On Tuesday 24 October, Vice Chancellor Ian White held his first VC Breakfast with members of the student body and Activities Officer David.
The VC Breakfasts are a unique chance to reward and acknowledge students for their hard work and efforts and are held periodically across the course of the academic year. The first was held yesterday morning, where the Vice Chancellor invited the Freshers’ Week Event Managers, Freshers’ Week Captains, some members of the media group and bar staff and Activities Officer David to join him for a breakfast.
Here's some details about who was chosen to attend and why.
The Freshers’ Week Event Managers (known best to you as FWEMS!) were in charge of organising the whole of Freshers’ week. Syed, Matisse and Millie worked tirelessly to ensure FW23 was the best it could possibly be, and often worked overtime due to the madness of the week. They did an amazing job and have played a critical role in making memories for new and existing students.
They were supported by over 100 Freshers’ Week Captains, who were there to support the FWEM’s across the course of the week. Some Captains stood out as going above and beyond, such as Jack Clarke, who was a constant helping hand for the FWEMs. He regularly helped out by picking up extra responsibilities and stayed way past his shift, just because he wanted to. Ella Thorpe was also seen as especially hardworking, reliable and was regularly trusted to help with more complicated events. She also often stayed past the end of her shift to help clean up and get the next activity ready. Adam McGuire always picked up extra shifts and was always offering to do more, take on additional responsibilities and volunteering for the sake of the SU. He was described across the week as a pleasure to be around! Karina helped to support the running of a wide range of events. During the week, she was a helpful presence in areas such as welcoming new students on the arrivals day with other captains and providing support on information points located around campus. She was described as always being smiley and lifting the vibe – especially on longer shifts!
Also in attendance at the VC Breakfast was some key members of the student media team, who worked tirelessly across the summer and Freshers’ Week to ensure the week was spectacular. Notable members were; Media Officer Peter Irvine who ran all the media operations during Freshers’ Week, organised interviews, radio and ensured everything ran smoothly for the acts. University of Bath Radio Station Manager Lucy Parker, who worked above and beyond what was expected of her- she consistently refused to go home while there was a job that still needing doing, held 1:1 interviews with societies (which was especially important for those who had missed out on a spot during Freshers’ Week Group Fair, meaning they still had a fair chance to promote themselves) and worked every night with her DJs for pre-party sessions in every single University accommodation. Ollie Turner, Chair of Backstage Technical Services, ran the entire backstage operation which included rigging and setting up the stage and then doing all the electricals and equipment operation- without him, the area nights wouldn’t have been possible! Charles Morton, who is Infrastructure and Sports Officer for media was present at every arena night filming and recording and produced some really top quality content. He never complained and always got the job done, even at 2 or 3am. He would then be there every morning to do the same all over again!
Also present were some members of the bars team, who also worked tirelessly throughout Freshers’ Week. Izzie Barclay is the SU Events Coordinator and organised acts for the nights- which is no small feat considering each act and group had their own specific set of demands! She was in constant contact with all groups involved in the Arena Nights and coordinated everything. Harry Birch, who is Bar Supervisor, was also kind and considerate to all staff under his supervision during shifts. He even worked on his days off when short staffed.
Activities Officer David described it as a ‘great first VC Breakfast to kick off the academic year’. He commented that it is a ‘lovely way to show appreciation for the students for all their hard work- everyone who was involved in Freshers’ Week put in so much work that goes above and beyond the call of duty, and they deserve to have their efforts recognised.’
The next VC Breakfast will be held on 15 November, with Community Officer Hanna and some members of the Diversity and Support groups.