SRC calls for an official investigation to be launched into the actions of Acting Adelaide University Union President Brodie Scott
Words by Aiden Bedford
Serious allegations have been brought forth against Brodie Scott, Adelaide University Union (AUU) Board director and current acting AUU President, in a report by the SRC’s Social Justice Officer Zerui Li. The report has led to the SRC calling upon the AUU to launch an official investigation into the conduct of Scott in his position as former AUU President and as a member of the Clubs Committee.
The damning accusations Scott faces are that he abused his power as AUU President and Clubs Committee member to give preferential treatment and funding to the Adelaide University Chinese Students Association (AUCSA), to abuse this same power to make extortionate threats and interfere in the internal elections of the AUCSA, and of harassment, abuse, and racial profiling specifically against the former AUU President Jennifer Li.
The report brought forth to the SRC contained allegations that Scott had approached Wills Wang, then President of the AUCSA, seeking their endorsement of him as a candidate to the AUU board in the 2017 student elections upon the promise of specific funding being granted for the Mid-Autumn Festival Event. Scott followed through with this promise, abusing his position of power to push for additional specific funding for the AUCSA. This is circumstantially supported by the minutes of the AUU meetings obtained by On Dit which indicate that Scott approved a grant of $850 for AUCSA.
Scott has also been charged with using his position on the Clubs Committee to interfere in AUCSA’s internal elections. Scott is alleged to have threatened to deregister the AUCSA if his preferred candidate was not elected President, causing numerous members within the AUCSA to quit the club as a result of the incident.
These events led to the spreading of a “toxic culture” within the AUCSA, with word of these events spreading through the Chinese community on campus, leading to a declining membership. These incidents of corruption, grubby dealing, and threats reduced Chinese students studying at the university to “political assets” for Scott in the pursuit of his own political agenda.
Scott has also been accused of bullying and harassing the former AUU President Jennifer Li after he was ousted from the position of AUU President by her. Zerui Li, current housemate of Li, has borne first hand witness to the bullying that Scott has been accused of conducting. Not only did Scott engage in overt attempts to overrule Li’s decisions while she was President, and to talk over Li, but he also harassed her outside of meetings, persistently messaging and calling her. Zerui asserts that this placed Li under severe mental stress, which then caused her to feel as if she “did not have the ability to fulfil her duties”, all of which eventually culminated in her recent resignation.
All of this calls into question Scott’s character and indeed his capacity to continue to fulfil his role as acting President and as a sitting director on the Board.
Editor’s Note: the vote by the SRC to call for an investigation into Mr Scott was not unanimous, with dissent on the motion coming from Haowei Peng.
