Student Representative Council

"We’re Students, For Students"

Contents

  1. Tharunka
  2. Education/Welfare Department
  3. The Environment Collective
  4. Queer Collective
  5. Women’s Department
  6. The Ethnocultural Department

http://www.arc.unsw.edu.au/src

The Student Representative Council is comprised of entirely of students democratically elected each year to represent students to the University, the Government and within the social and political sphere of the wider community.

We do our best to create safe and inclusive spaces on campus for all of the many different kinds of students on campus, particularly those that traditionally have been discriminated against or may experience inequalities at uni and in our society.

We also help students who want to organise campaigns around issues that are important to students, as well as run our own campaigns. The different collectives are:

  • Education
  • Welfare
  • Women
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • International Students
  • Ethnocultural (also called Ethnic Affairs)
  • Queer
  • COFA
  • Postgraduate
  • Disabled Students

Here is a break down of some of the departments/Collectives of the Rep. Council:

Tharunka

Tharunka is the UNSW student newspaper.

Education/Welfare Department

The Education/Welfare Department of the Representative Council runs campaigns in the interests of students on education and welfare issues within the university, the government and the wider community. There is an Education/Welfare officer who facilitates the collectives, which are groups of students who run the campaigns and initiatives of the department.

The Education Collective campaigns to improve the quality of your education, and in 2009 will be focusing on continuing the campaign on the academic calendar changes (Saturday exams and 2-day stuvac), Arts Faculty cuts, and fair assessment. We’ll also be running information stalls during exams, to help students cope, and taking part in the national campaign against Voluntary Student Unionism, HECS and responding to the Bradley Review of Higher Education. For more information, please contact Andrew Looi on a.looi@arc.unsw.edu.au

The Welfare Collective campaigns for better student welfare programs from the uni and the government, and also improves the lot of students on its own - in 2009, the Welfare Collective will be running a weekly free breakfast, opening a Welfare room which will provide essential services to students, joining a national campagin to improve student income support (Youth Allowance) which is currently below the poverty line, and responding to recommendations amde in the Bradley Review of Higher Education. For more information, please contact Matthew Ward on m.ward@arc.unsw.edu.au

The Environment Collective

Web: http://unsw.envirocollective.com/

The UNSW Environment Collective is made up of a diverse range of environmentally aware and motivated people. As a collective we create events such as forums, host film screenings and organise campaigns around both on and off campus issues. We’re always busy raising awareness and creating support for different aspects of environmental reform.

We coordinate ourselves in a collective manner which means everyone has equal say in decision making. We also continue to have strong links with the university’s largely student volunteer food co-operative Thoughtful Foods; located just behind the roundhouse, and the UNSW Bike Club (we are happy to introduce you).

The UNSW Environment Collective is also part of a larger state wide network SEAN (Student Environment Activist Network) and an Australia wide network ASEN (Australian Student Environment Network) which means there are excellent opportunities to share knowledge, information and skills as well as having fun along the journey with people from all over the country.

We aim to represent the environmental concerns of UNSW students and provide a space for discussion, organisation and action, while facilitating involvement in campaigns and initiatives within UNSW and beyond!

The Environment Collective:

  • represents the environmental priorities of students at UNSW as expressed through the environment collective
  • organises environmental events both on and off campus
  • networks with students and staff at UNSW and other universities
  • makes environmental information accessible
  • encourages our university and its students to live in sustainable way


There is also a fun side at the UNSW Environment Collective. We are hosting an Environment week in Semester 1 and a Climate Change Awareness week in Semester 2 which offer great opportunities to get actively involved and engage with the wider student population through forums, events and perhaps even street art. We also host parties during these weeks amongst forums and information sessions that we organise so everyone can let their hair down (if you have some) and share some banter.

During the Semester break there is a SOS Conference (Students of Sustainability) which will be held in Melbourne this year. It is an annual conference organised by students about all things sustainable and is a great opportunity to meet other environmentally aware students from all around the country while sharing ideas and skills.


Some issues we aim to pursue in 2010 including both on and off campus are:

On Campus:

  • Electricity generation / clean energy
  • Energy efficiency (computers power management, lights etc)
  • Waste minimisation (University, Library and Retail)
  • Working with the university to ensure they're making and meeting progressive environmental commitments.


Off Campus

  • Campaigning against the expansion of the Newcastle coal port and the two potential new cola-fired power station developments in NSW. This will include joining in the flotilla in Newcastle harbour on the 28th of March.
  • Focusing on the Governments CPRS (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) and international developments of the like in countries such as the United States, China and India
  • Organising campaigns to put pressure on local, state and federal politicians if need be
  • Informing students as to how they can demand more from their Government if after knowing the facts they feel it is necessary.



We meet once a week on the quad lawn, in semester 1 2010 this will be 'Mondays at 12-1' check out our website as it's often more up to date than this page. We will also have an O-Week stall so feel free to come by for a chat, hopefully to see you soon.

  • “If not us, who? If not now, when?”


Email: enviro@arc.unsw.edu.au

Web: http://unsw.envirocollective.com/
Convenors for 2010 are:

Ben Noone b.noone@arc.unsw.edu.au 0448 075 788

Nicola Karcz n.karcz@arc.unsw.edu.au 0405 758 213

Queer Collective

The Queer Collective is a service for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and otherwise queer identifying students of UNSW and their friends, family and partners. The word queer has been used as an all inclusive term and the department recognises that not all students prefer this label or any at all.

The Queer Collective is willing to help students with many concerns relating to their sexuality which may include:

  • Information about queer-specific counselling and support services
  • Social functions and spaces, including regular meetings, movie nights, games nights and dinners out, which allow networking, friendships and relationships
  • Information for parents of queer students to help support their child
  • Information for friends of queer students to help support their friend
  • Information for queer students who encounter financial hardship or other difficulties
  • A safe space on campus for all queer students to meet each other and gather resources (The Queer Space is in room 920 of the Chemical Sciences Building)
  • Political campaigns to help foster a more diverse and accepting society based on equal rights

Every year, the department helps facilitate attendance of Queer Collaborations for all queer students who express interest. Queer Collaborations is a national political and educational conference which is held for a week at the beginning of July. In 2009, this conference will be held in Canberra.

The highlight of student involvement in the Queer Collective is when we get to see the smiles of people who have found new friendships, love and a solid base of people they can trust and depend on. Some people have a great time by keeping their sexuality private and socialising only when they want to and others are buoyant activists that share their identities with the rest of society. Either way, everyone is smiling and everyone is having a great time.

Collective membership is completely free. Arc membership is not required (though it is encouraged).

The Queer Department encourages members to respect other students' privacy. Facilitators of functions are advised not to address students physically outside the space unless it has the consent of the student/s in question.

Queer Space

The Queer Space is located in room 920, on level 9 of the Chemical Sciences building (Map Reference F10). It is open to all queer, questioning and queer-friendly students. It provides information, free safer sex supplies, a small library of queer-related books, basic kitchen appliances and a phone. It is open during scheduled meetings. Outside of meetings, a key can be signed out of Arc Reception (Blockhouse, Ground Floor).

Meetings

The Semester 1 2009 meeting times are:

Queer Collective (Mixed): 3-5PM Thursdays

Queer Boys: 2-4PM Tuesdays

Queer Girls: 10.30AM-1.30PM Wednesdays

O-Week Events

Queer Department Introduction: 2-3PM Monday 23 February 2009

There will also be a stall on the main walkway running all week - come and have a chat!

Contact Details

2009 Officers

Female-Identifying Officers:

Non-Female Identifying Officer:

Women’s Department

In 2008, the Women’s Department is composed of an informal Women’s Committee, the Kensington and COFA Women’s Collectives and the Kensington and COFA Women’s Officers.

We are an open and friendly Department, and aim for greater inclusivity of more women because every woman is unique.

The Women’s Department is an important part of the Arc Student Representative Council, and is there to ensure that any of the Rep Council’s activities are inclusive of women and persons who are transgendered females.

The Department aims to ensure that we are fairly represented with the recognition that women's rights are human rights.

There is no doubt that we have come far yet there is still a long way to go. Every woman has the right to feel valued as a human being, to be mutually respected, to be free from physical, emotional and other harms, denigration and gendered poverty, to be part of fulfilling relationships where her needs are also met, to access free education wherein women's achievements and talents are recognised and are rewarded, to be sexually free, to feel included, heard and recognised within the workplace, schools and universities, to have access to worker's rights, to be free from all discriminations, and has the sole right to decide what happens to her body.

For more information on the Women's Department, check out the Women's Department FAQ.

The Women’s Officers - Kensington and COFA

The Women's Officer helps to empower and gives support to female students.

If you want to have a chat, ask any questions or get involved in any way please feel free to contact Lucy Geddes or Jody Earles, the 2009 Kensington Women's Officers by making an appointment through email on women@arc.unsw.edu or by visiting the Women’s Room, 1st Floor, East Wing, Blockhouse, Lower Campus, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10.30am-5pm or by calling 9385 7650 on those days.

The 2008 COFA Women’s Officer is Jade Muratore, she can be contacted at cofawomen@hotmail.com

The Women’s Officer can speak up about government and University policy where women’s concerns and interests are seen to be different, and works to enable women’s varied voices to be heard. This is best achieved by remembering the differences between women and by working with other individuals, groups and organisations outside the Department.

For more information on what a Women's Officer does, check out the Women's Department FAQ.

Claire and Jade also respectively convene the Kensington and COFA Women’s Collectives.

The Women’s Collectives - Kensington and COFA

The Kensington Women's Collective is an autonomous group for all women. There are two very important aspects to the Kensington Women’s Collective: the social and the political. We meet once a week during both semesters on Thursdays from 1-2pm where we socialise, talk confidentially and perhaps debate in the Women’s Room, Level 1, Blockhouse, Lower Campus. The Department will also be hosting social events throughout the year. Attending the Women’s Collective is a great way to meet new friends and to not feel so isolated on campus. The political side is where the Women’s Collective runs campaigns and hosts events in order to raise awareness about issues that affect women disproportionately.

The COFA’s Women’s Collective has a strong focus on women’s issues within the arts as well as expressions of feminism through the medium of art. We meet every Wednesday, 1 – 2pm at the Womyn’s Room located just next to the Common Room in the E Block, COFA Campus.

We work together and attend special feminist events such as International Women's Day and Reclaim the Night.

Remember it does not matter if you are a student at Kensington or COFA, both collectives are open to you. Of course if you are a cross campus student then both collectives also belong to you.

For more information on what the Women's Collectives have done, check out the Women's Department FAQ.

Special events, publications and activities brewing in 2008...

2008 UNSWomen’s Handbook

There is a 2008 UNSWomen’s Handbook, femmelore available from March 3rd. It's a one-stop resource so that women know what is available i.e. services and groups that are out there and for fun times! It also contains beautiful art work, and pieces of writing from Kensington and COFA women to you!

O-Week and O-Day Collectives stalls.

There will be free UNSWomen’s Goodie Bags and a Women’s Collective Stall every day during O-Week. The Women’s Collective Stall is situated in the Arc Rep Council section at Kensington campus. The COFA Women's Collective will have our own stall on O-Day, March 4th at COFA.

International Women's Day (IWD)

Saturday 8th of March 2008 is the 100th anniversary of IWD. Join us at Sydney Town Hall at 11am and listen to the wonderful and inspiring female keynote speakers. We then march to Hyde Park so we can celebrate women’s fine and extensive achievements. At Hyde Park we are entertained by female musicians and artists, can go inside the Memory Tent and check out the stalls to see what feminist professionals and groups are doing around NSW.

UNSWomen hosts “Chewing the Fat Over Cheese (and Wine)”

This event is a meet and mingle especially for all female mature aged students (21 and over when started study, postgraduate women or studying longer)! Come join us on Wednesday 19th of March 2008 from 5pm – 7pm at the Club Bar which is above the Roundhouse on Kensington campus. 2 free drinks for female mature aged students. Friends and supporters at normal rates. Please RSVP by Friday 13th March @ women@arc.unsw.edu.au .

Women's Week

A special week for all women is Women's Week which in 2008 is in Week 7, Semester 1! This is a week to learn, get creative, get active, get involved in or just be a spectator to activities and events that showcase what women can do and what we can do to enact personal and collective change.

Women's Tharunka

A special autonomous edition of our magazine will come out in Week 11, Semester 1. All contributions are due by Friday May 9th (Week 8).

DISSONANCE Annual Feminist Art Exhibition

Beginning in 1991, Dissonance is organised every year by the COFA Women's Collective and held at Kudos Gallery. It gives women students an opportunity to workshop their skills as curators and as artists in a commercial gallery setting while exhibiting a variety of works that engage in a dialogue with feminist theory and politics.

The Ethnocultural Department

Ethnicity and race encompass a huge range of issues that affect all of us in Australia. In working closely with the Indigenous and International students department, we aim to promote cultural harmony through understanding and valuing the differences not only within UNSW but in Australian society’s running. Plus, we strive to combat racism that marginalises or exploits people.

The Ethnocultural Department of the Student Representative Council campaigns in the interests of ethnocultural issues within the university and the wider community. This year, two ethnocultural officers will facilitate the Cultural Diversity Collective, which is a group of students interested in running the campaigns and initiatives of the department. Guided by the principles of acceptance, active engagement and education, the Ethnocultural Department works with the collective to ensure that UNSW is a safe and welcoming place for students from all cultural, ethnic, racial, religious and national backgrounds.

The Ethnocultural Department is responsible for the running of two main events on campus, Harmony and Acceptance weeks, which are held in semester one and two respectively. These events often include guest speakers and informative stalls.

Be part of the discussions on ethnocultural issues on campus and off including:

  • Indigenous sovereignty
  • Fighting racism in the many ways and situations it manifests itself
  • Cultural and linguistic diversity
  • Refugees
  • Human rights
  • And more

Collectives

You can get involved through the following groups:

Cultural Diversity Collective: We meet every Monday 1-2pm on the Quad Lawn.

And/Or

Women of Colour Collective:As women of colour, we are often torn between 'race' issues and 'gender' issues, and find ourselves participating in either male-dominated anti-racist groups or white-dominated feminist groups. This network will hopefully become a space where we can begin discussing the intersections of race and gender (and class, sexuality, ability, etc.) in our lives. To subscribe to the e-list email UNSW WOC-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

These collectives are empowering spaces that can be time spent on learning, discussing and generating creative ideas and actions to address topics you are passionate about anything from doing spunky street theatre to running campaigns. From workshops to working on specific projects to working with other groups and organisations on common social justice issues.

Upcoming Events

This year look forward to:

  • Harmony Week in Week 3 (23rd-27th March) of semester 1
  • Acceptance Week in Week 4 of semester 2

Contact

For more information please visit the ARC website, or contact your Ethnocultural Officers for 2009:

You may also visit the Activist room on the 1st Floor, East Wing, Blockhouse, Lower Campus to collect information.

The Ethnocultural SRC representatives are also available from 2-3pm and 4-5pm on Thursday afternoons for a chat, or to discuss any particular queries you may have.

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