Gordon Street Gravy Train?

UCLU Council voted on Thursday to raise the number of sabbatical officers from six to ten in a move that will cost the union an additional £100,000 a year plus support costs according to Malcolm Grant.

The move comes after a referendum on the issue saw just 904 students voting on two separate questions- the first whether to split two former positions into four new positions and the second on whether to create two entirely new sabb officer posts.

Turnout was so low that the meeting did not meet the quorum but Council decided to make the changes anyway.

The former position of Medical and Postgraduate Students Officer has therefore been divided into the separate positions of the Medical, Pharmacy and Health Students’ Officer and the Postgraduate Students Officer.

Education and Campaigns, meanwhile, will now be split into the two separate posts of Education and Campaigns Officer who will focus on internal campaigns and External Affairs and Campaigns officer.

They will be joined by the two new full-time positions of Women’s Officer, and Black and Minority Ethnic Student’s officer.

Each of the new officers, like the current six, will received a salary of £25,000 a year, a salary many UCL graduates can only dream of on leaving university. This comes in addition to a mobile phone and expenses provided from union funds.

Union Democracy and Communications Officer Sam Gaus informed The Tab that council felt the changes were necessary due to the support they received from those who voted in the referendum, who overwhelmingly voted in favour.

He assured students that “no additional money will be drawn from students to pay for the full time officers” and that “aside from being a democratic imperative, it is also one of the ways we’re looking at to spend our reserves on better serving all demographics of our members.”