schools. 2010, however, saw the program take a different approach, accepting only students of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander descent. The University believes that this movie will aid their commitment to Reconciliation and social justice. "The First Generation Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students was designed to help to reduce the educational disadvantage faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by increasing their participation in higher education," Ms Hill said. The Myth Busters program runs for four days and endeavours to provide students with the most accurate and informative view of campus life. The students are invited to sit in on lectures and tutorials and to attend special seminars that target the problem areas of finance, career development, time management and study skills. Each participant in the program is paired with a trained mentor who can share his or her experience as a First Generation student. The students are asked to participate in a surveying process, before and after the program. This, Ms Hill says, is one of the most important indicators of the program’s success, as the University can “use the surveys to gauge if the program is having effect, helping [the University] to better design [the program] to cater to the specific needs of the students.” So far the feedback has been very healthy. Across the board, teachers, universities and students alike appear to have embraced the program as a positive addition to the Australian government’s fight to address equal opportunity issues in university enrolment. The Australian Technology Network of Universities lists first generation students as a high proportion of current enrolments in tertiary institutions. So apparently University is the new black. First generation and third year Psychology student Joanne O’Connor acknowledges the difficulties some students face when attempting tread the unknown path to University. She says it was the support from her family that drove her to make the big step. "My family were really encouraging and understood the value of education". Joanne moved from rural NSW to an Adelaide High School where she found the school support services remarkably different. "University was very much part of
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ON DIT MAGAZINE August 9, 2010
the culture of my] High School, I found it more nurturing than the country [school] which just didn’t give me the support I needed". Joanne was a student mentor for the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander participants this year. Joanne speaks very highly of the program, observing that “it is really important to expose [the students to tertiary education] while they’re still in school – it makes it more than just an abstract idea.” Perhaps the most common obstacle faced by First Generation students is the cost of a university education. The 2008 Bradley Review of Higher Education found Australian undergraduates are paying “amongst the highest levels of tuition fees in the world.” Whilst the payment of fees are themselves often deferrable, many other financial burdens associated with university are not. The ever-increasing costs of accommodation and relocation (in the case of rural or interstate students, or those for whom living at home is not an option) are often the straw that breaks the metaphorical bank for first generation students. Third year Viticulture student Huon Fechner listed the financial cost of university and accommodation as his biggest barrier to tertiary study. Hailing from the Barossa Valley, a complete relocation was the only option for Huon and this bought with it an enormous financial burden."I took a year off to work in order to qualify for Youth Allowance – it wasn’t so much a choice as a given; money is a big deciding factor for rural students". Huon also highlighted another factor that often restricts the choice of courses for a country student. "Choosing viticulture