The Manifesto Review

As the 2012/13 academic year flies by (this time last year, I was already saying ’14 weeks til exams’ in an attempt to motivate myself…) there are a number of developments to update everyone on. For final years, the National Student Survey is back; for the whole student body we have, what I guess is kind of a survey, the dreaded e-word – elections – looming. One term down, and already it’s nearly time to get rid of the sabbaticals.

Over the next few weeks, all the sabbs will be writing to tell you about what’s gone on, what’s changed, what’s improved, what’s not. Some things will be obvious (yes, I know everyone still has to pay £2 to get into the Union… will come on to that in a minute), some things are potentially meaningless without a bit of explanation. What’s both amazing and annoying about my role (and if you’re thinking of running for my position, this is possibly the most frustrating part you’ll have to deal with) is that I can’t tell you half the stuff I do: it’s ‘confidential’ or ‘commercially sensitive’. It’s that way for a good reason: it’s not that the College is trying to hide things from students, but it’s not possible to put everything in the public domain (like business deals, etc) until they’re done. Infuriatingly, I’m also not able to ask students for help in supporting me when I disagree with something the College is doing. Whoever you elect to be the next President, you’ll have to trust that they’ll fight for the right things too, as I hope you’d agree I’m doing at the moment, if I could tell you what those things were… catch twenty-two.

On a more positive note, I thought best to do a sort of ‘manifesto review’ of the year so far. I’ve marked myself (wouldn’t it be nice if exams worked that way too?), and feel free to disagree – as I’m sure a few will. See below.

“I promise to revise the new Responsible DrinkingPolicy to follow the law, whilst putting the fun back into our bars.”

A new Retailing of Alcohol policy (I always thought ‘Responsible’ sounded really condescending too...) went to the Executive Committee on 3 December and will be taken to the next Trustee Board for final approval in late January.

“Asit’s financially viable (RCSU does it), I want an ‘open bar’ Summer Ball.”

Planning for the Ball 2013 has started and I have in my first version of a budget – just as the RCSU, which I used to be Vice President for has – included a sizeable bar tab. This is yet to be approved though, so I won’t say too much: watch this space. We’re also planning on making the funfair bigger and better, more ‘free stuff’, and hopefully a cheaper dinner than last year.

“I promise to spend time with students: currently hardly anyone sees the people that represent us.”

Well I go to the bar on an evening, but there is genuinely no free time during the day to go to the JCR like I thought there would be. I get in to the offices at 8:30 and leave (well, stagger out of the bar) late each evening. I don’t know why I bother renting a flat

“I want the Union to become a place students go to relax throughout the day – using Metric as a break-out space by day, and as a club at night.”

Lights were installed over Summer and lotsof people use Metric on a lunchtime for overspill space from FiveSixEight. Not a lot else to say really…

“I promise to improve our online systems, saving time for club officers. “

We’ve launched a whole new website (written by the Union’s Sysadmin, myself, and a couple of members of staff… costing the Union very little!) and a new version of eActivities (also written in-house). Imperial College Union truly does have the most advanced online systems of any Union in the country; most are still using paper forms. I know eActivities can be frustrating sometimes (we’re working on speeding it up), but to be fair: it does do virtually everything and is a lot better than what other Unions have!

“I promise to stop door charges for entry to our own Union.“

The awkward one. I wish, when running for election, that I’d been told I had no ability to change the Union’s budget for this year: that was set last year. Charges were cut at the start of this year, but not enough, I know. I will (in an attempt to still act on my promise, yes I know it’s late) propose that the Union’s Executive Committee does everything it can to pass a budget for next year that doesn’t require door charges on a normal Wednesday and Friday night. For anyone running for a sabb position this year, do not, without making it clear that it will come into effect the year after, make financial promises – you’ll feel annoyingly helpless like I have this year on this issue. Part of me is still glad I promised it, as it now means it will hopefully happen next year, but it’s frustrating all the same. Hopefully by pushing back charging to 21:30 on Wednesdays we’ve afforded most people some extra pints.

“I promise to put money back in students’ pockets by introducing more student jobs in the Union.”

Two recruitment sessions have been run so far this year (normally it’d only be one by now). I’m also planning on introducing more jobs by stealing an idea from Cambridge Union. They have a brilliant Access programme that both encourages widening participation students into University, and pays their current students to do the presentations and workshops. I’m still working on this, but watch this space!

“I want to make the Union more transparent and better communicate the work it does for students.”

I think the new website (where we publish all the Council’s responses to government policy and views on College proposals) goes someway to helping this. I also revamped the newsletter though am not writing half as many Felix articles as I’d hoped. I guess people would just get bored anyway. Well done if you’ve made it this far. We’ve invested some more resources into the Union’s marketing recently which should hopefully mean that over the coming years this will improve even more.

I’m not going to bang on about it, because last time people on the online comments thought I ‘had no mandate’ to do this, but one of the things I’mmost proud of this year is working towards securing a future for the Union: both through Charity Registration and through updated and improved agreements with the College.

Doug and Becky will no doubt be telling you about the leaps and bounds in which the College has improved in their articles; I’ve already rambled enough but will give you a sneak preview. Lecture recording is being rolled out. Imperial Horizons has broadened everyone’s, well, horizons (and is being rolled out to more years next year). A Union review of PRES data for Postgraduate Research students (the research version of NSS) has been welcomed and will follow on from our NSS Response. Similarly for Becky’s Student Experience survey – something that the College uses to help direct resources for developing its support services. Services such as timetabling (and improving use of space for lectures and labs) are changing; syllabuses are being revised after student feedback. I’ll stop now.

If you think that you’d enjoy effecting change (or, fighting behind closed doors) and you’re even just contemplating running as a sabb, drop any of the team an email. This year the sabbs are going to be asking candidates questions at hustings to make sure they – and everyone voting – know what they’re getting themselves in for – do come talk to us!