Page 5 - Luce 204

FR OM THE PRINCIP AL FR OM THE PRINCIP AL

From the Principal poor mental health is the inevitable result of living with the to help them develop clear values to guide them both now and
in the future. As the academic and public intellectual Edward
other concerns revealed by this survey. We are well aware of
the national epidemic of loneliness amongst the elderly but de Bono noted, “effectiveness without values is a tool without a
It is clear to those of us who have had the privilege to live and
study in residential colleges exactly why they are institutions less discussed is the epidemic of loneliness amongst our young purpose.” Our College Values, co-created by our community in
worth supporting and protecting. But it’s also clear that we people. More than 20% of respondents reported feeling lonely 2024 -- Community, Courage, Curiosity, Excellence and Generosity
need to be more proactive in articulating their value. It is my ‘most of the time’ with nearly 5% feeling lonely ‘all of the time’. – are a firm foundation on which to build a life of both success
firm belief that residential colleges can play a significant part in It is hardly surprising that many university students feel lonely and service. Whilst every university will have its own institutional
at least alleviating if not solving many of the problems facing given that their self-contained studio apartments and online values, I suspect that most students could not name them. It
school- and university-age people today. classes do not offer opportunities for meaningful social contact. is only in a residential college that students can be genuinely
Students at Janet Clarke Hall will tell you that it is hard to feel supported to adopt and live out those values, manifested
In 2024, Mission Australia surveyed 17,480 young people lonely for long when there’s always a group of your friends in how they treat themselves and others; in how they bear
nationwide to learn about the issues that concern them most. discomfort and rise after disappointment; in how they approach
catching up over a Milo in the kitchenette, organising an new situations and difficult tasks; and in how they share what
More than half (56%) of young people identified cost of living impromptu Pomodoro study session in the Betty Wilmot, or they have and what they know.
as the top national issue, with the number of those concerned heading off to Lygon Street to catch a cheap Monday movie
more than doubling in the past two years. 29.3% of respondents at Cinema Nova. These genuine friendships are not based Janet Clarke Hall has a long and proud history of offering equity
(L-R) Klearhos Murphy (2023), Erin Mathews (2012), purely on ease and proximity (indeed, many of our students
Dr Eleanor Spencer-Regan, Wanwue Tarpeh (2024) said that financial difficulties were a barrier to them achieving of opportunity to traditionally under-represented groups;
their educational goals. In the words of Sharon Callister, CEO of maintain their friendships for decades after leaving College) first, women in 1886 and in more recent decades, those from
Residential colleges have never been more Mission Australia, ‘it is clear financial struggles are considerably but proximity certainly helps in the formative stages (even if it low socioeconomic backgrounds. The consistently excellent
relevant and important. impacting young lives.’ is simply bonding over a shared love of fish-and-chip Fridays!). academic performance of our students is testament to what
I’m consistently touched by just how well and how gladly our
young people can achieve when they are provided with a
Over 1.4 million local and international students choose to study The cost of living overtook climate change and the environment students support one another. Whilst they have ready access conducive environment. Research published in the Journal of
in Australia’s universities each year, but only a tiny proportion which ranked first in recent years but now ranks second. to residential staff and mental health professionals should College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice (CSR) in
of these young people will ever set foot in one of the country’s Although concern for the environment remains high, with more they need them, often a good chat with a friend is enough to 2017 suggests that:
residential colleges. Indeed, the National Census of Australian than one quarter (27%) of respondents identifying the issue, the set them right. We all need friends like that, but it is clear that ‘non-academic social involvement has a particularly large
University Colleges, Halls, and Residences conducted by University increased focus on economic hardship highlights the shifting many young people are denied the opportunity to forge these impact on the success of [First Generation university
Colleges Australia (UCA) in 2024 revealed that the combined priorities for young people amid rising costs and the immediacy important relationships. students]. For example, [they] derive greater benefits
membership of the 45 colleges who responded was 14,137. of its negative impact. Unsurprisingly, when young people The survey also found that young people are keen to participate from participation in inclusive non-academic activities
Given that there are nearly 100 residential colleges (or student must worry about how they are going to afford necessities, they in extracurricular activities given the opportunity: 39% spend (e.g. social clubs and other extracurricular activities) than
accommodation providers which strive to offer a ‘collegiate’ have less intellectual and emotional energy to expend on less their time volunteering in their community; 27% take on student their non-First Generation peers.’
experience) nationwide, let’s double that to get a rough total of immediate concerns. leadership positions at school or university; and 62% participate
28,000. That’s a mere 2% of students. This is the national context in which Janet Clarke Hall has in sport. Even a small college like Janet Clarke Hall provides It is hardly surprising then that First Generation students who
Given that student demand for places at most residential committed to becoming Australia’s first need-blind residential more than 50 leadership and service positions from Student spend at least one year in a residential college are significantly
colleges (certainly in Melbourne and Sydney, though there college, removing financial barriers to higher education and Club President to Footy Tipping Coordinator. By providing our more likely to complete their tertiary studies and to report a
is variation between states) consistently exceeds supply, it ensuring that the brightest and best students can thrive in our students with opportunities to take on responsibility, learn positive experience at university than those who continue to
would make good sense for universities to found more colleges community whilst paying only what they and their families can new skills, work as a team, develop resilience, and stretch live at home or live in alternative accommodation. It is that
when looking at how to address the student accommodation reasonably afford. Freeing these hardworking young people beyond their comfort zone, we are helping them to become transformative power of a sense of belonging.
shortage. However, these days universities are far more likely to from financial anxiety will enable them to focus on their studies, more capable and confident adults, ready to lead in their own It is a truism that education is the most significant disruptor
partner with – or even outsource the building and management their personal development, their service to others, and the communities in the future. of cycles of generational disadvantage. It also true, then, that
of new residences to – commercial partners such as Scape or solutions to the world’s other pressing problems like climate And with the knowledge that many of our students will become residential colleges which give First Generation students that
UniLodge, resulting in a proliferation of CBD hi-rises with no change. the leaders of tomorrow, we believe that it is vitally important sense of belonging that allows them to reach their full potential
whole-community dining or social spaces. New colleges, such as The third most cited concern was violence, safety and crime are amongst the most powerful agents of that disruption.
St Catherine’s at Curtin University or ‘revived’ colleges like Hytten (25% up from 18% in 2023). Gender-based violence, which Residential colleges can and do literally change the course of
Hall at the University of Tasmania are few and far between. includes violence against women, sexual assault and sexual people’s lives – and not just for the students themselves, but
Why this obvious wrongheadedness from our universities? It harassment is a growing concern fuelled by the normalisation of their families and communities, too.
is largely driven by economics. It is significantly more costly to misogynist language at the highest levels of government in the To me, it is abundantly clear that our society needs residential
run a college with residential staff, carefully selected students, US and the rise of the online ‘manosphere’ and influencers like colleges and ideally more of them. They are a proven means of
a tutorial programme, a social calendar, and shared dining Andrew Tate and Nicholas Fuentes. ensuring that our young people find a place of belonging and
facilities than it is to rent out self-contained units within a The National Census of Australian University Colleges, Halls, affirmation during one of the most intellectually and morally
‘purpose-built student accommodation’ (PBSA). In such and Residences revealed that 100% of responding institutions formative periods of their lives. At Janet Clarke Hall, we are
instances, students sign a legal contract rather than committing provided programs designed to help students learn about striving to ensure that we can offer membership to the brightest
to a social contract and the relationship is transactional rather informed consent and respectful relationships. Whilst residential and best young people no matter their financial means. It is not
than transformational.
colleges have historically been miscast by the media as hotbeds only in their best interests, but in the best interests of us all to
But whilst the cost of running a residential college is undeniably of sexual harm, the reality is that students within a residential ensure that the leaders of tomorrow have had the benefits of a
high, the return on that investment is immeasurably great – or college receive significantly more education on these matters collegiate education.
at least it is such a long-term investment that its returns may not than the general university population. Additionally, at a time
be counted fully for decades or generations to come. when young men are increasingly vulnerable to misogynist I offer you my sincere thanks for your continuing support of our
and political radicalisation by the online ‘manosphere’, it’s more very special and very important institution. By supporting Janet
I believe that as more PBSAs spring up on corner lots, and more important than ever to ensure that they can find understanding, Clarke Hall, you are ensuring that our College can continue its
young people are unable to secure places at our oversubscribed support, and affirmation within healthy and diverse tradition of nurturing, guiding, and empowering young people
residential colleges, collectively we need to sound a call to communities like Janet Clarke Hall. who will strive to change our world for the better.
our university communities to both invest in new residential
colleges and support those which already exist, for the benefit The other significant concern to young people was mental Dr Eleanor Spencer-Regan
of our young people in the decades to come. health (23% down from 29% in 2023), and it’s easy to see how Principal

4 L u ce Number 23 2024 Janet Clar ke Hall 5