Open letter from the Royal College of Science Union

Dear all, The start of the new term is here and it gives me great pleasure to see everyone back on campus. And of course I must not forget to welcome the freshers who will be joining this brilliant institution and especially the scientists who are lucky enough to be part of the best constituent union on campus. Whether you are old or new, everyone loves a good welcome letter.

For those that do not know, the RCSU is one of the four constituent unions at Imperial and was founded by famous Sci-fi writer H.G. Wells in 1881. We exist for two reason; social activities and representation. Representation wise, we have officers that look after student welfare to help you even out any bumps you hit during university. There are also year reps and departmental reps who keep the lecturers on their toes to ensure you get the world class education you deserve. The Year rep nominations are currently open and I would urge the keener ones amongst to get everyone’s voice heard and stand for election.

University is of course more than just about a degree and we organize a range of social events such as our seasonal balls, bar nights, pub crawls, guest lectures and an essay-writing competition called the RCSU Science Challenge which boasts a prize pot over £4k.

This year, I am also looking to revive RCS Sports clubs, rugby and football in particular. I am hoping that we can re-ignite some of our old rivalries and put the various trophies behind the union bar up for competition again. If this is something you are interested in, please e-mail the RCSU Sports Office Oscar Farrell at Oscar.farrell12@imperial.ac.uk.

End of the day, university is what you make of it. The relationship between the union and its member is a two-way one. If you don’t put some energy in, you are unlikely to get a lot out of it. So, get to know the union officers, come to the RCSU office for my weekly drop- ins and check what we are up to on www.rcsu.org.uk. Our website is currently being re-designed by our webmaster Philip Kent and we hope to get an all new interactive site rolled out in the near future.

The best way to keep in touch is to read my e-mails and newsletters as they will be full of important tidbits about what’s happening and the opportunities we provide for you. I swear they won’t be as boring as they sound!

Here’s to an amazing year,

Plabon Saha RCSU President