Last month, I found myself at Manchester Metropolitan SU with 400 people from across the UK (but, curiously, not the North of Ireland), all gathered for the Membership Services Conference.
Sussex SU sent three of us along, but I was the only sabbatical officer there. Just me. Lone sabb. “Billy-no-mates” in a sea of staff members.
I had a brilliant time. There were fascinating discussions, thought-provoking sessions, and even a decent amount of socialising – staff do know how to throw shapes on Canal Street.
But as I sat in workshops about strategy, representation, and the future of our movement, I couldn’t help thinking – shouldn’t more sabbs be in this room?
After all, so many of the changes being discussed (whether it’s tweaking a rep scheme, reshaping elections, or rethinking how we engage students) ultimately rely on sabbatical officers to champion, implement, and defend these ideas.
And if we’re not there to understand where those ideas come from, how can we really buy in?
Shaping the sector
Take the sessions I went to – one tackled the age-old question of “How to get more students to vote”, covering everything from attracting good candidates to keeping students engaged with their SU beyond election week.
Another, “Credit Where Credit’s Due” explored how universities could award academic credit for extracurricular activities like volunteering, something which was actually a manifesto point of mine.
These weren’t abstract conversations – they were ideas that I could bring straight back to Sussex. And that’s the point. Whether it was freedom of speech, rep schemes, or drug harm reduction, the Membership Services Conference was packed with discussions that directly shape the student experience.
These are exactly the kinds of changes that need sabbs in the room to champion, challenge, and make sure they’re grounded in real student priorities.
As a second-year sabb, I’ve been around the block when it comes to conferences. More often than not, they’re billed as golden opportunities for “networking.” But four hours a day of forced mingling (on top of the evenings you already spend with the same people) isn’t exactly the most useful way to spend our time.
If the main takeaway is another 15 LinkedIn connections, are we really getting value for money? Especially if budgets are getting tighter and tighter each year?
Conferences should be about idea exchange, knowledge transfer, and genuine learning – not friendship bracelet making, awkward trust-falls, and definitely not icebreakers asking “which punctuation mark do you “feel like” today?” (and, yes, all of these have actually happened).
Trustfall babies
As sabbatical officers, we’re trustees of our unions. Most of us are graduates, many with multiple degrees under our belts. Many of us even sit on University Councils, helping oversee budgets worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
If we can be trusted with that level of responsibility, surely we can be trusted to engage with complex discussions at sector conferences without being infantilised. Sabbs don’t need another icebreaker, they need space to understand how national sector strategy connects to their own work and, importantly, the chance to shape it.
At the heart of it, if you want sabbs to trust staff, staff must first show that they trust sabbs to be capable, thoughtful, and serious about the work we do.
Trust isn’t something you can manufacture with a workshop targeted at trying to understand breakdowns of trust between staff and sabbs. Real trust is built when sabbs are included in conversations that actually shape union strategy – not just the polished version presented at the end.
When we’re brought into that process early, we feel ownership over the outcome, which makes it far easier to champion those decisions in Union Councils or University meetings. That, to me, is what brilliant staff leadership looks like: bringing sabbs on the journey, not asking them to blindly follow.
Of course, trust and inclusion aren’t built solely in meetings or workshops. Some of the strongest bonds between sabbs and staff form in more relaxed, informal settings (over coffee, during a casual catch-up, or even in the Salutation (though this year the Sand Bar made do)). These moments let people see each other as more than job titles and create a shared understanding that makes collaboration smoother when the serious decisions roll around.
Staff also need time without sabbs around – it’s hard working in an SU, they need space to compare notes, share experiences, recharge, break it down on a Canal Street dancefloor (without the ever watching eye of their student leaders, no doubt with their phone cameras out to document their staff letting loose…)
The best outcomes come from striking that balance – staff and sabbs connecting meaningfully, while also having the space to reflect and strengthen their own networks without being all in each others’ business.
What’s next?
In reality, MSC is already at capacity (as it always is), so the call isn’t just “send more sabbs next year.” It’s bigger than that. We need to create more spaces where sabbs and staff can genuinely learn side by side. That means fewer icebreakers and more strategy, fewer “trust workshops” and more best practice ideas.
Sabbatical officers are elected to drive change for students, and if we want them to stay in the movement, lead with confidence, and build lasting trust with staff, we have to take their development seriously. Canal Street optional.
*This is purely for comedic effect… I actually had the best time meeting these staff members who were so accommodating, friendly, funny and interesting. Also, shout out to Joe, Flo, Nick, Mike, Jim, Alan, Gary, Jamie, Mel, and so many other brilliant people for making me feel like I belonged at MSC- you’re all the best!
