ELECTION ADDRESS
I’m Peter, a sports-mad fifth-year accounting and finance student. I grew up in Edinburgh with two big passions - sports and a little baking on the side. Coming to uni in 2018, these passions continued.
Through my five years of university studies, I have undertaken many roles in sports organisation within the Badminton Club and Sports Union. I was club treasurer and president and am the current badminton first-team captain. Within the SU, I sat on the Finance Committee for two years, on Blues and Colours Committee for one, and am currently in the role of Honorary Treasurer for EUSU.
I have invested lots of time in sports organisation for two main reasons. Firstly, I recognise sport's huge positive impact on my life, and I want to help provide this to others. Physical activity plays a vital role in my mental health and provides me with a powerful outlet away from any stressors in daily life. Also, in coming to university, engaging in sport provided me with an incredible community that quickly became my best friends and strongest support network. Sport is my central community at this university and is the route through which I feel connected to this place. In addition to helping provide others with the benefits of sport, I have also seen the amazing personal development opportunities that sports volunteering provides. Leadership, presentation, time management, communication, budgeting, and more! University sports volunteering provides unique experiences and insights into developing these skills that can set you apart in later life. The opportunity to be SU President would deepen and further these two strands, which have attracted me to sports organisation throughout my university career.
I believe my experience in university sport and personal skill set would make me a strong candidate for the position of president. My home club, badminton, is a large club with thriving recreational and competitive sides. This has exposed me to the challenges faced by these different arms within our sports clubs. Sitting on Finance Committee and being this year’s Honorary Treasurer has given me a good understanding of SU finances which will help me in budgeting and preparing the planning submission. I understand the role requires good time management and organisation, and I believe I can display my aptitude for this through the continuation of my degree and sports volunteering alongside developing a baking-related business from 2020 onwards. My biggest strength that I believe would make me an effective president is my communication and presentation skills. I hope I will be able to support clubs effectively through clear and open dialogue. I also hope to be a valuable advocate to further the case of EUSU and sports within the university and beyond.
It would be a privilege to serve as EUSU president, and I believe my skills, experience and motivations, as laid out above, make me a strong candidate for the role.
VIDEO
Watch Peter's manifesto video here
MANIFESTO
If elected as Sports Union President, my ultimate goal would be to support clubs to facilitate another great year of student sport at Edinburgh. I would prioritise clear communication between the SU and club committees and clearly advertise and promote our sporting offer to new students. I want to see as many students engaging in sport as possible, creating the powerful communities that sport can create.
I believe my skill set is well suited to undertaking the key functions of the role, which should lead to the successful attainment of the above goal. However, there are a few other areas I would like to explore further if I am voted in as SU President:
Advocacy – We must keep promoting the importance of university sport at all levels of discussion within the institution. I believe sport is the strongest and widest community within the University of Edinburgh. This makes it an incredibly exciting and strategic avenue for the university to invest time and resources. Communicating the success stories of sport and our challenges and opportunities is important in growing our influence within the university.
Partnerships – We have the potential to attract more partners who could gain value by connecting with our strong university sports community. I want to explore connecting with more external partners to consider sponsorships or training/employment opportunities for our members.
Transition away from Covid times – EUSU is transitioning away from budgeting for a deficit to work down the Covid surplus into a time of budgeting to break even. My knowledge of SU finances from my year as Honorary Treasurer puts me in a good position to help balance the transition well and ensure the budget is worked to help support clubs as best as possible.
Fixture Advertisement – The Wednesday focus fixture initiative has been a very successful way to promote individual sports across the SU. I want to see this initiative continue and promote more fixtures to encourage support at matches and deepen our community and culture.
Engaging with UofE Schools – We have a fantastic intramural programme. However, the engagement from schools within the institution is still low. Trying to engage more schools in the intramural programme could be a great way to draw many more students, particularly international students, to sports.
Funding – I believe the current support available to students to gain support for gym and club membership fees is too limited as it is only available to home students. I will endeavour to create a discussion around widening participation support so we can help sports become more accessible for students in the future.