Re-elected Activities and Opportunities Officer Olivia Hunt talks burnout, barrier-free clubs, and why her role has even more potential. 

Activities & Oppotunties Officer, Olivia Hunt. Credit: UEA SU.

Olivia strides into the Concrete office as bubbly and chatty as expected by those who have engaged with her this past academic year. “Sixty hours of meetings in a 30-hour contract”, she says with a wry smile. “This role’s a bit broken, to be honest. It should be two jobs.” 

That belief tops her second-term policy pledges. She’s calling for a dedicated Sports Officer and a separate Societies Officer – a model many other students’ unions already use.“Everyone’s gobsmacked we don’t have that split,” she says. “Split the brief and both would thrive even more.” 

Next up: funding. Inspired by York’s annual Challenge Week, Olivia wants to launch a campus-wide competition where clubs raise money through daft forfeits tied to donation targets. 
“York hit £20k. Imagine what UEA could do,” she says, grinning. 

Alongside the fun, there’s fairness. She’s proposing a hardship fund to ensure no student misses out on joining a club because of money. “I don’t know the exact format yet, but first-come-first-served grants could cover membership fees,” she says, already working with finance staff on the budget. 

Never one to sugarcoat, Olivia is blunt about the issues she inherited. “Society training is, frankly, a bit awful – and has been for years,” she says. A full overhaul is underway, including bite-sized videos and a new committee hub that is now under testing. 

She’s also reviewing all five full-time officer roles, with an eye toward a wider rebrand. “Expect change. Maybe fewer part-time officers. If we want to serve students, not spreadsheets – structure matters.” 

Finally, Olivia us adament her TV screens will be in place for the start of the new academic year – reinvigorating a previous pledge of setting up a variety of dogotal adveising outlets in Union House for clubs and societies. Olivia emphasises: “Really unfortuntely, we’ve not quite managed to get them up this semester due to several unforeseen circumstances. However, its all ready to go into action for September, which, arguably, will be better and more effective”

Her first term? A whirlwind. She laughs off how a colleague called her a ‘tornado’ recently – and she wears it with pride. “I live for that moment when someone walks in upset and leaves smiling,” she says. “A year ago, I’d get stopped in the car park and shouted at. Now I can cross campus without a single complaint. That progress keeps me going.” 

But the job has its scars: social media pile-ons, a call to resign in her first week, and relentless budget pressures as the SU wrestles with rising costs. “The money’s not there. Tough decisions are coming,” she warns. 

Her advice to newcomers? “Take annual leave in November, not at the end of July and build resilience. You’ll read things about yourself that break your heart. Back yourself anyway.” 

If she gets her way, next year UEA might have two tornadoes – one for sport, one for societies – and, hopefully, a student community better equipped for any future storms.