As soon as Felicity was old enough to realise she couldn’t be a mermaid, she knew she wanted to be a marine biologist. She was accepted into a couple of universities, but it was during a visit to Jane on Open Day that she decided that Jane, and therefore the University of Tasmania, would be where she would like to live and study.
Originally from Noosa in Queensland, Felicity came to Tasmania with her friend Emily to look at colleges. They looked around and decided they would be happy at several of the colleges Hobart had to offer, but walking into Jane, seeing residents laughing and hanging out on the lawn in the sun, she knew Jane was the place she wanted to call home.
At Jane you can be yourself
Meeting Felicity, Jane’s 2025 Student Committee Social Representative, you would think she had always been the confident, outgoing person who has arranged fun and inclusive events throughout the year. However, Felicity credits Jane with making her feel like she can be her true self:
“At school, I wasn't really that social. I was quite an introverted person. That’s because the way my school worked, there was a certain stereotype of what you had to be to be cool. And then when I came to Jane, I was like, ohh, everyone's actually really different, and everyone loves each other's differences, and it's celebrated. So I was like, okay, I can just be myself, then I started getting really extroverted and loved spending time with people.”
O-Week set the tone
Orientation week set the tone for the year ahead. Felicity loved it. “It was so much fun…the parties, backyard cooking, and then everyone was just out in the sun laughing. It was just so great getting to meet all of these really amazing people.”
Felicity quickly settled into Jane life, setting up her room as her little sanctuary, and a quiet place among the busy campus.
“I made the room my own. I was like, ‘This is my little space that's just mine.’ We were all in each other's rooms constantly chatting and everything. But I had my little room all to myself, which was good.”
Becoming the Social Rep
Felicity decided to nominate for the role of Social Rep on the Student Committee in her second year at Jane. The committee is made up of representatives of all the student residents, and organises everything from events to sports, to an equity representative and treasurer to having a voice on the Jane Board.
Felicity’s campaigning was simply telling people about the events that she wanted to run, especially events that didn’t have a focus on drinks and partying. She wanted to make sure all events were really inclusive, with something for everybody.
The “Back to School Franny” was one of her first events, a party in the Francis Parson’s building in Fresher Week where everyone dressed up in old school uniforms. “I wanted to make this event really good. We all played the games you would play at a primary school party, and that was just so much fun. It was one of everyone’s favourite parties in Fresher Week.”
Another huge success was the “Jane Boiler” described as a Jane Boiler Room with EDM, Techno music:
“Everyone gets into festival outfits, and we had four different DJs coming in and doing sets after each other. It was amazing. Last year, I remember we only had Jane people performing with one of the external DJs who was pretty popular in Hobart. This year, we had two DJs from Fisher College playing first. This brought people in from Fisher and Christ Colleges to the event, and then the Hobart DJ did the last set. We had a bar and everyone stayed to the end and it was brilliant, really fun.”
“There was also the 90’s and 00’s party, where everyone dressed up again, danced then we had a bus take us all to a bar in town.” But not every event is a party, there are always games and chill-out zones.
“Nobody frowns upon people who don’t drink. There is always something happening where everyone, no matter what they like, is going to have a good time. Some of the best times are just playing backyard cricket.”
There was also a girls camp this year, where they went to Bicheno on Tasmania’s east coast and they camped together by the beach and watched the sunset. Felicity hopes next year they can organise a whole college camp.
The Jane Ball
One of the highlights of the Jane calendar is the Jane Ball. Sarah, the Dean of Students, said the 2025 ball, organised by Felicity, was the best she’d attended in her 6 years in her role. Felicity said it took a lot of organisation, but it was a brilliant night.
“It was at Home Hill Winery. It was a very high-class thing, everyone dressed nicely, and the boys wore tuxedoes. It wasn't even that expensive, but we had wine and cheeses and eye fillet, which was amazing. The outside was gorgeous, with the vines and all the cows in the backyard. It was very fancy and absolutely beautiful.”
Skills for Life
Being on the committee has been a hugely rewarding experience for Felicity:
“Being there when the freshers came in Welcome Week was so rewarding, seeing them do what I did last year, I loved it so much. It was so great to see them all love Jane just as much as we do, and help them come out of their shell, and meet all these people and go on these cool adventures. Being on the committee meant that I made a connection with the freshers, and they now know they can come to me if they need anything.”
The skills Felicity has developed in her year as Social Rep will help her in different roles throughout her life. “I think that's why I ran for social rep. I love just being organised about things and bringing the fun. I now know that that’s what I love to do.”
Pearls of Wisdom
When asked if Felicity has any advice for people thinking of coming to live at Jane, she is reassuring that no matter where you are from, who you are or what you like to do, you will find your people at Jane.
“I think it doesn't matter what experience you had in school, Jane is completely different, so you can't really compare it to that or wherever you came from. It's a whole different group of people. Everyone's coming from all over the country, so everyone meshes. You can find so many different personalities, and all those groups can still combine. I think that's what' special about college.”
