leadership – baby g’s diary

Confessions of an ex-NTUSU Exco

4th Oct 20234th Oct 2023 gwynethtytLeave a comment

I was part of the NTU Students’ Union 28th Executive Committee in AY2018/19 as the Corporate Communications Executive (Relations). I am here to share my story.

OK, now that I’ve got your attention, this post is not about any particular individual or even a set of people. It is about the NTU Students’ Union as an institution and mode of government.

I will not name anyone in this post because I know my peers would rather not be entangled in this matter, not to mention that they have moved on with their lives anyway. (Crucially, I am not interested in being SLAPPed with a lawsuit.) I’m only here because I’ve been in NTU for longer than most people I know – first as an undergraduate and now as a graduate student.

This post is a singular reflection of my experience with the Students’ Union: what I thought it was, what it really was then, what it is now, and what it could be.

Therefore, a confession of sorts, though I have nothing to be ashamed of, as you will see.

What the Students’ Union was to Me, Part 1: The Introduction

I was peripherally involved with Union activities in Year 1. I was a member-minion of the Open House Committee, and my task was to secure partnerships with external organisations. The Open House work was basic, but I enjoyed seeing the event coalesce via that invisible thread of camaraderie interlacing it. Through that opportunity, I met others, some of whom would eventually become my teammates in the 28th NTUSU Executive Committee (henceforth SU/Union and Exco).

When asked to consider running as an SU Exco member in Year 2, I was starry-eyed at the prospect. And why wouldn’t I be? It promised to be an avenue for me to create change as I envisioned it. And I had dreams: I wanted to revitalise the floundering Union magazine, U-Insight, and transform it into an avenue where students could express themselves. I wanted to improve the communication channels between SU and the student body, mainly so that student feedback, previously scattered across sources, could be consolidated into a single place to amplify its voice.

Here’s a part of my presentation script that I used in the 28th Council Election Rally (2018) in standing for the role of Relations Executive. If you’re wondering about its authenticity, note its dated nature – for example, the Nanyang Chronicle was quietly discontinued after 2019. Yes, I am old. Yes, I called it Nanyang Chron.

I will now elaborate on my aims and goals should I be elected to this role. First, I want to expand and distinguish U-Insight. It was moved online fully since last year and now has its own unique platform, rather than being integrated on the NTUSU website, but it’s still relatively rudimentary. Currently, it has 11 posts over 5 months, mostly focusing on events and new initiatives that NTUSU pushed out in the previous academic year. As you can see from the picture, it has a grand total of 2 tabs or sections. So what I want to do is expand what the editorial has to offer in a direction that distinguishes us from the other editorials/magazines in NTU, such as Hey! Magazine and Nanyang Chronicle. My vision for the magazine is a platform that represents the voice of the students – on top of sharing news about policies and events, we also make students feel like they have a part to play in the growth of this editorial. Currently, what I am looking at is including more sections in the editorial, and some that our student-members can contribute directly to. This may include opinion pieces, Q&As, interviews, and so on. I will work closely with my committee to achieve these goals. If possible, we may even look towards collaboration with other student-run editorials like Nanyang Chron.

Feedback is one of the most important things for me, and as such will be a priority. I understand that we currently have a feedback link that is attached to all the EDMs [electronic direct mailer, i.e. fancy way of saying emails] blasted by the SU. There is another link that is pasted on a few bus stop posters asking students to provide feedback, but that link does not work. What I want to do is clean up and simplify the feedback process by standardising it, as well as putting this link up on more platforms. To achieve this, my proposed committee includes the position of online engagement officer, whom I will work with to collect feedback across a variety of platforms and analyse it.

I had dreams, and I wanted to achieve them. The position of Relations Executive offered me just that; it gave me power – the ability to influence events in the direction of my will.

And who wouldn’t want that?

So off I went to the elections, full of hope and ambition.

What the Students’ Union was to Me, Part 2: The Election

Let me explain how the Union (Executive Committee) electoral process works. Again. Because I’ve done this before, but let me do it again.

The SU Executive Committee is not elected by the students. The Union Council is elected by the students. The Executive Committee is elected by the Council.

Some context is necessary.

Anyone who glances through the NTUSU website might think the Council is the Executive Committee. It is not.

The Council is composed of:

The Executive Committee
The Academic Constituent Clubs (a fancy way of saying “school clubs”) – e.g. School of Social Sciences Club, Biological Sciences Club. All students are part of the club whose name matches their school.
The Non-Academic Constituent Clubs (i.e. the Big Three Clubs that seem to pervade every aspect of CCA life) – WSC, Sports Club, CAC. All students are members of ALL NACCs (bet you didn’t know that! And that’s why you can vote in their elections, even if you don’t participate in their activities or volunteer).

The power distribution within the NTUSU Council has baffled me, though certainly, I had no interest in pursuing the matter given that the arrangement benefited my position. How I understood it during my time was (might be inaccurate):

The Council, as a totality, is concerned with all student members. They discuss things sporadically. The duration between successive meetings can span up to months.
ACCs and NACCs are more concerned with things happening within their student sections. They primarily run events for their own members.
Exco is concerned with all “26,000 undergraduate students of NTU” and counting. They implement the decisions of the Council, kind of. They organise events for and represent everyone. They are the closest point of contact to the NTU management.

(If you’re wondering about the postgraduate students, they’re covered by another group entirely irrelevant to this discussion – the Graduate Students’ Association [GSA]. There are also the non-constituent clubs, which are the smaller clubs catering to more specific interests.)

When I write about it that way, there seems to be an overlap between Council and Exco. Hmm. The Council makes some decisions, but the Exco makes others, though the Exco is responsible for most of the legwork. Another interesting factoid: the current Constitution says that the Council “has the power to” exercise control over the Executive Committee. I am not sure how it works in practice.

I digress. Back to the electoral process.

Again: The SU Executive Committee is not elected by the students. The Union Council is elected by the students. The Executive Committee is elected by the Council.

There are two “levels” of elections happening here.

The first election, at the NACC/ACC level. Students vote here for the Committee Members of their NACC/ACC Club. This is what you vote for on Union Day. The President of the ACCs at this level – and only the President, not other committee members – becomes a Council Member. For NACCs, two (President and VP/Hon Gen) become Council Members.
The second election, at the council level. Council members, empowered by students as representatives of their clubs, vote here to decide which specific council members become members of the Executive Committee.

In other words, students do not elect anyone in the Executive Committee. The Presidents of their Clubs do.

A more concrete example to illustrate – myself. Students elected me as the Union Representative of the School of Social Sciences, and I became a Council Member. (That, or at least a temporary member who could stand for elections in the Council. The definition of a Union Representative is wonky.) Then, I was voted in by the 28th Council Members to become a member of the Executive Committee. If by any chance the Union Rep is not elected due to lack of confidence or a contesting candidate winning, they are required to resign from the Council basically immediately. In case I get questions on this, yes, my role was uncontested. (But I’m sure you’d vote for me even if it was contested. :-))

I noticed a lot of fanfare on the ground over students being unable to directly elect the Exco. Note that this election process is neither unfair nor problematic per se. The Prime Minister of Singapore is chosen similarly. The Prime Minister is defined as the leader of the Parliament, and the leader is decided through a “consensus among peers” involved. The voting public has limited influence over the final decision of who is selected as the PM – though, of course, it can have its preferences, and its opinions are sought by the government. A Mothership video explains it better than me here (unfortunately).

By the way, I can’t find the past Students’ Union Council Rally meeting minutes. The election archives (which I had to google to find and which doesn’t seem directly accessible from the main NTUSU website) only have the results of the ACC/NACC-level elections. If anyone can find the past Council meeting minutes, please leave a comment below, thanks. It is 5:51 a.m., and I am not in the headspace to search for gold in the desert.

What the Students’ Union really was: The Exco and its Jurisdiction

I learned following my successful election that there were limits to my power. To give some perspective, I guess my role at that time is the equivalent of the current Public Relations Executive in AY2022/23. I had to report to my Vice-President, who was accountable for my actions; they had to report to the President, who was accountable for our actions. The President, in turn, was accountable to stakeholders with various interests.

I don’t want or need to elaborate on how the Union is aligned vis-à-vis the university management regarding decision-making. I am sure there are plenty of posts out there that can paint a picture for you. I will say that the Union is dedicated to protecting the peace of the status quo. This is hardly surprising; it would be surprising if it were anything else.

My role was mainly limited to communicator ex post facto rather than decision-maker, given the limits of my power. So I could consolidate feedback and I could attempt to persuade, but I had no say in the final decisions made.

One of my first projects was consolidating feedback via Union channels. As I promised in my rally, mind you! The hot topic that year was the issue of being unable to see the results of your S/Ued options, unlike NUS’s practice.

Ultimately, this was the end result we communicated to students. Relevant extract copied below.

Context: the bolded sentence is a question asked by a student we received via our newly released feedback channel. We gathered recurring themes and officially responded to them via our editorial website, U-Insight (responses in point form below the question).

Why can’t we see our results before choosing to S/U it? What has NTUSU done regarding this issue? – MECH/4

The University Management’s stance is that the S/U option is part of the broad level efforts undertaken by the University to nurture a holistic learning environment that puts less emphasis on grades and focuses more on learning and exploring courses beyond their core disciplinary studies. The University Management believes that the current S/U declaration period up to two working days after the last exam paper of the semester gives students sufficient time to weigh their choices of either opting for grade or S/U notation, rather than as a means to pull up their GPA […]

In AY14/15, after hearing from students, NTUSU successfully pushed for the S/U option to be available after exams, when it was previously available only before exams. NTUSU is constantly engaging both students and the management on this matter.

Note how the response is phrased. I leave the interpretation up to you, but I can tell you I oversaw its creation. By the way, the last sentence is true, even as it is broad. The point here is that students are given access to the outcomes of discussions involving the Students’ Union. As for the process, which is fundamental to participatory decision-making… that’s up to you to decide.

What the Students’ Union is, Now?

A few comments on the selection process based on my experience.

I was recruited due to my past experience as a member of a Union Committee before running for Executive. I believe this is a reasonable expectation to have for someone who is expected to represent the interests of students; aside from a desire to serve, it helps to have prior experience. But beyond demonstrating ability through your previous work, it is because you have made connections through your shared experiences.

“Connections” sounds like a dirty word, huh? But is it really? We know elected positions in the Council and across clubs, halls, and societies are almost always uncontested. It is the rule, not the exception. People ask why, but there really is no question. The simple answer is that succession planning occurs. Imagine you are a leader of some club or society. You would hope to leave it in good hands. You are now faced with a decision. Who do you pick to succeed you?

We can argue that the system is flawed if, and only if,

(1) Students are not given an equal opportunity to run for these positions, AND/OR

(2) Students who do apply are not evaluated fairly.

It is hard to argue (2) because most positions are uncontested. So, we focus on (1).

Now for the million-dollar question: did (1) happen with the transition of power from the previous Union Executive Committee to the current one?

I don’t know. Neither do I want to make any claim with absolute certainty.

What we can do is to look at the information we’ve been presented with, and you can decide for yourself.

What the Students’ Union Could Be?

Before evaluating what we have, consider this fascinating observation of mine.

The circle is closed, yes, but it is not impenetrable.

In the same Union Rally I attended to be elected, another position in the Exco was contested. Two people ran for it. One of them was unexpected. The unexpected one was dazzling in their purity, and I say that in the most respectful way possible. They had seen the club elections notice, and with pure hope, they had run for Union Rep, got elected by their students, and decided to run for the Exco with whatever they knew. Of course, the other candidate had done the same, but with a longer preparation runway. Only one of them was elected that night. Guess who won? You’d be surprised.

In the latest AY2023 Union Rally, the role of President was contested by the Union Rep of the Welfare Services Club. However, it seems that a technicality did not allow them to rally before the incumbent President was elected. Hmm… (It’s all reported on Soapbox – not my words!)

These two examples are few and far between. Still, they are sufficient to establish that theoretically nothing stops students from running for elections, whether as Union Rep at the club level or Exco members at the Council level. Theoretically. Please do not take this to mean that I am defending the current state of affairs.

The next question is: assuming students care enough to run (high bar in itself btw), do they know enough to run? If they do not know enough, can we argue that this results in unequal access?

Information Asymmetry, Example 1

Let’s backtrack into the election process again.

I knew I had to be elected into the SSS Club as Union Rep to become an Exco member later. I knew this because I was familiar with the election procedure. And I knew this because I knew someone who knew this. Of course.

I suspect that many students are not aware of this requirement.

The above does not mean that students are not allowed to run in club elections. In my case, the SSS Club elections in my time were open to all, and people were free to run for whatever positions they desired (- I think!). There was at least an email informing people that applications were open. There was an open “candidate evaluation process” which consisted of them pasting applicants’ entry forms onto big boards displayed in the foyer for passersby to gawk at. Was mine there too? I can’t remember – it’s been years. The devil may be in the details, but I don’t remember anything amiss.

But that’s missing the point.

Information Asymmetry, Example 2

Another thing I noticed is that the NTUSU Instagram page (managed by the Exco only, the Communications department in particular) does not list the names of the Union Representatives contesting for Exco positions. I chalked it up to lack of transparency initially, but on second thought, it makes sense in a pedantic way. The Union Reps have yet to officially hold any positions in the Council/Exco. So, there is technically no need to declare your interest in a specific Exco position until you get to the Council Rally, which is a closed-door event anyway. (This feels like the kind of argument phrasing that got the current SU PR department in hot soup.)

To be even more pedantic, one could argue that students have access to information regarding who their Union Reps are – you can find out via the results release of the elected positions via the ACC/NACC club documents. They’re just not widely publicised, so it takes a lot of effort to find out.

I repeat: information asymmetry.

Anyhoo, if we’re focusing on improvement, I would love to see more details of Union Reps interested in Exco positions being released by NTUSU moving forward. After all, if someone is going to represent my interest and that of 26,000 others, I feel like they deserve a certain level of public scrutiny and evaluation. Let me hear your pitch! Let me see your résumé!

To summarise, one thing is clear: there is a gap between the current communication of the SU’s election/decision-making procedures and students’ understanding of it.

The equation is simple: if students don’t know what to do or how to do it, they cannot do it.

I would say both the Union and the students share a responsibility on this matter – the former for conveying information, and the latter for seeking information. But suppose I am right in assuming that a severe information asymmetry is present at the moment. In that case, the onus is on the SU (led by the Exco) to resolve it. (This post is an attempt to rebalance this asymmetry, but I am old and retired!)

Conclusion: For Students, by a Student

Institutions – especially established ones – always tend towards inertia. There is little incentive to change what works if it has been working fine for the people who benefit most. But at some point, we will be knocked off our feet and then forced to recalibrate – who is this system benefiting? And if there is a discrepancy between what was promised and what is, how do we fix it? I can’t offer anything else more feasible, but I am genuinely encouraged to see that more students are challenging what we’re used to in hopes of something better. It may seem disingenuous for me to say this as someone who was part of “the establishment”, but after all… the goal of the Students’ Union was always to represent students’ interests, right?

If you’ve read this far – thanks, even if you skimmed everything. Here, I just want to share something personal. I didn’t know if I should post this or even start writing this. But acting almost on compulsion, I sat down at 2am in front of my laptop and started typing anyway. It is now 7:46am. I could not stop once I started. I guess I’ve wanted to say something for a long time, and after a long while, the time has finally come. Whatever it is, I hope students can continue to speak up on what matters to them.

P/S: If you think I’m doing this for attention – well, maybe. I could have posted this anonymously, but with the level of detail I went into, it was bound to be a matter of time before I was doxxed anyway. If there’s something in it for me (aside from more readers <3), I believe this post captures the transparency I wanted to achieve in my time in the NTUSU. Regardless, I hope there’s something that you can take away from this.

And those conclusions are for you to hold and act on, not me.

Final disclaimer: I tried my best to be accurate, but let me know if anything is false. I will revise my post, where reasonable, with credits to you. (Please don’t sue me.)

If you’re interested in something similar I wrote before, read this. It’s basically a precursor to this post.

Exclusive section for blog readers only, haha~

Just some additional sharing on a personal note. I was inspired to write this post by Lee Kuan Yew. Yes, you read that right. I was watching one of his speeches from the CNA Special “Lee Kuan Yew: In His Own Words” – specifically, his speech at the Swearing-in Ceremony on 13 September 1988.

In this speech, he delineates three criteria for evaluating political leaders. It struck a chord with me, which moved me to write this post. It’s cheesy but it’s true.

I am unsure if I can quote him here on this blog due to copyright concerns, so I will link the YouTube video with the timestamp instead for your leisure viewing (28:53-29:25). Watch with captions!

Alternatively, you can also find his full speech via this document publicly available for viewing (see page 2).

reflections of a “student leader”

14th Sep 202029th Jun 2022 gwynethtyt1 Comment

Just around this time in 2018 I was eagerly awaiting Union Day. For many of us, it’s an otherwise ordinary day with a minor perk: classes, by law, are not allowed to be conducted between 10:30am-2:30pm. For me it was a day of reckoning, where my fate as a “student leader” lay in the hands of my peers. In the month leading up to the big day, I had applied for the role of Union Representative (now “Union Executive Committee Representative”) in SSS Club, and had my plans all laid out for a corresponding role in the NTUSU Exco as Corporate Communications Executive (Relations). On Union Day, undergraduates are empowered with the ability to vote and elect a handful of representatives to their school Club, as well as the Big 3 (CAC, SC, WSC). And I was one of those hopeful applicants, filled with dreams and grand visions of a building a better place for students.

Fast forward two years and here I am – no longer a student leader of NTU, but a student who can say she’s had the experience of being one. Still, I remain invested in the election affair every year not only because it is an event of personal significance, but also that many of my friends have opted to contest for various positions in the clubs/societies they identify with. But enough about me – this piece wasn’t written for me, but for NTU students.

I aim to answer two questions, broadly:

What is the significance of the student leader?
More importantly: why should you care?

I will juxtapose two perspectives: as a leader from my experience in my junior years, and as an observer watching from the crowd following “retirement”.

The contested role of the “student leader”

What do you think about when you hear the phrase “student leader”? Responses range from the apathetic/nonchalant to mild approval to aggressive frustration. The last one is typically the most salient, perhaps because of the negativity bias. (In other words, we are more likely to recall unfavourable information, and we are tea-loving drama hoes).

There is a murkiness that surrounds the exact responsibilities of student leaders, though I will endeavour to state that this is largely deliberate – this is so that leaders can absorb a range of functions without being unnecessarily restricted. But while its abstract nature offers freedom, it also means little guidance and the leader is left to concretise it themselves. In my role as CCE(R), my overarching aim was to “bridge the gap between students and administration”. That could be anything. I opted to build U-Insight and U-Feedback, since they were the main channels of communication. But if there is not enough key initiatives or functions achieved that distinguish the role, then it is easy for onlookers to claim that the leader is not doing enough, or even that the role is redundant. They’re not necessarily wrong.

I’ve observed a disjuncture between the perceptions of students “on the ground” vs. student leaders on the issue of what they actually do. As a leader, it’s easy to list out all the things that I did – craft and disseminate timely information, manage social media channels, provide copywriting for all publicity materials, respond to students’ concerns… the list goes on. On the other hand, ask any cynic what they think student leaders do and you might get a diametrically opposed view.

*this is not uncommon to see*. *it is not exclusive to the SU.*

A compilation of some strong criticisms of the so-called student leader. I address all below:

Selfish; only out for ourselves and our resumes, without real intention to benefit the student community.
The image of the porcelain doll is apt here: filled with an air of unwarranted self-importance, yet not serving any real purpose other than to look pretty.
Limited in power, yet corrupted by power. (Make up your mind!)

I personally believe there is a positive correlation between individuals driven by power/achievement and the likelihood of taking up leadership positions. But this does not necessarily mean they will be selfish. The ability to make a change is imbued with power, yet this proposition attracts different kinds of people. Some are motivated by a real desire to do good, and I also know of others whose ego is wildly out of proportion to their capability. It is unfair to make broad generalisations of the entire character of a group based on a few eye-catching examples. The best way to know is to judge for yourself, and this is not via hearsay. It is about hearing from the candidates themselves. I elaborate on this later.

Another common accusation is that clubs and societies are merely extensions of the administration/upper management. Here is where I recall an article I read in a module on organisational structure (HS2005) by Kanter (1994). It addresses issues of power. I took it the same semester I was in the Students’ Union, and thus found it particularly relevant. Kanter proposes that there are three sources of power in any organisation, and I attempt to contextualise them here.

Kanter – Power Failure in Management Circuits Download

Power

First is lines of supply – the more capacity a leader has to bring in new resources such as money and materials, the more powerful. It is important to establish here that virtually all events are funded by the school/SAO. Thus, proposals by student organisations are subject to multiple layers of approval and careful consideration of costs and benefits. This means that bargaining power is relatively limited, especially if it is not in line with the consensus from management.

Next we have lines of information – knowing current affairs and relevant news. The club has a bit more power here if they can manage to conduct surveys that assess members’ opinions, which they can then use to strengthen their claims to the administration. However, due to the inherently hierarchal structure of the system, information on school policies is often ambiguous or not conveyed to student leaders altogether. The opacity of the decision-making process at the highest levels of NTU is common knowledge – only when decisions have been confirmed are they announced to students. While there is an effort to include representatives in this process, this is not always a guaranteed. Furthermore, the rapidly-changing nature of key events such as Covid-19 means that things are constantly in flux. When students write in asking for certainty in uncertain situations, there are a very limited range of responses student leaders can pursue. It takes time to clarify.

Last we have lines of support – the power to call for extraordinary, innovative, but risky events without having to worry about resistance. This is arguably the most complicated. A bureaucratic structure is naturally predisposed – by design – to maintain the status quo as far as possible. The life cycle of any ambitious uprising against the current order is like that of a bug’s – short and usually quashed before it can grow into anything bigger. Irreversible upheavals are anathema to the existing order. Even at the policymaking level, many initiatives may be delayed with the rationale that “more research is required to avoid unforeseen consequences”. And that is rational to say considering any change has implications on up to 24,000 undergraduates at an institutional level. But that is not to say extraordinary things can’t be achieved. I don’t believe that the history of NTU has ever seen a fully S/U-able semester until last year. And that was achieved because students were able to collectively galvanise their interests, providing the sufficient momentum for student clubs to campaign for changes. However, it comes with great difficulty, and you need the right time, place, and people.

Agency

One note to make is that our system of (school) governance is not universally applicable to other cultures. When I was in McGill University I saw critical reports on existing practices all the time. But that’s not how it works here. It seems like a very cop-out answer but I believe it is best understood within the broader climate of Singapore’s political ideology.

Student leaders, by virtue of their position, are agents created to perpetuate the existing order. This is not their fault. They still do their best with the resources and constraints they have. There is a lot going on behind the scenes that members sometimes take for granted. Those “welfare pack” events every year that some mockingly disparage even as the same people readily join the thousand-strong queue for them? They take months of planning and logistics. Not to mention that there are tons of other activities occurring across the year. And even event-running is pivotal to maintaining school culture. We take student activities for granted until they disappear.

Leaders as just “overhyped event planners”? I recall the time my colleague showing me a 50-page document reviewing a school policy based on a large-scale survey that he had teamed up with another colleague to implement (hi A if you’re reading this, pat on the back for you). I would have disseminated it but got shot down before I could. His partner (also A, love y’all fairies) worked himself half to death over policies relating to student life, personally tailoring thoughtful 300-word responses to students who were flagging issues they faced. He finally saw his ideas come to success after months of back and forth, but was it worth it? Either way, I know he did his best.

The student not immersed in this reality only has a partial view into what leaders actually do – but that’s not their fault. The student-member doesn’t see what’s going on, because they don’t have access to this privileged information. I argue that this is due to the limitations on the part of clubs (and perhaps by default the system as whole) in measures to ensure accountability and transparency.

Accountability and transparency

I had the pleasure of attending the SSS Union Rally last Friday via Zoom. I noted a discrepancy in the recruitment emails and final rally line-up sent earlier that week by the club, and thus I sought to clarify the matter as a Concerned and Invested Member. Unfortunately, I picked an inappropriate time to do so, during the transition between two candidates — the Returning Officer appeared visibly thrown off by my question. Seemingly offended by my indiscretion, he first spluttered that I should have “done my research beforehand based on the information available” (but I did, or I wouldn’t have a question to ask in the first place…). He then proceeded to inform me chidingly that it was rude and unbecoming to unmute and show my face in a rally(!) without seeking permission to do so.

Throughout this lecture, he did not answer my question nor seek to clarify what I meant. He did say it could be asked at the end of the rally “when the questions are open to the floor”, but I left because I have better things to do than sit in for another three hours. Still, don’t take my word for it – verify it with the recording of the rally! If they make it publicly accessible, that is. (Maybe if a Student Advisor was present, there might have been a better outcome to this? Hahaha!) Of course, there are many potential innocuous explanations for the discrepancy. The club is welcome to respond to my question and I will revise my account where necessary.

Every year leaders face the same problems and ask the same questions — how do we increase student engagement, and actually make changes that benefit the members’ welfare. These are questions with no answers and no end: we can only inch forward slowly in trying to discover what works and what doesn’t. One way to start is to increase transparency and accountability of all processes, and not ignore students’ concerns. If the students know what is going on then they can be invested in it. But this is, of course, not as easy as it sounds.

Before Covid-19 happened, there would be a period of time where applicants’ details were publicly displayed at the foyer for students to peruse. Inconsistencies, if found, could be raised to the election committee, and disqualifications could ensue if they were found to be legitimate. For example, I believe there is a rule whereby you cannot have a fellow candidate endorse you (you need a supporter and seconder for your application). Maybe in the transition online, this process was omitted. I didn’t know who my representatives were until two nights before the rally.

I have good faith that the student leaders did their best for SSS Club during their term. They organised a few events, e.g. a welfare-themed one. In response to students’ concerns on the newly implemented S/U option, they provided relevant clarification on questions raised by students. They created a new social media page @sss.academics to address academic concerns. There are a lot of background processes running at any given point, and we should give them credit for what they have achieved.

I believe that the onus is on student clubs to make information about club proceedings and updates easily accessible to their members. That means that relevant documents should be stored in an online location that is retrievable at a click and not hidden in some dusty treasure chest. In my opinion, reports, constitutions, or meeting minutes should be sent without question upon request – and the member shouldn’t even have to ask for it to be privately sent in the first place. It should be a given that it is publicly available. Fun Accountability Test: send an email to any club asking for their constitution and assess the response you get. I will qualify this by saying that clubs often have to strike a fine balance by deciding what is shared and what is not, because you don’t want to risk inundating your members with information to excess and driving them away or detracting from other relevant matters. Presidents should also regularly conduct reviews to ascertain if certain positions are doing too much or too little.

Walkovers

A final phenomenon to tickle your interest is the overwhelming tendency towards walkovers in school elections. This means that only one person is running for one position. But did you know that all roles, as long as you meet the prerequisites, are open for contest? Some societies do engage in deconflicting strategies to maximise student fit but a position doesn’t “close” even if there are no vacancies – nobody is guaranteed a position until they are officially voted in on Union Day / Annual General Meeting. So watch out when you receive a recruitment email where certain positions are omitted. Oftentimes you can still apply for those omitted from the list – and you should raise alarm if you receive a suspicious, deflecting, response. The reservation of roles is not allowed. But nobody is handing you anything on a silver plate – you want it, you should be prepared for it. Anyway, walkovers are the norm, and contests are the exception. This creates a troubling situation sometimes when onlookers perceive leaders as incompetent (but there is no better choice). Yes, if there was a better choice they wouldn’t win… but where are the contestants?

Okay, so what?

The takeaway for students is: if you’re frustrated at the current state of affairs, demand accountability. Make your opinions heard, and stand for constructive change. Even if you think student leaders suck, being one is better than being a sitting duck lamenting that nothing is happening. In case anyone takes my words out of context: I have NEVER once blamed students for any of this. I have made it clear that it is a STRUCTURAL issue. But you have the POWER to change it.

Vote. Know who the people representing you are. Ask questions (at the right time, I guess). Save the receipts. Demand accountability. Attend your AGMs and rallies and ask your questions and find out what events are relevant for you. It’s not as if you have anything to lose. Watch out for leaders who present with an arsenal of lofty, abstract ideals (hot air) but have no concrete plans to back it up. If they say they want to “improve the welfare of students”, ask them what examples of initiatives they have in mind and how they will implement them. Don’t be afraid to vote against people that you feel don’t reflect your ideology or are ill-equipped. Again: your vote counts. It will tomorrow. It always will.

Wow, you’ve made it!

Special section for Psychology students only. Come for AGM tomorrow! (See @ntupsychsoc on Telegram.) I wish to promote my friend Tarif who is running for president in PsychSoc this year. He is an outstanding student who excels academically and socially. As a former student leader, whatever that means, he has my stamp of utmost confidence. But decide for yourself! Tune in to PsychSoc AGM tomorrow (Tues, 15/9) 6:45pm on Zoom to hear more about his plans and ideas. (He has concrete plans!) And of course, vote – your opinion matters. Note that you need to be registered as a member to attend the event.