Posts in category: President News

Uni is only 6 weeks into semester one, but we’re already a quarter of the way through our year.  This first quarter has been a big one for the Student Union, I’ve written an update for the up coming edition of the SWINE magazine, which you can read below:

First off, we had a tremendous O-Week, and our biggest yet!  Thanks to the amazing work of our volunteers and new representative team – and in spite of some terrible weather – we engaged with thousands of students to grow the union’s membership by close to 10% on the previous year.  We also held our annual welcome back party with over 700 students turning out in their best classical Greek attire.

Our volunteering program has grown too.  This year we have new opportunities open to all students in office & admin support, promotions volunteering, and a massively expanded weekly BBQ.  We are also looking to expand opportunities in our activities & events program.

Thanks to some excellent feedback from our members, we’ve been working hard to improve our social media content. And not just the memes.  If you jump on any of our pages, you can now find a heap of student discounts, competitions and giveaways.  The Hammer & Swine occasionally provide some cheeky discount bevs, and if that’s not your thing, the SSU page is regularly updating on local discounts.

And there’s more good news for the Hammer & Swine.  Having hired a new bar manager this year, the bar has branched out from regular trading.  On top of the usual Thursday night events, we are running some quality events with clubs – such as the recent Bollywood night.  We have also expanded booking and catering packages for all clubs, student groups and departments here on campus.

It hasn’t all been positive though.  Unfortunately before the return of classes, many of our new international students received notice of an additional tuition fee invoice, just days before payment was due.  The Union’s Education Department engaged with dozens of students on the issue, and provided advice to hundreds more as we sought clarity for our members.  We will be continuing discussions with the University to seek assurances on fairness and clarity surrounding fees in the future as part of our increased engagement with university staff and committees.

I hope you all have a fantastic rest of the semester, and if you’d like to find out more or get involved with the Union at any time, be sure to get in touch,

Sam Roberts

President

Swinburne Student Union

Welcome, everyone new to Swinburne, and welcome back to those returning for another year!  As your 2018 Student Union President, I want to work with more students than ever to ensure that we have the most active and inclusive year with the Union yet.

The Swinburne Student Union (SSU) run your student bar: the Hammer & Swine, free breakfast, weekly BBQs, and the cheapest printing on campus.  In 2018, we hope to grow the union through expanding volunteering opportunities for students, and working even closer with clubs to provide a vibrant culture here on campus. Head over to our Facebook page for updates on new services and all of the years events.

The SSU is Swinburne’s only independent, student-run representation, welfare and events service.  As your student union, we aim to improve the experience of all students on campus, both in education, and campus culture.  We are always interested to hear what you have to say about the union, and uni in general. If you have any ideas on how we can make your uni experience a better one, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

If you’d like to get even more involved this year, the SSU run a large volunteers program, with opportunities to get involved in all of our services and events.  Our collectives provide another great opportunity to get involved with like-minded students.  And if you have any time free after all that, between study and part time work, definitely join a club or three – or start your own!

Best of luck with the year ahead, and I encourage all students to get involved as much as you can.