On May 14, 2025, around 135 student leaders, excluding 16 student councils as manpower, from clubs and societies came together at Taylor’s Student Leaders Townhall 2025 - where students had the floor, and university departments came to listen. Organised by the Taylor’s College Student Council (TCSC), Taylor’s University Student Council (TUSC), and Post-Graduate Student Council (PGSC), the event brought together representatives from Student Development, SEAL, SRC, Events, ICT, and Timetabling; with familiar names like Ms. Saw Bee Lian, Mr. Ronson, Ms. Angie, Mr. Dorian, and more. The goal? Cut through the email chains and speak directly about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change.

Opening the event, Mr. Ronson - a former student leader himself - delivered a heartfelt speech, reminding attendees that clubs and societies are the heart of university life. The message was clear: student organisations matter, and the university is listening. After all, what’s university life without its clubs and societies? 

If you've ever planned a club event and wondered why your venue takes ages to book or why setting up over the weekend felt like pulling teeth, you're not alone. Multiple leaders raised concerns about arriving at a booked space only to find nothing prepared as requested. After much back-and-forth, a key misunderstanding was finally addressed: Event Management Department (EMD) handles all space setups, not Timetabling (TT). Addressing the issue raised by student leaders, EMD expresses the challenges and limitations upon the lack of support for space setup requests, including the limited inventory of equipment due to a high number of events occurring simultaneously and the lack of manpower, particularly for events during after-hours and weekends. Submit setup requests as early as possible, follow up consistently, and work with your advisors to escalate when necessary. With "Venue Booking" being a hot topic among the many challenges student leaders faced, some clubs even expressed their disappointment in the impact of not being able or allowed to host their activities on campus, forcing them to relocate their activities elsewhere… and it hurts their member participation. “We lost members because we had to move off-campus”. To put it simply, Taylor’s does not have the space to accommodate certain sports activities, and safety issues are also a major concern to take into account as an institution with responsibility around the campus grounds. The university reassured that external venue rentals will be funded by the university when needed. The goal is to ensure no student misses out due to location constraints.

On the topic of club struggles, Taylor’s L.I.V.E Club, in representation of all music clubs, pushed for better soundproofing in the Symphony and Harmony studio, after there were multiple noise complaint reports from students. Without regular rehearsals, music clubs can’t operate, and that jeopardises their community. The issue was escalated to Facilities Management (FM) for future improvement, especially in terms of soundproofing solutions to ensure the comfort of both the students around the studios as well as the music clubs in rehearsal.

Storage issues were also brought up, student leaders were housing their club materials in their dorms, and in one instance, their car! While the idea is under discussion, no final decision has been made. The university is looking into possible solutions.

Perhaps the most widely shared frustration came from Taylor’s Debaters Club, which raised the issues surrounding CNS Fest that occurred earlier this year in April. While the event was a success, heavy rains caused unexpected flooding, forcing club booths to shut down early. Not only did this take away lots of time to gain exposure to new members, but outdoor venues tend to have particularly unnecessary risks on the first day. Their suggestion? Move CNS Fest back indoors. However, SEAL shared that earlier versions of CNS that took place in the Grand Hall caused severe congestion, with students lining up just to enter! To address this, SEAL and Student Development will host a focus group to rework the event for future editions and improve the experience.

A club is only as strong as the leadership it passes on. But what happens when there are new incoming terms and no training provided for them? The Rotaract Club raised a pressing concern during Townhall 2025: incoming committees often receive little to no training, leaving them to figure things out from scratch. In response, the university acknowledged the issue and committed to supporting student leaders by introducing leadership training for everyone, from committee members to EXCOs and BODs. These courses will focus on building stronger foundations and ensuring that every baton passed is placed in the right hands to continue the club’s legacy.

Putting aside the concerns and issues raised throughout the night, the Student Development has brought upon thrilling news for student leaders on future workshops that benefits not only the roles each student leader carries but also in the success of their future. Apart from that, the Timetabling Department also disclosed an ongoing project among the department  to address the issues of venue bookings in the long term to further improve students’ experience whilst securing a venue for upcoming events. While way more went on, unfortunately, only so much could be covered in a night. The message was clear: student voices are being heard. And slowly but surely, change is on its way.