Ursula Hall

Ursula Hall is a fully-catered residential hall for undergraduate students of The Australian National University. Its residents are drawn primarily from rural and regional Australia and from overseas.

History

The hall was founded as an all-female institution in 1968 by the Ursuline Order. In 1971 it became a co-educational college. In 2004, Ursula College became known as Ursula Hall.

"Ursies" welcomes undergraduate and postgraduate students of all nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds - it has residents from dozens of countries, including Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Thailand, Korea and the United States.

The Ursuline Order, which previously owned and managed the hall, has been involved in education for over 450 years. The Order, which was founded in 1535 by an Italian woman called Angela Merici, has a commitment to education which enhances the dignity of each person and which promotes constructive critique of the society in which we live. Today, there are Ursuline education establishments throughout Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Australia.

The stated aim of Ursula Hall is to provide an environment of support where both undergraduate and postgraduate students are able to pursue their studies. Important to this environment is a feeling of "at homeness", being able to wrestle with new knowledge and share new experiences, being able to make choices and respond to challenges, being unafraid to develop new visions of life and to respond to them, and being appreciative of the sense of possibility in a community as diverse as Ursula Hall.

Hall Arms

Green and white are the traditional colours of Ursuline educational centres. They are the colours all Ursies representatives wear when competing in any activity for the Hall. The Hall's badge has on it the laurel tree - something that has been traditionally associated with Colleges bearing the name of Saint Ursula. In Ancient Greece the victor in the Pythian Games was given a wreath of laurel leaves. The ancients believed that the laurel communicated the spirit of prophecy and poetry. They had the custom of putting laurel leaves under their pillows at night to acquire inspiration. The hope at Ursula Hall is that people will be both energized in the task of prophecy, in order to critique society, and reflective in the task of poetry and artistry in order to find new, creative expressions for society.

In contrast to the earthiness of the laurel tree, we have the Southern Cross constellation. Ursuline schools and colleges in the northern hemisphere have the Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear", constellation on their badges. This is the origin of the Bear as the Hall's mascot. The Ursa Minor constellation is the pointer to the Polar star which has been a major direction finder for people in the northern part of the world. It is considered appropriate that in the 'land of the Southern Cross' should they should use this constellation on their badge. Stars communicate an expansion of vision and of mind - an all-embracing welcome to all who gaze upon them. Ursula Hall is a centre where visions can be created and encouraged, where diversity is accepted as a gift.

Ursula Hall's motto is "The Truth shall set you free". In an academic environment such as Ursula Hall members are called to be seekers of truth, open to the truth of another, willing to dialogue with others and to have our worldviews challenged, reformulated and reignited with life.

Ethos

The Ursula Hall ethos was developed by residents of the college in 2005, it is as follows:

Ursula Hall aims to:

1. Foster a community built out of respect for one another.

2. Support students from around Australia and the world to achieve academic and personal development by encouraging the extension of academic interests, by sharing our vision of achievement through diversity, by valuing an all-inclusive community above all else.

3. Present a safe, friendly, living and learning environment, to attract and excite students who wish to enjoy the most supportive University Hall at the ANU.

4. Offer the best undergraduate student living experience at the ANU.

We value:

Genuine, polite and honest people; reliability and dependability; pride in who we are as individuals and as a community; a sense of humour coupled with an awareness of our academic opportunities; people who contribute and involve themselves in all aspects of hall life and embrace the diversity of our unique living experience.

Link

http://ursula.anu.edu.au/