Nicholas Comino: candidate profile and interview
Pulp sits down with the USU Board hopefuls.
Faction: Moderate Liberal
Slogan: Comeback! With Comino
Colour: Pink
Manager: Benjamin Jorgensen
Degree: Economics / Advanced Studies
Quiz score: 70%, 5th out of 10
Nicholas Comino is a third year student studying Economics/Advanced Studies. He scored 70% in the Pulp quiz, with some gaps in his knowledge of campus life. Comino is running for board because he believes that he can address the “lackluster” student experience. He says that people should vote for him because he will be clear with his intentions and own up to any failures.
Comino is of the moderate Liberal faction, stating that “the board should absolutely be political and if the board wants to take stances on things it should”. For Comino this would include campaigning against 12 week semesters and openly supporting student strikes because “in theory it should be a student run organisation so if students are saying something [the USU] should be listening to them and responding accordingly”.
Comino speaks passionately of his first key policy: rapid and free HIV and STI testing on campus. He arguedsthat there are other tertiary institutions who have successfully implemented such initiatives and that it would address “a lot of fears and a lot of barriers for going to the doctor”, particularly for International students. Comino also speaks in depth about the need for more affordable on campus food and drinks, arguing that current outlets are “not aligning with student drinks”. He says “I think it’s kind of outrageous that if… I want a $5 beer at Courtyard, I can’t get that but I can get a $93 bottle of Veuve”. He proposes that he would work towards delivering more accessible and affordable student services and that this would act as an effective Covid-19 policy.
Given his experience as a College student, Pulp queried how Comino will mediate criticism around the existence of Colleges and his desire to see more College engagement on campus. Comino states that some of “the behaviour [at College]: out of control, unacceptable” but that he “will absolutely advocate for [Colleges] in a way that is fair and reasonable but also call them out when they need to be called out”. Comino calls CathSoc’s LifeWeek questions “grotesque” and “offensive” and vaguely referenced looking into avenues of funding and booking venues as a way in which he would handle the situation if he were on board.
Considering Comino’s policies are largely centred on boosting on in-person campus life, Pulp was curious to know about how he would engage with and represent students stuck abroad. Comino expresses interest in lobbying the government to have International students return to campus. Time will tell how representative Comino’s policies will be of the international student body should these students not actually be able to return.
When asked about who he would like to work with, Comino listed Jiâng. He says that “I think maybe Isla or Telita, being from the left, might not want to work with me, so maybe there’s that element, but I’d happily work with anyone”. Comino puts his support behind Hines or Lotz for president.
Voting opens 9:00am May 17 and closes 5:00pm May 21. Voting is exclusive to USU members, who will be sent an email to submit their vote. Sign up here.
Watch the full interview below.
Article by Emily Graetz. Video by Kristin Miao.