A Day in the Life of a Faculty Rep: From Support Worker Shift to OU Campus

Being a Faculty Representative for Arts and Social Sciences is a volunteer role, but it rarely feels like something that sits on the fringes of daily life. It becomes part of your routine, shaping your reading lists, your travel plans, and even the way you organise a workday. On the eve of a Faculty Assembly in mid-March, especially when I am presenting, the day begins long before I actually arrive in Milton Keynes.

My morning begins at 7 am at the homeless hostel where I work as a support worker. The role requires patience, calmness, and a consistent presence, and I am fortunate that my workplace understands and encourages not only my studies but also my involvement with the Open SU. Still, the contrast between coordinating support plans at 9am or referring a client to alcohol support and then preparing to address faculty leadership the next day is never lost on me.

I should explain what a Faculty Assembly is. Each Faculty, of which the OU has four, meets either quarterly or three times a year. It’s a chance for staff to hear from the senior leadership of the faculty and discuss issues related to programs and initiatives. Think of it as a town hall with more PowerPoints.

Each faculty conducts its assembly slightly differently. For the last two years, FASS has chosen to have a hybrid approach to its assembly. About 150 people will attend in person at the OU Campus in Milton Keynes, while several hundred more will join online. As the Student Rep, I’m invited to each assembly. I can choose to attend in-person but sometimes, due to life being too busy, I will attend online. Since I’m speaking, I’ve chosen to travel there.

Normally, I would work a standard shift before travelling to Milton Keynes. This week is different because it falls during OU PIPS Week, a series of events run by the society I helped start and now stand as President: the Politics, International Relations, and Policy Society(Not yet affiliated with the Open SU). We have a full programme of speakers, and I am hoping to introduce Professor Michael Clarke, the noted Sky News analyst at 4pm. To do that, every train and connection has to be on time.

This means leaving work at around 11 am and heading to the station to catch the noon train. A last-minute phone call about a client delayed me slightly, but I was able to get to the station. The timing is unusual for me, but with both the Faculty Assembly and PIPS Week taking place, it is one of those moments where my various commitments neatly collide and, to be honest, nearly overwhelm me.

Train Journey

And the first train is delayed. Only by a few minutes, but it’s starting to worry me that what should be a 3 1/3 hour journey may end up being a lot more. But I have a seat, and I can relax slightly, although I’ve morphed from support worker to FASS rep now.

I rework my presentation on the train. The reason why I’m speaking to the Faculty is regarding the Open SU’s new What We Believe In hub. This hub will host all of our collective best practice documents and recommendations that the Student Leadership Team, alongside our members, feel are important. These best practice guides came out of the Student Leadership Team’s priority areas, and we have spent the last 18 months developing them. Over the course of this project, we had the opportunity to look closely at the student experience across the University. To understand this more deeply, we spoke extensively with both students and staff. Their insights helped shape a series of guides focusing on the academic experience, student support, and curriculum withdrawals. Our goal was to identify small but meaningful improvements that can make a big difference to students’ day‑to‑day lives. It’s an important step for us as a student union, and I want to make sure I am presenting it clearly and confidently.

Each of the four Faculty Reps will be giving similar presentations to their respective faculties, marking an important moment for student voice. I review my notes, rehearse a few phrasing changes under my breath, and double-check the key points I want to emphasise. Once I’m satisfied, I turn to the other essential task of the week: reading for next week’s FASS Academic Committees on Learning, Teaching, and Assessment. The train, much to my surprise, seems to have made up the lost time.

All Faculty Representatives sit on their faculty’s ACLTA committee, working alongside two other student members. These committees oversee everything from module innovation to monitoring academic quality. The reading load can be substantial, but it is fundamental to the role. ACLTA is one of the most meaningful points of influence we have as representatives, so preparing properly is essential.

I make good progress by the time I change at Birmingham. I usually try to do a bit of studying during these journeys but I’m between TMAs, so I decided to read for pleasure. I switch to the non-fiction book I am reading about Istanbul in the 1920s and 1930s. The shift in tone helps me shift back into an inquisitive student again. It’s a city—and an era—full of political upheaval, which feels fitting for a PIPS president in transit.

OU PIPS Week

I reach the hotel shortly before 4pm and quickly check in. I get my laptop out and am able to start the event. Aside from a slight miscommunication about Teams links, the event went wonderfully. Michael Clarke’s two-hour session was one of the week’s centrepieces, and it is rewarding to see students engaging so actively with it. It is exactly the sort of rigorous, engaging discussion we hoped to bring to PIPS Week.

A delayed takeaway left me late for the next session. After not having much time to pause for most of the day, it was nice to listen to Dr Jamie Allison, of Edinburgh University and have another OU PIPS member lead the session.

Adrienne Scullion, Executive Dean of FASS and Jack Flaherty, FASS Student Rep

Faculty Assembly

The next day starts early. The Assembly begins at 9:45am to allow time for a faculty-wide address from Vice-Chancellor Dave Phoenix. This is the first time he has spoken to the faculty as a whole. His remarks on the proposed OU Strategy guide the next few sessions.

When I arrive at the venue, I am greeted by several staff members and academics I have come to know over my two and a half years as Faculty Representative. One of the most encouraging aspects of the role is how consistently welcomed I have felt at these sessions. Students are taken seriously, and our contributions are expected, not simply accommodated. Adrienne Scullion, Executive Dean of FASS, offers a particularly generous introduction, reminding those present that I spoke at last year’s Assembly about the Student Leadership priority areas. I wrote about having the confidence to speak. Giving the presentation

My presentation on the new What We Believe In hub comes next. As I stand at the front of the room outlining the hub’s purpose and potential, I feel a real sense of pride in what has been achieved through the collective efforts of the SLT, staff, and others who contributed to the work. The response is encouraging: the room is receptive, and the questions that follow are thoughtful, signalling genuine engagement and a clear recognition of the value the SU has created.

After a quick lunch, I begin the return journey to Bristol. It is a short visit to Milton Keynes, but one packed with committee responsibilities, presentations, and society work. Once again, the train becomes a space to decompress slightly before shifting into my next role. I have another PIPS session scheduled for 7pm, and I want to be back in time to host it.

By the time I reach home and prepare for the evening event, it strikes me how much has fit into the past day and a half. I have moved between my hostel shift, committee reading, student leadership, academic engagement, and society activities with barely a pause. It is demanding, but it is also an enormous privilege to represent students across the faculty while staying deeply connected to the wider University community.

In the end, it is only a quick trip to Milton Keynes. Yet it reflects the full scope of what it means to be a Faculty Representative: balancing responsibilities, advocating for students, and helping shape the academic environment of the University. It is busy, lively, and sometimes tiring, but always worthwhile.