Evenin' all,
Senate and Council time. I am running once again for the Academic Senate.
Philomena, I read your statement with interest. There are a number of claims there that I recognise from every other year I've been here.
Women's issues. This one has got me most interested. How do you feel women are disadvantaged by the current Senate practices? The Senate is equally represented by both sexes; lots of the heads of departments (especially law) and the elected reps are in fact women. To run on a platform of "vote for me because I'm a woman" is tacky, to say the least.
Further, why would there be a need in academic practice to distinguish special policies and procedures for women? There are more female than male students enrolled at Macquarie, and if memory serves me correctly, they actually have a higher GPA as a collective. Does this sound like a minority group that is being misrepresented and unfairly treated?
There are other significant areas in society that women are disadvantaged in; education is generally not one of them.
Besides, if you think that there should be more women in elected positions simply to 'balance it out', read Emma Tom's article "You've gotta have balls to be a sheila in politics" from
The Australian. It nicely surmises:
The real reason women should have equal access to the top jobs is not because they'd do things differently or better but because excluding them is irrational and sexist. Once again, men who think otherwise should spend a moment imagining the frustrations of life under tit-talitarianism. Credentials rather than genitals need to be the defining characteristics of our leaders. Anything else is dick-tatorship.
More study spaces. Are you serious? That is one of the cheapest tricks to claim that you'll fight for more spaces. People have been offering that in their election promises for years.
Well guess what: you're too late. The entire University administration already knows about the nightmare students face around exam time, trying to get a study spot. There are already plans underway to build a new library.
You know what else? That decision had nothing to do with student politicians offering to 'build more study spaces'. It's a cheap, nasty trick that's designed to lull the uncritical and get easy votes. Quite frankly, it disgusts me, and I'm sick of these ridiculous election promises fooling students into voting.
So to everyone else, who should you vote for?
Well, me.
And not because you know me, not because I'm your mate, or because I've offered you more parking. It's because I'll be better at it.
I was on Senate last year. When I ran, I ran on the premise that I wanted to remove the shroud of secrecy that surrounded it. I wanted students to know what Academic Senate was. So I wrote reports. In the mean time, I started up a new student organisation with some mates, Club Mac. You can see my reports at
http://www.clubmac.net.au/articles/academic/senate2006.php
When these elections rolled around, I actually tried to get the information brochure on Senate sent out to all students with the ballot paper. That way, people would know what Senate did, and hopefully not fall for the cheap gimmicks that are usually thrown their way. Unfortunately, University Regulations forbade it (my next campaign!), so instead I offer it at Club Mac:
http://www.clubmac.net.au/articles/academic/whatissenate.php
What are my academic qualifications?
Well, I've just finished a BMedia in Screen Production, a BMedia (Hons), and am now starting my PhD in Media & Communications. I tutor MAS104 - Australian Media. I'm serious about my academic work.
If I can't convince you to vote for me, or someone that you think will actually do a good job, then that's a real shame.
But honest to goodness, if you vote for someone because they're a friend of a friend, or because they've promised you fool's gold, then you deserve who you get.
Cheers,
Phil