Hi everyone, welcome to your President’s November edition blog. This month has been incredibly busy in terms of key initiatives, event organisation, major meetings I’ve attended, and representing Kingston Students at Parliament. As you all know, I started writing these monthly blogs in July as soon as I took office, to make sure our Union remains transparent. I’ve kept that promise from day one and intend to continue doing so until I complete my role.
Overview:
- One-to-Ones with Course Reps
- Meeting with the Vice Chancellor
- Academic Assurance Committee
- National Union of Students APPG at the Parliament
- KU main building Opening Ceremony
- Board of Governors
- Lecture Capture Project
- Meeting with the Careers and Employability Services Team
- Meeting with the head of estates
- Islamophobia Awareness at KU
- Regulatory framework committee
- Conducting interviews for an external trustee
One-to-Ones with Course Reps
Course Reps are an integral part of our student community, and as many of you know, I served as a Course Rep for the past three years. During that time, support for Course Reps was very limited, and part of my manifesto was to change that. To fulfil this promise, I have started offering one-to-one sessions with Course Reps to support them to the best of my ability. All Course Reps are invited to Student Voice Committees (SVCs) where they provide feedback from their peers, and these one-to-ones help them understand what to expect, prepare confidently, and receive guidance as needed. My calendar was extremely busy throughout November because all SVCs were scheduled within the same month.
Meeting with the Vice Chancellor
On 17 November, I had one of the most important meetings since I started my role: my first ever one-to-one meeting with the Vice Chancellor. This kind of meeting has never been done before, and I am proud to have secured it as direct access to the Vice Chancellor is crucial for raising student issues at the highest level. Steven was very pleased with the Union’s contributions and acknowledged the hard work we have been doing. Our discussion focused on the international student fee payment plan at KU, the establishment of a permanent food bank to support students during the cost of living crisis, and the Government’s recently announced international student levy. We agreed to send a joint letter to our local MP, Sir Ed Davey, who is also the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. I drafted the letter and have shared it with the VC for review before it is sent to Sir Ed Davey.
Academic Assurance Committee
The Academic Assurance Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Board of Governors and one of the highest academic decision-making bodies at the University, also met this month. This committee endorses decisions made by the Academic Council and the Education Committee. We discussed several important matters, including the annual report on student outcomes, the Access and Participation Plan, and updates on national higher education policy. During one discussion, I raised the issue of support for our commuter students, who form a large proportion of our student body. The Chair of the committee also highlighted the importance of making the University’s GenAI policy public and asked the University Secretary to explore whether this could be done.
National Union of Students APPG at the Parliament
On 5 November, I represented Kingston students at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Students, hosted by the National Union of Students at Portcullis House in Parliament Square. Officers from Students’ Unions across the UK gathered to question MPs about the Government’s higher education reforms. A major focus was the introduction of maintenance grants for home students, which is an initiative we welcome, but unfortunately, these grants will be funded through a 6% levy on international student fees. Kingston Students’ Union strongly opposes this levy, as the Government has consistently placed financial burdens on international students without providing appropriate support structures. We will continue to challenge these unfair decisions.
KU main building Opening Ceremony
On 6 November, Kingston University officially opened the newly redeveloped main building at the Penrhyn Road campus. I had the honour of taking part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside the Deputy Mayor, Vice Chancellor, Head of Estates Connor Willson, and COO Caroline. The £23 million transformation includes new state-of-the-art learning and social spaces, as well as Future Skills studios designed to help students develop human-centric skills highly valued by employers.
Board of Governors
Later in the month, I attended the Board of Governors meeting, which is the highest decision-making body at Kingston University. The Board meets only four times a year and oversees major strategic decisions related to finance, infrastructure, and University operations. As a Governor myself, this adds an extra layer of responsibility to my role. I delivered a presentation summarising all of the Union’s achievements so far, ensuring the Board remained informed about our work. I was pleased to hear how impressed the Board members were with the Union’s performance, several Governors came to me personally to congratulate me afterwards.
Lecture Capture Project
Another major development is the Lecture Capture Project, which is excellent news for students. The University has now fully committed to recording all lectures, and work has already started. I am part of this project to give the student perspective and ensure the system remains student-friendly. Microphones across classrooms are being replaced, and large-scale restructuring is underway on all four campuses. We also reviewed the policy governing lecture recordings. The system is expected to go live for students in September 2026 and represents a major investment of £1.5 million.
Meeting with the Careers and Employability Services Team
My team and I also met with the Careers and Employability Services Team to collaborate on the Networking Festival I am organising for 27 January. The goal is to connect students with a wide range of employers and provide opportunities for career development. For too long, the Union has not done enough to support students with employability, and this year I have decided to change that. Make sure to keep an eye on our Refreshers programme in January and there is a lot coming your way!
Islamophobia Awareness at KU
As November is Islamophobia Awareness Month, we collaborated with the Islamic Society to run an awareness stall on campus. We engaged with non-Muslim students, shared myth-busters about Islam, challenged stereotypes, and showed solidarity with our Muslim community. This initiative served as an important reminder of the need to stand together against discrimination.
Meeting with the Head of Estates
Vice President Ckrya and I had a meeting with Connor Willson, the Head of Estates, to discuss student concerns about café prices, food taste, and the inconsistencies in meal deals across the four campuses. We highlighted the variance in prices and quality, and Connor assured us these concerns would be raised with Aramark’s management. We also requested space for the food bank, and he showed willingness to allocate an area within the Kingston Hill Library. He will update us in January regarding café improvements and the food bank space
Regulatory framework committee
The Regulatory Framework Committee, a sub-committee of the Education Committee, also met this month on the same day as the Board of Governors. As many of you already know, I sit on several University committees to represent your views. In this meeting, the University is reviewing the degree classification algorithm, which is currently 20% for second year and 80% for final year. I proposed a new structure: 10% for first year, 20% for second year, and 70% for final year. I believe giving first year a small but meaningful weight encourages students to take it more seriously from the start.
Conducting interviews for an external trustee
We also made progress in recruiting a new External Trustee for the Union’s Trustee Board, which is the highest authority within Kingston Students’ Union and oversees all strategic and financial decisions. As Deputy Chair of the Trustee Board, I report regularly on my manifesto and achievements, ensuring we remain accountable and transparent.
That brings us to the end of November’s blog. You will see my next update at the end of January, as I will be on annual leave from 12 December. I wish I could share every single thing I’ve done this month, but that would be far too much to read! Thank you all so much for your continued support.
Best regards,
Hamza, Your SU President!