Do you think the Union membership pricing is fair?

Charlotte: 

Trust me, we do not have high membership fees for fun. The fees are set to cover the cost of running the society. We are constantly working to bring that cost down. During my time as Treasurer, we froze fees, and hope to bring them down very soon. In the meantime, all we can do is make sure that members do actually get their money’s worth. This can only be achieved by putting on as diverse a range of events as possible and making the chamber an accessible place that people want to be. Plus, given my experience gaining sponsorship, I am well placed to help the Treasurer gain more sponsorship.

Sachin:

Not a single officer of the Union wants to charge members £185 to join. But to run a society of this size with paid staff, speaker flights, accommodation and hospitality we need sufficient income to stay afloat. Believe it or not the main source of income used to run the Union is membership fees. Our sponsorship input from Deloitte and other sources is far less than the contribution from members’ fees. Membership prices are decided annually and it is the Michaelmas 2016 President, in conjunction with the Bursar who will set this price. In terms of value for money I do think the best thing any President can do is put on a term of fantastic speakers, debates and social events. Lots of first year students bought membership this term and I do think a vast majority were satisfied with the events that we put on.

Do you think the current arrangement of speaker events discourages participation?

Charlotte:

I very much do. I think less emphasis should be placed on an interview by the Speakers’ Officer or President and more on questions on the floor. People can watch an interview with a public figure on the internet; they come to the Union to engage.

Sachin:

Not at all – in fact quite the opposite. The emphasis this term has been on maximising the participation of the audience at our speaker events by following a Q & A format for almost every event. We also allow members to tweet in questions, and I continued with ‘Meet The Speakers’ this term, allowing members to meet some of their idols. I will continue with all of this if elected.

Has the Union become too self absorbed?

Charlotte:

I think the word ‘become’ is interesting here. The Union used to be essentially a dining club for upper class men who would debate things like ‘this house would rather be an aristocrat than a democrat’. We have come a long way, and there is always more to do in making sure we appeal to as many members as possible. That is done by running a broad and exciting range of events, and being constantly available to hear and act on members’ feedback. I don’t want anyone to ever feel excluded from the Union, and would work hard to ensure that is never the case. 

Sachin:

No, I do not think so and I think our speaker line-up this term is a reflection of how the Union has tried to cater to members interested as much as possible this term. This Michaelmas we have hosted actors, politicians, lawyers, philosophers, journalists and activists. We have hosted big name speakers such as Baz and Westwood along with less well-known but still very interesting speakers such as Amanpour and Lord Neuberger. The diversity of our line-up is something I am very proud of and want to continue into Easter term if elected President.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Charlotte:

I have no other real answer to this, other than the embarrassingly trite truth that I would like to be happy and doing some good in the world.

Sachin:

Oh gosh, I have no clue, but well away from the stress of Cambridge!