Debating Society: Secretary

Shrek once said, 'Onions have layers.' 

Like an onion, being a secretary also has layers to it, and I'm sure I'll be able to do the work excellently on every layer of the secretarial onion.

☆ Strong background in administrative work

Was secretary of my high school's student council:
-handled communications with the student body and external organisations/companies;
-responded to emails;
-prepared meeting minutes weekly;
-organised budgets;
-various other logistical admin tasks to make sure the council ran smoothly and to help organise various events for the student body;

Was president of my college's debate team - helped organise round allocations and debate tournaments;

Engaged in admin/logistics work for an NGO (helped plan events and manage budgets), as well as a summer school (worked out timelines, lesson plans and timetables).

☆ Good work ethic

☆ Good artistic eye

Designed posts for my high school's student council's Instagram;

Designed merchandise for my high school's student council;

Helped with the graphic design of my college's literature newsletter;

Produced and wrote films which were finalists in various competitions.

☆ Friendly and happy to chat!

☆ Will never give you up, let you down, or run around and desert you.

Hello! As Secretary, I’ll be taking care of all the admin bits and running the society’s social media! Here's what you can look forward to if you vote for me:

1. A shared society-wide calendar: Dates and locations of competitions, trials, training sessions, all in one place and constantly updated! No more “Wait, is there a session today?” I've got you covered!
2. Organise debating resources: Every resource the society provides, streamlined and easy to find in one location.
3. Biweekly Instagram highlights: Regular posts featuring the best moments from training sessions and competitions. More of you on our page!

Debating has been such a fun part of uni life. I would absolutely love the opportunity to give back by contributing to helping the committee run smoothly and ensuring that fellow members have the best hassle-free DebSoc experience. I'm competent, organised and approachable, and I hope you'll put your trust in me to be your new secretary!

I've enjoyed doing legal administrative work over the past few years and I believe that the skills I gained from these past roles will allow me to effectively support the society from the administrative side. My legal work has made me highly attentive to details that may not be evident but turn out to be key for projects' success, which will help me support the society's committee and members  by ensuring nothing that needs attention is overlooked. I'm also comfortable juggling multiple priorities without having to neglect any, which is why I will be able to handle all aspects of the secretary role and keep things running smoothly! 

Despite being relatively new to debating, it has become such an integral part of my uni experience, and the training sessions and competitions have only strengthened my interest.

At 6th form, I served as Secretary of the School Council, which has sufficiently prepared me for this role, as I helped organise cabinet and general meetings and became a fast and furious notetaker. Additionally, I worked closely with my cabinet members to facilitate positive change through reforms, such as the revised school uniform policy, highlighting my strengths in teamwork and collaboration. Simultaneously, I served as a charities prefect, which equipped me with a greater sense of social responsibility and involved public communications and dialogue with charity partners and members across the school community. Along with my partner, we raised over £4,000 in one academic year, a testament to our organisation and effective communication. Balancing multiple school positions alongside academics indicates my effective time management and personal organisation, a requisite for the demanding schedule of committee members. Furthermore, I effectively handle administrative tasks, however mundane they may seem, evidenced by my experience as a law firm intern and aforementioned school positions, thus fulfilling the criteria for this position.

I am eager to build on my skills and success in the secretary position, for which I am well-prepared, and contribute to our society’s continued success. Thank you :)

I am standing for Secretary because I possess the unique blend of organisational rigour, profound respect for this society’s values, and a communicative clarity to empower every member and elevate this society. This requires thinking not just about the next meeting, but the next semester, the next year. Planning for a major inter-university tournament doesn’t start a month in advance; it starts with early venue bookings, clear and timely calls for registration, and meticulous travel arrangements. These are all tasks where the Secretary’s organisational skills are put to the test. I will minimise crises, reduce stress on the committee, and ensure that our ambitious goals are never derailed by administrative oversights. 

I am standing for Secretary because I am inherently organised, detail-oriented, and I prioritise efficiency and clarity. I thrive on creating order from chaos and derive genuine satisfaction from enabling the success of a team. More than just skills, I bring a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of debating. I am not standing for Secretary simply to administer; I am standing to serve a community I believe in. As Secretary, I will be the reliable, steady force in the background - ensuring the spotlight on our debaters is always bright and the stage upon which they stand is solid.

I will be the Secretary who safeguards our institutional memory, empowers members, and provides the strategic planning that turns ambitious ideas into realities. 

I’m standing for Secretary because I appreciate the behind-the-scenes work that keeps debate running smoothly, and I want to contribute to this society and activity, which I love engaging with. 

Debate is a team sport and run within a society, which means scheduling and organising are key to maintaining our regular sessions, competition attendance, and standing with the SU. I intend to take on the administrative tasks, so members can focus on what they love most–debating!

Here’s what I bring to the role:

• Leadership/Administrative skills within debate: I captained my high school team, and this role not only included team-building (←Looking forward to becoming even closer with the UCL team through our training and socials!) but also going back and forth with supervisors, forms, and budgets through meetings and email. 
• Experience in communications: In the job mentioned above, I hosted a public showcase which required me to reach out to external speakers, create a timetable & advertisement, and set motions. I also chaired my year’s school trip committee, which meant I was responsible for communicating and promoting the appeal of our itinerary to 300+ students.
• Enthusiasm for the society: I like the emphasis the debating community puts on ‘giving back’, (Pro-am comps!) and see this as my chance to do so :)

Vote me for Secretary —I’ll keep the operations running smoothly, so our society runs smoothly! 

Yours truly,
Rino

Hi everyone! I have been debating since 2nd year and have loved (almost) every second of it. Now that I have returned from my year abroad, I really want to give back to the community that has meant so much to me. For this reason I am requesting that you vote for me as Debating Club secretary.

Mechs as to why I would make for a good secretary:

• I will not embezzle funds ;) Mostly due to lack of capacity, but also because I quite like the society (incentive).
• Excel/Programming nerd: Never have to wait for training room allocations again, tentatively.
• Addicted to debate (...so if I mess up you'll be able to criticise me in person every Tuesday and Thursday)
• Receptive to criticism. Just ask any of my former debate partners.
• Former finance intern, so you know I'm good at dealing with Kafkaesque bureaucracy.

If you want a secretary who's passionate, present and who'll get those emails sent, allocations sorted and admin admined vote for me!