Broadgate Park is the largest student accommodation in Europe, with 2,200 rooms available! So it’s not a big surprise that the student team, known as the Broadgate Park JCR, have their work cut out for them. Prema Shah is one of the four JCR presidents (and the only female one too may I add!), currently studying Politics and Economics.
Why did you apply to be president?
I was actually convinced by my friend who was last year’s President for Rutland. She was talking about her experiences in organising events, campaigning and meeting new people – all of which sounded fantastic! Also, as a Politics & Economics student, I’ve always been interested in making changes to improve situations, and I felt quite passionate that I had a lot to give to Broadgate. Plus, I had the best campaign poster that I just HAD to share – it involved my nickname as Preminem and some questionable photoshopping…
What does your role as president entail?
My main role is representing the JCR in being the link between the students, the Students Union, and my hall wardens – all to ensure that we really voice the students’ opinions and make this the best year possible. It’s also quite a supervisory role; whether it’s organising socials or receiving invoices, I regularly check in with the various committee members and run meetings as our forum for discussion.
How do you think this will be helpful towards your future?
To build upon the obvious answer “It will look good on my CV”, I am genuinely finding leading and managing a team with real responsibilities to be an invaluable experience. I’ve already had to deal with some challenging circumstances so I definitely think it’s honing my general skills in negotiating, thinking outside the box and presenting strong arguments to get people on board.
You’re only one of the presidents for Broadgate, how do you think communication between you and the other presidents is important and how do you do it?
So we’re the guinea pig year – Broadgate Park has been split into 5 different Committees which means we have a lot more people involved. Regular communication between the presidents has been absolutely essential as we need to work together to benefit all the students. We’ve been able to organise events and socials together, and we share our ideas on improvements regarding facilities and the general running of the hall. We’ve also been able to bring our committee members together, which is necessary to share the workload and overcome problems; as previously mentioned we have regular meetings, a Facebook group, and lots of e-mails and messages between us! With over 2000 students to represent, more heads are definitely better than one.
As mentioned earlier, you are the only female president at Broadgate, how important do you think a female perspective is for what you do?
Yeah I’m representing the ladies haha! I think it’s incredibly important to have a diverse leadership team; the female perspective sometimes throws out different ideas and encouraging that diversity, which often leads to brainstorming for new solutions, undoubtedly helps improve team performance.
What can we expect from the JCR over the next year?
It’s a bit of a tongue twister, but this committee is committed to community. We want to improve the lives of the Broadgate students by really making us feel like one hall, which is tough to do when there are over 2000 self-catered students who usually hang out in their kitchens. On top of organising some big socials, we want to have more ‘Broadgate’ events – regular film nights, pub quizzes in The Courtyard Cafe, and generally turning the JCR facility into the favourite place to chill out. Another high priority is getting the internet and signal issues sorted out!
When you’re not busy with your course or being president, what other things do you like to do around the campus or Nottingham
Free time is often spent in my favourite place – my bed! Although I actually love the campus – it’s so beautiful, and it’s quite nice just to walk round with some friends and sit by the lake. I’m planning to explore Nottingham a bit more this year – the city has a great nightlife and music scene but I really need to visit Batman’s Wayne Manor!
What other things are you involved in at university, for example, societies?
I was incredibly keen to join a number of societies during Freshers, but the ones I think I will stick with are Korfball (a ball sport), Model United Nations, and the radio station URN. There are just so many things I want to learn!
Exam season is here, what do you like to do to de-stress?
Ah yes – I have a tendency to get quite stressed with exams but I always feel better after listening to some music, getting some fresh air to clear my head, or watching Ted Talks about how exams aren’t everything! Oh, and I’m also a bit of a comfort eater: Chocolate = Stress free. So I wish all Her Campus readers good luck on exams!
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