Thursday 19-11-2020 - 10:44

Your Wider Student Experience is everything outside of your degree, from music and theatre to sport to volunteering to student groups. Over the last few weeks and months, we have asked for, and listened to, your thoughts on how your Wider Student Experience (WSE) should look now that there need to be changes due to Covid-19. Here, we've taken your thoughts on WSE, and added our thoughts to create a vision of how we believe that should look in the coming months.

We'll be taking this stance to SU Assembly on 26 November for discussion with student representatives, but with current lockdown restrictions and their impact on the higher education sector as a whole, we wanted to share our position with students as soon as possible. We will be working with the University Executive, as well as student representatives, committees and groups, to accomplish these goals.

The value of quality extracurricular activities

The importance and value that engaging in WSE has on students’ mental and physical wellbeing, as well as enhancing the degree experience, must not be forgotten. We believe that providing high quality WSE should remain a priority and the University should be proactive, not only in sourcing opportunities for all students to participate in, but also in protecting and enhancing those which currently exist.

To ensure the value of WSE remains high, the University should guarantee there is a balance between WSE opportunities and academic commitments. Academic workload should remain consistent with previous years and Wednesday afternoons should remain free to give students the flexibility to participate in WSE. The University estate should also be kept open to students in the evenings and weekends as far as possible.

Inclusivity and accessibility for all

The University must ensure all students can participate in WSE. To ensure inclusivity and accessibility to all, it should not be limited to one model – both online and in-person opportunities should be offered as far as possible within current guidelines.

There is a clear mental health benefit in face-to-face WSE activity and we should strive to prioritise these opportunities where possible. The University should have a specific focus on creating quality interactions that are accessible to a broad section of the student body. This means removing any unnecessary barriers to students which prevent access, like membership of specific groups. Grants, funded by the University, should be provided for initiatives to increase both the availability and accessibility of face-to-face opportunities. Livers out should also be prioritised to ensure that they are able to engage with WSE during periods of heightened restrictions, especially in terms of communication from both the University as a whole and Colleges in particular. However, student safety is critical, and all WSE activities should take place in a controlled, risk-assessed manner, in line with current legislation and guidelines.

With online activities, there should be a variety of opportunities to help limit online fatigue and cater to as many students as possible. To support student groups, the Students’ Union will ensure that all student group exec members have the resources and training to confidently run safe and inclusive online events. The pandemic continues to highlight the flexibility, strength and resourcefulness of student groups, all aspects which we have, and will continue, to actively support going forwards.

What happens in January?

In the event that many students are not able to return to Durham in January, the University has a duty to provide support and options to  students who are only able to engage in WSE online. It should be a priority that these opportunities are not a quick fix. The University should use this as an opportunity to hold onto the increased accessibility of online WSE and continue to provide more inclusive WSE long-term.

Student leaders must be supported

We also recognise the need to prioritise supporting student leaders in these spaces. The University should provide clear, thorough and up to date communications to enable student leaders to plan ahead. The University needs to recognise that there is increased demand on student leaders and volunteers at the moment, and should work on enhancing the support systems which are required to provide the mental and physical support they need. A student leader peer support network should be created, linking together those who understand the needs and demands of those roles with others who understand them best – each other. 

Support services for students, both across the University as whole and in individual colleges, should be appropriately funded and supported during this period, especially with regard to increasing their visibility to students. The Students’ Union will be working closely with the University to ensure that students who need support know where to find it.