A&TSI STUDENTS
MEMBER STORIES
Supporting Aboriginal students during the campus shutdown I work at the University of South Australia (UniSA) as an Aboriginal Student Engagement Officer for Wirringka Student Services – the University’s Aboriginal support unit. Usually, my role sees me positioned in the Wirringka Student Centre on campus where I interact, support and contribute to creating a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal students on campus. The main purpose of my role is to support the recruitment, retainment and completion rates for Aboriginal students at the University. Like many employees and my fellow colleagues, I have transitioned to working from home due to COVID-19. Whilst understanding the necessity of the changes for both students and staff to work remotely in order to ‘flatten the curve’, immediate concerns have come to mind about how these changes might amplify the disadvantage experienced by some of the University’s most vulnerable populations.
Ellen Bertani Aboriginal Student Engagement Officer University of South Australia
SUPPORTING A&TSI STUDENTS Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people continue to disproportionately experience economic disadvantage due to the ongoing impacts of colonisation. Ensuring that these students would not be disadvantaged due to the move to online studies has become a priority for my team. To help with this, UniSA has announced a financial hardship grant and in addition,
To tell your COVID-19 story to the NTEU member community, please contact Helena Spyrou
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