Outgoing ICMS SRC President Leaves Legacy of Campus Unity and Community Impact

ICMS SRC president Jack Parsons finishes his term at the end of the year having brought the party back to campus, united the student body and made an impact on the local community.

Jack, a Bachelor of Hospitality Management student, was head of the ICMS SRC from September 2022 until the end of November 2023.

Fellow student Tamzyn Harris takes over the role for 2024.

“Jack reintegrated the SRC in the wake of the reopening of the campus post-COVID. He made the SRC a prominent body within the wider community, engaging participation from a variety of students from different demographics and backgrounds. His infectious enthusiasm brought students together,” James Walker, ICMS Associate Vice President – Campus and Operations, said

“He was exactly what this role needed!”

Read on for more of Jack’s experience as SRC President, in his own words:

Showcasing Sydney and Australia

“I have been fortunate to travel around the world and have unforgettable experiences and amazing memories in my life. And now I want to give that to other people too.

“Coming from Sydney it’s been an honour and a privilege to show so many international students and regional students my home and to be able to run events right throughout Sydney and to create opportunities for students to see how amazing my home town is. I was proud to show off Australia.

“It was cool that on the SRC we had a mix of International and Domestic students. The internationals came from France, Germany, Spain and China. The diversity brought unique ideas that allowed for us to be able to provide for as many students as possible with knowledge of their culture.”

Students as part of the local community

“Because we wanted to be inclusive and help the greater Manly community, we created a Community Engagement Team and an Online Engagement team.

“With this came events like beach clean-ups that turned into BBQs, snorkelling and online Trivia and activities to engage the online students so that everyone felt a sense of belonging to the community of ICMS.”

Highlights – Sports, Friendship and Parties

“The main highlight for me has been working with the whole SRC team, in particular Max Coram as my Vice President. Before every event we would brainstorm how to make the experience the best it could be.

“Another highlight was renovating the Basement Bar – installing lighting systems and smoke machines to make it feel like we had a nightclub in the Kelly House Basement.

“The feedback from students was amazing – everyone loved how much better it looked and the experience went up from there and the parties became so much better.

“The best parties are when the students engage and dress up. It is a spectacle to see everyone make such an effort. We celebrated Halloween, Neon, White, and Rodeo parties.

“We also organised the Orientation ice breakers that start every term to welcome new students. We had a Project X Icebreaker, a Hawaiian Icebreaker and mostly recently a White Party – the highlight of these parties is seeing the new students create connections with current students. We always also needed help with smashing a huge ice sculpture in the shape of the ICMS ‘castle’.

“Creating the end of year ball with my Head of Events Cameron Colvin was another highlight of my term as president because it gave everyone one last hoorah and to be all together in the same room before Study Abroad students left and students graduated and moved on.

“A special memory is that while making my toast, I could see all the glasses raised and could feel the roar from the crowd with all of us being together on the night. We have now created an annual end of year event that students will enjoy for many years to come.

“We also bought sports back to campus with Head of Sports Leah Veld running the show. She organised futsal, touch, OZ tag, basketball, UniNationals, Volleyball, Tennis, Dance and so many other fun ways for students engage outside of the classroom and create a stronger community.”

Final words

“As I finish off my term as President I want to wish my successor Tamzyn Harris all the best.

“There’s a strong foundation now of what we have built up and I am proud to be able to hand over so that she can continue grow the SRC and develop the role into her own.

“I would like to express a heartfelt thanks to all the members of the SRC who I have worked with during my term. It’s been a lot of work but there has never been anything more rewarding than seeing our hard work create such a strong community and create memories that will last us our lifetimes!

“I also want to thank the ICMS staff, in particular James Walker and Cameron Stewart, for their mentorship and guidance throughout this journey.

“Thank you to the student body for giving me this opportunity to serve you!

“No matter where you are in the world I will always be a phone call away and I look forward to the day that you can show me around your hometown.”

To find out more about the SRC, click here.

To connect with Jack Parsons, click here.