Connections Issue 15

8/6/2019 Connections Issue 15

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ISSUE 15 WINTER 2011

A VC WITH 2040 VISION

MY PEOPLE NEED ME

KEEPING KIDS AT UNI

TAKING ENGLISH TOTSUNAMI ORPHANS

CLUB RESCUESYOUNG LIVES


2/36

Alun

McDon

AlD/oxfAMAuS

Culinary crusader 5The rst paid job o VUs head o theSchool o Hospitality was peeling potatoes.Now a Masterche, James Ballingall plansto turn the Universitys new training restaurantinto a hat-rated establishment by 2013.

Bon apptit! 7This year VU enrolled its rst class o aspiringhospitality managers in its new Le CordonBleu program, ollowing a partnership withthe world amous hospitality and culinarytraining organisation.

High tea with cannoli Sold-out, lavish Saturday aternoon high teaswere just part o VUs contributions to the2011 Melbourne Food and Wine estival.

Hospitality with a view Sudeep Chhabra let New Delhi and hisamily to come to VU to study. He now holdsa plum position at one o Melbournes top

and highest restaurants.

My people need me Alumnus Gatwech Puoch has returnedto Southern Sudan to help guide hisbeleaguered country on its hazardouscrossing to independence.

Spying on dolphins Melbourne has a pod o dolphins on itsvery doorstep. But its genetic isolation along with over-eager tourists could sendthem to extinction.

Earn while you learn

Students are lining up to be part o a newVU program that places them in paid, part-time University jobs.

Club rescues young lives A team o VU researchers is transorming thelives o young kids with Aspergers Syndromeater creating a high-tech learning club orthem in Footscray.

A VC with 2040 vision The Universitys new Vice-Chancellor, ProessPeter Dawkins, is consulting sta and the widcommunity to develop a big picture blueprinor the University that will produce world-clasgraduates and research.

Breaking the silence Footscray Parks new $10.9m Learning

Commons has quickly become the central hub

o the Campus by oering students relaxed an

inormal open spaces or both individual study

and group learning, or or just chilling out.

Keeping kids at uni VUs new Youth Smart strategy is oeringbetter support to young kids studying TAFEcourses to help them overcome dicultiesand improve completion rates.

Contents 5

10

PublisherMaetg ad cmmats DepatmetDet, Magt Be

Vta uvestyVta uvestycricoS Pvde n. 00124k

DisclaimerVews epessed Cctis ae thse the aths ad pess qted, ad aet eessay thse Vta uvesty.

Contact usPh ked, Maagg Edt+61 3 9919 [email protected] B 14428 Mebe V 8001 Astaa

www.v.ed.a

Cover photoJames Baga, head Vtauvestys Sh Hsptaty.

The pape ths pbat ssts 50 pe et pst-sme eyed

waste pape ad 50 pe et Sc(est Stewadshp c) eted be.

it s as eemeta he ee.

2 conTEnTS


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Welcome

This edition o Connections is thfrst since Vice-Chancellor ProePeter Dawkins joined us in Jan

We welcome Peter with a profle abhim that provides some backgroun

on his ideas about the direction o tUniversity, and also on his lies wo

Pess Daws has set ta a

dsss abt stateg det

that vves a s sta, stdets,

maagemet ad etea staehdes

ad y tbt t ths vesat

s eaged.

Esewhee ths edt we s the

ahevemets sta ad stdets,

ses, eseah ad the ew at

mg bad at thee amps

i ast edt we eated the w

eety estabshed isttte Spt, E

ad Atve lvg. Ths tme we epe ththe eqay mpessve ha the S

ad leag Pet at the tsay P

camps, the Stdet leag cmm

whh s pvg a we wth stdets.

We as tde ew bdgs at St A

ad at Sshe that ae pvdg state

the-at teahg spaes stdets

heath pgams ad the stt ta

o ve sty pes the eeget a

mt-sed James Baga, wh s js

at hme ew mmea the

tsay nhs camps as he

as the Depty cha the Edat a

reseah Bad. As the head the Sh

Hsptaty, James eads a team thatpvdes hgh-qaty pgams e

ad hsptaty pateshp wth ds

eades sh as Ste ad le cd B

A s a tae pde the aheveme

stdets, ad ths s espeay s

the ase Gatweh Ph, wh has

eted t hs hmead Sthe

Sda ate gadatg 2009 t tae

pae as a MP the ew tys st

paamet. it s a e pat mss

t assst stdets t gw ad eah

the pteta. My wam gatat

t Gatweh sezg the ppttes

edat has eed hm.

ChancellorGeorge Pappa

The geek gap 21Encouraging more women to chooseengineering and IT studies has been anon-going crusade o the Universitys Schoolo Engineering and Science.

Taking English totsunami orphans 22The Universitys English Language Institute

is sending teachers to Thailand to work with

those who teach Thai children orphaned by

the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.

Ancestral spirit on world stage 23VU lecturer and 2011 Victorian Indigenous ArtAwards winner Paola Balla has three artworks inan exhibition o Australian Indigenous arttravelling to some o Italys major galleries.

From philosophy to risbees 24VU students have more than 40 clubs andsocieties rom which to choose; they rangerom intellectual pursuits such as Greekculture and philosophy to active sports suchas kickboxing and Ultimate Frisbee.

Vim, Vigour and Vipers 25The VU Vipers are proving themselves oneo the countrys top cheerleading squads,with state and national titles under their belts.

Building big in the west 26The University is spending big money oncapital works across many o its campusesto meet the growing demands or education

in Melbournes rapidly expanding west.

Apprenticeships makeover 27More on-the-job assessment and less in theclassroom is the radical new way that VUsapprentices are being trained.

Courses on demand 28The University is continually reviewing itscourses to ensure they are meeting the needso industry; this includes adding new courseswhen they are needed.

A walk in the past 30Heritage-listed buildings at City QueenCampus will join some o Melbournesgrandest old buildings when they opentheir doors to the public or the rst time.

Gender swordplay 32PhD student Kate Sylvester has representedAustralia our times in kendo, a style oencing derived rom the ancient art oJapanese sword ghting.

New books 33A selection o recent book releases bymembers o the VU community.

In brie 34News snippets rom around the University.

VU acts 35

24

12

18


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Culinary

crusaderAnn MAriE AnGEBrAn

4 HoSPiTAliTY


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Were artisans, nottradesmen. Theresno other art in theworld that engagesthe ve senses in suchan immersive way.

The head o theUniversitys School oHospitality was borninto the ood trade.Now the larger-than-lieMasterche is using hisenergy, excitement and

international experienceto propel the schoolto the next level.

Some people all into their

proessions, others are born

into them. James Ballingall,

head o Victoria Universitys School

o Hospitality, was born to be a che.

At age 37, Ballingall has already accumulated more

than a quarter-century o proessional experience

in the hospitality trade. He credits his calling to

his early days in his native Canada, growing up

and working in restaurants owned by his che-

entrepreneur mother. Her very rst restaurant, The

Keg and Cleaver a steak and seaood restaurant is now a national chain.

As he reels o ambitious plans or the Universitys

hospitality school ater only a year on the

job, Ballingall reveals a lie dominated by an

unwavering passion or the ood business, which he

is passing on to the next generation o ches and

hospitality proessionals.

From the beginning, it was clear Ballingall would

ollow his mother into hospitality. He learned early

about the hard work and quick thinking required

to work in the business. He remembers as a

ve-year-old when he insisted on being che and

barbequing hamburgers or the amily.

They let me unsupervised and the hamburgersturned to hockey-puck cinder blocks, he says.

Without asking them, I knew what I had to do:

I got the magnet o the ridge and ordered pizza.

As a boy, Ballingall loved experimenting in the

kitchen so he could present his latest culinary

triumph to his amily. At age 10, he was making

Eggs Benedict or Saturday breakast, at 12, he

had mastered croissants. He had his rst paid

ater-school job at the same age, peeling potatoes

and lleting sh at his mothers next venture,

a sh-and-chip restaurant called Flippers.

Tragically, Ballingalls mother died when he was

16. Beore she did, she urged her son to give up

his growing obsession with the ood business andgo to university to avoid the hard work she knew

lay ahead.

But Ballingall reused, and continued to work in a

proession he loved. By 17, he was assistant kitchen

manager in a 300-seat Vancouver restaurant,

supervising 20 and 30-year-old ellow cooks.

It was political and painul and un and exciting at

the same time, he says. At that point, Id been in

the industry or ve years without any qualications

and about to graduate high school.

One day, a ormer Flippers customer, David Peake

whom Ballingall later learned was a Michelin-

Star-rated che rom England asked Ballingall i

he wanted to try his hand as a real che in hispremium catering business, instead o continuing

as a short-order cook.

He said he was going to push me hard, but Id

been working 70-hour weeks and thought I knew

it all without really understanding the rigours o

real training.

The rst day, Peake asked Ballingall to make

1200 seven-sided barrel-shaped turned potatoes.

Ater 14 hours, the young protge had only done

500. The second day, Peake ordered Ballingall

to cut 1200 lamb cutlets rom racks o lamb.

Ater 14 hours, Ballingall wasnt even close.

Id just spent six years in the business and lo

and in two days, this guy made me hate it.

On his third task, Ballingall understood wha

was trying to do.

He had known my mother and he wanted t

break me or get me to work out i I really wa

get into this business.

For the next task 2400 ricotta-lled lo tria

Ballingall set up an ecient production lin

had them completed in six hours.

He (Peake) came back and just nodded, an

when we really started.

Over the next seven years, Ballingall appren

under Peake a Gordon Ramsay-type bos

who trained Ballingall while he earned his R

Canadian culinary qualication. Peake appo

him head che o his niche catering business

which specialised in events or the well-to-do

exclusive homes and on private planes and

It was here that Ballingall worked or the like

Bill Gates, the Sultan o Brunei, John Travolt

internationally amous touring musicians.When Ballingall let Canada in 2000 to ollo

his Aussie partner at the time to Sydney, he d

oresee staying as long as he has. He becam

executive che o a European catering comp

beore he turned to culinary education.

I realised I had a real connection with my

apprentices because I consciously decided I

never going to treat them the way I had bee

during my apprenticeship. I never even perm

swearing in my kitchens, he says.

While working between several Sydney TAFE

schools, Ballingall got his dream job in 2005

teaching at Le Cordon Bleus Sydney Campu

in Ryde.

As a 16-year-old, it had been my dream to

with Le Cordon Bleu and I had never got to

it, he says. At rst, I was petried because

name, then I realised I was actually as good

the other teachers.

JAMES BAllinGAll TAkES A WEll-EArnED

coEE BrEAk in n. 35 rESTAurAnT on THE

35TH loor o MElBournES HoTEl SoiTEl.HoSPiTAliTY


6/36

For the next task 2400 ricotta-lled lotriangles Ballingallset up an ecientproduction line and

had them completed insix hours.

Ballingall soon became widely known across the

region by industry ocials. He taught at Le Cordon

Bleu or three years beore being lured to Eden

Park Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand as its

executive che, then to private hospitality trainer,

William Blue College in Sydney.

In 2010 Ballingall was oered his latest

appointment, head o Victoria Universitys School

o Hospitality, where he now generously applies

his experience and energy. He says one o the

main drawcards or him was the Universitys strong

track record and emerging potential, as well as its

burgeoning relationship with Le Cordon Bleu.

Colleagues say despite Ballingalls sometime-

conronting ideas, hes a dynamic and innovative

leader who has lited the schools prole and sta

morale in the short time hes been there.

Ballingall says he lives by the motto that all things

are possible, and he has impressive wide-ranging

plans to prove it in the Universitys rapidly evolving

hospitality area.

We are setting the bar as high as possible

because shooting or only best practice is always

going to be one step behind.

One goal is to make VenU, the schools 120-seat

restaurant at Footscray Nicholson Campus, a

hat-rated restaurant by 2013 through consistently

high levels o service and ood quality.

Culinary students will soon begin planting

and managing herb beds at the Universitys

nearby community garden to give them a better

understanding o the ingredients they work with,

while hospitality students will use live data rom

VenU to complete their marketing assignments.

To counter the well-reported drop in hospitality

students coming to Australia rom overseas tostudy, his sta are working on a program to

provide workplace assessments to the large

number o Australian hospitality workers who are

highly trained but lack ormal credentials, and oer

them certicates or their prior learning.

Industry has responded brilliantly and we have a

fow-on eect o people wanting to do urther study

or job promotions or to extend their own learning.

Ballingall spends a day a week urthering the

Universitys training partnership at the Sotel

Melbourne Hotel. VU delivers culinary arts

apprenticeships and an Advanced Diploma in

Hospitality Management through the Academ

Sotel, Victorias only hospitality training schoo

within a ve-star hotel.

Never one to stand still, he is also navigating

through major plans to bring all the University

service areas, including hospitality, tourism an

events, under one umbrella. Whats more, the

ather-o-two is working toward his MBA, is De

Chair o the Universitys Education Resource Band is a nationally-accredited culinary judge.

Little wonder theres not much time or Balling

devote to his other creative passions, which inc

oil painting, novel-writing and photography.

Such creativity is common among ches, he sa

Were artisans, not tradesmen, he says.

Theres no other art in the world that engage

the ve senses in such an immersive way.

While management roles now keep Ballingallbehind a desk more than behind a kitchen ben

he gets his cooking x at home in his Melbour

bayside Altona Beach kitchen.

Last night he was up until close to midnight ba

giant-sized triple-butter shortbread biscuits bru

with Madagascan-imported chocolate. Judgin

by his generous physique, Ballingall is unreser

about indulging in his lielong love o good oo

and sharing it with others.

I only believe in extra-large cookies because

you can tell people in good conscience that yo

only had one.

6 HoSPiTAliTY


7/36

Le cd Be. The ame

ae spes wd-be

hes eveywhee ts

vaed eptat ay

edat ad eeee.

nw Vta uvesty s

amg a seet ew stttes

Astaa t pate wth

the pestgs ay ad

hsptaty tag gasat

whh bega as a g

sh Pas 1895, ad

tday has a pesee at me

tha 40 shs 20 tes,tag 20,000 stdets a yea.

Ths yea, Vu eed ts st

ass aspg hsptaty

maages ts le cd

Be pgam. Stdets w

twad a thee-yea Bahe

Bsess cay

Maagemet, whh des

a hads- cetate iii

cmmea cey.

Ths bed vata ad

hghe edat, taght

smtaesy, s qe

the wd.Stdets patse d

pepaat the uvestys

ew tag thes

at tsay nhs

camps, ad ea abt

the maagea ad bsess

w-hw tsay Pa

camps assms.

aty Bsess ad

law se ete Mhae

Peama says gadates

a le cd Be-pateed

pgam ejy a maj

mpettve edge as they ve

the wds best jbs as

eetve hes, estaat

maages hte eetv

Sme the uvestys s

stdets, dg rby

Seamt, 20, m ide

deam wg the

w estaat.

Wth ths se i wt

eessay have t pay

a he ad a maage bea

i be abe t d e ev

bth jbs myse.

w, y teata

stdets a appy the

pemm-ped se be

gvemet egats

that estt gasats

hagg dmest stdets

ees eqed t ve le c

Bes vvemet.

Bt Vta uvesty

s wg twads

ammdatg dmest

stdets dw the ta.

The uvesty s tate

t have ths eatshp wt

sh a esteemed pate a

we see thg bt ease

gwth the yeas t me

Peama says.

Ann MAriE AnGEBrAnDT

Bonapptit!

The University is ortunate to have thisrelationship with such an esteemed partnerand we see nothing but increased growth inthe years to come.

HoSPiTAliTY


8/36

Guests were requiredto share a secretamily recipe over asumptuous high tea.

Hundreds o oodies

came, ate and

let satisfed as

Footscrays colourul culinary

culture was eatured or

the frst time as part o the

2011 Melbourne Food and

Wine Festival.

Victoria University joined local

traders, restaurateurs and

government agencies in an

eclectic range o events, many

held at VenU, the Universitys new

training restaurant at FootscrayNicholson Campus.

The 16-event Feasting in Footscray

part o the Festival at tracted hundreds

o visitors, many who had never been

to Footscray beore.

Hospitality Head James Ballingall

says the Festival was a perect t

or VU.

When I was approached and asked

we would do something or the

Festival, my response was: No, lets

do everything and really bring people

here, says Ballingall.

We were really thrilled to draw

Melbournes eye to this part o

the city.Two Saturday aternoon

Heritage High Teas at VenU were

among several sold-out events.

Admission was by something ar

more valuable than money: guests

were required to share a secret amily

recipe over a sumptuous high tea

prepared and served by VUs culinary

and hospitality students.

As guests shared stories across

cultures and generations, Tony

Cavallaro, who runs the same Italian

pasticceria in Hopkins Street that his

ather started 55 years ago, spoke

o his amilys multi-generational

involvement with cannoli a sweet

pastry with a rich cream lling

ashioned into a tube.

Cannoli are not just the amily

business, its our passion, says

Cavallaro. People continue to

buy our products because o the

memories they have o being brought

to our shop by their parents or

grandparents.

Other VU-hosted events included,

The Lost Arts, a seminar on the

ner points o curing, smoking,

marinading and pickling, and

Buy B4 U Try, where participants

visited a Footscray market beore

returning to VUs kitchens to createtheir own masterpieces.

HIGHTEA WITH

CANNOLIAnn MAriE AnGEBrAnDT

ToP: HoSPiTAliTY STuDEnTS HArD AT Work in THE kiTcHEn o VuS VEnu

rESTAurAnT DurinG THE 2011 MElBournE ooD AnD WinE ESTiVAl.

BoTToM: VuS HEriTAGE HiGH TEAS AT VuS nEW TrAininG rESTAurAnT AT

ooTScrAY nicHolSon cAMPuS WErE SolD ouT DurinG THE ESTiVAl in MArcH.

oPPoSiTE PAGE: SuDEEP cHHABrA roM nEW DElHi To Vu To A kEY rolE

AT onE o MElBournES HiGHEST rESTAurAnTS.8 HoSPiTAliTY


9/36

In the hospitality industry youalways represent your employer.

All Sudeep Chhabra knew about Australia beore he camehere was that it had a antastic cricket team. Back home,the New Delhi native comes rom a amily o stockbrokers

and fnanciers, so tongue-in-cheek he reers to himsel as theblack sheep o the amily, having broken rom that tradition tostudy and work in hospitality.

Its hard to imagine a shit rom New Delhi to Melbourne, leaving all youramily behind and moving to a city that at times has suered bad press inIndia. But Sudeep shrugs it aside and beams. Well might he he nowworks at Melbournes luxury Sotel Hotel as Assistant Restaurant Managero the hotels No. 35 restaurant, situated on the 35th foor with magnicent,sweeping views o Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. Hes settled in well.He usually works 810 hour shits, but working in hospitality oten meansworking much longer hours.

VU was not Chhabras immediate choice. Attending a university inMelbournes west was not even on his radar, but once he started seriouslylooking into courses, VU suraced ahead o the rest.

I compared the ee and course structures between the US, the UK andAustralia, and the cost o living, he says. I also compared universitieshere in Australia.

Australia came out on top or aordability. He also had in mind thatMelbourne was consistently rated one o the worlds most liveable cities,although three other Australian cities are also high on the list. It soonbecame clear that VU was the best choice, not least because o its standingas the leader in hospitality studies in Australia.

Chhabra soon discovered the institution lived up to its reputation.He also ound that his studies broadened his horizon and instilled in hima new-ound condence, both personally and proessionally. He had worked

at the Oberoi and Taj hotels in New Delhi, so was no stranger to hospitalitystudies at home.

I realised I was stagnating, and I wanted a broader horizon, he says.I studied rom July 2006 to July 2008, and started work at the Sotel inNovember 2006, working part time 20 hours a week. I didnt need to dothe Learning in the Workplace and the Community component o mystudies because I was already working in the industry.

VU has always been the backbone o my new role at the Sotel. I learnedinormation on nancial structures and hospitality management. I did 16subjects altogether and the major emphasis was on business and hospitality.I also learned about how to open your own business, so it gave me the bigpicture view.

The best thing about VU was the teachers, and the course structurewas antastic. The personality development sessions were also excellenand were about improving yoursel. We would be lmed and could thewatch ourselves aterwards. He says this part o his studies led to solidimprovements in personal style and presentation. In the hospitalityindustry you always represent your employer, he says.

Chhabra also valued the regular VU careers expos, believing they madit very useul or graduates to nd a job. He appreciated the internatioeel o the University because o its cultural mix o students. You learna lot about cultures and make riends rom all over the world.

By the time he was 26, Chhabra had graduated with a postgraduate din event management and a Masters in hospitality.

Although he loves his job at Sotel and values working or such a highemployer, in the back o his mind he is developing the idea o setting uhis own wine barcome restaurant.

In the meantime, he has applied or permanent residency in Australia

Hospitalitywith a

viewAnDrEW MkEnnAPostgraduate studies have earnedSudeep Chhabra a plum role in oneo Melbournes top restaurants.

HoSPiTAliTY


10/36

When youve grownup in a culture o waand confict, politicsbecomes part oyour lie.

Gatwech Puoch wonthe constituency oSouthern Sudans Nasir

County when he returnedto his troubled country last

year. The VU Bachelor o Arts(International CommunityDevelopment) graduate nowrepresents Southern SudansUpper Nile State as a Membero Parliament or the SouthernSudan Legislative Assembly.

Following the overwhelming 98 per

cent vote in avour o independence

at the 9 January 2011 poll, Puochhopes his new role will give him

a box seat in shaping the new

nations uture.

No stranger to the caprices and

brutalities o his countrys past,

Puoch was apprehensive about

returning home to Sudan. He also

has to cope with being separated

rom his wie and seven children

who remain in Melbourne. But the

50-year-old politician is getting

through by ocusing on a positive

uture or his country.

Connections spoke to Puoch whenhe returned to Australia or a ew

weeks late last year to visit his amily.

People were surprised I went back,

he said. But ater 21 years o war,

enough is enough.

Through his education in Sudan

Australia, and the broad experiehe gained in both countries over

more than 40 years, Puoch is

uniquely positioned or a role as

legislator and diplomat. Membe

o the Sudanese community here

and in Sudan, and government

leaders in Sudan thought so too

and persuaded him to return an

run or a seat in government.

Puoch became interested in polit

in the early 1980s, and his ambit

were heightened when he and hi

amily were displaced and separa

as reugees internally in Sudan

well as in Egypt beore receivin

humanitarian visas to come to Aus

When youve grown up in a cul

o war and confict, politics beco

part o your lie, he says. We f

because I was being harassed a

threatened, and accused o bein

aliated with the rebel moveme

I was even imprisoned.

Puoch began his career in

Sudan as a science teacher and

industrial chemist.

Mypeopleneed meJESSicA JurY

Ater eight years in Australia, VU alumnusGatwech Puoch returned to Southern Sudanlast year to help steer his homeland on itsprecarious journey to independence.

10 AluMni


11/36

I truly believe itsthe only Australianuniversity thatembraces reugeebackgrounds.

AlunMcDonA

lD/o

xfAMAuS

oPPoSiTE PAGE: GATWEcH PuocH PErSuADED To rETurn

To SuDAn AnD run or A SEAT in GoVErnMEnT.

THiS PAGE: SouTHErn SuDAn MuST noW oVErcoME THE

cHAllEnGES o ExTrEME PoVErTY.

During his eight years in Australia,

he made a signicant contribution

to the welare o local young people

and migrants, which included working

with new arrivals at the Dandenong

Migrant Resource Centre, the

Brotherhood o St Lawrence and the

Department o Human Services.

His insights into migrant lie led him

to write newspaper articles about

cultural issues and inter-generational

struggles in the Sudanese community

in Australia. In his nal year at VU,

he worked on the Sport Inclusion

Program at Mission Australia, apathway or young Arican reugees to

access mainstream sport in Australia.

The Universitys program in

international community development

provides education and training to

meet the challenges o poverty and

disempowerment at the local and

global levels.

It includes studies such as social

action and change, human rights

and advocacy, policy development,

resource-use analysis and

sustainable development.

Puoch speaks highly o his VU studies.

VU sta are encouraging and

fexible, and understanding o other

cultures. I truly believe its the only

Australian university that embraces

reugee backgrounds.

But even while visiting his amily in

Melbourne, his extensive portolio as

a member o parliament in Southern

Sudan dominated his thoughts.

I participate in all parliamentary

activities and Im on several

committees, including those

responsible or business conduct,

medical reerral, gender and

social welare, and peace and

reconciliation, he says. Im just

back to Australia or a visit.

But Im needed by my people.

SOUTHERNSUDAN FACTS Africas largest nation, Sudan,

gaed depedee mGeat Bta 1956.

Divided along ethnic andta es, the th adsth Sda have bee amst ta ftse depedee bease attempts by the Aabth t mpse isam the pedmaty Aachsta sth.

Decades of civil war has lefttw m Sthe Sdaesedead mag t e thedeadest fts the 20thety ad mdspaed t a pats wd,dg Astaa.

Malaria and other mosquito-be dseases ema thebggest haege heathaewes, wh ae as stgggt ta HiV, matt adwate-be dseases sh asdahea, typhd ad hepatts.

A vast wilderness roughly thesze ae, Sthe Sdas pat deset, pat swamp adpat a-saed jge.

Since seizing ofce in a 1989mtay p, SdaesePesdet oma a-Bashhas bee espsbe themagasat stheSdaese, gvg peeeta

teatmet t thees edat, empymet

ad hsg.

In 2005, peace returnedwth the sgg aageemet that estabsheda pwe-shag gveme the the apta khatm ad gavesthees sem-atmwth the w gvemetSthees wee pmseda eeedm ate a s-yetem, whh they dvte t ema edwth the th gadepedet statehd.

Of the three million who

egsteed t vte at the9 Jaay 2011 eeedm98.8 pe et vted adepedet Sthe Sd

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On 9 July 2011, a six-monttem ped StheSda w me t a sewth pas a ew tt be b.

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AluMni


12/36

Melbourne is so luckyto have dolphins livingso close to the city.

Nicole Filby is standing in a smallaluminium boat in the middle oPort Phillip Bay listening to what

sounds like a squeaky door being closed.With the early-morning wind whipping across her

ace and the boat rocking side to side on the swell,

she spots the tiniest o movement on the water

more than 200 metres away.

Its two adults and two calves, she says, as a

perplexing array o dorsal ns breaches the surace

or a second time.

She adjusts her earphones and scribbles numbers

on a notepad, an underwater microphone picking

up the aquatic chatter o one o Melbournes least

known but most loveable natural attractions.

The sound o the squeaking door is, in act, one o

the dolphins echo-locating emitting soundwaves

that promptly bounce back in the mammalsdirection, allowing it to determine the size and

shape o underwater objects to assist its navigation.

They are amazingly intelligent and social animals,

and I was really excited when I rst heard their

noises, Filby says smiling. I have heard our

dierent sounds that they make, including one like

a monkey, as well as the common whistling noise.

What surprised me is that when theyre eedi

or being really socially active they become

extremely vocal and you can hear about

30 whistles in a minute. Each dolphin has its

own unique signature whistle so its like listeni

to a conversation.

Filbys eavesdropping is motivated by more

than just a shy curiosity. The Victoria Universi

PhD student is spending much o her time ove

the next three years on Port Phillip Bay recordi

the animals every click and whistle, mapping

each unpredictable movement and monitoring

their various behavioural changes. It is a

groundbreaking study that could help save the

estimated 100 bottlenose dolphins that still live

in the Bay.

Surprisingly little is known about the behaviou

o the Bays playul mammals. Previous studie

around the world have documented the short-

eects o tourism on dolphin behaviour; howe

the long-term biological consequences o tour

on individuals and their populations remain

largely unknown.

We know very little about their eeding patter

or how much time they spend in particular

behavioural states, Filby says. That sor t o

detailed inormation needs to be out there so t

users o the Bay can learn rom it and eective

conservation measures can be put in place.

SPYING ONDOLPHINSDAniEl clArkE

A groundbreaking study

o the behaviour o PortPhillip Bay dolphins will

help protect a naturaltreasure and preserve agrowing tourism industry.

ABoVE: nicolE ilBY: iTS ViTAl To MAkE SurE WE Ar E

HAVinG THE lEAST iMPAcT on THEir nATurAl BEHAViour.

oPPoSiTE PAGE: ilBY iS AlSo collEcTinG DATA ABouT

A colonY o ur SEAlS liVinG in THE BAY.

12 EcoloGY & SuSTAinABiliTY


13/36

The groundbreakingstudy could help savethe estimated 100bottlenose dolphinsthat still live in the Bay

The Victoria Governments Department o

Sustainability and Environment (DSE) has capped

the number o swim-with-dolphin tour operators

at three. Each company conducts a twice-daily tour

on the Bay between October and May each year.

The dolphin tour industry is important because

it educates people about the need to protect these

animals and it gives them a unique and special

chance to interact with a wild animal, she says.

But it is also vital to make sure we are having

the least impact on their natural behaviour,

because there have been incidents overseas

where tour boats have eventually driven dolphin

populations away.

Melbourne is so lucky to have dolphins living so

close to the city, but their small population size

and genetic isolation makes them vulnerable to

extinction. We need to ensure they call Melbourne

home or decades to come.

There is one dolphin sanctuary zone in Port Phillip

Bay north-west o Portsea near Point Nepean, but

questions have been raised about its eectiveness

because o the relatively small amount o time that

the animals spend there.

Filbys supervisor Dr Carol Scarpaci, a Victoria

University ecology and sustainability lecturer, is oneo the ew researchers who has studied Melbournes

wild dolphins.

She has ound that the animals increase their

whistling in the presence o recreational boats

and the swim-tour vessels. During dolphin social

behaviour, the number o whistles increased

20-old in the presence o a tour boat compared

to when they were alone.

It is believed that increases in the requency and

volume o their vocalisation represent an attempt

by the animals to overcome the noise o engines

and to keep in close contact with younger members

o the pod.

It can be a sign o stress and there have beeninstances where calves have been separated rom

their mothers, Filby says.

It is okay i the dolphins approach the boats

because it can be a positive experience or

humans, but we need to be careul that were

not interrupting any o their eeding or mating

behaviours. Thats where my data and habitat

mapping will be very useul.

At the end o my study I plan on discussing my

results with DSE and the tour operators to make

recommendations or how we can best protect

these special mammals.

Filby says the tour operators understand the

importance o creating a sustainable industry.One o the companies, Sea All Dolphin Swims,

has granted her unlimited access to their boat to

take photos or habitat mapping and record the

human-dolphin interactions. She splits her week

between the Sea All boat and the Victorian Marine

Science Consortium research boat, where she

documents the mammals whistles.

As part o her tour boat research she asks each

visitor to ll out a survey beore and ater the trip to

test whether their level o understanding about the

animals has increased and determine how, i at all,

marine education needs to be improved.

Although separate to her dolphin research,

Filby is also including data about the behaviour

o a colony o Australian Fur Seals living in

Port Phillip Bay.

A large number o pups and older males who

are not strong or t enough to maintain a site on

the seal breeding grounds at Phillip Island urther

east along the Victorian coast gather to rest on a

purpose-built structure known as Chinamans Hat.

Boats are prohibited rom getting within ve

metres o the structure but research has ound

changes in the seals behaviour when vessels

approach within 50 metres.

The seals should be resting, but they sometimes

become aggressive and/or return to the water

when the boats get so close, Filby says.

So there is an issue about whether we should beextending that exclusion zone. I never even knew

seals lived in the Bay beore I s tarted my research,

so it was a nice surprise.

Having grown up with a ather who regularly took

her out in his boat on holidays around Australia,

Filby is a sel-conessed water baby and eels

lucky to be given the chance by Victoria University

to carry out her three-year study.

Most o my riends are really jealous o my job

but its not as glamorous as it seems.

It can get pretty cold and windy out on theboat, and sometimes I spend ve hours a da

entering the data I have recorded into a com

and then uploading and cropping 800 phot

o dolphin ns.

But Id still take it over any oce job. There

so much we dont know about the ocean, an

marine conservation is vital to help protect th

beautiul creatures.

EcoloGY & SuSTAinABiliTY


14/36

Students arepaid Universitywages that allowthem to work lessand earn morethan an averagepart-time job.

Students are lining up to be part o a new VU program

that recruits, trains and places students in part-time

University jobs that range rom assisting at graduatio

ceremonies, to more specialised roles in technology suppo

research or marketing that relate to their studies. In some

cases, students gain academic or workplace learning credi

while on the job.

Around 250 students are now on the VU payroll, but that number is expec

to more than triple by year-end.

Jana Condos, a Law/Arts student, has been a Students as Sta employee

since the program was piloted last year. She works or the Student Connec

Department, assisting other students with inquiries about enrolments, eesexams and graduations.

Condos says being both a student and an employee allows her to underst

rst-hand the challenges students ace when navigating institutional

procedures. She is included in sta meetings and her managers oten ask

or her ideas about streamlining processes. At a recent national orum on

graduate capability development, Condos represented the University to

promote the Students as Sta program.

The benets o the program are invaluable, she says. Ive gained new s

in computers and technology, as well as time management, teamwork an

customer service. Im also building proessional networks both within and

outside the University.

Besides the advantage o being given fexible hours around study, student

employees are paid University wages that allow them to work less and earmore than they would at an average part-time job.

Students as Sta project ocer Gaon Mitchell says VU is on the cutting ed

o this kind o program in Australia, which was modelled on a similar prog

at VU partner institute, the University o Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

UTEP has the highest proportion o Hispanic students in the US, and VUs

program is a response to the challenges presented by VUs culturally

diverse and low socio-economic range o students. They typically need to

work more than the average Australian student because o their relative

nancial disadvantage.

Vietnamese international student Patricia Phuong Le works directly with the

Students as Sta team in a marketing role. The Master o Business studen

says her job has given her a deeper understanding o the University.

I worked in a large hotel chain in Vietnam, but since starting my position

I am interested in nding a marketing job in the education sector, she say

Proessor Greg Baxter, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students and Learning and

Teaching) says the program provides meaningul work or students, while

as an employer, VU gets a students perspective as part o its workorce.

We know that students working on campus are more engaged with their

studies and university lie, he says. This type o employment has the pote

to become a eature o the student experience across Australia, and VU is

committed to being a leader in this eld.

For inormation, contact the Students as Stateam at [email protected] or 03 9919 9432

ABoVE: lAW/ArTS STuDEnT JAnA conDoS:

THE BEnEiTS o THE ProGrAM ArE inVAluABlE.

riGHT: inTErnATionAl STuDEnT PATriciA PHuonG lE WorkS

in A MArkETinG rolE WiTH THE STuDEnTS AS STA TEAM.

EARNWHILE

YOULEARNAnn MAriE AnGEBrAnDT

Victoria Universitys Students as Sta programemploys hundreds o students each year in on-campus jobs so they can earn where they learn.

14 STA


15/36

The skills o these kidsare not being recogniseand they end up allingthrough the cracks.

On top o their normal work, these technicaexperts will work with the young people on one-to-one basis ater hours.

Through the research project with VicHeal

last year we noticed how young people withAspergers Syndrome seem to gravitate towthe use o technology, Schutt says.

Kids with Aspergers oten have very high and theyre really gited but they dont havesocial skills that most other kids do. They cadysunctional in the real world, but when yothem in ront o a computer theyre antasti

Schutt says the study ound that onlinetechnologies gave the Aspergers kids theyworked with the condence to learn about interaction because it was seen as sae, meand not as conronting as ace to ace contThey also valued the chance to meet othersthe same condition.

The skills o these kids are not being recogand they end up alling through the cracks,says. Theyre not being nurtured and the egets misdirected, and they have all kinds oproblems at school. I their talent is channethe right way they will end up being a real to society in terms o what they can oer.

Schutt praised his colleague Linegar or gethe project o the ground. They plan to runclub or at least ve years, with the possibo support rom the Inspire Foundation, whprovides services that aim to improve youngpeoples mental health and let them know tthey dont have to go through tough times a

Its about providing an object o anity o

kids, in this case technology, which they canabout and analyse together, he says. Thepositive thing is showing the amilies o thesthat they are talented.

Quans mother gives us all the credit or hturnaround, yet all we did was show him a o technology and give him the time and spto explore it. He can succeed in lie with theright support.

lET: 12-YEAr-olD QuAn iS DEVEloPinG MorE

coniDEncE in SociAliSinG WiTH HiS PEErS.

PHoTo BY crAiG SilliToE / AirAx PHoToS.

Club rescuesyoung lives

DAniEl clArkE

Twelve-year-old Quan elt so isolatedand depressed by the bullying hereceived at school that he ran in

ront o trafc to bring an end to it all.

Fortunately his actions didnt cost him his lie, butQuans story is not uncommon or young peoplewith Aspergers Syndrome, who regularly acethe taunts o classmates because o their lack osocial skills.

Quans mother, Joy, says her son had always

been anxious and reserved, and ound it hard torelate to people. But ater researchers at VictoriaUniversity gave Quan a laptop and helpednurture his love o computer programming, aremarkable change occurred.

Quan, who has an IQ o 145, became moreconsiderate and condent, his mood lited, hestarted interacting with others online and beganplaying with this younger brother, Bobby.

His teachers never told me about his uture orhis high IQ, but now the researchers tell me hecan denitely get a job and be very helpul, saysChen, who came to Australia rom China whenQuan was a young child.

I cried when I rst heard that because I neverthought o him as being successul. It touched myheart and made me very happy.

A VU research team witnessed similarimprovements rom other young participantsin a study unded by VicHealth that recordedbehavioural changes in Aspergers youth aterthey were given access to laptops and encouragedto interact through specic computer programs.

Following the success o the study, senior educatorStean Schutt and technical manager Dale

Linegar, both rom VUs Work-based EducationResearch Centre (WERC), decided to open theirown high-tech learning club in Footscray oryoung people with Aspergers Syndrome.

In what is believed to be the rst o its kind inAustralia, the not-or-prot space, called The Lab,opened in May this year and caters or eight localAspergers youth with an interest in computersand design.

They will learn rom a team o computerprogrammers and designers who are alreadyworking in the space developing virtual worldtechnologies or VU, Monash University, CanberraInstitute o Technology and private companies.

A Victoria University research team is not onlytransorming young lives but possibly saving them.

EDucATion rESEArcH


16/36

oPPoSiTE PAGE AnD ABoVE: VicE-cHAncEllor ProESSor

PETEr DAWkinS: WE ArE on A MiSSion To BrinG ToGETHEr

THE BEST iDEAS or THE WHolE o THE uniVErSiTY.

A VC

with2040visionJiM BuckEll

What will the University look like in 30 years?New Vice-Chancellor Proessor Peter Dawkinsis developing a vision or the University bybringing together the best ideas o his sta.

Well beore he frst

walked into his ofcein January, Peter

Dawkins had started to collect

his thoughts on a vision or

Victoria University. One o hisfrst moves was to commissiona SWOT analysis that orms

part o a discussion paper

recently released to sta on

a new strategic plan or the

University that casts as ar

orward as 2040.

Central to his vision is what he callsthree key acts and two big ideas.Put simply, the acts are that:

1. Our student body is the mosteducationally, culturally andsocio-economically diverse o any

tertiary institution in Australia andis well-served by a breadth ocourses rom certicate level topostgraduate research.

2. Our strong links to industry, thetrades and proessions allow us tone tune our education programsto t the needs o employers.

3. Our geographical andcommunity location, centred onthe astest growing region in

Australia Melbournes west aswell as the CBD, provides a dynamicand distinctive base orthe University that extends tothe state o Victoria and our

increasingly globalised world.The two ideas fow rom the acts:

1. Our outstanding teaching andlearning, with its strong emphasis onwork integrated learning, producesgraduates who are some o the bestprepared or work inthe country. They are good atproblem solving and teamwork,skills that employers need in ourrapidly transorming and globallyocused economy.

2. Our research makes a bigdierence to industry, government

and community in our region andbeyond, with a strong emphasison the mutual benets that fownot only rom research but also romthe associated knowledge transerand exchange.

Colleagues have been quick tograsp the central concept behindthese core components o thedeveloping strategy: VU is uniquelyplaced to produce world-classgraduates and research.

Its a message that has beenwell received by the FederalGovernment, which is rightnow negotiating compacts withuniversities which ocus on their

distinctive eatures.Perhaps it is no surprise thatProessor Dawkins should ocusso quickly on the big picture, andspare no eort to engage sta andstakeholders in this exercise.As a social economist, researchleader and a ormer bureaucratat the highest level in the BracksBrumby government whichincluded heading the EducationDepartment he brings to the rolean impressive set o skills.

Even though he can give the

impression o being a quietlyspoken mandarin, there are somesalient threads rom his lie storythat provide Dawkins with somespecial insights in his role as VC.

Foremost, he is a migrant himsel,albeit a more privileged one thanmost new arrivals who now callMelbournes western suburbstheir home.

He can give theimpression o beinga quietly spokenmandarin.

16 Vu MAnAGEMEnT


17/36

Access, equity,disadvantage anddiversity are theoundation stonesupon which so mucho his lies workhas been built.

VU is uniquely placedto produce world-classgraduates and research.

Dawkins grew up in England and

came to Australia as a young manto take up an appointment as asenior research ellow at AdelaidesFlinders University in the 1980s.He believes the experience otransplanting to a new countrybrings with it a resh perspective.

When you come rom a dierentculture and into a new country youdo look at things through dierenteyes, he says. Ive always thoughtthere is tremendous opportunity inAustralia in the eld that I am in asan academic and in governmentto make a dierence and have an

impact on policy, or example.I have had the opportunity to makean impact in Australia in ways thatI suspect may not have been aseasy in the country I come rom,where access to decision makers isarguably not as open.

Another thread is the upwardtrajectory, not so much o hiscareer, although its equallyapplicable there, but o theinstitutions androles in which he has landed.With the notable exception o histerm as head o the University o

Melbournes Institute o AppliedEconomic and Social Research, allhis academic appointments hereand in the UK have been at newlyestablished universities, where thechallenge was to seize opportunitiesand build strength and depth.

This was certainly the case at PerthsCurtin University, where he wasappointed inaugural proessoro economics at the age o 35.Even at the University o Melbourne

he regarded the role as one o

rebuilding ater a dicult periodor the organisation.

Again, as deputy head o theVictorian Treasury and then chieo the big-spending EducationDepartment, one o his greatestchallenges was to develop thehuman capital policy agenda othe Victorian Government, whichunder then premier Steve Bracks wasmotivated to shit the ocus o thestates development to skills becauseo the challenges posed by economictransormation without the revenuestream o the resource-rich states.

A third touchpoint lies in hisdisciplinary background as a socialeconomist. Whenever he talks aboutthe economy, Dawkins never ailsto stress social outcomes. Access,equity, disadvantage and diversityare the oundation stones uponwhich so much o his lies work hasbeen built. His term at the EducationDepartment is a good example.

The biggest challenge as head othe department was in relation tostudents rom a low socio-economicstatus, he says. Our youngpeople rom a high SES perorm

at worlds best, but in the low SEScohort we are only mediocre byworld standards. He was in goodcompany on the national committeewhose response to this inequitywas to provide more resources tostudents rom low SES schools:Treasury head Ken Henry and utureprime minister Julia Gillard weresupportive allies.

That leads to a nal observationabout Dawkins: while it is sel-

evident that his position comm

respect, it is also clear that hisexperience and ability and ndoubt his aability draws petowards him.

Equally comortable with aroundtable o business leadera discussion with governmentocials, or a cup o tea and awith sta and students rom tUniversitys suburban campushe leaves no doubt that he is as keen to listen as he is to sp

Its too early to predict wherethe new strategy will take us, Dawkins has already said he

to pursue stronger links with ipartners in our research projewhich will have fow-on beneor the knowledge transer anexchange that he so highly vaAn allied objective is close anregular monitoring o our couto ensure they always match tneeds o our rapidly changingregion and nation.

As he embarks on his extensivconsultation over the strategiche has made it clear that he wto bring people with him as h

his views on where the Univerwill be in 2040.

We will engage in new direcbut many acets o the strategwill be existing directions, brotogether in a coherent plan theveryone can identiy with. Ware on a mission to bring togethe best ideas or the whole othe University. To do that we nto start a dialogue to get us apointing in the same direction

Vu MAnAGEMEnT


18/36

Students arescattered in everydirection as otenas not lounging onthe oversized day-bed style soas.

BreakingthesilenceJiM BuckEllUp to 30 students are employed at thenew Footscray Park Learning Commons and theyre not serving coee and cake.

Some work as rovers students trained to assistlibrary users and answer

their queries while peercareer advisers provide supportsuch as reviewing studentresumes and providing reerralsto proessional advisers.

Weve ound that employingstudents in these roles shits theeeling rom what can be a ear-based environment to a student-owned space, says Amanda Pearce,

Associate Director o Language

Literacy and Numeracy.Its one o many examples o howthe old way o doing things hasbeen discarded in this impressivebuilding that dominates the northernriver side o the Footscray ParkCampus. Inormality, fexibilityand even noisiness and movementhave displaced the hush-quietand sometimes ormidable libraryexperience o the past.

The building has been designedto refect this relaxed environmeThe entrance blends seamlesslywith the main campus caeteriain a space dubbed the junctionby sta, a meeting place openinout to a plaza that buzzes withstudents all day.

Dotted throughout the groundfoor and the foor above arecomputer workstations, laptop-riendly benchtops with plug-inpower, lounge areas and clusteo desks and tables.

Throughout theres wi connectavailable and a low-level hum o

activity. Students are scattered ievery direction, reading or writialone or working collaborativelyin groups o two, three or moreas oten as not lounging on theoversized day-bed style soas.

As you climb urther up the foothe activity level abates and thecasual demeanour gives way tomore structured learning spaceand breakout classrooms andindividual work spaces.

18 AciliTiES


19/36

It has helped toinject new lie intothe campus bothas a learning spaceand a social hub.

The Footscray ParLearning Commoat a glance

Opening DateFebruary 2011

ArchitectsJohn Wardle Architects

Size5500m2 (approx)

Project cost$10.9 million

Student numberson Campus8500 (2011 estimate)

Total learning spac1100

Student collaborativstudy rooms11

Teaching spaces6

Student Computers352

Computers perStudent1:24

ServicesLibrary, IT, StudentLanguage andLearning, careers,student rovers,cas.

On the ourth foor where the

special collections are held theresa large research lounge reserved orpostgraduate students i it werentor the kitchenette in one corner, thegenerous spread o technology andthe bright lino on the foor, it couldalmost be a library o old.

With its mix o acilities includinglibrary collections, structured andinormal learning spaces, studentsupport and peer mentoringservices, the aim o the LearningCommons is to create a one-stopshop where students can accessmost o the services they require

in one spot.

Open planning aids visibility sothat students can see what servicesare available and drop in ormany o the services they dont needappointments, says Dr Pearce.

Certainly students are voting withtheir eet, and claiming the spaceas the central activity area o thecampus. Its been steadily busy sinceit opened at the beginning o theacademic year.

And its not only the buildings userswho are impressed. Architects

John Wardle were shortlisted oran Australian Interior Design Awardin the public design category.

University Librarian Ralph Kielbelieves the Learning Commonsrepresents the new ace otertiary education.

Its an exciting development orthe University to have this space

that works so well or everyone students, lecturers and supportsta, says Kiel. The unique mixo acilities, services and designplaces it at the cutting edge oteaching and learning in tertiaryeducation, and has helped to injectnew lie into the campus both as alearning space and a social hub.

AciliTiES


20/36

A key to the strategyis getting to knowthe students.

Early this year, VictoriaUniversity launcheda new strategy to

better support and trainthe thousands o youngstudents aged 1519 withouta Year 12 qualifcation(or its equivalent) whostudy at the University.

Yth Smat bds theuvestys pevs ythstategy, bt the st tme,Vus tw vata adtag ates (WeDevepmet ad Teha adTades ivat) ad theedat aty (Vu cege) wh ta these teeagestdets ae -datgthe eses ad pgthe $3.5 m speagvemet sppt dgthe stdets attat.

The stdets ae eed

ad 40 yth-tagetedses, whh age mthe Vta cetate Apped leag (VcAl) atHaveste Teha cege Sshe, t -amps pe-appeteshps taeeshps batbdg, hadessg,apety ad hdae.

Assate Det, Yth, J vaS says the stategy etes dvda eag pas thatgde the stdets thgh theses, whe eg spptt sta t mpve etet admpet ates.

newy appted etetes ad Yth Smat-dats w wthstdets t dety baesad devep stateges tveme them. They a aspvde eeas t weaeagees whe eessay.

Sme stdets mght havesses ad ees, dgtmey aee adve they mhave pbems wth smethas smpe as gettg t be tme, va S says.

retet e cadaAbaah says a ey t thestategy s gettg t w

the stdets.ive pesay estedstdets t the asses tmae se they g ad t see theye stdyg the ghtse, she says. i theyet, we w wth them td smethg me stabe

Jad Staa, 17, had ed pas ate eavglavet Seday cege.The teate-ve s etdg a pe-appeteshp bayg bt whe tagt the Yth Smat team heeveaed that he has a seet

pass t be a jast.He pas t mpete hspe-appeteshp as a gddat a tade aeebee g the tbemg a pessa wte

im dg baygphysay demadg addt th ts eay me,Jad says. Bt ive eaeda t ss m t dgteamw, st-ad adwedge bdg.

Yth Smat embeds teayad meay tag, as weas aees edat t them. The uvestysW Edat reseahcete (WErc) s abatt mease stdet ad teahsatsat.

To contact a Youth Smartco-ordinator: youthsmart@

vu.edu.au / 03 9919 4883.


Keepingkids at

uni

ABoVE cEnTrE: VuS ASSociATE DirEcTor, YouTH, Jo VAn Son: THE STrATEGY cEnTrES

on inDiViDuAl lEArninG PlAnS THAT GuiDE THE STuDEnTS THrouGH THEir courSES.

ABoVE ToP AnD BoTToM: VuS nEW YouTH STrATEGY iS oErinG 1519 YEAr-olD

STuDEnTS BETTEr SuPPorT To iMProVE THEir rETEnTion rATES.

oPPoSiTE PAGE: ElEcTricAl AnD ElEcTronic EnGinEErinG STuDEnT nATASHA PErErA iS Ar

roM THE STErEoTYPicAl EnGinEErinG STuDEnT.

20 STuDEnT SuPPorT


21/36

It inhibits the countryscapacity to grow andrestricts the skills that

women can bring tothese elds.

Only days ater being appointed the

new head o Victoria Universitys

School o Engineering and Science,

Associate Proessor Iwona Miliszewska was

in Canberra speaking at the Women in

Science and Engineering summit about theenduring problem o why ew women are

represented in technical felds.

The dilemma has been a long-time ocus o

Miliszewska and her colleagues. The Universitys

engineering courses include about 8 per cent

emale students, and its inormation technology (IT)

courses, around 18 per cent roughly the same

proportions as other universities.

Miliszewska says boosting those gures to reach

ambitious national workorce goals will require

extensive structural changes among business,

academia and government. The targets aim at

having women account or 15 per cent o all

engineers and 45 per cent o all workers in ITin Australia.

The under-representation o women in

engineering and science studies and employment

is important because it inhibits the countrys

capacity to grow and restricts the skills that women

can bring to these elds, Miliszewska says.

She has conducted several studies exploring the

reasons girls continue to dismiss engineering,

science and IT when choosing a career.

Those reasons are widespread and range rom

lack o emale role models and career stereotyping,

to the perception that engineering and IT courses

have too narrow an analytical ocus and lack

the social relevance that girls commonly look or

in a career.

VU has several programs in the School o

Engineering and Science that promote a emale-

riendly learning environment. They include

welcome programs or commencing emale

students, mentoring schemes, secondary school

workshops that encourage girls to consider

engineering and science as a career, and

luncheons with guest speakers who are women

either working in the proession or are engineering

or science graduates.

Dr Juan Shi, co-ordinator o the Universitys

Women in Engineering and Science program,

says there is special support available or emale

students interested in overseas industry placements.

Natasha Perera, 23, a nal-year Bachelor o

Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, has

recently returned rom ve months combined study

and industry placement in Austria, studying at

FH JoanneumUniversity o Applied Sciences in

Graz, and working or 12 weeks at STIWA, one

o Europes leading companies in manuacturing

and design automation.

She says the Schools problem-based-learning

ocus helped her to think practically, rather than

in a text-book way.

A part-time ashion model with hobbies that

include kickboxing and dancing, Perera is a

the stereotypical engineering student. Like mo her emale classmates, her career choice

infuenced by a amily member in her case

ather, who is an electrical engineer.

I was eight years old when I started xing b

VCRs with him and soon became so good th

I had to remind him how to do it.

Third-year mechanical engineering student

Rachael Aganetti, 21, was also infuenced by

ather whom she worked alongside repairin

servicing the amily car, or xing broken piec

o machinery hed picked up at garage sales

THE GEEK GAPAnn MAriE AnGEBrAnDT

Getting more women to choose technical courses has been a long-timeocus o the Universitys School o Engineering and Science.

EnGinEErinG


22/36

Developing theEnglish o thosewho teach and livewith the childrenis something wecan oer.

There does not appearto be an obviousconnection between

Victoria Universitys EnglishLanguage Institute (ELI) atCity Flinders Campus andtsunami orphans in Thailand.But ELI sta are working onseveral ronts to help thosechildren orphaned by the2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.

When several ELI sta attended

the Australian International

Education Conerence in 2008,

they were inspired to support

the work o Hands Across the

Water (HATW), a charity set up

specically to assist the Boxing

Day orphans.

VU had already established

connections with areas aected by

the tsunami though involvement

in the Train the Trainer project, but

the wheels were now set in motion

or the involvement to go ur ther.

Keynote speaker at the conerence

was Australian police orensic

scientist Peter Baines, a disaster

victim identication expert whohad worked in Bali ater the

2002 nightclub bombing and

in Thailand ater the Boxing

Day Tsunami.

Baines team was responsible

or identiying tsunami victims in

and around Phuket and returning

their bodies to their amilies. At

the conerence, Baines spoke o

how the Thai assignment changed

him orever and that he wanted

to contribute to the lives o the

tsunami orphans.

While in Thailand, Baines worked

with Gill Williams rom the UK police.

Williams had become aware

o the predicament o Thai

children orphaned by the tragedy

who were living in precarious

conditions ater their homes and

villages were destroyed. Baines

and Williams then decided to

establish HATW Australia and UK.

Baines got us thinking about

what we also might do to help,

says ELIs oshore manager

Steph Ellis.

Late last year Ellis organised a

VU charity dinner, raising $8500to help cover the costs o bringing

three teenage orphans rom the

Baan Tharn Namchai orphanage

to Melbourne. The aim was to

give the teenagers the opportunity

to experience trans-national

education at VU.

Early this year, VU hosted the

mother and daughter who run

the orphanage to take part in a

10-week English program at ELI.

They studied here so they can

communicate better with English

speakers, including volunteersand board members at the

orphanage, Ellis says.

We also have outbound activit

VU English language teachersare now going over there to

work with counterpart teachers

in the schools the kids attend,

and to teach English to the

orphanage sta.

We dont teach children directly

but developing the English o

those who teach and live with

the children is something we

can oer.

Ellis has personal involvement.

In early 2009 she was one o

19 riders to complete a 760 km

10-day undraising bike ridethrough Thailand helping to

raise $145,000 or the orphans

The route was rom Bangkok to

Khao Lak, a ormer resort area

hard hit by the tsunami.

The bike ride is now an annual

HATW event.

AnDrEW MkEnnA

TAKINGENGLISH TO

TSUNAMIORPHANS

kHun THEW (riGHT) AnD HEr DAuGHTEr kHun kluYnGErn,

WHo run THAilAnDS BAAn THArn nAMcHAi orPHAnAGE.

22 coMMuniTY DEVEloPMEnT


23/36

When I looked atthe photo later Igot a bit o a shock

As the sun edged thehorizon in the smalltown o Heathcote in

Victoria, a young Aboriginalwarrior appeared next to atree with the majestic stanceo a hunter, a speargrasped in one hand.

it was a vs the past, amage smehw aght tme,a appat Abgate bee hsty vaded.

it was a vey stage ad

pwe mmet, saysidges ete Paa Baa,m Vus Sh Edat.My s was jst wag agad he ped p a st adsddey thee was ths mage the wa. i t a pht wthmy phe, wth my w shadwpjeted t a eaby tee,efetg bth gevgpesses at the tme.

Whe i ed at the phtate i gt a bt a sh at hwdeet he ed bease hewas y ve yeas d ad qte

tte state. i the pht heatay ed tae, bggead me msa.

Whe my mthe saw t shesad that she d see a dmas ae the wa. it wasa beaded ae wth da eyesad she sad t was a dspt g ate my s.i a see the ae evey tmei at t w.

m a pa b wa aty tw, the shadwwa has taveed t thethe sde the wd, t itay,the bthpae the bysgadathe.

Baas pte, whh she amedKat B,s pat the agestehbt idges at teave Astaa.

My mthe s m the WembaWemba ad Gdtjmaapepes, ad my athe s itaa.i gew p betwee these tw

tes ad ts amazg thatmy w has eded p itay,Baa says.

The Vu Mda Baete s e 80 Abgaatsts m ass Astaawhse ws ae shw sme itays maj gaees.

The t--pt ehbt,tted Raibw Srpt, peed Sada ebay ad wmve t Ma, Vee ad Sydg a thee-yea t.

Paa, 36, sad t was a

abste h t have thee he staats ded wthme tha 300 pees atm paes as emte as theTw isads.

ive eve bee t itay s i eeeay eted bease ts geatteata epse, shesays. As a atst y awayshpe t have sme st shwg teatay.

Addg t ths ahevemet,Paa eeved $5000 Mah wg the TheeDmesa Ws ategy the 2011 Vta idgesAt Awads.

He sma-sae sptaw, ttedA Littl BirdTld M, s a emtaatbgapha pee.

i stated payg wth papeay ad a bd med myhads, ad the i made a hdt ampay t, she says.

its debeatey t t sae

bease the hd s begdwaed by e ad thee sa eeg veabty. itsbased the bee that bdsae epesetatve pepe,whh s mm a t idges tes.

Baa, wh gew p theMay rve tw EhaYta Yta ty, has beedawg ad patg se was a yg hd.

My gadmthe was aadsape pate ad shsed t tae a pee hat the ampe ad teme t daw thgs. ive statmvg t phtgaphy astaats eety.

i se bjets that i d ttpaths ad my hme, a p-shps, ad m

eghbs had bbsh. itevmetay espsbethat way. We ae a vey espepe ad i ty t epess epeees thgh my wAt a be a m atvsm idges pepe.

DAniEl clArkE

Ancestralspirit on

worldstageIn the atermath o an emotional uneralor her uncle, Paola Balla says she was

visited by her Indigenous ancestors throughthe shadow o her fve-year-old son.

PAolA BAllAS KATen Boy; noW TourinG MuSEuMS THrouGHouT iTAlY AS

PArT o THE lArGEST ExHiBiTion o inDiGEnouS ArT To lEAVE AuSTrAliA.

PAolA BAllA

STA


24/36

The key reasonstudents drop out o

University is becausethey eel isolated.C

lare Radbourne,

recreation ofcer

with Student Lie atFootscray Park Campus,

says the number o clubs

and societies at VU is

growing, with more than

40 registered at the start

o 2011.

This year Student Liereceived a $25,000 grantrom the Pro Vice-Chancellor,Students and Learning andTeaching to support clubsand societies.

Our aim is to createsustainable clubs that dont

disappear overnight and canbe handed over at the end oeach year, Radbourne says.The grant means that we willbe able to do a lot more.

Some o the grant willsupport the activities oexisting clubs, and some willbe spent on supporting ideasor new clubs.

Victoria University GreekSocietyis a sizeable, activegroup or anyone with aninterest in Hellenic cultureand customs.

So ar in 2011, the groupo 70-plus members has

perormed traditional danceson Harmony Day, participatedin an SBS radiothon toraise unds or Christchurchearthquake victims, and held aboat cruise party in conjunctionwith the National Associationo Greek Australian Students.

I swimming beneath thewaves is more to your liking,theres scuba diving. The VUScuba Club has resuracedthis year ater going underor a ew years.

Club ounder Les Weeks has

been running sessions or

beginners at Footscray Parks

aquatic centre. The club owns

a boat and plans to make

a splash later in the year with

a calendar o dives and other

wet activities.

The St Albans Education

Club is one o VUs mostpopular course-related clubs.

It provides an opportunity

or students to get together

to discuss teaching and

learning. Events slated

or 2011 include a cruise,

a ball, excursions and study

groups and, naturally,visits to the pub. Law

students, paramedics,

engineers and many other

courses have similar societies.

Ultimate Frisbee is a

sel-reereed team sport,

played on grass on a

rectangular eld using

risbees. The object is to catch

the risbee in the end-zone

or a goal. The rst team to

score 15 goals wins.

Tiany Mann, president, saysthe VU Ultimate Frisbee Clubhas about 20 players agreat improvement on lastyear, when there were onlyeight. With seven playerson the eld at any one time,eight players is really notenough, Tiany says.We should do betterthis year!

The VU Ultimate teamwill compete in the 2011Southern University Gamesand Australian UniversityGames, and play in a leagueat Albert Park.

Mann is also president o

the VU Social Sports Society,which organises social eventsor VU students. Our nextevent will be the VUSSSBUSSS where we take a hugeparty bus to the beach andhave a great night out.

Students in Free Enterprise(SIFE) is the club or thosewith a passion or communityengagement. SIFE is aninternational student clubinvolving more than 1000universities across 39 nations.

The VU branch has 30-pmembers. The club carrout community projectsthat are then presented the national conerence competition against otheuniversities or the SIFE

World Cup.

Jenny Le, president, saysSIFE is currently involvedthree projects: encourag

VU students to volunteerVicRelie Foodbank; weecooking classes at the S

Village; and publishing acookbook based on theclasses.

We are aware that the

reason why students droout o university is becauthey eel isolated. The ao this project is or studto become more involvewell as gaining basic coskills.

For a ull list o VU clubsand societies, along withcontact details, see wwwvu.edu.au/clubs or contaon-campus recreation oSome clubs have their o

Facebook pages.

nick GADD

From philosophyto risbees

Interested in Ultimate Frisbee? Kickboxing? Community projects? Documentaries? Cheerleading?Philosophy and politics? Or just want to hang out with people studying in your feld?

Whatever a students interest, theres likely a club at VU that caters or it.

24 STuDEnT cluBS


25/36

I get the satisactiono seeing peoplegrow in the sport,and orm amazing

riendships.

Three times a week,just as the sun is risingover the Universitys

Footscray Park Campus,a group o dedicated

students trains or anactivity that requires theprecision o a gymnast,the rhythm o a dancer andthe stamina o a runner.

Bt heeeadg, eatvey

ew t Astaa vestes,

emas a sbjet

msdestadg ad mth

by may pepe wh mage

bsty gs sht sts

wavg pmpms by

gd payes.

natae cmms, de

Vus heeeadg sqad,the Vpes, ad a thd-yea

Bahe Apped See

stdet, says the steetype s

statg ad ase.

We te get ased: wh d

y hee ? whe we wat

t be thght as athetes

w ght, says the

25 yea d.

The Vpes, wh ame tgethe

2009 the wave

heeeadg made ppa

Astaa by Amea te

s, High School Musical,Bring it On ad Glee, ae

aeady pvg themseves

as e the tys tp

heeeadg sqads.

led by apta Emy cheg,

20, a Bahe Eese

ad Hma Mvemet/

Psyhgy stdet, the sqad

has w state ad ata

ttes ad pemed at may

Vu ts.

Wth the tdt

heeeadg t the uvesty

Games, the sqad w head t

Geeg state mpetts

Jy, ad pssby t the

Gd cast the atas Septembe.

The 27-membe sqad s

made p Vu stdets ass

dvese aadem dspes,

dg egeeg, spt,

eese see, teahg ad

eatve ats.

Thee s thg e

heeeadg t psh y t the

ma, metay ad physay,

cmms says.

i get the satsat seeg

pepe gw the spt, ad

m amazg edshpsthgh the tst ad sppt

heeeadg eqes.

oe the mst spg

membes the sqad s

22-yea-d rya Abdhs,

a e-egged stdet he

a yea ahteta

egeeg.

rya was b wtht a et

eg, bt that has t stpped

he m psg he teests

s ats, gymasts ad

w heeeadg.

Me mat abt theVpes a be d Vus

webste de cbs ad

Setes, j them

aeb.


Vim,vigour and

Vipers

oPPoSiTE PAGE: VuS ulTiMATE riSBEE TEAM Will coMPETE in THE 2011

SouTHErn uniVErSiTY GAMES AnD AuSTrAliAn uniVErSiTY GAMES.

ABoVE: THE ViPErS cHEErlEADinG SQuAD iS MADE uP o Vu STuDEnTS

AcroSS DiVErSE AcADEMic DiSciPlinES, incluDinG EnGinEErinG, SPorT,

ExErciSE SciEncE, TEAcHinG AnD crEATiVE ArTS.

STuDEnT cluBS


26/36

The University is growingin all directions.Aroundthe campuses, building

works are proceeding at pace.The University is constructingbuildings to meet the growingdemands or educationin Melbournes west. Andits building them smart environmentally, educationallyand aesthetically.

Here are six major buildingprojects currently underway ornear completion.

Sunshine Construction FuturesThe Construction Futures Buildingat Sunshine will be a major newcentre in Melbournes west ortraining builders. Tenders or thework closed earlier this year or whats intended to become a nationally-recognised centre o excellence intraining and best practice or thebuilding industry.

When completed, the $44.2 millioncentre will train Australias buildingand construction workorce to bemulti-skilled and environmentallyaware. It will help meet the trainingneeds o a construction industrywhose uture rests on builders havingthe skills to meet the demands osustainability and the capacity toembrace emerging technologies.

Not only will students learnabout bricks, panels and designtechniques, i needed they can learnanguage, literacy and numeracyskills as well. It will be buildingtraining rom the ground up.

Recreation and Health

Science buildingOver at St Albans, work has startedon the new Recreation and HealthScience building. The project hastwo main components: a sports andrecreation unction (with a basketballstadium, program room andgym area), and space or health-related teaching.

Due or completion early in 2012,it is part o a master plan or theCampus. The design acknowledgesthe layout o the Campus, and amajor pedestrian spine will runimmediately to the west o the new

building, giving access rom theestablished campus areas to the newbuilding and all uture acilities at thenorthern end o the Campus.

Footscray NicholsonLearning CommonsThe University has committedto building a modern LearningCommons on each o its10 campuses, to maximise thelearning experience or students andsta. Building o the new LearningCommons at Footscray NicholsonCampus is well underway and

will modernise and combine the

existing library and ca, and housestudent services including IT, StudentEngagement and Careers.When nished, the Campus willenjoy a new central hub or on-campus activities, and a modernand relaxed environment.

Sunshine Hospital Teaching,Training and Research acilityThe construction o a $51.6 millionve-level Teaching, Training andResearch (TTR) building at theSunshine Hospital is near completion.The project is a partnership betweenWestern Health, Victoria University

and the University o Melbourne, andincludes additional unding rom theVictorian and Federal Governments.

It will enable VUs nursing andbiomedical sciences students toundertake a signicant proportiono their learning in a major hospital,alongside medical proessionals, aswell as oer short-term work-relatedplacement opportunities or studentsin business, technical and othervocational disciplines. It will alsoallow collaborative research andresearch training in a rangeo health disciplines.

Auditorium reurbishment

at St AlbansThe $8.2 million St Albans Camauditorium reurbishment includextensions to Building 9, includitwo new 350-seat and 270-sealecture theatres, a fexible learnroom, six tutorial rooms and acollaborative fexible learning (completed in March this year).

Further works, including two letheatres and six tutorial rooms,also nished by the end o Apri

Weve now got a top-class acor students with the latest AVtechnology, says VUs Associat

Director o Capital Planning,Jim Eaton.

New learning spaces improvethe quality and eectivenesso teaching simply by beingbetter better designed, morecomortable and more aesthetThe University is basing its heaand education teaching at St

Albans, and the new building hincreased the Universitys teachcapacity in nursing, paramedicand education programs.

Buildingbig in the westAnDrEW MkEnnA

Footscray Parks spectacular Sport and Learning Precinct has stolen alot o the limelight around Victoria Universitys new building projects,and although impressive, its only part o a much bigger picture.

ArTiSTS iMPrESSion: conSTrucTion

uTurES BuilDinG, SunSHinE.

26 cAPiTAl WorkS


27/36

TradeApps is the radical new way that Victoria Universityapprentices are being trained. More time on the job andin the classroom is the key ingredient. Trade teachers vis

apprentices in their workplaces to carry out assessments, chetheir skills against industry standards.

Andrew Williamson, Associate Director o Industry and Innovation in thFaculty o Technical and Trades Innovation, says TradeApps is a respothe government policy o competency-based completions introduced in

Apprentices typically had to serve three or our years beore they coucomplete their apprenticeship, Williamson says. Under the new systeapprentices can complete more quickly as long as they demonstrate th whether that involves making a salad dressing or building a house.

TradeApps is being rolled out across 14 apprenticeship areas, includinhairdressing, hospitality, boat building, carpentry and painting.

Lyn Hannah, Manager, Teaching and Learning in the aculty, says: Thdierence with TradeApps is the way VU is providing employers with cregarding which tasks can be learned and assessed in the workplace awhich at school.

For salons such as Mieka Hairdressing in Collingwood, where hairdresapprentice Zoe Cranston trains, the concept works brilliantly. Cranstonlearned many o her skills in the workplace, with the support o her teaat VU.

Mieka Hairdressing owner Tracey Hughes is delighted with the partnerbetween her salon and VU.

The communication with VU is amazing, she says. The combination

our strengths and their strengths means that Zoe gets the best possibletraining. Because the training and assessments are not based in a tradeducation environment, we can develop training to suit individual skillsand needs.

Prior to starting her apprenticeship at Mieka, Cranston completed apre-apprenticeship with VU during which she won a gold medal in theVictorian World Skills competition. Her work now includes glamorousevents like Salon Melbourne, a major expo or the hairdressing industrand assisting in photo shoots where stylists show o their own creation

Hughes has no doubt that Cranston is a superstar in the making asupported by the act that last year she won VUs outstanding apprentaward or stage one o her apprenticeship.

Hairdressing teacher Rhonda Alexander and her colleagues at VUs CCampus share the responsibility o developing the learning resources setting the assessment guidelines or their apprentices.

The hairdressing department developed an employers competency-bcompletion guide to support salons conducting work-based training unthe TradeApps program, says Alexander.

Part o our role is working hand-in-hand with employers to create atraining plan that suits all stakeholders. Being able to build a relationshwith employers and apprentices is a critical part o the job. We ensure training not only refects industry needs, but is aligned to the national tpackage. It truly is a joint eort.

VU also oers sel-paced learning in the classroom and the workplaceStar apprentices like Cranston can be assessed more requently, and master progress. Those proceeding at a slower rate still receive the supthey need rom VU.

People like to be regarded as individuals, and now we can provide evwith tailored training, says Williamson. Students are all dierent, andwant to be rewarded or their eorts. Some young people are very capand quick learners, and we want these people to be able to accelerate

VU has around 2000 apprentices, and with trade teachers now spendmore time visiting workplaces, the University has bought a new feet ocars to take sta out on the road to conduct assessments.

We need to have complete condence that the apprentice can be signo, Williamson says. We have a responsibility to ensure that we havequality our apprentices are the proessionals o the uture.

Apprenticeshipsmakeovernick GADD

From building sites to hair salons, kitchens tooil refneries, a revolution is under way. It maynot involve the toppling o dictators, but thelong-term impact will be proound.

People like to be regarded asindividuals, and now we can provide

everyone with tailored training.

ABoVE: MEikA HAirDrESSinG SAlon oWnEr TrAcEY HuGHES (cEnTrE) lookS on

WHilE HAirDrESSinG APPrEnTicE ZoE crAnSTon STYlES THE HAir o A cliEnT.

APPrEnTicESHiPS


28/36

The University continuallyreviews its courses toensure they are relevant

and meeting the needs oindustry; are ocused onproducing job-ready graduates;and are teaching students themost up-to-date inormationin their respective felds.

This oten means addingnew courses to its curriculum.New courses added or the 2011academic year, or in developmentor 2012, range across areas suchas ood and cooking, interactive

digital media, inant health, andtraining English teachers in China.

Sports engineeringThis year the Faculty o Health,Engineering and Science builton its established excellence insport by launching an innovativeBachelor o Sports Engineering.The course is teaching studentsto design sports equipment andinstrumentation to prevent injuriesand improve perormance.

The degree is the only course inVictoria that applies engineerintechnology to sport, and itincorporates the Universitysstrengths in human movementsciences, and mechanical, electand sotware engineering.Graduates o the degree may hinto urther studies to Masters oPhD level.

Nicholas Owen enrolled in thecourse this year because, he sayIts a bit let-eld.

I was initially looking or anengineering degree to best t w

I was interested in, and this is virevolutionary, he says. It combhuman physiology, electronics amechanical engineering, so its rounded or where engineering going to be in uture.

First-year students are alreadyworking on real projects in induand their work placements willgive them a head start when thgraduate and start looking or jwith elite sports institutions, top sporting clubs and sports equipmanuacturers.

Coursesondemand

AnDrEW MkEnnA

Victoria University is about growth,and prime examples o this are thecourses it oers.

28 nEW courSES


29/36

Sports cadetshipsThe School o Sport and Sciencehas just launched a new cadetshipprogram oering two studentsstudying the Diploma o RemedialMassa

Documents

Connections Issue 15