Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / CDU Vice Chancellor is rallying staff to help fund scholarships for people in Ukraine

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CDU Vice Chancellor is rallying staff to help fund scholarships for people in Ukraine · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now, in a first for the higher education sector in Australia,
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  Speaker 1: Charles Darwin University is supporting the people of Ukraine by
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  Speaker 1: announcing a new scholarship fund. The Charles Darwin University Ukrainian
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  Speaker 1: Assistant Scholarship will support Ukrainian humanitarian entrance to Australia, offering
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  Speaker 1: education scholarships to support their tuition fees as well as
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  Speaker 1: books and living expenses. Charles Darwin University's Vice Chancellor, Scott
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  Speaker 1: Bowman joins me on the line right now. Good morning
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  Speaker 1: to you, Scott.
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  Speaker 2: Hi, kdi Scott.
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  Speaker 1: It is being estimated that hundreds of thousands of families
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  Speaker 1: have been displaced by the Russian conflict in Ukraine. We
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  Speaker 1: know that life and education is going to be devastated
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  Speaker 1: for so many people. What exactly is it that CDU
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  Speaker 1: is offering here to the people of Ukraine.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look it's were you just so frustrated? I wrote
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  Speaker 2: about this on Friday to all the staff and then
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  Speaker 2: out of forum this week. Everyone is just absolutely devastated
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  Speaker 2: by what's happening in the Ukraine and wants to do
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  Speaker 2: something about that. There was an outpouring what can we
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  Speaker 2: do at the university and probably in the first instant,
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  Speaker 2: the best thing we thought we could do is we
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  Speaker 2: are going to have a lot of people turning up
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  Speaker 2: in Australia with nothing and be looking for education opportunities.
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  Speaker 2: So this is a chance if they come to the
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  Speaker 2: university to study a trade so hopefully one day they
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  Speaker 2: can go back and rebuild their country or stay in
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  Speaker 2: Australia or to do a degree. It's just how little
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  Speaker 2: tiny effort to try and do something.
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  Speaker 1: So who will the scholarship be open to and are
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  Speaker 1: they going to be eligibility requirements? How's it going to work?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So what we're saying now it's basically refugees that
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  Speaker 2: will be coming from the Ukraine. We've said for those
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  Speaker 2: on a humanitarian visa, but there might be others that qualify.
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  Speaker 2: When you know, we're not going to be you know,
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  Speaker 2: exclude anyone who is in need in this terrible situation.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, just imagine if we were invaded in Darwin
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  Speaker 2: and we all had to run to New Zealand and
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  Speaker 2: we all end up in New Zealand with absolutely nothing.
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  Speaker 2: You know, if anything that all of us can do
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  Speaker 2: I think will help. So yep, So at the moment
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  Speaker 2: we're saying, you know, people that are coming in as
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  Speaker 2: refugees that are coming out of the Ukraine.
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  Speaker 1: Now it's for them, and so how's it going to
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  Speaker 1: be funded? Talk us through how this is.
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  Speaker 2: Going to work. Well, our staff really want to get involved,
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  Speaker 2: and literally it opened up yesterday and I tried to
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  Speaker 2: get in first. I wanted to be the first one
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  Speaker 2: to donate, but I failed miserably. People are our staff
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  Speaker 2: are putting funds in and you know, they're put in
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  Speaker 2: substantial amounts, one hundred, two hundred and fifty five hundred dollars.
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  Speaker 2: And what we've said is that the university will match
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  Speaker 2: it dollar for dollar. So anything our staff put in,
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  Speaker 2: we will match it. We've also said, this community wants
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  Speaker 2: to put money in there, we can take this for
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  Speaker 2: these scholarships. We're not going to match that. So I
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  Speaker 2: suddenly had this cost Well, what if we have someone
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  Speaker 2: that really wants to put in two million dollars to help?
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  Speaker 2: Where am I going to find that money?
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  Speaker 1: Exactly?
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  Speaker 2: But very interestingly, Kadin, I just had an email from
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  Speaker 2: our student Bobs said, hey, look, you've put this up
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  Speaker 2: for staff, what about us? So you know, we go
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  Speaker 2: out and get our students involved in this as well.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's a fantastic thing to do, such a
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  Speaker 1: tremendous thing to do to support people who are going
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  Speaker 1: through such an incredibly difficult time. Scott, do you have
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  Speaker 1: many Ukrainian students at CDU.
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  Speaker 2: Now, we had a look at this. We've got somewhere
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  Speaker 2: between fifteen and twenty Ukrainian students, but they're not international students.
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  Speaker 2: They're domestic students, but their country of birth or country
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  Speaker 2: of origin is the Ukraine. They identify themselves as such.
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  Speaker 2: And interestingly, we have probably thirty to forty Russian students
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  Speaker 2: in the same boat. And you know, we're doing everythinking
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  Speaker 2: we can in the university. We don't want any negativity
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  Speaker 2: towards Russian people. You know, Russian people are being killed
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  Speaker 2: in this. We've got an absolute madman who is sending
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  Speaker 2: his own people to their death in the Ukraine and
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  Speaker 2: killing the Ukrainians. So this isn't against Russia, and it's
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  Speaker 2: definitely not against the Russian people, but it is against
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  Speaker 2: this absolute I'm trying really difficult not to swear on
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  Speaker 2: your show. This man.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's really it's so heartbreaking to see, you know,
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  Speaker 1: it's it's utterly devastating when you see that vision flow
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  Speaker 1: through on the news and on social media, and you
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  Speaker 1: hit the nail on the head there. You know, you've
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  Speaker 1: got Russian people who are on the streets protesting against
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  Speaker 1: this as well. And I think we all understand what
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  Speaker 1: it can be like going against your government in a
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  Speaker 1: country like Russia, but there are people taking to the
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  Speaker 1: streets saying this is not okay.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, just well, the bravery we're seeing everywhere, the bravery
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  Speaker 2: we're seeing in Russia to stand up to the dictator,
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  Speaker 2: the you know, absolutely mind blowing what we're seeing in
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  Speaker 2: Ukraine itself. You know, men women just you know, defending
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  Speaker 2: their country. You know, the president, you know what a
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  Speaker 2: what a symbol of leadership. You know, an ordinary guy
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  Speaker 2: a few years ago was a comedian on TV. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: but come and see how it comes the person. And
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  Speaker 2: look what this guy is doing.
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  Speaker 1: It's yeah, it is unbelievable to see the way that
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  Speaker 1: he is. He's you know, when the Americans said, look,
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  Speaker 1: we can provide you that support and get you out
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  Speaker 1: of the country, and he's like, no way, I'm staying
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  Speaker 1: here with my people. It was It's quite amazing to
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  Speaker 1: watch a.
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  Speaker 2: Look that that just puts them into history forever. You know,
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  Speaker 2: you know, with the great and history, but just that
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  Speaker 2: one statement and then you know, to be out on
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  Speaker 2: the streets saying look I'm here. Yeah, just mind blowing.
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  Speaker 2: I think we can all be inspired by him and
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  Speaker 2: inspired by the hurricane Ukrainian people. But what this madman
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  Speaker 2: is going to do? Goodness know?
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  Speaker 1: So Scott obviously you know you mentioned that that Territorians
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  Speaker 1: can get involved and make a donation as well if
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  Speaker 1: they want to when it comes to these these scholarships
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  Speaker 1: or to support tuition fees as well as books and
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  Speaker 1: living expenses. If people do want to find out a
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  Speaker 1: bit more information, where can they head to look?
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  Speaker 2: Just come to our website, Google CDU or Charles Darwin University.
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  Speaker 2: You'll find a very very quickly you can find where
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  Speaker 2: this appeal is. I mean it's a big weekless. We've
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  Speaker 2: also got another appeal running for points and a new
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  Speaker 2: new South Wales. Our staff are really being jenerous, but
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  Speaker 2: yeah you can. You can find it there. And I
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  Speaker 2: should say that if if there is any money in
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  Speaker 2: there left when we have gone through all of this,
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  Speaker 2: it will all go towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Nothing
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  Speaker 2: will come to the university.
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  Speaker 1: No good, Stuffy. Any idea how much you raised so far?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I haven't, but I literally tried to get on
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  Speaker 2: you know, within half an hour, and within half an
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  Speaker 2: hour it was about thousand dollars. But I can get
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  Speaker 2: back to you on that more today.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Will starts out, well, I really appreciate your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning. Well done to the UNI on this. I
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  Speaker 1: think it's a really great initiative.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks very much, Katie, and always good to talk to you.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you.