The Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC) is The Open University’s senior disciplinary authority. Because of this, membership must remain confidential. Student committee members will be called upon to attend the Central Disciplinary Committee monthly meeting usually midweek for 4 hours, for example, 10am–2pm on Tuesdays. They will read cases, attend meetings and appeal hearings before arriving at decisions that impact other students.
We have 13 vacancies in total available to students and these students join a pool on rotation to attend the meetings. A student CDC member should expect to attend a minimum of 2 meetings per academic year. A rota is in place so that the CDC can hear from a diverse pool of students. A student is not expected to attend every monthly meeting but should commit to the months that they have said that they would be available. If your circumstances change and you’re unable to attend a meeting, please inform the committee so they can arrange suitable cover, as student representation is essential.
Student Committee members will consider information on individual cases relating to academic offences and will hear appeals from students to determine the outcome of an alleged offence as specified under Section SD1 of the Code of Practice for Student Discipline. You will not be representing the student concerned but will be acting as a member of the student body in upholding the values – academic and otherwise – of the OU and the OU Students Association.
As a full member of the committee, you will be required to:
You will be attending meetings and hearings which may include difficult subject matter and reveal the personal circumstances that may have contributed to the offence.
You may be required to review case files that include subjects such as;
You will be included in the deliberation of all the available documents relating to an alleged offence and you will, with the panel, arrive at a decision. If it is determined that an offence has been committed, it must then be decided if a penalty would be appropriate, and if so, what. All members (including student volunteers) are named within a student’s case file. You will be able to speak to fellow committee panel members about your role however, you will be required to maintain confidentiality outside of the hearing process. At times you may be called upon to assist with the Student Association’s complaints and disciplinary process. The President will appoint student members to consider complaints or disciplinary matters related to the Association.
Commitment
You will not be required to attend every monthly meeting but please allow:
This is a two-year role (24 months), starting from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2027.
Please be aware, that as a volunteer, you will be expected to follow our Volunteer Policy and Volunteer Agreement
Eligibility
Be a member of the Students Association to apply (all registered OU students are automatically members according to our Articles of Association).
Currently studying at the Open University.
Complete core volunteer training and role-related training.
Be able to provide a 24-month commitment to this role.
Location
This role is mostly online (MS Teams), so it can be fulfilled anywhere if you have an internet connection however occasionally meetings may be held in person where a student has requested this as a reasonable adjustment. All reasonable expenses incurred in relation to attendance of committee meetings in person will be reimbursed.
Training
All training for this role will be delivered online.
When you are appointed, you will be required to complete a programme of training that is aimed at supporting your introduction to and continuous development in your new role.
We offer a dedicated induction programme for all new Student volunteers which will include:
This opportunity closes on Tuesday 29 April at 23:59.*
All volunteers sign a OU Students Association Volunteer Policy and volunteer within the OU Students Association Volunteer Agreement.
If you have any queries or require the application form in an alternative format, please contact oustudents-voice@open.ac.uk
*Applications may close early if a sufficient number of applications have been received.
Want to find out more before applying?
Interested in becoming a Student Rep, but want to find out more before applying?
Join us for a short information session where you can ask questions about the role and the application process.
Thursday 17 April 2025 – 1200-1230
Tuesday 29 April 2025 – 1200-1230
To continue an application in progress, please visit your Volunteer Profile