Wednesday 06-12-2017 - 15:50

Hello! My name is Amy Draper and I am a second year Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) academic rep and Musical Theatre and French student here at Edge Hill University. For seven years, I represented my high school as a member of the student council, listening to the concerns of my peers and feeding them back to the relevant members of staff and heads of department. In my final year of sixth form, I was elected by staff and students as Head Girl, where I was responsible for representing the whole school and was commended by the mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, for my public speaking and contribution to my school. During my time as a member of the student council, I was awarded the Mrs Sybil Thomas Prize for Service, the Mr Tom Beswarick Prize for Achievement, the Ethel Jones Prize for Service and the Head Girl Prize for Service.

Why did you become a rep?

I decided to become a rep at Edge Hill University because I am extremely passionate about using my voice to represent those who feel like they don’t have one. Having developed my advocacy skills over many years, I believe that I am effectively communicating the concerns of my fellow students and I won’t rest until everyone’s questions are met with the answers they so deserve. Every point is valid, no matter how small or insignificant one might think it is, and every opinion matters. My ultimate aim has always been to ensure that student wants, needs and demands are being met with seriousness from staff and faculty members and having felt that there was room for improvement myself, I wanted to be a part of implementing positive changes within the Performing Arts department.

What are the benefits of being a rep?

Following this year’s SSCF (Student/Staff Consultation Forum) and Programme Board meetings, we have seen some positive changes within the Performing Arts department and it is extremely rewarding to know that I have played a key role in implementing some of these changes. The introduction of social events for student reps is also very exciting! Becoming a rep has allowed me to make friends from other departments across the university that I feel I otherwise might never have gotten the chance to meet.

What are you hoping to achieve this year?

This year, I am working with James Hewison, our Director of Student Experience here at Edge Hill, and other members of the Performing Arts administration team to implement positive changes across the department. These include the addition of new spaces for instrument storage, the introduction of key card locking systems on all of our practice rooms and dance studios, additional extra-curricular classes for Performing Arts students (teaching music theory and dance for beginners) and additional induction week events and activities for our new students starting in 2018/2019.

What advice would you give to first year reps?

The advice I would give to first year reps or anyone wanting to represent their year group would be that you don’t need to have had any prior experience, you just need to have the confidence to use your voice to speak on behalf of those who feel they can’t, as well as the passion to want to make positive changes, for yourself, your peers, future students and your university as a whole. Many of us will spend three or more years here and will invest a lot of time and money into our studies, so let’s ensure that we all get the most out of our university experience, by working together to make it the best it can possibly be.