Crazy for CoL: meet your 2017 ANUSA candidates

The ANUSA College of Law representatives, like all fac reps, sit on the College Representative Council. Perhaps more importantly, they sit on the LLB (hons) Committee, a committee specifically about the undergraduate program and course changes, and the Law College Education Committee, where the college exec sits to discuss faculty-wide issues. Consider it important to choose a good CoL rep because they can ultimately ensure the voice of the ANU law cohort is heard.

With ANUSA elections almost upon us, Peppercorn interviewed the four candidates for CoL rep. Read their responses below and learn more about their policies by going to the Facebook pages for the Amplify and Connect tickets.*

 

Grace Bramwell

In 2017 we aim to work with both students and lecturers to ensure that the best learning experience is provided. We aim to cultivate a culture of collaboration as opposed to competition. We aim to work with our peers and professors to maintain a quality learning experience for students. We are motivated to work towards improving several areas relevant to Law students, including; improving student wellbeing, assessments, and increased opportunities for students.

I have been involved with ANUSA first-year Law camps for the past 2 years, attending as both a student and mentor. I have also been involved with the International Law Society, including being a member of the events committee during my first year and the Education Director for Semester One of 2016. I have previously participated in the Negotiations Competition last year and am currently involved in the LSS Client Interview Competition. I have also just been approved as a member of the new Climate Change LRSJ Project assisting in the development of an issue paper looking at the Australian Climate Change litigation options based on Human Rights.

Q: A distinctive part of law school is extra-curricular opportunities and involvement outside of study. How to you plan to further these opportunities for law students?

A: Myself and Sammy have emphasised the importance of providing all Law students with the opportunity to improve all skills needed when entering the workforce.

Some of the more specific plans that I will focus on to ensure the promotion of extracurricular opportunities for all students will include:

  • The main focus of our policy is to promote opportunities that will require collaboration with past alumni and societies to streamline mentorship programs. For example; working with the ILS on implementing their mentorship plan. More specifically, this will occur through the promotion of more networking events and forums promoting discussion and collaboration.
  • From my own experiences trying to navigate the Law Internship Program, there is a lack of direction and limited availability of information. We will thus strive to a expand the opportunities available to students and provide them with more guidance on how to approach potential mentors and support working through the administrative details to ensure it is not a barrier to interested students whom want to undertake an Internship for credit.
  • There needs to be more use of social media to promote the extra-curricular opportunities available to students. The focus on enhancing both students’ hard & soft skills will allow students to gauge a better appreciation for their strengths extending beyond purely an academic focus.
  • Lastly, if elected as a CoL candidate it will be my primary focus to maintain consistent contact with the highly competent law school faculty particularly with the law school reform committee to ensure that the views of students are adequately represented and tangible change occurs is this area of the Law School experience.

 

Ellie Dowling

I’m Ellie Dowling, currently in my 2nd year at the ANU. The ANU CoL is indeed world-renowned, however I believe areas can be amplified to ensure it’s constantly reflective of, and adapting to, the standards and expectations set by students themselves! In its briefest form, I aim to ensure mental health and overall wellbeing is a structural focus within the CoL, enhance consultation with CoL staff, improve collaboration with other law societies on campus (like the LSS), and heighten student support and engagement. Within these broad frameworks, myself and Maddison have developed in-depth policies and strategies that are realistic, positive and achievable – to find out more check out our policy document floating on the Amplify ANUSA Facebook page. I love studying law at the ANU and believe that all should students should receive a quality education and a fantastic student experience.

This year I was lucky enough to have worked in the Education Portfolio on the Law Students’ Society among some amazing people. Through this experience I’ve developed a deep understanding of both broad and individual issues existing in the CoL, plus how to implement successful strategies of improvement. In the Education Portfolio, I organised and contributed to initiatives such as pre-exam tutorials, electives guides, speaker series, and a first year Q&A introductory forum. It was through this opportunity that I learnt many of the consistent concerns being raised by students such as timing of exams and assignments, quality and quantity of feedback, tutorial signups and marking criteria, international opportunities, and the digital evolution of education delivery such as the introduction of JD Online. I’ve also been involved with the Law Marketing Team through my upcoming participation in the 2016 CoL Open Day Program as a Student Ambassador.

Q: Mental Health at law school is a vital topic, with many students and professionals affected by these issues. How do you propose to alleviate stress amongst your peers?

A: The mental welfare and wellbeing of law students arises as a systemic issue year after year, and often is dealt with through inadequate strategies that have either unachievable or inadequate goals. Feelings of insecurity and distress are common among CoL students, and I aim to address the common triggers of mental stress on students though realistic, positive and achievable strategies.

I plan to conduct widespread student consultation through direct dialogue and feedback surveys to pinpoint the compulsory causes that induce the highest level of stress. Using the information gathered, I’ll target those compulsory courses considered to be the most demanding, identify reasons for this, and in turn create strategies addressing the unique root causes of the problems within the specific course.

Assignments are another highly stressful limb of the CoL. I’ll push for the improvement of the quality and consistency of exam/assignment feedback and a transparent marking system. I’ll also examine high-stress modes of assessment (such as oral presentations and closed-book exams) and consider how alternative modes of assessment may be beneficial in specific circumstances.

Finally, many students come to Uni from very sheltered Secondary Education and arrive at Uni with inadequate skills and experience in stress management. I plan to conduct stress management workshops and create and distribute a handbook unique to law students to teach practical and positive skills in handling the pressures that exist in the CoL.

 

Maddison Perkins

My vision for the CoL is advocating for the wholistic wellbeing of its students. Ellie Dowling and I have compiled these approaches to achieving this aim. Firstly, advocating for the focus on mental health by conducting surveys and consultations to pinpoint compulsory courses that are causing students the most stress. By targeting these courses we will be able to develop specific and effective means of mitigating stress. We want to acknowledge the work of other law based groups within the university such as the LSS, and the ILS and organise regular meetings to facilitate collaboration and information sharing. We also want to amplify student support and engagement by providing resources and organising programs to support certain demographics that struggle to engage. These groups include the second semester intake, first years and students interested in internships and exchanges.

In all honesty I have had limited involvement with the law school. The extent of my involvement has been predominately through my courses and attending pre exam tutorials and speaker events such as the Justice Kirby event last year. However this does not mean I have had no experience with student advocacy. I am currently a gen rep on ANUSA and have used this role to learn how student advocacy through a student representative body can be effective. The skills I have learnt through ANUSA and the Mental Health Committee are transferable to the college representative role and engagement with the law school.

Q: Part of being an ANUSA CoL rep is ensuring law students’ voices are heard by law school staff. How do you intend to improve consultation between staff and students?

A: Improving communication between students and staff is a main focus of the Amplify team. As college reps sitting on the education committee for law, it is not only the perfect opportunity to ensure students voices are being heard but also a way to ask questions that clarify the changes to programs and courses in order to relay this important information back to students. In order to ensure this opportunity is used to the best of our ability we will be running consultation sessions both in the law school and through social media before each meeting to ensure the views of all law students are being represented. We will use this opportunity to ensure that we communicate changes to CoL students, regarding courses and degree structures, as well as changes to exchange and overseas programs.

 

Sammy Woodforde

There are three things I envision improving at the CoL in 2017: assessment, mental health and wellbeing, and opportunity. Firstly, while assessment is a large part of the law school experience it’s one of the biggest stressors in a student’s life. With this in mind, I would like to work to connect students with staff, and gain an idea of what formats work. Similarly, as we move into more digital formats I would like to keep the faculty accountable for decisions. Secondly, law student wellbeing is a priority both as an individual and (hopefully!) as a student rep. Increasing support for first year students, beginning in semester one and two, through skill sessions and a revised PAL system is key, as is upskilling lecturers to help them engage with students of all years when mental health becomes a barrier to study. Finally, whilst the CoL offers so many fantastic domestic and international opportunities, lack of awareness and opaque application procedures can make it difficult for students to fully embrace these opportunities, something I will work with the CoL on.

Through the Law School, I have been involved in the Law Reform and Social Justice Legal Literacy Prison Visits Program. I’ve also had the opportunity to do some volunteering at the Youth Law Centre over winter.

Through the LSS I have really enjoyed competing in the comps. Having given Negotiations, Mooting, and Client Interview a shot, I have been able to enjoy the wide spectrum of opportunities in this area the LSS offers. Last year my Client Interview partner and I represented ANU at the Australian Law Students Association annual conference which was a lot of fun, and an interesting way to meet people from Law Societies across Australia and gain a lot more of an idea of how other Law Schools are structured and run.

Q: Law school assessments can be stressful especially for first years who have never seen anything similar. How do you plan to make assessments more manageable?

A: Law assessments are certainly very daunting, particularly coming into first year and being given them for the first time. There are a few things I plan to do to help make assessment more manageable, and not just for first years!

For those coming into first year, I would really like to improve the PAL mentoring program, and work with the LSS and law faculty on running assessment answer sessions earlier in the year. The PAL mentoring program, whilst a fantastic initiative, could do with a few tweaks to more effectively assist first year students at connecting with others and learning useful skills. This would include a more structured program and more comprehensive sessions. Furthermore, whilst the LSS currently provides a number of very useful final-exam tutorials, I would really like to help run sessions earlier in the semester to coincide with the major assessments of the first year subjects, in order to provide some assistance early on and help people with the daunting tasks of those early take-homes.

In particular, I would like to run a more comprehensive welcome program for students beginning in the second semester. These students do not get all the benefits of those coming in the first semester and have the added disadvantage of facing assessment formats they’ve never seen before, whilst the majority has had a semester’s practice. As such, I would like to work closely with the FAL second semester cohort in improving skills, for example through a crash course seminar.

More generally, I would like to review the current assessment formats through the lens of what both staff and students find valuable. This would take the form of consultation with lecturers and course convenors, and a survey released to law students. Information from this survey can then be used by lecturers when structuring courses, as well as giving the faculty and students awareness of what the stressful points of courses are to better monitor and assist in student wellbeing. I plan to work with and keep the faculty accountable for decisions taken moving forward with taking assessment online and reducing face-to-face hours. Similarly, I would like to work with lecturers of compulsory courses in being aware of which courses students tend to take simultaneously to avoid the same due dates or exam dates, as much as possible, for these courses.

So go, enfranchise yourself, exercise your democratic right and make sure to vote in the coming week!

 

*Amplify: http://bit.ly/2b9fWia

Connect: file:///C:/Users/U5804897/Downloads/CONNECT%20FOR%20CoL.pdf