Life beginning at 40 for our postgraduates
 Achievement
The Adelaide ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ Postgraduate Students' Association (AUPGSA) recently celebrated 40 years of looking after the best interests of our future researchers and academics. The Association, an affiliate of the Adelaide ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ Union, was founded on April 8, 1965. Newly elected AUPGSA President Felicity Rai has been involved with the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide since the late 1990s and is studying for her PhD in Asian Studies. Felicity said the initial AUPGSA membership of 55 had increased to more than 5500 students who were enrolled in PhD, Masters, Graduate Diploma and Honours programs. "They're the future academics, particularly as the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide is part of the Group of Eight research-intensive universities," she said. "If these students are comfortable and content within the university, this will impact positively on their abilities to research and break new academic ground which, in turn, will raise the profile of the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide both here and overseas. "It will attract more international students to the university for both the academic and wonderful campus culture." Felicity said three of the AUPGSA's five executive positions were held by international students, with such students welcomed and now making up half of the association's membership. She said the association's original roles of disseminating information to postgraduate students on relevant issues, promoting academic and social contact between these students, representing their interests on boards and committees across the university and in the wider community, and campaigning for improvements to postgraduate student life had not altered over four decades. Postgraduate students came together at the beginning of May for the 40th birthday celebrations, which coincided with the AUPGSA elections and a referendum which led to the adoption of a new constitution. Story and photo by Lisa Toole
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