Student wellbeing

The University’s Student Charter sets out the responsibilities of the University and its staff to students. It also includes the expectations and responsibilities that are laid upon students. It is recommended that you read the Student Charter and become familiar with the University’s commitments to you and your commitments to the University. Internalising the reciprocal nature of these commitments will help you to become a happy, well-adjusted and motivated law student who will be better prepared to enter into life after University. A large underpinning of the commitments expected of students is an awareness of the impact that your words and actions have on others. This means being aware of the way in which you communicate with everyone else, including the way in which you communicate with all members of the University’s staff (professional staff, tutors and lecturers). There is an expectation that your communication will always be professional and courteous. You should not use the tone or language in an email to a staff member that you would use in an email to a friend. This also includes your interactions with staff members in less formal settings, like class discussion boards. Remember in all your interactions with staff that you are one of a large number of law students and that there are many demands on staff time.

One of the key tasks of the University is to help you grow into a self-directed learner. That includes teaching you how to learn so that you can continue to do so long after you have left formal study behind. This means that while lecturers are here to help and guide you, they are not here to always provide you with the answer, nor are they here to guarantee you any particular grade. In the end it is your work and your degree which you should take ownership of.

Part of being a self-directed learner is to adhere to your assignment deadlines. While extensions are available, they are only to be granted in exceptional circumstances. Extensions are not granted by your lecturers, but by the student advisors. It should be kept in mind that extension requests are assessed to ensure that granting them would be fair for all students in the cohort and not just the individual involved.

Finally, it should be remembered that it is your lecturers’ role to assess your work. Marks are awarded to your work; they are not arrived at by agreement between a lecturer and student. While you are always free to question how you can improve your work and your grade next time, it is not appropriate to question the grade you got. You should remember that the University allows recounts but not remarks of assignments and that you are not in the best position to assess the grade that your work should have received. Your lecturer has assessed your work against the rest of the cohort and has the best idea of where your work sits in that cohort.

The University is a large and complex community, made up of diverse groups of people from many different backgrounds. Sometimes you may encounter difficulties with another person’s behaviour or attitudes. If the behaviour is serious, ongoing, unwanted, or offensive, and you have asked the person to stop but they continue, it may be harassment. Discrimination and harassment are unethical as well as illegal and therefore, there are procedures in place to investigate and deal with such matters. In the
first instance, we can assist you by listening and discussing options with you. If any student experiences a problem, they should see a student adviser or the Associate Dean (Academic).

If you need a doctor, dentist, counsellor, parent room or spiritual guidance, there are a multitude of centres to help you balance study and living. Please visit: Personal Support.

The Staff/Student Consultative Committee comprises all class representatives together with representatives from the academic and professional staff. The Committee is chaired by the Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) and meets twice during each semester (excluding Summer School) to discuss matters relevant to the student body. The Committee aims to facilitate greater communication between staff and students, and to identify and address areas of concern to both students and staff. Any student may become a member of the SSCC by volunteering and being elected as a class representative.