Instatement manual for SUPRA council

2. Objects and principles

The 5 core objectives of SUPRA are outlined in our SUPRA Constitution [PDF 452KB] and are as follows.

1. ‘The overriding object of the Association and the Council shall be to expand, advocate for, defend and preserve the rights and interests of the University’s postgraduate students, and shall at all times endeavour to achieve this.’

This means that the rights and interests of postgrad students must always be central to any projects, plans or activities. When making decisions you should always ask yourself, and other councillors:

• How is this in the interests of postgrads?
• Will the interests or rights of some postgrads be harmed by this? And if so, can this plan be changed or does it need to be abandoned?
• What is the best way to defend postgrads?

Examples:

• Most SUPRA events help us to grow our membership and develop the engagement and strength of our current membership. This is expanding the interests of postgraduate students.
• When the University wants to make changes that save them money but impacts the students badly, we have a duty to oppose the changes. We did this successfully alongside other students and staff when we stopped the implementation of a 12-week semester.

2. ‘The Association shall seek to reflect the views of the postgraduate students of the University, and shall consult regularly with the postgraduate population.’

This means that you need to seek out the opinions of SUPRA’s constituents and then use your elected positions to amplify them. This is helped by having diverse voices on council among general councillors and office-bearing roles.

Examples:

• Consultation can mean reaching out through social media, surveys or events.
• Reflecting the views of postgraduates could mean SUPRA presenting those views to the University, or making a public statement.
• When a seat on council becomes vacant, council should try to elect a postgrad who is a member of a group not already dominantly represented on council. Examples of groups that often need better representation on council are: First Nations students, students living with disabilities, and sometimes international students or domestic students – depending on the council.

3. ‘The Association shall endeavour to ensure its conduct is transparent and democratic.’

This means that SUPRA will have fair, transparent and easily accessible elections; and that the actions and motives of elected councillors are observable to constituents.

Examples:

• well-advertised elections that encourage candidates and voters from across the spectrum of postgraduates at the University
• taking care to organise accessible meetings
• clear reporting at council meetings with well-recorded minutes
• publishing meeting minutes on the SUPRA website in a timely manner.

4. ‘The Association shall represent the postgraduate students of the University and make appropriate representations to all relevant parties, stakeholders and bodies on their behalf.’

This means that SUPRA will use the strength of the student union to ensure postgraduate student voices are represented to the University, public, government and any other setting where appropriate.

The University is better for everyone when management is accountable to students. The work of student unions is to hold Usyd accountable to it’s postgrad students – through you, the elected representatives. Even though it is often helpful to have positive relationships with the University, it is essential that we always prioritise the interests of postgrads.

Examples:

• SUPRA representatives speaking at University committee meetings
• SUPRA writing media releases or formal statements about an issue impacting postgraduate students
• the President contacting government bodies about support for international students on specific issues, or during major events
• ensuring SUPRA is included in relevant debates and decisions at the University.

5. ‘The Association shall provide independent representation, advocacy and advice to postgraduate students of the University of Sydney.’

This means that our casework and legal services are integral to SUPRA. Our professional services assist hundreds of postgrads each year.

A key aspect of this is our independence – SUPRA is an affiliate of the University but a separate, independent organisation. When a student uses the casework services due to a University matter, the advice and support they receive from SUPRA must be in the interests of the student and not the University (even if the student has done the something they shouldn’t have).