Ground Floor, Lady Symon Building, Cloisters ph: (08) 8303 5430, studentcare@adelaide.edu.au
Webpage address:  http://www.union.adelaide.edu.au/student/services/care.html

Chris Gent, Vicki McCoy and Eirean James are the Education and Welfare Officers (EWOs) employed by  Student Care Inc.

The EWOs are professionally qualified and experienced to provide broad-range and confidential  welfare and support services, including:

\xB7 Advice, advocacy and representation in complaints, grievances and student rights issues (including CENTRELINK)
\xB7 Academic, personal and financial counselling and information.
\xB7 Loans and small grants
\xB7 Other support services (see below)

Advocacy and representation   The University has rules governing the teaching of courses, delivery of services and behaviour on campus.

The EWOs are designated advocates for students under the University rules and processes. They can help you with any issue or complaint through investigation, negotiation, referral, advice or actual representation.

The EWOs also have extensive knowledge of CENTRELINK matters, including representing students and helping with case preparation in appeals to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal (SSAT) and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)

Counselling   The EWOs counsel primarily on a problem-solving basis for any issues which directly or indirectly are affecting a student's ability to study successfully.
Referral to other counselling services can be arranged where this is appropriate.

Loans & Grants - EWOs administer a range of loans and grants to assist students financially including:

Emergency Loans -short term, small  loans to assist with items such as food, weekly bus/train tickets, rent, bills, medicines, books   -  conditions apply
Student Loans - interest-free loans up to $500 (unsecured) or up to $2000 (secured) - conditions apply
Equal Access Grant Scheme - generally to assist study-related expenses for low-income undergraduate students entering University for the first time - applications lodged in March
A R Riddle Scholarship - for Honours students in financial need - applications lodged in late April
Walter and Dorothy Duncan Trust - to support one-off requests for study-related financial assistance, the Trust meets to consider applications on a quarterly basis.  Students need to demonstrate need.   
 
We are also involved with assessment for other grants and trusts with a more specific focus.   Information on grants and scholarships is available from the University's Scholarship's office or the University web-site.

Other services include:

\xB7 Subsidised Housing -  The EWOs process applications from students in need of University subsidised share-housing  - generally, first occasion away-from-home undergraduate students from interstate or rural areas, students with extreme financial need and/or those who are homeless or experiencing severe family conflict.   

\xB7 Free Legal Service - The Union offers a free legal advice service, which is managed by Student Care.  The service is available each Thursday fortnight and can assist with issues such as family law, traffic and minor criminal offences, consumer complaints, tenancy, debt, Centrelink matters and neighbour disputes.  Advice is provided by qualified Legal Practitioners and one-hour appointments can be made by ringing 8303 5401.

\xB7 Tax Help - In conjunction with the Australian Tax Office, assistance is provided to eligible students in the preparation of their tax returns and with advice regarding taxation issues from July to October.  For further information or appointments please phone 8303 5401.

The EWOs provide a drop-in, email and phone-in service.  Long delays in seeing an EWO are unusual. 

You can make a booking if you need to guarantee a particular appointment time.

If phone lines are busy, you will be able to leave a voice-mail message and you will be called back ASAP.

Enquiries or messages by E-mail (studentcare@adelaide.edu.au) will be answered within 24 hours (excluding weekends)

Potential Supervisors and Postgraduate Coordinators are reminded that as English is the language of instruction at the University of Adelaide, proficiency in speaking, listening to, reading and writing English is essential.  All applicants for a Higher Degree by Research must provide evidence of their proficiency before an offer of a place is made.  Evidence of a tertiary education at an Australian University is generally sufficient for this purpose.  Alternatively, applicants may be required to submit a recent IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) result.

Please contact the Adelaide Graduate Centre for further assistance if required.

The Communications and Media Law Association is holding an essay competition in 2006.  CAMLA is one of the leading associates in Australia bringing together people with an interest in media and telecommunication law.  Our membership includes all major Australian media and telecommunication companies as well as relevant government departments and leading law firms.  For more information see http://www.camla.org.au.

A prize of $1,000 and a one-year membership of CAMLA will be awarded to the winner.

The winning essay, edited in consultation with the author, will be published in the Communications Law Bulletin.

The winning entry, to be selected by a panel of experienced communications and media law practitioners, must demonstrate original research, analysis or ideas.  The Panel will not necessarily be seeking detailed works of scholarship nor is it seeking a restatement of the law.  The Panel will regard highly original consideration of legal policy development and its broader implications.

The award will be made at the annual CAMLA Christmas function.

Only one essay per student may be submitted.
Entries will be accepted by e-mail or by post.  Entries WILL NOT be accepted by Fax.  Entries submitted by post should include three (3) copies of the entry, typed well spaced on A4 paper.  The name, address, e-mail, telephone and fax contacts and the tertiary institution and course in which the author is enrolled should be included on a separate, detachable sheet.  Entries submitted by email should include the same details in a separate e-mail from the entry.  The authors name should not appear on the pages of the essay.