Time passes really quickly when you’re a sabbatical officer. Time is an incredibly valuable inexhaustible resource, and I have learnt to make the best use of every precious minute I have in my current role, because once I reach the end of July 2023, that will officially be the end of my tenure. Last year was all about quick wins and short term changes – this year is going to be all about setting up the Union for success in the long term, whilst continuing to campaign on critical issues.
The Cost of Living
Working on this has truly been the highlight of my time in the Union thus far. I got the opportunity to speak at Parliament, on behalf of millions of students, whilst a Vote of No Confidence was taking place against Liz Truss just a few metres away from where I stood. Since July 2022, I have managed to do the following:
- We responded to a consultation done by Universities UK on cost of living with some of our research and recommendations on how to support students. This led to invitations to speak at 3 higher education conferences on cost of living as well as the All Party Parliamentary Universities Group, chaired by Daniel Zeichner MP, on October 19th. You can read about my recommendations to the Government here.
- I got a £700,000 increase to the Imperial bursary. This includes a new extension in the bursary scheme to include care leavers, estranged students, and home students with a parental household income of £60k - £70k
- The Student Support Fund has more than doubled in size, from £400k to £900k. The maximum size of the grant per academic year has also increased from £4000 to £5000. The fund is also currently being streamlined to be more accessible to students with disabilities.
- We got over 900 responses to a survey on cost of living for postgraduate research students and have been using this to lobby for changes on a national scale. Our next step will be to use this data to lobby for a review of the London weighting for UKRI stipends.
- I was invited to co-chair a central College working group on cost of living with the Director of College HR. The aim of this group will be to collect and action suggestions from staff and students on supporting them with cost of living. You can submit your own suggestions by emailing col@imperial.ac.uk.
- We successfully advocated for the opening of a new staples shop on Sherfield walkway that sells food staples at wholesale prices.
In the coming months, I will work with BlackBullion to do some financial modelling to figure out how much it will cost the Government to increase maintenance loans in line with our recommendations. I will also work with my colleagues in Greenwich SU to lobby for an increase on part time work limitations for Tier 4 Visa students.
Club, Society and Project Culture
This work is central to my plans to lay the groundwork for setting up the Union for success in the long term. I have been working closely with Dylan to iron out a timeline for this project, complete with student consultation (the first of which officially occurred on November 16), data analysis, a report on our findings, and an action plan for the next 3 years that will be embedded into the Union’s Annual Operating Plans.
Plans for Next Term
In the coming months, I will shift my priorities to finalising the College’s Review of its Student Disciplinary Procedures, doing a review of student housing, and working with the College on drafting its Institutional Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. I have already been added to working groups for all of these objectives, and I am looking forward to working closely with Aglaia (Mental Health Officer) in creating a framework that allows Imperial to be a place where students can truly thrive.