Affirmative Action Consultation Forum

After the approval of the 2012 Affirmative Action Review prepared by Women’s Portfolio Holder Hannah Morris, the USU Board would like to carry out further consultation with members to develop any further actions to be brought to the November Board Meeting.

The USU Board recognises that we are a membership organisation and invite all members to share their opinions and thoughts in advising the Board.

We will be holding a Consultation Forum this Thursday, 1^st November to provide a safe space for debate on the topic.

Details are:
Autonomous Discussion: 4-5pm, Women’s Room. Level 1, Manning House.

Followed by,

General Discussion: 5-6pm, MacCallum Room. Level 2, Holme Building.

The agenda for both discussions will be related to the four areas of the review, as follows:

1.      Affirmative Action in the USU’s Board of Directors

2.      Affirmative Action and female representation in the USU’s Student Leadership Program and the Clubs and Societies Program

3.      The USU’s existing structures promoting and recognizing Women’s leadership

4.      The USU’s communication strategy surrounding the promotion of women’s leadership and Affirmative Action

5.      Other matters for noting (time permitting)

Please find the USU Affirmative Action Consultative Paper which contains substantive findings from the Affirmative Action Review here: 2012 Affirmative Action Consultative Paper

We invite you to read this paper and provide us with submissions on the issues pertaining to each section. Your submissions can include any proposed models addressing the issues, ideas or comments on the findings. These submissions can be anonymous or you may include your name. Additionally, if you would like any part of your submission to be directly referenced at the Consultation Forums, please indicate if you would like it to be done so anonymously.

Please email any submissions to the Women’s Portfolio Holder at h.morris@usu.usyd.edu.au by 4pm on Thursday, 1^st November.

Come along to the event in the spirit of respect and open debate. The USU began as Debating Society after all.

Yours sincerely,

Board of Directors
University of Sydney Union



Changes To Our Coffee

We’re pleased to announce that as early as January 2013, the USU will be changing its coffee to beans that are Rainforest Alliance certified and 100% organic. Our decision to move to socially sustainable coffee is just one way we’re hoping to improve our CSR practices.

For some time now, students have been telling us they want socially responsible coffee. This came to a head with 2010’s referendum on Fair Trade initiated by the student group Fairly Educated. At the time, we were locked into a coffee contract so could not make immediate changes to our coffee.

When our coffee contract came up for review this year, we decided to put out a call for socially responsible coffee suppliers. The tender process was vigorous with suppliers asked to respond to an extensive list of questions formulated by the Tertiary Access Group (a non-profit cooperative providing Australian universities with commercial support), as well as additional questions developed by Fairly Educated.

We established an internal Coffee Working Party to compare the responses from the ten companies who replied to the tender. Our main aim was to ensure our final supplier of choice would not source beans from farmers who exploited ethical labour standards. After a long process including consultation with Fairly Educated, the Board voted to award the contract to our current supplier, Cantarella Bros., a 100 per cent Australian owned company. We will be sticking with the Vittoria brand, but supplying beans that are ethically sourced.

This decision is just the beginning of our move towards a more socially responsible USU. The majority of our products will go through TAG’s questioning process to ensure that when you buy something from the Union, you are doing a good thing for workers and the environment.

I’m currently working with the Board and other USU staff members to review our environmental practices and expand our CSR strategy. Already, there have been many exciting ideas discussed, so watch this space for more info.

If you would like more information on our coffee and social responsibility at the USU, please contact me at: t.raue@usu.usyd.edu.au

Tom Raue

Board Director

ODYSSEY – HERMES 2012

Dear membership and friends of the USU,

Last week your Union continued one of its oldest and richest traditions, by launching the latest edition of Hermes (pronounced her-mees, not er-mez).

Hermes, is Australia’s oldest literary journal, which has been produced by students since 1886. Whilst Hermes is a product of students here at the University of Sydney, its international reputation and remarkable heritage means that it is revered in literary circles across this land and abroad.

This year, Jackson Busse, Gabriela Edelstein, Kate Farrell and Chenoa Fawn have composed an edition themed ‘Odyssey’. In their prologue, they say that writers have a special freedom to “explore and attend the whole drama of human life”. It is a testament to the talent and travails of these students, that anyone who glances at Hermes will quickly realise that this lofty notion has been captured, exquisitely in their 110–page literary gem.

For its exemplary literary pieces, and flashes of Jazz Age imagery, I cannot recommend obtaining a copy of Hermes 2012 highly enough. Brought to you by your USU, editions of Hermes are available free from the Access Desk in Manning, and from the Verge Gallery in Jane Foss Russell Plaza. 

Kind regards,

Zachary Thompson

Honorary Secretary