As the academic year closes, there is a changeover of staff at the Homerton Union of Students (HUS). Robin Webber, 2022-3 President, will be leaving this week and Ben Ward will be taking over. We caught up with Robin and Ben to talk about what it takes to be Student Union President.
Robin, who has been HUS President for the past year, was on the HUS committee for two years prior to that as Welfare Officer and LGBT+ Officer. He comments “The role of HUS President is a sabbatical one at Homerton, but the supporting committee of 24 officers are all elected from the student body. Together the Committee and President represent (undergraduate) Homerton students to the College and in the wider world, plus they perform a supporting role in addressing student concerns and issues with the College. The Committee are volunteers so motivating them is a very important part of what the President does. The President is reliant on the Committee’s support when organising and running the bigger events like Freshers’ Week. We also have Emma Themba (a permanent member of staff) who has been our Office Manager since 2016.”
Robin explains that prior to becoming President, he spent some time working with previous President Phoebe Hardingham. She gave him some valuable insights into the role, which Robin hopes he can now pass on to Ben. However, Robin admits “I was surprised to discover how much work managing the HUS team turned out to be! I did find however that the College committees and College Council were not as time consuming as I had feared they would be. All my HUS team had been new students together in 2020, but unfortunately, they had not actually had a Freshers’ Week themselves because of Covid! I think that meant that they underestimated how much work it would be to host Freshers’ Week and they had to adjust to the increased workload outside their role description.”
Ben, who studied Education with Psychology graduating in 2023, was a Homerton Fresher during Covid and it was a very different start to university. He recalls “everything was online and there were not many chances to meet new students in person. In my second year, I was on the HUS Committee, and I really wanted to make up for the Freshers’ Week we had missed out on. In a way we all also wanted to enjoy Freshers’ Week with the new intake, getting in on their experiences by working on bops and pub crawls.”
Ben comments “I love Freshers’ Week, I like helping the new students, giving them tips on places to go and things to do, helping them to maximise the space I their student room. I am a very sociable person. I love helping with Summer Schools and events, so I am really looking forward to the social aspects of being President.”
The week before Freshers’ Week, the HUS team have team building week to ensure that they work well together to produce a great week of events for the incoming students. Freshers’ Week is only the beginning, as the HUS host several bops each year, including one in the Great Hall and the others in the JCR. Themes include Halloween, LGBT+ month, Christmas, Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day. A lot of work goes into the themed events and formals from sourcing themed gifts for all those attending, to decorating, staffing the events and coordinating the social committee. Ben is very much looking forward to organising social events and to trialling some new events in the coming year.
Robin reflects that “each HUS President tends to work on the areas they feel passionate about. Phoebe did a lot of advocacy work for women, and I have tried to make Homerton a safe place for Trans people.”
Ben interjects “I don’t want to be a distant figure as HUS President, I am originally from rural West Wales, and I was fostered multiple times as a child. I am particularly interested in working with the Realise Programme at the University of Cambridge which supports students who were fostered, in care as children or estranged from family, and using my profile as HUS President to shine a light on that.”
Robin recounts some of his personal successes as President “One of my best moments as President was when the whole committee pulled together over the student rent negotiations. The rise had been set at 12.9%, but we successfully renegotiated it to 7.1% which I feel was owing to the way the HUS advocated for students.”
Robin is also proud of his work to address disability access requirements on site. He has successfully ensured a commitment to an access audit for Homerton as part of the five-year Estate Plan.
On a personal note, Robin recounts that as HUS President you build strong bonds with students which last all through university. “On graduation day this July, I got to see ‘my Freshers’ graduate – I have seen them all the way through their years at Homerton; it was particularly touching to be asked by one student if I could pin their graduation gown for them, as I had helped them move in to halls back in Freshers’ Week – they wanted me to be there at the beginning and at the end of their University years.”
As Ben starts his new role, what’s next for Robin? “I plan to take up a Teaching Assistant role The British Council in Vienna for a year then possibly go to Spain having studied Russian and German. I would also very much like to complete a Master’s degree or PhD in Vienna on Trans-Masculinity in Germany.”
