By Rachel Garvey
A class representative has a huge responsibility; they are the voice of their class. Second year Law class representative Eimear Spain gave SIN an insight into the responsibilities of a class rep.
“I ran for class rep because I thought it would be a brilliant way to get to know my class and I also loved getting involved and helping others,” she says.
Eimear went on to share some of the queries students run into along their journey through college:
“Little things like someone being unsure about an assignment, or something bigger like someone is thinking of dropping out of their course. I know how scary college can be, and it can make a world of difference to someone when they know there is someone in their class who is willing to listen to them and to try and help them out.”
Students not only face off against issues regarding college, whether it’s a difficult assignment or they are unsure of the content in their lectures, but also with issues regarding their own personal life. No matter what the issue is, the class representative is there for a lot more reasons other than just helping out with college queries; they are a shoulder to lean on.
Eimear then went on to share her goals as a class rep for this year:
“I would love to get a class party going! We tried last year but we left it too close to the exams. As an Arts student, it can be very hard to get to know your classmates which is sad as they can be a great support system in college and a great source of information and help too.”
“I hope to continue liaising with the law faculty on behalf of my classmates. I think we are pretty lucky in law that the faculty does look for regular feedback and tries to improve on it.”
It is important for the students to have a good relationship with their class representatives, that way friendships can develop and approaching any class rep in general will seem a lot easier if you talk frequently.
Do not hesitate to talk to any of your class representatives, they may be the voice of your entire class, but they are also just like you, a student. A student who is there as that extra support, one who will listen to your problems and assist in helping you resolve them in any way possible. That is what being a class rep is all about, they are an unknown friend in the crowd.
Photo by NUI Galway Students’ Union on Facebook
