LTSA Elections 2021: Election Guide
What is the LTSA?
The La Trobe Student Association (LTSA) is based on all La Trobe campuses and is funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF).
The LTSA offers services such as advocacy, financial counselling, legal advice, clubs and societies, events and well-being activities.
Their website states that their goal is to provide students with the best experience possible so that their time at La Trobe is as “productive, immersive, and enjoyable as it can be”.
As we kick off a new era in student representation at La Trobe University, we thought that it’s pertinent to tell the students of La Trobe how to vote and to take a good look at the candidates who are running. The LTSA is holding their first online inaugural student elections this week, as the LTSA does not currently have any elected student representatives.
There will be seven Student Councils that will require a President, a Vice President and a General Secretary at Bendigo, Bundoora, City, Mildura, Shepparton, Wodonga campuses, and an International panel.
How to Vote
At 10am Monday 12th April 2021, a personal voting link was sent to your student email address. Students enrolled may vote for their particular campus’ Student Council via this voting link.
The polls will remain open until 2pm this Friday, April 16th 2021 (Melbourne time). Outside of these hours, you are unable to vote.
You can make a difference by voting for LTSA student representatives who in return will advocate and support students at La Trobe University.
So, make sure you get your ballot in!
The Candidates
In preparation for the elections, the LTSA Returning Officer, Goldie Pergl, hosted a forum last Saturday, 10th April 2021 to introduce the students to some of their potential representatives from the International Students cohort and the Bundoora Campus.
Here are some of the highlights:
Jake McGuinness, current La Trobe Student Union (LTSU) President, running for the Bundoora Student Council was very optimistic about a future with a collaborative LTSA/LTSU relationship, and hopeful that the two organisations would be working together to better the lives of students.
“The LTSA can be a voice for change”, he said.
According to Jake, there needs to be a serious shift in the direction of the representative policies of the LTSA. In order for the LTSA to be a successful advocate for students, it needs to be run by the students with assistance from faculty, not by faculty.
Aiden Judd, a new addition to student politics at La Trobe, wanted to see a greater push for diverse people in representative government, especially neuro-atypical people. Listening to his peers, he has witnessed at La Trobe, students that feel isolated and ignored, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a student with autism, these administrative barriers make it hard for people like me to access services,” he said, in response to staff cuts and unsupportive online transitions.
Marya Dawoud is another new-comer on the scene, but her voice was clear. She wants a greater push for non-male representation in university leadership. Having felt driven to create change at La Trobe, she plans to push for greater security measures on and around campus. She wants to see a La Trobe where people feel safe walking on campus at night, where safety concerns are heard and heeded, and where we all feel secure.
Joel Blanch, an Education Officer of the LTSU, gave us the hard sell on the potential for a more representative and just LTSA, to adequately serve the needs of the students of La Trobe across all campuses. When asked about the skewed representation of the LTSA model, favouring regional campuses over the larger metropolitan ones, Joel responded with an impassioned speech about the injustice of a model that sought to reduce the power of the largest student cohort.
“It is fundamentally wrong not to work to change the structure of the LTSA,” he said.
Joel firmly believes that it is a disadvantage to the Bundoora and City campuses, promising to fight to better the organisation.
Nadine Madina, another new face to the political scene, surprised us all with a simple yet enticing policy platform - an open inbox. Nadine promises to hold no personal agenda, to only be the voice of her cohort and represent their interests only.
Ashim Sapkota, a second year Nursing student from Nepal, was the only panellist at the International Students forum and made the most of the floor. As a grassroots agitator and community activist, he comes to the LTSA elections with more spirit than we could hope for. Impassioned by the widespread international student poverty seen in 2020, he wants to see a La Trobe that cares just as much for the international students as the domestic.
FAQs:
Who can I vote for?
Students at the Bendigo and Bundoora campuses can vote for members of the Student Councils for their respective campuses. All students can vote for members of the International Student Council.
Why are there no ballots for Student Councils at campuses other than Bendigo and Bundoora?
There are Student Councils representing each La Trobe campus. For Albury-Wodonga, City, Mildura and Shepparton, there were enough spots on those campus Student Councils for everyone who submitted a valid nomination, so there is no need to hold an election—those people are elected automatically. Nominations were open from 19th Mar to 26 Mar and again from 29 Mar to 1 Apr.
Where can I get more information?
The elections website: https://aqe.com.au/2021LTSA for election information, and the LTSA website: https://ltsa.com.au/ for general info about LTSA. You can also contact the Returning Officer at gpergl@abovequota.com.au if you have any inquiries about the election process.
Written by: Alex Patchett, Clare Elliott, and Drishtee Lokee