Student Residences Management Journal Volume 10 No 1

Austra lias studentia’s premier hous associat ing ion

THE AUSTRALASIAN PP324494/0062

SRMJ

AACUHO

Supporting Business Supporting Students 2015 AACUHO StarNet StarRez Conference, Sofitel Brisbane Central, Brisbane, QLD Australia

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

MARCH 2015

Volume 10 No. 1

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SRMJ

AACUHO FEATURED

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal is published by Adbourne Publishing in conjunction with AACUHO, the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers Inc.

AACUHO

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AACUHO President’s message

6 Supporting business supporting students

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Conference schedule

12 Sydney to Brisbane AACUHO study tour

15 Out and about in Brisbane 16 Focusing on our strengths, not our achievements

18 Student wellbeing – Innovative approaches going live in 2015!

23 Mannix College redevelopment 26 Making it work: Utilising

29 ‘And I would walk 9000 miles’ 30

Developing student leaders

32 New and improved

AACUHO webpage

33 Time for a holistic approach

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Dropping to the universals

38

Changing alcohol culture

40 Brand touchpoints:

Your new best friends

42 Leadership through principled dispute resolution

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Product news

placement students to enhance the residential experience

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DISCLAIMER Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisers appearing in The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal comply absolutely with the Trades Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication.

Adbourne Publishing and The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal reserve the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication.

All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors and all submitted editorial are the author’s views and are not necessarily those of the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers, or the publisher.

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AACUHO FEATURED

President’s Message A

very big welcome to 2015 and the first edition of the Student Residence Management Journal (SRMJ) for this year. Since the last edition, the readership of SRMJ has increased with new AACUHO members and affiliates coming on board and more industry professionals taking an active interest in student housing. In particular I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new readers and I hope you enjoy this edition.

Much of what AACUHO has been focussing on over the last year is how we can support our industry professionals. We are all in the business of supporting students however as professionals we need to ensure we access the right support in order to do our jobs well. We are pleased to announce two new services from AACUHO, an updated website and the University Student Housing Professional Standards.

The new AACUHO website, (www.aacuho. edu.au) will give members access to a whole range of services and resources such as handbooks, student contracts and outcomes

of networking events, previous conference speaker papers and links to resources from partner institutions such as ACUHO-I. I encourage you to login, access what is available and provide us with feedback. I’d like to thank AACUHO Executive Officer, Cate Macnamara for her excellent work on making this happen.

The University Student Housing Professional Standards 2015 is a collaborative project between AACUHO and University Colleges Australia (UCA). Throughout 2014, members of these associations prepared a set of university student housing standards, and drew on the expertise of both association memberships. These are now ready for release.

More information will be provided at the 2015 AACUHO StarNet StarRez Conference and a round table discussion will be held allowing members to have input and further discussion into the Professional Standards.

Which brings me to the conference theme, “Supporting Business Supporting Students”.

We have an excellent program lined up for 2015 which specifically addresses this theme.

Read more about this in SRMJ. I would like to thank the Conference Organising Committee who has done an excellent job

in pulling the conference together: Melissa Suckley, Flinders Living; Liza Allen, Dunmore Lang College, Macquarie University; Sarah Portelli, UTS Housing Service; Mary Sparks, Student Residence Manager, University of Wollongong and AACUHO Executive Officer, Cate Macnamara. At the time of writing, we had delegates registered from most states in Australia and from New Zealand, China, England and USA. Once again the conference promises to provide a wealth of networking and learning opportunities and a great chance to share ideas. I encourage those of you who are attending to make the most of it, make new friends and share contacts. For those of you who might be undecided, there is still time to register! Go to the conference website: http://aacuho.epicconferences.com.au/ Here’s to a positive 2015. The next edition of SRMJ will be out in September/October 2015.

As always, we want to hear from you and welcome your contributions. Enjoy this edition.

Edwina Ellicott AACUHO President Marketing and Occupancy Manager University of Wollongong

AACUHO The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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AACUHO FEATURED

Supporting Business Supporting Students 14-17 April 2015 – Sofitel Brisbane Central, Brisbane, Qld Melissa Suckley | AACUHO Vice President, Associate Dean, Flinders Living, Flinders University

As the 2015 AACUHO StarNet/StarRez Conference fast approaches, it’s exciting to see the level of interest we have received to date from delegates registering to attend, and more exciting is the number of members who are getting involved by presenting a member or concurrent session – this is what makes the Conference such a success, sharing amongst our colleagues for improvements across student housing as an industry.

perhaps away from that coalface but needing housingspecific support nonetheless.

The real exchange of ideas takes place in the concurrent sessions and again, our thanks to members who have put forward their ideas and are willing to step up and get involved. In Brisbane you’ll be able to choose from a number of sessions sitting within four “streams”: supporting business; supporting students; supporting operations; and supporting the individual.

Our keynote speaker programme this year has been heightened by the addition of three professional speakers: Sabina Read; Dr Michael CarrGregg; and Marty Wilson. A new venture for AACUHO, we welcome your feedback post-conference on this aspect of the programme.

The Conference Organising Committee are also very excited to be welcoming Tom Ellett, ACUHO-I President, to the conference.

Throughout his term, Tom has committed to what he calls a “Learning through Listening” Project in which he speaks to an ACUHO-I member every day about their experience in the association.

It should be a fascinating presentation and I encourage you to get along to hear Tom.

T

he input from members at the conference is so valuable and this year the committee received some exceptional submissions to present member papers.

You will see on the conference program a variety of topics being brought to us in Brisbane, ranging from Deakin Uni’s tale of transition to a new business model, to Curtin Uni’s Veggie Garden Project, and so many topics in between.

This year we have listened to your feedback and in adopting the theme “Supporting Business Supporting Students” as well as selecting a number of presentations in the business/ operations area, we hope to provide a more comprehensive programme that not only appeals to those of you working directly in “Student Life” areas but to those of you working

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Make sure you make the most of the networking opportunities at the conference. The Conference Organising Committee has done a sensational job in securing venues for the dinners and optional tours during the free half day. See Sarah & Liza’s article in this edition of SRMJ which provides an excellent overview on what to do in Brisbane as well.

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aacuho featured

With the support of Guidebook, we will soon be launching our very first AACUHO Conference app for mobile devices. This will give you the conference schedule, speaker and sponsor information, maps, etc all easily accessible from your tablet or mobile device. You’ll also be able connect with delegates through the app, send business cards and take part in our exhibitor passport competition. Look out for a launch announcement very soon!

Returning in 2015 will be the 3rd Annual AACUHO Awards for Excellence. Taking place on the evening of Wednesday 15 April, these awards will recognise members who have implemented amazing initiatives either in their workplace or made a significant contribution to the industry. Thanks to everyone who submitted a nomination or application, the review panel have a tough job ahead of them!

Building on the popularity of past study tours, AACUHO will once again be holding a study tour preceding the conference. Starting on Thursday 8 April in Sydney and finishing in Brisbane on Tuesday 14 April, the tour will visit a range of student accommodations in New South Wales and Queensland.

The tour has already attracted a number of participants and we hope a few more of you are still considering joining the tour. To register, simply visit the conference website! Thanks in advance to our tour hosts Simon Scott (UQ-Gatton) and Michelle Hilton (CSU-Wagga Wagga) who I’m sure will do an excellent job. For more inoformation please check out the “Study Tour” article in this edition!

Our thanks, as always, go to our fantastic sponsors – their ongoing support of AACUHO is so very appreciated: StarNet/StarRez return again as Platinum Sponsor; BigAir Community Broadband as Gold Sponsors; Alcocups, nettletontribe and Australian Bedding Company as Silver Sponsors; and our Exhibitors –Add Value Promotions, Compass Group (Scolarest), Direct Products, G.C Laundry Equipment, Guidebook, Higgins Coatings, Infosign, VingCard Elsafe, a nd Vintech Systems.

At the conference all AACUHO Committee members and the Conference Organising Committee members will be wearing a distinctive AACUHO T-shirt. Stop and have a chat, get

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

involved, ask questions and most of all, enjoy the conference.

See you in Brisbane!!

Conference Organising Committee Edwina Ellicott, University of Wollongong, NSW (AACUHO President) Melissa Suckley, Flinders University, SA (AACUHO Vice President) Liza Allen, Dunmore Lang College, NSW (AACUHO Secretary) Sarah Portelli, UTS, NSW (AACUHO Committee) Mary Sparks, University of Wollongong, NSW For more information contact the AACUHO Executive Officer, email execofficer@aacuho.edu.au, or go to http://aacuho.epicconferences.com.au/

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AACUHO FEATURED

Conference Schedule TUESDAY 14 APRIL: 11:00-16:00

Half Day Study Tour

Brisbane CBD

16:00-19:00

Registrations Open

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

16:30-17:30

International & New Delegates Reception

Cuvee Lounge, Level 1, Sofitel Brisbane Central

17:30-19:00

Welcome Reception & Exhibition Opening

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

WEDNESDAY 15 APRIL: 08:00-17:30

Registrations Open

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

08:00-17:30

Exhibition Open

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

08:30-09:00

Arrival Tea & Coffee

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

09:00-09:50

Opening Plenary

Ballroom Le Grand

09:50-10:05

Gold Sponsor Presentation – BigAir Community Broadband

Ballroom Le Grand

10:05-10:15

Sponsor Presentation – Guidebook

Ballroom Le Grand

10:15-10:45

Morning Tea

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

10:45-11:40

Keynote 1: Sabina Read

Ballroom Le Grand

11:40-12:15

Learning through Listening Project, Tom Ellett (ACUHO-I President)

Ballroom Le Grand

12:15-13:00

Lunch

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

13:00-13:40

AACUHO Annual General Meeting

Ballroom Le Grand

13:40-14:20

Member Paper 1: Adapt or Die, the DRS Story

Ballroom Le Grand

14:20-14:30

Silver Sponsor Presentation – Alcocups

Ballroom Le Grand

14:30-15:10

Concurrent Session: Outsourcing Student Residence Management in Australian Universities Concurrent Session: Developing a Framework for Responding to Sexual Violence Against Women in Residential Communities Concurrent Session: StarRez/StarNet Concurrent Session: Resident Leadership and Personal Development Programs

15:10-15:40

Member Paper 2: Cultivating Depth and Diversity for a More Demanding Business Landscape!

Ballroom Le Grand

15:40-16:00

Afternoon Tea

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

16:00-16:30

Associations Update: AACUHO and UCA

Ballroom Le Grand

16:30-17:10

Member Paper 3: Supporting Students in Virtual Worlds: Implementing Second Life in a Regional University Residential System

Ballroom Le Grand

19:00-23:00

Formal Opening Dinner including the 3rd Annual AACUHO Awards for Excellence

Ballroom Le Grand

THURSDAY 16 APRIL: 08:00-14:00

Registrations Open

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

08:00-14:00

Exhibition Open

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

08:30-09:00

Arrival Tea & Coffee

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

09:00-09:15

MC Update

Ballroom Le Grand

09:15-09:35

Associations Update: ACUHO-I

Ballroom Le Grand

09:35-10:15

Member Paper 4: Risk Management at the sharp end

Ballroom Le Grand

10:15-10:25

Silver Sponsor Presentation – to be advised

Ballroom Le Grand

10:25-10:55

Morning Tea

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

10:55-11:50

Keynote 2: Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

Ballroom Le Grand

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11:50-12:40

Concurrent Session: Private Housing Crisis Concurrent Session: Volunteer Student Leaders Concurrent Session: COMMONALITY in the STUDENT EXPERIENCE: Finding the Balance Between Consistency and Customisation Concurrent Session: Bringing an Undergraduate Research Experience Into a Residential Setting: The Fenner Hall Student Leadership Symposium

12:40-13:10

AACUHO/UCA Professional Standards launch

Ballroom Le Grand

13:10-14:00

Lunch

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

14:00-17:00

Delegate Afternoon Tours or Afternoon at Leisure Delegate Tour 1: XXXX Brewery

Brisbane CBD (meet in hotel foyer for 2pm departure)

Delegate Tour 2: Circus Arts Brisbane

Brisbane CBD (meet in hotel foyer for 2pm departure)

Delegate Tour 3: Story Bridge Climb

Brisbane CBD (meet in hotel foyer for 2pm departure)

14:00-14:30

AACUHO 2015/16 Committee Meeting

14:30-15:00

AACUHO/UCA bi-annual meeting Dinner – own arrangements For a range of options, please go to the registration desk

FRIDAY 17 APRIL: 08:00-13:40

Registrations Open

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

08:00-13:40

Exhibition Open

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

08:30-09:00

Arrival Tea & Coffee

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

09:00-09:15

MC Update

Ballroom Le Grand

09:15-09:55

Member Paper 5: First Year Uni – Designing the Student Experience

Ballroom Le Grand

09:55-10:05

Silver Sponsor Presentation – to be advised

Ballroom Le Grand

10:05-11:00

Roundtable Discussions

Ballroom Le Grand

11:00-11:30

Morning Tea

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

11:30-12:20

Concurrent Session: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Concurrent Session: Delivering Support Through Sector Wide and Institutional Transition and Change – What Goes and What Stays?

Concurrent Session: (to be advised) Concurrent Session: The Seven ‘P’S of Life

12:20-13:10

Presentation to be advised

Ballroom Le Grand

13:10-14:00

Lunch

Trade Display, Level 2, Sofitel Brisbane Central

14:00-14:50

Red Frogs / Alcocups Presentation

Ballroom Le Grand

14:50-15:05

Associations Update: NAAUC and NZATEAP

Ballroom Le Grand

15:05-15:55

Concurrent Session: Supporting Students Through ‘the Second Transition’ – from College to Off-Campus Living Concurrent Session: ACUHO-I and AACUHO – a thriving partnership Concurrent Session: Earning while Learning Concurrent Session: Preventive Maintenance

15:55-16:50

Keynote 3: Marty Wilson

Ballroom Le Grand

16:50-17:20

Conference Wrap-Up

Ballroom Le Grand

19:00-23:00

Closing Dinner

GOMA

Schedule was correct at time of printing – subject to change. Please check the conference website: http://aacuho. epicconferences.com.au/ for an up to date schedule.

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SYDNEY TO BRISBANE AACUHO STUDY TOUR WEDNESDAY 8 – TUESDAY 14 APRIL This very popular study tour will commence in Sydney, New South Wales, home of the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House, and will make its way north to Brisbane, Queensland just in time for the commencement of the 2015 AACUHO StarNet/StarRez Conference.

V

isiting University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, University of Newcastle, University of New England, University of Southern Queensland and University of Queensland – Gatton, participants will have the opportunity to experience a variety of styles of student accommodation as well as meet with staff & students.

In addition there will be a number of opportunities to relax and experience north-eastern Australia, including visits to Tamworth the “Country Music Capital of Australia”, and the world famous Hunter Valley wine region.

Schedule: Wednesday 8 April – Delegates arrive in Sydney, New South Wales by this date. Accommodation will be provided for delegates at the Ibis Sydney Darling Harbour. Following the meet and greet, a Harbour Cruise & Dinner will be held during the evening Thursday 9 April – Visit University of Sydney and UTS. Friday 10 April – Visit University of Newcastle followed by a Winery Tour in the Hunter Valley before heading to Tamworth.

Saturday 11 April ––Visit to the Golden Guitar and Wax Museum followed by tours of Colleges in Armidale and Dinner at Boolamimbah.

Sunday 12 April – Visit USQ via Tenterfield and Toowoomba, before heading to Gatton.

Monday 13 April – Visit Colleges and UQ Gatton followed by free time before Dinner at Foundation Building.

Tuesday 14 April – Conclusion of Sydney to Brisbane AACUHO Study Tour – Arrive at Sofitel Brisbane Central, Brisbane, Queensland for the beginning of 2015 AACUHO StarNet/StarRez Conference.

It’s not too late to register, simply visit http://aacuho.epicconferences.com.au/ to join the tour!

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Out and about in Brisbane Sarah Portelli | AACUHO Committee member, University of Technology Sydney, UTS Housing Service

Brisbane is a green city with an enviable subtropical climate and diverse population. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Australia and is known for its vibrant urban precincts, outdoor lifestyle and friendly locals.

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ife in Brisbane is based around the river and has been since the early 1800’s when the Morten Bay penal colony started.The capital city as we know it today now lies further up the river.

1.Take a free Brisbane Greeters Tour

7. Shop Queen Street Mall

Discover the city’s hidden stories and art trails

Located in the centre of the city, the Queen Street Mall and its nearby surrounds is Queensland’s premier shopping destination. The mall is open plan, stretching half a kilometre along Queen Street Mall.

2. Climb the Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a Brisbane icon. Designed by Dr. John Bradfield, designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Story Bridge spans Petrie Bight from Kangaroo Point to Fortitude Valley. It totals 1,072 meters in length.

3.Visit the Gabba One of Australia’s most famous sports stadiums, The Gabba was established in 1895 and hosts a number of sports including AFL, Cricket, Rugby union, and Concerts. The current seating capacity is 42,000.

4.Visit Customs House The Customs House is a Brisbane landmark known for its distinctive copper dome. Originally constructed for the government, there is now a restaurant and function centre within the building, and regular concerts and art exhibitions are also held here.

8.Taste some of Queensland’s finest brews Located in Milton you can tour the brewery to get the full beer story and/or stop at the Ale House, a beer-oriented café which is open for lunch Mon-Fri for a meal or a graze.

9. See a live gig in the valley Fortitude Valley is a special dedicated entertainment precinct and is a place to go to watch live music and listen to great performers and bands.

10. Get Tiki’d at Alfred and Constance Tiki bar, gastropub, cafe, underground cellar bar and late night dessert bar, Alfred and Constance is a one stop shop for all your dining and drinking desires

5. Check out Queensland Gallery of Modern Art

Weather

The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art has a total floor area of 25,000 square metres. The Gallery holds mostly Queensland arts as well as a variety of artworks from around the world.

During the conference, the weather will be pleasant and you can expect Min average temperature of 16°C and max of 26°C

6. Explore Southbank

For more on what to do whilst in Brisbane checkout out https://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/

Southbank has many family-friendly parklands and provides the perfect setting for a great day out. It has riverside cycling and walking paths, lush gardens as well as beautiful inner city beach.

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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AACUHO FEATURED

Focusing on Our Strengths, Not our Achievements AACUHO Conference 2015 – Keynote Overview: Focusing on Our Strengths, Not Our Achievements

H

umans are typically hard-wired to attend to what’s wrong and what’s not working. While this negative lens has helped our species survive, it may also have taken a toll on our sense of personal and professional wellbeing. Many of us are focused and driven by achievements and outcomes, then wonder why we continue to feel stressed, overwhelmed, resentful, and unsatisfied, even after meeting our goals. However, research shows when we work with our strengths, instead of our achievements, we feel more energized and satisfied. While we all have aspects of our job that are out of our control; how we relate to these, and how we utilise our natural strengths is very much within our power.This presentation introduces the importance of identifying and working with one’s strengths, together with other strategies to improve well-being, even on those days when the load feels overwhelming, and relocating to Timbuktu seems like the best way to cope.

Sabina Read, MPsych, BA PsychSc (Hons), Grad Dip Psych, BA (Communications), MAPS, 43yrs, is a psychologist, media commentator, speaker, facilitator, communications specialist, wife & mother with experience in psychological well-being & human behaviour

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Sabina is a registered psychologist who works with organisations, individuals, couples, families, adolescents, and children. In addition to her work as a therapist, Sabina coaches senior executives, focusing on major life transitions.

Sabina is also a speaker and facilitator of groups on topics including well-being, transitions and change, relationships, parenting, anxiety, stress, and mental illness in the workplace. Sabina’s insights and comments are frequently sought in the media, and she is the Resident Psychologist on the Afternoons Program on Radio 3AW. Sabina is listed on The Australian Psychological Society’s national Media Referral Database; and she is the Resident Psychologist Blogger with www.realestate.com.au and Consultant Psychologist with The Health Consultancy.

In addition to her psychological experience, Sabina is a communications expert with local and international experience in PR and marketing roles across a range of sectors including retail, consumer, telecommunications, health, hospitality, education, the arts, gaming, and professional services.

Sabina enjoys sharing her passion and aptitude for creating discussion and dialogue around the universality of the human experience. She brings warmth, empathy, and accessibility to her work, as well as a sprinkle of humour.

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Student Wellbeing – Innovative approaches going live in 2015!

As the academic year gets underway once again, accommodation providers across Australia and New Zealand are introducing an exciting range of initiatives to support student wellbeing. Here’s a sample of what’s on offer for students in 2015!

La Trobe University: Victoria, Australia Ali Norton – Coordinator, Health and Wellbeing

I

n its third year of residentiallybased wellness programming, La Trobe is introducing a re-vamped Wellness Model to guide best-practice!

Heavily influenced by student input, our re-imagined six dimensions of wellbeing now include defined learning outcomes to help our residents better understand where we’re going.Through engaging with us in this space, we want residents to be able to:

Healthy Relationships • Make friends and build connections • Understand consent, and their right to establish limits and boundaries • Communicate effectively and respectfully • Demonstrate care and concern for others

Mental Health • Develop strategies to manage tough times • Know how to access support • Be comfortable with who they are • Feel empowered to speak up and make decisions

Personal Responsibility • Help others feel valued, welcomed, and accepted • Make safe decisions • Successfully manage emotions • Make decisions consistent with their values

Financial Fitness • Budget effectively • Access scholarship and bursary opportunities

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• Find other systems of support (i.e. food pantries, legal services) • Secure employment

Physical Wellbeing • Make physical movement a part of every day • Get enough quality sleep • Eat for wellness, not just convenience • Understand safer sex practices and sexual health Additionally, students will have the opportunity to decide – along with their floormates – which activity they would like to undertake in the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure dimension. Suggested areas of focus within this dimension include: • Community Service (blood/food/clothing drive, volunteering, charity BBQ, etc.)

• Sustainability and the Environment (community garden, tours of the Wildlife Sanctuary, rubbish clean up, etc.)

• Arts and Culture (multicultural potluck, cultural festival, art gallery or museum visit, etc.)

• 30 Day Challenge (where you commit to a healthy lifestyle change)

The University of Auckland: New Zealand Jacob Waitere – Area Manager (Engagement & Wellbeing)

I

n 2014, the University of Auckland’s Accommodation team decided to formalise its wellbeing/ Hauora programme and come up with a recognisable framework that could be used by staff and easily communicated with residents. A team made up of professional and student staff embarked on the project, and the result was the creation of the Waka of Wellbeing framework.

Our framework focuses on six areas of Hauora (Wellbeing): Hauora for the Mind, Spirit, Finances, Body, Environment, and Social. We achieve this through programmes, and creating a sense of whanaungatanga* and mana** in our communities.

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We thought that the idea of representing our Hauora framework as a Waka was important, as it is a personal cultural element unique to Aotearoa/New Zealand and for the symbolism attached to it. It represents a journey and the team work required to paddle it. As Accommodation staff working alongside our residents, we ensure they are well equipped on their journey, and all paddling in synchronicity until we reach our destination of choice. This is captured in our opening phrase for the waka – ‘He waka eke noa’ – We’re all in this waka together.

So far the Waka of Wellbeing has been positively received by RAs and professional staff as a great tool to have. Our first stages of implementation have focused on an initial design of the waka and creating a user toolkit for RAs so that they can associate certain University and Community support resources to each paddle. In our planning for the 2015 Residential Life plan, every event had to have some wellbeing relevance to a paddle to ensure a wellbeing focus was taken in all aspects of the resident experience.

At the end of 2015 we will be looking to conduct a full review and evaluation on how the Waka has impacted on the Resident experience and areas for improvement. Special mention to the project team which included myself, Melissa Leaupepe and Tara Brewer. *Whanaungatanga = is about knowing you are not alone, it is about being part of a larger whole and the idea of working together as a community. **Mana = is about pride, honour and influence.

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directed towards what we were standing for as a college.

This structure is being used as a foundation for the ongoing decision making around student club activities which include social, cultural, community service, sport and leadership.

This year we are rolling out a new program which has been designed to address the unique challenges that students typically face during their first year. Small pods of students are established in weeks 2-4 and will meet at key points during the semester. Discussions are facilitated to develop the “personal curriculum” that is the self-work required for the realisation of their goals. This is offered alongside our already established and successful academic tutorial program and is aiming to help launch students successfully as the productive, healthy and expressive young adults they are. The personal curriculum is built on the following five key areas of awareness with a few examples of inquiry:

Purpose – What is your Y? • Who are your key supporters/mentors/inspirations?

• Why did you pick the program you did?

• What does achievement look or feel like?

Physiology – What habits do you need to commit to for your health and wellbeing?

Emmanuel College within the University of Queensland Jennifer Jasinski – Assistant Dean of Student Services John Jasinski – Senior Resident Tutor The Personal Curriculum – Education for Life Not for Livelihood.

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he past couple of years at Emmanuel have seen a realisation of individual wellness as a community responsibility.The college, like an organism, thrives in an environment that supports healthy decisions, nurtures relationships and encourages insightful reflection of the challenges faced.This year’s P-week was kicked off with our principal, Professor Stewart Gill, encouraging the circle of student leaders and senior staff to consider what it is that makes up our Emmanuel College DNA. In other words, what values are at the core of our expression as a community and infuse the quality of our interactions. Every person in turn shared the key word that they thought to be central to their contribution to the community.The conversation was then The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

• Enjoyable exercise – what, with whom and how often?

• Hydration and diet • Sleep hygiene and down time

Play – What activities, either shared or solitary, are most enjoyable for you?

• What new experiences would you like to experience?

• What do you find yourself doing when you are fully engaged in something?

• What is actually worth your precious time?

Pain – What has you distracted from the task at hand?

• Is it cognitive, emotional and/or physical?

• Where are you focusing your attention?

• What or who can help you?

Perspective – How are you seeing the current situation?

• What resources can you draw on to answer the challenge?

• Who can you count on to help you see a different perspective?

• What if this was actually the best thing to happen to you?

By next year we hope to have a snazzy graphic to match it!

Looking for more information? Give us a shout!

Ali Norton – H.Norton@latrobe.edu.au Jacob Waitere – j.waitere@auckland.ac.nz John Jasinski – johncjasinski@gmail.com Jennifer Jasinski – jennjasinski@gmail.com

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What if your Student Maliciously damages your property?

We have recently had a claim paid for $25,000, the pressure of study became too much for a student who took to the kitchen with a cast iron frying pan.

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Mannix College redevelopment Dominic Kilduff, | AACUHO Treasurer, Business Manager, Mannix College

Mannix College, the only traditional residential college affiliated with Monash University, has undergone a complete redevelopment affecting all parts of the College.The building program has transformed Mannix, which opened in 1969, into a state of the art student and academic residence.

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he $16 million development, commissioned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, has seen student accommodation capacity has risen from around 250 to nearly 300, and a new guest house has been opened providing 25 four star hotel standard rooms for visiting academics and other College guests and their families.

New conference facilities and a new academic centre, gymnasium and

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

outdoor dining areas are included, as well as new student common rooms and live-in staff housing.

The crowning glory is a new College chapel designed by the late Graham Law, a well-known ecclesiastical architect, due to be officially opened by Archbishop Denis Hart in March 2014.

In seeking to improve every aspect of the college, including renovations to each individual student room, the new development is in tune with the College motto “Omnia Omnibus� (All Things to All People).

It is to the credit of everyone involved in the project that the College did not close but remained open to student residents throughout the 18 month construction period and was thus able to provide accommodation even though the builders were present onsite.

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AACUHO FEATURED College stakeholders were kept informed of the progress of the project at every stage, and student residents’ comments and concerns were listened to and their needs managed in cooperation with the builders.

Anyone who remembers Mannix College as it was before the redevelopment commenced will now see a college transformed in ways that are both obvious and subtle. New covered walkways and security systems mean that the college is safer and better protected from the weather than ever before.

Having new tutorial rooms and a new library and sound proof music rooms as well as the new common rooms mean that students can get much more out of their college than ever before. In addition to a Junior and Senior Common Room, there is a Middle Common Room for senior students and student leaders.

The College has invested heavily in the latest IT, including smart boards and other enhanced learning tools in all tutorial rooms in addition to electronic notice boards and projector screens installed throughout the College. A new sound system means that student musical performances, which are so much a part of College cultural life, can attain even higher standards.

As a result of this development, Mannix College now offers an even better place to live and learn for Monash students, and provides a premium accommodation option for short or long term visitors to the College and the University.

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Making it Work: Utilising placement students to enhance the residential experience Ali Norton, Residential Education Co-ordinator: Health and Wellbeing, La Trobe University | Brendan McCarthy, La Trobe University | Carlotta Martiniello, Post-graduate Social Work Student, La Trobe University | Erin Jones, Post-graduate Social Work Student, La Trobe University | Tayla Geldenhuys, Student Social Coordinator of Glenn College, La Trobe University

How many times have you told someone your job title, only to have them say, “So…what do you do?” As student services professionals, we know firsthand the importance of the work we do; but for those who are unfamiliar with our space, explaining the benefits and challenges of supporting students can be tricky.

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s an industry, the introduction of new talent is critical to sustaining an ethos of continuous improvement. But whilst we excel at attracting students to get around the myriad learning and leadership opportunities our offices offer each year, we seem to fall short of promoting student services as a viable career option.

In 2014, Accommodation Services at La Trobe University sought to address this issue whilst simultaneously meeting another campus need; the provision of suitable work placement opportunities for students.

By simply reaching out to faculty and explaining the types of experiences we felt we could provide, we were able to arrange placement opportunities for two post-graduate social work students (neither of whom had lived in residence before), as well as opportunities for undergraduates studying events management and health promotion.

The benefits of these arrangements were far-reaching: the placement students gained the genuine work experience required for their course of study; staff supervisors gained a valuable professional development opportunity; residents gained access to new perspectives and ideas; and our profession gained positive exposure and a new cohort of energetic advocates.

Oh, and did we mention that hosting placement students didn’t cost us a cent?

But don’t just take our word for it – here are some thoughts from those who participated in our placement opportunities last year.

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My experience completing a social work placement with the team at Accommodation Services was an overwhelmingly positive one. The opportunities I was given to work with staff and students in the context of the Health and Wellbeing and Community Standards programs were unique and exciting, giving me a new outlook on the possible roles a social worker can undertake; before starting this placement, I had never considered the possibility of working in an education or residential setting in a role other than as a case worker or counsellor.

The placement involved running focus groups with the residents, then co-writing a report of recommendations for Health and Wellbeing based on expressed student needs.

Through this process I learned a lot about the design, qualitative research, planning, and development of a program which improves the health and wellness of students living in a residential community.These are invaluable skills, as many social work roles involve developing programs and initiatives to suit the needs of a variety of different community groups, e.g. youth, those with mental illness or disability, and culturally diverse groups.

Additionally, I was given the opportunity to discuss deidentified case studies with the Health and Wellbeing and Community Standards coordinators, which revolved around a range of different student issues. Learning how to analyse these cases through a social work lens and discussing how they were handled was a highly valuable experience for a social worker in training, especially for those interested in going into the youth and mental health fields.

I feel that the aims, interests and knowledge of a social worker are complementary to those of the team at Accommodation Services at La Trobe University, and I would recommend other services like this one consider hosting placement students.

– Carlotta Martiniello www.adbourne.com

AACUHO FEATURED Completing a social work placement with Accommodation Services was a highly beneficial experience and broadened my understanding of the potential for a social worker in this setting. Developing appropriate questions and facilitating focus groups for a variety of young adult residents gave us the opportunity to work with both the staff and the students and put us in the perfect position to explore their processes, challenges, achievements and goals.The most significant learning I gained from this experience, which was an invaluable lesson for a beginning social worker, was to see past the crises and individual issues to explore the potential of this unique community. Applying a social work lens emphasised the importance of strengthening the relationships between staff and residents, enhancing mutual respect and working towards shared goals.

Think providing placement opportunities for students could work for you? We’re happy to share more about our experiences! E-mail living@ latrobe.edu.au with the subject “Making it Work”.

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This placement allowed me to explore the range of issues typically faced in a residential setting, as well as best practices and programs that can be employed to support, empower and engage with all members of this community. I have developed skills in working with staff to increase the knowledge and resources available to them for working with their ‘clients’.

An unexpected experience I had during this placement was learning how to engage organisations in conversations around practice and program development.

I have benefited from working alongside this multidisciplinary team. The staff gave us the time and scope to develop our own focus and goals, and were willing and interested to hear our thoughts and incorporate them into their practice. I would recommend this placement setting to social work students and a range of other disciplines. My placement experience has shown me that social workers could provide another dimension to the work being done in residential student services.

– Erin Jones For my work placement at Accommodation Services, I was in charge of overseeing the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the 2015 International Orientation Week program. Studying a double degree in Event Management and Tourism Management meant that this placement was perfect in terms of its connection to my other subjects and career aspirations in the event industry. Working with Accommodation Services provided me with great insight into the industry, and taught me about the behind-the-scenes struggles and success that come along with it.

I am now a Student Social Coordinator at Glenn College, which I strongly owe to the knowledge I gained through my placement; this opportunity not only improved my event management skills, but has opened many exciting opportunities which are guaranteed to help me grow and achieve the career I want upon graduation.

– Tayla Geldenhuys The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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‘And I Would Walk 9000 Miles’ Jacqui Tuckwell | University of Aberdeen

‘Would you be interested in a job exchange for 6 months?’

‘Where?’ ‘Perth’ ‘Perth in the Highlands? – Lovely town, very picturesque but no thank you’ Perth in Australia, University of Western Australia

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bsolutely! And that is how it began way back in April 2013 – an informal chat over coffee that I had with my Director who has strong links with AACUHO and was keen on exploring the student accommodation model that is evident in many Australian Halls of Residence and also giving me the opportunity of personal professional development.

Chris Massey Director of University hall, University of Western Australia and myself then embarked on a journey of exchanging information through emails, telephone calls and the occasional Skype discussing the proposed idea, agreeing the objectives, life in the two cities, schools, housing and the dreaded visa requirements The agreement would be that we would both continue to be paid by our respective employers, provide housing and any related housing expenses for the incumbent placement. Visa were the next hurdle and turned out to be more complicated than we had envisaged but once identified and completed we were on our way.

Chris and his family arrived in Aberdeen in the middle of a Scottish winter for six months and I left a cold wet Aberdeen complete with scarf, gloves, woolly hat, landed in Perth where I very quickly swopped the winter clothing for sunglasses and shorts.

I was made very welcome by all the team at UWA and very quickly settled in to the post and life in Perth The oppor tunity of the job exchange to Acting Director of student residences at UWA allowed me to consider other styles of student residence operations in an international setting and many of the operational and management issues were the same in both institutions.

The exchange also allowed me to visit other institutions within Australia and Singapore therefore observing yet again different

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

models of housing and the services offered to the student. Another benefit of those visits was about understanding what international students want from the experience that my own institution offers However for me the most interesting and beneficial (area) of the exchange was the oppor tunity to observe and learn about the student experience in Halls. UWA are very committed to the residents developing as individuals, integrating the culture of learning and generally suppor ting students during their time in Halls. There was a real buzz around the accommodation campus and residents interacted positively with staff and suppor ted regular events being held on Campus.

The time flew by and all of a sudden it was time to think about coming home to Aberdeen.

I absolutely loved the experience at UWA, the time spent at work and the oppor tunity to embrace a different lifestyle and returned to Scotland having made so many new friends and colleagues that hopefully I will return to visit. I would actively encourage anyone in student housing to consider a job exchange or placement in a different country. Already in the shor t time I have been back in Aberdeen I am thinking about what programmes and enhanced services we can introduce for the student residents.

Universities are actively recruiting international students and there is a need to offer the suppor t and a positive student experience when the individuals arrive in a country where often the culture is very different to their own. The exchange gives you that perspective and knowledge to apply in your own institution.

The positives of the trip far outweighed any negatives but in retrospect three months were not long enough to fully integrate into the post. In addition if a similar exchange were to be offered in the future it would be significantly enhanced by the offer of a specific project that the individual could concentrate on during the exchange.

Both institutions would reap the benefits Organising a job exchange between institutions 9000 miles apar t was challenging and nerve wracking at times but the rewards are immense – Thanks UWA Jacqueline Tuckwell is Head of Residential Services at the University of Aberdeen and manages accommodation for over 2600 students

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AACUHO FEATURED

Developing Student Leaders Leanne Robinson | Student Residence Manager, Weerona College & Gundi, University of Wollongong

In the current climate, there are many definitions of ‘leadership’, and many qualities or characteristics of what purports to be essential in order to be a good leader.

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here are as many as twenty documented, if not more, distinct styles of leadership, and one only need type those fatal words ‘leadership styles’ into any search engine to have screeds of information and lists appear on our screens.

Yet in recruiting and appointing Student Leaders in our residential communities, do we ask the question “Describe your leadership style.”?

And following on from that, “What style of leadership do you believe works best in the University residential environment?”?

More often than not, we ask the generic “What strengths do you feel you will bring to this role should you be appointed?” and “Where do you feel you can improve?” – which is just a nicer way to ask someone what they think their weaknesses are. I put my own hand up in admission. These are exactly the questions I have asked, over many interviews with candidates for Student Leadership roles. The only advantage in this is that I have had at least a year of being able to observe how these candidates operate in our community, as have the outgoing team of Student Leaders, which is how, sometimes, we manage to sort the wheat from the chaff.

When working with residents, spotting leadership potential can be inextricably tangled with those less than savoury images of disappointing behaviour – a bit of biff on the sporting field, an unfortunately public

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vomit down the front of a formal frock, the staggering stumble from unrealistically high heeled shoes, or the dropping of trousers to the blaring chorus of Eagle Rock at a function. These things are not always easy to erase from memory at interview time, no matter how hard we try. It is important for managers and administrators, as well as for the student body of any residence to know that their Student Leaders, or potential SL’s are human, and that one error in judgement does not and should not automatically disqualify a resident from having a leadership experience and possibly realising his or her longer term goal of leading the leadership team. Asking a candidate what they have learned from making a mistake, and how they might apply that learning to a future leadership role can spur a wonderful opportunity for self-reflection, frank discussion with interviewers, and goal setting exercises for candidates. Ultimately, the shift from “me” thinking to “we” thinking, is the very least that can happen.

Then there are the staggering surprises that seem to come completely out of left field. We’ve all had them – the deep conversation in the hallway with the quiet philosophy student about how the ‘residence’ might look at encouraging the footy boys to mentor the first year

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AACUHO FEATURED

residents, and “here is an idea I came up with…”, or said footy boys coming into the office to talk about their idea for a community garden.

Some of our best and brightest student leaders reveal themselves in ordinary conversation, not at or through the often nerve wracking interview process, fraught with shaking hands, sweaty palms and tongue tied stage fright.

Leadership potential is not always easy to spot, and when we do find it, how do we then foster it, make the possibilities of student leadership exciting and showcase our best and brightest in a way that does not inhibit the quieter, more retiring student resident?

Peer to peer mentoring has always been a winner, and encouraging current Student Leaders to demonstrate the benefits of testing the leadership ground in a controlled and supportive environment promotes best practice, and encourages up and comers to bring themselves to notice in the best possible light.

Training a Student Leader group raises a whole new set of questions.

Do we stick to the ‘basics’? Who identifies what those basic skills are?

(Returning SL’s often have a very different perspective to SRM’s.) What are we, as team leaders ourselves, wanting to foster and grow in our teams? How do we best do that? Do we use external facilitators or do we take it on ourselves? Do we mix these methods? There is no tried and true formula. It differs from University to University, residence to residence, year to year, depending upon the makeup of one’s team.

No matter the training method, venue, program or facilitator, there are four basics that I look for in Student Leader Team training – 1) Leadership – is the candidate able to lead a team as well as be part of a team and be led?

2) Team Building/Bonding – what activities will enable the team members to really know each other, their strengths, areas for improvement and who needs support where?

3) Communication skills – how do the team leaders get a point across quickly, concisely and with maximum impact to the benefit of all?

4) Peer to peer learning – what can returning SL’s teach new team members, and how best is this facilitated. Conversely, what skills can new team members pass along to returning SL’s?

What I can say with certainty, is that a mix of physical and mental challenges, presented over a three or four day period by an external facilitator, has proven to be the a winner for

Accommodation Services at the University of Wollongong.

This combined with a week of theory and ‘in-house’, residence specific workshops has produced some of the most outstanding Student Leadership teams and individuals I have had the privilege of working with.

Teams and individuals come to the end of the year, or their leadership stint, and have grown in so many areas. They take these gifts out into the world with them, and make a difference not only to themselves and their employers, but to the teams they begin to lead in the world outside of academia.

Self-Awareness. They have gained an intimate knowledge of their inner emotional state. They know their strengths and where they need to improve. They begin to know when they’re working in flow and they are not. This allows you to push themselves to their maximum potential.

Self-Direction. They are able to direct themselves effectively and powerfully. They know how to get things done, how to organise tasks and how to avoid procrastination. They know how to generate energy how to calm themselves when frustrated or angered. They can make decisions quickly when necessary, but can also take things a little more slowly and consider all the options on the table.

Vision. They begin working towards a goal that’s greater than the individual. It could be something small, like the success of the team, or a larger vision that has the potential to change the entire community for the better. They begin to understand and realise that working towards a vision is far more inspiring than working towards personal gain.

Ability to Motivate and Empower Others. Leaders don’t lead by telling people what they have to do. Instead, leaders motivate others to want to help them. A key part of this is cultivating their own desire to help others, to recognise how altruism benefits all.

These qualities are the tips of the iceberg. If we, as Student Residence Managers, are able to foster these attributes in our Student Leader Teams through recognising potential, encouraging and empowering our SL teams to foster those same ideals and potentials in others, then we are bound to dispel some of the less savoury stereotypical myths that surround University students living in residences.

AACUHO FEATURED

new and improved AACUHO webpage AACUHO is pleased to announce a new and improved AACUHO webpage and member centre using Association Online速.

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he new member centre will allow members to update their details easily online, review and renew memberships, access resources, employment opportunities, accommodation discounts from ACCOR and register for networking events all in the one location.

Association Online速 is a modular cloud based webapp that integrates our member database, events management processes, membership applications and renewals, document management and more.

This streamlined process will also enable AACUHO to better manage our ever growing membership, improving communication and services for our members. Members will have received an email providing information on how to access the Members Centre. If you have not received an email and are a current financial member of AACUHO please contact our Executive Officer execofficer@aacuho.edu.au for details.

We encourage you to login and have a look around. Make the most of your Association website and send any feedback to the Executive Officer.

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AACUHO FEATURED

Time for a holistic approach: IEAA International Student Accommodation Symposium As competitor nations up the ante on attracting students away from traditional study destinations, Australia can no longer rely on the quality of our course delivery and lifestyle.

Instead, greater emphasis needs to be placed on a holistic student experience – and this starts with international student accommodation.

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s a study destination, Australia is among the world’s most popular destination countries for international students.The International Student Barometer (ISB), which is conducted biennially by i-graduate and surveys over 200,000 international students around the globe, consistently rates Australia very highly for education delivery standards, quality of life and the availability of parttime work.

When it comes to student accommodation and overall living costs, however, we continue to let ourselves – and our international students – down. In 2014, HSBC found Australia to be the most expensive country for international study. In some cases, student rental charges are twice the average of competitor nations like Canada and the United States.

“At its annual conference in 2014, the Council for International Students Australia (CISA) identified the lack of accommodation as one of the three most important issues affecting international students.”

Far more than their domestic counterparts, international students rightly regard themselves as consumers who are investing their (or their parents’) hard-earned income in costly tuition fees. They consequently have a low tolerance for what they regard as, by world standards, exorbitant accommodation charges.

With media reports continuing to highlight examples of exploitative landlords and rental properties jam-packed with students, now is the time to explore some long-term strategies and solutions.

How is Australia responding?

In response to the ongoing student accommodation issues, the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) will host a one-day symposium in Sydney on Friday 26 June.

The symposium will bring together students, education institutions, accommodation providers and government representatives to address the issues associated with provision of good-quality, affordable student accommodation for international students.

Date: Friday 26 June 2015 Location: Sydney Cost: $210 IEAA members | $300 non-members The full program will be announced on Friday 15 May. For more information, visit ieaa.org.au/accommodation This event is supported by StudyNSW, NSW Trade & Investment.

At its annual conference in 2014, the Council for International Students Australia (CISA) identified the lack of affordable accommodation as one of the three most important issues affecting international students.

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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35

SPECIAL INTEREST

Dropping to the Universals Dr Philip L Dutton | Principal, Burgmann College, Australian National University

The Historical Context and Shared Learning

U

niversity colleges arose as charitable trusts within the medieval universities of Europe to provide small groups of scholars with the basic needs of board and lodging.They were more elaborately developed in England when the founding of Merton College, Oxford, in 1264 became a model for succeeding institutions. It was the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge that informed the early colleges of America and Australia. It still amazes me that those earliest universities including colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, numbered only a handful until effectively the nineteenth century, among the first of the new being Durham itself. Colonial Australia’s first universities at Sydney and Melbourne opened in the 1850’s just twenty years later.

Harvard and Yale appeared in the middle one might say over the bridge of time between the seventeenth and eighteenth century.

The origins of both terms, universitas and collegium, as applied to those earliest universities referred not so much to places or institutions but more to societies or communities. Over more recent centuries, however, universitas came to signify an institute of higher learning whilst collegium, referring to a partnership or organised social group, maintained its social connotations. The former term referred to a place and its purpose, whilst the latter term referred to a community of scholars and its identical purpose – that of higher learning.

Both terms originally, therefore, recognised that teaching and learning are social endeavours more naturally pursued in a community of teachers and students. Learning is seen as a shared activity in a collegial, communal and convivial setting. The broad, common use of the phrase living and learning environment in describing university residential colleges today may reflect a continuum that originated in these thirteenth century ideals and arrangements.

University life for the undergraduate in England has traditionally been associated with the university college in constituting the living environment as well as the learning environment. Hence, even today at Oxford and Cambridge, college and university remain quite synonymous for students.

In the century following the establishment of Merton a transition took place that is inextricably bound up with the recognition of mentoring and peer tutoring. With the founding of New College, Oxford, in 1379, older fellows of the college began instructing younger ones. This is an important lynch pin in defining a core aspect of what we may call a Collegiate Way.

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Older fellows began instructing younger ones.

The Link to Mentoring and more Ancient Roots Let’s now drop to something even more universal and more ancient that may also be at the heart of the Collegiate Way. The word Mentor first appears in Homer’s Odyssey and refers to the character whose name is Mentor. He was an old friend of Odysseus entrusted with his household and especially his son’s welfare as Odysseus prepared to sail for Troy. Moreover, the spirit of mentoring may be specifically tied to the legendary conversation between the son of Odysseus, Telemachus, and the goddess Athene who approached him on the shore of Ithaca in the guise of Mentor to encourage and support him in his youthful despair.

He was reaching out for his father. The key dialogue in the Penguin translation of Homer’s Odyssey begins as follows: Today has proved you, Telemachus, neither a coward nor a fool, nor destined to be such, if we are right in thinking that your father’s manly vigour has descended to his son – and what a man he was in action and debate! No fear, then, that this journey of yours will end in farce or failure. ... You have every reason to feel that you will make a success of the undertaking. ... For am I not your father’s friend, and ready to find you a fast ship and sail with you myself? ... I will soon collect a crew of volunteers in the city. (Homer, The Odyssey, Book II, Lines 268-271; 295–298 (Penguin 1946: p44-45).

It was and is through great stories of fable, feat and heroism that the concept of the mentor – and mentoring as a concept and activity – is timeless. Mentoring may be seen as the way we learned before we learned. Here it is in the verse of the first articulate European through whatever traditions it may have been handed down. So broad is the concept that it may be detected throughout literature and may be applied to our overall sense of purpose and experience as human beings. The need we have for those born to us to be protected, nurtured, educated, made ready and then promised a better world engenders instincts in us all that are as undeniable as life itself. The need to protect, develop and give promise to the next generation goes to the very heart of mentoring.

This is our ancient, classical, and unalterable pedigree.

Older fellows instructing younger ones, encouraging, assisting, supporting.

This is our universal. This is our driver.

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Students as Tutors and Mentors The collegiate nature of these origins of is now borne out by recent research across two continents, Australia and the U S, where students in twelve college settings –nine in Australia and three in America – were asked through a survey questionnaire to advise which sources of academic support they turned to often, sometimes, seldom and never.

The colleges included: • Fenner Hall, ANU; • Campus East, University of Wollongong; • Residential Halls, CSU Riverina; • Monash Residential Services, Monash University; • St Paul’s College, Sydney University; • Residential Colleges, UWS Hawkesbury; • Emmanuel College, University of Queensland; • Lincoln College, Adelaide University; • St John’s College, Sydney University; • Weerona College, University of Wollongong; • Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, USA; • Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; and • Yale University College, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. The sources of academic support suggested and then confirmed by students were: • residential tutors, the source most espoused in college promotional literature; • academic staff; • students around campus generally; • students in college residence; and • others including parents, older siblings, private professional contacts, librarians.

In every College, it is clear still in the 21st century that when university students look for academic advice, assistance or simply supportive academic interaction they, in a nutshell, go to each other. Naturally, they turn to those who can advise and help, most often but not always older students who are usually but not necessarily eminently approachable but certainly with the experience and perhaps academic record to attract students looking for assistance. Therefore, in both the American and Australian setting students seek academic help or support mostly from each other. This is even more the case, it would seem, where students are living in college or dorms. Older ones helping younger ones. It is timeless. It is universal.

Inherent in these results is the consideration that peer assistance exists in all university colleges with or without other forms of academic support. In fact, without a recognised academic support system in place, such as designated tutors, residents would go to each other for academic support. Should we in fact interfere in this natural, informal and sometimes personal process? I believe so. Moreover, I believe we are entitled to expect a commitment by all residents to the academic welfare of their fellows – even if in small ways only to begin. Otherwise why live in an academic community?

The encouragement of peer tutoring approach together with other initiatives has marked my current College as the highest academic achieving hall or college at ANU and with only 234 undergraduates we have seen three Rhodes Scholars come through since 2011. In 2008, the Prime Minister recognised Burgmann College as a centre for future leaders. Just three weeks ago we handed out our academic support recognitions and, despite a tightening of our criteria called for by the residents themselves, there were no fewer than 55 presented.

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There is simply nothing better than watching this process when people come forward for recognition by peers and the student instigating the recognition, quite often anonymously, is clearly more appreciative of the recognition by College than the recipient. It brings a very benevolent, reflective pressure to bear on those who nominate to help others in succeeding years.

Universality and the Individual In many ways it drops down to a universal that compels us all. It is the common search for both identity and purpose for each of us as individuals, our students, as sons and daughters seeking to honour their parents, just like us, firstly by trying to understand them and as emerging adults whilst at university. It comes down to individual experiences with individuals learning about friendship, support, intimacy, making a contribution, being attractive personally, and pre-professionally. Actually wanting to give to others as well as receive for ourselves. New residents are looking for this through personal relationships – to connect, to identify and to clarify purpose.

What they seem to need most in committing to community, a learning community, is to learn more about themselves through community: to make close friends, enduring friendships based on support and not just mutual interest at the social level, but mutual support at the level of shared learning, of giving and caring for each other around a central purpose, that of academic endeavour and broader learning. Reflect if you will upon your own life and those important to you, and the extent to which you value people as special individuals in your own learning.

Each one is a special individual that you recognise privately or perhaps publicly. For our students to recognise the importance of this is simply one of the very best things they can do. And Colleges do this the best.

They can structure for student interaction in the best possible way: individually: one on one: cross-culturally: and build both identity (I feel as though I belong) inclusiveness (I know that I belong) through shared purpose and shared learning.

A good step to this is to expect all residents to be part of the giving as well as the receiving of the benefits of collegiate life, especially academic support, and recognise residents for doing so.

Conclusion In conclusion, these are some of the universals of the collegiate way.

Firstly, we are in the business of education and not simply student accommodation. Secondly, we have a long history of peer tutoring that both arises from and further fuels our collegiate nature. It happens even if we ignore it. It is natural to us and worth recognising and, without undue administrative interference, encouraging and propagating. Thirdly, we share ancient and classical roots in learning. It is something of which to be undeniably proud. Fourthly, we encourage co-operation rather than competition in a university residential setting, preferring recognitions for academic support as much if not more than academic excellence. Finally, and here I finish, we are in the business of growing people. We treat students not only for who they are but also for whom they may become.

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SPECIAL INTEREST

Changing Alcohol Culture Ashley Gurney | Managing Director and Founder, AlcoCups Pty Ltd

In February 2012 AlcoCups delivered our first University Residential Leader Alcohol and Drug Education Program. In 2015 AlcoCups provide training and resources to 93 Residential Colleges affiliated to 31 Universities throughout Australia.

D

uring this period we have been privileged to observe and be part of some incredible cultural changes in relation to alcohol.These have included Cafe Crawls (thanks to the support of RedFrogs), Chill Out/Cool Room areas (alcohol free) at events where alcohol is available, dry events during O’week (no alcohol), Sport Competitions using Fatal Vision Goggles (3on3 soccer) and numerous other alcohol free events.

One thing that these cultural changes have in common is that they are resident driven. Residents are the ones taking the lead, promoting and delivering these events. Supporting and empowering residential leaders to deliver activities and develop ideas for cultural change resonates with fellow residents.

We witnessed this first hand during a recent visit to a residential college late last year. Student Leaders identified that they, and their fellow residents, had minimal knowledge regarding Blood Alcohol Concentration (B.A.C.) after

38

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Special Interest completing an AlcoCups education session.

Many leaders were concerned they were unintentionally over the legal driving limit the next day. Student Leaders worked collaboratively with residential staff and AlcoCups to provide residents with numerous B.A.C. resources. Resources include BAC wallet cards, disposable breathalysers (Redline) and Certified Australian Portable Breathalysers available (similar to what the police use).

For more information on programs that are currently influence alcohol culture on university residential colleges please contact AlcoCups contact@alcocups.com or (03) 9863 6845.

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SPECIAL INTEREST

Brand touchpoints: Your new best friends Paper Monkey Visual Strategy and Graphic Design

Brands can fail for many reasons even if they are well-known.

It’s a common assumption that if a brand looks the part it will be sustainable, but this is incorrect! Branding has evolved to way beyond appearances – it is about the entire experience that your target audience has from initial contact to the concluding interaction.

Things fall apart when there are gaps in the touchpoint network or if one isn’t working properly. It’s at this exact point when the Buying Cycle is interrupted that the customer looses interest and potentially the sale is lost. Once one customer is lost, the problem can re-occur at the same point so you have to be very aware of your touchpoint network to be able to quickly figure out where the issue is, and fix it.

Y

A recent experience highlighted just how crucial touchpoints are to a brand. A college engaged us because they thought they had a problem with their website – it was receiving many ‘hits’ but the conversion rate to a sale was poor.

our brand is linked to the Buying Cycle – this is the system that customers travel through when they engage you.The ‘touchpoints’ are the methods by which you communicate with your customers and they are designed to make travelling through the Buying Cycle a seamless transition.

The client assumed the website was the entire issue and simply needed a revamp. Our findings suggested differently – the site was part of a much bigger problem that could only be solved by making sure potential customers were being guided through the Buying Cycle using the relevant touchpoints.

But, the touchpoint network was a mess! It was so misaligned that a large percentage of hot/warm leads were fast becoming very cold.

Confusion reigned supreme!

The experience was so broken that even current customers were becoming frustrated. It was clear to see that all a potential competitor had to do was offer a slightly better experience to score a sale.

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Initial interaction was promising for many customers though – clear, tothe-point advertising, good reviews online (on external sites) and the online tour of the college was engaging.

However, the unravelling happened after that. The initial telephone request for more information was met with “I’m sorry, the person you need to speak to is on holiday for two weeks!” – oh! Introductory material posted out in the meantime was produced on the office printer (no good for first impressions), Open Day signage was surprisingly sparse and there was little evidence of good Alumni connections.

Two enormous positives weren’t being exploited either. Firstly the college had a great student community atmosphere – a notable buzz about the place that was clearly evident throughout the college. It wasn’t just the students either, contrary to earlier experiences, the staff seemed very friendly, knowledgeable and totally focused on making sure students were provided for. Nothing was too much trouble.

However, it was discovered the college tour didn’t always display the professionalism one might have expected for a college who charge

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Special Interest the fees they do. The first college tour was excellent but the second was a little too laid-back and amateurish, when compared to the high standards the college boasted about on their website.

Even worse, a request for different college information requested after the visit turned up a week late due to a poorly handwritten address.

It’s easy to blame someone else (or the postman) but the fact remained – mixed messages via a range of touchpoints were damaging the college brand experience.

As overall initial impressions go, many elements just didn’t add up.

Several prospective students and parents that were consulted for their feedback spoke of a variety of experiences ranging from really positive to being whole-heartedly unconvinced.

Every experience should be of a consistently high standard.

One individual was even given an email address on a scrap of paper!

That summed up the situation perfectly and cast some doubt over the fact that the website was the sole problem.

But the really scary fact was the college had no idea this was happening.

The solution to this particular problem was in fact quite simple – by referring back to the Buying Cycle, carefully checking that each touchpoint existed and was working properly and in conjunction with

all the others. In many cases at this college, they didn’t and they weren’t!

That scrap piece of paper might just have prevented a sale. Just like a misinterpreted Facebook comment or unsuitable staff uniforms, an illconceived Open Day or non-existent Alumni contact – touchpoint blips can influence an opinion (good or bad).

Remember, the Buying Cycle (awareness, consideration, purchase, service and loyalty) can’t function properly without interaction between each and every touchpoint. Every college is unique too so get to know the ones that are relevant to yours.

Touchpoints are so far reaching and influential, you cannot afford to ignore them.

Make them your new best friends, forever!

Paper Monkey Visual Strategy and Graphic Design is an internationally awarded brand and design agency specialising in the education sector. papermonkey.com.au

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41

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LEADERSHIP THROUGH PRINCIPLED DISPUTE RESOLUTION LISA OLDHAM | Solicitor, McInnes Wilson Lawyers

Introduction

S

chools are a complex environment of politics, personalities and principles. As a result dispute resolution is not always a straight forward, right or wrong, yes or no process.This article will consider dispute resolution in this unique education context and explore tips and tricks for navigating a dispute through to resolution in a manner which is practical, efficient and effective.

Dispute Resolution in Theory Dispute resolution has been referred to as quite simply the process by which disputes are brought to an end. This often follows the course of: • a negotiated outcome, where the parties reach a resolution amongst themselves • a mediated outcome, where the parties use the services of an independent facilitator to reach a resolution • a n arbitrated resolution, when an independent arbitrator (ie. a Court) determines how the dispute is to be resolved by making binding directions to this effect1

Practicalities of Dispute Resolution In reality dispute resolution is the amalgamation of processes, attempts and efforts by various parties to resolve a grievance. This may be a grievance against another person, a decision by an entity or a perceived injustice in a personal or institutional matter. Dispute resolution is therefore undertaken to: • r esolve disputes • address issues • limit legal liability or ramifications • repair relationships, be it commercial, professional or personal Ideally, dispute resolution would follow the theoretical process and resolve/progress in a linear fashion, but in reality these disputes often grow, escalate, adapt and take tangents during the course of a dispute

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resolution process. This is one reason in support of a written dispute resolution process, as an articulated process can give comfort and direction to parties involved in a dispute. Such written procedures should allow significant room to adjust the process in recognition of the complexity, sensitivity or urgency of the dispute.

A school may also have a number of dispute resolution processes. For example, the sexual harassment policy may have its own process for responding to complaints of sexual harassment and while the school’s fee policy may have its own process for responding to unpaid fees or forfeited monies. This is typical and appropriate to recognise the nuances in each of these cases.

Risks There are risks in not responding to disputes or grievances. There are similarly risks in responding poorly to disputes and grievances.

These risks may include: • fractured relationships • legal claims and proceedings • lost time, effort and resources • reputational damage • commercial ramifications For these reasons, an adequate and appropriate dispute resolution process is crucial. We have also seen recent industrial cases where the Courts have found that a poor termination process can negate a valid reason for termination;2 the parallels between such judicial comment and dispute resolution processes are informative.

Principles to be applied in Dispute Resolution There are a number of common principles which should underpin all dispute resolution procedures; be they written procedures or steps taken without reference to a written process.

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Adherence to Policy

If a written policy, procedure or process exists for dispute resolution or responding to complaints, it should be adhered to. The policy published by a school sets out the process to be followed and therefore there is a reasonable expectation from parties that their grievance will be dealt with in accordance with that policy. Departure from this process will undoubtedly complicate a matter.

For this reason it is essential that a school’s written policies and procedures are: • current • relevant • practical • reviewed If a school is bound by a poorly written or out of date process [ie. by an out of date policy being published on the school’s webpage], this will hinder the resolution of the dispute and could well escalate the matter unnecessarily or prematurely.

In a school, which may have its own policies but which is part of a system (ie. a system of schools or a religious system) that has its own policies, an initial consideration is which policy is to be applied. This decision will need to be made based on: • the policy under which a party seeks to make their complaint or grievance • the policy which is appropriate to resolve the complaint or grievance; for example, that which applies to the subject matter of the complaint or that which includes the most appropriate policy • the policy which is most recent or which has been reviewed most recently A policy may also include a direction in it which states what will happen (ie. what policy will apply) in the case of an overlap with another policy.

Impartiality

A decision maker should be impartial. The impartiality must not only be real, but perceived. If an outsider looking at the decision maker and the decision making process was to question the impartiality of the decision maker then this will impact on the decision made or the resolution reached. If impartiality is questioned then this may give the complainant a reason to make an appeal or raise general questions about the appropriateness of the dispute resolution process.

Objectivity

Just as decision makers within the dispute resolution process should be impartial, they should also be (actually and in perception) objective. Objectivity can include a person’s personal biases. However, objectivity can also include the categorisation of factors considered (ie. subjective or objective) or whether attributes are considered which are discriminatory or unlawful. Discriminatory factors may lead to a discrimination claim or a claim under the general protections provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).

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43

Confidentiality

A school must maintain strict confidentiality in a dispute resolution process. A school should have in place protocols to ensure that parties who may be privy to the details of a complaint keep matters confidential, as well as having in place a reactive protocol to address any breaches.

A school cannot muzzle a complainant; but can advise a complainant that it would be prejudicial to the resolution of their complaint if there is widespread speculation, rumour and general knowledge of the complained of matters.

Due Process

Impartiality, objectivity and confidentiality are all concepts within due process. Due process can also capture other matters, including: • support persons • notice • particulars of allegations • an opportunity to respond to allegations Due process can raise questions within the dispute resolution process, but due process is also included in statute for example, due process steps are included in the consideration of unfair dismissal under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). Therefore, due process must be afforded to all parties within a dispute resolution process.

Tips and Tricks for Navigating Dispute Resolution The following ideas may assist in enacting a robust dispute resolution process, whilst maintain fairness and exercising strong leadership.

Prevention

The adage “prevention is better than cure” equally applies in dispute resolution matters. If schools foster an appropriate culture, have open communication with stakeholders and address minor concerns or issues when they arise, this will prevent matters from becoming formal grievances and for grievances policies to then be relied on.

This can include: • appropriate policies • strong leadership • robust organisational principles

Discretion

While a dispute resolution process should set out the course of a matter, there should also be room for a school to apply discretion.

The use of discretion should be considered and should not be misused.

Discretion may be appropriate to: • address any practical limitations in the process, ie. a timeframe to provide a written response may be revised • to allow flexibility in the process to address a particular matter in a certain way ie. if the parties are bound under the process to a mediation but the matter could be resolved between the parties without this step, discretion could be applied • to deal with a complaint in a manner with is just and fair [in the particular circumstances]

Reflection

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Each occasion when a grievance process has to be enacted, is an opportunity to reflect on the process. What worked well in the process? What did not work well in the process? If the process was to be enacted again to those circumstances, what would need to be amended? Not only does this refine the grievance policy, it ensures that a school is continually assessing and considering its own responses.

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Special Interest Commitments and Undertakings

There are a number of points that need to be made in relation to commitments and undertakings: • a decision maker in a dispute resolution process should be delegated the authority to give undertakings on the school’s behalf. This will ensure a matter is dealt with efficiently • a party, on behalf of a school, must not give undertakings or make commitments that they do not have the authority to make nor that they do not intend on carry out. This is unprofessional, will stall the decision making process and may give the complainant a right to escalate their grievance These matters form the notion of “good faith”.

Personalities

Dispute resolution is as much about resolving a dispute as it is about addressing personality differences between parties. If parties cannot see past their differing points of view or cannot acknowledge that their personalities do not align, then the parties may not be able to consider and resolve the dispute. Dispute resolution should not be about who was ‘right’ and who was’ wrong’; it should be about finding a way to address the complainant’s concerns and reach an appropriate resolution. Respect between the parties is the goal; not friendship.

Ongoing Relationship

A good measure to consider a party’s conduct within a grievance process is this: when the matter resolves and the parties have a resolution/relationship moving forward, is there anything that a party would wish that they had not said or done during the process? Schools are communities where persons often have a long and ongoing relationship, for example a 13 year relationship for parents (as enrolled parties) or a much longer duration for alumni. As a result, grievance processes are as much about resolving the matter as ensuring that future relationships are not fractured.

There will always be disputes where the parties will not or cannot have an ongoing relationship, but an ongoing relationship with a party does not have to be severed simply because one party has made a complaint.

Settlement

If the parties to a dispute can reach a resolution, this should be reduced to writing. This does a number of things: • formalises the agreement • clarifies the agreed terms of the resolution • identifies and resolves any minor issues • provides a document that can be relied on in future (if needed) Finally, the reducing of a resolution to writing concludes a matter such that the parties can move forward or move on.

Conclusion A complaint or grievance which is made to a school can be a daunting prospect. But there are a number of steps that a school can take to respond to a complaint and address a grievance, such that the matter is resolved, an ongoing relationship is preserved and a process is established for the future. The key is to empower decision makers, maintain respect and dignity amongst the parties and show strong leadership throughout the process.

For further information please contact: Lisa Oldham, Solicitor 07 3231 0683, loldham@mcw.com.au

References 1. Fair Work Ombudsman (2013) Best Practice Guide: Effective Dispute Resolution [online].

2. Mr Sam Guido v Azko Nobel Pty Ltd [2013] FWC 122.

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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PRODUCT NEWS

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46

Our team is enthusiastic about every project our customers undertake and because we are a small crew we are flexible and active when it comes to work quickly and hunt down the perfect items that will fit any room. We also have a good eye for interior design and architecture needs.

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