Being Deputy President (Finance & Services) has been one of the most exciting, challenging and emotional experiences of my life. I've grown and developed significantly over the past two years and I'm incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity. The Officer Trustee roles are an incredible life learning and building experience and I encourage everyone to consider running to be an OT.
I started my role in August 2020 when the Union was in a really challenging place being early into COVID whilst going through a major organisational transformation. But I believe (and I hope everyone else does too) that the Union has improved significantly as a result, and I would like to thank everyone involved in the Union for that. We still have room for improvement and growth as we are still only partially through our Back to Basics strategy, but we are in an incredible position and I look forward to seeing the excellent work next year’s team will do.
My three biggest personal highlights this year have been:
-
Union Concert Hall refurbishment: A space grounded in significant history, the UCH has housed world class talent (such as Queen) and was long overdue a significant refurbishment which would bring it in line with so many other world-class spaces the College and the Union own. When I started, the project had lost its student input. External contractors had taken over the project and designed what they thought it should be as it was very akin to a lecture theatre rather than a stage. I worked hard to bring students back into the fold with the discussion and planning, delivering a space that supports and enhances our excellent performing arts CSPs as well as making a space I hope more CSPs will begin to utilise.
-
Summer Ball: For those of you who are unaware, prior to the pandemic, the Union had lost a lot of trust from its student body in providing events that were student focused. Whilst there are improvements to be made going forwards, the Summer Ball was a resounding success and provided significantly better value for money and an enjoyable experience for students. The Union will use this to build and improve their events offering into Welcome Week and beyond.
-
CSP Support: A big portion of work by both the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) and myself has been focused on delivering an improved service to CSPs. This has meant bringing in an incredibly strong, resourceful and knowledgeable Activities team who are doing incredible work to improve long and tedious processes which you will see the benefits of as we transition into the next academic year.
Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and support this year and for making the Union a better, more supportive place for students. I wish next year’s team the best of luck. The Union is incredibly lucky to have Niamh (such a talented and experienced person) taking over, and I know the Union will be in good hands.