• Section 1 - Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities
• Part A - Preamble
• Part B - Students’ Rights
• Part C - Students’ Responsibilities

Section 1 - Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities

Part A - Preamble

(1) Our university is a community: in keeping with La Trobe University’s founding principles, its students, academics and staff pursue education, research and community work for the betterment of society. La Trobe University is a vital contributor to the communities with which it engages. The student rights and responsibilities enunciated in this document acknowledge this role and seek to ensure that the University and its related communities thrive and that its students experience and contribute to this outcome. 

(2) We believe that education is a right not a privilege. Education has social, personal, cultural and economic objectives and values, and the students at La Trobe University are equal partners in their education. La Trobe students and the University acknowledge and respect the reciprocity of their respective rights and obligations.

(3) Within the parameters of Australian law, every student is entitled to the rights set forth in this Charter, free from all forms of discrimination, including those based upon political conviction, religion, ethnic or cultural origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic standing and disability.

(4) In keeping with the principle of reciprocity, student responsibilities stand alongside these rights. It is the aim of institutions of higher learning to pursue the highest quality of education and research for the benefit of both the University community, the community at large and to protect the integrity of its awards. This charter recognises that higher education is a partnership between the University and its students, based upon principles of cooperation and development.

(5) This Charter embodies the core values and principles that we hold, as a community and in a partnership between students and the University: they celebrate the fundamental human right to education and the distinctive La Trobe experience.

Part B - Students’ Rights

(6) All Students Have the Right to:

1. Learning
   1. study in an environment that is free of any form of harassment and discrimination and to be treated with dignity and respect within the University Community;
   2. high quality teaching and supervision, and reasonable access to staff ;
   3. pursue their educational and career goals to the best of their ability, acknowledging that students have diverse circumstances and needs;
   4. accurate, timely and sufficient information regarding academic issues, enrolment, assessed work and administrative procedures in accordance with university policies;
   5. seek review of their assessments, according to the university’s procedures; 
   6. have access to appeal in all consequential decisions affecting their progress at the university, and to receive appropriate advice to support them in this process;
   7. be taught out of their current degree or other arrangements specified in policy, should their course undergo a change;
2. Representation
   1. access the governance structures and mechanisms of the university, appropriate to their needs;
   2. be represented by an independent and democratically elected student organisation that is formed by and for the students of La Trobe University;
   3. receive clear advice about their rights and responsibilities provided within policies, procedures and rules;
   4. be free from academic censorship, while observing lawful requirements;
   5. assemble and engage in peaceful protests and activism on University grounds;
3. Services
   1. access student support services, including independent advocacy; 
   2. access grievance procedures within the university;
   3. expect that confidentiality guidelines relating to their personal information, including academic progress, will be rigorously observed.

Part C - Students’ Responsibilities

(7) All Students Have the Responsibility to:

1. uphold their duties and responsibilities as outlined by this Charter and the relevant University legislation and policies;
2. be respectful of other’s rights, and ensure that they actively foster and support an environment that is safe and free from harassment and discrimination for all;
3. contribute to the sound functioning and maintenance of the University Community;
4. expect that their student organisation acts in the best interests of the students they represent;
5. be active partners with the University throughout their academic career;
6. uphold the commitments entailed in their courses and to raise any issues with the relevant university contact as soon as an issue arises;
7. produce honest work and promote scholarly integrity;
8. inform themselves about their progress and seek support if required;
9. make the best use of the technology and other resources available to them in the pursuit of their academic goals;
10. ensure that their contact details are up to date and to engage through the proper channels of communication with the University.