Your 2023/24 academic year is coming to a close, and what a year it was! We hope you are all having a wonderful summer and enjoying a well-earned break.
However, the grind doesn’t stop! Your elected Officer Trustee (OT) team are hard at work, chipping away at things to make sure you have the best student experience possible as we head into a new year at the end of September. A changing of the guard is also upon us as we say goodbye to your outgoing OTs who served the 2023/24 year, and give a warm welcome to our incoming officers for 2024/25.
Keep an eye out right here and on our socials over the next 2 weeks to hear what your OTs have done for Imperial students this year and what they’ve got planned for you in the year ahead!
Looking back on 2023/24...
Camille – Union President 2023/24, returning for 2024/25
Hey presto – a year has passed. Getting to grips with the intricacies of our students’ union and College in a way foreign to me through my undergraduate years has been a gratifying challenge and I’m excited to build on this next year.
For me, a highlight this year was reconvening a group of College stakeholders to modernise the university’s policy regarding investments in fossil fuels. I’ll be posting some more comms on this soon so watch this space!
Another immense success was bidding for a bigger budget for the Union. This means we can expand our staff resources supporting student activities, transforming the experience our students have running their clubs & societies.
Above all, working as part of the sabbatical team and with the wider Union staff has been a real privilege – their commitment to the student experience is unparalleled.
Stephanie – Deputy President (Finance & Services) 2023/24, returning for 2024/25
One year has gone by in a blink! It has been a roller-coaster of a year with the best of highs and insightful lows, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.
Looking back, some of the key highlights this past year for me were the London Student Sustainability Conference that I delivered and hosted here at Imperial, as well as the fun-filled Summer Ball just passed! Both events have been incredibly rewarding seeing students come together across both Imperial and London.
One of my biggest achievements this past year has been the development of the Union’s Sustainability Strategy. I have shared on many occasions how important sustainability is to me personally, so seeing this strategy come to fruition fills me with great pride and joy. It has been 10 months of working with our students and staff to develop the strategy, and I am so excited to see it launched and delivered in the year ahead!
Christian – Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) 2023/24, returning for 2024/25
Since arriving back in August last year, it’s gone by in a flash! Over the past academic year, I’ve worked alongside my fellow officers and the incredible staff at the Union to improve the experience of as many students at Imperial College as possible.
My projects this year have all focused on improving the student experience within clubs and societies, as well as working to incorporate student feedback into all the decisions we make as a Union around activity.
A key achievement that I am particularly proud of is successfully implementing the Student Experience Fund which has seen almost one thousand students access funding to support them to engage with clubs, societies and events.
Throughout the year, I have also been working on improving sustainability within clubs and societies by ensuring that funding applications take into account sustainable travel, and developing a framework to ensure that all student activity strives towards sustainability in the future (stay tuned for more on this in the coming months)!
Yi – Deputy President (Education) 2023/24
It’s been an amazing year working on improving the educational experience with our student representatives!
With the help of our volunteers, we improved PGR supervision and the international student experience. Earlier, we collaborated with the Centre for Academic English to boost 1-1 service bookings from 38% to almost 70%, which greatly benefited international students. We're also bidding for College funding to enhance communication for everyone.
To address PhD supervision issues, we distributed questionnaires, held rep forums, and organised workshops. We revised the PhD mutual expectations document and ensured regular 1-1 support from primary supervisors for all PhD students. Upcoming campaigns with the Graduate School will come this autumn.
Thanks again to all our student volunteers! I wish everyone an enjoyable summer!
We wish Yi the best of luck in her new role as Student Trustee for 2024/25!
Andreea – Deputy President (Welfare) 2023/24
The year has passed by unexpectedly quickly! It's been a time of learning, change, and celebration, which has led to progress and powerful conversations, positively impacting the student experience for years to come!
I had the opportunity, alongside the Mental Health Officer, to represent the student voice in the development of the Mental Health Action Plan, based on the corresponding strategy. We have strongly suggested improving EDI and First Aider training for staff in departments so they can best support students who are struggling.
To help alleviate cost of living anxieties, I have lobbied the University to offer better signposting to the current funds available to students. I am also currently working with ICU teams to develop a Union Hardship Fund for financial emergencies.
EDI-wise, I’ve worked closely with the LGBTQ+ Officer and Imperial600 to ensure the new transphobia redefinition the University was publishing would not leave space and loopholes for hate speech and bullying targeted towards trans+ students and staff. Everyone deserves to be respected and allowed to live peacefully as their true selves!
Furthermore, it has been the first year we officially applied for Imperial students to walk at London Pride. Additionally, after lobbying for a Gender Expression Fund, Student Services have agreed to help, and we are working together on its implementation.
I have never ceased to raise awareness on how University processes can be made more accessible to students, especially those with long-term disabilities, through easier-to-navigate mitigating circumstances and special arrangement schemes.
Looking back, the best moments have been those spent directly interacting with students, understanding more about their day-to-day experience, and organising campaigns together! It’s been an honour amplifying your voices, struggles and requests with every opportunity I was offered, and making sure they are taken seriously by those in charge!