I wish to reassure you that Murdoch’s highest priority during this uncertain period is safeguarding your physical and mental health and wellbeing, while also maintaining your access to high-quality learning and teaching, ensuring that no student is disadvantaged at this time.

We recognise the current situation is especially challenging for our international onshore students. To assist you to continue with your studies, the University has developed a Student Support Package containing the following measures:

• Access to a $2 million Student Assistance Fund for students severely affected by COVID-19 but ineligible for Commonwealth Government support.
• University support for a Guild Food Bank.
• An Essentials Bursary worth $25 per week to reduce food bills for international students.
• A Technology Bursary for all students equivalent to a $100 data pack to support online learning.
• A limited supply of laptops for those without access to IT equipment.
• No parking fees for the duration of online teaching.

The University has also put in place an Academic Safety Net, which recognises the considerable disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that adjustment to studying online can take some time.

Murdoch will support all of our students to achieve the best possible result for your subjects. Therefore, if you happen to fail a unit in Semester 1, it will not be recorded on your transcript or negatively affect your Grade Point Average. This decision in no way changes Murdoch’s high academic standards but safeguards you against the impact of current situation on the continuity of your learning and allows you to focus on making your best effort in your study.

Remember that all of the University’s support services that you would normally access on campus are still available online.

More details on how you can access the Murdoch Student Support Package will be made available next week. If you need urgent assistance in the meantime, please contact

Student Assist in the Guild or myMurdoch Advice (phone 1300 687 3624 or email advice@murdoch.edu.au).

Further information on our support services, including Murdoch University Health Medical and Counselling services, is available through the myMurdoch channel.

In developing this support package, the University and Student Guild have been (and will continue) working in collaboration to ensure we can support Murdoch students at this difficult time. This partnership is extremely important to us.

 

Yours in friendship,

 

Lyn Karstardt                                                                        Jethro Schoeman

Deputy Vice Chancellor International                                  Guild President