Jumping right into the deep end as the President of a multi-million pounds organisation as my first ever full-time job is not something I have ever expected. The role and the sudden responsibilities put on my shoulders are nothing short of challenging, and the learning curve has felt more like a rocket launch rather than the gentle hike that I may have liked more. But as with all rocket launches, a frame that can withstand unpredictability is required. I was lucky that I came into the Union whilst the organisation was already on an upward trajectory owing to the successful Back to Basics strategy, but there lied the first challenge I faced in my role – the immediate recruitment of the Managing Director, the staff chief executive of the organisation.
I was also lucky in the fact that I already had a good understanding of many aspects of the Union due to my prior 4 years of volunteering experience, but I also would have never expected the amount of things I still had to learn. On the professional side, I had to learn how to deal with the numerous meetings that had been going on for years before I came into this role, and emails about the most random of things that land in my inbox from day one. On the personal side, I had to learn to impactfully communicating with people that have decades more experience than me, and of course, how to manage my time for the millions of things that I have to deal with every week. And all of this was on top of attempting to find time to actually carry out my objectives for the year – but I think we’re making headway. Here are some of the highlights of what I’ve managed to accomplish in the 100 days:
We have initiated an internal review of the Union’s complaints and disciplinary procedures. Plenty of changes have already been made so far, including the implementation of a case tracking system, a disciplinary action tracker, and also the creation of a Union complaints officer. I have also been working closely with the College, alongside Jason and Nathalie, to improve the College’s procedures as well.
The ICU has now joined the Russell Group Student Collective, a network of all the Russell Group students’ unions. We hosted an event at the South Kensington campus to network with the sabbatical officers of London SUs. Nathalie and I have also been to conferences to connect with a wider network. Hopefully, by building a larger network, we are able to increase our voice in policies affecting students.
A project for Constituent Union review and support has been initiated, looking at consolidating their contribution to student’s experience and reviewing the level of resources and support they need. I will look to breakdown the multifaceted issues that Constituent Unions currently encounter and begin student consultation at the Constituent Union Forum.
On the community side, I have been actively liaising with the White City Campus staff for an increase in Union presence at that campus. We have now procured a space which can be used by the Union, and an activity space for students to host events there. I have also been co-chairing the Imperial Together Action Group, a joint Union-College committee focusing on looking at Imperial’s culture as a whole.
Finally, I have worked on the demystification of the Union by pushing for an increase in video content from the Union, and an increase in communication from the Officer Trustees.
Overall, I have greatly enjoyed working with the Deputy Presidents and I am proud of the culture we’ve built with the new team. I look forward to seeing what else we will achieve as team this year.