Greetings dearest reader,
We made it! Congratulations! It’s always a huge achievement to make it to the end of the year, whether it’s your first semester of uni or your last. As it happens, I will be graduating at the end of this year after five gruelling (read: thoroughly enjoyable) years of Law School. So, it’s my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the final Opus magazine edition for 2023 with my final letter as UNSA President.
It’s been a wild and wonderful ride this year and I’d love to share some highlights with you. UNSA, your Student Association, has continued to grow our services to support students and create a thriving culture at all UoN campuses. Our team have provided thousands of free lunches to students, expanded UNSA’s food security initiatives during the ongoing cost of living crisis, as well as advocating for more support for students. Thanks to the generosity of UoN staff and other donors, the UNSA Pantry at Callaghan has been brimming with grocery items, and we’ve been able to expand to open a Food Pantry at the NUspace Library, thanks to the support of the Library team.
The UNSA Building at Callaghan has continued to provide a fun and relaxing environment for students to enjoy between classes, serving up free coffees and hot chocolates (whenever the machine feels like working). We launched the pop-up UNSA Op Shop to provide affordable clothing options for students, with the proceeds going back into supporting our food initiatives. UNSA moved into an exciting new space at Ourimbah campus to provide a one-stop shop for student support and socialising.
UNSA expanded our incredible team of staff to support our service delivery and offer more on-campus employment opportunities to students and alumni. The Student Representative Council (SRC) were also active in assisting with UNSA’s service delivery and events, engaging with the student body and advocating for student needs. One example of this was our submission to the Universities Accord Panel (available to read at unsa.org.au), focusing on ending placement poverty and improving SSAF governance processes.
Clubs & Societies continued to be the heart of campus communities, with around 90 clubs affiliated with UNSA this year and hosting an array of events and activities. The UNSA Equity Guilds were also introduced to provide advocacy and support for students in key equity communities.
To round out the year, keep an eye out for UNSA’s Halloween and Stress Less Week events, as well as the UNSA Ball which returns on the 10th of November to celebrate the year that was, and the amazing achievements of students and clubs. We’ll see you there!
Take a moment to reflect on your own achievements this year, and to celebrate these wins before jumping into the next chapter. It’s been an honour serving as your UNSA President and I encourage you to reach out anytime with ideas or feedback on your university experience – UNSA is here for U!
Georgie Cooper
UNSA President
Hiya, I’m Georgie—UNSA President, Opus podcaster, and eco-blogger! I enjoy helping keep students in the loop on important issues at UoN, as well as sharing some tips for being a more eco-conscious human. I study Law and Science, love houseplants, sushi, and training with UoN Cheerleading!
