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Spotlight on James Skuse

6 October 2011

This week the spotlight is on James Skuse, Democracy and Communications Officer, UCLU.

James Skuse

What is your role and what does it involve?

I'm taking a year out after my Chemistry degree to work for students as the Democracy and Communications Officer. I'm one of the six full-time Officers at UCL Union with different portfolios.

Broadly, I'm responsible for getting students involved in UCLU and letting them know what we do as a Students' Union. This takes many forms, from working with external and student press, to running our elections and supporting our democratic decision-making structures. Ultimately, the students are in charge!

I work with, and support, students from all over the University to make a difference to life at UCL, whether academic, social or somewhere in between. There are a huge range of activities that we offer and encourage students to get involved in, whether it be campaigning for a better educational experience, volunteering time with local groups, playing sport or picking up skills to help them when looking for work after their degree.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

This is my fourth year at UCL, previously I studied Chemistry and graduated this past Summer. Through my time at UCL, I've been involved in a variety of activities including photographing for the student magazine Pi and organising gigs with the Live Music Society - both examples of opportunities that UCLU offers students.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I've been working since August and in that time I've already got our new media suite in place so our societies can produce high-quality publications for distribution around campus. This also means our students can be trained to work on industry-standard platforms. There's still a lot more to come in the next year…

What is your life like outside UCL?

Even before I became a full-time officer, I spent a lot of my spare time taking advantage of the great things UCLU has to offer, and this has continued. When not on Gordon Street, though, I do enjoy exploring London's varied areas and the multitude of things going on every day.

As a recent graduate, I enjoy a good drink and like seeking out the best Old Fashioned or Whisky Sour in town.