Head of Wright College Report
Jason Wall
October 2023
Wright College and Village has enjoyed an extremely successful year in 2023. The College and Village have had limited vacancies this year, with occupancy rates tipping 94% for Wright College in September and 84% for Wright Village in April. We remain the largest accommodation provider on campus with as many as 430 residents calling Wright home in 2023.
With our high occupancy levels, 2023 saw us unable to open our doors to short stays and intensive students. However, we have been extremely pleased to welcome back in 2023 so many international students. This international dimension, with us now having representation from over 28 countries, was hugely missed from our community during the COVID years.
I would like to thank the hard work that our staff and student leadership teams have put in, so that we have been able to welcome such a large number of residents this year to Wright College & Village. It takes a large amount of work to manage the turnover we experience and I am thankful to the combined team for making this process as smooth as possible for our residents.
The office manager role is usually the first port of call for all student enquires and unlike the other Colleges, Wright College & Village have residents 365 days of the year. This role has been undertaken recently by Kristy Schultz who juggles mail and maintenance on one hand, and constant phone enquiries on the other. We are very fortunate to have such a friendly, professional front of house presence who enthusiastically offers tours to applicants as well as sound advice to our residents.
Wright is a diverse community. Our residents’ study from university preparation course level right through to Masters and PhD. Currently we have 228 residents studying bachelor degrees, 62 studying for Masters and 24 studying for PhD’s. We have over 50 nursing students and 24 medical students. We also have a huge age range of residents from the 18-year old’s straight from high school, to the more mature residents who have had a wealth of life experience, but have decided to take a new path in their 50’s and 60’s. We also have about 12 University staff calling Wright home at the current time.
It is our leaders who bring our residents together as a community and I want to thank them for that. Ash Taylor and Isaac Sutton led our Resident Leader team this year and Isaac will lead again next year as Senior Resident Leader, with Deputy Hailey Dolendo as they develop and lead their team in supporting the welfare and needs of our residents. Our 2024 team will include Gypsy-Lee Marshall as JCR President. Together, the JCR and Residential Leadership teams are already setting the agenda for next year to embrace all we hope 2024 will bring as a vibrant, diverse and inclusive community experience.
Providing social events for such a diverse community is always a challenge, however we were very pleased to welcome back formal dinners this year. In particular, the end of year awards dinner was a huge success celebrating the leadership, academic achievements and contributions to the college values and community spirit.
The 2024 JCR team will continue to build up the events calendar for next year offering sporting opportunities, cultural competitions and party nights, interspersed with games nights and other social activities. All of these are trying to build on the inclusive culture at Wright College & Village.
I would particularly like to acknowledge our Wright College & Village Senior Common Room members who every month come together to organise events and fund raising whilst attending events to make meaningful and long-lasting connections with our residents. A most popular social event hosted by the SCR are our Postgraduate Evenings – a chance for students to share their research, connect and form meaningful support networks.
All of the residents in Wright College & Village in 2023 have chosen to live in an independent environment, which offers the support that residents can utilise to succeed at University. Residents are encouraged to opt in and participate at their own pace. This has been one of the greatest selling points for Wright College & Village.
I would encourage our alumni to also get involved in the Wright Community in 2023. Any contribution that you can make would be valued by the current residents in the Wright community. Even a small donation to the Wright College Scholarship fund, can make a difference to one of our current residents.
Giving https://www.une.edu.au/give-to-une/wright-college-scholarship
