We hope your experience of living in the Res community is fun and rewarding. We know from experience that it's also really busy!

To make sure everything runs smoothly and equitably, we have instituted some guidelines for how we navigate Res Life

 

Transition, inclusion, support & wellbeing

The Residential Life Coordinators (RLCs) report to the Managers who maintain ultimate responsibility for Res life.

The primary role of the RLCs at KSR is to be a role model, mentor and confidante for the students. The RLCs are here to support people in both their joys and their struggles. Their task is broad and they may find themselves dealing with general wellbeing, behavioural issues, and social inclusion or exclusion. 

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Basically, the RLCs are available to help and encourage you as you adjust to your new life in Melbourne.

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At Kew Student Residence, the RLCs have three main areas of responsibility:

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1. Pastoral Care

One of their main aims is helping students settle into residential community and Melbourne life. This will often happen informally, through conversations around the dinner table, fire room or at a local cafe. 

 

2. Community Events

RLCs are also responsible for organising many of the Res events throughout the year. Much of their time will be spent coordinating events such as State Youth Games, mixed netball competitions, themed dinners, faith development opportunities and other community activities.

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They are also passionate about supporting activities that students are involved with outside the Res such as sporting teams, social justice initiatives, creative arts endeavours or music performance.

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3. Oversight of the Student Leaders

The RLCs meet with the Student Leaders on a fortnightly basis to help set the culture of residential life, hear student ideas or concerns and plan activities and events.

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Meals

Meals, across cultures, are at the heart of community. Perhaps the most important part of the day begins at 6pm with dinner. As such, all residents present in the building are expected to be in the dining room once dinner has been called.

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We say “Grace” at the beginning of this meal and announcements about things happening around the place are also made at the beginning of the meal.

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When you enter the dining room, you are expected to sit at a table where people are already sitting before beginning a new table. This is an important way of respecting each member of the community and a really great way of getting to know each person.

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Our fabulous new Cook, Ben (a former Ressie!), prepares all the meals in consultation with the Managers. We make every effort to cater for individuals' dietary requirements and we regularly seek feedback from students about food preferences and requests! Menus can be found on the notice board. Weekend meals are served by the Duty Managers. During the week, Ben is assisted by a few residents who take on the role of kitchen hand. They are on duty between 4:45 - 6:15pm on weeknights. 

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Meal sheets are a way to help us know who will be at Res for dinner each night. It is important that you fill these out as accurately as possible a week in advance to eliminate waste. These will be posted in the meals channel on slack. Please fill out if you will be present, absent, require a late meal to be kept, or would like the vegetarian option for each night of the week. Late meals are stored in the counter fridge located in the dining room. If you need a late meal you are required to clean up after yourself. Duty teams are responsible for cleaning up after the evening meal.

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Duty Rosters

Each student is signed up and responsible for a duty, to be carried out once per week. Weekly duty rosters are posted on the noticeboard. If for some valid reason you cannot fulfil your duty, you will need to arrange a replacement and record this on the relevant roster.

 

If no replacement or swap is made, the Duty Manager will place your name on a list and you will be required to complete two extra duties. If you accumulate owed duties, the staff may ask you to carry out additional tasks. If there is an accumulation of duties remaining at the end of semester, you will be fined $10 per duty.

 

Our community functions best if each person is responsible for completing their designated duty, so please do your part!

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Communications

Menus, duty rosters, and other information are posted on the pinboard near the dining room.

 

Announcements and important information are also given at dinner at 6pm. For this reason, all students are expected to be on time to dinner.

 

We use the social media platform Slack to communicate within our Res community. This should be your first port of call if you need to report a hazard, damage or contact a staff member quickly. It's also a great way to keep up with what's going on socially.

 

Emails, text messages & Facebook messenger may also be used to share information with residents; therefore it is essential that you provide your correct contact details.

 

Additionally, we have a Res Facebook page, which we encourage you to follow. This page is used for communicating with our broader community, including ex-Ressies, family & friends. We share heaps of great photos of our events and activities there too!

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Information relating to Centrelink and fees are posted on the Office window.

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Laundry

We have a brand new laundry for 2024 with washing machines and dryers. They cost $2 per use. The machines are card operated. There is also an iron and ironing board in the laundry, and a washing line outside.

 

Please keep the laundry tidy and do not leave clothes or other items lying about.

 

You will need your own (labelled) detergent - available a short walk away at Coles!

 

Please try to avoid using the machines late at night or early in the morning if possible as the noise may interrupt others trying to sleep.

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If you notice any damage to the machines or if they are not working properly, please notify Management ASAP via the Slack "Maintenance" channel so we can arrange a service call and get things sorted quickly.

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Bedrooms

First rule of community living: remember that you share your room with someone else! This does not just mean you need to keep the room tidy but that you respect their space.

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If you have a friend with you and your roommate is around, unless you are all hanging out together, you should make sure that your roommate does not feel uncomfortable about being in their own room. Be mindful that it's their home too!

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It is important for you to feel at home, so please decorate your space in the room accordingly. Just bear in mind that souvenirs collected illegally, pets or weapons of any sort are not permitted.

 

Nails, screws, pins, adhesive tape and other items such as stickers and transfers which can damage walls are not to be used (3M hooks are permitted). Please try to avoid Blu-tac. If you do use it, it will need to be removed by you - very carefully to minimise damage -  at the end of your residency.

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It is important for community cleanliness and hygiene that bedrooms be vacuumed regularly. One Res vacuum cleaner is available on each side of the building – one at the bottom of the stairs in the South Wing and one in the Study Room – these are here for your use. Please ensure you return them to their usual positions when you have finished cleaning. Please only use these vacuum cleaners, and don't use our cleaner's vacuums. We conduct one room inspection each semester to ensure appropriate standards of cleanliness are met.

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You are required to supply and wash your own linen and towels etc. Please make sure that you have more than one set of linen and that you wash your sheets and mattress protector regularly.

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Due to space, safety and electricity costs, students are not permitted to have a bar fridge, portable cooler/air conditioner or heater in their rooms. Candles are also not to be lit in bedrooms. You're welcome to use a bedside lamp and a small fan if you wish.

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Noise

Res is a social environment and a place where much fun is had; but it's also a place for study and it's a home for around fifty other people!

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One of the most important ways of ensuring that there is harmony in our little community is to allow people the sleep they need.

 

Of course, by nature of the kind of place in which we live, there will be noise; however, we prioritise each person’s need for sleep and quiet study over loud forms of entertainment.

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After 10pm (Sun – Thurs) and Midnight (Fri – Sat), we ask that you are quiet in and around bedrooms (this includes hallways, bathrooms, the study room and dining room). The pool table is not to be used after 11pm, and the piano should not be played after 10pm.

 

After these times noise in common spaces must be kept to a reasonable level. There should be no more playing of musical instruments or personal music players, etc. unless they can be used with headphones. If after this time you are too noisy, you will be asked to relocate to the fire room or the projector room.

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If you are arriving home late at night (or early in the morning) please do so quietly, in consideration of those already sleeping.

 

The Duty Manager will check doors and switch off lights at 11pm (Sun – Thurs) and Midnight (Fri – Sat).

Any noise after this time must be at an absolute minimum and should be confined to the projector room or dining room.

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As the policy surrounding noise is for the benefit of the community at large (even if it is just a few people who are needing to sleep or study), should the Duty Manager ask you to keep noise down or to move to another area, we ask that you respect their decision and do so without any fuss.

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Tidiness, hygience & safety

Everyone is responsible for keeping common areas tidy and free of rubbish and dishes. It is not the cleaner’s job to take your dirty dishes from the fire room to the trolley in the dining room. The easiest way to do this is for people to clean up after themselves. If you make a mess, clean it up!

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As a resident, you are under the care of the Managers. You are also responsible for ensuring that you do not unnecessarily put others’ safety and health at risk.

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Please make sure that you wash your hands, especially when you are sick or working with food.

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Please make sure that you wash your bedding regularly.

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Under no circumstances should anyone be on the roof of the Residence or any other Church building.

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In line with university campuses and many other public places, the Res is a completely smoke free environment including outdoor areas. Should you wish to smoke, you will need to do so outside of the boundaries of Res and Church properties.

 

Student conduct

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All illegal activity is prohibited at the Residence and this includes the possession and use of illicit drugs.

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Alcohol, whether open or closed, is not permitted on the Residence or Church grounds.

 

Bottles or cans used for alcohol are not to be displayed or stored in private rooms.

 

Should you be invited to “the House”, you are permitted to drink on that property.

 

You are permitted to responsibly enjoy alcoholic drinks at official Res activities taking place off-site (such as the end of year social) but the Residence will not, under any circumstances, provide students with alcohol.

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Of course, you are allowed to consume alcohol at private functions such as parties or when going out.

 

We urge you though, to drink responsibly, and make sure that you are always safe and in control.

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Living in a residential environment requires each of us to be especially mindful of how we conduct ourselves in relation to our own and other people’s bodies and sexuality.

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Sexual Harassment is defined by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission as,
"...an unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated, and where that reaction is reasonable in the circumstances."

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Sexual harassment in any form or description will not be tolerated.

 

A Healthy Relationships Seminar is conducted on this topic in the first few months of every year and all students are required to attend.

 

The following are some Rules, which we expect all residents and staff to comply with:

• No pornographic material is allowed on the premises;

• Students are not to wear sleep wear in the common areas;

• Students are not to engage in sexual activity on the premises;

• Each person's private space is to be respected.

• There should be no males in a female room (or vice-versa) or the surrounding corridors/bathrooms after 11pm. 

Should you feel that you have been a victim of sexual harassment or discrimination in any way, please inform a staff member immediately.

 

Recreation

We have a long tradition of encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle. For a number of years now, the vast majority of residents participate in a casual mixed netball competition at a nearby location.

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There are often people who go on daily jogs/runs around the local area and there are often impromptu calls for a kick of the football (both round and oval) at a local park.

 

The Church hall is available for students use. Please note that only the hall, and not the courts or the lounge are available. If you would like to use this space, please contact Regan at the church office to book a time. The Res has a key to the hall, kept in the flat, so you will also need to arrange a time with the RLCs to borrow the key. 

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There are guidelines on usage times and Covid safety on the walls in the hall. Please be considerate of our neighbours and others using the hall and follow these closely.

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We also have access to the local tennis court at Sacred Heart Tennis Club. If you are using this, you will need to sign out the key and ensure you return it for others to use.

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Did you know there is a gym located at the back of the House at Highbury Grove?

While it's not as fancy as the offerings at other local gyms, it is set-up with a range of weights and other activities. And it's free! You are free to go over and use it any time until 9pm. If you are unfamiliar with working out in a gym, in order to prevent injury, we encourage you to get started with someone who knows what they’re doing. 

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The projector is available for all residents from 8am.

 

If you're planning to watch something specific (especially if it's during prime time or if it's a longer program i.e. Lord of the Rings) we ask you to hop on the Projector Room channel on Slack to register a booking request. No R films are permitted.

 

The projector is turned off during dinner 6 – 6.30pm each day.

 

From 11pm, please ensure that the volume is at a level so as not to disturb anyone trying to sleep. There are bedrooms directly above the projector room.

 

We understand that people may stay up late to watch movies, but please be aware that there is to be no sleeping in the projector room (or any other common areas).

 

Should you wish to play video games, this must be done in bedrooms or at especially organised events. Gaming events should be held outside of the Res whenever possible however, should you wish to book the projector room for such an event, you must seek the Manager/ RLC’s permission prior to the event.

 

Please be considerate of others and follow the rules for viewing usage and volume, which is posted on the wall!

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