Friction over College Financial Control

College's control of the Union Finance Department is continuing to pose problems, including an attempt to grab access to Union accounts.

In 2007 the ICU Executive Committee controversially agreed to hand over control of Union Finances to College. This was despite concerns that ICU would be throwing away the independence called for through the Governance Review. A new Finance Officer was recruited earlier this year to be employed by and responsible to the College Finance Department. Changes implemented under College financial management have already caused widespread disgruntlement within Club and Society Officers after contact time with finance staff was cut and the amount of red tape increased.

Worries that a College appointed member of staff would not be able to understand the demands and requirements of working in a volunteer led organisation are being realised this week after a number of incidents have been reported. Barely a day into her new role, ICU President, Jenny Morgan, was confronted with a request to hand over access to all the Union’s bank accounts to the College Finance Division. Standing her ground, Miss Morgan refused to rescind financial control, despite senior Union managers allegedly supporting the opinion that students were incapable of looking after the accounts themselves. Of course with statements lying around in and outside cupboards in the basement of Beit Quad it wouldn't take College much effort to find any information that they wanted.

This isn’t the first time that Sabbatical Officer authority has been challenged under the new management. College’s new Union Finance Manager originally considered the position of DPFS to be her 'helper' as opposed to her superior until she was informed otherwise. Furthermore, with three of the four Sabbatical Officers away on annual leave, the Finance Department have taken it upon themselves to set new ‘policy’, in direct breach of the Staff/Student Protocol.

The Finance Manager openly stated this week that she was changing the 'policy' for requesting an Imprest (an advancement of funds made to a member of the Union for goods or services which need to be paid cash-in-hand). Under current Union Finance Regulations the authorisation needed to request an Imprest is the signature of the relevant Deputy President but this regulation was overruled by the Finance Manager insisting that their signature was insufficient and more evidence would be required. This sort of challenge on a Sabbatical Officer's authority, and clear misunderstanding of the protocol whereby staff members cannot comment on or influence ICU Policy, is a symptom of the incompatibility of Union activity with College Finance Procedures. It would seem that, in their eagerness to create the Imperial College Department of Students, College have underestimated the complexities of running a volunteer organisation of these proportions and are inadequately prepared to deal with a situation where students make the decisions.