attend Student Group Induction, Secretary training and Finance training
  • Keep your club/society page on the website, social media accounts and email inbox up to date and organised
  • Make sure information is circulated among your members 
  • Book rooms for meetings and events. You may complete risk assessments and guest speaker forms if you do not have a health and safety or event organiser
  • Formulate and circulate the end of year hand-over 
  • Make sure your members know when and where events are. This will include sending emails, posting on social media and uploading events on the website
  • Organise storage for your society
  • Take minutes at your meetings 
  • Review claims on the expenses365 app with your president and treasurer
  • Keep in contact with the SU and read the committee newsletter

 

Health and Safety Officer (compulsory)

Student Group Health and Safety Officer - Job Description

As a Health and Safety officer, you:

  • Must attend Student Group Induction and Safety training
  • Evaluate how to run Covid safe events and activities (hopefully just a requirement for 2020!)
  • Evaluate how to run Covid safe events and activities
  • Ensure a risk assessment has been submitted and approved before your event or activity
  • Ensure the information from your risk assessment is delivered at the event or activity
  • Ensure the guest speaker process has been followed
  • Complete 'accident and incident' forms if necessary
  • Complete a food hygiene course if handling food
  • Ensure events are safe
  • Being aware of SU schemes Safer Taxi and Never Okay
  • Potentially undertaking first aid training or mental health first aid training

    Equality and Diversity Officer (compulsory)

    Student Group Equality and Diversity Officer - Job Description

    As an Equality and Diversity officer, you:

    • Must attend Student Group Induction and Equality and Diversity training
    • Consider the different needs of your student group members
    • Actively learn about the different people you are representing
    • Use your knowledge that you learn from listening to support your committee when making decisions or handling sensitive problems
    • Use your knowledge to help make socials and events inclusive, diverse and accessible
    • Work to eliminate barriers that may prevent students from joining your student group or from participating in it
    • Report incidences
    • Be respectful and mindful or everyone's experiences and needs
    • Keep in contact with the SU via email and by reading the committee newsletter

    Union Council Representative (recommended)

    Student Group Union Council Representative - Job Description

    As a Union Council Representative, you:

    • Must attend Student Group Induction and review Union Council Training
    • Attend Union Council
    • Vote on motions at Union Council in a way which represents your members’ views
    • Reporting back to the committee and your members on issues discussed at Union Council and any changes in policy that might affect you
    • Are an approachable point of contact for your members on matters of Union policy
    • Put forward motions to Union Council whenever needed

     

    Events and Socials Officer (recommended)

    Student Group Events and Socials Officers - Job Description

    As an Events and Socials officer, you:

    • Must attend Student Group Induction and Events and Socials training
    • Run safe and exciting events for members
    • Ensure correct processes and forms have been completed for your event. For examples, you make sure a risk assessments and external speaker forms are submitted. You may also complete these forms yourself. 
    • Ensure the information from your risk assessment is delivered at the event or activity
    • Must ensure you have track and trace for all of your face to face activity
    • Add tickets to online events on the website, even if the event is free
    • Complete 'accident and incident' forms if necessary
    • Help to make all events inclusive and accessible
    • Monitor cliqueness in student group
    • Be someone society members can talk to about problems or ideas

     

    Vice President 

    Student Group President - Job Description

    Some societies like to have a vice-president that is also the secretary. As a Vice President, you:

    • Must attend Student Group Induction
    • Support the President on an operational level – while they lead the development of the club or society, you make sure things are operating as they should
    • Make sure your committee members know what they’re doing
    • Keep the Union up to date with who’s on your committee and helping us coordinate your elections
    • Liaise with external bodies where needed, such as the University, Sportspark or National Governing Bodies
    • Help the President with anything they’re up to
    • Step in to lead when the president is not available

     

    First Year Representative (recommended)

    As a first year representative, you:

    • Are Elected in October/November
    • Represent the views of students in your club or society that are in their first year of study and to represent the views of students in other years of study that are joining your club or society for the first time
    • Support committee members and make change within the student group.  
    • Do not have a specific set of tasks to undertake. You are there to support committee and achieve anything specific you have put on your manifesto
    • Are there for continuity, to ‘learn the ropes’ from other committee members to try and ensure the club or society will continue in the following years.

     

    Trip Officer

    As a trip officer, you:

    • Plan safe and exciting trips for your group members
    • Alert the SU of trips you are running

     

    Publicity Officer

    Student Group Publicity Officer - Job Description

    As a publicity officer, you:

    • Work to publicise your club and society, recruit new members and get your name out there
    • Come up with social media campaigns and strategies
    • Create visuals advertising events to put on social media, on screens around campus, and on event listings on the SU website
    • Book hive stalls to publicise your group and events your group is running

     

    Buddy SU Officer

    As a Buddy SU officer, you:

    • Work with our Buddy SU coordinator to implement a buddy system in your club and society
    • Are a welcoming and friendly person that is a buddy to new or reserved student group members 

     

    Specific Demographic Representative - e.g. Postgraduate/Women/BAME/Disability Representative

    As a specific demographic representative, you: 

    • Should identify as the demographic you are representing. For example, if you are a postgraduate officer, you should be postgraduate, if you are a BAME officer, you should identify as BAME.
    • Represent the views and interests of specific groups of people within your club or society
    • Work to make your group,and the activities your group run accessible and available for the specific group of people you represent