Postgrad Rep Report November/December

We Made It!

Congratulations to every one of you. No matter how you did this year, how much you still have left to go in your degree, or how rough-around-the-edges you might be feeling, we all made it through 2018, and that’s something to be celebrated. I just hope we can all find some time to do the celebrati

This month has been packed for me both on the PhD front and as a student representative, but it’s been great to keep the ball rolling and I know we’ll be ready for a flying start next year.

I had the opportunity to sit on the student appeals committee, which was exhausting but rewarding, and gave me an even greater appreciation for our amazing advocacy team, who make a real difference in acheiving the best outcome for students in very difficult situations.

As well as making sure we have the smoothest possible handover for our incoming board, we’ve been busy discussing the next stage in our bystander campaign to make USASA a strong, supportive and safe community for all students. We’ve also begun work on our indigenous strategy to ensure USASA is supporting our aboriginal and torres-straight islander community to the best of our ability.

Finally, our diversity, equity and access committee discussed how we can better assist international students in finding their feet in Australia, protecting themselves from exploitation, and getting what they want out of their time at UniSA. Overall, I think we have a strong vision for a university community that’s welcoming, positive and vibrant, and I’m keen to continue making that a reality next year.

Activity Report

13/11/18 – UniSA Council Performance meeting with Chancellor

13/11/18 – UniSA Council Luncheon

13/11/18 – Met with incoming International Student Representative

20/11/18 – USASA Board Meeting

26/11/18 – Met with Daniel and Jordan to discuss bystander campaign proposal

27/11/18 – Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee Meeting

 – Met with Jordan to discuss UniSA Council handover process

 – Met with Tracy to discuss events for Magill 2019

 – Met with Charlotte Chalklen to discuss EDGE phd skills development program

06/12/18 – Met with Daniel, Jordan, Grace and Pamela to discuss USASA indigenous strategy

 – Met with Bridget and Tom to discuss Magill Rep Handover

11/12/18 – Sat on Student Appeals Committee as USASA representative

12/12/18 – Sat on Student Appeals Committee as USASA representative

Upcoming Events

18/12/18 – Final Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee (Handover) Meeting

 – Final USASA Board Meeting

19/12/18 – Meet with Laura-Anne Bull to discuss bystander campaign proposal

 – Final UniSA Council Meeting

 – Final UniSA Council Meeting

20/12/18 – Meet with Bridget and Nida to discuss Postgrad Rep Handover

 

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November Report – City East UG Rep

Hi everyone!
How have you been? I hope you all are having a well-deserved break and enjoying the sun.

What a year it has been for the 2018 USASA board with all the major news hits and accomplishments! I have had a great pleasure working with the 2018 board over this half-year term and representing student voice in matters that impact their uni life. Can’t wait to continue serving and improving my service as your student rep next year!

While the year is coming to an end, hand-over processes between the incoming and outgoing board are rolling on to ensure continuity and strong succession. As I am continuing on with my role, on top of the hand-over meeting with the City East reps, I would very much like to hear more from you 😀

Please send along your direct inputs and suggestions as to what I could have done more of and what you would like to see in the year 2019. Reach me anytime at tanpy045@mymail.unisa.edu.au.

Have a jolly holiday and stay well!

November Mawson Lakes report- Sneha M

Hello everyone,

This month on the 14th we had our last clubs committee meeting. We discussed more about the club leaders retreat and feedback on the awards night held earlier this year was also given. This meeting was held at Mawson Lakes and thus was a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of clubs based at Mawson Lakes and had their leaders attend this meeting.

On the 20th, Grace and I had a handover meeting with the newly elected Mawson Lakes representative. This meeting was facilitated by Bridget Laffy and posed as a good opportunity to talk about the work both of us have done this year and things we would like the following representative to continue. I wish the newly elected Mawson Lakes representatives, Noah and Thanusshan all the best!

That evening, we had our board meeting. Matters regarding the NUS conference this year and what campaigns of theirs we should support were discussed among board members.

That is all from me, hope you all went well with results. Happy holidays!

Mount Gambier – November 2018 Activity Report – Georgina Gogel

Good morning! Good afternoon! Good evening!

I hope you have all enjoyed November and have started your Christmas decoration shopping just like I have (if you celebrate the event that is).

This month involved me finishing off my second teaching placement, therefore I could not find the time to be involved in much else! However, here’s what I did jump into this month…

The 24^th of November was the UniSA Mt Gambier End of Year Ball. A great chance to socialise with a large number of students who attended, enjoy a beautiful meal at the Commodore on the Park, and remind students about what USASA represents and how we can support them throughout their tertiary studies.

By the 27^th of November, my hangover was cured, and it was time to get back into business and call in for the Diversity, Equity and Access Committee Meeting. This committee only began this year, and from the numerous meetings I’ve attended so far I can already tell that it will make HUGE changes in 2019!!

I also had an informal meeting with Laurena, UniSA Mount Gambier’s new USASA representative for 2019! I wish her all the best, and hope she enjoys the position and the various opportunities as much as I did!

Well, that’s all from me for this month. Short, sharp and shiny!

I wish everyone a Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas, and a Joyful New Year!

Introducing Wenona – Your new USASA rep for 2019

Name: Wenona Reddaway-Worth

What are you studying? Bachelor of Social Work

What made you want to become a Student Representative? Interest in engaging the local community in tertiary education and the ability to be able to create and provide fun incentives around campus that encourage continual participation from current students.

What are you aiming to achieve for UniSA students in 2018?

• Increased engagement in social activities throughout the Whyalla Campus
• Greater presence and social status in the local community
• Greater sense of belonging for students as individuals
• More engagement between students from differing degrees.

What’s your best piece of advice for your fellow students?

• Remember why you are studying, never lose sight of and prioritise your end goals!
• Do your readings!
• Don’t over-think or over-stress yourself about exams!
• Use all the support given to you! Don’t be afraid to ask!
• Make friends! Get to know others in your classes whether you are external or internal
• Always take advantage of the free food!

Which animal would you back as world leader if the animal kingdom were to rise up and take over?

• A dog
• Always forgives
• Loyal
• Loving
• Always up for some fun

Where is your favourite place to go in Whyalla Gambier?

• Point Lowly
• Whyalla Beach
• Telstra hill on storming days/nights
• Hotel Spencer
• Any restaurant of food place that serves good food!

If you were a bird, what type of bird would you be?

Definitely not a seagull because they are annoying, not a magpie, because they are just evil, not a pelican because they are usually lonely…. So pretty much any other bird!

Which TV character are you most like and why?

Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale because despite previous hurdles she continues to be a strong independent young women and goes for anything and everything that she wants without fear of failing!

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

Eat more food and travel to new places… or am I meant to say do all my readings?

November Board Report Magill: Ryan C

Greetings readers

As promised I’ll start of this board report with a fun fact as I did last month’s. This month’s fun fact: Lil Jon remains the only artist UniCast has ever received a censor-request from a staff member for–and the request was denied.

Also I know I said I’d do something fun and witty and creative for this board report but that’ll have to wait for the December edition.

It’s been a very busy November for all the board reps as we continue marching towards the cessation of the 2018 Board and the commencement of the 2019 Board. In order for USASA to continue being a success, continuity is crucial and as such I have already met with the incoming 2019 Magill Rep Arunika Dutta to talk her through the position alongside Bridget Laffy and my 1900 word handover document. I am very confident her and Kate Riggall will do a fantastic job for Magill Campus next year.

I attended/phoned in for the final meetings for Welfare Committee, Clubs Committee and the Education Committee, as well as attending my last ever Academic Board meeting. I am pleased to say that since joining Academic Board in mid-2017 I have not missed a single one, attending the last 12 in a row, the most consecutive meetings attended of any current board member #NotSoHumbleBrag

I’d also like to highlight the Education Committee in particular because it is a committee I’ve chaired since its formation and it has made some great achievements this year, of which I will go into more detail in my end of year report in December.

The committee recently received feedback from the PVC of Student Engagement and Equity that our letter of recommendations had been accepted by the Academic Strategy Group and the Provost has asked for a review into all student surveys, with the feedback the Education Committee provided to be fed into this review.

In other news I’ve also remained involved with the more social side of operations by jumping on board the Pac-Crawl committee. 2019 promises to be bigger and better than last year and the early discussions point to an exciting night coming up in April 2019. Like I don’t want reveal anything now but guys, it’s gonna so be like so lit O.M.G yaas get excited.

Finally I also attended the Magill Campus Advisory Group and am pleased to report some good news for students at Magill. Two of the carparks which were previously only available to staff are going to become unrestricted, making them available for students to park there as well starting sometime next year.

Other than that, best wishes to everyone who had to endure assignments and exams and my sympathies to those still studying in SP7.

 

PS: I’ve recently been made Co-Head Editor for Verse Magazine (funded by USASA so I think I get can away with mentioning this here) so send us some submissions; we’d love to read and hopefully publish them!

What I did this month:

November 5: USASA Welfare committee (phoned in)
November 6: handover meeting with support officer Bridget Laffy and Magill-elect Arunika Dutta
November 7 Meeting with Support Officer Bridget Laffy
November 14 Clubs Committee Meeting (secretary)
November 19 Pac-Crawl Committee Meeting
November 20 USASA Board Meeting
November 21 Meeting with USASA General Manager
November 22 Magill Campus Advisory Meeting
November 23 Formal Inquiry (cancelled after the student made a late decision to accept the outcome)
November 23 Meeting with USASA President
November 23 Academic Board
November 30 Education Committee (convener)

November Student News

Well, it’s that time of year to not only finish the 2018 academic year but for me personally, finishing my four-year degree and my three years working as the USASA rep for the Whyalla Campus.

Thank you to the many people who have helped me along the way, no doubt Wenona will enjoy the role and promote the services of USASA. The highlight for me was planting 25 trees for 25 years, let’s hope they will be in the ground for another 25 years celebrating 50 years in 2041 and watching the generations take the learning path at our campus. Exciting times with the new $100 million super school being built next door which will take their first students in 2022.

My only advice is make the most of your uni experience, I was very fortunate to be successful in obtaining the New Colombo scholarship taking me to Cambodia teaching at a school for underprivileged children, I was also very fortunate to have visited Singapore visiting one of the top Universities in the world and visiting Indonesia to get a taste of what it is like to study and learn a language other than English, ah the memories, some of the best times.

All I can say, do what you love and love what you do, apply for scholarships to widen your horizon.

All the best for your remaining time at university. Have a great break and be safe.

Kemal

Hello everyone!

I’m a late addition to the 2018 USASA board but I hope to make some impact. Check out my profile on the USASA student board page to find out a little about me.

It’s been a stressful time of year but I managed to find some spare time to head over to UniTopia at City West. I had a blast talking to people, eating some delicious cold rolls and patting some cute dogs!

Aside from my attendance at the USASA monthly board meeting, I got to experience an Academic Board Meeting. It was very interesting experience; if you catch me, you should ask what my highlight was.

Feel free to contact me through my email: tracq002@mymail.unisa.edu.au.

I’m more than happy to answer any questions, queries or just have a chat!

Well that’s my October! Hopefully everyone is getting through exams okay!

USASA October Board Report

Hey everyone,

Hopefully everyone’s exam preparations are going well and if you have already done your exams, hope you went well. This October i was upto numerous things.

Finance Committee meeting was intended to be held during the month but it got cancelled, alongside clubs committee meeting and education committee meeting. I therefore attended the board meeting, academic board meeting and convened the governance committee.

During the governance committee, the committee members discussed where do we go from here with regards to constitutional reviews and which sections of the constitution are a must for immediate review. There was also some discussion around the election and how certain positions should only be voted by a specific sub group of the student population.

At the Board Meeting, there was little to discuss as the Board is currently under caretaker mode and therefore the board meeting was a very quick one. Again the main topic of discussion was around merger threshold.

At the academic board meeting, the main point of discussion was again about the merger and about the newer version of the APPM. The changes to the APPM were not too broad as the major review period for the APPM is next year.

I also attended the preclusion inquiry for City East and again it was an important thing that a student was present and an active contributor to the discussion; so as to enable the committee  to arrive at the best possible  outcome for both the student and the university.

That is all from me this time!

October report – City East UG rep

Howdy everyone!

I suppose the majority of our City Easters are in SP5; which means the final exam preps are in full swing! We are almost there, good luck to all of us! 😀

As busy as our academic life could be, USASA gets our back. With UniTopia rolled out over the four campuses, I hope everyone had a chance to kick back and refuel our steaming brain, enjoying free foods and fun activities.

Club Award was another social/ recognition event I attended with my club fellows and USASA board members. Congratulations to the winner and applaud to all the wonderful works that each club brought to the campus over the year. It was a joyous night – highly recommend your attendance next year 😉

Squeezing in between USASA social events, there was, of course, a student election for the 2019 board. I had a great honour to be supported by the City Easters and elected to continue on with my role as the City East UG rep — thank you so very much!

That is all from me for the October month. As usual, I’m all ears for any suggestion and concern from you; so please pass them along at tanpy045@mymail.unisa.edu.au.

Until my next report, wish everyone the very best of luck for finals and take care!