AUSA Election Candidate Interviews: UG Education VP

Craccum interviews Erina Islam and Eva Liu on their campaigns for Undergraduate Education Vice-President.

Note: All candidates running for this role were contact for an interview. Ritwik Sharma, and Cindy Shen did not respond.

Question 1. How would you describe yourself in 5 words? 

Eva: Diligent, receptive, pragmatic, dependable, kind.

Erina: Happy, friendly, ambitious, optimistic, ka rawe

Question 2. Which of your policies/visions are you most excited to implement next year? 

Eva: I am most passionate about standardising and simplifying academic support and assessment transparency across all undergraduate courses. Many students face inconsistent assessment rules, unclear marking criteria, and uneven workload distribution between similar-level papers across different faculties. This creates unnecessary academic stress and unfair learning experiences. I plan to collect real student feedback on problematic papers, communicate consistently with faculty leaders and course coordinators, and push the university to unify assessment standards, clear deadline arrangements, and explicit grading rubrics. Additionally, I aim to build a centralized academic Q&A resource platform, helping freshmen and continuing students avoid confusion around course selection, academic policies, and penalty regulations. This initiative will make undergraduate learning fairer, clearer, and less stressful for everyone. 

Erina: Restructuring our existing services so that students can become more engaged with campus and AUSA 

Question 3. There are many issues affecting students that AUSA has advocated for in the past. Is there any particular issue that you want to advocate and campaign for next year? 

Eva: My core advocacy focus for 2027 will be alleviating disproportionate undergraduate academic workload and reducing unnecessary punitive academic rules. In recent years, many undergraduates report compressed semester schedules, overlapping assignment deadlines, and excessive repetitive coursework that brings little academic value. Strict rigid penalty rules for late submissions or minor academic mistakes also place huge mental pressure on students, especially international and first-year students unfamiliar with university policies. I will launch a campus-wide workload survey to gather authentic data, compile a detailed issue report, and negotiate with university academic boards to promote flexible deadline provisions, reasonable workload adjustment, and more humane, educational-focused penalty policies. My goal is to protect students’ mental wellbeing while maintaining rigorous and genuine academic standards. 

Erina: Easing financial burden (advocating for some sort of aid for paid placements). Cost of living is a beast of no joke and I am more than happy to be your front man. 

Question 4. Part of the UG Education VP’s role is to be a voice for students on academic decisions made by the University. How are you going to ensure you’re hearing all the different thoughts and opinions of undergrad students? 

Eva: I will build multi-channel, inclusive feedback mechanisms to ensure no undergraduate voice is overlooked. Firstly, I will maintain regular open feedback forms open to all students, covering coursework quality, teaching issues, and policy concerns. Secondly, I will collaborate with class representatives from every faculty and year group to collect frontline academic problems systematically and hold monthly feedback meetings. I will also actively engage with international students, first-year students, and marginalised student groups, who often hesitate to voice difficulties. Furthermore, I will post regular progress updates publicly to show students their feedback is being processed and addressed. By combining passive collection and active outreach, I can represent diverse student opinions accurately in all university academic committee meetings. 

Erina: I am the only candidate from the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences 💀 So, naturally I bring a pretty unique view.  But more importantly, my first step as your next edu vp is to understand the ways each faculty works by meeting with your class reps, clubs and staff. This way I can help empower you guys the way you deserve. 

Question 5. Why should students care about AUSA elections? 

Eva: AUSA elections determine which students will stand up for your academic rights and campus learning experience for the entire year. University academic policies, assessment arrangements, teaching quality improvements, and workload adjustments are not decided by students alone, but negotiated and advocated for by AUSA executive members. Every student’s daily study experience from assignment fairness and lecture quality to policy flexibility and academic support resources is directly shaped by elected representatives. Voting allows students to choose accountable, experienced advocates who understand real campus struggles and can deliver tangible improvements rather than empty promises. Apathy towards elections leads to unaddressed academic issues and unchanged unfair rules. Engaging in elections is the most direct way to improve your own university learning life. 

Erina: You guys have power!! And the minute you think AUSA is useless, we limit the change we can make. I want to help restore hope in students and empower them. #strongertogether

Question 6. If you win this election, you will be a part of the team that decides Craccum’s budget for next year. Would you increase Craccum’s funding in 2027 to at least $120k? (Yes/No). If you were in the executive this year, why was the budget decreased to the lowest it’s ever been in recent years?

Eva: Yes. I was not a member of the current AUSA executive team, so I have no insight into the reasoning behind this year’s Craccum budget reduction.

Erina: Honestly on the fence. I don’t feel like I am properly informed to answer this question, but I am very curious. I feel like if increasing funding would help let Craccum be fit for purpose without costing the improvement of other services, we can make it work.