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Matt Neve
County
Showcase societies and campus culture in Roses
Continue fighting for more student activities space
Improve college pride and involvement in Carter Shield
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Passion and enthusiasm are the key qualities Matt Neve says he will demonstrate should he be elected Vice President (Activities). He also believes that Roses could involve societies more, while the University’s multicultural nature could be used to further develop the event.
“It is my aim to make Roses a collaboration of all the talent found at the university, to showcase the boxing society, the great cheerleading and dance societies, just to name three and to display the wide variety of cultures that we have at our university – and all this around the biggest inter-varsity event in Europe.”
He added: “We’ve got such a multicultural campus, so why not include these cultures in Roses? At Lancaster Festival last year there were so many kinds of food available. We could showcase what we have at Lancaster around this weekend of great sporting action, and I think that would be brilliant.”
Neve says the key issue facing the new officer would be the transition from Vice President (Sports) to Vice President (Activities). “I think that will be one of the biggest challenges, to make that smooth, and I think that’s what you need to do, make that transition very smooth.”
“I think it can be a very smooth process, but what I think the new officer will need to learn is just how to allocate time to both sports and societies personally. I plan to do that quite openly,” he added.
Another key issue, Neve believes, is space for societies. “I know that the current Full Time Officers are campaigning for the old sports centre to be used as a new LUSU building, or as a place for activities, and I will carry on that campaign. I will try and get that space for activities and for flat floor space, and I will campaign for that to happen.”
He added that there must be communication with the University over this issue, as it is in their interests to be able to encourage students to come to the University because of their provisions for student activities. “I think activities as part of student life are incredibly important and especially if our University is going to be charging more money in the next few years. So I think a good relationship with the University will be greatly beneficial to getting more space.”
Participation in sport, particularly in the Carter Shield, is another issue Neve spoke about. He was particularly concerned by a lack of college pride leading to a lack of involvement, as well as the timing of the events.
He said: “In speaking to Graduate College, some of them say that they don’t care. I found that very sad. I think the Carter Shield is incredibly important. I think getting students active on a Sunday afternoon is great. Participation can improve, and I’d have to talk to the College exec officers, and try to see what we can do to improve. If that means moving it [to] later in the day, then perhaps that could be a way of looking forward, because 12 o’clock, if they’ve been out at Sugar, is still quite early.”
As for the issue of whether he is too sports orientated to represent societies, having been president of the Lancaster Bombers and the Sports Cross Campus Officer, Neve was convinced that will not be an issue. “Yes I’m more sports orientated, because that’s just the way I am. But that does not mean I don’t care about societies, I care greatly because I think having an active role in anything at University is part of the student life, and an integral part of the student life. I think I can give that passion that I have for sport over to societies as well, I can share both of them and hopefully enthuse more people to be involved, not just in sport, but in societies as well.”
