University of New South Wales Student Guild
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The University of New South Wales Student Guild of Undergraduates and Postgraduates (commonly referred to as the UNSW Student Guild) is the principal student union at the University of New South Wales. The Guild represents students at all faculties of the university save for the College of Fine Arts and the Australian Defence Force Academy.
Students at the College of Fine Arts are represented by the College of Fine Arts Students' Association.
Membership of the Student Guild is currently compulsory, but will cease to be so as of 1 July 2006 (see Voluntary Student Unionism).
Executive
The Guild is headed by the President. Other members of the Executive include the Secretary/Treasurer, who may or may not also be the Activities Officer, the Vice-President (Education/Welfare), Women's Officer, Media Directors, International Students Officer, Queer Officers, Indigenous Students Officer, Ethnic Affairs Officer and Environment Officer. The Guild also has a Postgraduate Board which has more autonomy than the other departments.
Members of the Executive are elected by campus-wide elections in September every year and take office on 1 January the following year.
Supplementary internal elections are held by Guild Council at the end of the year to fill a further array of non-executive positions and committees, including for the CASOC (Clubs And Societies On Campus) Standing Committee.
History
The Guild was the first student organisation at the University. Originally called the University of New South Wales Student Union, it evolved from earlier organisations that predate the existence of the University itself.
Former Presidents include John Niland, who went on to become the Vice-Chancellor of the University from 1992 to 2002 and Penny Sharpe, member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2005.
Guild politics
| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this section is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia), with each such ticket representing a different faction or ideological group within that party. Nevertheless, broadly non-aligned tickets of various ideologies have had considerable success in Guild elections, much more so than at other major Australian Universities. This was particularly evident in the late-1990s when the non-aligned centre-right group initially known as "Everybody" and later known as "U 'n' I" and "SpeakOut" dominated the Guild elections. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Guild was a famous centre of student radicalism. The student newspaper, Tharunka, achieved international fame during this period as editors such as Richard Neville (the famous editor of Oz Magazine) and Wendy Bacon pushed the limits of censorship and taste. Over the last thirty years, student groups associated with the left wing of the Australian Labor Party have achieved the most consistent success in Guild elections, most recently with the election of Xavier O'Halloran as the 2006 President. However, over recent years this success has deteriorated somewhat. The late 1990s were monopolised by non-affiliated conservatives and although Labor Left had some success with David Boyd's win in the 2000 elections, this success was short-lived and for the first time in the Guild's history students affiliated with the right wing of the ALP achieved consistent success with three consecutive Presidents in 2002, 2003 and 2004. In 2003, a broad alliance of progressive students consisting of Labour Left and the remnants of the Broadleft contested the elections and won a clear majority of the votes. However, in dubious circumstances the Presidential candidate, Gulfam Ahmed, was excluded and many cried foul over the corrupt electoral practices adopted by Student Unity. Riding on the wave of anti-corruption sentiment, Manoj Dias-Abey, a non-aligned leftist, led the progressive student alliance to power in 2004. O'Halloran's win again in 2005, may suggest that the left's control of the Guild will be less fleeting this time around. FunctionsThe Guild's primary function is representative: liaising with government, senior management and the faculties and schools to ensure that the views of students are properly represented in decision-making processes. The Guild also offers advocacy, legal advice and welfare support to the students of the University. To this end, the Guild employs a Welfare Officer and a Solicitor. The Guild also has various welfare officers including the Vice-President, Women's Officer, Indigenous Students Officer, International Students Officer and Queer Officers who also provide welfare services as well as cultural and community activities. Finally, the Guild is the cultural centre of the student body. The student newspaper, Tharunka, is one of the most prominent in Australia and has a long and controversial history. The Guild also oversees the administration and funding of over 200 clubs and societies at UNSW. The Guild also organises an array of social events, including Orientation Week, Foundation Day, and Cultural Week. CouncilThe Guild is governed by a Council, made up of 15 representatives elected from student bodies on a faculty group basis. The Executive, being the office bearers, are also members of the Council, as are the Executive-elect for the period after the results of elections have been determined by the Returning Officer until the end of the year, when they assume their offices. LocationThe Guild takes up most of the East Wing of the Quadrangle Building in the centre of the Kensington campus of the University. Its address is: UNSW Student Guild 1st floor Quadrangle Building Kensington NSW 2052 Phone: 9385 5454 Past Presidents of the UNSW Student Guild
See also
External links
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