At QUT Guild’s last council meeting, Genevieve Hitzke was voted in to fill the casual vacancy of Women’s Officer. We sat down with Gen to speak to her about her first week in the Guild and her outlook on her term ahead.
Tell us a bit about yourself, Genevieve:
I’m in my third year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Music. I’ve been writing songs since I was fifteen and I always knew music was what I wanted to end up doing. I was the Creative Industries Councillor this year before starting my role as the Women’s Officer and I really enjoyed being there for students. I’m a huge advocate for human rights so that’s what drew me to the Women’s Collective.
You’ve hit 1,000 streams on your single Losing Myself which is super exciting. If you could do a duet with one other person who would it be?
Jacob Collier. His music knowledge is insane and he puts it into practice with his intricate harmonies and melodies – there’s so much happening, you can’t fathom it. Harmonies are my favourite thing in music and I would love to sing some with him.
I know you’re a part of Vermilion Records at QUT – can you tell us a bit about what they do?
Yes, I’m an artist with them this year. Vermilion is a student-run record label and a great stepping stone for students where they can get support, marketing opportunities, and a chance to collaborate with other artists. I’m also working within the Vermilion team for my Situated Creative Practice unit, so it’s been fun seeing how it all works. This is the first year Vermilion has had music students running the record label – we have creative writers, filmmakers, musicians, business students.
How has your first week been with the Guild?
I’ve been continuing on all the hard work started by Alicia. I was involved with the Women’s Collective personally so the transition has been enjoyable. We had the relaunching of the Women’s and Queer’s Collectives and Spaces and recommenced the Little Emergencies initiative. I’ve also completed the MATE Bystander Program and the Respect and Safety at QUT Module which focuses on exercising leadership in positive ways by using a bystander approach to prevent sexual harassment and sexual assault.
The refurbished Women’s Lounge is looking amazing, what was the highlight of the launch for you?
The mural was a lot of fun – people spent most of their time drawing art on the wall. We wanted the room to be somewhere you can chill, feel safe, and be comfortable doing what you want to do. We also have a book swap set up at the moment, so anyone is welcome to bring in a book. Keep an eye out on the room because there’s still a little more work to come!
What are you most looking forward to enacting in your term?
I want to make sure I can continue the awesome work that’s already been done and continue to be an advocate for the women at QUT. I want to continue celebrating and protecting women through my role and to raise awareness of the support systems available. QUT has great resources but there’s just so much the students don’t know about.
