<div class="fr-view"><p>As we welcome 2025 into our lives, it is the start of many individuals who are consistently working, having prepared for the new academic semester (or term if one has school children) to ensure that the students that we face do well in their education and future.</p>
<p>Croeso (welcome in Welsh) to new students who are about to embark on their journey through The Open University, studying the various different degrees routes they have chosen to do.</p>
<p>Whether you are a young person who has just left school, or an elderly individual who wishes to keep up to date with the latest information, here at The Open University, there is a degree which will suit everyone’s taste.</p>
<p>As a member of the Student Leadership Team, I have been fortunate to be involved with attending several meetings over the past couple of months, such as Post-Graduate Research Students liaison group and the ‘Beyond Pedagogy Community of Practice’, learning lots about what issues there have been and also discussing at length any concerns, such as curriculum withdrawals which have significant impact on all the students.</p>
<p>Starting this week, I have my usual leadership training programme and monthly Beyond Pedagogy Community of Practice meetings, which are both interesting and unique. The Leadership training programme helps with facing trust between team members, whilst ensuring communication styles showcase an element of respect within the hierarchy structure of the team one is in. Psychological safety including emotional reasoning, avoiding the chimp impulse, to coaching and taking constructive feedback whilst being able to provide important feedback too often gets overlooked if one does not addresses this correctly, whilst conversations that really matter, such as recognising when the chimp emotion over-rides the actual elements of an individual’s decision, can lead to taking choices which may not always be the best for the individual.</p>
<p>Also, during the February SLT meeting, our meeting being retweeted on X.com at <a href="https://x.com/OUstudents" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">@oustudents</a>. Look out for this space as you will gain an insight into the various different things we do as a team and discuss.</p>
<p>Enjoy your New Year, and I look forward to hearing from you.</p>
<p><strong>Andrew Wilson</strong><br />Deputy President, OU Students Association</p>
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