RMIT University Student Union - 2012 Quarterly Report 04

RMIT University Student Union

Fourth quarter report

Reporting period01/10/2012 – 31/12/2012

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Students wait in line for some delicious free BBQ, sponsored by RUSU.

A note on our quarterly reports:Like everything RUSU does, our reports are a team effort. If it seems like this was written by 50 different people, it’s probably because it was! We are a unique organisation and our energy, teamwork and passion is communicated through these pages. We look forward to sharing our successes and near-successes with our student members and RMIT University throughout the year. For more information on anything contained within this report, please contact the RUSU Governance and Development Officer.

Fourth quarter report 2012

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RUSU Quarterly Report: Oct–Dec 2012

President’s Report

Elections declared, representatives trained, meetings held and motions passed.

Behind the scenes, your new student representatives have been hard at work both learning the ropes and preparing an awesome 2013 for you!

Hi, I’m James, I’m in my third year at RMIT and I’m your new RUSU President. These reports will provide a snapshot into what your union has been up to each quarter.

You may remember the University collecting a fee from students of $263 in 2012? After thorough consultation with students and staff throughout the year, RUSU’s proposals for 2013 SSAF funded projects were sent before the University for consideration. While the exact projects to be approved (and how much of the fee the University will be keeping for themselves) are yet to be decided by the Vice Chancellor, you can rest assured that RUSU has some great stuff in store for you in 2013. Your representatives have also been advocating for you at the Policy & Programs Committee to secure fairer amendments to the new Assessment Policies suite. These policies affect every single student of RMIT and unfortunately not all the changes are good, but fear not! RUSU’s recent ‘red tape’ campaign and continued lobbying of the University saw success at December’s meeting of the Academic Board. A number of our proposed amendments will be heard at the February meeting of Academic Board and we are quietly confident that we will secure positive results for students. Watch this space!

Additionally, student representatives have attended the annual Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) and Tertiary Recreation Entertainment Victoria (TREV) conferences. These conferences are invaluable, giving RUSU the opportunity to voice RMIT students’ feelings as well as learn from and network with other institutions around the country. Other successes for this quarter include an amazing End Of Year Party attended by hundreds of students, end of year events across our many collectives and departments, and the continued support of students through our Student Right Officers and Compass Drop-In Centre. As you will find in this report, RUSU continues to be active even while the majority of students are off on holiday.

For further information on anything you read here, or to get involved, be sure to check out our website (su.rmit.edu.au). We’ve got a shiny new website coming in 2013, so be on the lookout for that!

James Michelmore President

Activities and eventsJames Wangmann has moved over from Adelaide to join the RUSU Activities team, filling the staff role of Sponsorship & Events Officer

which was previously filled on a temporary basis by Courtney Clarke.

What we’ve been up to

RUSU Regular EventsOur weekly free food events continued until the end of semester on all campuses, feeding students healthy, hearty, sometimes vegetarian lunch on a weekly basis. They have increased student life on campus (especially at Bundoora and Brunswick) and as they are run by student representatives and student volunteers, provide a great way to provide hands on training and social networking.

End of Exams Party (Thursday 8th November)We celebrated the end of semester and exams with our annual, End of Exams party. The event, held at Roxanne Parlour Nightclub, was themed to coincide with Movember. While a lucky few had managed to grow spectacular mo’s in the lead up to the event, for the more follically challenged cardboard cut-out moustaches were handed out at the door. Movember has become a highly recognisable global annual charity event that raises much needed attention and support male mental health initiatives and prostate cancer awareness.

Entertainment on the night was provided by an eclectic mix of local and interstate DJs, including DJ Helena who had recently had a single top the ARIA Dance Charts. The event attracted approximately 750 paying guests. Attendees on the night and at later times through social media outlets expressed that they had a great night at a great event and were eagerly await the next RUSU function.

RMIT Student Union

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MembershipA total of 1727 students became financial members during 2012. With students paying the SSAF fee from semester 2, the regular RUSU membership fee became a harder sell. During this period RUSU began work on researching what other Universities and TAFEs plan to do in terms of Student Union membership and planning the RUSU 2013 membership program.

New Membership count for the period Oct – Dec 2012: 16

Total Membership count (2012) at 31 December 2012: 1727

Social MediaAt the end of this quarter RUSU had 1,000 Twitter followers and 4,000 Facebook likes.

VolunteersThe final quarter was spent planning and developing the volunteer program. This included a survey of existing RUSU volunteers. 2013 will see a re-launch of the RUSU Volunteer Program. The SUC appointed a Student Engagement Officer in this quarter to start working on the program framework, in accordance with the National Standards for Involving Volunteers.

The National Standards for Involving Volunteers in Not for Profit Organisations promote a model of best practice in volunteer involvement. The National Standards focus on:

1. Policies and procedures

2. Management responsibilities

3. Recruitment

4. Work and the workplace

5. Training and development

6. Service delivery

7. Documentation

8. Continuous improvement

An online expression of interest system has been developed that will enable students to express interest in volunteering and begin the process of induction and training. With individuals already offering their time, it is anticipated that our volunteer numbers will increase and continue to provide support to the Student Union. Our volunteers will continue to benefit via free accredited training, a structured recognition program and the professional/personal development opportunities that come with volunteering at RUSU.

“I actually volunteered at my time at Realfoods, but I learned more from this cafe than I did my other 2

hospitality jobs. Volunteering at Realfoods Organic taught me how to make the best out of volunteer workers,

how to handle situations, and more than anything, the importance of positivity in the work space. In addition,

I also learned the importance of Organic cuisine and healthy lifestyles.”

– Student Volunteer

Student Engagement OfficerThe recruitment of the Student Engagement Officer in the previous quarter has seen attention and expertise given to areas of the volunteer program that have long been on RUSU’s wish list. The Student Engagement Officer was supported to undertake Certificate IV in Training and Assessment during this quarter.

Volunteer projects and activitiesA RUSU wide ‘End of Year Volunteers Recognition Event’ was held on 8 November at Pearson and Murphy’s Bar for students who have donated their time and worked with RUSU over the past year in a variety of volunteer roles.

Across the Campuses

City

Chill ‘n’ GrillThe semester finished for the weekly Chill ‘n’ Grill events the same way it had started in February, with lots of free food, drinks and good times. This event has significantly increased student life and participation on the campus. Considering that the very tempting city and its countless treasures are so close, this is a great result.



Over the course of 2012 Chill ‘n’ Grill has:

• Had weekly attendance of 1,000-1,500 students (weather dependant);

• Served approximately 24,000 free meals and 15,000 drinks;

• Demonstrated a commitment to sustainability by using environmentally friendly cups, plates and bowls;

• Provided a range of entertainment through student DJs, bands, clubs and societies, and professional entertainers;

• Coincided with the fortnightly market;

• Been the largest face to face promotion opportunity RUSU has, enabling us to speak to students about welfare, student rights and educational issues and promote other upcoming events;

• Involved 30 RUSU volunteers (working towards LEAD accreditation) all in RUSU branded T-shirts.

Overall Chill ‘n’ Grill is our singularly most successful event, one that has only been possible through the dedication and commitment of RUSU volunteers, staff and representatives.

Front Counter Activity and AdministrationThe City RUSU information counter handles upwards of 100 enquires and phone calls daily, playing an integral role as the face of RUSU and a key point of referral and information about RMIT University services.

BundooraAs always, the 4th quarter at Bundoora was quiet in terms of student engagement. A big increase in student rights queries and bookings was however observed. This increase coincided with the exam period and notification of results with 4 to 5 student rights bookings per day. This reflects the outreach campaign activities that have been undertaken by the new Bundoora Student Rights Officer (funded through the SSAF) and a growing awareness of the service.

Yoga ClassesYoga Classes continued up to the end of second semester. The classes are run by Body Centred Living, who have run RUSU yoga classes at Bundoora for the past two years. This company, and their teachers, have proven to be highly skilled and professional, and very popular with students.

I Love BBQ: Every ThursdayThis popular weekly event continued up to the end of semester, with the 300 serves of food running out in 30 -40 minutes. It’s a well known event, with students arriving at the courtyard to Building 204 every Thursday without promotion.

Free Welfare Breakfasts: Every Thursday MorningThe free weekly breakfasts were a new initiative at Bundoora, which started in early August. The key aspect of this event was that healthy food (baked goods and fruit) was provided to RMIT students, however the event also allowed for relationships to develop between students, staff and student representatives. The breakfasts proved to be a great opportunity for important conversations to take place, which resulted in a number of referrals to the new RUSU Student Rights Officer at Bundoora, for example. Furthermore, this event helped to foster a sense of community at Bundoora.

Building 204 Front Counter Activity and AdministrationIn previous years RUSU has stopped staffing the building 204 info counter in mid November (with the Student Liaison Officer relocating to the city), however with the new full time Student Rights Officer and a new Clubs and Societies Officer it was decided to continue staffing the counter until the Christmas shutdown. During this time the Student Liaison Officer undertook project work related to student welfare, student health and well being, from the information counter.

Throughout October the information counter maintained an average of approximately 20 inquiries per day, though this dropped to between 5 and 10 throughout November and dropped again to 5 inquiries per day in December. Throughout November and December, the majority of these inquiries were students rights related. Movie ticket sales again increased. A wide range of tea and coffee supplies was provided at the Building 204 kitchenette.

Brunswick and CarltonThe Brunswick campus looks forward to Clubs and Societies development that will be possible in 2013 with our new specific outer campus (Brunswick and Bundoora) Clubs and Societies staff member. It will be great to see the development of more student clubs on campus. As such there has been a lot of organising going on to create a new office layout and furniture to cater for more Brunswick based staff in 2013 as well as planning with RMIT Link Arts for potential joint 2013 events.

WEEKLY EVENTS

Brunswick BBQs (Tuesdays 12-2 pm)The weather warmed up and so did our BBQ’s. For the last couple of weeks of the semester we tried out a new range of vegan veggie burgers and kanga banga’s. Both were met with thumbs up approval and so will most likely be used next year (SSAF funding permitting) to continue improving the quality and sustainability of the events we run. The BBQ’s also had Deano from Good Brew and his famous cider and magic tea to help cool everyone down.

RMIT Student Union


Free Brunch at Carlton (Thursday 11am -12pm)The free weekly brunch continued until the end of semester. The healthier options (salad ingredients for the bagels) we now provide have been well received.

Compass Yoga at Brunswick (Wednesday 4.30 pm)The semester ended with the final Brunswick Yoga classes. New ideas will be trialled in 2013 that we hope will be even more successful at promoting wellbeing and engaging students on the Brunswick campus.

Carlton Weekly Wind Down Drinks (Wednesdays 4.30 pm)This event continued through the semester getting successively more popular each week with an average of 80 students quenching their thirst, socialising and meeting the Carlton / Brunswick representatives and Student Liaison Officer. It is hoped that it can be continued next year, with a particular TAFE focus.

Brunswick Front Counter Activity and AdministrationAside from continuing to sell movie tickets, bind books and hand out advice and emergency sanitary products, the Brunswick staff have been assisting with 2013 SUC induction and on a range of summer projects. Much of the later part of the year was spent negotiating with property services about the installation of much need lockers, which due to time constraints is hopefully a project with will now be completed early in 2013.

RUSU Departments

Environment200+ Furniture Items Recycled

Furniture CageThe Furniture Cage was open to provide free second hand furniture to RMIT students and staff each Wednesday of semester from 3.30-6pm. Over the course of 2012, 200 plus items of furniture were provided free to students through the furniture cage, including; sofas, desks, chairs, cabinets and shelves. This is 200+ items (often large items) of furniture that have found a second home rather than ending up as landfill. This service is especially appreciated by international and rural students needing to set up accommodation.

A delivery service was trialled during second semester which saw an increase in the ability of students to get larger bulky items such as cabinets and shelves from RMIT to their homes.

Wellness RetreatRUSU sponsored RMIT students to attend the RMIT Wellness Retreat (23-25 November 2012). This retreat provided a chance for RMIT students to spend time together learning from expert health, wellness and environment-related presenters and activities.

Pop-Up PatchRUSU visited the Pop Up Patch gardens at Federation Square to investigate RUSU hiring a garden plot for interested RMIT students to work on in 2013. In recent years there has been a lot of interest from RMIT students in community/permaculture gardens and despite RMIT expressing support for such an initiative a suitable space has not been provided by RMIT to date. In the absence of an RMIT garden space the Pop-Up Patch looks like an exciting way to fill that need.

RUSU RealfoodsThe café has continued to grow our customer base, and with each quarter of trading our customer numbers and sales across all product lines has increased. The consistent quality and diversity of our food offerings – aided by the selection of high-standard suppliers and the involvement of our on-site expert vegan chef – has ensured our customers return regularly.

As well, Realfoods generated a new catering menu this quarter which enabled us to be exposed to more comprehensive catering opportunities within RUSU and wider RMIT community. This has included the RMIT Wellness Retreat, End of Year volunteer break up, and weekly international student lunches.



“I have been to several of Realfoods’ events at RMIT and have really enjoyed them. It is impressing to see

someone pull together events in this field of health foods and for that I want to thank you. For many years there

was nothing like this in Melbourne.” – Tina C, customer

Cooking and Nutrition Classes (Union Reserves Grant)

‘Real Soul Food’ cooking and nutrition demo (Realfoods café, October 14)The ‘Real Soul Food’ cooking and nutrition class was promoted as “an evening of nourishing living food recipe demonstrations and enlightening healthy lifestyle advice.” Our special guest chef presenter was Julie Mitsios of Sydney’s culinary school ‘Conscious Choice’. Chef Julie showed the audience of over 150 people how to create a healthy and easy drink, soup, mains and dessert.

Attendance was by gold coin donation to charity. A large volume of food and drinks were sold to the hungry crowd by Realfoods volunteers during intermission.

Realfoods partnered with other health food brands who donated door prizes, and gave out samples and helped fill the goodie bags given to attendees. An ebook was made available to attendees.

Fifteen RMIT student volunteers from Realfoods assisted in the success of this event. Two RMITV volunteers filmed the proceedings for projection onto a large screen in order for audience members to view the chef’s workings close-up. This footage is intended for future editing and dissemination on RUSU’s YouTube channel.

“…it was successful and a great turnout making more people aware of the importance of raw/soul food and

good health.” – Rachel L

“Thank you so much for last night- fabulous event! Really

inspiring! So great to see so many people.” – Andrea C

“…thanks for all the knowledge and wisdom you have

shared.” – James and Kate

Student CasualsThe four Realfoods Student Casuals continue to maintain their weekly volunteer shifts, enabling the Café Co-ordinator to have some dedicated time set aside to work on administration, events planning, rostering, catering enquiries, future planning, etc.

Two of the student casuals completed a Senior First Aid course this quarter.

Realfoods Volunteers65 specific Realfoods volunteers continued their rostered weekly schedule for the last 3 weeks of October. Due to the high workload for students in the lead-up to end of year exams and assignments, it was sometimes challenging to ensure we had enough volunteers available to cover our operational needs. A great night was had by all at the Realfoods end-of-year break-up dinner at ‘Yong Green Food’ restaurant in Fitzroy.

Kristina V: “Can’t wait to make my family green smoothies once I’m back in Norway!”

Lachlan: “Thank you for organising the awesome

Realfoods break up party at Yong Green last Friday :) I had a total blast and it was an awesome way to say

good bye to the semester!”

RMIT Student Union


RUSU Queer

Queer Department 2012 FarewellThe Queer Department collaborated with the Compass centre to run the “We Are Not Monsters” anti-homophobia event at Bundoora and Brunswick in October.

The collective got together to farewell the old Queer Officers and welcome in the new. About 40 of our proudest members came together to drink and be merry and say farewell to Kim and Marcus and to thank them for the awesome job they did in 2012. We are looking forward to 2013 and a whole lot of new members and exciting events.

The Queer department maintained the Queer rooms at City and Bundoora campuses during this quarter.

RUSU Womyn’sThe Womyn’s department maintained the Womyn’s rooms at City, Carlton and Bundoora campuses during this quarter.

Unfortunately RUSU has had several months without an elected Womyn’s Officer and this has meant very little organised activity. That is set to change in 2013 with the newly elected Womyn’s Officer, Yasmine, spending the first two months of her term (November/ December) busily planning a program of activities and events to involve a wide range of RMIT womyn on all campuses. The Womyn’s rooms, particularly in the City, are heavily utilised spaces and this takes its toll on the furniture and rooms. Yasmine is very keen to give these rooms some much needed TLC and has her eye on reopening the Bundoora East Womyn’s Room as part of the Bundoora East Rejuvenation Project (approved through the 2013 SSAF grants).

RUSU InternationalRUSU English Language Workshops The second 6 week series of English Language Workshops started on 14 September. This program assists RMIT students struggling with English, in a fun, engaging and social way. The international department free lunches were held following each workshop.

RUSU PostgraduateCAPA Affiliation & ConferenceRUSU and the RMIT Student Union Postgraduate Association (RPA) affiliated to the Council of Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) which is the peak body for postgraduate students and organisations. RUSU’s Education Officer, Ahlam Tariq attended the 2012 CAPA Annual Conference in December.

RUSU Welfare and EducationThe free weekly breakfasts run by the Welfare and Education student representatives and volunteers continued at the City campus up until the end of semester.

The Welfare and Education departments have been active campaigning for changes to RMIT policies and procedures that will result in a much fairer system (see Student Rights section).



RUSU Clubs Affiliation

Clubs and Societies

Over $42,000 in grants distributed to clubs in final quarter.RUSU affiliated 95 RMIT Student Clubs & Societies in 2012. Of these Clubs, almost one half were Academic Clubs, one quarter Cultural Clubs and the final quarter an even mix of Special Interest, Political and Spiritual Clubs. All three RMIT Colleges and all three campuses are represented within our Academic Clubs. The majority of the Clubs are City Campus focused although this is expected to change with the movement of final year Engineering students to Bundoora East and the employment of a RUSU Clubs & Societies Officer to support Brunswick and Bundoora campus based Clubs and to support the activity of City based Clubs on our smaller campuses.

RUSU is very pleased to have gained SSAF funding for this new staff position and sees the new role as a clear commitment to returning direct services to Bundoora and Brunswick campus based students as it was able to pre 2006.

While it is impossible to provide exact details on the total numbers of RUSU affiliated club members, each RUSU Club has a minimum of 10 members each with our largest Academic Clubs having memberships of several hundred students each.

RUSU Clubs Activity – final quarter 2012The last quarter of the year is generally a quiet one for most clubs. Students focus on final assessments and, after that, holidays. However, for some of our clubs, the last quarter is their busiest. This is particularly true for our Academic Clubs within the Design & Social Context Portfolio.

During the final part of the academic year, these creative clubs are engaged in presenting final live and online exhibitions or publishing their annual publications.

The demand upon the RUSU Clubs & Societies program to support these types of student activities is increasing. Students recognise that their graduating exhibitions, fashion runways and annual creative publications are vital for their career progression, particularly for final year students. RUSU sees this also within SEH where academic clubs involved with extra curricular and student directed activities such as building race cars and rockets are increasingly reliant on support from the RUSU Clubs & Societies program.

The other focus for RUSU clubs at this time of year is their end of year social and celebration events.

RUSU Club Events and Activities Supported by RUSU Club Grants – final quarter 2012Just over $42,000 was distributed to RUSU Affiliated Clubs and Societies during the last quarter of 2012. Most of these grants were for activities held in the previous quarter and were listed in the September Report.

Activities and other club costs that received RUSU funding support during the final quarter of 2012 included:

• RMIT Assoc of Chemical Engineers Students (ACES) – support for Club BBQ – Alumni Courtyard (100+ students)

• RMIT Chinese Methodist Christian Fellowship – support for weekly gatherings cost (10+ student per week)

• RMIT Master Business SA – support for semester 2 program printing costs

• RMIT Indian Students Association – support for printing costs

• RMIT Environmental Engineers SA (EESA) Graduation Dinner – support for venue and catering costs- Storey Hall (30+ students)

• RMIT Civil Engineers SA (CESA) – End of Year BBQ support – held at Fig Tree Courtyard (100+ students)

• RMIT Ceramics Students Assoc - venue hire and catering funding support for Annual Exhibition – held at Victorian Artists Society East Melb. (150+ students)

• RMIT University Malaysian Students Assoc (RUMA) – funding support for costs of Futsal tournament held at MSAC

• RMIT Assoc of Chemical Engineers Students (ACES) – funding support for annual boat cruise costs – held on Port Philip Bay (150 students + )

• RMIT CSIT – support for Club BBQ- held on Bowen Street (200+ students)

• RMIT Chinese Methodist Christian Fellowship –support for Mooncake festival event held at private house in City (30+ students)

• RMIT Asian Association – support for Bundoora Campus BBQ

• RMIT Multicultural Student Fellowship weekly meetings and end of year get together on campus (15 to 30 students per week)

• RMIT BA Textile Society end of year BBQ at Brunswick Campus (200+ students)

• Conclusion of RMIT Japan Club Weekly English conversation Classes (Pearson & Murphy’s (15 to 20 students per week)

• RMIT Asian Association (RAA) pre exams BBQ at Bundoora Campus (80+ students)

• RMIT Civil Engineering Students Association (CESA) – End of Year BBQ at Fig Tree Courtyard ( 100+ students)

• RMIT Geospatial Science Student Association (GSSA) – end of year event at Asian bar café ( 80+)

• Funding support for publication costs and catering costs for “as above so below” – 2012 RMIT Sculpture Graduates publication (RMIT Basement Club)

• “as above, so below” - object based Annual Exhibition for Graduating Ceramics and Gold & Silversmithing students (RMIT Ceramics SA and RMIT Gold & Silversmithing SA) - venue hire and catering funding support– held at Victorian Artists Society East Melb, (200+ students)

• Publication of “Sanctuary” – Foundation Studies 2012 Media & Communication (RMIT Media & Communication Club “MAC”,

• BA Photography Second Year Exhibition – “Converge” held at No Vacancy Gallery QV (300+ students) – funding for venue hire and poster printing (200+ students)

Generally, all of end of year and graduating creative exhibitions, screenings, shows and publications that are linked to RUSU Academic Clubs have been supported through the RUSU Clubs & Societies program. This support includes funding as a result of earlier fundraising support, access to RUSU Event equipment and expertise, and access to RUSU marketing, communications expertise and practical resources etc.

RMIT Student Union


Total RUSU Clubs & Societies Program Grants Distributed – 2012Total RUSU Clubs & Societies grants derived from University/SSAF sources and distributed to 2012 academic, social, cultural and spiritual RUSU Clubs & Societies was $176,197. The distribution of this total amount amongst the categories was:

• Academic Clubs: $103,420

• Cultural Clubs (not including indirect funding for World Week): $30,060

• Spiritual Clubs: $18,446

• Social Clubs: 24,271

$10,260 was distributed to Political Clubs via grants derived from independent sources (eg RUSU financial membership, interest earned, etc.)

A total of 383 financial grants were distributed during the year. All 2012 funds, including the extra SSAF funds allocated to RUSU Clubs & Societies grants were distributed.

2012 Student Attendance Of RUSU Clubs Events$89,000 was awarded in Club Function Grants in 2012. Based on attendance sheets at a minimum this translates into at least 11,000 individual RMIT student attendances at RUSU Club Functions for which Clubs seek financial support. This however is not the whole picture as RUSU Clubs generally only seek financial support for their larger single events or their semester small events programs. Further, not all attendance is officially recorded and submitted to RUSU. RUSU estimates that the actual total number of RMIT students participating in RUSU Clubs & Societies events is likely to be at least the double the 11,000 participants the RUSU Clubs & Societies grants can identify.

Information to Student ClubsRUSU is committed to ensuring that its clubs are provided with support and information. 9 Global emails (sent to all RUSU 2012 Clubs) were distributed during the final quarter advising RUSU Clubs about relevant recent SUC decisions/policy, the 2013 Affiliation process and forms, info about the 2013 Orientation & Transition Program, info about and links to Youth Grants available in the broader community, provision of the Clubs Week 2013 Booking Forms and info about room booking processes at RMIT in 2013.

RUSU Clubs Affiliation 2013 as at 31/12/2012Over one third of RUSU’s 2012 clubs completed the required 2013 affiliation process by the end of 2012. In doing so, these clubs ensured their club listing on the RUSU web page will be maintained over the summer period and that their club has ongoing access to on campus space bookings. These clubs also have access to club stall bookings for the 2013 Orientation and Transition Program. All applications for 2013 affiliation made after 1 Jan 2013 will be considered by the February Student Union Council Meeting.

RUSU Clubs & Societies Program Grants 2013RUSU did not receive any increase to clubs grants for 2013. The total SSAF derived grants budget will be divided between the campuses in an equitable manner (2/3 City, 1/6 Bundoora, 1/6 Brunswick) This will mean less overall total RUSU clubs grants funding for City based clubs. RUSU is taking a cautious approach to the interpretation of the SSAF legislation and as such in 2013 political clubs will continue to be funded through non SSAF revenue streams.

Student Media

Orientation Handbook3 RMIT students were recruited as editors for the 2013 Orientation handbook (funded through a RUSU SSAF grant). Given the shortage of space at RUSU City offices, the RUSU Carlton offices have been transformed into the O’Book headquarters. The editorial team have been busy writing, designing, and commissioning articles from RMIT students. RUSU has provided staff support for the student O’Book through our Publications and Communications Officer and the City SLO, who has also been serving on the O’book editorial board. RUSU staff have been blown away by the professionalism and skills of the O’Book editors and we are all really excited to see the final product in February.

CatalystWhile RUSU had received an additional $10,000 grant to increase the publication of Catalyst in 2012, RUSU decided not to print the last edition prepared by the 2012 editors. Due to delays in editing, the SUC determined that by the time that the magazine was printed and delivered that there would not be enough students on campus to support the expenditure. This SSAF grant therefore was not used in 2012.

The 2013 Catalyst editors started on November 1st and spent November and December working on the development and construction of a specific Catalyst website which would enable them to expand the reach of Catalyst in 2013.

All 3 Catalyst editors attended a 2-day intensive Adobe InDesign Level 1 Course with Alpha Computer Consultants in December.

RMITV

Productions“Live on Bowen” is RMITV’s Flagship show. After a highly successful first season in 2012, the live talk show will be returning to Channel 31 in June 2013. The show provided over 40 crew positions to new members to be trained in, including editing, online management, producing, writing and many more. Darcy Bonser and



Lisa Sloetjes will be returning to season two sharing their knowledge gained from life experience working in Australian television. The bar has been set by season one, and with new talent and crew, we look to raise it even higher in 2013. After a nervous wait everyone at Live on Bowen was extremely excited to hear that Live on Bowen received funding for 2013 through the SSAF.

“Tough Times Never Last” finished their eighth series in 2012 and the well seasoned show is now in pre-production for series nine, aiming to complete two seasons in 2013. Tough Times is a shining example of RMITV’s training advantages, taking on up to 30 RMITV members and rotating through numerous positions such as director, floor manager, audio director, and DA. Tough Times Never Last is recommended to all new members and is the perfect place to learn the ropes within an experienced and welcoming environment.

“Fergus in Hell” wrapped their second season in 2012 and are looking to shoot their third and final season in late 2013. “Fergus in Hell” gives members a unique experience, as it consists of mainly location shoots outside of RMIT. The show involves over 40 RMITV members who are trained in location roles that differ greatly from studio shoots. “Fergus in Hell” received a government grant and will be reapplying for their third season, enabling them to continue in creating a high quality product for Channel 31.

“In Pit Lane” is RMITV’s longest running show, now going into its 19th year of production. Filming 13 live episodes per season and it involves up to 30 RMITV members, “In Pit Lane” continues to be a grand example for other shows in both persistence and passion. With its well-oiled format and experienced production crew, it is the perfect place for new members to learn about live broadcast in key roles.

“Your Photography” completed its 2nd season and is now in pre-production of its 3rd season. ‘Your Photography’ covers the basic elements of stills photography over its season, and is an entertaining and informative program that involves on location shooting interviews and editing opportunities.

“31 Questions” After a successful 1st season in 2012, “31 Questions” is aiming to be shooting their 2nd season in March 2012. With its low budget and high production values, “31 Questions” help members grow into a more professional environment. “31 Questions” give opportunities to over 30 RMITV volunteers.

TrainingThe training program works outside of the practical training received in working on shows, and instead offers members the opportunity to talk with industry professionals in key areas. In 2012 the RMITV Training Program, with the strong support of RUSU, was successful with 194 attendees for the entire 14 workshops and 3 industry based tours. Some of the industry professional trainers included Tim Ferguson, Anthony Rilocapro and Ron Frim. In 2013 we are looking to increase the number of workshops run and cover additional subjects such as producing, editing, and online producing. After a hugely successful training program in 2012 we are excited about its return in 2013.

Public Awareness CampaignOver the course of 2012 Training Manager and marketing student Pamela Meagher helped grow our public awareness both on and off line. Through the publishing of the new training programs, and the multitude of shows now commencing, our Twitter presence rose by 7.86% and our Facebook by 13.35%.

We also had the opportunity to hold a stall at the Entertainment Biz Expo. RMITV exhibited with high media industry players, such as Australian Editors Guild, Film Ink, Australian Directors Guild, Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance and the Melbourne International Film Festival. We were granted a free exhibition area, valued at $1,000, to create awareness for both RMIT University and RMITV with cards, brochures, and posters. We were also able to network with other exhibitors, including heads of Victorian branches of ADG, AEG, and ACA.

Coming up in 2013In the coming year, RMITV is looking to exceed the amazing work done by our members in 2012. With more new workshops to help members feel more confident in creating their own show, and in doing so, giving members more opportunities to refine their craft. With the return of “Live on Bowen”, we look forward to seeing how this team will go above and beyond to reach a higher production values, and how the members of this community will share this knowledge.

“Strange Tales” will be a new RMITV production that will shoot its pilot episode in the first half of 2013, with the aim to start on their full season in the second half of this year. “Strange Tales” is a location drama about the strange going-ons with an apartment building. This new production brings with it new talent, who along with the pilot crew of 20 RMITV members will embark on the most informative lessons of television.

Representation and Advocacy

Election of RUSU PresidentIn accordance with the RUSU Constitution, the Student Union Council elects the President and Media Officer from its elected Council members. The SUC elections were held on October 3rd, 2012.

James Michelmore was elected as President and Sarah Jackson was elected as Media Officer. Congratulations to them both. This meeting also elected SUC members to a range of RUSU internal committees such as Staffing Committee and the Occupational Health & Safety Committee. Participation in these committees enables student representatives to build their skills and experience in managing an organisation and reflects RUSU’s commitment to being a student controlled organisation.

Student Representatives Induction 12-14 November 2012 The first day of induction for the new student representatives was an on campus professional goal setting and planning day involving all RUSU student representatives and staff.

RUSU then took the new SUC elected officers away for 2 days of team building, planning and training in Lorne. There were seminars on RUSU’s structure, regulations, group debates, membership discussion, staffing briefings, team building activities and strategic planning. It was a very successful session with everyone bonding well as a team and coming away enthusiastic about what we can offer students in 2013. It should be a great year with committed and passionate students directing RUSU.

RMIT Student Union


NUS ConferenceSeven RMIT students, including the 2013 elected RUSU President and TAFE Officer, attended the National Union of Students Conference in December 2012.

RMIT University Council ElectionsHovig Melkonian and James Michelmore were elected to RMIT University Council following active campaigning on campus. The celebrations however were short lived with the Education Legislation Amendment (Governance) Legislation 2012 removing elected staff and students from University Councils soon after. This is an outrageous move and RUSU was involved in the campaign opposing the legislation itself and then opposing its implementation at RMIT. RUSU will continue to pressure RMIT to defy the legislation and provide for staff and student representation on University Council.

RMIT Link Annual General MeetingRUSU student representatives took an active interest in the RMIT Link AGM process, pushing for accountability and transparency and arguing for student control over these services and departments.

CompassCompass ended the year with a bang this quarter, with steady drop-in’s keeping our volunteers busy on top of two major events to run. Overall there were 33 student drop-ins this quarter, which is typical of this time of year with late November and all of December being very quiet on campus. Themes of mental health, finance and relationships remain strong. The Student Well Being Yoga Program wrapped up in November after a full year of stretching. The dedicated attendees hope very much to see its return in 2013, however this will depend on funding.

RMIT placement student Noosha D’Cruze finished up her surveying of students and provided an in depth report on how, when and why students access support at RMIT. RUSU will be reviewing the report to see how we can best provide information and support to students. The Compass project officer had a preliminary meeting with RMIT counselling to discuss changes post SAFF funding and also new referral protocols. Compass project officer also attended the City of Melbourne’s “Preventing Violence Against Women Strategy and Action Plan” stakeholders forum this quarter. This forum was a great opportunity to network with local agencies and also to advocate for a safer city for our students. This will be ongoing with further meetings in 2013, and the RUSU Womyn’s Officer will be invited to join. Most importantly Compass received funding for another year through the SSAF grants and will be continuing to creatively care for the welfare needs of RMIT students during 2013.

And finally, Compass volunteers finished up for the year and attended the RUSU end of year volunteer party where they were praised for all of their hard work in 2012. We hope to see many of them back 2013.

Events ‘Stress Less Week’ was held over all Melbourne campuses-and for the first time in the new SAB building. Literally thousands of students attended the days, receiving free water bottles, cupcakes, mini massages, stationery and most importantly information about stress reduction and welfare services at RMIT

The “We Are Not Monsters” anti homophobia event was a raging success in October with two events held, one at Brunswick and one at Bundoora, to address issues of homophobia and bullying. These events were run in conjunction with the RMIT Queer department and saw some rich conversations started about safety on campus and homophobia in Australia. (see photos attached to e-mail)

2013 looks set to be another great year with a new batch of volunteers being trained up and starting on the job, several major events and some improvements to our existing ones. Looking forward to it!

Student RightsTotal number of new cases created Oct – Dec – 319

Total Problem Outcomes Oct – Dec – 223

The final quarter of 2012 has been a time of positive change for the Student Rights team. In recent years the period around the end of semester sees a significant increase in caseload as many students find themselves needing to resolve problems which are hindering them successfully graduating. The much needed incorporation of the new SSAF grant funded postgraduate and Bundoora SRO positions has meant that the peak in cases has had less of an overall impact on the team’s ability to work on systemic issues which contribute to students developing problems and complaints about the University.

Publicly this has seen the rights teams supporting the elected student representatives through the debates on RMIT’s policy making committees about what final form the revised suite of assessment rules should take. Significant work on these essential rules by both Student Union and University staff has seen a number of important improvements made to the draft policies. Remaining on the table at Academic Board are a number of final amendments we have proposed which we feel will ensure that new policy does not unfairly disadvantage students in equity groups, particularly students with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.



Behind the scenes the SRO’s have been increasingly concerned about how accessible vital RMIT information about services and entitlements is to students. Many students without prior knowledge of the tertiary sector struggle to locate specialised information or do not anticipate that there are services relevant to their needs. Members of our team have been involved in examining data gathered by Compass on the knowledge and help seeking behaviour of students who may access their welfare service. Analysis of Compass’s data has lent empirical support to our concerns. Many students are seeking information about vital services from the wrong areas of the institution and issues of stigma and reluctance to appear weak may be compounding this problem. This leaves potentially high risk issues, even potential suicidality, unaddressed.

Student quote: “I fought in the Israeli army for two years, it was hard, it gave me post-traumatic stress

disorder, but it was nothing compared to working out which form I was supposed to fill out at this university’”

In line with our concerns for the general wellbeing of students and our specific responsibility to provide information about student rights, the SROs have commenced a review of our publications and their relationship with more general welfare information. This will lead to a more comprehensive suite of published and online material which can help fill some of the information gaps identified by Compass as well as ensuring that our existing information reflects the finalised assessment policies.

In our second semester casework a noticeable theme has been problems and errors with how academic schools have managed allegations that students have plagiarised work. Many of these cases have involved students having to appeal unfair or excessive punishments often in situations where there was actually little objective evidence considered. Some other cases however have seen the prosecution of charges against apparently guilty students fail as schools failed in quite fundamental ways to follow university processes. We have had significant successes in individual advocacy. As a department of the Student Union, the SROs are very mindful of the potential impact of this problem on the student body in general. We are concerned to see students treated fairly and justly within a robust disciplinary system and feel that a culture of non compliance with the disciplinary process has the potential to affect the reputation of the institution. RUSU and the University needs to continually work hand in hand in enlightening students.

SRO Activities

Other activities of SROs during this quarter included:Advocating for the role of independent and properly funded student controlled organisations to provide services like advocacy, activities and representation to assist TAFE students who experience disadvantage at a national level through the National VET Equity Advisory Council.

Attending information sessions about the role of the Disability Liaison Unit, on how issues such as exam anxiety and students not engaging with study and dropping out can be best addressed by university support services.

Meetings with the Head of School (Medical Sciences), involvement with the Bundoora Campus Committee and consultation with different stakeholders at Bundoora.

“I just got a response from them! :) They have decided to withdraw my exclusion! :) I can continue studying! :) Thank you so much for all your help Ade. I can’t thank you enough. I promise I will study hard and finish this

year. :)” – Student feedback

“Thank you for your advice and support, I am very impressed with the service provided. Thanks again,”

–Graduate School of Business and Law

Cases created 4th quarter 2012:

1 Admin Issue 11

2 Admission Issue 3

3 Appeal Against Assessment 40

4 At Risk/Academic Progress 15

5 Bullying 2

6 Complaint 28

7 Course Issue 4

8 Disability 34

9 Discipline Issue 9

10 Enrolment Issue 13

11 Exclusion 21

12 Fees Issue 7

13 Graduation Issue 6

14 Group Work Issue 7

15 Leave of Absence 1

16 Ombudsman Complaint 6

17 Online Enrolment Issue 3

18 Payment Plan Needed 2

19 Plagiarism 33

20 Problem with course advice 10

21 Problem with Exam 7

22 Problem with Invoice 1

23 Refund/remission of debt 4

24 Sexual Harassment Issue 2

25 Special Consideration 48

26 Transcript error 2

Total 319

RMIT Student Union


Case Outcomes 4th quarter 2012:

1Academic Misconduct (Discipline Board) - Student Penalised 4

2Academic Misconduct (Discipline Board) - Case Dismissed 13

3 Advice for letter given 12

4 Appeal against RPL - Appeal Dismissed 1

5Appeal against Special Consideration - successful 3

6Appeal against Special Consideration - unsuccessful 1

7 At Risk advice given 4

8At Risk Withdrawn (appeal against maximum time) 1

9Contacted Academic Advisor - Issue Resolved 7

10Contacted Head of School - Issue Resolved 9

11Contacted Course Coordinator – Issue Resolved 1

12 Contacted lecturer/turor - Issue Resolved 3

13 Debt Issue Resolved 2

14 Debt Remains 4

15Discipline Committee- Student allowed to continue 8

16 Discipline Committee - Student penalised 1

17 Email advice given to student 6

18 Exclusion withdrawn – by school 6

19 Late Enrolment Achieved 2

20 Leave of Absence 2

21 Ombudsman Complaint 5

22CAC Appeal Against Assessment - Appeal Dismissed 1

23PAC Appeal Against Assessment – Appeal Upheld 3

24 Pass by compensation achieved 2

25Plagiarism Meeting case – Dismissed Against Student 10

26Plagiarism Meeting Case – Upheld Against Student 4

27Plagiarism Meeting Case - Reprimand (Student asked to resubmit) 3

28 Recognition of Prior Learning Achieved 1

29 Referral Given – Counselling Service 13

30 Referral given – DLU 6

31 Referral Given – legal Service 1

32 Referral Given – SLC 6

33 Remission of Debt 3

3431 ) School level Complaint made – Outcome Successful 6

3532) School level complaing made - outcome unsuccessful 3

36 33) Show Cause Letter approved by SPC 7

37 34) Show Cause letter rejected by SPC 1

38 35) Special Consideration Granted – 28

3936) Student Appealed Assessment and changed Exclusion status 1

40 37) Student transferred to new program 1

41 38) Student withdrew from a subject 1

4239) UAC Appeal Against Assessment - Appeal Dismissed 1

4340) UAC Appeal Against Assessment - Appeal Upheld 5

4441) UAC Appeal Against Exclusion – Dismissed 7

4542) UAC Appeal Against Exclusion – Upheld 6

46

43) UAC Appeal Against Special Consideration - Appeal approved without committee hearing 4

4744) University level Complaint Made – Outcome successful 3

4845) University level Complaint made - Outcome Unsuccessful 1

Total 222

Offshore Cases – Outcomes

Singapore Institute of Management

1 Assessment Review unsuccessful 1

Total 1

Cases created in 4th Quarter 2012 319

Case outcomes in 4th Quarter 2012 223

Some student feedback

“Thank you so much for all of your help and advice, you are a huge part of why I have been given another chance

to succeed, I appreciate it so much!

You were able to provide support and perspective at an extremely stressful time and I cannot thank you enough.”

– Student feedback



RUSU Governance, Administration and services

Governance & Admin UpdateThe final quarter has been a busy one for governance, admin and finance. Mandi Scott returned as Governance & Development Officer on 1 October, 2012.

2012 is the first year of the new RUSU Constitution, with the elected representatives now commencing their term on 1 November. This has been a period of organisational change and has involved a lot of structured group induction and training and hands-on mentoring. The changeover of 25 elected representatives also involves many logistical and administrative tasks. The final quarter has also seen a lot of planning for the year ahead, so that programs are ready to roll out come the start of 2013.

OH&S AuditA thorough audit was conducted by OH&S officers of the City, Carlton and Brunswick offices with reports submitted to both the Staffing Group and Secretariat. The Bundoora audit is scheduled for early 2013, following changes made from recommendations of an earlier OH&S inspection.

Funding and SSAFFunding for 2012 and 2013 has been a big focus area this quarter with the 2012 Funding Agreement finalised and signed off and negotiations around SSAF funding ongoing during the quarter. 2012 has been a time of many lessons learned in terms of the SSAF process. These experiences will hopefully lead to a lot more clarity for the 2013 funding round and negotiation of the 2013 funding agreement.

RUSU was happy to hear about the RUSU projects recommended by the SSAF Steering Committee at its meeting on 29 October 2012. We were however extremely disappointed that 3 of these projects, (the Furniture Cage, Vietnam Exchange and RUSU Sustainable Food Choices Program) didn’t receive final approval from the Vice Chancellor.

SSAF Projects Brought ForwardRUSU was pleased to receive confirmation that we could utilise an anticipated SSAF underspend on two of the proposals (Mobile Phone Kiosks and Brunswick lockers) put forward for 2013 funding. Implementation of these is as follows:

Mobile Phone KiosksMobile Phone Kiosks were purchased and installed on City, Bundoora and Brunswick campuses in December. These kiosks will enable students to quickly recharge the major brands of mobile phones free of charge. RUSU branding and the SSAF logo are to be installed in early 2013.

Brunswick lockersDespite a mad rush of negotiations and meetings with Property Services in late 2012, the Brunswick lockers are still not installed on campus as Property Services were unable to meet the 31 December deadline. Both short and long term lockers have been approved by the Student Union Council and ordered however negotiations about location are ongoing and so these have not been delivered. Students at Brunswick have been campaigning for lockers for years and there is a clear need. As such, RUSU will continue pushing for the roll out of this proposal.

Additional RUSU Staff Activities

Training and ConferencesThe quieter period at the end of 2012 provided time for some RUSU staff members to attend relevant conferences and trainings to enable them to achieve better outcomes for students in 2013.

Tertiary Recreation and Entertainment VictoriaTertiary Recreation and Entertainment Victoria (TREV) is an organisation that consists of members from across Victoria’s higher learning institutions. It co-ordinates inter-varsity sports, recreation trips and entertainment events. The annual Tertiary Recreation and Entertainment Victoria (TREV) was held at Mantra on Russell on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 November. RUSU sent a delegation consisting of four Activities and Clubs staff and one student council member. The two day conference consisted of workshops, guest speakers and a chance to meet suppliers who work within the sector. At this conference, RUSU’s Renee Thompson was elected to be Vice President of TREV for 2013. Congratulations Renee.

Global Shifts: RMIT Sustainability ConferenceRUSU’s Brunswick/Carlton Student Liaison Officer, Candice, attended the inaugural Global Shifts 2012; Social Enterprise Conference over three days in December. The conference was a great opportunity to network with the leaders of the social enterprise movement and bring back to RUSU new ideas about engaging with students and promoting environmental and social campaigns. This should fit well with work that Candice has been assisting with around a student run garden, bike program and other RUSU campaigns.

Our Communities ‘Board Builder Conference’Mandi, the RUSU Governance and Development Officer, attended the Our Communities ‘Board Builder Conference’ in Melbourne in December. This 1 day conference focused on governance. Speakers included Penny Wong, Susan Pascoe (Chair, Implementation Taskforce for the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission) and Juanita Pope Director, PilchConnect (presenting on the legal responsibilities of Boards).

Certificate IV in Training and AssesmentThe Student Engagement Officer, Andrea Ogier, undertook the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment during November to January. This qualification enables Andrea to plan, deliver and assess the effectiveness of the training that we offer our volunteers. The hope is as well that skills learnt as part of the course will be used to deliver training modules to other staff members, such as writing a Position Description.

Staff this quarter has also attended training in

• Youth Mental Health First Aid

• Food Handling

• Responsible Service of Alcohol

And finally...RUSU elected representatives and staff wrapped up the year with an annual end of year RUSU celebration at Captain Melvilles on 19 December.

RMIT Student Union


Finance overview

RUSU SSAF Funding 2012RUSU Funding from RMIT in 2012 was made up of the following:

• $1,768,231 (Base grant) and

• $278,600 (SSAF ‘Quick Wins’ Grants)

• TOTAL GRANT – $ 2,046,831

• ACTUAL TOTAL GRANTS RECIEVED – $ 2,045,264

Until December 2012, RUSU had been receiving only the base grant amount in monthly instalments of $ 147,222. Following discussions with RMIT in December the $ 278,600 in SSAF ‘Quick Wins’ grants was paid to RUSU as a lump sum amount.

End of Financial Year Report

Base Grant• SSAF Base Grant Received $1,766,664

• SSAF Base Grant Expenditure $1,766,664

• Under/Over spend $0

SSAF Quick Wins Grants• SSAF Quick Wins Grant Received $278,600

• SSAF Base Grant Expenditure $238,196

• Under spend $40,404

Overall Income & Expenditure• SSAF Total Grants Received $ 2,045,264

• SSAF Total Expenditure $2,004,860

• TOTAL under spend $40,404

In order to meet legislative requirements, RUSU has altered its previous financial reporting to reflect the need to match expenses with “allowable items”. Please note that the table below is based on SSAF Allowable items and expenditure of SSAF funds on these areas. It categorises the SSAF expenditure on both the base grant and SSAF ‘Quick Wins’ grant into the allowable items.

This table does not include activities and services funded by non SSAF expenditure. For example: The $10,260 in club grants allocated to political clubs is NOT included in the expenditure total for SSAF YTD Expenditure on the ‘Clubs’ Allowable item as it is explicitly funded through non-SSAF sources.

RUSU also receives some funding from other grants. While some of the activities funded through these grants (Compass Drop In Centre, Furniture Collective) are reported on in the narrative section of this quarterly report due to the overlap with other representative, advocacy, administrative, governance and publicity functions of the Student Union, expenditure on these projects is not included in the expenditure reported above as it is not SSAF funded.

At RMIT’s request RUSU has also included an additional section to our financial report. This section reports on the actual expenses on each of the specific SSAF ‘Quick Wins’ funded grants. Moving forward to 2013 RUSU has restructured our finance system so we can capture each individual SSAF committee approved grant, which will make reporting easier and more efficient.

Additionally RUSU is committed to continuous improvement of our financial systems to ensure we both work within our budget provisions as agreed through our funding agreement and to satisfactorily achieve our annual audit of statutory accounts by a registered company auditor under the Corporations Act.

Allowable Item Item DescriptionYTD Expenses (SSAF funded)

Giving students information to help them in their orientation;

• O’Book operations, honorariums, publication (online and print) and distribution

• Membership incentive program

• Membership engagement, communications and marketing Upgrade and Maintenance of online communications including website, e-newsletters, social media integration

• Orientation specific events

$36,985

Caring for children of students; Nil 0

Providing legal services to students; Nil 0



Allowable Item Item DescriptionYTD Expenses (SSAF funded)

Promoting the health or welfare of students;

• All activities and events from advocacy and welfare collectives: Queer, Womyn’s, Post-Graduate, Environment, Welfare, Education

• Campaigns, events, programs, marketing

$99,406

Helping students secure accommodation; Nil 0

Helping students with their financial affairs;

Nil 0

Helping meet the specific needs of overseas students relating to their welfare, accommodation and employment;

• All activities and events from International student department $45,480

Helping students obtain employment or advice on careers;

Nil 0

Helping students obtain insurance against personal accidents;

Nil 0

Helping students develop skills for study, by means other than undertaking courses of study in which they are enrolled;

• Induction programs/Student Representative Professional Development

• Volunteer Program + program staffing

• Student Union Council Elections

• Secretariat Honorariums

• All of SUC campaigns

• Campaigns staff support

$171,157

Providing libraries and reading rooms (other than those provided for academic purposes) for students;

Nil 0

Supporting the production and dissemination to students of media whose content is provided by students;

• RMITV operations, honorariums, special projects, productions, training, website

• Catalyst magazine operations, student honorariums, publication (online and print)

• Communications/Graphic Designer Staff

$164,652

Providing food or drink to students on a campus of the higher education provider;

• Campus specific events and marketing

• Activities and Events collective including administration, student honorariums, marketing and staff support

• RUSU Realfoods

$141,689

Supporting a sporting or other recreational activity by students;

• Major events and intervarsity recreational activities and competitions

$196,794

Supporting an artistic activity by students; Nil 0

Supporting debating by students; • Grants paid to RMIT or Chinese Debating clubs (or any future debating club)

0

Supporting the administration of a club most of whose members are students;

• Administration, grants, equipment and support to student run clubs and societies

• Clubs and Societies Staff and other support

• Student Initiative Grants

$268,834

Advising on matters arising under the higher education provider’s rules (however described);

• Administration and Support staff members: Administration, Governance and Finance

• 5 x Information counter staff and operations

$497,642

Advocating students’ interests in matters arising under the higher education provider’s rules (however described);

• Student Rights Officers

• Student Advocacy materials, campaigns, research and training for staff and student representatives on committees

$382,221

YTD SSAF Expenditure $2,004,860

YTD SSAF Grants Received $2,045,264

Underspend $40,404

RMIT Student Union


2012 SSAF Specific GrantsIn mid 2012 RUSU was successful in obtaining several specific grants from the first round of SSAF distribution. Grants allocated during this process were to be rolled out in 2012 to provide immediate benefit to students and as such became known as the ‘Quick Wins’ SSAF grants. In total RUSU received $278,600 in grant income for the following projects.

SSAF ‘Quick Wins’ Grants • Bundoora SRO – $51,340

• HDR SRO – $41,420

• Clubs Officer – $37,920

• Student Engagement Officer – $37,920

• 2013 O book – $45,000

• Catalyst Increased Publication – $10,000

• Digitisation of club grants – $20,000

• Increase in club grants – $30,000

• Additional club training – $5,000

• Total: $278,600

In October 2012 it became apparent that RUSU would underspend on the above grants in 2012, primarily as a result of the lead time required to recruit specialised staff positions such as Student Rights Officers. RUSU negotiated with RMIT to allow RUSU to reallocate some underspend to 2 further projects. They were:

• Brunswick Lockers – $15,000

• Mobile Phone Recharge Kiosks – $6,000

SSAF Grants ExpenditureAt the end of 2012 the following was the actual expenditure on the SSAF ‘Quick Wins’ Grants

Project Expenditure

Bundoora Student Rights Officer* $41,690

Higher Degrees Research Student Rights Officer* $31,795

Bundoora/ Brunswick Clubs & Societies Officer* $24,964

Student Engagement Officer* $31,070

2013 O’book $36,985

Catalyst Increased Publication Not delivered

Digitisation of Club Grants $4,625

Increase in club grants $41,197

Additional Club Training (revised to club equipment) ^ $4,589

Brunswick Lockers $15,000

Mobile Phone Recharge Kiosks $6,281

Total Expenditure $238,196

Underspend $40,404

Notes:* Staff expenditure includes: salary, superannuation and on costs, advertising and recruitment, office set up costs (desk, computer, printer if they were purchased for that role). They do not include costs related to the program delivered by that staff member Sor ongoing administration of the role (stationary, phone, internet etc).

^ Due to the Clubs & Societies staff position commencing late in semester 2 there was not enough lead time to deliver on the $5,000 in training for Brunswick & Bundoora clubs. This was reallocated to fund equipment that can be hired (free) by Clubs & Societies in Bundoora and Brunswick, including the RUSU Clubs & Societies branded events and information stall marquee.

Documents

RMIT University Student Union - 2012 Quarterly Report 04