By Alex Neale
Tomorrow evening, Arc will be holding general meeting in which all of its members will have the opportunity to vote on proposed changes to its constitution.
One such change has been proposed with the hopes of increasing the diversity of Arc’s gender representation at its top levels.
The change, if successful, would see at least 4 female or gender diverse people required to make up the 8 student directors, rather than the 4 female student directors required under the current constitution. The constitution will also be amended to define a Gender Diverse person as “a person whose gender identity, role, or expression differs from the cultural norms prescribed for people of a particular sex”.
The change is proposed to affect article 9.3 of the constitution, which currently states:
The composition of the eight (8) Student Directors … must include:
(i) Four (4) women
(ii) One (1) SDC Convenor
In a statement announcing the proposal, Arc Board Chair Oliver Pike said, “we are cognisant that both female and gender diverse people have historically experienced barriers to jobs and leadership positions in society and believe that students feel safer and encouraged to apply for Director positions when there is representation of their demographic on the Board.”
The meeting will take place tomorrow at 5:00 pm Sydney time at the Roundhouse Club Bar and can be attended by all Arc members. The meeting can also be joined online here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_e9Gfzb55Q82rd-QcswSuBw
The motion will appear via poll during the meeting which attendants can fill out online. Students can nominate a proxy to attend the meeting and vote in their place.