Last week’s Campus Celeb Rachael Gillies, who wowed us with her amazing illustrations, is running to be your next Guild President. Her Campus Exeter caught up with Rachael over a Ram burger to find out why YOU should vote Rach for the Stars in the elections this week. From a fancy new Guild app on your smartphone, to investing more time in student wellbeing (did someone say puppies on campus?), the only female candidate running for Pres is buzzing with great ideas. But before we ask her the oh so important questions, HCX thought we should get to know the lovely lass on a more personal level!
So Rachael….If a celebrity played you in a movie of your life, who would it be?
A lot of people have said I look like Kristen Stewart. Personally I don’t see it. I love Rachel McAdams. Who cannot love her? She’s just amazeballs. I’d totally get Ryan Gosling to play my love interest too. Not sure if I should be saying this, but I totally got a Ryan Gosling colouring book for Christmas…
Who’s the person you most want to meet?
Beyoncé. She is just the ultimate woman. She’s the right combination of strong independent woman, and she knows her mind. She’s just super creative. She empowers women without overpowering, and I admire that.
Do you have any weird interests?
I basically love capes and dinosaurs. That makes me sound like a 6 year old child doesn’t it?
How do you eat your Jaffa Cakes?
Basically you have to eat the sponge off the bottom, nibble the chocolate off the orange jelly, and then eat the jelly. Yeah?
Sounds like you’re a pro. But now to the serious stuff. What 3 qualities do you think a Guild President should have?
They need to be integral, approachable, and driven.
What made you want to run for Guild President?
I’ve been heavily involved with the Guild throughout my 3 years at Exeter, as an SSLC rep (Student Staff Liaison Committee), on Welcome Team, and in my societies. It’s about wanting to instigate change, but real change. One of the things I’m passionate about is listening to the students.
Being Guild President is hard work. What makes you think you’re qualified for it?
Not only do I have the experience, but I’m naturally committed, enthusiastic, and personable. There’s nothing worse than a Guild President that you can’t actually talk to. Not only will I be good at listening to students, I also know what it’s like to work under pressure and have to manage a really big project. I have previously set up and managed a shop within my local community, which continues to thrive today.
How do you plan on listening to your students?
I think it’s really important to get the Sabbs out on the ground, to go to where the students are. This means more of a presence in the Forum, and I’d let to set up something like “pint with a Sabb” in the Ram, where students typically spend a lot of their time outside of lectures and studying.
Communication between the Guild and students is obviously really important. How do you plan on making this more effective?
My research has suggested that students would respond really well to a Guild app on their phones. This would be the place to buy all your Lemmy tickets, at the same time as ordering your lunch through Chow Now (food pre-order in the Kitchen Deli). Also, I want to introduce a Guild tab on the My Exeter page. This is somewhere you go really frequently, and I’d make sure that society sign ups and Guild headlines are already there for you. You’re there daily, so that’s the Guild coming to you.
University can be quite a stressful time for people. Wellbeing is becoming a more serious issue, so how do you plan on tackling that?
So this is something that I’m really, really passionate about. I think it’s really important that people are able to make the most out of their time at Exeter. As well as raising awareness of things such as mental health – we need to do more of that – it’s important that we are able to match the provision. Wait times at the moment are far too long, and this is unacceptable.
Every students hates exam period. Do you have plans on providing extra support during this stressful time?
Definitely. During peak stress points such as exams, I will make the Guild a place that should be supporting you. I’m thinking relax spaces, free tea, and there will even be a puppy room!
Now we’re talking! But hang on…Where do you plan on getting these puppies from?
I’ve already begun talks with the local Guide Dog Association, so I’ll go from there!
But what about on a more general level? How do you plan on showing students that the Guild is supporting them?
I’m going to introduce a loyalty card. Boots have them, Tesco have them, Costa have them…So why shouldn’t the Guild? I really want societies to take ownership of their Guild, so when students spend in Guild outlets, a percentage of this will go back to their society of choice.
Describe your vision for the Guild in 5 words:
See. Live. Love. Your Guild.
Tweet her on #rachforthestars, follow her campaign on Facebook, and watch the artist at work in her video below!