Working for Students (The Membership Services Show)

This week on Working for Students – live from this year’s Membership Services Conference – we’re looking at what shifting recruitment patterns mean for students’ unions as higher-tariff universities expand, lower-tariff institutions face increasingly difficult choices, and more students look to study closer to home.We also ask who should really be responsible for belonging and student development, whether students’ unions need to think less about delivering services and more about enabling students to organise for each other, and what happens to student voice when sabbatical officer numbers are reduced. Plus, there’s discussion of how unions can make better use of regulation, build longer-term strategies around the student interest, influence curriculum reform, and move beyond simply responding to university agendas.And as institutional finances tighten, we consider whether one of the sector’s most familiar theories of change is starting to break down: does a strong partnership with the university still reliably deliver better outcomes for students, or do students’ unions need to become a more visible source of pressure as difficult decisions are increasingly made on the basis of risk? With Alan Roberts at Counter Culture and Jim Dickinson from Wonkhe..

This week on Working for Students, Livia speaks to Susan Dosangh, Governance Specialist at the University of Nottingham Students’ Union, about its annual networking and development event for student trustees. They discuss creating a supportive space in which trustees can build confidence, understand their strengths, connect with experienced sector leaders and recognise the value they bring to the board.Livia also catches up with Kara-Jane Senior, Student Voice Manager at Sunderland Students’ Union, ahead of her Membership Services Conference session on developing a faculty-based approach to student community and voice. They explore the union’s new student community officer model, the importance of giving part-time officers clear structure and objectives, strengthening relationships with academic faculties, and building a connected “student voice family” across the institution.With Susan Dosangh, Governance Specialist at the University of Nottingham Students’ Union; Kara-Jane Senior, Student Voice Manager at Sunderland Students’ Union; and hosted by Livia Scott, Wonkhe.

This week on Working for Students we’re previewing some of the sessions coming up at the Membership Services Conference.Livia Scott catches up with Andrew Minutillo, Manager, Student Life (Programs and Wellbeing) at ActivateUTS, to hear how students’ unions work in Sydney, how ActivateUTS supports and represents almost 50,000 students, and what delegates can expect from Andrew’s conference session.Alan Roberts talks to Fiona Walsh from CounterCulture about the advice data hackathon she’ll be leading with Kim from Exeter Guild, exploring how students’ unions can use data to better understand and improve their advice services. And Livia is joined by Nick Smith to discuss his session on making all-student members’ meetings work — from getting the basics right to building meetings that students actually want to take part in.With Livia Scott (Wonkhe), Alan Roberts (CounterCulture), Andrew Minutillo (ActivateUTS), Fiona Walsh (Counterculture) and Nick Smith.Show notesActivateUTS: https://www.activateuts.com.au/Nick Smith’s blog on making all-student members’ meetings work: https://wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/making-all-student-members-meetings-work/Membership Services Conference: https://event.nusconnect.org.uk/nusevents/detail/733/1786489200000

This week on Working for Students Liv catches up with Penny Hampden-Turner and Joel Dowson from the Greater Manchester Students Partnership to discuss their vision for happier renting conditions across Greater Manchester. They talk through the partnership’s housing work, the case for more ambitious regional collaboration, and how students’ unions can push policymakers to imagine genuinely affordable, safe, and decent student housing.There’s also a conversation with Alan from Salford SU on the development of the union’s commercial strategy, exploring how venues, activations, coffee carts, and student-led spaces can help build community, tackle loneliness, and connect more students with the wider work of the SU.With Penny Hampden-Turner and Joel Dowson from the Greater Manchester Students Partnership, and Alan Warnock from Salford SU. Hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (CounterCulture).GMSP housing utopiaWhat students think about rentingSalford SU

This week on Working for Students there’s a bumper collaborations special. What does it really take for students' unions to genuinely work together – and what hard questions should boards be asking themselves as costs rise, income falls and institutional instability spreads?Alan caught up with Steve Coole and Ben Ward on the Greater Manchester Students Partnership, the cultural conditions that have made collaboration stick across the city, and where joint finance functions, shared services and collective lobbying might go next.Plus Liv spoke to Ben Vulliamy about his recent Wonkhe blog reflecting on the hard questions facing SU boards right now, from business continuity and strategy stress testing through to reserves, risk appetite and low risk shared service vehicles.With Steve Coole off of Coole Insight, Ben Ward from University of Manchester SU, Ben Vulliamy from the Association of Heads of University Administration and presented by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Counterculture).

This week on Working for Students we’re thinking about belonging, inclusion and the student experience – from the work of Living Black at University to what students’ unions can do to build communities that work for all students.We hear about Essex SU’s work on representation, education and student voice, and look across the Atlantic to Montclair State University to explore how commuter students can be better supported to connect with campus life.With Osaro Otobo, Consultant at Halpin Partnership and Project Manager for Living Black at University; Alex Sablich, President at Essex SU; Chloe Jeffery, VP Education at Essex SU; and Emily Inserra, Assistant Director of Commuter Life at Montclair State University. Hosted by Livia Scott from Wonkhe and Alan Roberts from CounterCulture.With Osaro Otobo, Consultant at Halpin Partnership and Project Manager for Living Black at University, Alex Sablich, President, Essex SU, Chloe Jeffery, VP Education, Essex SU, Emily Inserra, Assistant Director of Commuter Life, Montclair State University, and hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (CounterCulture).The link for people to register interest in the Living Black at University BookAnd here is a link for people to get involved with the Living Black at University Theory of ChangePay the Placement and blogCommuter Assistance Mentorship Program – Commuter Life - Montclair State UniversityMembership Services Conference session proposal formYou can subscribe to the show on Acast, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via your favourite app with the RSS feed, and if you’re interested in being on, do get in touch.

This week on Working for Students Middlesex SU’s, Leanne Lewis explains how a gamified induction treasure hunt is helping students navigate campus, activate their accounts, and build early relationships. We then turn to Anglia Ruskin SU, where Demi Smith challenges the sector’s reliance on election turnout as a measure of success, and Arts SU, where Margarita Marie Ronquillo explores stigma in basic needs support.With Leanne Lewis (Student Voice Manager, Middlesex Students’ Union), Demi Smith (Democracy Coordinator, Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union), and Margarita Marie Ronquillo (Arts Students’ Union), and hosted by Livia Scott and Alan Roberts.Membership Services Conference session proposal form

This week on Working for Students, Livia speaks with Ben Sanders from Wrexham Students’ Union about efforts to reclaim the power behind student democracy. Alan catches up with Sarah Waterhouse at Manchester Met Students’ Union to unpack their innovative “Union Unfiltered” platform. And Livia talks to Mack from Wonkhe about new research into how students are actually using AI in their learning. With Ben Sanders (Wrexham Students’ Union), Sarah Waterhouse (Manchester Met Students’ Union), and Mack Marshall (Wonkhe), and hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Counterculture).You can subscribe to the show on Acast, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via your favourite app with the RSS feed, and if you’re interested in being on, do get in touch.

This week on Working for Students, we hear from Rosie of Organised Fun on the launch of the Safe Adventures report, exploring how students’ unions can take a more structured, principles-led approach to student group safety – from competence and risk to communication and equipment – while still enabling participation and fun.We also hear from Jill at the University of Westminster on a QAA-funded sector audit of student representation, unpacking what effective student voice looks like across the UK, the importance of resourcing and training, and why authentic relationships sit at the heart of meaningful engagement. And we close our Middlesex SU series with Sarah and Cam reflecting on the Fast Track Scheme – how it identifies and develops talent, its impact on organisational innovation, and the challenges of supporting rapid progression.With Rosie Hunnam (Organised Fun), Jill LeBihan (University of Westminster), Sarah Redman and Cam Purwanto (Middlesex Students’ Union), and hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (Counterculture).

This week on Working for Students we hear how Durham SU has moved savings out of HSBC as part of a push for more ethical banking, and why that decision could strengthen the case for wider divestment campaigns across higher education.We also look at how Middlesex SU has been building liberation networks through student-led community development, and how Sussex SU is working to make sport more inclusive for trans students while navigating the constraints of national competitive frameworks.With Abi Taylor, President at Durham SU; Lulu Thomas from Middlesex SU’s Fast Track scheme; and Ella Goodchild, Sports, Societies and Events Officer, and Imo Greene, Sports Club Assistant, at Sussex SU. Hosted by Livia Scott (Wonkhe) and Alan Roberts (CounterCulture).