Just like all societies at the university, UniVersal wouldn’t be able to function without a strong committee keeping things going. Here’s a bit about our current committee, what they like about UniVersal and hope to achieve with it this year.
President: Nat Schaefer
Home: Bristol
Course: Journalism (third year)
What does he do? Co-ordinate the society and make executive decisions about the content that gets published.
Fave thing about UniVersal? “I like how democratic it is – everyone can have a hand in deciding what content we put out, which I think is how all newspapers should be.”
Goals for this year? “Build better relationships with other societies and groups at the uni as well as our readers, so we can deliver stronger content.”
Fun fact: He is only four days younger than UniVersal’s previous president, Will Luker.
Contact Nat via email at natschaefer@connect.glos.ac.uk or tweet him @natsch_journo
Vice president: Sophie Matter
Home: Weston-super-Mare
Course: English (third year)
What does she do? Work closely with Nat in deciding the society’s calendar and coming up with ideas for stories.
Fave thing about UniVersal? “We’ve got members that focus on a wide variety of interests, meaning I learn something new from those around me as well as through my own work.”
Goals for this year? “Raise an interest in politics for students – as it’s a subject that will affect our future, it should be reported to hopefully get a bigger response from students at our uni.”
Fun fact: She is obsessed with tea mugs and reckons she owns over 30.
Contact Sophie via email at sophiematter@connect.glos.ac.uk or tweet her @soph_303
Social media editor: Amy Missin
Home: Peterborough
Course: Magazine journalism (first year)
What does she do? Engage our audience on social media by posting our articles to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram once they’ve been published.
Goals for this year? “My course has been so interesting so far and I hope being part of UniVersal will be a great way of putting what I’m learning into practice.”
Fun fact: Despite being massively clumsy, she has never broken a bone before (let’s hope she hasn’t jinxed it!).
Contact Amy at amymissin@connect.glos.ac.uk
News editor: Maryam Shafaq
Home: Worcester
Course: English (third year)
What does she do? Keep track of what’s happening at the uni and make sure the most important things get reported on, as well as writing the occasional book review.
Fave thing about UniVersal? “I really like blogging and UniVersal is a great way for me to get my work out there.”
Goals for this year? “Bring awareness to what is going on at the university such as guest lectures or work experience so students are aware of any opportunities that may help further their studies.”
Fun fact: She enjoys reading and horse riding in her spare time.
Contact Maryam at maryamshafaq@connect.glos.ac.uk or tweet her @maryam_shafaq
Entertainment editor: Phoebe Nott
Home: Somerset
Course: Journalism (first year)
What does she do? Make sure you know about what’s going on in the world of entertainment, both in general and specific to Gloucestershire.
Fave thing about UniVersal? “Exploring new interests and getting to write about my passions.”
Goals for this year? “Get everyone excited and talking about the entertainment events in Cheltenham and Gloucester and support other departments in the media school. Also let people know whether or not it’s worth spending a tenner on a new film.”
Fun fact: She learned how to drive a tractor when she was 11.
Contact Phoebe via email at phoebenott@connect.glos.ac.uk or tweet her @NottPhoebe
Sports editor: Katy Homewood
Home: Oxfordshire
Course: Sports journalism (third year)
What does she do? Keep on top of sporting events at the uni and make sure they get reported on.
Fave thing about UniVersal? “I love working with UniVersal to help give a variety of news to the students.”
Goals for this year? “Bring you more coverage of university sport, as it is a fantastic asset to the university that needs to be covered.”
Fun fact: She lives on a farm with 10,000 birds.
Contact Katy via email at katyhomewood@connect.glos.ac.uk or tweet her @_katyhomewood
Lifestyle editor: Asha Sutton
Home: Weston-super-Mare
Course: Creative writing (third year)
What does she do? Come up with engaging ideas for lifestyle-based content and make sure they get written and published.
Fave thing about UniVersal? “I’ve always loved writing about taboo topics in society and making sure writing makes a difference.”
Goals for this year? “I want this area of writing to really help people who read it and give them an awareness of all the subjects, to make a change and be valued by our readers.”
Fun fact: She can do a great impression of a duck (but declined to do it for us, so who knows if she’s telling the truth?)
Contact Asha via email at ashasutton@connect.glos.ac.uk or tweet her @AshaAshasutton
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