Content warning: sexual assault and sexual harassment.

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CAPS to make big changes this year
The University of Melbourne’s Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is making changes this year in order to accommodate increasing demand. Students have criticised CAPS in the past for the excessive wait times.

Staff industry action looms as NTEU negotiations stall
Staff at the University of Melbourne have begun the process of commencing industrial action, due to slow-moving negotiations regarding conditions of work with the University. Led by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), this development is supported by a larger trend of dissatisfied higher education staff, as shown by a recent survey released by the NTEU.

Unsafe community
Every year, student leaders from University of Melbourne Student Union clubs and societies are required to undertake a compulsory training session, conducted by the University’s Safer Community Program. The training, which aims to educate student leaders on how to respond to emergencies and situations such as sexual assault and sexual harassment left some students feeling “shocked and confused”.

UMSU International elections looming
UMSU International is going to the polls 2–4 May for their annual general election. The president and education and welfare vice-president have been elected unopposed. The deadline for nominations was originally extended, due to a lack of nominations for certain positions.

The government has blocked all student media from accessing the budget lock-up
The treasury has told student media organisations that they will not be allowed into this year’s budget lock-up. We signed an open letter to the government, along with seven other student publications.

Student Impact Committee launches
The University is launching the brand new Student Impact Committee to help student volunteers understand philanthropy and its impact on the University of Melbourne community. While this presents an opportunity for deeper student engagement, some students have criticised the lack of financial remuneration.

The future is now
The University has launched a self-driving vehicle, which students and staff will be able to use for research into transport solutions.

University ID cards creating distress and costs for gender-diverse students
The University of Melbourne’s administrative system requires a student’s name to be changed legally before it can be changed on their ID card, placing a financial burden on gender diverse students.

Students take a radical look at education
Radical Education Week is an initiative by the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU)’s environment department that ran in week five, from 26 to 29 March 2018.

Degree in prestige—is it worth it?
In 2015, Excellence in Research for Australia found that over fifty disciplines at the University of Melbourne produced research that was “well above world standard.”

This is a source of pride for the University, a fact they are more than eager to share with staff and students on their website. A less advertised tidbit of information, however, is that the University of Melbourne is having far less impressive results in surveys of its student support and teaching quality in the Good Universities Guide’s independent annual survey. Read our feature article here.

Collated by Ashleigh Barraclough