Students' Union
Our coverage of news at the Students’ Union.
2024 Rep Elections
Rep Elections: Voter turnout lowest in three years – analysis
Apathy ensues as this year’s Rep Elections draws to a close with the lowest turnout in three years.Seth Harris Puzzlemaster...
Rep Elections: Free cash draw for supporters if I win, says candidate
Another candidate in the Rep Elections was spotted offering supporters a chance to win a ‘gift’ worth £20 at the Institute of Edu...
Rep Elections: Candidate offers ‘free lottery’ ticket for votes
A candidate running for NUS conference delegate at the Rep Elections has been seen offering free snacks and scratchcards in the S...
Rep Elections: Vegan campaigners field undercover candidates for NUS rep
At least five candidates running for NUS delegate were part of a secret conspiracy to control the agenda at this year’s National ...
Rep Elections: Candidate suspected of using AI and switching pronouns
A candidate running for seven positions in the Rep Elections is believed to have used AI in his manifestos and switched pronouns ...
Rep Elections: Over 60% of roles left vacant or uncontested
Student apathy has reached record levels as 47 out of 75 roles up for grabs at this year’s Rep Elections were left vacant or unco...
Student politics
No jobs for graduates if Union bans oil and gas sponsorships, engineers warn
Engineers have warned the Union against banning clubs and societies from accepting sponsorships from fossil fuel companies as it w...
Government to hike tuition fees after Budget fail to mention students
The Government has hiked tuition fees for English students by £285 today just a week after the Budget failed to mention “students”...
Down Your Union: New Sabbs in Focus
By way of introducing readers to the new sabbatical leadership at the Students’ Union, The Cheese Grater has taken the great risk...
KCL and SOAS sack new sabbs over support for Palestine
Three newly elected sabbatical officers across two University of London institutions have been barred from taking office for thei...
Cheese Grater Journalist Makes Sabb Cry In Meeting
Nick MiaoActivities and Engagement Officer Aria Shi, right, pictured tearing up during Questions to Officers at the final...
Inside the SU Deep State
Nick MiaoSabbatical Officers at Students’ Union UCL (SU) are elected in cross-campus elections once a year to represent the s...
‘Too Lazy to be Energetic’: An Honest Guide to the SU
Nick MiaoThe Students’ Union prides itself on being a student-led, student-owned organisation. But how much do you, the stude...
Umair Mehmood, The Underdog Story: How QR Codes Led to Welfare Wednesdays
Vivianne Zhang WeiLack of awareness about the Students' Union elections is a persistent problem at UCL, but one candidate in ...
Club & Soc
Trouble for UCL Labour amid ‘lack of clear leadership’
The UCL Labour Society is off to a rocky start to the new academic year as its handful of remaining members complain about the ‘l...
Tory Soc suspended again
The UCL Conservatives have outdone themselves by beating their record of getting suspended by the Union just two weeks after they...
‘Union Funding Barely Keeps Us Afloat’: UCL Water Polo and the SU
Robert DelaneyThe first rule of water polo is to keep your head above the water. Yet, the UCL Water Polo Club is struggling t...
InEffective UnAltruism: The Problem with UCL’s Effective Altruism Society
Thais Jones & Aniela BichotThe first time a student hears the term “Effective Altruism”, they tend to assume the best. An...
Chun Buckets Everywhere: How Initiation Ceremonies Ruin the Freshers Experience
This article was awarded Best News Story at the 2023 Student Publication Association Awards and Best Media Piece at the 2023 Stu...
Why we need the 93% Club at UCL
It is no secret that state-school students have faced, and continue to face, significant barriers when accessing higher education ...
What exactly is the Not Cool Club? In conversation with the club’s president
The Not Cool Club at UCL has gained a lot of traction. All around campus the walls are covered in black and yellow posters promoti...
Socialist Workers Party secretly run student society
The Cheese Grater can exclusively reveal that UCL Socialist Worker Student Society (SWSS), affiliated to the Socialist Workers Par...
Voices
Robert Delaney: I will rebuild student media
On Wednesday, The Cheese Grater sent out a blanket invite to all four candidates competing to be Media Rep – Altay Shaw, Robert D...
Student politics is broken, and it’s our fault
Student politics at UCL has a major crisis of engagement. In last year’s Leadership Race, the Union celebrated a ‘record-breaking...
The state of the NUS is a bit like Blackpool
Nick MiaoOne question I found asking myself and my fellow delegates on our three-day trip to this year’s National Union of Stu...
Untitled rant: Why care about student journalism at UCL? (Subject to change)
Robert DelaneyThe question posed above is one I often face when confronted about my role as co-Editor-in-Chief at The Cheese ...
No More 3 for 10 Jagers?
Anna Maria Papaoikonomou, Zine EditorI can’t ever go back to my first two months of university. Not because I had a particula...
Sabbatical Officers Hustings: Thoughts from the Chair
For seven hours last week, I sat on stage with candidates for all six Sabbatical Officer positions and had the chance to question ...
Our Sabbatical Officers: A Year in Review
It has been a turbulent year for all at UCL. It was truly a rollercoaster ride with changing COVID conditions, numerous bouts of s...
If you want a functional Students’ Union, you won’t get one here.
The other day I got a text from my editor: ‘there’s a virtual Students’ Union Executive meeting, you should go check it out’. Natu...