Richard Smith is a third-year Business Analytics and Consultancy student, and former President of Lonsdale College. His whole time at University has been shaped by his involvement with societies and his involvement with the JCR. Through his position, he says he has already met staff members such as the Vice-Chancellor, and that he’s ‘not afraid to talk to them’. He wants to increase engagement with the SU. He says he’d like to offer support to JCR’s and students that he wishes that he had experience. There is not enough done around campus to increase awareness with the Union, nor enough support for JCRs.
When asked about skills, he says that his degree has given him valuable project management and leadership skills, but a lot of his skills have come from extra-curricular activities. He ‘wouldn’t shy away’ from people in positions of power, and knows how to communicate in order to get an effective result. He says that the Union has improved its presence on campus during his time in Lancaster, but that there should be more time for students within the FTO role, and maybe even out of office time, to see what students’ don’t like about the Union. ‘With JCRs’ he says ‘there is so much capacity for events and engagement’. Richard talks about his experience organising a K-Pop night, which engaged international students, a demographic which he feels is underrepresented. There’s a lot of capability for JCRs to do more, and he’d like to support them in doing so.
Richard’s manifesto says that he’d like to provide ‘exceptional and accessible support to students’ – when queried about this, he says that it’s important to be ‘contactable anytime’ – he says that he’s different in the way that he has previously given his spare time to continue working on things he is passionate about – “I’ve got one year at this, one shot, one chance to make a difference and I want to give it everything”.
His manifesto also mentions hosting an ‘Extrav-style’ event for societies that aren’t involved in Roses, as well as anyone that wants to perform. He wants to show people who Lancaster is and to host a showcase of all that we have to offer. He’d like to expand the current Roses event to include more society, and says that ‘if we are wearing shirts that say ‘I am Lancaster’, we need to show who Lancaster is’.
Richard named 6 out of the 9 College Presidents.
