Chair of Guild Council’s Report

BY ADAM ELYOUSEF

The Chair of Guild Council role includes chairing the monthly Guild Council meetings, the Governance meetings and the Election Culture Committee meetings. This year, we have undertaken several projects, and worked on updating Guild Department rules, including the Societies Council, the Public Affairs Council, Postgraduate Students’ Association, Sports, Access, Pride, Residential Students’, and Welfare. These updates now assist the Departments to operate smoothly and with more clarity.

My role on the Executive also included engaging with UWA Alumni and crucially, the Office Bearers to assist them in their duties, along with the Guild Vice-President. Several Working Group rules were established as well, such as the Lyn Beazley Institute, the Assessments Working Group, the Sponsorship Working Group, and the Special Consideration Working Group Rules.

Being fortunate enough to chair the monthly Guild Council, comprised of talented Student Representatives, was a privilege that has helped me grow and develop multiple skills. There were several motions brought up in this year’s Guild Council, which truly embodied the nature of the Guild and its purpose, whether that be motions which supported Palestinian students on campus in times of crises, or those which took stances on environmental and socio-political issues. I have learnt a plethora of lessons from these motions and developed my encyclopedia of knowledge in several areas. My role as the Chair of the Governance Committee encapsulated many projects this year. The aforementioned Department rules required many updates in 2021, whilst rules for the Alumni Engagement Committee, and meeting with UWA Representatives to establish relationships with Alumni were crucial activities. This year, responses from Guild Council were gathered to form a Transparency & Accountability Framework, to clarify the operations of the Guild. The Guild Standing Orders were updated as well, after consulting with several stakeholders. This clarified many issues which arose in Guild Council, such as casual vacancies for Guild Office Bearer positions and proxy deadlines, among many more.

Working with the Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) to determine fair ways to conduct the General Guild Elections on the Election Culture Committee has been an inspiring learning experience. We have made Guild Elections better for candidates and students, by introducing several measures including a lunch time break (no campaigning) for the past two years, and an enhanced fast-lane for students, which makes it easier for those who wish not to vote.

I am fortunate to have worked with a talented and promising Executive – Emma, Jameson & Will – and the rest of the 108th Guild Council, who made 2021 a memorable year. I wish the 109th Guild Council the best in their endeavours next year.