Each Department or Centre responsible for a degree course is required to establish at least one Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLCs). This Code of Practice identifies the objectives of operating SSLCs and the minimum requirements that all Departments and Centres are required to observe. Any Department or Centre wishing to depart from this Code may do so with the permission of Academic Standards Committee.

The detailed constitutional and operational arrangements for SSLCs shall be determined by each Department or Centre, according to local need. The Department may for example wish to adopt parallel SSLCs tailored to particular student groups, such as undergraduates or postgraduates or course groups, but must observe the following principles and minimum requirements.

1. The objectives of establishing and operating SSLCs are:

(a) to provide a mechanism for the students within a Department or Centre responsible for a degree course to have their views on academic matters formally represented to the academic staff of a Department;

(b) to provide a mechanism for the Department to consult students;

(c) to provide a mechanism for ensuring that students from different groups within a Department can have their views represented;

(d) to provide a constituency for the election of departmental representatives on the Students' Union Council.

2. The minimum requirements that each Department and Centre is required to observe are:

(a) At least half the members of each SSLC shall be students.

(b) Student members will normally be elected by secret ballot from among students in the appropriate years and degree courses for each SSLC. The elections shall be organised by the Head of Department or her/his representative, in cooperation with the Students' Union Assistant Returning Officer for the Department, provided that this person has been identified by the end of the first week of the Autumn term.

(c) The members of the SSLC(s) (both undergraduate and postgraduate) for each Department shall elect the Department's representative on the Students' Union Council. The Department shall ensure that the first meeting, which will be the meeting at which the Students' Union Council representative is elected, is held as early as possible in the Autumn term, and shall make appropriate arrangements for a joint election where there is more than one SSLC in the Department.

(d) The Head of Department or her/his representative chairing the SSLC shall be responsible for organising its meetings in a timely manner, and shall also be available for consultation with members of the SSLC on an individual basis.

(e) Each SSLC shall meet at least once in the Autumn term and at least once in the Spring term. Additional meetings may be held if at least half of the student representatives or half the academic staff request a meeting or if at least 25 students of the Department or Centre request a meeting, in writing.

(f) Notice of Staff-Student Liaison Committee meetings and relevant papers will be circulated to members by the Department at least one week in advance.

(g) Each Department and Centre shall publicise the constitutional and operational arrangements for its SSLC(s) in the relevant student handbook.

(h) Each SSLC shall review the relevant handbook annually.

(i) Each SSLC shall receive a report of any action taken in response to the Student Assessment of Modules activity.

(j) The minutes of each SSLC meeting shall be received by the relevant Department Meeting, the Dean of Faculty and the Advice and Representation Coordinator of the Students' Union.

Approved By Senate

13 June 2001