Who Are Our Residents?

Our residents come from all around the world but there are some characteristics they share: they are bright, brave, creative, curious, frank and funny. They study a wide range of disciplines, though we have many students studying Arts, Law, Actuarial Studies, Bachelor of Philosophy (PhB), Commerce, Visual or Digital Arts and Psychology. About fifteen percent of our population are postgraduate students.

Forty percent of our residents are international students and many of our domestic (Australian) students have lived in other countries. International students come from many countries, especially Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Japan, the US, India and Pakistan. Many residents serve terms on the committees of student associations such as the Malaysian Students' Organisation, the International Students' Department and the Singapore Students' Association, developing important leadership skills while doing so.

While studying at the ANU, there are opportunities to study overseas, in exchange or fieldwork programmes, and we encourage residents to take the opportunity to travel whenever possible. This year residents have travelled to countries as diverse as the US, Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, France, England, Indonesia and Vietnam as part of their studies. Many other residents travel to visit family and friends in other countries, or for the experience of living in another country and a different community for a while. These shared international experiences mean that the Bruce community is a diverse and welcoming place for all residents, regardless of their country of origin.

Bruce Hall residents have a commitment to building 'social capital'. Many residents at Bruce Hall have trained as Allies or are supporters of the Ally network. The Ally network is a University-wide network of students and staff who support gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex students and staff. Other students are part of the Sign Mentor network, who are trained to provide support to first year students at ANU, or are part of the Unisafe patrol, a group of students trained to provide safe escorts around campus late at night. Residents committed to the environment form Bruce Green and the Sustainability Learning Community. They work to improve environmental standards at Bruce, including recycling and reducing waste. They are also involved in the first campus-wide organic community garden at ANU.

Students elected to positions on the ANU Students' Association (ANUSA) also live at Bruce Hall, as do students who are ANU Ambassadors or who assist with the International Student Office's 'meet and greet' programme for new international students.  Other leadership opportunities open to all residents include the Bruce Hall Common Room Committee and Senior Resident, Buttery and IT teams, the Academic Mentors Network, editor positions on Bruce publications and the Bruce Hall library.