Student Advocacy service charter

Student Advocacy is a free and confidential service available to all Federation students, no matter where, what or how you study. We support students across every campus, qualification level (TAFE, undergraduate and postgraduate), and those studying online or through a partner provider.

Student Advocacy is funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and operates independently from decision-makers at Federation University. We're not part of your teaching area, academic team or other student services, and we won’t share anything you tell us unless you ask us to act on your behalf.

This independence is backed by national guidelines, which require universities to give students access to advocacy services that are separate from academic and administrative decision-making. Advocates must act in the best interests of students.

While we don’t report on individual cases, we might raise broader issues with the University – especially if they’re affecting multiple students. We also share anonymous data to help improve the student experience.

Student Advocacy sits in the Student Services and Registrar directorate. We report to the senior manager of Student Wellbeing, who reports to the director of Student Services and Registrar, who in turn reports to the chief learner experience officer. However, none of these people are involved in our cases.

Student Advocacy is an appointment-only service. This helps us prepare properly for each conversation and ensures your privacy. The fastest way to make an appointment is with our booking form. We aim to respond to enquiries within three working days.

Our goal is to give you the tools and knowledge to manage your situation. You’re the expert in your own experience. We’re here to help you shape and communicate your case clearly.

Our role is to help you navigate University processes and policies. We can:

• answer questions about academic or general misconduct, unsatisfactory academic progress, exclusion or suspension, special consideration, appeals, complaints and assessment concerns
• explain your rights and responsibilities as a student
• talk through your options for resolving concerns
• speak to staff on your behalf, or help you prepare to do so
• clarify emails or letters you've received from the university
• help you draft letters and appeals
• help you prepare for meetings and hearings
• attend meetings with you
• support you if you believe there's been an error or you've been treated unfairly
• connect you with the right person or service
• help you understand key timelines
• refer you to other services.

We can support you better if you:

• communicate with us clearly and professionally
• complete the questions on our appointment form
• answer our questions, or let us know if you’re unable to
• tell us if something doesn’t make sense or you think we’ve made an error
• get in touch before something becomes urgent, so we have time to help
• follow University processes to help prevent issues
• work actively to resolve your concern.

We'll listen to your concerns and offer advice based on our experience with University processes and the outcome you're hoping for. We’ll do our best to support you in resolving your concerns. If you've given us authority to act, we might contact University staff to gather information or help resolve your concerns. We might also check University systems such as my Student Centre to find enrolment details or relevant letters.

There are some things we won't be able to help you with. We can't:

• investigate your complaint
• change a decision the University has made
• change your marks
• get someone removed from their role (we can't influence staffing decisions)
• provide counselling
• give you legal, visa or Centrelink advice.