January Council Wrap-Up
January has been a great month for the Guild as we all move to get ready for the start of Semester in February! We’re excited to welcome all our new students, and hopefully you’ll get to meet some of us in the Guild throughout your first few weeks. With our first Guild Council meeting of the year held on the 29th of January, I’m excited to share some of the latest updates from Council.
Here’s a glimpse at some of the January Council highlights:
- Change the Date: the 107th Guild Council voted to stand in solidarity with the WA Students Aboriginal Corporation and UWA’s First Nation students, recognising the impact of dispossession and marginalisation.
- Bushfire Crisis: in the wake of the bushfire crisis, Council moved to coordinate a fundraising effort, and expressed concern about the scale of destruction due to climate change. We encourage students who have been affected, or who have had loved ones affected by the crisis to seek support from our Student Assist team.
- Committee Elections: We have elected Christopher-John Daudu to Academic Board and Anna Kimpton to the Strategic Resources Committee after the positions were made vacant. The Council also accepted Byron Ellis and Rp Van Der Westhuizen as OCMs of the Tenancy Committee. Good luck team!
- Relay for Life: on the recommendation of Guild Volunteering, we have appointed Medaavi Gopaul as the Relay for Life Committee Chair. Congratulations!
- Uni Student Climate Strike: the Guild endorsed the March 13 Uni Student Climate Strike, and recognised the need for a rapid transition to renewables and shutting down of fossil fuel industries.
- Climate Change Action Network: we have officially accepted the UWA Student Guild Climate Change Action Network rules – putting into action the recent Climate Emergency referendum.
- Pay and We Go: the 107th Guild Council has condemned the lack of communication and consultation around the move to PAYG parking on campus, and committed to running a campaign against the move. The Council also recognised that this would unfairly affect students from non-metro, low-SES, and caring backgrounds, and those with high course attendance requirements.
- Bettina Arndt honour condemnation: the Guild condemned the Australia Day honours awarded to Bettina Arndt in light of her harmful views on sexual assault. We are calling on the Governor General to strip her of her Order of Australia. You can sign the petition here.
And that about sums up a very long meeting!
If you have any questions about the Guild or what we do, please don’t hesitate to flick me an email ([email protected]). I love people reaching out, so get in touch if there’s any way I can help!
All the best,
Luke
2020 General Secretary
