Members c. 10,000 | ||
Location Level 1, Student Facilities Building 17a, University Avenue, ANU Canberra, 2601 Website | ||
The Australian National University Students' Association is the student's union of the Australian National University. It is better known by its acronym, ANUSA. It exists to represent The Australian National University undergraduate students in the University's decision-making, to act as the voice for students in the national higher education policy debate, and to provide direct services to the student body. It is not to be confused with ANU Union, which is a not-for-profit association that manages catering and retail operations in the ANU Union Building.
Contents
- Membership
- Finances
- Governance
- Executive
- College Representatives
- Department Officers
- Departments
- Committees
- Student Assistance Unit
- Brian Kenyon Student Space
- Bookshop
- Clubs and Societies Programme
- Social Programme
- Student Representation
- Political Affiliations
- Wadgate
- Facilities and Services
- Recent History
- References
Membership
ANUSA is an association of ANU's more than 10,000 undergraduate students. Individual students can opt out of membership, although this right is rarely exercised.
Finances
ANUSA is financed by a block grant from the University, using revenue collected from the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). In 2016 ANUSA was allocated $1,681,535 by the University, or 32.6% of the total SSAF revenue collected.
Governance
ANUSA is led by a 39-member Student Representative Council, which includes a 6 member Executive, 7 Department Officers, 12 College Representatives and 14 General Representatives. Also elected are the Undergraduate Representative to ANU Council and 5 delegates to the National Union of Students Conference. The day-to-day operations of the Association are managed by approximately 13 paid staff members.
Executive
College Representatives
Department Officers
Departments
The ANUSA Constitution establishes and funds seven autonomous departments to represent and advocate for students from marginalised groups in the community. These include:
Committees
The ANUSA Constitution establishes a number of committees with various purposes:
Student Assistance Unit
The Student Assistance Unit (SAU) provides support, advice and assistance to students in a range of areas, including: Centrelink payments; bursaries and scholarships; academic appeals; and legal advice. The SAU is staffed by 4 Student Assistance Officers, including 2 qualified lawyers.
The SAU also administers several grants schemes, which provide meals, grants and grocery vouchers to students facing financial difficulty.
Brian Kenyon Student Space
The Brian Kenyon Student Space (BKSS) is the student lounge for ANUSA, located in Union Court. Opened in 2011, the BKSS offers a place for students to relax and socialise between classes, boasting comforts such as a complimentary daily breakfast, and affordable coffee and snacks throughout the day.
Bookshop
ANUSA operates an online secondhand bookshop, allowing students to buy and sell textbooks at discounted prices.
Clubs and Societies Programme
ANUSA's Clubs and Societies Council administers the University's clubs and societies programme. Currently there are approximately 180 affiliated clubs, offering unique educational, sporting, culture and social opportunities to members. Each year, the programme culminates in the ANUSA Club and Society Awards Night, considered a highlight of the Association's social calendar.
Social Programme
ANUSA's Social Committee coordinates a lively programme of social events throughout the year, including Orientation Week, Bush Week, Sex & Consent Week and Universal Lunch Hour each Thursday. Each year, ANUSA hosts an open air concert on the final day of Orientation Week, which has attracted acts including The Presets, Kimbra, Miami Horror, Rufus, Bluejuice and British India.
Student Representation
ANUSA represents ANU undergraduate students on a number of high-level University committees, including:
The ANUSA President meets regularly with the University Executive to discuss issues pertaining to the welfare of undergraduate students.
Political Affiliations
ANUSA is somewhat unique among Australian student unions in that its Executive has remained independent of any political party since 2011.
Whilst ANUSA is affiliated with the National Union of Students (NUS), it has not paid a subscription since 2012 due to concerns about the efficacy of NUS and issues relating to student wellbeing at the NUS National Conference. This has resulted in its voting rights being suspended at the NUS National Conference, although the Association continues to send its delegates as observers.
"Wadgate"
The 1996 ANUSA elections saw the losing "Rage" ticket embroiled in scandal. 146 votes for the "Rage" presidential candidate Daniel Jenkins were excluded by the Returning Officer after allegations of ballot stuffing. The fraud was discovered when a student sitting in a cafe saw a voter attempt to stuff a wad of ballots into the ballot box. When the Returning Officer opened the ballot box, five wads of ballots were found, all of which gave their first preference to Jenkins.
The scandal was dubbed "Wadgate" by the student newspaper Woroni and was subsequently reported on the front page of the Canberra Times (05/02/97) and elsewhere. It was also raised at least three times in the Australian Senate by Sen. Eric Abetz (Senate Hansard: 30/10/96, pp.4747-4750; 05/02/97, pp.125-127; and 23/06/97, pp.4929-31).
The winning presidential candidate, Matt Tinning from the "Counter Attack" ticket, secured enough votes to win even if fraudulent votes had not been excluded.
Facilities and Services
ANUSA moved into its premises in the Concessions Building in Union Court in 1999, following a major refurbishment. The Brian Kenyon Student Space was opened in 2011, named after Brian Kenyon, who drove ANU's late night bus for 26 years until 2014.
Recent History
In 2011, ANUSA was incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 (ACT). Later that year, conflict arose between the ANUSA Executive and the editors of the ANUSA Student Newspaper, Woroni. As a result, ANU Student Media was formed in 2012 as an independent incorporated association.
2012 saw the introduction of the Student Services and Amenities Fee (2012) by the Gillard Government, leading to a doubling of the ANUSA budget. This was a catalyst for a new phase of growth for the Association, most apparent in the significant increase in staffing that has occurred.
Key campaigns in recent years have included 'Save the School of Music' in 2012, an attempt to prevent structural changes to ANU School of Music proposed by the University. The campaign attracted national media attention, and was featured on the ABC's 7:30 Report. A petition was signed by over 24,000 people. In 2014, an anti-fee deregulation campaign was spearheaded by Education Officer Laura Wey, also achieving national media coverage. One of the protest marches was comically featured on Channel 9's The Footy Show.
In 2014, President Ben Gill became the first President of the Association to be re-elected for a second term.