End of Year 2014

Dear MASNers, 

  

We hope that exams and assignments, and all the associated hard work are well and truly behind you and your thoughts are possibly turning to End of Year activities? Yes, Christmas, New Year and other celebrations are just around the corner and seem to arrive quicker every year! 

  

MASN/Guild brunch  

MASN has made arrangements for a MASN/Guild brunch at the Moon Café in William Street, Northbridge (just north of the Newcastle Street corner). It is scheduled for 11.30-1.30 on Saturday, 13th December, and is free to MASN and Guild members. 

The MASN Committee plans to hold its AGM there from 10.30-11.30am and, as many committee members are graduating at the end of 2014, we are anxious to encourage and induct a new committee for the coming year. Committee duties are not at all onerous and contact with other mature age students is often beneficial and worthwhile. 

If you are interested in becoming involved with MASN activities please feel free to attend the AGM and following brunch. It would be appreciated if you could contact Eileen Whitehead via email on ewhitehe@our.ecu.edu.au by the middle of November for some idea of numbers. As numbers for the brunch are limited it will be on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. 

 

Research Week 

A celebration and showcase of research at ECU ran from 15 – 19 September 2014. Our MASN secretary Eileen Whitehead,  along with other post-graduate students, presented her research on Migrant Art in Australia Post World War II. 

If you have recently graduated you might want to consider doing research in your chosen field.  

Alumni 

Congratulations to all those completing their studies this year. For MASN committee members this includes Brian, Andrew, Isa and Eileen.  Well done to everyone. 

For all members completing their studies, you will be contacted by the Alumni. Make sure the University has your up-to-date details, as they have some great networking opportunities, library privileges,  and interesting events.  

Recently, they held a Leading Insights lecture exclusively for ECU's alumni, delivered by Li Cunxin author of the best-selling autobiography 'Mao's Last Dancer'. 

Coming up on Saturday, 29 November 2014, they have Music Under the Stars. Check the Alumni page for information.  

2nd Semester 2014.

Hello folks!

Below is an update for the 2nd semester.

Our morning tea get togethers at Mt. Lawley will start in the second week of the Semester 2. The venue will be the Central Cafe, from 10.30 to 11.30 on Tuesday 5th August, and weekly thereafter.

Bunbury: We are working to bring a similar event to you. Stay tuned.

Joondalup: We are seeking students who would like to run events at the campus.

...which us leads into a request.

We are looking for people who would like to be part of the MASN team. It is a great opportunity for those who would like to engage a little more with uni life. It isn't at all time consuming and offers the chance to be of service to the many mature age students at ECU.
If you would like to know more, please feel free to email me at: bgoodman@our.ecu.edu.au

As we organise other events, we will post them here.

Best regards and good luck for the semester

The MASN Team.

News - June 2014

Halfway through the year already: so much to do, so little time!

We take this opportunity to wish all our mature agers good luck with forthcoming exams and hope all your assignments are topped with a ‘D’!

If you want a welcome diversion, we have been approached to see if any of our members would like to take part in a WA Screen Academy film being shot on 16^th, 17^th or 18^th June. Filming is taking place at the Bayswater Waves Swimming Pool and you would be expected to be available for full days to half days. Some filming takes place in the pool (don’t know if this is literal – think not) and some in a bus. If interested please email the producer, Shelby Shaw, putting ‘Film Extras’ in the subject line. The email address is shelby.shaw@westnet.com.au

Unfortunately, our planned coffee morning for Joondalup did not eventuate this semester but those held at Mount Lawley campus have been very successful and proved the old adage that a problem shared is a problem halved. During the study and examination weeks, we decided to cease these morning get-togethers, but will re-commence on Wednesday, 18^th June at ML until the end of the term. If anyone would like to commit one hour a week to holding a coffee morning at JOO, please make contact. There could be MA students on that campus who would benefit from a chat with peers.

Sorry Bunbury, our plans to visit were scuppered by a last minute shift change (!), but we hope to see you in Semester 2. 

News - May 2014

MASN MAY NEWSLETTER

April was a relatively quiet month except for the film night on the 8th. Everyone seems to be knuckling down to serious study – as mature students are wont to do!
Coffee mornings have been their most successful this semester which may have been helped by the Student Guild advertising them for us on its website. We’re pleased to say that these ‘chats’ are proving significant as we’ve been advised of two worrying incidents involving lack of security at the Mount Lawley student village. We are taking this further through the Guild and notifying the University. This problem highlights the difficulties that can occur when companies external to the University’s control are in charge of such services.
The 8 members who picked up their tickets for the showing of Like Father, Like Son at Joondalup Pines thoroughly enjoyed an excellent film. Fortunately we managed to find people to use the surplus tickets we were left with as the film ran for another five nights.
We take this opportunity to wish all our members success with exams/assignments/theses, etc. and look forward to recruiting members to help on our committee (which isn’t too onerous) as many of our founding members will be leaving at the end of this year. Commitment can be very rewarding and we’re keen to find new students to take on the challenge.

Eileen Whitehead


Research Request:

I'm an undergraduate student at the University of Queensland, and one of my courses involves a research project looking at lifestyle factors correlated with at-risk internet use and videogaming. The basis of my research is a survey, designed by my supervisor Dr Penelope Lind. The survey is for adults Australia-wide to complete, and in this regard I'm asking for some help.

Want to get involved in real science research?

The QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute is seeking volunteers to participate in a 30-45min online survey on internet use and videogaming.

https://labportal.qimr.edu.au/study/internetvideogaming

Thanks in advance!

Luke Sartor​

News - April 2014

MASN@ECU Newsletter April, 2014

 

Membership:

Welcome to all the new members. Thanks for signing up with us. We have now entered all of the names into the newsletter subscriber. We have had a few emails bounce back, and are re-checking spelling and so on. Please add our email address (ecu.matureage.list@gmail.com) to your address book to ensure we are not sent to spam. If you wish to unsubscribe then that's fine, too. Just use the unsubscribe feature. If you haven't heard from us then you can always check Facebook or the blog, as they have the same newsletters added each month.

Movie Night:

Thanks to everyone who came to the Movie Night. We still have 12 free tickets to give away for the Pines Outdoor cinema to see Like Father Like Son. These are valid till Sunday night the 13th April. Please email ewhitehe@our.ecu.edu.au asap if interested.

Coffee Mornings:

Coffee Mornings have been going really well, currently held every Wednesday between 10.30 and 11.30am in the Central Café at Mount Lawley. Do you want to start these at your campus? We need reps at Bunbury and Joondalup. Contact Eileen (ewhitehe@our.ecu.edu.au) or Brian ( bgoodman@our.ecu.edu.au ). They will discuss how we set this up and show you how you can offer free coffees (courtesy of the Guild and MASN) and a sympathetic ear to other mature age students.

Parent Group:

We used to have a parent group, but this ended when some students graduated. If you would like to meet up with other parents for coffee, playdates or to rally for parent spaces, then let us know your ideas. We can assist with things such as coffee vouchers, or help spread the word about your meetups. We have very limited funding, but we will do what we can. There is a Facebook group going, but members are not very active. It would be great for newer students to take over.

PhD Studies:

The following PhD candidates are looking for volunteers to interview for research:

Study 1:

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 31.3% of marriages in Australia in 2012 were between males and females who were born in different countries. If defacto couples and relationships between second and third generation migrants are also considered, the rate of interethnic relationships in Australia is higher still. Research regarding the experiences of interethnic couples indicates wide variation in parent reactions towards interethnic relationships, ranging from unquestioned support through to violent opposition. This research is however limited as it relies primarily on the reports of adult-children who are involved in interethnic relationships and so reported reactions fail to consider the perspective of parents.

Nikki Rajakaruna, a PhD candidate in the School of Psychology and Social Science at Edith Cowan University aims to address this gap in research by investigating the experiences of parents whose adult-child is involved in an interethnic relationship. To explore this issue, Nikki would like to speak to mothers whose adult child has been involved in an interethnic relationship for longer than 12 months. To find out more about this research please contact Nikki n.rajakaruna@ecu.edu.au or 63045497.

Study 2:

Are you aged between 12 and 24?

Would you like to participate in research?

As part of my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Edith Cowan University I want to find out what it is like to be the brother or sister of a person who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. To do this I need to find out what it is like to be the sibling of someone who has not been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

Who is eligible for the study?

Young adults aged between 12 and 24 years who:

• have NOT been diagnosed with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder;
• have at least one sibling (of any age). Siblings MUST NOT have been formally diagnosed with Autism, Asperger’s syndrome or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) or an intellectual disability.
• have mothers/female guardians willing to also participate in the study.

What will you be asked to do?

You will be asked to fill out three questionnaires about your family functioning, yourself and your mental health and emotional wellbeing. Your mother/female guardian will be asked to complete the same questionnaires. All responses are confidential.

How long will it take?

The questionnaires should take about 20 to 35 minutes.

Do you want more information or want to volunteer?

Email Jessica Michel: jmichel@our.ecu.edu.au

 

News - March 2014

MASN reps had three enjoyable days during Orientation week meeting new students and talking about a variety of issues of particular relevance to mature age students. This proved to be a great opportunity to let them know they are not alone with their particular problems.

Maria Ramirez, Eileen Whitehead and Kat Campbell (wo)manned the stall at Joondalup on the 18^th, with Maria travelling down to Bunbury campus on the 19^th, with Kellie Taylor, Andrew Douglas, Kat and Eileen sharing duties at Mount Lawley on the 20^th. Our President, Brian Goodman, was given absence of leave as he was working night shift Orientation week – or so he told us!

So now, we have another 90+ names to add to our student list to receive our monthly newsletters and hopefully to enable us to provide support and advice during the year. The newsletter also provides reminders of such things as our coffee mornings, currently held every Wednesday between 10 and 11am in the Central Café at Mount Lawley, starting on 26 February. We are hoping to re-instate these at Joondalup, but as they were headed by Brian who is now working, we need to encourage a mature age student on the Joondalup campus to offer some support. It’s a worthwhile activity as it provides a useful exchange of views for all concerned. If you are interested in heading this one morning a week please contact bgoodman@our.ecu.edu.au who will explain what is involved.

Last, but not least, we are offering, in conjunction with the Guild, free tickets to students for the film Like Father, Like Son showing at Joondalup Pines on Tuesday, 8^th April. In order for us to have some idea of numbers of tickets to order, could you please contact either Brian (as above) or myself – ewhitehe@our.ecu.edu.au. We need to stress that free tickets are only available for ECU students, anyone accompanying you would need to buy their own ticket for the night.  

Eileen Whitehead

Secretary/Treasurer - MASN@ECU

MatureAge/Part-Time/External Rep. - ECU Guild

Planned Event: Movie Night

First Newsletter of 2014

2013 saw a positive upswing in our Club’s social activities helped by our affiliation with the Student Guild. The Guild was, and is, keen to support our aims and objectives which set out to offer help and advice to those mature age students returning to study.

Because members of the MASN committee graduated and joined the ranks of the employed (or unemployed) in 2013, the committee numbers were greatly depleted. However, the few remaining managed to continue coffee mornings meeting many interesting mature age students over coffee and cake, exchanging views and providing help and advice whenever necessary.

A film night at Mount Lawley was organised in Semester 2 last year and we are planning another, with help from the Student Guild at the Joondalup Pines. It will be on the evening of Tuesday, 8^th April, during a Lotterywest film from Japan. The film is “Like Father, Like Son”, and we plan to meet up before the film for food and drinks – and ‘chat’!

Coffee mornings will continue in 2014 at Mount Lawley campus on Wednesdays between 10 – 11am in Central Café and, if we can replace our Joondalup representative, who now has to earn his keep, we will reinstate coffee mornings there as well.

Our President, Brian Goodman, attended the MASNA Conference in August last year, at which the MASNA President recognised ECU as being the genesis for MASNA and paid tribute to our originator, Helen Farrell. The Conference is proving to be an invaluable crucible for the various MASNs to exchange ideas, know-how and feedback about the particular special needs of mature age students. Our Secretary/Treasurer, Eileen Whitehead, is now also the Mature Age representative on the Student Guild for 2014. We feel this link will strengthen our aims and objectives and prove beneficial to our members.

On the subject of ECU membership, we would very much like to encourage any students who share an interest in our aims, to make contact via our contact email at 

ecu(dot)matureage(dot)list(at)gmail(dot)com

*Please replace the words (dot) .  and  (at) @ with the appropriate symbols.

We would very much appreciate some help with the Orientation Days which are Joondalup on 18^th February, Bunbury on the 19^th and Mount Lawley on the 20^th.

We look forward to being of service this year and wish all our mature age students a very successful year.

Please feel free to contact us via facebook or email.