In a bid to investigate what extra help we could give Departmental Societies and Academic Representatives Kate and I have met with a number of Imperial students over the past few weeks. After hosting 6 focus groups froma variety of subjects and on a range of topics we found some fantastic examples of societies operating at their best and have gathered invaluable feedback. We thought it’d be nice to share with you a few of our key findings and let you know what we plan to do next.

Departmental societies and representatives told us they would appreciate additional training to negotiate eActivities, gain sponsorship and advice on hosting events. Handovers were also seen as key to a Society’s and Rep’s success yet not all had had one whilst many thought theirs could have been better. On a more positive note we’re also eager to share some of the many hints, tips and best practice we picked up along the way with new recruits – including how to publicise events effectively.  

We can’t promise that we can come up with all the answers, but we will be doing what we can to improve the experience of Departmental Societies and Reps for all students.  Over the next few weeks and months we will be investigatingsolutions to the issues raised both in and outside of these focus groups. 

If you have any suggestions or comments please let us know - we’d love to have your input.

Kate Colthurst & Zoe Richardson

(Student Activities Co-ordinator & Representation Co-ordinator)