Hi there, 

Welcome to the next 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. 

If you’d like to contribute insights to the bulletin or have a specific topic you’d like us to explore, just send us an email—we’d love to hear from you! Please also share the mailing list sign-up form with colleagues who might also be interested. You can also view past editions of the Voice Bulletin here. 

We hope you find this useful!

Student Voice Team @ RHSU

Ps. Leadership Elections season has officially begun, with nominations currently open for our Sabbatical Officer and School Rep positions. If you know of any students who would make a great student leader, then fill out this form and we can let them know! 

This year, we're launching the RHSU Priority 8. This replaces traditional sabbatical officer manifestos and instead puts the power to shape the Students' Union's priorities directly into the hands of students. Students will now get to vote on the top issues that matter most to them. The top 8 will become the key priorities that our elected Sabbatical Officers will focus on throughout the year, ensuring that the work of the Union is truly student-led. 

Over the last few months, we’ve been collecting data to ensure that the issues we’re bringing forward are what matter to students. From all this data, we were able to identify the top 20 key themes and concerns that students have shared with us:

• Improve Parking on the Egham Campus
• Improve Maintenance and Support for University Halls of Residence
• Increase the number of social and study spaces on campus
• Longer opening hours at food outlets
• More affordable food options on campus
• Reduce deadline stacking for assessments and coursework
• Standardize marking criteria and feedback within departments
• More student-friendly timetables
• More financial support for students
• Improved support around extenuating circumstances and assessments
• Improve personal tutor support
• Improve communication and access to University professional support services
• More departmental careers support
• Run more departmental events and networking opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates
• More music and event variety for SU club nights
• More daytime events
• Make SU events more affordable and accessible
• Create initiatives to improve the relationship between students and residents of the local community
• Improve street lighting in the local area
• Cheaper and more frequent transport in the local area

Leadership Elections voting takes place 11-13 March, after which we'll be able to confirm the RHSU Priority 8 for 2025/26.

This year we've launched a policy inquiry into the commuter student experience. We conducted a survey this term with over 650 responses. You can read the full report below, but here are some key highlights: 

• Inductions & Freshers - Mixed Induction Attendance: 51.88% attended Welcome Week events, with first-year and choice commuters more likely to participate. 70% of those who skipped events blamed commute-related issues, including cost, time, and scheduling.
• Engagement & Belonging - Limited Academic Community Connection: 50.35% feel part of their department’s academic community, but this drops in mid-year undergraduates. Only 54.97% of necessity commuters feel they belong, compared to 66.67% of choice commuters. Social Barriers for Commuters: Time constraints and commuting schedules isolate students, especially postgraduates.
• Satisfaction with Support and Teaching - High Satisfaction with Personal Tutors: 81.87% are satisfied with their personal tutor interactions, but late undergraduates report lower engagement. Workload Manageable but Exhausting: While 76.34% find their workload manageable, commuting adds fatigue and limits socialization.
• Facilities and Resources - Library Dominates Campus Usage: 79.27% use the library, but overcrowding is a common complaint (21.30%). Satisfaction with Campus Spaces: 83.77% are satisfied with campus resources, but commuters want specific spaces and improved seating. Parking Woes: Parking improvements are the most requested change, mentioned by 23.42% of respondents. They 

Main Takeaways: (1) Commuting Challenges Limit Engagement: Necessity commuters face barriers in participation, belonging, and satisfaction, highlighting the need for targeted support. (2) Social Inclusion is Key: Flexible, commuter-accessible events and improved communication could foster a stronger sense of community. (3) Campus Investment Needed: Addressing parking, overcrowding, and commuter-specific spaces can significantly enhance the student experience.

Next Steps: This is part of a year-long research project, where there will be a second survey later this term as well as some journaling activities and focus groups to get some more detailed insights into their experiences.

Sharanya, SU President, launched a Student Safety Survey in December 2024 to understand how safe students feel on campus and when in the local area. There were 506 responses and the key findings included: 

• 51% agree to an extent that they feel safe in the local area around campus
• 82.27% agree to an extent that the streetlighting should be improved 
• 76.83% agree to an extent that students are less safe walking home due to the back gate being closed after midnight
• The main areas where students would like to see improved streetlighting: back gate, Egham Hill, Englefield Green Cemetery, Wooded areas on campus, Alleys in Englefield Green.
• The main reasons why students want the back gate open late: It is a quicker route and currently students are forced to take longer routes that are less safe, they're forced to use Egham Hill which is dangerous with fast cars and narrow paths, and there's poor lighting on the longer routes. 
• Students staying on campus until 6-8pm are mostly staying to study, those staying later are primarily on campus for sports clubs and societies, and those staying until after midnight are mostly staying for socialising e.g. attending SU nights. 
• Students expressed dissatisfaction with the White Bus service, with the main reasons being: the buses are often not on time or does not show, not frequent enough and too expensive. 

Next Steps: Sharanya is sharing 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. The full report is being finalised, and will be shared on the Bulletin LinkTree.