By Joe Cox,

Vice President, Art and Design, Media and Performing Arts

University is about so much more than what you do in the classroom. I imagine if you’ve ever been in contact with your Students’ Union, you’ve probably heard someone say this sentence before. We do democracy, societies, liberation groups, communities, events, employability, merchandise and representation, and so much of what we do is not based around what happens in your lecture theatre, but what happens outside of it.

At Middlesex Students’ Union, we have something that bridges the gap between the two.

When I was in my second year at Middlesex, I became a Student Voice Leader (SVL). Not by some burning desire to represent my fellow students, but because I was known in class as that guy who always debates with the lecturer (I hated me too, don’t worry) and no-one else wanted to do it, so it ended up being me. It turns out this was such a lucky break for me, because I loved every minute of it.

I went along to the termly meetings that SVLs attended with the leaders of the programme, and was amazed that I was genuinely able to make change happen through it. I raised issues about unfair marking, the opening hours of facilities and access to recording studios (I studied Popular Music) and because we talked about it there, within a month things had started to change for the better.

I also got involved with Students’ Union democracy for the first time, and I’m absolutely certain that this was the first step on the road that led to me being Vice President Art and Design, Media and Performing Arts. I went along to the Student Leaders Conference, where I got to talk to other SVLs about the issues they were facing, and realised that it wasn’t just us in the Grove who were unhappy about food prices and bad opening hours; students across the campus were facing these issues and together we might actually be able to do something about it.

The other thing I realised is that it actually made me more employable than I had been before. In the summer between my second and third year I worked for the Labour Party on a London Mayoral campaign. The skills that I had learnt in my year as a Student Voice Leader became invaluable in my workplace. As an SVL I developed my inter-personal skills, my knowledge of democratic structures and my understanding of how to influence power to achieve results, and I put all of this into practice in a professional setting.

At the Students’ Union we so often talk about the things we do outside of your lecture hall to help improve your student experience, but being a Student Voice Leader is the perfect bridge between the two. You get to engage in non-academic activity, being a larger part of your campus and building your employability, but at the same time you get to directly influence what happens inside your lectures, making a positive impact on your course and making sure that you’re being taught in the best possible way.

I loved being a Student Voice Leader, and if you think you’d love it too then you can nominate yourself now. Put yourself forwards for it, and Own Your Experience.