The Royal Musical Association
Students
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Role Description for Student Representatives
Student representatives are elected each year at the Research Students' Conference. Contact the current student reps for more information.
Purpose of the Role
The primary purpose of a Student Representative is to act as point of contact between the student community and the rest of the Association. By raising student matters and communicating student views, the Student Reps make a valuable contribution to the RMA's decision-making and activities.
Election and Duration of Role
The RMA has two Student Reps at any one time, each of whom serves a two-year term. One new Student Rep is appointed each year by a vote at the annual RMA Research Students' Conference (RSC).
Responsibilities
While the role of Student Rep offers ample scope for innovation, there are certain basic commitments set out below:
1) Meetings
Typically, a Student Rep attends two meetings of the RMA Publications Committee in their first year, and three meetings of Proceedings Committee (conferences and events) in their second year, as well as three meetings of Council each year. In the second year, the student rep will chair the annual student committee meeting.
Although meeting venues vary, one Council meeting is always held during the Research Student's Conference, and the majority of other meetings throughout the year tend to be held somewhere in London. Travel expenses to meetings are reimbursed.
2) Organisational assistance
Student Reps may be asked to assist the Student Liaison Officer in planning and organizing RMA events. They may also be asked by the host organisers of the Research Students' Conference (RSC) to offer advice and assistance, normally by email or telephone; attendance in person at the RSC is strongly encouraged.
3) General point of contact
Contact details for the Student Reps are published on the student pages of the RMA website and in the Newsletter. In theory, any student could get in touch about any matter (and we encourage them to do so). In practice, this rarely happens and the onus is on Student Reps themselves to keep their finger on the pulse of student matters and canvas opinion as widely as possible.
Benefits
The main benefit is the opportunity for professional development and networking: helping to organize academic events allows Student Reps to gain important professional skills; attending management meetings with a range of senior academics puts friendly faces to famous names and provides invaluable experience of academic administration. Furthermore, attendance fees for RMA events can be reimbursed, which enables Student Reps to engage as fully as possible with the activities of the music research community.