Alan Shaker: unfinished business for re-elected AUSA president
1 March 2024
After his first term as AUSA president in 2023, Alan Shaker put his hand up to finish the job in 2024.
AUSA president Alan Shaker is stoked to get another chance to lead the students’ union.
“This is an important year for AUSA and I have some unfinished business from last year.”
Alan says 2023 saw significant change in the organisation, so continuity is helpful. AUSA worked on the Student Voice Policy which included discussion on remuneration and training for student representatives.
“We also made significant progress on a new funding agreement for AUSA, a partnership agreement with University leadership, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Postgraduate Students’ Association.”
“The goal is a merger with the Postgraduate Students' Association to become one student association representing all students. This work began last year and this year it’s about finalising and signing these things off. AUSA in 2025 has the potential to be a very different and expanded organisation.”
If we want more students on campus, we have to give them more reasons to do so by making these University years the best years of their lives.
And there was fun too.
“We ran our first Alfred’s Orientation concert in 2023, bringing music acts onto our front doorstep on Alfred Street.”
The successful event ran again in 2024, bringing joyful energy to Alfred Street for O-week.
Alan says he is working with his new executive on how best to represent students as well as finalising the new funding agreement with the University to “allow us to expand our services and do more for our students”.
He says what is bringing students back to Campus is the social atmosphere and that’s front of his mind.
“Obviously they come here for a degree but also for an experience. If we want more students on campus, we have to give them more reasons to do so by making these University years the best years of their lives.”
He says the University is helping with its innovations, such as the Curriculum Framework Transformation and the introduction of relational learning.
Relational learning is an approach to education that emphasises the importance of creating a positive and engaging learning environment, in which teachers build relationships with their students and create opportunities for them to collaborate.
“Those innovations will make learning a lot more enjoyable.”
See who's on the executive.
