Open University Students' Union - The Student Summit

Student representation can be confusing, not just for those outside the institution but even those within it. Odd structures exist, acronyms abound, different terminology is used at different institutions and it's not always clear just what role or body does what.

And there's a strange media portrayal that uses the term "students' union politics" disparagingly, to the point that many ex-students' union officers in public life try to downplay their experience rather than being proud of what they did.

The reality is that most people who get involved in and serve roles in students' unions do so because they want to help their fellow students and give something back to others. They are not doing it as an early step up the political career ladder. And whilst there are obsessions with external political matters, particularly events in a certain part of the world, these are not the day-to-day obsessions of students' union officers who are focused more on ensuring students can get through their courses smoothly and get effective resolution to problems.

The student representative body at the Open University has gone through some changes in recent years. It has changed the name from "Open University Students' Association" to "Open SU", reflecting the general common use of "students' union" across the UK. They're also repackaging their biennial (every two years) conference as the "Student Summit", an online event to bring students together for more than just formal business.

The formal resolutions for the event have been published and they're all pretty straightforward organisational matters. Four are straightforward things you find on most organisations' annual general meetings - approving minutes, reports, accounts and appointing auditors. One is virtually a blank motion reviewing affiliations but as Open SU doesn't have any (it isn't affiliated to the National Union of Students) then this means little in practice. The other two are about officer roles. One is to rename the "European Representative" to "International Representative". The other is to undertake a review of how underrepresented students are represented in the Open SU's structures but this is just to hold a review, not to make any changes at this stage. Any student can vote. Notably absent from the agenda of the largest students' union in the country are divisive resolutions about events in the world that are not within the organisation's aims.

This is far from all the Student Summit will be doing, with speakers (including Rose Ayling-Ellis), opportunities to connect and more. It's a very different approach from the students' union general meetings of my previous universities, focused on motions ranging from campus improvements to world politics (these were often voted down in my day).

The Student Summit will be held online on 21 November 2026. All current Open University students "who have studied with the OU within the last two years and have yet to complete their qualification" are eligible to attend but they must first vote on the resolutions online.

(Image taken from the Open SU website to illustrate commentary.)