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From the President
It is that time of the year – Valedictory Dinners, applications and interviews for next year, selection of student leaders, and, of course, Stuvac and exams!! I have just been on an ‘exam wander’ around my mainly graduate and international Hall, and, although they are busy with final assignments and exams, talking with students who are excited about graduating and returning home to places across the globe; one heading to Micronesia for fieldwork and another preparing to go to the Paris Climate Conference! The rich and rewarding diversity of college life!
Our recent Forum here at ANU brought some 30 colleagues together for presentation and discussion around issues such as the implications of the 2014 Census, the Draft Strategy for International Education, responding to allegations of sexual harassment and assault, alcohol harm minimisation, and the residential and support needs of graduate students. A panel on the role of Deans and Deputies incorporated the launch of our Future Leaders Grants, which provide for up to two grants per year, each with an amount of up to $2,000, for a project undertaken by an Associate Dean/Deputy member related to collegiate life. It was good to be joined at one dinner by the ANU Vice-Chancellor, at another by the Deputy Chancellor of the University of Canberra, and at lunch by the ANU Chancellor. Overall, it was a good opportunity to share fellowship and encouragement with colleagues from a variety of independent and university owned residences.
Last week I attended and spoke at the INFORMA Student Experience and Housing Symposium in Melbourne. The three days ranged over a variety of matters, but the final day focused on student accommodation. Presenters particularly represented developments, changes and challenges in university owned residences, including places where employed night security staff have replaced the on-call crisis/emergency role of student RAs, and where centralised leadership teams have replaced senior resident staff. While there was a common theme and purpose of community and care, these developments pose real challenges for how we interpret ‘college’ in to-day’s increasingly corporate universities – a challenge that will no doubt be taken-up in next year’s Collegiate Way International Conference to be held at ANU 13-17 November. This Conference will combine with our UCA biennial conference, bringing together leaders from residential colleges in all continents.
Please be in touch if there are any matters you would like us to consider or pursue.
With best wishes for the remainder of the year,
(Dr) Ian Walker
Members Remuneration Survey 2016 Results
Thank you to all members who completed our recent Remuneration Survey. With just over a 75% response rate, results indicate a trend towards a greater number of university owned institutions and an increase in the number of 5 year contracted as opposed to tenured positions compared to our Survey of 2012/2013. The total number of beds is also rising with 23% of residences having 300-400 beds as opposed to 13% in 2012, and whilst previously only 20% of Members earned more than $160,000 the total now stands at 45% with 10% on salaries of $200,000 plus. All Survey results can be accessed at the Members section of our website here.
The Members section is password protected, please contact Deborah Pugh at Executive Officer or phone 0434 400 653 for assistance with the 'login' process.
Access to IAS Grants for Indigenous students
Advice from Peter McDonald, Tertiary Balance: Under the previous Australian Government Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS) program (an initiative of the former Federal Labor Government), affiliated residential colleges were not permitted to access funding to pay for tutors employed directly by the college to provide special tutorial (one to one) assistance to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in residence. The ITAS program was replaced by the Abbott Government's Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) and all future funding of this sort will be via IAS. A Senior Adviser from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has now confirmed that in any future IAS funding rounds the affiliated colleges will have the ability to put forward applications for grant funding for direct employment of tutors for this purpose.
Legal Employment Status of RA's
Peter McDonald's advice on the legal employment status of College RAs can be found here.
GST Tool and misreporting of student meals
UCA requested advice from Peter McDonald on the circumstances in which colleges and halls that have elected to use the ATO's Residential Colleges GST Tool to determine how much Goods and Services Tax (GST) to remit to the ATO, have a taxation liability if they fail to report bundled student meals to the Tool. Catered colleges potentially exposed to this issue are those that have elected to use the GST Tool and have answered 'No' to question 17 in the contracts' worksheets in cases where students are subject to mandatory charges for meals. Find Peter McDonald's advice here.
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