Slogan: Stan Shirley!
Colour: Lime Green
Faction: Independent
Degree: Pharmacy IV
Quiz Score: 22%
Zhang provided a strong voice for international students, and has clear lived experience in issues and barriers facing this community on campus. However, her policies lacked detail and she was unable to explain how they might come to fruition within the USU’s current structure and culture. Zhang’s foundational knowledge of the USU and the University writ large was also limited.
Zhang was able to identify some of the USU’s core figures and functions, including this year’s President Naz Sharifi and some of the requirements for clubs and societies to remain active. As fellow frequenters of Courtyard Cafe, we were impressed with her quick response to the price of a standard coffee.
She also demonstrated select knowledge about student life at the University and broader Australian tertiary education policies, mostly centred around the Fair Fares Campaign and unpaid student placements.
However, Zhang’s understanding of the USU’s activities, the University’s structure and the Students Representative Council (SRC) was severely lacking. Key questions about the existence of Welcome Fest, Manning’s autonomous spaces, the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Academic Board, the University Accords Report, the SRC’s primary roles and constitution as well as the allocation of Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) funding were left unanswered. Recent happenings from other Australian universities, such as strikes and wage theft, were also quickly brushed aside.
These inadequacies are perhaps a testament to Zhang’s lack of experience in clubs, societies and other representative bodies at the University beyond some involvement with the Chinese Students Association.
Zhang told us the main focus of her campaign was to represent international students who “make up a large part of the student body.” International students make up 44% of USyd students and Zhang argued that international student representation is rare on the USU Board.
To achieve this goal, Zhang policies highlight the need to make information about the USU and its programs more accessible to ESL students who speak languages other than English. She also wants the USU to engage with Chinese student media platforms like WeChat to expand the USU’s reach. Zhang pointed out this could also help parents and prospective students understand Australian universities, “they want to know what life is like abroad, in Australia, but they cannot read English.”
Zhang also proposed more cultural exchanges on campus to expand the knowledge students have about other nations. “People often think of Chinese food as Hotpot or Malatang, but it is more than that,” she said, arguing that food was one way students could learn more about each other.
When asked if the USU should take more political stances she said that if a policy is universally “good for students,” the organisation should be open about their support.
Beyond her focus on international student representation, her other policies lacked clarity and direction.She advocated there be “shuttle buses” or other forms of transportation for students who have to take long trips between different parts of campus but was unable to justify why this was a large issue for students in the status quo.
Further, while she highlighted that the affordability of food on campus was an issue for “all students,” Zhang did not demonstrate an understanding of what the USU is currently doing to alleviate food insecurity.
There was no mention of FoodHub or the wide variety of free food options available. She said “more places should do cheaper food,” but when pressed about what that would look like, the only example she mentioned was the ABS $6 dinner deal.
