Understanding university jargon

Congratulations to all new SU officers taking up positions this month.

It’s an incredible thing that all around the country the peaceful transition of power happens so smoothly each year, and as someone who loves working for student officers, it’s the question I get asked so frequently – how do you deal with a change every year?

Well that is in fact the great thing – there is never a rut to get stuck in, because new ideas come through the door each handover.

There is of course one perennial challenge – the handover. There is a huge mountain of knowledge to climb for student officers and every SU delivers an intensive training session each year to induct the new faces to the inner sanctum of university life.

One of the big challenges in transitioning from “ordinary” student to “extra-ordinary” student officer is understanding what is said in university committee papers and communications.

To that end, here is a handy cut out and keep guide to what university language really means.

Messages of joy and unity

Senior management missives are a corporate communication artform. They are designed to make the interesting banal, and the banal interesting.

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The pen is mightier than the sword

The art of committee paper writing is finely honed over time. Here lies a dangerous path riddled with university governors and finance lay members who require concise and informative committee papers – this is not the place to expose your cock-ups.

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If you can’t beat them

Don’t think for a moment that the SU is immune to corporate doublespeak, after a few months you’ll be using the lingo like a pro – and you will even understand what union staff are telling you.

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If you've heard - or hear - any more, I'd love to know and add to the list. Leave a comment below!