Because not every candidate got back to us before the publication date of the politics issue, and because we didn't get to include everything the candidates said, here are some extended interviews with candidates as well as some that did make publication.
University Council
Chris Redfern
What in your view is University Council?
I feel that University Council is a group of academic experts and businessmen entrusted in the running of the financial sector and innovation around the University. I feel the University Council is comprised of very experienced people.
What are your core values?
My core values, I really like the student/life balance – enjoying being a student, being social, getting around, seeing friends and engaging with other people. I don't like sitting still and doing nothing. I actually like to be a bit active.
What are your objectives for University Council?
I feel that parking on campus can be severely improved in terms of the financial cost to students, especially during the start of the year when they're already buying textbooks, putting the down payment on their education, and not to mention parking fees being raised last year. Even if they just stay stable that'd be nice for us. I’d also like to give student groups more control over their funds. I know this is a difficult thing, but I'd like to get a committee going to see how everything can change. Because a lot of student groups are concerned. Also they need more people down there [in the U@MQ office] to do it. They're severely understaffed to compensate for the eighty or so student groups. Thirdly, I would also like to bring back happy hour and shots to the bar. I don't think the change was a wise move from either a Drinkwise perspective or becoming the healthiest university in 2015. I think that there is a social impact in keeping students happy and not restricting their freedoms to alcohol. I think we should be advertising more awareness in drugs rather than just dictating what students can and cannot do. I think there needs to be a greater education rather than a greater enforcement. And finally, I'm sure this will be what every candidate will say, I'd like to strengthen student engagement and representation. I'd like to get MUSRWG, the student working group off the ground and actually into something solid, because at the moment apart from U@MQ suggestion boxes, not very much information is being thrown around.
How do you intend to resolve the parking situation, given the intense difficulty the university faces with parking and also statements from people within OFM saying that parking is never used to full capacity?
That comment is only going up to where the N3 carpark is at the very top byCulloden Road., and the comments are because it's at the very top of a hill and because it’s a wide carpark area. Most of the students’ parking occurs around the southern end of the University in the C1 to E1 to W1 carparks. That's where the majority of students are choosing to park. However, if we can either extend or make access easier for students to either go up more towards the northern end of the campus that would increase the chances of parking being better distributed. I would also like to enact a carpooling scheme to encourage students to carpool. I live fairly close to the University and I know hundreds of people that pass me but none of them want to pick me up. I'm not a bad guy. I don't smell and I'd be happy to pay for petrol. Furthermore, I'd like to get rid of the reserved parking for those who want to pay the extra, what it is at the moment is is five hundred dollars to park in the specialised parking in C1. It's buying yourself out of a situation which is just unfair, because most students can't afford seven hundred dollars per year for a car space.
Do you think drinking is important to campus and campus culture?
I think it's very important to campus culture. Not in the sense that we all need to get drunk to have a good time. I think that the bar is a very important social hub and I think that limiting what students can and cannot do there is impacting on them socially. I think the students should be educated on how much they've had and how much is a safe and appropriate amount.
How do you intent to improve engagement?
It's a broad question because there's many ways of doing it, ranging from implementing an online election system which, I've been sitting on for over a year - that way we could actually get more students involved and reduce student apathy. We need to get students caring and then wanting to be involved with their academic requirements and their academic future because it's their university. The university will rub off on what the students think and what the students do, so if we actually get enough student involvement, things will change, and change is needed.
Mark Zoellner
What in your view is University Council?
Well, I've done a little bit of research and I think the over arching body of the university, that looks after matters of the university.
What are your values?
I think my values are to represent students and represent student interests. I think it’ probably my job on the University Council and I think we need to look after students in a time of their lives when they've got a lot of study and commitment.
What are your objectives for University Council?
We're running on a policy to try to subsidise things on campus for students. In times of financial crisis, with food and rent prices going up, I think probably, the best thing we can do is help relieve financial pressure on students if possible. It won’t be very hard to do so.
What would you identify as student interests?
I think students want to come to the University to do their degree and that’s probably where the main interest revolves around. Also, I think their interest is to make sure they have enough money to be able to live relatively well while doing their degree
How do you intend to achieve those subsidies, do you think you'll be able to convince the university to part with money while the university sector as a whole is suffering financially?
Well, I'll try very hard because it is my job to look after the students as their representative and I think we'll try to put forward a few very strong cases, lobby hard and do the job.
What, in your view, is the student body?
The student body is the students who come to university and study here and use the facilities that the university has.
Amy Smith
What in your view is University council?
University Council is the governing board of directors which makes up the main decisions that control the university.
What are your core values?
My core values are equal opportunity for all. I don't stand for any racism. Supporting all equity and diversity groups and really importantly, a sustainable social and environmental campus.
What are your objectives for University Council in the coming year?
Well, in the past year I focused on delivering my election promises, which was to create the new student representation association (MUSRA). I would also like to focus on raising more mature age and external student support services, working on ways we can make the campus more sustainable and affordable student housing along with the ongoing advocacy and representation on issues that face council every meeting.
What are the services that you want to include and how do they differ from the services provided by the university?
We're looking at coordinating under the U@MQ banner postgraduates, external, mature aged student services and working with the disability support units and the university's equity support units. This would streamline the process but, most importantly there are some services that are still missing from our campus. Access to advocacy and representation services, external students need representation,so we're looking at either getting a representative on the U@MQ board or MUSRA and having them come along to the new students’ association meetings. Services such as special gym memberships if they're only on campus, ten times a year, develop special programs for them, special rooms where they can spend time while they're at university and better ways of communication and accessing lecturers.
How do you plan to implement those?
I will continue to work on the [student representation] working group until the new students association is formed and elected. After that I will continue to have input on the process but most importantly work with council. My role is to explain the motion to council and make sure that they support it.
You've talked about representing a great diversity of students, how do you plan to do that?
At the moment we've got six equity and diversity groups which are recognised by the University, we have an equity and diversity committee and also with our new student's association there will be a representative for each of these. I will work closely with those people, regularly meeting up with them and taking those issues either to the U@MQ board or on to University Council.
Adrian Amer
What in your view is University Council?
I think that the University Council is one of the central governance bodies of the Uuniversity, and as the student representative on that body it would be my job to ensure the interests of all students are represented. Any concerns that the student body has, or ideas about future direction of the university are addressed there and hopefully solutions can be generated. And ultimately you’re with the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor and the other members of the board who do have a strong influence on the direction the University takes. So you’re in a position to try and drive change.
What are your values?
One of my key values is honesty, I also believe in fairness in representation. I suppose the fairness in representation thing is quite relevant to a student representative on the University Council. I also believe in doing what truly drives you and what makes you happy. Whatever your strengths are, you can work on those, and become the best that you want to be. Also I’m for democracy and ensuring that people are represented.
What are you objectives for Council?
My key election platforms are developing the perception and reputation of Macquarie University in the outside community. Ensuring that the focus of Macquarie is on tutorial centered learning. When Macquarie first started as a university, it focused very strongly on tutorials and more on group learning. It seems to me that one of the things that’s happened over the years is that we’ve shifted away from that somewhat. I’m totally aware of the reasons why, mainly funding constraints, but I would like to see more focus on tutorial style learning, so that students have a better environment to learn in. And the third one, is I want to ensure that on-line learning components at Macquarie are improved. Mainly by keeping the audio in sync with the lecture slides. Particularly because Macquarie has so many distance students and is part of Open Universities Australia, improvement will help the majority of those student who don’t get the chance to go to lectures, and those who choose not to attend for whatever reason. And just back on to the first point about the reputation and perception of Macquarie. It undoubtedly has a strong reputation as it is, but for whatever reason in many people’s eyes we may not have the standing of Sydney University or UNSW. As a student here, I feel there’s no reason why we shouldn’t. As the university is doing already it needs to continue to drive the reputation of the Uni further by addressing marketing and UAI concerns and really asking questions as to what school leavers and employers look for in a University.
How do you intend to develop the University’s image within the community?
One is try to look into what drives UAI cutoffs. I think the key ways in which a university and it's quality is determined by UAIs, as sad as it is. Other university's, I am aware, and the Vice Chancellor is aware of this, UAIs are artificially inflated and they do that by accepting a smaller number of students in the first round and providing more offers after. While I don't necessarily think we need to play that game, I think it needs to be addressed somewhat, whether it be more direct contact with students from school or increasing the research output, like the university is doing.
How do you improve on-line learning with university council?
I think that it needs to be raised at the council level that it is the concern of students that on-line learning isn't as good as it could be. One of the key ways it can be improved by is ensuring that the audio is in sync with the lecturer's interaction. While the university council isn't personally in a position to go through and fix it themselves, they are in a position to ensure that the problem is taken through the correct channels. I'm happy to raise that and can establish that that is a student concern and take it through the technology department or whatever it may be.
Academic Senate
Amelia Ditcham
What in your view is Academic Senate?
Academic Senate is obviously the governing body of the university that makes decisions about everything academic.
What are your values?
I’m kind of a lefty to be honest. Because I believe that there are people who are lucky, people that have opportunities and they need to help those who don’t. I enjoy being on academic senate because I’m able to use my knowledge and my situations to help out people and to advocate on behalf of people who are finding it hard to engage with the system.
What are your objectives for senate?
Well I would really like to continue what I re-committed myself to in my last term on academic senate. I’m on quite a few committees, academic appeals, the library committee, and a subcommittee working on the structure of academic senate. I am the only student on that the structure committee and I would like to ensure that there are more students on academic senate. At least one undergraduate from every faculty, as well as positions for indigenous students or staff, as well as post graduate and maybe international students as well.
Do you feel you’ve been accountable on senate, how?
I think I have in the sense that everything thing I have done has been totally legitimate, and through the correct procedures. I believe I’m accountable in the sense that [if] somebody says, “What happened at senate?” I’ll be able to tell you, I’ll be able to tell you why it happened, I’ll be able to tell you what’s going to happen in the future or what the potential issues are coming up.
How do you plan on getting more students on senate?
Well, as I mentioned before I’m on that working committee that’s restructuring the academic senate. With the recent academic restructure the senate has changed and so there is a committee that organizes how many representatives are going to be on the committee from 2010 onwards. I’m a student who is on that committee I’m going in with a notion to make sure that we have at least four students on the senate because it can be intimidating to go in there and in the end students are the reason that this university runs.
If a student needed to contact you with a grievance, but didn’t know you or anyone you know, how would they do that?
Well, it’s really interesting that you say that, because that’s happened to me a few times through networks, and friends of friends of friends. Also MUPRA have handed on a couple of academic problems onto me, because I’ve established a relationship with them, Also through my work with the student representative working group. I find that a lot of what I do gets out through U@MQ networks as well. I know it doesn’t sound very structured through friends of friends of friends but it’s really interesting how at a barbeque I’ll walk into somebody who says “Oh yeah, so and so told me to talk to you, I have a problem with XYZ”. My e-mail address is on every piece of correspondence I put out as well. I think that’s how it’s really networked, but I would like to improve it as well, in the sense of getting out there in the student publication, reporting on what’s happened and putting my e-mail address on the bottom of that.
Nick Ferrari
What in your view is Academic Senate?
Academic Senate to me is a body that's responsible for pretty much deciding everything that goes on in the academic life at the university from degrees to class sizes, new area of studies etc.
What are your values?
I think that free speech is a big thing, and university life student engagement and getting involved with the university.
What are your objectives for senate?
There are a few things that I've been having a chat to a few people about that I'd like to see changed. Firstly I'd like that there'd be a little bit more accountability to students and a little bit more student input, in what goes on with degrees and also that the students’ needs are met and things like class sizes need to be looked at.
How do you intend to implement greater levels of accountability?
I'd have to have a look at what we are actually able to achieve in the senate because students only get three positions. It's more just making sure that the students are aware of Academic Senate and that they actually get to see what causes the changes.
How do you intend to combat class sizes?
Again, that's something that I'm going to have to look at when I actually see what the reasons for the class sizes are. I'm not going to say that I can achieve things which are unachievable. I can't answer that at the moment without seeing what it is that is causing it to go up.
What do you see as the method of sourcing the information you need?
Things like running surveys, actually just engaging with students, asking people on campus here and there. I've already had a chat to people that I'm friends with but just having a chat to people in the bar every now and then, meeting new people, seeing what their issues are and bringing this to light in the senate, making sure that it has actually debated.
Brad Williams
What in your view is Academic Senate?
Well, the Academic Senate is an organisation that oversees all the academic parts of the University. It oversees what is fundamentally the degrees and the honours, they organiseappeals for grades and all that sort of stuff. It's more the intellectual side of the University.
What are your values?
I think it's fair to say, I have fairly conservative values. Not to a ridiculous extent but, sort of more status-quo, so what we have now. Not with the University, but broadly speaking, what we have now is where society is at.
What are your objectives for senate?
With the senate more needs to be done to ensure that the standard of our academics is higher and that we need to be looking out more for students and ensuring that they're getting what they're paying for. Lord knows it's very expensive and we want to have a good education and the organisation that oversees that part of our education is the Academic Senate.
If you could change something about the Uni, it doesn't have to be for Academic Senate, what would you change, or would you leave it all the same?
The biggest problem that we at Macquarie have is we lack any real student representation beyond these administrative organisational positions. We're in desperate need of some form of an elected union, just to represent our interests. I think that's probably the biggest problem in the short term that Macquarie University faces.
How do you intend to improve standards through Academic Senate?
I have no illusions as to what exactly I can and can't do but I think that I want to stand for ensuring that we have a real fair system. I'm going to stand up there and ensure that if there's academic bias within the system it’s brought to the attention of the Academic Senate. I'm definitely a friend of any student whose been discriminated against for having a difference of opinion with their lecturers. Basically keeping education fair, that's how I think that the standard of education can be improved at Macquarie through the senate.
If you're elected to senate, how would that role empower you to improve representation?
I feel that from that position I'd have the ability to then go out and advocate further to the university, the need for student representative roles, especially to do with the establishment of an SRC. I think you'd want to have a student whose elected, who would have some form of mandate to go off and actually represent what the students think.
Sammy Horner
What in your view is the Academic enate?
In my view, academic senate is a body that determines academic policy. There are two people involved, that are running for it, for undergrad, and one postgrad position.
What are your values?
I value the right to everyone not being judged on face value. Everyone getting a chance to be represented as fairly, without people being written off.
What are your objectives?
My objectives for academic senate are to try and ensure fairness across for education; as far as I know the academic senate itself is fairly limited in what it can do, so I’m not going to be making any promises, but I want to be there representing in a student capacity.
You’ve mentioned your opposition to discrimination, how do you intend to use senate to prevent it?
On the senate if we’re going to talk about education and grading, then it would have to be ensuring that people’s backgrounds and their literacy are taken into consideration.
How do intend increase fairness with senate?
I’d have to be in there and see how it all runs. I’ve read the documentation on what is involved, I don’t have a clear direction on how I plan to go about doing that at this stage.
In your view what is the student body?
The students at Macquarie can be just about anything. There are a lot of international students who are coming over here and trying to get an education. There are students that take a very strong role being involved in lots of clubs. Macquarie students might play sport, and they can just be people that are coming here, to just do studies and then go home.
Candidate Letter to the Editors: Nick Ferrari
To whom it may concern,
Just a short email to lodge a complaint and express disappointment at the student publication. My complaint is in regards to two issues. First, the fact that the publication spelt my surname and my fellow candidate Chris' first name wrong and second that although we were assured we would be forwarded the article to read through prior to it being published, this was not followed through with.
It really is a shame that a student publication, which claims to hold itself to high standards of what is published and what is not allowable, would allow something this grossly unprofessional to occur. Especially when it is in regards to something as important as informing students about the candidates whom they are voting for election to represent them in the important forums of academic senate and university council. I do not see how the publication can claim to have any authority or accuracy in representing these peoples views when it can not even get the names of the candidates correct.
I am not even going to go into how this could also be damaging to our campaign for election. However I would just like to ask if these errors were on account of some ineptitude, a bias against our campaign or just a plain lack of professionalism?
