The announcement that Antone Martino-Truswell, the beloved Dean of St. Paul’s College Graduate House, is stepping down, marks the end of a transformative chapter of inclusion in Sydney’s college community. Opening its doors at the start of 2019, Graduate House was created as an independent space for postgraduate students and academics, offering a unique alternative to the more traditional undergrad college community at St. Paul’s. Under Antone’s leadership, Graduate House not only flourished as an academic hub but also pioneered diversity and inclusion initiatives, bringing in students and academics from all walks of life. It became a place where intellectual rigour met a welcoming, supportive environment for those often overlooked in the world of higher education.
During Antone’s tenure, Graduate House set new standards for diversity and accessibility never previously seen within Sydney’s college communities. For the first time in the university’s college history, a college community reflected the breadth of society itself. Antone made space at the table for those long excluded — First Nations students, disabled academics, single mothers and their children, international scholars, and working-class academics — not for show, but with sincerity and purpose. With scholarships, accessible fees, and a focus on academic passion over prestige, Graduate House created a collegiate model that challenged tradition and reimagined who belongs in these historic institutions.
“I am a PhD student and have lived in Graduate House since 2022. I currently share a one-bedroom flat with my two-year-old daughter. I have loved my time at Graduate House with its current dean having made it a great place for students like myself,” says Eva, the current SUPRA Carers Officer.
“However, this year our diverse community — once home to multiple students, academic staff, and their children — has changed. I’m now the only non-staff member with a child left. Under the new model, I struggle to see how students like me will continue to have a home in the college community.”
Antone’s departure was announced with no plans to appoint a new dean, as Graduate House is to be integrated into the broader St Paul’s College community. In an email to St Paul’s residents (‘Paulines’) obtained by Honi Soit, the Warden Ed Loane wrote: “At the end of last year, the College decided that from 2026, we will transition to a more integrated community of undergraduates and postgraduates, and that our future staffing structure will need to reflect that unity.”
The email notes that Antone “has accepted a new full-time role at Sydney University Policy Lab as its Operations Manager” starting 30th April, 2025, though he will “remain in residence for the rest of the year” in an “out-of-hours capacity.”
This decision raises concerns that the progress made under Antone’s leadership may soon be undone. The financial implications are particularly troubling. Currently, Graduate House offers significantly more affordable accommodation options for postgraduates, with the cheapest room costing $34,030 for a 41-week contract (including 12 meals per week). In contrast, undergraduates pay $40,000 for a 40-week contract (including 21 meals per week), with additional weeks costing $750 each. For many postgraduate students — especially those with families or from disadvantaged backgrounds — this price difference is not merely convenient but essential to their ability to live on campus.
The board of St. Paul’s College — predominantly composed of alumni, many of whom are deeply connected to the college’s traditional, male-dominated past — may have chosen to quietly phase out this unique experiment.
This invites difficult questions: Why dismantle the college’s most successful and inclusive initiative? Was Graduate House ever truly supported as a long-term vision, or was it simply an experiment that the college is now ready to conclude? While the planning and development of Graduate House pre-dated the Broderick Review, with the building opening just months after that report’s release, questions remain about the institutional commitment to this innovative approach. Is the integration perhaps a financial decision — a quiet return to housing the privileged few, whose presence yields higher profit margins?
When approached for comment, St. Paul’s College Warden Ed Loane offered reassurance about the college’s ongoing dedication to inclusivity, stating: “The College continues its commitment to providing a graduate community for Sydney University students and a world class collegiate experience for all members, including access to those from a diversity of background and need.”
This statement suggests that despite the structural changes, the college leadership recognises the importance of maintaining the accessibility and inclusivity that made Graduate House distinctive. While questions naturally remain about how these principles will be preserved in the new integrated model, Loane’s statement affirms that these values continue to be central to the college’s vision. As the transition unfolds, the opportunity exists for the college to demonstrate how this integration might preserve and potentially even strengthen its commitment to diverse and accessible collegiate education.
Other current residents of St Paul’s declined to make public comments, but expressed the need for delicacy around these changes, indicating ongoing internal consultations between management and residents. This silence itself speaks volumes about the uncertainty and concerns that exist within the community.
As Antone leaves and the future of Graduate House remains uncertain, one must ask whether the college is genuinely committed to cultural change, or whether it remains beholden to outdated values disguised as tradition. The legacy of Graduate House, shaped by Antone’s vision, stands as proof that academic communities can be inclusive, vibrant, and intellectually rich. But that vision was never allowed to define the institution — only to exist briefly within it.
In recent years, campaigns like WoCo’s Burn the Colleges have called for the dismantling of Sydney’s college system, citing entrenched elitism, misogyny, and resistance to reform. Though, perhaps it is not the colleges themselves that need burning — it is the governance structures that hold them back. Boards driven by loyalty to tradition rather than a commitment to diversity and academic life risk extinguishing exactly what institutions like St. Paul’s claim to value.
Graduate House showed us what was possible. It’s so far quiet dismantling reveals where power still lies — and how easily the future can potentially be sacrificed for the comfort of the past.
As these changes unfold, significant questions await clarification. What will the new price structure look like, particularly given that Graduate House’s different fee system was instrumental in creating economic diversity? How will the academic wing evolve, and what place will research-focused residents have in the integrated community? Perhaps most importantly, what arrangements will be made for First Nations students, for students and academics with children, or those who require disability accessible rooms — students who since the COVID-19 pandemic have relied on Graduate House’s unique accommodations?
With the transition process extending until 2026 and details still emerging, the University community has both time and reason to seek answers to these questions. Given St. Paul’s undergraduate college’s complicated history and reputation, concerns about how its traditions might influence the integrated model are understandable. If St. Paul’s College is committed to creating “a more integrated community”, then transparency about how this integration will preserve Graduate House’s distinctive characteristics seems essential. The future direction of postgraduate collegiate life at Sydney University will be defined by how these questions are addressed — and whether the inclusive principles that made Graduate House distinctive remain central to the college’s vision going forward.
