How are you everyone? This is Nick the Postgraduate student representative. Sorry for a really late post of my activity report, but I was on my annual leave back to Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year. It was so cold there unlike summer in Adelaide, but honestly, I enjoy that more than the heat.
This month I have met with the Research Education Strategy and Development team (RESD) based in Mawson Lake and discussed about their projects on reform of Higher Degree by Research (HDR), and their potential impact to students. Proposed changes including thesis defense will become mandatory via video conference, and some coursework elements to be implanted into research degree.
I have tried to be in contact with the presidents of postgraduate clubs in UniSA but I still unable to, guess I will have to wait until Uni is started and students start checking their student E-mail before I will get a response from them. However, I have been approached by the president of Adelaide University Postgraduate Society (AUPS), and will meet with him to discuss about his plan for this coming year as soon as I am back in Adelaide.
I have received concern from fellow postgraduate student in Engineering regarding lack of work placement/internship for postgraduate student and discrimination against international students for the selection process, Valerie the International student representative have also received similar concern from international student in Business School. We decided to investigate further on the matter, so far I have received responses from multiple persons regarding the placement and internship opportunities in both business and engineering school. There are multiple factors are in play affecting the number of places of internship and determination of successful application, but at this point it seems like there are sufficient internship opportunities and the selection process is fair, what seems to be lack of, however, is the support and communication to students regarding this matter. Further discussion and investigation are required.
The O-week is coming and I have been invited by RESD team to give a brief presentation to introduce USASA to Postgraduate students. Unfortunately I will still be away and therefore Judy the City West representative, who also is a postgraduate student herself will present on behalf of me. I will be in City West campus in the morning on 25/2 and City East campus in the afternoon on 26/2. I look forward to see you all in the campus!
Student Rep Reports 