2015 Annual Report & Financial Statements

October 2015 COASTRS.SCU.EDU.AU 122 445 919 74 NBA 2015 Annual Report & Financial Statements TABLE OF CONTENTS REPORTS About & Mission 01 Clubs ...
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October 2015 COASTRS.SCU.EDU.AU 122 445 919 74 NBA

2015 Annual Report & Financial Statements

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORTS About & Mission

01

Clubs & Societies

3- 4

President Report

06

Secretary Report

7- 8

Engagement Report

9- 10 Film Club

15

PHOTOS Advocacy Report

17

Rainbow Alliance Report

18

Office Report

19- 20

Testimonials

21

Digital Media Statistics Financials

International Report Indigenous Report

11- 12 14

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coastrs.com.au

[email protected]

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About

CoastRs is the Student Association at Southern Cross University's Gold Coast campus. CoastRs Inc membership is open to all students enrolled internally at Gold Coast or studying externally. CoastRs Student Association's primary services are advocacy, welfare and engagement. As part of these initiatives CoastRs Student Association liaises heavily with the advocacy office, provides a voice for the students, welfare course (such as First Aid), one on one welfare for students, events, catering, parties and other engagement activities. Part of this idea of welfare is the CoastR’s printing service, which is designed to make university studying cheaper and easier for students. CoastR’s also has a number of sub-committee and groups.

Mission To continue to deliver equitable services to all students internal and external by implementing funds in student facilities and services, and providing students with equal representation. To promote social activities and events that encourage a sense of community at Gold Coast, creating an inclusive environment for students (undergraduate, postgraduate, external), and SCU graduates in the Gold Coast/Tweed Heads catchment. On building a campus community, generate income and bring the campus population at Gold Coast together. To generate income through activities and events and to source funding through membership, sponsorship & partnerships with local and regional businesses, and SCU. To maintain and facilitate open relationships with our members, SCU, Gold Coasts Head of Campus, Student Services and other student associations within and beyond SCU.

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BE A STUDENT A S LONG A S YOU STILL H A VE SOMETHING TO LE A RN , A ND THIS WILL ME A N A LL YOUR LIFE . ” “



HENRY L . DOHERTY

PRESIDENTS REPORT

by Peter Bill It is generally considered to be correct protocol to report on what has transpired during 2015 for the student association and I will briefly touch on that. I personally think that much has been achieved during the past year, much of which has not been seen by students. This has included changes to office practice in conjunction with the Pro-Vice Chancellors office to provide an advocacy service on Gold Coast campus that is a stand-alone position removed from the student association. Feedback from students and staff regarding this transition of advocacy delivery for students has been positive and feedback regarding response times for advocacy issues has seen this service become more person centred and active. What this has also done is to provide the student association with a more focused purpose and direction for future endeavours. The issue of communication between different departments of the university and the student association is still problematic at times however has noticeably improved in the past twelve months as relationships have developed between differing parties on Gold Coast and Lismore campus. This will continue to improve given the development that is now in place. A review of communication processes will occur in the near future. While this is a systems issue it affects all students and streamlining communication processes will ensure better service for students. I personally would have liked for more students to come forward to provide feedback on what the student association is currently offering to students on Gold Coast campus during 2015. As your student association we can survey and do straw polls and ask for feedback all we want; however if students do not provide constructive criticism it is pretty much impossible to tailor and develop services for students if we have nothing to go on from students. Having said that much of the feedback has been positive and we are currently taking an inclusive approach to service delivery, much as one would expect from any service organisation. The student association is a work in progress and as such it is dynamic and constantly changing, much like the ocean we see from campus. I would ask you keep that in mind and ask the question, what is possible in 2016? Because as I like to say, if you don’t ask you don’t know. Finally, I would like to thank the committee for their input and implementation of ideas for service delivery during 2015. And thank you to the Coastrs staff who work tirelessly to support student services on campus. Please remember committee members volunteer their time so that students have opportunities that would not otherwise occur. Coastrs is always looking for people to help out in some way shape or form. Pop in for a chat.

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SECRETARY REPORT By Max Paterson Coastr’s has endured a very challenging past number of years with 2015 having no exception. Firstly focusing on what has been achieved as an entity. The successful launch of a number of new clubs, the arrival of a highly motivated and capable employee, an expanded understanding of internal operations and a continual discovery of student needs and wants shaping the future of the student association. Above all else, Coastr’s has newly discovered the importance of communication within the enterprise and the fundamental need it plays in the success of the overall student experience; however it comes to manifest, whether it’s the exposure of the entity and the committee members amongst the student population, digital presentations of committee and staff or through advertised social events. Now moving beyond the strengthening foundation for which Coastr’s will no doubt grow upon, I focus on the critical and honest areas that demand attention in order to solidify the service and experience as standard for all students. In my time as Secretary I have come to see a massive transition starting from over half a year ago in the position. Having noticed the vitriolic, toxic and hostile environment that I walked into, to the engaging and welcoming community and environment that has now just started to foster, very much in its infancy. With this growth comes an incredible demand for nurturing what has been started, requiring ongoing training and expansion especially in communications, verbal or otherwise to guarantee strong operations within the organization, allowing powerful and amiable conflict resolution on any scale. Stepping up into the foundational business requirements for growth, Coastr’s is experiencing a direct need for proven best practices documents, holistic policies and constitution as well as a plausible use for event, incident and reflective reports. The as of yet nonexistent mandatory recording of all outcomes or procedures worries me, as without a strong documented structure, each year that passes is not effectively integrated into that structure and producing a stronger working foundation for each successive new year. I above all else, state implicitly that the guaranteed future for students and their experience is directly related to the bare bone structure of the association – if Coastr’s structure doesn’t work, the student experience as a whole, is not working. I have innumerous examples of how this is the case.

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Finally, as I had vaguely predicted as of the conclusion of 2015, with the pressures of closing the year either strong as a unified entity, or that which is at the mercy of what I have come to deem as “The Old Culture” the latter has come to dominate leading into the AGM. In spite of all my efforts to procreate a mentality amongst the Office-Bearers to adopt an enquiry based mindset, removing as much personal inflection as possible – removing decision processes from the realm of right versus wrong, good verus bad and stepping into a simple objective based operation of what does work or what doesn’t work.

Having encountered a situation where complaints were arising without confidence that such complaints could be delivered according to proper due process and having heard some of the material with which was disserted into the general student population, some of which revealed a particular standpoint and ‘opinion’ of myself which has seriously undercut my confidence in the Student Association on a personal level. This is so as at all times, it is clear to me that any individual representative of the Student Association is at ALL TIMES representing the entity as a whole and therefore, any communications, conversations, messages or statements without clarification DO so in the space of representing the ENTIRETY of Coastr’s. For me, the information that has come across my path has in my mind completely and irrevocably violated the association’s constitution and violated the very purpose for which the association exists on multiple levels. I will equate the material to nothing but hearsay and rumor that even as such, has not been handled through due process and as a result has left me contemplating what legal issues are left knowing that rather than complete this internally in front of committee, it is being handled behind the scenes using ‘cloak and dagger’ political strategies that further infringe Coastr’s and the universities wider policies. Under this cultural stigma, the association WILL take at least 7 to 8 years to reach a rounded state of stability.

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ENGAGEMENT REPORT By Stacy Knight

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ack to School Party (20/2/15) The back to school party was the first party of 2015 and was held in the upstairs function room of the Coolangatta Hotel. The venue was themed in a 90’s fashion with popular and nostalgic music playing all night. 40 students came to the party.

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oulin Rouge River Cruise (12/3/15) The Moulin Rouge River Cruise was one of the most popular events of the year and despite the rain, the boat was full of students eager to party and have a good time. A student DJ played music which livened up the boat. 80 students brought tickets to the event.

Weekly Music

CoastRs has had lunch time weekly music on campus since O’ week session one 2015. The weekly music had started out once a week on a Thursday however, progressed into two days a week (Wednesday and Thursday) as we had received positive feedback from students. The musicians that play on campus are both student and local musicians that enable for both to get an outreach to a possibly different crowd. The music is delivered in conjunction with food that is also supplied by CoastRs which has also gotten positive feedback. In 2016 my aim is to have music and food three days a week as it will expand the amount of students that service reaches. 9

SCUs Got Talent- GC campus (10/4/15) SCUs Got Talent was held towards the middle of the year and organised by Unilife and CoastRs were able to support by signing up acts, promoting and organising on the day. Six acts signed up and performed that evening with approximately fifteen spectators. The Judges were Max Paterson, Elizabeth Johnson and Megan Darragh who chose Chilluminati, Sarah O’Loughlin and Mia Cooper as the 2015 first, second and third place winners respectively. Arts Festival- Kirra Hill (23/5/15)The Arts festival was held at Kirra Hill Community Centre at the end of May. CoastR’s had organised student musicians to showcase their talent on the behalf of Matthew Marshal, who organised the event on all three campus’. CoastRs also provided pizza and heating lamps on the night. Toga Party (26/6/15)The Toga party was the most anticipated party of the year with 60 students dressing up and enjoying the night. The Toga party was held at the Coolangatta Hotel in the private upstairs venue where it was decorated to match the Toga theme and a student DJ, James, also supplied the music for the night. R U OK ? Day (10/9/15)R U OK? Day was organised by Sheridan and Kendal who organised for a number of different useful merchandise to be sent to campus by doing so students were able to both support this cause as well as raising awareness and encouraging those who may need it to seek help. Thanks to the kind donations of the students and staff on the day $54 was raised. Super Hero Party (16/10/15)The most recent party was the Superhero party that was held in O’ week session three in the ‘Icon’ function room at the Coolangatta Hotel. Only 8 of the 21 people who pre paid for a ticket showed up although approximately 30 still attended the party.

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INTERNATIONAL REPORT BY MEGAN DARRAGH It’s been a big year for the SCU Gold Coast International Club! The SCU Gold Coast International Club organised a cultural event to celebrate Rangoli, the traditional Indian art of decorating the floor with artistic designs as a form of welcoming and good luck. Students created Rangoli patterns with coloured sands, tried Henna body art, listened to classical Indian music and tried traditional Indian sweets made by an Indian student. This event created a great opportunity for Indian students to enjoy a tradition they would usually celebrate with family and friends back home while providing a cultural experience for other students. As a place of learning, the campus was the perfect location to bring students together and to inculcate intercultural awareness.

The SCU Gold Coast International Student Club helped with the organisation of another successful Fusion Festival this year that was bigger and better. Students were eager to share their cultures and authentic food samples from India, Iran, Japan, Canada and Bulgaria. The International Student Club also organised cultural demonstrations such as lion dancing, tango and salsa dancing, Chinese martial arts and Chinese paper cutting and to quench students’ thirst and keep them energised for the day, free Red Bull samples were provided. The campus burst into life through a vibrant cultural celebration of the tremendous diversity the SCU Gold Coast campus has among its international students. It was exciting to see students from several diverse backgrounds bond through cultural exchange, colourful performances and flavours from around the world. As International Representative I would like to personally thank the student volunteers whose commitment, hard work and dedication made the international stalls and performances possible. A big thank you to the International Office for all of their support.

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The International Student Club has also organised charity events on campus, including supporting Rosie’s Friends on the Street, with food donation boxes provided on campus to support those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Donation boxes and signage were also created to raise awareness on campus and provide aid to victims of the Nepal earthquake. The International Student Club is looking forward to future opportunities with local organisations. The International Student Club has organised several Gold Coast events and has enjoyed watching the Gold Coast campus expand over the last year. Several social activities have been organised for students to foster a feeling of belonging, create a balance to the academic and social aspects of their lives and enhance the quality of their experience while studying at SCU. Trips have included Dreamworld, Fright Night at Movie World and several ice skating trips which was a good way of sharing my Canadian culture with my fellow International students. Many students have appreciated the dramatically subsidised prices and have developed major friendships from these events. As an International Representative I am committed to organising future exciting events for both domestic and international students that promote student engagement, social interaction, and celebrate cultural diversity to foster a greater sense of community in Gold Coast students and further enrich their experiences while studying at SCU. Future events will include theme park visits, ice skating trips, trips to National Parks, whale watching, sporting events and cultural activities to celebrate the diverse cultures of students on the Gold coast campus. I look forward to welcoming new international faces and making them feel they have a voice on campus!

The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people” – Unknown “

The Fusion Festival was even better this year. I got to sample foods from even more places and meet great people from all around the world. To be part of the festival was definitely an amazing experience and massive opportunity to showcase my culture! – Militsa, Bulgaria Fright Night was an unforgettable experience of fun and fear with my fellow university students who became my friends after the night out. I’m looking forward to Fright Night 2015! – Sreedhar, India Fright Night was a massive success with numerous students attending. It was fun and cost effective, truly worth the money. The Fast Track Maze passes made the event worthwhile as we could skip the massive queues at Movie World. The event also allowed students from different cultures to interact with each other. – Evan, Australia I greatly enjoyed the ice skating. It was an activity perfectly timed at the end of the exam period. I hope that it occurs at the end of every exam period. I would attend every time and endorse the activity to every student I know as a fun, relaxing and creative way to unwind and experience something new after the stress of exams. – Eric, Australia Fusion festival at SCU is always a great platform for me to demonstrate my culture and food. And it is a great pleasure to represent Indian cuisine. Being a part of SCU Fusion Festival is an opportunity to learn about other cultures and I enjoy it a lot! I’m already looking forward to being a part of Fusion Festival next year. - Swapnil, India

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TAKE RISKS. INACTION IS AS MUCH OF A RISK AS ACTION. ALEC ANTOINE

INDIGENOUS REPORT

By Allan Lena The Indigenous Awareness Group has had another busy year with hosting 5 Yarning sessions covering many topics. Cathy and myself the facilitators of the YARN program at SCU, Beachside Campus attended a facilitators and managers meeting at Sydney University hosted by Founder of Yarn, Warren Roberts and attended by facilitators and managers from various universities. The Yarning sessions are continuing and fully expect them to continue next year. Events hosted over the year included BBQs for NAIDOC day, other events included National Sorry day and Closing the Gap day, along with campus Orientation sessions. Several ’Welcome to Country’ and a couple of Smoking ceremonies were performed during the year to welcome new students to the campus.

I attended the National Indigenous Tertiary Education Student Games 2015, held in Newcastle, attending the sports events and visiting Newcastle University meeting the Indigenous staff and attending a language conference. I also had the privilege of attending the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander National Men’s Health Conference in Darwin with representatives from Gnibi college SCU Lismore campus. This conference has led to a National link up around Australia for groups working within the fields of men’s health which beachside campus is part of. The Indigenous Awareness Group at SCU Beachside campus has a great working partnership with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of the Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales area, which include the Reconciliation Action Plan put together by Elders at all SCU campuses. Representation at local Karulbo Partnership meetings and the Karulbo Elders Working Group.

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FILM CLUB By Megan Darragh

The SCU Gold Coast Film Club has enjoyed growing interest from students over the past year! Various films are screened on campus fortnightly on campus with free entry to all students. Students can rest assured that they will not go hungry as free nibbles and drinks are provided in a friendly and casual environment. Film Club offers both domestic and international students an opportunity to informally socialise on campus outside of their studies and classes to help improve Gold Coast campus life and foster a sense of unity and belonging in SCU students. It also gives international students the opportunity to view cultural films that they may not be able to see on the Gold Coast. Film Club is looking forward to expanding in the upcoming sessions by offering students opportunities to attend drive-in movie theatres, cinemas and film festivals. NO15MADIC

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Event Photos

ADVOCACY REPORT BY JOSHUA WALSH I joined CoastRs around August 2014 as the fill in for the Treasurer representative in CoastRs, to which up until April/May 2015 I was then appointed Advocacy Representative. As the Advocacy Representative, I found that as Advocacy Representative for Coastrs, I could help others with any issues relating to advocacy, which is something that I love to do. Overtime, I did not have many issues from students over the year. As a member of CoastRs, I was nominated to attend the National Student Leadership Forum on the 17th – 20th September in Canberra. This leadership forum had a primary focus on how faith and values inspires leadership and drives the force behind what effective leadership is. I think what was some of the greatest points and experiences within this forum included having a talk from both Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Both gentlemen spoke to us about how their faith and values inspires them within their leadership positions, and this as well was a great experience in seeing a whole different side to our major politicians within the Australian Government. Leadership expressed through this Forum had a primary focus on the main ideas of faith and values, however leadership was also broken down into a series of steps or layers that all influence each other, as well as our decisions. These include skills, talents, and character, which then all follows into the key themes of values (the things that we truly believe and shape our own behaviour) and faith (what it is that we truly believe). Knowing what we believe truly in our hearts, and using these qualities is what really helps creates effective leadership. Leaders need to know that their values are and what their faith is in order to serve others in a leadership role. These are developed over time in someone’s life. Throughout this forum, we were put in small groups and within these groups we all got to hear each other’s life stories and what inspired and formed their values, which was incredibly inspiring and such a great thing to hear. We all came from different walks of life and have different values that all come together to create a leader within ourselves. What I hope to take from this experience is how important being true to yourself and sticking to your values is important in life, especially when in a position of leadership. I hope to inspire others and share with others the idea that you should always stick to your values and be true to yourself, as this is what really helps create true, defined and strong leadership. This experience was vital in helping develop my sense of leadership as well as redefine my faith and values., that I can take into CoastRs.

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Rainbow Alliance By Li Min

As a regional campus, Rainbow Alliance really appreciates all the support from CoastRs, and the Equity and Diversity office, as well as the wider community. We would not be able to facilitate events without their support.

Rainbow Alliance held a range of workshops on promoting and disseminating knowledge on issues relevant to the LGBTIQ community. The topics included basic knowledge of sexuality and gender identity, religion and sexuality, queer people from a multicultural background, brotherboys and sistergirls, and queer sex workers, particularly in marginalised queer groups.

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OFFICE REPORT By Caroline Bellenger, Operations Manager The office has seen a lot of changes in the past 12 months with the overall result being a positive and efficient environment which has managed to deliver a great variety of services to students. It was a pleasure to return to my role of Operations Manager in Aug 2014 however it was a very busy few months with the accounts for the entire 2014 having to be re-entered into MYOB and an extensive forensic audit conducted which consumed much of my time. Many office procedures and systems were introduced at this time to provide more efficient outcomes. Our Engagement Officer Katherine Hain was kept very busy with an increase in Advocacy related issues and our general student services including printing, lunches, courses and events. Most office systems and accounting procedures were in place and running by the end of 2014. In February 2015 we welcomed our new Student Assist Officer, Elizabeth Johnson, to the team. Starting right at the busy Oweek Elizabeth was a blessing as she hit the ground running trying to keep up with the overwhelming students’ needs common to Session 1. CoastRs greatly increased its presence on Campus with many social events and weekly music and lunches. It was soon realised that the students’ needed more and the music and free lunches were increased to twice weekly. A very popular addition to CoastRs was the 2 new coffee machines enabling students to finally get good cheap coffee after 2pm and on the weekends….. this was much appreciated especially during Study Week!! CoastRs also supported SCU Connect by delivering a Wellness HQ in the courtyard twice weekly which enable students to obtain support and referral relating to a variety of welfare needs. Sometimes it was just a great spot to chill out and chat to friends !

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OFFICE REPORT CONTINUED CoastRs were excited to obtain a Social Welfare placement student during the year and thanks to Angelika Heurich's passion and persistence had a great outcome in realising an access gate soon to be installed on the eastern side of the University, saving students from the Southern end of the coast a 1.2km walk. CoastRs would like to thank David Hadley of SCU and Cr Chris Robbins for their support of this project. Angelika also assisted with our Wellness HQ which enable it be continued throughout the year. In July this year we sadly said goodbye to our Engagement Officer, Katherine, who had been with CoastRs for over a year and contributed to the current success of the organisation. We wish Katherine every success in her chosen fields of Law and Advocacy. This left a huge void in the organisation and put extra stress put on the current staff and committee to keep delivering services and the ever increasing demands of a growing student cohort. In August this year Kendal Jones joined CoastRs as the new Engagement Officer. As a past SCU student with 5 years’ experience in events and marketing since graduating she has brought a wealth of knowledge and new initiatives. Some of which CoastRs will be excited to deliver and promote in 2016 as we expand our community sponsorships and student benefits. As we come to the end of another year I am very proud to be associated with the fabulous changes and growth experienced by CoastRs. Seeing students smile and appreciate the services and support they are given is the greatest reward of working in a Student Association. While the year has not been without its many challenges and difficult situations I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kendal, Elizabeth, Angelika and Katherine for their dedication and support of CoastRs. And of course I extend my thanks to every member of the Committee who has volunteered their time to give back to the SCU students. Your support of all the office staff is greatly appreciated. It is exciting times for the CoastRs office and we look forward to being able to deliver bigger and better services and support for students in 2016.

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TESTIMONIALS ANONYMOUS POST

A new overseas student speechless with CoastRs happy welcome and $5 lunch voucher!! ANONYMOUS POST

I attended the First Aid/CPR course today organised by Coasters Student Association. It was one of the best First Aid courses I have attended, it was also convenient being held on campus and very affordable. Thank you CoastRs :) JULIE TILLINGER

Thank you for your help today and over the last two years, you make such a big difference to UNI /student life!!! MANBEER SINGH DHILLONR

Coaster service in SCU is fantastic and I really love it.... DR SUZI HELLMUNDT

Many thanks to you both and your teams at all campuses- Orientation went really well and the food and entertainment were fantastic. School hosts brilliant and the hub staff very helpful too so all up some very happy students!

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