Jargonbuster

AAO

Academic Affairs Officer

ATC

Academic Training Committee

DPCS

Deputy President (Clubs & Societies)

DPFS

Deputy President (Finance & Societies)

DPS

Director of Postgraduate Studies

FU

Faculty Union

GSEPS

Graduate School of Engineering & Physical Sciences

HEFCE

Higher Education Funding Council for England

ICU

Imperial College Union

MPG

Management & Planning Group

PRES

Postgraduate Research Experience Survey

QAA

Quality Assurance Agency

RCSU

Royal College of Science Union

RWB

Representation & Welfare Board

Academic Affairs Officer

The Faculty Unions (excluding the GSA) each have one Academic Affairs officer, who is the top level of the representation system within the faculty. Academic Affairs Officers chair meetings of the Departmental Representatives in their department, and help run their Faculty Union. The GSA equivalent is the Academic & Welfare Officer.

Academic & Welfare Officer

The GSA has five Academic & Welfare Officers, known as AWOs: one each for Engineering, Medicine, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Non-Faculty (Business School and Humanities). Each AWO organises regular meetings of the Departmental Representatives in their Faculty, and also sits on the PQC, ATC and MC of the relevant Grad School.

City & Guilds College Union (CGCU)

One of the Faculty Unions, which together constitute Imperial College Union. The CGCU organises representation and social events for all engineering students - those of Aeronautics, Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computing, Earth Science & Engineering, Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials, and Information Systems Engineering. The name ‘City & Guilds College’ comes from the historic name of one of the institutions which merged to form Imperial, and which is now known as the Faculty of Engineering.

Court

This is a body which "offers a means whereby the wider interests served by the College can be associated with it, and provides a public forum where members of the Court can raise any matters about the College". It has over 150 members drawn from many areas within and outside of College, including students, and normally meets once a year at most.

Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) (DPCS)

One of the five sabbatical officers of Imperial College Union. The Deputy President (Clubs & Societies), or DPCS, is responsible for the smooth running, funding and development of the 270+ affiliated student-run clubs, societies and projects.

Deputy President (Finance & Services) (DPFS)

One of the five s*abbatical officers* of Imperial College Union. The Deputy President (Finance & Services), or DPFS, is responsible for leading the Union’s activities in the area of services (bars, entertainments, events) and overseeing the Union’s long-term budgeting and finance.

Direct Registration

This refers to the new practice of registering incoming PhD students as PhDs from the very start of their time - until the end of 2010, new PhD students were first registered as MPhils and changed to PhDs upon a successful check of their progress after approximately 18 months.

Executive Committee

The body of Imperial College Union that meets regularly to check on the implementation of policies that originate from Union Council, and to handle non-political management matters. Its membership is mostly sabbatical officers and senior student officers.

Grad Schools

The Graduate Schools (*GSEPS *and GSLSM) are the two groupings of the postgraduate sections of departments. They organise and regulate the activities of their departments, through the PQCs, *ATCs *and MCs. The GSA President, Deputy President (Education), Representation Coordinator and Academic & Welfare Officers attend these meetings.

GSA Executive

The top-level committee of the GSA, consisting of the GSA President, all Academic & Welfare Officers, President, the Deputy President (Education), and GSA Events, Marketing & Publicity officers, among others. Meets approximately six times a year, and oversees all representation and events-based activity of the GSA.

Graduate School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (GSEPS)

GSEPS is the Grad School for the following subjects: Aeronautics, Bioengineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computing, Earth Science & Engineering, Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials, Energy Futures Lab, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, and the Business School. Most GSEPS business goes through its Management Committee, Academic Training Committee, or Postgraduate Quality Committee.

Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)

The Governmental body, part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which distributes Government funding to universities and colleges in England. It distributed £7.4bn in 2010/11, of which almost £100m was granted to Imperial College. This funding is expected to drop in future due to government budget reductions.

Imperial College Union (ICU)

The hub of student extra-curricular activity at Imperial, ICU has the Graduate Students’ Association, Imperial College School of Medicine Students’ Union, Royal College of Science Union and City & Guilds College Union as constituent parts. ICU has five sabbatical officers, led by the President. It offers clubs & societies, catering services, bars, events, entertainments, academic & pastoral advice, and more. ICU has dozens of permanent staff to support these services.

Management Committee (MC)

Each Grad School has a Management Committee, which determines strategy and implements new initiatives for each Grad School. Each MC has the GSA President, Deputy President (Education), relevant Academic & Welfare Officers, and the Representation Coordinator as student members.

NewERP

The database which stores all representatives’ positions and contact details. It is run by the Representation Coordinator, a staff member at Imperial College Union.

Postgraduate Quality Committee (PQC)

Each Grad School has a Postgraduate Quality Committee, which has responsibility for the quality assurance procedures for each Grad School. Each MC has the GSA President, Deputy President (Education), relevant Academic & Welfare Officers, and the Representation Coordinator as student members.

President

One of the five sabbatical officers of Imperial College Union, the President is the officer ultimately responsible for all Union activities, strategy and finances. All other sabbatical officers are deputies for the President who specialise in one area of Union activity. The President is the overall figurehead of the student body and sits on the most senior College committees.

Quality Assurance Agency

The governmental body which is responsible for maintaining high standards in higher education in the UK. The QAA ‘audits’ entire universities on a regular basis; the most recent QAA audit of Imperial was published in October 2010.

Quality Assurance

This is the name for the methods by which College checks that its courses and services are of the highest possible standard; that teaching, assessment and learning methods are kept as good as possible and constantly maintained. Various aspects of quality assurance include biennial reviews of each department, and regular staff-student committee meetings. The undergraduate and postgraduate representation systems are crucial parts of College’s quality assurance procedures.

Representation and Welfare Board (RWB)

This is a committee of Imperial College Union that meets monthly to discuss academic, welfare and campaigning issues, as well as developing policy ideas that will be sent to Union Council.

Royal College of Science Union (RCSU)

One of the Faculty Unions, which together constitute Imperial College Union. The RSCU organises representation and social events for students of Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Joint Maths & Computing, Maths, and Physics.

Senate

This is the highest academic body of Imperial College, with membership consisting entirely of College academic staff and students. It regulates the teaching activities of the College, mostly through its subcommittees.

Staff-student committee (SSC)

These are meetings in which students reps and departmental staff meet to discuss positive and negative aspects of that department’s teaching and working environment. Each department should have at least two SSCs; one for undergraduate courses, one for postgraduate research students, and one for each Master’s course offered by that department. All year representatives, course/group/cohort representatives, and departmental representatives should attend SSCs regularly. SSC meetings should follow guidelines agreed by *Imperial College Unio*n and the Quality Assurance Advisory Committee (QAAC).

Union Council

This is the highest body of Imperial College Union in the area of policy-making & political leadership, and checking on the quality of everything the Union offers. It is chaired by the Council Chair, the agenda is set by the President, and it has over 20 members (all students) drawn from across the Faculty Unions, the Clubs & Societies Committees, the Faculties, and other areas of student life.