The Campus Life leadership team (L-R): Pete Boyle, Maria Bennett, Peter Fasogiannis, Frances Olsen and Christian Renford. 

Campus Life, Campus Experience, Student Life … It can be a little confusing knowing who’s who in the zoo when it comes to the teams that make our campus a wonderful place to be. We asked Campus Life to tell us a bit more about them, and how they are embarking on their mission to “give life to our campus”.

Who are you?

Campus Life (trading as ‘U@MQ’) is a business entity of the University, supporting a variety of non-academic experiences for students and staff on campus.  We create a sense of belonging for both staff and students, providing an unforgettable experience during their time here at Macquarie.

How do you do it?           

We provide expert staff to ensure our communities are safe, inclusive and fun; and create and activate services, programs and partnerships within the University.

Our areas of responsibility include:

• Two on-campus childcare centres (Gumnut and Banksia).
• The Sport and Aquatic Centre.
• A variety of food and beverage outlets including Staff Café, Ubar, Globe Café, Library Café and Wally’s, as well as pop-ups like the famous soup kitchen (which will be coming again this winter).

What does your team look like?

We have approximately 560 permanent and casual staff in our team.  Our leadership team comprises:

• Pete Boyle – CEO
• Maria Bennett – GM, Programs and Partnerships
• Peter Fasogiannis – Business Manager, Campus Services
• Christian Renford – Venue Manager, Sport and Aquatics
• Frances Olsen – Manager, HR

Who do you most frequently work with?

The number and diversity of people and groups that we engage with is huge. Students, staff, Property, Library, Security, MUIC, national sporting bodies, local schools and sport clubs, the list goes on and on!

What are some recent achievements you’re proud of?

• The planning and delivery of our new Ubar in the Campus Common. It’s become a great social space that both staff and students are really attracted to, with fantastic food offerings. We’re so proud that Ubar was awarded ‘Best new or refurbished building or facility’ at last year’s national CampusLink awards.
• The Junior Science Academy Camp for deaf and hard of hearing children – a collaboration with Cochlear, the Australian Hearing Hub, and Parents of Deaf Children. It was so great for these kids to experience STEM in a more inclusive and exciting way.

Anything exciting on the horizon?

Plenty! Here are just a few:

• An upgrade of our sport fields precinct infrastructure to meet the expanding needs of our community and broader sport and recreation community
• Further offerings for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, including sport and learn to swim classes. We are also in the planning stages of a ‘healthy campus’ program, supported by Unisport and Sport AUS.
• We have outlet refurbishments planned, starting with Globe café in the second quarter of 2019 and Library Café in the third quarter of 2019. The upgrades will include increased seating, power outlets in the seating areas, new food items and visual enhancements.

Anything else?

We’re getting great staff feedback on our ‘Free Swim Tuesdays’. Staff get free pool entry on Tuesdays during Semester 1 (and don’t forget to grab your $1 coffee at Crunch afterwards!)

How can we engage with you?

Campus Life encourages any feedback or suggestions/ideas staff may have for us to improve our services or make our spaces more attractive for students and staff. Email us at campuslife@mq.edu.au.