GSA’s ongoing response to COVID-19
Emily Roberts, 2019–2020 GSA President
president@gsa.unimelb.edu.au
Last updated 19 March 2020
Hi everyone,
I want to update you all on GSA’s support for graduate students during this period of the COVID-19 outbreak.
GSA is continuing to follow the advice of both the University of Melbourne and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
We have rescheduled all our events in the interest of safety, and at present, most of GSA’s other services, such as meeting rooms and Tenured Study Spaces, are unavailable. Lockers are still in use unless further changes are announced.
The Reception desk is currently unstaffed to allow most of our team to work remotely. Our support and engagement teams are operating as normal and are available to answer queries. To contact Reception, email info@gsa.unimelb.edu.au or call (+61) 0402 008 314 from 9am–5pm Monday–Friday.
We are working on new ways to support Grad Groups.
We recognise that student communities are as crucial as ever in the face of challenges such as these. Due to the seriousness of the situation, we have advised all Grad Groups to postpone or reschedule any planned events until further notice, just as we have rescheduled ours.
We know that maintaining student interaction and university life is still hugely important, and that a sense of community can make a critical difference for student welfare and wellbeing. As such, we are committed to finding alternative ways to keep supporting Grad Groups and the wider graduate student community during this challenging period.
Our support might take different forms, such as increased online engagement, but we will keep you updated as the situation changes. See our FAQ on Grad Group support during COVID-19 for more.
GSA is maintaining its goal of making every possible effort to support graduate students at the University of Melbourne.
Again, many of GSA’s events and services, such as meeting rooms and Tenured Study Spaces (TSSs), are temporarily unavailable. But our support and engagement teams are operating as normal and are available to answer queries. You can still contact our Reception desk via info@gsa.unimelb.edu.au or (+61) 0402 008 314 from 9am–5pm Monday–Friday.
Stay up to date from official sources.
Due to the situation changing rapidly, we urge all graduate students to stay up to date on official advice and announcements from both the University of Melbourne and the DHHS.
Current recommendations include increased social distance, regular effective hand washing and a strong focus on safety and hygiene. Remember to take care and follow the latest official advice. We will provide our own updates when we can.
All the best,
Emily Roberts – GSA President