Hi there, 

Welcome to the February edition of our Student Voice Bulletin! Each month, we’ll share key student insights and feedback, aiming to improve how we communicate and work together to enhance the student experience. In this month's edition you'll find: the themes from our commuter student journals, an analysis of candidate statements and the full report from our Student Safety Survey.

We hope you find this useful!

Student Voice Team @ RHSU

Key Messages from Commuter Student Journals

As part of the Commuter Student Experience Policy Inquiry, a small group of commuting students were asked to keep a journal of their week, allowing the Union a deeper insight into the pressures of commuting, and potential barriers the growing commuter student population may face. 

Mood Throughout The Week: The majority of students reported feeling productive at the beginning of the week but early starts and travel disruptions began to take its toll. By mid-week, we saw a dip in energy with lots of feelings of exhaustion and stress and the weekend many students spoke about having to work.

“I woke up feeling motivated to start the new week… then my usual train got cancelled. On a cold Monday morning, this was not the greatest way to start the week.”

“I didn’t have to wake up early, so I felt okay. But then I was late anyway because the bus was unreliable… I was frustrated before I even got to my lecture.”

“I carry so much in my bag—lunch, overnight bag, laptop. By the afternoon I’m physically drained. Studying on campus is great, but carrying my life around all day is not.”

Balancing Work, Life & Studies: Many students struggle to participate in societies, events, and extracurricular activities because of travel limitations. Many commuting students also work part-time, leaving little time for relaxation or socialising.

“I can never go to SU events or society meetings. Everything happens late, and I have no way of getting home.”

“Most of my friends live on campus, so they go to events together. I always feel like I’m missing out.”

 

“I work on weekends, so I never have time to rest properly. By Monday, I’m already exhausted.”

“By the time I get home, I just don’t have the energy to study. Commuting takes up so much of my day.”

Travel Patterns & Challenges: Many students facing long and costly commutes, with train delays and unreliable public transport a common source of anxiety and stress. Some also spoke about limiting their time on campus because transport is too expensive, choosing to stay home even when they'd rather study at university. Safety concerns often forced students to leave campus earlier than they wanted to, affecting their ability to attend evening study sessions and social events.

“If travel wasn’t so expensive, I’d be on campus more often and actually go to society events. But it’s just not worth the money.”

“I used to take the Elizabeth Line, but it’s double the price of the bus. Now I take the bus instead, even though it takes longer.”

“I wanted to stay in the library until 8pm, but it was getting dark, and my journey home might not be safe.”

With this research, it is evident that the Commuting Student Survey will provide some important insights into the reality of the growing commuter population at Royal Holloway. We shared the results of survey one in the last bulletin, and will be launching the second part of the survey soon. 

Student Safety Report - Full Report

We shared some headlines in our last bulletin, but the full report is officially complete! As a reminder, in December 2024, SU President Sharanya Sivarajah led the Union in the launch of the Student Safety Survey. The survey received 506 responses and has provided invaluable insight into student's sense of safety on campus and in the local area. Here are some of the findings:

• Travel Patterns: 31.53% of students travel to and from campus multiple times per day or week. The majority (60.49%) return home at midnight or later. Most students return home late between 6-10pm, with a strong pattern of leaving and returning for social activities.
• Street Lighting: Approximately 51.06% of respondents agree to some extent that they feel safe walking around the local area. In qualitative feedback, 36.76% mentioned feeling safe in the area, while 27.45% expressed feeling unsafe at night, and 17.16% felt safe only during the daytime. 82.27% of respondents agree to some extent that street lighting in the local area needs improvement.
• Back Gate: 76.83% of respondents agree to some extent that closing the back gate after midnight makes students feel less safe when walking home. 77.81% of respondents agree to some extent that they would use the back gate for walking home or accessing other areas if it were open 24/7. 5.61% disagree or strongly disagree with this proposition. 
• White Bus Service: Qualitative responses demonstrated that the bus is often late or doesn't show up, there is a need for more frequent or later buses, especially during late hours. 52.33% agree to some extent that extending the White Bus service to midnight or later would enhance their sense of safety when getting home.  51.10% agree to some extent that they would use the White Bus service if it operated late at night.

Next Steps: Sharanya has shared the results with the Campus Safety & Security Coordinating Group, and will be meeting with the local council to lobby for improved streetlighting, as well as sharing the results with the White Bus Company. 

Candidate Statement Analysis

Elections for Sabbatical Officers and School Representatives are fast approaching.  This year, with the launch of RHSU Priority 8, manifestos have been replaced with Candidate Statements. This is where candidates can outline why they are a good fit for the role, which Priorities they value most, and how they would approach addressing them. We've analysed all the candidate statements and here are some of the key themes students are telling us they want to see:

• Improving Street Lighting: Building on the Student Safety Survey, candidates are pushing for extended back gate access to provide safer walking routes at night, more streetlights in key areas and collaboration with local councils and police to make sure student concerns are taken seriously. 
• Expanding Financial Support: To ease cost of living, candidates are proposing the expansion of hardship funds and emergency financial support, introducing community cupboards stocked with free food and essentials, making campus life more affordable by reviewing SU event pricing and food on campus and ensuring students know what help is available to them.
• Enhancing Academic Support: Candidates are talking about a reformed personal tutor system, automated deadline reminders and standardised marking and feedback policies. 
• Creating More Social & Study Spaces: Candidates are calling for the repurposing of underused spaces for student lounges and commuter-friendly areas, an online study space tracker and longer library hours during peak assessment periods. 
• Improving timetabling: Candidates have mentioned reducing long timetable gaps to improve study-work-life balance, publishing schedules earlier to help students avoid clashes and ensuring Wednesdays remain free for sport. 

Students will be voting for the Priorities that matter most to them during our Leadership Elections 11-13 March. We'll publish the results in our next bulletin!