COVID-19 College Update (as of 1 May 2020)

Principal’s Address To College

College COVID-19 Relief Fund

St Andrew’s College is aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a substantial economic impact on some families. In an effort to support eligible students, College will be offering financial assistance via a newly established St Andrew’s College COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Please visit our Scholarships page to access the application form and view the broad range of scholarships and financial assistance on offer.

Donations to the Fund

For those who wish to make a tax-deductible donation to this specific COVID-19 Relief Fund, please visit the Support St Andrew’s page or contact Director of Advancement, Hannah Atwell: via advancement@standrewscollege.edu.au or +61 2 9565 7303.

General Information

For general COVID-19 updates we encourage you to visit the NSW Health page for the most up-to-date and factual information.

Most Recent Letter From The Principal and Chair of Council

Dear Members of St Andrew’s College,

Since we last wrote, the 22 students who remain in College because they have no viable alternative have moved in to the new emergency accommodation in their respective “household” groups. We are deeply grateful for their patience and understanding as we work to settle these arrangements, just as we are for yours, as we now address the issue of financial implications.

As mentioned last week, the Council and Senior Executive Staff have been working to understand and minimise the financial impact of COVID-19 on all stakeholders while continuing to provide high quality online program services (including, for example, 140 subject tutorials, among many other initiatives) and retain our staff in order to be ready to open for Semester 2.

All residential students who have moved out of College will receive a fee reduction of 55% on Semester 2 fees. Other colleges that have announced rebates/discounts have offered a 30% to 50% reduction in semester fees. If the opening date for Semester 2 is delayed, we will continue to look for cost savings and aim to maximise the discount that we can pass on while sustaining the College’s financial position. Students in the non-residential program will receive a fee reduction of 20% on Semester 2 fees, reflecting that most of their fees pay for tutorial and other programs that are now offered on-line.

In recognising the economic and financial damage caused by COVID-19, the College will consider a higher level of relief based on need, to be assessed using our existing processes for consideration of necessitous circumstances and College financial capacity. Higher level relief will be provided from a newly-established ‘St Andrew’s College COVID-19 Relief Fund’. Details of the Fund, the option to contribute, and the mechanics of how the rebate we are offering will be applied, are contained in the COVID-19 Fee Reduction Fact Sheet. We also offer the opportunity for those who wish to make a tax-deductible donation of their fee reduction/rebate to the COVID-19 Relief Fund. The College’s Alumni Society has already made a generous donation to help launch the Fund.

The fee reduction of 55% in Semester 2 will see a reduction in revenue of $2.8 million. This equates to a 73% reduction in fees for the period College is closed over Semester 1: from the end of week five to the end of the semester. We have identified cost savings of $1.2 million over this period, including Commonwealth assistance. To this we add $1.6m from our retained earnings as the College’s commitment in sharing the financial burden with College families and enabling a $2.8m fee reduction. We have also deferred principal loan repayments on our new Thyne Reid link building.

We look forward to a return to College business as usual and hope that we can come together again in Semester 2, bringing the full power of collegial connection to our students’ university experience in a time of uncertainty. The strength of our community is its capacity and desire to remain in contact with each other; our shared joy can be found in the richness of that connection. We share the sentiments expressed by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, in her recent message to the Commonwealth, “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again”.

With best wishes in these challenging times,

Wayne Erickson (Principal) & Charlie Taylor (Chair of Council)