About Us

‘The Stag’ is the official magazine of the students at the University of Surrey. We aim to provide content covering a wide range of areas from student life to current affairs. We form one of three medias at surrey, the others being StagTV and Stag Radio.

We aim to release two high quality printed magazines throughout the year that cover university life and topics relevant to students. These can be found at the foot of the Library stairs or in the Hive. Previous Issues can be read in the Library archives or on ISSUU

The Stag dates back to 1967 when the newspaper ‘Bare Facts’ was first established. The ‘University of Surrey’ was back then, known as ‘Battersea Polytechnic’ and this one page newsletter was established to ensure good communication with students as the campus transitioned to Guildford as we know it today.

‘Bare Facts’ re-branded to ‘The Stag’ in late 2008 and transitioned from a newsletter to a magazine. In 2016 we achieved editorial independence from the Students Union enabling us to provide challenging and effective journalism ‘for the students, by the students.’

If you are interested in writing for us or playing another role in the society don’t hesitate sending an email to:
ussu.thestag@surrey.ac.uk
We are always looking for writers, photographers, designers and web developers!

Our Team:

Leadership Team

Luka Dehnbostel

Luka Dehnbostel

Chief Editor

Hello Everyone!

I will continue to be your President and Editor in Chief here at The Stag this year! I have been part of the team for 3 years now, and I am excited to foster all the new and returning writers here at The Stag magazine.

I will be on placement this year, and though you will be seeing my beautiful face once in a while around campus, but otherwise you are in the capable hands of my lovely committee. I will be working hard behind the scenes and also always open to an enquiry or a simple chat, so if you see me around, don’t be shy to say Hi. (I do have a resting frown face, but I promise I’m really nice)

Looking forward to meeting all of you this Year!

Rosie Willoughby

Rosie Willoughby

Deputy Editor

Hi everyone! It’s great to be back on campus for my final year, where I’m continuing as Vice President of the Stag! We’ve got a great team together, and we’re thrilled to help new writers make their debut with us!

I’m interested in theme parks and media, so do reach out if you have any fun ideas. Looking forward to having you on board!

Jodie Thompson

Jodie Thompson

Treasurer

Hi! I’m Jodie – a final year media and communications student and The Stag’s Treasurer for 23/24! I’m so happy to be on The Stag committee again after an amazing last year and I can’t wait to see what we get up to this year! 🦌

Editorial Team

Nikita Blackaller

Nikita Blackaller

Features Editor

Hey there everyone! My name is Nikita, and I am an English Literature with Creative Writing student!

I have a keen interest in storytelling and can usually be found down a 20-tab rabbit-hole on any given topic. I especially enjoy exploring culture and stories from across the world!

This is my first year as Features Editor for the Stag, and I am super excited to be able to work alongside such great editors and writers! 🙂

Nour Morsy

Nour Morsy

Culture Editor

Hello! I’m Nour,

I’m a 3rd year Media & Communications student. This is my second year as The Stag’s Culture editor and I’m so excited for everything we’ve done so far and everything that’s to come! I love music, film, and all things culture related so I hope you enjoy our section as much as I do 🙂

Matt Cockfield-Hall

Matt Cockfield-Hall

Sustainability Editor

My name is Matt, I’m an Aerospace Engineering student on placement this year and this is my first time on the Stag committee.

I’m involved in many societies on campus and hope to highlight all the amazing things our students accomplish, especially concerning sustainability and the environment.

Luana Vasconcelos

Luana Vasconcelos

Science and Tech Editor
Tomi Ogunlewe

Tomi Ogunlewe

News and Politics Editor

Hi! My name is Tomi Ogunlewe. As a English language and creative writing I joined The Stag because I love to write. As the news and politics editor I aim to be emotive and fun in my writing to make the reading experience more interesting.

Emma Bleeck

Emma Bleeck

Sports Editor
Nell Beard

Nell Beard

Creative Writing Editor

Hi, I’m Nell! I’m creative writing editor and a final year English Literature student. This is my second year on The Stag and I’m buzzing to be back after placement! Previously, I was Sports Editor because if I’m not at The Stag HQ or in the library then I’m on the Rugby pitch.

This year I’m hoping to bring in some student voices into a few of my own pieces as well as pushing for creative student voice through promoting Creative Writing across campus!

Design & Marketing

Open Position

Open Position

Head of Design

We are looking for someone to be our Head of Design. Could this be you?

We are looking for someone dedicated to help design the Issues 102 and 103. If you have design experience and would prefer to get involved in a different way than writing and editing, then this position is for you.

We’d love to have you on board!

Ivy Ivanova

Ivy Ivanova

Head of Marketing

Hi there! My name is Ivy and I’ll be The Stag’s Head of Marketing for the academic 2023/24! I’m super excited to join the team this year and help make the magazine even more awesome than it already is☺

A little bit more about me, I’m a final-year Media and Comms student who loves reading books and travelling. A fun fact about me is that a lot of my friends started gifting me avocado-themed gifts for birthdays and stuff because of how much I quote the ‘fr e sh a voca do’ vine