AnnualReport

2015

TABLEOFCONTENTS

AboutWSA ________________________________________________________________32015ExecutiveCommittee___________________________________________________________32015GeneralCommittee____________________________________________________________3Current2016ExecutiveCommittee____________________________________________________3Current2016GeneralCommittee _____________________________________________________3

President’sReport___________________________________________________________4

GeneralManager’sReport ____________________________________________________5

AdvocacyandAdvice_________________________________________________________7

Welfareandsupport_________________________________________________________8FreeFoodTrolley __________________________________________________________________8Freefoodeventsoncampus _________________________________________________________8Promotionoflocalcommunityservicesandstudentservicesoncampus ______________________9One-on-oneconsultations ___________________________________________________________9

Career___________________________________________________________________10Promotionofcareeropportunities ___________________________________________________10Studentplacementsandworkexperience______________________________________________10CommunityDoor__________________________________________________________________11

Postgraduatesupport_______________________________________________________12

Healthandwellbeing _______________________________________________________13Healthandwellbeingactivities_______________________________________________________13

Orientation _______________________________________________________________14

Performances,eventsandentertainment _______________________________________15

Sport____________________________________________________________________16Activities________________________________________________________________________16Cheerleading_____________________________________________________________________16Gym____________________________________________________________________________17

HangarCafé_______________________________________________________________18

HangarHallandfacilities_____________________________________________________19

WSAcommunityengagement ________________________________________________20Note-TheFinancialAudithasalreadybeensubmittedasrequiredbytheFundingAgreement.

AboutWSATheWodongaStudentAssociation(WSA)providesservices,activitiesandfacilitiestostudentsof La TrobeUniversityAlbury-WodongaCampus.WSA ismanagedby a committeeof tenstudentswhoareelectedannually.StudentscanalsobeinvolvedwithWSAbyjoiningtheGeneralCommitteeatanytime.WSAfacilitiesincludetheHangarrecreationspace,HangarCafé,barandgym,aswellasanoutdoor multi-purpose court. WSA provides a range of services including studentrepresentation,advocacy,studentdiaries,wallplaners,andgeneralstudentsupport.WSAorganisesbothdaytimeandeveningactivitiesforstudents.MajoreventsincludeOrientation,LTUOpenDay,Deviants’BallandLaTrobeBall.2015ExecutiveCommitteePresident–JoshHarmsVicePresident–TylerShawTreasurer–JustinJamesSecretary–CatherineMacGregorResidentsandSocialNetworking–TaylaBraybonLaTrobeStudentRepresentative–MahaliaScholzSportsandRecreationOfficer–CeilidhZeschkePublicationsOfficer–KarenWestEntertainmentOfficer–RenaeKeatleyWellbeingOfficer–RebekahO’Keefe2015GeneralCommitteeJodieMcVean SamTreffersRebeccaWray SamPetzkeSamBarlow JadeDessentCurrent2016ExecutiveCommitteePresident–TylerShawVice-President–SamanthaBarlowTreasurer–JoshuaHarmsSecretary–BreanneShowResidentsandSocialNetworkingOfficer–CameronCrowSportsandRecreationOfficer–JodieMcVeanPublicationsOfficer–SamanthaTreffersWellbeingOfficer–SamanthaPetzkeLaTrobeStudentRepresentative–RebeccaWrayEntertainmentOfficer–DanRamsayCurrent2016GeneralCommitteeBenWalther ShirrazeWhite JamesFord StevieSchipper AaronDomingue BeckMcCluskey AaronMelbourne GabrielleMorey AmeliaPaech-Enever

President’sReport2015 Orientation planning began in late 2014.WSA planned arange of Orientation and start of semester events, includingactivitiesinconjunctionwithLaTrobe.2015Orientationandstartofsemester includedLaTrobeOrientationwasWednesday26thFebruarytoThursday27th,WSAprovidedfreelunchesovertwoday–freeBBQandfreehotdogs.Orientationcommencedwithawelcome session in the Hangar and followed by morning teaprovided by WSA. Also included was an afternoon live musicactivityattheHangarandaround100studentsenjoyedtheTrafficLightParty.Thefirstnightofsemester,WSAheldaverysuccessfulgamesnightintheHangarwitharound100attending, followedby two fullbuseson theWednesdaynight thatweek forTourdePubs,GoodiesvBaddies.Monday9thmarchwasafreeBBQandcheerleadingdemonstrationattheHangar,andafundraiserandcomeandtrypromotion.Wednesday11thMarchwasaMarketdayoncampuspromotingonandoffcampusopportunities.Averybusy first twoweeksofsemesterwasroundedoutwithafantasticturnoutof370peopleattheLaTrobeCheerleaders Fundraising Party (supported byWSA) - FRATNIGHT – held off campus atGrooveSaint.Otherhighlights included-17thMarch,PunchforLunchattheHangar.WSAtookthe leadagainthisyearwithcateringfortheannualLaTrobeevent,Harmonyday,with120plusintheHangarformunchandactivities.31/3/15EasterBunnyvisittocampus.WSAAGM,freelunchandpunchforlunchwas6thMay.AlsoonMay6thwasanopportunity forstudents toengagewiththeUniversityappointedarchitect to consult with students about Hangar developments. This followedwith othermeetingsthroughouttheyeartoorganisedrefurbishments.Gender Bender Party, and Deviants Ticket launch was held of May 8th we around 60 inattendance at the Hangar Bar. This was one of severalWSA activities for 2015 targetingdiversity.On19th June,ExperienceLaTrobeday for340students from localhighschools,cateredbyWSA,wasverysuccessful.Alcocupsfor60studentswasheldon3rdAugust.Thissessionprovidedvaluableinformation,includingsafealcoholuse.The18thAnnualDeviantsBall2015,Friday7thAugusthadover350ataverysuccessfulhangarevent.Scienceweek,accessingtheHangarandotherspaceoncampus.150studentsdailyvisited the campus for this event. DEME sciencewith Hangar café again held the annualscienceweekcookingcompetitionintheHangar.August28thWSAwasinvolvedinLaTrobeopennight.September9thWSA,withotherLaTrobestaff,heldthefirstdiversitydayeventoncampus.Thiswaswell attendedwith 170 students, including education. RUOKday,washeldoverseveraldaysattheHangarfor8thto10thSeptember,involving80students.Studentelectionspeeches and free lunches were 8th and 9th September with student elections on 16thSeptember with Punch for Lunch. A successful La Trobe Ball was held on Friday 16thSeptemberatPaddy’swith120well-dressedstudentsattending.Latein2015,LaTrobeproposedfurnitureselectiontoWSAforcolourchoices.Thisprocesstookseveralmeetingsandextendedinto2016.JoshHarmsPresident

GeneralManager’sReportDuring2015,WodongaStudentAssociationhasengagedwithstudentstoprovidearangeofactivities,servicesandfacilities.TherehavebeensomeexcitingdevelopmentsthisyearwithHangarcapitaldevelopmentplanning,theintroductionofCommunityDoor,andtheincreasedusageoffacilitiessuchastheHangarGymandHangarHallandanincreaseinadvocacyandstudentwelfareservices,suchasthefreefoodtrolleyandprovisionoffreefoodactivitiesbytheHangarCafeforstudents.WSAhassuccessfullyappliedforSSAFCapitalFundinginrecentyearsforinternalandexternalrenovationstotheHangar.Priorto2015,thefundingwasapprovedandthroughout2015therewasalengthyprocessworkingwithLaTrobetodeterminetheHangarimprovements.La Trobe engaged a consultant to gain student input andWSA input on possible Hangarrenovationoptions.WSAworkedwiththevariousareasofLaTrobetohaveinputintotheprocessofdeterminingtheHangarimprovements.TowardstheendoftheyearLaTrobe,withconsultantsandarchitects,presentedwhat improvementswouldbemade to the internalareasoftheHangar.WSAwaspresentedwiththeplanforlockers,newHangarflooringinthelounge area, new custom-made furniture, and someminor painting and panelling. Theserenovationswilloccurduring2016.During2015,CommunityDoorwasintroducedbyBendigoStudentAssociation(BSA)totheotherLaTrobe regional studentorganisations.CommunityDoor isa jointprogramrunbyBendigo Bank and BSA in Bendigo. The program places La Trobe students on boards orcommitteesinthelocalcommunity,providingafantasticskilldevelopmentandnetworkingopportunity forstudentsandopportunities forboards includingnew inputandsuccessionplanning.InBendigo,thetypesofboardsandorganisationsinvolvedincludeschoolboards,boards of not-for-profit organisations, sporting club boards and organising committees.Throughout2015arangeofmeetingstowereheldwithrepresentativesfromBendigoBankandwithalltheLaTrobestudentorganisationstointroduceCommunityDoorandplanforitswiderimplementation.ItwasanexcitingproposalpresentedbyBSAandBendigoBank.Bysemester 2, WSA was promoting Community Door to students, focussing on the careerbenefits theopportunityprovides.BendigoBankwasplanning to source localboardsandcommitteesforstudentstobematchedwith.WSAisexcitedlyawaitingthefirststudent–boardmatchinWodonga.

During2015therewasarangeofotherWSAservicesthatexperiencedcontinuedimprovement.TheFreeFoodTrolleyandFreeFoodactivitiesfurtherincreasedin2015.ThiswasonlypossiblewithgreatersupportbyWSA,includingHangarCafé,andFoodShare.Therewereover30WSAfreefoodeventsoncampus,plusdailyaccesstofreefoodtrolley(includingfoodfordaytimeconsumptionsuchasfruit,mueslibars,etc)Thisiswellusedbystudentsandprovidesanexcellentstudentwelfareservice,butthereisamassiveimpactonHangarCafétrading.TheHangarCaféstaffareasbusyasever,butmuchtimeisexpendedonprovidingthewell-receivedfreefoodservice.TheHangarCaféisstillquitebusywiththeamountofstudenttrafficbeingquitesimilar,buttheirspendingisreduced,iejustgettingadrinkonafreefoodday.

OtherstudentwellbeingprovisionsmadebyWSAduring2015includedstudentactivitiessuchasRUOKDay,HarmonyDay,DiversityDayandReducingExamStressactivities.Theseactivities,combinedwithfreefood,haveprovideahighlevelstudentparticipation.TheseareeventsWSAcoordinateswithotherLaTrobestudentservicesstaff,andclubsoncampus.2015wasthefirstyearDiversityDayhadbeenincludedinWSAactivitiesanditwasaverysuccessfuldayandwillbeaddedasanannualevent.Advocacyserviceswerewellusedduringtheyearwithspecialconsideration,academicprogress,andassessmentsfeaturinghighlyamongststudent’sconcerns.Withchangesacrosstheuniversityandacentralisedonlinespecialconsiderationsystemintroduced,therewasahugeneedforWSAsupportbystudentsandliaisonwithotherLaTrobeAlbury-Wodongasupportstafftoassiststudentswiththenewprocess.CongratulationtotheStudentCommitteeforthehoursspentcontributingtoWSAduring2015andabigthankyoutothemanyvolunteersandstudentclubsworkingwithWSAfortheirinputtoimprovingstudentlife.ThankyoutotheWSAstafffortheirhardworkagainduring2015.ThisincludeSusieRobertson,managingthecafé,barandmaystudentactivities,ElizabethRossforherworkonFinances,I.T.andadministration,ourHangarCafécasualstaff–StevieSmithandMichelleLoweandoccasionalHangarBarstaffincludeJohnDann.ThankyoutoBreeHatherallforhercontributiontoWSAduringher3rdyearLaTrobeSocialWorkplacement.Lookingforwardto2016.JoMatheyManagerWodongaStudentAssociation

AdvocacyandAdviceWSA provides assistance and personal representation for all enrolled students. Advocacyincludes concerns with administrative issues, including show cause, and independentassistanceforstudentscompletinguniversityadministrativeprocedures,suchasapplyingforspecial consideration. TheWSA does not charge or seek recompense for access to theseservices.WSA provided 100 advocacy sessions in 2015. Twenty-three of these sessionswerewithstudentswhoapproachedWSAforadvocacyforthefirsttime.Thesesessionsincluded:Telephonecalls 78Consultations 49Letters/e-mails 76Representations 7Numberofstudentsreferred 21Eachadvocacysessionmayincludeseveraloftheaboveformsofassistance.WSAhasseenanincreaseinstudentsseekingassistancewithspecialconsiderationfollowingtheimplementationofthenewonlinesystem.In2015itwasthemostcommonreasonforseekingsupport.Thefollowinggraphshowsthereasonswhystudentssoughtadvocacy. Itincludeseveryadvocacysession,includingfollow-ups.Eachadvocacysessionmayfallundermorethanoneofthefollowingcategories.

PleasenotethatstatisticsonadvocacyincludeonlythosestudentsseekingassistancewithUniversityprocedures;otheradviceandassistanceisincludedinwelfareandsupport.

WelfareandsupportWelfareandcareersupport includesassistancewithfinancial,legalandemploymentmattersorconcerns.It also includes assistance with discrimination,harassment, grievances, complaints and disputes.Careersupportincludesservicestoassiststudentstodevelop their CurriculumVitae (CV) and/or resume,interviewskillsandcareermanagementskillstoassiststudents to findgainfulemployment.WSAdoesnotcharge students for these services. Welfare-relatedactivities provided by WSA in 2015 included anti-povertysummit,academicskillpromotionandspecialconsiderationinformationpromotion.FreeFoodTrolleyWSAprovidesaccesstofreefoodforstudents.WSA,inconjunctionwithFoodShare,providesasupplyoffreefoodforstudentsexperiencingfinancialhardship.Thefoodpantryisavailabletoallstudentswithnorestrictionsonitsuse.Itisfilledonanasneededbasis–usuallymorethantwiceaweekduringsemester.Thisservicerequiresalargeamountofstaffandstudentcommitteetimeandisverypopular,appreciated,andwell-usedbystudentsinneed.Thefoodpantryregularlyprovidespantryessentialssuchasbreakfastcereals,drypastaandrice,tinnedfruit/vegetables,tinnedspaghetti,fruit,mueslibars,breadandmilk.Thereareawidevarietyofnon-perishablegoodthatvaryduetoavailability.WSAhashadahugeincreaseinstudentaccesstothefoodtrolleyandfreefruitbaskets.In2015WSAdistributed4,512kgoffood,ascalculatedbyFoodSharefromthepaperworkWSA

completeseachvisittotheWarehousetocollectfood. Albury Wodonga Regional Food Sharecalculates this as $31,584 of food value(calculatedat$3.50per500grams).FreefoodeventsoncampusInadditiontothefoodtrolley,WSAprovidesfreemealsforallstudentsduringnumerousdayandevening events throughout the academic year.This is supported by Food Share, and issupplementedwithstafftime,WSAfacilities,andfoodpurchasesbytheHangarCafé.Therewere34eventsin2015duringwhichfreemealswereprovided.

PromotionoflocalcommunityservicesandstudentservicesoncampusWSAregularlypromotesandhostslocalservices and campus services forstudents around welfare and careersupport. This often takes place inconjunctionwith other events, such asfree meals, so that the promotionreaches as many students as possible.WSA links with a range of otheragencies, such as NELLEN, WodongaTAFE, SITEdisability group,Headspace,WayOut Wodonga, various aboriginalservices, church groups and localschools.One-on-oneconsultationsAswellasprovidinginformationtothestudentpopulationasawhole,WSAoffersone-on-oneconsultationsonarangeofissues,includingwelfareandcareersupport.WSAprovided173welfareconsultationstostudentsduring2015.Theseconsultationsarewide-ranging and include concerns such as seeking employment, careers support, courseconcerns,onlineandblendedlearningissues,financialproblems,assistancewithaccessingthefoodtrolley,concernsfromstudentresidents(suchasinadequateinternet),religiousandprayer facilities, travel, difficulties accessing University games, postgraduate support,concernswithonlinedelivery,healthandfamilyconcernsandstudy/examstress.

CareerWSA is involved in the supporting Careers opportunities for students and prospectivestudents in a range of ways. During Orientation there are opportunities for continuingstudentstoexpandtheirleadershipskillsinassistingnewstudents.Otherexamplesin2015includedExperienceLTUDay;ScienceWeek,Crowdfundinginformation,variousHighschoolvisits, Community Door program – all providing opportunities for students to gain workrelatedexperiences.PromotionofcareeropportunitiesWSA promotes career opportunities to students, including a jobs board, seasonalemploymentavailability,andvolunteeringopportunitiesonandoffcampus.WSAisalsoacontactpointforemployerslookingtoadvertisevacancies.WSAreceivesstudentrequestsforassistancewithaccessingCareerHubandassistanceorfeedbackonjobapplications,CVsand interview techniques. WSA provides a number of written and verbal references forstudentswhohavebeenactiveinstudentactivitiesandservicesoncampus.StudentplacementsandworkexperienceWSA has students, prospective students and previous students to volunteer within theorganisationtogainvaluableexperienceandreferences.In2015,WSAhadseveralstudentsvolunteeratWSAinanadministrativecapacity,eventorganisation,withinthecaféandinthebar.In2015,WSAalsohadanother3rdyearsocialworkplacementfor3monthsduring2ndsemester.Students joining WSA general committeeand member of the Student Executivecommittee are supported to gain a widerange of valuable experiences for theirfuture employment. Skill developmentincludesworkinginteams,meetings,eventmanagement, supporting new studentsduring orientation, project management,understanding of financial statements andplanning, governance and managementskills, marketing, technology and onlineskills, aswell as the opportunity to see anideafromitsinceptiontocompletion.

CommunityDoorCommunityDoorwasintroducedtoWSAduring2015byBendigoStudentAssociation(BSA).BendigoBankandBSAhaverunthissuccessfulprograminBendigoforseveralyears,placingstudents on local community boards (such as not-for-profit, business or sporting boards).BendigoBanksourcesthelocalboardsandBSAsourcesandsupportsthestudents.OpportunitiesforstudentsofferedbyCommunityDoorincludes-

• Obtainvaluableexperienceasanactivememberofaboardorcommitteeforalocalcommunityagency(not-for-profit),businessorsportingclub.

• Offerspersonalandpracticaldevelopment inhowanorganisationoperatesfromaboardperspectiveandearlyexposuretorunningabusinessorcommunityactivity.

• Studentswhotakepartintheprogramareexposedtotheprinciplesofgovernance,riskmanagement,strategicplanningandfinancialmanagement.

• Studentsalsogetaccesstoamentorandanopportunitytoexpandtheirprofessionalnetworksandexperienceforfutureemployment.

• WodongaStudentAssociationsupportstheLaTrobestudentthroughouttheirtimeonthelocalboard.

Duringsemester12015,WSAattendedseveralmeetingsaboutimplementingtheCommunityDoorprogramlocally.TherewerearangeofmeetingsinBendigo,WangarattaandWodongawithstudentorganisationsfromallLaTrobecampuses,BendigoBankmanagersandLeadOn.Oncethedetailswerearranged,WSAstartedpromotingCommunityDoortostudentsduringsemester2.Therewasinterestfromthestudentbodyandstudentsappliedtoparticipateintheprogram.LocalboardsarethenengagedbyBendigoBanktoparticipateinCommunityDoorandprovidestheopportunityforstudentstobematchedtolocalboards.

PostgraduatesupportWSA provides services to postgraduate students, including the services, activities andfacilities available toall enrolled studentsof theAlbury-WodongaCampus.WSA regularlypromotes services tailored to postgraduate students. WSA often works with individualpostgraduatestudentstodeveloptheactivitiesandservicesthattheyrequest.In 2015, WSA provided 11 activities and events that were organised specifically forpostgraduate students. These included free lunches,morning teas and free dinner, socialevents, trivia night, a guest speaker (such as HalveWaste) , networking opportunities inconjunctionwith the academic opportunities provided by the REDUnit, and activities forpostgraduate students within Education, DEME, and MBA programmes. WSA providesactivitiesandfreefoodeventsforEducationstudentsduringtheiron-campusblocks.Highlightsfor2015includedtheannualendofyearpostgraduatesymposium,supportedbyWSA,andaDEMEendofyearparty,encouragingsciencestudentstojointheDEMEclubandtoencouragestudents to follow theirundergraduate studieswithpostgraduate studies inAlbury-Wodonga.Inaddition,in2015WSAsoughtfeedbackandsuggestionsfrompostgraduatestudentsandLa Trobe University staff to review and continue to develop and promote services andactivitiesforpostgraduatestudents.ThishasenabledWSAtobetterliaisewithpostgraduatestudentsandtheirsupportservices.

HealthandwellbeingThe WSA provides students of the Albury-WodongaCampuswithservicesandactivitiesthatpromote healthy lifestyles and living. Theseundertakings include the annual ricemandala intheHangar,reducingexamstressinformationandactivities, information about medical services inthelocalarea,sexualhealthpromotion.Thesearesome of the facets of the WSA’s health andwellbeing undertaking. Access to the free foodtrolleygivesasteadystreamoffreefoodtoassistwith a student’s level of independence and toallowthemaccesstohealthyfood.Finally,theAssociationisakeypartnerwithstudentsintheattempttocreateahealthyworklifebalance,assistingwithemotionalandmentalhealthsupport,andsafeconsumptionofdrugandalcoholawareness.WSA considers its sports offering an additional facet of health andwellbeing services forstudents.Thisincludeson-campus,inter-campus,andoff-campussportingcompetitionsandtheprovisionofafreegymandsportingequipment.HealthandwellbeingactivitiesWSAheld19activitiesin2015thatwererelatedtohealthandwellbeing.Theseincludedself-protection, fire safety, Harmony Day, Nepal fundraising (as requested by a postgraduatestudent),freemassageday,promotionofclubs,UniversityGames,andRelayforLife,sexualhealth promotion, responsible alcohol consumption, Headspace, stress less (includingpromotionofUniversityspecialconsiderationprocesses),healthyeating,suicideprevention,andmentalhealthinformation,RUOKDayandRUOKDayfollowupactivitiesaswellasparticipationinDiversityDay.

OrientationWSA participates in the UniversityOrientation programme providing activitiesthat assist students to get to know thecampus,tocreatelastingsocialnetworks,andto assist with the introduction to universitylife. The social aspects of Orientation givestudents the opportunity to meet oneanother and to create lasting academicnetworksatthebeginningoftheiruniversitystudies.A successfulorientationwasheld in2015, commencingwith theeducation students’ firstintensiveblock,on-campusresidents,followedbythetwo-dayLaTrobeUniversityAlbury-Wodongaorientationprogramme,andthefirstweekofsemesterwhenWSAcontinuestoofferservicesandactivitiestohelpstudentsacclimatetoUniversitystudiesandtocementtheiracademicandsocialfriendships.DuringtheUniversity’sorientationprogramme,WSAoffered14activities,aswellasassistingwithotherUniversity-organisedactivities.WSAwas involved in the RA training at Lake Hume on 19th February and the Residents’WelcomeandOrientationinHangarSunday22ndFebruary.DuringOrientation(Thursday26thtoFriday27thFebruary),WSAwasinvolvedinarangeofactivities timetabled around the academic orientation programme. Activities on Thursdayincludedparents’morningtea,studentwelcome,freelunchandactivities,andfreemusicandthe bar open in the afternoon. Friday orientation included free breakfast, free lunch andactivities.ATrafficLight-WelcometoUniPartywasheldonFridayNight.WSAworkedcloselywithStudentEngagementtoassistingainingthenumberofcontinuingstudentsneededasConnectVolunteers,withmanyStudentExecutiveCommitteemembersvolunteering.Mid-yearorientationwaswell-attendedbynew,enrolling studentsandConnectMentors.Newstudentsandmentorsweretreatedtoafreelunch,withon-campusclubsandsocietiesbeingpromoted,aswell asUniGames, tohelpnewstudents connect toalreadyenrolledstudents,formfriendships,meetpeerstohelpwithstudyingrequirements,andfeelapartof,

andbeactive,ontheirnewcampus.Both orientation programmes provide aninvaluable opportunity for new students tobecome familiar with Albury/Wodonga and LaTrobeUniversity,boththecampusandacademicrequirementsaswellastheopportunitytomeetfellowstudentsandcreatethesupportsneededtosuccessfullycompletetheirstudies.

Performances,eventsandentertainmentAkeyfacetoftheWSAisentertainmentandsocialeventplanningforthestudentsofthiscampus.TheAssociation’sStudentExecutiveanditsGeneralCommitteeareresoluteintheirattempts to give the students on campus themeans and opportunity for a fantastic andfulfillingsocialexperiencewhilstoncampus.EventssuchasOrientationandtheLaTrobeBallgive students theopportunity tomakenewand lasting friendships and allow students tominglewiththoseoutsideoftheirfaculties/colleges.

WSA aims to provide a variety ofevents to appeal to a variety ofstudents.Wherepossible,eventsareprovided free or at cost to assiststudents to attend. WSA holdsactivitiesduringthedayandatnight,events thatarealcohol-freeaswellas events that make use of theHangar Bar, and events that are

tailoredtovariousstudentinterests.In2015,WSAheld34eventsclassifiedas“eventsandentertainment”.Thisnumberdoesnotinclude activitiesmentioned elsewhere.Overall,WSA identified 105 activities held during2015. Events areorganisedbyWSAor areheld in theHangar at the requestof La TrobeUniversity.Activitieshavefreefood,eveningactivitiessuchastheLaTrobeBallandaFratParty,lunchtimeentertainment,gamesandtrivianights,activitiestopromoteWSAelections,andthelaunchoftheannualMandaladuringfirstsemester.Someactivitieshavealsoallowedon-campusclubs,suchasCheerleading,toraisefundsandpromotethemselvestothestudentbody.Well-attendedeventshaveincludedapost-graduatewelcomemorningtea,freefoodeventsforallstudents,aLaTrobeCheerleadingclubpartyandfundraiser,Orientationactivitiesinbothfirstsemesterandmidyear,aDeviants’LaunchParty,DeviantsBall,LTUOpenNight,andLaTrobeBall.Other successfulactivitieshave included theyearly Mandala launch, Community Door promotions,Diversity Day, WSA Book Give-Away, College-based socialand sports activities, a fundraiser following the Nepalearthquakes,andafreemassagedayintheHangar.Later in semester 2, Student Elections were eagerlycontested, and election speeches and voting was wellattended.Theotherhighlight for theendof semesterwasthe Annual La Trobe Ball held off campus. It is a reallyattractiveeventformatureagestudents,beingaformalofcampus event. The silent auction in 2015 raised funds forFoodShare.

SportWSAprovidesthestudentbodywithopportunitiestoengageinextracurricularsportswithinthelocaland surrounding areas. A biannual games is heldeach year between La Trobe Albury-WodongaCampus and CSU (Albury andWagga campuses).These games lead to a friendly rivalrywithin thelocal academic community and promote fun andhealthy living. TheWSAalsoprovidesaccess freeaccess to a gymnasium for all members of thestudentbody.In addition,WSA offers table tennis and pool, aswellasloanofsportingequipmentforstudentstouse on campus, including basketballs, footballs,volleyball, badminton and cricket. The WSAoutdoor multi-purpose court receives daily useduringsemester,weatherpermitting,bystudentsplayingsocialsportswhileoncampus.ActivitiesApart fromweekly sports (cheerleading, netball v CSU in semester 1),WSA organised 13sportingactivities.Activitiestakeplaceoncampusaswellaswithinthecommunity.WSAalsohelpsstudentstobecomeinvolvedinlocalsportingclubs,sportswithstudentsfromotherlocaluniversities,aswellassportinggroupsontheLaTrobeCampus.

Sporting activities have included cheerleading“come and try” activities, Southern Zone Sports,Active April soccer, staff versus students socialsports activities, and aweekly netball competitionwithCSUinsemester1.CheerleadingWSAprovidesongoingsupporttostudentswhohaveorganiseda local cheerleadingchapteroncampus.Thissupporthasincludedadvertising,jointactivities,limited financial assistance, administrativeassistance, and providing space for training andmarketing.

GymInadditiontosportingactivities,WSAoperatesagymthatisfreeforstudentuse.Belowaretablesidentifyinggymusagefor2015.ThefirsttableisstatisticsfromLibrarygymkeyborrowings. The second tableprovides statistics from in-gymusagedata. This data isderivedfromstudentself-reportingand,assuch,maybeunderestimated.Gymkeyborrowingfromlibrary

UsageData–RecordedinHangarGym

Year Month Use2015 Feb-15 92015 Mar-15 2292015 Apr-15 652015 May-15 1522015 Jun-15 492015 Jul-15 182015 Aug-15 712015 Sep-15 722015 Oct-15 552015 Nov-15 31Total 751

There was a very active student residence group in 2015 that were keen gym users,accountingforsomeofthehighusagesrecordedintheHangarGymin2015.

LoanYear

LoanFullMonth Loans

2015 Feb-15 62015 Mar-15 192015 Apr-15 262015 May-15 842015 Jun-15 422015 Jul-15 222015 Aug-15 782015 Sep-15 912015 Oct-15 852015 Nov-15 31Total 484

HangarCaféThe Hangar Café is managed by Wodonga Student Association. It is open daily duringsemesterandprovidesinexpensivehomemademealsandawiderangeofsnacksanddrinks.Thepricingisdeliberatelylowand,althoughthisisdetrimentaltothecafé’sprofitandloss,itisanessentialservicetomakeiteasierforstudentstoaffordfoodwhileoncampus.Inadditiontostudent-pricedfood,theHangarCaféalsoprovidesindoorandoutdoorseatingandisregularlyusedasaspaceforstudentstogatherforsocialorstudyingpurposes.TheHangarCaféisalsoacentralgatheringpointforthecampuswherestudentsfeelateaseenoughtovoicetheirconcernsandopinionstothecaféstaffwithoutfearofreprisal.Thecaféstaffdirectanystudentsinneedofassistancetotheappropriateserviceorstaffpersoninordertofollowupontheirconcerns.Thecaféalsoplaysamajorrole inthefreefoodeventsthatareheldbyWSAoncampus,spendingmany hours preparing and serving themeals to students. In 2015 the cafewasinvolved in34 free foodactivities. This ranged frompostgraduateeducationdinnerswithmainanddessertfor80studentstolargeallcampuslunchtimeeventswithhotfoodssuchhome-madesoups,pastas,bakedpotatoeswithhottoppingsandcasseroles(suchasDiversitydaylunchfor170).FreesmalleventsincludeafternoonteaswithStudentEngagementfor12students.Thereisalargeamountofstafftimerequiredforsettingup,packingupandre-arrangingtheHangar forWSAactivities, individual studentuse, student groups (cheerleading, residentsactivities,self-protection,Biblestudies,etc.)communitygroups(SITE,churchgroups,bridge,etc.)andLaTrobeUniversityactivitiesandevents(ExperienceLTUDay,Orientation,OpenDay,marketdays,playgroup,highschoolvisitsandothers).

HangarHallandfacilitiesTheWSAfundedtheconstructionoftheHangarHallin1994.Itcontinuestobethelargestnon-academic space on campus. It is home to theHangar Café, Bar andGym, aswell asstudentrecreationspaceandotherfacilities.TheHangarisusedforlargeUniversityeventssuchastheofficialwelcomingofstudents,andtheirfamiliestoLaTrobeUniversityduringOrientationandalsohasplayedanimportantpartinLaTrobe’sOpenDay.In addition, the WSA provides access for community groups (usually at the University’srequest), includingweekly, councilapprovedLaTrobeUniversityplaygroup,SITEdisabilityaccess, and weekly cheerleading practice. The Hangar is often a key link between theUniversityandthebroadercommunity.TheUniversityencouragescommunityaccesswiththefocusofpromotingthecampusandencouraginguserstobecomefuturestudents.TheHangarisuseddailybymanystudentsforstudyandrecreationalpurposes.ItisalsothesiteofmanydayandeveningfunctionsandactivitiesorganisedbybothWodongaStudentAssociationandLaTrobeUniversity.During 2015, WSA student committee, staff, and other students met several times witharchitects,designconsultantsandLaTrobestafftohaveinputintothepossibilityofgainingsome new furniture for the Hangar and some minor cosmetic renovation. This was anongoingdiscussionthroughouttheyear,withtheprospectofthedevelopmentshappeningin2016.

WSAcommunityengagementTherewereanumberofopportunitiesforcommunityengagementin2015.Theseincludedmarketdays,volunteeringinformation,careerdays, informationstalls,sports,activitiesoncampus,andpromotionofLaTrobetofuturestudents.Someexamplesofcommunityengagementin2015included-

• ExperienceLTUDay• ScienceWeek• LaTrobeUniversityPlaygroup(weekly)• SITEdisabilitygroup• TAFEsocialclub• NELLEN• BridgeClub

TheHangarhostsnumeroushighschoolvisits.WSAprovidessupportsuchasaccesstotheHangarCaféandHangarHall.Visits include localschoolsaswellasschoolsas farawayasGriffith,NSW.Numbersoncampusincludelargedayswith340,severaldaysofgroupsofover100,suchasAlburyHighschoolwith170,andmanysmallerdayswithgroupssuchas25fromTallangatta Secondary College. During each semester many small school groups ofprospective students access the Hangar or the Hangar Café.WSA’s contribution to theseschool visits also includes staff time, administrative resources, facilities cleaning andmaintenance.