News & Blogs

Win a Ski Trip to Austria!

Friday 9 June 2023 09:37 News

Summer Ball is fast approaching!

  • Terms & Conditions

    Win an Austria Ski – One Week trip for two people with Contiki. This 9-day trip starts and ends in London with return coach transfers (1 night in overnight coach and 7 nights in Contiki’s chalet in a same sex multi-share room) and 8 Breakfasts included.

    To enter, individuals must have purchased a ticket to attend Imperial College Union’s Summer Ball 2023, taking place on Saturday 24 June 2023.

    To qualify for the prize, you must be aged 18 – 35 years old.  No exceptions permitted.

    Winner to select their preferred departure dates for travel between December 2023 – March 2024. Travel departure dates for this competition are: 8 Dec 2023; 5 Jan, 12 Jan, 19 Jan, 26 Jan, 2 Feb, 23 Feb, 1 Mar 2024). Dates excluded from this prize draw are 15, 22 and 29 December 2023.

    Preferred travel dates to be supplied at least six months in advance, providing a minimum of three date options (date selection is subject to availability).
    The winner will be solely responsible for additional costs incurred, including visa costs, meals not indicated in the itinerary, optional excursions, cancellation insurance, medical insurance, gratuities, personal expenses and other items of an incidental nature.  

    On 26 June 2023, Imperial College Union will conduct a random drawing from all entries received within the campaign period and select a winner.

    The prize winners will be notified by email within three (3) business days of winner selection or as soon as reasonably practicable. To confirm the winner is a student of Imperial College, the winner must supply their CID number. The notification will include details of how the prize can be accepted and redeemed. 

    All prize winners will be contacted via email, using the email address used to purchase tickets.  

    The potential winners will have ten (10) days to respond to the winning notification before forfeiting their prize.  

    If such potential winner doesn’t respond by the deadline, they will forfeit that prize and an alternate winner will be selected from among all remaining entries for that drawing. 

     

    Entering the Competition

    This prize draw is open only to students of Imperial College Union who are aged 18-35 years old.  

    Employees of Imperial College, The Travel Corporation or any other company and/or agency connected with this promotion and their relatives are not permitted to enter.

    All eligible entries will be entered in the prize draw. Only one entry per person. 

    No entries on behalf of third parties will be accepted. No responsibility will be taken for late, lost, indecipherable or misdirected entries or for any failure of communication resulting from incorrectly supplied information.

     

    The Prize

    The winners must accept their prize in its entirety.  The winner will be asked to confirm their acceptance of the prize and the terms of the prize. The prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable and subject to availability. There is no cash alternative.  

     

    General

    Imperial College Union’s decision is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome of the draw.

    Imperial College Union reserves the right to check the validity of any entry and the identity of any entrant or winner and guest and refuse giving a prize if Imperial College Union reasonably considers the entry and/or winner or guest to be in breach of the terms and conditions.

    Prize details are correct at date of publication. Imperial College Union reserves the right to substitute any element of the prize with a prize of an equal or greater value should any original element of the prize become unavailable for any reason, including the right to offer an alternative experience.

    Imperial College Union reserves the right at any time in its sole discretion to cancel, modify or supersede the prize draw if it believes, in its sole discretion, that the prize draw is not capable or is likely not to be capable of being conducted fairly or as specified within these terms and conditions due to events beyond its control (including, without limitation, a virus, a computer bug or unauthorized human intervention or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of Imperial College Union that could corrupt or affect the administration, security, impartiality or normal course of the prize draw).

    Imperial College Union is not responsible for any additional costs incurred by the winner of the competition. It is the winner’s responsibility to acquire appropriate travel insurance for the duration of the trip.

    Nothing in these terms and conditions shall limit in any way Imperial College Union’s liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence. Subject to that, Imperial College Union shall have no liability for any delay and/or failure to perform any obligation to the winners or other entrants that is caused by: (a) technical problems of any kind which may limit or prevent any person's participation in the prize draw; (b) any loss or damage arising from or in connection with the allocation of the prizes; (c) any act or omission of any third party; or (d) any other events beyond Imperial College Union’s control that may cause the prize draw to be disrupted or corrupted.

    If any of these terms and conditions is found by a court or regulator to be invalid or unenforceable the other provisions shall continue to apply.

    This promotion shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Marking and Assessment Boycott: What This Means For You

Wednesday 17 May 2023 11:19 Blog
Deputy President (Education)

By now you may have heard that the Imperial branch of the University and College Union (UCU) have announced that they will be commencing a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) starting on 17 May as part of their ongoing dispute with the College about the 2022-23 annual pay award. The College has released its guidance to students which can be found here.

  • 1. What is a marking and assessment boycott?

    The marking and assessment boycott means that staff participating in the boycott will not contribute to or mark any summative assessment. Summative assessment is any assessment that counts towards your degree. Examples of activities that would be included in the boycott include: 

    • Setting exams or assessments
    • Invigilating exams
    • Marking any (summative) coursework
    • Moderating assessments
    • Providing informal guidance or feedback about your coursework, including your likely marks
    • Processing and/or recording marks, whether on paper, online, or other means
    • Attending Boards of Examiners meetings (or other related meetings)
  • 2. Why have UCU called a marking and assessment boycott?

    This MAB is part of action short of strike which UCU is conducting over the College’s Annual Pay Award 2022-23. The College and the Joint Trade Unions (of which Imperial UCU is one) are now also in dispute over the 2023-24 Annual Pay Award and are undergoing ACAS mediation. 

    Note that this is separate from the nationwide pay dispute involving UCU and UCEA, as Imperial conducts local pay bargaining. 

  • 3. How long will the boycott last for?

    The boycott will run continuously until either: 

    1. The pay dispute is settled; or 

    2. UCU calls off the boycott; or 

    3. UCU reach the end of their mandate for industrial action (this is currently in six months time, around October). 

  • 4. What if I need my final grades and transcript for a job offer/further study/visa application?

    We understand that you may need your final grades and/or transcript for your future career. The College is taking this very seriously and is considering how to mitigate this impact. This page will be updated with further information once arrangements have been agreed. 

  • 5. What if I have approved mitigating circumstances?

    Mitigating circumstances will still be considered as normal and should not be affected by the marking and assessment boycott. 

  • 6. Should I still show up to my exam/viva? Should I still hand in my coursework?

    Yes. During the boycott, you should still attend and participate in all assessments as usual. If you do not, this will result in a mark of zero for that assessment. 

  • 7. Will my assessments be affected?

    We do not know which members of staff will be participating in the boycott. Not all staff are members of UCU, and not all UCU members may be participating in the boycott. Staff also do not need to be members of UCU to take part in the boycott. Membership of UCU varies across the College and therefore we expect different areas of College to be affected differently. Your Departmental Representatives should be liaising closely with your Department to ensure clear communication about the potential impact on students and additional changes to local arrangements. 

  • 8. What is Imperial College Union's position on the boycott?

    On 7 February 2023, Union Council, our highest democratic body, voted to support industrial action by UCU, including a marking and assessment boycott.

    We therefore call on the College to improve their Annual Pay Award and address the concerns put forward by the Joint Trade Unions. 

  • 9. What is Imperial College Union doing to support students during the boycott?

    We are working very closely with Faculties and the College to raise your concerns and ensure that they are addressed. We are providing input onto the measures the College is putting in place to ensure that students are able to progress and graduate without delay. 

  • 10. What is the College doing to address the boycott?

    The College is working very closely with us, as well as Heads of Departments, to ensure that any impact on students is minimised. 

    The College has decided to deduct 25% of pay per day for every member of staff who participates in the boycott. Any withheld pay will be directed to the Student Support Fund in the first instance. 

    Staff will be required to sign a declaration stating that they will not participate in the marking and assessment boycott prior to accepting assessments for marking. Exam scripts remain the property of Imperial and therefore must be returned if a staff member starts participating in the boycott. 

  • 11. How much does the College pay its staff?

    You can find benchmarking information, where the College compares its pay package with other institutions, here.

    You can find information on this year’s pay negotiations, including the College’s pay offer and the responses to the pay offer, here

  • 12. I have another question that isn't answered here.

    Please get in touch with me by emailing dpeducation@imperial.ac.uk and I will get back to you as soon as possible. 

    If you have a specific, individual case, then our Advice Service may be able to help. Email advice@imperial.ac.uk and they will respond as soon as possible. 

New Daily Deals at FiveSixEight!

Friday 5 May 2023 08:32 Blog
Imperial College Union

Introducing FiveSixEight's new Daily Deals. Incredible drinks deals, every week, Monday to Friday. Round up your pals and join us at Beit Quad!

  • Monday
    Image
    Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow
    Bottle Buckets 
    Budweiser £2.50
      4 for £9.00
    Peroni 0.0% £1.50
      4 for £5.00
    All day, every day!
    Single House Spirit + mixer £3.85
    Pint of Carling, Carling Cider, Snakebite, Slime £3.50
  • Tuesday
    Image
    Don't Walk, Rum
    Rum Club
    Single Twin Fin Rum + mixer 2 for £8.00
    Double Twin Fin Rum + mixer 2 for £11.00
    All day, every day!
    Single House Spirit + mixer £3.85
    Pint of Carling, Carling Cider, Snakebite, Slime £3.50
  • Wednesday
    Image
    Pitch, Please!
    Happy Hour 4 - 7pm
    Carling Pitcher  £10.00
    Carling Cider Pitcher £10.00
    Snakebite Pitcher £10.00
    Alcopop 7 - 9pm
    Any VK, WDK, Reefer £2.00
    Double Twin Fin Rum 2 for £11.00
    All day, every day!
    Single House Spirit + mixer £3.85
    Pint of Carling, Carling Cider, Snakebite, Slime £3.50
  • Thursday
    Image
    On It Like a Gin + Tonic
    Gin Club
    Single Tarquins Gin + mixer 2 for £8
    Double Tarquins Gin + mixer 2 for £11
    All day, every day!
    Single House Spirit + mixer £3.85
    Pint of Carling, Carling Cider, Snakebite, Slime £3.50
  • Friday
    Image
    Worth a Shot (or 6)
    Rack Deals
    Sambuca Shot 6 for £10.00
    Tequila Shot 6 for £10.00
    Alcopop 7 - 9pm
    Any VK, WDK, Reefer £2.00
    Double Twin Fin Rum 2 for £11.00
    All day, every day!
    Single House Spirit + mixer £3.85
    Pint of Carling, Carling Cider, Snakebite, Slime £3.50

Please drink responsibly.

Easter Opening Hours

Thursday 30 March 2023 11:25 News

We've made it - term 2 has come to an end! We hope you all manage to have a relaxing well-earned break. Please see below a list of our closing and re-opening dates: 

The Union Building will close at 6pm on 5 April and will re-open at 9am on Thursday 13 April. 

Leadership Elections 2023: Results

Friday 17 March 2023 19:37 News

Voting in the Leadership Elections 2023 ended at 14:00 on Thursday 16 March with 5,541 students casting votes for the next cohort of Imperial student leaders. The electorate was 24,411, representing a turnout of 22.70%.

5,339 students cast votes for CSP leaders, with an aggregate total of 7,426 students voting across the full set of elections. The elections achieved a combined turnout of 30.42%.

International Women's Day 2023

Wednesday 8 March 2023 12:43 Blog
Liberation and Community Officers

We mark International Women’s Day at ICU through the Gender Equality Network. The elected students work to promote gender equality and empower women both within the College and in the wider community.

As we approach International Women's Day, they will be hosting a fundraising event to support the Girls Friendly Society, a charity that empowers and supports girls and young women in the UK. They are also launching different proposals to improve the learning environment in the Central Library!