The SRC is broken and we can fix it

As easy as it is to mock the Association and its slew of acronyms, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) is actually important. The SRC is your voice to the University and the wider world. At a time when we deal with rising rents and tuition fees, a lack of study space and resources, a dismal graduate jobs market, and too few women occupying key leadership positions in both the Association and University, students need effective representation.

Yet the SRC is plagued by a structure that hampers rather than promotes its effectiveness. We have an SRC in which too many members have hyper-focused remits, in which too few policies go through full debate and mark-up in committee, and in which committees lack the resources to implement policies. The SRC can and does do good work, but it does so in spite of its structure. Our voice is expressed from a sore throat: it can be heard, but projecting it is a struggle.

As a former Association Chair and two-term member of the Students’ Association Board, I’ve had a key vantage point into virtually all of the business of the SRC over the past two years. With that experience I’ve put together a proposal to reform the structure of the SRC to ensure that the SRC is broadly representative and has enough members to effectively develop and campaign on policy. And with the support of 24 other students, I’ve petitioned the Association Councils to put those reforms into effect.

I’ve proposed removing all ‘SRC Member for’ positions and replacing them with nine undergraduate representatives and four postgraduate representatives, charged with serving on two SRC committees and representing their constituents on all matters within the jurisdiction of the SRC. I’ve also proposed adding a committee for widening access and participation, and asked that the sabbatical officers study the potential for creating a committee on gender and sexuality. This proposal is the medicine the SRC needs, and the result will be a well-resourced and supportive structure.

We will be better served if our representatives are engaged on each and every issue that affect students. We will be better served if our SRC only debates policy that has been thoroughly considered and improved in committee. We will be better served if our representatives have the resources to effectively campaign on our behalf.

We need to reform the SRC to provide students with a powerful advocate for the change we need.

The Councils debate the proposal on Tuesday at 7 PM in the Senate Room. The full proposal, as well as a one-page summary, is available here.