After Grace Wallman (Switchroots) turned in her resignation as Treasurer following the University of Sydney Union (USU) Executive Board vote on June 3, the vacant position was filled at a July 5 Board meeting.
This meeting was a Schrödinger’s Cat of open and closed: at first, Honi was told to wait outside and that we could not attend (despite commuting in the drizzle!), but soon after, the tune changed and Honi took post in the back of the room.
2024 Returning Officer Simone Whetton opened this “special meeting”, describing Wallman’s resignation as a “sad turn of affairs”.
Whetton then turned to the floor to ask for nominations from current Board members.
Sargun Saluja (NLS) nominated herself, seconded by Wallman; Bryson Constable (USU President, Liberals) nominated James Dwyer (Unity) for the position, seconded by Ben Hines (Vice President, Former Libdependent).
Before a votecount, both candidates gave a brief speech attesting to their motivations and vision.
“I have the USU foundational knowledge” Saluja testified, “I think it would be important to diversify the experiences on the executive as an international student”. Saluja concluded with: “I think my position as Treasurer would be a testament to what the organisation would like to represent”.
Dwyer spoke about his experience with “financial stewardship and strategic planning in his USU Events Coordinator Role and as the President of the Sydney University Data Society”. He outlined his vision to “ensure financial health and transparency of the union; that every dollar is spent wisely and in line with our strategic vision”.
Honi does not have any information about how the eleven student Board directors and two Senate-appointed Board directors voted, apart from it being in James’ favour.
A member of Labor Right/Unity, Dwyer’s election fortifies the centre-right bloc — and healthy majority of white men — on the Executive, under the helm of Liberal USU President Bryson Constable. This is the first time in recent memory that there have been no members of the campus left on the Executive.
