Union review recommends an increase in amenity funds for hall activities

An increase of the Amenities fund from £1.50 to £2.00 per person per week has been recommended by Imperial College Union. The recommendation was made as part of the Student Amenities Fund Review, and was presented to Union Council on Tuesday by the Union President, Tom Wheeler.

The recommendations came from a survey taken by current hall seniors, hall committees and the Wardening Teams. The majority of the responses suggested that a budget of £2 per person per week would be preferable to the current allocation of £1.50 set at the beginning of this year.

The Amenities fund, used by halls to run events and socials for students, was slashed at the beginning of the academic year to a flat rate of £1.50 per student per week, sparking outrage from wardens and hall seniors.

£1 of this was paid for directly by this year’s freshers cohort rent, whilst the College paid for the remaining 50p, making £152,190 in total available for all students for all activities in the coming year.

However, next year the College will withdraw their contribution, meaning students will be paying double into the amenities fund compared to what students are paying this year.

The slash in funds amounted to a decrease of approximately £150,000 when compared to last year’s figures. College were unable to explain where this £150,000 has disappeared to when Felix investigated the changes to the fund last term (Issue 1584), although it may have not been explicitly documented in the first place.

Wheeler told Council that due to the incredibly large sum of money taken each year through rent alone, this £150,000 difference may not have been specifically documented. He also told Council that although around £15.5 million is collected each year from rent, the Union does not know how exactly the rent prices were previously calculated.

However Wheeler was keen to stress the importance of transparency, and said he wants students to understand exactly what they are paying for in the future. If the recommendations are put into practice, students will receive an invoice for their student accommodation at the start of the year that will show the costs of their rent, and also the separate compulsory payment to the amenities fund.

The funds are now managed through eActivities, with hall committees functioning similar to a club or society and the amenities funds paid directly to the Union at the beginning of the year. Wheeler countered the argument that halls could potentially underspend one year and have funds carried over for use by the next intake by setting spending timelines and ensuring that halls are on target. This will hopefully ensure that the money paid for by one cohort will not be rolled over and spent the next year.

One current hall senior explained to Felix that the cut in the funds this year have had the opposite effect the college may have hoped it would have in the first place. He told us: “I think that College has this idea that events that cater to students who drink exclude those that don’t.

“However, with the reduction in amenities fund this year, events that are the easiest and cheapest to run are those that involve alcohol and we have actually seen that the events that don’t are the first to go because of the higher cost.

“It is so much easier to order a load of alcohol for a social in the common room over trips to the theatre or abroad that cost more money; money thanks to the slashes in the fund we don’t really have now.”

Hall seniors however remained sceptical of the recommendations to improve transparency. “The argument that they are increasing transparency by separating the fund from rent is just another way for college to pretend they are trying to reduce costs whilst really looking after their own profit margin.”

The review also recommended a review of the eActivities system to improve the “speed and usability of the interface,” something that will no doubt be well-received by any student involved in the administration of clubs and societies.

The Union is paid approximately £10,000 by the college to review the Amenities fund for the Amenities Fund Review Group, a panel consisting of Imperial College Union Staff, Sabbaticals, and College staff including Debra Humphris, the Vice Provost of Education. The review will then be considered by the Vice Provost Advisory Group for Education, a board within college that oversees the running of halls amongst other things.

Tom Wheeler spoke to Felix after council about the recommendations. “We are really pleased that the future details of the Amenities Fund, now named Hall Activities Fund, will be decided yearly by feedback from the students that have administered it that year.

We had a really great discussion about the recommendations in Union Council and we look forward to seeing those changes put in place next year.”

Debra Humphris also spoke to Felix about the recommendations. Said Debra: “It’s been really helpful to receive feedback on the Student Amenities Fund from Imperial College Union following their consultation with students on the changes put in place last term.

“These changes increased the transparency and accountability of the Fund by putting it in the hands of the students who benefit from it. It is now fully administered through the Union’s eActivities system, and has received additional funding from the Education Office to support this process during the transition.

“Putting these decisions into the hands of students is a really positive step and I’ll be advising the Provost board of these changes in March.”