Islay Grant hopes to become the next VP Campaigns and Communications. Her motivation for running for the role comes from her desire to “experience something new to help students”, as she has seen how students getting involved with the Union “can really help students around campus.” She wants to put the experience she has had on the executive of various societies and the knowledge that has given her about interaction with the students union to good use.
She aims to “reduce the red tape” that she feels is a problem with the Union from her experience with the Advertising Society. She also wants to “make it easier for students to create events and do things for other students”, as she feels that there are too many barriers stopping students from developing their own events and campaigns.
Islay cites her experience as being on the exec for the Marketing and Advertising societies as evidence of her suitability for the role. She also told SCAN that she worked on the Fylde JCR as the communications officer for a year. “I’m not finished with that sort of thing, I thought I’d try to experience something different to help students.”
Though she conceded she did not have direct experience with the major student media groups, she said her role in creating the Fylde Freshers Magazine, and her experience as the communications officer for the college will assist her in the role.
Her priority would be to get to know the student media groups and the JCR and arrange meetings with everyone to find out what is needed. She said “I feel that for the job you don’t need someone that’s got the best experience, because experience comes with time, but someone who has got more of the personality and the attitude for the job. I think some of the other candidates might have the experience, but its not all about experience. I want to build new relationships with the student media body, and give them directions on what needs to change.”
When asked about running the student media groups, she replied “I think its all about personal connections, so if they know that I’m someone they can go to if they’ve got any questions … I want to be someone they can message at any time, and I’ll be able to help them.”
She further added that students are disconnected from the Union, and wants to bring them together, wanting to be “more than a name on a email” and to be someone that people feel able to connect with.
In terms of campaigning, she argues that she will focus on working on the “smaller things”. Touching upon rent and food prices, she talked about how healthier food on campus is more expensive and said that it was important to work on bringing the prices down for these items, citing the fact that soup from the Juicafe costs the same as a portion of chips as evidence.
