What is Union Forum?
Union Forum is a meeting where the elected Officer Team comes together to report on their manifesto progress and work, and to be held accountable by students. Attendees can hear updates on what their officers have been working on, ask questions and analyse their progress against their commitments. The forum also provides a space to discuss key Union-wide issues, raise concerns and explore matters impacting the Surrey community. There are three Union Forums held across the academic year.
We encourage all students to attend Union Forum. Whether you want to raise a concern, share positive feedback, ask questions or just listen- your voice matters. You elected these officers to represent you, and this Forum is your chance to hold officers accountable for the commitments they've made.
Who leads Union Forum?
Our Union Chair for 2026–27 is Nicoelle, Union President. Supported by the wider Union team, Nicoelle is responsible for chairing these forums, ensuring elected officers attend, holding them accountable for their work and commitments and making sure questions or issues are properly addressed.
What Happens at Union Forum?
Each Union Forum begins with updates from the Sabbatical Officers and Part-Time Officers, who report on the progress they have made since the previous meeting. This is followed by a themed discussion on a key issue affecting the student community, before moving to a dedicated student question and answer session.
Students can submit questions in advance by email or through the Union Instagram Q+A, or they can ask questions, share their views and contribute to discussions live using the meeting's chat and Q&A functions.
Why attend Union Forum?
Course Reps: Voice academic feedback and ensure your course’s concerns are heard at a higher level. Collaborate with other reps to push for a change.
Involved in a Club or Society: Raise issues or concerns impacting your members, and show your support for (or opposition to) decisions that impact your members or student life more broadly.
Postgraduates: Postgraduate students may face unique academic and wellbeing challenges- Union Forum gives you a space to raise these concerns, influence policy and ensure your voices are not overlooked in wider student decisions.
Students that use ANY university facilities: Whether it’s the library, labs, sports centre or study spaces- if you have something to say about University facilities, attend the meeting to highlight issues and help improve the spaces you rely on daily.
Officer Attendance
This year, we are taking steps to improve officer transparency and ensure that the officers you elected are actively working towards their goals and fulfilling their responsibilities. As part of this, we will be introducing an Officer Attendance Chart. This will provide greater transparency and allow students to see how consistently their elected representatives are engaging with their responsibilities.
Have your say!
If you have any topics of discussion you’d like your Officer team to discuss at a Forum, please contact the Union at ussu.information@surrey.ac.uk. Alternatively you can reach out to the Sabbatical Team in person or via e-mail. All students are welcome to attend and engage in these discussions with your elected Officer team.