ULU Summer Training

I've just returned from my three-day ULU residential training at Royal Holloway. Firstly, the weekend gave me the opportunity to get to know other sabbatical officers from the other University of London colleges, and secondly, it introduced me to the operational structure of ULU, giving me to chance to evaluate its significance for Courtauld students.

This year ULU will be making a concerted effort to re-engage with its affiliate unions following some years of underachievement. This means that students will be given the opportunity to decide what they want ULU to be. Whether you want to see more clubs, societies and sports provision or increased visibility and engagement with affiliate institutions, it is you, the students, who can determine what changes are necessary. I will therefore be consulting with you over the first few weeks of term to make sure that the specific priorities of Courtauld students are met.

I was also involved in a debate about the future of Higher Education funding (in preparation for the forthcoming 2009 government review); and I was consulted about the proposition of a London-wide NUS commission (beyond the University of London). I also shared ideas and forged allegiances with fellow officers from small and specialised institutions whose unions face similar tasks to the Courtauld SU over the next year.