Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Faction: Grassroots
Quiz score: 59%
Colour: Green
You can read the full transcript of Rand’s interview here.
Running on significant momentum, Rand Khatib is the 2024 SRC Presidential candidate for the Grassroots ticket and the Free Palestine campaign. Khatib, currently an Arts student entering her sixth year, has been a member of Grassroots for the past 18 months. She ran for a position on the Student Representative Council on a Grassroots ticket in 2022, prior to officially joining the faction. She is also an inactive member of the Australian Greens.
With a quiz mark of 59%, Khatib sits behind Angus Fisher’s 70% but ahead of Thomas Thorpe’s 35%. Of note, Khatib was able to name university chancellors but unable to recall two current Faculty Deans. She was also unable to name recommendations from the University Accord report and the role of National Student Ombudsman showing a surprising gap in broader campus literacy.
A self-described “Palestinian student activist [and] community organiser”, if elected, Khatib would be the first Palestinian and Muslim president in the SRC’s history; a relevant consideration for Khatib who rarely saw herself “represented in places of leadership”.
Khatib claims it was Grassroots’ “revolutionary ideals” that drew her to the faction, while also stating that her politics are “not really limited or deeply influenced by the Greens” and their “essentially reformist” political standpoint.
When asked if the caucus discussions within Grassroots would affect presidential decisions, Khatib was markedly evasive. She first noted the faction’s non-binding nature and claimed that being “informed by the wills and the meanings of undergraduate students” is “exactly how I plan to govern the SRC.” Khatib also noted that she would “have consultation hours, which is exactly where I would be getting feedback from students [and] making sure that our policies [are] in line with what students need.” However, Khatib never explicitly said she would contradict Grassroots caucus, and claimed that “nine times out of ten,” the faction’s “positions are reflected” in the fact that it “is about putting students first.”
When discussing her vision for the SRC, Khatib returned time and time again to the organisation’s radical history. According to Khatib, “the SRC is a place where movements have really had the opportunity to grow and bring students on board”, a “history and legacy” that she wants to continue.
Khatib also noted that “supporting the [SRC] collectives” was one way of broadening student engagement, turning to her experience as Women’s Officer in facilitating events like Cheese and Tatreez and bake sales for Sudan as evidence of the outreach power of the collectives.
It is clear that Khatib has significant experience in political and organising spheres, suitable for the President role. Before entering student politics, Khatib was involved in activism off campus. In particular, Khatib has been consistently involved in BDS Youth as well as Palestine Justice Movement, where she learned “how to work with union delegacy, union leadership [and] rank and file union members.”
She also spoke at length about the importance of localising Palestinian civil society’s calls to action and her positionality as a refugee who fled colonial violence and having to contend with being “part of a system that inflicts colonial violence on [First Nations] people here.”
Khatib also has extensive experience working within the SRC collectives, including her current role as SRC Women’s Officer. Previously, Khatib held the position of Ethnocultural Officer and ACAR Convener which she highlighted as “building power with the Blak Caucus […] and the Tzedek Collective.”
As a candidate, Khatib offers greater visibility to the SRC’s ongoing activism for a free Palestine and an end to the University’s complicity in the genocide.
Khatib was involved in making the SRC the first ever apartheid-free zone in Australia, including stopping the contracts with Hewlett-Packard (HP). She reiterated her belief in the importance of the SRC having a “radical stance”, identifying aspirations of the National Union of Students (NUS) moving towards apartheid-free zones.
When questioned about the higher proportion of stupol-affiliated students at the Gaza solidarity encampment, and whether that foregrounded them, Khatib noted “perhaps that might have been true” but the encampment brought “every faction that cares about Palestine [together]”.
In reference to the SUMSA deal with USyd management in exchange for the end of the encampment, Khatib acknowledged the limitations of signing a deal but explained that it was “clear that they put Palestine first” and echoed the obligation to “try every single tool at our disposal to bring an end to the horrifying scenes that we’re seeing.” In what can be interpreted as a dig at SAlt, Khatib concluded that “it is not up to us to say, we’re not going to try this one tactic, because I don’t believe in working with management”.
In general, Khatib attributed management as being often responsible for so many of the issues that students are facing. Despite Khatib’s platform being that of an oppositional stance to management, she recognised that the President sits on several committees, and that is an avenue to represent the student voice.
Khatib criticised the University’s commitment to an Experience Palestine OLE, noting that different Palestinian experiences cannot be taught within a single unit of study. Besides safety, Khatib argued that it is “naive” and “deeply problematic to experience Israel or Palestine right now” especially as “Palestinians in Palestine don’t really support people coming in this touristic way”.
Khatib stated her willingness to meet with management about the IHRA definition of anti-semitism, noting that during her role as ACAR Convenor, she and 2023 SRC President Lia Perkins gave feedback on a draft anti-racism statement.
Khatib said that it was important for the SRC to be involved in political campaigns targeting state, national and international issues. Khatib claimed that the SRC’s student union status creates opportunity for inter-union collaboration to put pressure on state and federal Labor governments as they are “deeply linked to a lot of these unions.”
Regarding her position on the international student caps recently announced by the Federal Labor Government, Khatib warned of “a real threat here to increase racism” in the wider community. To address the issue, Khatib said she would “reach out” to the International Student Officers to “see if they’ve got a campaign already in mind” and work with them to build that campaign.
Khatib expressed a willingness to ensure that the Education Action Group (EAG) was supported in their ‘Scrap the CAP’ campaign, ensuring she would advocate for the funding and resources for every left-wing campaign.
Khatib suggested that she could consult office bearers to see how she can help alleviate their workload because “across factional lines, we should absolutely be working as a team to ensure things are done”. To manage presidential duties, Khatib expressed her intention to reduce studies and likely defer.
And so, the question remains, will Khatib bring about the sixth-consecutive Grassroots victory? Or will the monopoly on the Presidency since COVID-19 come to an end?
Campaigning will commence on Wednesday 11 September. Voting will run from 24 – 26 September with in-person ballots. For more information visit the SRC website.
