Andie Moore

Why did you choose Medley Hall?

I did a tour of all the colleges and Medley was unique. As soon as I walked in I and felt a sense of belonging, like it could be a home for me.  It had a creative feel to it and during my tour, I met so many different people who felt genuine and interesting.

Describe your experience of coming to Medley as a new student.

Coming to Medley Hall felt like slotting into a big community of really cool, like-minded, but different people. Nothing felt forced about it. It was great to learn from their experiences. One of the best things was having a shared experience with these great people all entering University together.  There was also a great sense of security that other people were going through the same things as me.  This really helped with the transition from high school to Uni, which was significant for me.  

What did you like about Medley Hall?

As well as the people, I really liked the location because even though it’s not right on the doorstep of campus, the walk was actually good for my fitness! The proximity to the city and being so close to everything, also made it really practical to explore the city and do other activities as well as those at College, not to mention saving money on tram fares!

The food was good, being in a small college it felt like it was home cooked, and the kitchen staff always went out of their way for you.   I also really like eating in a small group, which made it feel more like a relaxed family dinner.

Lastly, as a non-binary trans student I really appreciated the all-gender bathrooms and found Medley an especially safe place to express my sexuality and gender identity.

What sorts of things activities did you get involved with it at Medley Hall?

Medley Hall had a strong focus on social justice and I was involved in organising two contingents for the Palm Sunday rallies. It was great to be able to meet other people who shared my interest in political activism.

Even though I’m not an artist or musician it was really good to be around so many fun and creative people.  One year we took part in the Intercollegiate debating team and won. We still don’t know how that happened as we weren’t taking it too seriously but it was a lot of fun!

What are you doing now?

I'm now the National Policy and Project Officer for the National Health Servicer Union. I studied for my honours in politics and international studies and sociology and was also the Queer Officer at UMSU, and the publicity officer at the Australian Queer Students network.