Writer
Nam Ranpuria is a second year law and politics student running for GUU president. She has previous experience on the GUU board and has been heavily involved within the welfare committee. With two years of experience, Nam is incredibly positive about the future of the GUU.
The manifesto she offers intends to establish the union as more than just HIVE and Beer Bar, she intends to make the union “student friendly” and “accessible”. In the interview she focused on her drive to modernise the Union, this includes updating existing media presence and pushing for greater publicity for the entirety of the GUU facilities. Nam went on to mention that she loves the food the Union Kitchen has to offer and demonstrated her interest in using PR and social media to highlight the unique features that the union offers, varying from food to study spaces to bars.
In the interview Nam stressed the value of creating an online membership signup process in the place of traditional queueing that begins at the start of the academic year. Online membership is something she believes can be used to realise her “modernisation” drive. Though Nam was very transparent regarding her intentions for future student reporting and complaints procedures when asked about the democratic issues within the GUU and GUU board her answer was evasive. The GUU remains the only student body that hand counts the ballot.
When challenged about the cost of a pint of fun and the possibility of Tennents in the Beer Bar she assured us that though she was unable to make any “false promises”; she was open to change in any form should enough momentum gather in the medium of student opinion. Nam reminded us that the cost we pay for a night-out in the union is for an experience that does not translate into town. Nam argued that it was difficult to equate the student experience offered by the union to the cost, especially when the the union offers such a diverse social environment that caters to a multitude of different interests and requirements.
Nam’s vision for the future of the GUU incorporates modernisation and accessibility without denying the legacy and traditions of a historical institution.
