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Shouts and Whispers: Student Activism, Outcomes, and Experiences

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Thomas (Tio) White (he/they) is one of the MSA Environmental and Social Justice Officers When most people think about student activism, they think that they don’t know enough to participate. They think that the issue is too complicated, isn’t about them, or not a part of their direct university experience.  Somewhat predictably, as one the 2024 Environment and Social Justice Officers, I don’t think it has to be this way. I want to offer an alternative way of viewing this space of student empowerment and advocating for change. Student activism and student experience are not necessarily mutually exclusive, where an
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Campus

The Case for SFR Reinstatement

When the Academic Board met, and voted on the proposed extension of the Academic Safety Net back on 16 June, they split it into three separate components: Vote 1 – Component A: The Satisfied Faculty Requirements (SFR) provision, whereby a student could convert all of their passing grades to a blanket ‘SFR’ grade. Vote 2 – Component B: Withdrawing fail marks from your transcript completely. Vote 3 – Component C: Unlimited supplementary assessments. With a considerable lobbying effort – and against the official recommendation from the Board’s Education Committee – the five student representatives managed to salvage Components B and
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CampusStudent Affairs

The Pandemic Generation | First-Year Residents at Monash

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Studying at university is already an incredibly challenging experience. It only gets harder when you do it while living away from the comforts of home. Then imagine undertaking your degree during a global pandemic which brings to a halt society around you. This one takes the cake. For countless first-years living at Monash, 2020 was supposed to be their year to start one of the biggest adventures of their life. They were to fulfil this rite of passage in what should have been a year filled with new friends, memories, and personal growth.  Our first-year living on campus at Monash
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Campus

Chinese nationals clash with Hong Kong demonstrators

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Tensions simmered as pro-Beijing activists mounted a counter-demonstration and tried to break up a pro-democracy student demonstration at Clayton Campus today. By late afternoon, approximately 40-50 Monash students had gathered on the walkway between the Religious Centre and Guzman y Gomez to protest the recent attempted extradition bill in Hong Kong. Members of the pro-democracy group stated they had been protesting at various locations across campus since 11:30am, and were being followed by a smaller pro-Beijing student group. Protests have reached fever pitch in Hong Kong yesterday as tens of thousands filled Hong Kong’s streets for the fifth consecutive day,
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Campus

Rumblings in the Music Department

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Last year, there were cuts to the arts faculty. Staff were laid off, contact hours decreased, class sizes increased, and learning content was moved online. The dramatic changes were obvious to everyone; and thanks to the public posters, meetings and protests on campus throughout the year - difficult to ignore. Quietly, the cuts made their way into the halls of the loudest faculty on campus, the music school. This is where I study Classical Composition. During October last year, near the end of the second semester, students in the Classical Composition stream and the Creative Music Technology stream were notified
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CampusStudent Affairs

PSA from your Education (Academic Affairs) Team!

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It’s Week 9 here at Monash. We’re getting to the stage where students feel increasingly isolated. Exams are creeping closer, and major assessments are being submitted and returned. Study consumes our daily life, and most of our work is done solo and online, without the help of peers and without physical interaction. This is a tough time for many students. Issues frequently arise such as the late return of assignments, lack of substantive feedback, limited practice questions and study spaces. Tens of thousands of Monash students believe they have not been provided with the resources and assistance necessary to prepare
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Increased Indigenous Engagement in Tertiary Education  

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As Indigenous enrolment in tertiary education continues to climb, issues which adversely affect the retention and potential enrolments of Indigenous students become even more apparent. A 2015 Charles Darwin University study found that from 2007 to 2013 there has been an increase of Indigenous enrolment in tertiary education, by 45 per cent. However, the study also reported a large disparity with completion rates, with indigenous students far more likely to dropout. The enrolment numbers continue to grow with Indigenous Bachelor of Science student at Monash University. One of the Indigenous Officers for the Monash Student Association (MSA) Krystal De Napoli said:
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Campus

Student live tweets 3 hour Tutorial

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Just Another Sleep Deprived Uni Student: @rip_rotunda2363 | 1:57 pm  Do I have time to grab a mango magic from @boostjuiceoz before my tute?    2:02 pm  Turns out, I did not.    2:04 pm I should really invest in a shirt with ‘Shows up 10 minutes late to class with a Boost’ on the front    2:06 pm  If only classes still started 5 past the hour I would have been on time …    2:09 pm  For the love of God why did I put up my hand when the tutor asked who HADN’T done the reading   
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Student

Re: No lecture recordings or laptops in this unit 

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  Dear Professor,    I write in reply to your email regarding your policy to not release lecture recordings for this unit or to not allow the use of laptops to take notes during your lectures. While you argue that both these policies ensure a heightened learning experience for your students, it is my argument that your policies are in fact detrimental to your students’ learning.    Students these days work to eat. Government payments that low-income students receive are not enough. Without a part-time job to fill the gap, a choice is made between paying the bills and eating. An article
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Student

eExams 

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Attention all students! eExams are now being rolled out at Monash University! Streamlined marking procedures, faster return of exams, and comfortable digital technology – all for your benefit! What a wonderful world we live in and a wonderful university Monash University is!    What was that? Yes, you did not hear wrong. Monash has just launched its first trial for computerised exams. With lectures now available electronically and torrented eBooks perpetuating the genocide of hardcopy textbooks, it was only a matter of time before online exams became a reality. Who still uses paper to take down lecture notes anyway?    So, how
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