EXPERIENCE

UNE Exercise and Sports Science Association
President: Adrianna Marshall (2018)
text provided by Club

In 2018, EXSSA was in its first year of establishment, and was founded with the overarching aim of bringing together on campus and off campus students in exercise and sport science and the clinical exercise physiology degrees. As both courses have a very small cohort, a few students with the aid of some academic staff thought it would be great to form a fully student-based association to help bridge the social gap between on and off campus students.

Due to being a new association, we faced the challenges with getting our name and goals out to students and staff. Additionally, we faced challenges establishing something that would be able to support the students more than just socially. With these challenges, there were questions of financial feasibility and whether there would be enough interest to warrant everyone’s time and dedication to the cause. Thankfully, we were able to overcome all these challenges and had a very successful year with over 70 financial members at present!

In 2018 we were able to provide a discounted CPR and first aid course which is integral to our degrees and placements.

Events for 2018 included:

• Guest speaker night at the ‘Stro during intensive schools
• Staff vs Students soccer game and BBQ
• Meet and greet social night at the Whitebull during intensives
• Participated in Lifesaver day in o-week.

The careers night was a great success! It facilitated all types of students to mingle with one another in a safe and mutual environment. It also helped students to see how vast our degree is when it comes to career opportunities, especially the first years in attendance.

Due to unforeseen circumstances a few of our guest speakers pulled out at the last minute. However, we were able to save the night as a few of the lecturers stepped in. This provided both the on campus and off campus students in Armidale for intensive schools an educational insight into our vast industry. Along with the lecturers we had practising AEP’s, a member from cricket VIC, a qualified strength and conditioning coach and many more!

In all, over the year students involved in EXSA managed to forge relationships that will last a lifetime!

UNE Pharmacy Students Association
Previous President: David Smith (until April 2018)
Current President: Lainie Johnston
text provided by Club

In 2018 PhUNE won the NAPSA Charity Cup! This is a competition between all pharmacy student associations in Australia to see who can raise the most money for a nominated charity. A winner is decided by seeing who raises the most relative to number of members. In 2018 this charity was Fullife Foundation and PhUNE won by raising $1314.57 to aid women and children in Africa.

We hosted multiple events, including the Charity Cup, our Annual UNE Pharmacy Ball and some Free Networking BBQs. Our bbqs went particularly well, and allowed for both internal and external students to network within their profession and take a well-deserved break during intensive schools. In 2019, PhUNE hopes to improve engagement with both internal and external students.

We are very excited about the new heights achieved by both the organisation and pharmacy students during 2018, and we looking forward to an even bigger and better 2019

UNE Student Nursing Society
Previous President – Georgie Hamilton (until August 2018)
Current President – Olivia Sheather
text provided by Club

The Nursing Society’s aims are to enhance the experience, welfare and wellbeing of Nursing students through social, educational, cultural, sporting and charitable activities and functions.

Some challenges that the nursing society faced in 2018 were the constraints facilitating the UNESNS Ball and filling the committee. There was also a slight decline in event participation among the members of the society. Despite the decline in participation, the society was able to pull together some great events this year. The executive held a careers night for first to final year nursing students, which featured several key speakers to present and talk about the various different areas of nursing. There was also free food to cater to our members and a raffle for a stethoscope donated by the SOH to raise money for the society.

The Student Nursing Society was also able to run and participate in several events in 2018, including:

• Lifesaver Day
• Welcome BBQ
• Movie + Pizza Nights
• International Nurses Day BBQ
• First Year Examination BBQ
• Nurses Stro Night
• Careers Night
• Bunning’s BBQ

2018 was a successful year for the Nursing society, despite the challenges faced, and recognizes the potential to grow in 2019.

UNE Medical Students Association
Previous President: Sophia Fitt (until July 2018)
Current President: Laura Mallett
text provided by Club

In 2018, UNEMSA had many triumphs advocating for our students, and implementing several very successful new initiatives. These including:

• Working with the Faculty to establish a Crisis Response, Bullying and Harassment Guidelines for the JMP.
• Getting Flexible Accommodation Contracts for 3^rd year students, and establishing Mental Health Leave Days for 1^st and 2^nd Year students that can be used without requiring a medical certificate.
• Reintroducing #UNEMSAWellbeingWednesday, a popular initiative that allows members to share photographs and strategies that improve their own wellbeing.
• Introducing a monthly newsletter to improve transparency and communication between the committee and our members

A challenge UNEMSA faced this year included addressing the lack of engagement with our fourth and fifth year medical students located in Armidale, Tamworth and Taree. To address this challenge for next year, UNEMSA has joined with University of Newcastle Medical Society Inc. to introduce Joint Clinical School Representatives at Armidale, Tamworth and Taree. We hope these new positions will help us improve our engagement with and support of clinical students.

UNEMSA also had challenges with financial reporting due to our Financial Year not aligning with our calendar year of events and funding. As a result, we have changed our Financial Year for 2018-2019 which we hope will address these problems.

Over the course of the year, UNEMSA organised many events, including:

• 12 Academic Events including Practice OSCE days, PASS sessions, Women in Medicine Cocktail Evening and a Futures in Medicine & Clinical Skills Night.
• 12 Social Events including First Incision, Med Week, Medicine Charity Ball and an End of Year Cocktail Party
• 5 Sport Events including Inter-year Sports Competition, Parkrun and entering UNEMSA teams into Dodgeball, Touch Football, Basketball, Soccer and Mixed Netball Competitions
• 4 Charity and Wellbeing Events including the Charity Fun Fair, RSPCA Cupcake Days and NSWMSC Mental Health Breakfast
• Australia Medical Students Association Blue Week to promote mental Health
• A 3 Day Orientation Camp for first year students in Coffs Harbour

And of course our annual Med Revue: Monty Python’s Royal Flying Doctors Service.

One of UNEMSA’s most popular academic events, Practice OSCE days, are extremely beneficial to our members. Run each semester, Practice OSCE days are an opportunity for medical students to have a trial completing their practical exams (OSCEs) before the exam period begins. Older students assess and give feedback whilst younger students act as patients. The highly organised day is a great collaboration between year groups and gives our members a greater confidence to succeed in their practical exams.

For UNEMSA, 2018 has been a year of re-establishing stability, continuing our advocacy to Faculty, new internal initiatives and improving our current events.

Christian’s United
Previous President: Mitch Buster (until September 2018)
Current President: Brandy Ritch
text provided by Club

In 2018 Christians United faced challenges in the following areas:

• Including Christians from different church backgrounds
• Inviting international students to engage with our group and the Christian message
• Continuing to make adjustments to our regular patterns of gatherings in order to match the university trimesters.

These challenges involved creating and adjusting strategies, building rapport and communicating well with diverse people, and our student committee ‘sharing a vision’ for working with international students to our broader group.

However, a significant triumph for our group was the establishment of a weekly Bible study group for international students delivered in simple English, and increasing numbers of international students attending our events throughout the year.

Events Christians United ran throughout the year included:

• O Week events (these included a stall at Lifesaver Day as well as a dessert night, pancake brekkie, games night, social soccer, café catch-up and a barbeque at Dumaresq Dam)
• Two camps for our members at Scotts Head
• A Q&A for UNE students at Easter, ‘Did Jesus really rise from the dead?’
• Series of public lectures and talks by historian and speaker John Dickson (organised in partnership with St Marks UNE Church)
• Weekly Bible studies
• Text for a Toastie during trimester 1 & 2 exam periods

Members also participated in:

• St Peter’s Anglican Church’s bush dances for welcoming international students
• UNE Life’s Winter
• UNE Life’s WellFair Day
• The Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) National Training Event in Canberra

Overall, I think that Christians United committee look back on 2018 with thankfulness.