Ridley Love (Illuminate)
Heya! I'm Ridley Love, I'm a Digital Experience and Interaction Design major with a previous degree in Anthropology and Sociology (with First Class Honours) under my belt. I will be your Humanities Faculty Rep for 2022!
Between a working class background and my own personal queerness, I very much come from a perspective of striving for fairness and equity at university. In terms of experience, I feel that I am more than equipped to take on this role, having been an Equity Officer for the Guild in 2017, and generally being on this campus far too long for my own good. I have had numerous jobs across the campus over the years, from student mentor to equity advisor to working at the Library, all of which have given me good working relationships with staff all over the place, something I want to bring to the role. I'm also thus quite experienced with the University's systems and regulations.
My key goal as Faculty Rep is to reinvigorate the humanities at Curtin and bring them back into the limelight. Someone needs to remind students that they have a representative voice on campus and can contact their rep to bat for them. Over the years I have seen the connection between the Guild and the Art end of campus wane, and I want to see that change! Humanities students have just as much a right to be heard as their STEM counterparts.
So how am I gonna achieve this? For one, I plan to establish a weekly walk-in clinic down the humanities end of campus for triaging students, as I know it can be hard to figure out where to get help or who to talk to, especially for first-years. I want to improve student understanding of assessment guidelines. I hope to host events that facilitate better relationships with students and staff, and possibly industry connections and other university humanities faculties. I also hope to improve understanding around CAPs and accessibility in the school. And I can't forget addressing the government's recent impacts on higher education costs and cuts either, all of which have hurt the humanities in recent years. This has become increasingly topical with UWA's recent announcement about abolishing its prestigious Anthropology department, as this leaves Curtin as the only WA university with an Anthropology major, a rather concerning development.
I know I can do this, and I hope that having read this, you do too. I want to leave a positive mark on this campus before I leave; one that uplifts the humanities at Curtin for years to come.