Debate | Issue 8 | The D Isssue

debate Issue 8 | July 2019 | The D Issue

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Contents

When Life Gives You Melons :: Page 22

News: ‘A pretty big fuck up’ Page 6

D-Bag Landlords Page 14

Shitty Student Cars Page 24

What To Do About the D Page 30

C OV E R I L L U S T R AT I O N BY L E O WA LTO N

EDITOR Ben Webber ben.webber@aut.ac.nz DESIGNER Ramina Rai rrai@aut.ac.nz ADVERTISING Jesse Jones jesse.jones@aut.ac.nz

CONTRIBUTORS Daniel Brunskill, Sophia Romanos, Leo Walton, Sam Deakin, Meoghan Craig, Courtney PrattYoung, Dayna Patel, Ellen Ranum & Melissa Koh

PRINTER Nicholson Print Solutions DISCLAIMER

Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AUTSA, its advertisers, contributors, Nicholson Print Solutions or its subsidiaries.

Debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).

This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUT STUDENT ASSOCIATION (“AUTSA”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AUTSA.

PUBLISHED BY

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Editor's Letter I hope you all enjoyed your break and didn’t freeze in this weather. I thought it would have been quiet in the Debate offices but Zumba seemed to still be going strong at the gym and our windows rattled continuously through what seemed like the entirety of the holiday.

The Debate team and I have been busy preparing this issue in time for re o week and we chose the ‘D’ theme as we knew a lot of you would be getting your exam results back this week. I’m sure some of you did really well and some of you did not so. Many of us have been there before and so we wanted to put an issue together reminding you that other people get shit

grades sometimes too.

want to miss.

When I was a student here, I always felt like there was so much riding on my grades and I became really consumed by everything.

I encourage you to not get consumed because it’s the worst. Those feelings don’t last forever.

I would also like to mention that AUTSA’s elections are coming up and I’m sure you don’t care about them but I’m begging you to care! The Student Representative Council (SRC) has more power than you might realise and if this power is used for evil (or just not used at all) then your student levy money that funds AUTSA is not being well spent!

In this issue, we look not only at what to do if you get a D, but also lots of other things that begin with the letter D. Debate’s Sophia Romanos discussed dodgy landlords (she has one herself), Meoghan Craig talked about the realities of study when you have dyslexia and Debate’s Dan Brunskill explored exactly why AUT doesn’t appear to be a very political campus.

We also have tons of reviews in this issue as well as an incredible doughnut recipe from the wonderful Melissa Koh that you don’t

Whilst it would suit me just fine if a bunch of weirdos were elected into the SRC (the potential news stories would be great), I really do hope you get out and vote. The SRC needs people that will fight for your voice to be heard and not just with each other.

Talk soon, Ben

Can't get enough of Debate? Check out our website, like or follow us on social media, or email the editor to get involved. www.debatemag.com

facebook.com/autsadebate

@debate_mag

debate@aut.ac.nz

What's on

A Midsummer Night's Dream Where: Pop-up Globe Theatre, Ellerslie

Ruby Esther: A Rube Awakening

Racecourse When: Sat 20 July - Fri 23 August What: A Midsummer Night's Dream enchants audiences with a brilliant mix of hilarious comedy and beautiful poetry.

This new production, directed by Pop-up Globe's Artistic Director and founder Dr Miles Gregory, fuses spectacular Jacobean costumes with Māori folklore to create the flagship production for the Pop-up Globe Winter Season.

How much: Groundlings $10.25

Where: The Classic Studio, Queen Street When: Fri 26 July What: Ruby Esther is unable to do a lot

I Am Rachel Chu

The Delicate Balance of Wobbling Stars

Where: The Basement, CBD When: Tue 6 August - Sat 10 August What: Watch and listen as these theatre makers rewrite, rework and revitalise the best-selling book and box-office success Crazy Rich Asians with their own personal histories, superimposing themselves over its so-called relatable protagonist.

How much: Adult $25

of things; successfully watercolour, commit to redecorating her room and sleep. Wide awake and staring at the glow in the dark stars above her bed, this woman-child has had time to overthink every minuscule moment of her life and form it into punchlines, songs, poetry and ultimately a spectacle.

How much: $16.38

Where: Papakura Museum When: Thurs 6 June - Fri 19 July What: The Delicate Balance of Wobbling Stars is an exhibition by nationally renowned weaver, Dr Maureen Lander.

Dr Lander uses woven stars to represent Te Iwa o Matariki and explores the astronomical phenomenon of “wobbling stars”, star motion that can be seen amid constellations.

How much: Free

Aotea Square Ice Rink Where: Aotea Square, CBD When: Fri 21 June - Sun 28 July What: Take a spin or a slide on the ice in the heart of the city and experience the magic of your very own winter playground.

Enjoy an exciting variety of special events including DJ nights, themed parties, skating lessons and much more.

How much: Door sales

Housekeeping Where: The Basement, CBD When: Tue 6 August - Sat 10 August What: An ode to the hidden sisterhood of our Queer, Gay, Trans and Drag aunties and uncles who provided a five-star service for the underside of a boujee Auckland City hotel. Join Basement’s 2019 Company in Residence Coven as they check in your dark secrets and check out your ugly truths in their first foray into scripted theatre with a hint of performance art.

How much: Adult $28 5

A re-enactment from the day

news

‘A pretty big fuck up’ – AUTSA ordinary general meeting fails to reach quorum

By Daniel Brunskill An AUTSA general meeting on May 30 failed to gather the 30 students required for it to go ahead.

The meeting, in which AUTSA intended to release the association’s audited accounts and a report from the president, was unable to be held as a quorum of students was not present.

AUTSA Vice-President, Kurt Schmidt told Debate that despite providing free pizza and soft drinks at Vesbar, the Student Representative Council (SRC) was unable to convince students to join the meeting.

then the meeting must be postponed for within the next two weeks.

“When 30 minutes came to an end, I was like ‘fuck this - fuck the bullshit organising’ and I called it off,” Schmidt said.

The meeting was rescheduled to July 18.

Failing to hold the OGM before the end of May is a breach of the constitution, as is not rescheduling the meeting within two weeks.

The constitution is a document that AUTSA enforces upon itself, so there are no specific penalties for breaching it.

“It was pretty much just me and three members of the SRC offering them free food and trying to get them in.

Schmidt said that accountability lies with students.

“At one stage, we got to 27 students so we were close,” he said.

“Students are the only ones who keep us accountable. If they don’t care we didn’t have an OGM then nothing happens to us.

Under the rules of AUTSA’s constitution, if quorum is not reached the meeting can be adjourned for one hour. If, after that hour, quorum can still not be met

“Not having it happen is a pretty big fuck up.”

services levy that students pay as part of their university fees. OGMs are designed as a way for students to be able to analyse the way the association is spending its money.

Schmidt said when the likes of The Otago University Students’ Association has a general meeting, they have hundreds of students showing up.

He said AUT students either don’t know what a general meeting is or simply don’t care.

“They [AUT students] spend $66 every year to fund us and collectively that comes to about $1.2 million and if they don’t come to these meetings, we’re going to spend it however we feel,” he said.

Schmidt said students should see the re-scheduled meeting on July 18 as a chance to engage in the student community.

“Get involved in the community so you are part of more than just going to lectures,” he said.

AUTSA is funded from a student

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news

Fresh Perspective on AUTSA’s Governance Board

By Ben Webber AUTSA’s governance board has decided not to invite back an independent director who was coming to the end of a three-year term.

In a meeting in April, the board informed the director, John Berridge, that his term, which was to end in June, would be his last.

The board consists of the AUTSA President and Vice-President, two members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) and three independent directors with governance experience.

Acting board spokesperson, Kurt

Schmidt, told Debate that whilst Berridge had been an active contributor to the board it was time for “fresh blood”.

management, I can be pushy because if I see things that aren’t happening the way I think they could or should then I’ll want to know why.”

“This is a standard procedure and it's rare for an independent director to get a second term,” he said.

Whilst disagreeing somewhat with Berridge’s style of governance, Schmidt told Debate Berridge had offered valuable resources and knowledge during his time on the board.

“John was close to achieving this second term but his slightly dominating personality swayed the board into thinking that going to market could give us a needed change.”

Berridge told Debate he likes to see things being done well.

“Because I’ve been in senior

“I wouldn’t say we have no confidence [in John], but we have more confidence in going to market.”

In conversation with Debate, Berridge said he had helped to turn AUTSA’s relationship with AUT into a “much greater collaborative working relationship.”

“There’s a lot that has gone on in terms of internal culture and a lot more in terms of process and policies and procedures,” he said.

Shake-ups for AUTSA’s governance board come at a time where Schmidt says the board has been making “classic mistakes” and certain board members are acting as “bystanders.”

Berridge has been readily involved in the recruitment process for his own replacement and Schmidt said Berridge was the only director that actually offered to help with the shortlisting of candidates.

“They [the independent directors] need to get involved more because they’re not putting their hands up and they’re not doing work that they should be doing.”

board, the board as a whole should have realised the timing was wrong and deferred the recruitment process.

possible, I think we might have gone into too much detail and the SRC really just needed the basics.”

“I feel like they need to be more proactive in understanding our organisational structure.

Schmidt said the SRC has “no clue” about the Incorporated Societies Act (AUTSA is an incorporated society,) despite being trained on it.

“They [the independent directors] need to get involved more because they’re not putting their hands up and they’re not doing work that they should be doing.”

The timing of the recruitment also appears to have complicated matters further.

“We really need to be hand-held [by the independent directors] through the technical side of it,” he said.

Schmidt said the board should not have been attempting to hire a replacement for Berridge during exam season when student board members were experiencing “periods of high work intensity.”

Berridge was also involved in the training of the SRC earlier in the year and despite the board’s decision to replace Berridge, Schmidt stands by Berridge as being the right person to have helped guide the incoming reps.

Whilst he said some of this responsibility falls on the student members of the

“I think the training he did was adequate and putting this as diplomatically as

When it comes to Berridge’s replacement on the board, Schmidt said he is hoping for someone with Berridge’s level of proactivity and someone who can help guide AUTSA effectively.

He said a good understanding of the AUTSA constitution will be important.

“I’m hoping that they will be proactive in reading our constitution and learning it because I feel there is a lack of attention from all of us…us being the governance board.”

AUTSA’s governance board acts to oversee whether the association is meeting the terms of its Service Level Agreement with AUT which provides funding for the association.

The board also helps to manage the association’s money, investments, and sees that Key Performance Indicators and objectives are being met.

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news

AUTSA’s Class Rep System Continues to Not Exist

By Ben Webber AUTSA is still not offering a class representative system to students, despite many other student associations around the country successfully coordinating such systems.

A proposal created by AUTSA (then known as AuSM), from two years ago, noted that the association felt it should be providing a structured programme, with one representative in each class the university offers.

embarking on the responsibility of a class rep system.

The SRC is structured to provide five faculty representatives, however some of these positions currently sit vacant. Some schools within AUT are understood of have reps, but the system appears far from standardised across the university.

Other student associations, including Auckland University Students' Association (AUSA), Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) and The Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) all have paid staff who organise their representative systems.

The lack of a formalised class rep system for AUT students contrasts strongly with several other student associations around New Zealand.

Both AUSA and OUSA have one staff member each who works 20 hours per week to keep their class rep systems running effectively. VUWSA employs a full-time staff member with an academic focus who manages reps as part of their role.

Class reps at other New Zealand universities generally serve to advocate for students of the class they represent and to mediate solutions to problems students are facing.

Debate understands certain associations are successfully managing between several hundred to a few thousand representatives at any one time.

AUSA told Debate it manages around 750 reps at a time, VUWSA manages over 1000 and OUSA has around 4000 (with some cross-over).

Helping to coordinate communication between students and staff, they may also sit on committees at their respective university. AUTSA’s proposal included a plan to hire a full-time staff member, with the title of ‘Student Representation Coordinator’ to oversee the programme.

AUTSA’s Strategic Plan for 2019 mentions the piloting of a ‘School Representatives’ program, but AUTSA Vice-President, Kurt Schmidt, told Debate the SRC has not managed to organise this effectively.

Schmidt said AUTSA does not have adequate funding to support a class rep coordinator long term, but it could have enough budget “that we could scrape together to pilot this position.”

Schmidt also raised the question as to whether it was right for the SRC to be given the admin-heavy job of implementing a school rep system.

Schmidt said that the Service Level Agreement between AUT and AUTSA, which will be renegotiated in late 2020, would ideally include funding for a class rep coordinator role.

AUTSA General Manager, Will Watterson, told Debate the proposal had come at a time when the association was not performing optimally and felt it could not afford to hire someone for the role.

“The university had made it clear we had been underperforming…so we were moving into 2018 with clear expectations from the university to do more, not to have any more funding, but to do more with what we had.”

Watterson said the association had also been having issues with “supporting, managing and empowering” the current Student Representative Council (SRC) at the time and was wary of taking on more representatives.

He said the decision was made to get better training and support for the SRC before

An AUT spokesperson told Debate the university never intended the SRC to implement a class rep system.

They said that the suggestion was made to AUTSA that it should investigate the schools that already had class reps successfully operating and either “tap into those reps” or “develop a system that mirrors the effectiveness that currently exists.”

The spokesperson said furthermore that AUT had previously suggested to AUTSA that it should explore class rep systems that were already operating within other New Zealand universities and develop a model to suit the university.

AUTSA General Manager, Will Watterson, is also optimistic about the association’s ability to deliver a class representative pilot programme in the near future.

“With the help of the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) and some firm pushing from myself and the SRC I think we could have at least a pilot designed in the first half of semester two.”

AUT Pro-Vice Chancellor of Student Experience and Success, Desna Jury, is understood to be gathering information from the university after AUTSA brought up the absence of a formalised class rep system at a recent SAC meeting.

opinion

Apolitical AUT: What we could learn from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Debate’s Dan Brunskill gives AUT a D- for political engagement

When I started as news editor at Debate, I set up a Google alert to let me know every time the phrase ‘students at AUT’ was mentioned online. I expected this alert to bring me a steady stream of interesting occurrences happening on campus. I didn’t really find anything interesting. What I did find, however, is a university in Greece (the motherland of democracy), called the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, or AUT for short.

According to local news reports, several times this year, a group of angry students have literally stormed the office of the university’s Rectorate (the equivalent of our vice-chancellor) “shouting insults and threatening employees, professors and the Rector”.

According to AUT (that’s the Aristotle University, not our one), the students punched a professor and threatened to throw him out a window. So, what’s got the students of Thessaloniki so fired up? They want to be allowed to attend the university’s senate meetings. That’s it. Currently, the meetings are open only to the senate and some student representatives.

Now, I’m not going to pretend to understand the nuance of Greek student politics.

But when I read this story, I kept asking myself: ‘Would AUT students storm the vice-chancellor’s office to demand anything?’. We don’t have to look as far afield as Greece to see student activists taking

on university executives. We need only to look across to Wellesley Street at our close frenemy The University of Auckland.

In May of 2017, a group of 13 UoA students staged a ‘sit-in’ protest outside the door of the Vice-Chancellor's office, demanding the university divest from fossil fuels. The students held their ground for 12 hours, before being removed by police. This sort of activism never occurs at AUT. The most dramatic political event at AUT during my time is the petition to disaffiliate the prolife club, which has just 300 signatures.

Voting numbers for student representatives is astronomically low and the AUTSA ordinary general meeting failed because it couldn’t gather together the required 30 students to present its audited accounts to.

I can’t tell you why it is, but AUT students seem to be unconcerned with political life. Other universities, at least, appear more fired up. Traditionally, student protest movements have been a tremendous force in national politics.

The opposition to apartheid rugby teams touring New Zealand in 1981 was a student lead movement, as was the nuclear free movement and the USA’s anti-Vietnam war protests. When I watched ‘Extinction Rebellion’ block Queen Street to protest inaction on climate change earlier this year, the rebellious revolutionaries were mostly elderly people, with few young people to be seen.

High school students lay down in the streets for the ‘School Strike for Climate’, while university students sat quietly in the library. We live in a dynamic and changing time for politics. We have an opportunity to shape that change, but only if we engage.

Here’s how you can start: vote for student representatives in the AUTSA elections in September/October. Try to choose the candidate most likely to enact some change, not who’s cutest on Instagram. The SRC should be an active force, constantly listening to and improving the life of students on campus. It’s up to you to hold them accountable to this.

I’ve had a number of students express concern to me over the pro life club, which the current SRC affiliated. This upcoming election is a chance to have influence over these types of decisions. You could elect a student council who may want to disaffiliate them. Or, if you support the pro life club, you may want to vote for a candidate that will protect their affiliation.

The last thing I want to do is to tell you how to vote, but I do want to say that you should vote.

We could learn a lesson from our Greek cousins, not about threatening to throw university staff out windows, but about taking university politics a little more seriously. It’d be a good start.

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Love Debate?

Want to be part of the crew?

If you’re into writing, journalism, art or just want to get involved, please say hey: debate@aut.ac.nz.

Don’t put it off ‘til your third year.

In the wise words of Shia Labeouf, “Just do it!”

INTERNZ

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internz.aut.ac.nz INFO SESSION 12pm, Wed 17 July, City Campus Register: internz.aut.ac.nz

Auckland’s

Best DYOs

By Sophia Romanos Illustrations by Dayna Patel A DYO (Drink Your Own, because we’re all selfish alcoholics) is a civilised and classy affair that involves $7.99 pinot gris and whatever friends aren’t moany pricks about drinking a whole bottle of wine. If you have those key ingredients, you’re set for an above mediocre dining experience.

Sri Pinang

Satya

Corkage: $3 for wine and $1 for Beers (!!)

Selling point: Great for a tight budget - roti and curry is only ten bucks.

Corkage: $4 Things to call home about: • Curry-on-curry-on-curry • Close to stumble to Pons town

Malaysian ∙ K Road

South Indian ∙ Grey Lynn

Canton

La Porchetta

Dae Bak

Corkage: $2.50 Don’t come unless: • You have lots of friends and live to make waiters’ jobs actual death.

• You were born with the ability to share your food.

Corkage: $3 You heard it here first: -Pizza. Pasta. People. Parnell.

Pigeons (outside).

-Don’t have high expectations.

Corkage: $5 Don’t tell Sarah but: -$24 for all you can eat.

-You might not get drunk, but you won’t need to eat again until you don’t enrol for postgrad.

Cantonese ∙ Kingsland

Italian ∙ Parnell

Korean BBQ ∙ CBD

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D-Bag Landlords

You have rights. Don’t let your landlord fuck you over.

By Sophia Romanos | Illustration by Leo Walton

The other week I woke up on my fourth alarm. Dragging myself out of bed and standing up I realised the normally crispy carpet seemed kind of damp. Taking a couple of steps further it was soon clear that my room in my $200 per week shack was entirely flooded.

I had Media Comm III to get to (which is a notoriously gripping class), so off I went as if nothing had even happened. What baffled me in this case was not the fact that the ex-boyfriend of my new flatmate had flooded the place intentionally, but just how fucking useless landlords can really be.

Being inexperienced in terms of what to do when your entire home is damaged, my flatmates and I naively left it to our landlord to take on the situation. As we’re all on separate leases, it didn’t fall under our responsibility as tenants. Not once did they suggest rent compensation or alternate accommodation - despite the fact I had to move out temporarily.

Locks needed to be changed, the door that got all broken by the crazy ex had to be bolted shut and no new carpet was laid (they sort of tried to dry the stanky, stained, damp stuff before relaying it).

Even when the carpet people came, the landlord refused to sign the paperwork and be contacted, despite OWNING THE PROPERTY! We may sink a lot of piss on the

weekends, but this doesn’t mean we don’t know better. It’s often difficult for students to find a flat as landlords can see more stability in renting to families or yo-pro’s.

Even once you’ve got a place nailed down, it’s easy for us to run into sticky situations through a lack of familiarity with our rights and with the Residential Tenancy Act.

"Even once you’ve got a place nailed down, it’s easy for us students to run into sticky situations through a lack of familiarity with our rights and with the Residential Tenancy Act." A guy I spoke to, Jack Dickins, says he ran into trouble with his landlord after several parties. Dickins says the landlord threatened to send over “his boys” to the flat to sort them out. Love a bit of scare tactics from the old landlord. Who needs protocol?

Another student I spoke to, Sarah Dickson, says her landlord once entered their

flat and moved one of the cars from the driveway. “None of us were in the flat at the time and he didn’t notify us that he was coming.” Super random and weird.

Kendall, another student I had a chat with says she waited two months to receive her bond money back.

“My flatmate’s parents owned the flat.

Not only would the parents fill the air with cigarette smoke, but they frequently stayed at our flat for weeks on end, making my bachelorette Tinder habit very difficult to maintain.”

If you’re running into issues with your landlord or want reassurance of your rights, you might want to hop on the Tenancy Services website. The New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal suggests if you can’t sort something out between the renter and landlord, you can formalise an agreement through their FastTrack Resolutions service or organise a Tenancy Tribunal Hearing where each side will be heard and an official order will be made.

Application forms to apply to the Tenancy Tribunal are $20.44 and can result in a hearing or mediation. The number is also free to call if you’re interested in getting some basic advice.

Student or not, you’re in a legal contract and paying rent, you have rights - make sure you’re educated on what they are.

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The Dick, the Myth, the Legend Everything Everything you you thought thought you you knew knew about about dicks dicks isis wrong wrong || By

By Sam Sam Deakin Deakin For a pretty straight-forward piece of the human body with a very obvious function, there are a hell of a lot of rumors surrounding dicks. These rumors have caused some major confusion and anxiety among men and women alike, so I debunked the five most confusing and topical dick myths out there because life is already stressful enough without having to google things like: “can you break your penis?”

1. But wait, can you break your penis?

Unfortunately yes, it is possible to break your penis. Before you panic, it’s extremely uncommon with a 1 in 175,000 chance of it occurring. Also to be clear, it’s not exactly the same as breaking your arm or leg, largely due to the fact that there is no bone in the human penis. The breaking sound is actually the membrane rupturing and, ugh, okay, enough about the scientific details. Just don’t worry about it. Dicks are mad resilient and an overzealous grip or stray tooth is unlikely to actually cause a fracture. They may cause some minor damage but, luckily, dicks heal well.

2. You know what they say about guys with big feet.

Before you start checking out a guy’s Nikes to determine whether he is generously endowed, it is probably good to know that there is no correlation between shoe size and dick size. Several

scientific studies have proved this, and no, that doesn’t include the ones where men measure their own dicks, because they almost always overestimate. Interestingly though, one study found that the closer in length a man’s index finger is to his ring finger, the bigger his dick will be. Might be time to start checking out their hands instead of their feet.

3. Oh my God, it’s tiny.

For whatever reason, men really seem to care about how big they are down there.

Fortunately for males suffering from penis inadequacy, it turns out partners couldn’t really care less, with women being particularly unfazed when presented with a well-endowed counterpart. This unperturbed attitude is thanks to the fact that dick size and sexual satisfaction are completely unrelated, so why is everybody stressing?

4. Honey, I shrunk my dick.

You can't shrink your dick, or grow it, by masturbating. Yeah, some people genuinely believe this, but it’s not scientifically possible. Growth could have been stunted in early adolescence via an absence of kale and jogging, but whatever you’ve got now, you’ve got. Roughly 74% of men are show-ers, not growers, meaning some excitement in the pants doesn’t produce a bigger package. Maybe it’s time to accept the size for what it is because enlargement methods rarely live up to expectations and often have major complications.

5. Shit, is my dick wonky?

Dicks aren’t always completely straight.

Bring on the banana curve because lord knows Enrique Iglesias has one. A major bend might indicate Peyronie’s disease, but that only affects 9% of men aged 50-60, so chill out and go dance naked in front of the mirror.

Good VS Evil at AUT

By Ellen Ranum

17 17

autsa re-o week activity schedule city campus monday 15 july

chill zone

tuesday 16 july

chill zone

wednesday17 july

chill zone

thursday 18 july

chill zone

friday 19 july

chill zone

AUTSA Balcony, 10am-5pm Grab a hot drink and chill out!

AUTSA Balcony, 10am-5pm Grab a hot drink and chill out!

AUTSA Balcony, 10am-5pm Grab a hot drink and chill out!

AUTSA Balcony, 10am-5pm Grab a hot drink and chill out!

AUTSA Balcony, 10am-5pm Grab a hot drink and chill out!

gamers’ tent

gamers’ tent Hikuwai Plaza, 10am-5pm Sega Mega Drive, PS4, Nintendo Mini, Atari Flashback

gamers’ tent

Hikuwai Plaza, 10am-5pm Sega Mega Drive,PS4, Nintendo Mini, Atari Flashback

gamers’ tent

gamers’ tent

create zone

create zone

create zone

create zone

create zone

Hikuwai Plaza, 10am-5pm Sega Mega Drive, PS4, Nintendo Mini, Atari Flashback

Hikuwai Plaza, 11am-2pm Create your own gift card!

pub quiz Vesbar, 6pm Free entry, R18

Hikuwai Plaza, 11am-2pm Create your own gift card!

art zone

ST PAUL St Gallery, 10am-5pm Contemporary Art Exhibition: How to Live Together 11am – 1pm Guided tour

beats by bingo Hosted by DJ Tido Vesbar, 6pm Free Entry, R18

Hikuwai Plaza, 11am-2pm Create your own gift card!

art zone

ST PAUL St Gallery, 10am-5pm Contemporary Art Exhibition: How to Live Together

fun zone

Hikuwai Plaza, 11am-2pm Snow in the plaza, photobooth, table tennis competition 12pm-1pm Campus Kai

comedy night

Donna Brookbanks, Hosted by MC China Hikuwai Plaza, 6pm Free Entry

Hikuwai Plaza, 10am-5pm Sega Mega Drive, PS4, Nintendo Mini, Atari Flashback

Hikuwai Plaza, 11am-2pm Create your own gift card!

art zone

ST PAUL St Gallery, 10am-5pm Contemporary Art Exhibition: How to Live Together 11am – 1pm Guided tour

clubs day

Hikuwai Plaza, 10am-2pm Clubs Info & Recruitment From 12pm Clubs Performances

autsa AGM

Prizes, free lunch Vesbar, 1:30pm

movie night

Avengers: Infinity War Hikuwai Plaza 6pm, Free Entry

Hikuwai Plaza, 10am-5pm Sega Mega Drive, PS4, Nintendo Mini, Atari Flashback

Hikuwai Plaza, 11am-2pm Create your own gift card!

art zone

ST PAUL St Gallery, 10am-5pm Contemporary Art Exhibition: How to Live Together

re-o party

Vesbar,DJs from 6pm, Happy hour 5-8pm, Free Entry, R18

north campus chill zone | mon 15 july - fri 19 july | AS Level 1 From 10am | Grab a hot drink and chill out!

gamers’ zone

tue 16 july - thu 18 july AF Foyer, 10am-3pm Foozeball & Arcade Machines table tennis competiton* (*thursday only)

clubs day day clubs

Hikuwai Plaza, wed 17 july 10am-2pm AF Foyer Awataha Clubs&Info & Plaza Recruitment 10am - 2pm Clubs recruitment From 12pm Clubs Performances

fun zone thu 18 july

Awataha Plaza 10am - 3pm Pop up Badminton Photo Booth Snow in the Plaza

movie night thu 18 july

Aqua Man AF Foyer 6pm, Free Entry

11:45am - 1pm Campus Kai w/smores station

south campus chill zone | mon 15 july - fri 19 july | AUTSA office ME109 10am - 3pm | Grab a hot drink and chill out!

gamers’ zone tue 16 july

MH Foyer, 10am-3pm PS4, Tekken Tournament Arcade Machines 11am-2pm Stall holders Photobooth

clubs clubs day day

tue 16 Plaza, july Hikuwai MH10am-2pm grass plaza 11am 2pm& Clubs-Info Clubs recruitment Recruitment From From 12pm 12pm Campus Kai Clubs Performances w/smores station

fun zone

movie night

free zumba

AUTSA courts 10am-3pm 3v3 basketball Pop up badminton

Boyz n the Hood MH108, 5pm Free Entry

MH102 12pm - 12:20pm Free AUT Gym Zumba class

tue 16 july

tue 16 july

wed 17 july

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giveaways

Student life can be tough, which is why we search the city for the snazziest stuff to give away. Like the look of something? Head to our Facebook page (/autsadebate) and fill out the survey pinned to the top of our timeline titled ‘Giveaways - Issue 8’

Brew-tiful Coffee

American Muscle

Karajoz organic coffee is the pick-meup you need to drag yourself to that 8am lecture. It’s also Fairtrade and non-polluting. Debate has a few bags of Karajoz plunger to give away. Read the instructions at the left-hand side of the page to find out how to enter.

BurgerFuel’s gourmet, custom modification of the classic American cheeseburger. The ultimate vehicle for a double hit of BurgerFuel’s ‘smashed juicy’ 100% pure grass-fed NZ beef.

This beast is an iconic fan favourite.

Debate has 5 free burger vouchers for BurgerFuel Queen St to give away. Read the instructions at the left-hand side of the page to find out how to enter.

Nutters

Pizza!

StudentCard

Feeling peckish? Nutters have released two new mouth-watering flavours, so good you’ll want to scoff ‘em by the handful! The BBQ Crew, a smoky, tangy combo that packs a big flavour punch; and Nut ‘N’ Bean Boost, big on energy, big on protein and big on crunch. Debate has 5 Nutters prize packs to give away. Read the instructions at the left-hand side of the page to find out how to enter.

New York is just a trip to Sal's away! With 100% authentic ingredients and original recipes, Sal’s (@salspizzanz) is proud to serve you New Zealand's ONLY authentic NY Pizza! Sal’s has five pizzas to give away to our lucky Debate readers. Read the instructions at the left-hand side of the page to find out how to enter.

Save heaps of cash on all your favourite brands with StudentCard’s exclusive discounts. The average StudentCard holder saves $284 a year and it can be used for discounts on entertainment, food and drink, clothing, adventure and more! Debate has a few cards to give away. Read the instructions at the left-hand side of the page to find out how to enter.

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When Life Gives You Melons Debate’s Meoghan Craig reflects on life with dyslexia | Illustration by Leo Walton

Hi! My name’s Meoghan and I’m a dyslexic.

Being a student with a learning difficulty has not come without its...difficulties.

“Learning difficulties seem to be nonexistent nowadays,” is something that I hear a lot. It’s just so wrong. What I know is that the shame that people with learning difficulties feel means that it’s not talked about. These learning difficulties are way more common than anyone realises. Research has found that it doesn’t matter what ethnicity, culture, gender or socioeconomic background you come from; Dyslexia. Doesn’t. Discriminate.

Three out of the four people in my immediate family are dyslexic. My dad’s the only analytical thinker in the house and is surrounded by people who would be much happier creating multi-coloured mind maps than standard bullet-pointed lists.

“What is it like to be a dyslexic?” I hear you ask. It becomes your normal. When I read books the words used to dance on the page. Not even in a metaphorical way, they would literally jumble up as I watched.

Imagine the opening scene to that Percy Jackson film where he can’t read properly because the words scrabble themselves, but he seems to be able to understand Greek perfectly. Tone that down a notch, subtract the ability to read Greek and being a demigod and you have a dyslexic. I

mean... as far as I know I’m not a demigod.

Dyslexia is like being in a bubble where there’s all these ideas swimming around you, but as soon as you go to write them the pen pops that bubble. You’ve often got tons of strength and stamina, but you just seem to be so slow in comparison to others. It’s frustrating.

School was really hard for my brother and me. Throughout primary for me and high school for him we were refused official help because “Dyslexia doesn’t exist”.

In the mid-2000s teachers, schools and even the Ministry of Education were not prepared to recognise the struggle that students with this learning difficulty faced.

I loved learning. I loved going to school.

I was a sensitive 9-year-old who was always trying my best, but I was still being screamed at for not being able to spell.

Think about everyone you know looking at you like you’re a toddler in a lecture theatre. It was always an uphill climb to keep up with any work I was given.

I felt unbelievably, unquestionably, stupid.

But, as a generally positive person, life moves on and so do you. I grew and my learning improved. Don’t get me wrong, high school was hard, but I loved it with every fibre of my being. I’m just one of those people. Every assessment was a challenge, every achievement was a

celebration. I would get to school at 7:30 and leave at 5. I BUSTED ASS! And I made it. So, here I am! I’ve survived and I’m now a second-year communications student.

It’s tough. Essays and exams, which make up the majority of AUT courses, are a dyslexic’s worst nightmare. I just think a little differently.

The government officially recognised Dyslexia in 2007. Although, recognition is only good when partnered with action.

Years later, students were still limited with the level of help they were able to obtain.

You had to provide a written assessment by a professional who had diagnosed you with said learning difficulty. Depending on where you go, assessments like these can cost between $1,000 - $5,000. Schools could still choose to not recognise it.

From 2014 onwards, help was provided (at least at my high school,) that included extra time, reader/writers and the use of laptops. To each their own, the options provided were catered to what best suited each individual student. Here at AUT, the very same help is offered to students with learning difficulties. There are many aspects of support that go across the spectrum that you can look into on the AUT website under ‘disability support services’. No one needs to be left in the dust.

Are you a student with learning difficulties? Have you found AUT to be helpful/not helpful? Let us know: debate@aut.ac.nz

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Annoying Students With their Shit Cars

By Sophia Romanos | Illustration by Leo Walton

Toyota Corolla Tom • • • • •

Mini Cooper Courtney • • • • • •

“My parents don’t support me - I have to pay for my own petrol.”

Takes friends for spontaneous Countdown trips Coloured car charger Too scared to ever drive in the T3 lane Smells of Sex Wax because she’s “fun like that” “Can you all transfer me $3.85 for petrol?”

Studies business Has an army of Uber Eats bags under the seat Furiously wipes fogged-up windscreen at the lights “Don’t slam the door so hard.”

Drives you to uni but parks in the backstreets 27984km away because he doesn’t support the ‘Wilson Carpark Building fund’.

R34 Nissan Skyline Ned • • • •

• • •

Backseat passenger: “PuT on GEorGE FM.” The radio’s broken Calls it his “skid-line” Given car by family member who couldn’t sell it on TradeMe because their account is in overdraft Open packets of Doritos on the floor “You need to lock the passenger door separately” Drives with the petrol light on.

Mazda Demio Maddy • • • • • •

“You’re actually a really good driver.”

“Thanks.”

Got license at 16 Probably works in promo Gets horny from parallel parking Stores reusable shopping bags in the boot Always asked “What was that?” when turning on the car and the Japanese greeting plays

Honda Civic Harry • • • • • •

Drives home to Whangarei on the weekends “We can just take my car.”

“If you put the seats back, we could just sleep in it” Inches around the corner when the pedestrian light is green Opens the door at the drive thru because the window doesn’t go down Faint chicken salt smell

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Doughnut Reviews Debate’s Courtney Pratt-Young checked out Auckland’s doughnut sitch

Krispy Kreme

Dunkin' Donuts

We tried out the ‘choc ice’ and ‘glazed’ doughnuts from American doughnut giant Krispy Kreme. Looked great and

We tried a choc iced and a glazed doughnut from another American giant Dunkin’ Donuts. These doughnuts

tasted really great. Light and fluffy texture. Chocolate icing a little hard and fell off during eating.

didn’t look so pretty and the glaze fell off easily. Quite dense and heavy. The chocolate icing was a little soft, so it actually stayed on during each bite, which was nice.

Price: $6.60 Design: 16/20 Texture: 16/20 Taste: 16/20 Overall Score: 48/60

Price: $6.00 Design: 7/20 Texture: 10/20 Taste: 10/20 Overall Score: 27/60

Southern Maid

The Pie Piper: Doornuts

Al's Doughnuts

Once again, we tried the choc iced and the glazed. These doughnuts had an okay taste and an okay design.

The texture was good. Overall, not memorable for any good or bad reasons which is why they landed in the ‘average’ range.

Doornuts is a segment of New Zealand bakery The Pie Piper. I ordered these off Uber Eats and got the Mystery Four Pack for $18. These doughnuts had a particularly dense and thick texture and the icing was very sweet. Tasted great and bigger than some of the others.

These were fancier than some of the others we tried. Unfortunately, they looked better than they tasted. When eaten, the filling in the doughnut oozed out, which made the whole experience very messy. Filling lacked flavour a bit.

Price: $4.70 Design: 9/20 Texture: 12/20 Taste: 10/20 Overall Score: 31/60

Price: $9.00 Design: 10/20 Texture: 14/20 Taste: 16/20 Overall Score: 40/60

Price: $12.00 Design: 16/20 Texture: 14/20 Taste: 12/20 Overall Score: 42/60

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FREE ONE DAY PASS

* STUDENT MEMBERSHIPS S TA R T I N G F R O M $ 2 2 .0 5 P E R W E E K ^ G E T I N TO U C H TO D AY V I S I T L E S M I L L S . C O . N Z / T R Y- U S F O R YO U R F R E E PA S S

* T E R M S A N D C O N D I T I O N S A P P LY, S E E W E B S I T E F O R M O R E D E TA I L S . ^ B A S E D O N 1 2 T E R T I A R Y S I N G L E C L U B M E M B E R S H I P AT L E S M I L L S H O W I C K O R N E W LY N N .

*This flow chart was developed by the friendly team at AUT Internz

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What to do with the D

By Sophia Romanos | Illustration by Leo Walton The Sub of the Day you had for lunch rises in your throat and a single sweat drop forms on your forehead. A stapled pile of paper is chucked down next to your KeepCup and it’s struck with a mighty red D. You pay way too much to be here to get grades like that.

Everyone has different reasons for why they get what they get, maybe you’ve got other shit going on, maybe you didn’t start until after you’d watched the new Black Mirror episode at 10pm the night before, or maybe your brain is kinda small. Regardless, it’s important to know your options.

Student Hub

Oh yeah, that place. Staff at the hub will answer your question immediately, or, connect you with the person or service that can help you.

Talk to your tutor

Make a b-line for them after class (they love that) or ask to meet up during their drop-in hours. Pick their brains for what went well (and what didn’t). Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Too often we forget these guys are here for our benefit and not just to keep the campus cafes afloat.

Read the brief on Blackboard

Read the blinkin’ marking criteria, Steven! It usually says the same mumbo-jumbo reworded but reminding yourself of what you should include before you’ve handed your work in can make you realise that you haven’t actually done it properly. Yes, punctuation and grammar still matter.

Advocacy at AUTSA

The Advocacy team provides confidential and free advice to AUT students having issues. This includes appealing final grades if you’re unhappy with them and something has been impacting you. You can email the team at advocacy@aut.ac.nz.

Use Studiosity

You know when you log in to Blackboard and there’s that mess of a page? That’s where you can access Studiosity. Studiosity is free for all current students. It allows you to upload a draft of your writing and get a subject specialist to give you live feedback.

Counsellors

Maybe you don’t need academic help. Mental health has a flow on effect to other aspects of your life. Sometimes you might need to talk with a professional or a friend to get some things off your chest before you crack down on the next due date.

Library academic writing and APA referencing workshops

Take a good look at the feedback on your assignment. A lot of the time, incorrect referencing can cause your final grade to plummet. Check the library website for the next academic writing or APA 6th workshops.

Library Drop-ins

During the semester, you can also drop in to chat with a Learning Advisor at the library. Drop-ins are limited to 15 minutes per student, twice a semester. They can provide you with general advice on how to improve your writing, recommend specific and relevant online resources and workshops or refer you to other student services and people within the university.

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recipe

Kac Kac (Somali donut) with cinnamon sugar coating

This recipe is adapted from AUT’s very own 'Tastes of Home' cookbook. Published last year, this cookbook features recipes by students from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Note that the texture of this Somali donut differs from the ones that many of us are accustomed to, but nevertheless they’re delicious! The original recipe requires rolling the dough on a flat surface and cutting it into squares. In this adapted version, I rolled the dough into a ball with my hands. On top of that, I coated the donuts in cinnamon sugar. Do check out the cookbook for the original recipe and many other delicious dishes including Chicken Biryani, Felafel, and Dolma.

Donut ingredients

Method

•

2 cups flour

1) In a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar and baking powder. Mix together.

•

1/2 cup sugar

•

1 teaspoon baking powder

•

2 eggs

•

1/2 cup ghee

•

2 tbsp hot milk

•

Oil for deep-frying

2) Whisk eggs, melted ghee and milk together before adding to the dry ingredients.

3) Knead well for about 5 minutes and let rest for 10 minutes.

4) Heat oil to 180°C (medium heat on the stove).

Cinnamon sugar coating •

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

•

4 tablespoons castor sugar

5) Grab a small portion of the dough and roll into a ball (about 2-3cm in diameter).

6) Repeat this step until you have used up all the dough.

7) Deep fry for about 3 minutes until golden brown.

8) Toss the donuts in cinnamon sugar in a bowl while still hot.

Melissa Koh is a third year BA student double majoring in Culinary Arts and English & New Media. Follow her dining and cooking adventures on Instagram: @melicacy.

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WORDFIND

puzzles

Being Winter Entrance Itsfreezing Returning

Gloves House Definite Shiver Brilliance

Difficulty Timetable Fabricate Shelter Stereotype

Familiar Constant Essential Technique Decrease

Circle all the words in the wordfind, tear this page out and pop it into the box on the side of the red Debate stands. Do it and you could win a motherflippin’ sweet prize!

Name:

Email:

EVERYONE WINS!

AOTEA SQUARE ICE RINK

AUCKLAND NIGHT MARKETS

THE SNUGS

BOX CONTAINER BAR THE HUB OF TAMAKI MAKAURAU’S NEW WINTER FESTIVAL Aotea Square | 1-28 July aucklandlive.co.nz

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