I sat down with second year politics student and PolSoc president, Fraser Raeburn to find out why he should be the next Vice President Communities.
It was clear from the start that Raeburn is very passionate about his manifesto and about improving the lives of Stirling students. He said: “I fell in love with Stirling, and I’m passionate about improving student experience.”
However, as a second year student, he is one of the youngest people to have ran for a sabbatical officer role in recent years. The vast majority of this year’s candidates are set to graduate in June.
When asked if he thinks he has enough experience for the role, Raeburn said: “As PolSoc president, I have had the chance to better understand the way the union works and how clubs and societies are ran.”
One of his main manifesto points is heightening collaboration between clubs and societies, including sports teams. I was intrigued to know if this is something that people want, and how he intends to do it.
“As well as being in the politics society, I am also a member of dance. The clubs are very different but sport teams and clubs and societies have a lot in common too.”
If elected, Raeburn plans to have an event in the Autumn semester which would involve all sports and non-sports clubs, in a bid to promote collaboration and increase dialogue across different teams.
He also mentioned that he has spoken to the Sports President candidates, as well as members of sports teams and societies, who have been receptive of the idea.
Raeburn also highlights in his manifesto how he would increase student engagement and participation in the Student’s Union. He said that he would make himself known to students at the beginning of the year, so he could let them know where to get help if needed.
As VP Communities, Raeburn said he would look for new ways for clubs and societies to do their bit for the environment. One of his ideas is to have regular litter pick-ups, where for example, a sports team and a society could work together to clean up around campus.
I asked him one final question – why should our readers vote for you?
Raeburn said: “You should vote for me because I have a fresh perspective and new ideas that would improve the lives of all students and shake things up in the union. Most importantly, you need to get out there and vote when the ballots open on Monday.”
Are you feeling the RaeBURN? If so, you can vote for him on the Union website when polls open on Monday, March 11.
Fourth-year BA (Hons) Journalism Studies student.
News Editor, Sports Editor and Head of Proofreading for Brig Newspaper.
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