My name is Juliet, and I am the Vice-President (Secretary) of the QUT Guild. I am in my final year of a PhD in Chemistry, studying alternatives to biodegradable plastic technology.
To make a long story short I originally wanted to run independently for the role of Postgraduate Officer, as like Aaron, we started our time in advocacy representing the challenges faced by postgraduate students. I was then invited to run with him on his ticket, as we worked well in leadership projects together in the past and we are comfortable to be “firm but fair”.
I have a strong interest in effective communication and how we can facilitate negotiations between the university executives and students, which led me to the role of Secretary.
Our most important goal for this year is helping the union stay strong – and a big part of that is negotiating SSAF allocation and how it can be spent to meet the student’s needs.
This negotiation of SSAF allocations has been happening within university student unions and campuses across the country and was even highlighted in the recent University Accords interim report (stay tuned for the final results!).
Another thing I’d like to help bring to the Guild is to increase its engagement from previous years, so one of my goals is to advertise the QUT Guild more and show students why they should be interested in it.
I enjoy this role because it engages my interests in good communication, problem-solving, strategy and motivating a team of diverse people (not always easy!) and has been a great experience thus far.
My final mission as Secretary is ensuring that the SRC remains accountable, I want to show both QUT students and the university that the Union is operating as a value-for-money service.
If you would like to get in touch with your Secretary, Juliet Veskova, you can email her at secretary@qutguild.com
