Sabbatical Officer Start of October Updates

The Sabbatical Officers write a fortnightly update 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 spoke to many students and societies all throughout Welcome!
- Delivered 13 "A Student's Guide to UCL" talks to undergraduate students.
- I have been in constant contact with our student officers.
- I filmed content for our social media accounts.
- I chaired the first Intersectional Forum. You can come to the next one, you can find that here.

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

UCL meetings are yet to start. However, I was with Disability Equality Steering Group at the away day, and we discussed the increasing number of students and how this might be affecting the disabled students community. I also took some actions to work closely with the Vice Deans of EDI across UCL faculties.

Ana, Activities & Engagement Officer

What I've been up to!

Over the past month I have been very busy with Welcome Week, working on solidifying SU Estates priorities, and starting the work on my priority of tackling barriers to engagement for commuter and introverted students. Some key highlights are:

This is how I've been connecting with students.

It has been a very busy period for interacting with students, and I have interacted with students through:

- Running a Q&A session for UCL international students about SU and student life.
- Attended the TeamUCL takeover fair, speaking to students, student leaders and arts performance groups.
- Attended the Media Societies meet and greet.
- Attended Welcome Fair at UCL East the whole day, talking to lots of students, helping out at the fair and with the pack down, and most importantly, going around and speaking to as many committee members as I can to understand their thoughts on the student union and anything I can help them with.
- Helped out in the stalls at the Gordon Square on Friday of Welcome Week.
- Attended the Welcome Sports Day at Somers Town academy with Jim, the Sports Officer, to talk to lots of new students and film some content for Project Active and leagues.
- Communicated to students through newsletters and Union social media.
- Attended Sports Night to unveil Phineas.
- Handed out Scala passes with Jim, the Sports Officer.
- Have been answering student queries through emails, messages and having 1-1 meetings.
- Union Executive, where I proposed a policy that passed.
- I have supported Eda by reaching out to all the club presidents to encourage them to get involved with Breast Cancer awareness month campaign, and for them to send pictures of themselves wearing pink to training.

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

- I have attended the Trustee Board day, where I was able to ensure that my officer priorities are something that would also be important for the Union as a whole and the Student Life Strategy, particularly focusing on commuter and introverted students. We also brainstormed ideas for UCL Estates about what facilities we would require in the SU building as the student needs change, so this feedback was taken to update the brief.
- Have had internal discussions about a submitted policy from a department society about free memberships to students who are from the respective department. This has caused an interesting discussion as in the long-term we would want all students to be enrolled into their Departmental Society automatically. However, at the moment, some of the challenges were mentioned, such as the need for them to have income in some shape or form (mainly through memberships) and as not all departments have societies and some are cross-departmental, it would be unfair to some students. Therefore, following this, we agreed that the societies team will do a review of departmental society membership, and this policy will also come to the Zone as a discussion point to gather student feedback.
- I have had a meeting about the new Union Sustainability Strategy, suggesting ways to incentivise and inspire student groups to drive and advocate for sustainability in their own environments, similar to what other universities like Nottingham do with their Climate Cup.
- I have now been added to the UCL sub-committee that prioritises institutional Estates projects, where I have been advocating for students and ensuring their interests are at heart. I have also ensured that the SU building and sports facilities are on the radar, stating that it benefits all students from all faculties rather than certain ones.
- With the democracy team, I have been working on making sabbatical accountability more rigorous, such as the Union Executive (UE) being able to vote on a censure if they are unhappy with the sabbatical reports that did not get formally adopted at the zone. This will be a proposal I will be bringing to a UE soon.
- I have been working on how to solve the issues that arose from the Visiting & Associate membership review, such as ensuring that students on year/terms abroad were able to access all our clubs & socs (which got solved 2 days later) and having a process where students can apply for exemptions. Although this exemption process isn't the final version, as both sports and arts have different reasons for being classified as high risk, it is live and students are able to apply and be considered for an exemption on a case-by-case basis.
- Since many students complained about not being able to take quad pictures, I have also been having conversations about grad pictures on the quad for the current grads and if they can come back to take pictures at a later time.
- I have been working on revamping the Activities Zone and making it an environment where reps can have a greater impact by acting as a sounding board for the work the Union is doing so I have put together a plan for which projects will be presented and have a brainstorming idea session. This way, students will hopefully feel more engaged, and hopefully it will invite more students to attend the zone as it will be advertised more in advance.
- I have met with the UCL200 team to have a look at the draft projection video for the main quad, providing feedback. A big part of my feedback included having more focus on current and more recent successes of UCL students and also having a bigger and more integrated section on student life, student activism at UCL as there was only a short section at the end.
- Had our first tennis sports working group as it is one of the focus sports, agreeing on the key KPIs that we want to achieve by the end of the programme, including targeting more students and particularly focusing on those who haven't taken part in tennis before, through sessions like Turbo tennis, learn to surf, learn to tennis, and also improving the tennis's club delivery of R&D sessions.
- Had a very positive visit with the UCL Estates to Lea Valley to discuss with the facility the potential future partnership in hopes of rekindling that relationship. The meeting was successful and both sides were happy to work with each other again. There was some good conversations about the potential future of the place as Lea Valley themselves are looking to providing a bigger variety of sports and multi-purpose places, considering the new development around the area. With the Estates team we also nailed down on the whole list of potential sports facilities that was shared with senior UCL stakeholders.
- Have been in conversations about the Bloomsbury Theatre bid process and how the process will change as Arts expands, where I mentioned how we should also have a process where societies and clubs can apply to do 1 off/ 1 night shows and how that would need to ideally be in the same academic year.
- Attended the grand challenges committee, where we discussed the KPIs for measuring the different strategy objectives and how to ensure they are delivering the maximum impact as possible. I mentioned the lack of students within the KPIs apart from the grant funding and the changemakers partnership that target students.
- I have been having many conversations around simplifying our processes within the societies team, which they are looking at and I will be providing student perspective based on the feedback I get.
- I have been taking the lead on changing awards structures to make it more representative of all the hard work students do. I will time it well with the clubs & socs regs changes and ensure that zone has a say in awards, whilst awards being more representative of all students. The teams also proposed changes of having some awards, like personality of the year, go to a public vote after an initial shortlisting. These changes are being worked through by teams and I am working through the clubs & socs regs to be taken to the second AZ and gather feedback.
- Jim and I unveiled Phineas on the 2nd sports night of the year with an introduction from Rachel about who he was, his history and also with a plaque placed beside him as he is back in his case. This completes the previous policy that Rachel introduced last year.
- Attended the BUCS advisory group on behalf of the London region as the student chair to provide feedback. The main conversation was around the new framework for improvement that BUCS created, which allows them to remove underperforming events, where I contributed with feedback that they should be transparent with students to ensure they understand why that has happened and how they can bring their events/sports back. There was also a very useful discussion on a change in processes how to bring new events and sports into BUCS, which allows for a wider variety and for quicker timelines. This is a positive and proactive change for BUCS, which allows sport with NGB's who are not engaged with BUCS to be part of BUCS without needing to go through a long 2 year process. There was also a huge agreement in the room with the other officers that Wednesday afternoon lectures being scheduled is a sector-wide issue so we have agreed that we would want a national support campaign and also support from BUCS.
- Had a conversation regarding some key priorities for the social impact team for the year. Some of the priorities included: Extended and providing more tailored courses for student leaders about event organising, project management, working in teams that would be bespoke and part of the Extended programme, skills development platform and how we can ensure that we are providing students with support of understanding of what soft skills they are developing.
- Had an introduction with VP of Health Ibrahim, who was very supportive of the students union, to discuss our key priorities as a sabbatical officer team and ask for his support in senior UCL committees. These priorities included sports facilities, the SU building, accommodation standards, and interdisciplinary extended opportunities.
- I proposed a policy that passed on limits on the number of committee positions a student can hold at the first Union Executive. This new revised policy came in place as the previous one expired and also didn’t account for student officer roles. This policy is mainly to limit the number of principal and officer roles a student can hold to improve the standard of our societies and also to ensure that students are able to keep up with their university work without having a toll on their mental health.
- I have been in conversations about how feasible it is to introduce Term 1 and Term 2 memberships for students who only want to join for a part of the academic year. This will come as a discussion to the first zone to gather student feedback and implement based on what is possible, particularly encouraging societies to have a Term 2 membership for students who want to join later.
- Had the Varsity Project Board meeting to select the sports that will be in Varsity this year, with the addition of Snowsports, Duathlon and potentially golf. We also created a proposed schedule for the year with potential venues, with Muay Thai being scheduled on the Thursday if we were able to host the event at the centre of campus to create more hype for Varsity.
- I have been sitting on the London Marathon working group to discuss and agree on the selection process and criteria for our 1 runner. We agreed that it would be best if a student + staff panel would preliminary shortlist candidates, which will then go to a public vote.
- With the events team and Hana I have been working on creating bespoke events for commuter and introverted students. We agreed that for commuter students lunchtime activities and free food would be great as well as early evening low commitment activities, like games night. For introverted events things that are creative and do not specifically require talking are a great way to meet people as well as making sure they are more intimate rather than huge events. I have then had a meeting with the introverts society to discuss some of these ideas and support them in expanding their activities.
- I have attended the first Arts Fringe steering group to understand the process of the bidding and the structure of different productions we will be looking for. There will be a variety of opportunities available from big shows to smaller experimental ones that were not able to be done before when we had limited space.
- The sabbs had a meeting with Levi to provide feedback on his new event he is planning to run to promote students taking actions on causes through social enterprise. We suggested that he make his event very engaging, allowing students to meet others with the same cause and similar ideas, and also showcase the breadth of social enterprises for students to understand what they are as it may be a new concept for them.

Sarah, Education Officer

What I've been up to!

It's been so good to have a busy campus again, and I've really loved meeting and talking to students, new and returning, throughout this year's Welcome Week - which was a huge success!

As the academic year starts, many UCL meetings do too; I've been attending a number of UCL committees, to ensure that the student voice is represented on a range of matters. I've met with our student officers multiple times this month, to begin working on our shared priorities. I've also been continuing to work with the UCL University of Sanctuary group and our Welfare and Community Officer, Hana, to support our students who are being evacuated from Gaza.

This is how I've been connecting with students.

I've had lots of interactions with our part-time student officers, starting with our two-day training residential. It was really lovely getting to know all the officers, and we all shared our priorities to see how officers and sabbs could work with and help one another to achieve our goals! I'm really looking forward to working with them more in the year ahead.

Following on from this, I've met with our sustainability officers, along with our WCO officer, to continue our discussions further, sharing knowledge and ideas to see how we can best make progress both at UCL and the SU.
I then met all the officers again at our first Union Executive Meeting, where students from UCL Cheesegrater and Kinesis were also in attendance.

During Welcome Week, I really valued the opportunity to get to know more of our students: I enjoyed being on the ground most days, speaking to new students and elected student leaders of clubs and societies, who did a fantastic job running their stalls and welcome week events. I hosted a raffle at our wonderful Intercultural Summit along with our WCO, Hana, and on Thursday, I, along with the other sabbatical officers, were over at East all day for what has been our biggest Welcome Fair yet!

I've also worked with our marketing and comms team to get content out via our Instagram, creating numerous videos to promote Welcome events, the rep elections, and more.

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

As sabbatical officers, we all met with the Provost, Michael Spence, to outline our priorities for the year ahead. At both our student officer training residential and the first Union Exec meeting, I presented my priorities for the year ahead to our officers, answered questions, and worked with the officers to see how we could build on them together.

In the first Education Committee of the academic year, I highlighted the need to review and improve the careers support available for Access and Widening Participation Students, based on data presented during the committee and conversations I've had with students who have been part of the Access Scheme. My suggestions were well received, and I hope to do further work in this area

Darcy, Postgraduate Officer

Hiya my friend, Thank you so much for being interested in my updates, it really means a lot :-)

I have been attending sabbatical officer inductions as I begin my second term, as well as taking part in a series of trainings to strengthen my leadership and advocacy skills. It has been a great opportunity to reflect on the past year and think about how I can better support our postgraduate community in the months ahead.

I have also been preparing content for incoming postgraduate students, from filming short introductions to writing guidance pieces, to help them feel welcomed and supported as they start their journey at UCL.

This is how I've been connecting with students.

In the past fortnight, I have had several opportunities to communicate with students. I attended and delivered a speech as well as moderated a panel discussion at the CRIS Showcase, which was a fantastic chance to engage with our postgraduate community around research and social impact

I would also like to share some lovely memories I had with students over the summer, when I co-hosted the PGR Network Summer Party and hosted the Postgraduate Academic Reps Summer Socials. These included a boba tea social and a sip and paint session, which were both relaxed and enjoyable spaces for reps to connect with one another, and for me to hear their feedback and concerns.
More recently, I have also attended training alongside our Part-Time Officers, which gave me another opportunity to listen to students’ perspectives and strengthen our work together.

In addition, as part of the busy Welcome Weeks, I spoke at 10+ orientation talks (Students' Guide to UCL and international student Q&A talks), supporting thousands of new PG students. Besides, I had the pleasure of hosting a fireside chat with Duolingo’s CEO, Professor Luis von Ahn. Around 150 students packed into the room (with a long queue for the Q&A at the end!) to hear about Duolingo’s journey, its social impact and mission, and Luis’s insights on entrepreneurship and careers.🦉 The conversation was inspiring, funny, and thought-provoking all at once! A massive thank you to every student who came along and asked brilliant questions✨

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

I have attended several key meetings and events, which allowed me to contribute to ongoing institutional discussions and to strengthen postgraduate engagement across UCL.

Education Committee: At the Education Committee, I advocated for region-specific career support for international students. Many international students have expressed that the existing career advice does not always address the particularities of their home job markets, so I emphasised the value of having dedicated resources and guidance that reflect diverse regional contexts.
I also lobbied for UCL Careers to maintain an appropriate ratio of career consultants in line with our growing student numbers. I stressed the importance of ensuring that every student can access timely one-to-one career guidance, participate in mock interviews, and attend a wide range of workshops and panel discussions tailored to postgraduate needs.
Furthermore, I expressed my support for the Extended Learning Opportunities Programme, highlighting its positive impact on skill-building beyond academic study. I underlined how the programme plays an important role in strengthening transferable skills development within the postgraduate community, helping students prepare for both academic and non-academic career pathways.

Doctoral School Welcome Online Information Event: I joined the Doctoral School Welcome Online Information Event, where I introduced the Students’ Union UCL’s offerings to new postgraduate research students. I explained the various opportunities available for them to engage with the Union, including representation, networks, societies and wellbeing support. I also hosted a Q&A session, answering a broad range of questions from new doctoral students about studying, social life, and professional development at UCL. This was a great opportunity to help students feel more connected to the UCL community right from the beginning of their journey.

Meeting with the new Research Students’ Officer: I met with our newly elected Research Students’ Officer to understand her key priorities for the academic year and to explore how I could best support her in delivering them. We discussed our shared goals, agreed on a collaborative approach to communication and planning, and exchanged experiences of representing the postgraduate community. I was particularly interested in hearing about her previous experience as a doctoral representative, which offered valuable insight into the challenges faced by PGR students. Together, we brainstormed event ideas for the year ahead and began planning our first initiative – the PGR Network Lunchtime Social – to create more opportunities for informal networking among research students.

Meeting with the Students’ Union Events Coordinator: I also met with the Students’ Union Events Coordinator to plan the next series of postgraduate events, particularly those focused on career development and employability. We reviewed previous event feedback and discussed ways to improve accessibility and participation, especially for commuter and international students. We agreed on shared priorities and practical steps for the coming term, including exploring new online career webinars and hybrid event formats to reach a wider audience.

Meetings with UCL Careers and the UCL Alumni Relations Team: I attended several meetings with colleagues from UCL Careers and the Alumni Relations Team to discuss how we can strengthen employability support for postgraduate students across all disciplines. During these meetings, I lobbied for more bespoke and subject-specific career support to ensure that students from different academic backgrounds receive tailored guidance relevant to their fields.
I also provided feedback on previous career support offerings, highlighting areas where students felt improvements could be made, such as increasing the variety of sector-focused events and providing more one-to-one or small-group career guidance.
In addition, we explored opportunities to create stronger synergies between the SU, UCL Careers and Alumni teams, particularly in the area of alumni engagement. I suggested ways in which alumni could play a more active role in supporting students’ career development through mentoring, storytelling, and participation in networking events and panels. These discussions laid the foundation for closer collaboration between our teams in the coming months.

Anam, President

What I've been up to!

Over the past few weeks, I have been meeting with the Students' Union, trustees, staff and students to plan for the year ahead. The Students' Union is working hard to deliver new and innovative programs across student activities, arts and culture, new cafes and student spaces and leadership development. 

I have been busy meeting with UCL senior leaders to discuss issues that matter to you, covering improvements to campus and your educational experience.

Queen Mary, Imperial, and Manchester, engaging with sabbatical officers and exploring student union infrastructure for inspiration. I’ve been engaging with senior staff on your behalf at UCL, including the Provost, Vice-Provosts, and Davide Ravasi from the School of Management, to push for better sports facilities for our students and a new SU building that will serve as a hub for student life at UCL, and I discussed student priorities with senior leaders.

I’m so proud of all of the students and our union team delivering one of the biggest and best welcomes yet, with activity across campus, including a student takeover of Gordon Square and a massive fair at UCL East. I’m so glad to see everyone back on campus!

I was in Liverpool, representing you at the Labour Party Conference, where I met government ministers, MPs, Peers, and sector leaders, and engaged in discussions around maintenance funding, Gaza students, international students, and the skills we need to be successful in our careers and in life.

This is how I've been connecting with students.

In the past fortnight, I’ve met with students through the Welcome Fair, spending five days on the ground engaging with societies and individual students.  I spent 2 days with our Student Officers at Imperial College planning activities, influencing and supporting for the year ahead. We’re really excited about the year ahead and will be sharing plans throughout the year. I’ve been reaching out to students in our newsletters, emails, and on the union website updates to share opportunities and events. I’ve been working hard to promote the excellent leadership opportunities we have on offer at the beginning of the year and have been speaking to students about becoming an Academic Rep, Halls Community Officers, UCL East Officer and Trustee.

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

I have been meeting with UCL staff and have had a number of internal meetings ready for the year head. Some of the meetings I’ve attended include the Joint Academic Board and Estates Board, contributing to discussions on student experience and infrastructure. I chaired the Trustee Board and Estate Management Committee, lobbying for new SU building plans and sports facilities.

I met with team members in the Union to think about making our cafés more engaging. I participated in events at Queen Mary, Imperial, and Manchester to gain insight into the operations and infrastructure of other students' unions and have brought back ideas to UCL.

I also attended the Labour Party Conference, where I engaged in discussions around hardship funds, Gaza students, and national student issues. I’ve met with senior UCL leaders, including the Provost, Vice-Provosts, and Davide Ravasi, to advocate for student priorities.