The Mature Age Student Network at Edith Cowan University Newsletter
Hi
All of us on the Mature Age Student Network Committee hope you have enjoyed this past festive season. 2011 has been a great year for the network, with members contributing many hours to building the foundations for MASN’s future, and we now have a membership of almost 400 mature age students. There has been a tremendous amount of groundwork and grassroots campaigning that will definitely ensure the success of this much-needed representative area. The hard work has set the foundations and, in 2012, we are setting out to build a tangible structure for the network to proceed.
· The New Year will be starting with a bang, and on January 21st, the committee will be holding its Annual General Meeting. Though 2011 saw a number of people taking up positions, some of these will not be coming back for 2012 due to graduation, so please do not feel that there will not be any room for new members. Attached is a nomination form, so if you are interested please complete and forward on to the Returning Officer. For any information regarding the AGM, please do not hesitate to contact me.
· The New Year will also see the network with a new logo and website, and will no longer be ECU MASN; it will now be MASN@ECU (the reason for this will be explained in the national news). MASN@ECU will be a more professional organization and will also have a larger role to play within the university. Because of the groundwork and campaigning done so far, the network has quite a bit of support from many areas of Edith Cowan University, and in particular from Mr Kerry Cox, our Vice Chancellor.
· On the national front, there has been a fantastic breakthrough for mature age students around Australia. The National Union of Students is the peak representative body of all tertiary students in Australia, and their main role is to advocate the rights of students to universities, and the State and Federal Government. In December 2011, the ECU MASN committee produced a policy whereby mature age students are to be recognised and addressed through the NUS with the formation of a Mature Age Student Advisory Committee. After much campaigning, I am proud to say that the policy got passed. What this means is that the mature age student has a ‘voice’ and an ‘identity’, two important factors that were not there before. State Representatives will form the committee, thereby creating a stronger and more solid representation for mature age students.
· There has been a MASN@ECU Calender of Events and a Project Planner put together for 2012, and these will be sent out to our members after the AGM. One project, however, needs to be addressed ASAP:
The ‘Mature Age Student Guide: Hints and Tips from Mature Age Students’. YOU will provide the information in this guide, for the benefit of not just new students but all students. Below is a list of subjects that we will be focussing on, so if you have any tips, quips, anecdotes, or wish to share ANY information/experiences at all, we would love to include it in the handbook. Attached is a form that you can use and when completed, please send to Helen: ecu.matureage@gmail.com
The ECU Mature Aged Student Survival Guide:
A printed source book for new Mature Age students aimed to provide an understanding of university study, and available services from the experiences of established Mature Age students.
ECU’s Mature Age Student Network
Pre-semester preparations
Social connections
Study Tips
Student Workshops
Physical wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
Juggling Family and Study Commitments
Children on Campus
Librarians, lecturers and tutors
Student Support Services
Student Central
Careers Office
Childcare
The Mature Age Student Handbook: Hints and Tips for the Mature Age Student @ ECU
NAME: This is optional, and may even just be your first name
WHAT ARE YOU STUDYING?
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE?
Notice of Annual General Meeting and Committee Nomination Form
MASN@ECU Annual General Meeting will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, 21st January 2012 at ECU Mount Lawley campus in Room 17.221 .
Nominations for Executive Committee positions should be with the Returning Officer before 15th January, 2012. All nominations must be seconded and signed by the proposer, the seconder and the person nominated. If you are unable to get hold of a fellow student, please just contact Helen.
Positions
- PRESIDENT
- VICE-PRESIDENT
- SECRETARY
- TREASURER
- ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR
- COMMITTEE MEMBER (3+1 positions)
PLEASE NOTE: Only members are entitled to propose, nominate and second a nomination. At this time, a member is someone who is on the current member list. If anyone is unsure that they are a member, please contact Helen Farrell: ecu.matureage@gmail.com
Returning Officer details: Ms Kat Campbell katcampbell@y7mail.com
Position:
Name of nominator ____________________ Signature_____________________
Name of seconder _____________________ Signature_____________________
I accept the nomination signed__________________________________________
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