Dear members of the ANU Student community,
Today at 9am, polls opened for elections to the ANU Students’ Association (ANUSA), your peak representative body. Polls will close 12pm Friday 28 August.
Many of you will be cynical about the election cycle, others will be overwhelmed by the inundation of profile photos being changed on facebook, and others will be confused by what is going on! I want to encourage you to spend some time this week familiarising yourself with ANUSA, what it does, and thinking about who you want to represent you in 2021.
I encourage you to do this with respect just as the candidates owe it to be respectful in their discourse with you all. Candidates are supposed to be scrutinised however it is important that if you are engaging in this that you recognise that your words and criticisms are being pointed towards friends, colleagues and fellow students just like you. In my previous interactions with ANUSA elections I have always been struck by how candidates have such a high dedication to getting the best outcomes for students and I hope this dedication continues this year. These people care about you, and are willing to put their values and vision out for public scrutiny. They will welcome your engagement, but please engage with respect. Consider the wellbeing of these people who have been willing to put themselves forward, and in the case of tickets, are investing in the candidacy of others.
Candidates are also supposed to maintain standards of conduct this week. If you have any concerns with the conduct of candidates, do not hesitate to reach out to our Probity team on sa.probityofficers@anu.edu.au.
Some of you will feel that this election is different, because of you aren't on campus or even in Canberra. You may feel like your vote is less important because you haven't felt engaged with so far but I still want to encourage you to vote. The outcome of these elections determine the substance and quality of your representation for the coming year. They determine the priorities the Student Representative Council will pursue, and the values that your student representatives will uphold and fight for. Your vote is an easy way to have a say in how this occurs and to ensure that someone is on the SRC who represents you!
ANUSA has power and achieves important outcomes for students. This year we have successfully advocated for the opt in CRS/CRN, we have received and are in the process of distributing over $800 000 in emergency financial grants, and we have ensured that throughout our various transitions on and off campus that students are prioritised in light of ground-breaking changes around the university.
What will ANUSA do in 2021? Your vote this week will help determine this.
Please, make sure you log in to voteanusa.com before 12pm Friday 28 August to cast your vote!
Warm regards,
Lachy Day
ANUSA President 2020
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