The City & Guilds College Union has struck a deal with the Royal School of Mines Clubs and Societies Committee to resolve a year-long, sometimes bitter dispute over a new alumni committee that, in the words of CGCU President John Collins, "Has probably wasted more time than any other political issue I’ve had to deal with this year, which in a strange way is highly amusing because this committee hardly has any affect on the day to day lives of students!"
The row erupted this time last year following the formation of a new college committee, dedicated to fostering links between the two alumni associations of the Faculty of Engineering, which are the Guilds-biased CGCA and Mines-biased RSMA. Under the banner "Imperial College Engineering Student Union," CGCU are invited to send two representatives to this meeting, but in the past the RSM students have been left out. The reasoning had been taken from the CGCU Executive, which until recently had no official RSM Representation.
Following the passing of a memorandum of understanding between the CGCU, who approved it last Thursday, and the RSM Clubs and Societies Committee, who approved it yesterday (Wednesday), and structural changes making the RSM President an Officer of CGCU, the RSM President will be able to attend this alumni meeting later on this year. The agreement then states that, should a future CGCU President come from an RSM Department, the second representative will be the most senior CGCU officer from a C&G, non-RSM department.
Additionally, all Departmental Representatives will be allowed to share the Guilds Executive votes of the corresponding Departmental Society Chairs, which now means that representation from Materials and ESE will be achieved from the Departmental Representatives, without the need to dismantle the historic structures of Mines and Guilds by moving those Departmental Societies.
Structural changes passed by the CGCU Executive on Monday also include the establishment of a new Guilds Events Committee, building on the role of C&G Active but with added financial and decision-making powers.
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