3 minute read
Women’s
STATEMENTS
I am a second-year Arts student studying linguistics and ancient history. I am involved with various clubs, including serving as Secretary and President of the Classics and Archaeology Students Society. I also play the Bassoon. I firmly believe that all students should be able to access and have a say over their education without fear of discrimination. As the Greek philosopher, Plato said: ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Independents for Student Democracy is a group of students passionate about democracy and promoting student wellbeing and community/clubs experience on campus.
Marit Gillam
No statement recieved
Hena Maker
No statement recieved
FIND YOUR FACTS
What is the role of the UMSU Women’s Department?
Sneha Challa & Thonya Deverall (Stand Up!)
Hey everyone! We’re Sneha (she/they) and Thonya (she/ her), and we want to be your Women’s Office Bearers for 2021! Since starting university we’ve both been passionately involved in the fight for students on campus, and active members of the Women’s Department. Together we hold positions on the People of Colour Committee, Women’s Committee and Students Council. We aim to run a Women’s Department that is welcoming, intersectional and impactful, and work to engage all parts of our community. Our main focus for this year will be continuing the Safety on Campus campaign, fighting for the right of every student to feel safe on campus and for a survivour-centric response to sexual assault and harassment. We aim to focus this campaign on three overarching areas: Demanding a Primary Prevention Approach, Championing a Therapeutic Response and Creating a Safer Unimelb Culture. This involves advocating safer events and for a Health and Wellbeing center that centralises support for survivors and prioritising their safety in seeking help and if they choose to report. Intersectionality is an essential part of this campaign and will be prioritised through the UMSU Sexual Assault and Harassment Working Group as well as the Women’s Action Collective to involve students and elevate their lived experiences as much as possible. We will launch the Empowerment Project which aims to increase student engagement with the department and empower students who are women and non-binary people with the knowledge, confidence and skills to smash the patriarchy wherever we find it. The project will consist of biweekly ”themes” with complimentary activities including workshops (such as a return of the It’s Not A Compliment Active Bystander Workshop), guest speakers and discussion sessions organised through our Women’s Collective. Vote [1] Stand Up! Keep up the Fight!
Srishti Chatterjee & Mickhaella Ermita (Community for UMSU)
This is a year we’ve all realised how much we need our communities. Historically, the Women’s Department (and feminist activism) has been a space for mostly cisgender women, most of whom are white, who engage in a very specific kind of activism. Mickhaella(she/her) and Srishti(they/them) are women and non-binary people (respectively) of colour. We are international students, building our lives within the hardships we uniquely face because of our intersecting identities. Through initiatives like trauma-informed ‘Safety on Campus’ that focuses on survivors’ mental health support, BIPOC-specific reporting services, and Advocacy and Legal workshops for international students to help them navigate reporting processes in “Australia”, we want to make sure EVERYONE, at different stages of learning, feels safe at University. Women and non-binary people don’t just exist to be movements. We are people with diverse experiences. We want to bring the conversation on consent, relationships and sex to people who have always been excluded from it - people with disabilities, asexual and aromantic people. We also want to make sure we make menstrual hygiene products available to all libraries, especially after-hours to make studying a more comfortable experience for all people who menstruate. We will make fun movie nights, reading groups and a personalised podcast happen - our communities have SO MANY stories to tell, and stories make tough conversations easier. We would also love to make UMSU committee meetings (which are open to everyone) and year-long policy forums accessible to people outside of UMSU. The Union is a site of life, and not just banners, posters and microphones that are made for a few. Now, more than ever, our main objective is to include voices that have been traditionally excluded from the department and the Union, and we will make that happen for our communities.
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