Flinders Living

Principal

James Atkinson is the Principal, Flinders Living providing leadership and management of University Hall and Deirdre Jordan Village.  James has postgraduate qualifications in public administration, higher education and student affairs, and management. He has worked in residential colleges and halls in Queensland, New South Wales and the United States of America for thirty years. Together with his wife and three children, James lives in the Principal’s Residence located adjacent to University Hall.

Deputy Principal

Andrea Rohde is the Deputy Principal and is the senior staff member with responsibility for student welfare and support. A registered Mental Health Social Worker with over 20 years of experience as a practitioner, Andrea coordinates the Division’s student development and support programmes, providing our students with appropriate referrals to service providers either within the University or externally where appropriate.

Each year, following a competitive selection process, the University appoints a team of Residential Tutors (University Hall) and Residential Coordinators (Deirdre Jordan Village). For residents, these are your “go to” people. They support the residents within their area of responsibility to settle in, connect with fellow residents, and participate in a wide range of community-based activities.

In the Hall, all residents are members of the Flinders University Hall Residents’ Club, Incorporated. Each year, the Hall residents elect a House Committee of their peers to manage the affairs of the Club. The House Committee includes the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, First Year Representatives, International Student Representative and Sports, Social, Arts, Publicity, Transport, Technical and Merchandise, and Catering Officers.

Anchor is another residents’ club within the Hall, the goal of which is to increase cultural events and inclusivity within the residential community. The club has an executive of three elected members and other students from year levels, interests and backgrounds.

In the Village, coordination of social, sporting and cultural activities is undertaken by the Residential Coordinator Team.

The O'Week programs for University Hall and Deirdre Jordan Village run parallel to the campus-wide orientation program. Our programs include a broad range of information sessions, social and sporting activities and events to ensure your first week living on-campus is both informative and fun.

Flinders Living Orientation week dates for 2025

• Semester 1 - Saturday, 22 February to Sunday, 2 March 2025
• Semester 2 - Sunday, 27 July to Friday, 1 August 2025

Our Semester 1 2025 Orientation Week programmes will be published in the week commencing Monday, 10 February 2025.  In the meantime please find below our 2024 programmes.

If you're unsure whether you would prefer catered or self-catered accommodation, read on for more details.

Catered

If you would like catered accommodation you will live in our collegiate-style residence, University Hall.

Our dining room serves three meals (breakfast, packed lunch, dinner) Mondays through Fridays. Toast, spreads and beverages are offered throughout the day.

Our residents live busy lives on the weekends so our dining room is closed. They may be off-campus playing sport, working part-time jobs, visiting family or friends, or heading into the city or to the beach. Sometimes, they even like to sleep in late. This being the case, they like the freedom of being able to source their own meals wherever they are. If they are in the Hall on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, our residents will cook for themselves using the well-equipped kitchenettes conveniently located down the corridor in each area.

Our weekly food cost is currently $148.00 per week (including GST) which translates to around $9.86 for each of those 15 meals.

That’s exceptional value for money. Think about how much time it would take you to plan your weekly meals, go out and purchase your ingredients, cook them up and, don’t forget, do the washing up!  In the Hall this is all done for you!

Our residents really appreciate the service provided by our catering partners CaterCare Australia.  Here’s what some of our residents told us earlier in the year:

• The food is really good and the staff are friendly and kind.
• I cannot fault CaterCare. They should be congratulated on all aspects of their cooking and service.
• I really enjoy how Friday especially feels like a special day as represented by the food we receive for dinner. I quite like how the hot breakfasts are spread throughout the week.
• The CaterCare team always lifts us up, brightening up our evenings. They are a lovely bunch of people and we are fortunate to have them catering for us.

Self-catered

If you would like to cater for yourself you’ll live in either a two or three-bedroom townhouse or a three, five or six bedroom unit. You’ll share the common kitchen space with your unit mates and be expected to contribute equally to the cleaning.

You may prefer the self-catered style if you really enjoy cooking for yourself or with your unit mates, have significant allergies which may be more difficult to manage in a larger setting, or will be spending significant time away from campus at meal times.

It’s a lifestyle that gives you a little more independence and freedom when it comes to your meals.

Residents of University Hall and Deirdre Jordan Village enjoy unlimited 24/7 access to the Alan Mitchell Sports Centre including the Weights and Cardio Rooms, Ladies Only Gym and selected group fitness classes from 1 February to 31 January the following year.

To take advantage of this benefit, on arrival collect your Verification of Current Residency Status form from Flinders Living Administration, complete the online Flinders Sport and Fitness application and then take your Student ID Card to Reception, Alan Mitchell Building to confirm your details and have your Student ID Card programmed for 24/7 Access.

If you wish to have access to Reformer/Rejuvenate Classes or The Bunker you can purchase a discounted up-front three-month membership or a direct, no contract, no joining fee membership for these services.  Please visit Flinders Sport and Fitness during office hours for details.

The cost of on-campus parking is in additional to residents’ accommodation fees.

Residents have exclusive use of Car Parks 11 (fenced area), 17 and 19.  You are also able to park in Car Park 22 but this is not exclusive for residents. 

Comprehensive information on the University’s parking system is available at the following URL:

https://www.flinders.edu.au/campus/bedford-park/parking

Residents’ Permits

Residents should obtain a vPermit (a virtual parking permit) at the following URL:

https://vpermit.com.au/flinders

Parking for Visitors

Outside of the regulated parking hours (see above) the closest car parks are the unfenced section of Car Park 11 (Hall and Annex Units) and 22 (Deidre Jordan Village).

During the regulated parking hours (Mondays to Fridays, 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.), there are two ways your visitor may buy visitor parking:

• Use the parking machines located in Car Parks 2, 4, 5, 6 7, 9, 13 and on the eastern side of University Drive adjacent to Sturt Oval; or
  
• Use CellOPark, the University’s online parking system, details about which may be found at the following URL:

https://www.cellopark.com.au

In supporting your son or daughter’s choice to live with us Flinders Living, we believe you’ve made an excellent decision. And, it’s not just us. Research shows that when compared to students who live off-campus, students who live in residence tend to be more successful in their academic endeavours, have increased self-confidence and develop stronger life skills.

Living on-campus is a natural opportunity for your son or daughter to become connected to the rich community at Flinders. Year after year, our residents tell us that living on-campus helps them to be more successful students, feel part of university life more quickly and build exciting friendships with other students from Australia and around the world.

Your Accommodation Agreement with the University, Schedule of Fees (PDF) and the Flinders Living Handbook provide you with a reference to the ethos, policies, administration and facilities at Flinders.

As a resident you can be assured that you will not be subjected to any hazing or initiation rites during your time with Flinders Living.

We believe that communities are not built on illegal or inappropriate behaviours, fear of exclusion, ridicule, harassment and the like. They are built on acceptance and inclusion of all residents and we look to our more senior residents to be guides and role models for our commencing residents.

We want you to have a smooth transition to university life. Find out how we help you through that, including details about when to arrive, what to bring etc.

• Reapplying for accommodation
• Reporting routine maintenance issues
• Registering an overnight guest
• Making payments on your account
• Purchasing merchandise or event tickets from our online store