How To Get Involved - A Guide to The Cambridge Union

THE CAMBRIDGE UNION

How-To-Get-Involved Guide

Chris Williamson

Contents Welcome

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Events

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Competitive Debating

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Women & Non-Binary Debating and Public Speaking Workshops

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Subcommittees

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Equalities Subcommittee

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Insights into each Equalities Subcommittee position

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Presidential Subcommittee

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Speakers Subcommittee

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Debates Subcommittee

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Treasurers Subcommittee

Full Committee

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Why apply for Full Committee?

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Advice for Full Committee applicants?

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Insights into each Full Committee position

Standing Committee -

What makes a good Standing Committee member?

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How to balance workload of degree and other involvements?

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What experiences have Standing Committee members had?

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Insights into each Standing Committee position

Resilience from Rejection

A project by David Quan Designed by Katherine Connelly

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Chris Williamson

Welcome When better than now to get involved with The Cambridge Union, the world’s oldest debating and free speech society, and Cambridge’s largest student society approaching towards 100,000 life members.

We are so excited for you to enjoy all the wonderful opportunities on offer – to engage with speakers, exchange ideas, learn skills, give back, make friends, have fun, and forge memories that will last a lifetime!

Finally, from a personal standpoint, breathe gratitude and remember that you are enough. I struggled at times during my first two terms studying remotely from Australia with a 10.5-hour time zone difference and, if not for the kindness of Lent 2021 President Freddie Fisk, I may have even intermitted. If so, I would have sadly neither conducted The Body Coach Joe Wick’s ‘most enjoyable interview ever’ nor be able to bore you with this monotonous welcome message. Thankfully, the point is: if I had enjoyed the very best of the Union from 10 000 miles away, then you could also find yourself a friend and a home here – if you just get involved!

Three bits of advice for you to get the most value out of this How-To-Get-Involved Guide: First, treat this comprehensive guide as a reference book. Use the table of contents, prioritise the sections’ introductory paragraphs, and re-visit this guide as necessary. By doing so in this efficient manner, before exploring everything else all at once, you can ideally be less overwhelmed and more productive!

I wish to thank the 40 diverse members who have contributed accounts of their experiences, and acknowledge Katherine for her help in designing this guide, all during summer holidays.

Each week at the Union promises many enjoyable moments, and we really look forward to meeting you!

Second, notice the variations of responses throughout the Q&As, because they are not only genuine reflections of members’ diverse first-hand experiences but also representations of the Union’s inclusivity. By keeping those quirky contributions unedited, I hope that all those unique messages and expressions remind you that, despite all the progress we can and will continue to make, the Union can be a community for everybody.

With excitement and best wishes,

Dingwen (David) Quan Equalities Officer, Lent 2022

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Events What are the benefits of stewarding?

The Cambridge Union offers a range of interesting events every term. Our Thursday night debates are the most well-known. As a pre-eminent forum for free speech, the Union has also hosted a wide platform of speakers who shape the world we live in, including the Dalai Lama, President Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and John Major, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and comedian Stephen Fry.

Stewarding our events is arguable one of the best ways to get involved with the Union.

As a steward, you can wear a fetching neon jacket, help ensure the successful running of in-person events, reserve the best seats in the chamber, and collect prizes like vouchers! Many of our committee members – as you will soon find out in the later sections – started their involvements in the Union simply by stewarding. At the very least, stewarding is good fun with good people!

For more details on what is available, please do look out for our highly anticipated Term Cards!

How can members watch the speaker, debating, or panel events?

Join ‘Cambridge Union Society Stewards’ on Facebook or reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org and equalitieselect@cus.org to find out more!

Our members can join us at the Chamber if in-person events are held. Alternatively, you can stream our events live in HD by logging into CUS Live, or watching retrospectively on our YouTube channel titled ‘The Cambridge Union’.

What social events are available?

Every term, our wonderful Social Events Officer and committee organizes a spectacular range of social events every term that enable our diverse members to forge some of their best memories at Cambridge. For example, we will soon have our 2-day Freshers’ Festival that promises to be great fun!

How can members engage with our speakers?

The engagement for every event can be different depending on our speakers’ preferences, although our speakers are usually open to a Q&A. Within the chamber, our lovely stewards will pass around the microphones; for our virtual attendees, we enable them to submit questions and comments that can be read out on the floor of the Union. Excitingly, there can be other opportunities like dinners or meet-and-greets during the term so do stay open-minded!

But to list out all the amazing social events here would not do those opportunities justice. Instead, I highly encourage you to check out our Term Cards, and email our Social Events Officer or Social Events Officer-efect at ents@cus.org or ents-elect@cus.org to find out more.

What if I have more questions?

Can members participate in debates?

“This guide is not necessarily intended to be exhaustive on the Union’s offerings. As such, please do look out for our Term Cards, Freshers’ Guide, emails, and social media for more details. Please alsp do feel free to speak with any of us in-person, via social media, or emailing the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org and equalities-elect@cus.org as we are all here to help one another.” - David Quan

Yes! We usually keep open spots for our Thursday night debates so that our members can speak alongside of and debate with our speakers. Absolutely no formal experiences are necessary, and we encourage everyone to consider this opportunity. If you are interested, please check your emails and social media to find out more about when we host those friendly open auditions!

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Nordin Ćatić

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Competitive Debating Chris Williamson

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The Cambridge Union has a rich tradition of competitive debating, both in hosting internationally renowned competitions and participating in them. As European Champions in 2019 and with consistent success at the annual World Universities Debating Championships, we welcome all levels of experience with the aim of taking complete novices to becoming some of the best debaters in the world.

What are the roles available?

Why should you join us?

2) Woman’s Convenors

“We provide opportunities to travel internationally! In the past five years, we have funded trips to Greece, South Africa, Malaysia, the Netherlands, India, the United States and more!

Organising the Woman’s 1 day debating competition held in Michaelmas 2021.

We also organise fun social events for our debaters.

Joining Cambridge Debating as a fresher is a great way to make friends from different Cambridge colleges that will last you through your whole journey as an undergraduate.” – Siddharth Pai and Dioni Ellinikaki

Organising the Cambridge Intervarsity competition held in Michaelmas 2021.

Are there workshops available?

Liaising with the CDOs and trainers for all three streams. Liaising with external trainers to visit streams and provide training. Exploring the possibility of hiring formal coaching, especially for EUDC/WUDC squads

1) Schools Convenors Organising the Cambridge Schools competition. This involves setting up regional rounds (finding judges, liaising with participating schools etc) as well as the final in Lent of 2022.

3) IV Convenors

4) Head of Training - Competitions (Michaelmas 2021 Easter 2022)

“Yes, we offer three different training streams, for beginners, intermediates and advanced debaters, with our expert coaches giving personalised and specific feedback to help you improve at our weekly sessions at the Union.” – Siddharth Pai and Dioni Ellinikaki

5) Head of Training - Access (Michaelmas 2021 - Easter 2022)

“In addition to these three different training streams, we intend to continue our debating and public speaking workshop offerings for our women and non-binary members this year. Please refer to the next section of this How-To-Get-Involved guide for more details!” – David Quan

Liaising with the CDOs and Equalities Officer to set up delivery of access, women’s and NB workshops, BAME workshops and other training programmes.

Setting up and directing curriculum at those workshops, as well as overseeing a team of deputies who deliver these workshops

What is the (Competitive) Debating subcommittee?

6) Debating Welfare Officer (Michaelmas 2021 - Easter 2022)

“This subcommittee is a low commitment and rewarding way to contribute to Cambridge Debating and there are multiple perks included such as international trips (if possible due to COVID), free drinks at the end of your term and debating charity points! No previous convening experience is required, and we encourage anyone interested to apply.

Liaising with the CDOs to organise welfare related events for debaters.

7) Debating Socials Officer (Michaelmas 2021 - Easter 2022) Liaising with the CDOs to organise socials for debaters and freshers throughout the year.

The subcommittee applications open in Easter but some applications for convening open in Michaelmas, so join the ‘Cambridge Debating’ Facebook group to stay updated and sign up to the Cambridge Debating newsletter!” – Siddharth Pai and Dioni Ellinikaki

Please do consider joining the ‘Cambridge Debating’ Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/debating/ and emailing our lovely Competitive Debating Officers Sidd and Dioni at debating@cus.org for more information.

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Daniel Mortimer 10

Women & Non-Binary Debating and Public Speaking Workshops The Women & Non-Binary Debating and Public Speaking Workshops were introduced by the Lent 2021 Equalities Subcommittee to empower under-represented groups for accessing opportunities within the Union.

Those workshops were by all accounts a tremendous success in supporting women and gender minorities with crucial rhetorical skills, argumentation techniques, and personalised resources of support – all in a most inclusive environment. The lovely Michaelmas Equalities Officer Zara Salaria and I intend to continue these offerings for complete beginners, with the goal of empowering women and gender minorities in a friendly and interactive atmosphere. We hope to advertise further details of our newest offerings in due time through email and social media. If you have recommendations or would like to find out more, please do reach out to Zara and me at equalities@cus.org and equalities-elect@cus.org” – David Quan

What will we offer in the year ahead?

“The Lent 2021 Women’s and Non-Binary Officers Eleanor Hargrove and Evie Morgan ran 4 interactive workshops. The first on ‘Introduction to Debating’ explored the makings of a good speech along with strategies to formulate and structure arguments. The second on ‘Content and Rebuttal’ highlighted the art of rebuttals and introduced the BP debating format, which is used by the Union’s beginner, intermediate, and advanced debating streams. The third on ‘Mechanisms and Strategy’ examined both the intricacies of applying mechanisms to speeches and the handling of Points of Information. The final workshop was based around a mock debate, for which our participants were able to practice the contents from the previous three workshops in a fun context.

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Chris Williamson 12

Subcommittees

In addition to stewarding, subcommittees offer our members a fantastic opportunity to get involved in the Union with a lower commitment. Each Standing Committee Officer usually has their own subcommittee, although what will or will not be on offer may change from term-to-term. The Equalities Subcommittee has designated roles – featuring the Access, BME, Women’s & Non-binary, LGBTQ+, and Disabilities Officers – while other subcommittees are not usually position-specific.

No prior experience is necessary so, if you are enthusiastic to get more involved in the Union, please do consider applying to join our subcommittees!

Read on to find out more about our subcommittees from the perspective of our members, which features their first-hand reflections, insights, and advice!

We advertise subcommittees applications via email and social media channels. The application process usually consists of a written application followed by a brief interview for shortlisted candidates.

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Chris Williamson 14

Equalities Subcommittee includes Access, BME, Women’s & Non-binary, LGBTQ+ and Disabilities Officer

The role of the Equalities Subcommittee is to ...

“I really enjoyed the events I ran on both of these sub-committees, such as my Windrush Panel, and the Women’s Introductory Workshops, as I genuinely feel that they made a positive impact at the Union in providing awareness and, in the latter, in improving female access to the debating streams.” – Evie Morgan

“…ensure there is an inclusive range of speakers representing all members of the community and platforming diverse voices.” – Georgia Fearn “…make the Union and its events accessible and enjoyable to all.” – Tom Matthew

Do you have any advice for future applicants to the Equalities Subcommittee?

“…empower. I was Women’s Officer, working to empower female speakers and Union members and ensure they were well-represented, such as through ensuring equal access and opportunity at the Union alongside organising women-focused social and academic events.” – Evie Morgan

“Be yourself. Apply if you have a genuine desire to make the union a more accessible and inclusive place, as that goal will drive you to make positive change.” – Georgia Fearn “Start early, focus on impact, think about how you can influence the value and practices of the Union as a whole, do not just focus on what you can achieve within your committee.” – a Tom Matthew

What did you enjoy most about your term on a subcommittee?

“I would advise them to stress in their application their personal passions and interests, in my case British Politics and Women’s rights, as by doing so Union interviewers can appreciate the enthusiasm and drive you would bring to a role on Equalities or Speakers Subcommittee.” – Evie Morgan

“I enjoyed every stage of the process, from securing and communicating with the speaker to actually interviewing them. Watching a speaker event come to life and hearing people’s experiences is unmatched.” – Georgia Fearn “Attending events.” – Tom Matthew

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Chris Williamson

Disabilities Officer (Equalities Subcommittee)

Access Officer (Equalities Subcommittee) What does a day as Access Officer look like?

“The Disabilities Officer is a part of the Equalities Subcommittee, working together with the other Officers of this subcommittee. To find out more, reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org and equalities-elect@cus.org” – David Quan

“Speaker invites, access events, team meetings, attending speaker events at the Union, planning long term programmes” – Tom Matthew What personal interests would work well with this position?

LGBTQ+ Officer (Equalities Subcommittee)

“Resilience, interest in structural change, integrity, vision” – Tom Matthew

What does a day as LGBTQ+ Officer look like?

“I would send out emails to potential speakers, engage in phone / zoom calls usually with their manager to arrange times / dates for their event. I would then write the questions for the speaker, where the whole subcommittee helped each other. Then when the day finally came I interviewed my speakers!” – Georgia Fearn

BME Officer (Equalities Subcommittee) “The BME Officer is a part of the Equalities Subcommittee, working together with the other Officers of this subcommittee. To find out more, reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org and equalities-elect@cus.org” – David Quan

What personal interests would work well with this position?

“A desire to make the union more accessible, good communication skills, an interest in LGBT+ history and culture” – Georgia Fearn

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Women’s & Non-Binary Officers (Equalities Subcommittee)

...Being so passionate about uplifting WNB meant that I essentially got to create a panel to discuss the kind of topics I was interested in and wanted to know more about, and knowing that others enjoyed it too was really special. Also, the committee perks of getting into all the cool balloted speaker events at the union was definitely fun too!”” – Ellenoor Shameli

What does a day in your life as Women’s & Non-Binary Officer look like?

“This is probably the most flexible committee role I’ve held – the job isn’t that clearly defined and it’s up to you to work with the Equalities Officer to establish your personal goals. Holding the position during an online term (Easter 2020) I chose to focus on invitations.

I worked directly with the President to put together panels and speaker events with a focus on gender equality and representation.” – Lara Brown

“As Women’s Officer I had a number of projects rolling at once, so my day would typically consist of emailing or liaising with potential speakers I was inviting to events, alongside at one stage writing and planning the Women’s Introductory Debating Workshops, which I then ran in the evenings alongside my co-women’s officer.” – Evie Morgan

“It could range from holding a WNB debate workshop to supporting your equalities sub-committee or holding your very own panel event! Holding your WNB panel event entirely on your own means researching and inviting potential speakers, creating your own questions and potentially interviewing them yourself on the day, either online or in-person at the debating chamber.

Though there were many experiences I enjoyed throughout my term as WNB, the most incredible one was how I felt after I had successfully hosted my panel event.

What personal interests would work well with this position?

“As the women’s officer, I found I needed creativity in thinking up new styles of speaker events and panels that would improve representation at the Union.” – Lara Brown “If you care about feminism and issues of identitybased inequalities more generally, the WNB role could be a good fit for you. Having enthusiasm about providing a safe space for and making the union more accessible to WNB, one event at a time, is the most important attribute one should have when considering applying for this role. Other useful skills include working with others, as you will have to work with your co-officer and equalities subcommittee, as well as debating (while this one is completely optional, a basic understanding of debating may help you to hold the WNB debate workshops - don’t let your lack of debate experience discourage you from applying if other attributes apply though!).” – Ellenoor Shameli

“...After having come up with the concept myself, contacted speakers, and created questions, seeing something come to fruition that was almost entirely the result of my own hard work was incredibly rewarding and meaningful.”

“An interest in Women’s rights and a desire to be a part in achieving this, actively working to improve access and representation, alongside feelings of female community and collectively, are vital.” – Evie Morgan

– Ellenoor Shameli 17

Chris Williamson 18

Presidential Subcommittee

The role of the Presidential Subcommittee is to ...

Interestingly, that experience was precisely what inspired me to produce an ‘all-encompassing guide to not only demystify each role and explain how the Union operates, but also empower all diver former and current members to share first-hand experiences’ – or, simply, this How-To-Get-Involved Guide!” – David Quan

“… support the President and the Standing Committee with the overall running of the Union in whatever way possible and necessary. As The President’s Secretary, I had a chance to facilitate the hundreds of committee applications and interviews, contribute to other committees (for example, sending out invitations to speakers during term time and holidays), and be innovative in building the Union’s LinkedIn presence.

Other members on the presidential subcommittee helped to organize stash, for instance, or coordinate the logistics with questioning during online events.” – David Quan

Do you have any advice for future applicants to the Presidential Subcommittee?

“Be rest assured that absolutely no Union experience is necessary; but an enthusiasm and willingness to do the mundane grunt work will be crucial. Many spontaneous tasks arise – often at very short-notice – so try conveying in your application how you plan to tackle these challenges. I think this is a great subcommittee for anyone who wants to contribute to something bigger than themselves, are willing to make sacrifices without expectations of reward, and tries to bring an energetic spirit of optimism :)” – David Quan

What did you enjoy most about your term on a subcommittee?

“My highlight was when I joined the interview panel after facilitating the hundreds of committee applications, having the chance to engage with and learn from both the committee and the applicants. Although I pulled 2-3 straight all-nighters to attend all the consecutive interviews due to major time zone differences, I learnt so much about the Union and its potential to do good.

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Chris Williamson 20

Speakers Subcommittee The role of the Speakers Subcommittee is to ...

Finally, you’re given a blank slate in the committee.

You come up with events, you organise them, and the responsibility you take on combined with the satisfaction of securing a guest speaker is incredibly rewarding.” – Dom Martin

“… send invitations :)” – Tara Bhagat “… invite high-profile individuals who are of interest to the Union’s members to hear from.” – Yeo Zhi Kai

Do you have any advice for future applicants to the Speakers Subcommittee?

“… email invitations to guests for potential speakers events (single speaker or panel)” – Som Bagchi

“Think about what types of people you’d want to invite!”

– Tara Bhagat

“…originate ideas and invite guest speakers for events to be held at the Union.” – Dom Martin

“Just go for it, it’s really such an eye-opening experience and totally worth it.” – Yeo Zhi Kai

“… organise events across a range of themes such as British Politics and Poetry, working at the same time to ensure representation and diversity of speakers and themes.” – Evie Morgan

“Be aware of how monotonous it can be.” – Som Bagchi “The Sub-committee thrives on diversity. Having a few unique interests you’re keen to organise events for is crucial, and if you can make your case and come up with some exemplary speakers you’d like to invite, you can really demonstrate what you can bring to your committee’s term card.” – Dom Martin

What did you enjoy most about your term on a subcommittee?

“Meeting new people!” – Tara Bhagat

“I would advise them to stress in their application their personal passions and interests, in my case British Politics and Women’s rights, as by doing so Union interviewers can appreciate the enthusiasm and drive you would bring to a role on Equalities or Speakers Subcommittee.” – Evie Morgan

“It was really cool to see who we could get invited for the Term!” – Yeo Zhi Kai “Writing emails to people that I really look up to, inviting them to the Union.” – Som Bagchi “Three things stood out to me. Firstly, I loved how relevant and recent the events we were organising were. So many of our events were related to current events, tackling the biggest, most relevant debates of the moment. Secondly, you get to contact and invite guest speakers that may well include your childhood idols, academic role models, and celebrities you’ve seen and heard on the media. Being given the opportunity to reach out to such individuals is fantastic.

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Leventes Koroes

Debates Subcommittee

The role of the Debates Subcommittee is to ...

Do you have any advice for future applicants to the Debates Subcommittee?

“…organise a debate.” – Mahera Sarkar “Always consider both sides of the debate and which people you think would work well together.” – Mahera Sarkar

“…invite speakers to planned debates” – Tom Cryer “…invite speakers for weekly Thursday night debates at the Union, on both sides of the motion.” – Jack Rennie

“Start early, send invitations as soon as you can in the full knowledge that 90% ignore or reject. US Senators are impossible to contact, UK MPs less so. Ctrf+F for “Gmail” on list of twitter personalities quickly finds whose likely to respond first. Always have some idea of retaining gender ideological occupational balance etc “ – Tom Cryer

What did you enjoy most about your term on a subcommittee?

“Meeting new people” – Mahera Sarkar “Having some “big names” in the inbox, the reward of watching the end-product and snaring a prominent speaker.” – Tom Cryer

“Definitely apply. It requires no experience with the Union as far as I can tell, but it’s a great way to figure out how the society works in broad terms and meet people.”

– Jack Rennie

“Working with other students of similar interests, I suppose. It was over Zoom, which made things less enjoyable than they would usually have been.” – Jack Rennie

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Nordin Ćatić

Treasurers Subcommittee

The role of the Treasurers Subcommittee is to ...

Do you have any advice for future applicants to the Treasurers Subcommittee?

“…help run sponsorship outreach – getting in touch with different companies to encourage them to sponsor the union” – Joshan Parmar

“We run this committee every summer and it’s a great low commitment way to get involved in the union!” – Joshan Parmar To find out more about subcommittees, reach out the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org and equalities-elect@cus.org” – David Quan

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Chris Williamson 26

Full Committee At the end of each term, the Standing Committee appoints a variety of positions within the Union.

Collectively, those appointees are a part of our ‘Full Committee’, who plays a big role in the overall day-today running of the Union.

No prior experience is necessary so, if you are enthusiastic to get more involved in the Union, please do consider applying to join our Full Committee!

Read on to find out why our members have applied for Full Committee, their advice for your applications, and their insights on the many roles available!

We advertise the Full Committee applications via email and social media channels. The application process usually consists of a written application followed by a brief interview for shortlisted candidates.

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Why did you apply for Full Committee?

“The Secretary role was the job I took on after being Executive.

I wanted to still be involved with the society’s work, but I knew that I did not time to occupy an elected office because of the cricket season. I applied for Secretary because I had experience on Standing Committee and I thought this might be useful, given that the Secretary sits in on meetings, and also because I am well-known around the society, and I thought this might make me a useful point to contact across departments. My first FC position was as the Graduate Officer in Lent 2020. I took on this position after a year of simply being involved in debating, both at the workshops and speaking in Public Debate. I applied because, as a Grad, I thought the postgraduate body was a growing but undervalued demographic at the university that the Union should be reaching out to more proactively.” – James Vitali

“I absolutely love arranging events and as a fresher wanted to dip my toe into the Union before committing to larger roles.” – Mahera Sarkar “I was interested in getting more involved with the Union and its governance, and events management was also a fun way to ensure I could attend the events that interested me.” – Caitlin Farrell “In order to be closer to the action!” – Sharena Shiv

“I applied for Full Committee as I was excited to get more involved with the Union and meet people inperson after spending a term as Women’s Officer online. The fact that Welfare Officer was a brand new role that I could help shape into something meaningful really appealed to me, so I went for it!”

“I loved my interactions with everyone, albeit mostly virtually as The President’s Secretary, and wanted to contribute more to the society. Since I had already worked on the Union’s LinkedIn platform, applying for Publicity Officer on Full Committee seemed like the natural next-step to continue my involvement!” – David Quan “I wanted to be involved in the Union because it seemed cool and I did debating at school (but I quit in my first term at Cambridge) and applied for Guest Liaison and Publicity. It wasn’t too nerve-wracking but I would recommend not going to your interview 5 minutes after you wake up, speaking from personal experience!” Tara Bhagat “I applied for Full Committee immediately after attending my first Union Debate. I spent an amazing evening listening to speakers and discussing the event in the bar and knew I wanted to be part of the society. When I saw the opening for a Guest Liaison it seemed like the perfect job (and it is!). The chance to meet such fascinating speakers was one I couldn’t pass up.” – Lara Brown “To meet other people” – Cedric Van Duffel “To meet new people.” – Christopher George “I applied for full committee because I felt that I’d not been given the chance to have a properly be involved in the union, so I felt that full committee would be a good way to properly give it a go, so I felt that I might as well apply for some of the roles which seem like they would be fun and see what comes from it.” – Ewan Woods

– Ellie Hargrove 28

“I really enjoyed attending Union events, so wanted to play an active role in facilitating them and developing my own set of interpersonal skills.”

“Wanted to get more involved with the Union’s offerings, meet more people outside of college, and gain experience in helping to run one of Cambridge’s oldest societies :)” – Yifei Zheng “I was involved with the union photography for 2 terms where I ended up taking most of the photos so I was offered to take on the role as Head Photographer. I’ve just continued being head now for 3 years.” – Nordin Ćatić “I really love the union and wanted to get involved in helping out” – Mahon Hughes “I just thought that Events Management seemed like the best way to get involved in the Union, actually doing stuff on the ground. I mainly joined the Union to give back as I had enjoyed it a lot during Michaelmas.” – Som Bagchi “I was previously involved with CUSEL, and when I started my degree and I knew I wanted to apply for it so I did at the first opportunity I had” – Leo Markakis “I had been involved with the Union’s debate training sessions in my first year and wanted to get involved a bit more with sometime totally new. I had little experience in publicity (other than my personal socials) so it was exciting to figure out something different.” – Henry Spencer “Applied for publicity as is relatively low commitment. Don’t have to physically go into the union so can do it all remotely.”

– Ella Worsfold “I applied for full committee because I was very intrigued as to what working to support the Cambridge Union would look like, as they seemed to hold such exciting events each term.

I wanted to start with a smaller but still challenging position which would introduce me to the inner-workings of the union, and where I could do substantial work creating something of my own (such as my very own panel).” – Ellenoor Shameli

– Adam Bradley

“God knows, again. This place lures you in and there’s nothing you can do about it when it does.” – Keir Bradwell “I initially just wanted to get more involved with the Union, having already served on Debates subcommittee, and the press department was recommended to me as a fun, balanced time commitment that happened to align quite well with my personal interests.” – Jack Rennie

“I applied to Full Committee because, having been a member of the Equalities and Speakers Committees, and a Guest Liaison over the past year, I had accrued a deep understanding and appreciation for the full process of putting on successful events at the Union. As a result I wanted to to continue to work with others to support the delivery of the Union’s unique and well-run events, and have the opportunity to enjoy a more front-facing role in the Union, and engage with interesting speakers.” – Evie Morgan

“Keen to get involved more with union.” – Seb Erskine “I wanted to get involved in the Cambridge union as well as develop some of my more arty interests/skills into something a bit more marketable! Especially since I wasn’t the only graphic design officer in the beginning I felt a bit more comfortable knowing I wouldn’t have full responsibility from the outset so I would be able to learn on the job.” – Rhea Sarawgi

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What advice do you have for future Full Committee applicants?

“Get involved early! It is essential to spend a good amount of time on FC before you can move onto positions of greater responsibility at the Union, and it’s great fun. Moreover, don’t worry about not getting appointed on your first attempt. Many people - especially first year students - don’t, and that does not stop them going on to do great work at the society.” – James Vitali

“GET INVOLVED!” – Sharena Shiv “Don’t be scared to apply! You can’t find anything quite like the Union’s opportunities elsewhere, you meet fantastic people, and you learn so many skills regardless of whether you decide to continue after a term - so it’s worth giving it a try!” – Ellie Hargrove

“While you should take the application process seriously, see it as nothing more than an opportunity to demonstrate your unique potential to contribute. The interviews are not designed to make life difficult for you; instead, they are just a chance for you to share your enthusiasm. Moreover, if you mostly want to have a good time with lovely people, then be open-minded about different roles. There is no hierarchy between different departments so just being a part of Full Committee in any position can be great fun! BONUS: you can now use this How-To-Get Involved guide to find out more about our diverse offerings ;)” – David Quan

“Just do it!

It’s a great way to meet some really nice people and see some great speakers.”

“Try out new positions! You never know what you’re going to like. And try to speak to people on Committee to see if you’d like it.” Tara Bhagat “Apply! And don’t be deterred if you don’t get on first time - applications are incredibly competitive and many very successful members of the committee applied several times before being selected. It’s also essential to go in with an open mind - you might not be assigned one of your first choice jobs, but there’s so much to be gained and learned from every Union role. I didn’t apply for Membership Officer but it proved to be one of the jobs I enjoyed the most.’ – Lara Brown “Find the right mix of being very social but also professional while having fun.” – Cedric Van Duffel “Get involved in any role that seems interesting! I didn’t initially applied for AV but it was something I got into during my application on a whim, and it’s been great fun doing so, applying for any of the teams that seem slightly fun or like something new is definitely worth it” – Ewan Woods

– Christopher George

“Make sure you’re interested in the role you’re applying for” – Mahera Sarkar “Think carefully about which job you want - there are lots of different skills needed at the Union” – Caitlin Farrell 30

“Just be patient during events, things can go wrong and you just need to be flexible.” – Nordin Ćatić

“Choose a role you’re genuinely passionate about and are interested in pursuing”

“There’s lots of support available for AV so don’t hesitate to apply if you think that you’d be interested” – Mahon Hughes “Make sure you’re really enthusiastic about the role you want to pursue and that you have time in your schedule for it, but if you get onto Full Committee you’re very likely to enjoy it!” – Adam Bradley “To pick a role that they want to do carefully and to continue to remember throughout their tenure, what attracted them to the Union in the first place.” – Som Bagchi “Take some time to meet everyone, in and out of the Union; some you may not click with straight away but everyone is likely to be nice! They got through the interviews after all.” – Leo Markakis “I would say not to worry about taking chances. Even people who have been on FC for a while are usually moving between positions so everyone’s learning and adapting as the term goes on. This means there’s lots of room to innovate and be creative.” – Henry Spencer “Don’t be afraid to message and ask for clarification or extra information if you’re missing something. Turn off your Facebook notifications during election season.” – Ella Worsfold “Rather than talking about what the union can do for you, emphasise what you can do to benefit the Union. This means showing passion for the role you’re applying for, as well as the corresponding skills, attributes and previous experience that accompany the role. Most importantly, do not be discouraged if you do not get in on the first time! The first committee role I applied for was a one-off committee where I didn’t even get an interview because I didn’t realise what the union was looking for in a candidate. It is only by the second time I applied that I understood what they were looking for and chose a role that fit me accordingly on the full committee.” – Ellenoor Shameli

– Yifei Zheng “I would advise applicants, especially those who have not yet been directly involved in the Union, to think creatively as to their previous experience - often there is a wealth of skills or experiences they have developed which would make them a great addition to Full Committee without realising it, such as just attending Union events.” – Evie Morgan

“Yes! Write a bloody good application and take whatever job you get offered. You are definitely not above AV. Unless you see FC as an ends in itself, in which case you can hold out for something you’ll find sustainably rewarding. Whether you see FC as a means to an end or as an ends in itself, put the effort in, because rubbish people do get found out and tend not to hang around very long. And, again, as per my advice in the SC section, be nice to everyone you meet.” – Keir Bradwell

“Apply! But your odds of getting a position appear to be much higher after having served on a sub-committee for a term, which wasn’t made abundantly clear when I first got to Cambridge.” – Jack Rennie “Be engaged” – Seb Erskine

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“Definitely go for it, big up your skills because there is lots of opportunity to learn as you go and everyone else isn’t objectively more put together/better than you (even if that’s how it’s seems from the outside), so you’ll never know until you try!” – Rhea Sarawgi

Full Committee Positions Secretary

Welfare Officers

The Secretary takes the minutes for all our Standing Committee meetings, Full Committee meetings, and emergency debates.

They also write our weekly emails to members, and assist the Vice President in responding to member queries.

Working with the Vice President, the Welfare Officer is responsible for ensuring the well-being of Union committees and members, including by providing support to candidates during elections, and assisting the Social Events Officer in running welfare-related social events. Please note that the Welfare Officer(s) for Michaelmas 2021 will be unable to run for an elected Standing Committee position at the end of either the coming Michaelmas or Lent terms, owing to a gardening leave provision in our Constitution.

What does a day in your life as Secretary look like?

“Monday is the key Union day in a Secretary’s week. On Monday’s I would sit in and minute Full Committee and Standing Committee Meetings, before writing and sending out the weekly email to members. On Tuesday or Wednesday, I would put together the order papers for the Thursday night debate, and on Thursday, in a non-covid-affected term, I would have minuted the emergency debate.” – James Vitali

What does a day in your life as a Welfare Officer look like?

“Welfare Officer is a role without set hours (e.g. an event you need to attend outside of Full Committee meetings), so I would integrate my hours with my workload across a given week. However, in a given day, I could be informally chatting to someone about electoral or Code of Conduct concerns, answering messages about how to run for election, and running Welfare Giveaways!” – Ellie Hargrove

What are good traits or characteristics for a Secretary?

“Time management - you have lots of independent tasks to do on your own time, and you need to plan these into your weekly schedule accordingly. Being a morning person helps too... usually, FC is at 0800 and SC is at 0900 on Monday’s! Good written communication: minuting is dull work but producing concise and accurate notes is an important responsibility of the role. As is the member’s email, which goes out to thousands of people.” – James Vitali

What are good traits or characteristics for Welfare Officers?

“Welfare Officers should be extremely responsible, mature, and friendly. Ultimately, your role relies on trust; anyone, from committee to non-members, might approach you for advice on Code of Conduct or Electoral Complaints, and they need to be reassured that you will handle any discussions with the utmost confidentiality. Making sure that you’re approachable and known throughout the Union really helps for this - the vast majority of people who approached me with concerns did so informally, and/or knew me previously, which is something to keep in mind if you’re really looking to make a difference.

You also need to be comfortable with the idea that you’ll potentially be handling complaints against friends and people you know, and have the maturity not to let that influence the way you handle a situation. Professionalism is key for the role!” – Ellie Hargrove

What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“The people I had the chance to meet. This was the case when I first started, but also recently as Secretary. In Easter, we all returned to the Union physically for the first time in ages, and there was a great energy and atmosphere in the building. I think that is the primary reason people get involved anyway: to meet new and interesting people. And there is no shortage of them at the society!” – James Vitali Alumni The Alumni department is responsible for ensuring members who have now left Cambridge remain involved in the Society and are kept up-to-date on its progress. The Alumni officers will also organise events for, and encourage donations from, these members.

What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“I was lucky enough to be invited to the Presidential Dinner, which was an absolutely lovely event to wrap up the end of term. After a year of lockdowns and remote learning, it was a delight to see everyone together in-person for an event.” – Ellie Hargrove

“To find out more, reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org or equalitieselect@cus.org” – David Quan 32

Membership

Membership Rep

Reporting directly to the President, the Membership department is responsible for ensuring the Society reaches our membership target for 2021/22. It therefore bears significant responsibility for the overall financial health and long-term outlook of the Society. This year, the department has been expanded to include representatives of the incoming student intake, existing undergraduates, and graduates.

There are also roles responsible for ensuring our Society is well advertised, both online and around the University.

The Head of Recruitment will take overall responsibility for these functions, as well as overseeing the operation of the Membership Reps (as above). The bulk of the work in this department will occur in the weeks immediately before and after the beginning of term.

Michaelmas is always our main membership recruitment period, and for 2021 we’ve decided to make ‘membership rep’ a proper job, with multiple prizes (worth hundreds of pounds) for those who help us recruit our next generation of members.

This job can (and perhaps should…) be taken on in addition to the usual Full Committee roles.

“To find out more, reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org or equalitieselect@cus.org” – David Quan Graduate Officer The Graduate Officer is responsible for engaging with the Graduate population at Cambridge, encouraging their participation through events or targeted communication.

What does a day in your life as a Membership Officer look like?

“As the Michaelmas Membership Officer, I found that a great deal of this job fell in the Long Vacation. It’s important to establish a timeline running from results day to the end of the open period for what promotional materials you want to put out. By far the most exciting aspect of this job was the opportunity it afforded me to speak to a huge range of members and find out more about what people want to get out of the Union.” – Lara Brown

What does a day in your life as a Graduate Officer look like?

“The graduate officer role was new to the full committee as of Lent 2020. To this end, the position is at this stage largely what you make of it. I spent much of my time getting to grips with the nature (and statistics) behind graduate membership at the Union, interacting with graduates as to what we can do better, and thinking about ways we can improve graduate involvement in debates, and eventually committee.” – James Vitali

“Since I held this role in Easter term when membership intakes were relatively low, I was probably a lot less busy than I would have been in Michaelmas. Ordinarily I attended meetings, helped coordinate membership strategies and offer my advice on access etc.” – Yifei Zheng

What are good traits or characteristics for Graduate Officers?

“Communication and collaboration, firstly. We need to do better at engaging with other societies more generally at the Union. Positive steps have been taken; we worked together with the Classics Society to put on a debate. The graduate officer can help on this front by engaging with relevant societies. This may even include communicating with individual college MCR committees to advertise the stuff that goes on at the Union.

What are good traits or characteristics for people working on membership?

“An appetite for hard work and collaboration is a universal combination for success in the Cambridge Union.

Communication skills were essential to the role of Membership Officer when I needed to discuss the benefits of membership with freshers.” – Lara Brown

Transparency and organisation, secondly. I have also sought to improve transparency when it comes to our weekly events by producing relevant social media content. For example, I teamed up with Online Advertising officers to produce some posts about the number of people auditioning for our public debates. In the future, it will be helpful to publicise how many graduate students have participated too. The objective is to improve transparency about the auditioning process and also to encourage more people to take part.” – James Vitali

“Organised, creative, good communication/teamwork skills” – Yifei Zheng What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“Attending Debate Dinners has to be one of the best perks of holding a role on Full Committee. The chance to attend a debate in black tie and eat a meal with world-class speakers is something I truly believe no other society in Cambridge can offer you. Every debate dinner I’ve attended has proven itself to be one of my fondest Cambridge memories.” – Lara Brown

What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“For the Graduate Officer role, specifically, working on the document on graduate membership reforms was most meaningful.” – James Vitali

“Meeting others on committee roles, learning more about the union etc” – Yifei Zheng

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Guest Liaisons

What are good traits or characteristics for a Guest Liaison?

The Guest Liaisons look after our speakers, and ensure they know where to be and when. Their responsibilities include accompanying them to and from the event, ensuring they enjoy their time here, and being generally personable and hospitable. The Guest Liaisons are generally divided into Guest Liaisons for Debates, and Guest Liaisons for Speakers, and a sense of which you would prefer to be would be especially helpful during the applications phase.

“An appetite for hard work and collaboration is a universal combination for success in the Cambridge Union.

Communication skills were essential to the role of Guest Liaison as I spent most of my time conversing with guests.” – Lara Brown “I feel that being a good guest liaison relies upon being a personable individual who can warmly receive a guest and make small talk with them, whilst at the same time being organised enough to ensure that the guest is managed effectively so that the event runs on schedule. This requires a level of calmness under pressure.” – Adam Bradley

What does a day in your life as a Guest Liaison look like?

“The job falls into two distinct parts. The first is managing a committee and making sure there are at least two Guest liaisons assigned to each event - ideally you correlate these speakers to the interests of your committee. The second part is the far more fun actual Guest Liaison work. This will usually require you to meet the speaker at Cambridge Station with a taxi, accompany them to the Union while working to ease their nerves about the event, and then organise their return travel and a few drinks in the bar after they’ve spoken. In my opinion, the job gives you by far the best value out of your membership - I’ve had some absolutely fascinating encounters with guest speakers and genuinely adored this job (hence doing it for a year).” – Lara Brown

“Approachability, friendliness, organisation, and hospitality” – Evie Morgan What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“Attending Debate Dinners has to be one of the best perks of holding a role on Full Committee. The chance to attend a debate in black tie and eat a meal with world-class speakers is something I truly believe no other society in Cambridge can offer you. Every debate dinner I’ve attended has proven itself to be one of my fondest Cambridge memories.” – Lara Brown “I really enjoyed the personal interactions I had with guests, especially after they had spoken when I had the chance to ask them about what they had said. In addition, the free dinners and drinks that came along with the position sometimes were great.” – Adam Bradley

“When assigned to a speaker or debate, beforehand I (and the other SGLs) will get out speaker release forms, the guest book and posters for the speaker to sign. Then we will wait in the Union until the speaker(s) arrive, at which point we go out to meet them, make sure they are ready to speak and walk them through the things they have to sign. We also often take them to the bar in order to make their own cocktail and sign the blackboard. After walking the guests into the debate or speaking event we often will stay and watch it, before picking them up outside the door and ensuring we have booked a taxi for them to get back to the station. Finally, we file away the forms and posters in the President’s office.” – Adam Bradley

“I enjoyed meeting exciting speakers, and gained so many nuanced and interesting insights conversing with them. I also enjoyed the opportunity to interact with union staff and members in this frontfacing role, who are all so wonderful.”

“As a Guest Liaison, in advance of the event I research the Guest Speaker, which allows me to anticipate their potential needs and have the knowledge to make them comfortable and strike up a rapport with them upon arrival. On the day of the event I usually arrive about 15 minutes early in preparation, to get the various forms and posters available. After greeting the speaker and showing them and their team upstairs to the more comfortable Mountbatten Room and offering refreshments I present them with the various paperwork as well as posters and the Union book to sign, commemorating their attendance.

Following the event we take good use of the Union’s unique space to show them to the bar, where they often have a drink or a meal, or make a celebratory drink with The Orator’s bar staff, before leaving a quote of wisdom. A guest liaison’s day ends with ensuring the safe exit of the guest speaker home.”

– Evie Morgan

– Evie Morgan

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Events Management

What are good traits or characteristics for an Event Management Officer?

The Events Management team is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of our day-to-day events. The Head(s) of Events Management will provide the overall coordination of the department, making sure that each event has enough Stewards and Events Management Officers on-site to function properly. They also take on the usual responsibilities of the Events Management Officers: ensuring the chamber is set up properly, stewarding events, and training new Stewards.

Stewards direct members into the chamber, ensure we are compliant with health and safety guidelines, and, if Boris has his way, verify Covid Passports too.

“Being on top of things, willingness to be assertive and let people know their responsibilities, and commitment to showing up (and telling the Head of Department when you can’t!)” – Tara Bhagat “Listen to instructions, friendly, common sense.” – Christopher George “Patient, calm, quick” – Cedric Van Duffel “Efficiency - people will ask you to do multiple things at short notice so getting things done quickly is important Kindness - for many people, the events team are the only figures they interact with at the Union so being friendly and helpful is really important. It’s also worth saying that there shouldn’t be a hierarchy between members of the events team and your main goal should be to work with everyone available to ensure the event is executed perfectly.” – Mahera Sarkar

What does a day in your life as an Event Management Officer look like?

“Getting a great workout by setting up the chairs and stage before the speaker event/debate/social event, during COVID making sure guests are socially distant, checking membership cards. During the event, sitting and looking important, and passing out microphones to anyone who wants to ask a question (or taking the microphone and asking a question or giving a speech yourself).” – Tara Bhagat

“Organised, responsive, quick learners and willing to help out (sometimes at short notice). Events management involves a lot of setting up and planning, so it’s great to have people who are enthusiastic too.” – Caitlin Farrell

“Turn up like an hour before the debate, having checked the sheet for who else is meant to be there. If it’s a debate then it’s a whole bunch of moving things around for 15 minutes, but if just a speaker then it’s a lot more chill. You make sure the queue is orderly and everyone is checked (covid protocols, tickets, etc.). During the event you’ve just gotta pass around the mics. If it’s a debate then you count the votes too.” – Christopher George

“Reliability, Trust, Initiative (very important as HoEMs have to deal with anything that comes up, even if it is unique), Teamwork, Leadership (involves coordinating a team, especially managing who gets assigned to events when they are postponed or cancelled)” – Som Bagchi What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“Event logistics, setting stage, seating member” – Cedric Van Duffel

“Debate dinners and full-team socials were really fun! One of the highlights of my time at Cambridge was making a floor speech in the climate debate after being sat next to Natalie Bennett, former leader of the Green Party, who was speaking in the debate - and then having a tipsy conversation with her and another student speaker in the bar after.” – Tara Bhagat

“Setting up the chamber before debates, arranging water for the speakers, ensuring social distancing can go ahead and temperature checking every person who attends the debate.

During the event, I pass the microphone to people wishing to speak and sanitise between uses. After the debate, I return the microphones to the AV department and rearrange the chamber for the next event.” – Mahera Sarkar

“Meeting new people from across the union” – Christopher George “Listening to speakers” – Mahera Sarkar

“As head of events management, I had to make a weekly rota assigning stewards and officers to each event, focusing on balancing duties and ensuring people could steward the events of their preference. When arriving at an event an hour before, I had to set up the chamber (panel, debate or speaker style depending on the event), then set out microphones for stewards and when letting people in to watch the event, take their temperature and ensure they completed track and trace.

During the event, I was responsible for passing microphones for speakers and audience questions, and afterwards I had to show the audience out and tidy the chamber. I attended around three events a week.” – Caitlin Farrell

“I loved being at the head of such an important team for the Union’s running, and attending both Union events and committee events were great fun!” – Caitlin Farrell “Being a HoEM allows you to meet lots of the wonderful people at the Union as it is very forward-facing. Guaranteed tickets at events is also quite nice as well as being able to discover that events that you otherwise wouldn’t have gone to, are actually very interesting. There’s also this effect when you’re really on the ball at an event when it feels like you’re in a miniature tornado, which I quite like.” – Som Bagchi 35

“Good traits for an AV officer are attentiveness, creativity and focus, so you’re able to get to grips with the tech fairly quickly, you’re able to create the most interesting online event possible and that you’re able to respond quickly to issues in the chamber in a way that seems somewhat seamless”

Audio-Visuals The Audio-Visual team comprises the camera operators and sound engineers for our events. They play a crucial role in ensuring lights, microphones, and the live-stream remain operational throughout our programming. No prior experience for roles in this department is required, as extensive training and support is provided.

What does a day in your life as an Audio-Visual Officer look like?

“I’d generally be going about my regular day as a student until half an hour before the event, at which point I’d head down to the union and help set up the tech and finalise staging with the events management alongside the events officers.

Then the livestream would be prepped to go out as soon as the event starts and then 10 minutes or so before the event starts the microphones would be handed over to speakers and stewards and they’d be told how to use them to get the best sound quality out possible. Once the event starts I’d mainly be controlling the camera’s for the event. Then once the events done, I’d make sure the livestream went out properly and the backup recording has been saved, I’d would then get the mics back off the speakers and stewards, and help shut down all of the tech once the events finished” – Ewan Woods “Assigned to help with AV for in person events. Training is provided.” – Sharena Shiv “Looking every week or two at the schedule, choosing events to do. Then, turning up an hour before, setting up and running AV.” – Joe Bray

– Ewan Woods

“For AV officer, it was a really nice role that didn’t require any advance experience, for an event, I would come along and monitor/operate the streaming desk and remotely move the cameras.” – Mahon Hughes

“Patience, lots of - some things will be unpredictable, if they are within your influence you need a straight head to address them; if they are out of your hands, panicking will likely lead to unchecked steps that can negatively affect the event even further” – Leo Markarkis

“Plan how long I’d give myself for the task, how long the task could ran late and limit my expectations. A nice snack is always good to boost your energy and keep your mind focused.” – Leo Markakis

What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“Quick to pick up instructions.” – Sharena Shiv “The social aspect was really good, all of the other AV officers and full committee members were great to be around both in and out of the union, it’s been great to get to know other people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, particularly during covid times as it’s been so difficult to get to meet people.” – Ewan Woods

“Some knowledge of tech equipment and good time management.” – Joe Bray “Enthusiasm and willingness to come to an event and help out!” – Mahon Hughes

“Meeting the amazing speakers and making friends on committee. “ – Sharena Shiv “Some of the events!” – Joe Bray “The social events I think!” – Mahon Hughes “Not what, who.” – Leo Markakis 36

Press

Video Editor

The Press Office oversees the management of the Union’s relationship with local, student and national press. This includes writing up press releases, organising timetables for members of the press, and managing any interviews that speakers may have.

“To find out more, reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org or equalitieselect@cus.org” – David Quan

What does a day in your life as a Press Officer look like?

What does a day in your life as a Graphic Designer look like?

“Gauging interest by student press in upcoming speakers/ debates/panels, then asking/communicating with those responsible for the invitations of said speakers if they’d be willing to be interviewed briefly by student/local/national journalists; on the day of, supervising interviews, generally after the event, and ensuring that things go smoothly. On a daily basis, mainly sending emails and once a week on average I’d say you’d get to organise an in person press interview.” – Jack Rennie

”About 4-5 hours a week, I would usually do it one sitting for half a day the day after I handed in my essay. Just making lots of graphics for all the events of the week ahead!” – Rhea Sarawgi

Graphic Design

What are good traits or characteristics for Graphic Designers? ”Able to work to a timetable, and also communicate with the rest of the publicity team to make sure you’re getting stuff done at the time they want it by (this lack of communication was sometimes a bit of an issue for me, but could easily be solved by asking when would ideally want this by?)” – Rhea Sarawgi

“Liaising with student press” – Seb Erskine What are good traits or characteristics for Press Officers?

“Organization, patience, punctuality I suppose? Not that I’m any of these really. It’s not a tremendously difficult role, but it is rewarding.” – Jack Rennie

What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee? ”Was very rewarding seeing my graphics up on Facebook events, as well as getting some recognition for my workload (which often felt very very big hahahah) from other members of the committee.” – Rhea Sarawgi

“Good organisational skills” – Seb Erskine What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

Photography ”Attending in person interviews was great fun. I got to meet and talk to speakers face to face, as opposed to from the other side of a chamber. Meeting student press was also good socially, as they tend to be interesting and friendly people.” – Jack Rennie

To nobody’s surprise, the Photography department is responsible for taking the photographs at all our events.

What does a day in your life as a Photographer look like?

“Arrive 15-20 minutes before an event to get headshots of the speaker and pictures of them signing the book/poster. Usually get photos of speaker with committee or other people. During the event, walk around the back of the hall and take photos from various angles of the speaker, President/interviewer, and audience. After the event. Get photos of speakers in the Chamber, follow them to the bar/kennedy room and get more photos of them meeting audience members.” – Nordin Ćatić

“Direct exposure to interesting speakers”

What are good traits or characteristics for Photographers?

“They need to be friendly when interacting with the speakers and confident in asking them to move/stand in a certain spot to get a nicer picture.” – Nordin Ćatić What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“Meeting all the speakers!” – Nordin Ćatić

– Seb Erskine 37

Publicity

What are good traits or characteristics for Publicity Officers?

“Responsibility, responsiveness, and reflectiveness should be prerequisites!”

– David Quan

The Publicity department is responsible for the Society’s social media output and reach. New for this Michaelmas, the Events Publicity Officer will accompany the Guest Liaisons and speakers, to produce live content for Instagram and other networks around the event itself. Online Publicity, meanwhile, involves the maintenance of our Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram pages in the meantime, while the position of Video Editor involves editing down footage ready to post on YouTube. Particularly enterprising Video Editors might also produce shorter-form video content for other social media platforms too.

What does a day in your life as a Publicity Officer look like?

“Admittedly, because I had complete responsibility for the Union’s LinkedIn, I was guilty of being more independent than the rest of our friendly Publicity team. Nevertheless, there were typically 6 steps for managing LinkedIn when it came to every single one of the Union’s events. (1) Check and respond to relevant notifications, (2) Know in advance when and what our events are, (3) Draft an appropriate post for each event, (4) Ensure that the relevant people are tagged to their correct account/s, relevant institutions or groups are appropriately tagged, and appropriate hashtags are used, (5) Doublecheck the details, (6) Post and respond to any comments appropriately. I am mindful that the word ‘appropriate’ is used many times because, when it comes to social media management, a level of common sense is inevitably required to adapt to the particular event and occasion.” – David Quan

“Organizational skills are the most important. Posts need to go up a certain times so it’s important to be able to remember and find time to get them out. When there are lots of events in one week, it gets a bit hectic and you don’t want to forget to publicize an event. You do also need to be good with communication, i.e. writing posts, making them attractive; however, this is something that’s easy to learn on the job (there are lots of past posts you can get ideas from!).” – Henry Spencer “Publicity team always very helpful. Group chats where info is posted so you don’t have to chase up too much information.

Work load is split well across multiple individuals.” – Ella Worsfold

“Typically, if there was an event on, I’d coordinate all the posts to make sure they went up on all our social channels.

I would also post extra posts advertising socials or with photos from recent events. While I delegated the reminder posts, I would usually post special announcements as that required coordinating with people in different departments or societies. During events, we would post live quotes on twitter occasionally, which I handled a few times. Additionally, before debates, I would put together a story of questions and polls to get people excited for the event. Every week I’d make a calendar so everyone would know what needed to be posted and when. Publicity doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time, but it is constant, usually we would post multiple times everyday.”

– Henry Spencer

What did you enjoy most during your term on Full Committee?

“Interacting with everybody at the full committee dinner in Easter 2021 was a real highlight!” – David Quan “FC was such a nice way to meet people especially if you mostly spend time with people from your own college or subject. There’s a wide range of people who are attracted to FC so there’s a real chance to meet plenty of interesting people.” – Henry Spencer Operations

“Facebook posts in morning (10am) for events that evening.

Reminder post half hour before event starts. Post within event page when starts with online link for people who forgot. If debate then post next morning with results. aim to create event pages week before, depends on when details/graphics confirmed. At start of each week do a ‘this week at the union’ post with graphics.” – Ella Worsfold

New for Michaelmas 2021, the Operations Officer will work with the Vice President to ensure strong inter-departmental communication before and during events, enabling each department to operate at maximum efficiency and receive any additional support necessary.

To find out more, reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org or equalitieselect@cus.org – David Quan 38

Nordin Catic 39

Chris Williamson 40

Standing Committee The Standing Committee is the Union’s primary managerial body. All Officers of the Union are elected by its membership on a termly basis, except for the VicePresident, Treasurer, and two Competitive Debating Officers, who are all appointed on an annual basis.

To run for election, you must satisfy a few criteria that can be found in the Union’s constitution on our website.

Read on to find out members’ reflections on what makes a good Standing Committee member, how they have balanced this extensive commitment with a Cambridge lifestyle, what responsibilities they had previously held, and the various Standing Committee roles.

Officers of the Union are elected a term in advance, allowing them to serve one term as an officer-elect to prepare for their following term in office. Termly elected officers serve a term (and its preceding vacation) as “officer-elect”, during which time they are members of Standing Committee.

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What makes a good Standing Committee member?

“Being collegiate: SC has to work together to direct the society, and being willing to work with others is important.

Organisation: Union business is time-consuming and often menial. Being able to organise your time well is necessary, or else it can become overwhelming. Experience: the best SC members are those that have been involved with the Union on Full Committee or on sub-committees. These experiences are vital when it comes to making decisions about the overall running of the society and when organising your term card of events.” – James Vitali

“Being a strong communicator and someone who is responsive to new ideas is essential! It’s also good if you can coordinate and motivate a committee, so any leadership experience goes a long way.” – Freddie Fisk “A team player with good communication skills.” – Sharena Shiv “Personability, reliability, organisational ability.” – Kyoka Hadano

“In my humble opinion, being a good Standing Committee member is holistically about having (1) A genuine desire to make a positive difference; (2) A conscious willingness to sacrifice for the greater good of the team and the wider membership; (3) A deep appreciation for those who have already contributed to this community; and (4) An unwavering commitment to leading with inclusive visions, decent values, gritty resilience, and optimistic spirits of service. Admittedly, I make mistakes and am far from perfect; but I personally aspire for these ideals, hoping that those values will ultimately come to define my short time on Standing Committee.” – David Quan

“Someone who is good at working with other people and would like to benefit not just themselves and their friends, but the broader Union membership”

“Someone who’s willing to listen to opposing views and not make up their minds about business before they have a chance to hear all perspectives (hearing all perspectives is a huge part of making decisions as a Committee); someone who’s not afraid to go against the grain in a meeting; someone who’s willing to step up in a pinch or emergency situation; and someone who, above all, making the Union an even better, more exciting, and fairer place - even if they don’t know what exactly that entails yet.” – Tara Bhagat “Your job as a member of Standing Committee extends well beyond the remind of your role. It’s crucial that you work to forge personal relationships with as many people as possible and seek to collaborate on projects that influence the long-term running of the society even if they seem beyond your precise job description. Before the first meeting it’s worth having a good think about the direction you think the Society ought to take. Further, never be afraid to speak up in discussion. The best Standing Committee members are active and enthusiastic participants in all meetings.’ – Lara Brown

– Siddharth Pai 42

Chris Williamson

“Focus on what you can deliver, while challenging yourself to do more and explore alternative routes. Avoid unnecessary drama, things can get heated so it’s best to maintain a focused mind and not take things personally. Communicate your ideas, listen to feedback, and be conscious of other officers plans.

Be ready to self-critique, not just yourself but the Society as a whole - we are a 200 year old+ body, some practices are likely to be outdated but blindly followed” – Leo Markakis

“Key is a willingness to listen to instructions. Everyone has people they need to listen to -- I have Steve, the staff, and committee. Committee has the President (and each other).

Chaos happens (and events and handovers get lost) when the assumption of good faith breaks down and people start to think they don’t need to listen to, or shouldn’t listen to, so-and-so. Lots of excellent things have been written about the dangers of a blame culture, and it is something I have tried at all costs to prevent during my time here (indeed that has probably been my single biggest objective in terms of committee culture/management), usually by rather publicly taking blame for things in the hope it leads people to realise that messing stuff up is fine & normal! You should also realise that someone can completely disagree with you about what the best way to pursue something is and -- unless very demonstrably otherwise -- they are probably still working towards the same end goal as you (just with different views on how to achieve it).

“- Diligence in performing the obligatory elements of one’s role, combined with an eagerness to innovate. - Readiness to contribute to discussions about the society which are unrelated to the specificities of one’s own role. - Willingness and ability to collaborate with other Standing Committee members, irrespective of personal compatibility.” – Sam Hunt “Willingness to speak up about what is right for the union without playing political games in your voting” – Joshan Parmer

Usually if they feel strongly enough to voice their objection with you, they might well be right, too. Does not always apply, but applies more often than people think, especially when they’re new to SC and not used to the idea of losing battles.

I now lose arguments constantly, even in private with my closest friends on SC, and it’s absolutely fine. Beyond that, get at least basically competent at a spreadsheet provider of your choice; have high standards on basic things -- grammar, etiquette when dealing with agents, etc. -- and be lovely to anyone you have to manage, usually because the lower down the ranks you go the worse the jobs are and the more grateful we should be that people are willing to do them.” – Keir Bradwell

“Being decisive, confident, sociable, friendly” – Leti Ryder “It’s pretty clear that you need to be efficient, adaptable, etc., but I think it’s really important to be personable too. It’s important to be kind, honest, and well grounded, and to be able to handle those who aren’t.” – Emaan Ullah

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How do you balance the workload of your degree, and even other extra-curricular activities, simultaneously with your Union position?

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“During my officership, I played college tennis, was secretary of Students for Global Health, on the JCR, and on the Science and Policy Exchange committee! So there was definitely a lot to be done - what really helped was (trying to!) confine Union business to certain time slots. We had a lot of meetings on Monday morning, so Monday mornings were “Union mornings”. In addition, sending invitations while on FaceTime with the debates officer and my committee was helpful because there were set time slots to send invitations in. It’s definitely a balancing act but (trying to!) have set times to do each task helped me immensely. Definitely doing things like invitations socially with the rest of the committee makes the time go by faster and can be a lot of fun!” – Tara Bhagat

“I confess I’ve never really had any clearly definable time management ‘techniques’; I think I just make sure that everything I need to do has been done before its deadline.”

– Sam Hunt “The more time you spend in Cambridge the more you realise what you can compromise on and what you can’t.

Supervision essays you can compromise on; exam season you can’t. Some extracurriculars are pointless; some are not.

Some Union jobs can be delegated; others cannot. Etcetera.

There’s no magic secret and anyone who says there is is lying.

You just have to alternate between various states of inner compromise between your social life, sleep, Union, degree, and extracurriculars, and if you can’t get comfortable with the compromises you force yourself to make, you need to start taking things off your plate.” – Keir Bradwell

“If you’re truly passionate about getting involved you’ll be able to find the right balance between social and studies.

Albeit said the Union is a commitment and this role needs your full attention in order to deliver on every manifesto point.” – Sharena Shiv “Not that hard while I enjoy the union work! Just sort of see it as part of my social life during term time” – Leti Ryder

“Everyone has different strategies, but the key for me is carving out time in my week specifically for Union business. What you don’t want is your Union work effecting your academics, or your other commitments meaning your Union work is below par. “ – James Vitali

“Admittedly, I’m not sure I do balance everything... I knew that it was going to be impossible to have another commitment whilst being President, and I also knew that my degree was going to take a hit! For me, I simply had to accept that the Union was going to be somewhat all-consuming, as there was a lot to prepare for ahead of my term.” – Emaan Ullah

“As President, I had a ‘fifty-fifty rule’ where I would ensure I dedicated no more than half my working hours on the Union so that the other half could be left for my degree. For most other roles, that ratio should be far less than that! It’s important to consistently bear in mind the other things that you value in life, and this will help you remain efficient and focused in your role at the Union.” – Freddie Fisk

“Honestly, this is the thing I’ve found hardest in the Union and the area I most often fail in. The best advice I’ve been given is the use the Vacation Period as much as possible. The Vacation after you’re elected is the perfect time to plan exactly what you want to achieve, and the Vacation before you serve as an Officer gives you time to finalise the term card that you want to deliver. Beyond that, pacing is essential, try to avoid letting work pile up. It’s much easier to send 20 invitations a day for a term than it is to do 1,000 in a week! Most Standing Committee roles come with a subcommittee and it’s crucial you take advantage of this. All the best officers delegate!” – Lara Brown

“Everyone at Cambridge has their own productivity preferences. Instead of discussing specific techniques or habits, these are some of my core assumptions that have guided my decision-making process – with relevant resources of inspiration. (1) Relationships matter most. The people we meet, the kindness we give and receive, and the memories we forge with others are far more important to me than arguably narrow-minded pursuits like academic results. Barely a week goes by before I re-watch Rita Pierson’s heart-warming TED Talks ‘Every kid needs a champion’. (2) Time reflects priority.

If we value something, we will almost always be able to find time and energy for it. Check out Laura Vanderkam’s witty TED Talks ‘How to gain control of your free time’. (3) Life is rarely a zero-sum game. Those hours playing sport are not necessarily wasted time for studying, for example, because the former may be able to complement if not advance the latter. Shawn Archor’s ‘The Happiness Advantage’ offers me great inspiration. At least from a personal perspective, these principles have so far not only complemented each other to offer me sustained enjoyment, motivation, and fulfilment, but also quietly taken care of my academic results.” – David Quan

“Many to do lists and careful scheduling” – Joshan Parmar 45

What Union and/or other responsibilities had you held in Cambridge before joining Standing Committee?

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Luke MacGregor

“Graduate Officer, Lent 2020 Guest Liaison, Easter 2021 (term cancelled)” – James Vitali

“Deputy Convenor, Cambridge Schools” – Siddharth Pai “AV Officer” – Sharena Shiv

“I cut my teeth on Full Committee as Social Media Manager.

Before that, I held the roles of Social Events Officer and Speaker’s Officer at CULA which was excellent event planning experience!” – Freddie Fisk

“Equalities Officer (Lent); Invitations Committee; Full Committee roles (Head of Publicity, Senior Guest Liaison) Non-Union-related: Head of Outreach and Senior Committee (Cambridge Law Society), Senior Interviews Editor and Senior News Editor (Varsity), Head of PR (Cambridge Women in Business), Treasurer (Peterhouse Heywood Fund), Marketing Consultant and Project Lead (Cambridge Advertising and Marketing Society)” – Kyoka Hadano

“In the Union, I was on the Presidential Subcommittee (The President’s Secretary), on the Speakers Subcommittee, on the Vacation Committee, on the Full Committee (Publicity Officer), served as a steward, and interviewed The Body Coach Joe Wicks. Beyond the Union, I was a part of Varsity (Deputy Lifestyle Editor), The Wilberforce Society (Global Students Policy Alliance Liaison, Deputy Head of Policy, CoEditor for a published Policy Paper), Global Research and Consulting Group (Project Leader), Cambridge Consulting Network (Engagement Manager), Clare Politics (Treasurer), Norwood Flames Basketball Club (U14 Youth Coach), University’s Basketball Club (Safety Officer and Player), and Clare’s Mixed Netball team (Player).” – David Quan

“Audio-Visual (officer & head), deputy returning officer (prior to my second election)” – Leo Markakis “- Union Secretary, Michaelmas 2020 - Lent 2021. - Union SGL, Easter 2021” – Sam Hunt “I was JCR Vice President, I wrote part time for various different publications, I was CULA Secretary... god knows what else. I tried to throw myself into loads of things just to see what’d stick, and also to see how other people managed committees.” – Keir Bradwell

“I was head of events management and on invitations committee - sending invitations is the best practice for - you guessed it - sending invitations, the main part of the “elect” term of the Speakers Officer role (and all other Standing Committee roles, to an extent). I also had done some invitations work for Students for Global Health!” – Tara Bhagat

“ICYD convenor AV officer Outside Union: Jcr president Fitz winter ball treasurer CULA speakers officer Fitz NatSciSoc Treasurer TedXCambridge sponsorship officer CHaOS maths coordinator” – Joshan Parmer

“Head SGL (Debates) after two terms serving as a Guest Liaison Head Membership Officer Women’s and NB Officer” – Lara Brown

“I was a publicity officer - basically just doing all the graphic design for the union!” – Leti Ryder 47

President The role of the President is to ...

“It’s not an interest per se, but being well rounded and having a variety of interests is quite beneficial. When you’re organising events, you want to ensure they appeal to as broad a range of people as possible, so being aware of different fields is useful – if anything, it’s essential!” – Emaan Ullah

“… be responsible for the day-to-day running of the society, its events and its many student committees.

In addition, the President will work alongside many distinguished adults as a Trustee and Company Director at the Union. This is where they have an opportunity to shape the long-term direction of the society.” – Freddie Fisk

Do you have some advice for people looking to stand for President?

“…run the place... look after this grand old building & ensure that future generations of students get to look after it too! While putting on a few good events and creating some everlasting memories in the meantime.”

– Keir Bradwell

“Above all, I’d advise you to be enthusiastic and show a willingness to learn and adapt. If you’re genuinely interested in getting involved, you will go far! If you can bring other skills to the table, great, but those can be learnt.” – Freddie Fisk

“… oversee the organisation of the society’s officers, events, and general running.” – Emaan Ullah

“There are exactly six things to do: 1) Start early. 2) Make good friends. 3) Be nice to people (not only does it make this place enjoyable enough that you’ll stick with it while doing 4), but if nothing else it helps with 2)). 4) Be competent and work hard even when you don’t think anybody’s watching. 5) Listen to the competent people who’ve come before you -- like, *actually* listen to them. And, most importantly, 6) Get exceptionally lucky. “I know he’s a good general, but is he lucky?”, to (mis)quote a Frenchman...” – Keir Bradwell

What personal interests would work well with the position of President?

“For the role of President, organisation is also key, as is staying one step ahead of the game. It also pays to be a motivator as line managing students constitutes a major part of the job.” – Freddie Fisk

“The job is by no means impossible, but there’s no getting around the fact that it is incredibly demanding, so it will absorb most of your time. Being organised, then, is crucial, as is being flexible – particularly on the day of an event. The other thing I’d say, which is somewhat overlooked, is to enjoy the ride. Expectations are high, and it is a job that needs to be taken seriously, but you should also be having fun!” – Emaan Ullah

“If you want to put a good termcard together you need a knowledge of both politics & pop culture: both the profound and the profane. Your job is to reflect the interests of the membership. So you really need quite a wide range of personal interests, or you need to hope that you’ll have a wide range of interests on your committee as a whole. I could talk endlessly about character traits but I think in terms of *interests* that’s about it. Just be open-minded and experience all sorts of things and you’ll be fine.” – Keir Bradwell 48

Vice-President According to the Union’s Constitution, the VicePresident shall be responsible for:

g) Working with the President to resolve any issues arising that do not fall under any Officer’s mandate;

a) Facilitating the long-term and strategic objectives of the Society and enabling the smooth running of its administrative affairs;

h) Preparing an annual members’ feedback survey and presenting this at a meeting of Standing Committee in the first week of Michaelmas term;

b) Undertaking duties set out in the Articles of Association and Governance Framework of the Society;

i) Ensuring that the Society maintains, in good order, a debate book, in which shall be recorded: the motion of each debate; the names of every speaker in each debate; and the result of the division on each motion;

c) Organising the appointments of the Appointed Officers and Deputy Returning Officers as in Law 11 along with the recruitment and retirement of members of Review Committee as in Law 6;

j) Facilitating the work of the Returning Officers; and k) Having all members who assist in the running of the Society sign NDAs and making all holders of formal positions aware of their NDA requirements and Code of Conduct responsibilities.

d) Managing handovers between Full and Standing Committee teams each term, including necessary training, along with resolving conflicts and promoting a healthy working environment within the Society;

To find out more, reach out to the Equalities Officer or the Equalities Officer-elect at equalities@cus.org or equalities-elect@cus.org – David Quan

e) Liaising with relevant Society boards and committees to secure speakers whose attendance requires several terms of preparation; f) Working with the President in drafting public statements written on behalf of the Society;

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Debates Officer (formerly Executive Officer)

The role of the Debates Officer is to ...

“A lot of our debates (although not all of them) revolve around issues of a political nature. Taking an interest in the political landscape around you will really help you get the most out of the role. Organisation is also crucial coordinating four external speakers and two auditioned students requires some quite complex logistics and it will serve you well to stay on top of things. Interpersonal skills would also not go amiss - a well-run debate is one where everyone feels at ease and confident. As the Debates Officer, it’s your job to chat to people at the dinner beforehand and ensure everyone is approaching the night with confidence.” – Lara Brown

“… plan, organise and execute the programme of debates for my term. Additionally, I helped to appoint and manage Full Committee, ran my Debates subcommittee, and put together some panel and speakers events.” – James Vitali “… coordinate the Thursday Night Debates. This meant inviting speakers with the assistance of a subcommittee, organising logistics on the night, putting together the debate dinners (which are offered as full committee perks), and ensuring the evening ran smoothly. It’s also quite likely a Debates Officer will find themselves taking on an informal ‘chief of staff’ role in which you assist the President with the appointment and day-today running of full committee.” – Lara Brown

Do you have some advice for people looking to stand for Debates Officer?

“This is a general piece of advice for people wanting to run for the elected positions: don’t rush it! Many people jump the gun and run for positions without doing the hard work to get to know people at the Union and get to grips with Full Committee. These latter things are what enables people to be successful in the elected offices.”

– James Vitali

“...come up with the motions for each of the Thursday night debates, and invite guest speakers to address the House on those motions. The Debates Officer is also the chief of staff for Full Committee (hence why the position was originally titled ‘Executive Officer’).” – Sam Hunt

“It seems obvious, but the best preparation is to attend every Union Debate that you can. Make a note of what works and what doesn’t, and think about why certain formats are more effective than others. If speakers don’t seem well prepared or are talking across each other, consider how you’d improve that had you been prepping everyone for the debate. It’s also always worth reaching out to incumbent or past officers - I could chat about the role for hours and really love it when people reach out with questions. Further, speaking in a debate is an amazing experience that will give you an invaluable insight into the format of a Thursday Night Debate so do consider auditioning!” – Lara Brown

What personal interests would work well with the position of Debates Officer?

“The reality is term cards are always a team endeavour.

Everyone has their blind spots and areas of expertise, and the key is pooling these well collectively. I think being politically aware, though, is essential for the job, since the membership is generally well-read and interested in public policy/ political questions.

An appreciation of the format is key too; debates are special and unique to what we do at the Union, and understanding what makes a good motion - one that will facilitate and not stifle conversation - is important.”

– James Vitali

“Be aware of the fact that the Debates Officer is also a chief of staff, responsible for co-ordinating the activities of Full Committee members, and the practicalities/ logistics of the in-person events.” – Sam Hunt

“Debating, naturally - The motions can be quite wideranging, therefore a variety of political, cultural, and literary interests is helpful” – Sam Hunt

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Speakers Officer

The role of the Speakers Officer is to ...

Do you have some advice for people looking to stand for Speakers Officer?

“… put together single-speaker and multi-speaker events for a term and run these events, along with the President and other Standing Committee Officers! These can be more interview based, panel based, speakers interviewing each other, musical performances, or whatever you and the speaker agree to!” – Tara Bhagat

“Highly recommend watching previous events (if you’re interested in the Speakers Officer role) to get a sense of what ‘Union events’ generally are like and whether you can see yourself interviewing a speaker. If you’d like to be Speakers Officer, think about the people you’d like to invite.” – Tara Bhagat

What personal interests would work well with the position of Speakers Officer?

“Any personal interest is good as long as you like interviewing, enjoys and not afraid to challenge public figures (it gets easier!), and liking researching certain people.” – Tara Bhagat

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Equalities Officer The role of the Equalities Officer is to ...

“A genuine care for making a change.” – Sharena Shiv

“…serve alongside the diverse members of the Equalities Subcommittee – featuring the Access, BME, Women’s & Non-binary, LGBTQ+, and Disabilities Officers – and other committees to foster a genuine culture of inclusivity that empowers all to flourish.

This is in addition, of course, to those important points highlighted in the Union’s Constitution.” – David Quan

“Interest in debate and current affairs, sensitivity to the concerns of marginalised groups and commitment to uphold the values of diversity and equalities on a society-wide level. Both roles require organisational ability, people skills, leadership and professional acumen.” – Kyoka Hadano “Solutions finding, holistic planning and corporate social responsibility” – Leo Markakis

“…change perspectives and breaking down stereotypes, while promoting the genuine celebration of differences and encouraging multicultural awareness. By supporting and empowering diverse and underrepresented student groups; BME, Women, Non-Binary and LGBTQ+ as well as raising awareness around disability, both visible and hidden!” – Sharena Shiv

Do you have some advice for people looking to stand for Equalities Officer?

“Listen, reflect, and act! This How-To-Get-Involved Guide – which features the voices and stories of so many former and current members – can hopefully be a helpful resource in understanding others’ experiences in the Union. Otherwise, nothing in my view can replace genuine face-to-face conversations!” – David Quan

“…chair the Equalities Subcommittee, which includes the Womens’ & Non-binary, LGBTQ+, BME, and Access Officers, and for representing and voicing the concerns and interests of minority groups at a Standing Committee level.” – Kyoka Hadano

“Be BOLD, be LOUD, speak up when you see things that don’t sit well with you.” – Sharena Shiv

“…be the agent towards membership representation, from term planning to policymaking” – Leo Markakis

“Attend and engage with as many Equalities-oriented events as you possibly can, continue thinking critically and creatively about how the Union can better address D&I concerns.” – Kyoka Hadano

What personal interests would work well with the position of Equalities Officer?

“Know what you want from the position, and what do you want to do once elected, and have a backup plan if you don’t. Networking is key in elections but also usually the cause of drama, so thread carefully. Know what’s been promised and what was undelivered by others, and know what you can and cannot deliver. Ask yourself: Are my plans fulfilling my role duties or am I focusing on the wrong things? Most important: only one officer is elected per position, it’s normal to feel defeated but do not let that hit you harder than it should” – Leo Markakis

“Most if not all of the responses in the ‘What makes a good Standing Committee member’ question are directly applicable to the role of Equalities Officer, as long as you have a genuine care and concern for both others and their diverse perspectives.” – David Quan

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Social Events Officer The role of the Social Events Officer is to ...

Do you have some advice for people looking to stand for Social Events Officer?

“… make the Union fun again. To quote (only slightly tongue-in-cheek) the most recent ex-President, Joel, to make the Union ‘the beating heart of Cambridge social life’ via parties, bops, music nights, ice cream, drinks, and honestly just make sure the Union isn’t only serious conversations dominated by intense people.” – Tara Bhagat

“Know what you want from the position, and what do you want to do once elected, and have a backup plan if you don’t; Networking is key in elections but also usually the cause of drama, thread carefully; Know what’s been promised and what was undelivered by others, and know what you can and cannot deliver; Ask yourself: Are my plans fulfilling my role duties or am I focusing on the wrong things? Most important: only one officer is elected per position, it’s normal to feel defeated but do not let that hit you harder than it should” – Leo Markakis

“… act as an enabler of social interactions, complementing the term with excitement and a break from our standard format events” – Leo Markakis “... to arrange and carry out all of the social events and general running of my term in office!” – Leti Ryder

“Ask current and elect officers! Look at previous term cards too on issuu to see past social events for inspiration and most importantly - attend union social events!’ – Leti Ryder

What personal interests would work well with the position of Social Events Officer?

“The life of the party, likes going to and organizing parties, having lots of new ideas.” – Tara Bhagat “Events planning, trend analysis and creative skills” – Leo Markakis “Loving socialising, good at organisation/ planning, maybe interest in arts/ decoration etc” – Leti Ryder

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Treasurer

The role of the Treasurer is to ...

“Being good with computers and spreadsheets, being interested in finance and money, being good with numbers” – Joshan Parmar

“... outline the termly budget and how it is spent. A good treasurer will also seek to develop and maintain commercial sponsorships.” – Freddie Fisk

Do you have some advice for people looking to apply for Treasurer?

“.... manage the finances of the union. Secure sponsorships and “treasurers treats” Help provide long term direction for the society “ – Joshan Parmar

“Above all, I’d advise you to be enthusiastic and show a willingness to learn and adapt. If you’re genuinely interested in getting involved, you will go far! If you can bring other skills to the table, great, but those can be learnt.” – Freddie Fisk

What personal interests would work well with the position of Treasurer?

“Get involved with full committee, sponsorship committee or organising debating competitions to find out more about how the union finances work” – Joshan Parmar

“Above all, it’s important to be enthusiastic about something the Union does: whether that be our debates, our socials, our speakers’ events, or our historic institution. For the role of Treasurer, it helps to be disciplined and organised - you must be able to stomach working with spreadsheets and chasing up payments” – Freddie Fisk

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Competitive Debating Officer

The role of the Competitive Debating Officer is to ...

Do you have some advice for people looking to apply for Competitive Debating Officer?

“Oversee the convening of all debate competitions; supervise training programmes for debaters; register and select teams to represent CUS at competitions; manage the debating budget.” – Siddharth Pai

“Try and be involved with debating as much as you can, not only as a participant but also in organisational roles such as convening/deputy convening competitions + offering to help run the IV/Womxns + just being very proactive” – Siddharth Pai

What personal interests would work well with the position of Competitive Debating Officer?

“Loving debating, being involved in the debating circuit, forging relationships with people, being good at organising things” – Siddharth Pai

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Resilience from Rejection Why did you choose to re-apply or stay involved in the Union?

We have all experienced the mixed feelings from rejection. This section is not necessarily intended to offer guidance about how to deal with those uncomfortable feelings. Instead, it simply seeks to highlight the reality that there are usually more talented applicants than positions available. Many of our Standing and Full committee members have therefore had their stories of rejections. But they were ultimately rewarded for their resilience to just re-apply!

“Although not getting Treasurer felt somewhat deflating after spending (too) much time and attention on my written application, I was quite happy for Joshan – a most deserving candidate and highly respected person.

Moreover, I had not yet arrived made it to Cambridge in-person at the time and hence lacked crucial oncampus experience. I was very grateful for all that I had already received, actually learnt a lot more about the Union through that application process, and wanted to give more back. So, here I am!” – David Quan “I can talk about losing elections or not getting the role I wanted. Losing elections: I’m not going to say I wasn’t unhappy: it’s not great, but elections aren’t the end all be all - there are tons of other ways to get involved and make my mark on the society, and elections happen every term, so there’s always more opportunities.

Not getting the role I wanted: I figured I’d want to try something new, and I wasn’t sure what Events Management entailed, and I figured being involved in some way would beat not being involved in any way.” – Tara Bhagat

What role did you initially apply for or ran for election?

“Treasurer.” – David Quan “Guest liaison and Debates Officer” – Tara Bhagat “Debates Subcommittee” – Som Bagchi “Executive Officer and Vice-President” – Leo Markakis “Presidential Committee” – Ellenoor Shameli

“I haven’t had a chance to reapply to debates subcommittee specifically but I am now on Full Committee. I intend to apply for debates subcommittee in the future again, though, because I still really want to do the role and understand that this term in particular, they were looking for motion specific people.” – Som Bagchi

“Press Officer” – Keir Bradwell “Full committee in Michaelmas of my first year (I think?)”

– Jack Rennie

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“I had last minute changed my plans and ran for an overcontested election. When I lost I ran for my originally planned position. But I did run for Social Events Officer the following term. I will keep applying now because I miss everyone. – Leo Markakis

“Don’t take it personally. We have an immense amount of members applying every term for positions. There are only so many spaces we can give. Be bold, apply again later on and prove you were the right call for the position. Don’t leave to fill your application form on the last day, specially if you’re also meant to be working for 10h on the same day.” – Leo Markakis

“Having gotten more involved in the union since the rejection, I felt as if I understood the organisation more and was in a better position to throw my hat into the ring again, so to speak, with the termly full committee applications which had a whole host of options for me to choose from (unlike the more exclusive committee I applied for).” – Ellenoor Shameli

“Do not let it stop you from applying again, but also, make sure to take time to critically reflect upon what you could’ve done better in order to gain the role you wanted. This reflection, as well as immersing yourself more into the union and it’s workings by attending events and potentially stewarding, can provide you with the insight you need to make a successful application in the future. Also, it’s not that deep! Life’s about taking risks and doing things that make you uncomfortable that’s where some of the best experiences can come from - so just go for it!” – Ellenoor Shameli

“I got made an Events Management Officer instead so didn’t need to re-apply per se. But I took the EM job because I was frankly too keen to get involved to be deterred by the fact I didn’t get the department I wanted.” – Keir Bradwell “I applied directly for a full committee position with a small number of spots and with no previous experience at the Union, as I wasn’t aware of the existence/roles of sub-committees. The rejection did initially make me wonder where I’d made a mistake, but does make sense in hindsight. Just to clarify, it is possible and maybe even quite common to get on Full committee without having even on a subcommittee - it just didn’t happen for me, and others from my college had a similar experience. I think it just also depends on which positions you apply for, etc” – Jack Rennie

“Yes. It happens to the best of us. Usually it means that in the space of an exceptionally short interview an exceptionally small number of exceptionally inexperienced interviewers did not recognise the potential you have. Which is very much to say that another set of students would make an entirely different judgement. Also -- Full Committee is small, and the number of people who want to get involved in the Union is usually rather high. The number of SGL applicants is vastly more than the number of SGLs. Being rejected as an SGL is a rite of passage. And the same can be said for lots of the other departments. So...

Do you have any advice for people who just got rejected from something they applied for at the Union?

...the central advice is to apply, and apply again.”

“Rejections suck so be kind to yourself! The number of people who have been rejected – before eventually earning a role and enjoying their involvements in the Union – far exceeds the modest number of people who have voluntarily shared their experiences over summer holidays in this section of the How-To-Get-Involved Guide...” – David Quan “Steward! it’s a great way to get involved with a very low time commitment.” – Tara Bhagat

– Keir Bradwell

“There are plenty of positions at the Union, almost all of them being a blast. You can always apply again. Do contact the Union for feedback on your application though and use that next time.” – Som Bagchi

“Apply again next term, and get in touch with anyone on full committee at the Union via messenger - p much everyone has been v helpful in the past and has been happy to provide feedback and advice. The Union is a big society but it is run by students just like you.” – Jack Rennie 57