I’m currently sat in an office without supervision, and so far haven’t bankrupted the union: things are looking good. After 3 weeks of handover and induction, I’ve met hundreds of people and learned lots, from names through to constitutions (and a scary amount of stuff in between). Our predecessors have done an amazing job of passing on ‘what Sabbs need to know’ helping us to get a grip on how things work operationally, but also on a human level. I think it’s massively important to find out what motivates people, and what people are passionate about in a large organisation with so many different stakeholders.

So I went on a bit of a jolly during the 6 weeks between finishing exams and starting handover with David on Monday 14 July. For anyone who knows me - yes it did include quite a bit of climbing. It was a fantastic break from London, as I've come back ready to commit 100% to this coming year. 

So what now? A combination of planning ways to ensure Imperial College Union are enhancing the student experience in as many ways as possible, and reacting to issues as they occur. Currently, there is quite a large question mark hanging over the future of Evelyn Gardens, as well as other halls, and I’m looking to work closely with College to ensure that students views are amplified where they need to be listened to. We are also excited to gain a strong presence in 1 Victoria Road, to build a strong student community there and work with student residents there to minimise the negative repercussions of living off-campus. Additionally, I’m currently working closely with Sport Imperial and the ICSM Students’ Union on: the lack of communication surrounding Teddington; what is happening there; and how we are going to ensure that the Student body is always engaged with and listened to.

In terms of planning for the year ahead, we are currently doing some work on the increasing prominence of ‘Lad Culture’. This is a rubbish title that describes a culture (typically based around drinking and sports) where individuals perform otherwise inappropriate and unacceptable acts of misogyny, homophobia and harassment. This is a non-gender-specific issue that is gaining a lot of national attention. Do you think it’s an issue? How should we support victims? How do we engage with aggressors? There are loads of questions surrounding this – and this wont be the last thing you hear about it.

Another exciting thing that’s just around the corner is the General Election this Spring. We are planning some exciting things to get a huge student engagement in the elections, but to have any chance of getting our local candidates to listen to us we have to have a voice. I met with the Electoral Registration Officer in Westminster City Hall last week, and started an ongoing dialogue to ensure that our presence as an electorate is strong during the General Election. In the coming year, we are going to have a big push around registering to vote and why this matters so much – so keep an eye out!

Another issue that I feel particularly passionate about is the increasing cost of living. South Kensington is expensive, right? We know that, but we deal with it as students by looking at our budgets and figuring out where the most sensible places to live are. Looking at some draft cost-of-living projections that College are producing are worrying me – particularly surrounding the average rent for a bed in Halls. We are going to have a big campaign surrounding this very soon, so keep an eye out, and please get in touch if you want to talk about living costs, or want to get involved with the cost of living campaign.

For all of the new students looking at this, I’m looking forward to meeting you! Currently, the Union is working closely with College to ensure that you are welcomed into our student community, and that you are kept up to date with where to be, and when. Are you excited about Welcome Week? (Be excited about Welcome Week.) We have a jam-packed week (or two) to give you the best introduction to life in London. Freshers’ Fair is our opportunity to show off our 310 Clubs, Societies and Projects across the whole of our South Kensington Campus, so fear not, there’s going to be loads of fun things to do!  

The final thing to mention is just how excited you should all be about the live events coming up in Autumn Term. We are in touch with some great bands and comedians, to ensure that you never get bored.

Hope you’re all enjoying your summer, and look forward to seeing you all over the coming year!