2020 Annual Report by FUSA Association

2020 ANNUAL REPORT FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

2020 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.

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Arrernte Boandik Bungarla Gunditjmara Jawoyn Kaurna Larrakia Nau Ngarrindjeri Peramangk Ramindjeri Wurundjeri Yolgnu

Contents About FUSA

Student President Summary of Address 2020 FUSA AGM

Student Council

Representation

Elections

Student Assist

Events 26 Clubs, Collectives and Associations

Media 32 Empire Times

Financials 36

2020 ANNUAL REPORT 1

About FUSA Flinders University Student Association (FUSA) represents the rights and interests of Flinders University students. As an independent body, FUSA is governed by an elected Student Council who direct the priorities of FUSA each year with the support of dedicated staff. We provide a welcoming and lively student experience which focuses on campus culture, giving support to students in need, and facilitating opportunities for students to be a part of the wider University community. The services that FUSA provide include: • Student representation, including in central University bodies and across Colleges • Academic advocacy, financial counselling and welfare services. • Administration of student clubs and academic associations. • Events and activities on campus and online. • Student led communication and media, including the student magazine, Empire Times.

2019/20

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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. • Coordinate 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.

This year presented many unique challenges to FUSA, students, staff and the University as a whole, as we responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. These reports reflect the difficulties of 2020 and also reveal our ability to persevere, work as a team and find innovative solutions to new problems.

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FUSA Staff 2020 Manager Student Engagement Ben Smith

Administration Assistants Stacy White Tristan Newsome

Student Representation and Development Officer Kate Walsh

Student Representation Support Officer Susan Cilento David Hopkins

Media and Communications Coordinator Robin Cole

Media Officer Jess Nicole

Media Assistant Alexander Ninnes

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Clubs and Societies Officer Adam Rau

Events and Projects Officer Caleb Osborne

Events and Projects Assistant Alexandra Mibus Emma Waide

Student Finance and Advocacy Officer Helen Laity

Student Advocacy Officers Josh Elvin Hannah Browne

Student Council Student President Josh Rayner

General Secretary

Sean Henschke

Education Officer Summer Till

Welfare Officer Nathan Cheetham

Indigenous Students Officer

Molly Turnbull

International Students Officer

Hoang Minh Son Le

Women’s Officer

Social Activities Officer

Che Cielens

Postgraduate Students Officer

Aidan Cornelius-Bell

General Council Members (Six Positions) Louise Nixon Laura Savaglia Angus Clarke Clara Rose Santilli Nathan Fiedler Jesy Murphy

Empire Times Editor Team

Queer Officer

Amy Bennett Bec Manser Carmen Giffen

Environment Officer

Nus Conference Delegates

Jesy Murphy

Imogen Deller-Evans

Amy Tschirn

Disabilities Officer Anu Francis

Mature Age Students Officer

CASUAL VACANCY APPOITNMENTS Over the course of 2020, three casual vacancy appointments were made to fill positions.

Education Officer

Benika Bhoola Appointed July 2020

Mature Age Students Officer Ethan Zimmerman Appointed Sept 2020

General Council Member

Shanii Sparrow Appointed Sept 2020

Grace Hensel Isaac Beckman Harvey Menadue Artin Arjomandi Josh Rayner Jesse Stevens

Clara Santilli

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Student President Summary of Address 2020 FUSA AGM Every year the Student President provides a report back to students on the growth and development of our student association over the past year. I am immensely privileged to today be given the opportunity to reflect upon the successes of one of the most determined groups of student representatives - the 2019 Student Council - and one of the strongest and most passionate groups of student reps in the 2020 Student Council. As the governing body of FUSA, our Student Council is democratically elected each and every year to provide strategic direction of our student association and to fight for the protection of our rights and welfare as students. I say fight for the protection of our rights and welfare because unfortunately they continue to be under attack. While, yes, some students are able to achieve excellent academic results and can seemingly balance the demands of study, employment, family and friends with ease - a good day for most of us is simply making it to our morning tutorial, and perhaps skimming over our required readings on the bus trip to campus. But despite this, whether you think being a student is easy, challenging at times, or impossible to manage, you’re 100% correct. Tertiary education has become a competition. Our universities, our lectures, our classmates, all

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competing against one another. FUSA should be a fighting force in challenging this. The lived experience of each and every single student is what’s most important. Whether your study is out of want or need, the urge for development is what keeps us enrolled. And that development needs to be development for our communities, not for ourselves. We simply cannot allow our universities to become corporatised job factories.

We are here to develop our skills, strengthen our knowledge, broaden our questions, and give back to the communities that raised us. The only way that we ensure universities remain for the public good is by having strong, progressive and independent student associations, student unions or student guilds. The system is designed to pit us against one another. College vs college. Domestic vs International. Student vs teacher. That is why we have FUSA, that is why we democratically elect a Student Council. We need representatives on every corner of this campus to stand up and say enough is enough. We are not here to compete, we are here to learn. And that is exactly what your 2019 Student Council has done. Following our last Annual General Meeting, FUSA affiliated with the Union of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Students and re-affiliated to the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations because we value a say in national representation for all students, particularly those who would traditionally not be granted such a platform. We attended the National Conference of the National Union of Students and said education should be free, fully funded and accessible for all. We shared the experience of our activists in fighting against the 2017 and 2018 restructures that saw four hundred staff leave this university and said to student representatives right across the country this cannot happen again, and this is how you make sure it doesn’t. We joined the Flinders Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union

in solidarity through their workplace dispute, acknowledging that staff working conditions are student learning conditions, and that we must stand together as staff and students to ensure prosperity for all in our campus community. We elected the 2020 Student Council in what was a huge spike in democratic student participation. Although I empathise with the students just trying to get to their next class walking through the Hub, I applaud every single genuinely progressive student who puts their hand up to represent their classmates and influence the direction of one of the most genuine, hardworking and achieving student associations or unions in the country. Following that election we learned of many attempted interferences in democratic student participation. We learned that University Staff had engaged in behaviour over the last three to four years that was seen by many of us to endanger the democratic participation that is so vital to an authentic and representative student association. We called out university interference in that election, and ensured regulatory measures were put in place to protect democracy and the student voice for those seeking election to represent their peers in the future.

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The 2020 Student Council hit the ground running. Rebranding our FUSA Collectives and incorporating them into our clubs community, ensured that autonomy in student voice was amplified, and that diversity in student representation was not only called upon, but championed and supported with time and resources. We began developing plans for a Disability Space, plans for Gender Neutral bathrooms. We campaigned against university investment in climate destruction and corporate pollution. We amended our regulations to provide more autonomy to members of Student Council and encourage participation in our campaigns and initiatives. And then the pandemic hit.

for most students, and for some most predominantly our International Student classmates - was nothing at all. By doubling our Emergency Financial Assistance budget, building FUSA@ Home, and launching our Semester 1 Education (‘Support for Flinders University Students Must Continue!’) Campaign, FUSA played a large part in supporting our student community away from campus.

In accordance with social distancing guidelines and the partial closure of campus, FUSA Staff and Student Council spent a large portion of Semester 1 working from home. We quickly learnt that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to have an enormous impact on students financially and academically. A student association largely known for its on campus support, representation and events, was quickly forced to transition as much as we know online. Our plans, events and campaigns, were immediately halted in favour of campaigning for greater protection and support for the student body.

When I suggested to University Management that Flinders should implement an opt-in non-graded pass assessment structure and provide additional academic support for students struggling to pass, I was told that our Uni had handled the transition to online learning incredibly well and that additional academic support ‘simply wasn’t needed’. We responded with our Semester 1 Education Campaign titled ‘6 Ways FUSA Is Calling on Flinders University to Provide Greater Support and Certainty for Students’, suddenly the language of University Management changed. Not only did the student body join us in winning this additional academic support, we also won additional financial support to provide to students which was used to prioritise our International Student community who were left behind by the Coalition Federal Government and Liberal State Government.

Government support was not enough

Unfortunately our wins simply weren’t

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enough for some students. International Students are still struggling to afford their next meal, let alone fund their ridiculous study fees. Racism and xenophobia threatens the safety of our classmates both on and off campus, in person and online. And on top of all of this the Coalition Government is again trying to divide our student body by increasing the cost of some degrees by 113% and cutting funding for all degrees. 2020 has shown us some of the most difficult learning conditions students in this country may ever face, but it has also shown us the very best of collective student action, and the importance of progressive and independent student unionism and representation. My goal as Student President, after serving as our Education Officer and General Secretary, was to push for the reforms required to allow FUSA to stand on its own two feet. During my two years on Student Council prior to 2020, I experienced first hand the threats to democratic student participation, the unwillingness for student representation to be taken seriously, and the consistent claiming of credit from University staff for the work of elected student representatives.

represent, than the reputation of the university they study at, should be held in the highest regard. They should be welcomed by a university that strives to be better, not threatened into silence. As my three years on Student Council come to an end I look to the next group of student representatives who take up the good fight with admiration and the trust that they will continue the work that we’ve fought for to build our student association. FUSA is nothing without Student Council, nothing without our staff, and nothing without you. We need student participation in everything we do. Today we continue to fight for academic support to be continued in Semester 2. We fight for greater support to be permanently included in the university’s Academic Assessment policy. We continue to build Be A Better Human to demand women and non-binary students have a safe campus to study and socialise on. We’ve had a lot of wins, our student association has grown immensely, and I’m sure everybody here is incredibly excited for how far the next Student Council can take FUSA.

Genuinely progressive student representatives who care more about the issues faced by the students they

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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 2019/20.

General Secretary As General Secretary FUSA ensured as many clubs possible survived the pandemic. We did this by keeping in contact during COVID doing regular calls to executives and took pressure off clubs by negotiating annual review deadlines, reforming pool funding and ensuring general funding was available for longer. FUSA reformed and reviewed affiliation processes to ensure FUSA remains connected and ensured struggling clubs could remain affiliated and inactive clubs can be reignited. FUSA also integrated collectives into the clubs which reignited collectives and allowed them to have more resources. We also ensured clubs got consent training and mental health first aid training to prepare club executives for challenges that may arise and provide resources for future employment. While we waited for social distancing in events to return, we turned our attention to reforming and renovating our resources. As general secretary we secured resources for club space renovations and expansion of storage spaces, and started lobbying for club spaces on other campuses and more spaces. We pursued incorporation and

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independent revenue and looked to establish affordable food options through a general store, or ways to get affordable food to students. As general secretary I also facilitated our budget and ensured our projects were delivered. I also was responsible preparing the agenda and navigating meetings and overcoming the many diverse challenges. I also played a roll in establishing the gender neutral bathroom working group for 2021. We explored utilising the FUSA membership and merch and ensured FUSA reformed its website, which will be crucial to allowing membership and merch to be accessible.

Education Officer During my time on Student Council I launched the Employability Support Campaign which saw the University allocate $30,000 to help financially assist students seeking resume building qualifications (First Aid Certificates, RSAs, Barista Courses, etc.). I have also ensured that there is a student focused assessment policy in place for 2021. This policy includes the implementation of clear deadlines for feedback, resubmissions on all major assignments, the removal of unnecessary exams, no assessments weighted more than 40% while ensuring that there are only 3-5 assessment types per topic. During 2020 I continued to fight for the extension of all Covid Assessment changes, having also launched the ‘Support for Flinders University Students Must Continue!’ campaign which empowers students to voice their support for the continuing COVID-19 relief support.

Welfare Officer • Established Flinders Emergency Housing - established a partnership between FUSA, HCD and Flinders Living to provide emergency shortterm accommodation to students who require it. • Sat on Flinders University Wellbeing Policy committee and represented students at the committee meetings to establish a wellbeing policy for the University and three of five working groups. • Menstrual Hygiene Product Dispensers - made contact with a potential provider, collected costs, and informed MSE and PFD about the details and proposal. • Worked with academics to develop a study on the effects of COVID-19 on students’ access to food. • Worked with FUSA Environment Officer on the Flinders Community Garden to help fight food insecurity in students. • Worked with FUSA Events Officer on FUSA Grab n’ Go. • Worked with Manager, Retail and Placemaking to establish healthy vending machines on campus.

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Women’s Officer The main goal as the Women’s officer in 2020 was to get the menstrual hygiene products back into the bathrooms at Flinders with a dispenser to make things more sanitary. Due to the disruptions that happened last year this was not possible, but plans were put in place to make sure it was achieved in the next year, passing on plans to the 2021 Women’s officer. Another goal for 2020 was to improve the Women’s space in the hub and to find possible rooms for more Women’s spaces elsewhere on campus. This was achieved and new equipment was acquired for the space and plans put in place for future Women’s spaces across the university. The third project that was worked on was one that has been in place for a year or so and that is the gender-neutral bathrooms campaign. This project is one that is very close to my heart and I continued to work on in my role as Women’s Officer. • International Women’s Day event with guest speakers and media presence. • Bluestocking Week stall and cupcake give-away.

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Postgraduate Students Officer • Member of governance and committees. University Council, Academic Senate, College Education Committees, Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, Cooperative Research Centre. Student representative on working group to develop a set of standards for the development of online learning standards for course delivery. • Strategic plan for Postgraduate Students Association. • Constitutional Restructure for Postgraduate Students Association. • Event planning and strategic support of postgraduate events • Consultation with students and responding to queries. Including attending association meetings, individual discussions, strategic planning, and more. • Outlined a review for postgraduate students’ access to working space. Including understanding student requirements and treatment by staff. • Support for postgraduate students during COVID. • Relevant reading on guidance for postgraduate students on governance committees.

International Students Officer • Developed welcome posters and anti-racism posters. Distributed and promoted on campus, with an ongoing campaign on FUSA’s social media. • O’Fiesta tickets for international students. Competition for students to win one of 3 free tickets for them and a friend to attend O’Fiesta. • Beauty of our Home. Organised online submissions for photographs of international students’ home countries, with 20 selected entries awarded a gift card and promoted through FUSA, Ping, ISS, and on campus. • Judging panel for International Students Services’ Share your story competition. • Helped sponsor prizes for ISS’ Share your story competition. Competition for international students with an overwhelming response. Sponsored gifts cards for winners. • Worked with FUSA Media team on posts related to COVID-19. • Rebuilt and maintained International Student Collective Facebook page. • Kept in contact with Chinese Students Association. Updates and information related in COVID-19.

• Advocated for international students facing adverse circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling on Flinders University to expand financial support, extend general census dates, and provide essential support. • Anti-racism and Black Lives Matter support and attended photo shoot.

Indigenous Students Officer • Relaunching the First Nations Collective • Supporting the black lives matter movement • Starting the decolonisation at FUSA by getting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, First Nations art, starting the discussion around dual signage and cultural awareness training • Ensuring that every event that is run by FUSA always has a welcome/acknowledgment to the country.

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Queer Officer • “PrideFest! 2020”. Including bingo, stalls, free food and drinks, free succulents, pottery workshops from Dot Pots, Quiz Night, and Closing Night Party. • Queer-antine Support. Provision of welfare packages for LGBTQIA+ students who were effected by COVID-19 pandemic. • Flinders Queer Report. A report of voices of students of diverse genders, sexes and sexualities to examine how universities in South Australia can improve from survey data collected in 2019. This was a collaboration between AUU Queer Officer, University of South Australia Rainbow Club, Adelaide University Pride Club, and the Flinders University Queer Collective. • Inclusive and intersectional language in Flinders University textbooks. Recognising the importance of safety for, and inclusion and representation of gender diverse people at Flinders. FUSA supported the update of textbooks to reflect the diversity of life and on campus. • Students attending Better Together 2021. Discussions with organisers of Better Together 2021, to be held in Adelaide, for discounted rates for student attendees. • Queer Retreat. Planning and organising for the Queer Society’s annual summer retreat along the Murray River.

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• Supported the Flinders University Queer Collective in various projects, including: ◦ Art Competition. ◦ Art and Activism event, including limited copies of Transgender Visibility Zine, launch of refurbished Queer Space, free food, and a drag performance.

Environment Officer • Sustainability Advisory Committee. • Helping the Uni to set and achieve sustainability targets such as: ◦ Solar panel installation 20% on site generation by 2020, 30% by 2021. ◦ 100% renewable energy contract. ◦ Fleet electric vehicles. ◦ Improved waste contract and systems. ◦ Improved signage for waste streams. • Affiliated and ran (executive of) the Flinders Uni Sustainability and Environment Club, including running events such as: ◦ Earth Hour ◦ Beach Cleans ◦ Nature night walks ◦ Recycle Fest ◦ Movie nights ◦ Board game nights ◦ Planting days ◦ Nature Photography competition ◦ Animals Anonymous visit

• • • •

• • • • • •

Keep Australia Beautiful Week. Clubs Pool Funding panel. Better a Better Human campaign. Divest Campaign/ Fossil Free Flinders: ◦ Used the Freedom of Information Act Uni to see where the Uni invests. ◦ Petitioned the Uni to divest from fossil fuels and sorted through ~400 response documents, researched each of the companies to determine their sustainability. ◦ Wrote to Colin Stirling about our investments in general asking to divest. ◦ Wrote to Colin Stirling about our investments into Rio Tinto specifically after the Juukan Gorge disaster. Established new recycling waste streams (Terracycle). Climate strikes with School Strike 4 Climate. Coordinated Community Garden: ◦ Planting days Spoke at 1.5 Degrees Live World Environment Day. Folk of All trades. Quaran-clean bingo.

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Disabilities Officer • Secured funding for various projects, including: ◦ installation of an accessible shower in the Flinders University Sport and Fitness Centre ◦ signage to improve accessible wayfinding around campus’ ◦ a permanent Disabilities Space • Advocated for accessibility during consultations with key stakeholders of projects, including: ◦ The Flinders Railway Station ◦ The Registry Road Bus Shelter upgrade ◦ Loop Bus Stop upgrades • Worked on multiple campaigns, including: ◦ The Disabilities Space ◦ Part-time placements for education students with disabilities ◦ Held an AGM to establish the Flinders University Disabilities Collective & ran O’week stalls to recruit members

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◦ Promotion of services for students with disabilities including the University Specialist Employment Partnership (USEP) and the Disability Rights Advocacy Service (DRAS) ◦ Raising awareness about the role of FUSA Disabilities Officer amongst students and staff • Disability advocacy work with multiple organisations, including: ◦ Julia Farr Association Purple Orange ◦ Women With Disabilities Australia • Addressing issues raised by students, including: ◦ Access Plan compliance ◦ Misuse of access parks on campus ◦ Access issues including difficulty accessing the kitchen in the Student Hub due to excess furniture and the need for stair nosing on various staircases around the Bedford Park campus ◦ Represented students with disabilities on the Equal Opportunity Committee

Social Activities Officer • Member of the Club Pool Funding Sub-Committee. This committee approves funding requests from Financially Affiliated Clubs, generally meeting four times per year for around four hours. • Supported the update of phone charge bays. FUSA proudly offers students access to device charging bays across all major Flinders campuses in South Australia and the Northern Territory. These bays require updating every few years, as technology changes and bays undergo normal wear and tear. Student Council approved reallocating $12,000 of FUSA Funds to upgrade this useful service.

Mature Age Students Officer • Talking with mature aged students and Library staff to open a mature age area. • Planning for study events, social events, and awareness of issues effecting mature age students.

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Representation FUSA continues to be a central driver of student representation across Colleges and the University. We support Student Reps to work proactively and productively with staff to make meaningful improvements to their learning experience, whether that is as a member of a committee, in a Topic or Course Rep role, or as a member of Student Council. Topic and Course representation in the Colleges that FUSA worked with more than doubled compared to 2019. The importance of student representation was powerfully demonstrated in a year in which there were significant and rapid changes to learning and teaching due to COVID-19 restrictions. Student representation provided clear and proactive communication between staff and students about student needs and identifying issues that could be immediately responded to in a quickchanging environment.

Training FUSA supports new student representatives across the University by delivering engaging and comprehensive training on their role and responsibilities. In 2020, we delivered twice the number of live online sessions (20 sessions) as in-person (10) in response to COVID-19 restrictions. Uptake of online learning can be difficult for students and staff who are unused to it, and we are pleased to report that students consistently complimented the high quality of our online delivery, commenting that it was an interactive and informative learning experience.

Train the Trainer FUSA offers a terrific opportunity for previous Reps to share their expertise and insight by delivering our training to incoming Topic Reps. We trained two students and one FUSA employee to take on these roles.

Number of Reps FUSA worked with by College: 2019 2020

BGL 5 13

EPSW 1 21

HASS 6 18

MPH 3 7

NHS 56 92

SE 129 167

TOTAL 200 318

59.5% increase

MORE THAN DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF STUDENT REPS IN 2020 59.5% increase from 2019

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OUTSTANDING TOPIC REP AWARD

Best in FLO

During November, FUSA conducted the first ever Outstanding Topic Rep Award to acknowledge the fantastic contribution Topic Reps make in representing their cohort. Topic Coordinators were invited to nominate Topic Reps who went above and beyond in their role in 2020.

In October, FUSA and CILT (Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching) invited staff and students to nominate FLO sites which they saw as the best examples of a quality digital learning experience. A student panel assessed the sites for factors such as design, usability, interactivity, use of tools, resources, and more. Nine FLO pages were selected to enter the Best in FLO Showcase, where they were celebrated as part of the Flinders University Festival of Learning and Teaching in November.

Individuals nominated: 13 (across 8 topics) Individuals awarded: 5 (across 6 topics) “[Topic Reps] Brett and Jess used a proactive positive approach when discussing resolution of issues with teaching staff, including providing suggestions for addressing students concerns. The interaction with these topic reps was always constructive and enlightening for both staff and the topic reps.” — (Topic Coordinator)

“

In light of the COVID-19 challenges we were able to communicate the cohorts concerns with the staff and ensure appropriate changes were made to assessments. Overall, it was a very rewarding experience as we know that all of the hard work we put in allowed our cohort to continue to learn and practice the skills required for our course.

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Elections Each year, elections are held for Student Council, Empire Times editors, and National Union of Students delegate. Voting in elections is one way that all students can contribute to democracy at Flinders by having a say in who represents them, or by standing themselves for positions. While turnout was lower than in

previous years, this was an excellent result in light of COVID-19 restrictions – there was a greatly decreased number of students on campus and social distancing measures which restricted campaigning by nominees.

INDIVIDUALS NOMINATED: 80 INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES: 61 INDIVIDUAL VOTERS: 1,326 (6.1% OF ENROLLED STUDENTS)

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2020 ELECTION RESULTS Student President Sean Henschke

General Secretary Molly Turnbull

Education Officer Benika Bhoola

Women’s Officer Luca Sardelis

Welfare Officer

Queer Officer Shanii Sparrow

Indigenous Students Officer Keenan Smith

Ethan Zimmermann

Postgraduate Students Officer Emily Williams

Environment Officer

General Council Members

Amy Tschirn

Rachel Hemer

Disabilities Officer

Rafael Aquino

Jesy Murphy

Anu Francis

International Students Officer

Social Activities Officer

Rubayat Sarwar

Mature Age Students Officer

Hieu Hoang

Ange Nishimwe

Kaylen Scurrah Darlyn Tan-Sik Callan Alexander

EMPIRE TIMES EDITORIAL TEAM

NUS CONFERENCE DELEGATES

Nathan Cheetham

Benika Bhoola

Brie Dark

Artin Arjomandi

Artemis Perry

Sean Henschke Caitlin Allman Josh Rayner Lachlan White

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Development Grants Twice per year, our Development Grants program assists students who want to develop their abilities and confidence for further study or work. Students can apply for funding which they use for activities like attending conferences or training in specific skills. Events can be related to professional development, student representation and leadership, or culturally or socially significant activities. Development Grants are awarded in Semester One and Semester Two for amounts up to $800 per grant and are funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

Lilly Blacker Graduate Certificate in Primary Health Care (Child and Family Health Nursing) Awarded $680 in semester 2 to undertake training in Remote Emergency Care with CRANA (Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia) “[I gained] knowledge of how to manage emergency situations, evacuate patients, assess and treat life-threatening conditions with limited resources or support in an isolated setting such as a remote Aboriginal community. It has given me greater insight as to the opportunities out there where I can work with my degree from Flinders University. I feel more confident and equipped to work in these remote locations. I really appreciated the opportunity to receive this grant and found it so beneficial.”

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Lauren Common

Juan Alejandro Marquez

PhD in Natural Sciences Awarded $800 in semester 2 to attend ConGen2020

Bachelor of Archaeology Awarded $416.50 in semester 2 to gain in translating and interpreting skills with NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters) certification

“ConGen2020… provided me the opportunity to expand my skills in these areas, getting hands-on with real data and getting me in contact with leaders in my field. In just ten days it packed in an incredible amount of information on both entry level genomics and the current cutting edge technology and analysis. This experience impacted me immensely! I feel much more confident in the next two years of my PhD given the training I have received. ConGen also gave me contacts outside of Flinders University, which will help both myself and other Flinders students.”

“By being accredited as a certified translator, I can directly support my community of Spanish speakers. The course provided excellent tools to work in the community and business sectors. Flinders University is a multicultural setting, where many students speak English as a second language. The course makes me more aware of such a situation, particularly regarding Spanish speaking students. I may help them (or their families) to get certified translations when required.”

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STUDENT ASSIST

Academic and Financial Advocacy Overview The Student Advocacy service is a free, independent, and confidential service available to all enrolled students at Finders University. Student Advocates ensure that students are fairly represented by providing relevant information, referrals, advice and by acting as advocates on matters involving University Policy and Procedure. Our Financial Counsellor provides information, advice and advocacy to students experiencing financial difficulty. This includes budgeting, understanding which debts are priorities, negotiating with creditors, accessing grants and/or concessions, understanding your rights and referral to external services. We also provide welfare support including Emergency Financial Assistance, Interest Free Loans, Financial Support Grants, and information on Centrelink.

Case management 2020 was an extraordinary year for Student Assist, we demonstrated our adaptability in providing a quality service to students in difficult conditions. We were able to adapt very quickly to working at home due to COVID-19 conditions, and still provide a quality service to students via phone, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Our case numbers increased in 2020

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to 1827, up from 756 in 2019 – an increase of 142%. This increase in case numbers was primarily because of the impact of COVID-19 on our students. Each case may have multiple issues, including academic and financial issues. In 2020 the number of issues which we assisted students with was 1964. This consisted of 724 (37%) Academic issues, 1229 (62%) Financial issues and 11 (1%) Welfare issues.

Academic advocacy Of the 724 academic issues, the most common were – • Complaint re academic matters (topic/course/teaching/extension issues) (164 / 23%) • Show Cause/At Risk process (109 / 15%) • Academic Integrity (86 / 12%)

Financial advocacy Of the 1229 financial issues, the most common were – • Emergency Financial Assistance – COVID related (769 / 63%) • COVID19 Emergency Support Payment (253 / 21%) • Emergency Financial Assistance (81 / 7%) • Student Loan Application (48 / 4%)

Grants and Emergency Financial Assistance In 2020 we received funding from Flinders University to distribute to students impacted by COVID-19. A total of 2099 Emergency Support Payment Grants were assessed and paid to students, a total value of $985,500. These grants were for either $500 or $250 dependent on students’ individual circumstances. In addition, Student Assist assessed and distributed 2036 SA Government International Student Grants a total value of $1,018,000. Each grant was for $500.

Partnerships In 2020 FUSA continued our partnership with the Australian Tax Help. Tax Help office volunteers attended FUSA between July and October to assist eligible students submitting their 2019/20 tax returns. We also commenced a new partnership with Uniting Communities, hosting a team member one day per week from November 2020, continuing into 2021 who can provide additional financial support to students who experienced financial difficulties because of COVID-19.

Student Assist also distributed $74,870 worth of Emergency Financial Assistance to students. This assistance predominantly consisted of Woolworths Food Vouchers, Foodbank Food Hampers and MetroCards.

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Events OVERVIEW

Orientation Program 2020

FUSA ran a wide range of successful events 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.

The Orientation program at Flinders continued to grow from strength to strength. In Semester 1 O’Week FUSA hosted several days of activities including student clubs and stalls, live performances, free lunch, games, and more, as well as several feature events including the Comedy Afternoon, Quiz Night, Bingo Night, Arcade Alley and Pinball Competition.

While COVID created many challenges, we strived to engage with students while they were isolated. We focused on online activation which led to the creation of the ‘FUSA@Home’ Facebook group where students could interact, share stories, get creative, or simply pass the time. From Semester 2 some events and activities returned to campus. This included our weekly ‘Relax’ events which continued to be very popular with students with free snacks and stationery across multiple campuses and locations including Bedford Park, Sturt, Tonsley and Flinders Med. Other events and activations included: • • • • • •

Keep Australia Beautiful Week PrideFest! Bluestocking week NAIDOC week R U OK? Day National Reconciliation Week (NRW) • University Mental Health Day (UMHD)

26 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

The O’Fiesta music festival closed out O’Week with a spectacular concert in the Plaza featuring a huge line-up of leading Australian artists including Meg Mac, Cosmo’s Midnight, Alex Lahey, Angie McMahon, and Arno Faraji. FUSA was also involved in the extended Orientation program of five key weeks including O’Week, Connect Week, Skills Week, Cultural Week, and Wellbeing Week. The program aimed to deliver key messages, events, and activities to new students to ensure they have the resources and support to be successful at university. However, the program was cut short due to COVID.

Highlights from 2020 Throughout SWOTVAC and Exams, FUSA ran an ‘Exam Support Campaign’ which aimed to relieve student stress by providing free snacks and stationery throughout the period, as well as a focus on promoting study, time management, self-care, and exam tips.

(SCAs) program was integral in the development of the 2021 Orientation design. Students played a crucial role by taking part in a range of creative sessions focused on the look and feel of the Orientation design. This included themes, colours, typography, illustration and more.

FUSA hosted an R U OK? Day event in collaboration with the team at Oasis. It was extremely popular with students and included a range of free goodies, music, giveaways, and meaningful conversation. A panel discussion was hosted in person and online where Flinders experts talked about what R U OK? Day means to them, how to ask people if they are okay, and about the range of support available to Flinders students. The Student Creative Advisors

2020 ANNUAL REPORT 27

Clubs, COLLECTIVES AND ASSOCIATIONS 2020 was a challenging year for the Clubs, Collectives and Associations program. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic clubs were unable to run activities for a collective period of 23 weeks in 2020. Even when permitted, COVID-19 safety requirements were very restrictive, forcing the cancellation of many unique activities and larger events. This impacted upon the ability of clubs to operate, run activities and engage their club members. The extent of this impact can be seen in the comparative summary of 2019 and 2020 below.

2019

2020

Registered events/activities

866

598

-30.9

Registered activity attendance

37371

15,994

-57.2

Affiliation Applications

-37.5

Requested funding for new projects (Pool Funding)

$194,121

$41,579

-78.6

Funding approved for new projects (Pool Funding)

$124,707 (64.2% of requested Pool Funding)

$34,764

-72.1

Total Funding Applications

282

125

-55.7

Total distributed funding

$173,055

$84,196

-51.3

28 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

A total of 96 clubs, collectives & associations were affiliated with FUSA in 2020, which reflects a slight increase over previous years. There were 20 new applications for affiliation in 2020, which was a significant decrease in applications compared to 2019. It should be noted that we anticipate the number of inactive clubs to be higher in 2021 as a result of the disruption to club activities in 2020. The challenges of 2020 led to the clubs community experimenting with a range of online activities to engage the student community; supported by FUSA through special grants for running online activities, purchasing online tools and software, and through the promotion of club activities through FUSA’s FUSA@ Home online engagement program. Examples of online activities run by FUSA clubs in 2020 include online quiz nights, photo competitions, Netflix online viewing parties, tutoring and study sessions, Shakespeare readings, guest presentations from academic staff, board gaming, video gaming and more. While online club activities were a rare occurrence in previous years, this trend of online engagement has continued into 2021; providing students studying externally or at smaller campuses with more opportunities to become involved in the Flinders club community.

scale. 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. It is anticipated that the loss of momentum due to COVID-19 will continue to affect the clubs program in 2021. Significant resources and new strategies will be required to return student engagement in the club community to pre-2020 levels. Our focus in 2021 will be on marketing and communication efforts to encourage students to join and start clubs, while providing additional resources to encourage clubs to engage with their members in both a physical and online capacity. Of particular note, the implementation of our new online student engagement platform will provide more opportunities to promote club events and engage with members. FUSA’s acquisition of a new function space will similarly allow clubs to run a wide range of new activities previously restricted by the limitations and availability of existing classrooms, lecture theatres and other spaces.

Despite the challenges of 2020, the Clubs, Collectives & Associations program continues to be an incredibly cost-effective method of engaging the Flinders University community; costing FUSA an average of $140 per activity in 2020. By comparison, events driven by FUSA itself typically cost FUSA between $1,400-$15,000, dependent on event

2020 ANNUAL REPORT 29

List of Clubs & Associations 8 Ball Club

Cinephile Society (FLICS)

Hellenic Association

Acapella Chorus

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Postgraduate Association

Higher Degree Research Students Society (BGL)

Aerospace and Avionics Association Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association Archaeology & History Society

Come Unto Christ Student Association Computer Society Costume Club (FUCOS)

Indian Student Association Indigenous Student Association Indonesian Students Association of Australia (PPIA)

Australian Student Veterans Association - Flinders University Chapter

Criminology Student Association

Australian Youth Climate Coalition Club

Education Student Association

Automotive Solar Team

Evangelical Students

Baha’i Society

Field Robotics Club

Bangladeshi Students Association

Film Society

Biotechnology Student Association

Friendship International

Lao Student Association in South Australia

Book Club

General Practice Students’ Network

Law Students Association

Business Students’ Association

Golden Key International Honour Society

Liberal Club

CDW Flinders Sketch Club

Government Student Association

Chinese Student and Scholar Association

Health and Human Rights Group

30 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Critical Care Society

French at Flinders Club

International Postgraduate Scholars Association Japanese Cultural Club La Peña Española de Flinders (Flinders Spanish Group) Labor Club

League of Legends Club Lions Campus Club Mad Tea Collective at Flinders Malaysian Student

Society

Permaculture Committee

Maniac Dance Club

Persian Club

Marine Biology Association

Philosophy Club

Sri Lankan Student Association Student Exchange Club

Photography Club

Student Paramedics Australasia

Physiotherapy Student Association

Students of Biology Association

Medical Students Society

Postgraduate Students Association

Students with Disabilities Association

Medical Students Society (NT Chapter)

Psychology Students Association

Surgical Society

Motorsport Club

Queer Society

Sustainability and Environment Collective

Muslim Association

Reach Out Volunteers Student Group

Tabletop und Roleplaying Enthusiasts

Rural Health Society

Thinking CaPS - Chemical and Physical Sciences Society

Mathematics and Statistics Society Medical Science Society

Myanmar Student Association Nursing and Midwifery Students Association

Singapore Medical Students Association

Nutrition Club

Singapore Students Association

Tourism Association

Social Work Association

Optometry Student Association

Twenty Thirty

Outdoor Club

Socialist Alternative Club

Vietnamese Student Association

Overseas Christian Fellowship

Society of Engineers

Women in Health

Paediatric Student Society

Southern Adelaide Skin Society

Palaeontology Society

Speech Pathology and Audiology Association

Performing Arts Society

Speleological Society

2020 ANNUAL REPORT 31

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 2020, the Media Team helped facilitate a variety of Student Council initiatives including National Reconciliation Week, Community Garden, Keep Australia Beautiful, Save Drama Centre, Bluestocking Week, Quaran-clean Bingo, and much more. Other initiatives included FUSA’s Welfare Brunch, Elections, FUSA@Home, R U OK Day, PrideFest!, COVID-19 Emergency Support, FUSA AGM, Be A Better Human, University Mental Health Day, Doing Nothing Does Harm, Empire Times Exhibition and Pets of Flinders competition. 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 2020, O’Week featured several events including Comedy Arvo, Clubs Day, Quiz Night, Bingo Night, Arcade Alley and Pinball Competition.

32 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

The O’Week event page had an overall reach of 29,100 with 1,483 event responses and the O’Fiesta event page had a reach of 95.9K with 8.4K event responses.

FUSA@Home During lockdown, FUSA launched ‘FUSA@Home’ – a space for students to kick back, relax and interact with each other online. A central space for students to communicate, share stories, get creative, join an online event and kill some time, FUSA@Home functioned as a smallscale online community to help keep the student experience live while in lockdown. With a total of 514 group members, students were encouraged to participate in online activities such as Jackbox, 30K May, Guided Meditation, Activate Yoga, Nutrition @ Home, Pets of Flinders, Netflix parties, and the ‘Lounge Room Legends’ competition – a weekly competition that encouraged students to get creative showcasing online their ‘iso-complishments’, ‘scenes @ Flinders’, ‘doomsday duffle bag’ and ‘quarantine cuisines’.

Be a better human In 2020, the award-winning 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 to exist – continued to rollout across campuses. The campaign included a series of posters and corflutes, videos, and other forms of messaging across online platforms such as social media and the FUSA website. Due to COVID-19, however, considerations had to be made regarding the rollout and presence of the campaign.

While the messages of ‘empathy’, ‘consent’ and ‘respect’, which composed Be A Better Human, remained relevant, messaging online was reduced. At such a difficult time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, FUSA decided to avoid starting a dialogue about sexual consent – a topic that can already be difficult and overwhelming. At this time, students were already oversaturated by negative news and suffering the consequences of lockdown, and the overall impact of COVID-19. As such, FUSA wished to avoid frequent communications around sexual consent, putting the interests of students’ wellbeing at the forefront of our communications. COVID-19 did lead to a greater awareness of the need for communications surrounding onlineabuse and the need for the campaign to pivot towards addressing this important issue.

2020 ANNUAL REPORT 33

Social Media During 2020, FUSA communicated important information through their social media channels Facebook and Instagram. Facebook • total net growth in audience of 714 • 11,091 followers • 251 posts were published with a total engagement of 68,847. Instagram • 42 tile posts • 387 stories with a total engagement of 2,862. The top performing posts across socials for the year were: 1) O’Fiesta reaching 14.9K to 45.9K 2) Non-Graded Pass Information reaching 11.7K 3) 6 Ways Student Council is calling on Flinders to provide greater support and certainty campaign reaching 11.4K Social media content covered a wide variety of student-centric interests including campaigns, initiatives, events, services and more. The following were covered across FUSA’s social media: • • • • • • • •

O’Fiesta O’Week 2020 and its events FUSA’s Book Swap Bookshelf Emergency Financial Assistance Empire Times Student Magazine FUSA Diaries Campus Life/Content Creation Be A Better Human

34 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

• Development Grants • COVID-19 Lockdown services available • Pets of Flinders competition • FUSA@Home • Loungeroom Legends competition • Oasis/Nutrition students Eat Well Feel Well • National Reconciliation Week • University Mental Health Day • Exam Support • Quaran-clean Bingo • Campus Music Competition • Recycling Box Student Hub • World Environment Day • SET Survey • Non-Graded Pass Information • Community Garden • Empire Times exhibition • O’Week Semester 2 • Boost Juice Pop Ups • Welfare Brunches • Keep Australia Beautiful • Blue Stocking Week • FUSA AGM • RUOK Day • O’Week Student Advisors • Exam Information • PrideFest! • Presidential Debate • Elections • Money & Me • Student Assist services • COVID-19 Emergency Support Payments • Doing Nothing Does Harm campaign • Save Drama Centre

Empire Times Empire Times (ET) is the student publication of Flinders University run by three elected students. In 2020, the editors elected were Carmen Giffen, Amy Bennet and Bec Manser. ET began publication in 1969 and strives to provide campus-oriented news and content that reflects the needs and interests of students. In 2020, ET produced printed editions in an A5 environmentally responsible format until COVID-19, when the editors pivoted to a largely online audience and reassessed the need for printed editions, leading to a reduced print run and increased online focus. ET was heavily involved with ‘FUSA@Home’, an online social space for students in lockdown. Of note, the annual Creative Competition was held entirely online and the editors hosted live readings of contributions to the magazine.

To innovate, the editors changed their popular print section ‘Humans of Flinders’ which traditionally involved a vox pop style interview with students on campus to ‘Pets of Flinders’– a competition for ‘cutest’, ‘dumbest’ and ‘most annoying’ pet, designed to be engaged with easily at home, bringing a sense of joy and comfort during lockdown. In 2020, ET produced a total of seven editions covering the themes: ‘Greetings’, ‘Growth’, ‘Lost and Found’, ‘Perspective’, ‘Sex, Love and Body’ and their COVID-influenced editions ‘Corona Times: Unprecedented’ and ‘Connection’. Post lockdown, an exhibition was held in the Hub that showcased front covers of ET across the years, spanning from 1969 to 2020 and an End of Year Party was held to celebrate student media and the amazing efforts put in by the editorial team and contributors.

2020 ANNUAL REPORT 35

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 non-academic 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.

consultation with the Executive of Student Council and FUSA staff. Student Council then approve the final funding request and budget. In the 2019 round, FUSA was allocated $2,191,000 for 2020. SSAF funds are required to be spent in accordance with the Allowed Amenities and Services as provided for under Section (19-38) of 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.

This funding request is prepared in

Breakdown of SSAF Funds allocated to FUSA for 2020 Student Engagement $1,036,000 Salaries, operational costs, support for initiatives that enhance student experience. Student Representation $72,000 Development Grants, support for student academic representation and voice across all Colleges and support for the functions of Student Council. Events $287,000 Student focussed events and activities including O’Weeks, cultural and issues specific events and activities on campus. Student Advocacy and Welfare $404,000 Independent and confidential academic advocacy, financial counselling, emergency financial assistance and welfare support to students.

Communications and Media $152,000 FUSA and Student Council promotion marketing, including website and social media presence, production of Empire Times, Student Diary, and student focussed campaigns such as Be A Better Human. Clubs and Societies (non-sporting) $165,000 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 2020 SSAF Transfers Expenses

Surplus/Deficit

Student Engagement

1,036,000

1,039,250

-3,250

Student Representation

72,000

86,233

-14,233

Events

287,000

296,538

-9,538

Student Advocacy and Welfare

404,000

374,584

29,416

Communications and Media

152000

183,782

-31,782

Clubs and Societies

165,000

108,054

56,946

Student Council

75,000

21,070

53,930

Totals

2,191,000

2,109,510

81,490

The Covid conditions of 2020 led to significant alterations in budget priorities, with a greater priority going to online engagement and interaction, and more being spent in grants and services to students in poverty. Clubs found it near impossible to sustain usual levels of activity, especially events, meetings and social gatherings leading to a saving in this area. Similarly, Student Council, whilst active in a campaigning sense, were not able to run the usual range of activities and initiatives, leading to an underspend in their area. Prior to the onset of COVID-19,

O’Fiesta was undertaken in a challenging commercial environment leading to lower ticket sales and therefore a more significant subsidy being applied. This is reflected in the slight overspend for Events. Given all these factors, the final expenditure total within 5% of budget was a satisfying outcome.

2020 ANNUAL REPORT 37

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION FUSA@FLINDERS.EDU.AU FUSA.EDU.AU LEVEL 1, STUDENT HUB, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY, BEDFORD PARK