President’s October Blog
Hi everyone, and welcome to the fourth edition of your President’s Blog!
October has been a very busy month, just like other months, but this month felt very fast and long at the same time, as we have done a lot of work in October, and this will be a long blog as I have a lot to tell you all.
Once again, this blog is part of my ongoing commitment to transparency and ensuring every student knows what their Union and President are doing for them.
Overview
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Spending time speaking with current and prospective students
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International student finances
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Health
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Student voice
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KSU Trustee Board
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Student Council
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Meet and greets
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Meeting with the University’s Senior Leadership Team
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Academic Council
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Dragons’ Den Launch Ceremony
1. Spending time speaking with current and prospective students
a. Open Day at Kingston Penrhyn Road and Kingston Hill Campus
We started October with the Open Day. Let me tell you what Open Day is, it’s basically a day full of events organised for potential students who are still studying in college, and they come for one day to experience university life. In the past, your SU has never been part of any Open Day, but this year, at the request of the University’s leadership, we decided to take part and give insights about the SU to all prospective students. As the Open Day was on Saturday, 4th October, and our staff don’t normally work on weekends, we made an exception and put up stalls at two campuses. Two of our staff members were at Penrhyn Road campus, and I, along with CK, was at Kingston Hill. It was a very busy day, speaking with students and their parents and telling them about the Union and the support we offer to all students.
b. Induction Sessions at Kingston Hill
Myself, along with Ckyra, CK, and Sakshi (Marketing and Comms Manager), attended induction sessions for Level 5 and Level 6 Business School students. It was surprising to learn that many Level 6 students didn’t even know about the Students’ Union or what we do. This clearly shows that we need to increase awareness about the SU. Overall, it was a great opportunity to engage with students directly. We shared insights about the Union and were met with a very positive response.
c. Black History Month
October was also the month of Black History Month celebrations. We collaborated with the ACS Society to organise events specifically for our Black community throughout the month, focusing on the theme of Black Health and Wellbeing. Events included a Games Night, a Melanin Medics Workshop for Nursing students, a Football Fundraiser for the Sickle Cell Society, and a Black Horror Movie Marathon on 27th October. The engagement was brilliant throughout, and it reflects our strong commitment to inclusivity, one of the SU’s core principles. All credit goes Alif who is our lovely EDI coordinator!
d. Diwali Ceremony
On 23rd October, we celebrated Diwali for our Indian student community. This showcased how inclusive we are at the university. We care for all cultures and try to celebrate as many as we can because it makes students happy when they see their culture being recognised. Our event was fully sold out, the capacity was 100 students, but we had 133 students on the day to celebrate with us!
2. International Student Finances
a. Meetings with Finance
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I spoke with Louisa Green (Executive Director) regarding the international student fee payment structure. She directed me to Robert Ewing, the Finance Director of the university. I proposed an instalment payment plan and discussed the benefits of having installments to support our international students. Unfortunately, my proposal was rejected, and Robert mentioned that it’s an SLT-level decision. I am very much looking forward to discussing this with the Vice Chancellor in my next meeting in November, so fingers crossed!
b. Understanding the Proposed Levy
Kingston Students’ Union welcomes maintenance grants, but we are strongly against the idea that these grants will come out of international students’ pockets. This, in my view, is exploitation. It will discourage international students from applying to UK universities and will negatively affect recruitment across the sector.
3. Health
As you all know, I am working on the health and safety of our female students, and I have now created a working group that will be launching a campaign against sexual harassment. I have reached out to Jenni Woods, who is also working on a similar project, and am now waiting for her response so that we can receive training before starting the campaign, as this is a very sensitive topic.
Regarding period poverty, we have successfully initiated this project at Penrhyn Road campus. However, due to a short number of staff and limited resources, we cannot yet expand it to other campuses.
4. Student Voice
a. Course Reps
October has been very busy for Course Reps. We registered 790 Course Reps this year and delivered 7 training sessions across all campuses. Part of my manifesto is to empower Course Reps, and I’ve been personally involved in their training sessions, sharing my own experience from three years as a Course Rep. To make them feel more supported, I’ve also introduced one-to-one meetings with Course Reps. Having been an active rep myself, I know how effectively issues can be raised to the highest levels.
b. KHYS (Kingston Have Your Say Week)
The last week of October was dedicated to listening to students’ voices through Kingston Have Your Say Week.
We visited all four campuses and asked students two key questions:
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What could improve your academic experience at the university?
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If you were in charge of the university, what would you change to improve your own academic experience?
More than 650 students participated and shared valuable feedback, which we will raise with the university. Massive thanks to all the Course Reps who supported this — and keep an eye out for the prize draw!
5. KSU Trustee Board
We had our first Trustee Board meeting of the year, where we elected a new Chair, external trustee Anthony Currie. I presented my manifesto to the Board and was pleased to see how supportive members were of my objectives. The Trustee Board is made up of 3 student trustees, 3 officer trustees, 3 external trustees, and 1 nominated university member. We’re also recruiting a new external trustee and have already received 4 applications. Interviews will be conducted after mid-November.
6. Student Council
We ended October with the Student Council, which is the highest student-led decision-making body. It has the power to hold sabbatical officers accountable if members believe officers are not fulfilling their roles. Council members include society and sports club leaders, and faculty reps, who can question officers on anything regarding their conduct. I presented my manifesto to the Council, as it requires their approval. The Student Council is currently chaired by the President of the Law Society.
7. Meet and Greets
I’ve been very active in attending society meet and greets to show support and appreciation for the incredible work they do. 1I’ve attended at least 13 society events (possibly more!). Every event had great energy, games, and engagement.
Special praise to:
Apologies if I’ve missed any society, there were just so many fantastic events! I truly loved your energy and enthusiasm. Please keep up the great work, and I look forward to seeing you all at future events.
8. Meeting with the University’s Senior Leadership Team
On 6th October, all three sabbatical officers, along with Chief Executive Annabel Mabin, met with the Vice Chancellor and his cabinet. We presented our manifesto objectives and set mutual expectations for the year ahead. The Vice Chancellor and his team appreciated our hard work during Freshers’ Week. We proposed bi-weekly meetings with SLT, which unfortunately were not possible due to their schedules, but there’s good news I’ll now have one-to-one meetings with the Vice Chancellor every two months, ensuring your voices are heard directly by the person who can make real change. Many thanks to VC Steven Spier for accepting this proposal.
9. Academic Council
The Academic Council, chaired by the Vice Chancellor, met on 8th October. This body is the university’s highest decision-making authority on academic matters.
I raised key issues, including:
The Vice Chancellor acknowledged our Freshers’ Fair success and even mentioned the Afghan Society in the meeting, a proud moment for all of us!
The Council also noted that the proposed international student levy would negatively impact recruitment across universities.
10. Dragons’ Den Launch Ceremony
On 8th October, I attended the Dragons’ Den Launch Ceremony organised by the university. Several brilliant students presented their business ideas, and the winner received £10,000 in start-up funding. Congratulations to the winner; it was genuinely difficult to choose, as all the ideas were fantastic! If you have a business idea and need start-up support, check out Bright Ideas Kingston University.
That’s all for this month’s update! October has been a month full of action, engagement, and progress. Thank you all for your continued support, and I’m excited to share even more updates with you next month!