2022 SRC faction profile: Colleges for SRC

Quiz score: 59%
Represented by: Tom Cleary and Bryson Constable

Represented by Tom Cleary and Sydney University Liberal Club (SULC) member Bryson Constable, the Colleges’ candidates have an unusually competent grasp of the institution they are running for. Their faction aims to defend the Colleges from “attack, ridicule and prejudice” from SRC activists. 

The pair sees the SRC’s activism against educational cuts as vital, they want the student movement to keep their sights set firmly on campus, arguing that a “piecemeal” approach “is the best way going forward” — a broadly unambitious approach that reflects a distrust in left-wing mobilisation.

Asked whether the colleges need the representation, given high-profile partnerships with the USU and SUSF and their substantial privilege, Constable replied that the funding that the colleges receive trickles down and “is in the interests of the entire University community”.

The pair argued college students could act as volunteers for initiatives like Foodhub. Yet given college students are already at liberty to volunteer, it is unclear that this policy constitutes much more than additional marketing.

On the persistent issue of sexual harassment and assault in the colleges, as extensively documented in 2022’s NSSS, the pair pointed to higher rates of violence in Clubs & Societies than in colleges and St Paul’s decision to become co-ed as evidence of an improved culture. 

Asked how they can accurately reflect the scope of views among college students, they suggested their base is a politically diverse one. “We have representation across the political spectrum with who is running, which I think is very important. If you take them as an aggregate, you would probably average out at the exact centre,” Constable said. “Evidence for that is Onor Nottle on the USU Board.” 

Although they demonstrated some familiarity with the SRC, the brand remains mired in a conservative vision that could be met with significant resistance if other tickets’ categorical refusal to work with Liberal-affiliated tickets are anything to go by. 

Disclaimer: Zara Zadro was, until recently, a member of Switch. She was not involved in any of our election coverage.