01
October
2020
|
16:37
Asia/Singapore

NUS Students’ Union elects second female President

Su-Ann wants to create a united and transformative Union by strengthening bonds with the Constituent Clubs, Associate Bodies, and the students themselves

The NUS Students’ Union (NUSSU) has elected its second female President.

Wee Su-Ann, a fourth-year Law-USP undergraduate and former varsity sharpshooter, was elected as President of the NUSSU 42nd Executive Committee. She begins her one-year term on 1 Oct.

She will succeed Richard Wang, an NUS Arts and Social Sciences graduate and the outgoing 41st President.

Expressing confidence in his successor, Richard said, “Through my interactions with Su-Ann during her campaign and after her election into office, I have come to know her as a determined and competent person.”

The election was heartening for Richard. He added that he had been encouraging more female candidates to run for office for some time.  

In his outgoing message, Richard welcomed Su-Ann as the second-ever female NUSSU President, and the first in 14 years.

Preceding Su-Ann as the first female NUSSU President was Ms Tay E Teng, an NUS Business School graduate and the President of the 28th Executive Committee. She held office from 2006 to 2007.

Su-Ann did not expect to become the second female President in NUSSU’s history. “I did not realise there was only one female President before me,” she said. “I feel honoured to step up and be the role model for other female students to be inspired to step into leadership positions.”

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Su-Ann spending time at the theme room of NUS Cinnamon College

The eldest of three children, Su-Ann had also served in her second year in the 40th NUSSU Executive Committee as Regulations and Compliance Officer, to provide more legal support to the Union.

She spent one semester on a student exchange to London in her third year, before returning to serve again in NUSSU in her final year.

The precision and focus she brings to her various leadership roles can perhaps be traced back to her experience in competitive shooting, where she specialised in the air pistol. Su-Ann was in the teamNUS shooting team in her first and second years, carrying on from her secondary school and junior college days.

“It’s an interesting sport, you don’t really run around. You stay in one spot, and you focus,” mused Su-Ann, who has taken part in various local competitions.

“I learned a lot about myself, I learned how to focus and concentrate on things. It’s a very mental sport.”

Plans for NUSSU

Su-Ann intends to tap on her legal background and experience to equip NUSSU student representatives with the skills to respond more effectively to regulatory matters, improve NUSSU’s adjudication and internal conflict management processes, and build a more robust system within the Union for the Personal Data Protection Act.

That ties in with her legal interests, which currently lie in negotiation and mediation, as well as international law – the law that governs inter-state relations.

Su-Ann added that her team will also look into different ways of communicating with students, which could potentially include a YouTube channel about NUSSU.

After undergoing an election campaign filled with unexpected changes and last-minute adaptations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team also plans to reformat the exam pack, NUSSU Receive and Give (RAG) Day, as well as the Freshmen Orientation Central Committee (FOCC), in preparation for such crises in the future. There is also a NUSSU merchandise store in the works.

Together with her team, Su-Ann aims to create a united and transformative Union by strengthening bonds with the Constituent Clubs, Associate Bodies, as well as the students themselves, innovating new formats for student life and welfare initiatives, and helping students adapt to the new learning conditions during and after the pandemic.

 

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