Getting involved with the SRC

Getting involved in the SRC...

By Priya Gupta

The SRC is your student union! Get involved, help agitate for students’ rights at USyd and beyond, join a collective, and tell your friends about our services!

STAYING IN TOUCH

The best ways of staying up to date on the SRC’s activities are via our Facebook page (@USydSRC) and our mailing list. Here you will see opportunities to get involved, the current issues we are mobilising around, and our response to what is happening in the university and world around us!

Our website also provides comprehensive information about the SRC and the services we offer, our student representatives, and contains a wealth of excellent resources prepared by our casework department. Check it out at http://srcusyd.net.au.

ACTIVISM & THE COLLECTIVES

The collectives of the SRC are our main activist branch. They are groups of students mobilising around distinct issues or identities. Joining one (or a few) is a fantastic way to get the lay of the land regarding activism at USyd, meet likeminded people, and learn more about issues you care about. Last year, our collectives organised against increased university fees, course and staff cuts at USyd, transphobic legislation, and supported the End Bla(c)k Deaths In Custody campaign, amongst others. Some collectives are open to everyone, such as the Education and Environmental collective, and others are only open to people inhabiting a specific identity; for example, the Queer Action Collective is only open to queer people. For a description of the numerous SRC Collectives and their contact details, check out pages 8-9 of this handbook! VOLUNTEERING

This year, we hope to develop a number of volunteering opportunities for students, for which we will provide accreditation. Food Hub Project In 2020, in response to COVID-19 and its effect on many students’ already insecure employment, the SRC developed a Mutual Aid program to help students access groceries and other essential items. We called and emailed over a hundred companies for donations, and sorted, packed and delivered hundreds of boxes of essential items to students in our community, while being COVID-safe in the uncertain times at the beginning of the pandemic. This effort was supported by hardworking staff of the SRC, and would have been impossible without the dozens of volunteers who were willing to put in the hours to help their fellow students. This year, we have consolidated the Mutual Aid project into a more long-term and sustainable project, in partnership with the University of Sydney Union (USU) and USyd Student Life, and supported by Food Bank Australia, Study NSW, and the NSW Government. Throughout the year we will need volunteers doing a number of jobs to help run this program, just as we did last year. Like the SRC Facebook page and sign up to our mailing list to be the first to know when we need help. More to come!

We have other exciting volunteering opportunities in the works for this year. For more information and to stay updated, check out our website and Facebook page! OUTREACH

The SRC provides a number of essential services to students, for free. We would like to ensure that the maximum number of students as possible know about us and what we offer, and so will be conducting a number of outreach activities throughout the year. You can help us, by chatting to students in a stall on Eastern Avenue, helping us organise fun and effective outreach events, and talking to your friends about what we do!

STUDENT REPRESENTATION

We are hoping to have a number of forums throughout the year where we consult with students regarding common academic issues, student life, international student settlements and much more!

This can only be effective if you show up! The SRC is the body on campus fighting for your rights—engage with us so that we can best help you and other students! Last year we opposed the use of ProctorU, pushed the university to compassionately respond to COVID-19 and loosen requirements for special considerations and attendance, and opposed the 12-week semester. In the past, the SRC has seen some big wins for students due to students throughout the university getting involved. We would love to hear from you about which issues you consider important! HONI SOIT

Interested in writing or making art for Honi Soit? Email editors@honisoit.com with your pitch and check out our website: honisoit.com. Alternatively, our contributor callout can be found here: