By Brooke Corkhill
Content warning: This story contains mention of sexual assault and sexual harassment.
The Australian National University Student Association (ANUSA) provides a wide range of services to assist students. Here Observer provides a round-up of the primary services they provide to students.
Observer spoke to ANUSA president Charley Ellwood. He commented “ANUSA exists to represent, support, and advocate for all students at the ANU. Part of that vision is to ensure students are provided with the services they need”.
“ANUSA has a suite of services and support programs for all students to access during their time at the ANU. This year we have seen a substantial increase in demand for our services and we are seeing more students needing our support. The services that ANUSA provides are not only a relief for students during a cost of living crisis, but are an integral part of the support network available to ANU students.”
The ANUSA Legal Service is an accredited community legal centre, staffed by professional lawyers who provide services for all ANU students. They offer a wide range of guidance for students, including in migration, visas, employment law, name and gender change, discrimination law, tenancy, intellectual property, on campus accommodation, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and more. They operate between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, and you can book appointments online for a virtual or in-person meeting. They also offer a range of additional services, including workshop and information sessions, and weekly, open-topic drop-in sessions. Currently, these drop-in sessions are 2-3pm on Mondays on University Avenue, in front of the Kambri Lawns.
ANUSA also provides direct financial services for students. Their textbook reimbursement program provides reimbursement of up to $300 for prescribed textbooks. Additionally, ANUSA offers a birth control subsidy, where successful applicants are given a 50% reimbursement of eligible contraception prescriptions up to $250 per year. The ANUSA Transport Voucher Program provides students facing financial hardship up to 10 Transport Canberra vouchers per semester, and the ANUSA & ANU Disabilities’ Student Association Subsidy can support those who identify as having a disability and require financial assistance for non-medication, disability-related expenses.
They also provide emergency accommodation assistance, can cover the cost of academic regalia hire for students experiencing financial hardship, can reimburse students for bike-related expenses, and subsidise Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medication for enrolled students up to $250 a year.
ANUSA also has a physical space for students. The Brian Kenyon Student Space (BKSS) is a lounge in Kambri, where students can relax, meet-up with friends, or ask staff at the reception desk about ANUSA services. It is located on the second floor of the Di Riddell Building, and is accessible by lift and stairs. They are regularly open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday during the teaching period. Their free continental breakfast is provided from 8:30am to 10:30am on weekdays during the teaching term. They also have free coffee, tea, and kitchenette facilities.
The BKSS also acts as the ANUSA Mutual Aid program distribution point. The distribution point houses a range of items gifted from the community, often including non-perishable snacks and meals, toiletries, contraception and menstrual products, and general household items. Students are invited to access this mutual aid system as often as they wish, and take as much as they would like. Students are also encouraged to leave donations on the shelves for other students, as long as they are not perishable, broken, or otherwise unsafe or unusable.
Furthermore, ANUSA facilitates the Student Bites program. In partnership with OzHarvest Canberra, Student Bites collects fresh fruit, vegetables, and baked goods from supermarkets and delivers it to the ANUSA Union Pantry, where students can pick up goods for free every Friday. You need to bring your student card when collecting the food, and make sure to check the BKSS Facebook page for information on times each Friday. You must also register in advance to access Student Bites on this form. Registration opens each Wednesday at 2pm and closes once maximum registration has been reached. Ellwood told Observer that “this year [ANUSA] have doubled the opening hours of the Union Pantry and doubled the amount of students that are able to access the program. And yet, we are still seeing registrations fill up in as little as two minutes. This shows just how much students are demanding this service and how much of an issue food security is on this campus”.
ANUSA provides a range of other student meal services to help ensure student access to healthy and nutritious food, including Lunch Express at the BKSS, and Food Co-op lunch vouchers, which are available through this form. They also provide a Grocery Voucher Program, where students can receive a maximum of $100 in grocery vouchers per semester.
ANUSA also supports student groups, through their Student Extracurricular Enrichment Fund (SEEF), and the variety of equipment available for hire, such as audiovisual equipment and a bus.
Their Student Assistance Team can assist with Disciplinary complaints, helping students throughout the inquiry process, providing feedback on their complaint or response, and attending the inquiry as their support person. The team is also trained to respond to sexual violence disclosures, and support survivors of sexual assault or sexual harassment.
“ANUSA is run by students, for students. We are your voices on campus – we are the ones fighting for you at every step to bring you the Campus that you want, the Services you need, and the Education that you Deserve.All services can be accessed through the ANUSA website, with both SAT and Legal available for online and in-person appointments. No matter what you face during your time at the ANU, ANUSA is here to support you.”
Graphics by Harry Dennis
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