Baris Atikol

Hey, I’m Baris, a 2nd year Materials student and current President of Materials Society (MatSoc), and I’m running to be your VP Clubs & Societies for the RSMU!

Over the past year running MatSoc, I’ve worked closely with different societies across RSM to organise events, coordinate committees, and navigate the many Union processes that come with running a society. That experience has shown me how much work goes on behind the scenes to keep clubs running well.

If elected, one thing I’d really like to focus on is bringing Materials and ESE societies even closer together. Both departments have great communities, and there’s huge potential for more joint socials, collaborations, and events that bring students across RSM together.

I also want to make sure societies feel supported with the practical side of running events, whether that’s navigating Union forms, booking spaces, applying for funding, or coordinating larger joint events between societies. Committees already put in a lot of work, so the role of VPCS should be to help remove some of those hurdles and make it easier for societies to run the events people actually want to attend.

RSM societies are a huge part of what makes the community so great, and I’m excited about the chance to help make next year even better.