Aquinas College (University of Adelaide)

Aquinas College
Catholic Residential College
University of Adelaide
Location	North Adelaide
Motto	Lucere et Ardere (Latin)
Motto in English	To enlighten with knowledge and enliven with faith
Established	1950
Named for	St. Thomas Aquinas
Gender	Co-residential
Head	Br Michael Green FMS
President	Eliza Boulton
Residents	208
Website	www.aquinas.edu.au

Aquinas College is a Catholic Residential College for tertiary students to live at whilst studying at one of South Australia's three major tertiary institutions, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, and the University of South Australia.

History

Founded in 1950 by the Catholic Bishops of Adelaide and Port Pirie to provide services for country students attending the University of Adelaide, the College has since catered for students attending Flinders University, the various campuses of the South Australian College of Advanced Education institutions (CAE's), University of South Australia and the Institute of Technology students.

The campus is situated atop Montefiore Hill in North Adelaide. It overlooks both the Adelaide Oval, the Adelaide city centre and the Adelaide Hills. The statue of Light's Vision is situated opposite the college grounds.

The administration building and surrounding grounds were the residence of Sir Samuel Way, a South Australian legal practitioner, former member for Sturt, Attorney General, Chief Justice of South Australia and Lieutenant Governor of South Australia. Gleeson House was the former residence of the Darling family. Roche House was designed in 1904 for A. Earnest Ayers. Hannan and Beovich houses were constructed during the 1960s to meet the growing number of residents and to provide a then-modern style of living for residents. The late 2000s saw various refurbishments to these buildings, including the installation of cooling equipment in rooms and also the modernisation of bathroom facilities. Other buildings have been purchased or rented in the College's history, including one each on Strangways Terrace and opposite the College on the eastern side of Palmer Place.

Until the end of 2001, the College was administered by Jesuits, with a Rector and Chaplain living on the grounds. Fr Shannahan, an Eastern-States diocesan priest, assumed the duties of Rector between 2001 and 2004. With his departure, the Jesuit presence within the College concluded. From 2005 onwards, the College has been presided over by dedicated Catholic Heads of College, Mr. Sam Armstrong (2005) and Professor Denis Ralph. Three Marist Brothers arrived in 2006, and assist with the spiritual and pastoral life of the college.

Students entering the Hannan and Beovich Houses of the College see the College motto Lucere et Ardere over their heads, which means to enlighten with knowledge and enliven with faith (incidentally, also the motto for St Mark's College, Port Pirie).

Aquinas College is named in honour of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican medieval philosopher and teacher.

Aquinas College competes in an inter-college sport competition known as the High-Table Cup against the other residential colleges in Adelaide, their main rival being St. Mark's College. The College grounds house a multipurpose court and gymnasium (the former squash courts). During 2013/2014, there was construction on a second court next to the maintenance workshops.

In 2007 the property at 44 Jeffcott St., which was surrounded by the college on three sides, was purchased from the Anglican diocese of Adelaide. It is now the residence of the Marist Brothers who live and work at the College.

Staff

House Coordinators

The House Coordinators are a group of 10 senior students who assist with the social well-being and pastoral care of college. In an emergency, they are also responsible for liaising with fire or police personnel. University of Adelaide Security generally patrols the premises after hours and they work with the Coordinators over minor security incidents. Until 2006, the House Coordinators were known as House Tutors; the reason for the name change was because tuition was not the area which the Coordinators were responsible for. In 2007, Academic Tutors were created to aid the Dean of Studies in the academic aspects of the college.

Outside of Semester periods, a relief Coordinator is appointed to take general care of the college and is generally a current senior or trustworthy student.

Academic Tutors

The College provides tuition for all first year students in a range of studies. Hamish Peberdy and Amy Perin were appointed to the position of Senior Academic Tutors for the 2018 college year. It is their responsibility to liaison with the Assistant Dean of College (Dr Sarah Moller), and the academic tutors, to ensure first year students achieve the best results with their studies.

Outreach Coordinator

The Outreach Coordinator is responsible for assisting the Deputy Head of College in the management of the Outreach Programme. Every student residing at Aquinas College is required to give back to the community in a charitable capacity. A part of the Outreach Coordinators role is supplying students with various opportunities to do outreach work for charities, along with ensuring that each student is meeting the required hours of service for the college year.

The 2018 Aquinas College Outreach Coordinator is Matt Ballantyne.

Student Administration Officer

The Student Administration Officer provides administration support to the dean and assistant dean of Aquinas College. A couple of the roles of the student administration officer is organising academic panels for first year students, progress reviews for junior and senior students, and organising regular fire drills for the college. The 2018 Aquinas College Student Administration Officer is Mardi Isbel.

Student Club

The Student Club - of which all Aquinas students are members- is run by senior and junior students for the benefit of its members. Students pay a yearly fee and this income helps support the running of the Club and associated services. The responsibilities of the student club include:

• promoting the welfare of students
• working closely with College social and sporting committees and providing help during their events
• liaison between the College Administration and the student body
• maintenance of College equipment, such as gymnasium and sports equipment

External links

• Aquinas College Website

34°54′43″S 138°35′37″E / 34.911900°S 138.593658°E / -34.911900; 138.593658Coordinates: 34°54′43″S 138°35′37″E / 34.911900°S 138.593658°E / -34.911900; 138.593658