Elections – FUSA – Flinders University Student Association

FUSA Elections

Election timeframes and other details can be found below.

Student Council Positions

The Details

Positions
Student President
General Secretary
Education Officer
Welfare Officer
Postgraduate Officer
Indigenous Students Officer
International Students Officer
Women’s Officer
Queer Officer
Environment Officer
Disabilities Officer
Social Activities Officer
Mature Age Officer
General Council Member (Six Positions)

Empire Times Editorial Team (Three Student Editors)

National Union of Students Conference Delegate Positions (Six Positions)

2018 Election Timeline

Nominations Open 9:00am Mon Sept 3
Nominations Close 4:00pm Mon Sept 17

Election Begins 9:30am Tues Oct 9
Election Finishes 2:00pm Thurs Oct 11

Returning Officer: Assoc. Prof. Kris Natalier

Assistant Returning Officers:
Chris O’Grady (Manager, Student Engagement)
Alice Grieve (FUSA Administration Assistant)

Election Tribunal:
Assoc. Prof. Mary Heath
Ms Kara Keys
Dr Rob Manwaring

Polling Place
There will be a Polling Place available for students to vote in The Plaza from 9.30am – 3pm on Tuesday the 9^th of October to Thursday the 11^th of October (Closing at 2pm on the 11^th).

STUDENT COUNCIL POSITIONS

Student Council is the governing body of the Flinders University Student Association (FUSA).
The functions and purpose of FUSA are to:

promote and advance the rights, interests and welfare of students;
represent students within and outside the University;
coordinate and support activities for students, including the provision of support for affiliated clubs;
provide the means for effective communication between students, the Association and the University;
oversee the delivery of student services, which are funded from the Student Services and Amenities Fee and are the responsibility of the Manager, Student Engagement; and
deliver other services, amenities and programs for students funded from the membership fee and other income received by the Association.

As a Student Council representative, you will have the opportunity to represent all students at the highest levels of the University to ensure that the student voice is heard when it comes to academic and campus life.

Eligibility

1. For the purposes of this election, the candidate and seconder must be a student as defined by the Flinders University Student Association Election Regulations i.e. – ‘Student’ means any currently enrolled student of the University, who is enrolled as a full-time, part-time or external student as defined by the University. “As defined by the University” is a composite of the University Council definitions of: ‘Postgraduate Student’, ‘Undergraduate Student’ and ‘current enrolment’. Non-award students are not included within this definition. A student has a ‘current enrolment’ if they are enrolled for a topic which is identified as to be counted toward the requirements of a course as defined by the University. Members of Student Council must remain students for the duration of their term on Student Council.
2. Student Council positions have specific eligibility requirements for the above positions. These are set out in the table below.

Name of position	Eligibility of candidate
Postgraduate Students Officer	Only students who are enrolled as a Postgraduate student
Indigenous Students Officer	Only students who identify as Indigenous/Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
International Student Officer	Only International Students
Queer Officer	Only Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Intersex and/or Queer identifying students
Women’s Officer	Only students who identify as women
Disabilities Officer	Only students identifying as having a visible and/or invisible disability
Mature Age Officer	Only students 25 year or older as of 1 December 2018.

As per the Flinders University Student Association Constitution, it is also required that all Student Council members must be a member of the Student Association. Candidates who are not members need to check the relevant box on the nomination form to become a member.

Student Council Induction

As per section 20 of the FUSA Election Regulations, it is compulsory for a person elected to the Student Council at the Annual Election to attend an Induction. The dates for Induction in 2018 are November 19 & 20 and will include an overnight stay.

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Student President

Hours per week: 30 Hours (approximate)
Honorarium: $28,500 pa

The role of the Student President is to:

be the official spokesperson of students and the Student Council and make representations on behalf of students to the University, media, governments, and external organisations;
chair the Student Council;
communicate the activities of the Student Council to students, using any means he/she considers appropriate;
provide the Council with a written report of his/her activities as President at each meeting of the Student Council;
provide assistance to Student Council Members and office bearers as required and
be responsible for the implementation and coordination of the Student Council’s education campaigns.

The Student President is in high demand throughout the year as University staff are keen to engage and receive input from the Student President on important matters relating to all students. Consequently, it is expected that the Student President be available to attend regular meetings and join University committee’s to ensure that the student voice is included in decision making across the many facets of the University.

Given the large time commitment involved in the role of Student President, it is usual that the Student President will reduce their study load to one or two topics each semester.

Member of University Council

The FUSA President is usually invited by University Council to take a position as one of the three elected students on the University Council. University Council is the governing body of the University and is responsible for overseeing the management and development of the University, devising or approving strategic plans and major policies, and monitoring and reviewing the operation of the University. The term of office is from 1 January to 31 December 2019.

This is an extremely important role as the Student President is essentially one of the directors on University Council. It is imperative that the candidate understands the responsibilities of the role before nominating. The time commitment with regards to this role is as follows:

Induction sessions: Includes meetings with the Secretary of the Council and the Legal Officer, and members of the Senior Executive: approximately 4 hours in total
Five Council meetings each year, of 3 ½ – 4 hours, commencing 2.00 pm, in March, May, August, October and December
Special meetings of Council are held as required, usually much shorter in duration as they deal only with one matter
One strategic planning session, held in September, commencing during the afternoon with an overnight stay and then the following morning (lunch to lunch)
Meeting preparation and administrative matters such as responding to requests from Council support staff
Two Council dinners, the first is usually after the March meeting of Council and the second during the strategic planning session
Council end of year drinks, held after the December graduation ceremony
Visits held on an ad hoc basis, for example, to the development at Tonsley Park
All Council members are invited to the Graduation Ceremonies and occasionally receive invitations to other University and external events in their capacity as Council members

There is further information about Council and its responsibilities on the University website at: https://www.flinders.edu.au/about/ under the heading ‘Governance’.

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General Secretary

Hours per week: 10 hours (approximate)
Honorarium: $10,000 pa

The General Secretary shall be responsible for:

all monies of the Association;
maintaining the financial records of the Association;
keeping a register of all assets held by the Association;
the preparation of an annual budget for the Association;
the presentation of a financial report to each meeting of the Student Council meeting and the Annual General Meeting;
calling General Meetings of members;
being responsible for the inward and outward correspondence of the Association;
maintaining up to date records of the Association’s membership including contact details for members;
chair the First Year Collective, which shall provide advice to the Student Council on all issues pertaining to students who identify as first-year students and chair meetings of the Clubs and Societies sub-committee.

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Education Officer

Hours per week: 10 hours (approximate)
Honorarium: $10,000 pa

The Education Officer shall:

chair the Student Representative Network, which shall provide advice to the Student Council on matters and issues raised by student representatives elected or appointed to School, Faculty and Central University committees and consultative groups;
be responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Student Council’s education campaigns as directed by the Student Council and in cooperation with the President;
promote and facilitate student activity on education related issues;
develop education campaign proposals for consideration by the Student Council;
liaise with local, national and international organisations working on education issues and
provide the Student Council with a written report of his/her activities as Education Officer at each meeting of the Student Council.

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