Vote for your University Council representative No images? Click here Welcome to Whītiki, our Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington student newsletter.Voting opens next Monday (5 October) for the election of one student member to the University Council. Find out more about the 11 candidates who have put themselves forward to serve the two-year term and represent students on the University’s governing body. Electronic voting will commence on Monday and close on Friday 9 October at 5 pm. All students are eligible to vote in the election—instructions will be emailed to you on Monday. Applications to study at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington next year are now open. You need to re-enrol for each new academic year—enrol online for 2021. You can explore what courses are on offer on course finder. Reach out to your relevant Faculty office if you need help planning your programme of study or have queries about your course choice. Undergraduate and honours programme students can use myDegree to view your progress and help plan. If you need any help with your application, contact Admissions and Enrolment via enrolments@vuw.ac.nz, 0800 04 04 04, or visit us on the ground floor of the Hunter building, Kelburn campus. Advance voting in the 2020 general election and referendums opens soon! Advance voting booths will be available on Kelburn campus in the Memorial Theatre foyer in the Student Union Building (SU229) at the following times: 5 October–10 October: 10 am–4 pm If you are unsure of where to go, the Electoral Commission will be in the Hub on these days to point you in the right direction. Find out more about voting, including how to enrol or update your details, how to find out what electorate you are in, and what to expect at a voting booth. The closest voting location to Pipitea campus is the Asteron Centre foyer, at 55 Featherston Street, by Mojo and the McDonald's. The closest voting location to Te Aro campus is Mt Cook School, 160 Tory Street, or a pop-up at 73 Manners St, across from TJ Katsu. Reminder: Review of the Sexual Harassment Response Policy and associated procedures The University is seeking feedback from its community on the Sexual Harassment Response Policy and associated Sexual Harassment Response Procedures. Feedback can be sent to policy-feedback@vuw.ac.nz by Sunday 11 October. Please let us know if you would like this feedback to remain anonymous. The University is an organisation that is subject to the Official Information Act, so please also let us know if you would like any information you provide to remain confidential. My hunt for an apartment and a deeper connection with Wellington International student Krishna Chandrasekar describes her journey of finding a new place to live in her adopted city of Wellington amid COVID-19 lockdown levels and a packed study schedule. I was lucky to make it into New Zealand this year as one of the people who squeaked past the border before the COVID-19 restrictions took effect. Wellington welcomed me with open arms—but of course no handshakes. A week after I arrived, alert level 4 lockdown rules were in place. Read more. Share your stories with us! Learning more about how wellbeing impacts the student experience If you are a first- or second-year undergraduate who previously filled in this survey, and said you were happy to be contacted again, check your inbox for the survey link and let us know how you are and how your studies are going. By reaching out to students twice a year in each year you are at the University, we aim to help improve the learning environment and support services for current and future students. It is especially important for us to understand how your wellbeing impacts your studies as we live through the current COVID-19 pandemic. To say thank you for completing the survey we are giving away three lots of $150, and a grand prize of $350. Once you complete the survey, you’ll go into the draw and recipients will be selected at random. The survey closes at 11.59 pm on Sunday 4 October. Research Master's application dates In an article on postgraduate research in the last issue of Whītiki, we stated the deadline for Research Master's admissions is 1 November. That is not the case, deadlines for admissions differ for different Research Master’s degrees and some have rolling enrolment (which means you can apply any time for those). Please check the details of the particular degree in which you are interested. However, 1 November is the deadline for Research Master's scholarships. It is also the deadline for the latest round of both PhD admissions and PhD scholarships. Closing Friday 2 October: 2020 Disability Services Access Awards Applications are open for our Access Awards for students with disabilities who have financial need, who have made good academic progress, and who have one or more years left of study. The awards range from $500 to $2,000—apply here. Fruit and vegetable co-op reopening tomorrow The fruit and vegetable co-op is reopening on Thursday 1 October. The co-op is excited to be back with healthy fresh produce at just $12 a week. Whītiki As a student, we want you to feel connected with your Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington community. Whītiki is a Māori word that is often used in a phrase heard at the University: 'Whītiki mai tō waka ki te wharenui nei, ki Te Tumu Herenga Waka'—'tie or bind your canoe to this meeting house, to the hitching post of canoes.' This weekly newsletter provides important information and updates from the University, resources to support your studies, and stories from our student community. |