100 signatures reached
To: La Trobe university Chancellor Hon. John Brumby AO & Vice Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell
Oppose La Trobe's Student Council
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La Trobe University has just announced elections for the new Student Council (SC). The SC is a body designed to work alongside university management and undermine student democracy and independence.
This is a serious attack on the La Trobe Student Union (LTSU). The LTSU is the peak representative body for students at La Trobe; it advocates for students’ interest regardless of whether this lines up with the interests of the university. Any attempt by the university to replace the LTSU with another student organisation is a serious threat to independent student unionism.
This follows on from the university takeover of Student Advocacy late last year, which massively slashed funding to the union, and undermined the independence of the advocacy department. Introducing the SC weakens the capacity of the student union to represent the student body and organise campaigns within those interests. It also has the potential to justify further attacks on the LTSU, further cuts to funding, and could be pointed to as evidence of student support by the university.
Why is this important?
The university is undergoing a restructure, including significant cuts, that is opposed by the LTSU and is introducing another student body to weaken the union’s ability to oppose this. Elected representatives from “another student organisation” within the last two years are ineligible for a position on the new Student Council, preventing those who have already been elected by the student body to the LTSU or LTSA from running. Additionally, the Election Regulations allow the university to “remove candidates from the election process at any time at their own discretion”. The regulations also allow the university to “share information about individual candidates on the University website and/or social media”, purportedly to promote the election. Both of these policies could allow the university to influence the results of the election and have an influence in how the Student Council runs.
We, the undersigned, call on the university to cancel the formation of the Student Council as an attack on the LTSU and independent student organisation.