On Dit Issue 85.5 by On Dit

On Dit

Issue 85.5

Do you have artwork that needs to be seen? Ever wanted to be in an art exhibition?

~ On Di t ~

Interested in contributing to On Dit this year?

We accept a range of contributions ranging from writing, illustrations, photography, poetry, etc.

Feel free to email us with your ideas/work at onditmag@gmail.com

Editorial

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t’s nearly time for the mid-year break at the University of Adelaide, and in celebration of the halfway point of our editorship this year we’ve decided to look introspectively into what we’ve learnt during our tenure. Firstly, we’ve learnt what it means to be editors of a student magazine. Coming into this role in December, nothing really could have prepared us for the obstacles we would face during our time as editors (aside maybe from some strongly worded pieces of ‘advice’ from last years Eds during election week. RIP). We’ve learnt that if you cross certain members of the AUU board, they will make it their life’s mission to pass amendments which severely restrict the editorial independence of student media directors and editors. Additionally, we have learnt a bit about trust. When one of your co-editors decides to delegate the task of reviewing a major music festival to your friends (who are notoriously naughty boys) then perhaps, you should call a team meeting and do a SWOT analysis. We learnt that when you do decide trust said notoriously cheeky mates (for whatever reason) that they’ll just take 50 photos of The Adelaide Set and the back of a security guard’s head, drain your camera, and piss off after 2 hours. But you know what? Maybe we should’ve known better. Isn’t that what friends are for? No, that is not what friends are for. If any of you dear readers see Nicholas Burnet or Andrew Olsen on campus, tell them that we’re coming for them. Tell them we’re not gonna stop until I’ve seen retribution for their crimes. Tell ‘em they’re gonna rue the day they ever crossed On Dit. And that takes us to our final point: tell ’em they’re dreamin’ and not to cross us. Seriously, we’re going to get you back for this Nicholas Burnet and Andrew Olsen. This issue is about learning. Unbeknownst to us, we had

somehow set our magazine deadlines to coincide with due dates of our major assessments which yielded in a valuable lesson in time management (shout out to course coordinators for the extensions). We promise not to do this again to ourselves next semester. We’ve also learnt that running a student magazine really isn’t about us as editors. Sure, we probably indulge in editorial decisions that could be considered ‘opinionated’ (okay, we’re pretty opinionated) but we would also like to believe we’ve allowed a lot of first time writers a chance to be published in print. The big, bad world of print journalism can be a scary place and sometimes, media will be driven by the priority of generating income over supporting talent. On that sombre note, we learned that Fairfax had axed 125 jobs. It sent waves of shock to the young writing community that one day, boom, your job might disappear just so a company can make a case for devaluing the hard work of writers. However, still, the lesson that we (re)learned and cherish most is the unquantifiable value of our extended team. On Dit is always going to be no greater than the passionate writers, artists, and other contributors who seek out the time to express themselves in print media. Equally as important, are our readers; you guys could also become contributor if you want. So in the spirit of this call out column. Let’s all contribute. Does that sound fun? You’d like that wouldn’t you? Please contribute. We really need you. In solidarity with striking writers before and hopefully inspiring those after us, Jesse, Jenny & Tom

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On Dit

Contents Editorial

Correspondence

State of Union

SRC President

What’s On

Vox Pop

Left, Right, and Centre

Editors Jesse Davidson, Tom Haskell, and Jenny Nguyen Cover Art Ricki Huang Contact ondit@adelaide.edu.au

Articles AUU Board attacks Student Media

But really: How are you?

At a party, who’s Scott Green?

We r e c o g n i s e t h a t t h e K a u r n a Pe o p l e

2017 Budget Round-Up

are the traditional land-owners and

Groovin The Moo Review

Hands off the DPRK

Ngaldu tampinthi Kaurna miyurna

Paved with Good Intentions

yarta mathanya

Whitlam Club Dismissed

When Justice Isn’t Just

What is Micro-dosing?

Infidelity

Film Reviews

Rantspace

custodians of the Adelaide plains

Wa m a Ta r n t a n y a k u

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Cor r es po n dence A comic by Daisy Freeburn

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Find On Dit online at: facebook/ onditmagazine twitter/ onditmagzine Instagram / onditmag

Email us: onditmag@gmail.com to join up to our mailing list

In issue 85.4 of On Dit, the State of the Union address had printed beneath the byline “After a brief hiatus” with a shooting star over the text. We would like to clarify that this was an editorial choice and not one that the AUU president made or was aware of. While we aim to provide clarity with our editing and design, it became apparent to us after the issue’s release that certain readers may have attributed the byline to the column’s author Brodie Scott. We apologise to Brodie and for any confusion caused by this decision. Regards, On Dit Editorial Team

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STATE OF THE UNION Words by AUU Board President Brodie Scott

Congratulations to everyone graduating in 2017! On

university qualifications and employment, and it af-

behalf of the Adelaide University Union we wish you

fects students in every field. Low-skill jobs are ask-

the best with new opportunities, possibilities and

ing for more qualifications and training. Graduates

career paths you’ve unlocked for your future here in

face real challenges when entering an uncertain

Australia or around the world.

and competitive job market. The experience trap is

Completing a degree is not wasting time on a

also an imposing obstacle in the way of post-uni

piece of paper with no relationship to the real world.

success. But I’m glad to write that the AUU offers

Higher education builds the skills and knowledge

information and support, short courses, jobs and

connected to everything that makes society work

volunteering opportunities for undergraduates all

and move forward. The importance of education

the way through their degree!

can’t be understated for anyone, especially for

To start, you can find the online jobs section

those coming to university with very little. Students

on the Union website, updated daily with vacancies

who deal with a lack of equity at home or through-

from the university and businesses close by. Our

out their lives but have the talent, a bright mind and

Employment Service office is open on weekdays

the will to achieve, can with a single piece of pa-

throughout the year in the Lady Symon Building,

per be given a lift up and the prospect of following

just across the Cloisters. There you can find great

bigger possibilities. For anyone who gets a qual-

training opportunities, and advice on volunteering

ification on this level, it’s a direct investment and

roles in community and international NGO’s. Free

tool for making dreams a reality, improving family

resume and cover letter proof reading is also on

prospects and establishing an independent direc-

offer from our staff, with job interview hacks and

tion in life.

tips available as well. There are also short courses

For grad students there are many things to

in everything from ambulance and first aid training

look forward to after Uni even when solid ideas or

to Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) accredita-

plans happen later on. Doing postgraduate studies,

tion. Volunteering for the Union at the many events

volunteering, taking a much needed break to find

held throughout the year is a great way to network

personal meaning, spending time with family, trav-

and build experience, and can often lead to employ-

elling the globe, or working on a project or old pas-

ment within the university.

sion are all worthwhile and meaningful choices. But

Students are under pressure from all directions,

finding employment and a fulfilling career are both

and have never had a total guarantee of what’s go-

paths everyone will eventually follow, and it might

ing to come next. In spite of that, there are options

not be easy in the beginning.

for anyone looking for job ready skills, certainty and

Increasingly there is a disconnect between

more to show in years to come!

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SRC PRESIDENT Words by SRC President Mark Pace

You’ve probably noticed in the last week a surge of students postering, leafleting and throwing napkins at Simon Birmingham - well it’s all for a good cause. Our Liberal government, after years of secrecy, finally announced their higher education plan, and it sucks! Students will be paying more for education early on in their careers and for a longer period of time, too. The future for postgraduates is also uncertain. From 2018, there will be 3000 Commonwealth supported places cut nationally while the introduction of a new ‘voucher’ system remains peculiarly ambiguous. I could probably list more facts about the Bermuda Triangle than the future of postgraduate education. Increased student contributions will phase in from 2018, to 2021, at which point students will fund an average 48 per cent of their degree costs, and be in in receipt of up to $3600 additional debt for a 4-year degree. $9.2 million dollars will be cut directly from South Australian Universities’ Commonwealth supported funding while the Liberal government will increase fees step by step, until the opportunity to fully deregulate our higher education fees arises, gifting students with the $100k degrees we’ve all been dying for. The HELP (aka HECS) repayment threshold will be lowered from $55k to $42k, that’s just 20% above minimum wage! The government has been adamant that students pay back fees because their education provides them more opportunities and higher incomes. Through lowering the threshold to $42k, students will be paying back their HELP debt before they see any private benefits of their education. It’s estimated an additional 200,000 Australians will be roped

into the debt pool through the lowering the repayment threshold; two thirds of those will be women. A reform to the postgraduate ‘voucher’ system will mean prospective students will apply to the government rather than universities. While this has the potential to provide postgraduates with additional flexibility, the changes are particularly concerning due to the ambiguity of the proposal. Prospective postgraduate students for 2018 and 2019 are now facing incredible uncertainty, all while accompanied by 3000 postgraduate places gutted nationally. Furthermore a 2.5 per cent ‘efficiency dividend - read $2.8 billion dollar cut to higher education - will cut university operating costs. Postgraduates will have less teaching opportunities available, and students will suffer from a decrease in administration support. Young people will be receiving a far worse quality education system, and they’ll be paying more for it. The government’s gutting of higher education places greater strain on students, entering the global job market, especially if international employers see the Australian education system as being underfunded. It’s looking likely that the Higher Education Reform package will be debated upon in the Senate during May. In the meanwhile, the SRC will continue to make noise about the destructive changes and chase Liberal politicians off our campus until they provide us with a fair, accessible and higher quality tertiary education system.

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N? O S ’ T A WH Bad//Dreems ‘Gutful’ Album Tour Mob Rule! Local legends Bad//Dreems are performing their new album ‘Gutful’ at the iconic Governor Hindmarsh Hotel. If you want to see a politically charged throwback rock n’ roll show while a bunch of drongoes misinterpret the lyrics and climb the railings of the Gov then get your tickets now! Where: The Gov, 59 Port Rd, Hindmarsh When: 7:30 pm, Saturday June 17 SAYLM Gala Ball The South Australian Young Liberal Movement are hosting a GALA BALL at the prestigious Hotel Tivoli. I guess Electra House was booked out or something. The tickets are an affordable $120 each, so get your tickos by the 19th of May or you’ll bring shame upon Turnbull Senpai :( Where: Tivoli Hotel, 265 Pirie St When: 7:00 pm, Saturday June 3 Tash Sultana Welcome to the Jungle! Have you ever stopped and watched a busker on Rundle Mall and gone, “Fuck, they’re good. They should be playing on the big stage!” Well, you’re in luck, you weirdo, because this is basically that. Watch Tash Sultana lose herself in an endless loop of reverb and shred the pan flutes whilst you sit in the audience patiently waiting for her hit single ‘Jungle’ for an hour and a half. Where: Thebarton Theatre, Henley Beach Road When: 7:00 pm, Wednesday May 31

Dz Deathrays, She’s The Band, and Pemberton Punk Ass Kids & Fat Controller are putting on an epic one-off party with these three bands. I honestly don’t know any of their music but we had space to fill in our What’s On section and this was in my events list on Facebook. It’s probably gonna be good? Where: Fat Controller When: Friday, June 2 at 9 PM

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6PM

THE ROUNDUP With Ellie and Kieron

7PM

TWIN SPEAKS With Darcy and Nicole

8PM

THE FLANUER FILES With Adrian, Hamish and Mahendra

9PM

OBJECTIVE UNKNOWN With Josh and Tim

9:30PM

STUDYBREAK With Demi and Kyle

10PM

SCIENCE SMACK With Jack, Kiri and Shannon

11PM

LATE NIGHT LOWDOWN With Louise and Michael

12AM - 1AM

MIDNIGHT STATIC With Nic, Soph, and Tom

facebook /auustudentradio

twitter @austudentradio 11

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Vox Pop NICK

MEGAN

Law/Economics

Dentistr y

1) My-nama-Jeff! 2) My-nama-Jeff! 3) My-nama-Jeff! 4) My-nama-Jeff!

1) Yeah, definitely. It hugely impacts a lot of people. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very important. 2) The arts, and cultural things for young people. 3) I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been on any weird dates. 4) Fasta Pasta 5) My name is Jeff, definitely.

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1. Do you think it’s important for students to protest things like University fee increases? 2. If you had $160 million to innovate Adelaide, what would you invest it on? 3. What’s the weirdest date you’ve been on? 4. Caffé Primo or Fasta Pasta? 5. Would you rather walk like a crab for the rest of your life, or have it so that every time someone asks your name you have to say, “My name is Jeff” in a silly voice (like the meme from 22 Jump Street)?

HUY

JESSICA

Medicine

Medical and Health Sciences

1) Yeah, absolutely. Advocacy for free education is something that’s great and something we should have in Australia. 2) Better public transport. 3) Oh, definitely Ikea. We literally just hung out in Ikea. It’s actually the greatest date I’ve been on. 4) Fasta Pasta 5) Probably, Jeff. Jeff isn’t that bad of a name, and it beats having to walk around sideways for the rest of your life.

1) I think it’s important because it gives us a voice and gets the message out there. 2) I would extend the tramline so we don’t have to walk all the way up North Terrace to the Med School. 3) When I was 12, I was hanging with this boy in the city and he ignored me the whole time. 4) Fasta Pasta. 5) My name is Jeff for sure, but I’ll say My name-a Jess.

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Left, Right & Centre Where we ask three hacks across the political spectrum what their take is on the hot issues around campus

Left

Centre

Maisie Gilchrist

Mark Pace

Socialist Alternative

Whitlam Club

1 Although arguments can be made in favour of online learning and flexibility, we also need to look at the motivation behind the switch and the quality of the education. Online courses are much cheaper to provide, and there is no limit to how many students can be in one class. This pushes universities to enrol greater numbers of students to maximise financial gain. As many of us would have experienced, online classes can be hard to navigate. There is an absence of resources and direct guidance. The dropout rate from online courses is high, a foreseeable consequence of this lack of staff support. Online learning doesn’t benefit students, and is part of the ploy to turn universities into profit-driven degree factories over providers of quality education. When universities are made into businesses, cost-cutting must come from somewhere, and students and teachers are the ones who lose out.

2 The proposed drug testing of welfare recipients is a disgusting authoritarian measure that has nothing to do with saving the country money. Drug testing is a targeted attack on vulnerable people that will simply push them further to the margins of society. This will not only be directly harmful through the restriction of welfare, but will also further enforce the stigma around addiction. The use of “Data Driven Profiling Tools” makes it clear that a selective, class-driven approach will be taken. Scott Morrison wants to sift through toilet water for proof just to make people feel shame, one of many pathetic and dehumanizing measures that won’t be extended to politicians like him. This policy is inhumane, and we should fight to prevent its implementation. 3 Goon Wizardd

1 While more online resources promote flexibility for students balancing study with work and a range of other commitments, it’s important we don’t completely abandon contact hours. With huge cuts in higher education universities are forced to cut the cost of a degree, placing pressure on academics and workers. Remember good working conditions for staff, are good learning conditions for students. For example, first year Psychology students receive zero contact hours, and feedback suggests this has an adverse affect on student learning and interest in the field. 2 No. This is fucked. The Liberal government has an agenda against the poor, systematically drawing revenue from those most vulnerable in society while handing out $50 billion to multinationals in the same budget.

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1. Should degrees offer more or less online learning? 2. Drug testing welfare recipients: is this a practical way to save the country money? 3. Who should Australia send off to Eurovision next year?

Right Henry Lodge

Adelaide Uni Liberal Club In the US, some states have implemented regressive measures, drug testing people applying for welfare. Overwhelmingly trials have proven enforcing the drug testing of welfare recipients costs more money for states. This isn’t about recouping funds; it’s a war on drugs. The Government should be adequately funding health and welfare services, not attacking those most vulnerable. 3 Oh, that’s a tough one. Let’s bring back Dami Im, or how sick would it be if we sent Tkay Maidza? But we should send Warren Bebbington to Eurovision, I’ve heard lately he’s got a lot of spare time.

1 It is important that there is a mix between online learning facilities and offline learning facilities in order to achieve the best outcome possible for a particular course. However, the trend towards moving learning facilities online should be met with concern. Offline learning opportunities afford us as students the opportunity to receive instant feedback during learning engagements, which is not possible online. Furthermore, it enables students to meet with the rest of their cohort and form relationships with their peers, which cannot be achieved online. It is vital that as a learning facility students are afforded the best opportunity possible to learn. Through moving degrees online, students are more likely to skip out on learning opportunities and be less engaged with the content. 2 It is important that we do put in place measures to stop abuse of our Government’s generous welfare system especially with the spiraling debt

left as a legacy of the Rudd-GillardRudd Government. However, it does come down to a question of how cost effective it is to implement this proposed measure. Furthermore, for the purpose of this question we need to consider whether this measure was enacted solely as a means to reducing Government expenditure, or whether it was also implemented in order to control the Nation’s drug epidemic. The drug testing for welfare recipients has only been implemented as a trial for 5000 Australians on unemployment benefits. As a measure to control Government spending alone, this will not serve to save large amounts of money; however, it will achieve benefits beyond saving money. It will ensure that welfare recipients who record a positive drug test are only able to spend the majority of the tax-payer money they receive on essential items. Additionally, it will provide them with treatment necessary to ensure that they are able to return to work. 3 A BNOC who needs to BOOST his resume.

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AU U BOA R D PROVING TO BE A DISASTER FOR INDEPENDENT STUDENT MEDIA

Wo rd s b y O n D i t

∆ After Thursday night’s AUU Board meeting, it has become apparent to On Dit that President Brodie Scott is no friend of Adelaide Uni Student Media. Within the space of twenty minutes, Scott along with Jack Newton, Ansar Rana, and Jeffrey Yang passed three motions pertaining to the rules concerning student media. From passing the motions, it becomes evident that none of the aforementioned have familiarized themselves at all with the rules concerning student media. To explain why, we’ll

go through the amendments one by one from most cooked to least cooked.

MOST COOKED AMENDMENT (AMENDMENT 2) The second amendment passed by Scott and his drone of minions was an amendment to section 11 of the rules, namely that:

“If Student Radio Directors wish to remove any or all volunteers, advice must be sought, prior to removal, from an independent committee consisting of the AUU President, the AUU General Manager and the AUU Marketing/Communications Manager” Further clauses were provided that, in the case of a conflict, the President would step aside to make way for the vice-president and so on until they find someone on the Board who doesn’t hold an interest in the matter.

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o why is this motion so disastrous in the first place? First, let’s provide some context to the motion. Back in March, Student Radio had a program called the Campus University News Team — which is also quite a lame base level acronym. The idea behind this show was that it would be a program focusing on student politics as well as campus life in general. The two presenters behind the show were also the two people behind an independent podcast/ alternative news source known as The Strainer. Among other things, they were known to those in Stupol circles to be somewhat antagonistic towards student politicians. They had a fairly decent working relationship with Brodie Scott — On Dit spotted Scott and the duo together at Skullduggery (where we were deejaying lmao). When the Campus University News Team were announced as one of the program teams for 2017 student radio, stupol hacks were interested to see what would happen and, more importantly, if they were going to be name-dropped.

In the interest of transparency we feel the need to note the following things: - Our tense relationship with The Campus University News Team/The Strainer

Amongst one of the hacks who was inevitably namedropped was a certain Board Director. In the very first episode of their show, the two presented a bizarre segment presented in the style of a phone-sex ad whereby that director’s name was used. The director felt attacked by the segment and told the Board on Thursday night that they were upset over the way they had been “demeaned and sexualised by the programming”. Within the next fortnight, the Campus University News Team had been kicked off air. Student Radio director Tim Whiffen noted at the time that while he didn’t feel that “it was the morally/emotionally correct decision, it was the rational one [so we can focus more on other teams]”. So, back to the motion. The amendment now means that if this were to happen again, Student Radio would have to seek the advice of not only Radio Adelaide management but also an AUU committee which is comprised of at least one member of the Board — an inherently politicized institution. Keep in mind that President Brodie Scott and the Campus University News Team were quite chummy at the time. Clause 12.1 of the Rules Concerning Student Media states that “Except where required by law or sanctioned

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by this Rule, the AUU shall not interfere with the editorial independence of [student media]”. While the Student Radio directors do not feel that this motion infringes upon their editorial independence, we cannot imagine a scenario whereby this wouldn’t be an indirect infringement. The main functions of student radio directors are to appoint volunteers to programming and to oversee the administration/direction of said programming. The amendment was not made pursuant to Clause 12.1 either. Because current and future student directors now cannot remove any volunteers without seeking advice from the AUU, the capacity for radio directors to exercise their editorial duties has now been severely restrained. What’s more important to note is that student radio directors don’t need to seek advice when appointing volunteers, only when removing them. Why have one without the other? The inconsistency here speaks volumes. Simply put, this amendment is a major blow to the editorial independence of student media and to the inherent separation of student media from the AUU Board. In our view, the appointment of certain volunteers is an editorial decision as it drives the overall direction of programming, so it stands to reason that the removal of certain volunteers is as equally — if not more so — an editorial decision. Because of this, we believe that the motion severely infringes upon editorial independence. SECOND MOST COOKED AMENDMENT (AMENDMENT 3) Amendment three provides an additional clause to section 6 of the Rules Concerning Student Media. The additional clause reads that Student Radio Directors must “ensure the editorial independence of all volunteers appointed to positions of content creation”. What. The. Actual. Fuck. Editorial independence from what? The AUU or the Student Radio Directors themselves? Student Radio Directors run in elections because they have a certain

editorial vision that they wish to enact on the station. If this amendment is followed the way in which we believe it was intended to be followed, the role of student radio director will be reduced to nothing more than selecting who will be presenting/producing content for the next year. Consider this hypothetical: a radio program presents a show which begins to present content which is completely different to the content that was pitched to the directors at the beginning of the year. In fact, they are presenting content which is contrary to the editorial vision that the directors had in mind when they selected the team. Whereas before the directors were free to give feedback or, in more drastic circumstances, remove the program, directors now will need to think twice before doing so lest they wish to contravene the rule passed in this amendment. It is our opinion that content creators should be allowed some degree of freedom and independence in their programming, but ‘editorial independence’ is something which ought to be reserved for student media directors. This would be similar if, for argument’s sake, On Dit were required to collaborate all editorial decisions with our contributors. It just wouldn’t be feasible and would remove the necessity for having people in charge of editorial direction in the first place. Bad policy, Brodie. Very bad indeed. LEAST COOKED AMENDMENT (AMENDMENT 1) The first amendment passed pertaining to student media rules on Thursday directly concerned On Dit. The amendment stated that On Dit must provide an electronic copy of each issue to the General Manager (or their nominee) 48 hours prior to print and that we were not allowed to print unless we had the written approval of the GM or their nominee. Look, to be honest this isn’t the worst thing they could

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have done to us, but we can kind of guess why this was even considered in the first place. Issue 3 of On Dit this year did not contain a submission from Brodie Scott for his regular column, State of the Union. This occurred despite deadlines for submissions being readily available on our Facebook page.

“What worries us about this motion is the precedent it sets. If On Dit piss off those in positions of power, those people are free to make whatever unnecessarily bureaucratic changes they want as long as they have the numbers.” When we responded to Brodie’s initial proposal via email, we layed out the production process of On Dit and why providing an electronic copy 48 hours prior to print was just ridiculous. His response? This comes down as a ‘timemanagement issue’. A bit rich coming from someone who was unable to provide a fairly short article to On Dit. While he did attempt to understand the processes behind production of On Dit, we do not believe that enough effort was put into this. Let’s be clear: Brodie Scott is first and foremost a political actor; he is not a student media director. For this reason alone, he does not possess the expertise to be making judgements on the efficiency of our operation even if he is the President of the AUU. As an aside, if Brodie Scott can’t find the time to provide a short column to On Dit, it may suggest a few things. One being that he may not take our publication seriously, and another being that he may not take our student union seriously. Perhaps we are reading too far into a missed deadline, but his silence in issue 3 was absolutely deafening. Given the timing of this motion, it leads us to believe that this was passed in retaliation for us printing

a blank page where his State of the Union column would have otherwise been. What worries us about this motion is the precedent it sets. If On Dit piss off those in positions of power, those people are free to make whatever unnecessarily bureaucratic changes they want as long as they have the numbers. While this motion is merely an annoyance for us, it doesn’t distract from the possibility of the Board making further decisions which could potentially infringe upon our editorial independence. The AUU Board is an inherently politicized institution and we are one of the primary means of holding it to account. This is a particularly dangerous position to be in when the institution we hold to account is also the institution which decides our funding, our honoraria, and the rules by which we are made to comply with. Those who value the importance of independent student media should be very concerned at the knee jerk reaction of the Board to pass these motions based on personal gripes and relationships. We would not be surprised if the Board continues to pass motions which infringe upon the editorial independence of student media in the coming year. Final Thoughts This year’s AUU Board proved on Thursday night that they don’t really care about student media at Adelaide Uni. Brodie Scott and the right-wing bloc of the board proved through their motions that they either lack any understanding of the processes behind student media or they lack respect for the editorial independence of these institutions which go back to 1932. We must mention that those representing the left that night (Olivia Savvas, Jack Crawford, and Iacovos Digenis) all voted AGAINST these amendments. While we thank them for their support, we must stress to the readers that this doesn’t mean we are now beholden to them or their factions. While we aim to remain neutral on political matters on campus, it is our editorial opinion that conservatives have proven themselves to be poor leaders as far as student media is concerned.

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B U T R E A L L Y : H O W A R E Words by Fi Fraser Art by David Broggin

Y O U ?

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CONTENT WARNING: mental health issues, brief reference to thoughts of suicide/self-harm. “YOU KNOW, IT’S OKAY TO MISS SOME LECTURES,” the doctor told me. I was in first year. One of my course coordinators would withhold the recordings of each week’s two-hour lecture unless you had a medical certificate; that Thursday, I just couldn’t convince myself to leave the house.

“Uni is meant to be about having fun,” my GP continued. I was seventeen, taking two non-first year courses because my degree required it. I was late to most classes because I would obsess every day over what to wear. I didn’t have the money to buy new clothes. I would be at my lowest weight during that semester, partly because I couldn’t afford to

buy food on-campus, but also because I was intentionally starving myself. I was a privileged, high-performing student with familial support and a strong perfectionist streak. My GPA stayed above a distinction, so I guess nobody knew I was having panic attacks over every assessment. I could’ve asked for help. I didn’t. I dropped out at the end of the year.

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--The National Union of Students conducts an annual survey of Australian tertiary students. In 2016, the NUS partnered with Headspace and used the survey to collect data on mental health. Tertiary students between the ages of 17 and 25 were asked to identify mental health issues that had affected their studies in the previous 12 months. I reached out to the NUS in hopes that I could see the report, but their welfare officer Jill Molloy informed me that Headspace has only released the initial findings so far – she said the report will be made public after it’s finished. This is what has been released on headspace.

Many first years are about eighteen, and some will be expected to jump straight into adulthood. They might move out of home, or be asked to contribute more to household expenses. They might lose touch with their friends and support systems from school. It’s a time of paying new bills, and trying new things. Not only can you legally drink alcohol now, but there’s even a bar on campus! Of course, alcohol (and other less legal drugs) can have a direct impact upon mental health. But even in moderation alcohol can interfere with the academic side of uni; really, who hasn’t skipped a class to

org.au:

go to UniBar?

– The most commonly reported issues were stress

HECS debt and GPA start to linger over your head like

(83.2%), low motivation and energy (82.1%), anxiety

a threat. Assignments materialise without warning,

(79%), and low mood (75.8%)

because it takes at least a semester to get MyUni figured

– Less common issues (still over 50%) were feeling

things you’ve never done before, things that you don’t

hopeless or worthless (59.2%), difficulty sleeping (55.6%), and panic (52.7%) – 35.4% of students said their study had been impacted by thoughts of self-harm and suicide. Based on these data, most students are experiencing mental health problems severe enough to limit their academic performance. The summary says nothing about the social impact of these reported issues, but I’m going to side with my GP on this one: there’s more to university than just study. Most (if not all) of the issues reported above are deeply isolating to experience. From what I’ve experienced, and what I’ve learned from speaking to other students, we feel so alone when we’re struggling – even though we’re surrounded by peers going through

out. You stare blankly at task sheets that ask you to do even know how to start. “No one’s going to hold your hand,” university lecturers like to remind us. “You have to do it all yourself.” The Okanagan Charter was produced during the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, held in Canada. It was developed with representatives from 45 countries, and finalised by the 380 delegates of the conference (and a writing team). After its completion, leaders and key delegates pledged to implement the principles and actions of the Charter at their home institutions. The Okanagan Charter sells itself as a ‘transformative vision for health promoting universities and colleges.’ It identifies universities as places with unique opportuni-

the same things.

ties for embedding health promotion into society.

Headspace cautions that university students are a group

If you Google ‘university wellbeing,’ you’ll find that most

uniquely at risk. Coming to uni, whether from high

school or some other pathway, is a massive transition.

Australian university websites have a page dedicated to their programs and commitments for student health

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and happiness. A Student Wellbeing Forum was held

– If you’re floundering in your degree, or think you

during the mid-semester break here at the University

might fail or need to drop a course, get in touch with a

of Adelaide. Much of the day was spent discussing and

program advisor in your faculty.

developing initiatives to promote student wellbeing. However, the problem isn’t that the services aren’t there,

– There’s extensive resources online (including

or that the uni isn’t interested in providing them. The

UniThrive as well as Health and Relationships).

problem is that many students don’t seem to know that these services are available – and don’t seem to think

AND PLEASE, if you’re not able to sleep, or get through

their concerns are worth asking for help.

the day, or if you’re thinking about hurting yourself – please get in touch with Student Life Counselling

---

Support (8313 5663) or Lifeline (13 11 14).

Since first writing this article, the 2017 Federal Budget

We need to stop pretending that this is something we

was released. It contained substantial increases to

go through alone.

the cost of tertiary education, so that from next year students will begin to pay higher fees, and repay their HECS-HELP at a lower income. The exact numbers are a little more complicated than that, and do depend on what you’re studying and how much you’re earning after uni. However, there’s no getting around the fact that increased financial pressure is not going to help student

Take the University Wellbeing Survey at https://www.adelaide.edu.au/mental-health-awareness/umhd/2017/ to help direct services where they’re needed.

mental wellbeing.

Headspace:

I wrote about challenges facing fulltime students

https://www.headspace.org.au or 1800 650 890

who are transitioning from high school, but that’s not everyone’s story. What about students who are part time, or mature aged? How about if you’re international, or studying with a disability? If you’re not a first year? Are

Student Care/Education and Welfare Officers:

the services reaching your faculty?

studentcare@adelaide.edu.au or 8313 5430

For most issues, you should know about Student Care.

Student Life Counselling Support:

You can drop in at the North Terrace campus, or contact an Education and Welfare Officer by phone or email. It’s confidential, and even if they can’t fix your problem, they’ll know who you should be asking for help. Beyond that:

counselling.centre@adelaide.edu.au or 8313 5663 Lifeline Adelaide (24/7): 13 11 14 UniThrive: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/ uni-thrive/

– If you’re drowning in your coursework, talk to your lecturer or tutor (or check out a PASS session if there’s one available for your course).

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I changed my name on Facebook to Scott Green and this is what happened. By Scott Green

Changing your name on Facebook is one of the lowest forms of civil disobedience you can commit to. After all, Facebook can disable your account if they find out you’re using a fake name. Nevertheless it is an absolute rush to seemingly change your identity with a few keystrokes to something like QuarterPounder WithCheese or Six AndOut. With so many fake names to choose from, I often wonder why I ever decided that Scott Green was the one to go with. For those unfamiliar with the song ‘Scott Green’ by Australian Stoner Trash band, Dune

Rats, the song is just one dumb play on words. ‘At a party, who’s Scott Green’ is a homophone for ‘At a party, whose got green?’. Green in this sense meaning marijuana. It turned into a short lived stoner anthem for the type of pot users who don’t mind getting into a punchup every now and again. The decision to change my name to Scott Green on Facebook was simple enough. The eponymous song by the Dune Rats was getting a bit of airtime on Triple J and I thought it would be funny to change my name to the name of a song which I don’t really like anyway. I had had a few

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beers by this stage and my risk evaluation wasn’t exactly geared towards the long term end of the spectrum. No one egged me on, I didn’t lose a bet: I’m just a dumbass. And alas, Tom Haskell became Scott Green. The next morning I opened Facebook on my phone and suddenly remembered just how much of a dumbfuck I was. Eager to not associate myself with that piece of shit Dune Rats song, I immediately went to account setting and attempted to change my name. I was then hit with a “You can’t change your name at this time because you’ve already changed it within the last 60 days. Learn more.” And learn more I did. And then came Australia Day and with that the Triple J’s Hottest 100. Scott Green had just landed the no. 34 spot on the countdown and after that my phone started blowing up. Dickheads all over the country were adding Scott Green to their group chats and going “I’ve been looking for this fucker all week!” (hahah like the line in the song, fuck that’s funny!) Probably the worst part of the whole thing was having the name change be the hot topic of conversation at family dinners.

“Why is your name Scott Green, Tom?” one Aunt asks “Apparently it’s a reference to drugs, are you doing drugs Tom?” another Aunt asks “And while we’re on the topic of Facebook, why do you swear so much on it?” the previous aunt asks and so on. Changing your name on Facebook is a funny gag for about an hour. After that, you’re forever tarnished as one of those dickheads who thinks it’s funny to do such a thing in the first place. In another way, assuming the identity of Scott Green taught me many lessons as to how people interact with others on Facebook. Most importantly, if you have a joke name, forget about ever commenting on anything with the intention of sounding intelligent and well informed; people are just going to comment “hahaha, who’s Scott Green!?” In a way this means that a joke name forces you to chill out a bit with the political stuff on Facebook - not exactly a bad thing. Now that I am Tom Haskell again, I often find myself longing for Scott Green. If not for the sheer absurdity of it, at least for it’s simplicity.

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2017 BUDGET: WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR AUSTRALIA TO SEE FREE EDUCATION? Words by Erin Gear Art by Jacqui Lambie

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ustralia’s 2017 Budget has recently been announced, and the proposed cuts – particularly to the higher education sector – have been met

with tremendous backlash. The government has proposed $2.8 billion in funding cuts to tertiary education, and expect to enact this change as early as January next year. Currently, the main opponents to this price hike are the Greens, Labor and independent Senator Jacqui Lambie. The Liberal government will need the support of 10 out of the 12 Senate crossbenchers – independents or minor parties (don’t worry I had to look this up too!) – in order to pass the motion. While the likelihood of more than 80% of crossbenchers voting in favour of the cut seems improbable, it is not. Nick Xenophon Team, and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation have already expressed seeing merit in the proposed changes, but are still yet to take an official stance. If both of these independent parties end up supporting the budget, then 7 of the 10 required votes are already accounted for.

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‘Yeah, but how will this effect me?’ I hear you

afford to give our young people their first degree

ask.

free’, a contentious opinion to hold amongst right-wing political circles. However, the idea of

Well, not only will university fees be the

free undergraduate education is not unheard of,

highest they’ve ever been in Australian history, but

and has actually achieved remarkable success in

you will also likely be required to pay back your

European countries.

students loans much earlier. By 2021 university course fees are expected to rise to 7.5% that

As it currently stands, Australian university

of their current rate. To help you visualize the

students pay some of the highest tertiary

change, this means that a six-year Medicine

education fees in the world. While we are

degree - which is currently on average less than

certainly nowhere near the ballpark of American

$60,000 - will rise to $75,000. Obviously one of

university fees, the cost of an Australian degree

the most, if not the most expensive Australian

still ranks appallingly high on the tuition fee scale.

degree, but still, yikes!

According to the Times High Education’s World University Rankings list for 2016, Australia had

Furthermore, Pauline Hanson has proposed

18 universities in the top 300 worldwide. In the

– wait for it, you know this’ll be good! – that

same top 300 universities worldwide, Germany –

repayments for student debts should be made

a country that offers free tertiary education– had

once acquiring a wage of only $22,000. Housing

32 universities listed; nearly double the number

rent, before including bills or food, is on average

of our own. The Australian government’s claims

$200 a week in Adelaide. Over the course of a

that paying higher fees will equate to a higher

year that is $10,400! If Hanson had her way and

standard of education are contradictory, as

imposed repayments at $22,000, when nearly

Germany is case in point; access to free tertiary

half of your annual wage would be deducted

studies is not only achievable, it is also a catalyst

for rent alone, then new graduates entering the

for successful outcomes.

workforce would be in dire straits. The current repayment bracket sits at $52,000 - $55,000,

While I’m not outright suggesting that

which the Liberal government proposes to reduce

pursuing university studies in Australia should

to $42,000. Compared to Hanson’s $22,000, the

be free, I am suggesting that instead of taking

Liberal Party’s $42,000 is definitely not as stress

measures to increase university fees for students,

inducing, however we would still feel the brunt of

we should be in talks of reducing university

it upon graduation.

fees. It is shortsighted to think that hiking up university fees is going to resolve any budgetary

Senator Lambie has controversially claimed that ‘we are a rich enough country that we can

crisis Australia might be in. The ramifications of this $2.8 billion dollar budget cut from the

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higher education sector could be detrimental to

their time at university in a far more beneficial

the future of Australian tertiary establishments.

way than financial repayments. Germany is

More expensive university fees could see fewer

leaps and bounds ahead of the majority first

students enroll in, or even complete their studies

world countries, Australia included, in the fight

– thus counteracting the government’s intention

against climate change – this is due in large

to reduce funding by increasing the financial

part to the access to free education. From the

burden on students.

development of sustainable technologies such as the Smart Car, invented by Daimler AG, a

“Germany is leaps and bounds ahead of the majority first world countries, Australia included, in the fight against climate change – this is due in large part to the access to free education.”

German automobile company, to the regeneration of renewable energy and resources – Germany is contributing far more thoughtfully, and progressively to ensure the safer existence of our world. Education, and the ‘power of knowledge’ in Germany has proliferated successfully into all public sectors. In fact, the Reichstag – an entity of German politics - exists as a symbol

The Whitlam Labor Government abolished

of Germany’s commitment to the pursuit of

university fees in Australia in 1974 to promote

knowledge and renewable energy, as it runs

equal opportunities, and emphasize the

entirely on renewable power. Without the

importance of a higher education. This lasted

implementation of their free education system,

until 1989 when the HECS/HELP program

the people responsible for these technological

was introduced by the Hawke Government to

and environmental breakthroughs would not

reintroduce fees, but only upon earning a decent

necessarily have amounted to the same success.

wage. The Australian government should take a Unlike Australian students, German students

page out of Germany’s book, in regard to free

have not accumulated a debt before they are

education – and climate change, too, while we’re

even capable of contributing to society within

on it – because the education of students has a

the workforce. Majority –nearly 80% - of German

far greater benefit than just the promise of their

university funding comes from the State.

loan repayments.

Students in Germany are able to ‘give back’ after

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The Winners and Losers of Groovin The Moo By Jenny Nguyen

(originally supposed to be written by Nicholas Burnet and Andrew Olsen before they decided to leave the festival after 2 hours)

Hosted at the iconic Wayville showgrounds, Groovin The Moo kicked off in midst of a cold autumn morning in Adelaide. The forecast was kinda cold - around 20 degrees but the surrounding concrete jungle was better at retaining heat than that of the open air spaces in the hills. Selling the Adelaide leg of any festival was always perceived to be challenging. But with the right line up of bands, food trucks and venue accessibility, Groovin The Moo appeal to a vast group of music lovers young and old.

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Winners: Public Transportation The inner CBD location meant that reliable olâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Adelaide Metro was the preferred ride of choice. At just $1.20 per ride, the G10, G40, G21 transported herds of beerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d-up 20-something year old tutorial skippers to the destination in ample time. Losers: Public Transport users The bus was also packed with non-festival going commuters going about their daily business. They stood out like a sore thumb in their suits and work attire and were probably dead jealous of those rocking shorts, crop tops, Gorman jackets and glitter.

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Winners: Gorman Jackets The opportunity to be unique with a Gorman branded item proved to be futile; while it was not as cold as Oakbank and its misty hillside surrounds, Gorman Jackets were abundant to protect from the festival dangers (i.e getting lost). Gorman Jackets helped groups identify their AWOL mates in the ALLDAY moshpit and helped to reunite groups after beer, food and toilet breaks.

Winners: Beauty Bar If you were one of the few festival goers who had to run for the bus in the morning, forgoing the opportunity to doll up for Groovin, there was a beauty bar on hand to glam you up at the venue. Services on offer were cheap as chips with bindi’s, glitter hair and braids going for around $10. Professional make up artists were on hand to ensure you were looking your best for the day of raving!

Losers: Canvas sneakers Stepping inside the show grounds, shoes were kept mostly clean until they encountered the main oval – an eventual occurrence, as this was where the main stages were located and the floors for the Hilltown, Moolin Rouge, Cattleyard and Triple J stages were all made of grass. Groovin The Moo, for some reason, always ends up being a truly muddy experience. Gumboots/wellingtons or the ubiquitous Windsor Smith boots proved to be more durable in the mud. But as Ghandi once said, you can’t have fun without dirtying your shoes.

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Winners: The Hits! Rising star, Amy Shark pulled a lot of heartstrings with her Triple J HIT ‘Adore’. Fans weren’t as receptive to her ‘other’ songs but politely bopped their heads along anyway. Methyl Ethyl, over on the Cattleyard stage, debuted a lot of their new album but again, Twilight Driving was the peak of the set. Methyl Ethyl is not a chemically correct name but they have chemistry on stage, which is all that matters. Montaigne’s “Because I Love You” sent the audience into a frenzy, no doubt triggering salad cravings for lunch.

Two thumbs up for Groovin the Moo!

Andrew Olsen and Nick Burnet didn’t take any photos of Amy Shark so here is a photo of an actual shark. 33

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Losers: Food services Beer and food queues were ridiculously long and perhaps, not the best organized for the sold out event. During peak munchy hour (around 2-3pm), the wait for a cup of chips stretched out to 25 minutes while beer queues snaked onto the main oval where the stages were.

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Losers: Short sets Festival staples A.K.A. par ty favourites, Nor theast Par ty House were greeted with the most enthusiastic of roars. Lead vocalist, Zach Hamilton-Reeves called Adelaide his “favourite city” before throwing in a reference to the Por t Adelaide Football Club. Their festival set was considerably shor t and was dominated with cuts from their latest album, ‘Dare’. It must be noted that the loudest audience cheers were reserved for their classics from ‘Any Given Weekend, in par ticular the angsty anthem ‘Youth Allowance’, which rounded out their set. An attempt at cheering for an encore had star ted, but the house DJs eventually drowned out their voices with bangers.

Winners: Cats Afterpar ty

Winners: Por taloo users

The official afterpar ty hosted two big name

The por taloos were spread out quite

acts across three levels at Crippen place.

evenly at the venue, which seemed

Groovy UK djs, Snakehips did a DJ set in the

Mr Kim’s basement while iohyou’s Violent

confusion. It did get a bit hectic when

Soho did a DJ set at Rocket. Other GTM

the sun went down, there could have

ar tists were rumoured to be mingling on

been some lighting because urinating in

the rooftop but we’ll never know because

the dark is scary as fuck.

reduced

traffic

congestion

and

we weren’t VIP ar tists. RIP.

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THE PEOPLE’S BOMB: IN DEFENCE OF A NUCLEAR ARMED NORTH KOREA

Words by Vladimir Putin Art by Kim Jong-un

ver and over again we are bombarded with news of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (North Korea) “aggression”. That the threat of war looms over the Korean peninsula because of the rogue state’s “provocative” missile tests. At any moment, the madman Kim Jong-un could launch a nuclear strike on the US, South Korea, Japan and even the irrelevant island of Australia. We are whipped into fear so that the US receives our support in dealing with the “imminent” North Korean threat. But who is really the aggressor here? Let’s check the facts. Some historical context We are taught that the outbreak of the Korean War was the result of the North invading the South. This is strange. We do not speak of North United States invading South United States when talking about the American Civil War. No, we understand that the legitimate government of President Abraham Lincoln suppressed the uprising of the Confederate States to keep the US as a unified nation. This is basically what happened in Korea. But as the Korean Revolution swept through the country with popular support, all hopes of an independent Korea were dashed when the US launched a military campaign to suppress the revolution and partition the south. During the three-year war (1950-53) the US dropped more bombs on Korea than it did throughout the World War Two Pacific theatre, murdering approximately 2 million people (20% of the DPRK population). Most cities were razed to the ground and the capital city, Pyongyang, was said to be left with only two buildings intact. US General Douglas MacArthur testified to Congress that he had seen “as much blood and disaster as any living man”. Despite this great evil, the DPRK undertook an amazing reconstruction effort which led them to enjoy a higher GDP and better living standard than the US-backed dictatorship in the south, which was wrought with high unemployment and low wages. However, with the collapse of the DPRK’s biggest trading partner, the Soviet Union, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) eventually overtook the North in economic productivity. This is the context in which we must consider the

current situation. The US fostered near genocide on the Korean people and destroyed nearly every standing structure. Then, the DPRK’s greatest ally vanished leaving it poor and almost defenceless. Now, the US has roughly 28,000 troops permanently stationed in the ROK, routinely practices mock invasions of the DPRK and is crippling the country with economic sanctions. The failed policy of regime change “But isn’t Kim Jong-un an evil dictator that oppresses and brainwashes his people? Wouldn’t it be good for Koreans if he was removed from power” you ask. I’m not about to write an essay on the DPR Korean political system, the racist othering of the Korean people nor the dubious nature of human rights abuse allegations levelled against the DPR Korean Government. So, let’s just proceed on the assumption that the DPR Korean Government is “bad”. Saddam Hussein was not good. Muammar Gaddafi was not ideal. But this does not change the fact that regime change at the hands of the US has been an unmitigated disaster in Iraq and Libya and basically everywhere else. Iraq is rife with sectarian conflict, chaos and ISIS. While Libya, once the most prosperous African nation, now boasts a booming slave trade of

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black Libyans. Mission accomplished? With knowledge of the terror that the US once inflicted on the Korean people, why should we assume that the violent overthrow of the DPR Korean Government would result in “freedom” and “liberty” for the Korean people and not the same disaster that plagues Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria? Are nuclear weapons necessary though? Surely weapons which have the capacity to wipe out hundreds of thousands of people are not necessary. Unfortunately, they are. In 2005, the US demanded that both Libya and the DPRK suspend their nuclear programs – Libya complied. It is blaringly obvious who made the right decision. For further proof, contrast the stability in Korea with the situation in Syria, which was threatened with becoming Libya 2.0 at the hands of US-backed, Wahhabi death squads before Russia intervened on behalf of the Syrian state. If you’re still worried about the DPRK preemptively using its nuclear weapons then relax. Firstly, this would mean guaranteed destruction of the tiny nation – the government isn’t that stupid. Secondly, the DPRK has never attacked any other nation and have repeatedly affirmed their no-first-strike policy. Lastly, the US is the

only state to have actually used nuclear weapons on civilians and which routinely destabilises and invades other countries – so maybe focus on that. Peace in Korea I assume, dear reader, that you are a good and moral person and that your desire to see the DPR Korean Government fall is because you wish to see the Korean people live better lives. But knowing that US-imposed regime change will not lead to such results, what does the path to peace look like? For starters, the US could withdraw all troops from Korea, stop meddling in ROK domestic politics and lift the sanctions that are actually the cause of hardship in the lives of North Koreans. But to put it briefly, it is up to Koreans to decide the destiny of Korea and the rest of the world needs to stay out. Anyone who calls themself a progressive, a moderate, or anti-war must make a choice: will you support the Korean people and their government in their struggle against imperialism or will you support the US war machine and all the terror they would unleash on Korea? Say it with me, all peace-loving folk. “Yankees out of Korea!” “Hands off the DPRK!”

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Paved with Good Intentions

Does America really care about the babies? Words by Ivan Bucalo

sit opposite my grandfather on the sofa and switch on the TV. We don’t have anything to talk about, but a rundown of the day in politics always does the trick. North Korea is very unhappy, the talking head tells us. Donald Trump, president of the United States, is also very, very cross. The reporter and his pudgy analyst friend, with unflinching demeanours, discuss the likelihood of two banana republics halfway across the globe pulling our country into a nuclear-sponsored dick measuring contest. Any mention of global imperialist-capitalist meddling sends old granddad into fits of anti-Western fervour. As a Serbian immigrant, he has a bone or two to pick with the major acronyms of international politics, like NATO, UN, and USA. His political leanings rest somewhere between conditioned scepticism and jaded humanism. He’s heard phrases like ‘democratic values’ and ‘collateral damage’ flouted too liberally in the last twenty years to hold unwavering faith in their truthfulness. There can never be an outright

invasion on the United States’ behalf, no-no; interventionism must be buoyed on humanitarian ideals, appalling theatres of mass murder and sympathy for the ‘beautiful babies’ of Syria that perish on its stage, to quote President Trump. But putting the Syrian and North Korean regimes in the same league is like comparing apples with thermonuclear warheads, so to speak. President Bashar al-Assad is a steadfast and allegedly incompetent dictator marred by accusations of corruption. He can’t claim to have purged over 50,000 Kurdish civilians like Saddam Hussein, but the Arab Spring of 2011 signalled anger at a leader running on two unopposed, unmonitored ballots and failing to deliver justifiable economic results. With foreign aid, an abrupt cry for revolution has been protracted into a six-year long proxy war not without popular support. Politico found 66 percent of American voters approve of the one-hundred million plus dollar missile strike carried out in mid-April on an almost deserted

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airstrip, not to mention the majority of congress. But this time it’s different. This is no Saddam or Slobodan Milosevic. This man hurt ‘babies’ for Christ’s sake. If this doesn’t warrant our full military wrath, what does? Suffice to say, it’s never about the babies, or democratic values, or doing what’s right. Trump’s purportedly isolationist platform more or less solidified that sentiment. This display of Bush-like hawkishness exposed a riff between the Trump voter and the traditional conservative voter. The latter also gave George Bush permission to invade Iraq and Bill Clinton to level

losers, never lives and casualties. My granddad left Yugoslavia before it collapsed at the turn of the century. He has contended with its disappearance for a good while, and learnt that spot fires cannot be quashed by even bigger spot fires. This idea has permeated every one of our discussions about politics. I comment, as the political pundit does, far away from sirens and artillery fire, that North Korea is the only standing authoritarian regime worth toppling – it’s human rights record reads like a parody of 1984. Granddad launches into the same indignant spiel, but this time notes North Korea is the first of the Western world’s bellig“Suffice to say, it’s never about the erents-to-be with potential nuclear capabilities. Not babies, or democratic values, or doing since the Cuban Missile what’s right. Trump’s purportedly Crisis has this been a variable at play, and the man at the isolationist platform more or less helm isn’t John F Kennedy solidified that sentiment.” this time. It is Donald Trump, and his scheme to simultaneously cripple China with Yugoslavia. Indeed, if history repeated twice is refugees and enter the history books can only farce, Syria culminates a sideshow over half a bode poorly for civilisation. The Western world, century in the making. Just swap out innocent including Australia, cannot afford to humour babies for WMDs, genocide, and communism him thinking good always prevails. As Kaplan before it. The United States’ targets have always also writes, tragedy is merely ‘the triumph of one had blood on their hands, but not enough to good over another’, and if might makes right, justify the prolonged suffering left in the wake then the only question left is who throws the of their ostensibly good intentions. Surely Assad first punch. should be deposed, but who on earth are we to The best case scenario is that entropy takes make that decision for the Syrian people? its course and Kim Jong-Un is uprooted by his How ironic it is that the American people own impoverished subjects. That leaves some should now balk to such a mawkish cause for twenty-five million people somewhat alert to intervention. The United States may in fact their own subjugation, and maybe even willing be the greatest country in the world – the to cooperate with international bodies. It also problem is that its citizens are so brazenly sure minimises the chance of China allying with of it. Australia and America at large lack what North Korea under the pretext of Western provRobert Kaplan calls the tragic sensibility, an ocation. If a tanned, sausage-like finger should understanding ‘that things often go wrong and auspiciously hover over that big red button, the have unintended consequences’ despite good burden to act will fall first and foremost on the intentions. Tragedy is romantic to us because it American people, and this is a scary thought. is so alien, being among a handful of countries in Even scarier is the thought they might consent. modern times that have not been touched by it But they say the umpteenth time’s the charm, to the degree it has facilitated it. It comes filtered and after fifty-odd years of scaremongering, through a cameraman’s lens, and trimmed down posturing, and dallying, America might just face to a minute-long, safe for TV highlight reel. War its leaders and with a firm backbone and finally is something ethereal and imaginary, something ask: that only exists in the context of winners and How stupid do you really think we are?

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THE WHITLAM CLUB’S DISMISSAL Words by Jennifer Nguyen

On the 15th of May 2017, the Adelaide University Union Clubs Committee cancelled the membership of the Whitlam Club. This decision comes after a string of controversial policy changes enacted by AUU president, Brodie Scott. The Whitlam Club According to its constitution, The Whitlam Club is a political club which aims to facilitate democratic socialism amongst student activists on campus. The club’s objectives also include recruiting candidates to run in student elections, promoting progressive values and “influencing the policies of the Australian Labor Party” (which is pretty evident, given the club’s namesake). The club was provisionally registered in November 2015 and was due to graduate to full registration after a year of being an active club. In a twisted turn of events, the club have since had their registration pulled by the Clubs Committee. The Clubs Committee Clubs Committee is an administrative arm of the Adelaide University Union

Board that deals with the registration of clubs, approves funding for events and reports back to the AUU Board. Member appointments are a result of a highly politicised internal election process that is scheduled in late November. Their tenure lasts for a year. Chaired by AUU Board director Jennifer Li, the Clubs Committee consists of five voting members: the AUU President, Clubs Chair, Clubs Administrator and 2 Clubs representatives. The two clubs representatives are Oscar Ong and Patrick Imaysay. Ong was nominated by the University of Adelaide Multicultural Society while Imaysay received his nomination from the Whitlam Club. Imaysay was among one of the only allies for the Whitlam Club on Clubs Committee; he was especially vocal in arguing against the club’s deregistration. It is worth noting that Li, Scott and Ong ran and were elected to their current positions on the AUU Board and and Clubs Committee via the political ticket Progress. The Whitlam Club also run in student elections under the political ticket Activate.

Deregistration Normally, deregistration occurs if a club: - has broken the rules (misuse of club funds, failed to fill out their application in due time) - is inactive and no longer provides for its student members and finally, The Union will not register a club with substantially similar objectives to an existing club. On Dit approached the Clubs Administrator to ask if The Whitlam Club have engaged in improper conduct during their provisional registration period. We have learned that the Whitlam Club have operated within the AUU rules and have been active with member events since their inception. President of the Whitlam Club, Iacovos Digenis, says the club has faced numerous “unfounded, contradictory and deeply biased accusations” from the Clubs Committee. The Whitlam Club was singled out by

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An artist’s depiction of the Clubs Committee as Power Rangers

the Committee during last year’s reregistration period on grounds that their relationship with the Australian Labor Party does not make the club unique. The 1955 historic ideological split of the ALP means that the party is organised along factional lines; this is no different at campus level politics. The Whitlam Club can be characterised as Labor Left while the Adelaide University Labor Club is characterised as Labor Right. Considering the fact that at the time of their registration over a year ago, there were no questions raised about the Club’s legitimacy or uniqueness, it therefore seems peculiar to question it now. So far in, the decision to make the Whitlam Club redundant is adding up to be a carefully calculated, political move. Presidential Relations Intense relations between the presidents of the AUU and the SRC — which lead to President Scott blocking President Pace from filling a casual vacancy on the AUU Board-— may have influenced the decision to deregister the Whitlam club. It is worth noting that SRC President Pace

was an active member of the Whitlam Club, formerly serving as the club’s treasurer. Conflicts of Interest Considering the fact that three of five from the voting committee is affiliated to Progress, neither Li, Scott or Ong declared their conflict of interest at the Clubs’ Committee meeting. When Scott was questioned about the meeting, he responded to On Dit with the following. “Regarding the Whitlam Club, I am not part of any such decision regarding its registration status. I have complete trust that the Clubs Committee thoroughly deliberates on all available information when making these sorts of decisions. I also have trust that the Clubs Committee will make its decisions in the interests of the wider student body.” Set Precedence This ought to worry clubs that may share some similarities with other clubs. The Clubs Committee have proven that they have got the numbers to push through the changes that they

see fit. The deregistration of a club will isolate members from accessing student union resources to build membership, run events and exist in an official capacity on campus. On Dit looked through the AUU Clubs list to see if any other clubs share the same characteristics. Our super-scientific method includes CTRL+F to find similar buzzwords. These are our results. Engineering Adelaide University Enginering Society, Adelaide Mechanical Engineering Student Society similar words: engineering, society Politics Socialist Alternative and the Adelaide University Labor Club. similar words: social, campaigns Environmental Adelaide Sustainability Association, AYCC, Environmental Collective of Students similar words: sustainability, environment, education Christianity Evangelical Students, Christian Fellowship and Campus Christian Movement.

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Several years ago, I read a news article about a young man in his late teens to early twenties who had received a diagnosis of cancer. When questioned about his situation, he made a statement which, although not verbatim, was to the following effect: “I don’t know what I did wrong for this to happen to me! I don’t smoke, I eat healthily, I exercise regularly, I did nothing to deserve this!” At the time, I would have been around 22, and was myself coping with my own diagnosis of cancer. Having studied health sciences, however, I realised that a diagnosis of cancer cannot always be traced specifically to a behavioural cause. Only around 33% of all diagnosed cancers are considered preventable, and as painful as it is for those affected, sometimes people just get cancer for no reason other than sheer poor fortune. I mention this because it came to mind while I considered another, more topical, news article. The article described how a 65-year-old SA man took a few moments to check his GPS when driving along an unfamiliar highway at 80km/h. A few moments turned into 10 seconds, and in those 10 seconds he drove through a give way intersection and hit a truck, which careened off to hit a car containing a family. The entire family, except for the father, died in the collision. The driver pled guilty to four counts of causing death by culpably negligent driving and one count of causing serious harm by culpably negligent driving. He was utterly remorseful and was described as ‘broken’ by his lawyer.

When Justice I s n ’t Ju s t Words by Richard Poor

Initially, the driver received a sentence of four years and two months’ jail, but this sentence was appealed by his lawyer a short time later and the ruling was overturned with the driver receiving a two-year suspended sentence on a good behaviour bond. Many friends I have spoken to about this case sympathise with the initial ruling, believing it to be correct or even lenient. When asked to elaborate, most reasoned that the driver’s actions were directly responsible for the accident, and that subsequently he should have to pay a price proportional to the number of lives lost. This conclusion never sat well with me, and it took a lot of thinking before I realised why. To summarise a few weeks of contemplation: what caused the deaths of three generations of a family was not malevolence, wilful negligence, or disregard for the safety of others. It was a simple lapse in judgement. We are all guilty of such lapses. We have them during lectures, during conversations with friends, and even while driving. How often have you, the reader, caught yourself unfocused at the

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“A few moments turned into 10 seconds, and in those 10 seconds he drove through a give way intersection and hit a truck, which careened off to hit a car containing a family” wheel and thought: “It’s a good thing nothing happened in those few seconds otherwise that could have been messy!”. Well that’s precisely what happened to the driver in question, except something did happen in those few seconds and it killed three generations of a family. This brings us to my conclusion: what fundamentally is the difference between the lapses in concentration we are all guilty of and the lapse in concentration of this wretched driver?

Sheer poor fortune. Poor fortune identical to that which can cause a malignant tumour in the body of an otherwise healthy man in the prime of his life. Like such a diagnosis of a cancer, it can seem utterly unfair that a life can be snuffed out at the whim of probability; surely there must be somebody or something at fault. On Dit asked for this issue asked that the balance between punishment and rehabilitation be considered. The reason I haven’t directly addressed this, but instead have taken the time to detail this sequitous analogy is for the following reasons: Any decision to either punish or rehabilitate must achieve one of those goals, otherwise the action serves no useful purpose and may as well have not been carried out. In the example of this driver, for which so many of my friends disagree with the suspended sentence: there is no wilful malevolence being punished, and no correctable behaviour to be rehabilitated. A combination of poor luck and simple accidental inattention is at the heart of the deaths subject to the above inquiry, and that is not something that can be either punished or rehabilitated as it can never be eliminated as a human behaviour. Before the decision should be made to either punish or rehabilitate, it is important to carefully weigh whether reprimanding the person responsible is useful, or simply vengeful. Before we consider ourselves mature enough to deliver punishment or prescribe rehabilitation, we need to understand that sometimes there simply isn’t somebody we can blame. Sometimes horrible things just happen, and all we can do is grieve.

~ On Di t ~

Is micro-dosing the solution to productivity and creativity? Words by Ted Burston

Disclaimer: On Dit does not endorse the use of drugs at a workplace or learning environment.

ince the dawn of time, humanity has dedicated all its resources, effort, and intelligence into one thing – the advancement of the human race itself. We are driven by an insatiable desire to live to the fullest extent, and to develop and understand the tools that allow us to do so. It is undeniable that humanity’s greatest tool is the human brain, and that developing new technologies to improve this tool is one of our greatest collective priorities. It was not so long ago that amphetamines were used by troops in World War II to dramatically increase focus, alertness and energy. Today, caffeine (a stimulant) is one of the most widespread and socially acceptable forms of psychoactive drug use known to man, thanks largely to the perception of an increase in mental productivity it creates. While we seem to have a good grasp on improving productivity, the improvement of the equally important element of creative thinking has fallen to the wayside. However, thanks to the rising popularity of a phenomenon of psychedelic drug use known as ‘microdosing’, this may not be the case for long. The brain can be a rigid thing. There is a saying that goes around in neuroscience: “neurons that fire together, wire

together”. Every experience, thought, and emotion we have is generated by the firing of thousands upon thousands of neurons in the brain. When these neurons continue to fire together, they grow accustomed to firing down certain paths, thus forming neural networks. Our thinking patterns determine our neural patterns, and our neural patterns determine our thinking patterns. In this sense, cognition is like one big technological system. In the external world we engineer technologies that engineer our conscious experiences, and these conscious experiences engineer neural pathways that, in turn, engineer our conscious experience (and visa versa). An altered state of consciousness induced using classic psychedelic drugs, such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, generates a profound scattering and shift in neural networking, resulting in a huge change in conscious experience. The vast benefit of such a change in neural networking is that cognition becomes and less rigid, and thoughts are hence less constrained to a certain structure and content. Rigidity in neural networks is generated by habitual thinking, and generates habitual thinking. When habitual thinking becomes negative this becomes hugely problematic. It is this cycle that is responsible for the vicious

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entrapment of depressed people in their own negative thoughts, and limits our ability to be creative. What is needed is a system shake up. The full-blown psychedelic experience is certainly one effective way to achieve this, but it is also the most daunting. However, there is growing interest in the use of sub-threshold doses of LSD and psilocybin to help massage neural flexibility without having a cosmic, mind-bending, mystical, and potentially frightening experience. When micro-dosing, one takes an amount of the psychedelic drug that aims to produce minimal effects on conscious experience but still produces (albeit subtler) shifts in neural networking, generating a mental elasticity that can allow the user’s thoughts to be malleable in a manner not ordinarily possible. The dose is taken once daily over multiple consecutive days, and allows the user to actively engage in the reformation of fresher neural networks, as well as diminish neurophysiological constraints on thinking. This allows for the gradual development of desired positive thinking patterns over the dosing period. Scientific studies have demonstrated that psychedelically induced neural network alterations disintegrate negative thinking patterns and install positive ones, and generate new perceptions of the world and of the self, leaving the user more open-minded. Micro-doses act in a similar manner, but to a lesser extent. This is what makes micro-dosing so desirable for those looking to refresh their perspectives and innovation in the professional world and at home. There is an ever-increasing pool of anecdotal evidence to the success of micro-dosing in improving openness, aesthetic appreciation, imagination, and tolerance of the viewpoints of others in day-to-day life. A diverse range of professionals (notably the entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley) are attesting to the importance of micro-dosing for the benefits that this invigorated creativity can bring about, particularly insofar as

problem solving, and the ability to think of more abstract ideas and solutions. Moreover, as one shouldn’t feel the noticeable hallmark effects of a psychedelic (geometric patterns, loss of the sense of time and space, melting walls and all that jazz) when micro-dosing, it can be done effectively in conjunction with a normal work and home life, with very few noticeable negative implications on mental health or practical functioning. As very little scientific research has been done into micro-dosing and its actual effectiveness, except for the collation and discussion of anecdotal reports, we should restrain ourselves to cautious optimism for the time being. While it is highly unlikely that this vast body of anecdotal evidence is wildly incorrect and unsubstantiated, extensive laboratory trials are yet to be undertaken, due largely to the stigma of psychedelic drugs and difficulties finding funding. Psychedelics are not without their hazards; if one isn’t properly educated in the area there are risks of taking an incorrect dosage, an impure substance, or even taking a substance that isn’t what the user thinks it to be. This might not be an issue for your everyday psychonaut, but one can imagine the difficulties that would arise when your employer is asking you why you’re touching everything and giggling, and you’re asking her why her face has turned to rainbow squiggles and flown out the window. Not to mention, whilst classical psychedelics have a good track record of safety (particularly in low doses), there could still be unintended and unidentified risks to micro-dosing that are yet to be unearthed in research. This is not to dampen the excitement though, but merely to ensure we don’t get carried away with ourselves. Micro-dosing could go on to be potentially the greatest technological innovation of this century, however until further research is done, we must wait in hopeful anticipation.

~ On Di t ~

infidelity

I hate that I used to be a cheater Words by Anonymous

hen I reflect on my relentlessly unfaithful past, what troubles me most is the ease in which I lied to the people I truly loved and cared about. This genuine absence of empathy still bewilders me as I was utterly complacent, completely comfortable to look into my partners’ eyes, hide my deceitful actions and fabricate lies until they were reassured I would never do anything to hurt them. I would deny the truth, deny the truth, deny the truth until denial was no longer an option. Once the gut-wrenching truth had become a shared reality, there would be so much anger and so much hurt; the betrayal only intensified by my incessant lies. We would cry, yet my tears were selfish and for my own misfortune. I was repulsed by my actions, but mostly due to the negative implications they had on myself. Of course I said I regretted hurting them, I wanted to feel remorse for my actions, but whether these feelings were authentic is questionable. Today, my faithfulness and self control mirrors the common monogamy experience, genuinely caring how actions that “they don’t have to know about” would impact the ones I love. For the first time in my life, I would do anything to prevent my partner from being hurt, and the thought of doing wrong is finally a sickening one. Today, I am repulsed by my past; how could I have been so cruel? The sheer prevalence of cheating is evident through history and popculture, with infidelity being one of the most common themes depicted in literature, TV, and film. Our cultures’ intrinsic perceptions on morality and loyalty have been challenged through examples of temptation, lust and deception. Cheating is generally perceived as a despicable act: exemplifying deep personality flaws through untrustworthy behaviour, lack of self control, and sexual deviance. Perhaps its commonplace in Western civilisation is what has sparked the inclusion of free-love ideologies like open relationship dynamics and polyamory into mainstream discourse. Growing communities for nonmonogamists are allowing like-minded individuals to engage in satisfying relationships; granting personal growth and sexual freedom in many cases. In a way, infidelity is more unjustifiable than ever. There is no one reason why people cheat, considering each individuals’ justification is directly influenced by their understanding of what constitutes as infidelity. A study undertaken by the Institute of Social Change found that many engaging in affairs are actively looking to initiate a sexual or emotional experience with another, often searching to fulfil certain desires that their partner is unable to provide. Some are unfaithful by accident, while others

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“The care I had established for my partner became an afterthought as my desires to be touched wrongfully by someone else took charge. The deceitful touching excited a fire inside me; the heat building between my legs became my first priority.”

cheat for the purposes of sexual experimentation, for emotional validation or quite simply because they’ve fallen in or out of love. Disastrously, I found the sensation of the inappropriate touch to be incredibly erotic. It’s not as though I was seeking new partners – despite landing myself in compromising situations it was never my intention to cheat – but when temptation presented itself I often gave in to my arousal. The care I had established for my partner became an afterthought as my desires to be touched wrongfully by someone else took charge. The deceitful touching excited a fire inside me; the heat building between my legs became my first priority. It was incredibly stimulating to be felt up in a way that could be misconstrued as unintentional, like tickling or play fighting or a friendly massage; but the most exhilarating aspect of the cheating process was the reluctance. “Okay, we really shouldn’t be doing this” I’d whine. “I… I really think we should stop now” I’d moan. My entire body would heat up as I ‘attempted’ to reject the wrongful advances, creating unrivalled arousal. In these situations, so wrong, I had no choice but to play the reluctant yet consenting character, genuinely unsure if I should continue yet powerless to stop the inevitable advances of my playmate. The foundation of my fantasies, at least, were based on power plays and genuine reluctance, and this realisation liberated me to replicate these themes without the detrimental, hurtful repercussions of infidelity. I began experimenting with my partners, including them in my fantasies and enabling them to play wrongfully with me through character developments in various situations. Roleplaying essentially allows you to react as another person would, fostering realistic dialogue and purposeful action. Coincidently, through this discovery I became more communicative and honest with my partners, allowing them to understand my complex sexual desires to satisfy me beyond belief. I endured years of self destructive behaviour to the point of severe self hate, and I endured torment from myself and others due to the mass of lies I was committed to. I was becoming tired of the hiding, the sneaking, the stories, the rumours – all of a sudden I had been completely worn down. It was as if the years of exhausting lies had culminated and I couldn’t handle one more. I was done. I literally quit lying. Something changed deep within me; lying didn’t feel comfortable anymore, it suddenly felt awful. And it wasn’t only that I didn’t want to lie anymore, I genuinely didn’t want to cheat anymore. I found myself enamoured by honesty and open communication, and I became repulsed by temptation. Perhaps I finally grew a conscience, or perhaps I just grew. I hate that I used to be a cheater – I love that I’m not one now.

~ On Di t ~

FILM REVIEWS

John Wick 2 Dir. Chad Staheleski Review by Phoebe Christofi John Wick (Keanu Reeves) gets revenge for the

Surprisingly, for a film that had so many deaths

theft of his car and the murder of his puppy after

I wish I’d kept a tally (it’s not a spoiler if it

the death of his wife. However, returning to the life

starts in the first minute of the film, right?), I

of an assassin to do so has many repercussions.

was overcome by the courtesy with which the

With Winston (Ian McShane) watching his back

assassins had for rules. An organisation such as

as the head of their organisation, Wick attempts

the one in the film has to have limitations (even

a task with WHAT DO YA KNOW, even more

for blessed Keanu), and the camaraderie shown

repercussions than the first mission. Constantly

was downright adorable. There they are, bleeding

getting himself into a pickle and (literally)

all over the bar after wrestling down three flights

karate chopping his way through hundreds of

of stairs, and they remember what the other

henchmen with the stunning backdrop of Rome,

person has to drink (um, just by the way, Keanu

Keanu does what Keanu does best. He doesn’t

likes bourbon NOT gin). I was surprised with

say much, and he looks damn fine as he does it.

the amount of humour, which was subtle yet

The ten words which Keanu did say were “Sure”,

effective, making this film an overall extremely

“Good boy”, “I’ll kill them all” (you do that Keanu),

enjoyable and entertaining experience.

“Winston?”, and “I need a suit.” What fine words they were too.

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Contratiempo (The Invisible Guest) Dir. Oriol Paulo Review by Olivia De Zilva What are we really capable of when our lives

will go to in order to protect themselves. Paulo

are at risk? The Invisible Guest, or Contratiempo

delves deeps inside good, evil and everything

in its native Spain, explores these facets of the

in between to bring a confronting and almost

human understanding. When things spiral out

too realistic tale of life and death. Despite the

of control for young gun businessman, Adrián

obvious language barrier, the film doesn’t fail to

Doria, played by the mesmerising Mario Casas,

deliver on its desired effect. The supporting cast,

after he is framed for the murder of his lover.

consisting of Spanish superstars, Ana Waganer,

When an unexpected guest turns up at his door,

Bárbara Lennie and José Coronado do a

Adrián must learn to play the game or face life’s

stunning job in their respective characters. Their

deadly consequences.

portrayals, again, almost too realistic, perfectly

Featured as part of Australia’s Spanish Film Festival, The Invisible Guest stuns as an

compliment Casas’ Adrián, highlighting his inner flaws and vulnerability.

all out classic mystery whodunit. With odes to

Although not the headliner of The Spanish

Hitchock’s voyeurism and Kubrickian sweeping

Film Festival, The Invisible Guest is definitely the

shots, the film shines till the very end. Director

dark horse, (literally) of the bunch. It’s beautiful,

and screenwriter, Oriol Paulo tugs at the psyche

twisted and sinister, the perfect combination for

of viewers by highlighting the extremes people

a truly jaw dropping mystery film.

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RANT SPACE Don’t be a Fencesitter Words by Mia Formichella There’s a time and a place for ‘fence sitters’ and ‘people pleasers’. That time is never, and that place is nowhere near me. I have this one Facebook friend who is extremely passionate about social issues (aren’t we all). She’ll spot the most controversial post on her News Feed from a mile away and waste no time pointing out why everyone is wrong. Half starting a debate, but not quite going all the way. After she’s thrown in her two cents, she’ll sign off with a ‘But yea, maybe I’m wrong *smiley face emoji*’. This person is so intent on having people like her, that she’d tell you off for being sexist, racist, homophobic, and then apologise for being rude. She’ll throw in a smiley face just so you don’t think she’s actually mad at you (even though she is). She’ll tailor her opinion depending on who she’s talking to, and agree with the majority for the sake of keeping the peace, even if that means compromising her own values and beliefs. Don’t dilute your ideals for risk of upsetting someone else. Don’t stand up for yourself and then say ‘I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong’. It’s not your job to please everyone. Stop sitting on the fence. Stop agreeing with whoever happens to be in front of you, and actually make up your mind. Get an opinion and own it. Maybe you’ll piss off a few people that way, but I’d respect you a whole lot more for it.