Democracy

Over the past year, UEASU has been making important changes to modernise how student democracy works including replacing Union Council with the new UEA50 structure. This proposal is the next step in that journey: making sure our elected officer system works for this generation’s UEA students and compliments the new democracy system. We’re proposing an update and restructure of the current Officer roles at uea(su). In this new system, all Officers and academic representatives would be paid whereas currently only full-time officers are. Please see the diagrams at the end of this document for the current structure and the proposed changes. The way Full Time Officers (FTOs) and Part Time Officers (PTOs) are set up has not been reviewed together since UEASU became an independent charity over a decade ago. In that time, Higher Education has changed massively: student needs are more complex, participation looks different, and students want representation that is flexible, responsive, and accessible. This proposal updates our Officer structure, so it remains as such and supports the new democracy structure. We’re one of the only SUs in the country to have 17 part-time Officer roles in addition to 5 full-time officers for total of 22 Officers; the standard amount for a Union our size is around 10 or 11 Officers total. A key part of this change is equity and accountability. Currently, FTOs are paid for their time, while PTOs and our Academic Representatives (convenors) carry out significant unpaid responsibilities, alongside their studies, work, and other needs. That limits who can choose to take part in SU leadership. This proposal changes that by paying PTOs and Academic Convenors for their time as well as FTOs, making these roles more accessible and ensuring students are supported properly to represent their peers. The new structure also makes it clearer how students can engage with and hold their Officers to account. By better organising FTO and PTO roles, and creating clearer lines of responsibility, students will know who represents them, how to report issues, and how decisions are made. Overall, this proposal is about better representation, fairer opportunities, and a democratic system that reflects real student life at UEA. Now and in the years ahead.