~ [[130 - Governance]] # Salford SU Policy Book The Salford SU Policy Book is one of the most distinctive things about how Salford SU operates. It was approved at [[2024-11-20 - Board of Trustees]] alongside a dedicated Policy Book Byelaw — making Salford SU **the first SU in the UK to adopt this approach**. ## What It Is The Policy Book sets out *what the SU believes*, not just what it does. It is: - A guide for incoming elected officers at the start of each academic year - A framework for elections — officers campaign against the policies, not from scratch - A living document that is reviewed annually by incoming student officer teams - A basis for conversations with senior University colleagues about shared values and direction The distinction from a standard policy framework: most SU policies describe processes and procedures. The Policy Book captures *positions* — the SU's stance on issues that matter to students. It functions more like a party manifesto than a compliance document. ## Approval and Review - **Endorsed** (for further development) at [[2024-09-18 - Board of Trustees]], September 2024 - **Approved** (along with the Policy Book Byelaw) at [[2024-11-20 - Board of Trustees]], November 2024 - **Annual review**: Led by incoming student officer teams; any amendments require Board ratification under the Byelaw ## The Byelaw A dedicated byelaw was created alongside the Policy Book requiring Board ratification of any amendments. This is significant — it means no SLT or outgoing officer team can alter the Policy Book unilaterally. Changes require student officer-led review and Board approval. ## Partnership Agreement Connection The [[Salford SU Partnership Agreement]] (2025) references the Policy Book as a key mechanism for aligning annual objectives between the University and the Union. The University and Union are expected to develop shared annual aims facilitated by the Policy Book. ## Source Notes - [[Wonkhe Blog Post on Policy Book]] — external write-up of the approach - Written over 2024 by Lauren Beckett and student officers - The Policy Book project was championed by EM as an empowerment tool for student volunteers --- > [!NOTE] Note on vault coverage > The notes above document the *development, governance, and rationale* of the Policy Book — what it is and how it came to be. The notes below summarise the *actual content* of the Policy Book — what positions it contains. For notes on development rationale, see [[140 - USSU Departments/Salford SU Policy Book|Salford SU Policy Book (USSU Depts)]], [[Wonkhe Blog Post on Policy Book]], [[European Policy Book approach]], and [[Podcast prep with Alan on the policy book 25.04.2025]]. --- ## Policy Book Content Summary The Policy Book is organised into four thematic areas, each containing numbered policy subsections. These are belief statements — positions the Union holds — rather than operational procedures. ### 1. Student Life Covers the overall student experience: wellbeing, housing, work, and development. **Mental Health Support** — The Union believes mental health requires prevention, not just response. The University should actively identify and redesign the structural drivers of poor mental health. Counselling must be culturally competent, student-centred, and accessible online. Peer support programmes (e.g. Rafiki) require mandatory mental health training. Regular awareness campaigns should destigmatise help-seeking. Connects to: [[Greater Manchester Mental Health Partnership]], [[142.01 Tackling Loneliness Strategy]], [[Impact of loneliness on academic performance]]. **Housing Policy** — Access to affordable, quality housing is essential to wellbeing and academic success. The University should factor housing supply into recruitment decisions, particularly for international students and widening participation cohorts. New housing must be co-designed with students, sustainable, and inclusive — fostering communal living and a sense of belonging. Connects weakly to vault; see [[Housing chat with the Council April 2022]] — **this policy area needs further development in the vault**. **Student Employment Policy** — Employment, entrepreneurship, and volunteering are integral to learning. Grade 4-and-below university roles should be reviewed for student employment. Career services must be tailored to international students, students of colour, and disabled students. Internships should be credit-bearing and fairly paid. Sustainability should be embedded in employment pathways. Workers' rights must be upheld. **Thin vault coverage — needs development.** **Student Development and Opportunities** — Training for elected officers and reps is essential. Volunteering should be accredited where possible. Clubs and Societies are central to community and must receive free facilities, guidance, and financial support. Student experience strategies must address loneliness and belonging (explicitly linked to the Tackling Loneliness Strategy). Financial support and advice should be accessible. Alcohol/drug policies should follow harm reduction principles. Student governance participation is essential. Connects to: [[142.01 Tackling Loneliness Strategy]], [[142.04 Learn more about the importance of extracurricular activities]], [[Salford SU Elected Officers By-Laws]]. --- ### 2. Learning and Teaching Covers educational standards, curriculum, staff, and digital infrastructure. **Educational Principles and Quality Management** — Education must be free from financial barriers; equal opportunity is a structural, not individual, issue. Quality management requires multi-stakeholder collaboration at school, directorate, and programme level. Assessment should prioritise reasoning, analysis, and application over factual recall. Written assignments should be anonymised. Disadvantage is structural — the Ethnicity Awarding Gap, disability awards gap, and gender pay gap will persist without deliberate intervention. Connects to: [[Access and Participation]], [[Barriers to learning at the University of Salford]], [[NSS Results 2023]]. **Curriculum Management** — The curriculum is a coherent collection of subjects with shared outcomes. Student feedback via surveys and focus groups must actively shape curriculum change — data alone is insufficient; student reps must interpret it in partnership with academics. Experiential learning (internships, project-based learning) and interdisciplinary programmes are valued. **Vault coverage is light on curriculum governance specifics — area for development.** **Teaching Staff** — Fair pay, competitive remuneration, and workload balance between teaching, research, and leadership are essential. Teaching positions should require prior experience or a clear training plan. Student feedback should inform staff assessment. Diversity in teaching staff promotes diversity in student outcomes. **Thin vault coverage — needs development.** **Digital Policy** — Digital infrastructure must be maintained at the highest standard. AI should be integrated ethically and transparently — enhancing, not replacing, human judgment. The digital divide must be bridged (laptop loan schemes, campus Wi-Fi). A robust VLE with accessible digital resources is essential. Digital materials must comply with accessibility standards and support assistive technologies. Connects loosely to: [[146.02 MySalford Student App]], [[146.04 University of Salford Omnichannel Project]] — but **digital policy thinking (as distinct from project delivery) needs development in the vault**. --- ### 3. Students and Society Covers external relationships, civic life, and inclusion. **Greater Manchester Student Partnership (GMSP), NUS UK and SOS** — The Union actively supports GMSP and participates in NUS campaigns where they align with Salford students' interests, particularly on equity, access, and welfare. Sustainability engagement through Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) is supported. Connects to: [[Greater Manchester Student Partnership]], [[NUS Contribution]], [[143.01 Support the Responsible Futures project]], [[143.02 Create and implement a SU sustainability project]]. **Transport Policy** — Safe, affordable, accessible transport is essential. The Union should collaborate with local providers on student discounts and improved routes. Sustainable transport (cycling, walking) must be promoted with appropriate infrastructure. **No substantive vault notes on transport advocacy — needs development.** **Health Funding and Services** — Comprehensive healthcare (mental health, sexual health, general care) must be accessible and adequately funded. Preventative health measures, vaccination campaigns, and health education should be prioritised. Local healthcare partnerships should be established for convenience. Connects to: [[Greater Manchester Mental Health Partnership]] — **broader health funding and services needs vault development**. **Crime and Safety** — Student safety is paramount. Improved lighting, CCTV, and emergency infrastructure on campus and in residential areas is supported. Safety awareness must not patronise students. Harassment and discrimination within the student community are not just individual harms — they affect society's overall health. Connects to: [[Equality Act 2010]], [[Islamophobia]] — partial coverage. **Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)** — Equality, diversity, and inclusion must be embedded in all activities. Reasonable adjustments for disabled students are non-negotiable. Refugees and immigrants deserve recognition of prior learning. The Union rejects deficit models of liberation — structural inequalities, not individual deficits, must be centred in solutions. Cultural exchange should be celebrated. Connects strongly to: [[Islamophobia]], [[Equality Act 2010]], [[How To Effectively Disrupt Antisemitism]], [[Freedom of Speech Trustees Briefing 2024]], [[University of Salford definition of Islamophobia]], [[Antisemitism and Israel Palestine]]. --- ### 4. Research and Research Students Covers the unique needs of PGR students and the value of research. **Support for Research Students** — PGR isolation is a structural risk; a good practice guide for doctoral studies with embedded mental health resources is needed. Supervisors should have manageable caseloads. Doctoral students should have rights to refuse tasks unconnected to their research. Research should be a public good; public and private funding should be actively pursued. Research students should be integrated into research groups early and included in decision-making about research policy. Fair working conditions and UCU alignment for research students who teach is essential. **This is the thinnest area of vault coverage and was explicitly identified as an area of weakness by EM in the [[Wonkhe Blog Post on Policy Book]].** Needs substantial vault development. --- ## Knowledge Gaps: Areas Needing Vault Development The following policy book areas have **little or no corresponding vault notes** — they represent parts of the Union's formal belief system that aren't yet grounded in Ed's thinking or reference material: **High priority (significant policy content, no vault base):** - **Student Housing** — beyond a single 2022 council conversation note, there is nothing in the vault about housing policy, housing supply, or affordable accommodation strategy - **Student Employment and Workers' Rights** — no notes on employment policy for students, grade structures, or workers' rights advocacy - **Research Students (PGR)** — explicitly acknowledged as weak; no dedicated reference or thinking notes - **Curriculum governance** — the curriculum management policies have no corresponding reference notes in the vault **Medium priority (some adjacent notes but no direct coverage):** - **Transport advocacy** — no notes on transport policy or GMSP transport work - **Health funding** — adjacent notes on mental health partnerships but nothing on broader healthcare funding and commissioning - **Digital Policy thinking** — project delivery notes exist but no conceptual notes on digital inclusion, AI ethics in HE, or digital accessibility policy - **Teaching staff conditions** — nothing on UCU, workload agreements, or academic staff wellbeing as an SU concern **Well-covered areas (strong existing vault base):** - EDI, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and freedom of speech → `130 - Governance` - Loneliness, belonging, and student development → `140 - USSU Departments`, `250 - Personal Health` - GMSP and NUS relationships → `150 - Stakeholder Relationships`, `160 - NUS and SUs` - Educational quality and access → `170 - HE Sector`