For The Big Elections 2015, we are including the volunteer positions that help run your Department.

On the academic side, Departmental Representatives (known as Dep Reps) are key figures in the Union’s Academic Representation Network, a system of 500+ student volunteers that spans all of College. Dep Reps manage the Year Representatives in their department, and have close working relationships with key academic staff – such as the Head of Department and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The role’s main responsibilities include acting as the voice of students in staff-student committees, lobbying members of staff for changes to learning & teaching, and keeping an ear to the ground for any problems that students might be facing.

On the social side, Departmental Societies (known as DepSocs) look after welcome, career and social events throughout the year. If you are elected to your DepSoc Committee, you might be organising a social for Freshers; arranging a famous speaker from industry or research; working on outreach to schools; or chairing all of the above work. Every student within a department is automatically a member of their DepSoc for free.

DepSocs and Dep Reps work together to make sure that departments listen to their students and provide events and opportunities for all. Together, they’re an excellent opportunity to get an inside view of how College works, and to get to know senior members of staff and top academics.

For more information, contact your current Dep Rep. You can find their contact details in the Reps A to Z.