Written by Brooke Heather
SSAF – Firstly, what is it? Student Services and Amenity Fees (SSAF) are those fees you may notice appearing in your inbox at the beginning of the semester. Currently, these fees stand at $45 per 8-point subject that you are enrolled in, with a maximum annual fee capped at $360 per student. The SSAF charge will increase for our students in 2026 to $46 per 8 point subject with a maximum annual fee capped at $368 per student. These fees can be paid upfront and is what funds many of the AMAZING projects Charles Sturt University has achieved and continues to achieve. Let me summarise what this funding has done over the last year:
Careers and Skills Festival
The Charles Sturt Careers Festival is a festival that aims to give students a start on their careers. The festival gives students the opportunity to meet potential employers, build their skills for a bomb resume, map their pathway, and explore the possibilities of their desired field at the end of/or during their degree. One of the best bits? This is all accessible online too! That’s right – you can watch the recordings if you weren’t able to attend this year but also know that this wonderful opportunity will be waiting for you again next year. For more information on this awesome festival, see here.
Orientation
Yup, Orientation is SSAF funded! Orientation is all about making students feel welcomed and hyped for their transition into university. Orientation is where students are gifted the chance to meet current students and start their student journey, all in the most welcoming way possible. The gist of Orientation: get the chance to ask about your course, meet your support, get to know university life, and connect with your future fellow students. Not to mention, the brilliant team behind this project strives to make the whole process fun and enjoyable! To learn more about Orientation, go to this link.
Student Wellbeing Support Line
If you’re not familiar with this student support line, essentially, it’s a 24/7 service that provides support and integrated responses to students that are experiencing high distress and are struggling to cope mentally. What’s even more amazing about this service is that it allows students to be able to seek help emotionally from the comfort of the university thanks to our SSAF funding. If you want to read more or want to know how to access the line, see here.
Sport and Uni Nationals
This program facilitated and supported on-campus and online students to engage in university participation, along with the opportunity to represent in chosen sports. The program has succeeded in building friendships for students, making connections within the sporting community, exercising teamwork, developing leadership skills, and overall promoting good health among university students in a fun way.
What else has been done?
Here’s a condensed list of all the other wonderful projects that were done over the last year thanks to our SSAF:
- Campus Vibrancy and Student Entertainment
- Intensive School Catering
- Drug and Alcohol Proactive Programming
- Elite Athlete and Performer Program
- Emergency accommodation
- Food Bank
- Initiative
- Free Food for Students in Libraries
- LinkedIn Learning Student Services
- Online Students Transfer Service
- Respect @ Uni Campaign
Have a great student-led project idea and need funding to make it happen? Now’s your chance to bring it to life! Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) today, but get in quick, applications close 28 September.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
