By Rowey Worner Butcher
Content Warning: SASH
Three candidates are running for the position of Vice-President in the 2023 ANUSA elections. The candidates are Lara Johnson running for the Stand Up! ticket, Charlotte Carnes running for the “independent left-wing unionist” ticket Together for ANUSA, as well as a third ungrouped contender Ainuojin (Anu).
The Position
The Vice-President holds a similar position to the President regarding their work in advocacy for undergraduate students. Specifically, the Vice-President’s role is in the coordination of student appeals, with a focus on internal matters such as faculty policies and information services.
The two primary candidates for the Vice-President position are Lara Johnson and Charlotte Carnes. Both candidates currently hold positions within ANUSA, with Carnes holding the position of Club’s Officer, and Johnson holding the position of CASS representative to ANUSA. Johnson is also running for the position of National Union of Students (NUS) delegate.
The third contender for the position, Ainuojin, does not have any public policies available. However Observer contacted the candidate and received their “manifesto” where they stated “I am honoured to be running for the position, I am deeply motivated by my unwavering commitment to student welfare, and my vision for a more vibrant and inclusive campus community.”
“I am dedicated to putting students at the centre of everything we do, your concerns, needs, and aspirations will guide my decisions and actions. I will establish transparent and open lines of communication between the student body, the administration, and the faculty to ensure that your voices are heard and considered.”
The candidate did not elaborate on any more specific policies they have in their campaign for the position of Vice-President, or for any of the other ten positions they are contesting.
The Policies
Academic Accessibility and Navigating Bureaucracy
As part of Carnes’ bid for the position of Vice-President and the role’s responsibility in what they state as “fighting for academic issues”, Carnes advocates strongly for a change in some academic policies at ANU.
These include obtaining greater “academic flexibility” for all students, which would in part include securing “simple 5 day extensions” for all assessments. Carnes proposes moving a motion within the SRC to endorse this policy and make the need for five day extensions “public and obvious to all students”.
Carnes’ other policies within the bracket of academic accessibility also include removing the “0” mark for late submissions, and flexibility for compulsory classes. This would include a policy that would allow students to miss two mandatory classes without penalty.
Johnson’s accessibility policy relates more closely to the role of Vice-President in navigating the “university bureaucracy”. She states that it is “ANUSA’s role to act as the intermediary between students and the university bureaucracy.”
Johnson states that these structures are “complex and difficult to navigate” and emphasises the need for a transparent dissemination of information from the university to the student body.
To do this, Johnson has stated that if elected she will assist college representatives in creating and disseminating a newsletter to each academic college relaying changes within academic spaces that may affect students.
BKSS (Brian Kenyon Student Space)
One of Johnson’s policies is “No Nepotism at the BKSS (or ANUSA)”. Within this policy, Johnson states that she advocates maintaining a “fair, transparent and merit-based hiring process that provides equal opportunities for all candidates.”
As Vice-President specifically, this policy would entail not hiring BKSS staff based on personal relationships or any relationships “formed through my ANUSA ticket.”
Carnes’ policies toward BKSS centre on the expansion and revitalisation of the space. They state that they want to harness the “potential” of the space while “still keeping costs down… without making cuts.”
Their policies toward BKSS include seeking sponsorship to ensure the future of Mutual Aid, as well as “extending” the Mutual Aid program itself. Mutual Aid is an ANUSA service in which students are able to give and take items including food, toiletries and general household items. Carnes says she will do this through communication with Together for ANUSA’s Welfare Officer candidate Skye Predavec to communicate what is available on the Mutual Aid shelf through the Buy Nothing ANU Facebook page.
Carnes states she will also work to run free or low-cost dinners in the BKSS in collaboration with the Food Co-Op, with a focus on running these dinners during exam season.
Carnes’ other policies toward BKSS include extending the opening hours of the space to open during the winter break, as well extending the space itself to make the ANUSA balcony “more vibrant and usable”.
Carnes also advocates for an accessibility review of the BKSS space, in conjunction with the recent accessibility reviews that were conducted in residential halls. Carnes states that to fund the fixing of accessibility issues within BKSS they will bid for money out of the SSAF pool.
The Candidates’ Specific Policies
Johnson: “Community Accountability for SASH”
Johnson advocates for the ANU to take responsibility for its “institutional betrayal… inhibitive reporting services” and for “moving perpetrators from college to college” in regard to issues of SASH on campus.
However, Johnson also states it is time to “reflect as a community on why SASH occurs on campus”, with an emphasis on how “we act as bystanders and what we ignore within our own community.”
Johnson states her policy is “grounded in principles of community accountability…collective responsibility… and survivor centredness.”
Johnson’s aims then entail to work with organisations such as the NUS and End Rape on Campus to “fight for all students studying at university in Australia”. Her policy also entails engaging with Residential Halls to ensure on-campus residents receive “person and community centred training.”
Johnson’s policy aligns with one of Stand Up!’s ticket policies, in campaigning for “rights for residents” by “combat[ing] the institutional structures (occupancy agreements and lock out fees) that endanger students.”
Carnes: SRC Support and Engagement
Carnes’ policy aims to strengthen and increase engagement of the SRC. They state “the SRC is a peculiar group to be a part of politically and personally” citing SRC’s position not as a community like other departments within ANUSA, yet still being critical to the functioning of departments and clubs.
Their policy includes training for ANUSA Department Officers, citing officers’ lack of confidence in “at least one area of the role” such as finance, events, or campaigns. Carnes states that they will work with a team of other Executive Officers to provide support and training for those that desire it.
Their policy also includes increasing the frequency of meetings between Executive Officers and Department Officers. They state that regular meetings will “forge better relationships” between the Executive and the Department bodies.
Carnes’ other policies relating to the SRC also include the implementation of more planning days for Gen Reps and College Reps, citing Gen Reps as often having the “lowest engagement rate on the SRC”, part of which Carnes states comes from a “lack of routine and accountability”.
Carnes’ policy also includes the creation of “SRC dinners” which they state will “strengthen the bonds of the council and build relationships through more social means”.
Johnson: Accessible Activism and Working With the NUS
Johnson states that “student unionism provides a voice for students to engage in what matters to them and what affects their life.” As part of this belief, she has committed to advocating ANUSA to support community organising and to provide the resources required for those campaigns.
This policy includes the creation of what Johnson terms an “accessible activism” booklet, which will build upon resources such as the NUS accessible activism booklet in detailing the roles of marshals, police liaisons and first aid at protests.
Johnson also advocates for a stronger relationship between ANUSA and the NUS, stating that despite ANUSA being accredited with the NUS the relationship between the two bodies needs to be strengthened. Johnson states strengthening this relationship would ensure that “ANUSA is a fighting force in national campaigns.”
Voting for the ANUSA elections will run from the 25th-28th of September. The link for online voting can be found here.
Graphics by Will Novak
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