Sabbatical Officer January Updates

The Sabbatical Officers write updates on the work they've been doing to represent you. Their reports cover updates on current projects and collaborations with different student groups, academic departments, and community organisations. 

Additionally, their work, as outlined in their report, is scrutinised and voted on by other elected student leaders in our Zones. You can read more about them here: Policy Zones & Union Executive. 

Eda, Equity & Inclusion Officer

What I've been up to!

This is how I've been connecting with students.

I have been featured in many Union comms pieces. From our SVLO launch videos to Shuttle Bus content, I have been very active on our socials. On top of that, I have attended all of our policy zones, sharing my updates and participating in discussions.

Here's more about the meetings I've attended over the past two weeks.

- With Sarah and Hana, we are working with UCL's EDI team to streamline religion and belief work within the institution.
- Had a meeting with a stakeholder from Sustainable UCL to discuss how we can diversify our sustainable food offerings, keeping our diverse student body in mind.
-There are some exciting updates about Liberate's future and how we will make use of the artworks after exhibitions. (Will be communicated soon!)

Ana, Activities & Engagement Officer

What I've been up to!

Being back from Christmas has been super busy so here is some of the things I have been working on:

This is how I've been connecting with students.

- Newsletters with a specific focus on commuters, term 2 memberships, tasters, and breaking barriers events.
- I have been communicating through emails and 1-1 meetings with students.
- I have also been part of different sporting activities: Muay Thai, Cheerleading, etc.
- Had different catch-ups with reps and officers about a wider range of things.

Here's more about the meetings I've attended.

This past few weeks, some of my meetings included:
- Attended an EMC on behalf of the president that discussed the future of student accommodation at UCL. The discussion was around what we should do, and I added that we should ensure that all our accommodation fits standards, and also to ensure that we still have control in raising issues so that students feel like they can have a student voice. I also emphasised the importance of having more affordable accommodation, as we currently do not.
- Had a first meeting with the theatre team and arts officer to discuss how we imagine the student programming board will work to ensure they have an impact and that being part of it sets some direction for the theatre, as we promised it would be student-led. We discussed what kind of students we wanted as we want to ensure it is diverse, what the role of the board will be, and what structures it would fit in with, how the meetings will work, and how we can advertise the opportunity so students can get involved. It was a very productive meeting and has set some sort of criteria with how we want it to look at.
- Attended the AI in Education working group that is focused on the overall vision and opportunities, where I ensured to bring some student perspective from those that may not know how to use AI to actually benefit their studies and life. Therefore, I suggested that as a university we should be more lenient with the use of AI and actually offer training in how to use it properly that allows for academic integrity.
- Presented a sports facilities item as the UCL estates committee, where there was a lot of support to continue progressing with the research on the project.
- Had a catch up with Carl to discuss some of the projects I have been working on and get support that I need for them. One of the discussions was about the new budget that was provided by UCL and where we are allocating it to and provided some ideas of what students would want it on. We also discussed the submission from Jesse about societies categorisation and how we can ensure that there is more of a community sense between societies, with us bring that item to zone.
- Part of a wide range of interview panels: UCL200 events coordinator and 'UCL! The Musical' composer and writer.
- Attended the UCL200 strategic delivery group, where we had updates on ticketing with an addition of an extra light showing on the Tuesday, the new arts addition of students playing key characters in UCL history, and student performances.
-- Attended the EMC AS committee where we discussed a wide range of projects. I provided feedback about the fact that the current Base KX feels very distant to students as it is in Kings Cross and is not well integrated into the campus. I have also provided feedback about what students would think about the proposal and to for UCL to ensure their new projects will be open and accessible to all.
- Attended the artsUCL fringe steering group, where we discussed the applications process in detail so people know they are on the same page and to ensure that performances do not need to go through big bidding processes as there will be lots of different opportunities. We also discussed the difference between Cat A,B and C shows and whether we should have an afterparty following the fringe.
- Was part of the Grand Challenges steering committee, where one of the topics discussed was the introduction of new elective modules for undergrads that would be around the themes and would be multi-disciplinary. I have provided feedback around what would be important and whether this is something students could be potentially interested in.
- I was also part of a few disciplinary panels over the past few weeks.
- Was part of the Internal Varsity Working Group, where we discussed the captains media day and how we can make it easier for the student media to also get involved and get something productive out of it. We also discussed the two non-official varsities and how the planning is going for them, the freebie pop ups we are planning to do, updates on some of the locations for the varsity events, and dressing campus around how that can look like.
- Attended the ExtendEd programme board, where we talked about the submissions and the different skills events we will be happening. This was around particularly as the programme is also getting a conference about how students can sign up for different things after the conference as that will change the originally signed up numbers. We also talked about the ExtendEd showcase we are doing at the end and what would be interesting to students, such as inviting ex-alumni to talk about how they now use those skills they gained, have a celebration of work, and also some presentations of student work.
- Attended another AI in education working group, where this time we focused on what we should be doing with AI. Again I raised the concerns that every department uses their AI differently and some are more open to it than others. Therefore, we should allow students to use AI in proper ways for research or support as they would be doing that anyways as well as teaching students about how to use AI actually ethically.
- Met with a student who submitted an affiliation that was unsuccessful to provide feedback for her second application.
- Joined the Welcome steering group, where we discussed learnings from last year and also how we can improve it going forward. I provided feedback that we should move towards themed days again as students prefer those and it would also mean that those who are performing actually get the correct crowd in. I also suggested that we should provide more training and support for all the socs committees that are involved to ensure they are prepared for running tasters, try outs but also more of a hands on training of what to expect from fairs. I also said that we should ensure that those student leaders are also better supported and rewarded for the amount of work they put in during welcome fair.
- Attended the first Student Partnership Engagement Network, where there were a lot of student facing staff in the departments. We talked about how to better support students within departments and how to properly allow them to escalate issues up the student rep structures if they are unable to solve it at the department level. I also provided some more ideas around how to ensure departments are encouraging students to get involved with extra-curriculars.
- Had the first UCL200 Summer Festival student steering group, where I helped facilitate some discussions around what people would want at the summer festival, their opinions and thoughts about the branding and the already set events, and how we can ensure we market this to the student body. There was lots of great ideas and 27 students in the room that were super engaged.

A lot of desk work (that is not necessarily meetings):
- Co-wrote an all-staff reminder about Wednesday afternoons policy to ensure all staff are aware that they should not be scheduling things at that time.
- Raised the Wednesday afternoons issue about the Computer Science department, which UCL is now looking into.
- Sent over feedback around the events masterclass ExtendEd workshop I am working on, which did get approved as part of the programme and will be running at the end of Term 3.
- Wrote the awards paper that will be going to zone, where I ensured all the changes are cohesive and in line with the main discussions I have been having. I wanted to ensure the awards changes this year reflected the breadth of activities students get involved with and actually recognised them for their hard work.
- Attended a full day BUCS Advisory as the student chair for London, which was mainly centred around the BUCS conference and what type of workshops we want to see, a coaching conference to upskill coaches (where I added particularly on the student coaches side), and how to improve student feedback and leadership within the BUCS structures.
- Sent over and compiled all the Sustainability Strategy feedback from zone to ensure it is added into the final version.
- For the commuter student officer role I have provided feedback on what the role description should be to ensure it encompasses both the activities and the representation side.
- Was part of the weekly finance panels, approving purchase requests and grant applications.
- Weekly admin of signing society contracts.

Sarah, Education Officer

What I've been up to!

This is how I've been connecting with students.

I filmed a video to explain what the Community Research Initiative is and encourage students to participate!

I hosted a Winter Social for Academic Reps (involving hot chocolate and cookie decorating!), where I had the opportunity to speak to a number of reps from across departments and courses. It was lovely meeting so many reps! I got to hear about all the fantastic work they have been doing, and also spoke to them about some of the issues they are facing within those departments.


I hosted a demonstration with a platform called 'Studiosity' for academic reps. Studiosity is an AI learning platform, which the university is considering implementing. I wanted to gain a wider understanding of what students thought about it, and ensure that student opinion was hear. The reps were able to join a demonstration of the platform, ask questions, and give their feedback.

I met with members of the policy zones and visited City Hall with them, to understand more about how we can advocate for student needs in the local area.

I was interviewed by a student (a faculty representative and member of student media) for an article.

I've also launched an article series, with support from the SU comms team, dedicated to providing timely, easily accessible information on all kinds of academic support!

Here's more about the meetings I've attended over the past two weeks.

I met with a member of the UCL Sustainable Finance Team (along with Anam) to talk about key student concerns in relation to ethical investments and practice. I'm happy to share that we had a really positive outcome, as we now have space for three elected student representatives

I chaired the Student Partnership Committee, encouraging faculty reps to share their thoughts on issues discussed, and raising the concerns which students had raised with them.

I chaired the Education Policy Scrutiny Panel. Here, I advocated for a way of ensuring that policies UCL has (such as promising three meetings with your Personal Academic Tutor per year) were actually upheld.

I met with the Director of Education Services to discuss Faith-Based Academic Adjustments.

I met with the Director of Student Operations to discuss how to address the issues with space that students are facing. I have been advocating for and working to organise a temporary Study Hub during term 3.

I've been meeting with staff from UCL's Digital Education Team. I've been working on a project related to one of my manifesto goals, which was to have sample lecture recordings for students when they are picking their modules.

I attended UCL Council, where I (successfully!) lobbied for student representation on a review group considering UCL's Non-Investment Ties. It's incredibly important to ensure student voices are effectively heard in such spaces.

I met with the Education Task Force Lead from the Sustainability Council, and we discussed how academic reps who are interested in sustainability could be included and take part in the work SusCo is doing.

These are just some of the meetings I've attended recently!

Darcy, Postgraduate Officer

My work has been focusing on strengthening postgraduate engagement, supporting academic representation, and contributing to longer-term planning for learning and development initiatives. I returned from my annual leave last week and have since resumed full duties, ensuring continuity across key areas of work.

A key strand of my activity has been contributing to planning for ExtendED learning provision, particularly the ExtendED Learning Fundamentals Conference in Term 3. I have brought a student-centred perspective to early discussions, emphasising the importance of career-related content, transferable skills development, and accessible formats that reflect postgraduate needs.

This is how I've been connecting with students.

1. Academic Representatives Lunch Social
I organised an Academic Representatives lunch social with the Vice-Provost for Education and Student Experience. This was a valuable opportunity for academic reps to meet a senior education leader at UCL and to connect over our shared commitment to improving the student experience.

I introduced the Vice-Provost for Education and Student Experience, Professor Jennie Shaw, to our faculty and lead department representatives, which helped create an open and welcoming space for conversation. The discussion felt thoughtful and constructive, and it was encouraging to see reps speaking confidently about the issues that matter most to their communities.

It was particularly meaningful to spend time listening to reps’ priorities and concerns, while also allowing space for informal conversations and relationship building. Hearing how passionately reps spoke about their departments was a powerful reminder of the care and dedication within the postgraduate representative community. Sharing ideas over lunch felt both productive and genuinely uplifting.

2. Education Zone, Welfare and Community Zone, and Activity Zone Meetings
I attended the Education Zone, Welfare and Community Zone, and Activity Zone meetings. These are important forums where elected student representatives bring forward ideas, discuss key issues and ratify policy proposals.

I value these meetings as opportunities to listen directly to students from across the Union, to understand emerging concerns, and to support reps in shaping positive change. Being present in these spaces helps me stay closely connected to students’ lived experiences and ensures that postgraduate voices continue to be reflected in the Union’s work.

Here's more about the meetings I've attended over the past two weeks.

1. Planning meeting for the ExtendED Learning Fundamentals Conference (Term 3)
I attended a planning meeting for the ExtendED Learning Fundamentals Conference taking place in Term 3. During the discussion, I contributed a strong student perspective to help shape the overall direction and content of the conference. I emphasised the importance of including more career-related sessions and a clearer focus on transferable skills that postgraduate students can apply beyond their academic studies.
I also suggested inviting well regarded keynote speakers who can offer both inspiration and practical insight, particularly for students thinking about their next steps. As part of the meeting, we brainstormed possible names and a tagline for the conference, which helped clarify its purpose and audience. The discussion felt productive and collaborative, and it was encouraging to see student priorities reflected in the early planning stage.
2. Academic Representative Review Kick Off Meeting
I attended the Academic Representative Review Kick Off meeting, which is closely linked to the Student Partnership and Student Voice Enhancement Programme. The review places student partnership at the heart of UCL’s approach to quality enhancement, while recognising wider frameworks such as TEF that focus on quality assurance.
During the meeting, we agreed on the key aims and questions that the review seeks to address. These included clarifying the purpose of the academic rep scheme, defining the role of academic reps, and understanding how the scheme fits within UCL’s quality framework and governance structures. We also discussed how to measure and communicate the value and impact of the scheme for students, staff and the institution.
Further areas of discussion included representation, support structures at faculty and departmental level, the use of NSS data and rep feedback, and how we can better recognise, celebrate and raise the visibility of academic reps. I contributed insights from my work with reps across UCL and highlighted the importance of consistent support and clear communication.
3. Planning for the Academic Representatives Conference
I took part in planning discussions for the upcoming Academic Representatives Conference. This included shaping the overall structure of the day, planning breakout sessions, agreeing on timings, and considering catering arrangements. My focus was on ensuring the conference is well paced, inclusive and genuinely useful for reps, while creating space for learning, discussion and connection.

Anam, President

What I've been up to!

Student Living Crisis Initiatives

My core projects for this year continue to focus on addressing the cost-of-living pressures faced by students:
Essential Cupboard
This is a priority project for Terms 2 and 3. The Essential Cupboard will provide baseline support for students by offering items such as detergent, canned food, and other essential products. This will be a foundational initiative, with plans to expand based on student need and feedback. I will be seeking advice and input from officers as the project develops.
Community Fridge
I have discussed the Community Fridge initiative with the Sustainability Council and will be taking a proposal to the Trustee Board. This project aligns with sustainability goals while supporting students experiencing financial hardship.
Cycling Campaign
I have been working on the cycling campaign since the start of my term, focusing on affordable and sustainable transport options for students as part of the wider living-cost agenda.
I am keen to work closely with part-time officers and sabbatical officers on all three projects. I have laid the groundwork, and I believe we can develop further ideas collectively as the year progresses.

Housing & Cost of Living

Key concerns include guarantor requirements and large upfront housing payments for international students. Actions include:
- Lobbying local MPs, councillors, and stakeholders on unfair housing practices
- Working with tenants’ unions and housing providers to improve advice for students
- Collaborating with nearby student unions on collective solutions
- Engaging MPs on the value international students bring to local communities
- Drafting a joint letter with other Russell Group Student Unions to MPs

International Student Levy & Graduate Visa Route

Agreed actions include:
- Lobbying universities to absorb any proposed international student levy
- Partnering with universities on consultation around the levy and Graduate Route
- Aligning with RGSU, UKRI, and UCU positions
- Continuing to lobby the government to cap international student tuition fees
- Opposing proposals to reduce post-study work rights to 18 months

Sanctuary Students

Planned actions include:
- Lobbying locally for increased institutional support
- Learning from best practice at UCL, King’s College London, Oxford, Bristol, and Edinburgh
- Working with Birmingham SU to engage with Shabana Mahmood MP (Home Secretary)
- Collaborating with Student Action for Refugees
- Pressuring universities to maintain or increase sanctuary student places

Wider National Advocacy

Continued opposition to the International Student Levy, including exemptions for PGR students
Exploring collective action on Erasmus+ participation
Monitoring the new International Education Strategy (2026)
Auditing recommendations from the 2025 International Student Report: “Globally Competitive”, with coordinated action across unions
This work will continue at both local and national levels to ensure international students’ voices remain central to policy decisions.

This is how I've been connecting with students.

Internal SU Engagement
Since returning, I have attended multiple committee meetings and held regular catch-ups with part-time officers Oskar and Pauline. I have actively sought officer input and collaboration across my projects.
I have also met with the Sustainability Council and expressed my interest in being more involved in relevant taskforces, particularly where sustainability overlaps with student welfare initiatives.

Student Engagement & Society Activity
Last week, I attended:
- A Dodgeball Society session with Sarah
- A Baking Society collaboration with the Bangladeshi Society
These activities have been valuable opportunities to engage directly with students and support society-led community building.

Here's more about the meetings I've attended over the past two weeks.

International Student Advocacy (RGSU)
At the Russell Group Students’ Union conference, I led discussions on international student issues. Student unions shared challenges and coordinated actions across housing, visas, fees, and support for sanctuary students. The agreed priorities and next steps are outlined below.

Sector Engagement & Conferences
From 4–10 January, I attended a Wonkhe study trip, followed by Russell Group Students’ Unions (RGSU) conferences on 14–15 January, as well as Advance HE events. These meetings focused on shared sector challenges and collaborative approaches across student unions, particularly around student finance, international students, and social justice.
Insights from the Wonkhe trip highlighted effective initiatives being implemented by other student unions across Europe. One key takeaway has informed my priority work this term on tackling the student living crisis.

Hana, Welfare & Community Officer

What I've been up to!

Just came back from Holiday Break with Annual Leave recently and been picking up from where I left off. Here are some updates:

This is how I've been connecting with students.

- SVLO webpage announcement
- AccessUCL Engagement Announcement
- UCL East Wellbeing Board Presentation Prep

Here's more about the meetings I've attended over the past two weeks.

- Meetings with Sustainability Officers, Action for Palestine, Education Officer and President about investments, and non investment ties.
- Spoke to Sarah Cowls and UOS about the upcoming policy idea for a SU Network for Refugee, Forced Migrant and Asylum Seeker students