Close Menu
Honi Soit
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Everything is Alive at Slowdive
    • The Conspiracy of Free Will
    • Red-Haired Phantasies: The So-Called Manic Pixie Dream Girl
    • The Case for Psychoanalysis
    •  “I’m not really a flat Earther, it’s just my alter ego.”
    • How I turned Honi into a Lesbian Cult
    • Conspiracy: Kylie Minogue never actually died
    • Chronocracies; Who Owns Time?
    • About
    • Print Edition
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    • Writing Comp
    • Advertise
    • Locations
    • Contact
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok
    Honi SoitHoni Soit
    Wednesday, May 21
    • News
    • Analysis
    • Culture
    • Opinion
    • University
    • Features
    • Perspective
    • Investigation
    • Reviews
    • Comedy
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    Honi Soit
    Home»USU Elections

    USU Board Candidate Profile 2023: Sargun Saluja

    Honi’s profile and interview with 2023 USU Board candidate Sargun Saluja.
    By Honi SoitMay 4, 2023 USU Elections 4 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Slogan: It’s a Sargun Slay

    Colour: Hot Pink

    Quiz Score: 22%

    Faction: NLS

    Favourite USU Outlet: Courtyard

    Sargun Saluja, a first year Science/Law international student and member of NLS (National Labor Students), is running for USU Board. Saluja is the first NLS candidate for Board since Ruby Lotz in 2020, and represents a progressive campaign aimed at “amplifying the voices of [marginalised] communities.” 

    Saluja’s policies are broadly organised around welfare for international students, ethical service provision, and environmental protection. As a first year, Saluja pledges to advocate for these policies from a perspective that foregrounds “youth affairs”, arguing that this sets her apart from older students on Board that may not relate to those arriving at USyd. 

    In terms of Saluja’s policies for international students, she admirably wants to reduce the “culture shock” and “isolation” faced by students arriving in Sydney. She spoke to Honi about the “gap” that the pandemic opened between domestic and international students, and how proper integration is necessary. To achieve this, Saluja suggested creating “mentoring workshops” hosted by older international students for younger international students. She also spoke to improving employment services for international students, though when asked practically about how she would achieve this — given that the SRC already has this service in place — she could only vaguely suggest a push for “awareness” and “collaboration” with the SRC.

    Saluja’s service provision policies are largely centred on Foodhub, where the SRC and USU distribute free essential goods to students in need. In her policy document, she stresses Foodhub’s essential role in supporting the cost of living crisis facing students. Saluja said that she would like to expand Foodhub for “low SES students” and “international students, even though Foodhub precisely exists for these student demographics: she also wants to increase awareness surrounding Foodhub, stock Foodhub with fresh produce from a new “community garden” on top of Wentworth, allow for more “flexible timing” for Foodhub volunteers, and for the USU to pay these students. However, Saluja was unable to specify how, as a Board Director, she would practically achieve these goals. 

    Saluja also promises reform to the USU’s investment portfolio, divesting from fossil fuels and “polluting industries”. The USU has already pledged to divest completely from the fossil fuel industry by June 30. Saluja instead told Honi that she intends to “lobby for introducing smaller businesses” instead of unethical investments; when pressed, she was unable to specify what she means by this, other than stating that the USU should invest in “multiple ethical organisations”.

    In her quiz, Saluja scored 22%. She demonstrated a worrying lack of institutional knowledge: she was unable to name any executive member of the USU Board bar its President, Cole Scott-Curwood, whose faction and last name she did not know; further, she was unaware of the USU’s financial situation, society publications, or revues. Her higher education knowledge was insufficient: though able to explain the “40:40:20” model of teaching, Saluja could not identify the University’s Provost, Australia’s state and federal Education Ministers, or the National Union of Students (NUS) and its President — despite the fact that Bailey Riley is a member of her own faction. When Honi asked her to account for this, she said that she has “met Bailey Riley personally” and just forgot her name. All of these gaps are perhaps explained by the recency of Saluja’s arrival at USyd, though to competently serve on Board, she would need to rapidly hit the books. Saluja appears to also be at odds with NLS’ historical practice of members binding with their caucus’ vote: she said that NLS would not bind her decisions on board, and that she “has [her] own perspective and would value it more.” 

    That being said, Saluja was forthright and well-meaning with Honi, her policies are fundamentally progressive, and she displays a clear desire to improve welfare on campus, particularly for international students. It is up to voters to decide whether Saluja’s activist platform outweighs her lack of institutional knowledge, and merits a place on Board.

    Sargun Saluja USU USU Elections

    Keep Reading

    2025 USU Board Election Provisional Results Announced

    No Soap in the Box

    Another Election? Why the USU Election Matters

    HackWatch: Who Wants to be a Board Director?

    No Changes to USU Governance: A Rundown of the SGM

    Student General Meeting: Vote on USU governance change fails

    Just In

    Everything is Alive at Slowdive

    May 21, 2025

    The Conspiracy of Free Will

    May 21, 2025

    Red-Haired Phantasies: The So-Called Manic Pixie Dream Girl

    May 21, 2025

    The Case for Psychoanalysis

    May 21, 2025
    Editor's Picks

    A meditation on God and the impossible pursuit of answers

    May 14, 2025

    We Will Be Remembered As More Than Administrative Errors

    May 7, 2025

    NSW universities in the red as plague of cuts hit students & staff

    April 30, 2025

    Your Compliance Will Not Save You

    April 16, 2025
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok

    From the mines

    • News
    • Analysis
    • Higher Education
    • Culture
    • Features
    • Investigation
    • Comedy
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Misc

     

    • Opinion
    • Perspective
    • Profiles
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Social
    • Sport
    • SRC Reports
    • Tech

    Admin

    • About
    • Editors
    • Send an Anonymous Tip
    • Write/Produce/Create For Us
    • Print Edition
    • Locations
    • Archive
    • Advertise in Honi Soit
    • Contact Us

    We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. The University of Sydney – where we write, publish and distribute Honi Soit – is on the sovereign land of these people. As students and journalists, we recognise our complicity in the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous land. In recognition of our privilege, we vow to not only include, but to prioritise and centre the experiences of Indigenous people, and to be reflective when we fail to be a counterpoint to the racism that plagues the mainstream media.

    © 2025 Honi Soit
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Accessibility

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.