Student Support

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For other questions and inquiries, please contact the our help desk at help@eastern.edu.au

Not sure who your course advisor is?

We know you may have forgotten this so please contact the Academic Administration team by calling the College (03 9790 9200) or emailing registrar@eastern.edu.au and ask who your course advisor is.

Not sure what form to complete?

We know it can be difficult to determine what form to fill out when something happens. If you are not sure what form to fill in contact the Academic Administration team by calling the College (03 9790 9200) or emailing registrar@eastern.edu.au telling us what you are wanting to do and the team can tell you what form to fill in.

Need to know what units to complete?

The Course Check forms show you your course options and course rules. The Academic Administration team maintains course check forms to help us know you are completing your course successfully. You may request this at any time by completing the form Request for Progress Check.

If you need help in understanding the course check form contact the Academic Administration office (03 9790 9200), emailing your course advisor or the registrar at registrar@eastern.edu.au.

Emergency Services

In case of emergency while on campus please contact a member of staff or Reception who will help. In case of emergency evacuation or siren please follow all directions given by staff.

Emergency Contacts Police / Fire / Ambulance – 000

If you need police, fire or ambulance in an emergency, call Triple Zero (000). Always call Triple Zero (000) in situations where a life is in danger, a crime is taking place, or in time critical situations.

Health and Welfare Services

Health and welfare services cover a wide range of supports for issues including those related to physical health (i.e. medical), disability, financial, and tenancy.

For Health services you’ll be referred to qualified external providers. The Student Service team can make known some practitioners as needed.

For access to information about welfare services– the key contacts are the Dean of Students and Student Support team. You can get in contact with them via email (info@eastern.edu.au), phone (03 9790 9200), or by chatting to them in person.

First Aid

The College has no onsite sickbay or health services, however a number of staff are trained in emergency first aid and/or Mental Health First Aid. First Aid kits are on the premises, please see Reception if any First Aid services are required.

Pastoral Counselling Services

Your course coordinator is the first person you should contact if you need support. Other people you may contact are the Dean of Students, the Student Support team or the Dean of Faculty.

Whilst the College doesn’t provide any in-house accredited Counselling services, there are staff available for general spiritual support. Often facing a challenging situation can be greatly helped by having someone to sit, listen, and pray with you.

If you require any professional counselling services, we are happy to connect you with available services nearby. The point of contact is the Dean of Students or Student Support team members.

If you would like to contact any of these people directly, but do not have the correct details, please speak with Reception (info@eastern.edu.au or 03 9790 9200).

Legal Advice

The College does not provide legal advice to students. Free legal advice may be obtained from: Victoria Legal Aid – https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/get-legal-services-and-advice/free-legal-advice

Accommodation

The College does not have an accommodation service though we are happy to advertise on our noticeboards those looking for accommodation or able to provide accommodation.

Orientation

The first point for academic support information for all students is the orientation activities that occur before classes begin.
https://www.eastern.edu.au/orientation/

If you missed Orientation, a member of our Student Services team will contact you to ensure that you have all the resources needed to get started on your study journey.

English Language Support

The College has limited English Language Support and students are referred to the support services either by their course coordinator or the academic in charge of a unit they are studying. Students who need additional English language support may contact AMES

Levels 2-5, 280 Thomas Street Dandenong 3175 VIC 03 9794 5065

Online Resources for Academic Support

The College provides the Online Academic Writing unit to support those starting to write in an academic setting. This is a self-paced course to help you understand what is required by the College. The College also publishes its Style Guide to help students understand what is required for academic standards. These resources are available on Canvas.

Academically Vulnerable Students

The College identifies each semester students whose are considered likely to fail units or their course and intervenes as appropriate. Such interventions may include discussions with a course coordinator or dean, recommendations for medical or other professional help, or restrictions on enrolment in some manner to increase the student’s likelihood of success.

If there are circumstances that may impact your study and you’d like to discuss this, please contact your course coordinator, or fill in a student support request form here:
https://ww2.eastern.edu.au/students/forms/student-support-request

If you have witnessed or been a victim of a sexual assault or sexual harassment, you may lodge a confidential report using the College’s Incident Reporting form.

Eastern College Australia is a Christian organisation that upholds biblical precepts by instruction and example. The College is committed to the biblical belief that each man, woman and child is created in the image of God as a unique individual of dignity and worth. Therefore, the College seeks to ensure that the dignity of every staff member, volunteer, student and visitor to the College is respected and is committed to provide a safe environment for all.

Sexual assault includes a range of behaviours, all of which are unacceptable and constitute a crime. Sexual assault occurs when a person is forced, coerced or tricked into sexual acts against their will or without their consent, including when they have withdrawn their consent.

Sexual harassment may be physical, verbal and can occur online and through media involving information technologies. Sexual harassment generally involves an unwelcome sexual advance, unwelcome request for sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which, in the circumstances, a reasonable person, aware of those circumstances, would anticipate the possibility that the person would feel offended, humiliated, or intimidated. Some forms of sexual harassment are also criminal behaviour and may be treated as a criminal offence.

Please see our policy portal for the SASH policy: https://policy.eastern.edu.au/policy/sexual-harassment-policy

Download SASH Procedure Flowchart

First Responders/Contact Officers:

Daisy Barnard, Eastern Dean of Students
dbarnard@eastern.edu.au

David Briddock, Property and Services Manager
dbriddock@mst.edu.au

Reporting an incident

If you have witnessed or been a victim of a sexual assault or sexual harassment, you may lodge a confidential report using the College’s Incident Reporting form or contacting the first responders listed above. The incident will be confidentially investigated by the Dean of Studies, according to the College’s SASH reporting procedure. If there should be a conflict of interest, you can raise the matter directly with the Executive Principal of the College. If the matter relates to the Executive Principal, please report the incident directly to the Police.

What to do if you need help?

If you or anyone you know is in immediate danger, please call the police on 000 in Australia, or your local emergency services line outside of Australia.

For support and to speak to a trauma-trained counsellor

Karinya Counselling Centre
Karinya offers high quality professional counselling services to anyone regardless of race, gender, lifestyle, religion, or status. A Christian counsellor can be made available upon request.
Phone: (03) 9802 2886

The National Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service (1800 RESPECT)
1800 737 732 (24 hours a day / 7 days a week)

Sexual Assault Crisis Line
1800 806 292 (24 hours a day/ 7 days a week)

Centre Against Sexual Assault
Short to medium term counselling and advocacy support, support groups, 24 hour telephone counselling and support.

Legal advice and support

Women’s Legal Service Victoria
03 8622 0600

ICLC Free legal advice
Specialist Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer service.
1800 244 481

Victims and survivors support

Victims of Crime Helpline
1800 819 817 (Free call 8am – 11 pm, 7 days a week)

Reachout.com
Support for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment

Lifeline
Crisis support and suicide prevention, 24 hours a day
13 11 14

Beyondblue
Mental health support
1300 224 636

Suicide Call Back Service
1300 659 467

Translating services and services for people with disabilities

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)
13 14 50
Ask them to contact the phone number of the service to which you want to connect.

National Relay Service
13 36 77
Relay officers convert voice to text or text to voice for callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech impairment via teletypewriter (TTY)/ Voice Calls. Ask them to contact the number of the service to which you want to connect.

Speak and Listen
1300 555 727
Create a call profile identifying any special communications needs that you have, to ensure your calls go more smoothly.

Safety with technology and support for victims of image-based abuse

Online Safety
https://www.esafety.gov.au/whats-on/online-safety
Using your device safely
https://www.esafety.gov.au/women/using-your-device-safely

Learn about the latest games, apps and social media, including how to protect your information and report harmful content
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide

Image-based abuse information

The esafety Commissioner provides help to remove images and videos, access to counselling and support and legal assistance
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/image-based-abuse

If someone has shared or threatened to share an intimate image of you without your consent, you can take action against the person who posted, or threatened to post
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/image-based-abuse/take-action/report-to-esafety-commissioner

Healthy relationships start with feeling respected and safe. You have a right to respect and safety in all your relationships.

Complaints & Grievances

At Eastern, we prioritise creating a safe and supportive environment for all of our students, faculty, and staff. We hope that everyone who is part of our community feels respected and valued, and that any issues or concerns can be addressed through open communication and constructive dialogue. However, we recognise that there may be times when individuals may have complaints or grievances that need to be addressed in a more formal manner. Our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to a fair and impartial process for resolving conflicts or addressing concerns, and that any issues are handled in a timely and respectful manner.

Links

Complaints and Grievance Policy

Complaints and Grievance Procedures — Academic Matters

Complaints and Grievance Procedures — Non-academic Matters

National Student Ombudsman

The Australian Government has introduced legislation to establish a new National Student Ombudsman, commencing 1 February 2025. The National Student Ombudsman will provide an effective, trauma-informed complaints mechanism for higher education students to use when they are not satisfied by their higher education provider’s response. Vocational education students may be able to access the National Student Ombudsman at a later date. You can read more about this service and how to access assistance from the National Student Ombudsman at this link: www.education.gov.au/national-student-ombudsman

Advocacy

The student advocacy service helps students understand policy and procedures and can assist with making appeals, grievances and complaints. Advocacy is rarely needed in the College but when required may be found through the Dean of Students or Student Support team or by including a third-party in the meetings requested by the College. This third-party may be a family member, friend, or someone else you think will help you in this situation.

If you would like to contact any of these people directly, but do not have the correct details, please speak with Reception (info@eastern.edu.au or 03 9790 9200).