RMIT University Student Union. For Students, By Students.
- rusu@rmit.edu.au
RMIT University Student Union. For Students, By Students.
RUSU is passionate about creating a better future for students at RMIT. Our campaigns team advocates directly to the university for high quality education and assessment experiences, inclusive practices, fair policies and procedures, excellent facilities and student spaces and a vibrant campus community.
RUSU knows that students all over Australia are doing it tough right now. Whilst we are continuing to push the University to expand its financial hardship program we are also filling in the gap ourselves by making sure we are offering free food to students in more places than ever before – increasing the number of places we offer free breakfasts, offering a free VE lunch every.single.week, partnering with the Just Food Collective to offer zero waste meals and groceries to students and even bringing free fresh fruit to overlooked corners of the uni whenever we can.
The current academic progress process at RMIT punishes students who fall behind for the whole of their degree! This is not good enough and students deserve the opportunity to work their way back to satisfactory academic progress and be recognised for doing so. Students who fail are often vulnerable and need help not barriers put in front of them. RUSU is fighting to introduce a good standing criteria to the academic progress process, so students who work hard to get back on track do not have to wear the consequences of one poor semester for their entire degree.
RUSU is continuing to fight for a more disability friendly and neuroaffirming university. We are asking for more accessible study spaces and neurodiversity friendly spaces across all three campuses. We want to see more academics choosing to make their lecture content and learning resources accessible too. Finally we want to see more accountability for schools that do not implement Equitable Learning Plans.
The Library have taken on our request to extend library hours before and during the assessment period at RMIT. We know students like to study late in the runup to final assessments and exams and with the cost of utilities like heating/cooling, lighting and internet increasing students often choose to study later in the library. From the start of this year the library has trialled extended hours from week 10 of semester.
We have been trying to make life a little sweeter in the City North precinct by expanding our Welfare on Wheels program to include the Carlton Library, offering a free weekly VE lunch, pushing for the new extended hours available at Carlton Library, and even bringing free fresh fruit to Building 51 twice a week.
We know areas of uni can become tired, rundown or broken and when it is the student spaces that get neglected it can be hard to get them fixed. RUSU called for the university to introduce a new snap, send, solve type solution for students to easily report facilities issues. RMIT has now introduced Fix-It to tackle this very problem, allowing students to quickly report maintenance problems direct to the Property Services team.
RMIT currently has no formal process that allows students to access adjustments to assessment (e.g. extensions) for work commitments. Some academics might allow extensions but it is very inconsistent across schools and colleges. Work is a fact of life for the vast majority of students and with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis students have to have the financial agency to choose when paid work might prioritise their assessments. RUSU wants to work with the uni to identify a process which will support students to choose to work when they need to.
Clubs are essential to a vibrant student life on campus and we love it when clubs are supported to run fantastic events and activations. RUSU is working hard to make it easier for clubs to bring student life to campus. Simplifying the process of booking spaces and finding easy ways to get facilities services into those spaces will make it a lot easier for clubs to do what they do and make uni better for everyone.
Events, advocacy, welfare and care packs are just a small part of what we deliver for students every year, and we are always working hard, behind the scenes, to deliver key initiatives to improve the student experience at RMIT, and to fight for the support students need, when they need it most. Here is just a snapshot of what we have achieved:
RUSU has fought for RMIT to direct additional funding to the Student Hardship Assistance Grant program to ensure it can continue to support students facing financial hardship in semester 2. This means more students who are facing tough times will get the financial support they need. You can find out more about the Student Hardship Assistance Grant here: Student Hardship Assistance Grants.
Student unions all over Australia responded to the federal government's University Accord process. RUSU's submission called for changes to make students lives better than were delivered in the most recent Australian budget. Thanks to the advocacy of student unions the government has introduced paid placements for students and changed HECS indexation to reduce student debt. RUSU will keep fighting for the other recommendations in our submission such as a National Student Charter and Student Ombudsman, and reversal of the Job Ready Graduates program.
In May this year RUSU called on RMIT and the federal government to support semester one graduating international students to apply for their subclass 485 visas before new rules came into affect that would shorten their visa duration. After raising this issue with the university, eligible RMIT students were able to request the necessary paperwork to apply for their extended visas before the cutoff date.
We have been making life a little sweeter in the City North precinct by expanding our Welfare on Wheels program to include the Carlton Library, offering a free weekly VE lunch, pushing for the new extended hours available at Carlton Library, and even bringing free fresh fruit to Building 51 twice a week.
RUSU joined our voice to other student unions up and down the country in responding to the federal government's University Accord process. Our submission called on the government to end placement poverty, establish a National Student Charter, increase the rates of Austudy and Youth Allowance, and hold universities accountable for not supporting and protecting students in crisis. You can read our submission here.
ind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast
The Library have taken on our request to extend library hours before and during the assessment period at RMIT. We know students like to study late in the run p to final assessments and exams and with the cost of utilities like heating/cooling, lighting and internet increasing students often choose to study later in the library. From the start of this year the library has trialled extended hours from week 10 of semester.
RUSU has been working to deliver upgraded Women's and Queer Spaces on the City campus. The new Women’s Room and Queer Lounge are open and ready to provide a safe and welcoming spaces for students.
After years of campaigning RUSU has successfully advocated for consent training for all students at RMIT. Students have been calling for years for better and more comprehensive consent training at RMIT and we are proud to be part of the team developing the most wide-reaching training yet. We will be taking the voice of students directly to the development team ready for a 2024 rollout of a new training offering.
RUSU has joined forces with the Library, ELS and Study Support to deliver weekly neurodivergent study sessions for 2023. The sessions are designed to create conditions that are conducive to study for neurodivergent students. RUSU is now advocating for the establishment of a permanent library space that is designed to support neurodiverse students in their learning.
Email: rusu@rmit.edu.au
Call: +61 3 9925 1842
PO BOX 12387 Franklin Street, Melbourne, VIC 3006
RMIT University Student Union respectfully acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University.
© RMIT University Student Union Incorporated 2025