Category: Uncategorized

GUPSA Pay It Forward Care Hampers

SPREAD THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

It’s the holiday season and time to make your friends smile. 2020 has been challenging for all, especially for those Post Grads who are carers. GUPSA with your support wants to make December 2020 special. If you know someone who is juggling their student responsibilities along with caring for a loved one, refer them here and we can deliver a nourishing care package to them.

Spread the joy! Pay it Forward! Appreciate your mate! Be someone’s Santa!

Nominate Here

* Nominations close by COB December 8th.

** Open to the first 120 students as the budget is limited. You will be informed if your nomination is successful by 9 December 2020.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: GUPSA BOARD, NEW CONSTITUTION, AND 2020 ELECTIONS

Thank you to all the postgraduate students who attended the GUPSA Special General Meeting (SGM) on 12 March 2020. 

The SGM Minutes are available HERE 

At the SGM, two motions were passed by majority vote:

  1. That the proposed new constitution for GUPSA be adopted; and
  2. That the term of GUPSA board members voted in at the 2020 elections be extended until 31 October 2021, to align with the new electoral cycle and board term that will take effect in 2021.

Both SGM motions were subject to approval by University Council of the proposed new constitution for GUPSA.

On 1 June 2020, University Council approved GUPSA’s new constitution. It is available HERE.

When University Council approved the new GUPSA Constitution, it came into effect on 1 June 2020. Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication and lack of clarity around when the new GUPSA Board structure changes would come into effect.

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Empowering Learners: A Student Partnership Creating Spaces for Learning

Griffith is launching Empowering Learners,  a new initiative  promoting student mental health and well being through a Students as Partners approach. It is designed to prioritise the student voice and empower learners, and will provide a great opportunity to develop  leadership and other transferable skills thus making students more employable. A key goal of the project is to help students build their own networks as they become engaged in the design and delivery of curriculum.

The project will promote student mental wellbeing through the  design of effective learning environments that support student agency and empowerment, both within and external to the curriculum. By  exploring the  holistic experience of students, it will work out  how to best partner with students to support their sense of belonging, autonomy, competence and purpose. That support is geared to develop student confidence in learning within and beyond Griffith. For students, getting involved with Empowering Learners gives you the opportunity to enhance your learning experience and strengthen your leadership skills on the job, while also influencing the way Griffith University supports all learners.

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GUPSA Special General Meeting 12 March 2020

Griffith University Postgraduate Students Association is holding a Special General Meeting.

Thursday 12 March
Starting 4pm
Function Room, Unibar, N71, Nathan Campus, Griffith University

All currently enrolled postgraduate students at Logan, Mt Gravatt, Nathan, Southbank campuses are eligible to attend and vote

The purpose of the meeting is to vote on a number of proposals for constitutional change. All the proposals will be sent out closer to the meeting. In the meantime, you can find a copy of the current constitution here.

Proxy forms are available, if you can’t attend the AGM but still want a vote, and are available by emailing gupsa@griffith.edu.au. Under the constitution, a person eligible to vote at the meeting cannot hold more than five proxies. Proxies can be submitted at the meeting or prior at the GUPSA office, Student Associations and Clubs (N28) Nathan.

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GUPSA and CAPA 2020

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) has conducted its annual elections, with a talented and diverse new team elected to lead the organisation in 2020.

We are pleased to announce that Romana Rea Begicevic will take on the Presidency of CAPA from January 1st 2020. Romana-Rea is a PhD student at Curtin University, researching pancreatic cancer. She is an experienced postgraduate representative, having served as the president of the Postgraduate Student Committee at Curtin and as CAPA Women’s Officer in 2019.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Increase in Counselling Support for Students

In the 2018 Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) Survey approximately 67% of respondents identified promoting the health or welfare of students and helping students obtain employment or advice on careers as the top two areas of importance for SSAF expenditure.

In response to this the Griffith University Postgraduate Students Association (GUPSA) joined with the SRC to pilot the Wellness Advocacy and Leadership Initiative (WALi) at the end of 2018, before a full launch in Trimester 1 this year. Our WALi team through our Wellness HQs have to date engaged with hundreds of students in discussions about mental health and wellbeing. One of the things these discussions have highlighted are the difficulties students face when trying to access counselling appointments for ongoing support. As well as WALi, in trimester 1 GUPSA sponsored Student Success to trial a peer mentoring program for postgraduate and HDR students; GUPSA will be continuing this program from trimester 2 onwards as part of our ongoing support for all postgraduate and HDR students.

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