The Guild of Students wants to hear ‘YOUR VIEW’ to help us plan for the future and ensure we’re providing the kind of activities, services and support you need. If you haven’t already you can still have your say by completing a short online survey which should take around 4 minutes. Your input is important to us!
As a thank you for your valued input, four of the completed surveys will be picked at random to win a top prize of £1,000 cash, or one of three runner-up prizes of £100 cash.
To complete the survey please click the following link: http://sirius.redbrickmediagroup.co.uk/survey/bgs/default.aspx
About Me
- Tom Marley
- As Vice President (Education and Access) I am responsible for representing students on academic issues. I do this by sitting on various committees of the university whilst also running campaigns on issues where students want to see change. It is also my job to support Student Reps to ensure students are represented in every department.
The Guild
Links
The Guild Exec
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11 comments:
£1300 of the Guild's money spent on 4 students.
Fantastic.
The results of this survey will just give you the same results as the pulled Redbrick frontpage gave you, just on a bigger and more accurate scale.
Jen Larbie and yourself decided to pull the story then. If this 'amazing' survey doesn't give you the results you want to hear and confirms that 95% of students don't know what a Sabb is and 96% don't know who Jen is; will you not publish these results either?
Be transparent.
Please tell us how this decision was made and why.
Thank you.
I am curious to know if the reason you have the survey on the Guild of Students website, is to make sure only students who are frequently involved with the Guild and its practices respond?
If not then I believe the group you are trying to reach with this survey, ie those who choose not to vote in elections, will either choose not to answer the survey, meaning that spending £1300 is a waste of money, or will choose to answer it and prove the same as REDBRICK did, therefore proving spending £1300 was a waste of money.
I am disappointed why the REDBRICK survey could not be published, why the Editor and organisers were treated like naughty school children, because of it, and why those who chose to speak about it afterwards have been chastised.
Please let me know why Democracy at our Guild seems to be at the president and sab officers discretions?
Well the idea of doing it on, y'know, the internet is self-explanatory. It would be more accessible for students. Additionally I am informed that we will be putting this survey out in an all-student email in the near future.
With regards to the money, we budgeted for market research as it is quite important. Unfortunatley Guild Council is a largely moribund body and we can't rely on those self-selected student 'representatives' to tell us what students think.
How dare you dismiss what the previous two people have posted in this out of hand manner.
The question was not why do you think the internet is being used, but do you not think that the type of people who go on the guild website are those that are already engaged with the guild and giving regular feedback in various forums. Don't patronise people, it is not a flattering trait and for someone who can make their point well you do not need to resort to this level of jibe.
You yourself were a Guild Council for many years, nice to see that you are self-deprecating. But suggesting that people in Guild Council do not represent their students is callous. It is not their fault if they are uncontested, this does not in any way make them self-selected.
I believe you are referring to students who believe they are the voice of the students. Well at least they have the guts to stand up for what they believe in and if they believe that a sabb is preventing true student representation, such as with Redbrick's article, then they will speak out.
Again you are not open and honest and do not explain the Redbrick decision and this is why Guild Council scrutinises the Officer Team.
Please tell us the truth Tom and do yourself justice by not lowering yourself to the tone in which your previous reply was written.
I am sorry if you felt my previous manner was 'out of hand' and 'callous'. There was no intention to do such a thing. It can be hard, however, replying to individuals who would rather hide behind a veil of anonymity.
With regards to the internet, yes we did put it on our website although we were very keen to get this survey completed by those who never use it. Hence the all-student email and the laptop outside Spar.
I am not the first, nor the last, sabbatical officer to point out that Guild Council is not fit for purpose. In fact I held this viewpoint for the two years I was a Guild Councillor for History. This is in no way a jibe at those committed students who do their best to represent students. However how effectiveness of this structure leaves much to be desired, I am sure you would agree.
With regards to the Redbrick stuff, I choose not to talk about that on this blog but feel more then welcome to raise it at the next Guild Council.
Also on the Redbrick stuff, I know of one Guild Councillor who requested and received a meeting with Jen to discuss his concerns. He told me afterwards he felt he understood the situation a lot better. Feel free to ask Jen for a similar meeting.
how can you not say that saying
"we can't rely on those self-selected student 'representatives' to tell us what students think"
is not derogatory towards Guild Councillors?
you imply that they are not representing their constituents
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can i say it is great that you as an officer allow anonymous comments on your blog
all other sabbs don't allow this as most require a login and those that do let you post anon comments are checked first and often not published
you are prepared to take criticism and answer it
i applaud you for that and wish the rest of your team did the same
I too think it is great that you allow anonymous comments, as students can sometimes feel individually persecuted if they have to reply by name. Something that has become more of an issue just recently.
I can tell you at least 3 people (including direct members of REDBRICK) have asked to have the situation explained to them, but have been told "to let the situation be" or alternatively, by Sabbs, that they were unable to comment on the matter. If the issue is not explained properly to members of REDBRICK, how are they to know how to ensure no such problem occurs again?
For those who have had the matter explained to them I can say I have yet to meet someone who understood what was said to them or who has not left equally confused. In fact all those I have spoken to described the experience as a "bollocking"
The survey was never bought about to embarrass or anger Sabb officers, but instead promote how little some students know what they do for us. A point which has seemed to be met with one argument so far "it makes the Sabbs look bad"
Maybe instead of spending £1300 on the survey, it would of been better spent on letting all students, not just those already involved in Guild activities, know how to utilise their officers.
Please consider the idea that the situation with Redbrick is sensitive and, as such, it would be unwise for me to discuss the ins and outs of the controversy with people I don't know on the internet...
Alternatively email me at t.marley@guild.bham.ac.uk and we can arrange a meeting to chat about the issue.
Is this open for everyone or just the anonymous?
Sarah Blackaby
Deputy Editor REDBRICK
surely if any student can meet with you to discuss the issue it is not a private matter and thus you can blog about it and explain it to the membership?
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