Statement from Kshiteej, President Community

Last month, we were informed that Bede House would be closing due to a failure of the building’s heating system. 

89 students were affected by this, and a move had to happen very quickly as a result. 

We knew that students would need reassurance and someone to make sure their voice was heard, so your SU made sure to work closely with students, Digby College and the University of Roehampton during this closure.

As President Community, this became my first major campaign. My focus was to ensure that every student affected clearly understood what was happening, they were treated fairly and they had the support they required throughout the move.

Making sure students were represented

We worked directly with the University to raise questions and improve communications so that students had access to clear information and independent support. 

One of the early ways in which we did this was to ensure that in communications to residents the SU Advice Service was mentioned detailing how students could get in contact with us. This gave students somewhere free, impartial, and confidential advice or to simply understand their options.

But we also knew that emails alone were not enough. 

•We created and distributed informative flyers to Bede House residents, so they would see first-hand the ways that RSU could assist them. 

Both SU Chief Executive and I met with the Digby College team to discuss how we could collaborate and work together to make sure their College community members were given the proper attention they needed. 

One of the most important parts of the campaign was simply to listen to students. From attending the Bede House Town Hall meeting, we were able to hear directly from students themselves. We were also able to ease many concerns by providing clarity to many of the practical questions students had about their move. That, for me, is what student representation often looks like: simply being in the room, listening carefully and making sure students do not have to navigate difficult situations alone.

This situation highlighted a key issue, something we have raised with the University, and that is the importance of involving the Students’ Union earlier when significant issues affecting students arise. 

Earlier communication allows us to support students sooner and work alongside University teams from the beginning. An area we will continue to push on.

This campaign has also reinforced what I want this role as President Community to be about:

President Community: presidentcommunity@roehampton.ac.uk 

RSU: rsu@roehampton.ac.uk

Advice: SU.Advice@roehampton.ac.uk