President’s Blog - September 2026
Hello everyone, and welcome to the My Blog - September edition!
As you may all know, I was re-elected as your President in March 2026, and I am genuinely grateful for the trust you have placed in me once again!
Since starting my second term, I have been super busy with lots of training, induction sessions and meetings. I wish I could write about every training session I have been through, but I want to keep this blog short and concise for you all!
In this month’s blog, you can expect:
- Recording of lectures
- Academic Integrity module
- Buses
- Food Hub
- Welcome Week
- Students Who Work – KSU Research Report
1. Recording of lectures
As you may know, I promised during my election campaign that I would work with the University to introduce the recording of lectures and teaching sessions across the University’s four campuses.
I’m proud that this is another promise being turned into action.
Students have told us how valuable recordings would be for revisiting content, preparing for assessments and supporting different learning needs. Recordings are now being introduced across the University, with access through Canvas, including closed captions and transcripts.
Some sessions may be excluded from recording, such as group activities, presentations or sessions involving sensitive information. Where a recording isn’t possible, an alternative resource should be provided.
Recordings are there to support and enhance your learning, not to replace attendance.
If one of your lectures hasn’t been recorded this term when you thought it should be, reach out to me!
2. Academic Integrity module
Academic integrity is key to the success of our students, and I want to see all of our students succeed in their academic work at Kingston.
That is why I worked with the University to develop an Academic Integrity module to help students understand their academic responsibilities. The module also covers how to use AI responsibly, which is particularly important in an age where AI is becoming increasingly part of our education and everyday lives.
We want to make sure that our students stay up to date with digital skills and competencies while completing their education with integrity.
You can find the module on Canvas by accessing Digital Learning, where you will be welcomed by me and Sophie, as shown below!
3. Buses
As many of you know, the University has changed its bus service provider, with the new Falcon buses starting their services from 1 September.
There have been some changes to the bus service which have been concerning for us and, importantly, for our students.
One of the main concerns was the introduction of a £1.10 fare per journey. Over the summer, we’ve had multiple conversations with the University about the introduction of this fare, which we are against.
As a result of our discussions and efforts, we successful negotiated a £2.20 daily cap, which you may have already seen in the communications sent by the University. We know that for most, if you’re using the bus you’re using it multiple times in a day. This daily cap – whilst not quite what we were hoping for when we began conversations hoping to make the buses free again – should support students hopping across different campus and halls in a day.
We will continue to listen to your feedback and raise concerns where we believe students are being affected.
4. Food Hub
You must all be missing the Food Hub dearly, which we started in January 2026!
I am pleased to share that we will be starting a permanent Food Hub at our Union space, room PRMB1012, which is currently named the Quiet Room.
We will be launching our first Kingston Food Hub week commencing 19 October 2026.
A huge congratulations to all the students who have shown an interest in supporting this initiative. I can’t wait to kick-start this project and continue supporting our students during the cost-of-living crisis.
5. Welcome Week
Welcome Fair was fantastic, and I am still amazed and so pleased that we welcomed just shy of 3,200 students to the Fair – nearly 900 more students than last year!
Around 90% of our events sold out, and we even released additional tickets to allow more students to get involved.
We also went to different induction sessions to speak to students, tell them about some of the services we provide and, most importantly, explain how we represent you.
The energy from students this year has been absolutely amazing. Students have been incredibly active in engaging with us, asking questions and getting involved.
As October gets underway, I’m sure you’ll be enjoying all the meet-and-greets and activities that our lovely societies will be organising!
6. Students Who Work - KSU Research Report
Every year, KSU carries out research into issues and difficulties that our students face. In 2025, we chose to research the impact part-time work has on students, something that has increasingly become a financial necessity for many of our students.
732 students took part in our research, and we found that students who work 20 hours per week or more are more likely to report negative impacts on their academic performance, as well as their mental and physical health.
This research gives us an important insight into the realities many of our students are facing while studying and working at the same time.
If you are interested in reading the full report and want to understand more about the challenges our students are facing during the cost-of-living crisis, click here!
We have developed multiple recommendations from this research, which we are now attempting to bring to life. This covers the expansion of financial support, flexible on-campus employment opportunities, and greater academic flexibility.
As always, if you have any concerns, ideas or issues that you would like me to raise, please get in touch. I want to make sure that your voice continues to be heard and that we keep working together to make Kingston a better place for all our students.
Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you in the next President’s Blog!
