Exhibition: 50 Years of the OU Students Association

Rise of the Student Representative

Without The Open University, there would be no OU Students Association; our histories are interwoven, and we share the goal of improving the educational journey of OU students. One of the ways that we closely collaborate with the OU, is through the work of our student representatives. 

Ever since our inception the 1970s, OU students have had their voice represented by a hardworking, dedicated team of volunteers, who sit on governance committees stretching across the entire University. Whether sitting at the highest level, at Council and Senate, or influencing ideas at their origin in each school’s Board of Studies, these volunteers work hard, and have done so for decades, to promote decisions that will enhance the student experience, whilst helping ensure the appropriate standards are maintained.  

Student Representatives, particularly those who are part of the Student Leadership Team, have long worked to put forward student perspectives on more specific issues. Depending on the representative’s individual remit, this can be faculty, nation, topic, institutional or sector wide. The work done in this area has included influencing the University to address various issues over the years, such as funding for part-time students, the introduction of home computing and named degrees, the delivery of alternative formats, or even meeting with, and lobbying, governments for changes to improve the experiences of students.  

By working alongside Open University staff members, student representatives are able to provide an effective voice on behalf of all students and discuss specific issues, all whilst gaining an increased perspective on the workings of the Institution. 

Proposals for giving students a greater say in OU decision making were being considered as early as December 1972, with the Central Consultative Committee examining proposals including student representation on Senate, the appointing of an ombudsman and the splitting of the then staff and student affairs board. 

Council, the University’s governing body, has ultimate authority within the OU and oversees the University’s overall strategy, finances, property and staff. OU Students Association President Pam McNay became the first student to directly speak to Council in the early 1980s; you can listen here to a recording of her rousing address. 

Whilst Student Representatives had been part of the Association structure since it was formalized in 1972, with the first student leaders coming together for their inaugural meeting at Walton Hall on December 16th of the same year, it was during the 1980s that interest in these positions really started to pique. 

In 1986 at the Association’s annual Conference, which was held at the University of York, the majority of the most prominent Association posts were contested by several candidates. At the time outgoing President Iris Price commented that the competition for office was “very encouraging and a sign of health.” 

One of the most prominent ways that we saw Student Representatives sharing their influence at the highest level, was by harnessing the power of the collective student body and campaigning.