Grazzle

Speech

The time has come for a new beginning, the time to move away from words and start transforming  them into actions. The time has come where the promises of candidates need to be fulfilled. I, Kirsten Allnutt, am that candidate. You are probably thinking that I am just another candidate asking for your vote, and that after this campaign nothing will change.

I am asking for your vote but not because I simply want it but because I want to make a difference, a difference for the students of Rhodes University. I want to give you the chance to be heard. Rhodes has such an amazing legacy but I think that the most important aspect of this institution are the students. Rhodes would not be Rhodes without its students. As media councillor I firmly believe it is integral to make the students the top priority. The SRC should listen to your needs.  This is the reason why communication and mediation is the ethos of my campaign; I want to be the thread that binds the SRC and the students. I believe that the only reason why the SRC exists is to cater to the needs of the students, to give them a chance, a voice in matters that are of the utmost importance to their student life.  

What I strive to achieve is to create complete and utter media transparency in the SRC. There needs to an honest and open relationship between the SRC and the student body. I believe that this will close the gap that many students feel exists between them and the SRC. My goals include videoing and keeping minutes of all meetings, events and discussions that take place in connection to the SRC and making them freely available for the students. 

I also hope to create a platform based on a personal interaction between the students and the elected body. The strategy of informative videos is a means to bind the communication link between the SRC and the students. My goals in this regard include having SRC representatives and the president able to make vlogs (video blogs) about current ongoings and announcements. We live in an age where technology is there to be used to our advantage, information has become more accessible and therefore a more personal approach to communicate with students is needed to fill the void currently felt by students in their relationship with the SRC.

Perseverance and determination are an integral part of my personality; and fighting for issues that I believe in is what got me to run for media councillor. I believe that in this particular portfolio you need fierce determination, networking skills, an extensive contact list and a serious interest for student issues. I know that if given the chance, I can make a difference that the students and the university as a whole deserve. I am here to be your voice; your issues are the only issues that I care about.  

Gone are the days when an apathetic attitude was popular. We live in a democratic society that thrives on individuality, diversity and opportunity. We live in a society where voices must be heard, opinions must be expressed and ideas must be revolutionised. I stand before you as one woman asking for your faith, faith in the greater good of our university. Give me the chance to represent you, let me be your binding thread even when you do not have any hope left. You are the weapon for your own change, use it and make the right decision.  I am here to serve you; I am not asking what you can do for me but rather what I can do for you.  

My comment on the questions I was asked:

Well, I got asked very difficult questions. The first one, which i felt was long-winded and took ages to get to the point, put me off and I became even more nervous than i already was. I am not the best at impromptu, I'm afraid.