Help CentreIt's great that you have volunteered to be a rep, but there will be times when you may be asked to do something by a member of staff or another student that is not part of your role, and it's really important for you to know how and when to say no to things which are going to take up too much of your time or aren't part of your rep responsibilities.
As a reminder, you don't need to:
- Organise events outside of your remit (e.g. parties, end of year balls, conferences, etc.) or work Open Days*
- Be the only student asked for feedback by staff
- Attend irrelevant staff meetings
- Give students your phone number
- Provide emotional support to students
- Try to solve students’ problems yourself
* You can do these things if you want, but it is important to remember that these things aren't part of your responsibilities. If you do choose to take on one of these additional activities, you should make it clear to staff members who have asked that you are choosing to participate as an additional volunteering opportunity and not because you have to. This makes sure that the rep role isn't misunderstood by members of staff.
How to say no
It can be difficult to say no, especially if it's a member of staff, but it's important to remember that you shouldn't be expected to take on additional responsibilities if you don't have the time or interest.
Some phrases you might want to use to say no in a professional and polite way are:
- Thank you for bringing this to my attention, but this issue doesn't sit with me. Instead try...
- I appreciate you letting me know, however I'm not responsible for this. Try emailing...
- I don't have capacity/time for that right now, in the meantime you could try...
- Thank you for offering this opportunity, but this is not one of my responsibilities as a rep.
If you need any additional support with saying no, please email su.reps@northumbria.ac.uk and we can support you.