The Sabbatical Team
The overriding charge of the sabbatical team is to ensure that the views of the student body are researched and represented. All Sabbatical trustees also actively work to promote the values of democracy, diversity and equality of opportunity amongst the student population.
There are six positions within the sabbatical team, a President and five vice presidents. Each vice president oversees a specific area of the Students' Union.
Students' Union President
The President is the figurehead of the Students' Union. The President is responsible for the strategic development of the Union, co-ordination of the sabbatical team and chairs the board of trustees. They take a lead on campaigning on issues such as social space and higher education funding and act as the primary contact for the NUS, the University and the media. It is the role of the President to ensure that students are regularly engaged with, that their views are represented and that the Union’s disciplinary guidelines are upheld. The President also liaises with the local council and works to develop “town and gown” relations with the city of Bath.
Vice President, Activities and Development
The VP Activities and Development officer is responsible for the strategic development of all non-sporting activities within the Students’ Union. They work with student executives within societies, arts, volunteering, and enterprise. They aid all these areas with their strategic development, as well as acting as a representative for those groups both to the University and on a national scale. Extra-curricular accreditation and development opportunities are also supported and co-ordinated by the VP Activities and Development.
Vice President, Communications
The VP Communications officer is primarily responsible for ensuring that efficient, effective communication takes place within the Students’ Union, most importantly to the student members. They will work to promote the Students’ Union, its activities and its campaigns to the student body and will work to ensure, and communicate, the transparency of all Union activities. They oversee the development of all the Union's commerical operations, and work actively with the Web Coordinator to ensure the continued development of the SU web presence through BathStudent.com. The VP Communications is also responsible for the strategic development and support of the Media Group. The VP Communications has primary responsibility for the Communications Strategy, and also takes the lead on the development of the finance strategy.
Vice President, Education
The VP Education officer is principally charged with the academic representation; primarily to the University, but to other relevant bodies as well. They coordinate the Academic Representation system and work closely with the VP Welfare and Diversity on the strategic development of academic and welfare services. The VP Education will actively monitor higher education issues on the local and national scale and will attend University meetings to represent students’ views on such issues. They will liaise regularly with other Sabbatical Officers, University officials, Union departments and University departments an in order to recognise and act upon emerging educational needs for students of the University of Bath. They will also support the Academic Exec in order to develop academic support services and Academic Representation at a Faculty level, and represent individual students with Academic Reviews.
Vice President, Sport
The VP Sport officer is principally charged with the strategic development of sport within the Students’ Union, and acting as a representative on relevant University committees and at the national level. The VP Sport will help sports clubs devise and implement their own development plans along with supporting the Sports Executive committee to further the development of student sport as a whole. They will develop coaching and other volunteering opportunities for all clubs.
Vice President, Welfare and Diversity
The VP Welfare and Diversity is principally charged with strategically developing the academic and welfare services within the Students’ Union, working closely with the VP Education, as well as individual representation in some cases. The post holder is also responsible for co-ordinating welfare awareness campaigns, working with and supporting the AWARE volunteers, as well as leading in the development of the ethical and environmental practices within the Students’ Union. They will support the student groups in order to strengthen their representation and facilitate the Student Support Executive, as well as enhancing the representation of international and postgraduate students.