With Semester 1 getting underway at universities across the country, orientation week is back to normal too. After such a long absence, orientation week left plenty of students exclaiming: it’s been ages since they’ve seen this many people on campus!
Take a look at the crowds back at Monash University after so long.
You can also see hand sanitiser stations set up all over campus for everyone to use.
Crowds were also packed in front of the club tents at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
University of Wollongong even set up a giant “big rubber duck” on site.
The University of Sydney also set up large inflatable toys and plenty of games.
After 9 months of quiet, Flinders University has finally put up the tents needed for orientation week.
University of South Australia’s returning students led new students on campus tours.
With a large proportion of students still stuck outside Australia, most universities ran this round of orientation both online and in person.
For students who haven’t been able to get back to their home university in over a year, you might barely recognise the place when you do return. For example, the University of Sydney recently announced the official opening of its new Susan Wakil Health Building.
The new building is located on the Camperdown/Darlington Campus, next to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the Charles Perkins Centre. Standing 8 storeys tall and spanning 21,500 square metres, it combines the latest design and technology, with simulated clinical learning spaces and state-of-the-art research facilities. It’s designed to build a future healthcare workforce focused on collaboration and innovation in medicine, delivering world-class health services and research outcomes for the people of NSW.
For students who haven’t been able to get back to Australia, don’t worry — your university hasn’t forgotten about you.
In recognition of the stress overseas students face being unable to enter the country, the University of Sydney is offering a subsidy (up to AUD $3,000) to eligible students.
If you meet these conditions, you’ll be deemed eligible for a refund. Eligible students will receive an email from the university in due course, so please check your inbox regularly.
To be eligible for a refund, you must meet all of the conditions above, and declare that your circumstances satisfy all three of the listed declarations. The deadline for the declaration is Wednesday, 10 March 2021.
If you haven’t received an email but believe you meet the conditions, you can contact the university directly — check the official university website for the full details.
