Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Why Am I Running?
The Answer is simple...I have really enjoyed helping so many people this year, as the Vice President, and I want to continue that work and building all the foundations. You can't imagine how good it feels to help people, knowing you won't be getting anything out of the experience, other than the experience. It's a good feeling...and there is not much left in this world that is good and pure...the feeling of helping others is...please help me keep this high and vote between the 13th and 16th of March
Communications Manifesto 2006
Who Am I?
My name is Rayhan, I am the current Vice President of the Students’ Union and I have spent the past 9 months running around like a to get out and about to students, working on different projects to improve the “experience” here and just being at your service…but some of you probably didn’t even know that.
What Have I Been Doing?
I attended the inductions for most 1st years, and I also organised and ran the 3 Freshers’ Fairs at the beginning of the year. It was my plan to keep that level of involvement sustained. Unfortunately I soon found out that my job is to represent and by trying to run events and organise activities I was stepping on the toes of staff that were employed to do that. How have you found university life as the year goes on? Yeah, a barrel of laughs eh? It could be, if you vote me as your Comms Officer.
What You Can Expect From Me
I plan to make knowledge freely available and easily accessible. My section of www.uwsu.com is the most regularly updated. The website isn’t great, but I managed to get more people using it through societies and all my reports are there.
When you come onto campus, can spend a whole day here, and still not know what events and activities are available to you, something needs to change. How about a list of societies and sports teams in classrooms? How about Smoke Radio playing in cafes, bars and communal areas? How about YOUR work being displayed in prominent places? And how about a new website that you WANT to use and is updated DAILY…one that YOU control (think myspace)? Those will all be the foundations to my work next year.
I’m Nice Too
I’d like to take an opportunity to talk about my competitors. Unfortunately for me, they are all nice. I’d vote for Jim Chapman, Rich Tyler and Anna (I forget her surname…she’s the Ju Jitsu girl…). Over the next two weeks, come and talk to us all. Find out how we’d help make your time here less frustrating. I want this election to be fun…make sure you have fun too.
Look out for my posters, you’ll get sick of them…so draw on them, ask me questions on them…even rearrange my face.
My name is Rayhan, I am the current Vice President of the Students’ Union and I have spent the past 9 months running around like a
What Have I Been Doing?
I attended the inductions for most 1st years, and I also organised and ran the 3 Freshers’ Fairs at the beginning of the year. It was my plan to keep that level of involvement sustained. Unfortunately I soon found out that my job is to represent and by trying to run events and organise activities I was stepping on the toes of staff that were employed to do that. How have you found university life as the year goes on? Yeah, a barrel of laughs eh? It could be, if you vote me as your Comms Officer.
What You Can Expect From Me
I plan to make knowledge freely available and easily accessible. My section of www.uwsu.com is the most regularly updated. The website isn’t great, but I managed to get more people using it through societies and all my reports are there.
When you come onto campus, can spend a whole day here, and still not know what events and activities are available to you, something needs to change. How about a list of societies and sports teams in classrooms? How about Smoke Radio playing in cafes, bars and communal areas? How about YOUR work being displayed in prominent places? And how about a new website that you WANT to use and is updated DAILY…one that YOU control (think myspace)? Those will all be the foundations to my work next year.
I’m Nice Too
I’d like to take an opportunity to talk about my competitors. Unfortunately for me, they are all nice. I’d vote for Jim Chapman, Rich Tyler and Anna (I forget her surname…she’s the Ju Jitsu girl…). Over the next two weeks, come and talk to us all. Find out how we’d help make your time here less frustrating. I want this election to be fun…make sure you have fun too.
Look out for my posters, you’ll get sick of them…so draw on them, ask me questions on them…even rearrange my face.
Presidential Manifesto 2006
The University of Westminster Students’ Union
According to the Vice Chancellor of this University, not so long ago the Officers of the SU refused to meet with University Management. Today, the SU not only meet with them, work with them to create a better “student experience”, but completely ignore asking students themselves what they would like. The Officers spend the vast majority of their £19,000 worth of time behind a desk, in meetings and on expensive training, paid for by you. Do you ever see your “democratically elected” officers? Did you get much time to sit down with them and air your views so that they could represent them for you? Probably not.
I can and am changing this. I have spent over 70 hours every week trying to put in foundations for a Students’ Union who actually are able to do as they promise, as you ask. We’ll have campus reps to feed in information more efficiently, independent media run by students, and more social spaces than every before. Woo Hoo…right?
It all depends on who you vote in. This year we still had the Dragon Bar, we still have communal areas on campus, and we still have the Bar, Night Club and offices in Harrow…all under-utilised. Do you want someone who ran around to try and make use of all that is available, get people involved and put in the staffing structure to make sure that effort is sustained, as I have been doing? I have the experience, the proven ability to listen and adapt my ideas, and the determination to damn well make sure people have fun here and have the ability to have their “University Experience”.
What I will do for you next year
Work WITH the University AFTER Consulting students to provide more money for sports, entertainment and job opportunities – Regular, Professional Surveys
Get completely away from the office – replace our £30 mobile allowance with a PDA so that I can be out on campus talking to everyone, and be more responsive with communicating with you all
Give staff the respect to do their jobs without interference – and ensure they know that
Ensure the University’s major decisions (like the Academic Year Change) are COMMUNICATED to you as soon as possible, rather than at the last minute.
And most importantly, I’ll be honest with you, at all times
Please Vote for Rayhan
According to the Vice Chancellor of this University, not so long ago the Officers of the SU refused to meet with University Management. Today, the SU not only meet with them, work with them to create a better “student experience”, but completely ignore asking students themselves what they would like. The Officers spend the vast majority of their £19,000 worth of time behind a desk, in meetings and on expensive training, paid for by you. Do you ever see your “democratically elected” officers? Did you get much time to sit down with them and air your views so that they could represent them for you? Probably not.
I can and am changing this. I have spent over 70 hours every week trying to put in foundations for a Students’ Union who actually are able to do as they promise, as you ask. We’ll have campus reps to feed in information more efficiently, independent media run by students, and more social spaces than every before. Woo Hoo…right?
It all depends on who you vote in. This year we still had the Dragon Bar, we still have communal areas on campus, and we still have the Bar, Night Club and offices in Harrow…all under-utilised. Do you want someone who ran around to try and make use of all that is available, get people involved and put in the staffing structure to make sure that effort is sustained, as I have been doing? I have the experience, the proven ability to listen and adapt my ideas, and the determination to damn well make sure people have fun here and have the ability to have their “University Experience”.
What I will do for you next year
Work WITH the University AFTER Consulting students to provide more money for sports, entertainment and job opportunities – Regular, Professional Surveys
Get completely away from the office – replace our £30 mobile allowance with a PDA so that I can be out on campus talking to everyone, and be more responsive with communicating with you all
Give staff the respect to do their jobs without interference – and ensure they know that
Ensure the University’s major decisions (like the Academic Year Change) are COMMUNICATED to you as soon as possible, rather than at the last minute.
And most importantly, I’ll be honest with you, at all times
Please Vote for Rayhan
Saturday, March 04, 2006
An Interview with Rayhan by Sarah Lefley
1. Do you enjoy your job?
I love my job. It’s like a soap opera here. Plus if I was so inclined, the contacts I make and the prestige would be invaluable for any future career…but as my future career will involve being pampered on the most beautiful beaches on Earth, I’m happy to not pursue my own gain from the job…which contributes to me enjoying it more.
2. Why did you go for Vice and not President?
I wanted to provide a service and help instill a community spirit, rather than be important and do the impossible task of trying to represent 23,000 very different people, most of whom don’t really want to be represented, even if they’re shown how much it can benefit them…so the sports and societies and finance side of my role allowed me to try and shape the social future at UoW and also gave me time to work on the million and one projects that I dream up…like the shuttle service, getting in a marketing dept and an intercampus sports competition
3. How is your workload? Do you find it has taken over your life?
My workload is very heavy, because that is the way I chose. I was warned over and over again by not only everyone in the SU (who knew) but also university senior management. I knew I’d be giving up my life this year. I’ll be honest…at times it has been frustrating. I’ve tried twice to start a relationship and both times failed because of how much pressure I’ve put on myself to perform. I’ve tried to make sure that there is the staffing support in place next year so that the person that takes over from me doesn’t have to sacrifice their life, yet can achieve more than I have done. I had no handover and I’m the only sabbatical without any staff support….hopefully by the end of the year, the VP Activities will have a lot more admin support and a more defined role of fun and policy, rather than running around trying to do everything themselves. Right now, my life is the SU, and I kinda like it and kinda despise it…but that’s my own fault.
4. Roughly how many days/hours are you at university?
I spend around 10-12 hours in the office or in meetings, per day, and maybe a further few hours (some days a week) making sure I attend the social events and talk to people and sit and listen to complaints…it’s really the most satisfying part of the job….just listening to people complain….when you work so hard, and you meet some of the few people that ACTUALLY care….it leaves a smile on your face….even if they’re being personal. I try and work Sundays so that my desk is clear for the week…so on average upwards of 70 hours a week.
5. Do you feel you have been able to make constructive changes?
This is a difficult question to answer, because it all depends on the finish. I’ve run around building links, being honest and upsetting people, all to just get people to notice, get off their asses and help put in structures that will make for an easier, more efficient and fun future. The only way I’ll know if the changes I’ve made are constructive is if next year’s lot are inane, yet still achieve a lot. But hopefully the people elected this year will be passionate, intelligent and considerate of everyone around them, will listen to our handovers and make sure they focus their ideas and go through with them…We’ll see, but I’d like to think a lot of things this year will pan out to be incredibly constructive. The elections will also be a gauge of how constructive we’ve been…the one thing that annoys me is our lack of communication with our own members. If the extra Freshers’ Fair, the ReFreshers’ Fairs and all the other daft ideas I’ve come out with make people take notice, even if in anger, then yup, I’ve made a constructive change.
6. How do you feel about the position changes?
The Sabbatical positions haven’t really changed at all…I can’t express how much that annoys me. We worked so hard with the sole aim of making things easier on the people that take over next year…and the change that would have made the most difference is taking away the shit from their jobs and giving students the positions they ACTUALLY run for. We, as sabbaticals are trustees, which in short means we are responsible for the financial integrity of the SU…it’s way too much responsibility for students who have no such experience. I wanted to strip that away, get the staff support structure in and leave the Sabbs with FOCUSED positions so they could work on a few things each and do VERY well, instead of trying to work on everything and struggling to get a few half decent results. The year isn’t over yet, so will still be trying to tweak things to make it for next year’s lot.
The part time position change to Campus Reps is brilliant progress. It’ll make the world of difference next year. And the Editor of the Smoke being independent will also be a revelation. So on those counts, I feel very happy.
7. Is the student union fun to work for or much harder than you expected?
Much harder than I expected. As I and the other three trustees are the ones that get sued for any mistakes, it’s amazing how little power we had to make positive changes, how much opposition there is from staff to change and provide a service (the bar staff have been exemplary though) and how much you can get caught in the politics of such a small organisation. If you want to get into the mess that is SU Politics…make sure you have a hard wearing sense of humour, a lot of patience and resilience to see your ideas flourish…also the ability to listen is invaluable. It has been a serious learning experience, and continues to be so every day.
8. Would you do it again?
It would be insane to do it again….so the answer is yes.
I’d actually like to get on with my life, but because I’ve taken on so many projects, I might run again (but for Comms) and help next year’s lot survive the politics and finish off some of my projects.
9. What did you find made your campaign successful?
Last year my campaign was a mixture of luck and the fact that I was the only person who put their face everywhere and was SEEN on all campuses (bar Harrow – which was a mistake and cost me dearly). I have a number of strategies for this year, all of which involve personality rather than actual manifesto. It’s a popularity contest and you win by virtue of people picking your NAME above the other names on the ballot paper. It’s all a game really. People relied too much on posters and less on getting around and personal contact…which is why I won.
10. Was it worth it?
Absolutely. There’s no way I would have received such invaluable life experience until I’m 40, if it wasn’t for this job. It really is an eye-opening gift. It puts so much into perspective, gives you the opportunity to fall very heavily on your face and still have time to pick yourself up and learn. It does depend on what you want out of it… I wanted to provide more of the university experience and to grow up a bit myself…I put in the foundations for the former and I THINK I’ve done a fair bit of the latter. Graham (the General Manager) helps an incredible amount, and without his unique ways and knowledge, I would not have learnt as much. It has been MORE than worth it. The elections themselves were a bit ugly, but to be honest, I didn’t really campaign, so was quite removed from the nastiness of it.
11. Any regrets?
I’ve made mistakes, fallen flat on my face, had my ideas torn to pieces by the lack of support, been frustrated, had to deal with things I despise….and loved almost every minute of it….no regrets. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if it wasn’t for this job, it’s challenges and the people I’ve met, conversed with and spent time with. Life’s too short for regrets, and this year is way too short to achieve anything substancial…but damn we’ve achieved a lot. Most of it is thanks to Graham and Rob.
I love my job. It’s like a soap opera here. Plus if I was so inclined, the contacts I make and the prestige would be invaluable for any future career…but as my future career will involve being pampered on the most beautiful beaches on Earth, I’m happy to not pursue my own gain from the job…which contributes to me enjoying it more.
2. Why did you go for Vice and not President?
I wanted to provide a service and help instill a community spirit, rather than be important and do the impossible task of trying to represent 23,000 very different people, most of whom don’t really want to be represented, even if they’re shown how much it can benefit them…so the sports and societies and finance side of my role allowed me to try and shape the social future at UoW and also gave me time to work on the million and one projects that I dream up…like the shuttle service, getting in a marketing dept and an intercampus sports competition
3. How is your workload? Do you find it has taken over your life?
My workload is very heavy, because that is the way I chose. I was warned over and over again by not only everyone in the SU (who knew) but also university senior management. I knew I’d be giving up my life this year. I’ll be honest…at times it has been frustrating. I’ve tried twice to start a relationship and both times failed because of how much pressure I’ve put on myself to perform. I’ve tried to make sure that there is the staffing support in place next year so that the person that takes over from me doesn’t have to sacrifice their life, yet can achieve more than I have done. I had no handover and I’m the only sabbatical without any staff support….hopefully by the end of the year, the VP Activities will have a lot more admin support and a more defined role of fun and policy, rather than running around trying to do everything themselves. Right now, my life is the SU, and I kinda like it and kinda despise it…but that’s my own fault.
4. Roughly how many days/hours are you at university?
I spend around 10-12 hours in the office or in meetings, per day, and maybe a further few hours (some days a week) making sure I attend the social events and talk to people and sit and listen to complaints…it’s really the most satisfying part of the job….just listening to people complain….when you work so hard, and you meet some of the few people that ACTUALLY care….it leaves a smile on your face….even if they’re being personal. I try and work Sundays so that my desk is clear for the week…so on average upwards of 70 hours a week.
5. Do you feel you have been able to make constructive changes?
This is a difficult question to answer, because it all depends on the finish. I’ve run around building links, being honest and upsetting people, all to just get people to notice, get off their asses and help put in structures that will make for an easier, more efficient and fun future. The only way I’ll know if the changes I’ve made are constructive is if next year’s lot are inane, yet still achieve a lot. But hopefully the people elected this year will be passionate, intelligent and considerate of everyone around them, will listen to our handovers and make sure they focus their ideas and go through with them…We’ll see, but I’d like to think a lot of things this year will pan out to be incredibly constructive. The elections will also be a gauge of how constructive we’ve been…the one thing that annoys me is our lack of communication with our own members. If the extra Freshers’ Fair, the ReFreshers’ Fairs and all the other daft ideas I’ve come out with make people take notice, even if in anger, then yup, I’ve made a constructive change.
6. How do you feel about the position changes?
The Sabbatical positions haven’t really changed at all…I can’t express how much that annoys me. We worked so hard with the sole aim of making things easier on the people that take over next year…and the change that would have made the most difference is taking away the shit from their jobs and giving students the positions they ACTUALLY run for. We, as sabbaticals are trustees, which in short means we are responsible for the financial integrity of the SU…it’s way too much responsibility for students who have no such experience. I wanted to strip that away, get the staff support structure in and leave the Sabbs with FOCUSED positions so they could work on a few things each and do VERY well, instead of trying to work on everything and struggling to get a few half decent results. The year isn’t over yet, so will still be trying to tweak things to make it for next year’s lot.
The part time position change to Campus Reps is brilliant progress. It’ll make the world of difference next year. And the Editor of the Smoke being independent will also be a revelation. So on those counts, I feel very happy.
7. Is the student union fun to work for or much harder than you expected?
Much harder than I expected. As I and the other three trustees are the ones that get sued for any mistakes, it’s amazing how little power we had to make positive changes, how much opposition there is from staff to change and provide a service (the bar staff have been exemplary though) and how much you can get caught in the politics of such a small organisation. If you want to get into the mess that is SU Politics…make sure you have a hard wearing sense of humour, a lot of patience and resilience to see your ideas flourish…also the ability to listen is invaluable. It has been a serious learning experience, and continues to be so every day.
8. Would you do it again?
It would be insane to do it again….so the answer is yes.
I’d actually like to get on with my life, but because I’ve taken on so many projects, I might run again (but for Comms) and help next year’s lot survive the politics and finish off some of my projects.
9. What did you find made your campaign successful?
Last year my campaign was a mixture of luck and the fact that I was the only person who put their face everywhere and was SEEN on all campuses (bar Harrow – which was a mistake and cost me dearly). I have a number of strategies for this year, all of which involve personality rather than actual manifesto. It’s a popularity contest and you win by virtue of people picking your NAME above the other names on the ballot paper. It’s all a game really. People relied too much on posters and less on getting around and personal contact…which is why I won.
10. Was it worth it?
Absolutely. There’s no way I would have received such invaluable life experience until I’m 40, if it wasn’t for this job. It really is an eye-opening gift. It puts so much into perspective, gives you the opportunity to fall very heavily on your face and still have time to pick yourself up and learn. It does depend on what you want out of it… I wanted to provide more of the university experience and to grow up a bit myself…I put in the foundations for the former and I THINK I’ve done a fair bit of the latter. Graham (the General Manager) helps an incredible amount, and without his unique ways and knowledge, I would not have learnt as much. It has been MORE than worth it. The elections themselves were a bit ugly, but to be honest, I didn’t really campaign, so was quite removed from the nastiness of it.
11. Any regrets?
I’ve made mistakes, fallen flat on my face, had my ideas torn to pieces by the lack of support, been frustrated, had to deal with things I despise….and loved almost every minute of it….no regrets. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if it wasn’t for this job, it’s challenges and the people I’ve met, conversed with and spent time with. Life’s too short for regrets, and this year is way too short to achieve anything substancial…but damn we’ve achieved a lot. Most of it is thanks to Graham and Rob.
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