The state of IT at USQ

So, getting to the second post for the blog has taken a little longer than anticipated as there’s been a few things going on, putting it on the backburner…

As part of my studies at the University of Southern Queensland, a peer and I have sought to start an official society for IT students. Namely, USQ IT Students’ Network. Our initial vision for this group has been to initiate a real sense of community amongst those studying this discipline, while allowing them to make connections in collaboration. Having used the Discourse platform before, and loved it – in communities such as MITIE – I was keen to set one of these up as a base platform for this new community. Fortunately the guys (legends!) over at Discourse were kind enough to offer us education pricing so we won’t have to worry about self-hosting, upkeep, etc.

We’ve sought to primarily launch this community from an existing USQ IT Students Facebook group. We had the go-live on the Discourse forum almost a week ago, so its been great to start to see the community building as discussions take place. In the coming weeks we’re formalising the USQITSN with our first AGM. Once we’ve adopted a constitution and elected executive members, we’re then able to officially affiliate with USQ and be eligible for funding, partner advertising and the like. Excited to see where this community goes! Keep an eye on this blog (or subscribe!) for updates on projects and events as we go along.

In the last few weeks I’ve also been appointed a voluntary student representative position at USQ. As part of this role I sit on the Advisory Board of Study and offer feedback on the Area of Information Technology. This is a new role for me so I’m excited to see where it leads. Again, keep an eye on the blog to come along on the journey with me. With the combination of this role and the USQITSN, I’m keen to see where we’re able to take IT at USQ. Stay tuned for more!