This message was emailed to all students on 9 January 2024.
Once again floods have hit the central Victorian community and we are aware that many of our students and staff have been impacted, whether directly or indirectly, and are facing uncertainty in the days ahead as the flood water reaches its peak.
Our thoughts are with everyone in the regions, particularly around communities such as Rochester, Bendigo, Shepparton and Seymour who are yet to fully recover from previous flood events.
Events such as this can be very distressing, particularly for those communities who’ve already suffered. We are listening to the needs of our communities, right across Victoria, and offer our support.
Within the University, support is available to you if you are impacted:
- Wellbeing Support – our Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion team are providing prioritised support to students who are impacted by the flooding. Contact the team via the website for support.
- Special Consideration – the application process for Special Consideration for flood-affected students has been streamlined to require only a personal statement that outlines your situation.
- Emergency Aid – impacted students may be eligible for an Emergency Aid one-off payment of $250 via the Emergency Aid Application form. To apply, please select “other” as the main reason for applying, and enter “flood impacted” into the text field.
We are monitoring the situation closely and listening to the needs of our communities right across Victoria to offer the best possible support. We will work with our regional partners such as local councils, to offer assistance where we can.
Please keep up to date with the latest emergency information via the Vic Emergency website, and reconsider any planned travel to or within impacted areas. If flooding is impacting your capacity to attend compulsory classes or placement, please contact your subject coordinator for further advice.
We wish everyone the very best over the coming days, please look after yourselves and support one another as the community deals with another challenging time.
Professor Jessica Vanderlelie
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)