For this year’s Student Guild Election, there are approximately five candidates running for the Faculty Representative positions – two of those candidates who will be competing against one another for the Faculty of Business and Law Representative role. In this article, we at Grok Magazine reached out to these candidates in order to learn more about them as a person, as well as what they are planning on achieving with their roles. 

It should be noted that out of the five candidates we reached out to for this article, only two of them have provided responses to our questions so far. As a result, we are currently waiting for answers from the remaining candidates.

Faculty of Health Sciences Representative: Hiba Alsoeady
Hiba Alsoeady is an Illuminate candidate running for the Faculty of Health Sciences Representative role, Guild Councillor and NUS Delegate. Here is her candidate statement.

After reaching out to Hiba, we were met with no response, and were therefore unable to receive further comments on her statement. Needless to say, as she is the only candidate running for this position, she will automatically be elected.

Faculty of Science and Engineering Representative: Joren Noah Regan
Joren Noah Regan is an Illuminate candidate running for the Faculty of Science and Engineering Representative role. Here is his candidate statement.

After reaching out to Joren, we were met with no response, and were therefore unable to receive further comments on his statement. Needless to say, as he is the only candidate running for this position, he will automatically be elected.

Faculty of Business and Law Representative: Brodie Abrahams
Brodie Abrahams is an Independent candidate running for the Faculty of Business and Law Representative role. Here is his candidate statement.

After reaching out to Brodie, we were able to interview him and receive further comments on his statement:

Grok: Why are you running for the Faculty of Business and Law Representative role?

Brodie: Even though I decided to run as the Faculty of Business and Law Representative, the primary motivation behind my nomination was to do my part in enhancing the lives of all students, regardless of faculty or discipline. I found it interesting that most of the Guild were a part of the same group. I knew that anyone could go for the position, so I decided to run independently. I think it is important that students know that they can get involved in the Guild and make a change. 

Grok: According to your statement, you plan on refocusing the priorities of the Student Guild to directly support students. How do you intend to do this?

Brodie: Even though the Guild does so much to support student wellbeing on campus, I feel as though not many people are informed about the Guild. From talking to a few of my classmates, I’ve noticed that most students feel indifferent toward the Guild. They don’t really know or care what it does. This is a problem because I think the Guild has so much to offer. An important step to take would be conducting a campus-wide survey to gain feedback on the Guild. It seems that the Guild can appear daunting for people to approach, because a lot of its projects seem too big for students to get involved in. By re-evaluating the Guild’s approach to activities, it can reconnect with students and achieve realistic goals. 

Grok: You also intend to support and maintain industry partnerships in order to secure opportunities for students. How do you plan on doing this?

Brodie: There is a trend across Curtin of various faculties and units promoting company internships and coordinating business-led events. However, in recent years there has been a bit of push-back from the Guild against Curtin working with certain companies. Personally, I believe that students deserve as many opportunities as possible. Whilst it is important to stay conscious of how industries are behaving (e.g., climate policies, equality etc.), I think the Guild should be supporting students to explore these industries, and potentially make change. If the Guild doesn’t build and support industry partnerships, student opportunities will be very limited. The Guild should design a ‘professional advice’ page which features opportunities organised by the Guild to promote connections between education and industry. 

Grok: Lastly, you would like to develop a more structured and student-led process of allocating SSAF fees appropriately. How are you planning to go about this?

Brodie: The Student Services and Amenities Fee is the payment we make at the beginning of each semester to avoid getting an academic sanction. Each year, for at least the last two years, the Guild has inherited 50% of the total SSAF revenue. 3.6 million dollars was received by Curtin University in 2021, in SSAF alone. Whilst this money has been used to support various operations on campus, I think students would benefit from greater transparency in how the SSAF is spent. I believe there should be an open and accessible feedback/inquiry channel (which is something I have seen in place at other Universities) to allow students to send feedback and suggestions on the spending. I also think there should be a more comprehensive breakdown of how the money is spent, especially since many students are struggling financially at this time. 

Faculty of Business and Law Representative: Ryan Kirby
Ryan Kirby is an Illuminate candidate running for the Faculty of Business and Law Representative role. Here is his candidate statement.

After reaching out to Brodie, we were able to interview him and receive further comments on his statement:

Grok: Why did you decide to run for the Faculty of Business and Law Representative role?

Ryan: I chose to run because I want to ensure that students have the best experience possible at Curtin, I love this faculty, but I also know that there are so many areas that can be improved such as easing the process of club registration, expanding availability for funding of clubs, advocating for paid practicals and internships. Ensuring there are events where FBL students can maximize their enjoyment and experience during their degree is also key to my enthusiasm to run for this position.

Grok: According to your statement, you intend on ensuring that the quality of lecture recordings and online resources meet a high standard, and that students should get notified about internship opportunities related to their field of study. How do you plan on implementing these improvements?

Ryan: I plan to ensure the quality of lecture recordings and online resources by creating a mechanism whereby students can notify the Guild if online resources are not adequate and from there utilise the Guild’s connections with Curtin staff to ensure a minimum standard is met, in every aspect of this role I will aim to work synergistically with the university to provide the best outcomes for students. I will also be exploring many different ways to notify students about internship opportunities but foremostly I will be utilising the Guild FBL Facebook group.

Grok: You also plan to provide greater access to online resources by expanding the Curtin library catalogue, while also allowing greater funding of society and club events. How are you planning on achieving these promises?

Ryan: Collective bargaining is key to delivering these policies, I will work closely with both the university and other (hopefully Illuminate) Guild representatives to present the case that greater access to online resources through an expanded catalogue and greater club funding will enable greater success for students through their university journey and will attract more potential students to Curtin when compared to other universities. Collectively, Illuminate will advocate for and develop partnerships with other universities to access their libraries, in effect, expanding Curtin’s available library.

Grok: Lastly, you would like to advocate for reducing the cost of parking at university, as well as bargain for greater discounts on student essentials. How do you intend to fight against these issues?

Ryan: The price of attending university is far too high now and inflation has disproportionately affected people with low incomes—many of which are university students. I along with an Illuminate Guild will continue our work to lodge this case to the University and ensure they take action to support students. An Illuminate Guild has already made initiatives to tackle the high costs of university life such as the creation and expansion of the student kitchens and free food drops on Campus, Illuminate will work to continue to expand these services through Guild in 2023.

Faculty of Humanities Representative: Jude Soussan
Jude Soussan is an Illuminate candidate running for the Faculty of Humanities Representative role. Here is her candidate statement.

After reaching out to Jude, we were met with no response, and were therefore unable to receive further comments on her statement. Needless to say, as she is the only candidate running for this position, she will automatically be elected.

 

Voting for the Student Guild Election will commence on the 19th of September and will close on the 22nd of September. According to the Handbook, polls will be set up at Club HQ and near Mallokup Café from 10:00am – 4:00pm each voting day.