Amanda Zivcic, Wollongong
A landslide victory was recorded in the elections for the Wollongong Undergraduate Students Association (WUSA), held October 7-12, for the left-wing ticket Grassroots. Grassroots stood on a platform of support for social
Amanda Zivcic, Wollongong
A landslide victory was recorded in the elections for the Wollongong Undergraduate Students Association (WUSA), held October 7-12, for the left-wing ticket Grassroots. Grassroots stood on a platform of support for social justice campaigns, especially the campaign against "voluntary student unionism" (VSU), and won nearly all office-bearer positions and a sizeable majority of the WUSA representatives.
"Grassroots was comprised of students who have been fighting VSU and [Howard's industrial relations] 'reforms' all year", an excited Jess Moore, newly elected president of WUSA, told Green Left Weekly. "These are not students who only appear at election time."
Jay Fletcher, the incoming women's officer, pointed out: "Students recognised the faces [running for Grassroots] from the very strong anti-VSU campaign. This is a very inspiring and motivating thing to have achieved, and is significant in terms of the potential for student activism."
Throughout the year, the WUSA education collective was able to mobilise hundreds of students in demonstrations, speak-outs and meetings against VSU. "Next year it will be really important for the fight against VSU on campus to have a team committed to a real student voice and student activism", Jenna McConnochie, the re-elected education campaigns coordinator stated."These elections represent a huge victory for the Left."
Grassroots, whose main opponents were supporters of the Liberal Party, ran a campaign on more than just opposition to VSU. "The policies of the two tickets running could not have been more polarised", Moore explained. "We ran an activist ticket opposing racism, sexism, queerophobia and the privatisation of education, against a ticket that explicitly stood for 'entertainment for all, not mindless protests', and which offered students 'a real Mann on board'", she said, referring to the Liberal ticket's presidential candidate John Mann and his campaign.
"It's heartening that students have shown support for activists fighting for social and environmental justice, and that students have voted for reform to the union to increase participation and their own involvement", Moore concluded. "I think we can expect good things next year."
From Green Left Weekly, November 2, 2005.
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