Part 1: What the hell is the Students’ Association? The basic function of the UTSSA is to provide legal, financial and academic support to UTS students. As a council, they also vote for and against motions that enhance the quality of the student experience. The UTSSA website reads: “The UTS Students’ Association is here to represent, support and advocate for the UTS student body. Run by students, for students, we run a number of free services to make sure that your time at uni is as enjoyable, rewarding and stress-free as possible.”
On top of providing services and passing legislation, the UTSSA also coordinates a host of collectives. Each of these collectives provides a safe space for any students who identify themselves as members of these communities. In short, the UTSSA is there for students when the shit hits the fan. In the meantime, they try their hardest to ensure that shit doesn’t hit the fan in the first place. They want the fan to be completely shit-proof. In the same way that governments aim to improve the quality of life for Australian citizens, the UTSSA wants the UTS student (and staff) experience to be the best it possibly can be. Of course, in the same way that there is no unanimouslyapproved method for governing a country, the management of the UTSSA is a topic of contention. Because of this, the UTSSA is composed of students from a host of different political parties…but, we’re not going to talk about them just yet. Before you get to know our student politicians, you need to understand the system in which they exist.
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