President tells all! What it takes to be on the Executive team of a UNSW society
TOP TIPS
By Varsha Krithivasan, 3rd year BA/Politics, Philosophy, and Economics student
How long have you been a member of the UNSW Arts Society?
UNSW Arts Society has been a core part of my university experience, as I started in the subcommittee team during my first year, moved to Vice-President of Philanthropy of Wellbeing in my second year, and President in my third and final year of university. ArtsSoc, the people, the events and the community has been a part of my life for all three years of my university experience, and it has given me a rewarding space of belonging and friendships.
It’s strange really because the transition I had from high school to university was one of the hardest times of my life. Moving from a relatively small high school where I could wave to every person in the hallway to a university of thousands of different and unknown people was harder than I first anticipated. I wasn’t confident enough to talk in any of my classes, let alone make friends or put myself out there. I never felt lonelier. ArtsSoc became an intrinsic part of how I made friends, became confident in my voice, and is how I give back to the student community. My involvement with ArtsSoc over the last 3 whole years has culminated in a university journey that I have now become immensely proud of.
How big is the executive team?
Our Executive Team has 9 people – all focusing on unique and different tasks, positionalities, and priorities to help ArtsSoc create an engaging, inclusive and diverse society full of events and programs. We have some roles that work mostly without a direct team such as President, Secretary, Treasurer, Partnerships Officer, and Welfare and Inclusion Officer. Then, our Vice-Presidents of Careers and Education, Marketing, Activities, and Philanthropy and Wellbeing all work directly with smaller teams of Directors and Subcommittee members that make up our ArtsSoc council of almost 40 people.
What is your role in the Executive Team?
My role for the 2020/21 term is the President of ArtsSoc – a position I have been honoured and privileged to hold and create change within.
As an Executive, what do you get to do?
Each Executive member holds a different role with different responsibilities, which is what makes ArtsSoc such a diverse group of talents and strengths. As President, my role is essentially 3 main things – Council Culture, the relationship with our Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, and crisis aversion for our events. It’s really important as President to foster a certain culture that can permeate our Council and our events. I make sure that everyone is enjoying their time in ArtsSoc which often means I keep my mic unmuted and talk a lot when we have meetings and events to bring a good vibe. Recently, I have aimed to prioritise mental health support, connections, and interactions during COVID-19 as well as a sense of inclusion and community.
I also have a role to play representing ArtsSoc to our Faculty and staff members either through EDI meetings or meetings with the Dean of ADA. This helps the transparency of our goals, allows us to receive fantastic staff and university support, and secure funding to help keep our society running its amazing events.
Thirdly, problem-solving and crisis aversion in creating contingency plans is a huge part of my role. Things will go wrong and that is life. At large events like Camp or Ball, it’s important that someone is able to make big decisions and have the final call on grey area scenarios. Should we go back to in-person events? Should we let the free drinks stay open past midnight? How can we make our events safer and accessible? The President makes these decisions!
In the end, a deep appreciation for your team and your members is so necessary, and being President would mean nothing without them. But it’s great to be a point of call for any questions, decisions, or to soundboard ideas with all the portfolios.
Is this your first role in the Executive Team?
Actually, no! This is my second role in the Executive team, I was also the Vice President of Philanthropy and Well-being last year. A lot of my leadership, communication, and technical skills came from being part of the Exec team. I cannot be more grateful for what I learned from that role, which transferred to Presidency. I also just love ArtsSoc too much to have left after just 2 years!
How often do you meet? What kind of commitment is required of Society Executives?
ArtsSoc and most society executive roles feel like a second job – but a second job that you love, are with friends for, and are passionate about doing.
It is a time commitment and it’s all volunteer work so it’s good to remember the dedication it takes to be part of running a society on campus. But at the same time, the connections and interactions you make whilst working towards a central goal make ArtsSoc not a job but rather a passion project to help you gain skills and meet new people. It isn’t meant to be a chore. We meet every fortnight to a few weeks as a team to go through what every portfolio is running and have a constant flow of communication.
What is your favourite part of being in the Executive Team?
I love seeing Instagram stories of people who came to our events hanging out after our events by themselves. This seems really niche but seeing people who made connections during our events, formed groups and friendships, and found a sense of belonging at UNSW is extremely rewarding.
UNSW is huge, you get thrown into the deep end, and finding people to meet and connect with more than just in your classes is almost impossible. Everyone sticks to themselves especially online, the opportunities to find a group are limited. When events are successful, when people have a good time, when they meet new friends and feel comfortable putting themselves out there, I know that it's partly thanks to ArtsSoc and our consistent events – there really is no better feeling.
As an Executive, what kind of impact have you made?
I’d like to think a good one! I guess I don’t really think about the impact of only myself on something that is so innately team-based. ArtsSoc relies on everyone’s passion and dedication so it’s really hard to pinpoint anything that has been solely my impact.
I would like to think that I have helped create a culture of flat leadership. Hierarchies don’t really help when it comes to discussions and contributions, especially when everyone has great ideas and great ways to implement them. Flat leadership is pulling yourself to the same level as everyone in your team, so their contribution feels valued, heard, acted upon, and just as important as someone who is in the President's role. I have always worked this way and I think I will always continue to work this way. I don’t see the point of pretending like my opinion is always going to be the right one when this is rarely the case, so I love getting everyone’s input and letting people take the reins on events and ideas that they want to create.
The impact of this is that I think the culture of ArtsSoc is one-of-a-kind. We put people, connections, experiences, and memories before roles and hierarchies which is what makes it worth it.
How do you join the Executive Team? Do you have to get voted in?
Yes! We hold an AGM every year in Term 3 to vote in and elect our new Executive team who nominate themselves and campaign for their positions. If any of them step down throughout the year, an EGM will be held to bring someone else in.
How long do you hold an Executive position for?
You hold a position for a year – starting from halfway through Term 3 to the next year when the new AGM is held. There is also a handover period of a couple of weeks to get the new Exec team ready and sorted for their year as well.
What is your top tip for commencing students looking to get involved in societies?
My top tip is to ignore your imposter syndrome.
Everyone has imposter syndrome to some degree, especially when you don’t have experience in leadership roles or in being part of a society. It is hard to join a group that you believe is already formed and full of people you don’t know. Put your hand up, step out of your comfort zone, join events by yourself if you need to and keep trying. You will realise that societies create events and roles so they can include anyone and everyone.
Regardless of who you are or what you have done before. Take the plunge!
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