The LTSA gives a voice to the regions, but at what cost?
When La Trobe University amalgamated the individual student unions to form the La Trobe University Student's Association (LTSA), it was a priority to ensure the regions were heard.
But at what cost?
As we head into the first election of the LTSA, it's important to look at how the association is structured and the consequences it may have for students.
The LTSA has been set up with seven individual student councils - one for each campus and one designated for international students.
Each of these student councils will elect an executive following this week's elections, including a president. These presidents will form the Governing Board of Directors of the LTSA, each member having equal power.
The representative from Bundoora will represent around 30,000 students, whilst the representative from Mildura will represent around 500 students.
Some of the LTSA Bundoora candidates spoke about these issues at the forum held on April 10th. Jake McGuinness, current President of the La Trobe University Student Union (LTSU), spoke about how the LTSA structure is wrong and bad for students.
"[The LTSA structure] makes the American electoral system look like a good idea," he said.
All of these structural issues are exacerbated by the fact that only 26 positions in the LTSA will be elected directly by students for the 2021 election.
The other 41 positions of the LTSA have been provisionally elected unopposed, only having to nominate themselves during the two nomination periods earlier this semester.
All positions on the Bundoora and International student councils' will be elected by students this week, and one position on the Bendigo student council, with the other eight Bendigo positions already filled prior to nominations reopening for a second round.
The City, Mildura, Shepparton, and Wodonga student councils will similarly be filled by students elected unopposed due to students' lack of participation on these campuses.
This will likely mean that when it comes to forming the governing board, at least four of the members will not have been directly elected by students.
The structural issues that are already in place are being heightened by the lack of participation by students from the regions, leading to the voices of a vast majority of students not being adequately heard.