Hi there, 

Welcome to the January 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 at Royal Holloway. In this bulletin, you'll find:

• Priority 8 Updates and 2026 Top 20 Priorities
• 2026 Leadership Election Updates 
• Academic Representation Updates
• Upcoming February Campaigns 
• Cost-of-Living Survey Results : Infographics

We hope you find this useful!

Student Voice Team @ RHSU

Sabbatical Officer Updates on Priority 8

The Sabbatical Officers have continued to work hard on their priorities, and they all recently published blogs to share their progress with students at the end of Term One. Below we have shared some upcoming events and campaigns around the Priority 8!

Vaishnavi, VP Wellbeing and Diversity, is running a campaign called Budget to Bite the week commencing 16 February. Budget to Bite will focus on ways to make good food simple, affordable, and enjoyable, because eating well shouldn’t cost a fortune. She will show how to stretch students' food shop, build healthier habits, and learn practical life skills through everyday cooking. The campaign will also recognise the real challenges of financial hardship and food poverty for students. 

We know parking on the Egham campus has been challenging during peak times this term. 

The University and the Students’ Union have worked closely together this academic year on the ‘Improving parking on the Egham Campus’ Priority 8 initiative. The University has launched the first of several improvements: a free term-time Park & Ride service from Huntersdale, starting Monday 1 December. 

Check out the bus timetable. It stops at the main Founder’s bus stop, next to the tennis courts. The service is every 15 minutes at peak times and every 30 minutes throughout the rest of the day from Monday to Friday during term time.  

If you want to learn more about current actions for Priority 8, please take a look at our website. Each of the individual priorities has an action plan tracker, and we will continue to keep you updated on the work implementing these actions throughout the year

Top 20 Priorities, 2026 Leadership Elections

Below is a list of the top 20 priorities students will vote on during the 2026 Leadership Elections.  The Students’ Union reviewed student feedback from annual projects like Speak Week and Rate Your Union, as well as long term research projects and Policy Inquiries undertaken during the 2023-24, 2024-25 and Term One of the 2025-26 academic year.

During the 2026 Leadership elections students will vote which priorities they want their future Sabbatical Officers to work on during the 2026-27 academic year. Voting for the next Priority 8 is their chance to directly influence the actions and campaigns that will make a difference during their time at Royal Holloway. 

The Priority 20 are shared below in no particular order, but they have been grouped together by theme. Priorities listed in bold are one of the elected 8 Priorities that have returned to the ballot for continued work. Priorities in italics are ones which appeared on the top 20 list during the 2025 Leadership Election. Priorities without any embellishments are new priorities added to the ballot for the 2026 Leadership Elections.

Campus Facilities

• Improve Maintenance and Support for University Halls of Residence. 

• More affordable food options on campus. 
• Increase the range of food options available in the SU shop and campus outlets, including more diverse cuisines and dietary requirements.

Academic Teaching and Assessment

• Reduce deadline stacking for assessments and coursework.

• Standardize marking criteria and feedback within departments.
• More student-friendly timetables.
• Improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of teaching within departments.

Support Services:

• Improve personal tutor support.

• More departmental careers support.
• Improved support around extenuating circumstances and assessments.
• Improve communication and access to University professional support services. 
• Improve University and departmental communications with students.

Academic Community

• Run more departmental events and networking opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates.

SU Events and Activities:

• Deliver a more inclusive and diverse events schedule by increasing music and theme variety at SU club nights.

• Increase the number and variety of daytime events and activities.
• Increase student involvement in Students’ Union decision-making and planning.
• Improved communication and support for student communities.
• Improve the clarity and transparency of communications around SU events, activities, services and decision-making.

The local community:

• More frequent and aligned local bus timetables with Egham train arrival times.

• Improve security and safety in the wider area in and around the Egham campus.

Our Leadership Elections are just around the corner! If there are any students you think would make a good Sabbatical Officer candidate, please fill our recommend a student form. We'll reach out to them on your behalf to let them know they have been nominated to run! If you’ve got a long list of students to recommend, just send us a list rather than filling out the form multiple times.

Make sure to send them by 5 Feb so Lauryn, our Change and Insight Manager, can email them before the nomination’s deadline. 

Academic Rep Updates and Upcoming Events

Nomination Form for Rep of the Month

Staff and students can nominate an Academic Rep for Rep of the Month on our website. There is a student number section on the form, but staff do not need to input a student number if they do not know it and can simply put zeroes down to complete it. Thank you!

School Rep Update: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Mixer

On Tuesday, 20 January, Delilah and Josh the LSS and PDA School Reps held a 'Welcome back' mixer event over at the Packhorse! This event brought together students from three Schools who will now be under the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Academic Rep Fair

On Wednesday, 28 January, over in the EWD Atrium we held the second Rep Fair of the Academic year! It was great to see so many students interacting with our Reps and passing on feedback that Reps can take to their SSAMs. 

SU Voice Showcase

On 9 February and 13 February we will be holding the SU Voice Showcase to celebrate all the ways our students have used their voices over the last few years. Please come along to the EWD Events Space in the Library building between 10:30-14:30 to see a fun, collaborative display of images, quotes and memorabilia from our students.

Upcoming February Campaigns and Events

LGBT+ History Month

Campaign Leads: Jakob Bird - LGBT+ Students Community Officer, LGBT+ Society, Art Society, Readers Society and Fashion Society

This year we aim to celebrate, support, and highlight the contributions of current students at Royal Holloway, while also educating others about the diverse achievements of the LGBTQ+ community throughout history. This aligns with the theme for 2026, which is Science and Innovation! 

You can view a list of all events and activities for LGBT+ Month on our website. 

Safe Travels Campaign, 26 January - 29 March

Campaign Lead: Delilah Ferry-Swainsan - Commuter Students Community Officer

Our Commuter Students Community Officer is running an eight-week long campaign surrounding the issues faced by commuting students. She will be supported by relevant Academic Reps and societies during the campaign and they will tackle issues around health and safety, security, hate incidents, accessibility and health.

Find out more information about the Safe Travels Campaign here!

Beyond the Plate, 2-6 February

Campaign Lead: Bana Asqalan - Women's Students Community Officer

Beyond the Plate is an awareness week led by our Women's Student Community Officer. The campaign is focused on increased signposting and support for students struggling with eating disorders. 

Find more information about the Beyond the Plate campaign here!

Love Yourself Week 9-13 February

Campaign Leads: Olivia Davies - SU President, Vaishnavi Vajja, VP Wellbeing & Diversity and Bana Asqalan - Women's Students Community Officer

Love Yourself Week is dedicated to helping students prioritise self-love, self-care and mental wellbeing while studying. University life can be demanding, and with the pressures of classes, examinations and the stresses of daily life, it's easy to overlook taking care of yourself. 

Ramadan, 17 February - 18 March

Campaign Leads: Farha Faizal - International Students Community Officer and Bana Asqalan - Women's Students Community Officer

Dedicated campaign to support Muslim students at Royal Holloway during Ramadan. This initiative will feature events that foster inclusivity, promote well-being and create a welcoming space for students to connect. Events and activities will include communal iftars, wellness sessions or promote opportunities to learn more about Ramadan. 

Estranged Students Community Movie Social - 26 February 15:00-17.00

Campaign Lead: Nathaniel King and the Student Voice Team

Students can take a well-deserved break during study week and join us for a cosy movie social designed especially for Care Experienced and Estranged Students. Please pass along to any students you think might be interested in this event!

You can find out more information about each of these campaigns on our Campaigns Hub on our website.

Cost of Living Survey Results 

In Term One, the Students’ Union launched the Cost-of-Living Survey to get students' feedback on how the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is impacting their student experience at Royal Holloway. The survey covered different topics like general living costs, financial support at Royal Holloway, student spending habits on campus and during late-night events, as well as the ways it’s affected students' education and ability to engage with the Students’ Union.

Many of these questions also linked up with ongoing areas of work the Sabbatical Officers are tackling this year with their individual Priority 8 action plans. The results will help shape the further work the Officers and the Students’ Union can do this academic year in these areas and make student life better at Royal Holloway.

Check out our blog to see the infographic results. We will share the full analysis and high-level summary with staff in the next bulletin. 

The Big Executive

The Big Executive scheduled for the 19 January has been postponed, and we’re currently working to confirm a new date. We’ll share an update as soon as possible.