COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES

  • If I’m elected as one of your CASS undergraduate representatives I hope to…

    • Promote accessibility in courses that provide students with options of study, assessment, and examinations, to facilitate an understanding and representative reflection of the ANU student body.

      • Involvement with the CASS Access and Inclusion working group, and advocacy for a second student rep to increase dialogue and facilitate diversity of representation within CASS for students.

      • Increase the availability of online lecture recordings, and advocate for similar options and flexibility in regards to tutorials and attendance for students.

      • Advocacy for content warnings in relevant lectures, as well as addressing technical issues of online lectures such as recording and cut off times.

      • Working with University administration and others to adopt and promote accessible exam arrangements across CASS.

    • Promote greater involvement of first year students in CASS through accessible and engaging events.

      • O-Week engagement and events that continue throughout the year.

      • Ensuring that the ability of students to get in touch with CASS representatives is readily available and accessible to all.

      • Hosting meetings with CASS and other college representatives as a forum to commit to ANU students and listen to different concerns and voices.

    • More transparency and information about course cuts and helping CASS students plan their degrees.

      • Engagement with lecturers and the Dean of Students.

      • Working with other incoming College Representatives to coordinate policy responses to course cutting and representative action.

      • Facilitating conversation and consultation between the students and university directly to ensure that students and their experiences are heard and considered when decisions are made that directly impact them.

    • Support for ECAs and EAPs disability representation within CASS from someone with lived experience.

      • Advocacy for improvement with the process of attaining an EAP – addressing the waiting period from Accessibility and promoting accessible channels of discussion directly between CASS students and Accessibility, and working on introducing an auto-renewal process.

      • Advocating for flexibility surrounding extension requests in CASS.

      • Collaborating with the incoming Welfare Officer and Education Officer on addressing general inclusion, disability, and diversity issues impacting CASS students.

      • Addressing concerns surrounding the extenuating circumstances process to include assessments under 20% and changes regarding documentation to include the legitimacy of EAPs.

  • Consistent Deferred and Supplementary Task Procedure

    In the College of Science there exists inconsistencies between subjects in how deferred and supplementary tasks are managed. Deferred examination times are not published on the exam timetable website provided by the ANU, whilst other colleges do. As a result, the notification of the times of these exams is inconsistent and can happen as late as one week out from the date of the exam.

    I propose that the College of Science should implement a standardised process for notifying students of these deferred/supplementary tasks, ideally in line with that of other colleges. This should give a minimum period of notification for the task and standard delivery of notification through the ANU exam timetable website. If elected as college of science representative, I would meet with the relevant staff members to express the concern that many students have on this issue and help implement a process.

    Advocating for Compulsory Classes Held Outside of Business Hours

    Most College of Science classes have compulsory classes in the form of Workshops and Labs. For some courses, there are only a handful of class times for students to choose from, and most of these will be on one or two days and between 9am and 5pm. This is disadvantageous for working students, who can’t necessarily pick a time that does not conflict with paid work. I would advocate for the college to both provide some options for class times that are outside business hours, and to provide a greater range of days, where possible, to offer classes within business hours.

    Improving Social Connections between Different Areas of the College of Science

    The College of Science is large, but opportunities to socialise and connect with different disciplines in the college is limited to a handful of events a year. This has been a concern for many students in the college I’ve spoken to. If elected, I’d work with the Science Society to plan/facilitate events between different disciplines and the whole college.

  • Hi everyone, I’m Penelope, and I’m really excited to be running for Undergrad College of Law Rep with Change Your ANUSA. I’m a second-year Law/Political Science student, and I’m keen to be a genuine and honest voice for student issues. As course rep, I want to make our experience as law students the best it can be. A law degree is hard enough, without the added pressure of confusing assessment guidelines, unclear marking policies, and course structures that don’t accommodate the diverse needs of students. 


    I care about you and the challenges that you’re facing in this degree. If elected, I would use my advocacy skills and professional experience to improve the transparency of assessment, make a law degree more flexible and accommodating, and ensure we come away with the best degree possible. 


    Consistent and Transparent Participation Assessment

    So many people don’t get the opportunity to talk in already crowded tutorials. Tutors have inconsistent methods for assessing participation, and students are only given vague guidance as to how to meet arbitrary criteria. This is frustrating for so many people, myself included. Some of my tutors have been great, but I’ve learnt that there’s definitely room for improvement. 

     

    I’ll fight for:

    • Convenors providing consistent and clear marking criteria to both tutors and students.

    • Alternative options for participation – such as forum posts/reflections – are offered to students who don’t get the opportunity to talk in a crowded class.


    Assessments that Accomodate Working Students

    Law students don’t just study! Many, including me, have to work part or full time jobs alongside our degree. 5 pm assessment deadlines are really hard to manage, and often place us at a bit of a disadvantage. Also, despite the majority of undergrad law students taking the same courses at the same time (i.e Torts/FAL, APL/Crim), our massive midsems can all end up being due on the same day. 


    To make our degrees more flexible, I would advocate for 

    • 11:59pm deadlines being implemented for all assignments, granting working students more flexibility.

    • Convenors distributing major assessments more evenly between courses. 


    More Assessment Exemplars, Past-Exams, and Marking Criteria

    Assessment exemplars and past exams aren’t shared consistently across courses, or very frequently. As I’ve already mentioned, marking criteria is also hard to find. ANU already has some great mechanisms in place, but the CoL should do a better job at sharing these important resources. 


    To make our assessment easier to navigate, I’ll fight for:

    • Pressuring convenors to contribute to the ANU Law Students Society Exam Database

    • Ensuring that past exam papers are released consistently to ANU Library

    • Clear marking criteria for all pieces of assessment are made available on Wattle. 


    A Degree that Makes Us the Best Lawyers Possible 

    Australia has a history of colonisation, and is is a culturally diverse nation built on migration. Culturally and linguistically diverse people face unique challenges when engaging with Australia’s legal system, and lawyers and legal professionals today are often unaware or ill-equipped to meet their needs. While ANU has made a good start, I’d love to see syllabuses that actually make well-rounded lawyers who know more than how to footnote. 

    I’ll push for 

    • Syllabuses that teach us about access to justice for CALD, Indigenous, and other marginalised communities.

    • Courses that encourage critical thinking about Australia’s legal system. 

    • Opportunities for students that dismantle structural barriers. 

  • 2025 marks my last year as a law student - unless I continue with my insane plan to do a PhD - and so I would like to establish a more equitable system for international students before I go. As a Senior Resident at Toad Hall, I have met many students who have been dissatisfied with the level of support that they receive, especially given ANU’s recent decision to provide only one graduation per year. ANUSA 2024 protested the initial date of March but said nothing when this was moved to February; this does not help international students who often must return to their countries of origin to continue work. I was actively involved in drafting Toad Hall’s petition of the singular graduation. 

    I also feel that postgraduate students in general are overlooked. ANU’s decision to cut funding for PARSA removed valuable representation for postgraduate students. While ANUSA 2024 has done the best that they can, I feel as though much more work is needed to ensure that postgraduate students have adequate representation. This is particularly the case at the College of Law where the vast majority of students are doing the LLB program. 

    I have devised the following policies to address these issues:

    Reinstating the graduation ceremony for each semester.

    International students have been excluded by ANU’s decision to host only one graduation ceremony in February. Often, international students cannot extend their visas or must return to their countries of origin due to work and familial commitments. Accordingly, it is unacceptable that there is only one graduation ceremony. I will advocate on behalf of international postgraduate CoL students to ensure that they have the graduation ceremony that they deserve.

    Initiating social events for postgraduate law students.

    Many events are run by the Law Society for the undergraduate law student cohort. The postgraduate students are often left out or feel unable to participate. I will endeavour to create social events specifically for postgraduate law students such as initiating an exclusive law ball as well as social mixers and catchups. 

    Providing additional funding for HDR students. 

    HDR students who have submitted their research papers do not receive stipends. Many of these students, particularly those from overseas, do not have the finances to support themselves while waiting for their results, neither can they find employment until they are awarded their degree. Moreover, a significant number of law students have to pay for the PLT out of their own pocket; this is difficult for international students who do not have access to HECS. I believe that greater funding should be provided to support international students through this additional training. Therefore, I propose to advocate for more funding for scholarships designed to support HDR students through their transition from academic to professional life.

    Ensuring that convenors offer a free medium to access textbooks.

    Convenors set textbooks that are priced at extortionate levels. Sometimes this is something they have had published themselves. It is unfair that students are expected to pay such exorbitant fees for access to information that will be assessed in the course. Thus, I propose that convenors should also provide an e-version or sufficient copies in the library of these textbooks so that there is equitable access to education. 

    Research and legal skills training. 

    A good lawyer understands the value of research skills. Moreover, it is imperative that law students develop not just academic skills but also the necessary skillset to embark on their careers. Accordingly, greater focus should be given to developing skills that directly translate to professional life. Therefore, I would like to run workshops that target development in these areas.

    Greater employment outcomes.
    The College of Law regularly runs events that allow students to interact with law firms; this is a valuable contribution. Nonetheless, I would like to expand on this by providing more events that facilitate contact with prospective employers. Industry focused workshops would provide greater employment opportunities for postgraduate law students.

  •  As your CAPS Rep for 2025, I will aim to:

    Mitigate Course Cuts: The regime of brutal course cuts across CAP have left our degrees bereft of the undergraduate specialisation and opportunities that our University prides itself on. I will fight to ensure that mandatory units in cut courses remain and advocate that the College reinstates these classes where possible. To ensure the future validity of CAPS degrees as a certification of repute, the College must be pushed to enact wide-ranging consultation with students before unilaterally disestablishing valuable courses. I will work closely with the incoming CASS, CoL and CoS Representatives to develop an interdisciplinary approach towards these issues through the Education Council.

    Increase Institutional Links: As a first year representative of the Security Studies society (ADSS), I've been a part of a team that has organised events with the APS and industry leaders, and have seen the transformational impact that these experience have on student's educational aspirations. Coming from Cairns, I know that Canberra's unique relationship with the public sector is a massive drawcard, and our College needs to utilise this to the maximum. I will advocate for greater collaboration with the Australian Public Sector, and associated departments, in College events to encourage the connection between students and educational opportunities, especially for later-year students as they enter the workforce. Improve Accessibility and Ease of Use: CAP is wildly behind when it comes to the accessibility of lecture and tutorial materials, particularly when it comes to course materials and attendance. A suite of measures is needed, including:

    - Mandatory Attendance being redemptive in the final assessment: Whilst I understand that increasing student engagement with the professor is the goal, the current arrangement is burdensome and punishes those working and active members.

    - Publication of Lecture Notes and Transcriptions: Lecture recordings are often unreliable and the audio quality is minimal, so I will push for lecture transcriptions to be published, so the student body can effectively review the lectures without interruption.

    - No Saturday Exams: In line with Change your ANUSA policy, I will advocate for no Saturday exams. It is peculiar that CAP continues to host academic activities on a day that the university isn't even open.

  • Enhancing the accessibility of educational content 

    → it is imperative in the Support of the academic success particularly of the students in the CHM that lecture and laboratory content is consistently updated and accessible to all students

    1. Ensuring clear description of which content will be withheld or restricted to students who are unable to attend one or more “mandatory” sessions

    2. Regular content review of the lecture and lab content to ensure all relevant materials are current

    3. Continuous feedback from CHM students that will be funneled to the college through the representatives to be regularly discussed.

    Increasing the pathways to engagement through expanding access to research and career opportunities for undergraduate CHM students  

    1.  The further development of a dedicated and accessible support and advising system from the CHM to provide suitable opportunities and mentorship, particularly the navigation of finding and securing the most suitable opportunity for students 

    2.  Early engagement programs from first year that offers an array of methods to connect and network with industry professionals and learn about the search and application processes 

    Facilitate and foster an environment that encourages open discussion between CHM awards and other colleges, building stronger connections and mutual support for undergraduate students. 

    1. Interdisciplinary forums and workshops for undergraduate students with interests or study in different areas to focus on collaborative research opportunities that combine two or more disciplines

    2. Interdepartmental communication channels to keep undergraduate students informed and engaged with cross-college activities and opportunities

  • My overarching aim for Postgraduate Representative is to do two simple but critical things. I will represent your voice with any issues related to your education, welfare and experience as a postgraduate CHM student at ANU. Based on these concerns, I will take action to make these issues heard and engage with the academic college to pursue options which will foster long lasting and meaningful solutions.

    In 2025, I plan to:

    -          Motivate the CHM to implement better advertising for work/research experience opportunities for CHM postgraduate students. I will do this by:

    o   Pushing for a centralised resource, specific to CHM, that is easily accessible for Postgraduate students which outlines methods students can use to search for and gain experience in their field.

    o   Reinvigorating the “Student blog” page on the CHM website by inviting students to talk about their experiences and methods that progressed them into their chosen field.

    o   Hosting meetings with current CHM students and other college representatives to engage with ANU students and listen to concerns and voices surrounding this issue.

    -          Elevate the involvement of postgraduate students in CHM by advocating for more frequent college-engaging events. I will do this by:

    o   Advocating for more frequent study and/or social events which occur throughout the semester, to foster networking and relationship building opportunities with fellow students.

    o   Proposing a CHM discipline oriented “Journal club” which allows students to further develop scientific writing skills and other skills important for coursework assessments.

    -          Push the CHM to be clear about course cuts and update websites accordingly to help postgraduate students plan their degrees more efficiently. I will do this by:

    o   Engaging with the CHM administration team and the College to seek out methods to keep college websites and other platforms current and up-to-date.

    o   Consulting between the students and university through surveys to determine what courses that were cut, students would be interested to see revived in the future. It is hoped that this will also help prevent current courses of interest by the cohort being cut.