PAST:PRESENT:FUTURE - A year in the life of Imperial College Union

Clubs and Societies

Despite cuts in funding, the Union has managed to support and encourage the growth of around 160 Clubs and Societies - so if you are involved in any club or society, the Union is supporting you. There have been many successes including BUSA victories for fencing and snooker, endless achievements by all our sports clubs, an outstanding International Night, shows from Dramsoc and Opsoc, plus the continued success of ICU Cinema (still the 6th largest screen in London) and another 28 issues of your favourite Friday read…

A pressing need for better facilities to aid clubs and societies in their organisation and administration has been perceived, and with this in mind the Easter break will see the conversion of the current Senior Common Room in the Union Building into a Resource Centre. Within this area will be the phones, faxes, pigeonholes, noticeboards, photocopiers, PC’s - anything to make running a club easier. An administrator will be appointed to assist you with all the information on sporting fixtures, including details of games, locality, transport and recording of results, and information packs on how to do things (like budgets and events) will be available.

The centre will come on-line on April 21st, and will be accessed through the first floor Union Reception area. This will also have undergone refurbishment in order to provide better access to the centre and the staff working for you in the offices. The current information packs, room bookings and minibus hiring services will remain.

The Union Shop

Our sorrow at no longer being able to sell you books is tempered somewhat with expectation because - in its place from April 21st - will be "The Union Shop". Its going to be a ‘totally new shopping experience’ of a place, designed to be the equal of any high street stationers, and will sell an extended range of stationery, clothing, computer consumables, and regalia. The exciting design is a product of intense consultation between the designers, students, Union staff and sabbaticals, and (hyperbole aside) its going to be great.

Advice Centre & Representation

The Union Advice Centre continues to give aid and information to students who need help, either through course, housing or other problems. This year private sector accommodation problems have been very much at the fore, and the Union has been pressing the College to take a more active and protective role in this for the vast majority of its students who do not live in hall.

Members of the Union Welfare Committee also took part in a seminar attended by senior tutors and College staff where they highlighted issues relating to sexual harassment and discrimination. They raised the need for a College harassment policy and a clearer framework for settling problems between students and staff.

Careers Fair

Over 2000 students attended November’s Careers fair - the biggest union held fair in the country. Companies from all over Europe participated, as the reputation of both the college and the fair itself have spread, so students were able to interrogate a broad range of would-be employees face to face, and find out for themselves (mostly from ex-IC graduates) what working for a particular company would really be like.

Bars

Both DaVinci’s and the Union Bar have had hugely successful years, and continue to improve their service by increasing their range of real ales, and cocktails, as well as introducing new products when suggested. The bar has benefited significantly from a raised profile in the college, and should hopefully become less of a sticking point on a Friday night with a nice new floor (again, being done over Easter). One of the bars biggest successes has been the UDH Cocktail Bar, which came about through a students suggestion, and regularly attracts a few hundred up there on bigger nights. Congestion has become a problem, simply due to our immense popularity, and we can only hope for extra space to expand the venue when Biology move out in ’98 (and the Medics move in).

Catering

The ubiquitous Ł1 curry continues to go from strength to strength, again causing problems with over popularity. The summer refurbishment of dB’s seems to have paid off in spades - the extra seating area thus generated is packed every lunchtime by hungry students. Some of the congestion should be hopefully solved by serving curries them from a separate dispenser in dB’s next year, and leaving the main outlet to dispense the other great value meals we produce, but again we wait with bated breath for some extra space to carry out the Grand Expansion Masterplan.

One aspect of catering often overlooked is functions, of which the most notable this year was the ACC Colours Dinner, a medieval style banquet thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Ents

A much more balanced programme has seen a more successful Ents programme, packing out every Friday night this year. The start of the year saw the opening of dBs, which was a huge improvement on the old Ents lounge, and the improvement has been rewarded with high attendance not only for club nights but also for the Bust-A-Gut Comedy Club. Next term promises no slacking in pace with Bust-A-Gut playing host to the Open Mic semi finals, with Boothby Graffoe, and Charlie Chuck. There will also be more live music, plus the Summer Carnival will be the Carnival to end all Carnivals.

Staff Training

ICU has a policy of employing student staff wherever possible, thus generating jobs for financially embarrassed students, as well as a lecture friendly job timetable. We are committed to training all the students we employ, and many have benefited from this by attending courses covering everything from first aid to customer care. This years training and induction day was attended by around 150 students.

Of course it hasn’t all been good news this year: the loss of our book selling operation has tied our finances closer to those of the college which - considering the state of higher education funding - is not a position we relish (in real terms our subvention from College was greatly reduced last year), and the withdrawal of College funding for the Commemoration Ball has placed the event in jeopardy for the first time in 48 years. There are also threats from College’s plans for Beit Quad (involving a big conference centre and a small Union), and other plans that are under discussion may impact on your life as a student.

Fortunately (this is the cheerful bit) you have us to fight on your behalf, and in perfect honesty (and even if we do say so ourselves) our Union is one of the best in the country, and an ego like that needs support and nurturing