DoSDA Candidate: Lorenzo De Boni

The Stand has interviewed every sabbatical candidate. If you have any other questions that you’d like us to ask them just email us.   Why do you feel that DoSDA […]


The Stand has interviewed every sabbatical candidate. If you have any other questions that you’d like us to ask them just email us.

 

Why do you feel that DoSDA is important to St Andrews?

Director of Student Development and Activities is important to the students of St Andrews because he/she deals directly with something that I consider vital to life in this town: the student experience. Chief among the tasks that the DoSDA faces is to ensure that all the societies and subcommittees of the Union are in a strong position to function, and hence the DoSDA has the ability to ensure that every student who has a passion to get involved has that opportunity in as many ways as possible.

 

What do you believe makes you especially qualified for the job?

What makes me an excellent candidate for DoSDA is not only my experience, but also my passion. I thrived in my role as Productions Coordinator on the Mermaids committee this year. I am an extremely approachable person. I believe that an open-door policy is the best policy to have, and I am someone who will always have my door open to everyone. I have spent four great years in this town and at this university, and I have been allowed to grow and have been encouraged to pursue my dreams; now I feel it is time for me to give back. I am capable, committed and consistent. When you ask me to get something done, I will bend over backwards to ensure it gets done. I have a passion for getting people involved, to bring happiness to the student experience and to bring people together.

 

What three main principles do you plan to follow during your year as a Sabb?

First and foremost is to encourage societies to be all they can be, not to be short term-ists, but rather to ensure their longevity and proactivity. I intend to do this by setting up the idea of society training via workshops that societies (workshops such as: how to market your society, how to approach fundraising, logistical planning of events, etc) This will ensure that societies are well prepared for not just the next year, but for the next ten years. This society training will also lead to more access to funds through the use of grants which societies will be eligible for depending on how many of the workshops they attend.

I intend promote a greater sense of “community”. This will be done by promoting the societies portal on the union webpage, which will have links to every society’s facebook/twitter/website and will be the first port of call for anyone looking to get involved/in touch with a particular society. I also intend to set up an events calendar, which will be both online and in the union and will have a list of every societies events and meetings. Together, these two things will bring people together.

Finally, with regards to employability, I wish to set up a set of diverse internships that are society specific (such as a STAR internship at a radio station and a Mermaids internship at a theatre company, etc). For this we will target St Andrews alumni as well as start-up companies.

 

If you could make a major change in St Andrews today what would it be?

It would have to be the Union. I would work diligently with the other Sabbs to continue the process of redeveloping the Union into a place where everything is easily accessible and a place where more and more students will want to spend time (something that is on its way to being accomplished now). I would ensure the Union redevelopment goes according to plan and would make easier to book rooms in the union, hold meetings there, have exciting events there, and make it more functional.

 

Any additional comment or message you’d like us to post!

The slogan “A real hero and a real human being” comes from a film about a character who will do whatever it takes to ensure the happiness of those closest to him, and it is a good metaphor for my campaign, because at the end of any day, we are all here to grow as people and to have our dreams and desires fulfilled, and those are the things I wish to bring about most.

 

 (To see all the candidates, click here)

 

Condiment: Ketchup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pokemon: Squirtle