Noah White is the 81st SRC President

president@src.usyd.edu.au

9th November 2009

University of Sydney Students Representative Council calls for inquiry into sexist culture at colleges.
 

In light of headlines in today’s Sydney Morning Herald the University of Sydney SRC is calling for the University to put pressure on the colleges to review how they operate, how a change in culture can be achieved and if there are adequate support and guidance services available to student residents.

Noah White, President of the SRC said “it is widely recognised that there is a real problem with sexism and sexual harassment within the University of Sydney College system. This must be recognised and addressed by the colleges and it is the University’s responsibility to make sure this happens.”

“The facebook group is a discrace and it is worrying to know that is was created by a group of students from a college that claims “To be a place of civilised life” [aims of St. Pauls College],” Mr. White continued.

“While this is behaviour is not representative of college students as a whole it is certainly representative of a sub-culture that is alive and well at these institutions.”

“While the new VC, Dr Michael Spence, has been very proactive in pulling the colleges into line on many issues, what is needed now is drastic action. It would be completely unfair and irresponsible for the colleges to enrol next year’s students having done nothing to eradicate this behaviour.”

The SRC will be taking a proposed set of aims for the review to the University next week.

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Noah White

President
Students' Representative Council

University of Sydney

Mobile - 0438438844

Work - 02 9660 5222

Fax - 02 9660 4260

Level 1, Wentworth Building G01
University of Sydney NSW 2006


PO Box 794, Broadway NSW 2007

twitter: @srcpresident

www.src.usyd.edu.au

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This week will be my last report, due to next week’s Honi being a special edition. I guess I’m going to use these columns this week to reflect on and sum up the year, to tell you about some of the things the SRC has achieved and to be a little self-indulgent and say a few thankyous. 

DEMANDING A BETTER FUTURE 

It has been a huge year for higher education in this country. Starting off with the release of the Bradley Review in late December 08 and the Government’s response, which brought with it an almost instantaneous shift in the way that we talk about Universities. The focus was no longer on the “cost burden” of higher ed but on investing in an education system for all. 

The SRC was key to the national “Demand a Better Future” campaign. We demanded a fairer education system but in particular a fairer Youth Allowance system, the out-dated system that had been trashed by the Howard Government was not good enough, is what students said all over the country. 

This campaign, that had been running for almost 2 ½ years culminated at the first federal budget to be handed down since the Global Financial Crisis had hit. What was a pretty disappointing budget for most (not really unexpected) turned out to be, probably the best budget for higher education in the last 15 years (I give it an 8 out of 10). 

As part of this budget package, the SRC got its biggest win of the year (and probably for the past decade). A major overhaul of the Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy systems; which included decreases to the age of independence (to 22), increase in parental means test and personal income bank and the introduction of “start-up” scholarships and rural relocation scholarships.  

This wasn’t without its faults, however; many students previously qualifying via the “gap-year” workforce participation test won’t be eligible in the future but will instead only be able to qualify if their parents come under the increase income test. All in all, the system is heading in the right direction. The SRC needs to continue pushing for a decrease in the age of independence (18!) and we also need to see the payment rate increased to somewhere near the poverty line at least. 

We saw probably the biggest change to the higher ed system since the introduction of HECS. The deregulation of student places. Basically this means that universities will be able to enrol as many students as they want and won’t be subject to caps set by the federal government. Many people disagree with me but I’ve made up my mind that I think this is a good thing for higher ed in Australia. What’s certain, though, is that it means that the government is willing to pour money into the education system at a level the universities decide (based on student demand). This was also followed up by huge investments into infrastructure. 

While I have been very positive about the current Governments actions so far, I do not necessarily think it has proven its education credentials yet. The real litmus test will be next year and the budget following the next election. The Government has set in place the groundwork and mechanisms for a University education to become more accessible and to increase quality across the board but what will be needed are real funding increases for universities when these changes start to take effect. This will mean increase base funding per student. 

The second half of the year was a situation just waiting to happen. International students were a subset of the higher education community whose issues in Australia had long been ignored. They had been ignored by Government, ignored by their Universities and even ignored by student organisations a lot of the time. The poor funding levels drove universities into a vicious cycle of relying on the fees that these students brought in and led to a culture of exploitation and neglect. 

Spurred by the collapse of the peak international student representative body, the SRC and the National Union of Students put a renewed focus on this group of students and their issues at the start of the year. Unfortunately this just came too late and the whole situation boiled over in the middle of the year, ignited by racially motivated attacks on international students in Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle. 

In what was probably the most inspiring period of student activism I’ve been involved in, it was fantastic to see international and local students turn the awful series of events that had occurred into an organised movement campaigning for positive changes for international students. We haven’t had any concrete changes yet but we do know the Government and universities are listening (I am going to a meeting with the Government this week!). 

YOUR SRC, YOUR VOICE 

At a campus level I think the SRC had a reasonably successful year as well. I started the year with a small list of things that I wanted to achieve. That list included increased internet quotas for students, getting the University to seriously address the student accommodation shortage, putting together a successful model for student representation at a department/school level, ensuring stable funding and membership of the SRC and have the major campus libraries open 24 hours a day. 

I am extremely happy that I have been able to tick off the first four items on the list. I think with only a small amount of work the SRC can make the fifth a reality as well. 

The things I have mentioned above are a small snapshot of the SRC’s activities this year and probably doesn’t even represent 10% of the work we have done. For me, on a day-to-day basis, the year has consisted of endless working parties, committees, sub-committees, working groups and boards. It consisted of countless hours leafleting and talking to students, getting up ridiculous hours in the morning to put on free breakfast. Council meetings, executive meetings, heated discussions with University officials, heated discussions with other student orgnisations and other students. Weeknights, Saturdays, Sundays, Saturday nights, Sunday nights in the SRC offices writing reports (I’m a maths student – I’ve never had to write as much in my life as I have this year, I have a new found respect for Arts students!). 

I can’t say its been easy but it has been a fantastic experience… 

THANK YOU… 

It’s a little bit self-indulgent but I couldn’t write my last report and not say thank you. Firstly thank you to everyone who supported me during my election campaign and voted for me, thanks for giving me one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had in my life and thank you for trusting me to represent you. 

Thank you to National Labor Students and the people who got me involved in progressive activism. Thanks for all your support and amazing friendship. Particular thanks to Carla, Jesse, James B and James S and Jaxon for keeping progressive activism alive across the country. 

Huge thanks to the amazing and committed SRC staff, especially to Claire Lim without whom the SRC would surely fall into pieces. Thank you for putting up with me, my strange and difficult requests and me wanting to have everything done 10 minutes ago. 

Thank you also to the Honi editors. You were principled, professional and really fantastic to deal with all year and, to boot, produced a great paper that I looked forward to reading and approving every Monday morning. 

Thank you to all the amazing activists who helped out with this years campaign and other SRC activities! Donherra, Russell, Phoebe, Alex, Matt McGirr, Kathleen, Gillian, Wei Jai, Tink, Tom, Alex Houseman, Lizzy, Scott and Gabriel; you guys are the heart and sole of the SRC. Thank you also to my executive, Bec, Mat, Andrew, Michael, Mel and Bekki. Also to everyone at a state level, Charishma, Rach, James Still, James Morgan, Nix, Warren, Emily, Kyle Fitzgerald, Kate and Deahnna. Thank you to Ruchir and good luck in the alumni elections.

Thanks to everyone at NUS. Dave, Stefie and Kaitlyn, you guys have done an incredible amount in what has probably been NUS’s biggest and busiest year in a long time. NUS, the SRC and students all over the country are going to be better off because of the amazing work you have done this year.  

Thanks to everyone who kept me sane this year. To my housemates Jim (come home!), Michael, Robin and Jeff. I think I would have gone absolutely crazy if it weren’t for you guys.  

I also owe a huge thank you to all of the past SRC presidents; Jo, Dan, Felix, Rose, Nick, Angus and Kate. I am so grateful that you guys were always there to answer my calls and stupid questions. Also to Lucy and Claire Stimp for always being there. 

To SUPRA, the SRC’s comrade in arms (Rashmi and Nick) and to Derrick Armstrong, Marie Bashir, and Michael Spence for always meeting with me and supporting the SRC and student representation even if we didn’t see eye to eye on many things. 

Thank you to my Mum and Dad, I promise I will come and visit soon. Thank you also to Petra; I don’t think I could have got through this year by myself. Thank you for putting up with my ridiculous moods, thank you for always believing in me and just being there every step of the way. 

A huge thank you needs to go to Rosie whose commitment to the SRC and to progressive politics is an inspiration. Thank you for reeling me in when I had crazy ideas, thank you for your amazing drive and focus and work ethic. You have been amazing to work with and know that I will always be there to lend you a hand in whatever you are doing next year and beyond. 

Finally congratulations and thank you to Elly. You are an inspiration and your enthusiasm and dedication for everything is unparalleled. I don’t think I could be leaving the SRC in better and more capable hands than yours. I am excited to see you in action next year! Don’t hesitate to call, I’ll be there if you need me.

For the latest report by President, read page 16 of current Honi Soit edition click here