Some of the ANU’s student politics hopefuls have seen their prospects restored after failing to be elected in August’s ANUSA elections, successfully contest- ing positions on the Clubs Council.
Nearly 40 per cent of those people who will serve on the Clubs Council next year ran in the ANUSA elections in August, while over 60 per cent of those elected have previously been involved in ANUSA, either as candidates or officials.
Lewis Pope, who has been elected chair, said it showed those who were elected to the Clubs Council had clearly demonstrated their ‘passion’ and willingness to get involved with student life on campus. Previous experience was ‘overwhelmingly positive.’
Pope ran unsuccessfully on Eleanor Kay’s Lift ANUSA ticket for treasurer, and launched a bid for Clubs Council chair on a platform of responsiveness and optimising Council grants to clubs.
Pope beat Bodie D’Orazio and Jacob Mildren in an election which saw a low turnout of 37 of 158 eligible delegates.
Pope, who has been running for ANUSA elections since his first year at the University, said it was a ‘positive thing’ about the characters of his new fellow Clubs Council members that they would continue to look for opportunities to work for the student body.
Pope pointed to the incoming secretary, Howard Maclean, and the incoming community officer, Mariana Segaram, as people who had sought out these positions to work for students. Both are no strangers to student politics.
Maclean is a current general representative to the Student Representative Council and ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for ANUSA general secretary and University council member. He was elected National Union of Students delegate.
He described himself in the Clubs Council campaign as a ‘failed ANUSA gen- sec candidate’, and pointed to ‘dozens of hours’ invested in improving meetings, policy and governance oversight.
Segaram ran unsuccessfully for ANUSA social officer on the Lift ticket with Lewis Pope. Pope and Segaram were the only Lift executive candidates who were not elected.
Segaram, a third year engineering and business administration student, is the current discipline branch officer, and has been on the ANU K-Pop club’s committee, involved with the International Students’ Department, Ekta and the UniLodge residents’ committee.
She was elected on a campaign of expanding on work she has already undertaken to ensure clubs can be inclusive environments.
Familiar #stupol faces elected to the Clubs Council are Matthew Mottola, the incoming 2018 queer* officer; Joel Baker, a 2016 and 2017 probity officer in the ANUSA elections and current Clubs Council secretary; Jonathan Tjandra, 2015 Let’s ticket candidate for College of Arts and Social Sciences representative; Lauren Kightly, Lift general representative; and Ian Fulton, 2016 general officer on the Clubs Council and veteran of 2016’s Make ANUSA Great Again ticket.
Mottola will serve as affiliation officer, Baker as communications officer, Tjandra will continue as faith and religion branch officer, Kightly as language and culture branch officer, and Fulton as funding officer.
Osman Chiu and Jacob Mildren will join incumbent Matthew Stuckey as general officers in 2018.
Lily Iervasi has been elected arts and performance branch officer, Shirley Ruan will serve as discipline branch officer and Seren Heyman-Griffiths will be the humanitarian, advocacy and social justice branch officer. Tandee Wang, a 2017 elections probity officer, will be special interest branch officer.
Niall Cummins, a first year student and already an ANUSA campaign veteran of the Activate general representatives ticket, has been elected political branch officer and wants to bring a ‘co-operative approach to the role.’
He told Woroni in a statement he would work towards the Clubs Council being able to provide more support to political clubs on what ‘obviously such a politically charged campus.’ He said: ‘I think clubs are a great way for interested students to meet other like-minded individuals in a social setting.’
‘There will be plenty of opportunities for the political clubs to work together, but I’m also very mindful of the fact that each club has their own philosophy and way of doing things. The last thing I want to do is upset that balance by being too overbearing,’ Cummins said, noting that if they were engaging with the student body that was ‘fantastic.’
‘Personally I believe that so long as their activities are enriching the experience of ANU students, they should be treated the same as any other club.
‘I’ll be pushing hard for Clubs Council to offer funding to political clubs, with the necessary oversight and regulation a strong priority,’ he said.
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