Dear Kingston Student Community!
First of all, a massive thank you for electing me as your KSU Vice President for the second time! It's an honour to represent you once again, and I'm incredibly grateful for your trust and support. The past two months have been busy, from welcoming new students and delivering events to working on my manifesto commitments. Here's what I've been up to!
Creating a Positive Campus Experience
One of my priorities this year is ensuring that every student has a positive university experience, regardless of which campus they study at. September kicked off with our Welcome Week, where over 3,000 students attended our Welcome Fair! One of the biggest improvements this year was ensuring students had the opportunity to interact with the stalls, something we had fallen short on in previous years.
I was given the responsibility of helping manage the crowds during the fair. It was certainly a long day, but one of my favourite moments was speaking with new students, sharing my university experiences and introducing them to the opportunities available at Kingston.
Alongside Welcome Week, I had the opportunity to organise two events: Tenpin Tuesday with CK, which brought together 40 students for an evening of bowling, and a Games Night at Knights Park, where students could meet new people and build connections.
Building on this momentum, October was about creating more opportunities for students across our campuses. I worked with our student groups to encourage collaboration and engagement. A great example was the Halloween themed Games Night at Kingston Hill, organised by our Desi Society and Tamil Society. It was fantastic to see both societies working together and making a great start to the academic year!
Another important part of my role is being present on campus and speaking directly with students. During October, I spent time at Knights Park promoting our student by-elections and encouraging students to get involved in student democracy.
I also supported Kingston Have Your Say Week, which was one of the standout achievements of October. Where we allocated a day per campus ignorer to asking their views. We received over 1,400 student survey responses, with students sharing one thing they would like to keep and one thing they would like to change about their university experience. While encouraging students to complete the survey, I had the opportunity to hear their concerns first-hand. Some of the common issues raised included rising food prices, bus fares, parking difficulties and poor timetable management.
It was also an opportunity to highlight positive changes the Students' Union has advocated for, including the introduction of the £2.20 daily bus fare cap. Students also shared positive feedback about free period products, the Food Hub and social spaces across our campuses. These conversations reminded me that although progress has been made, there is still plenty of work to do.
Expanding the Kingston Belonging Fund
Last year, I introduced the Kingston Belonging Fund (KBF) with a simple goal: to help students feel that they belong at Kingston by reducing the financial barriers that prevent them from getting involved in university activities. Through this initiative, we managed to raise approximately £1,200 to support student participation in student group activities. Alongside this, we successfully secured a further £1,000 council sports grant to deliver sports and wellbeing activities, particularly aimed at students living in Kingston.
September was an important month for planning and preparation. I had the opportunity to engage with student group leaders during their training sessions, discussing how we could collaborate on projects and encouraging them to make the most of their leadership opportunities.
On 15 October, we delivered our first two sports activities: a Step Class and an Introduction to Kho Kho session. Across both activities, we had approximately 60 students participating in total!
Seeing students come together, try something different and enjoy themselves was incredibly rewarding. For me, these activities are about more than just sports. They are about creating opportunities for students to connect, improve their wellbeing and feel part of the Kingston community.
But the ambition doesn't stop here. I've already started discussions with my team about securing further support, strengthening the structure of the Kingston Belonging Fund and exploring how we can make it a permanent initiative for students. I don't want this project to exist only during my time as Vice President. I want it to continue supporting students for years to come.
Engaging with the University's Access and Participation Plan (APP)
Another key manifesto commitment is to actively engage with the University's Access and Participation Plan (APP) and hold the University accountable for the support it promises students.
September involved attending training sessions, developing our manifesto action plans and identifying how we could turn our commitments into meaningful action.
At the beginning of October, I also had the opportunity to present my manifesto priorities and plans to the Senior Leadership Team. The presentation was well received and provided an opportunity to outline what I intend to achieve this year.
Later in October, I attended my first APP committee meeting. I'll admit, there was a lot of information to take in, and I'm still working through some of it!
However, the meeting gave me valuable insight into the different programmes, services and support mechanisms the University has introduced to improve student access, success and progression.
It also left me with plenty of questions.
Are the services outlined in the plan still being delivered, and are students actually benefiting from them?
I'm particularly interested in understanding the current position of initiatives such as breakfast provision, wellbeing support and other student support programmes. I also want to understand why certain projects are being discontinued or changed and what evidence is being used to make those decisions. Another concern is the financial pressure students are facing. With the rising cost of living, students are finding it increasingly difficult to manage their finances. Maintenance loan thresholds and eligibility criteria for financial support have not always kept pace with inflation and students' living costs.
This raises some important questions for me. How are students coping with increasing financial pressures? What bursaries and financial support are available through the University? Are students being made sufficiently aware of the support they can access? These are questions I intend to raise in future meetings, alongside advocating for greater transparency around the University's financial support and APP commitments. I believe it's important that we don't simply look at what is written in a plan, but also examine whether those commitments are making a genuine difference to students.
What's Next?
The past two months have been incredibly busy, but this is only the beginning!
Over the coming months, I'll be focusing on expanding the Kingston Belonging Fund, creating more opportunities for students across our campuses and following up on the concerns raised during Have Your Say Week. I'll also continue engaging with the University's Access and Participation Plan, asking questions and advocating for better support and transparency.
Some of these priorities will take time, but I'm determined to keep pushing for progress. Being your Vice President isn't just about organising events or attending meetings. It's about listening to you, representing your interests and working towards meaningful change.
Thank you once again for your trust and support. If you see me around campus, don't hesitate to come and say hello or share your thoughts!
VP CK