Content Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and sexual harassment
Refresh ANUSA’s Tanika Sibal has been elected as ANUSA Education Officer for 2019. This leaves Refresh with five of the six Executive positions, and the vast majority of SRC positions.
Sibal is currently Deputy Ethnocultural Officer, and was a General Representative on ANUSA last year. She organised the Network of Women Students Australia Conference in 2017, and attended the NUS Education conference (EdCon) this year. She also works as an ANUSA employee.
As Education Officer, Sibal plans to make the portfolio more active in the area of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH), aiming to take some of the burden from the Women’s Officer. She wants to have the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) involve itself in SASH issues, working alongside existing advocates like End Rape on Campus and the NUS. Sibal plans to advocate for more funding for existing support structures like Access and Inclusion, ANU Counselling, and the Dean of Students.
Sibal also plans to “pressure the ANU” to bring back 13-week semesters, and work with the ANUSA lawyer to give students information on tenancy issues.
She will also restructure First Year Camps, holding them at the beginning of each semester rather than just Semester 1. She also plans to hold just one camp each semester, rather than multiple camps separated by academic discipline.
Sibal was also elected as NUS delegate.
Sibal’s election means that five of six Executive members will be from the Refresh ticket; all other Executive positions were elected unopposed. The 2019 Executive will be:
- President – Eden Lim (Refresh ANUSA)
- Vice-President – Campbell Clapp (independent)
- General Secretary – Lachy Day (Refresh ANUSA)
- Treasurer – Dashveen Jose (Refresh ANUSA)
- Social Officer – Matthew Mottola (Refresh ANUSA)
- Education Officer – Tanika Sibal (Refresh ANUSA)
Refresh therefore controls 26 of the 39 voting positions on the Student Representative Council, with Ignite holding two positions, Reform having one representative, and three independents. The seven Department Officers make up the rest of the SRC.
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