KCLSU is a democratic membership organisation run by students, for students.
Every King’s student is a member of KCLSU.
As your Student Union we work to ensure that every student at King’s has the opportunity to thrive.
Chances are you will have attended a KCLSU event during your time at King’s (for the record, 82% of you have!), or perhaps you have visited one of our wellbeing sessions during Take Time Out – but did you know that as well as well as looking after your welfare, we also support your academic interests?
Oh, that’s interesting. Tell me more...
So, here are five ways KCLSU represents you and ensures that the student voice is at the heart of everything we do.
Elected to represent all King's students, your student officers work with KCLSU as Trustees, Organisers, Campaigners and Representatives.
What exactly do you guys mean by Trustees, Organisers, Campaigners and Representatives?
Good question!
- As Trustees they oversee the work of the Students’ Union as a democratic charity, making collective decisions at the highest level along with other KCLSU Trustees.
- As Organisers they support and enable King’s students to influence change in whatever matters to them.
- As Campaigners they champion change and student activism on the matters they’ve been elected to voice.
- As Representatives they amplify the voice of King’s students on their behalf to KCLSU, King’s College London and beyond.
Right! So, have they done anything I might have heard about?
Your 2022/23 VP Education (Health) worked to enhance student academic experience across King’s by improving the process of exam timetable release, as well as advocating for greater pastoral care and more contact between students and their personal students.
The VP Education (Arts & Sciences) and VP Welfare and Community are working to decolonise KCL by calling on University management to commit to dismantling the legacy of colonialism and institutional racism at King's.
Your Student Officers’ have achieved so much over the past year that we couldn’t possibly list everything here – so why don’t you check out our page about them and see for yourself?
Thanks for the heads-up – I might do that. But what if I want to run a campaign about an issue which directly affects me?
We have that covered for you as well!
KCLSU represents every King’s student. Being part of a democratic, membership-led organisation like KCLSU means that we can support and fund our members to develop campaigns that will bring positive change for students at King’s.
Sounds great! How do I get started?
It’s a very simple process: if students bring a campaign with more than 150 signatures to KCLSU, we will help you to make your campaign a reality.
One campaign we’re currently supporting is All We Need, a student campaign calling for improved financial aid in response to the rising cost of living. As a result, we’ve secured a commitment from King’s to provide free menstruation products on all KCL campuses from January 2023 – you’ve probably seen them outside of the bathrooms on campus.
We also helped PhD students campaign for monetary support during the Covid-19 pandemic.
You can find out more about other past and present campaigns here.
Oh, wow – that’s impressive! Anything else you can help me out with?
Of course! After all, we are run by students for students. Have you heard about our Union Development Initiatives?
I don’t believe so, what exactly is it?
As members of KCLSU, you can suggest ideas to develop, improve or make changes for the benefit of all students. If you submit an idea, you will be invited to discuss your idea with one of our Union Development Committees and, if approved, they will help you to deliver your project or event.
Networks
What if I want to connect with like-minded students?
You can join one of our many Liberation Networks!
These networks are collectives of member societies that exist to connect students from marginalised and generally underrepresented communities at King's. In doing so, they work to combat oppression, discrimination, and inequality faced by students from liberation communities on a local and national level.
Their purpose is to highlight current issues and enable students to act together to make positive change and improve students' experience. They’re led by students, for students.
Here’s a list of our current networks:
- Black Students
- Disabled Students
- First Generation
- Interfaith
- International Students
- LGBT+
- People of Colour
- Women
These networks run alongside KCLSU’s commitment to equality and diversity. Our Liberation History Months are a huge hit with students and staff alike and help to make the campus feel more inclusive.
Seeing that we just started February, what month is it?
We’re currently celebrating LGBT+ History Month in collaboration with KCLSU LGBT+ Network! Head on over to our page and see how we’re honouring the LGBT+ community at King's and beyond from 1-28 February.
On a more serious note, any ideas on what can I do if I’ve got some feedback about my course – but I don’t want to go directly to my lecturer?
Academic Associations are the recognised student-led group of their respective student community within KCLSU, their department/faculty and KCL. What do they do, we hear you ask?
Well, your Academic Associations have three important functions:
- To be the representative body and advocate for the needs of their peers.
- To campaign for change.
- To engage and build a community and sense of belonging amongst their specific group.
You can find out more about Academic Associations here.
Thanks! This has been really helpful! Just one more question, really, are there any other ways I can make my voice heard about my course or subject?
Glad you asked!
There are so many ways you can get involved and make a difference at King’s.
One way is to become an Academic Rep! There are 860 of them across King’s, all trained and supported by KCLSU. They exist to represent your academic interests and share important information about exams, assessments and strikes; they also feedback to King’s staff about how to action student concerns. This can include anything from module changes to advocacy work like making reading lists more diverse.
Click here to find out who yours is!
Hey, thanks! This has been really helpful.
