Board reports: August 2022

The reports of the 2022-2023 USU Board Executive for the month of August

Image credit: USU

President - Cole Scott-Curwood

In August we’ve been welcoming new and returning students to university life. Highlights include the sellout party at Manning, launch of PULP magazine, and a packed Welcome Fest. The USU has also brought back the pool tables in the Wentworth building while scrapping the old fee — they’re now free to use. Just down the hall from that is Foodhub — a free food pantry initiative for students in need — which we’re providing in collaboration with the SRC.

Transparency is fundamental to us — so we’re regularly publishing monthly reporting and Board meeting minutes on the USU website. As of August 25, the USU has 40,000 members. This is the highest membership we’ve had since voluntary student unionism was enacted, and over the past 2.5 years, the USU has grown by almost 11,000 members.

Following years of delay, the University has been progressing the development of a Disability Space through discussions with student representatives and groups. Due to accessibility requirements, the current Ethnocultural Room was earmarked from the start as the location for this. The USU is committed to the new Disability Space and replacement Ethnocultural Room — both located in Manning House — meeting the needs of the students who will use them.

Finally, like many of our members, the Board is concerned that the USU has unethical investments. Knowing that an overnight solution to this would lose our members’ money, we’ve been systematic. We’ve now changed our Investment Policy to formalise our avoidance of investments in unethical sectors including fossil fuels. With a mandate to have USU investments be more ethical and diversified, the Board has appointed an investment manager to realise this.

Vice-President - Telita Goile

In this post-pandemic world, connection remains the ever elusive white whale. With the semester well under way, now is a great time to join a club, attend a revue, head out to a Verge exhibition, or volunteer with our V-Team. If you saw a club stall that you liked at Welcome Fest, please join. It can be intimidating at times to put yourself out there, but I promise that there is a like-minded community out there waiting for you. 

On another note, we are proud to announce that all USU bathrooms now provide free period products for people who menstruate. Please make use of them. We are always looking to improve accessibility for all students on this campus. 

Honourary Treasurer - David Zhu

Driven by lower-than-expected income, boosted by higher-than-expected sales, and despite my prognostications of doom and gloom last month — we have had a fantastic July and are on track to repeat our incredible financial performance last year. Thank you to the incredible work from Andrew, Rebecca, and the rest of the organisation to achieve this result. However, there is much macroeconomic uncertainty and the winds can certainly shift — and so again I stress the need to look beyond the on-paper surplus figure. On investments, we have progressed with success on our Request for Tender (RFP) to our Investment Manager, with the Finance Committee and then the Board having approved the relevant proposal. I’m proud to report to our wider membership that we are now close to attaining an investments portfolio that not only reflects the values of our members, but also gives value back to the membership.

Honourary Secretary - Isla Mowbray

Hello again PULP readers! Just a few updates from me this month! For club executives, the USU is in the process of establishing Club Communities. These club focus groups will allow club executives to come together and speak to the USU C&S team directly. We want to hear your feedback and understand what the USU can be doing better to support you. For more information on this please email: i.mowbray@usu.edu.au. In other news, we have our music festival coming up: Someday Soon! If there are still tickets left by the time you’re reading this then make sure to snatch them up. And lastly if you read this edition of PULP and think “wow, I would love to write something and have my words immortalised in the glossy pages of Pulp magazine,” then make sure to reach out to the wonderful editors.