Hi all,

Hope this semester has been treating you well. There are a few things I wanted to bring to the attention of students as we rapidly move towards the end of the year.

SUCCESS IN ADVOCATING FOR A 24/7 STUDY SPACE DURING EXAM SEASON

This is something student representatives have been talking about for a long time, but this year, we finally got some traction and got it done. The University has given us a verbal agreement to trial a 24/7 study space during the upcoming exam season!

This one has been a long time in the making, but Sonika Agarwal and Rhea Sankar from UMSU Education, alongside myself, have been advocating for this throughout the semester. Sonika and Rhea developed a survey and gathered nearly 1000 responses in mere weeks. We then prepared a report based upon this survey, comparing our lack of 24/7 study spaces to other Australian universities.

Once the details are locked in, I will post the location of the trial 24/7 study space to UMSU’s socials, so keep an eye out.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATION ISSUES CONTINUE

Since the start of 2025, the implementation of changes to the Assessment and Results Policy, most notably special consideration, have had significantly detrimental impacts on students. Throughout 2025, UMSU Education, the UMSU Advocacy Service, and myself have fought against these changes at various forums, including the Academic Board, the Elected Student Representatives meetings, and the Assessment and Results Policy Working Group.

I will continue to oppose these changes for the remainder of my term. However, the University is unlikely to have adopted our recommendations prior to the Semester 2 examination period. If you have issues regarding special consideration, please reach out to UMSU Advocacy.

THE RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST

As many of you will be aware, UMSU is adamant in its support of peaceful protest. Following Students’ Council 9(25), a new protest working group has been established to develop campaigns against the protest restrictions imposed back in March. Membership is open to all students, so please feel free to come along.

Further, following recent motions passed at Students’ Council, I wanted to highlight two upcoming events related to peaceful assembly that I will be attending.

Rally Against Repression
Wednesday October 22nd at 12:00 pm
MacFarland Court, outside the Raymond Priestly Building

No Room for Racism and Fascism Rally
Sunday October 19th at 11:00 am
State Library

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Friends, we have nearly made it through another academic year. I plan on sending one last newsletter prior to the end of my term as your President, so keep an eye out. Please look after yourselves and reach out to me directly if I can do anything to help you.

Joshua Stagg

UMSU President