Alumni in the community

Mind Games: Like Youth, University is Wasted on the Young

An entertaining debate between Baby Boomers and Generations X & Y, with the younger generation arguing the affirmative.

Duration: 1hr 23m
Please note: requires high speed LAN connection.

Professor Faith Trent, AM is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Humanities, Law and Theology at Flinders University, Adelaide. She has been a member of the senior executive at Flinders since 1991 when she became Professor of Education in the field of Curriculum. In 2003 Faith was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to education as an academic, as a contributor in the area of educational reform, and to the community, particularly in the areas of Indigenous and Multicultural Affairs. Her research interests include quality teaching and learning, education of boys, refugee academics, the role and impact of technology on learning and change in higher education.

Baby Boomer Team: Hon Steph Key MP, BA 1981 Flin
Steph is the member for Ashford and was formerly the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Youth and the Status of Women in South Australia. She has made social justice her life's work, tirelessly working for the less fortunate, particularly the disabled, the unemployed and those suffering work injuries. Steph received awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006 for her significant contribution to grass roots community services, social justice, and to Flinders University. Having left home and school at a young age, Steph worked as a waitress, cook, cleaner and clerk before gaining an Arts degree from Flinders University. Her working life has included many leadership roles in women's organisations and the labour movement, including the ACTU.

Peter Sandeman, BA 1980, BSocAdmin 1983, MSW 1996 Flin
Peter spent many "wasted" years at Flinders as General Secretary of the Students' Association, President of the Union and Editor of Empire Times. Peter's time was not entirely fruitless as he met Deb Tranter, then President of Clubs and Societies and afterwards President of the Union, and their union has produced both a current and a future Flinders student. So as the second generation (third generation Tranters!) moves onto the campus, they are terminally bored with their parent's recollections of the Registry occupation and mass movements along King William Street, although their music seems back in favour. So, whatever happened to the revolution isn't completely clear except to say the organising abilities of the boomers won't go to waste.

Ian Yates AM, BA 1972 Flin
Ian leads the Baby Boomer team in arguing that "university is not wasted on the young". He says that because he came to Flinders in 1968 at the tender age of 17, stayed 7 years, went away interstate and overseas, he came back to Flinders in 1990 with the former graduate organisation Convocation, and the Alumni Association, both of which he served as President of for a total of 10 years, and is still here! A former Student Representative Council President, anti-war campaigner, University Union Secretary and, incidentally, a BA graduate, Ian is now a University Council member, CEO of the Council on the Ageing, Deputy Chair of the Cancer Council, the Repatriation Hospital and the Council of Social Service, and is a member of many other organisations. He was made an AM in 2005 for being too busy for his own good.

Keryn James, BArchaeol (Hons) 2002 Flin
Keryn is a baby boomer who finally got the chance to go to university at Flinders at the age of 39. At that age and with 2 small children, 2 mortgages and a part-time job it seemed Flinders, situated on top of a hill, was a metaphor for her never-ending up-hill struggle. She was a boring student who worked hard and went home afterwards and did more work, but she was exhilarated by university life and being able to finally fulfil her dream of studying archaeology. After 8 years and First Class honours it was over, but she dreams of one day, somehow, being able to work in the field. Keryn has worked at the ABC for 25 years and is currently state producer of Gardening Australia. She's also about to head off to Iran to teach a workshop on Children's Television to young television producers at TV IRAN.

Gen X / Gen Y Team:

Gerry Considine (Flinders Student)
Gerry Considine is a troubled individual has always struggled with grammar? Thus, his first degree was Biomedical Science at Monash Uni. A particularly non-honourable, lab-based honours year followed in 2005. Gerard, as he is less commonly known, is currently studying postgraduate medicine in order to become a doctor in the same vein (sic) as Patch Adams. He will be a tutor next year at Flinders University Hall and hopes to increase the profile of performance, music and arts at the residence. He enjoys playing guitar, trying to be witty and writing in third person. Unfortunately, Gerry also barracks for Collingwood..

Jason Cotton, BSc (Hons) 1992 Flin
Jason's mum reckons he's always been an argumentative upstart, so is not surprised that he's taken to the debate today with fervour. She added that just because he's added heaps of value to Michells, ICI/Orica and now runs his own Innovation Consultancy in Melbourne and an Asian-based Management Training Company doesn't mean he's going to go anywhere. What's he on now, his third career! Organic Chemist one minute, training Chinese Managers the next! In typical Gen X fashion, all he's really interested is Cabernet Sauvignon and his next café latte.

Lejla Sarcevic (Flinders Student)
Lejla is currently studying Third Year Bachelor of Arts at Flinders University, and is a student member of the University Council. Now that the Student Union has been disbanded, she has more time for study. Until Voluntary Student Unionism began, she kept herself busy with various Student Union roles such as Women's Officer and Public Officer of the Students' Association. She was also a Board Member of the Flinders University Union as well as a member of a range of committees.

Aleecia Murray, BA 2002, LLB/LP 2003 Flin
Aleecia graduated from Flinders University of South Australia in 2002, with a Honours Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Women's Studies and Politics. She was an active student at Flinders, at one point she lived, studied, and worked on campus. After returning from a student exchange in Manchester to undertake her Honours year, Aleecia was talked into the unenviable role of coordinating the then Refugee Advocacy Centre. While she describes the experience of working with refugees as a "great privilege" she not,-so-surprisingly, says the experience of Woomera alone was a "prescription for a breakdown" not to mention it being taken in combination with writing an Honors thesis. She describes herself at this time as an angry, bitter student-come-lawyer whom "calmed down" with the formality of the appointment as the Associate to the Honourable Justice John Perry AO of the Supreme Court of South Australia. Aleecia then moved to private practice working primarily in employment law at Minter Ellison lawyers while moonlighting at The University of Adelaide teaching Corporate Law. During this time, she was awarded by the Law Council of Australia, the Australian Young Lawyer of the Year, for her work and contribution to the community and profession. This award was a first for South Australia and the Flinders Law School. In 2005, Aleecia travelled to Laos in South East Asia to run the Lawyers and Bar Association for the UN. She returned in February 2006 being instructed to "take it easy" after bouts of encephalitis and scrub typhus. Aleecia teaches at Flinders University, The University of Adelaide and at the Elizabeth TAFE. She continues to work on UN projects and with Flinders' Professor Suzanne Corcoran on a legal project for the States and Territories, compulsory motor accident schemes. In her spare time, Aleecia is involved in access to justice and rule of law projects, harassing her animals with too much love and cleaning up after herself.

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