The Student-Staff Committee (SSC) provides a forum for the discussion of matters of interest and concern to students about the working of the department. A copy of its Constitution is permanently displayed on this page and the minutes of each meeting are sent to the Students' Union and are uploaded to this page. (see student staff committee papers link top right)
Membership and Election
For each year of the undergraduate programme there are a minimum of three SSC representatives: generally there are at least two representatives for the BA Film, Television and Digital Production degree, and at least one representative for the BA Film Studies pathways (which includes BA Film Studies, BA Film Studies with Philosophy, and BA English with Film Studies).
First year reps are elected via an online vote that takes place at the beginning of each academic year (via the Moodle page for MA1051). Student reps generally continue in this role for three years, but expressions of interest from new candidates are always welcome at the beginning of the second and third years.
Training for new reps is provided by the Students’ Union who offer various other initiatives and incentives. The role of the SSC representative is also eligible under the passport award scheme.
Meetings
There are three SCC meetings per academic year , with one meeting per term (autumn, spring, summer). The first action of the first meeting in each year is to elect a Chair.
All undergraduate students may ask their year-representatives to raise issues at a meeting – and are encouraged to do so. Elected members may (and should!) canvass in their electorate to see whether there are issues that the Committee needs to discuss.
Meetings are attended by a number of the media arts staff, including the Head of Department, Head of Practice, Head of Theory, Head of Production Facilities, Student Staff Committee Officer, and the Media Arts Subject Librarian. As such, the SSC provides an important forum in which students can speak directly to key members of staff.
Outcomes
Starting in the 2014-15 academic year, the department of media arts launched the “You Said, We Did…” campaign which highlights key outcomes from every SSC meeting. A poster is produced each term that lists the main outcomes and aims to make the SSC process more transparent and accountable. You can see the latest campaign poster by clicking on the Student Staff Committee Papers tab at the top right of this page, and on the first, second and third year notice boards.
The SSC has a good history of prompting change in many areas. Recent examples of this include: the introduction of an annual social event that is open to all media arts students, the purchasing of additional library materials, clearer guidelines on accessing and using production facilities and equipment and establishing closer links with media-related societies on campus.