Interview: Tommy Fish – Next year’s Activities and Development Officer

The university campus was yet again blanketed in banners before Easter, with brave candidates proclaiming the arrival of the Student Elections and vying for your votes. Whether or not you noticed the bedazzled bed sheets strung up outside the library or the ubiquitous chalkings decorating the pavement; whether or not you exercised your right to representation via student portal; votes were cast and victors were proclaimed. From the fraught results night emerged a shiny new Executive Committee, ready and willing to sell their souls to the union to make your student experience the best it can be. Or something like that.

I caught up with Tommy Fish, the university’s new Activities and Development Officer, to find out about his priorities for societies and his plans to resurrect Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.

Which societies have you been most involved with while you’ve been at university?

I’m not going to try and deceive you. I haven’t been heavily involved in any societies. I’ve been fully focused on getting a 2:1, running events to pay my bills and playing football for the university. Before I came I thought I’d be heavily involved in societies but alas, it wasn’t to be. Training twice a week with a game or two a week takes it out of you, and with the events I organised I barely had to time for my Spanish degree which is why I’m here!

What do you think are the biggest issues facing society organisers, and how are you planning on making things easier for them?

I think their reach (or lack of) is a big problem. The Freshers fair is overcrowded, daunting and pretty hot! I get hot and bothered at the best of times, so I always bounced in and out of there like a yo-yo, and then it was as if there was no further opportunity to get involved. I will help societies put on some wicked events beyond Welcome Week and make them more appealing to both the people that think they’re too cool for them and the other students that got too intimidated in that inferno. On top of that I’ll ensure that they gain maximum exposure through social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Due to my lack of experience with societies, my main role over the initial weeks will be to arrange individual meetings with each and every society chair so they can air their concerns to me, put across their requests, or indeed vent their spleens. That way I can do what they really want and I can go back to the drawing board to try and make it happen.

What experience do you have to bring to the role to make you a fantastic activities and development officer?

I’ve got a wealth experience in events and activities and I put my heart and soul into them. I set up and run Take The Whole Cake with my irreplaceable partners. We’ve run 4,000-person capacity events, work with a number of festivals and we’ve got some of the most eclectic lineups in the UK. On top of this we build innovative lighting constructions and transform venues with imaginative décor, which I can apply in a much bigger way to Pangaea. I’m going to go all out!

Beyond events, I have had two stints of 3 months and 8 months volunteering in Costa Rica as an English and PE teacher and football coach so I’m well aware of the need to for cultural sensibilities and care for the community at the grass roots level. I will be working closely with Student Action and RAG to branch out into the Manchester community and burst the Oxford Road bubble, and I’m going to set up some big charitable initiatives.

What would you say is the worst thing about our students union at the moment?

The sheer lack of appeal to the wider student community, and the building itself is not the prettiest…

And what’s the best thing about the union?

The broad range of societies it offers, the fact it runs a festival on university grounds amidst pressure from the police licensing unit, and the fact it will fight tooth and nail for students that turn it.

People are generally split on the idea of more Union club nights. Some are for it, citing the success of club nights at other university Unions but others say there’s enough on offer already in Manchester. What’s your position?

I think the union could do with one more Pangaea in Freshers week to balance it out, one in each term! More club-nights in the union may devalue Pangaea, and would be hard to implement in an already ridiculously saturated market where pretty much every angle is covered by the Manchester clubs. Regarding other unions, such as Leeds, they may have successful club nights throughout the year in their union, but that’s because they have the layout for it and they don’t have their own festival. It’s one or the other I’m afraid. However, I do think we could fuse the club night idea with some charity events.

In your manifesto you highlighted the importance of alcohol free events – what sorts of non-alcohol events would you plan on running, and how would you help societies deal with the issue of exclusion of non-drinkers at their events?

For the more relaxed of you we can do anything from chess tournaments to a trip to the Lowry museum or even visiting some of Manchester’s best parks such as Dunham Massey. For the thrill seekers we can do anything from rock climbing to blasting paintballs at each other. Fear not, I will provide a range of activities to choose from wider than the Andes.

Societies will naturally have certain events more suited to drinkers, but I will work tirelessly to ensure that there are plenty of alcohol free events and fun to be had without drinking.

A question from Manchester Labour Students – What role do you think party political societies should play in the wider Union/University dynamic?

I think it’s great that political parties play a role in the University dynamic. Many students feel unrepresented by this country’s less than diverse parties, so the greater the interaction the better. I would like to invite the Greens to come and help us address our profligacy with energy. However, I for one am very disillusioned by the current state of politics in this country, and I am quite frankly more likely to abstain or vote for a farce like the Monster Raving Loonies or Tempa T in the next election.

The Activities Officer role now includes ‘development’, which is all about leading projects that enhance student employability. What have you got in mind to get students on track to employment?

Definitely bigger student job fairs. The new General Secretary, Nick Pringle, had in his manifesto the idea of a part time jobs fair, which is an excellent idea. Relevant experience is currently just as important, if not more so, than a degree. I will be forging links with lots of employers over the summer months to facilitate this. And if all else fails there are always oilrigs or the mines in Australia. £50-£100k per year I hear, and great holidays too!

What are your plans for Pangaea? Any hints at what themes you’re planning?

Pimps and hoes, obviously. What better way to endear myself to female student population?

I’m sure Tabz (Women’s Officer) might have something to say about that…

Only kidding. On a serious note, there is absolutely no way I’m going to divulge the theme before I’ve even sat on my swivelly chair. I can assure you it will be universally accessible and trust me you will not be disappointed. Entering each room will be like transcending into a different world.

There will be entertainment far beyond the music itself and the lineup will be off the hook. It will be the first event of its kind in the city, and by far the most visually stimulating! Whether you drink or not, it will blow your senses into the next millennium.

By the way, I want to put together a dedicated creative team to help me make this happen so I will welcome any budding artists, Visual Jockeys, DJ’s, musicians to the office and we’ll set up our own workshop/gallery as our base for masterminding both festivals.

Who would be your dream booking for Pangaea?

Tupac and B.I.G : Back From The Dead Tour!

And finally… sum up your plan/aim for next year in less than 10 words

I will definitely make it a year to remember.