SRC President's Report - February 2025

Since this is the first presidential report in Noise ever, I thought it’d be best to introduce myself for the unacquainted. I’m Diya and besides being the SRC president for 2025, I am one of the co-founders of Noise. I am no longer an editor at Noise due to conflicts of interest with my new role as SRC president, yet may occasionally contribute as a guest writer. I take great pride in being the first SRC president to be unaffiliated with a major political party and ending the cycle of Labor Party SRC presidents at UNSW. 

Student representatives frequently get asked what the SRC does. Although there has been a big push towards increasing awareness that the council exists, ‘the SRC represents students’ isn't specific enough. The SRC’s main role is to liaise with management on changes that affect students, manage the autonomous collectives, direct students to the appropriate channels for the help they need and initiate projects to improve student life. Some examples of previous successes of the SRC include implementing flex week during every trimester, delivering weekly free breakfast (at Paddington) and piloting free menstrual products on campus.

The SRC in the past has relied on disengagement; a system that has thrived off as few people scrutinising their actions as possible. As such, the SRC has become an echo chamber for stupol kids and a breeding ground for factionalism. This has meant that its efficiency has been slaughtered by political infighting and office bearers ghosting their duties yet proxying votes to their political party. It is the role of student journalists to hold these leaders accountable. 

Historically, a two-party system has dominated the SRC with independents being a rare occurrence (other than the Paddington campus and autonomous Queer Officers). This year, however, there is a diverse range of voices on the SRC, with 5 factions. There is a mixture of ideologies and execution methods with a large sect of protest-centric left wing activists, social change-focused project implementers and newcomers yet to assert their approach. 

I have been a long-time critic of SRC meetings as a medium to execute change. They notoriously drag on forever, achieve very little in terms of actionable items and become a slurry of personal insults. Many motions made are symbolic; messages of solidarity, declarations or condemnations. Although this has value in creating political pressure on those in power, I feel like the SRC has unfortunately been reduced to a monthly LARP of model parliament. Instead, my hopes are for these meetings to be pivoted to press junkets; an opportunity for student journalists to report on what the SRC’s values and projects are. 

Real change requires real action. The cost of living crisis has made it harder than ever to be a student in Sydney. Existing initiatives like foodhub, emergency housing and free mental health services help alleviate some of that burden. My goal is to identify gaps in the existing system and implement initiatives to make your student experience better, safer and more inclusive.

Moving forward, the goals of the 2025 SRC are as follows

1. To liaise with the university on implementing short extensions for all courses and abolishing the ‘fit-to sit’ rule
2. To set up and manage clothing and homeware donation bins across campus 
3. To improve the existing support for gendered violence on campus
4. To fight for more affordable food options on campus
5. To have increased reporting and transparency measures, setting a precedent for future SRCs

This list is non-exhaustive and will be shaped by the events of the year, the autonomous collectives and general student feedback.

Even if I am no longer a part of Noise, my values lie in the power of communication. I believe that if people are not made aware of issues through the media, they have no reason to engage with the people who can help. I am determined to turn the SRC into a body that serves students instead of the vapid interests of a political party. I will continue to report to student publications and encourage other members of the SRC to do the same. I am not scared of being held accountable; the 2025 SRC does not rely on disengagement to uphold a good name for itself. 

Xoxo,

Diya Sengupta

Your SRC President