Hi fellow undergraduate students and thank you for visiting my blog.
Firstly, a bit about myself. I am currently studying an Arts/Law degree as an external student whilst working full-time. Having studied externally at UNE since 2005 and having attended many residential schools, i feel that there are many improvements that could be made to cater better to external students. This is the reason i have decided to involve myself in UNE student affairs, as i feel that i can contribute to areas that need improvement.
External study can leave you feeling quite isolated and limited in your capacity to involve yoruself with university life, given that you do not have daily face-to-face contact with your peers or with the teaching staff. For some external students, attendance at intensive schools aims to bridge that gap, however many of the university facilities are either not available or are not adequately advertised for visiting students during these times. Intensive schools offer huge potential not only for external students to engage with each other and the teaching staff, but for contributions of a commercial nature to be made to the university during these periods. For student fulfillment and continual attendance at intensive schools, facilities need to be available and up to par for the external students as they would ordinarily be for internal students. Should i be elected I will try my hardest to ensure this is the case. In addition to these improvements for visiting students, i will also propose that social gatherings and events occur in other cities and major centres to ensure that external students have the opporunity to mingle and converse with like-minded peers.
Tertiary study is extremely costly and can be quite a financial burden, particularly for those students who rely on government assistance. Stationery costs such as printing, travel and internet access all add up and can amount to huge costs annually. For example did you know that currently, a full-time student who studies externally is not entitled to a public transport concessions, whereas their internal counterparts are? In this instance I propose that the UNEG campaign to the NSW State Government to ensure that full-time external students are treated equally. While they may not have the continual cost of travel to a campus, they may have the cost of having to travel to a library or closer university campus. This is just one of the many of the inequalities external students face. I aim to bring these issues to the attention of the relevant bodies in the hope that all students will be treated equally.
The need for continual communication is a vital component of studying externally. Prior to and during the last governance crisis at UNE, there was very little information made available to external students regarding the state of affairs at UNE. Such events as the governance crisis not only affect internal students and staff, but also external students. I will be campaigning for constant communication to all students, so that we all have the opportunity to be fully informed regarding the state of affairs at UNE.
If elected, i will apply my extensive corporate experience that spans over a decade, to better serve you, as a member of the UNE student body. The extensive knowledge that i have gained from the financial and legal industries, partiularly in regards to governance, risk management and financial accounts will serve to benefit the UNEG executive so that we can improve services for you.
If you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at bmcdona3@une.edu.au or through this blog.
Best of luck with your studies for 2009 and beyond.
Brooke McDonald.