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 - 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.