Requesting Representation at a Meeting

There are times when you may be invited to attend a meeting with the University where it may be worthwhile taking a representative from the Students’ Union with you.

This service is subject to availability and when you make your request, the adviser will first discuss your case with you to establish whether it would help for someone to attend the meeting with you.  This will usually be the case where the matter is not straightforward, of a serious nature, or another scenario where the adviser feels that it may help your case for someone to attend with you.

At the meeting, your representative can support you with clarifying any questions posed to you, but will not be able to answer for you. There are several reasons for this:

• A University is not a court of law
• All students are considered to be adults capable of expressing their own views
• Students know - and should therefore be able to express - their own situation best

However, your representative may also speak up if they feel you have missed any point/s you had previously discussed you were going to make, or remind you of something you have forgotten to mention.

Your representative can also help you reflect and offer support on the next stage of the process, as well as provide guidance on Academic Regulations, which can be detailed. Your representative can explain and clarify procedures before, during and after meetings.

At your request, the representative may take summary notes (however, not verbatim minutes).

1.   You will need to provide details on what the meeting is for and information on when and where the meeting is to be held. You can do this via our online enquiry form

2.   A member of staff (usually an adviser) will then contact you to discuss your case, during which, they will be able to advise you whether there is any merit in someone attending the meeting with you. 

3.   If a representative is not appropriate/ available, you will be informed and your options can be further discussed - you are usually allowed to take 1 person in to a meeting/ hearing with you for suppport.  Who you ask to attend is up to you, but that person would not usually be allowed to speak on your behalf during the meeting.