STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL - Adelaide ...

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL

Meeting Date: 05/05/2021

AGENDA AND MEETING PAPERS

of 34

AGENDA

1. Procedural Matters

1.1. Acknowledgement of Indigenous Owners

1.2. Attendance

1.3. Apologies

1.4. Adoption of Agenda

1.5. Welcome

2. Confirmation of Previous Minutes

2.1. Recommendation: That the SRC accept the minutes of the Council Meeting on 07/04/2021 as a true and accurate record.

3. Matters arriving from previous minutes

4. Correspondence

5. New Members

6. Motions on Notice

7. Office Bearer Reports

7.1. President

7.2. General Secretary

7.3. Education Officer

7.4. Queer Officer

7.5. Postgraduate Officer (Coursework)

7.6. Postgraduate Officer (HDR)

7.7. Social Justice Officer

7.8. Disability Officer

7.9. International Student Officer

8. General Business

9. Emergent Business

of 34

Papers

Item 1: Procedural Matters

Item 2: Confirmation of Previous Minutes

Item 2.1: Minutes from Council Meeting on 07/04/2021

President Oscar Zi Shao Ong opens meeting at 5:33 pm.

1. Procedural Matters

1.1. Acknowledgement of Indigenous Owners

The SRC President acknowledges that the SRC was meeting on the land of the Kaurna people, and acknowledged their ongoing relationship with the Adelaide region.

1.2. Attendance

In attendance: Oscar Zi Shao Ong, Evi Cacas, Oliver Douglas, Baie Perryman, Jack Brady, Emma Troughton, Hamish Probert, Felix Eldridge, Bisma Changez, Anjali Malhorta, Will Broderick, Susie Greenwood, Yeganeh Soltanpour, Thomas Marrett, Kanishka Chaudhary, Jun Ming Loke, Yonatan Halawa, Angel Wadhawan, Sit Ja En

1.3. Apologies

Apologies: Janine Aujard, Caitlin Battye

1.4. Adoption of Agenda

1.5. Welcome

2. Confirmation of Previous Minutes

2.1 Recommendation: That the SRC accept the minutes of the Council Meeting on 25/03/2021 as a true and accurate record.

SRC President notes that the drafted minutes need to be amended to reflect that Anjali Malhorta was not in attendance at the meeting.

MOTION: That the SRC accept the minutes of the Council Meeting 25/03/2021 as a true and accurate record.

Moved: Evi Cacas Seconded: Jack Brady

Motion Passes

of 34

3. Matters arising from Previous Minutes

None

4. Correspondence

None

5. New Members

Sit Ja En


None


President Oscar Zi Shao Ong passes chair to General Secretary Cacas at 5:34 pm.

7.1 President’s Report

Oscar Zi Shao Ong delivers President’s report.

General Secretary Cacas passes chair to President Oscar Zi Shao Ong at 5:37 pm.

7.2 Welfare Officer Report

MOTION: That the SRC allocate $1,750 in funds towards Stress Less Week.

Moved: Oliver Douglas Seconded: Evi Cacas

Motion Passes

MOTION: That the SRC endorse the provision of leadership training to ensure Representatives are equipped to best handle their responsibilities.

Moved: Oliver Douglas Seconded: Evi Cacas

Motion Passes

7.3 Women’s Officer Report

Taken as read.

7.4 Environmental Officer Report

Taken as read.

of 34

7.5 Ethno-Cultural Officer Report

Taken as read.

7.6 Rural Officer Report

Taken as read.

7.7 Mature Age Officer Report

Taken as read.

8. General Business


MOTION: That the SRC delegate it's authority to the SRC executive for the duration of the

mid-semester break.

Moved: Evi Cacas Seconded: Georgia Honan

Meeting Closed at 5:44 pm

of 34

3. Matters arriving from previous minutes None

4. Correspondence None

5. New Members

None


None

of 34


7.1 President’s Report

1. Vice-Chancellor Forum Angela and I organised a Student Forum at 1.30 – 2.30 pm on Tuesday 4 May at Horace Lamb 1022 Lecture Theatre and zoom. We’ve invited students to submit questions and will be attempting to go through all the questions asked. I commend the Queer, International Student, Welfare, Womens, Rural and Environmental for submitting questions for their respective departments- truly representative! This is a great achievement for the SRC, being the first time one of the Australia University’s Vice-Chancellors has accepted the invitation of the AUU and SRC to take part in a live student forum run by the students.

of 34

2. Indian Students The escalating cases of Covid in India is concerning, Jia En and I have advocated for exclusive mental health support to be provided to Indian students, onshore and offshore. We are pleased to confirm now the university will email the affected students to provide them medical and counselling support. We also acknowledge the stressful situation for onshore international students not being able to be with their families. Under our recent advocacy for changes in the MACA policy, the following key changes have been made: 1. approved University activities (including placements and overseas experiences) are now accepted as extenuating circumstances that may result in eligibility for a modified arrangement 2. assessment extensions of up to 3 business days are now available for students enrolled in Online Teaching Periods 3. Course Coordinators now have the discretion to make an Additional Assessment available to a student who has sat a Replacement Examination 4. where students’ individual circumstances prevent submission of an application for a Modified Arrangement within the required timeframe, Course Coordinators may now exercise discretion and accept a submission made at the first available opportunity 5. Course Coordinators may grant an assessment extension of up to 24 hours, without the need for a student to complete the required form 6. the following University staff are now eligible to verify a student’s claims where evidence of Compassionate and/or Extenuating Circumstances is unavailable: Disability Advisor, International Student Advisor, EWO, Wirltu Yarlu Service Officer or the Roseworthy Student Support Coordinator (previously only a University Counsellor or Student Advisor) 3. Myanmar Students I’ve work with CISA on the issue on advocating for Myanmar students. I’ve endorsed a statement by CISA calling for travel exemption and extension of visa for Myanmar students which are facing great distress due to the situation in their country.

of 34

4. International Students Welfare I’ve work with CISA to send a letter to the VC on international students’ welfare.

of 34

5. ProctorU Online Invigilation Pilot

of 34

Academic integrity is critical and the university have been exploring options to ensure academic integrity is maintained for online exams. Online supervision of exams (also known as proctoring or online invigilation) offers the flexibility of online assessment while maintaining the integrity of a supervised exam. The University has decided to implement online invigilation for some of its online examinations in Semester 1 2021. This will assist in meeting specific program accreditation requirements with relevant industry bodies, and address specific concerns which have been raised about academic integrity within assessments. I’ve been working on the issue with university since last year and the system was not implemented due to my concerns not addressed by the university last year. All my concerns are now addressed, and I worked with university on the communications of the pilot. You can find more information here: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/covid-19/student-information/exams. 6. Semester Two Exams I worked with university on second semester exams. The proposal is to return to Adelaide Showgrounds with an alternative for proctored online exams for offshore students and courses with less than 10 offshore students would have alternative assessments. This is to be discussed in the coming Academic Board meeting. It has been the default way pre-pandemic students have been examined under. This also addresses the concerns of academic dishonesty. Obviously, as part of IMTG, in an event of a lockdown/restrictions, I will be able to provide my view as a student representative. 7. Waite Campus Issue Waite students raised concerns that they do not have a social space in their campus. I had several meetings with the AUU, staff and students to try and make this a reality. At the moment, we are trying to sort out funding with the school. 8. University Female Students Safety & Students Barriers in Public Transport I’ve met with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to raise issues of lack of safety in public transport, specifically for female students. I’ve raised bus stops are often not well lit and the lack of assurance of safety of public transport taker. I’ve called for an action plan to deal with sexual assault incidences, which

of 34

I do not believe is in place by the department. I also called for the operators being trained with First Responder training so that they can deal with any sexual violence reports. I emphasis the need for the department to take on more responsibility in preventing sexual violence so the users feel safe. I also raised the issue of lack of materials for international students which they have agreed to be working on and hopefully be able to distribute those by next year. They will also be more active in O’Week activities and increase visibility. I raised the issue of students often forgetting their student card and getting fines. I requested the department to look into possible alternatives of identifying students like Access Adelaide. I am glad to be the first SA university student leader to work on the action plan to ensure inclusivity of the public transport system and addressing areas where people are facing barriers. 9. Urination Issue on Campus I’ve raised the recent urination issue on Elder Hall by a non-student which raises concerns of students’ safety. I will have more of an update in the meeting. 10. Beating Heart Group The Beating Heart Group was initially formed in mid-2019 to provide a forum for an agile approach to student consultation during the RCC. This group also provided input into the RCC post-event surveys, including review and agreement of the content of the surveys. The current licence agreement between the University of Adelaide and RCC has been terminated. This does not exclude the RCC from presenting alternate proposals to the University in future. I was also given a presentation of future events of the coming term. 11. Student Engagement Committee I will be attending the first SEC as a replacement of our last year weekly meeting due to COVID. I’ve raised student safety issue (including the recent urination issue) and international students welfare affected by recent COVID/political issue. 12. Welcoming Australia

of 34

I’ve attended an event with Welcoming Australia in Adelaide Townhall. I’ve met with Robert Simms, the now South Australian Legislative Council member. I’ve advocated for the return of international students back to SA and he has supported the initiative. Unfortunately I was told that the main reason was because the ALP (Australian Labor Party) was the main reason the pilot wasn’t approved. I also got the chance to speak with Steve Georganas, Federal member House of Representatives from ALP. I advocated for the return of international students but was disappointed that he didn’t commit to support the initiative and he only referred it back to the Federal government. 13. University Shutdown & International Students Return I’ve participated in an ABC radio interview about the university’s shutdown. Although I was able to ensure the Prayer room to stay opened during the shutdown, I’ve agreed on the shutdown is inconvenient to students trying to study for their mid-term/exams due to the shutdown of writing and maths learning centre. I’ve also advocated for the return of international students back to SA in the interview. 14. Lack of Resources of Writing Centre Students raised concerns that there was lack of appointments in the writing centre to which I have raised it with university. I will update you when I know more. 15. Compost Bin of Women’s Room Despite the extremely rude comment towards the Women’s Officer in overheard by one of the students, I’ve raised the issue of compost bin of the Women’s room which needs to be emptied and is now resolved. 16. Free Flu Vaccination The University-wide flu vaccination program is for contracted staff only. I’ve advocated for the need for free flu vaccination for HDR students due to the tightly packed working space. I am glad to confirm now ECMS, Arts and FHMS that they will offer this to their students this year.

of 34

17. ICAC Response I’ve continued to work with university on the ICAC response. KPMG are now drafting the final report. The report will continue through the appropriate governance process, including consideration and endorsement by the ICAC Response Steering Committee, the People and Culture Committee and University Council. The final report will be released in full to the University community. 18. FOI Documents The recent documents published by a certain student by singling out one document as a result of an FOI request is extremely misleading. Thus, I wrote to university requesting the documents which was then released to me, which I released it to students, because I believe the importance of transparency and fairness to all parties in the issue. 19. eSelts Link Not Working I’ve raised the issue of eSelts link not working for some students. Yours Sincerely, Oscar Zi Shao Ong SRC President

of 34

Appendix A: Questions Submitted by SRC Officers SRC President At your previous Uni (University of Queensland) the student association had considerable commercial operations, do you believe the AUU should have the same opportunities here? What are your views on SSAF and it's allocation to student run services. Since the enrolments surpass projections, will surplus funds be directed to the AUU given their financial support of the student relief package last year? What is happening in next semester about lectures? I believe they should be back to face to face? The cuts due to Covid last year have impacted students capability to study due to reduced tutorials and assignments, will the university restore the learning resources to pre-pandemic times? Queer Officer As a campus that deals with a diverse range of students, I would like you know your stance on the UofA gaining the QIP Rainbow Tick accreditation? This accreditation is important for the LGBTQI+ community as it aids with tackling self-identification and signals to the broader community that the UofA is an accepting institution. Women’s Officer/WoCo President Considering there were allegations of the mishandling of sexual misconduct cases at your previous university, and Adelaide University’s previous VC has also had sexual misconduct complaints made against him, how can you promise that you will make the University of Adelaide a safe place for women? Rural Officer How do you plan on balancing the priorities of students at the primary campus, North Terrace, with those of the students studying at our rural campuses of Waite and Roseworthy? Environmental Officer Under your leadership, how will the University of Adelaide continue working towards a Carbon Neutral future? Welfare Officer Given the many difficulties faced by students - either borne out or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic - it is essential that student welfare be front of mind

of 34

for the University. In your view, are the University's current suite of mental health and other services sufficient or do they need to be reformed/expanded? International Student Officer When will the international boarders be open? Is there anything that we can do for the international students in India regarding the escalating cases of Covid in India?

of 34

7.2 General Secretary Report

Since the last meeting I have maintained constant contact with the SRC President.

Standing Orders & SRC Policy Positions

Since our last meeting I have continued to update the SRC Standing Orders, I am hoping to have a complete version available soon.

I haven’t started collating the Policy Positions document, as I have been focused on updating the Standing Orders. My goal is to have both documents completed by the end of the semester.

Student Misconduct Policy Working Group

I was formally invited by the Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) to join the Student Misconduct Policy Working Group. Without hesitation I accepted the invitation. I look forward to working with the group to craft an effective policy which addresses students’ concerns.

APEAC

I sit on the Academic Program Entry and Approval Committee (APEAC). Unfortunately I was unable to attend the most recent committee meeting, thankfully, Emma Troughton was available to assist. I’d like to thank Emma for her assistance and participation (on such short notice)! As always, if Councillors have questions about SRC procedures please do not hesitate to contact me. Evi Cacas General Secretary

of 34

7.3 Education Officer Report

Proctor U Trial:

On the 14th of April, it was revealed at an AUU Board meeting that the University is formally performing a trial of the online examination invigilation software Proctor U with 18 courses at the University, mainly in the faculty of ECMS. This was likely triggered by a staggering rise of academic dishonesty which, in some classes, reached as high as 400% and 600% increases in just one year.

I am quite concerned about this trial and the potential effects it might have if the trial is deemed ‘successful’ by the University. Not only is the software considered ‘invasive’ by many students who have used it before, but there are very serious concerns about data security with this service.

I gave comment about this to On Dit when they wrote an article about the Proctor U trial, expressing my concern about the safety of students’ private information. I referred to the fact that in 2020, over 440,000 Proctor U users’ information was leaked by hackers. Understandably, I have my doubts about the structural integrity of this system and the security of student’s information if there was to be another hack.

While I recognise that academic dishonesty is a serious matter and does have to be addressed somehow, I am concerned about this particular method and the implications that it will have for the University should it be implemented across all online examinations.

I have sought several questions from the DVCA and am awaiting a response from her.

My six questions were mainly focused on what would constitute a successful trial from the university’s perspective and about how much the university would take student feedback into account if they chose to pursue further action with Proctor U.

Examination Update:

Last week the University made an announcement about examinations for semesters 1 and 2 this year. The DVCA Jennie Shaw noted that many examinations would continue to be online for semester 1 while most examinations would return to face to face options for semester 2.

I have received mixed feedback from students about this change and am intending to raise this issue with the DVCA very soon once my next round of student consultation has been completed.

To summarise some of the key arguments on both sides of the issue:

Some students welcome a return to face-to-face examination as they are used to it from previous years or prefer the conditions in person at Wayville to online examination.

of 34

Some students would prefer to continue examination online for convenience and accessibility. There is also a rising push among students generally to switch to online examinations and more broadly to phase out the idea of short, timed examinations altogether.

Some students had concerns that if online examinations were to remain, then the university would implement increasingly invasive examination invigilation software.

And of course, there is the underlying issue of the effects of the return of physical examinations with regard to Covid. To this, I would strongly urge the University to follow the medical advice of the SA Government, whatever that may be. Whatever our personal views are about examinations, the safety of students needs to be our top priority.

Vice Chancellor’s Forum:

I’m looking forward to attending the Vice Chancellor’s forum and hearing his responses to student questions. I thank the respective SRC and AUU student representatives that helped organise it.

Committees and other meetings:

Student Engagement Committee (SEC)

I have been appointed to the SEC as part of the committee’s revitalisation, along with various other SRC / AUU, Faculty Board, AU Sport and other representatives.

This committee’s purpose and terms of reference are to:

I’m looking forward to working constructively with the University and other student representatives to get the best outcome for students.

of 34

While the first meeting (Tuesday 4th May) will be after this report is presented, I’m more than happy to relay student concerns, both from existing representatives who are not on SEC or from students generally to this committee for their consideration.

Faculty Board Collaborative Meeting:

Shortly after the conclusion of the Faculty Board Elections, I wrote to the five undergraduate members of the Faculty Board and asked them if they would be willing to have (for the time being), monthly meetings via Zoom to discuss faculty issues, inform the reps of central university decisions and to liaise with each other over similar faculty based issues.

I am delighted to report that all five accepted my request and that we are presently organising our first meeting. This informal arrangement, should it be successful, it may well lead to a new SRC Committee, similar to the Faculty Board Committee that was established in 2019 with a similar composition.

If such a set of meetings are successful at the undergraduate level, this would also compliment the parallel committee for postgraduate Faculty Board Representatives, particularly HDR students that the Postgraduate Officer (HDR) runs.

Meetings:

Melissa Nursey-Bray

I had a meeting with Professor Nursey-Bray who is the interim head of the School of Social Sciences. We had some good discussions about transition of face to face learning to online learning and the balance that the School is seeking to offer. Specifically, the maintenance of a hybrid delivery of teaching that is both accessible to those that prefer online learning and engaging for those that prefer it face to face. The number one issue raised was staff losses due to voluntary separation packages, coupled with attrition at the recruitment stage which has adversely affected this School in particular.

Infrastructure:

Due to a lack of items on the agenda, the last meeting was postponed, however I have raised several issues with infrastructure from my consultations with students, especially regarding the state of the Hartley building and Clubs Lounge.

Assessment Submission Time Standardization:

I am pleased to report that student feedback about inconsistent submission times of major assessment in the Department of Politics and International Relations has led to the Department deciding that as of semester 2, all essays will be due at 11.59pm. I thank Will Broderick in particular for his work making this happen.

While it is a long way off from standardisation of all major assessment across the university, through incremental acts such as these, I am confident that one day we will be able to see universal university submission times implemented. The key to this will be to lobby

of 34

recalcitrant departments and schools who have inconsistent submission times one by one. It is my intention to meet with the heads of the relevant schools / departments and see if anything can be done.

Another alternative, or a more achievable short term solution would be the standardisation of submission times within faculties. This might be easier as certain departments or schools wish to preserve not only their autonomy in when they set assessment deadlines, but also may have very specific practical reasons why certain times are allotted e.g. teaching times, placement times, staff working hours, industry regulations etc.

In addition to the standardisation of times, something else that could be explored is the standardisation of days in which assessment is due aka start / end of weekends and start of the week / end of the week dates. In any case, liaising with the relevant schools / departments is crucial either way to identify why such inconsistencies are present and to work on potential solutions.

If anyone knows of particular schools or departments that have inconsistent deadlines within their degrees or faculties please let me know. I am currently aware of the Law School, but no others by name.

Student Consultations:

Felix’s Fun Friendly Fortnightly Forums

I have had two sessions of my fortnightly forums at the time of writing this report. The second session in particular was a particular success, with several diverse issues being raised including failure to maintain infrastructure correctly, honours pathway questions, and staffing queries.

General:

I have continued to hear and, where possible, resolve student concerns. I have been receiving much feedback about the examination structure for this year and the adverse impacts for students regarding the University shutdown, specifically the late grading of assessments and the delayed feedback for research and thesis paper drafts and proposals.

Trendsetting:

I also notice that several other representatives on the SRC are now holding their own varieties of these fortnightly student consultations. I think it is fantastic to see and I highly encourage it.

Division Academic Student Engagement (DASE) Panel:

I have had my first DASE meeting since my last report. We were due to have another one this week, however it was postponed due to availability issues within the panel.

of 34

The first meeting was a good preliminary meeting, identifying key areas of concern including the lack of counsellors available to deal with rising numbers of mental health concerns at the University as well as difficulty in accessing existing counsellors due to the sometimes month long wait times. DASE is now reviewing this matter.

The meeting discussed the possibility of having the DVCA host a once per term (twice a semester) zoom meeting for an hour to discuss academic and coursework concerns with students, like they did at the start of Covid.

While I cannot attribute any comments to any people during the meeting due to the Chatham House Rules that the panel operated under, I can say that the meeting was quite productive, consensus was found on all issues raised.

SRC Engagement Videos:

SRC engagement videos continue to be produced and published and appear to be well received both online and in person. I have had numerous students who do not follow student politics or the SRC, compliment me on the video series.

So far, there have been videos made about:

The AUU

The Math Learning Centre

The SRC

Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)

I will continue to make more of these videos over the rest of the year.

Promotion of Writing Centre:

The Adelaide University Writing Centre is a valuable University service that offers free advice for students who need help checking work. From helping proofread assessments for grammatical errors to helping students structure essays to teaching students how to reference in accordance with Harvard in text, the centre is there for you.

I’ve personally used the service several times and it is invaluable. They also promote the use of other services that the University offers students such as ‘Studiosity’ which students can use to have assessments proofread for them.

The Writing Centre is running a four week campaign called ‘Get it Write’ from weeks 9-12 to promote their services to students, in particular where they invite professional writers to come in and talk about writing specific to certain disciplines.

The Centre have made some promotional material for the first of these sessions and a video which can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dIIG036_pglYepXor-guUJOuVoQvPka5/view?usp=sharing

of 34

Recommendation:

That the SRC promote the Adelaide University Writing Centre on their Facebook page by:

a) Making a post on the SRC Facebook page summarising briefly what the Writing Centre does and providing a link to its website

b) Noting the ‘Get it Write’ campaign that will be occurring over the next four weeks and what it is

Felix Eldridge

Education Officer

of 34

7.4 Queer Officer Report

Dr George Duncan Memorial.

Over this past month I have been working with Feast, ECH and the Pride Club to finalise the George Duncan Memorial services which will be held on the 10th of May from 11pm. To reiterate this event is of great importance due to the legislative effect it had for the decimalisation of Homosexuality in South Australia and Australia at broad. Dr Duncan was murdered by a group of men who beat him and pushed him off the bridge where he drowned. It is also an event to reflect on how far LGBTQI+ rights have come and where there is still need for improvement.

This year we will have Lord Mayor of Adelaide Sandy Verschoor and Adelaide University Chancellor Honourable Catherine Branson AC QC speaking in conjunction with ECH’s Chief Executive, David Panter and Pride Club President Lottie Minney. I will be the MC for this event.

Following on from the memorial we will then head over to the unibar for light finger food and discussions along with getting to know the broader community.

It would be great to see you all in attendance however I do know that uni is busy so might not be a possibility.

Usually, this event incurs a cost of around $500 however due to having partnered with ECH and Feast this cost has been brought down to $100. The cost that the SRC has been asked to

bear is for a wreath to be placed at the memorial.

Wear it Purple day.

I have begun initial discussions for the preparation of Wear it Purple on the 27th of August. At this stage I am aiming to build upon last year’s intergenerational morning tea. Due to Covid-19 last years event was capped at 30 people. this year I will be aiming to have significantly more being able to attend.

Motion:

of 34

That the SRC releases $100 in funds for the purchasing of a wreath for the DR George Duncan Memorial.

Moved: Hamish Probert Seconded: Evi Cacas

of 34

7.5 Postgraduate Officer (Coursework) Report

Over the last few weeks in my role, I have met and had discussions with various postgraduate coursework students, hearing of their experience at Adelaide University and of ways to improve their time here. I have also been contacted to participate in the postgraduate coursework cohort session once again for those students beginning in second semester which I have indicated my support for and look forward to participating in.

In the nearer future I intend to attend the Vice-Chancellor's Student Forum to further understand fellow students concerns and questions which may be directed to the VC.

Over the next few weeks, I look forward to meeting with other SRC Councillors and striving to meet with more postgraduate coursework students to continue this work in endeavouring to make the experience of university better for all these students.

In solidarity,

Tom Marrett

of 34

7.6 Postgraduate Officer (Higher Degree Research)

• Student Voice Australia As the SRC HDR rep and strong advocate for student voices to be heard directly within university committees, I was grateful for the opportunity to be on the recruitment panel for the incoming Student Voice Australia Co-Ordinator alongside Martin McCarron, Rebecca Tooher and academic staff member Danijela Menicanin from FHMS. We confirmed a shortlist of 2 candidates to interview in person and this took place in separate sessions with the successful candidate being unanimously approved by the panel. We look forward to meaningful engagement in the coming year and should make the most of the fact that the University of Adelaide will be hosting this initiative of a network of tertiary educational institutions from across Australia with a symposium to come later in the year. SVA is “committed to facilitating authentic student engagement through partnership in institutional decision-making and governance for learning, teaching and the student experience” - exactly what the current and previous SRC have been advocating for. It transpires that the pilot program in which UofA was embedded last year had an appointed student rep (Felix) although as far as I know, there was no specific engagement at that stage with the SRC/AUU as the university focused on their immediate responses to the unfolding pandemic. https://studentvoiceaustralia.com/

• Student Engagement Committee

Leading on from the really useful two-way engagement from the weekly Student Rep Forums during 2020, this work will continue with a re-established Student Engagement Committee for 2021. With new Ts & Cs to build on last year’s ad-hoc meetings, the first formal meeting will be held on Tuesday 4th May. As HDR rep, I will be a part of this committee and look forward to further constructive dialogue and meaningful outcomes.

• Research Education & Development Committee

Next meeting to be held Monday 3rd May.

• Infrastructure Student Reference Group

Next meeting to be held Tuesday 11th May at 12:00 online/Schulz 1210.

• Adelaide Graduate Centre

AGC is continuing to run its fortnightly AGC catchups on Zoom where students can directly raise concerns with staff and information is shared with research students by the AGC Director and her team. There continue to be overseas students unable to return/start their studies in Adelaide and this opportunity to touch base with the AGC team is an important and welcome communication initiative which has continued on from 2020.

They have promoted the upcoming Student Life event- a Creative Wellbeing Workshop is being run on Tuesday 4th May to give HDRs the opportunity to meet up in person and take part in Art Therapy activities to help provide tools and support to combat the stresses faced by HDRs.

• Faculty of Arts HDR Committee

Next meeting Monday 10th May.

• SRC HDR Student Representative Committee

of 34

As per my previous report, this was pending due to Faculty Board elections which took place in April. According to the report from the Returning Officer, there are still PG positions unfilled for several Faculties so unfortunately our first meeting will need to be further deferred, but hopefully there will be appointments made to fill the vacant roles shortly so that we can finally progress with getting this committee up and running as soon as possible.

Susie Greenwood – SRC Postgraduate (HDR) Officer

of 34

7.7 Social Justice Officer Report

I have been very aware of the general state of the university and have been looking out to any students that might need help. As a second year, I am meeting and getting to know new people. When I do, I make sure they are aware of the universities support services and my service as a Social justice Officer. I have been in contact with a lot of associations, clubs and other important university figures in regard to university issue and to provide a helping hand as my role requires of me.

Meetings, focuses and other activities-

Myanmar student association SA-

Had a brief discussion on how they wanted support if the organisation plans to have an awareness campaign and would like my support as a social justice officer. Also, discussions and what can be done to provide awareness around campus.

Kate long (student club coordinator)-

Islamic association meeting-

There was a brief meeting on how to encourage the Muslim students to have a voice on campus and that the president will inform me when students seek or representation and a voice to be a part of university.

I had also talked to a few students in the prayer room and given them my contact, so that they have a voice to feel included on campus and that they have an ensured safe environment. I also encouraged and chatted with them about having an iftar for the Muslim community in the prayer room every day. The first plan was to have a snack corner but due to covid-19 guidelines, food feast under supervision were more of a feasible option.

I donated to the donation corner at the prayer room- that promotes the Islamic association to have an active and engaged Muslim community. So now due to a lot of discussion and meetings, the Muslim community will be having Iftar every day. I was about to make the snack corner by buying snacks with my own money, to provide help to the Muslim community during the month of Ramadan so Muslim students have access to food while the fridge was not working. However, plans changed and now the Islamic association took the responsibility of having iftar for the community everyday till EID (Islamic celebration after Ramadan).

Meeting with OnDit-

How to provide a safer environment for woman on campus by awareness of published articles, promoting services. OnDit and I had a discussion on how students can be aware of news around university and how they can promote matters on injustice and inequality through the university’s magazine.

of 34

Mark Pace-

Recently got in contact with a few students that wanted to help out with the Myanmar students and redirected them to the association and said I will keep them up to date about any social justice event or rally for them to contribute. I also noted how the prayer room has been lacking facilities and in this month of Ramadan the university had failed to offer them support. I had discussed this matter with Mark Pace and Dave Lamb to fix the fridge in the prayer room that had not been working for months. The university is now getting that fixed for the prayer room so that the Muslim students have access to storing their food during the month of Ramadan and to provide them with ease.

Amnesty-

I had a quick meeting with one of the co-conveners at Amnesty and we discussed our passion of human rights and discussed broad ideas of what the club can do to promote social justice events. We had a chat on how if I can promote to students about their services and how they can plan events on on-going human rights issues and any possible collaboration in the future.

of 34

7.8 Disability Officer Report

Last week I was able to kick off my own fortnightly student consultation sessions over beverages, inspired by fellow SRC members Will Broderick and Felix Eldridge, dubbed ‘Tea With Battye’ in the Fix Lounge. This event was a huge success, and I was able to have some really interesting conversations with students about several concerns that they had regarding disability and accessibility issues on campus. I am very much looking forward to future sessions over the rest of the year!

An issue that came up multiple times in my student consultations was the inaccessibility of spaces such as the Mature Students Association Lounge and the SRC Office. I have approached Janine Aujard, our Mature Aged Officer, with these concerns. As the MSA Lounge is set to be moving soon, Janine and I are planning to collaborate on ways to ensure that mature aged students are still afforded a space during that shift, and are planning to brainstorm ways to ensure the new MSA Lounge is as accessible and accommodating of student needs as possible.

Additionally, there were concerns raised as to the lack of non-alcoholic beers in the UniBar. The stocking of non-alcoholic beers would be a good option for students who cannot or choose not to drink, but who would like to feel included in the tradition of grabbing a beer with friends. A common trend I’ve also noticed over the past couple months is the amount of students disgruntled at the strict requirements for assignment extension applications, and the overall difficulty in obtaining any sort of leeway on mental health grounds without an access plan. I would like to explore the possibility of adding mental health to Section 3 (Compassionate Circumstances) of the assessment extension application forms. I am currently in the process of figuring out how best to approach these issues and organising meetings with the relevant people.

I have also had the pleasure of discussing with our Social Justice Officer Bisma Changez a variety of issues important to the both of us, including ways we can blend her passion for assisting students from international backgrounds and create a safe space for them, and my passion for promoting mental health care and awareness among youth. We are both very excited to continue discussing these issues together and find ways to craft safe spaces for students impacted by them. We are thrilled to continue to meet up and work on developing and implementing our ideas throughout this upcoming month.

Finally, I also intend to follow up with Mark Pace on a student mental health concern myself and fellow student Matt Monti are planning to work on resolving, so Mark, stay put after this meeting - we’re going to run on over to you and figure out the best time to schedule something in! I also hope to touch base with Queer Officer Hamish Probert at some stage in

of 34

the near future after noticing how outdated the university Ally Network page is, and perhaps sort out a joint initiative to ensure that similar information and resources are up-to-date.

of 34

7.9 International Student Officer Report

With regards to the new position taken up as an International Student Officer of the Adelaide University Student Representative Council (SRC), I thank you for the trust and support put in and I look forward to bringing the best out of my role in the term.

Meeting with Debbie Chua

I had a meeting with International Student Support Coordinator, Debbie Chua to examine how I could contribute to the international students and assist the International Student Support (ISS) with related matters especially being the bridge between international students and the university. We discussed about the support available for international students and ideas for future events. I had also raised the issue regarding the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) provider recommended by the university, has certain disadvantages compared to other providers in terms of insurance policy cover and Debbie noted that she will look into the matter. I brought up the idea of organising multicultural events for the international students and open the possibilities of collaboration with ISS and other clubs and associations.

India Students

I have advocated for the students in India in response to the escalating cases of COVID-19 in India and changes to policy had been made from 29th April 2021. I acknowledged the hardships and difficulties that are faced by the students in India and the onshore students who have family in India experiencing the predicament.

Meeting with Oscar Ong

I met up with SRC President, Oscar Ong to discuss about plans for multicultural events and alternatives. I will discuss further with potential collaborators on the multicultural events for international students.

Sri Lanka Cultural Night

I have attended Sri Lanka Cultural Night organised by the ISS Language and Cultural Engagement team as an opportunity to reach out to the international students and know more about them and any problems that they face as an international student. I supported the execution of the event and encouraged students to learn more about other culture in the hope of strengthening understanding among cultures and relationship between people.

Yours sincerely,

Jia En Sit

SRC International Student Officer

of 34

8. General Business

May 21 Student Climate Strike Preamble: We are in the midst of a climate emergency. In 2021 Australia has already witnessed extreme weather events with record-breaking floods recently devastating large parts of New South Wales and Queensland. Climate change is a key issue for young people and many thousands have taken to the streets in protests to fight for their future. As a student organisation, the SRC should be committed to environmental justice and actively engaging students in demanding action on climate change. In Adelaide, School Strike 4 Climate has called a demonstration on May 21. A Uni Students for Climate Justice contingent will be meeting at Bonython Hall at 10am. MOTION: The SRC supports the May 21 Student Climate Strike. Moved: Nix Herriot MOTION: The SRC will promote the May 21 climate strike on the SRC Facebook page. Moved: Nix Herriot Eco-Friendly University

Preamble: Over the past year the University has worked with the SRC (particularly the SRC President Oscar Ong) and has positive steps to become more environmentally friendly, this includes approaching carbon neutrality and having 2/3rds of the Roseworthy campus operate on solar power.

MOTION: That the SRC acknowledges the positive actions taken to make the University more environmentally friendly, and supports further, appropriate, initiatives which ensure that University operations become more sustainable.

Moved: Evi Cacas


STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL - Adelaide ...

Documents

Transcript of STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL - Adelaide ...