FUSA Annual Report (2016)

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Contents 04

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About FUSA

Student Council & Staff

Student President

Events

Media

48

09

50

26

54

Student Council

Student Assist

Level 1 Student Hub Flinders University Bedford Park (08) 8201 2371 fusa@flinders.edu.au

Financial Report

Clubs

08

Manager, Student Engagement

56

Elections

Development Grants

FUSA Dux

FB.com/fusassociation Instagram.com/ fusassociation twitter.com/ fusassociation

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: Arrernte, Boandik, Bungarla, Gunditjmara, Jawoyn, Kaurna, Larrakia, Nauo, Ngarrindjeri, Peramangk, Ramindjeri, Wurundjeri, Yolgnu.

ABOUT FUSA Flinders University Student Association (FUSA) is the independent body representing the views and interests of 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

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• Administration of student clubs, societies and school associations • Student events and activities • Student managed communication and media, including the student magazine, Empire Times 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 services, amenities and programs for students funded from other income received by the Association

STUDENT COUNCIL

Staff

STUDENT PRESIDENT Caleb Pattinson

MANAGER, STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Chris O’Grady

GENERAL SECRETARY Simone Jowett (from Mar 2016) Genevieve Danenberg (until Feb 2016) EDUCATION OFFICER Jordon O’Reilly (from Mar 2016) Jack Harrison (until Feb 2016) ENVIRONMENT OFFICER Ali Roush DISABILITIES OFFICER Amy Hueppauff INDIGENOUS STUDENTS OFFICER Alfred Lowe INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OFFICER Prashanth Magandram MATURE AGE OFFICER Pauline Bullock (from Jul 2016) POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OFFICER Christine Bennetts-Roberts QUEER OFFICER Nardy Zanos-Jardine (from Mar 2016) Alexander Chen (until Feb 2016) SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OFFICER Sarah Polanco WELFARE OFFICER Jason Bryne WOMEN’S OFFICER Angela Tomarelli GENERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS Christopher Norman Grace Hill Hamish Richardson Joshua Sunman Sean Lamonby Hilary Wigg (from April 2016) Jordon O’Reilly (until Mar 2016)

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OFFICE COORDINATOR Fay Hart ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT Stacy White Nicholas Camac CLUBS & EVENTS OFFICER Adam Rau EVENTS & PROJECTS OFFICER Rachael Pollock EVENTS ASSISTANT Anthea Stanton MEDIA OFFICER Steph Walker MEDIA ASSISTANTS Kate van der Horst Sarah Gates STUDENT REPRESENTATION & DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Kate Walsh TEAM LEADER, STUDENT ASSIST Vanesa Duran Racero STUDENT FINANCE & ADVOCACY OFFICER Helen Laity STUDENT ADVOCACY OFFICER Sue Myatt STUDENT ASSIST SUPPORT OFFICER Elen Shute

Student President Report It was an honour being the President of FUSA in 2016; and what a year of progress we made.

To begin with, it is a pleasure to bring you this Annual Report.

This is something we have been planning for a while to ensure that FUSA is both transparent and accountable to students in all that we do. Accountability should be at the forefront of all of FUSA’s activities and this is why Student Council meetings are held on campus and are open to any Flinders student to attend. Make sure you are involved in how FUSA represents you and hold your Association to account.

Unfortunately attacks on university students across the country continued in 2016. With a Coalition Government reelected, and their continued push to deregulate university fees, the need for an active and engaged student body is more important than ever before. Student Council were disappointed to see support for university fee deregulation amongst the Innovative Research Universities, with our own ViceChancellor, Colin Stirling, refusing to come out publicly to back students on this issue. As part of the fight against deregulation, FUSA recommitted to the National Union of Students (NUS) to ensure a united front for students.

Threats to staffing levels at Flinders remained a concern for Student Council throughout 2016. A reduction in staffing levels has an immediate impact on the quality of education at our university. Students are already frustrated over the work level strain on academics, impacting on

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timely assignment feedback and reducing consultative hours. As an institution, Flinders should refocus our priorities to lobbying for an increase in funding to the Higher Education sector.

Empire Times was again funded through FUSA’s SSAF budget, with students valuing the importance of independent student media.

Unfortunately, in a tight monetary environment, Student Radio has been put on hold indefinitely.

While the idea isn’t completely dead and buried, we are unsure when it will be possible to roll out.

We achieved a lot that I am proud of in 2016 and while I can’t list everything, I’d like to highlight two key achievements: • FUSA was very pleased to both initiate and take part in a review of student representation at Flinders working with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students), Professor Clare Pollock as part of a Steering Group made up of both staff and students.

This review considered how to ensure ongoing opportunity for students to participate in academic governance and engage students in the cocreation of their learning experience. A final report outlining findings from this review with a series of recommendations for 2017 is currently being created and I look forward to seeing these recommendations implemented in the near future.

• 2016 was the first year FUSA was given full autonomy

over the social events at Orientation Week. We delivered a week packed with activities and events envisioned by our O’Week Student Directors and the FUSA team. The week was capped off with over two thousand students rocking out in the new Plaza to Triple J’s top 100 chart-topper, The Rubens. It was wonderful to see how empowering it was for FUSA and the students to have genuine control in decision-making processes around O’Week and how this benefits the whole university community.

We strove throughout the year to run a range of events to engage students, discuss important issues, celebrate our diversity and provide free food whenever possible! I would encourage you to read further into the Annual Report for a summary of all the initiatives Student Council members made possible. Some highlights for me included: • Expanding our regular Welfare Brunches and FUSA Says Relax events gave us the ability to reach Sturt, Tonsley and the Medical Centre.

2017 will continue to have a focus on how FUSA can bring our student-focused events and services to our other campuses.

• FUSA’s campaigns on car parking, enrolling to vote and fighting against cuts to higher education had an impact, but could have been more substantial. In a year of so much other activity, some of

these initiatives slipped down the priority list. Yet, there is a platform for the incoming 2017 Council to continue to push these issues, harnessing the power of the student voice and ensuring that we represent the interests of students in all our campaigns. • The beginning and end of the year was bookended by the Semester One Pub Crawl and the FUSA Ball, both well attended social events and always popular with students. • Along with the fun social activities FUSA initiated in 2016, we also committed to supporting the wellbeing of students through events including Anti-Poverty Week, Mental Health Week, and the Swot Vac Soup and BBQ. As President of Student Council, I believe it is important that FUSA aims to be representative of our diverse student population at Flinders. I challenge the incoming Council members to continue to consider how we go about representing all students at Flinders in 2017.

2016 saw a year of challenges, growth and lessons learnt for FUSA and the Flinders community.

A united Student Council in 2017 can now build off our platform and continue to enact change for the students we represent.

Caleb Pattinson Student President 2016

Page 7 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

Manager, Student Engagement Report 2016 was a year of both change and progress for FUSA. The major changes took place early in the year when FUSA opened its doors to students and staff in a brand new location within the newly built Student Hub. At the time of the move, FUSA simultaneously launched a new suite of branding and a new website. The branding was developed in consultation with students and has provided FUSA with a new identity that will continue to resonate with our stakeholders in years to come.

The progress made in 2016 could not have been achieved without staff working in partnership alongside Student Council to ensure that FUSA continues to effectively represent all students of the University, to promote and advance the rights, interests and welfare of students and to provide a high quality university experience.

Student Assist, who provide advocacy and support to students on academic, financial and welfare matters embarked on their own awareness building initiatives. In 2016, Student Assist had a 22.5% increase in the number of requests for assistance and this was across all areas of service provision.

Student Assist successfully advocated on a systemic level and oversaw the distribution of $15,000 in emergency financial assistance to students in crisis.

FUSA is the primary provider of social events and activities for students on campus and as of 2016, which now includes the entirety of the social component

Page 8 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

of O’Week. Events include the regular features such as FUSA Says Relax but also the Student Council initiatives and activities that contribute to a packed calendar of opportunities for students to get involved in university life. In 2016, the amount of events and activities on offer to students provided by FUSA more than doubled.

The completion of the Student Hub and Plaza provided an opportunity to revise the social component of O’Week and allowed FUSA to expand O’Fiesta.

As the first major events to be held in the new space, both were fully embraced by the student cohort. O’Fiesta was the largest music concert held on the Flinders campus in more than a decade. It was a very proud moment for the University and FUSA – to witness such a spectacular and memorable experience for both commencing and continuing students in their new space.

The FUSA affiliated clubs, societies and school associations also played a role in engaging students and providing an opportunity to make friends, connect with fellow students with similar interests and, in some cases, provide representation within schools and faculties. In 2016, there was a 44% increase in affiliated clubs and a 31% increase in club events and activities.

In the representation space, FUSA worked in collaboration with the Deputy ViceChancellor (Students), student representatives and other stakeholders in progressing a review of student

representation at Flinders. The review will culminate in a set of recommendations for how the University can create the structures, mechanisms and supports to ensure meaningful student representation and partnership across every level of the University. With the creation of a new university structure in 2017, this is a prime opportunity to make progress in this area.

It is expected that FUSA will play a major role in the initial implementation phase in 2017.

I invite you to take a read through this Annual Report for a more indepth exploration of the services and activities undertaken in 2016. In 2017, we will continue to evolve our services and activities and ensure that we do so in partnership with our students, involving them in all of our decision-making.

I would like to thank the staff of FUSA and the Student Council for their continued hard work and dedication in making this a very successful year. Their efforts truly make a positive and significant difference to the students at Flinders University.

Chris O’Grady Manager, Student Engagement

student council Reports

Page 9 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

General Secretary ROLE

• Preparation of agendas and financial reports to each Student Council meeting and Annual General Meeting • Maintain the financial records of the Association • Chair the Clubs & Societies Sub-Committee and First Year Students Collective

ACTIVITY Simone Jowett (from Mar 2016) Genevieve Danenberg (until Feb 2016)

• Researched banking options for the Student Council bank account and initiated the switch from NAB to the People’s Choice Credit Union • Assisted clubs with their affiliation paperwork, constitutional issues, attended clubs meetings and helped to facilitate the Pool Funding process • Presented a proposal for ‘placeholder topics’ equalling 0 credits, so that Student Council members may enrol in 2 topics and remain eligible for concessions for full-time students (e.g. Centrelink)

Welfare Officer ROLE

• Coordinate and implement the Student Council’s welfare campaigns • Liaise and network with State and National welfare and community sector groups and peak bodies • Chair the Welfare Collective and the External and Regional Collective

ACTIVITY Jason Byrne

Page 10 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

• Coordinated the Welfare Breakfasts and FUSA Says Relax days, expanding the breakfast program to Victoria Square in Semester 2 • Set up mindfulness and yoga classes in partnership with Flinders One • Coordinated National Parallel Import Restrictions (PIR) Campaign at Flinders • Gathered signatures for the #CheaperTextbooksNow campaign • Affordable Rent/Housing and Tenant Campaign • Ran Welfare Day of Action – a coordinated campaign with Welfare Officers across Australia and the National Welfare Officer • Launched the Welfare Collective

Page 11 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

Education Officer ROLE

• Chair the Student Representative Network • Coordinate and implement the Student Council’s education campaigns • Promote and facilitate student activity on education-related issues and liaise with local, national and international organisations

ACTIVITY Jordon O’Reilly (from Mar 2016) Jack Harrison (until Feb 2016)

• Hosted discussions with staff and students regarding placements, flagship degrees, changes to courses and improving student consultation • Collaborated with Student Assist to work with the School of Education to secure a placement or alternative arrangement for each and every Education student • Made reports and submissions to State Government about the changes to University Council and Federal Government about the higher education reform packages • Preparation of submissions and reports, including to the state government with regards to the changes to University Council and to the federal government with regards to their higher education reform packages • In collaboration with the Student President, developed a tender for FUSA to host the NUS Education Conference (unsuccessful) • Hosted the National Day of Action at Flinders

Women’s Officer ROLE

• Act as an advocate and be the spokesperson of women students • Be responsible for the coordination and implementation of campaigns on issues of importance to women students; • Chair the Women’s Collective

ACTIVITY Angela Tomarelli

Page 12 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

• Coordinated the following events:

o International Women’s Day at Flinders

o Screening of The Hunting Ground • Assisted in organising the Semester 1 Exam Stall • Facilitated the Women’s Collective

Page 13 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

Environment Officer ROLE

• Coordinate and implement the Council’s environment campaigns • Develop environmental campaign proposals promote and facilitate student activity on environmental issues • Chair the Environment Collective

ACTIVITY Ali Roush

Page 14 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

• Launched and facilitated the Environment Collective, incorporating existing and past environmental student groups – including FEAG, Vegan and Vegetarian Club, Fair Trade Collective, Sustainable Engineering Society, Australian Youth Climate Coalition and others • Planned and oversaw various events/campaigns:

o Environment Day

o Waste Awareness Day

o Divestment Day

o Random Acts of Kindness campaign – free ‘Karma

Kups’ and coffee randomly given to students at

Urban Paddock, Bon Voyage and Grind & Press

o Environment Collective BBQ

o Fair Trade 101 Session

o Fair Trade Fortnight

o Fashion Revolution Day • Contributed to the Fossil Free Flinders campaign and began discussions on how the University can begin partial divestment of fossil fuel assets • Worked closely with the university’s Sustainability Officer on the following:

o Discussed plans for the lake and other

environmental actions underway at Flinders

o Suggested improvements towards recycling and

waste disposal on campus

o Order an E-Waste bin, plus several recycling

and 10c caddies, and organising corresponding

signage for the Hub

o The design of a map showing all the locations for

the water refill stations on campus

o Lobbied for the university to gain Fairtrade

Accreditation from the Fair Trade Communities

program, which was approved by the University Council

for fairtrade

every day

join us for

morning tea: mon 9th, tues 10th mon 16th, tues 17th & 18th (8.30-11am)

oxfam’s biggest coffee break:

buy from :every day

Environment Day hosted by the FUSA Environment Collective

- The Whole Foods Store - Grind and Press - Bon Voyage - Urban Paddock (direct trade)

NGOs and organisations

Wed 11th (8.30-11am)

a ls o

featuring a

Tiny House!

Australia’s 1st building compliant

8:30 - 11am

WHERE

The Plaza, Flinders University, Bedford Park

fair trade collective: fb.com/fairtradeflinders coffee break event: tinyurl.com/hjtr82n

WHEN

Hosted by Flinders Fair Trade Collective

6th September 2016

more info: tinyurl.com/hkhv3rx FI LM S: LI ST O F SN O M /Z 5N BV TI NY U RL .C

MAY 17 @Plaza 11am

TA L N E M N O ENVIR  L A V I T FILM FES

- THURS K / MON E E W A S 4 DAY OCT G - 21ST U A D N 2 2 OOM T IM E D IA R L U M / A E PLAZ 1PM - TH 

EXPLORING PLA STIC FOSSIL FUELS FOOD WA STAGE FAIR TRADE

Postgraduate Officer ROLE

• Collect and provide information on the needs of postgraduate students for the Student Council • Coordinate and implement campaigns on issues of importance to postgraduate students • Chair the Postgraduate Students Collective

ACTIVITY Christine Bennetts-Roberts

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• The main aim this year was to conduct the groundwork for the establishment of a Postgraduate Students Association at Flinders. This included:

o Holding a postgrad forum to ascertain what the

needs, wants and concerns of postgrads are on campus

o Meeting with postgraduate students to ascertain

what the aims and objectives should be of

an association that is established

o Postgraduate students from a variety of faculties

discussing and drafting a constitution

o Meetings with the Office of Graduate Research • Coordinated the following:

o Postgrad UniBooks Grants ($15,000 worth of

textbooks delivered to Postgrad students)

o Postgrad Pizza Party

o Postgrad Writing Lock-Ins

o End-of-Year Postgrad Dinner • Built relationships with Yunggorendi in regards to Indigenous postgraduate students • Facilitated the Postgraduate Collective

A quiet space for Postgrad Students with no distractions, allocated time to write, and free food!

Student Hub Kitchen 29 Mar 5pm facebook.com.au/fusassociation

weekly - check fusa.edu.au/events 10am - 12pm:

12pm - 1pm:

Computer Lab (SSS010)

The Cove (Social Sciences South)

WRITING LOCK IN

FREE LUNCH

More dates to come: fusa.edu.au/events | RSVP to postgraduate.officer@flinders.edu.au

International Officer ROLE

• Collect and provide information on the needs of international students to the Student Council • Liaise with other bodies that provide representation and, personal and academic support to International students • Coordinate and implement campaigns on issues of importance to International students • Chair the International Students Collective Prashanth Magandram

ACTIVITY • • • •

Met with international students to hear their issues Supported international/cultural clubs and associations Liaised with International Student Services and Oasis Promoted awareness of the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) • Coordinated the following events:

o Multicultural Festival

o Meet & Greet Session (April)

o International Student Forum

o International Student Help Session

o Soccer Tournament

o Movie Nights • Facilitated the International Students Collective

Queer Officer ROLE

• Act as an advocate on behalf of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Intersex and Queer (GLBTTIQ) students • Coordinate and implement campaigns of importance to GBLTTIQ identifying students • Chair the Queer Collective

ACTIVITY Nardy Zanos-Jardine (from Mar 2016) Alexander Chen (until Feb 2016)

Page 18 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

• Curated the new Queer Space in the Student Hub, including:

o Discussions with FUSA and University staff to

ensure that the Queer Space is safe

o Ordered furniture and coordinated decal • Met with GBLTTIQ identifying students to hear their issues • Coordinated the following events:

o IDAHOT (International Day Against

Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia)

o Queer Society BBQ

o AGM for the Flinders University Queer Society

o Flawlessly Queer Pub Crawl

Page 19 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

Disabilities Officer ROLE

• Advocate for students who live with disability and run campaigns and work with similar advocacy groups, University staff, or others to ensure the best interests of students living with disabilities is taken into account • Advise the Student Council on any practice that may be deemed ablest, or may discourage those living with disabilities from joining or attending FUSA events • Chair the Accessibility Collective Amy Hueppauff

ACTIVITY

• Provided input to the Buildings & Property Division of the University regarding the Registry Road redevelopment, special permit parking and lobbied for the creation of a Disabilities Space within the university • Lobbied the Equal Opportunity & Diversity Committee to include more student representatives. There are now seven positions (Disabilities Officer, Indigenous Officer, Queer Officer, Women’s Officer, International Students Officer, Postgraduate Students Officer, Mature Age Officer) • Attended Disability Committee meetings • Coordinated a Disabilities Collective Meet & Greet

Social Activities Officer ROLE

• Responsible for the ongoing organisation and management of the activities deemed ‘social’ rather than political that are run under FUSA’s name • Review, change and add to the FUSA Social Calendar as they seem fit and be the contact point for FUSA members conducting campaigns with a social aspect • Chair the Social Activities Collective

Sarah Polanco

Page 20 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

ACTIVITY

• Developed and coordinated the following events in collaboration with FUSA Events staff:

o FUSA Pub Crawl (S1 & S2)

o Halfway There gig night at the end of S2 O’Week

o FUSA Disney Film Festival

o FUSA Ball

o Halloween Havoc • Staffed the FUSA stall during O’Week • Assisted with the organisation and promotion of the National Day of Action

Page 21 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

Mature Age Officer ROLE

(position newly created August 2016) • Act as an advocate on behalf of mature age students and be the spokesperson for mature age students • Liaise and network with other mature age student organisations and bodies on campus and outside of the University • Coordinate and implement campaigns on issues of importance to mature age students Pauline Bullock

ACTIVITY

• Founded and facilitated the Mature Age Students Collective • Attended Mature Age Student United Club (MASU) meetings to provide feedback regarding FUSA and mature age issues/ activities • In collaboration with MASU, created an information package ‘By Students For Students’ with material specific to making life at university easier for mature age students • Consulted with Health, Counselling and Disability about issues faced by mature age students at Flinders • Coordinated the following events:

o Mature Age Hangout for O’Week

o Morning Tea (Mental Health Week)

o Embrace Documentary Screening

Page 22 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

Indigenous Officer ROLE

• Advocate on behalf of Indigenous students on campus and chair the First Nations Collective • Liaise and network with other organisations that provide support to and representation for Indigenous people • Coordinate and implement campaigns on issues of importance to Indigenous students

ACTIVITY Alfred Lowe

Page 24 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

• Met with University representatives, including Yunggorendi, the Office of Indigenous Strategy and Engagement and the Equal Opportunity & Diversity Committee, regarding Indigenous issues • Discussed issues with Indigenous students at the Darwin campus and implemented an Indigenous area/room • Coordinated the following events:

o Harmony Day BBQ

o NAIDOC at Flinders • In collaboration with Yunggorendi:

o Negotiated a minimum number of guaranteed

funding allocations for Indigenous students to

attend the ATSI conference run by the National

Union of Students o Presented to incoming Indigenous students at the

Yunggorendi Orientation Event to introduce FUSA and

its services • Worked with the University Library to stock more books on Indigenous cultures focusing on promoting cultural awareness for non-Indigenous people • Facilitated the First Nations Collective

NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST SYSTEMATIC VIOLENCE AND BRUALITY BY AUSTRALIAN POLICE AND CORRECTIONS

WAYNE FELLA MORRISON DEATH IN CUSTODY – Died: 26.09.16 – 3:50am

MISS DHU

DEATH IN CUSTODY – Died: 04.08.14 – 1:39pm

DENNIS DOOLAN

SHOT BY POLICE WHILST UNARMED – 28.09.16

DYLAN VOLLER

NUMEROUS COUNTS OF BRUTALISATION BY AUSTRALIAN YOUTH CORRECTIONAL SERVICES SINCE 2008 ONWARDS

ADELAIDE:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 – 5PM NORTH TERRACE – PARLIAMENT

student ASSIST Report

Student assist report In 2016 Student Assist continued to provide support, advice and advocacy services to students on academic, financial and welfare matters.

In addition to individual student casework, Student Assist has advocated for students systemically at the school, faculty and university level where required, by providing feedback on proposed changes to university policies, making representations in response to group grievances, and submitting course reviews based on casework experience.

CASE MANAGEMENT The number of cases presented to Student Assist has increased in 2016 to 645, up from 500 in 2015 (22.5% increase).

The distribution of cases throughout the year is similar to previous years, with a peak in August relating to the deadline for Second Semester Grant applications.

A student case can involve one or more issues, which in turn can be broadly classified as academic, financial or welfare. The 2016 caseload generated 948 issues and involved an investment of 1,116 hours of staff time. The average staff time devoted per case has escalated to 1.7 hours in 2016 from 1.6 hours per case in 2015, suggesting an increase in case complexity.

Financial and academic issues each contribute to 48% of the case breakdown. Approximately 38% of the total staff time was devoted to

Page 27 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

STUDENT ASSIST CASE NUMBERS BY MONTH (2013-2016)

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

JAN

FEB MAR APR MAY 2013

JUN 2014

JUL

AUG

2015

SEP

OCT

NOV

2016

the provision of financial advocacy.

Group grievances

In addition, Student Assist staffs a fully dedicated help and support email address. This year, 271 email queries were sent to student. assist@flinders.edu.au.

Student Assist advocated on behalf of two groups of students with regards to academic grievances:

ACADEMIC ADVOCACY Student Assist managed 474 academic issues in 2016. This was an increase from the 337 in 2015.

The six most common academic issues accounted for more than three-quarters of academic casework in 2016 and are shown in the table below.

ISSUE

NUMBER OF CASES

Academic appeal Review of a grade complaint about a topic or course

72 71 51

placement issues academic integrity re-mark of an assignment

48 44 40

DEC

• Providing support and information to 21 students in Semester 1 with concerns around the structure and delivery of a science topic.

Student Assist compiled the feedback from all involved students in one anonymous letter and acted as a mediator between the school and students, brokering meetings when requested. • Compiling concerns of 7 students from a topic in Semester 2 who wished to complain anonymously to their school about a topic coordinator.

Academic Integrity Steering Committee

were awarded to 60 students on a needs-basis.

Student Assist was a stakeholder in the 2016 Academic Integrity (AI) Project Steering committee in the process of updating the University’s AI policies and procedures. This was an opportunity to advocate on behalf of all students, based on Student Assist’s experience dealing with 120 academic integrity cases since 2013.

Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA)

Student Assist staff submitted a position statement on the Internal Audit Implementation 2016 and has contributed to the development and review of the Academic Integrity Policy and the Academic Integrity Procedures for Coursework Students.

This year Student Assist has also introduced Chemist Vouchers to our suite of EFA. Students are now able to access vouchers to purchase essential prescriptions and over the counter medications.

FINANCIAL ADVOCACY

Applications for interest-free student loans (up to $500) increased in 2016. There were 77 loan applications in 2016, versus 56 in 2015.

In 2016 Student Assist managed 436 student financial issues. The four most commonly encountered issues accounted for more than three-quarters of the financial caseload and are shown in the table below.

ISSUE

NUMBER OF CASES

second semester grant applications

98

EMERGENCY financial 98 assistance Interest-free student loans

77

financial counselling

63

Grants This year saw nearly a 50% increase in the number of applications for Second Semester Grants (98 applications versus 65 last year). Grants worth $500 each

Page 28 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

The Emergency Financial Assistance available includes food parcels, supermarket and Foodbank vouchers, and Metro cards. There were 224 instances of EFA supplied in 2016, amounting to a total of $15,700 of assistance distributed over the year.

Loans

Financial Counselling The number of students attending FUSA for Financial Counselling increased slightly, with 63 cases in 2016, compared to 56 in 2015.

Anti-Poverty Week To mark national Anti-Poverty Week (APW), Student Assist managed an on-campus event in October on a larger scale than in 2014 and 2015. The event ran for half a day and featured a host of giveaways, screened cooking demonstrations of lowcost nutritious meals, showed film screenings on affordability matters and provided financial advice and resources by external community agencies.

Stationery, toiletries, food parcels and recipe packs were distributed

COMPOSITION OF STUDENT ASSIST CASES

among students to the end of providing some financial relief and to raise awareness of Student Assist’s financial counselling and financial help available.

In collaboration with the FUSA ambassadors (DUX) a secondhand ‘professional clothing’ stall was set up to provide students with low-cost professional wardrobe options with clothes donated by the Flinders University community.

The event was very well received by students and staff alike and has been the most successful APW campaign event at Flinders to date, due no doubt to the new Hub and Plaza, additional staffing resources, extra engagement with Flinders and external organisations and a closer collaboration with Student Council. We are also conscious of extending Student Assist goodwill to other campuses and are considering running a smaller version of this event at satellite campuses in the future.

SERVICE AWARENESS Ensuring students have readily accessible information on the services available continues to be a priority. Having moved from temporary offices to the Student Hub in January 2016 and undergoing a rebranding exercise, Student Assist embarked on a brand awareness campaign so that students are able to identify the type of assistance available.

To the end of raising awareness of the assistance we provide we: • Produced a new Student Assist brochure and a Financial Counselling flyer • Commissioned a 90-second animation video to develop a closer connection with our

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audience and increase Student Assist’s services perceived value • Developed new tools for commonly encountered academic issues to ensure primary advocacy assistance is available 24/7 HIGHLIGHTS • 22.5% increase in the number of students accessing the service in 2016 • Student Assist extended engagement to Victoria Square and Sturt campuses in the form of a pilot welfare programme in collaboration with key stakeholders • Successful outcomes for students through our systemic advocacy efforts GOALS FOR 2017 • Enhance our welfare campaign and emergency financial assistance to reach other satellite campuses in collaboration with Student Council’s Welfare Officer • Develop and implement a financial literacy/capability programme • Manage a smaller-scale Anti-Poverty event in Semester 1 at a satellite location

“I truly appreciate every single effort that [Student Assist has] done for me, so that I can continue my studies at Flinders University.”

“the assignment grade that [Student Assist] helped me appeal against has finally been remarked. I went from a Credit to a Distinction for the whole topic.”

EVENTS Report

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EVENTS report 2016 was a big year for FUSA events. Over the academic year, FUSA put together 139 events and activities compared with 61 in 2015. Events ranged from O’Week and O’Fiesta, to the Outdoor Cinema, Waste Awareness Day, the two day Multi-Cultural Festival, karaoke, live music, pub crawls, Exam Survival Pop ups, postgrad student writing lock-ins and of course our regular FUSA Says Relax days and that is just to name a few.

2016 GOALS • Activation of new Student Hub and Plaza • A strong focus on making 2016 O’Week and O’Fiesta substantially bigger and better than previous years • More live music on campus • Increase the quantity and quality of events • Extend events and the positive reputation of FUSA among other campuses (Tonsley, Sturt, School of Medicine) • Work collaboratively with University departments such as Buildings and Property and the Office of Communication and Engagement to strengthen events and gain University support where needed

ACHIEVEMENTS The new Hub and Plaza is a brilliant venue for events and activities, and we certainly used it as much as possible throughout the year. Although our focus was to activate the new space in 2016, we were also conscious of extending FUSA’s engagement

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to other campuses. We did this by holding FUSA Says Relax events at Tonsley, Sturt and the School of Medicine. We quickly learnt that FUSA Says Relax was a hit at all of these venues, with students appreciating the freebies, entertainment and services.

We achieved our goals for 2016 with several live music events, including O’Fiesta, live music at FUSA Says Relax, Outdoor Cinema nights, Halfway There (Semester 2 O’Week), and musicians performing throughout O’Week (Semester 1 and 2).

The quality of events was improved by more thorough planning, more staffing resources and working closely with Student Council to deliver the best events possible. The large volume of events proved to be challenging during peak times and it is recommended that a more strategic approach is considered

for 2017. We also found that participation in events dropped off when there were too many events scheduled.

GOALS FOR 2017 • Be strategic in regards to the quantity and timing of events to increase participation • Consider how to engage with the Victoria Square, Sturt and Medical campuses • Continue to grow O’Week/ O’Fiesta • Develop a plan for the year early on and in collaboration with Student Council

Overall, FUSA offered 167 shifts to student casuals in 2016

O’WEEK Semester 1 O’Week 2016 was our first event in the very newly built Hub and Plaza. We utilised the space to its full capacity, with events and activities in the plaza amphitheatre, function centre, bar, media room and student kitchen, as well as the general areas of the Hub and Plaza.

free comedy afternoon, outdoor cinema, a clubs social night and a quiz night.

O’Week ran from Monday 22nd – Friday 26th February 2016.

FUSA was responsible for the overall coordination of the social component of O’Week including event logistics, social events and activities, stall coordination, stallholder management, stage management, generation of commercial interest, marketing and communications and stakeholder management.

Free social events included a

Semester 2 O’Week was much smaller by comparison, although a fantastic event overall. FUSA concentrated the events indoors, and focused on utilising the space after our learnings from Semester 1 O’Week. The highlights of Semester 2 O’Week was the Halfway There concert in the Tavern and Karaoke Night.

Feedback from students was extremely positive.

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Media designed and manufactured 4,000 O’Week tote bags that included seedlings, sunglasses, enamel pins and other promotional ephemera.

FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS “KEEP IT THE SAME!” “IT WAS PRETTY AWESOME” “THERE WAS A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES... WHICH HELPED MYSELF AND OTHERS SOCIALISE AND GET TO KNOW FLINDERS!”

O’FIESTA O’Fiesta closed out Flinders University Orientation Week, Semester 1, with a spectacular concert on the Plaza, featuring Hottest 100 winners from 2015 (who were announced the winners only a few weeks earlier), The Rubens, supported by Northeast Party House, Thelma Plum, KLP and Flinders’ very own Babes Are Wolves.

Being Flinders’ 50th anniversary and the first O’Week in the newly completed Hub and Plaza, the brief for O’Fiesta was to go big.

As a result, the line-up was one of the best Flinders has seen in more than a decade.

FUSA, with the support of 5/4 Entertainment were responsible for the overall coordination of O’Fiesta, including event logistics, and activities, stall coordination and stallholder management, stage management, generation of commercial interest, marketing and communications and stakeholder management.

The event was a sell-out, with 2,300 tickets sold well in advance of the event date. Tickets were $15 for students and $30 for non-students. O’Fiesta engaged commencing and continuing Flinders University Students. It was the largest O’Fiesta to be held on the Flinders University campus.

After O’Fiesta, representaives on Student Council and the wider community called for live music to increase on their respective campuses. Where budget permitted, live music accompanied FUSA Says Relax

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events, Halfway There, the Semester 2 O’Week concert and other events throughout the year – consequently creating a platform for Flinders University student performers.

Students contributed to O’Fiesta through: • Student O’Week Directors provided input into the planning of the event, ensuring that the event was student directed and student centric. There was student consultation on artists and student needs for the event, which included extra buses and cheap ticket prices • Student artwork/design of the poster. The imagery of an astronaut was the distinct image of O’Fiesta 2016. This featured on all media, t-shirts, etc • Student band, Babes Are Wolves, were the runner up in the Flinders Heats of the National Campus Band Competition and were the first performance • Promotion: student clubs were given a free tickets to use as prizes during O’Week and to help them increase student membership, etc

FUSA SAYS RELAX

WELFARE BRUNCHES

FUSA Says Relax is a weekly (sometimes twice a week) event held across four campuses of Flinders University. Locations included the Central Campus, Tonsley Campus, the Medical Centre and Sturt Library. In 2016, thirty one, three hour events were held.

The welfare brunches are an initiative of Student Council that started in 2014, providing students with free food and drink to help them get through the day.

In 2016, FUSA held 75 Welfare Brunches. 55 were held at various locations on the main campus, with an addition 13 held at Tonsley and 7 held at Sturt. $21,799 was spent on: • Pancakes • Muesli bars • Muffins • Seasonal fruit • Breakfast bars • Up & Go • Juice boxes

The event offers students free haircuts, massages, stationery, staple food and lunch. This event is an initiative of Student Council and funded through the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

It aims to offer students services that will support their well-being and academic study.

FUSA Says Relax has proven to be valuable to students and aims to alleviate student stress, boost student morale, and build upon the communal atmosphere on campus.

IN 2016, FUSA PROVIDED STUDENTS WITH:

375 Free haircuts

$4,650 of free lunches

360 free massages

$3,100 of free staple food packages

$9,920 of free stationery

EMPLOYED 57 students

The event also contributes to the University’s sense of community, provides a platform for student performers, an opportunity to partner with community agencies (i.e. Foodbank), the provision of student employment and a space to communicate FUSA’s services.

Many express appreciation for the services, such as massages and the haircuts, as well as how they will use the staple food to feed their family or housemates.

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clubS Report

CLUBS report Campus culture changed significantly with the establishment of the new Student Hub and Plaza. For FUSA’s 98 clubs and societies, the development provided new opportunities for student engagement. In 2016 there were more clubs engaging more students, more often and putting on bigger and better events. A combination of the reinvigorated campus culture along with streamlined club processes and improved resources resulted in the best results with regards to student engagement by clubs since FUSA’s establishment in 2012.

With an increase in active clubs and societies now operating on campus, the focus for 2017 will be on improving the quality of club events and increasing the level of student engagement of club events and activities. Internal administrative processes will also be improved to provide clubs with faster access to resources and funding. Promotion and marketing of clubs and societies will also be prioritised to increase student awareness of the broad range of clubs available.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2016 • Establishment of a dedicated Club Space in the Hub, available 24/7 for club meetings, events & activities • Installation of 51 new electronic lockers and storage cage, available 24/7 for the storage of club equipment and available exclusively for all FUSA clubs • The annual Club Awards Night was combined with the Empire

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•

•

•

•

•

Times end of year celebration to improve attendance to the event while recognising the extracurricular service by students to the Flinders community Overhaul of club funding processes to increase accessibility to funding for club events, activities and projects Increased recognition of club volunteers by both FUSA and the South Australian Government Integration of Clubs Day into the O’Week event to improve student awareness and recruitment into clubs and societies Establishment of a central online space for all club requirements and resources to increase club autonomy A substantial increase in event equipment available for club use

NEW CLUBS 38 new clubs registered with FUSA in 2016 for a total of 98 clubs and societies operating on campus. In 2016, student clubs have been more stable than in previous years, with fewer clubs disaffiliated for inactivity than in previous years.

CLUB DIVERSITY Clubs represented a broader range of interests in 2016, particularly with regards to academia and special interests. While Flinders One support sporting clubs recognised by Australian University Sport, FUSA continues to support niche outdoor and

sporting activities such as Speleology and Quidditch. FUSA continues to support cultural and spiritual diversity, with eighteen cultural and spiritual clubs presently receiving FUSA support on campus.

CLUB FUNDING As a result of changes to the club funding model in 2016, there was a major increase in club uptake of funding. Clubs received $124,392.88 in club funding in 2016, compared to $36,969.71 in 2015. This has resulted in a substantial increase in both the quality and quantity of club events and projects.

Changes to the club funding model include: • A simplified grant structure to increase efficiency in the administration of grants, and reducing club confusion • A 50% reduction to ‘guaranteed’ club funding with this money being redirected into a pool in which all clubs can apply to access for specific activities or projects • Replacing the paper-based grant application with a digital process for easier access • The creation of a $500 ‘StartUp Grant’ now available to both non-financial and financially affiliated clubs in their first year of affiliation, to assist with the purchase of essential resources

236% INCREASE

IN FUNDING DISBURSED TO CLUB PROJECTS

KEY FIGURES OVER 400 STUDENTS

31% INCREASE IN

REGISTERED CLUB EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES COMPARED TO 2015

INVOLVED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FUSA CLUBS

44% INCREASE IN

AFFILIATED CLUBS COMPARED TO 2015

5,817

RECORDED CLUB MEMBERS

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POOL FUNDING The creation of a pool of funds has encouraged clubs to think outside the square and apply for funding for events, activities or equipment and resources that will lead to increased student engagement across the University.

accommodation for members of the Flinders Motorsport Team to compete in the Formula SAE Competition in Melbourne

•

CLUB EVENTS, PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES

Access to pool funding, allows clubs far greater access to financial resources than ever before, encouraging clubs to design and implement more ambitious projects and events. Some projects funded through Pool Funding in 2016 included:

Club events and activities increased substantially by 31 % in 2016 compared to the previous year; with over 560 club events and activities offered to students in 2016.

• The Flinders Medical Students’ Society MedRevue, consisting of dance and performances, held at the Marion Cultural Centre • Furnishing of a new Common Room for Chemical and Physical Sciences students, maintained by the Thinking CaPS School Association • The purchase of a Virtual Reality Simulator for the Flinders University Digital Gaming Enthusiasts • A ‘Teddy Bear Hospital’, teaching medical students to work with children from lower socio-economic backgrounds • ‘Exam Welfare Packs’ for International Students • Uniforms for the Flinders Maritime ‘RobotX’ Team • A 3D Printer for use between the science, engineering and board gaming clubs • T-Shirt Screen Printing equipment for club pub crawls and other events • Purchase of safety equipment and subsidised

• The Cultural Connections project, aimed at encouraging international students to meet local students and become better accustomed to South Australian culture • Lunchtime video gaming sessions on the Plaza Super Screen run by the Flinders University Digital Gaming Enthusiasts • The Ahmadiyya Muslim Students Association’s Qur’an Exhibition held in the Central Library • The Annual ‘Digger’s Shield’ Cricket Match between the Flinders Palaeontology Society and the Flinders Archaeological Society • The first South Australian competitive Quidditch match, between the Flinders Fantastic Beasts Quidditch and a team from Adelaide University • 24-hour gaming events, held by the Flinders University Digital Gaming Enthusiasts • Monthly Board Game Nights in the Flinders Tavern, run by the

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•

• • •

Highlights have included: •

Flinders University Tabletop and Roleplaying Enthusiasts The Flinders Evangelical Students’ 50th Anniversary Dinner The Flinders Fashion Society Fashion Show and Cocktail Night Caving trips run by the Flinders Speleological Association Prop-making workshops run by the Flinders University Costume Club Participation in the first national inter-university video gaming competition by the Flinders League of Legends Club Creative Reading nights run by Flinders Speakeasy

Archaeological Society Astronomical Society Australian Youth Climate Coalition Club Automotive Solar Team Social and Support Club - FAST Bachelor of Health Sciences Student Association Bangladeshi Students Association Beverage Enthusiasts Biodiversity and Animal Behaviour Society Bob Hawke Appreciation Society Bouldering Club Business School Student Association Chinese Student and Scholar Association Cinephile Society (FLICS) Comrades of Social work Costume Club (FUCOS) Creative Arts and Humanities School Association Criminal Justice Student Association CSEM Student Association Cultural Association of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Cultural Connections Debating Association Digital Gaming Enthusiasts East Timorese Students Association Education Student Association

Engineers Without Borders Humanitarian Society East Timorese Students Association Education Student Association Engineers Without Borders Humanitarian Society Evangelical Students Fair Trade Collective Fantastic Beasts Quidditch Team Fashion Student Society Field Robotics Club French at Flinders Club Golden Key International Honour Society Greens Club Grog Squad Health and Human Rights Group Health Sciences School Association History and International Relations Student Association Icecream Lovers United Indigenous Student Association Indonesian Students Assocation of Australia (PPIA) International Medical Student Association Japanese Speakers Club Labor Club Law Students Association League of Legends Club Liberal Club

Malaysian Student Association Marine Biology Association Mature Aged Students United Medical Science Society Medical Students Society Meditation and Mindfulness Group Motorsport Club Muslim Association Nepalese Students Association Network for Starting Interesting and Engaging Stuff (FUNSIES) Nick Xenophon Team Students’ Association Nursing and Midwifery Students Association Nutrition Club Optometry Student Association Overseas Christian Fellowship Palaeontology Society Pastafarians Permaculture Committee Philosophy Club Physics Society Plant Biotech Society of Flinders Uni Pokemon Go at Flinders Poker Society Postgraduates Students’ Club Psychology Students Association Red Cross Club Rotaract Club Rural Health Society

School of Biology Association Secular Society Singapore Medical Society Singapore Students Association Social and Policy Studies School Association Socialist Alternative Club Society of Engineers Sociology Students Association Spanish Club (Club de Espanol) Speakeasy Speleological Society Surgical Society Tabletop und Roleplaying Enthusiasts Thinking CaPS - Chemical and Physical Sciences Society Tourism Association UPSTARt - WEI South Africa Volunteers Vegetarian and Vegan Club Veggie Patch Vgen Vietnamese Student Association

MEDIA Report

MEDIA report Dedication to graphic design, branding and digital platforms such as Facebook and the FUSA, O’Week and Empire Times websites was the core focus of 2016, with significant changes being implemented from January.

The Media Team spent 2016 supporting and making a positive contribution to the hundreds of online and offline communities within FUSA, which include our collectives and student clubs. We support these communities in many ways through the provision of graphic design solutions and promotion/marketing strategies.

In 2016 FUSA streamlined this process by introducing three integrated Survey Monkey forms for Student Council and clubs to request media support.

BRANDING FUSA opened its doors to students in its new space in the Student Hub. The Media Team spent 9 months prior researching and implementing the new branding identity and visual manifestations of FUSA for a 2016 launch. This development phase allowed us a near seamless application to our new space and to our digital platforms.

While all our signage and promotional ephemera changed, so did our website as we worked to completely refresh our theme.

We now have a brand book that ensures consistency of style and visual standards for all FUSA communications, promotional material and marketing collateral. The focus of 2017 will be to brand – without branding, to connect – without selling and

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to invite students to embrace our ethos – over labels. Branding, marketing and the way students consume media is changing. To continue FUSA’s growth, we need to evolve with our community.

WEBSITES The Media Team oversee all of the FUSA operated websites and provide online development advice and support to FUSA staff, student representatives, clubs and societies and student associations.

We’ve increased the use of fusa. edu.au by 17% to 76,000 visits during 2016 compared to 2015.

Individual users are up 26% to 43,000 culminating in 163,000 page views! This is a combination of refining and improving the copywriting and the new design, making it much easier for students to navigate the website on all forms of technology.

Our most frequently visited pages remain (1) Jobs (2) Clubs (3) Grants (4) Elections and (5) Events, the latter running in conjunction with Facebook as a plugin.

Since FUSA purchased the URL: flindersoweek.com.au in 2013 and consolidated O’Week marketing and promotion to point in the direction of this website, we’ve seen huge increases in student use every year. In 2016, we have reason to believe we may have reached a peak. While there are still great opportunities to increase site activity at 32,000 sessions in 2016, we’ve seen a 19% increase compared to 2015.

Empire Times has its own URL also: empiretimes.com.au. While we

build and host the website, it is largely left under the discretion of the editorial team as to how to use it. The number of visitors to the website was very good with 2016 analytics demonstrating 20,739 views for the year.

SOCIAL MEDIA The social media landscape in Australia continues to evolve with regards to its users and the technology of the platforms. Social media is one of the only digital avenues where organisations like FUSA can have two-way communication, giving us the opportunity to receive feedback, monitor sentiment and build a relatable brand personality.

Nearly three quarters of Australians are now on social media; it’s obviously not a fading fad. Australians are now spending more than 12.5 hours on Facebook alone (per week), up from four hours in 2015.

In 2016, FUSA increased its followers on Facebook by 27% to 6,702, an impressive result considering how young FUSA is. We received just under 900 unique personal messages, averaging 3.14 messages a day, which we generally answer within 10 minutes. Replying, moderating and interacting on social media is becoming more important and is fast becoming a significant communication channel.

The Media Team is custodian of 30+ other social media accounts which include Student Council Collective pages, club pages, group forums and branded pages for large events like O’Fiesta.

EMPIRE TIMES While Empire Times had a hiatus from 2006-2013 (caused by Voluntary Student Unionism legislation), it was relaunched

by FUSA in 2013 and celebrated it’s 40th year of publication with Flinders Press. Since then Empire Times has increased its brand and engagement on campus, printing 10 issues (52 pages each) over the course of each academic year, with over 120 contributors and subeditors.

The editors attended the National Editors Workshop and Skillshare (NEWS) Conference at Express Media in Melbourne in January.

This is a wonderful program that aids in the induction and development of emerging talents such as ours.

A small survey conducted in 2016 illustrated that most students read ET and put it back on campus for others to read so distribution estimates are higher than we report as we can’t stipulate that rate (40%) with accuracy.

While most respondents prefer to read ET in physical form, a whopping 20,000 people visited empiretimes.com.au in 2016, which houses both the digital version on ISSUU and other articles that don’t make it into the print edition.

The survey also allowed us to ask students where we should place custom made magazine racks around campus and this project was rolled out in December. This allows distribution to be counted and assessed for ebb and flow of popular areas.

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Empire Times continues to build and thrive. This year’s editors – Simone Corletto, Liam McNally, Eleanor Danenberg and Lauren Reid – took on ten issues over the academic year. They utilised more themes, including Nature, Time, Fifty and Fantasy, as well as the traditional Sex issue. The editors also drew on new columns (i.e. 10 Things) and included a calendar of events. The digital magazine was viewed, on average, 2833 times per issue. Print runs ranged between 1500 and 4000, depending on the time of year.

As well as the print magazine and digital distribution on ISSUU.com, content was added to the website: empiretimes.com.au.

The Empire Times Creative Competition ran again in 2016.

The results were:

FICTION 1st: Richard Falkner 2nd: Cameron Lowe

POETRY 1st: Kayla Gaskell 2nd: Leeza von Alpen

VISUAL ARTS 1st: Sheydin Dew 2nd: Amber Hall

PHOTOGRAPHY Sarah Gates The Empire Times Party went ahead on 11 May and the endof-year party was hosted in partnership with the annual Clubs Awards Night on 21 November.

The awards were as follows:

CONSISTENT COLUMNIST 2016 Brenton Griffin - The Politics Column

SIDEKCIK SUB-EDITOR 2016 Kayla Gaskell

AWESOME ARTIST 2016 Sheydin Dew

FEATURE OF THE YEAR 2016 Ashley Sutherland - “A Culture of Condemnation”

BEST COVER 2016 Rebecca Read - “Fantasy”

EMPIRE TIMES MVP 2016 Jess Miller

TOTAL VIEWS: 28,981

ONLINE VIEWS ISSUE 9 1,042 views

ISSUE 10 1,332 views

ISSUE 8 814 views

ISSUE 6 2,389 views

ISSUE 4 5,543 views

ISSUE 7 579 views

ISSUE 5 3,030 views

ISSUE 3 3,191 views ISSUE 2 6,895 views ISSUE 1 4,166 views

FLINDERS LANEWAY PROJECT In a project to incorporate student art at Flinders and refresh the Flinders Laneway, the Laneway Art Project was launched by FUSA and Buildings and Property with input from the Director of Flinders University Art Museum, Fiona Salmon. FUSA engaged students to create artwork for the laneway to support and promote our student talent. The primary objective was to encourage student engagement to enhance the overall student experience. In addition, it was a chance to upgrade the aesthetics and contribute to the culture of the laneway. We will endeavor to update the artwork every 2.5-3 years so that each undergraduate cohort will see/be involved in the aesthetic of their space.

Students could apply individually or in groups from 2–5 people.

The successful applicants were two Flinders University Creative Art (Digital Media) students, Sheydin Dew and Aden Beaver.

Between them they had a history of work experience, including a large portfolio of printed artwork, working for clients, fulfilling artistic briefs and creating art for public spaces. They were paid $5,000 and Buildings and Property supplied the materials needed up to the value of $1,200.

Over two weeks, Dew and Beaver painted the existing wooden boards, added extra fixtures, placed A0 frames in location, and printed artwork for the A0 frames.

FUSA budgeted for a maximum payout of $5,000 to the successful

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team, with no more than 150 hours to be spent on the project.

Dew and Beaver split the hours equally between them. The result is a fantastic, activated space. The artwork is effective and of high quality. The project was delivered on time and within budget.

MATERIALS BUDGET

$1,200

Allocation for printing and frames

$350

Allocation for paints and supplies

$700

Allocation for hanging materials (screws, hooks and tools)

$150

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Elections Report

ELECTIONS report ANNUAL ELECTION 2016

STUDENT COUNCIL DEC 2015- NOV 2016 STUDENT PRESIDENT Caleb Pattinson GENERAL SECRETARY Genevieve Danenberg (resigned February 2016) Simone Jowett (elected March 2016)

1,808 INDIVIDUAL VOTERS

EDUCATION OFFICER Jack Harrison (resigned February 2016) Jordon O’Reilly (elected March 2016) WELFARE OFFICER Jason Byrne POST GRADUATE STUDENTS OFFICER Christine Bennetts INDIGENOUS STUDENTS OFFICER Alfred Lowe

19,667 INDIVIDUALS ON THE ELECTORAL ROLL

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OFFICER Prashanth Magandram WOMEN’S OFFICER Angela Tomarelli QUEER OFFICER Alexander Chen (resigned February 2016) Nardy Zanos-Jardine (elected March 2016) ENVIRONMENT OFFICER Ali Roush ACCESSIBILITIES OFFICER Amy Hueppauff

9.2% OF STUDENTS VOTED Page 49 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OFFICER Sarah Polanco MATURE AGE OFFICER Pauline Bullock (appointed July 2016) GENERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS Christopher Norman Grace Hill Hamish Richardson Joshua Sunman Sean Lamonby Jordon O’Reilly (elected to Education Officer in March 2016) Hilary Wigg (elected April 2016) FUSA held two by-elections for positions on Student Council in 2016. A by-election was held in March when the positions of General Secretary, Education Officer and Queer Officer were vacated due to resignations. The successful candidates were: • Simone Jowett (General Secretary) • Jordon O’Reilly (Education Officer) • Nardy Janos-Zardine (Queer Officer) A further by-election was held in April to fill a General Council Member position vacated when Jordon O’Reilly won the position of Education officer during the March by-election. The successful candidate was: • Hilary Wigg Nominations were also called for in July for the newly created position of Mature Age Officer.

This position was held by appointment until November 30 when the elected Mature Age officer (at the annual elections) came into office.

DEVELOPMENT GRANTS Report

DEVELOPMENT GRANTS report The FUSA Development Grants program gives students the opportunity to attend events or participate in activities linked to their current area of study or campus activities which may not be otherwise possible due to financial constraints. At the same time, students are given valuable experience in applying for and acquitting grants, a useful skill in many professions.

The FUSA Development Grants are awarded twice a year (Semester 1 & Semester 2) for amounts of up to $1,000 per grant.

Students are invited to apply for funding for an activity focussing on one of the following areas: Professional development linked to the applicant’s area of study Student representation or leadership opportunities that link with the applicant’s current campus activities Cultural or social significance linking to the applicant’s current campus activities Grant applications were assessed according to how well they match the purpose and selection criteria of the Development Grant Guidelines. Each grant covered no more than 85% of the costs associated with the proposed activity.

In 2016, 128 applications were received and 66 were successful in receiving funding. A total of $36,497 was awarded.

Postgraduate students received a higher amount of funding in 2016, as the Postgraduate Officer contributed an extra $8,000 from an alternative funding source to further support the professional development of postgraduate students.

DEVELOPMENT GRANT RECIPIENTS ROBERT PESCHEL

Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice / Bachelor of Arts Awarded $750 in Semester 1 to attend the 2016 Australian Law Students Associations (ALSA) Conference in Hobart, Tasmania.

Robert also presented at this conference. “[The experience] has had an enormous impact, I made many new contacts and hopefully changed attitudes towards disabled people within the law school community across Australia” “I was able to deliver a written presentation orally on ‘Disability and Competitions in the Law School Context’…in front of 40-50 students who are representatives of their law school and give my experiences as a deaf person” – Robert Peschel, 2016

MICHELE JARLDORN

ELIZA MOULE

Awarded $680 in Semester 2 to attend the 2016 Sisters Inside Conference in Brisbane, Queensland.

Awarded $520 in Semester 2 to attend and present her PhD research at the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society 23rd International Symposium in Auckland, NZ.

Doctor of Philosophy

“There have been times over my candidature when I questioned my ability as a scholar and wondered how I could combine that with my activism. I wondered if my research had integrity or even an audience. I am [now] confident that my work is a unique contribution to research that has wide appeal” “I am truly grateful for the support provided by FUSA for me to attend this conference, which by far exceeded my expectations” – Michele Jarldorn, 2016

Doctor of Philosophy

“I am very thankful to FUSA for supporting my trip to Auckland to present my research so far.

Without this opportunity, I wouldn’t have made the contacts and learnt the skills that I took away from the event” “The feedback I received regarding the results I presented, and the experience of presenting at an international conference were invaluable, and will provide me with both new directions to take with my research, and skills that I will be able to apply consistently throughout the remainder of my candidature” – Eliza Moule, 2016

Page 52 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

128

KEY FIGURES 41 UNDERGRAD 88 POSTGRAD

NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

66 $36497

13 UNDERGRAD

53 POSTGRAD NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS THAT RECEIVED FUNDING

AMOUNT OF FUNDING PROVIDED

Page 53 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

$8,725 UNDERGRAD $27,772 POSTGRAD

FUSA DUX Report

FUSA DUX report During Semester 2 2016, FUSA piloted a new skills development volunteer program known as the FUSA Dux. The FUSA Dux program was designed to provide students outside of Student Council the opportunity to engage with FUSA and develop their personal and professional skills alongside their official studies.

THE 2016 PROGRAM 17 students were recruited through the Horizon Award program to become FUSA Dux. 12 hours of activity were required to receive 80 points towards the university’s Horizon Award.

The FUSA Dux participated in the following activities during Semester 2: • Induction training • Semester 2 O’ Week - new student meet and greets • FUSA Relax Surveys gathering students opinions of FUSA, our services and events • Professional Clothing Drive at FUSA’s Anti-Poverty Week event • Emotional Intelligence Training • Horizon Award Skills Development training

“The experience in participating in the FUSA Dux program was very beneficial to me as a person. I learned a lot in terms of approaching and greeting people while conducting surveys... most importantly I gained a lot of confidence during this [program] which trained me to face the real world after completing my studies.”

– John Lakea, FUSA Dux Participant 2016

FINANCIAL Report

FINANCIAL report 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.

The FUSA 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 2016, FUSA received $2,262,000 which was just over 50% 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 the following year.

Page 57 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

SSAF DISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY 16% Flinders one

9% Careers & Employment Liaison Centre

50% Flinders University Student Association

7% Health Counselling & Disability

18% Other

breakdown of SSAF funds received by fusa $12,000 STUDENT COUNCIL

$500,000

$550,000 COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA

STUDENT ADVOCACY & WELFARE

TOTAL $2,262,000

$200,000 CLUBS & SOCIETIES (NON-SPORTING)

$1,000,000 STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

STUDENT ADVOCACY & WELFARE $500,000 Funding provides independent and confidential academic advocacy, financial counselling, emergency financial assistance and welfare support to students through Student Assist.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT $1,000,000 Support for programs and initiatives that enhance student experience, engagement and student representation, including: • O’Week • Student events and activities • Welfare breakfasts for students • Student Council initiatives, campaigns, events and conference attendance • FUSA Development Grants • FUSA/Student Engagement operational expenses

CLUBS & SOCIETIES (NON-SPORTING) $200,000 Funding for non-sporting student clubs and societies, including social, political and international clubs, for: • Grants to clubs for events, club leadership initiatives and operating expenses • Club awards night to reward the most active clubs • School-based student associations • Postgraduate support and activities

A BREAKDOWN OF THE 2016 FUSA SSAF DISTRIBUTION COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA $550,000 This program delivers FUSA’s communication activities, including: • Production of the Empire Times, FUSA promotion and marketing, including websites and social media presence • Student artistic contribution grants • Student Radio Station • Student Diary • O’Week • Marketing, graphic design and comms for all FUSA affiliates and subsidiaries

STUDENT COUNCIL $12,000 Administrative costs and professional development of Student Council members.

TOTAL: $2,262,000

Page 58 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

INCOME & EXPENDITURE YEAR TO DATE REPORT FROM JAN-DEC 2016

STUDENT ADVOCACY & WELFARE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT CLUBS & SOCIETIES (NON-SPORTING) COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA STUDENT COUNCIL TOTALS

SSAF TRANSFER

INCOME

EXPENSES

SURPLUS / DEFICIT

500,000

0

489,612

10,388

1,000,000

57,807

1,074,022

-16,215

200,000

10,322

143,891

66,431

550,000

6,124

296,752

259,372

12,000

0

4,701

7,299

2,262,000

74,253

2,008,978

327,275

Overall, the amount of unspent funds was just under $330,000. The main cause of this was the fact that the Student Radio station was not approved in 2016. Funding that was reserved for the establishment of the station including equipment/refurbishment, set up costs, honoraria for Student Radio Directors and the salary for the Student Radio Coordinator went unspent. There was also a significant amount of club funding that went unspent in 2016. FUSA has taken steps to ensure that this funding is fully utilised by clubs in 2017. The income generated was from ticket sales was re-invested into the events.

Student Council Bank Account The Student Council has an independent bank account where it receives small amounts of income from the jobs board, pub crawl t-shirt sales and O’Week stall holder fees. This account is completely controlled by the Student Council and the signatories to the account are the Student President and the General Secretary.

Late in the year, the Student Council approved moving the account from the National Australia Bank to the People’s Choice Credit Union. The only major expense occurred from this account in 2016 was the annual affiliation fee to the National Union of Students, which was $15,000.

STUDENT COUNCIL BANK ACCOUNT POSITION Opening balance as of 1 Jan 2016

$20,782.12

Total Debits Total Credits

$29,459.23

Closing balance as at 31 Dec 2016

$11,442.87

Page 59 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

$38,798.48

Level 1 Student Hub Flinders University Bedford Park (08) 8201 2371 fusa@flinders.edu.au Page 60 | FUSA Annual Report 2016

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