Dear students, since the release of our first article with The Stork, we have been hard at work on a variety of different fronts. We’d like to communicate some of these things with you, and have thus prepared an update from each committee to inform you about the most relevant things!
Our three biggest concerns throughout the whole team are addressing schedules, the problem of elevators, and ensuring that class representatives are better connected and more powerful to best serve their peers. The university seeks to resolve the elevator concern as soon as possible and is looking into various solutions, including an adjustment of schedules. Having such a unique skyscraper campus, we are constantly adapting and evolving to such a unique space! Below you will find greater details on each of the committees.
Academics Committee: Donovan Schar Davis & Marc Garrigós
The Academics Committee has been working diligently to meet with the administration over various concerns within the IE Community, most notably our current schedules. We published a proposal for improved student schedules in May 2022 and are working to ensure that as much of this proposal as possible becomes implemented come the spring semester. We are also starting study groups throughout the various schools at IE, in order to conclude best practices between the schools and create relevant strategies in areas in which may be lacking.
Athletics Committee: Isabella Ochoa
We have been part of the reformation of the Athletics Department! For Freshers’ Week, we planned the Freshers’ Tournament, yoga and functional training masterclasses. In the Athletic Center, we now have free access to the gym, classes and pool, and have a functioning group chat where we send the weekly schedule of the gym. We also participated in the first IE Sports Opening Ceremony, and we are now planning two incredible events – keep an eye out for them!
Communications Committee: Lily Andres & Charly Wayaffe
Communications have worked hard on highlighting the many interesting initiatives that the IE community offers, by posting stories on our Instagram page, and other social media such as WhatsApp. Our committee also works on creating original posts and stories to inform students about events, frequently unknown tips and important upcoming opportunities, as well as polls to hear about their feelings or concerns. Our goal is achieving a community that feels more engaged, involved, and understood. We are also working on refining WhatsApp group chats and the use of IE Connects to further take our messages to students. Reach out any time via our various channels, including WhatsApp, email and Instagram – we’d love to hear from you!
Community Development Committee: Sam Ferdinand & Desislava Tsankova
We have had the opportunity to organize events for Freshers’ Week, closely examine the newcomers’ preferred activities and get some key takeaways, in order to make the event even better next year. An ongoing objective is to build better ties with clubs and provide them with the support and aid that they need throughout the year. Currently, our focus in the Segovia campus is improving relations between the Segovian and IE communities through a series of events, the first of which will be the Local Clean-up, happening on October 29. Meanwhile, in Madrid, we are exploring ways to boost students’ experience on campus, as well as planning upcoming community events. We will be looking for opinions surrounding the comfort of both campuses and seeing how and where there could be improvement.
President’s Committee: Johanna Jakobi
The first weeks of this semester have been weeks of introduction and assessment. We have conducted a variety of initiatives including the weekly polls on our Instagram page, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the policy for discrimination and harassment, and collaborating with the counselling office. As a result of this, we were able to include the topic of Addiction & Recovery in their World Mental Health Days. In addition, we have set up strategic teams for each of the university’s departments, as opposed to expecting the university to replicate our internal structure. This includes departments like the aforementioned Counselling, or Talent & Careers, with the idea being that we can consistently follow up on students’ concerns and pursue initiatives. I am proud of the steps that the community is taking to better itself, and am working hard to expand and cement it. Please feel free to reach out at any time with questions and ideas, or just for a chat.
On behalf of the entire SG team, we welcome any ideas and feedback you may have, and look forward to hearing from you. We also want to thank you for your interest and faith. Follow us on Instagram @ieustudentgov, check out our linktree for more info, or email us at ieustudentgovernment@ie.edu!
