Her Campus Leeds caught up with Hugo Greenhalgh who is running for Leeds Student Editor to speak to him about his manifesto, campaign and further plans.
Why have you chosen to run for Leeds Student Editor in this year’s leadership race?
I want to make Leeds Student an even better newspaper than it is already. I talked to lots of people about how I could improve upon this year and my manifesto reflects these ideas for change.
How did you first get involved with the newspaper?
I began writing for Sport in my first year, doing match reports for the University sports teams. I knew as soon as I got involved that it was something I really enjoyed.
What experience do you feel that you’d bring to the role?
As Sports Editor, I get to engage directly with thousands of students every week. We are consistently the second most read section after News, as well as being one of the biggest sports sections in the country. I also have a close relationship with the other section editors so I have a real understanding of how the newspaper operates.
What are your career aspirations?
Obviously journalism is a very competitive field, but I’d love to write for a national newspaper one day – becoming editor of Leeds Student would be a massive step in that direction.
Can you talk us through some of the key points of your manifesto, and how you would hope to implement them?
I want to restructure how the News team operates to make Leeds Student as relevant and interesting as possible. To do this I plan to introduce news reporters, who would act as the ‘eyes and ears’ on campus to ensure we never miss any news. I would also put a NewsNow Hotline in place – a direct way of contacting the office at any time.
I would also like to redesign LS2 (the magazine), giving it its own unique identity. This would include a new Events Page, a pull-out, day-by-day listing of Leeds’ most exciting events, both on and off campus. This would be an ideal place for clubs and societies to publicise their upcoming events and encourage more interaction with the Union and the University.
How’s the campaign going and what can we expect from you over the next couple of weeks?
The campaign has been going really well. I’ve had a lot of really positive feedback about my manifesto, which makes the possibility of implementing it very exciting. I’ve also had a number of endorsements which is important because societies will form a big part of my plans next year. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be talking to a lot of people, so look out for me and my campaign team around campus! I’ve also got a few tricks up my sleeve…
How did you come up with your campaign slogan?
As Sports Editor, puns are an integral part of our duty to Leeds Student. A number of ideas were suggested such as ‘Go Green’ or ‘Vote Hugo Boss’, but ‘Think Big, Vote Huge’ was the winner. It encapsulates my campaign as I’m hoping to bring some big ideas to Leeds Student next year.
How are you managing to balance all of this alongside completing the third year of your degree?
It’s certainly been a challenge to balance my work with the campaign, but it’s something I think I’ve risen to. It’s worth concentrating on the campaign because I know it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I’d love to take on.
If you don’t manage to get elected, what are your plans after graduating?
At the moment, I’m only focused on the campaign. I don’t have any back-up plan because this is what I really want to do. We’ll see what happens on March 8th.
Finally, why should we vote for you?
You should vote for me because I’ll make Leeds Student more interesting and inclusive; University is supposed to be the best years of your life and I want the newspaper to be something you can be proud of and look forward to reading.
Think Big. Vote HUGE.
@HugoGreenhalgh
Image Sources:
All Hugo’s own.