Progressives students contest UTS campus elections

Progressive student activists at the University of Technology (UTS) are running on a ticket to contest the student representative council (SRC) and elect delegates to the National Union of Students (NUS) conference in December.

The ticket, called “Grow your SRC and NUS”, is focusing on fighting the proposed fee hikes and providing better support to disadvantaged students, as well as calling on UTS management to divest from fossil fuel corporations.

Grow your SRC and NUS is a broad left ticket that includes candidates from Grassroots, the Labor left, Resistance Young Socialist Alliance and independent left activists.

Dean Mattar, who is running for president of the SRC, told Green Left Weekly: “Now is the time to grow a stronger Students’ Association.

“With a conservative federal government, student activism is more important than ever. We will need to grow stronger to fight the attacks on our education, in particular [prime minister Tony] Abbott and [education minister Christopher] Pyne’s massive fee increases.”

Jess Xu, the current welfare officer who is running for secretary, told GLW: “I want to make it easier to help each other, and make our Students Association a fighting force for equality, honesty and a just education.”

Christian Goopy, a Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance activist, who is running for a General Councilor position told GLW he is horrified at the Abbott government’s contempt for students.

“Our aim is to be a dissenting voice for the marginalised and vulnerable, amidst these brutal attacks on student welfare. We need to actively challenge the status quo.”

The main competitor to “Grow” is a Labour Right and the Young Liberals ticket called “Connect for SRC and NUS”. Its platform calls for spending the student services amenities fee on campus life, and not on political activity and student services.

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