Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman hopes efforts that improve community safety are part of the legacy that Sifat leaves behin

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CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman hopes efforts that improve community safety are part of the legacy that Sifat leaves behin · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, as you have heard on the show this morning,
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: we know that a service was held yesterday for Charles
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Darwin University student Ishfaqwa Rockman, also known as Safat, following
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: on from his alleged murder and a violent home invasion
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: last week. Now, the tragic loss of life has left students,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: staff and the broader community shaken. Joining me on the
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: line to give us a bit of an update on
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: how the student community are going at this point is
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Scott Bowman, who is indeed Charles Darwin University's Vice chancellor.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, professor.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: How are you and the staff and students holding up
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: at this point?
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: Oh? Look, it was an incredibly traumatic week last week
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  Speaker 2: and as you just said, yesterday there were prayers and
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: a funeral sem ceremony at the mosque, so it was
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: really tough. I think the students that we're most worried
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: about are that's housemates that were there at the time
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: and found him. You know, they are really traumatized, but
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: we're doing everything we can to help them, and then
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: it kind of ripples out people that new see Fadda.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: But really the whole student body is pretty shaken up
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: and as you know, Okadi, we're a small university and
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: you know, everyone knows everyone else, so the staff, you know,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: know the students by name, and you know, it's really
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: shaken them as well.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: I think it's shaken the whole community, the whole of Darwin.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: I think that you know, everybody is just reflecting today
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  Speaker 1: and following on from what happened last week and thinking,
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  Speaker 1: you know, how can this young man's how are this
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: young man's parents coping? How are his housemates coping over
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: something that is just so such senseless, unnecessary violence.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: I think you're right, and that's why, you know, everyone's
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: kind of grips. I've been around international education for over
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  Speaker 2: thirty years and you know, very sadly, we have had
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  Speaker 2: students that have died while they've been in Australian universes
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  Speaker 2: from overseas. I've dealt with some car accidents and a
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: young guy falling down the waterfall and a drowning, and
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: they were terrible. But this is, I don't know, this
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: feels very different. You know, this guy was asleep in
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: his own bed, attacked in his bed, and I think
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  Speaker 2: we can all relate. That's when you're at the most
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  Speaker 2: vulnerable but also when you think you're at your safest
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  Speaker 2: in your bed, you know, that's terrible. And then last week,
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: the more we were hearing about this young man, the
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: more tragedy he got. Is his parents. He's an only child.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: His parents had him quite laid in life, and they
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: weren't well enough. His father had just had open answers
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  Speaker 2: he so could and returned get over to Australia in time.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: So yeah, it just seems yeah, it really has shaken everyone.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: It truly has. And Scott, I know that you and
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  Speaker 1: you know, former students, former international students at charles Dale
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: and University and staff at the university. I've been fortunate
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: to you know, to MC for the UNI at different
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: times some wonderful events for fundraising for international students and
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  Speaker 1: really you know, had gained a better understanding of how
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  Speaker 1: wonderful so many of them have found it to study
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: at charles Dale and University. So to think that something
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: like this could happen, I'm assuming that everybody is not
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: only heartbroken, but wondering how you sort of go about
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: recovering to be able to continue to do that, to
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: try to entice people to come to the Northern Territory.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, that's an issue, but I just but what
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: you're saying is quite creat I mean we often talk
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  Speaker 2: about international students as a group and we talk about
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  Speaker 2: how we're going to increase their international students in Darwin.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, they're not a group. They're individuals. You know,
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  Speaker 2: trap any international student on the shoulder and have a
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: five minute conversation and you just find out these are
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  Speaker 2: incredible people. They're people that have got on a plane,
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: traveled to the different side of the planet to study
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  Speaker 2: in the language which isn't their first language, to come
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  Speaker 2: into a completely different culture, and they've got all the
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: hopes and dreams of young people that young people do.
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  Speaker 2: That they're incredible people and I know that you've met
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  Speaker 2: many of them. So yeah, look it does make it hard,
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  Speaker 2: but look, I still think Australia has got a lot
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  Speaker 2: to offer international students and I think the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 2: and Charles Darwin, you know, can offer students absolutely incredible experience.
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: We've got to do something about safety, you know, we're
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  Speaker 2: looking at what we can do in the university to
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  Speaker 2: improve safety. And you know, although there's a fundraising and
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: we're raising funds for a scholarship or whatever. The legacy
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  Speaker 2: of this young man's see, perhaps death has got to
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  Speaker 2: be more safety for not just students, but for everyone
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  Speaker 2: really in the territory.
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  Speaker 1: I think you're spot on, Scott. Tell me what support
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: is being offered to his housemates and the other international
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  Speaker 1: students at this point in time, who I've no doubt
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: are feeling really shaken.
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah, So for those three guys that are incredibly traumatized,
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  Speaker 2: we've moved them into accommodation on the campus, so they're
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: in International House, and the staff down at International House
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: are really keeping a close eye on them. But we
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: are also giving them support from our counsel and staff,
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: and you know, the community. We saw the worst of
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: what could happen last week, but we also saw the best.
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  Speaker 2: The community has reached out, you know, the hospital, the
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  Speaker 2: psychiatrists and psychologists and grief counselors at the hospital have
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: reached out, and so we really put in a lot
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  Speaker 2: of support from them. The police have been fantastic. They've
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  Speaker 2: really helped where they can, and I think the acting
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: police commissioner is coming in this afternoon to talk to
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  Speaker 2: all of the students. While I'm talking to you, I
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: just want to shout out for the staff at the hospital.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, they were just incredible, the ITU staff,
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: but you know, the wardsman, everyone was incredible.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah they are. I mean they are truly amazing. And
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  Speaker 1: I know that there is a lot of them that
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  Speaker 1: do listen to the show up there in the in
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  Speaker 1: the wards in different areas as well, so I know
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  Speaker 1: that they'll appreciate that. Tell me, I want to ask,
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  Speaker 1: and I touched on this a moment ago, but do
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  Speaker 1: you believe that it is still safe for international students
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: to come here to Darwin as we stand right now.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: Look, it's a really difficult question because if you have
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: a look at you know, statistically, I can say yes,
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  Speaker 2: it's safe, because if you're compare to go into other places,
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  Speaker 2: you know, to the United States or some European countries,
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  Speaker 2: we are statistically safe. But statistics count for nothing when
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: you're when you're looking at a coffin and Okay, this
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: was a very unusual situation. It was a terrible thing,
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  Speaker 2: you know, so it's very difficult to say last week
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: that this was a safe place to come. I think
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  Speaker 2: we have got to do a lot, you know. I
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  Speaker 2: was in Bangladesh five weeks ago telling people to come
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: to the territory because it was safe. I think over
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  Speaker 2: the next few weeks we're going to have to do
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  Speaker 2: a lot of things, both within the university and in
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: the wider community so that I can go there again
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  Speaker 2: and really put hand on heart and say it is safe.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: I think you're right now, just before I'll let you
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  Speaker 1: go this morning, can you can you tell me as well?
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  Speaker 1: Have we got a situation where any of our international
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: students at this point, or any of our students have
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: decided that they do want to pack up and leave
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: following on from what's happened.
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: Look, I haven't heard any of them saying that they
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: want to leave at the stage, but a lot of
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  Speaker 2: a lot of them are worried and scared. I know.
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  Speaker 2: I'm hearing reports that some of them are trying not
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: to tell their parents about this because they don't want
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: their parents to worry. It's probably too early to say, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I've got no one sort of saying that they're leaving
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: at the moment, But you know, if people are really
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: really scared, then we will have to support them with
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: whatever they want to do. Look, I think I mean it. Yeah,
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: I don't know what's going on, Katie. I mean, you
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: can't imagine this, can you know what you're saying?
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Scott, you know that's that's the thing, you know,
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  Speaker 1: from a real human perspective, and you know as a
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  Speaker 1: mum my kids are much younger. But I just it's
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  Speaker 1: utterly heartbreaking, you know what's going on. It's utterly heartbreaking
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  Speaker 1: for the whole community, for Charles Dale and University, for
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: the international students and his family, and for those for
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: the other blokes living in the house. I just I
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: can't imagine and how you're all feeling at this point
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: out there at UNI, because you just would not have
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: thought that something like this was ever going to happen.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: No, I mean, it's just beyond most people's comprehension. And yeah,
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: those are the three guys are the ones that we're
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  Speaker 2: kind of worried about because you know, they came back
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  Speaker 2: and found him and then tried to get him to
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: the hospital. I mean, the one thing I will say
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: that they the moment Sif was allegedly attacked, he was
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: surrounded by love, you know, first of all from those
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: people you know that lived with him, and then by
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  Speaker 2: the time I got to the hospital, you know, the
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  Speaker 2: place was full of the Bangladesh Student Association had been incredible.
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  Speaker 2: They were there. I was at the hospital, you know,
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: three o'clock in the morning and they were still students there. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the one thing I could reassure his family
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  Speaker 2: was that he was surrounded by love, you know, and
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: you know even yesterday at the mosque, at the funeral,
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: you know. So you know, I don't know whether that
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: gets anyone any comfort, but we did see the absolute
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: best of Dart within Mars week. I mean, I've got
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  Speaker 2: I can show you lots of text messages, phone messages,
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: people just ringing in who really have very little to
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: have anything to do with the anythaying can I do anything?
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: Because I cook some food for the family. What can
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: I do? You know?
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: So I just want to help.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the place does pull together.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: It really does. It truly does. Scott. I'm going to
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: have to go, but I do just want to ask
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: you very quickly. I know that there has been a
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: fundraiser set up. Is there somewhere where people can find
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: that detail if they do want to make a donation
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: or anything like that?
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, does Google CDU go to our web page.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: It's on the front of the web page. We're working
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: with the Bangladesh community and his family to see what
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: they want to do with that, so we're doing that.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: There is a concert the Bangladeshi Association of organize a
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: concert for sanity, so there's a lot going on.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: I really appreciate your time this morning, Charles Owen University
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: Vice Chancellor, Professor Scott Bowman, thank you very much for
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: having a chat with us. And we are thinking of
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: everybody out at the university, particularly those students, and yeah,
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: let us know if there's anything that we can do
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: in any way. But I appreciate you having a chat
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: with us today.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: Katie, thank you very much, and thank you for the
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: whole Darwin community for reaching out and being so supportive.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Yeah, thank you,