USYD commits to act after student election saga

In a statement released this afternoon, University of Sydney (USYD) Chancellor David Thodey and Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Mark Scott, slammed the university’s Student Representative Council’s (SRC) decision to allow a ‘Globalise the Intifada’ ticket in its election held last week as “totally unacceptable”.

“We reject the contention that this phrase [Globalise the Intifada] is innocuous,” Thodey and Scott said.

“The deliberately provocative use of this slogan has caused – and continues to cause – overwhelming distress to members of our University community. These hateful campaigns must stop.

“We unequivocally oppose hate speech and the use of any terms or slogans that could be readily construed as inciting violence – and will remove signs or symbols when or if this occurs.

“We deplore the manipulation of the recent election campaign – and the use of posters and banners – to spread hurtful and distressing language across campus.

“It is intolerable that any public events and activities at the University of Sydney should lead to an apprehension of violence, leaving staff and students feeling uneasy or unsafe on campus.”

Their statement confirmed that USYD will be issuing formal notices of serious and material concern under its existing disciplinary policies, “as and if required – action will be taken against students or staff who are found to have breached our policies”.

They also confirmed that “several” investigations are already underway, and that this week, USYD will commission independent reviews into matters arising from the SRC’s actions.

The statement advised that these will focus on three main things.

A review of campus security will commence “to ensure appropriate measures are in place to protect everyone in the University community”, and in addition to regular briefings, USYD will seek further contact with police and federal intelligence and counter-terrorism agencies.

Secondly, an assessment of the current affiliation and funding arrangements for student representative groups will occur, “to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and psychosocial safety requirements”.

And an assessment will take place of current staff and student codes of conduct, “to ensure they adequately reflect our commitment to a safe and welcoming environment, in which there is no place for harassment, victimisation or intimidation.

“The findings of these reviews will be considered by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Social Cohesion, and by the University Senate.”

President of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) Jeremy Suss, welcomed the statement by Scott and Thodey, particularly its outlining of actions to be taken.

“This is the latest in a long line of measures to clear out years of rot at the University of Sydney,” Suss said.

“We hope this acknowledgement marks the beginning of an era where Jewish students will finally feel safe on campus.”

Today’s statement by Thodey and Scott came one week after Scott had written to the SRC’s electoral officer seeking an explanation of how the ticket name ‘Globalise the Intifada” was assessed and allowed to be approved, whether that decision would be reconsidered, and also pledged to seek guidance from the NSW Electoral Commission.

At that time, Scott confirmed that the SRC runs its elections independently, “but we remain responsible for the safety and well-being of everyone on our campuses”, and he had said he understood “the distress felt by Jewish members of our community” and “we have removed material containing the phrase that was displayed outside designated areas [on campus].

Scott had also invited Jewish communal leaders to meet with him.

In a joint statement on September 22, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism and Jewish chaplaincy group JUNI called for the immediate removal of all remaining material, a prohibition on the phrase in campus campaign material, an investigation into who authorised and displayed it, and consideration of whether the ticket or its candidates should be disqualified.

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, NSW Premier Chris Minns, and Wentworth MP Allegra Spender, all raised similar concerns directly with Scott, and called for action to prevent the situation happening again.

The university’s SRC undergraduate student election was held between September 22-24. Final results are pending.