Committee Q&A: Aline Bruck

What committee are you part of and what roles have you held?

• ECWS (English and Creative Writing society) – President
• Eco Education Society – Welfare Officer
• KPOP Society – Welfare Officer

What made you want to run for a committee role?

There were multiple reasons, but the main one was definitely ´to further develop the potential and expand the influence/reach of this particular society´.

As a fresher I ran for a committee role that I didn't get, which made me quite hesitant to the idea of running for something ever again (also due to the obvious lack of votes I got.) But then as a third-year-student I thought: ´Mate, you really need to get over this one tiny failure.´  And boom. Here we are.

What has been the most enjoyable part of being on committee?

Being able to organize big events such as the ´Writers Talks´ this year, with a team that has your back! (ECWS)

The moment all the hard work pays off; in other words when even the shyest members of your society feel welcomed, become more involved and are happy with the socials/events you organized!  (EcoEd)

The moment our committee became more than just a bunch of random strangers who tried to keep a society alive during a pandemic. (All of them)

Can you tell us about a time where your role was challenging?

Lol, when our vice-president and president ´abandoned´ us at the end of the first term. (EcoEd)

When all our hopes for in person competitions and socials turned into dust due to the new restrictions… (KPOP)

When we ran out of ideas (and questions) for our online pub quizzes…(ECWS)

Do you feel that being on a committee has been beneficial in terms of preparing you for the future?

Definitely. You learn a lot of subtle and not so subtle things such as:

• Other people´s work ethic. (And your OWN.)
• Time management and flexibility. (or the lack thereof haha)
• Communication! (Literally the A and O…)
• So. Many. Emails. And. Wufoo forms. (But at some point you get the hang of it!)
• Setting priorities: sometimes you just need to say no and/or take a break.
• Honesty: some ideas look good on paper but won´t work in reality.
• You quickly learn why some committees / socs and clubs work better than others
• Confrontations: sometimes you need to tell people that they´re not really doing their job. Sometimes people will tell YOU that you´re slacking. And that´s okay as long as neither party takes it too serious/personal. (after all this is all voluntary!)    

What piece of advice would you give to an incoming committee member?

Your time on the committee is limited, so make the best out of it and get organized over summer! Organization will be key, especially during the exam and assignment loaded months…

If everything seems ´to go wrong´ it may be a good time to call your fellow committee members and schedule a society intervention. It´s never too early to address bad vibes and problems.

Think outside of the box when it comes to socials/events, and do not hesitate to ask for help. People should be able to rely on and be honest with one another.

If you run for a role, don´t just do it to ´put it on your CV´. That never ends well. Be passionate and bring initiatives: SHOW don´t just tell.