Student Life Team

Your Student Life Team are members of Student Services who are on hand to help create a supportive, inclusive, and vibrant student community. The Student Life Team are available to guide, support, and assist students with a wide range of queries throughout their St Mary's journey.

As a part of the Student Services department, your Student Life Team work closely alongside the Resident Mentors, the Accommodation team, Student Services, and Students' Union. The Student Life Team are a point of contact for students with any issues concerning their accommodation, or who require advice or assistance on personal matters. 

The Student Life Team support students with respect and provide non-judgemental support to any student who may need some advice whilst studying at St Mary’s. We offer telephone or face to face appointments and can take drop-in appointments where possible.

The Student Life Team supports all students at St Mary’s. If you would like to contact the Student Life team for support, then please get in touch by emailing studentlife@stmarys.ac.uk or by calling 020 8240 4048. 

Resident Mentors are members of staff who reside in the halls of residence. Their role is to ensure the wellbeing and safety of St Mary’s students living across the residences and to ensure that residents are adhering to the University Accommodation Licence Agreement. Resident Mentors work closely with the Security team to provide ‘out of hours’ support when it is needed.

As part of their pastoral duties, Resident Mentors can assist with general wellbeing concerns, homesickness, and all Resident Mentors are First Aid trained. Resident Mentors can signpost students to useful services within the University, such as Student Services, the Student Union, and Chaplaincy. They can also signpost residents towards any external services that they mind useful. As part of the Student Services team, Resident Mentors work closely with the Student Life team and the Wellbeing team to ensure that residential students get the support that they need.

Working closely with the University Conduct team, Resident Mentors can enforce Student Disciplinary Procedures in accordance with the University Accommodation Licence Agreement if it is deemed that a resident has breached the Licence Agreement. Resident Mentors address any breaches of conduct fairly and promptly. Resident Mentors will investigate a matter and may invite a resident into a disciplinary meeting to discuss what has happened, as well as detailing what behaviour is to be expected of St Mary’s residents. Resident Mentors can make a finding that sanctions of a warning or a monetary fine where appropriate. Breaches of the Licence Agreement which are deemed as matters of ‘Gross Misconduct’ can result in a student’s exclusion from Halls of Residence and the University.

Overall, the Resident Mentors work to create a supportive and inclusive living environment for students promoting community engagement and responsible behaviour. This dedicated team helps foster a positive residential experience, contributing to the overall success and wellbeing of our students living in St Mary’s Halls of Residences. 

Student Senior Residents (SSR’s) are students who reside in the halls of residence who report directly to the Resident Mentors. They are an essential part of the pastoral care of residential students and also assist the Resident Mentors in upholding the University Accommodation Licence Agreement. SSR’s receive training prior to the academic year and throughout the year and meet regularly with Resident Mentors and Student Services staff to ensure that residents in halls receive a high level of support.

SSR's are second or third years as well as postgraduate students who have lived in halls of residence previously, and their role is to assist and support students while they're settling in and throughout their time in halls. SSR’s are a point of contact for residents, and you can seek advice and general information about St Mary’s from them. Residents can reach out to their SSR for a number of reasons – some of the common reasons are:

• to help settle into halls life (particularly in the first semester)
• to help build a friendly and respectful halls community
• information on what Induction events are going on (Welcome Week)
• for advice and guidance around what support is available at St Mary’s (Student Services, Security, SMSU, Chaplaincy, Personal Tutor etc.)
• if you need out of hours support – the SSR may contact RM for advice.

We are delighted to have a great team of SSR’s for the 2024/25 Academic year. We are always looking to speak with students who may wish to apply for the role for next academic year and we are looking for individuals who possess excellent teamwork skills, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a flexible attitude towards work and a willingness to become involved in the Residential community & activities. This is a rewarding and fulfilling role, which has the advantage of living in halls again with the benefit of discounted rent. 

Want to apply to be senior resident for 2025/26? Get in touch with the Student Life Team to find out more!

At St Mary’s University, we are committed to providing a positive living, learning, and social experience and a safe environment for all staff, students and guests. We want all members of our community to feel safe, welcome and included.

We are proud to be an inclusive, tolerant, and diverse community. If you have experienced, seen, or been told about an incidence of bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct, a hate crime, or anything similar, the Student Life Team can speak with you about your Report and Support options.

Students can report incidents that may have happened to them on campus, off campus, or even prior to attendance at St Mary’s. Students can also report incidents that they may have witnessed or aware of that has involved other people.

If you’d like to talk through your options with a member of the Student Life team about an incident that you are aware of, please visit Student Services (2^nd floor of J Building) or email studentlife@stmarys.ac.uk. The Student Life Team are available to provide information about what reporting options are available to you, as well as which support routes might work best for you at this time. 

St Mary’s University is committed to supporting students that have experienced sexual harassment, abuse, and violence either recently or in the past. We understand that seeking advice and support after an incident of sexual violence can be a very difficult and personal decision.

The Student Life Team has staff who are trained and accredited Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLO) who can support you sensitively and respectfully. SVLOs listen empathically without judgement.

SVLOs are trained to listen and discuss the options with you that are available through external services as well as university services. They can support students who are working with external services, such as the Police. The SVLOs can provide support and information to students who may have experienced sexual violence at any point in their life, however long ago. They will support you through whatever choices are right for you and provide a safe and confidential space.

If you have experienced something that you would like to seek professional support for, even if you are unsure whether you have experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment, please contact us so that we can support you.

Details of internal and external support can be found on our Report and Support pages.

• The Student Life Team offers pastoral support to all students at St Mary's. 
• The Student Life Team has direct links with all other support services, such as accommodation, funding, and wellbeing.
• The Student Life Team are the first point of call if a student has been involved in any type of incident, and they can offer advice, guidance, and signpost to internal and external avenues of support. 
• The Student Life Team work closely with Sport St Mary’s and the Student's Union to run events such as Hall Stars.
• The Student Life Team works closely with Security to keep our campus inclusive and safe as well as the local Metropolitan Police Liaison Officer to discuss local matters.