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Curtin University

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)

Find out about the various projects by the Student Guild and Curtin University that are funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

Page Index

SSAF funded projects: where is the money going?

Curtin has worked closely with the Student Guild to determine what your Student Services and Amenities Fee will be spent on this year.  We have drawn on student feedback about current gaps in services and information from the Curtin Annual Student Satisfaction Survey.  The Guild will run projects separately to the University, with funds split roughly equally.

A number of services will be run from Curtin’s Bentley campus, where the majority of students study, but significant consideration has also been given to the needs of external students and those studying at other campuses, as well as to the needs of postgraduate students.

Areas of expenditure have been worked out through extensive consultation with the Student Guild; however, next year we will be speaking with students more broadly, so there is still the opportunity to put forward suggestions for additional services or amenities.

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Curtin University projects

Cultural and recreational activities and amenities – Bentley campus

  • Improved access to social sports and recreation, sporting championships, facilities hire, enhancements to equipment and facilities

Student health and wellbeing – Bentley campus

  • Mental health nurse and visiting psychiatrist
  • Low-cost health care for students, reduced waiting times for GP services
  • Support and outreach co-ordinator, improved mental health services, mental health campaign
  • Accommodation advice and support for students living off-campus
  • Childcare support – improved equity access and enhanced facilities

Student health and wellbeing – Kalgoorlie/WASM

  • Student advisors based in Kalgoorlie

Student health and wellbeing – for students studying online/externally

  • Online counselling – for external and remote students using online chat, videoconferencing and an online blog
  • Support and outreach co-ordinator, improved mental health services, mental health campaign
  • Accommodation advice and support for students living off-campus 

Student learning support – Bentley campus/Graduate School of Business/students studying online

  • Online academic learning support services – providing online interactive resource materials to assist students to get the most from their studies
  • Career development and employment support – providing improved access to career counsellors and tailored career programs; career consultant for postgraduate students; support of internships and work experience placements; support in securing employment
  • Student leadership development centre providing improved volunteering, career-oriented leadership events and training
  • Improved academic language and learning support

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Curtin Unilife projects

Online Counselling

  • Offering online counselling to students who study online or who cannot access the service due to other constraints. 
  • Creating an online blog to enable domestic and international students who are reluctant to talk to a counsellor, to ask a question anonymously and get a professional, accurate response.

Provision of Low Cost Healthcare for Students

  • Increase in available doctor appointments and therefore shorter waiting times.
  • Bulk-billing facility with access to emergency medical consumables at no cost.
  • Treatment, support and advice from registered nurses, including emergency response and after-hours cover during semester.

Provision of intensive mental health support and preventive activities

  • Employment of a mental health nurse to offer increased support to students with a mental illness and to implement mental health initiatives for all students. 
  • Provision of a Psychiatry service on a sessional basis.

Career Development and Employment Support

An extension of the careers services delivered to Curtin students, regardless of mode of study or location, offering students support to

  • access immediate and opportune access to career counsellors and tailored career programs
  • gain internships/work experience placements
  • increase their international/global employability skills
  • secure employment upon graduation and throughout their studies.

Student Wellbeing Service – Kalgoorlie

Employment of a Student Advisor at the Kalgoorlie campus, working closely with the Student Guild and community-based initiatives, enabling:

  • Provision of a confidential welfare, advisory and referral service to enrolled students
  • Further development and delivery of information for the Orientation Program
  • Development of outreach programs to support students with their academic progress.
  • Support for academic and administrative staff who may be concerned about a student.

Student Leadership Development Centre

  • Providing access to volunteering and community engagement for any student wanting to enhance their acquisition of the Curtin Graduate Attributes and employability skills.
  • Providing accessible leadership training to identified student groups, to develop confidence and graduate attributes above and beyond those that Curtin currently specifies.
  • Introduction of a new award that recognises students who make a significant volunteering and extra-curricular contribution at Curtin
  • New official document to record a student’s involvement in voluntary or extra-curricular activities

Housing Services

  • Free seminars for students (and parents) due to commence at University
  • Employment of staff to offer enhanced housing and tenancy support to
    • students, including those housed at campuses other than Bentley
    • private providers of off-campus accommodation
  • Better printed publications and multi-media information (including the web) about the living environment

Childcare support for students

  • Improvement to facilities at the centre – garden, courtyard, covered areas, equipment.
  • Expansion of the centre to meet demand for places
  • Short-term project for Equity Places for students needing  financial support.

Recreation Services

  • Registrations and memberships of various sporting bodies to enable students to participate in competitive sports
  • Provision of events and ceremonies recognising sporting achievement
  • Provision of sporting equipment
  • Provision of other costs to enable participation, e.g. uniform, travel costs

The Learning Centre

  • Develop the ‘Just-in-Time’ small-group program for students to improve academic language and learning skills
  • Employment of additional Lecturers to offer extra support to students with changed academic status.
  • Drop-in access to Learning Centre lecturers during semester

Student Support and Outreach Coordinator (SSOC)

Employment of SSOC to provide a confidential support service to students with complex or high support needs, referring to or connecting students to appropriate service

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Student Guild projects

Cultural and recreational activities and amenities

  • Refurbishment of a number of venues including the Basement Cafe, the Building 104 courtyard, the WASM Social Club and the Kalgoorlie Common Room
  • Grants for conference attendance by students
  • Expansion of activities for Orientation Week, Clubs Day and Guild Day
  • In-semester hire of sporting courts for student use at Kalgoorlie
  • Payment of honorarium for Kalgoorlie Guild representatives
  • Increased support for Guild clubs, including providing specialist club development staff
  • Postgraduate networking events with other WA universities

Student health and wellbeing

  • Student legal assist officer
  • International student liaison
  • Kalgoorlie student assist officer

Student learning support

  • Postgraduate mentoring program – in conjunction with the University’s START program, providing a mentoring program for postgraduate students
  • WASM Guild Diary.

The Guild advises that this list is a work in progress, and that suggestions and feedback are welcome.  This feedback can be directed to the Guild President: president@guild.curtin.edu.au

While the University does not wish to add to the financial burden of students, this fee – which is being charged by universities around the country – will help us to significantly improve non-academic services across our operations.

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Summary of Guild projects

1. Printing Services

Project description
Update “ageing” equipment in order to provide more efficient, cheaper priced small to large poster runs, flyers, brochures, information booklets for clubs and societies; general students’ notes/thesis printing; art & design, engineering, architectural, fine arts large format prints or single “dummy” materials for presentations or portfolio; Guild in‐house information booklet, flyers and promotional materials to students.

2. Beer Garden

Project description
Provide an aesthetically pleasing all‐weather beer garden protected by the elements. The Tav currently provides food and beverage to staff and students on campus throughout the year. To enable the Tav to operate during the winter months we are required to install a temporary marquee for at least half of the year due to lack of space inside protected from the elements.

3. Childcare Grant

Project description
Many students with children find it hard to attend classes, examinations or meetings with their supervisors (when they are research students) due to not having the financial means to place their children in childcare for this time. We believe that providing financial assistance to this extent will assist these students to meet their study commitments and result in better marks and degree completion rates.

4. Increased Entertainment

Project description
Increase scope of entertainment provided to students during the day and evening. The Guild Tavern already provides entertainment by means of local bands twice a semester and would like to broaden the variety and occurrence.

5. HR/Safety Officer

Project description
Employment of a Human Resources / Safety Officer to advise the Guild, Clubs and Societies, and other interested parties on best practice within their area of expertise.

6. Main Café Upgrade/Expansion

Project description
Stage 1 (2012): It is planned to expand and upgrade the existing service area of the Café providing a significantly improved lay out with the introduction of a dedicated coffee service area. Stage 2 (2013): Replacement of the tables and chairs from a unique size to a friendly lay out servicing the requirement of 1 person or many changing the configuration of the café

7. Club Storage

Project description
Clubs are more and more investing their funds into equipment to make their club more sustainable, self‐sufficient and better resourced. The Guild could provide storage space for clubs allowing them to be more active on campus, invest with the knowledge their equipment is safe and expand what they do on campus.

8. CUPSA Research Publication Grant

Project description
Postgrads both masters and doctoral students have been facing hardship in getting their papers published in high impact open access journals because of the hefty publication fee. The study budget usually does not have the provision of covering the publication fee. It is the intention of this grant to aid students in the costs associated with publishing their articles.

9. Vagina Monologues Production

Project description
Currently the Guild does not host or facilitate any arts performances by students, aside from specific club funding. Launching an annual production of the Vagina Monologues will not only widen the reach the Guild has, but it will also showcase and promote the Women’s Department and Women’s issues amongst the students at Curtin University.

10. Increased Opening Hours

Project description
The Curtin Student Guild outlets hours are set considering the number of patrons frequenting the cafes at a particular time based on cost effectiveness. We have had requests from a number of students attending campus in the evenings to keep our operations open longer.

11. CUPSA Data Collection Grant

Project description
Postgrad students will be provided financial assistance for undertaking research data collection via surveys , focus groups or case studies. Postgrads both masters and doctoral students have been facing hardship in getting data for their research with their limited financial resources

12. Guild Courtyard Redevelopment

Project description
The redevelopment of Guild courtyard adjacent to Bldg 106B to create a more user friendly facility. The courtyard was redeveloped in 2009 to provide an informal public access area. To date the volume and frequency of users has been outstanding.

13. Student Engagement Officer

Project description
This role would serve to mimic the current Student Engagement Officer position but rather than focus on clubs the position would focus on the Equity departments. The role would provide support, advice and consistency to the departments as well as assist in the promotion of their existence and availability.

14. Guild Reception Redevelopment

Project description
The redevelopment of Guild reception to allow for more efficient delivery of services to students; currently the reception layout does not allow for efficient processing of student requests, in particular at peak times (beginning of semesters).

15. Tavern Courtesy Bus

Project description
Bus service operating from the Tavern to Guild Housing and pre‐determined surrounds; the current service provided by the campus courtesy bus is not adequate to achieve the intended result.

16. Angazi Café Upgrade/Expansion

Project description
The Angazi Café was opened in 2003 with the Business School and Physiotherapy precinct. Although the equipment is in good order and has been well maintained, age is catching up. The Café is available to all students and serves over 6,000 customers a week during the teaching weeks. It will also improve services and OSH/Food safe obligations.

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