Students driving sustainability success

More than 80% of students surveyed in a new HEA/NUS report, believe sustainable development should be actively promoted and incorporated by UK universities, a belief which increases as they progress through their studies. To help you engage more fully with your students on this issue, the EAUC is responding by opening its Membership to allow students and student union (SU) staff access to the services and benefits currently used by staff.

Students and SU staff will now be able to access all the benefits and services offered within EAUC Membership, with the exception of our Educational Members’ Network (Member-wide JISCmail group). We know how important peer to peer networking and communication is to you, and this ability to ask questions, raise queries and discuss issues with colleagues from other institutions will remain only available to staff.

Why are we doing this?

We are always listening to our Members to make sure we evolve our benefits and services to keep up with your needs. As part of this year’s Membership survey we asked you what your most important sustainability agendas are and, not surprisingly, ‘engagement' and in particular 'student engagement' were at the top of the list. Previously, only staff have been able to benefit from the many services provided by EAUC Membership. However, by allowing students to access the EAUC’s resources, whether for their studies, their role as a green champion or as an active member of an SU, we hope to help you achieve your own engagement targets whilst helping your students begin their own sustainability journey.

This new service in no way takes our focus away from delivering unrivaled knowledge, networking opportunities and services to institutional staff - this remains the driving force behind all we do. Over the years the EAUC has developed strong partnerships with student focused organisations, such as NUS who provide a voice for students in the UK, to work together on sustainability issues and this collaboration will continue in the same way. Allowing students and SU staff to access EAUC Membership brings us closer to our vision of a tertiary education sector where the principles and values of environmental, economic and social sustainability are thoroughly embedded - through the true collaboration of the staff and students within it!

How will student access benefit EAUC Members?

For years EAUC Members have been ploughing a difficult and often lonely sustainability furrow. We hope this move will mean those days are now behind you. By introducing this new service, the EAUC is helping you to embrace the enormous potential of your student body and build a powerful alliance. A strong staff and student partnership can be a game changer. Together so much more can be achieved - be it on the campus, in the lecture room or in the community around you.

How will student access be managed?

We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this new benefit and actively promote it to the students in your institution. To help you do this, we have created a toolkit that has been added to the Member Pack. This includes template emails, to be sent directly to students and to other student facing members of staff to promote this new development, and a poster that can be used in communal or SU areas.

Once you’ve shared this news, students and SU staff can register onto your EAUC Membership themselves. This is then validated by the EAUC, so it needn't cause you any extra work - although your key contact can do this too should they wish to. We have also created a complete set of FAQs to help you with any questions you may have. However, if you have any concerns or questions not answered on our website, please don’t hesitate to contact me or our Membership Services team. 

Stronger together

Tthe EAUC is already a strong alliance of universities and colleges, sector bodies and commercial organisations, working together both in the UK and internationally. At the EAUC we are excited about the new possibilities student engagement will bring. With the number of EAUC Members using our services and resources increasing each year, adding the ideas and enthusiasm of actively engaged students can only make us stronger!

Thank you for your continued Membership.