Wellbeing @ Monash and Monash Sport newsletter – August 2015
Browse the Timeout newsletter for information on what’s new in Wellbeing at Monash. Read about the latest Wellbeing and Monash Sport events, services and activities.
For information about latest events, special offers, discounts, and news, subscribe to the newsletter by emailing wellbeing@monash.edu
In the August edition:
- Wellbeing events and news
- Monash Sport news and offers
- TeamMONASH news
- Employee benefits and discounts
Wellbeing Events and News
Monash R U OK Day? Thursday 10th September, every conversation counts
Monash is proud to be a program partner of 2015 R U OK? Day. R U OK? Day is a national day of action that reminds us that every person and every conversation counts. Building a caring and suicide alert community is everybody’s business.
We can all have bad days but when bad days become months or years, some can lose hope.
This is why Monash has a university-wide mental health strategy for our staff and students. An important part of this strategy is education, mental health promotion and early intervention.
How your department can get involved:
- Encourage staff to register for safeTALK, suicide awareness training (3.5 hour course)
- Invite your mental health first aid ambassador to speak at your staff meeting
- Organise an introductory Mental Health Awareness seminar for your staff
- Put on an event eg. Yellow food morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, lunchtime walk
- Promote the range of mental health services and resources available to staff
- Organise team building activities (e.g. a sport or dance competition)
- Include promotion in your newsletters, Facebook pages, webpages etc.
- Incorporate yellow into your outfit
- Share Monash mental health resources (see flyers and posters online)
- Provide paper speech bubbles for people to write their tips for having an open and post on a communal wall
- Allocate time for people to call a friend or family member during work hours
For more information and copies of flyers, and posters, please contact clare.swanson@monash.edu
Get warm this winter with our SWAP classes
No motivation? Finding it too cold to exercise? Well, why not grab a few of your colleagues and participate in one of the many SWAP classes available at our Clayton and Caulfield campuses. The classes include pilates, yoga, boxing and more. In addition, two new classes Tummy, Hips and Thighs (THT) and Studio Cycle have also been scheduled. To find out which classes are available on your campus, including dates and times, please visit our website.
Get Ready to Step Out
Registrations for the Monash 2015 10,000 Steps Challenge will open shortly.
This year our virtual destination will be going global and covering the beautiful country of Italy!
The challenge will commence on Monday October 26th and will launch with the Global Walk/Run to motivate walkers.
Keep an eye out to register your team(s) soon!
Women’s Mental Health- It’s getting tougher
In today’s society women are often disadvantaged in comparison to men. In the most developed economies in the world, women earn less money than men, do more unpaid carer work and often experience more mental health problems. These factors and many more including social pressures and family life can impact on the mental health of women.
Professor Jayashri Kulkarni is an internationally renowned expert and is a high profile advocate for women’s mental health. She will be delivering a public lecture at AMREP Lecture Theatre, Alfred Hospital on Friday, 9 October 2015. Further information on the lecture can be found here
BikeShare Scheme in Motion
The Monash BikeShare Scheme is an exciting new initiative giving all students and staff access to a new fleet of share bikes on the Clayton campus.
Members who register before 7 August will get a 50% discount on their membership. Alternatively, you can trial the bikes for free between prior to the 7 August.
How will it work?
The bikes can be booked online or through the downloadable app and will be available for use by anybody at a low cost. When you sign up to become a member you will be issued a pin to use when locking and unlocking the smart, comfortable and convenient bikes. For your convenience helmets will be attached to the bikes.
There will be a wide range of membership types available to suit specific usage needs including: pay-as you go, semester and annual memerbships
To register, download the app, or find out more click here.
The recipe for health and happiness in Australia
The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, a long-term annual study of nearly 20,000 Australians, has teased out many revealing details about the things that we believe keep us happy and healthy.
Being a good neighbour, a non-smoker, a hard worker and a regular exerciser are just some of the things that apparently make us happier and healthier.
In an article dated the 15th July in The Age newspaper, the survey did yield a few surprising answers to some of important questions in life like ‘Do Australians think working long hours is really bad for your happiness?’
Some of the key points to creating a healthier and happier you include:
- Exercising every day
- Not smoking
- Being a workaholic
- Living in a small town, not a major city
- Getting to know your neighbours
- Being a manager or sales worker
To read the full article on what makes us happier and healthier, click here
Daffodil Day- Let’s Beat Cancer
This Daffodil Day, why not get involved to support those who are affected by cancer.
- You can order a merchandise box and place it in a prominent position,
- Hold a ‘yellow’ event by organising your very own healthy Daffodil Day breakfast, guest speaker, auction, raffle, competition or other fundraiser.
- Make it a ‘yellow’ day by asking staff to wear yellow for a donation.
For more information visit http://daffodilday.com.au/get-your-work-involved
Monash Sport news and offers
Friday Night Freeze!
As a part of WinterFest, Monash Sport will be hosting Friday Night Freeze on Friday 7 August at Clayton Campus. The event will host a range of festivities including music, food trucks and stalls, fireworks and live sporting matches by our Soccer and Football Clubs.
Or you could take a turn down the Ice Slide (or watch your friends, colleagues or family take a dip) whilst raising money for Motor Neuron Disease, test your competitive spirit in a game of snowball dodgeball, or meet some of the Melbourne Victory’s star players! There will be plenty of options for everyone.
Registrations are open now for those who’d like to take a turn down the Ice Slide via the CureMND website, or support a friend. Registrations are also open to compete in Snow Dodgeball here. So come down, enjoy the festivities and help us raise money to cure MND.
See our website for more information!
Monash Games Wrap Up
Monash Games 2015 certainly lived up to the previous years expectations. Healthy and high quality competition was evident in what was a great display of numerous sports over three days. Teams consisted of both previous years participants and those who had never competed before. Not having enough members for a team was no deterrent this year with participants taking to social media to find other willing individuals who wanted to play in the games without teams.
The Games once again supported Ronald McDonald House and over $400 was raised for this valuable cause. 52 teams participated in the event featuring over 400 staff and students. Monash Sports Peanut Butter Delly Time took out the gold in the staff basketball competition while returning champions eSolutions took out the Gold in both the Indoor Soccer and Mixed Netball. Persian Gulf are the new reigning champions of the Volleyball Open. A detailed list of results can be found here.
New Group Fitness Timetable Out Now!
With all your old favourites as well as brand new classes there’s something for everyone on the new timetable. Timetables are available on our website.
ARV Awards Win
On the back of our Platinum Pool accreditation for the Doug Ellis Pool, Monash Sport has won the Health Club of the Year Award at this year’s Aquatics and Recreation Victoria Awards. The Health Club of the Year Award as well as our shortlisted nomination for the Facility Management Award and our Platinum Pool accreditation is indicative of the overall commitment of both Fitness Centre and Pool staff in providing excellent services and features to their members.
The video applications to these awards can be viewed through the links below.
- Health Club Award – http://youtu.be/q-7jLnbOMXI
- Facility Management Award – http://youtu.be/N6FIlJq29SA
Facility Closures
The refurbishments to our Recreation Hall Floor and Variable Pool are well and truly underway and looking good. Despite unforeseen circumstances pushing the finish date for the Recreation Hall Floor out to the 21st of August it has been progressing well. Both projects are due to be completed in late August and should signal the end of refurbishments for a time.
We want your feedback!
In order to build the best team, we all need to work together. Please let us know your thoughts on any of our programs, SWAP, Group Fitness, etc via our online feedback system. Let’s kick some goals together!
Water Wise Program Launched
Last year alone 266 people drowned in Australia, with the highest risk group being 25-34 year olds. Monash recognised that whilst many students have been brought up learning how to swim, others may have come from remote areas without access to swimming facilities or programs preventing them from learning this life saving skill.At the beginning of this year the Water Wise program was launched as a fully funded learn to swim program. It is open to all current Monash University students, teaching them swimming skills to a beginner level. The initiative was designed to increase the water safety and swimming ability of Monash Students.
We believe that by increasing the number of students with the ability to swim we can help reduce the incidence of drowning. Funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fee, since it’s launch date in January more than 450 students have signed up to this valuable program, with numbers increasing every week.
To find out more click here.
TeamMONASH news
Southern University Games Recap
From the 5-9 of July more than 1800 student athletes across Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia headed down to Adelaide to compete in the Southern University Games (SUG). Since it’s inception in 1991 the SUGs have been renowned for providing a friendly but competitive environment for student athletes from all over Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Despite the dreary weather, students turned up ready to play and had some fantastic results in the games, taking home on of the top three spots in nearly every sport Monash participated in.
Monash took home first place sports in the Men’s Hockey and Men’s Cross Country. We also took second place wins in Men’s Futsal, Men’s Squash, Women’s Futsal, Mixed Touch as well as Ultimate Frisbee and ranked third in Lawn Bowls.
The Southern University Games has been a fantastic start to the University Games calendar for 2015 and we hope our teams are just as successful at the Australian University Games later this year (September 27 – October 2).
World University Games
From 3-14 July students from across Australia competed in the World University Games in Gwanju, Korea. The World University Games is the second biggest mulit-sporting event behind the Olympic Games and is an incredibly achievement for students to be selected to compete. Four Monash students were selected to represent Australia at the World University Games.
Nneka Okpala competed in the Women’s Triple Jump coming 8th overall after qualifying 6th for the final. Aimee Clydesdale was in the Women’s Basketball team that came 5th. The team only lost one of their six games throughout the entire tournament to Japan in the Quarter Finals. Christopher Perrot was in the Men’s Water Polo team who ranked 7th in the World University Games. Ann-Louise Slee represented Australia in the Badminton team and competed in mixed doubles, women’s doubles and the individual Australian teams. The Australian team ranked 21st, while her partnership of Slee/Tam in the Women’s double came 27th and her partnership of Slee/Vuong in the mixed doubles came 24th.
Additional mentions need to be made for Edward Denis – the coach of the Australian Women’s Water Polo team that won one of the four Gold Medals Australia received in the tournament. Edward is a Monash graduate and an inductee in Monash University’s Sports Hall of Fame!
Melbourne Marathon – participate with TeamMONASH!
The Melbourne Marathon is an exciting event for participants of all ages and fitness levels. There are running and walking opportunities ranging from 3km up to 42.195km. All events will start from Batman Avenue (150m north of Rod Laver Arena entrance); Melways Ref 2G A7 and finish outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Event date: Sunday 18 October, 2015
Before and after the event you can ‘hang out’ with other TeamMONASH™ participants in our marquee which also offers face painting and a free massage service provided by Recover Sports Medicine. TeamMONASH™ has entered a team in the Melbourne Marathon every year since 2006.
To register or for more information, please see our website.
WinterFest
In the second week of Semester 2, Clayton Campus will be transformed into a winter wonderland for our first ever WinterFest event. The festival will offer plenty of activities for everyone including music and comedy performances, theatre shows, live sport, a family movie night and light shows. There will be plenty of delectable offering from a mouth-watering selection of food trucks each night as well as a night market taking place on the Wednesday night.
Don’t forget to check it out! Details can be found here.
Volunteering at Monash
Volunteering at Monash is a brand new online system that is set up to match students with thousands of Volunteering opportunities both internal and external to Monash.
Operated by the team at “Careers, Leadership and Volunteering”, opportunities range from getting involved in the TeamMONASH Support Crews, or becoming an Open Day Ambassador to joining your local Neighbourhood Watch. Launched in March this year the program already has over 400 students registered with numbers continually increasing.
The program offers you the opportunity to advertise your own volunteering opportunities via the website or you can send it around to your own students. To get involved click here.
Alternately, if you’re looking to volunteer, we also have a great opportunity for staff to volunteer with the St Kilda Football Club. Staff, students an alumni can get involved in the fun of an AFL match day. You can bring a friend of two, and each of you will get a free ticket to each game you volunteer at, some merchandise and the opportunity to get involved in the pre-game activities in and amongst the crowd. For more information or to register your interest, click here.
Volunteering is a rich and rewarding experience for Monash University Staff.
Employee benefits and discounts
Monash staff have access to a great range of employee benefits and discounts including accommodation, travel, travel insurance, airport parking and car hire and plenty more.
Read more information about the range of employee benefits and staff discounts
Peppers and Mantra Queensland hotel special offers
Staff have access to the exclusive Departure Lounge with discounted rates at selected Peppers,
Mantra and BreakFree properties throughout Australia, Bali and New Zealand.
To read more about these and other August specials view the discounts flyer here.For pricing, availability and to book visit Departure Lounge and enter the password: monashstaff
Rates are best when searching for 3 night+ stays. If you have any reservations enquiries, email departurelounge@mantragroup.com.au.
Join Medibank and get two months of GymBetter for free!
Join Medibank Corporate & Extras cover by August 15 and get 2 months GymBetter for free. With over 600 gyms in the network, GymBetter provides access to participating gyms including Goodlife Health Clubs, Fernwood Fitness and YMCA nationwide. Once your 2 months free is up, you can continue to use GymBetter at the member’s price. Plus, as a Monash University employee you also get an ongoing discount on corporate cover.
Medibank’s Corporate health cover makes it easier for you to get the most from your extras.
- Use your extras how you want with a combined limit on included extras, If you need lots of physio, use it all on physio. They’re your extras, use them your way.
- Claim anywhere. With Medibank Corporate cover, you can claim back at any recognised provider you like, on included extras.
- 100% back on optical. Medibank Corporate cover will reimburse you for 100% of your optical cost, up to your annual limit.
For more information visit the website
Join BUPA and enjoy the benefits
We understand that illness can strike at anytime including when your GP is not available – like on weeknights, weekends, and public holidays. That’s why, as part of Bupa’s commitment to caring for our members we’re giving you access to After Hours Plus from National Home Doctor Service.
If you’re unwell after hours you can book a bulk billed home visit from National Home Doctor Service, and as a Bupa health insurance member you will be treated as an After Hours Plus patient. This means you can be supplied medications from a list of commonly required antibiotics and other medications on the spot, at no cost so treatment can begin immediately. Usually $59 per year, as a Bupa member, you’ll get complimentary access to After Hours Plus.
For information and pricing on the Monash BUPA program, visit the BUPA Corporate webpage and enter:
- Username: monashuni
- Password: healthplan
Other discounts available to staff include:
- Andrew’s Airport Parking – 20% discount for staff, 15% for family
- Avis car hire – reduced excess and 3rd day of weekend rentals free
- BUPA Optical – 20% off sunglasses and lenses
- BMW & Mini Corporate Program – complimentary scheduled servicing for 4 years / 60,000km, use of a BMW during scheduled servicing, corporate pricing, reduced dealer delivery charges
- Convenient Kitchen home delivery meals
- Lite n’ Easy – 7 day meal pack discount
- Travel insurance – special rates for staff