women’s officer

Miriam van der Heiden

Hi, I’m Miriam, and I’m proud to be running for Women’s Officer with Grassroots!

I’m here because I want to see real action in this university’s support for women. The women’s collective, the women’s space, information about events and support networks- I want to see these things active for the students of Flinders. Women’s rights aren’t an issue of the past, and there’s no reason to grow slack now.

No one deserves to feel unsafe here at Flinders, and no one should feel that they don’t know where to go when they do. Importantly too, we need diverse support that caters to all women- their cultural and religious backgrounds, and personal situations alike.

We have an opportunity here at Flinders University to have a student council, to have representatives that stand up for us, to have a system of equality and safety. I want to use that opportunity and make FUSA an association that addresses the issues women are facing- that has a presence at Flinders.

I’m running to be the 2023 Women’s Officer because I want to make Flinders a University that supports all women, in the ways they need.

Vote [1] Grassroots to see real action taken for the women of Flinders.

Aishwarya

Hey everyone! My name is Aishwarya and I’m a first-year student studying Bachelor of Medical Science. I’m running to be your next FUSA Women’s Officer with the Activate team.

I arrived in Australia from India in 2021. After noticing the many cultural differences around the treatment of women, I felt motivated to aid in ensuring the safety and liberation of women. My goal is to fight for these causes both on and off campus.

As a woman, I am hyper-aware of the continued fight against sexual assault and sexual harassment on campus. I understand that it is hard to face, and believe the statistics around sexual assault and harassment on campus, but I endeavour to use my personal experiences and empathy to create a safe space for people to learn and join the fight against these behaviours.

I want to educate and raise awareness of crucial issues such as period poverty, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), endometriosis and other conditions which many people are unaware of. I am dedicated to empowering and providing resources for women and non-men and have been running initiatives such as these since the start of high school.

I have a vision of Flinders being a place where all women feel safe and have autonomy on campus. I will use my role to work hard to build up the Women’s Collective to ensure we have the diverse experiences of all women in everything FUSA does.

I will call on the University to provide sexual violence awareness and mental health first aid training for teaching staff.

I also seek to combat the housing and poverty crisis and ensure we provide support for issues that disproportionately affect women.

Together, we can make a real difference.

Vote [1] Aishwarya Malik for Women’s Officer! Vote [1] Activate! Progressive. Proven. Accountable.

Laura McLean

I have been dedicated throughout my education to researching and defining issues that affect women. I consider myself to be a passionate advocate. The matter of women’s rights and women’s ability to reach out, choose a dream and follow it without hindrance is my hope for all women. To assist women in understanding what thoughts and beliefs might be stopping them from reaching their goals is important and I would desire all women to study powerfully at Flinders University knowing that as a body of women we support and help further each other in reaching our dreams. I believe in celebrating women and encouraging women to do the same.

One of my interests is unconscious bias and with that in mind, I think it changes how we can move forward positively when we can identify that changing a few words might help to make things clear rather than holding us back. As an advocate I would listen very carefully, I would hear what women are trying to express and I would look at the issues that might be preventing a situation being positive. This might include unconscious bias, whatever the element is my concern and commitment would be to taking what is negative and turning it into a positive and make sure the path becomes clear and straight. I am 100% committed to reaching resolution, to be an effective and honest advocate who will always stand up for someone struggling and help them to reach that dream.