Manifesto

Activities and Societies have given me so much – they helped me to grow to be the person I am now, and I’d like to give something back. I have the passion, the experience, and the vision to bring about a real difference in Activities - I know what issues are being faced and I know what to do to make a positive change. 

Communication is, having spoken to committees, one of the biggest issues faced by societies, especially email turnarounds. The Activities Officer position is incredibly busy and an immediate reply isn't always possible, but I would introduce a 24 hour acknowledgement and timescale for a full response – fewer societies left in the lurch will help committees better utilise their time. 

I’d like to help students better organise their time with societies. There is no easy way to see a comprehensive list of what’s going on at the university - introducing a universal calendar of all activities, volunteering, and sports events would allow students to sample more of what the university has to offer and, moreover, will help committees plan around what will cause the least conflict. 

Committees are the backbone of societies, and I would like to do everything to make their roles easier, for example: 

• Handovers: Currently these are mainly handled informally on an individual basis and in some cases this leaves new committees unequipped to handle the new role. There needs to be formal guidelines so no committee is left out of the loop.
• Speakers: Everyone can benefit from speakers coming to societies, but currently the system is working against the societies. A six-week turnaround makes organising a speaker prohibitively difficult and destroys the chance for topical debate, I want to overhaul the current system and make bringing in new skills, new opinions and new experiences to the university a simpler experience.
• Sponsorship: The SU has a limited budget and societies often struggle with how much they’re given. I can’t change how much money we have, but sponsorship is a popular alternative and although the SU offers support for this route, many societies find it complicated and impenetrable. I plan to make seeking sponsorship easier so societies can do more for their members.

Sustainability is one of the lesser known responsibilities of an Activities Officer. I plan to reduce the amount of paper flyers Freshers get, many of which are just plain unwanted, and move it online to Facebook and emails so that Freshers still get all the information they need, but at a much lower environmental cost. 

Collaboration with Volunteering is currently sporadic and under-utilised. RAG has the skills and equipment to make charity events much easier, and societies can help RAG put on even bigger and better events.

Any SU Officer position comes with power, but it also comes with the responsibility to support students and to improve the SU. And that's what I promise to do. 

So remember to vote in the upcoming elections, and remember to Go West! 

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