Ben Hines negotiates to SULS Presidency

Fabian Robertson reports.

The Executive of the Sydney University Law Society (SULS) - the oldest and largest student society at USyd - has been decided behind closed doors in lieu of an election.

Ben Hines has negotiated his way to the coveted Presidency, with Thrishank Chintamaneni withdrawing from contention to join Hines’ Executive team as Vice President (Careers).

Hines, a fourth-year Commerce and Law student, is the current Honorary Treasurer of the USU, former Vice President of the Sydney University Liberal Club and has experience on the SULS Equity and Socials Committees, as well as Committees Liaison Officer. In 2020, Hines nominated for Vice President (Careers) with the unsuccessful Vibe for SULS ticket.

Chintamaneni, a second-year Juris Doctor student, is a former General Councillor for the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association and SULS Campus Representative. In 2020, Chintamaneni nominated for Sponsorships Director with the unsuccessful Splash for SULS ticket.

Irene Ma, Immediate Past President of the USU, will take up Vice President (Education) while Naz Sharifi will take up Vice President (Social Justice).

The Executive will assume control of a sizeable budget. According to the minutes of the 2021 Annual General Meeting, the SULS budget was $316,540.55.

2022 SULS Executive:

President: Ben Hines

Vice President (Careers): Thrishank Chintamaneni

Vice President (Education): Irene Ma

Vice President (Social Justice): Naz Sharifi

Secretary: Eden McSheffrey

Treasurer: Julia Tran

Sponsorship Director: Kelly Ma

Social Directors: Grace Wong and Vivienne Davies

Competitions Directors: Harriet Walker and Maja Vasic

Sports Director: Adam Schaffer

Campus Director: Onor Nottle

Publications Director: Ariana Haghighi

International Officer: Michelle Chim

Founded in 1902, SULS’ membership comprises all students enrolled in the Faculty of Law. A SULS election begins with formal Expressions of Interest (EOI) from Presidential candidates. The contact details of these candidates are then publicised, so that Law students hopeful of running for an Executive position can reach out and ‘apply’ to be on a candidates’ ticket. The contesting tickets then have 7 days to campaign. In 2020, 962 votes were cast.

This year, Hines and Chintamaneni both submitted an EOI yet did not proceed to an election. Instead, Chintamaneni ceded to Hines, avoiding an arduous campaign period and negating the risk of being left without a position for the second consecutive year.

Students featuring on the SULS Executive have gone on to assume coveted positions in the Australian legal system, including former High Court Justice the Hon Michael Kirby, who was the first elected student President of SULS.

SULS’ operations typically focus on social events, networking, competitions, publications, mentoring and general student services.

More information about SULS can be found on their website.