2019
ANNUAL REPORT FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 1
Flinders University Student Association acknowledges the traditional owners of the various locations that Flinders University operates on and recognises the continued relationship and responsibility to these lands and waters by traditional owners past and present. The following is an indicative (but not exhaustive) list of traditional owners on whose country Flinders University has campuses.
2 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Arrernte Boandik Bungarla Gunditjmara Jawoyn Kaurna Larrakia Nau Ngarrindjeri Peramangk Ramindjeri Wurundjeri Yolgnu
Contents About FUSA
2
Student President Summary of Address 2019 FUSA AGM
6
Student Council
8
Representation 14 Elections 16 Academic and Financial Advocacy
20
Events 22 Media 28 Empire Times
30
Financials 32
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 1
About FUSA Flinders University Student Association (FUSA) is the independent body representing the views and interests of the students of Flinders University. FUSA is charged with the promotion and advancement of the rights, interests, and welfare of students as well as the provision of a vibrant student experience and campus culture that promotes a sense of community and belonging. An elected Student Council provide the governance and direction of FUSA. The services that FUSA provide include: • Student representation • Academic advocacy, financial counselling and welfare services • Administration of student clubs, societies and academic associations • Student events and activities • Student managed communication and media, including the student magazine, Empire Times
2 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Under the FUSA Constitution the function and purpose of FUSA is to: • Promote and advance the rights, interests and welfare of Students • Represent students within and outside the University • Co-ordinate and support activities for students, including the provision of support for affiliated clubs • Provide the means for effective communication between students, the Association and the University • Oversee the delivery of student services, which are funded from the Student Services and Amenities Fee and are the responsibility of the Manager, Student Engagement • Deliver other services, amenities and programs for students funded from the membership fee and other income received by the Association
2018/19 Student Council Student President Katt Hatzi
General Secretary Josh Rayner
Education Officer Jesse Stevens
Welfare Officer Nathan Cheetham
Postgraduate Students Officer Hansha Manimendra
Indigenous Students Officer
CASUAL VACANCY APPOITNMENTS Social Activities Officer Gemma Lyons
Disabilities Officer Nicole Cutufia
General Council Members (Six Positions) Louise Nixon Laura Savaglia Angus Clarke Clara Rose Santilli Nathan Fiedler Jesy Murphy
Sarah Howson
Empire Times Editor Team
International Students Officer
Kienan Mckay James Watson Alicia Wood
Nicholas Loh
Women’s Officer Jawahir Baraki
Queer Officer Sean Henschke
Environment Officer
Over the course of 2019, four casual vacancy appointments were made to fill positions.
Mature Age Officer Karan Godara Appointed June 2019
Disabilities Officer Anu Francis Appointed June 2019
Indigenous Student Officer Keenan Smith Appointed Sept 2019
Women’s Officer Hilary Wigg Appointed Sept 2019
Nus Conference Delegates Louise Nixon Katt HatziJosh Rayner Josh Jarvis Alfred Lowe Angus Clarke
Grace Hensel
Mature Age Students Officer Christopher Norman
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 3
FUSA Staff Manager Student Engagement
Media Assistant
Chris O’Grady/Ben Smith
Jess Nicole
Administration Assistants
Student Representation and Development Officer
Stacy White Alice Grieve Amy Tschirn Tristan Newsome
Clubs and Societies Officer Adam Rau
Events and Projects Officer Caleb Osborne
Events and Projects Assistant Alexandra Mibus
Media Officer Tim Coyle
4 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Michelle Tatyzo
Student Representation Support Officer Huong Nguyen Susan Cilento
Student Finance and Advocacy Officer Helen Laity
Student Advocacy Officers Ally Drew Josh Elvin
2020 EMPIRE TIMES EDITORIAL TEAM Amy Bennett Bec Manser Carmen Giffen
NUS CONFERENCE DELEGATES Grace Hensel Isaac Beckmann Harvey Menadue Artin Arjomandi Josh Rayner Jesse Stevens
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 5
Student President Summary of Address 2019 FUSA AGM This year has been a strong one for FUSA and the Student Council. Many of the initiatives and campaigns grew on the foundation of work initiated in 2018. Key events and campaigns for the year include: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Pub Crawls semester 1 and 2 FUSA Uni Ball O’Week semester 1 and 2 PrideFest Mental Health Week Bluestocking Week International Women’s Day How to Adult Enviro Film Fest Anti-racism campaign Collective meetings and forums FUSA Says Relax / Welfare Brunches • National Day of Action - Uni Climate Walkout
Be a Better Human I would like to highlight the Be a Better Human Campaign, which has had a high profile on campus since the launch in 2018. The campaign focuses on building awareness around matters of sexual consent, rape culture and bystander behaviour whilst encouraging respectful relationships and self-improvement. By waiving copyright in its entirety, we have seen student unions across the country take up the campaign, demonstrating how well it resonates with students.
6 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
National Body Affiliation This year we maintained our affiliation to the three national peak student bodies - the National Union of Students (NUS), the Council of International Students Australia (CISA), and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CASA). These bodies are so important in making sure that the issues that we face at Flinders, that are shared with other students around the country, have a strong and united voice to defend them. Peak student bodies also provide submissions to government inquiries to make sure that the perspectives of students are being heard. During a time when our government is cutting funding to all universities, unemployment is on the rise, and rates of welfare support has been stagnant for our entire lifetimes, it’s more important than ever that we’re being heard by these peak bodies, and represented by them in the public and government forums that they have. A example is the Uni Student Climate Walkout, which despite the absolutely miserable weather, had a massive turnout of staff and students from all three universities to demand action from our universities and the government to address climate change. Events and movements like this help us achieve things on our own campus by making it clear that we aren’t alone in our demands.
Specific bodies that advocate for the needs of postgraduate and international students are also really important because they have the capacity to advocate for the specific needs of those cohorts. For example, CAPA, on behalf of postgraduate Students, worked with Universities Australia to create guidelines for respectful supervisory relationships. These guidelines were integrated into the recent policy reviews within Flinders. CISA, on behalf of international students, worked with the federal education department to advocate around welfare and visa issues.
Student Voice Australia In 2019, Flinders University was involved in a national pilot program with nine other tertiary institutions. The aim of the project is to empower students and enable institutions to begin the processes of cultural change and governance reform that empowers students as partners. This is more than giving students a seat at the table; it’s about creating structures that allow meaningful contributions and skilling students to make the most of these opportunities. We’ve seen this commitment create results for ongoing partnership and involvement in decision making, with the FUSA President now having an ex-officio position on the Tonsley Space Committee and the Capital Infrastructure Committee. I been able to work within these forums in 2019 to obtain a commitment for a student club space in the Tonsley building, and lobby for redevelopments to the bus shelters on campus.
Exam campaign While FUSA have run various activities regularly during exam periods, this year was the first time efforts and communication were consolidated under one umbrella campaign. Student Council worked with FUSA staff and other portfolios across the university to create a one-stop location for all information around swotvac and exam services and activities. This included times and locations of all our food giveaways, key exam information, and helpful study tips. The FUSA exam food giveaways were increased with soup stalls, and “Swotvac Pantries” available at three library locations. In conclusion, it has been a year of significant achievements and it has been an incredible honour to be your Student President. Katt Hatzi
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 7
Student Council The Student Council is responsible for the overriding governance of FUSA and seek to promote and advance the rights, interests and welfare of students, coordinate and support activities for students, including the provision of support for affiliated clubs, and oversee the delivery of student services, which are funded from the Student Services and Amenities Fee. The following provides a summary of the activities of Student Council members for 2018/19.
Student President Represented students at conferences: • National Union of Students – National Conference • National Union of Students – President’s Summit • National Union of Students – Education Conference • Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) Annual Council Meeting • Student Voice Australia Represented FUSA on key committees: • • • • • • • • • • • •
University Council Academic Senate Student Appeals Committee Student Service and Amenities Fee Budget Advisory Committee Respect. Now. Always. Advisory Committee Sustainability Advisory Committee Student Experience Panel Student Retention Working Group Research Quality Committee Education Quality Committee Student Council Vacancy Selection Panel
8 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Engaged on campaigns, including: • O’Week • A Future Worth Fighting For (NUS Campaign) • Be a Better Human • SWOTVAC Soup • Bluestocking Week • SA Abortion Action Coalition (SAAAC) stalls Contributed to Empire Times. Assisted members of Student Council in planning and running their events and campaigns.
General Secretary
Education Officer
Represented FUSA on key committees:
Represented FUSA on key committees:
• Retention Working Group • Pool Funding Review Panel • Student Council Vacancy Selection Panel Represented students at conferences: • National Union of Students – National Conference • National Union of Students – Education Conference • Engaged on events, including: • O’Week • NUS National Day of Action Organised Mental Health First Aid Training for club executives. Presented workshop at NUS Education Conference on the growing trend of academic and professional restructures at Australian universities. Contributed to revising: • FUSA Clubs, Collectives & Academic Associations Regulations • FUSA Student Council Roles & Duties Regulations • FUSA Standing Committee Regulations
• • • • •
Education Quality Committee Retention Working Group Academic Senate Sustainability Advisory Group Assessment Policy Working Group • Student Council Casual Vacancy Selection Panel Represented students at conferences: • National Union of Students – Education Conference • Student Voice Australia Assisted in making changes to the Education Quality Framework. Represented FUSA in opposing the university’s restructure. Engaged with Academic Associations. Liaised with college deans of education to promote student representation.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 9
Women’s Officer
Welfare Officer
Represented students on key committees:
Represented FUSA at Student Reference Group meetings.
• Respect. Now. Always. Advisory Group • Student View Group • Equal Opportunity and Diversity Committee Represented students at conferences: • Network of Women Students Australia (NOWSA) Annual Conference • University Scholars Leadership Symposium. Undertook numerous projects: • Chaired the Women’s Collective • Engaged in the Be a Better Human Campaign • Assisted with FUSA’s Development Grants • Contributed to Empire Times • Organised self defense classes • Maintained the Women’s Room • Organised restocking of female bathrooms across campus with sanitary items.
10 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Represented students at conferences: • National Union of Students – Educations Conference • Better Together Conference • Undertook numerous projects: • Organised the FUSA Book Swap Shelf • Coordinated How to Adult: Adulting 101 • Contributed to Empire Times • Liaised with Eating Well @ Flinders to provide health alternatives to FUSA’s current food offerings • Postgraduate Students Officer • Represented students at the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) Annual Council Meeting. • Organised and ran events for the Flinders University Postgraduate Students Association.
Disabilities Officer
Queer Officer
Represented students on the Disability Advocacy Peer Group.
Represented students on key committees:
Represented students at the national Union of Students – National Conference. Undertook numerous projects: • Chaired the Disabilities Collective • Promoted allergen awareness with the university’s vendors • Contributed to Empire Times • Promoted and secured a Disabilities Space in the HUB • Liaised with Flinders Sport and Fitness to establish an inclusive sport committee • Assisted students with various matters.
• Equal Opportunity Committee • Respect. Now Always. Advisory Group Represented students at the Better Together Conference. Undertook numerous events and campaigns: • • • •
Pride Fest Queer Ball Queer Retreat No Cure For Love Panel and Survivors Network on Conversion Therapy • Renovated Queer Space.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 11
Environment Officer
Indigenous Students Officer
Represented students on key committees:
Coordinated the FUSA Anti-Racism campaign.
• Student Appeals Committee • Student Council Casual Vacancy Selection Panel. Undertook numerous events and campaigns: • • • • •
School Strike 4 Climate Enviro Film Festival World Environment Day University Climate Walkout 2040 Movie Screening.
Chaired the Environment Collective.
12 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Chaired the First Nations Collective.
Social Activities Officer Represented students on the Pool Funding Review Panel. Engaged in events: • First Year Collective Quiz • FUSA Ball • FUSA Pub Crawls for Semester 1 and Semester 2
International Students Officer
Mature Age Students Officer
Engaged in numerous events and projects:
Represented Students at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) Conference.
• International Students Governance Forums • International Students Pizza Lunch • International Students PostMidsemester Recharge • Assisted with the FUSA AntiRacism campaign • Coordinated FUSA’s affiliation with the Council of International Students Australia • Chaired the International Students Collective • Assisted with Harmony Day.
Liaised with Flinders University Muay Thai Club (FUMTC). Succeeded in getting first session free for mature age students. Liaised with students to better understand their needs and expectations at university.
Collaborated on events with International Student Services.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 13
Representation FUSA is a crucial driver of strong student representation in Colleges and across the University. Student representation plays a vital role in the Flinders University community, ensuring the student voice is heard at all levels of our institution. A student representative position might be as membership on a committee, an ongoing role as a Topic or Course Representative, or a member of Student Council. A major focus in developing student representative programs within Colleges has been on building positive relationships between academic staff and students. Using partnership approaches, we seek to bring together the views and experiences of both students and staff to enhance the learning and teaching experience for all involved. Much of 2019 has been spent in developing these relationships so we can roll out a student rep structure across all Colleges in 2020.
Training FUSA is proud to provide training, guidance and support to student representatives across the University. In 2019, training was delivered predominantly in-person, with online training available for students unable to come to campus. Our training was consistently highly reviewed by students and recognised as an important part of induction for students in newly appointed rep positions. FUSA also trained a small pool of former student reps to deliver rep training to their peers through our ‘train the trainer’ program. Having been Topic or Course representatives themselves in previous years, our student trainers get to share their expertise and experiences with incoming student reps and develop new skills as trainers. Student trainer positions are paid roles.
Breakdown the number of reps FUSA worked with (either recruited or trained or both) across Colleges in 2019. BGL Topic Reps S1 Topic Reps S2 Course Reps CEC Reps Total
5 5
14 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
EPSW
HASS
MPH
NHS
1 1
3 3 6
1 2 3
52 4 56
SE 62 66 1 129
“
Being a student rep has enabled me to develop a much more positive, can do attitude towards both my studies and personal life. Student reps are instruments for positive change and my experience as being one has enabled me to see the value in and importance of approaching all situations with an optimistic attitude and open mindedness that I previously lacked. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 15
Elections FUSA holds elections each year to fill positions on Student Council and as Empire Times editors and to elect delegates to the National Union of Students conference. Participating in elections is an excellent opportunity for students to take part in democratic processes and ensure they have a say in who represents them!
In 2019, 75 nominations were received from 59 individual candidates. This year saw an uptake in votes being cast, with over 1,900 students voting and a turrnout of 9.5% of students eligible to vote. Number of nominations and the number of individual candidates • 75 individual nominations • 59 individual candidates
16 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
2019 STUDENT COUNCIL RESULTS Student President
Queer Officer
Josh Rayner
Imogen Deller-Evans
General Secretary Sean Henschke
Education Officer Summer Till
Women’s Officer Jesy Murphy
Welfare Officer Nathan Cheetham
International Students Officer Hoang Minh Son Le
Indigenous Students Officer Molly Turnbull
Environment Officer Amy Tschirn
Mature Age Students Officer Clara Santilli
Postgraduate Students Officer Aidan Cornelius-Bell
General Council Members Janelle Chaptini
Disabilities Officer
Benika Bhoola
Anu Francis
Kane Abraham
Social Activities Officer Che Cielens
Lana Tikhomirov James Glynn-Roe Victor Ephraims Duruji
EMPIRE TIMES EDITORIAL TEAM
NUS CONFERENCE DELEGATES
Amy Bennett
Grace Hensel
Bec Manser
Isaac Beckmann
Carmen Giffen
Harvey Menadue Artin Arjomandi Josh Rayner Jesse Stevens
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 17
Development Grants The FUSA Development Grants (FDG) program assists students to build on their university experience, by participating in events related to their area of study or current campus activities. Successful applicants receive funding to engage in professional development, student representation and leadership, or culturally or socially significant activities. These can range from attending a conference or undertaking volunteering in Australia or overseas, to professional training and field trips. Development Grants are awarded twice per year – in Semester One and Semester Two – for amounts of up to $800 per grant. Development Grants are funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
18 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Shalom Ndukwe Doctor of Medicine Awarded $800 in semester 1 to attend the ‘Developing a career and skills in academic surgery’ course. ‘The DCAS course has made me exited to start a research project; an area I previously found extremely daunting. It has provided me with the tools and information I need to get started, has given me a clearer understanding of what research entails, and allowed to me network with inspiring academic surgeons and potential future mentors.’
Cheryl Lyn Cagara
Ben Kealy
Master of Arts (Women’s Studies) Awarded $800 in semester 1 to attend the 5th World Conference on Women’s Studies in Bangkok Thailand.
Doctor of Medicine Awarded $600 in semester 2 to attend the Rural Medicine Australia Conference. ‘Attending RMA really completes my experience as a student with a rural medicine interest. As part of the Flinders medical program I have been able to undertake rotations throughout rural SA and remote areas of central and northern Australia. By attending this conference I was able to meet individuals of a similar interest and learn more in regards to what is important to that unique workforce and the challenges that they face. Flinders has provided me with multiple opportunities to complete placements in these rural areas, which I believe contributed significantly to my improvement as a student and future professional.’
‘As a Flinders University student, it makes me proud to represent my university and talk about the women’s studies course with some of the academicians and students from other countries. This is my first-time to present in a world conference and I feel honoured that I was awarded as the Session’s Best Presenter, this is a validation that students from FU sets a high standard of presentation and quality research.’
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 19
Academic and Financial Advocacy Overview
Academic advocacy
The Student Advocacy service is a free, independent, and confidential service available to all enrolled students at Finders University. Our primary role is to provide students with academic and financial advocacy and financial welfare, we do this by providing information, advice, and support.
Advocacy for individual students Of the 478 academic issues, the six most common academic issues were –
We work in the best interests of students, whether individuals or groups by ensuring that students are fairly represented, both with University staff and external services. We do this by providing relevant information, referrals, advice and acting as an advocate on matters relating to University Policy and Procedures and with external services where students require financial advocacy.
Case management The number of student cases increased in 2019 to 756, up from 622 in 2018 (21% increase). Each student case involves one or more ‘issues’, which are broadly classified as Academic, Financial or Welfare in nature. It should be noted that a case may have multiple issues, including both academic and financial. The 2019 caseload generated 861 issues. This consisted of 478 Academic issues represented 55% of the total caseload, 378 Financial issues representing 44% of the total caseload and 5 Welfare issues making up 1% of casework.
20 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
• Review of final grade (116|24%) • Remission of fees (80|17%) • Complaint re academic matters (topic/teaching/extension etc) (63|13%) • Placement issues (63|13%) • Remark/Resubmission (41|8%) • Complaint re administration issues (enrolment/resourcing etc) (30|6%)
Financial advocacy Of the 378 financial issues, the 5 most common financial issues were – • Emergency financial assistance (142|37%) • Financial Counselling (71|19%) • Financial Hardship Grants (65|19%) • Student Loans (59|16%) • Tuition Fee by Instalments (23|7%)
Financial Counselling The number of students attending FUSA for Financial Counselling remained steady in 2019 with 71 students being assisted.
Loans Demand for $500 interest-free student loans increased in 2019, with 59 applications (50 in 2018).
Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) Student Assist provide financial assistance to students who are experiencing short term financial difficulty. Our assistance consists of food parcels, supermarket and Foodbank vouchers, Metrocards, petrol and chemist vouchers. Assistance was provided to students on 350 occasions. This was an increase from 238 occasions in 2018 or 47%. Vouchers to the value of $21,606 were distributed to students.
Grants In 2019 68 students applied for a Financial Hardship Grant worth $500. Student Assist awarded grants to 65 students who met the eligibility criteria. These grants are designed to provide assistance to students who are enrolled in their second year or later and are experiencing financial hardship.
Exam Survival Campaign During semesters One and Two exam period we ran an “Exam Survival campaign”, we had easy to prepare lunches and snacks available from the FUSA reception area that students could access while studying on campus during the SwotVac and two week exam period. All items provided could be prepared in the on-campus student kitchens. This was popular with students and a budget of $7640 was allocated over two semesters.
Quotes/testimonials “I can’t thank you enough for advocating for me through the process, I would not be here today without your help” “Thank you so much for your guidance, support and advocacy. I can’t begin to number the amounts of times I have sung your praises to family and friends and I hope that if I am ever in the same position I will be able to emulate your professionalism and compassion” “Thanks for providing me the financial assistance and advice, it will help me a lot. Looking forward to next year and the academic/financial opportunities that will bring for me” “Thank you so much for your time, the letter and your support. It will make a significant difference to my life in years to come. I really appreciate it!”
Highlights for 2019 • Joint FUSA and Student Council presentations to commencing students during O’Week • Financial Capability Workshops in conjunction with OASIS. • Continuing presence at OASIS Community market, raising awareness of our services • Collaboration with FUSA Project Officer regarding Financial Capability Project and design and delivery of workshops to students • Collaboration with Student Council and University staff regarding University Policy Redesign project.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 21
Events OVERVIEW
O’Week AND O’Fiesta
FUSA ran a wide range of successful events in 2019 that combined fun, information, awareness, and acknowledgement. These events aimed to further build on the profile of FUSA as a student focused and student centric organisation. Events such as O’Week and O’Fiesta continued to grow, as well as a range of recurring successful events such as RELAX, Welfare Brunches, NAIDOC, Uni Ball, pub crawls and many more.
O’Week and O’Fiesta continued to grow from strength to strength. FUSA hosted several days of events at Bedford and Sturt including a range of activities including free lunch and snacks, live performances, stalls, roving performers, photo booth, arcade games, henna, balloon art, caricatures and more. There were also a range of main events including the Comedy Afternoon, Quiz Arvo, Tastes at the Tav and Clubs Day.
FUSA also ran a wide range of student events and activations such as PrideFest, Empire Times 50th Anniversary, Bluestocking Week, Wear it Purple Day, Live @ the Tav, Picnic in the Plaza, R U OK Day?, Be A Better Human Day!, How to Adult, Enviro Film Festival, Harmony Day, International Women’s Day and many more. We also collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders to aid with student events across the University.
O’Fiesta finished off the week on Friday 1st March and featured The Jungle Giants, Vera Blue, Confidence Man, Japanese Wallpaper and Kira Puru. The event did extremely well with 56% of tickets sold to Flinders students, an increase of 14%. O’Fiesta also had our highest Facebook engagement with over 8.4k listed as interested or going to the event.
Relax and Welfare Brunches Relax is a 2-hour event that includes free haircuts for students, free 5-minute shoulder massages, free stationery, free staple food items, and a free lunch. Welfare Brunch is a 3-hour event aimed at providing students with free healthy and nutritious breakfast options to start their day. Both events continued to be very popular with students providing a range of welfare and support services to students across multiple campuses and locations.
22 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Highlights FUSA Uni Ball - our most successful student ball ever with over 346 tickets. Empire Times 50th Anniversary - a celebration of 50 years of Empire Times hosted in Alere and featuring creators from the first edition of ET in 1969. B.D.E Pub Crawl - one of the most popular and successful Pub Crawls with over 400 people. How to Adult – an initiative brought back by the Welfare Officer which really resonated with students and we hope to run again in the future.
81
Welfare Brunches RELAX EVENTS
25 390 HAIRCUTS $6700
WORTH OF FREE LUNCHES
$4200 STATIONERY GIVEN OUT
$13,000 WORTH OF FREE BREAKFASTS
364 MASSAGES
$2800
WORTH OF FREE FOODBANK STAPLES
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 23
Clubs and societies The Clubs & Associations program remained strong in 2019 thanks to our incredibly passionate volunteer community. More than 650 executive and committee members volunteer their time every year toward engaging the student community in a wide variety of events; including student balls, competitions, academic presentations and workshops, cultural activities, field trips and excursions, sport and recreational activities, awareness campaigns, environmental and charitable projects, and much more. FUSA’s affiliated clubs and associations continue to be an excellent way for students to connect and engage with their peers at Flinders University. FUSA’s affiliated clubs & associations collectively reported over 19,000 registered members in 2019. Further data has been supplied below to compare the state of the program in 2019 to the previous year2. A total of 84 clubs & associations were affiliated with FUSA in 2019, which reflects similar numbers to previous years. There were 32 new applications for affiliation in 2019. While the overall number of clubs & associations remains stable, roughly one third of all clubs and associations are refreshed each year; replacing inactive clubs/associations with new affiliates representing a broad range of interests and activities.
24 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Access to General and Pool Funding were both in higher demand in 2019, and FUSA distributed more than $173,000 in 2019 to support clubs & associations with both existing activities and new projects. Overall, the Clubs & Associations program remains an incredibly cost effective method of engaging the Flinders University community; costing FUSA an average of $200 per activity. The absence of staffing costs, in addition to the minimal marketing costs required to engage a captive member audience, ensures that clubs and associations continue to be excellent value to the Flinders student community. A notable trend in 2019 was a 9.5% decline in registered events and activities. While this number alone could suggest a decline in Club/ Association activity, attendance figures suggest that engagement in Club/Association activities has increased overall. Qualitative data from Event Registration Forms suggest that Clubs and Associations opted to run events and activities for a wider audience, while the number of smaller activations and meetings have decreased. The increase in requested funding further indicates that Clubs and Associations have opted to focus on quality over quantity within their activities in 2019.
Our goal in 2020 is to consequently invest time and resources into the improvement of resources, facilities and processes relating to the program, in addition to planning and implementing recovery efforts to return student engagement to similar levels in 2021.
Of particular note are an overhaul of the existing regulations to encourage participation in the Clubs & Associations program, and the current works to implement a new digital engagement platform to both support clubs and associations and provide them with a wide range of tools to allow them to manage their own operations more effectively.
2018/2019 COMPARATIVE summary 2018
2019
%
Registered events/activities
957
866
-9.5
Registered activity attendance
34752
37371
+7.5
Affiliation Applications
28
32
+14.3
Requested funding for new projects (Pool Funding)
$172,523
$194,121
+12.5
Funding approved for new projects (Pool Funding)
$107,371 (62.2% of requested Pool Funding)
$124,707 (64.2% of requested Pool Funding)
+16.1
Total Funding Applications
222
282
+27.0
Total distributed funding
$161,748
$173,055
+6.9
$173,055 Total distributed funding
TOTAL FUNDING APPLICATIONS
27% 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 25
List of Clubs & Associations 8 Ball Club
French at Flinders Club
Flinders
Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association
General Practice Students’ Network
Malaysian Student Society
Archaeological Society
Golden Key International Honour Society
Maniac Dance Club
Australian Student Veterans Association - Flinders University Chapter
Government Student Association
Marine Biology Association Mathematics and Statistics Society
Australian Youth Climate Coalition Club
Health and Human Rights Group
Medical Science Society
Automotive Solar Team
Hellenic Association
Medical Students Society
Baha’i Society
Higher Degree Research Students Society (BGLs)
Bangladeshi Students Association Biotechnology Student Association Bob Hawke Appreciation Society Book Club Business Students’ Association Chinese Student and Scholar Association
Cinephile Society (FLICS)
Indian Student Association Indigenous Student Association Indonesian Students Association of Australia (PPIA) International Postgraduate Scholars Association Japanese Cultural Club La Peña Española de Flinders (Flinders Spanish Group)
Medical Students Society (NT Chapter) Motorsport Club Muslim Association Myanmar Student Association Nursing and Midwifery Students Association Nutrition Club Optometry Student Association Outdoor Club Overseas Christian Fellowship
Lao Student Association in South Australia
Palaeontology Society
Law Students Association
Permaculture Committee
League of Legends Club
Persian Club
Liberal Club
Philosophy Club
Evangelical Students
Lions Campus Club
Photography Club
Field Robotics Club
Mad Tea Collective at
Psychology Students
Computer Society Costume Club (FUCOS) Criminology Student Association Education Student Association
26 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Performing Arts Society
Association Queer Society Reach Out Volunteers Student Group Rural Health Society Singapore Medical Students Association Singapore Students Association Social Work Association Socialist Alternative Club Society of Engineers Southern Adelaide Skin Society Speleological Society Sri Lankan Student Association Student Exchange Club Student Paramedics Australasia Students of Biology Association Students with Disabilities Association Surgical Society Tabletop und Roleplaying Enthusiasts Thinking CaPS Chemical and Physical Sciences Society Tourism Association Vietnamese Student Association
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 27
Media Throughout the year the Media Team assists in a range of projects, events and initiatives and provides support to FUSA staff, Student Council, Empire Times editors, student clubs and more. This support ranges from the provision of graphic design solutions, communication and marketing strategies, and general media support and advice. In 2019, the Media Team helped facilitate a variety of Student Council initiatives including Relax, NAIDOC Week, Uni Ball, B.D.E Pub Crawl, Flinders Things Pub Crawl, Wear It Purple Day, How To Adult, International Women’s Day, SelfDefence 101, Enviro Film Day, Exam Support and much more. Other initiatives included FUSA’s Welfare Brunch, Picnic in the Plaza, Live at the Tav, Elections, Financial Capability Workshops, Multicultural Festival, Harmony Day, Tax Help, R U OK Day, Mental Health Week, PrideFest, FUSA AGM, Be A Better Human Day! and Empire Times Launch Parties and 50th Anniversary. Each year the Media Team produces and implements design and promotion for the two most popular events of the year: O’Week and O’Fiesta. In 2019, O’Week was broken down and promoted as several different events including O’Week Fair Days, Comedy Arvo, Clubs Day and Tastes at the Tav – the latter attracting the most interest with 1.1K Responses. The Media Team’s most successfully promoted event by far was O’Fiesta 2019 with 8.4K responses. For the first time ever the event itself had live coverage courtesy of the Media Team.
28 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Be a better human In 2019, the Be A Better Human campaign – an initiative created in response to the Change the Course Report and designed to open up a dialogue about sexual consent, harassment, assault and the culture that allows these issues to exist – continued to rollout across campuses which included a fair day on Bedford Park and Sturt campus. In line with encouraging widespread adoption of the campaign, a student ambassador, our Media Assistant and Manager of Student Engagement flew to Melbourne to present at Holmesglen Institute. Since it’s inception, Be A Better Human has been adopted by universities nationally, including Swinburne University, Latrobe University, University of New England, Queensland University of Technology, RMIT, Edith Cowan University and many more. Excitingly, in 2019 FUSA was presented with three awards as part of Tertiary Access Group’s Campuslink Conference including Best Marketing Campaign, Most Successful Digital Initiative, and Most Successful Visual Design.
FUSA Website & Social Media In 2019, the use of fusa.edu.au accounted for 236,208 views with individual users numbering at 35,060. The most popular page being the landing home page, accounting for 51% of these views. Secondary to this, the most frequented pages included the jobs board, clubs list, clubs, grants and elections, respectively. Most website users were aged between 25-34 years old and accounted for 41% of the website audience. Those aged 35 and over accounted for 33% and those between 18-24 years old accounted for 26%.
FUSA’s social media audience reflected a very similar spread with the 25-34 year old age bracket accounting for 42%, 18-24 accounting for 38% and those aged 35 year and over accounting for 20%. FUSA’s social media channels continued to grow with Facebook followers growing from 9,076 to 10,533 – an increase of 16%.
16%FACEBOOK
236,208 TOTAL WEBSITE
PAGE VIEWS
GROWTH IN
FOLLOWERS
8,000 FUSA DIARIES GIVEN OUT
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 29
Empire Times An exciting moment in Flinders and student media history, Empire Times – the student-run publication – turned 50. To celebrate, the student editors in collaboration with the Media and Events Team organised their 50th Anniversary Celebration and Exhibition. This was a momentous event for student editors, both past and present. The main event was held in Café Alere and – with the help of Flinders Archives – showcased editions of Empire Times throughout the years. In attendance were students, staff from across the university, as well as previous editors and contributors.
30 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Of note, the original editors from 1969 as well as the first female editor flew in and presented at the Anniversary Celebration. Following the main event, attendees were invited to the Tavern where they could mingle and celebrate the 2019’s editors work on the ‘History’ edition of the magazine – dedicated to commemorating the rich history of Flinders University. Other highlights in 2019 include the redesign of the student magazine to an A5 environmentally responsible magazine made of 100% recycled, carbon neutral paper and interstate travel for the editors to attend the National Editors Workshop and Skillshare Conference in Melbourne.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 31
Financials The majority of the funding FUSA receives is from the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). The SSAF is a compulsory fee charged by the University which supports nonacademic services and amenities for Flinders students. Student consultation takes place when considering how the income will be used to provide or enhance these services and amenities Every year, FUSA submits a funding request and budget to the SSAF Budget Advisory Committee which provides a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor regarding how the SSAF income should be allocated across the University.
This funding request is prepared in consultation with the Executive of Student Council and all FUSA staff. Student Council then approve the final funding request and budget. In 2018, FUSA received $2,109,100 which was approximately 43% of the total SSAF that was distributed across the University. SSAF funds are required to be spent in accordance with the Allowed Amenities and Services as provided for under Section (19-38) if the Higher Education Support Act 2003. Unspent funds for the year are returned to the University’s SSAF holding account to be disbursed as per the above section in the Act.
18% Other
11
%
Careers and Employment Liaison Centre
2018
UNIVERSITY-WIDE SSAF ALLOCATION
16%
Health, Counselling and Disability
12%
Flinders Campus Community Services 32 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
43% FUSA
Breakdown of SSAF Funds allocated to FUSA for 2019 Communications and Media $235,000
Student Engagement $880,245 Salaries, operational costs, support for initiatives that enhance student experience. Student Representation $97755 Support for student academic representation and voice across all colleges and support for the functions of Student Council. Events $232,000 Student focussed events and activities including O’Weeks, cultural and issues specific events and activities on campus. Student Advocacy and Welfare $400,000 Independent and confidential academic advocacy, financial counselling, emergency financial assistance and welfare support to students.
FUSA and Student Council promotion marketing, including website and social media presence Production of Empire Times, Student Diary, student focussed campaigns such as BE A Better Human Clubs and Societies (non sporting) $177000 Funding for non-sporting student clubs and societies, including social, political and international clubs, and academic Associations Student Council $75,000 Funds for individual Office bearers to pursue projects relevant to the platforms they are elected on, and for their professional development.
Income and Expenditure YTD Report from January to December 2019 SSAF Transfers
Expenses
Surplus/ Deficit
Student Engagement
880,245
884,627
-4,383
Student Representation
97,755
104,260
-6,504
Events
232,000
256,277
-24,277
Student Advocacy and Welfare
400,000
388,919
11,081
Communications and Media
235,000
226,140
8,860
Clubs and Societies
177,000
175,107
1,893
Student Council
75,000
67,209
7,791
Totals
2,097,000
2,102,540
5,540
2019 ANNUAL REPORT 33
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION Level 1 Student Hub Flinders University Bedford Park (08) 8201 2371 fusa@flinders.edu.au
FB.com/fusassociation Instagram.com/ fusassociation
