Australia's Innovative University

Social Justice and Equity 

 

Introduction

For the first time in my studies at Macquarie, and probably yours, you have the opportunity to affect how MULS supports you. The new position of Equity Officer has been created specifically to address the issues that affect you as a law student and a young person generally. As trite as it may sound, this is a call to action. I want you to tell me what needs to be done. If you’ve ever thought that there was an issue concerning community involvement, pro bono work, student welfare or financial assistance that MULS should be addressing, please come forward and help me, help you. My name is Nicholas Lennings and my email address is equityofficer@muls.org.

If you are concerned that you don’t have enough money to live, or pay for books, transport and student services, I want to know and I want to help (equityofficer@muls.org). If you think students are self-medicating with drugs and alcohol to avoid the all too common occurrence of depression and anxiety amongst law students (41% of law students suffer from severe psychological distress at some point in their degree), I want to know and I want to help (equityofficer@muls.org). If you are concerned that groups are disadvantaged or discriminated against in law schools or the legal profession (for example, women, indigenous people, ethnic minorities or the poor), I want to know and I want to help (equityofficer@muls.org). If you are worried that law schools churn out hundreds of commercial lawyers every year but don’t educate their students about social justice, pro bono representation and advocacy for the less fortunate, I want to know and I want to help (equityofficer@muls.org). In short, if you have a gripe, EMAIL ME (equityofficer@muls.org). Hell, if you just want to spam me, that’s fine too (but you’ll need my email address, it’s equityofficer@muls.org.)

So please, don’t make me resort to ‘YES WE CAN’. Tell me how you would like the Equity Officer to address issues that directly affect you – financial, health, vocational or community – and you will be reaping the benefits.

We will all be at Macquarie studying law for half a decade; that’s a sizeable part of your life. If you think those years could be improved by a MULS position specifically designed to improve those years (cyclical I know), please email me and tell me how you think I, and the Equity Officers that follow me, can help.

Oh, by the way, equityofficer@muls.org.

 

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