Culture - a collection of behaviours, habits and attitudes formed by a collective group of individuals. Culture can have a positive, negative or neutral impact on a member's sense of belonging within that group.
All Clubs, Societies and Projects (CSPs) are expected to uphold the values and expectations of the Students' Union. It is the duty of CSP committee members to ensure that the activities delivered, the actions of your committee and the behaviour of all members are inline with the Union's values and expectations. The Union's role is to ensure that we robustly manage any complaints or concerns raised to us, and support CSPs to create positive cultures within their student groups. There are a range of ways in which the Union supports groups to build better cultures and tackle issues that are raised.
Strike Policy
This policy sets out the methods used by the Students’ Union to handle Clubs, Societies and Projects’ failure to comply with administrative processes, procedures, policies, misbehaviour within CSP or poor culture values within a CSP. The aims of this policy are:
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To support the fair and correct usage of space and resources
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To ensure Health, Safety and Legislation compliance are continually upheld
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To prevent reoccurring issues within CSP activities
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To hold CSP committee members accountable for upholding the Union’s Values on a regular basis and creating a positive culture within our communities.
This policy applies to all Clubs, Societies and Projects of Imperial College Union including all their members and any activities they deliver in any location.
The Union keeps a record of all strikes that are issued to a student group, once a group reached three strikes, they will be asked to complete a culture and behaviour review plan.
CSP Complaints
The Union often receives both informal and formal complaints about Clubs, Societies and Project Committee Members and Members. These can be emailed directly to the activities manager on activities@imperial.ac.uk or to the Deputy President Clubs and Societies on dpsc@imperial.ac.uk.
When we receive complaints, we access what we receive and choose the best policy to apply when handling the issue, it may be the strike policy linked above, the CSP policy if it is about a committee member, group of individuals or a CSP in general. If a specific member has had a complaint, we will use the complaints and memebers disciplinary bye-law.
CSP Culture Review Project
The Union over the past years have received a number of complaints and feedback from members and committee members of CSP's highlighted that there are a range of cultural issues in our student communities. This year, Dylan and Nathalie have decided to take action on working with groups to make positive change within CSPs. We will be bringing a wide range of stakeholders onboard to help us shape what we think a good culture looks like for different communities.
Click here to view the live action tracker for this project.
To respond to the consultation, please fill out this survey before 31/03/2023.
Times and locations for focus groups
Any student is welcome to attend a focus group of their choice to discuss their views on student culture within clubs and societies. The times and locations for these groups are listed below:
| Type of focus group | Date and Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Black & Minority Ethnic Students | Wednesday, 22 March at 13:00-14:00 | Union Building, MR1 |
| Faith & Political Groups | Wednesday, 22 March at 14:00 - 15:00 | Union Building, MR1 |
| International Students | Wednesday, 22 March ar 13:00-14:00 | Union Building, MR3 |
| Working Class Students & Widening Participation Groups | Wednesday, 15 March at 14:00-15:00 | Microsoft Teams |
| Students with Disabilities | Wednesday, 15 March at 11:00-12:00 | Microsoft Teams |
| Mental Health | Thursday, 23 March at 14:30-15:30 | Union Building, MR3 |
| Women, Nonbinary & Transgender Students | Monday, 27 March at 13:00-14:00 | Microsoft Teams |
| LGBTQ+ Students | Wednesday, 15 March at 14:00-15:00 | Microsoft Teams |
| Ethics & Sustainability | Wednesday, March 15 at 14:00-15:00 | Microsoft Teams |
| Sports Societies | Thursday, 16 March at 11:00-12:00 | Union Building. MR1 |
| Arts & Entertainment Societies | Saturday, 25 March at 12:00-13:00 | Microsoft Teams |
| Recreation Societies | Wednesday, 15 March at 13:00-14:00 | Microsoft Teams |
| Knowledge/Career Societies | Tuesday, 14 March at 10:00-11:00 | Union Building, MR4 |
| Medics | Wednesday, 22 March at 13:00-14:00 | Reynolds Bar, G13 |
| Charity/Community Societies | Tuesday, 14 March at 14:00-15:00 | Union Building, MR4 |
| Departmental Societies | Thursday, 23 March at 13:00-14:00 | Union Building, MR1 |
| Constituent Unions & Campuses | Thursday, March 16 at 17:00-18:00 | Union Building, MR1 |
| Postgraduate Students | Thursday, 30 March at 13:00-14:00 | Union Building. MR1 |
| UK-Domiciled Students | Tuesday, March 21 at 13:00-14:00 | Union Building, MR1 |
| Students with Caring Responsibilities | Wednesday, 22 March at15:00-16:00 | Union Building, MR1 |