[box type=”info”] Update: The King’s Students’ Union has hired former King’s student and teaching assistant Chris Parsons to replace John Adams as internal coordinator starting May 1. The hiring process for hospitality manager continues.[/box]
Changes are on the way in the King’s Students’ Union (KSU) office.
John Adams is stepping down from his role as internal co-ordinator at the end of March.
He gave notice in September that he would leave his role once his contract was up, and now he says it’s time to move on to a new adventure.
“As the first person to have this job, we weren’t quite sure what this job would entail,” says Adams. “I just kind of did what I did with it.
“Now I think they have a better idea of what they’re looking for in a certain position and whoever fills that is going to be more of a fit for what the KSU wants.”
A new internal co-ordinator isn’t the only role needed to fill the gap. The union has created a new position—a hospitality manager.
Quinn Harrington, now ex-vice president financial, says the second job is the right decision.
“Our current internal co-ordinator is very capable but he is overworked,” says Harrington. “We would be very lucky to have somebody who can keep the ship running.”
The job pays $12,960 a year, all for taking care of business in the Wardroom and Galley. Along with maintaining all financial records, the hospitality manager will hire new staff, order products and keep up with the maintenance after the rooms are used for an event. The KSU can afford the new position, says Harrington.
“The total difference in cost is going to be quite small. We do have a large buffer in our savings and contingency line, as well as our capital investment line,” he says. “I don’t think we’ll see any reduction in student services or union financial stability.”
Nick Stark, ex-president of the KSU, says the new job is much needed.
“I was personally responsible for putting it together,” says Stark. “I do think (it’s needed) because the (internal co-ordinator) can be doing even more in terms of assisting the executives and in terms of being in the office. Taking away the Wardroom and Galley will relieve some pressure.”
Adams has been doing all of the work of the internal co-ordinator, too, Stark added, but the team felt they could expand the job. There’s a lot of work to be done, and Adams says some of that is on the Galley, the year-old student cafe.
“If I did all the books for the Wardroom and I did all the books for the Galley then I found I spend most of my time doing the hospitality side of things,” says Adams. This meant, he says, he didn’t have time assist with KSU projects, like Stark would have liked, between managing the office, as well as the Wardroom and Galley.
Now the waiting game begins. People have already applied, and interviews began Thursday for the internal co-ordinator.
