Western Sydney University Parramatta Campus, Parramatta, Parramatta

Reviews

• Kendy Jones

  31.10.2018
  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
  UWS [WSU] brought in a brilliant smoke free policy around 2014 but when I contacted the smoke free person about the lack of commitment of the student accommodation staff to get behind and enforce the [smoke free] policy they were very lazy and not excited about making it happen. To have accommodation to live in free from exposure to poisonous smoke would be an absolute godsend. It's very hard to find in rental housing and both companies have missed a chance to be a leader in enabling healthy communities.
  
  Similarly the counselling staff who have some role in helping develop Resident Assistants were not at all interested in hearing about issues obvious to someone with an understanding of health promotion.
  
  It's a missed opportunity again. We could be developing healthy people and healthy communities. Strong role models are required not run of the mill ordinary piss head losers with no magnetism. Big hint: if the RA is littering cigarette butts or smoking in the face of residents they are more likely to have a personality disorder where they impose harm on others and are not an asset to the community or suitable for employment purposes.
  
  We needed to create a domestic violence campaign that addresses other aspects of aggressive behaviour such as leaving dirty dishes in the sink. Or RAs should at least be aware so they can adequately intervene in issues. I needed to learn where the issues were with the training. Since the product offered in the brochures / website differed greatly from the type of community being created.
  
  The "respect now" campaign does not point out that kind of stuff. Violence of males towards females may be a separate issue in its own right but RAs should be able to objectively hold to account people doing the wrong thing by the established rules. They think that means taking sides. Pretty much like bullying at Primary School in the 80s or your older sibling getting away with everything.
  
  So yeah the issues were greater than that but counselling staff [the head honcho dude] were too lazy to take action to improve the situation.
  
  I asked about it at the village but they were not encouraging female applicants and would not discuss the issues with their training of the RAs and improvements needed. Specifically Daniel Suckling and other staff working under Daniel Browne kept more in depth criteria for the job role secret from non-male interested persons [well me at least]. Other CLV sites emphasize the need for an RA to demonstrate empathy but they altered this to being "popular".. It turned out that without alcohol very few people would turn up to events hosted by the popular kids.. so it's more like those with cool toys getting attention than popularity based on good character.
  
  I didn't think I would be able to do the actual role anyway but they did need help with getting it right. Because it's not okay to advertise a place as being somewhere safe you can grow and then it actually being the opposite of that. I am great at holding people to account in that regard. But did find the boss man intimidating at times.
  
  [Accommodation] Company has a good vision; [hospitality] staff are not the right people to be carrying that out. Need health promo people; they rock. It's still about having fun but in healthy ways.
  
  Also this is not an "out to get you" post it's appropriate to confront those who are not doing as they should.
  
  Also if you don't know I should add not all personality disorders or psychological problems make you a risk to others.. but there are specific criteria established which some staff would easily meet. I don't know what job would be suitable but nothing where you are meant to be a role model for others. We need psychiatrists to identify this in society to protect others. Unchecked they can advance through organisations and wreak further havoc when in powerful positions.
  
  It only takes one cell to change and cause cancer.. There's no safe level of exposure to cigarettes. In effect you are threatening someone's life and livelihood as well as ruining your own insides with every cigarette.

Photos