Quoting Iveagh from 02:18, 15th Mar 2006
Preston, we had a lovely rendition today in a Social Anthropology lecture (from a member of your team) of how you intend to build up 'a sense of spirit' and I presume a sense of pride in our university for the future.
This seems a fair and reasonable aspiration. Yet apathy is at a considerably high rate so how do you intend to get students more involved in the workings of the association, and the university, so that they are willing to contribute in the future?
Yes, that was my Campaign Manager, Miss Alexandra Booth. She's lovely.
My communication plan is in four parts:
1) Responsible Representation.
2) Diversification of advertising.
3) Alumni Funding.
4) STAR-FM.
1) Responsible Representation
Often we will hear from Presidential candidates that there is a lot of "bureaucratic red tape" in the Association and that it lacks direction. This is not entirely true. Cutting bureaucracy in the Association is only a stairwell away--- going upstairs and talking to a competent, experienced President or Director and convincing them that the item on the agenda
The Association falls down primarily because the dialogue that ought to take place between the students and the Uni... well, it doesn't take place. They don't know who we are or what we're up to, and as a result, their community identity is based heavily in their halls, in the bars they hang around in, or, in the case of certain individuals, in private members' clubs. The result is a highly fractured community that doesn't have a real sense of being 'St Andrean.'
The first step towards creating that identity is to make all students understand that they are indeed a part of a common community with a common interest. The Association has failed to do that thus far--- it fails to make students understand that it exists to represent causes held in commonality and thus fails to even begin to create a community. It took me four years of being at this Uni to figure this out and it will take years of continuous, experienced, outgoing leadership with a good plan to overcome it.
2)Advertising.
Basically, the Association needs to lend its resources to our athletes, artists, and activists.
I find that an excellent way to do this is to support our athletes. While a lot of people will respond, "oh, that's just because you're an American," people who have never played a sport at St Andrews cannot possibly understand the pride and camaraderie that comes with it.
I want to support our AU clubs, specifically by advertising home matches each week in front of the Association. This will serve two purposes--- firstly, to create a universal, common interest, and secondly, to get more students to matches which will allow sports teams (not the Association, but AU clubs) to be in a better negotiating position when they request funding increases from the university.
Now on to point 3: Alumni funding.
All of this money for advertising is going to have to come from somewhere.
People frequently accuse me of "carpetbagging" when I praise the Charities Campaign. Nonsense: I'm simply showing what our students are capable of when they put their minds do it. People do incredible things all the time, whether it be the Men's Lacrosse squad (of which I am a member) holding off, two men down, an Edinburgh squad three times our size, or the Overseas Society committee of eight managing to throw an incredible Ambassadors Ball last year.
Why not show the alumni our talents? Why not say, "hey, we're doing good things, help us keep on doing it?" The Association can serve a function that the Uni cannot--- we can get money from alumni and put it directly in the hands of students. We can. And we should.
4) Year-round STAR-FM.
Every day, broadcasting to the students.
Benefits:
1) Welfare campaigns: Raisin Weekend safety combined with raisin weekend entertainment. Drink spiking incidents followed by drink spiking awareness. Instantly!
2) Accountability: letting the students know what we think so that if they disagree, they can come back and say, "hold on a minute." How much have you heard from the Union this year? Would you have liked to participate in the debates on boxing in the Union, Ethical Investment, or the sale of Hamilton Hall? Would you like to hear and critique the members of the SRC represent your views to the principal, Dr. Brian Lang, last month?
If your answer to any of those questions is yes, then I'm the Presidential candidate for you.
3) Other campaigns: Rent Rises, top-up fees, and access issues to home students are all on the horizon. We need to have a tool to communicate with the students--- without it, it will be much harder to build a consensus in the wider student body.
Hope I answered your question! Please feel free to ask more!
someone
Nominated for Association President.