Your Guide to RMIT Postgrad RMIT Student Union acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations as the traditional custodians of the land on which RMIT University stands. We pay our respects to their elders, both past and present. © 2017 RUSU All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. This project was made possible by the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). This publication is printed on recycled stock, FSC® Mix Certified and manufactured by an ISO 14001 certified mill. 2 www.rusu.rmit.edu.au Welcome Back Whether you’re a new, continuing, or returning student, RMIT University can be a difficult and complex place to navigate. This orientation booklet aims to ground you with the essential basic facts of student life and inform you of the services that both RMIT University and the RMIT University Student Union provide. This booklet orientates you to both the services provided by RMIT University itself — its resources and services — and also the particular services, amenities, events, and resources that are provided by the RMIT University Student Union, an organisation run by students for students independent of the University. In concrete terms this booklet will guide you on how to find help with such things as fees, housing, and welfare on campus. It will help you find where you need to go and which services to contact. It will inform you of things like the location of the Postgraduate Lounge — a study space set up especially and exclusively for Postgrads. One of the most important things to take away from this booklet and orientation is that now that you are a postgraduate student, RUSU is still for you! You are still invited to all the events and parties we run each week and there will be special events just for Postgrads. We have a dedicated postgraduate department and collective, all of the RUSU services are available to Postgrads. So don’t be shy, get in touch, you never know what RUSU can do for you. www.facebook.com/RUSUPostgrad www.rusu.rmit.edu.au/postgraduate Your Guide to RMIT Postgrad 3 RMIT University for Postgrads Endless amounts of reading, never-ending assignments, massive dissertations, even larger theses, lit reviews, methodologies, data analysis, trust me it is okay to not feel ready for all of this. Whatever level of study you are enrolling in it will be a massive undertaking and you will need some help. However at home you may feel at RMIT things will be different over the next few years of postgrad study and it might be time to investigate some of RMIT’s student services that might be able to lend a hand. For students who know what life at RMIT is like, treat this section as a little refresher; you’ve been here long enough to know how to get a student card but do you know where to find help with specific postgraduate study skills or how to get careers advice for postgrads? If the answer is no take time to look over this section, there will be stuff that you know already but we bet you take away something new too. 4 www.rusu.rmit.edu.au Contents The Basics Support & Wellbeing RMIT Connect and Student Cards 8 Student Support 26 MyRMIT 8 Careers 27 Enrolment 9 DLU (Disability Liaison Unit) 27 International 10 Indigenous Students 28 Student Emails 11 Childcare 28 Printing 11 Health 29 Building Numbers 12 Counselling 29 Information Technology 12 Spiritual 30 Security 12 About RUSU Academic What is RUSU? 34 Get to know your school 16 Student Union Council 34 Study and Learning 16 Departments 34 Postgraduate Study Areas 17 Catalyst 34 Student Lounge 17 RMITV 34 Learning Lab 17 Women’s Department 35 RMIT University Library 17 Queer Department 35 Liaison Librarians 18 Clubs 35 Library Subject Guides 18 Activities & Events 35 Policies 18 RUSU Info Counters 35 Assessment 19 Realfoods 36 Scholarship 19 Compass 36 School of Graduate Research 20 RUSU for Postgrads 36 Research Student Information 21 Quick Links 38 Financial support for research 23 Final Note 39 Intellectual Property 23 Your Guide to RMIT Postgrad 5 6 www.rusu.rmit.edu.au The Basics General RMIT information that all students, including post-grads, need to know. Your Guide to RMIT Postgrad 7 RMIT Connect MyRMIT and Student You should use your RMIT user- name and password to log into Cards myRMIT via www.rmit.edu.au/ Most HDR Students are lucky enough myrmit or the link at the top of every to have an HDR Administrator within page of the RMIT website. There is their school that can help them a mobile version for smartphones with the administrative elements and tablets and there is free wi-fi on of study at RMIT. For you postgrad campus too. by coursework students, find RMIT From myRMIT you can access: Connect on your campus and prepare to spend a lot of time there Homepage over the next few years! RMIT announcements – official RMIT Connect can help students communications from RMIT. with all kinds of queries regarding Email – displays the number of enrolment, timetabling, fees, form unread emails in your RMIT student submission etc. email account along with a direct For HDR and coursework students it link to Gmail. is also where you get your student Latest news and events – card. When you go, you will need information about RMIT news and to provide your student number events. and some photo ID. They’ll be taking your photograph for the Related links – a direct link to the card on the day, be prepared for Students website, which has loads a photo. If you have not provided of info on student admin, study it already, RMIT Connect staff will resources and student services. ask for a declaration of citizenship/ immigration status. Ask RMIT Ask RMIT is the University’s FAQ Visit the RMIT Connect website for (frequently asked questions) service locations and contact details. that lets you ask a question as well RMIT has rules about student as search the existing answers to responsibilities in relation to your previous queries. student card, you can find out more about these rules by visiting www. rmit.edu.au/students/cards 8 www.rusu.rmit.edu.au MyStudies MyDetails Programs – displays the programs Check the personal details RMIT has in which you’re enrolled, and links to for you on file. From here you can study resources, such as Blackboard. also update your personal details. Courses – displays the courses in MyResearch which you’re enrolled. HDR Students will also have a Library – provides details of your myResearch tab which has links to RMIT University Library account details of your HDR candidature. MyClass Timetable Once you’ve scheduled your class timetable in the Student Timetabling Enrolment System, this tab will appear. It contains your personalised class If you are reading this hopefully timetable. For research students this you have managed to enrol for this will show any coursework subjects semester at RMIT. Whether your you need to take – such as Research first enrolment was paper based or Methods. online you’ll need to be prepared to go through this process a few more MyExam Timetable times before the end of your degree. If you have exams scheduled they You’ll need to re-enrol in your will be appear in this tab following degree at the start of each semester, the release of the provisional which you can do by logging in exam timetable each semester. For to myRMIT and choosing to enrol research students this will show online. Then go to ‘my current any coursework subjects you have program’ and click the enrol button exams for. for the program or subjects that you want to enrol in. MyResults There are specific dates that are the View your assessment marks deadlines for adding and dropping and grades and your results from classes. There are also deadlines for previous semesters. dropping subjects without financial penalty. You can find all of these dates on the RMIT website: www1.rmit.edu.au/students/he2017 Your Guide to RMIT Postgrad 9 location of your insurance provider International and how you should make a claim International students have a few extra boxes to tick when they are Get a Myki – Myki is the electronic starting out at RMIT. First off you ticketing system on Melbourne’s will need to register with RMIT public transport system. You can buy International. If you are studying a Myki from a Seven Eleven or the here as an international student, main train stations. Trains, trams and prioritise locating INFO CORNER. It’s buses all run in Melbourne, jump on the home of RMIT International and the Public Transport Victoria website the staff there can give you help and to get to know the public transport advice on student visas, sponsorship near you. and scholarship options, enrolment Get a Tax File Number – If you are and much more. planning on staying in Australia for You can find info corner on the more than six months or you plan ground floor of Building 22, 330 to earn money in Australia or if you Swanston St, Melbourne CBD. plan to earn interest on money in your Australian bank account, you For general information about should get a Tax File Number (TFN). being an International student To apply for a TFN you should visit at RMIT visit: www.rmit.edu.au/ the Australian Taxation Office.