Reflecting on the past year of the SSLC

Undergraduate student and Chair of the Student Staff Liaison Committee, Ten Takeda, looks back on the past year and how the committee has continued to develop and support students.

The Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) is a student-driven initiative that facilitates meetings between students and staff at Warwick Business School (WBS) to address student concerns and questions. As the name suggests, our committee provides a platform for students and staff to collaborate, ultimately enhancing the student experience.

Throughout the academic year, we hold ten meetings: five main meetings involving both staff members and course representatives, and five pre-meetings held a week prior, exclusively for course representatives. These meetings, led by the SSLC Chair and Vice-Chair, focus on gathering student concerns from course representatives to explore potential solutions. In the main meetings, issues identified in the pre-meetings are discussed with staff, fostering a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

The SSLC is made up of dedicated course representatives from each year group and course, elected by their peers. These representatives play a crucial role in collecting and presenting student feedback during meetings. In addition to course representatives, the SSLC includes key roles such as the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Marketing Executive, and Social Executive, all of whom are course representatives.

Given the dynamic nature of student life today, we encourage every WBS student to share their thoughts, whether positive or negative, throughout the year. To ensure your voice is heard, we have established multiple feedback channels, including my.wbs, email (sslc-ug@wbs.ac.uk), and our Instagram page (@wbs_sslc).

The 2023-24 academic year marked a significant milestone for WBS SSLC as we embarked on a revamp. Our goal was to make the student body more aware of our role in improving their experience, as our presence could have been more prominent in the previous year. One major change was the introduction of sub-teams within the SSLC to address recurring issues more effectively. For example, the assessment sub-team collaborated with academic staff to begin a project aimed at improving the current assessment structure.

In addition to addressing student concerns, our interview series featuring students and staff on our Instagram page gained widespread attention. We aimed to create engaging content to give students a break from their academic routines. We extend our thanks to everyone who participated and those who enjoyed the content.

As the chair of WBS SSLC, I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished this year. Our course representatives were dedicated and hardworking, making numerous events possible, including the module fair. Our meetings were consistently productive and filled with lively and ongoing discussions. It was great to see our representatives recognised in the Awards, with myself and Edward Stanbury (WBS SSLC Vice Chair 23-24) receiving a nomination for ‘Academic Rep of the Year’. The impact of our efforts was further evident when we were nominated for the ‘SSLC of the Year” award. Although we were unfortunate in not winning the award, I was honoured to receive the ‘Academic Rep of the Year’ recognition. I believe this achievement reflects the collective efforts, dedication, and unwavering support of our remarkable team and the WBS community this year.

I have been part of the SSLC for two consecutive years, and being a course rep has not only been fulfilling but also a wonderful opportunity to connect more deeply with the WBS community. At WBS, there’s no one set way of doing things, and as a course rep, you have the chance to be the voice of your cohort and drive change when needed. For anyone interested in trying something new, I highly recommend getting involved, as you never know what opportunities might arise. To the upcoming WBS SSLC team, I’m eager to see the fresh ideas and changes you’ll bring to enrich the student experience.

To find out more about the SSLC, please follow our Instagram page @wbs_sslc and keep an eye on the SSLC page through my.wbs, where we post minutes, summaries of meetings, and other important notices.