Glossary

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• ARC

  Australian Research Council

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• CHEAN

  College Human Ethics Advisory Network. Note: RMIT Vietnam Schools and Centres are all aligned to RMIT Australia Colleges.

• Commonwealth supported student

  A student enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP).

• Conflict of interest

  Arises when you act, appear to act, or could act on behalf of someone other than RMIT, and/or have, appear to have, or could have a self-interest from which you obtain, appear to obtain or could obtain some form of benefit, which is, appears to be, or could potentially be adverse to RMIT’s best interests. It includes both financial and non-financial interests.

• Consent

  (in relation to sexual assault) is agreement which must be freely and voluntarily given by a person with the cognitive ability to do so. Consent is not freely and voluntarily given if a person is:  

  • forced to engage in a sexual act  
  • unconscious or asleep  
  • under the influence of alcohol or drugs  
  • threatened or intimidated 
  • in fear of bodily harm or  
  • under a mistaken belief that the person engaging in the sexual act was their sexual partner. 
• Controlled entity

  One that satisfies the test of control in section 50AA of the Corporations Act 2001 and includes:

  1. an entity which the University wholly owns (“wholly owned subsidiary”); or

  2. an entity in which the University holds an interest of any kind (including a shareholding interest or membership interest) and the University has control of the entity.

• Course materials

  (in relation to IP) All materials produced in the course of, or for use in, teaching in any form and all IP in such materials including but not limited to lectures, lecture notes and material, syllabi, study guides, assessment materials, images, multi-media presentations, web content, case studies and course software.

• Cultural responsibility

  A person may be considered 'culturally responsible' when they translate the knowledge, skills and awareness of cultural differences and similarities within, among and between groups into their personal and professional life, thinking, and practice in a consistent and meaningful way so that all groups are treated with respect.

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• Digital accessibility

  The practice of creating websites, applications and documents that can be accessed, navigated and understood by people from diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities.

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• Enrolled

  means enrolled as a student of the University in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures.

• Enrolment

  has the same meaning as enrolled.

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• FEE-HELP

  Australian Government loan scheme that helps eligible fee-paying students pay their tuition fees.

• Fit for purpose

  Well-equipped or well suited for its designated role or purpose.

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• HECS-HELP

  Australian Government loan scheme that helps eligible Commonwealth supported students pay their student contributions.

• HELP

  Australian Government loans that help eligible students pay their student contributions (HECS-HELP), tuition fees (FEE-HELP or VET FEE-HELP/VET Student Loans), overseas study expenses (OS-HELP) or the student services and amenities fee (SA-HELP).

• HREC

  Human Research Ethics Committee, constituted in accordance with the National Statement.

• Human research

  Research that involves people, and/or their data, and/or or their bio-specimens (i.e. saliva, blood, tissue, etc.).

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• Indigenous Traditional Knowledge

  Indigenous Australians' rights to their heritage, consisting of intangible and tangible aspects of the whole body of cultural practices, resources and knowledge systems developed nurtured and refined by Indigenous people and passed on by them as part of expressing their cultural identity, including distinctive signs and symbols, practices, know-how and skills

• Intellectual Property

  All statutory and other proprietary rights (including rights to require information be kept confidential) in respect of inventions, copyright, trademarks, designs, patents, plant breeder's rights, circuit layouts, know-how, trade secrets, data, materials and all other rights as defined by Article 2 of the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organisation of July 1967, all rights to apply for the same and, for the avoidance of doubt, includes:

  a) Patents under the Patents Act 1990 (Cth)

  b) Copyright which subsists in original works under the Copyright Act 1968, including computer programs and data (Cth)

  c) Trade marks registered under the Trade Marks Act 1995  (Cth)

  d) Designs registered under the Designs Act 2003 (Cth)

  e) New plant varieties  under the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994 (Cth) f) Circuit layouts (computer chips) under the Circuit Layouts Act 1989 (Cth); and g) Trade secrets and other confidential material under Common Law

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• Misconduct

  means general misconduct and/or academic misconduct and/or high risk misconduct.

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• NHMRC

  National Health and Medical Research Council.

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• Officer

  means any person employed or engaged as staff within the RMIT Group,

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• PRIME

  PRIME (Proactive Risk and Incident Management Excellence) is an intuitive online incident software, which can be accessed from any device and offers 24/7 incident or hazard reporting options.

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• Record

  Information in any format created, received and maintained as evidence and information by an organisation or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business. Records include (but are not limited to) emails, documents, websites, photographs, conversations undertaken via Instant Messaging clients, meeting minutes, research data, posts to RMIT social media sites.

• REP

  Research Ethics Platform

• RMIT Group

  The University, its controlled entities and strategic investment vehicles (known as the RMIT Group).

• RMIT UP

  RMIT University Pathways (RMIT UP) includes all operations of RMIT Training Pty Ltd including Informit, unless stated otherwise

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• SA-HELP

  Australian Government loan scheme that helps eligible students pay their student services and amenities fee.

• Sexual harassment

  Sexual harassment is:  

  • any unwanted or unwelcome sexual advance,  
  • any unwanted or unwelcome request for sexual favours or  
  • any other unwanted or unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, 
  • which, in the circumstances, a reasonable person, aware of those circumstances, would anticipate the possibility that the person would feel offended, humiliated, or intimidated. 

  Sexual harassment also includes sexual assault and other offences associated with unwanted or unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, such as indecent exposure, stalking and obscene communications. Any form of sexual misconduct involving a person under the age of 18 years is a crime.

• Sexual harm

  Is the term RMIT uses to describe any kind of impact on a person (including trauma) which could result from non-consensual sexual behaviour and including sexual harassment or sexual assault.

• Student visa

  Refers to a visa issued by the Department of Home Affairs, Australia, that has study entitlements and is subject to Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) requirements. Other visa types may have study entitlements but are not subject to ESOS.

• Study period

  Any class, or group of classes, that are scheduled with a specific:

  • start date
  • end date
  • payment Due Date
  • census Date
  • results Publication date

  A study period may be described as a semester, trimester, term, teaching block, study session, or teaching period.

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• University premises

  means premises:

  1. owned by the University
  2. occupied by the University, and/or
  3. under the control of the University.
• University resources

  Resources of the University and its controlled entities which includes without limitation facilities, funds, services, equipment, paid leave, staff time and support staff.

• Unreasonable conduct

  Includes but is not limited to:

  1. aggressive, rude or threatening behaviour, including the use of offensive or abusive language in communications;
  2. insisting on unreasonable or unattainable outcomes;
  3. issuing instructions and making demands about how a complaint should be managed;
  4. withholding information, misquoting others or selectively disclosing information, including making serious allegations, then declining to provide further information or evidence about the allegations;
  5. changing the substance of an existing complaint or re-phrasing allegations while the complaint is being managed;
  6. refusing to provide further clarification of issues raised upon request, particularly where large amounts of information are presented as part of the complaint; or
  7. repeatedly emailing or calling the University despite being advised not to do so because the subject matter of their complaint is currently being dealt with or has already been dealt with and resolved.

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• VET Student Loan

  Australian Government loan program that assists eligible students enrolled in approved higher level vocational education and training courses at approved course providers pay their tuition fees.