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CRUWSIBLE UWS STUDENT NEWSPAPER

students fight budget cuts how to lose your job rape jokes? writing prize

record store day love guru

studying while pregnant i Failed the hsc, won the uni medal COVER: Anneke Jasinski

ISSUE 6//WINTER 2014

crUWSible n. A melting pot of cultures, backgrounds and interests that make up the UWS student body, the fusion that is UWS - a molten mix of dynamic and interesting content.

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CONTENTS NEWS

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Students fight budget cuts Studying while pregnant Academics call end to mandatory detention Cancer services out west I won the uni medal

FEATURES

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How to lose your job in 140 characters

|13

STUDENT REPS

|17

TRAVEL

|18

SERVICES DIRECTORY

|20

CLUBS

|22

LETTERS

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Upset, angry, disappointed

REVUWS

|26

FICTION

|29

LOVE GURU

|31

editorial

tony-zilla wages war on the poor If you were to imagine a post-apocalyptic world, what would you see? Extraterrestrial beasts scouring the land in search of the remaining humans? A Transformers-inspired Megatron-like robot threatening to destroy the Earth with antimatter blasts? Or, a fear-mongering, elitist/misogynist/racist, who is out to destroy the inner-workings of Australian life?

My post-apocalyptic world is the latter. While that is a bit dramatic – I stand wholeheartedly against a system that oppresses the weak, in favour of supporting the few who are strong. I stand wholeheartedly against a man who represents such a system.

Who knew that someone so incomprehensibly juvenile and incompetent would end up as the leader of the Australian nation?

A nation respected for its historically consistent mateship and unique accent, is now being shamed by countries around the world for one Tony Abbott – a narcissist out for the souls of the weak.

I don’t know if it is his hatefully blood-curdling wink, or his demonic and religiously disrespectful observation of refugees not having a place in Australia, that makes me want to roar out in anger.

Or, if it’s the fact that the anti-Australian budget itself has no inkling of respect for the hardworking Australians, the core of the Australian economy. Maybe it’s also that the budget has no semblance of regard for the future hardworking Australians, the students – you and I! What about our entitlements in light of the free university enjoyed by older generations? No, you see, Abbott received the better end of the stick, and is now condemning the rest of Australia for not being Gina Rinehart and having mines of wealth.

Our newest edition of the crUWSible hopes to bring you the student perspective on the government budget cuts, and it’s desire to impoverish the wallets of Australian university students. We also would like to hear what you think about the issue, so please email us at cruwsible@uws.edu.au.

Happy reading!

Zahraa Ahadzada

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STUDENTs FIGHT BUDGET cuts UWS students march against radical cuts Students around the country have protested against Federal Government cuts to education, describing them as the biggest attack on education in 20 years. Fees for degrees will be deregulated, some rising into six figures, while student loans will be paid back sooner and with interest. Future UWS students stand amongst those most affected.

On the 21st of May, 3000 students marched in Sydney against the recent attacks on our education. Every university in NSW except UNE and Bathurst was represented. And I’m proud to say that around fifty of those students were from UWS. The tone of the march was clear – the students are angry. Flares were let off, chants such as “Tony’s a wanker” and “Liberal scum, here we come” were chanted as the budget was burned in the middle of the street. There were three arrests after the protesters moved to occupy George Street. The police were scared. But more importantly, the politicians are scared.

The cuts we were protesting are going to have devastating impacts. You will now pay 20% more on your degree than before. Universities are now able to charge as much as they like, with no government regulation. You will pay interest on your HECS debt. Money will be taken away from public tertiary institutions and placed into private ones.

A myth has been created that we’re in some sort of budget crisis, but it’s simply not true. If you create a society where people are unable to spend due to unemployment or poverty, it will have a far greater impact upon the economy than funding education ever could.

We live in a society, not just an economy, and the government has the responsibility to look after its people.

In my two years at UWS, I’ve been largely disappointed by the lack of student activism that

exists on campus. But, to have fifty students from across Greater Western Sydney come together against the budget cuts is surely a sign of changing times.

It’s obvious that these cuts will effect people of lower socio-economic status far more than anyone else. In Western Sydney, we see poverty in our face every day. Homelessness and unemployment is rife, and we have the lowest rate of tertiary education in Sydney. As students of UWS, we have a forum to speak about this. Politicians listen to the people of Western Sydney, and we should take advantage of that.

The petitions aren’t working anymore. The politicians aren’t listening. And if they do, they don’t care. It’s time we take to the streets and fight for our rights. Start speaking out, and speak loud. UWS students need to start working together to have a united voice. A movement is starting on our campuses and now is the time to be involved. Students united, we’ll never be defeated.

By ELIZA JUNE Eliza June organised the UWS contingent to travel to the National Day of Action against the Budget Cuts.

She has since started a group for UWS students to organise actions against these cuts.

If you would like to get involved, email escarp18@gmail.com or join the facebook group http://tinyurl.com/UWSagainstcuts.

let tony abbott have his way so we can say “i told you so” My facebook news feed has been full of anger directed at Tony Abbott. But I hope the budget passes and Abbot stays on as Prime Minister.

My fellow left-wingers, don’t you remember the dire predictions you made prior to Abbott being sworn in, the Ayn Rand dystopia you described? Wealth inequality to rival Brazil? Corporations doing whatever they want under the guise of “free market”? You said Indigenous relations would fall apart, religions other than Christianity would be outlawed, and cathedrals would replace anti-discrimination tribunals. Our immigration policy would revert to pure White Australia, and English would be the only language you could legally speak. Uluru would be mined for resources, after its name is changed back to just “Ayers Rock”. Gay rights would be rewound and all DVDs would be replaced with VHS. Statues of John Howard would be erected and every morning we would publically express our devotion to the Queen.

Because Abbott is a well documented supporter of unelected female leaders.

You predicted all of this.

If Abbott remains, however, and his budget passes, history might refer to him in a slightly different way.

“The 28th Prime Minister of Australia is generally credited with turning Australia into the post-apocalyptic wasteland we suffer through today. Historians who survived the great cleansing of 2017 usually rank him amongst the worst Prime Ministers of all time.”

Except you wouldn’t be able to read it because you’d die of old age before it loaded on the Coalition’s internet. Ten years from now, you’re sitting in the gutter struggling to remember the last time you ate. You whore yourself out for the $7 needed to visit the doctor and you hide from the student debt collectors. You turn to the bogan next to you. He’s wearing a ‘ditch the witch’ shirt and sporting multiple Southern Cross tattoos. Won’t it feel so great to look him in the eye and whisper “I told you so”?

ALEXANDER ROBINSON 5

STUDENTs FIGHT BUDGET cuts

CUTS, FEES AND CORPORATE UNIVERSITIES

By ANGUS MANSON Standing outside Sydney University’s Fisher Library, students, teachers and protestors applaud the speakers, their voices echoing throughout Eastern Avenue. They stand together as one, some five hundred or more, to voice their concerns over the Abbott Government’s planned budget cuts to tertiary education. Similar scenes took place at universities across the country on the 21st of May at National Day of Action protests, organised to oppose the cuts to tertiary education evidenced in May’s Federal budget.

The Liberal Government Budget for 2014/15 has seen some of the biggest cuts to education funding in recent memory, but what are the government’s financial plans within this?

According to the higher education budget summary documents, the “uncapping of Commonwealth Supported Places has seen a sharp rise in student numbers”, leading to higher costs for the government to support these students. As a result of this, the government will “rebalance” their contribution towards students’ course fees with a reduction of twenty per cent on average, effective from the 1st of January 2016. From the same date, tertiary educators will be able to set their own tuition fees for courses they offer. The governments’ belief is that “excessive regulation is constraining diversity, innovation and quality in the sector”.

Janet Falloon, branch president of the National Tertiary Education Union at UWS, believes the greatest issue is the deregulation of fees.

“Universities can charge what they like for undergraduate degrees,” she said. Ms Falloon commented that students and teachers “are yet to realise the immensity of the impact” of 6

the budget proposals. The National Day of Action protests saw the involvement of the NTEU along with students, and Ms Falloon found this particularly pleasing.

“I think it’s fabulous that students are getting out and making their views known. It’s very reassuring to see students arguing both for themselves but also for the students that will follow. Collective action is certainly a powerful way of being heard”.

on Broadway. Despite this, the majority were well behaved. Bjorn described the protestors as “appropriately raucous”. He said the National Day of Action protests “would have been more effective if sections of the media had focused on the issue, rather than the tactics of some students”.

“We do not want access to our universities being filtered through wealth, and how rich your parents were”.

According to the NTEU’s fact sheet in response to budget proposals, students will be charged market interest rates on outstanding High Education Loan Plans (HELP), which will significantly increase the cost of servicing student loans. Students who pay upfront will be at an advantage to those who require

Alex Hawke, the Federal member for the seat of Mitchell in Sydney’s North west, conceded that the Liberal government “is now going to deregulate tertiary fees”. He said this in itself was not an indictment, as the government believes this will help create a more competitive university market.

“All of these university degrees are economic assets over the lifetime of people when they hold a degree. All the evidence suggests that they’re paid well above people who don’t have tertiary education. It’s not unfair to have a greater contribution”.

When asked if potential students would make decisions about undertaking tertiary education not on their own ability but based on the future costs, the member for Mitchell responded “that’s not the case”.

“We estimate 80,000 more students accessing tertiary education through these measures.”

“I think it’s fabulous that students are getting out and making their views known” loans, as the higher interest rates will lead to greater repayments, compounded by already outstanding debts. Government contributions to Commonwealth Supported Places will also be reduced by 20% on average. Drawing from data supplied by the Australian Financial Review, tuition fees would rise from between 65% for some 3 year degrees to over 200% for students studying medicine.

Bjorn Wallin, University of Sydney student and publicity officer for USYD’s Greens on Campus, was at the National Day of Action protests, and said the main idea “was to raise the profile of cuts to higher education funding”. Coverage of the event showed two people being arrested, one of them for lighting a flare on the march from Sydney University to UTS

The University of Western Sydney has taken a positive step, freezing student fees for anyone enrolling or commencing in 2014, but this is unlikely to be matched by other universities around the country. The toll of these decisions are likely to have effect on tertiary education for a generation, but is the government creating inequality by making future students pay more? Only time will tell, but the question must be asked, will the savings be worth the cost?

two essays and a baby due: studying whilst pregnant

By BEC FOLEY Being a mature age student has its advantages. I’d say we’re generally better at time management, we’ve had our ample share of hangovers (and by god we’re done with them), and we don’t talk in the library. In the dreaded group project, it’s wise to seek us out. We’ll do the work, often project manage the task, and have a vested interest in doing well (do you know what it takes to give up life, careers, money, lifestyles and go back to being a student? Damn right we want to ace the subject).

We lack self-doubt, inhibition and financial constraints.

We also get pregnant. Sometimes by accident.

But we’re ultimately happy about that. And it’s usually not an awkward, tricky situation that one might find oneself in as a twenty-something. For this thirty-something, it was the best news ever. But how to add that into the mix of study, life, job and so on and so forth?

For this mature age student (MAS) it meant a ‘shit, we’d better shack up together’ quick move from the Blue Mountains to the city.

Which also meant sharing space with someone for the first time in a long time. Which meant anxiety at judgement over my lack of savings and plethora of shoes. It meant selling the car and being public transport-reliant.

It meant changing jobs, changing industry, starting over, knocking back on shifts and over-night struggling financially.

What the what???

Pregnancy is by far the weirdest experience of my life. And I’ve been adventurous. I’ve silently meditated for 16 hours a day for 10 days. I’ve been married and divorced in the space of 6 weeks. I ventured to Istanbul from London on the whim of my heart for a Persian refugee. All NOTHING compared to the freakish, hormonal-assault that is pregnancy. High as a kite on oxytocin one day, crying watching Pharrell’s Happy video clip the next. All the while gradually growing physically unrecognisable in the mirror. Wanting to eat a chicken curry pie and a piece of carrot cake in the same mouthful. Knowing a glass of pinot is at least 18 months away. Oh the humanity!

By the time your mid-thirties roll around,

A University for All: UWS turns 25 generally you have a good grasp on life. You know how to get a car rego’d. You’ve travelled.

People ask you for advice. You’re actually on a iPhone plan, not a month-to-month. You had become a resilient, powerful, confident, nay, awesome person.

And then you go and get pregnant. And suddenly you’re the one on the bus tearing up over a sun gazing meme on facebook. You try studying, working 4 – 5 days a week, and keeping up your general life commitments on top of the hormone circus.

I fooled myself into thinking that I could quickly knock out a subject this semester.

Oh, what a novice! There are doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds, gestational diabetes clinics, antenatal classes, midwifery consults. There’s your own mental / emotional / spiritual health. There’s the feeling that you just DON’T CARE about the assignment you’ve been instructed to do.

“My last assignment would be due in June, my baby in July.

Perfect!

Trying to wrestle with the interest of a subject at uni is difficult enough. And when you’ve got the hormones of PMS on speed, some pretty challenging choices, and a fundamental shift in the direction of your life, this wrestling is exacerbated. Ever the pragmatist, I try, knowing my usual zest for HD has dwindled to a ‘P’s get degrees’ ethos.

And then comes the begging for an extension.

They’re warranted, sure. But it feels pathetic to a MAS. And it means that you’re dragging out your own study – Oh god – to a time even closer to your baby’s due date. Sweet jesus.

Just as your pregnancy is intensifying, so is the pressure to bust out one more essay.

Sure, my head will explode.

I don’t know how this story ends. I DO know I still have two assessments due, and a baby, within the space of six weeks. Sleep at this point is nil. Care factor is zero. Excitement volume is set to “whoa sh*t”. So please Mr Tutor, go easy on this MAS. Cos for once, she’s the one who feels like a scared first year.

By Timothy Harrison UWS officially turned 25 in January. One of the youngest Universities in Australia has grown to have more than 40,000 students and 3,000 staff. Chancellor Peter Shergold commented on the progress of the university and where it stands today.

“We remain utterly committed to an institution that seeks to offer a university place to every student with a capacity to benefit from higher education, nwwo matter their race, ethnicity, religion or family circumstance.”

Nominated NSW Woman of the Year, law student Lakshmi Logathassan was part of the official celebrations at Hawkesbury on March 20. She was named NSW Young Woman of the Year for her initiatives to provide underprivileged communities with computers and IT skills.

“It’s astonishing to think that only 25 years ago, UWS was simply an idea on paper. Today, 25 years later, it has grown into a vibrant hub of education, creativity and innovation,” Lakshmi said.

Team Leader Linda Westmoreland from Hawkesbury said: “I love this institution and the people who work and study here. I am not alone with this feeling. It is not something one can explain. It is for me a sense of belonging,” Linda said.

Over the next decade, Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover plans to double current international student numbers to 8,000 and grow the number of domestic UWS students travelling overseas.

“It is the people of the university’s community who have contributed to our history, and it is the people in our university community who will play a critical role in helping shape the next decade and beyond,” Professor Glover said.

“Our proud history has laid a firm foundation upon which we can work together to build the UWS of the future.”

UWS STUDENTS • • • •

60% are first in family to attend uni 75% live in Greater Western Sydney 150,000 graduates 1,000 Chinese international students 7

!

UWS student newspaper wants your stories, news articles, observations, ramblings, investigative journalism, opinion pieces, photo essays, reportage, fiction and poems.

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Go on, stir the pot Entries must be in by November 10 Submissions to crUWSible@uws.edu.au Info at crUWSible.com.au Find crUWSible on Facebook Get crUWSIble in the App Store

OPAL doesn’t SHINE FOR UNI STUDENTS

By Kimberly Serna University students are being forced to buy adult fare opal cards as the new system has failed to cater for discounted fares.

academics call for end to mandatory detention

By NIKO AUER A panel of experts has claimed the government’s asylum seeker policy isn’t working and has called for an end to manadatory detention.

Held in May at the Wesley Conference Centre, the panel comprised Graeme McGregor, Professor Ben Saul, Jo Murphy and Professor Mary Crock.

The panel stressed the importance of stopping offshore processing and improving living conditions, especially after the death of Reza Barati on the Manus Island detention centre.

Iranian Reza Barati, 23, was knocked down stairs before being beaten to death.

NSW Council for Civil Liberties member Jo Murphy said often asylum seekers that are detained have little or no access to judicial or medical support.

“They live in a limbo land,” she said.

In 2012, there were 15.4 million refugees globally, 4.8 million of them were Palestinian. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency 48% of the refugee population are female and 46% are children under the age of 18. Of the 15.4 million worldwide only 88,600 (0.6%) were resettled.

Under Australia’s Humanitarian Program, 13,750 refugee and protection visas are approved every year. According to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, in 2012 developing countries hosted over 80% of the worlds’ refugees. Pakistan was host to the largest, 1.6 million refugees, and Australia has 30,000, or 0.3% of the global total.

Amnesty International Australia refugee campaigner, Graeme McGregor, said it is the uncertainty that takes its toll on mental well being. One Iraqi man said: “I just want to know what is going to happen to me.”

Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, recently admitted on British television show HARDtalk that the policies were, “harsh” add-

ing, “If you want to stop the people smuggling business you have to be very, very tough.”

However, Professor Ben Saul of Sydney University disagrees with Mr Turnbull’s statement, saying that saving lives at sea and attempting to stop people smuggling cannot be solely used to justify the treatment of asylum seekers. Professor Saul said mandatory detention is a violation of UN law. He mentioned cases where asylum seekers had attempted suicide by hanging with a skipping rope, power point electrocution, consumption of bleach and self-inflicted cuts. On the current governments policy Professor Saul said: “Just because it works doesn’t mean it is right.”

“According to Amnesty, over 90% of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia are legitimate refugees fleeing persecution” Professor Mary Crock of Sydney University said asylum seekers need to be treated with respect and have access to a safe environment, especially children who have arrived alone and disabled individuals. She questioned the government’s approach and described meeting a family in detention, where the mother, father and daughter were all deaf.

According to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, as of the 31st of October, there are 1,045 children in Australian detention centres. According to Amnesty, over 90% of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia are legitimate refugees fleeing persecution.

The panel called for the current government to end off and on shore processing and to process all refugee claims. Mandatory detention should be ended and asylum seekers integrated into the commwunity once checks are complete.

Based on the prices from the Opal and Sydney Trains website, if students were to switch to the Opal system, there would be a massive price gap with the Opal Adult card (Travel Everywhere) weekly fare being $52, compared to the MyMulti 3 weekly concession fare of $31.50.

For working adults that usually purchase similar tickets, the Opal Card system would be a better option, as a MyMulti 3 weekly adult fare costs significantly more at $61. However, it would seem that this smartcard system is not for everyone.

Cheryl Jonas, a Parramatta-based student, said the government’s lack of provisions for university students was to blame. “That’s certainly unfair. I pay $17.60 for the MyTrain weekly and having to pay for $36 or so with Opal is a bit ridiculous as they don’t even have the Opal system in our buses or basically in the West,” she added.

According to the Opal website, the smartcards are categorised into three streams. Currently, the only option available is the Adult card. The Youth/Concession (for children under 15 and NSW/ACT full-time students aged 16-18) and Seniors/Pensioners are to be released soon.

Claire Duval from Opal customer service said there was no certainty of having the concession card in the future. “They still don’t know as of this very moment if they’re going to make some. They’ll inform you if they will make one,” she said.

Since 2012, there has been a growing proportion of trips made by bus or train for educational purposes.

Public transport use is highest for those aged 11-30, the years associated with schooling and comparatively low access to vehicles, according to NSW statistics, the demographic’s majority being university and high school students.

Students like Cheryl Jonas hope the government considers her demographic, insisting that students should not be neglected.

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cancer support runs thin in the west

By Timothy Harrison A recent study by the Cancer Institute has found a higher demand for cancer services in Greater Western Sydney. The region holds more cancer patients than the rest of NSW due to its greater population. Cancer services like Cancer Council’s volunteer programs in Casula and Penrith have helped those in need.

However, these kinds of programs do not have enough coverage to reach all of those affected.

Margret Elting, a volunteer for an in-house program run by the Cancer Council, said there were not enough cancer services to provide for the increase in the amount of cancer patients in Western Sydney.

“There is little recognition for programs such as the program I volunteer for now. In the hospitals I visit, there are so many other patients that need help and they are alone,” Ms Elting said.

“There is a real need for these types of services and I don’t think there is enough out there to cope with this type of demand.”

The Cancer Institute study found that the most common cancers in NSW are lung, prostate and breast cancers. The Cancer Institute has setup an online referral page where carers or patients can find services in NSW. Cancer Council’s Community Relations Coordinator for Greater Western Sydney, Crystal Huynh, said there was a lack of cancer services in the region.

“The site does not really give out a real indication of some of the cancer services out there.

There are a few in the Parramatta area where community groups come together and support those in need, but these are difficult to find unless you know someone directly,” she said.

“Thousands of cancer patients are left in the dark to cope for themselves in Western Sydney. Cancer services like the in-house volunteer program and info days can help. But this isn’t enough.”

The NSW Government predicts 48,000 new cases of cancer by 2017. The In-House Volunteer program has up to eight volunteers and only reaches out to the Liverpool area. Ms Huynh said there needs to be a plan to meet this huge increase of cancer cases.

“Greater Western Sydney is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Australia. If we don’t do anything about the lack of cancer services in our region, there is going to be a real problem in the future with cancer patients trying to find help,” Ms Huynh said.

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the truth behind the pink ribbon

By NIKO AUER Ribbons across the world have become symbols of numerous causes. They have come to represent causes such as AIDS, sexual assault, cancer, autism, anti-bullying and countless other issues. However, few know the truth behind the origins and history of the well known Pink Ribbon.

In the early 1990s in America, Charlotte Haley was making peach coloured ribbons at home. Ms Haley was one of four generations of breast cancer survivors. With each set of 5 ribbons a card came with it saying, “The National Cancer Institute annual budget is

“Everything from KFC buckets to the controversial pink ribbon pistol has adopted the pink ribbon symbol” $1.8 billion. Only 5 percent goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon.” She sold thousands of her ribbons, which eventually caught attention.

Executives, Alexandra Penny, editor in chief of Self, and Evelyn Lauder, a breast cancer survivor and senior corporate vice president of Estée Lauder, asked Haley for permission to use her ribbon. Ms Haley refused, saying they were going to use it for commercial reasons. Eventually Alexandra Penny and Evelyn Lauder consulted their lawyers and came to produce the pink ribbon.

In the fall of 1992, Estée Lauder handed out 1.5 million ribbons at their makeup counters along with a card describing a proper breast self-exam. They eventually gained over 200,000 petitions imploring the White House to assist in increasing the funding for research. Soon Charlotte Haley’s peach ribbon disappeared from history and the pink ribbon became the symbol of breast cancer.

Numerous people have good intentions when they come to support the campaign against cancer. However, it is quite unsettling how many corporate giants have jumped on the cancer bandwagon, hijacking the cause. Cancer has become a booming business for what was originally a campaign of awareness and prevention. Everything from KFC buckets to the controversial pink ribbon pistol has adopted the pink ribbon symbol.

To make matters worse, questions have been raised about animal testing and possibly carcinogenic ingredients in some products sold by companies who support the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Cancer survivors and supporters continue their campaign to hopefully one day end not only breast cancer, but cancer itself. For years women and men have stressed the importance of funding for cancer research, yet these causes have been exploited by corporations who have lost their moral compass in the hopes of making profit.

I failed my HSC then won the Uni Medal

By Wayne Ardley April 17 2014 was graduation day for me. On that day I was awarded my Bachelor of Social Work with First Class Honours AND the university medal for academic excellence. It was a great moment for me personally but it was also great to share it with my fellow graduates and the university staff that significantly contributed towards making it possible. I feel very strongly that a great deal of my success came from the variety of extra-curricular activities that I immersed myself in throughout the four years of the degree. You really do get out of university what you put in and I tried to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible while I was at UWS. I may have been awarded the university medal at the completion of my degree but this academic success was a far cry from my high school days. When I finished year 12 and failed most of my subjects I wasn’t particularly concerned because I had no aspiration to go to university. None of my family had attended a university and the majority of my school mates were not considering it either.

I got a job working for Cityrail initially then moved through a number of different jobs before completing a hairdressing apprenticeship. It wasn’t until years later that I thought about higher education and applied to test my luck thinking that I had nothing to lose. I was accepted into Social Work at UWS and the rest is history.

What I gained from my time at UWS was so much more than a degree and a medal. I gained an incredible amount of experience from the different activities that I became involved in and I highly recommend getting involved in anything that is offered to you as it really expands your horizons. I was a PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) facilitator for a semester which provided valuable practice at running group sessions that came in very

handy for giving tutorial presentations. It was also very rewarding to pass on knowledge gained from my first year at university. I was also a mentor in the MATES program for a semester which helped improve interpersonal skills while helping students to settle in to university life.

The biggest experience I gained at university was through my two year involvement with Bankstown student campus council. I doubt very much that I would have had the chance to be involved if I attended one of the more prestigious Sydney universities simply due to the fact that student activism is far more highly contested at those universities. For this reason I would urge students to take advan-

“We should not lose focus on the power that just a few people can have in changing things for the better” tage of the opportunities that exist at UWS. Being a member of the student council built on or provided so many skills and abilities but it also provided the chance to practice and hone those skills. Lastly, the student council provided a vehicle to instigate change in the way the university operated, which serves to highlight that we are part of a bigger picture and should not lose focus of the power that just a few people can have in changing things for the better. I have to add that being a part of the student council provided the bonus of a fantastic opportunity to fly to Nepal for a student learning and travel conference. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that came about purely because I just got involved.

So next time you hear about a way to be involved more in campus life, don’t think of how much time it may take but think of the reward you may get from your involvement, and that reward just might be a university medal!

So you have a mental illness...and a partner

By Mary Girgis What is it like to be in a relationship with someone with a mental illness? What is it like to have a mental illness and be in a relationship?

I met with Judith*, a third year psychology student. Judith mentioned that when she first met Larry*, were both dating other people.

When the two were finally available they started chatting online and within a week, a relationship had bloomed.

Judith and Larry knew they both had a mental illness before they started dating, but neither saw this as a deterrent. About two to three months into the relationship, Larry was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disorder.

On the diagnosis, Judith said, “It was pretty much expected.”

“He goes through phases of not really being able to feel much, which I can sense, so I worry about whether he loves me. With his depression he withdraws which also worries me.”

Judith has depression herself, so this can be problematic for her.

“It’s kind of easy to be pulled into it, but I have to try to not spiral, just like he has to with me when I’m depressed. We try not to snap, and understand the other person’s feelings. We give each other time. Try to say sorry for things we do instead of getting defensive. Try to be open and discuss things. We talk A LOT about things, rarely repress.”

Judith and Larry faced a new set of challenges when they decided to move in together.

“You don’t get the rest from each other. It’s especially hard for Larry who needs a lot of alone time when he’s not feeling well.”

“Just be aware if they withdraw it might not be because of you and it’s mostly because it’s hard to be around people in general when depressed, or dealing with anxiety. Be tactful when you bring up their mental illness and the problems associated. Don’t be blamey. Don’t push help onto them, sometimes they just need you to listen. Ask them how you can help, and if they want help. Develop ways of coping with each other after situations occur. Communicate.” *pseudonym 11

features PHOTOS: Angela Salas

homelessness grows in Sydney and more sleep rough in the west All indications show a 26 percent increase in the number of people sleeping rough in Sydney in recent times. ANGELA SALAS finds the personal story behind the statistic.

A middle aged man with overgrown silver hair and scruffy beard found his favourite sleeping spot at one of the busiest arcades of Wynyard Station and called it home. Although he was there during most of 2013, early this year he suddenly vanished along with his hard and cold bed. He is now just an elusive memory of the past. The man seemed invisible to passersby too busy to notice his lack of basic needs. And there he lay in the mornings, unnoticed on the floor, with no other possessions but his worn-out clothes and one friend.

That man is part of a worldwide homeless community. The issue is global, real, constantly changing, complex and continues to need real solutions. But for various reasons, it is one perhaps impossible to eradicate.

The last 2011 Census found there was a 27 per cent increase in homelessness compared to the last 2006 Census. 28,190 people were classified as homeless. The State Government launched a proposal to change the homelessness services system in July 2012. Homelessness NSW partnered with Yfoundations and Domestic Violence NSW to participate in the reform process and provide their contribution. There are currently 170 member organisations comprising Homelessness NSW with small, medium and large not-for-profit organisations.

Homelessness NSW CEO Gary Moore said “for us at the moment the most important task is to help all of our member organisations that work in local communities survive the reform agendas of government”.

In an initiative that started in 2010, for one night every February and August, a number of volunteers dedicate their time to count the 12

number of rough sleepers who bed down on the streets of the City of Sydney. A 26 per cent increase was detected this year compared to the 2013 February count.

“It makes far more sense to reduce homelessness because you’ll get massive savings to government in terms of the expenditure on services that homeless people use and you’ll have far more productive citizens,” Mr Moore said.

Mr Moore said agencies around Parramatta have reported an increase in the population of rough sleepers around the CBD and nearby

“Agencies around Parramatta have reported an increase in rough sleepers around the CBD and nearby parks” parks. The situation has also been reported on the banks of the Nepean and Hawkesbury River. Sutherland Shire also appeared to feel the impact with the presence of this population on the banks of the Port Hacking River.

Rough sleepers also include people who sleep in their cars in areas such as Woolloomooloo and regional areas of Australia.

Last January the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute AHURI summed up some issues to do with housing stress, housing affordability and rough sleepers. In 2011 they suggested that 10 per cent of households in Australia were paying more than 30 per cent of income in mortgage repayments.

Also, by 2007-2008 only eight per cent of Melbourne’s local areas were considered affordable, but these were outside of urban or growing areas. Some 33,000 people on very low incomes who have found a home in caravan parks, face disadvantages such as absence of privacy from landlords.

Mohammed’s Story Mohammed (not his real name), is a 31 year old homeless male who wanted his identity protected. On a temperate Autumn week night, he proved to be a highly coherent narrator. Mohammed was a boarder in an elite school in the western suburbs from the age of 10 after his parents divorced, until he turned 18. He said he was one of the few nonwhite students and felt the environment was extremely racist.

“From the age of 10 to 13 I got teased a lot. I was never really accepted and that caused me a lot of hurt, lot of pain, lot of anger”, Mohammed said.

After boarding school he made it to one of Sydney’s top universities and in that time he started hanging around with a lot of bad people, bad influences and got involved with drugs and gambling. He also frequented Kings Cross a lot and also got involved in crime.

After one-and-a-half years he dropped out of uni. As a result, his father threw him out of home and he has been homeless ever since.

What was it that made you do that?

“Because I never felt accepted at school, I started feeling isolation and feeling a lot of hatred towards Australia”.

How do you see your future?

“I started praying again and I’ve asked God to give me a heart attack. No hope, no horizon”.

I looked at his open backpack and a book inside triggered my curiosity.

Tell me about the book you have in your backpack?

“It’s called Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins”.

How often have you read it?

“Seven times”.

Why is it that you keep reading it?

“Because I want to fill my head with knowledge and maybe change my life”.

Crazy Weekend Cowboy Guy changed his cover photo Posted by Crazy Weekend Cowboy June 20

Crazy Weekend Cowboy Guy This nice lady who works at the florist said she was having a few people over

how to lose youR job in 140 characters 930,000 people reached

By Mariam Tengbeh I was halfway through my cup of tea on a blissful Sunday morning, when I stumbled upon something: Pictures from Jane’s party last night! I was shocked at how out-of-control and chaotic these pictures were. Beer bottles strewn across the lawn, clusters of people making out and the occasional drunk passed out. Jane’s party became the hot topic of every discussion. For the rest of the day my Facebook news feed was spammed with party pictures. Yes, like many, I too had fallen victim to the ‘oversharing’ of others.

Months after the party, I was having a very interesting conversation with Jane and she mentioned how hard it was for her to get a job.

‘No!’ I said in disbelief. Despite my sarcasm, Jane is a recent graduate student entering the workforce with a highly impressive resume.

She always lands an interview but never seems to go beyond that initial stage. With such an impressive GPA, great references and hours of work experience it is hard to believe she is in such a predicament. That’s Jane, offline.

Online however, Jane can be described as “a bit of a party animal” – out every weekend or hosting out-of-control parties. With her massive social media fan base of four thousand and counting, Jane never seems to disappoint with her semi-nude, bikini shots and Oh, who can forget that infamous twenty-second video of her stripping on the bar? That’s Jane, online. That’s also the Jane that employers see before meeting her.

With this cultural phenomenon of overshares, I could not help but wonder why we allow intimate parts of our private lives to be made public without fully understanding the impli-

cations. As a second year university student, what steps and precautions can I take to avoid falling into this potential trap?

Boston entrepreneur, Juan Enriquez, shared his opining about the impact of the ‘digital tattoos’ we create for ourselves, in the 2013 TED talk. He advocates a path of conscious tolerance saying “we’re demanding that young people be responsible for stuff that lasts for a long time”. Sure he and I might be horrified at the sight of all the thoughtless content broadcast to a virtual audience of millions, but some may find this an old fashioned way of thinking or a ‘status quo’, constructed by society. Some may argue that as technology changes, so should the norms and mores of society. Should what we put up on Facebook or social media in general, matter?

“Employers with very poor ethics employ IT hackers to hack into a person’s private site to find out more” Career advisor and founder of Careers Doctors, John Taccori, says that young people do not realise the implications that their online sharing habits can have on their employment future, let alone future relationships. “Employers should not be able to know too much about a person’s private life, but of course they do want to know that, as it forms an idea about one’s character which may affect their working life” says Taccori. Employers want to know from the outset what a person is like, both privately and publicly. This is why they check with referees. They ask questions like “What type of friends does he keep or mix with”, “How reliable is she with regards to punctuality”, “Is there anything about his/her personality that may impinge on them doing

features

their work or working in a team”? These are all strategic questions for employers.

Some employers who are desperate to know more about their employees will look up their profile on social media. Taccori says “I would even go so far to add that some employers with very poor ethics employ particular IT hackers to hack into a person’s private site to find out more”. Now this is illegal but the unfortunate truth is it does happen in some cases.

Readers may recall the case of Justine Sacco, PR executive of Interactive Corporation, who sent out a racist tweet that read: ‘Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!’ Sacco’s new found reality and fame hit hard, trending world-wide. She was condemned by major news outlets such as CNN and The New York Times. Other cases include the termination of a Bedford police inspector after he posted photographs of himself in a sexually compromising position, while wearing his police uniform. Or perhaps some may recall the incident that saw the sacking of 76 staff from Marks & Spencer for engaging in a Facebook discussion board, where employers described consumers as ‘idiots’ and ‘cheap little bastards’.

Despite the laws that are in place to protect us, John Taccori advises that these laws are ignored by employers. They are discrete about it, of course, and would not do anything in a public manner that would land them in court for unlawful dismissal. But if they do not want you any more, they will find holes in your performance and put a lawful process in place to review your work performance before asking you to leave or to resign.

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photo: Nick Russill photo: Christine Veeschkens

antarctic: earth’s last natural beauty Home to more than 10,000 unique species, the Antarctic is one of the last remaining wilderness areas. But mining, overfishing, oil drilling, climate change and development are threatening the delicate balance that the rest of the world relies upon.

By ANGELA NAUMOVSKA A tall figure stands in a corner of his home, limited to only 2 percent of the vast 20,327,000km of land. His home is in danger and he cannot ask for help. That tall figure is an Emperor Penguin. That 2 percent he is limited to is the Antarctic Ocean and it is the only ocean which remains untouched by humans, for now. That cry for help that he cannot make, can be made by you. Ensure Earth’s beautiful oceans do not become something future generations only hear about. Let them see the breathtaking vast blue ocean, the pristine water sparkling against white ice, which is home to some of the most unique animals in the world.

The Emperor Penguin looks over the tall glacier kingdom he calls home, unaware that his time is limited and he may soon not be able to enjoy the cool air which flows through the Antarctic. The penguin swims kilometres into the deep waters of the Antarctic, passing a colossal squid. The penguin attacks his prey, a fish to feed his young. As he rises to the icy surface he passes a seal and takes a glimpse at the majestic creature entertaining its family with high pitch squeals, as if telling an amusing story. The Emperor Penguin finds his family, feeding them as he watches them every second, every minute, every day growing into an Emperor. One day the young grey ball will stand above the white icy kingdom.

Is your home worth fighting for? Will the vast pristine blue ocean we all know as the Antarctic deteriorate irrepairably from climate change, pollution, mining, oil drilling and 14

overfishing? The Antarctic Ocean is home to over 10,000 unique and diverse species which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.

Make a difference today by teaming up with the Antarctic Ocean Organisation. Sign the petition, share it with your friends through Facebook and Twitter and help spread awareness.

Join supporters such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Edward Norton, Richard Branson and Sam Neill. Actions speak louder than words and your actions can be the difference between the Emperor Penguin becoming just another extinct species on Earth.

“There is still time to make a difference, to persuade decision makers that the Antarctic Ocean should remain a natural beauty” Contributing to change is as easy as typing your password into Facebook. Sign a petition, tell your friends, email a minister. It is vital the ocean remains untouched so that animals such as Emperor Penguins and the spectacular colossal squid do not become existent.

Twenty five men and women make the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) panel which will decide the fate of the Antarctic Ocean.

Signing the petition on the Antarctic Ocean Organisation (http://antarcticocean.org/) website will put the ocean’s fate a step further towards remaining untouched.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot has said:” We do not want to clutter up the G20 agenda with every worthy cause of importance, because if we do, we will squander the opportunity to make a difference in the vital area of economic growth”.

However, 70% of Earth is water and only 2% is fully protected from human development. If we do not protect our environment first, there will not be an Earth for economic growth to happen.

Christine Milne, head of the Greens party says that “Tony Abbott’s agenda of environmental vandalism is an embarrassment and the world is watching,” guaranteeing that the Greens party will stand firm on Tony Abbott’s attacks on the environment.

As well as the Australian government, Ukraine, Japan, Norway, China and Russia are all vital key players to achieve the Antarctic Ocean Organisation’s goal to protect not only the pristine waters of the Antarctic, but to also protect its unique animals.

More than 263,430 people around the world have joined the watch to ensure the Antarctic Ocean remains untouched by human interference. These heroes will also ensure the Antarctic Ocean leaves behind a strong legacy.

There is still time to make a difference, to persuade the decision makers that the Antarctic Ocean should remain a natural beauty.

photo: Austronesian Expeditions

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Disabilities, inside looking out

features

By LAUREN HITCHEN Before my little brother was born I had no real concept of what it meant for a person to be disabled. There was of course the very ignorant thought in my head that all disabled people would drool and not be able to talk.

My little brother Liam was born with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Along with this came some intellectual disabilities such as global developmental delay. Cerebral Palsy (CP) is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. It is a permanent life-long condition, but generally does not worsen over time. It is due to damage to the developing brain during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Epilepsy is thought of as the collapsing full-body seizures and fits, however there is actually more than one type.

My younger brother suffers absence and myoclonic seizures. The first is where he will zone out completely as the neurons in his brain have stopped firing. Myoclonic is where he will have a sudden jerk of his body. This has caused many things such as chipped teeth, massive bruises and bumps on his head and body. Also, there have been many instances of falling off couches, chairs, etc.

Developmental Delay is a term used when a child is developing skills more slowly than other children. When more than one area is affected, the term global developmental delay can be used. This can include speech, hearing, vision, social interaction, etc. These problems generally require some sort of therapy or support.

These three diagnoses changed me and my family’s life. There are so many things that go into the caring of a disabled child. When Liam was born he was too small for baby clothes, so we had to buy dolls clothes. Then there are the bigger things, such as who to talk to?

There isn’t a portal for these sorts of things.

My family were exceptionally lucky that a dedicated physiotherapist from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (previously The Spastic Centre) helped my family.

My mother is a warrior of strength. She retired from her career in the police force to ensure that Liam had the best quality care.

As Liam got older the appointments became more frequent and more serious. It changed from always having Liam’s foot cast into a constant state of stretching, to surgeries to shave the muscles so that his leg muscles won’t be so tight.

Liam has always been on medication for his epilepsy, however, when he was 10 there began talks of him having brain surgery. It was a difficult thing for our family to face, as there was no guaranteed outcome. There is an ongoing bittersweet story in our family, that after the surgery Liam wouldn’t talk; he was completely silent at all times. It was very scary for all of us, and not to mention seriously annoying, as he would never answer when we asked

“We were overjoyed that the little 10-year-old disabled boy was swearing” him common questions like ‘what do you want for dinner?’ or ‘do you mind if I take all your things and throw them out the window?’

One day Liam, my mum and I were all in the car and out of nowhere we hear a rude word coming from the back seat. Liam decides that the first word he is going to speak after three months of dead silence is a rude word. Needless to say we were overjoyed that the little 10 year old disabled boy was swearing.

Liam has a beautiful nature and brings out the best in society. There have been many times where people have stopped to just high-five or say hello to him. Once we were at the shops and Liam had picked up a football and wanted to buy it. An elderly man approached us and said “would you mind if I buy him the ball?”

It makes me cry to think that he doesn’t have the same experiences that other kids his age do, but I have to say that the experiences that Liam has brought to my family and everyone around us are things that I wouldn’t change for the world.

Funny how?

By MARY GIRGIS What’s wrong with rape jokes? I was watching my favourite comedian, hysterically laughing when BAM! Rape joke. End of laughter. This got me thinking, what’s wrong with rape jokes?

My research lead me to a debate between Jim Norton and Linda West, a comedian and feminist. In short, Norton argued that anything can be said if the person is joking and people innately know that rape is a deplorable act. We also shouldn’t censor individuals, as we have a right to freedom of speech. Conversely, West argued that language is a powerful tool and through jokes, rape becomes tolerable. Moreover, everybody does not know that rape is deplorable.

One in six women will be sexually assaulted and there is an 85% unreported rate. Secondly, the vote is pretty much unanimous; language is a powerful tool. Studies have shown that those that support rape jokes are more likely to go on and commit a sexual assault.

So what does that mean exactly? It turns out that rape jokes do two things: 1. They make rape appear ok, normal. A study asked men if they had ever sexually assaulted someone. Their reply: Yes ! The questions were phrased in such a way that ‘sexual assault’ was not used. One of the questions asked was “Have you ever had sexual intercourse with an adult when they didn’t want to because you used or threatened to use physical force (twisting their arm; holding them down, etc.)?” It appears there are already some great misconceptions about what exactly sexual assault is. This is made worse by rape jokes.

2. Rape jokes support rape myths, which support behaviours associated with sexual assault.

Rape jokes support a rape culture, a culture where rape becomes acceptable. That’s a steep price to pay for a quick laugh.

So should comedians be censored? No. The true question isn’t whether shows should be censored, but why jokes of this nature are considered humorous to begin with.

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NUS campaign against cuts Hi everyone! My name is Hannah Smith and I am your NSW President for the National Union of Students for 2014.

What is NUS? NUS is the peak representative body for all undergraduate students in Australia. Every year, different departments within the union run campaigns on issues which students are passionate about. NUS is also students’ voice to universities and governments on issues relating to the quality, accessibility and affordability of your education.

The most important thing to know about NUS is that, as a student, you can have a say in how it is run. The National Union is completely student run and takes it’s directives from student delegates to the annual National Conference.

Your student organisation sends delegates every year to the National Conference who are elected during your annual campus elections.

These delegates are able to write and vote on policy, elect incoming office bearers and have their say on the way the Union will run for the next year.

What has NUS ever done for me?

In the past NUS has successfully lobbied the government to lower the age of independence to 22, allowing many of us to access youth

student reps allowance more readily. NUS also lobbied successfully for the abolishment of Domestic Undergraduate Full Fees (DUFFs). DUFF legislation meant those who could afford to pay the full amount for their courses were admitted over those who couldn’t, despite academic performance, making higher education incredibly inequitable.

NUS supports University SRC’s (like yours) in gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to lobby the university administration. Every year NUS hosts an Education Conference, which allows student activists from SRCs around the country to gain the skills necessary to run campaigns and effect change on their campuses.

National and State Office Bearers also make regular visits to campuses to provide support and advice when necessary.

How is NUS funded?

SRCs around the country pay an annual affiliation fee to NUS. This fee is dependent on student numbers, what the SRC can afford to pay and a whole other range of factors.

What will NUS be doing this year?

Conservative governments such as Tony Abbott’s current Liberal government have a history of making changes to higher education which hurt students. NUS has serious concerns about Abbott and Pyne’s possible motivation to scrap the Student Services and Amenities Fee (which funds important services like the SRC) and their moves to deregulate university fees and cut funding. NUS will be running campaigns throughout the year to fight them.

How can I get involved?

There are a broad range of campaigns that you are able to become involved in through NUS from Women’s and Queer issues to education and student welfare. As your State President, please feel free to email me at any time to find out how to get more involved or if you just want more information about NUS: nswpresident@unistudent.com.au

smokers need a place away from non-smokers It is so sad to still see a few students in front of the library smoking despite the smoking ban. I always tell the smokers to go to the boundary between university grounds and the council oval outside building 23 and smoke, since it is council land. They all respond positively to me because I tell them I am from the Student Council and there is a smoking ban on campus.

I am a non-smoker and I have a right to breath fresh air and not to become a passive smoker.

It is my right to enjoy a smoke-free environment.

Equally, smokers deserve a place to smoke on campus.It is a complicated issue. An issue that may never be solved unless the university starts to issue people with fines and not just warnings.

I was so happy to hear that smoking was banned but I knew there would be resistance from smokers who have a legitimate right to smoke. However, they do need to be considered and realise they are doing harm to non-smokers when they smoke in front of others’ faces.

I am now working alongside other members of the Student Campus Council to propose ways to solve the problem. I call on smokers and non-smokers to come up with suggestions on how we can keep smokers and non-smokers happy. I pray that the university figures out how to force smokers to stop smoking especially in front of library. The university has also a duty to ensure that smokers have a right to smoke on at least one point on campus, away from heavy student traffic. I hope the issue is solved soon.

FOUAD ABI-ESBER - Bankstown SCC and SRC 17

TRAVEL EXCHANGE STUDENTS SWAP STORIES

SWEET ROTTERDAM OLD AND NEW

UWS EXCHANGE PROGRAMS: www.uws.edu.au/globalmobility/goglobal

FIND YOURSELF ON EXCHANGE The best experience in a uni student’s life is studying abroad. The feeling of venturing off on your own and stepping out of your comfort zone to experience a new country is something that will change you forever. Even though it can be tough, it’ll open your eyes and make you very grateful for what you have back in your homeland.

The friendships you form on an exchange program are usually from all over the globe.

That for me is one of the best parts, because these people will understand you on a whole other level and you’ll really learn what true friendship is.

During my exchange program, I really felt like I had finally found myself. I never really believed in that concept, but after studying abroad, it was clear to me what I wanted in life, and how I was going to achieve it. I also discovered this gratitude for life and making the most of it. This for me is something that everybody needs to discover so they can live life with full potential and contentment.

Overall, the experience of studying abroad is a major eye opener. You’re thrown into experiencing so many different things, meeting people from countries all over the world, and learning about the way they all live their lives, which is truly incredible. The cultural differences can be tricky, but that’s what makes it so beautiful.

So make sure you go and talk to the international office during your degree because you won’t regret it! I can guarantee that it will be the best thing you do during your time at UWS. ASHLEY NAIR 18

THE LITTLE THINGS YOU REMEMBER What is the appeal of studying abroad? For some, it’s the chance to study in another vibrant and inspiring university. For some, it’s discovering the new culture and witnessing the wonders of the world. For some, it’s the people; they will make you feel like the world is so much smaller than ever before. You’ll receive invites to stay in other countries, or to reunite in Europe.

Out of everything, I will remember the people I met during my time here in Australia. There are a thousand memories I could choose from, but this one was from the start of the year and made a huge impact on all involved.

Our friend, an aspiring photographer, wanted to take night shots on the Surfer’s Paradise beach. So, six of us wandered down and became distracted, taking photos of the brightly lit city of Gold Coast behind us. We couldn’t see anything on the beach; it was all hidden in the night sky. Suddenly, we discover the brightest and biggest red moon we’d ever seen, right above the dark ocean, as if it had appeared in the blink of an eye. When we did notice this huge circular object floating in the sky, we did the only thing we could. We all freaked each other out, saying it was going to fall to the earth. After reassuring ourselves, this wasn’t actually going to happen, we sat there and appreciated how lucky we were. We were able to witness something so beautiful, in this surreal adventure. Mary Anne Radmacher says that ‘I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world,’ and it’s true.

KRYSTYNA KING

They call it rocky road. I know it’s not. This is some sort of mutant chocolate-hazelnut-caramel brownie cake sprinkled with peanuts and baked to cheesecake-like perfection. I have never eaten so many freshly baked pastries and mutant desserts in all my 21 years of life in Australia. If I hadn’t already fallen in love with Rotterdam, I would have been sold.

The cafes and bars range from quaint hubs of warm, rustic décor, cluttered with wooden furnishings and vintage hangings. Others are industrial and spacious, doors are boldly painted pink and all manner of oddly shaped pendants, lamps, and spotlights deck the walls and ceiling.

Most of the natives can alternate between Dutch and English with annoying ease, so communicating is simple.

Before you dare to step onto the narrow red lanes separated from the main road, look left, right, and left again, because the average bicycle rider will not hesitate to kill you.

On the first day I arrived I met some of the most kind, warm, funny and outgoing girls I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. We learnt the way to university together, ate copious amounts of free breakfast and stole away fruit from the buffet for our lunches. We spent the evenings skipping down to the Doner Kebab performing Grease numbers to the night.

On our morning walks to uni I discovered the hidden beauties of this great place. Lakes and streams appear in odd lanes, beside huge apartment buildings or in the center of squares. Worn boats and ships nestle in harbors and surrounding the lake of Kralingen Bos, windmills can be spotted in the distance.

In the budding of Spring I detect growing excitement and wildness about the air. Grins are broadening and layers are shedding. This is only the beginning of an adventure, ‘though one I will not soon forget.

JESSICA CHEHADE

INTERSECT WITH POSTGRADS

STAFF PROFILE

Bankstown Campus July 9-11 Bldg 20 9 - 11 JULY 2014

SAUL FRIDMAN

Bankstown Campus Building 20

This event is for students and staff to share knowledge, learn new skills and connect with one another. The program includes keynote speakers, post-graduate presentations, masterclasses, film screenings and performances.

The School of Humanities and Communication Arts and the Writing and Society Research Centre proudly support the 6th annual Interventions & Intersections Conference.

Attendance is free but registration is essential.

Visit the website for more details.

WRITING MUSIC ARTS COMMUNICATION INTERPRETING & TRANSLATION DESIGN

From July 9 – 11 the School of Humanities and Communications Arts is teaming up with the Writing and Society Research Centre to present the school’s 6th Annual Postgraduate Conference: Intersections & Interventions. In what is now a regular fixture on the school’s academic calendar, Intersections & Interventions brings students and academics together, from across the entire spectrum of the humanities and communication arts, for the purpose of promoting cross-disciplinary interaction and collaboration. www.uws.edu.au/interventionsandintersections2014

Higher degree research students will present their current research projects attended by both students and academics, allowing students to receive invaluable feedback from their peers and exposing them to unique perspectives from outside their chosen field.

High profile speakers include Professor Brad Haseman, Professor Clemencia Rodriguez and Dr Tim Soutphommasane.

Masterclass events run throughout, facilitated by senior academics, where alternative and progressive research methods will be explored through interactive and hands-on style workshops.

The conference also offers live musical performances, poetry readings, art installations and, of course, free food and beverages!

To participate visit www.uws.edu.au/hca/ school_of_humanities_and_communication_arts/events/postgraduate_conference/ call_for_papers For info visit www.uws.edu.au/interventionsandintersections2014 Mark A. O’Toole (B.A. Hons) PhD Candidate | School of Humanities & Communication Arts Co-Chair | Conference Organising Committee

The new lecturer for Equity & Trusts has been lovingly nicknamed ‘Dr House of the Law School’ suavely rebellious without any cause. Whether or not Saul Fridman is aware or approving of this nickname is yet to be discovered. LAUREN HITCHEN aims to uncover any quirks or interests that could shine a light on who is educating our university’s fine law students.

What is the first thing you do in morning?

First thing I do in the morning is hit the snooze button!!

If you could sing one song on Australian Idol, what would it be and why?

I would find it hard to choose between these three songs (all of which have some meaning to me): Hurt (the Johnny Cash version); The Boxer; Secret Life. I’d probably go with Secret Life because I’m told I sound (and look) like Leonard Cohen.

If you could have one tweet of yours be the most tweeted thing in history what would you say?

My tweet would be: “Want to know who really killed JFK?” If you were a mad scientist what would your project be and why?

I’d choose a time machine, so I could go back and correct all of my many mistakes.

What fictional character do you think people associate you with?

Probably Howard Roark is who I associate myself with or possibly Rooster Cogburn (True Grit); others think of me as more like Harry Faversham from the Four Feathers or even Travis Bickle or William Foster (sometimes)

What was the last book you read, pros and cons?

The last book I read was a collection of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories. The prose was superb (pro), the themes were disturbing (sort of a con).

What do you think is the most abominable everyday sin? (ie, people stealing your park in a shopping centre?)

The most abominable daily sin (aside from lying and cheating) is the inappropriate use of the car horn. Sydneysiders are terrible for using the car horn to express road rage and frustration instead of using it for what it was intended (to play music).

Would you rather have pineapples for hands or everything taste like pineapple juice for the rest of your life?

I’d go for everything tasting like pineapple juice: I like pineapple juice and I sort of like my hands as they are!

What has been the most interesting/best thing you have experienced at UWS? The most interesting thing I’ve experienced at UWS so far has been completing this questionnaire and the most enjoyable has been meeting so many engaging and pleasant students. I think it is safe to say, that any man who wouldn’t take up the opportunity for pineapples hands, is clearly wildly unhinged.

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SERVICES DIRECTORY

PODIATRY

SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC

UniClinic at Campbelltown campus offers podiatry services to the general public at a reduced rate, including nail surgery, foot pressure analysis, diabetes assessment, orthoses, vascular/neurological/biomechanical/gait assessments, and muscle rehabilitation. For students most of the services cost just $10.

Ever have unprotected sex? Get tested, it’s easy.

Many Sexually Transmitted Infections have no obvious symptoms. Sexual Health Clinics at Nepean Hospital in Kingswood and Blue Mountains Hospital in Katoomba offer FREE confidential testing and treatment. The Nepean Hospital Clinic also offers the ‘Men Out West’ Clinic with HIV testing in 10minutes. No Medicare card needed.

Visit nbmlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/Sexual-Health or phone Nepean Sexual Health Clinic 4734 2507 or the Katoomba Sexual Health Clinic 4784 6550.

Phone 4620 3700 and visit uws.edu.au/uniclinic

Study and Life Skills

Family Planning NSW

Mates@UWS

These free workshops include academic writing workshops, library roving, maths, dealing with exam stress, mastering your memory, time management, planning, getting motivated, strategies for stress-free presentations.

Email mesh@uws.edu.au for maths workshops, hall@uws.edu.au for academic literacy workshops and counselling@uws.edu.au for life skills workshops

Reproductive and sexual health experts on contraception, pregnancy options, STIs, sexuality and sexual function, menstruation, menopause, common gynaecological and vaginal problems, cervical screening, breast awareness and men’s health. Clinics in Ashfield, Fairfield, Penrith targeted to marginalised communities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, refugees, people with disability, young people and same sex attracted people.

Visit fpnsw.org.au or call 1300 658 886

Did you find starting Uni hard? MATES@UWS is looking for volunteer mentors for Autumn 2014 to help new students settle in and make their first session at UWS a positive one.

Being a ‘Mate’ not only gives you the opportunity to help new students with their transition but allows you to meet other students, connect with UWS staff, receive free goodies and most importantly, have lots of fun along the way.

Visit uws.edu.au/mates

Students’ Rights Advocate

Indigenous Australian Students

GET HEALTHY

Student Representation and Participation offer this free service to help you with study-related issues such as academic and non-academic misconduct, review of grades, special consideration, exclusions and appeals, higher degree research supervision issues, decisions made by uni staff as well as help raising complaints with the university.

Visit uws.edu/advocacy, call 9772 6136 or email advocate@uws.edu.au

Badanami Centre provides support and encouragement for every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student enrolled at the University. Students can drop in to Badanami anytime to study or relax Badanami can put you in touch with a range of services across campuses, from study skills courses, careers advice, counselling and medical assistance all the way through to opportunities to study abroad 1800 032 923 or email badanami@uws.edu.au

Student Welfare Service

PASS: Peer-Assisted Study Sessions

Sometimes you might need assistance from other services, such as a counsellor or a government agency. UWS welfare officers can help you with information and advice about the right services to talk to in relation to accommodation, financial assistance including food vouchers Centrelink support, tax help, textbook vouchers, sexual health, bullying, advocacy on misconduct, review of grades and special consideration and budget meals.

Email welfareservice@uws.edu.au or visit uws. edu.au/askwelfare

In PASS you work with other students to understand the content of your units and develop study strategies to help improve your academic performance. Each PASS group is run by a student facilitator who has studied the unit previously. PASS is free and voluntary.

Regular attendance of PASS will help improve your grades and make study more rewarding.

Visit uws.edu.au/pass

The Disability Service is a team of professionals to assist students with all types of disabilities including chronic illness, mental health conditions and learning disabilities by providing reasonable adjustments. Reasonable adjustments, such as exam provisions, are steps taken to ensure all students have equal access to university. A previous student said: “Every disability is different, but registering with the service made uni much less stressful, especially around exam time or when I became unwell” Visit uws.edu.au/disability, call 9852 5199 or email disability@uws.edu.au

Careers

Chaplaincy

Counselling Service

With CareerHub you may search for jobs, internships, work experience, overseas positions, book in to career expos and access career information and resume advice all in one place.

This free service is available to all UWS students and recent graduates. Register with your current MyUWS Account.

Email careerhub.uws.edu.au 20

The chaplaincy team offers a caring presence to all staff and students at UWS; encouraging spirituality, offering hospitality and creating community.

We do this by embracing our diversity, encouraging conversation and respecting our similarities and differences. Chaplains come from a variety of spiritual traditions.

Email chaplaincy@uws.edu.au

Trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle? The Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service offers free info and health coaching to help achieve your goals in relation to healthy eating, physical activity and lifestyle. It’s a free, confidential phone-based coaching service by health professionals. You can opt to receive information and/or coaching from the Get Healthy Coaching Service.

Visit uws.edu.au/gethealthy

Disability Service

A team of qualified social workers and psychologists to help you with any issues affecting your study. If you’re not sure that university is for you, a counsellor may be able to offer advice and support or help you improve your study skills.

Counselling is free, confidentail and can be carried out as e counselling if preferred.

9852 5199 or email counselling@uws.edu.au

iFORGOT

CONTROL OF PERSONAL DATA FINDS FRIENDS

crash without the burn what to do after a prang

Student Legal Services provides legal advice to students. Solicitor Nina Lau offers a step-by-step guide to surviving a car accident without legal hassles.

Should you ever be in a car accident with another vehicle, whether it is a minor or major accident, it is important not to drive away. The maximum penalty for driving away is $2,200, which may increase if you are the driver at fault.

If the other vehicle drives off, write down their registration number. You can make an application to Roads & Maritime Services to obtain the name and address of the owner.

It is important not to admit liability for the accident by saying, “I am sorry” or “It was my fault”. By admitting liability you may void your insurance policy.

There is a legal obligation for all drivers involved in the accident to provide details to all other parties.

The required details are as follows: a) the driver’s name and address, b) the name and address of the owner of the vehicle, c) the vehicle’s registration number, d) any further information necessary to identify the vehicle If there are independent witnesses get their name and contact details. These can be helpful should statements be required by the Police or if you need to pursue the driver at fault for the cost of your repairs.

The Police should be contacted regardless of whether anyone was hurt in the accident. The Police must be called if: • someone was injured • cars had to be towed • if one or more drivers were under the influence or drugs or alcohol • a driver has refused to provide details What if someone was injured?

The Police must be called if someone was injured. If the Police do not attend, you must report the accident within 28 days.

A personal injury claim can be made through the Motor Accidents Authority within 6 months of the date of the accident. The principal limitation period to claim on personal injury arising from a motor vehicle accident is 3 years.

Keep your notes It is always useful to keep notes on the accident and any documentation that was provided to you as a result of the accident. If your vehicle needed to be towed, obtain a receipt. Take photos and make a sketch of how the accident occurred noting the street names or intersections and also the weather conditions. If there was a Police report or an event number provided by the police, this can also be helpful down the track.

You should also contact your insurance company to inform them of the incident.

So, in summary: 1.

Do not drive away 2.

Do not admit fault 3.

Exchange details 4.

Contact Police 5.

Take photos 6.

Take names and numbers of witnesses 7.

Contact your insurer There are many issues that can affect the outcome such as an unlicenced driver or uninsured vehicle. It is always best to seek legal advice if you are unsure about what to do next.

Nina Lau - Solicitor, Student Legal Services Disclaimer: The information is general and should not be relied on as legal advice.

Should you require advice, contact Student Legal Services on 8688 7875 or email studentlegalservices@uws.edu.au UWS Student Legal Service is a joint venture between Macquarie Legal Centre and UWS. Located at UWS Parramatta Community Justice Clinic, Parramatta Local Court, it provides advice to currently enrolled UWS students through SSAF funds.

By VERONICA STEER Once something goes online, it’s there forever right?

The concept of a “right to be forgotten”, as a fundamental human right, is a notion that stands in stark contrast to our preconceived ideas of how personal data and the internet currently interrelate. However, in a landmark Court decision, the European Union court has ruled in favour of the right to be forgotten.

Under a 1995 law, search engine “Google” has been ordered to delete any data content that is “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant” by any member of the public who requests this.

The Spanish man who sparked this decision, argued that he was “fighting for the elimination of data that adversely affects people’s honour, dignity and exposes their private lives.

Everything that undermines human beings, that’s not freedom of expression.”

This will hopefully see a movement away from the “click-wrap” agreement where users exchange personal information for online services. The user has little choice but to accept the terms presented if they wish to use the product. Some 58% of Europeans in a European Commission study felt there was no alternative other than to disclose personal information in order to obtain an online product or service. Article 17, and now the Court, call for a higher threshold of consent that is “Freely given, specific, informed and explicit… A clear affirmative action.”

The ruling has placed responsibly on companies such as “Google” to play “data controller” and argues that individuals have a right to control their private data, as long as they are not public figures. The Court stated that the deletion of data must be weighed up against public interest. Not only will individuals have to prove it is not in the public interest to have the information there, they will have to wait lengthy periods to see its removal. The EU Court stated that they are attempting to balance to conflicting rights; ‘freedom of speech’, with a ‘right to a private life’.

0n the first day, Google received over 12, 000 requests to have personal data erased, suggesting consumer protection is long overdue.

This decision is particularly significant as people are becoming increasingly defined by their online persona, and despite education and awareness, the younger generations are at greatest risk, as their lives have become inextricably intertwined with Instagram, Facebook and perhaps most worrying – Snapchat and Tindr. Whilst currently limited to countries in the EU, it will be interesting to see whether Australian Courts and Parliament will follow.

21

CLUBS

Debatin’ All Over the World

By ROBERT BARRIE - UWS Debating President

We wish all our contingent luck in New Zealand; we know you will do us proud!

It has been a whirlwind semester for UWS Debating, with a lot of success, growth and general good times had by all. Here is just a brief run down:

Coming up in semester 2…

Already next semester is shaping up to be a big and exciting one. We have tournaments at Sydney, UNSW and ANU all in the first few weeks. UWS may also be hosting another tournament so stay tuned for information on that…

Success at Australian Championships A big congratulations to our Australian Championships Contingent! Held down in Melbourne this year, we far outdid the previous year’s results. Both UWS 1 and UWS 2 finished with 2 wins from 6 debates, equalling last year’s feats. UWS 3 finished on 3 wins, ranking them 54th out of 160 teams- an amazing achievement!

We’re also going to be sending people to attend the Macquarie University Debating Camp- a three day training camp where people can learn and practice debating in the fun and relaxed atmosphere of Collary, staying in a campsite a short walk from the beach.

Gotta Go, Otago!

We now turn our attention to the Australasian Championships which will be hosted by the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand in July. Our contingent is more than double the size of last year, and we’re very excited to congratulate the following people:

Most importantly, the Australasian Women’s Debating Championship is coming up from the 26th – 29th of September. Hosted by Sydney Uni, this is an incredible tournament for developing female debaters. We are hoping to send a number of people so make sure you let us know if you’re interested!

• UWS 1: Robert Barrie, Chris Kocx and Justin O’Connor • UWS 2: Sonyia Juarez, Luke Ryan and Mary Hakim • Adjudicator: Winnie Jobanputra

We’ll also be holding trials to select our contingent for the World University Debating Championships to be held in Malaysia from December 26th 2014 to January 4th 2015.

Joining is really easy! Just connect with us on social and join us at one of our weekly meetings at Campbelltown, Penrith or Parramatta.

We’ll confirm via email and social media when our meetings are next semester, and you can also come and check us out at the Club Week Stalls. See you next semester!

Email: uwsdebating@gmail.com Facebook: facebook.com/uwsdebating Twitter: @UWS_Debating Instagram: @uwsdebating

How do I join?

Chinese students and scholars association makes debut I would be honoured to briefly introduce our newly started student club.

The UWSCSSA is a non-for-profit student club which is characterised as cross-campus and cross-cultural. It is known that there has not been such an official organisation run by/for Chinese students and scholars at the University of Western Sydney.

We aim to unite and serve the growing number of the students and fellows from China.

UWSCSSA strives to benefit club members by holding events and activities, enhancing the 22

communication and collaboration with other students and clubs on campus and linking members and local communities via organising voluntary work.

The UWSCSSA raises funds both on-campus and off-campus. The first election will be conducted between September and November this year.

More than 100 club members joined within the first month. Membership is open to everyone interested at UWS. Our current members include not only Chinese students and visiting

fellows, but the Australian students, academics and administrative officers working at UWS. Should you be interested in more information, please feel free to contact me.

Xinghui Jin - Initiator, President PhD candidate, School of Education Email: uwscssa@gmail.com

DRIBBLE FANCY LIKE A KING Why not take your place on the court with UWS Basketball? JACOB HATZE asks team captain David Hayman how it works Which basketball teams do you follow?

I follow the Sydney Kings in the NBL. I follow the Lakers in the NBA. They were the first team I heard of when I was younger so I stuck with them.

Who are your favourite Basketball players?

Jordan and Kobe. Both for their work ethic bordering on obsessive compulsive and their mental toughness. They are two players also known for offence, and yet take a lot of pride in their defensive capabilities.

How did you first get introduced to Basketball and what is it about the sport that you love so much?

When little, some friends took my parents and myself to a Sydney Kings game. Since then I was into it. I enjoy all sports, this one more than others.

CLUBS Where have you played and which teams have you played for?

Finally, who will win the NBA championship this year?

I started out at Hawkesbury for a couple of years then moved to Castle Hill.

I am currently playing for the Waratah League Hills Hornets. I have played for NSW state teams and competed at national championships.

Not sure, but I am hoping the Spurs will.

What are the qualities you look for when selecting players?

facebook.com/UWSSportsandFitnessSociety

The UWS Basketball Team will be competing at the Eastern Uni Games in Newcastle from July 6-10. Keep an eye out for them as they play the best teams the Eastern Australian Universities have to offer.

Our selectors look for players who fit into particular positions well and how they could best fit into the team/s. You have to pick a team positionally based. Whilst the best 10 players might all be guard type players for example, you can only take 4-5 of them.

What is some advice you can give to other UWS players to improve their game and maybe eventually make the team?

Simply go home and practice more.

Student support amenities fee: ssaf Is your money !

The Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is the $281 (equivalent for full-time students) that UWS students pay each year to the University, and which can only be used for non-teaching services and facilities. In 2012 UWS spent $8,835,184 on SSAF endorsed student projects, and in 2013 this figure increased to $9,733,394.

You now have an opportunity to have your say on how next year’s SSAF funds will be spent. On Monday August 25, SSAF proposals will open for students, clubs and staff. All proposals must meet one of the 19 categories identified by SSAF legislation, and the closing date for submission will be Sunday, 21.

Start thinking about the types of things you would like to see on campus. What services and facilities would improve your time at UWS? Do they meet the SSAF guidelines? Check the guidelines at uws.edu.au/allowableusesofssaf and talk to your SCC/SRC representatives or your Campus Life Officers on each campus. Email SSAFpriorities@uws.edu.au for feedback, questions, suggestions or ideas.

To help you generate ideas, check out the SSAF gallery on the SSAFpriorities web page at uws.edu.au/ssafpriorities.

Since 2012 your SSAF fees have funded projects such as student discount card (uws.edu.au/studentdiscounts), study hall extended hours, learning commons, free breakfasts, refurbished hard courts, permanent BBQs, outdoor furniture upgrades, clubs and society funding (uwscampuslife.com.au/student-clubs), representative sport (uwscampuslife.com.au/sport), water filling stations, kitchenettes on all campuses, online careers services (careerhub.uws.edu.au), free student legal service , student advocacy (www.uws.edu.au/advocacy), international student support (orientation, social engagement and leadership program, farewell ceremonies), orientation programs, campus life activities, free food events, occasional child care service (uws.edu.au/occasionalchildcare), text book subsidy, student group ravel insurance and the set up of the crUWSible student newspaper.

Look in your student email on August 25 for all the details you’ll need to submit a funding proposal.

23

DESIGNS ON A CAREER all over the diary

SUMMER AT UWS LIGHTENS YOUR LOAD BEST TIME TO STUDY IS WHEN YOU CAN

In a great start to a career in graphic design, visual comms student Feras Shaheen has a collection of his charming chalk logos in the backpacks and handbags of almost every UWS student. His designs appear on the cover of this year’s UWS student diary, winning out of a field of 77 entries. The cover of the diary has been open to competition for the last four years and winning is a big deal.

Feras Shaheen: “I wanted to incorporate various experiences that come with being a student at UWS. From education to recreational and social, I believe all these aspects of life make up what UWS is today. I wanted to concentrate on the materialistic elements that represent life at UWS as I felt that objects have the ability to portray different meanings. The biggest challenge that presented itself was trying to find objects that symbolised the vast society of UWS without showing favouritism towards the aspects I enjoy the most. Winning this award is definitely a great bonus on my resume and portfolio. It is always a good feeling when you know that your design will be produced and seen/owned by many people. I plan to be a graphic designer in a small studio collaborating with other designers and simply just creating. It’s something that I always loved to do and I am determined to make it my career. During my university experience I have learnt that to be a successful designer you need dedication, commitment, and hard work which I aim to accomplish in my years at UWS. Are you feeling creative?

Enter the 2015 student diary cover design competition for your chance to win a $500 Visa prepaid card.

Your cover design could be the face of the 2015 student diary!

This year’s theme is ‘Life at UWS’.

Competition runs July 28 - September 28.

24

I’m a mature age student who came to study at age 50. I’m studying for a Bachelor of Social Science. I had a keen interest in social issues and was keen to know what held society together or not, depending on which view you might have. When Bob Hawke was Prime Minister, back in 1987, he said: “By 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty”. Yet we know Australia and many other countries continue to struggle with this issue.

Like many young 16-year-olds who left school, because that was more expected than not if you came from Mount Druitt High, I gained my first job in the Commonwealth Bank. No skills, but jobs were plentiful and employers actually were prepared to train on the job back then. I moved on to administrative jobs in the public service and basically I’ve worked in office type work requiring no tertiary qualifications since. The time of training on the job had finished and I wanted skills that would apply beyond one type of employment. After years of thinking about university, and following retrenchment during the Global Financial Collapse, the time seemed right.

Prior to the first semester I attended the Academic Literacy Program. That made a big difference in boosting confidence with essay writing. The mature students introduction evening was also a first opportunity to mix with other students in a similar position of returning back to study.

I can still remember that first autumn semester day on campus, I felt awkward surrounded by younger people in a group than I had for years. With family, work and social activities I had always been engaged with others in some form or other. At university you can sit in a lecture and even a tutorial and say very little to anyone and then leave the campus with minimum interaction in those first few weeks.

The best time of your life to study is when you can. Finding out how, applying and getting prepared will make this happen.

Would you like more flexibility to plan and manage your study? UWS Summer could be the answer.

This third teaching session at UWS gives you the chance to get ahead in your course so you can graduate and start earning sooner. You could take a session off to travel or work full time, then catch up on one or two units over summer. You could also lighten your study load by spreading out your subjects across the year.

UWS Summer has two teaching sessions: Summer A – starting on December 10 and ending on February 4 (8 weeks including the two-week Christmas/New Year shutdown) Summer B – starting on January 5 and ending on February 4 (4.5 weeks) This year’s Summer will offer an even wider range of undergraduate and postgraduate units. A full list is scheduled for release in July, with enrolment opening in September.

Where formal exams are required for UWS Summer units, they will be held on three campuses in February 2015: Parramatta, Bankstown (including students who studied at Campbelltown) and Penrith (including students who studied at Hawkesbury).

Find out more at uws.edu.au/summer or email UWSSummer@uws.edu.au Check out the UWS Summer Student Videos at youtube.com/user/UniWesternSydney

Grants for Graduation

A one year scholarship project funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services and delivered by The Smith Family

Are you or your family Social Housing tenants and studying at TAFE or UNI in 2014? Think a $5000 scholarship would help your studies? Get in contact with us today!

Request your application form through Fiona Brierley at The Smith Family on Ph: 02 6766 4990, or by emailing: housingNSW@thesmithfamily.com.au

ANN-MARIE DALE

UPSet, angry disappointed I have just finished reading the article in my daughter’s UWS student newspaper (page 6, Autumn crUWSIble 2014) and I am upset, angry and disappointed that this type of material is allowed to be published.

LETTERS

The article is completely one sided and fails to recognise reasons for why certain asylum seeker laws have been implemented. I am an immigrant who came to Australia legally, not jumping the queue. I know all about difficulties and racism but more importantly, I know about the opportunistic nature of Australia.

Australia is a peaceful country and dreams can still come true for those who work hard for what they want.

How dare you call Australian leaders “bigots”?

Despite their flaws in policy and leadership, our leaders make decisions based on what they believe to be best for their country – have you not considered that the end of the “200 year history of not-so-illegal immigration” occured because the previous somewhat “free flowing” policies were ineffective?

If these people who you so passionately support are real refugees, they will be settled in time, but why should they be given priority when there are many more people who are also looking for refuge, but cannot afford to get on boats, and are waiting patiently in refugee camps that are far worse than ours are – regardless of where they are stationed.

I disagree with the idea that refugees ought to live a comfortable life as soon as they hit our shores – which would be funded by tax payers’ money – and believe that they should live simply until authorities confirm their identity and purpose. A limited time in refugee centres is a small price to pay for their eventual experience of freedom. Refugees should be grateful that they are being accommodated and receiving legal protection – basic human rights that they were denied in their home country.

It is plain unfair to assume that all refugees have been treated poorly by Australians and you cannot speak on behalf of every refugee when you make such statements. You should recognise the endless opportunities that refugees (legal and illegal) are given once entering their country.

It causes me great concern to think that you are one of the many university students who will one day be part of the Ausralian working community. Australia is a country full of hope and opportunity because of our previous leaders who have worked tirelessly to ensure the freedom of its citizens.

MARY G

ASYLUM SEEKERS TREATED CRUELLY Mary - the conclusive point of Zahraa’s article is that the treatment of Asylum Seekers in Australia has been incredibly insensitive, neglectful and outright cruel. This assessment by Zahraa is a sentiment shared not only by myself but also by the UN Human Rights Committee, which has concluded that, in its treatment of refugees, Australia is in violation of 143 unique International Laws.

“It is saddening that you are trying to discourage a youth from sympathising with suffering human beings” The reality is that under Australian policy, numerous refugee claimants have died or attempted to commit suicide, both in Australian territory and in offshore centres in Nauru and PNG, and more than 50 claimants are facing indefinite detention under ASIO’s assessment of their security threat, and children have been kept, and continue to be detained, in these deplorable centres.

But, of course, you may be right. Dying refugees and suffering children are perhaps what “our leaders” envisioned when they made the present refugee policy and were just “making decisions based on what they believe to be best for their country”.

The author is attempting to shed a very necessary light on those unfortunate individuals who have been the victims of the repulsive detention process in Australia and who have been unable to give voice to their experiences.

Whilst you may be unfeeling to the situation of detained refugees in Australia, you cannot

fault Zahraa for her compassion or her ability to voice the reality. It is saddening that you are trying to discourage a youth from observing and sympathising with suffering human beings and are instead myopically advising her to “recognise the endless opportunities that refugees (legal and illegal) are given once entering their country”. Surely you can see how heartless this sounds?

Like yourself, I too am a refugee in this country. However, unlike yourself, it is my status as a refugee which has been the prominent reason why I, like Zahraa, “passionately support” those countless other refugees who attempt to make Australia their new home. It is not for you, nor I, to pass judgement on who qualifies as “real refugees” nor can we make the assessment that they will “be settled in time”.

The process of acquiring refugee status in Australia can take years and during that time many of these individuals are forced to live in detention. Spending years in detention is certainly not “a limited time in refugee centres”.

Calling them “refugee centres” is a laughable euphemism. Living in detention is the abhorrent violation of every basic human right.

Those who support Asylum Seekers are not requesting, as you suggest, for them to “live a comfortable life as soon as they hit our shores”. We ask instead, for them to be treated with the respect and dignity that you, for example, or any other Australian would demand. Indeed, we ask that the process of mandatory detention and offshore processing be dismantled for a more humane procedure.

That is not a hefty demand considering that Australia is a signatory to many International refugee conventions. Of course, Australia is quite welcome to end its external façade and rescind its signatures on these conventions, and then perhaps its reputation on the international stage will mirror the reality of its actions back home.

SAFA R WRITE crUWSible@uws.edu.au COMMENT crUWSible.com.au VISIT facebook/crUWSible 25

revUWS TWO GIRLS, 1D AT RECORD STORE DAY

By ALEXANDER ROBINSON Record Store Day is an annual event which aims to celebrate record collecting in an era where illegal downloading rules. It’s a time when people line up for hours to buy limited edition vinyls from their favourite shops.

Nerds, geeks, unhygienic collectors and other undesirables take a break from their agoraphobia and step foot inside record stores.

Naturally, being an unhygienic and undesirable nerd, I’m there. I waited outside Red Eye Records with my friend, who I’ll call “L. Halper”.

Why would anyone waste their time lining up to buy an album in an ancient format? Because owning stuff is awesome, and owning stuff no one else owns is even more awesome.

Seriously. Life is depressing, everyone dies alone, and this was Easter Saturday so God was literally dead. Possessions fill a void non-superficial things can’t even dream of filling. It’s that simple.

Halper and I waited in line for a couple of hours and got most of the things we wanted.

We also ruined the day for two twelve year old girls who had waited in line for over two hours. Halper bought the last copy of a One Direction record “ironically” and moments later the girls approached the counter, and left disappointed and empty handed after being told the only thing they wanted was sold out.

Perhaps I should have built up to that revelation. But as Kurt Vonnegut said, “To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages”. And perhaps you might think it’s not the most exciting of stories. But it’s the story I want to tell. Halper thought it would be hilarious to own the One Direction record, so bought it. Not once considering the fact that 26

there might be an actual fan waiting in line.

That’s how I like to tell it, at least. When I tell people about what happened, I tend to tell it in a way that makes me look guilty only by association. I leave out a few details. The most significant omission is that I knew there were two girls in line waiting for the One Direction record, whereas Halper didn’t.

The two girls arrived a few minutes after me. I overheard them say they wanted to get breakfast, but they were worried they’d lose their spot in line. I was going to offer to hold their place, but I didn’t.

I mean, I didn’t know the two girls were there for the One Direction record. They never blatantly said that’s what they were buying.

But what else would two twelve year old girls be lining up for? A lecture on neurophysics by Katsushi Arisaka?

“ I’m a fan of Japanese musician Merzbow, whose music is classified as harsh noise ” But I said nothing. I was too busy selfishly thinking about what I wanted. Mastodon: Live at Brixton. Only two thousand released worldwide.

For the whole two hours in line that’s all I was focused on. The two girls were invisible to me, like Hogwarts to a muggle.

The night before, I was sitting at home feeling depressed about everything that’s wrong in the world. Children are dying of starvation in Africa, gay people are being lynched in Iran, and Scott Morrison is the minister for Immigration in Australia. But despite how sick all of those things might have made me, they seemed so trivial when compared to those two girls not getting something they wanted.

Everyone else has enough sense to see it as an insignificant. Even people who only like pop music think they’re above One Direction.

Me? On my iPod is a band called Throbbing Gristle. They have a song called Discipline, which consists of the “singer” screaming “I want discipline” for ten minutes over a looped beat. I’m a fan of Japanese musician Merzbow, whose music is classified as “Harsh noise”. I saw Marilyn Manson in 2012; thirteen years beyond his use by date. I have no right to criticise anyone’s taste in music. I just want people to be happy. Does this mean I’m finally an adult? I guess so. Better start worrying about my lawn.

THEATRE: Campbelltown

By VERONICA STEER Sydney artist Malcolm Whittaker used the people of Campbelltown in the final development stage of his new show, Jumping the Shark Fantastic. He asked the locals: What would make the best theatre show ever?

Jumping the Shark Fantastic is a playful new theatre work that uses hands-on community research to explore the resulting melange of trying to please everyone all at once. It will premiere at Campbelltown Arts Centre.

Dates: July 10-12, 7pm Bookings: 4645 4100

revUWS CATCH SOME KILA KIWI KULTCHA

A tale recognisable to many Australians, The Factory explores the search for love and a better life as a migrant in a new country.

By VERONICA STEER New Zealand’s first pacific musical promises a vibrant and funk-fuelled evening inspired by true stories of Pacific Islander migrants to New Zealand.

With a record of sell-out shows, this is one performance you will not want to miss. The story, but also the casting of this musical was unique. Casting was held in markets, shopping centres and community halls, and the casters found a wealth of talent in first time actors.

Inspired by Vela Manusaute’s own experience of being born in New Zealand to Samoan and Niuean parents, he channels his father’s journey to Aotearoa to work, and make a better life for his family.

After becoming the hottest ticket at the Auckland Arts Festival in 2013, acclaimed New Zealand theatre company, Kila Kokonut Krew, bring their soulful musical about the Samoan migrant experience to Riverside Theatres.

By MARIA JUCHKOV

By MICHAEL SMITH The officially proclaimed “Kawaii Ambassador of Harajuku”, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu may not be a household name in Australia yet, but the Japanese pop star has made her way to Sydney for the first time ever.

Full of bright colours, all kinds of toys, candy and other oddities, it was the other images sprinkled throughout the video that really let her own creative process shine through. Psychedelic backgrounds, unidentified faceless dancers dressed like elderly women, computer generated organs and animals fly across the screen and Kyary herself appears with her skin painted pink and wearing a blonde wig with fruits, wings and the lower half of a doll on top.

In truth, the video makes absolutely no sense.

Described as New Zealand’s very own ‘Pacific Les Miserables’, this uplifting musical comes to life with an original score featuring a dazzling array of exuberant and heartfelt songs, slick choreography and a live seven-piece band.

Dates: 18th to 21st June Tickets: $31–$48 Bookings: 8839 3399 or riversideparramatta.com.au

FILM: Utopia

LIVE: Pamyu Pamyu

Harajuku was the starting point of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s shocking rise to fame as a fashion blogger and model. In 2011 popular electronic music producer Yasutaka Nakata approached her and she looked into starting a music career. In July, her debut single PONPONPON was uploaded to iTunes and YouTube and rapidly went viral.

The Factory tells the tale of a Samoan father and daughter who arrive in Auckland in search of ‘the land of milk and honey’. They are immediately set to work in a South Auckland textile factory, but each time the factory bell rings, they feels further away from both their home and aspirations.

Nonetheless, fans from all over the country flew in to see Kyary in her single Australian show at UNSW earlier this year.

The visuals for the show had been designed to look like a child’s bedroom. The setlist was divided into three segments and an encore, all featuring a costume change. Each intermission featured a person in a mascot costume dancing around the stage. Amidst the cute banter and awed description of how interesting everyday life in Sydney was, a real surprise was given to the crowd. Since it was her first time performing in Australia, Kyari had saved the first live performance of her upcoming single, Family Party, especially for the Sydney show.

After what seemed like a fleeting hour and a half, Kyary was finishing her encore and bidding her eager fans farewell as she walked off the stage. The show ended with a promise from Kyary herself that she would return.

As Bankstown campus hosted this free movie event, I didn’t know what I was expecting. But I left a changed person. Here, John Pilger looks at the truth behind the dysfunctional relationship between white Australia and Indigenous Australians.

This movie addresses the reality of Aboriginals in Australia and the lack of efficient government investment. It’s shocking when the general public was asked how Aboriginals felt about Australia Day, and many of the responses were ignorant, lacking sympathy.

Pilger sees this relationship as “unrepentant apartheid”, citing the 2007 “intervention” in the Northern Territory by the John Howard government, because paedophile gangs were operating in indigenous communities. Troops were sent in, towns acquired, yet no prosecution occurred. The media also helped stir up stereotypes and it’s most shocking to see that these are all recent events.

Utopia; it leaves you hanging. It’s opened my eyes to the inequality between white and Indigenous Australians. It’s motivated me to help, however the movie fails to suggest how.

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international internships

In January, CHRIS MAHONEY went to Vietnam for a 5-week internship with Habitat for Humanity, a non-for-profit organisation which builds houses for the homeless.

What peaked your interest in the International Internship Program with UWS Careers?

I wanted to get some practical experience while working overseas. I wanted to challenge my comfort zone, and do something university-related which didn’t involve text books and exams. When I saw these internships being advertised, I thought that it would be an ideal opportunity.

What sort of work did you do with Habitat for Humanity?

My role was to assist in the human resources department. I was tasked with the development of an orientation matrix which could be used for new employees into the business.

This involved conducting discussions with each of the department heads and managers, from all over the country, to establish what new employees needed to know about their department and about other departments.

In addition to this, I was able to participate in the construction of a house for a farmer living in the province of Vung Tau, which is south east of Ho Chi Minh City. This was during a two-week long ‘Big Build’ organised by Habitat for Humanity Vietnam and sponsored by Fosco Korea. There were 100 Korean students

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who helped to build 10 houses in Vung Tau. I spend three days laying bricks for the walls of the house. It was a very satisfying experience to see the house grow, and to help the farmer to break his cycle of poverty.

UWS students who were in Vietnam on other Internship programs. Two students, Bronwyn and Ashlee, were in the same city as me, Ho Chi Minh City, and we were able to meet up regularly. Sean was the other student in Vietnam at the same time as me, and he was in a city called Hoi An which was a 10-hour train ride north of Ho Chi Minh City. We were able to meet up on one weekend in a city called Nha Trang, which was in between our two cities.

What was the most challenging thing you did?

The most challenging part of my journey was managing the cultural differences between the Australian and the Vietnamese culture.

There is only so much that can be read beforehand, but the real learning was experiencing these differences in a practical sense.

Was it expensive?

UWS Careers organised a grant of $3000 for me. There was also a prerequisite that I have at least $3000 savings available to me on this trip. I spent about $5,500 for everything (flights, accommodation, food, souvenirs, tours, etc.), which I think is very affordable for the amount of experience I gained from the five weeks in the country.

Did you see other students who took part in the International Internship Program?

I was in constant contact with the other

Was there support provided for you?

UWS was incredibly helpful. I was required to provide a weekly update to Siobhan at UWS Careers about my progress and what I’d been doing. If I didn’t contact Siobhan each week, then she was very thorough in checking up on me and ensuring that everything was ok and I was enjoying my time.

Did the trip broaden your career horizons?

I am currently working full time and studying part time, and have been doing so for the past two-and-a-half years. This opportunity has opened up career prospects for me. I believe that I will be more employable than someone else of equal age and qualifications as me.

Want to do what Chris did?

For info and to apply visit uws.edu.au/careers or contact Siobhan on s.markus@uws.edu.au 4736 0369. Applications open August 28

THE UNdOING OF A PERFECT WOMan

By Genevieve Le Ban I feel my face curve up into a smile, but I barely feel it. My face, a picture of everything a woman should be. My heart beats – it pounds against my chest, informing me, once again that it is trapped.

I am trapped. The sound of children’s squeals fill the air. They remind me of seagulls. I smell and taste the air of cooking dough and melted chocolate. It consumes me. My eyes leave their position of stuck to the grandfather clock and return back to the oven. Bending down I take out the tray of freshly baked cookies.

I want to be pleased that they are perfect.

I desire to feel a sense of accomplishment for my hard work. I am empty. The striking of the clock causes me to jump, dropping the cookie currently in my hand. I raise my hand to my chest, as if to hold and calm my racing heart. Malicious and malevolent intent shoots through causes and me another loud groan of protest from the dinosaur; begging me for mercy. Today I am feeling merciless.

The children leave, off to play with their friends and I am suddenly filled with joy.

I love my children, but Lord help me, I cannot stand being alone with them. My heart quickens again as my mind flushes with unholy, immoral thoughts. No. I stop the wicked, plaguing thoughts. The clock strikes again, reminding me once again, that I am still stuck. Stuck… Is this reality?

The 300-year-old wood looks well-kept and polished. It looks new. It retains its beauty – its effervescent and everlasting charm. I hate it. Clocks, clocks, clocks, clocks, clocks! I am surrounded by time.

I hate time as much as I hate clocks! I move. I can no longer stand the prospect of being near it anymore. It repels me. I make my way to the bathroom to wash the remnants of flour off me. As the warm water cascades over my cold, unfeeling hands, I stare at the purity of the water.

Holy mixing with the unholy. Is this what God feels like towards humanity? I question. Does He watch in abhorrence from above, as his holy servants mix with us unholy creatures? Does He feel disgust?

I rip my hands from the faucet. I do not want to be purified. Little glistening droplets sit whimsically on my fingers. Raising

my hand to my face, I swear for a second, I can see the face of God in the droplets. I look to my reflection in the mirror. Golden curls sit on my shoulders. Green unseeing eyes stare blankly back. A womanly face with pink lips tentatively smiles. I am a perfect woman. I am only thirty. My heart starts again, endlessly pounding away.

Trapped. Trapped. Trapped, it repeats. A song is created. The beats of the world join in. Bang. Tick. Trapped. Bang. Tick.

Trapped.

I can no longer stand it. I run. Down to the basement, I know there is a bat. I shove, I break. I tear everything apart until the cold, solid metal is resting in my cold, unfeeling hands. I stand in the kitchen once again. My piercing gaze hatefully destroying the detested clock.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Trapped. Trapped.

Trapped. The melody continues.

Raising the bat, I strike at it, like Joe DiMaggio hitting out of the park. A tiny dent in the clock shows. A tiny imperfection. It mocks me. Silently standing there, laughing at my torment – the torture that it inflicts upon my being. My mind brazens, my sight becomes hazy as I raise the bat repeatedly, striking at the wood. I do not tire until all that is left is broken glass from the cover. Despite my hate-filled posture and expression, I maintain my looks of perfection. Bringing the bat down, the reflective surface. Sweat beads fall into my eyes but I cannot stop. I cannot look at myself any longer. I set out on a mission to destroy all mirrors.

“Mummy?” a voice cries into the house. I stand alone in my bedroom. One last mirror – the biggest of them all. I hate this one the most – almost rivalling my hatred for the clock. Smash. I bring the bat up to it. Smash. Shatter. I continue my rampage of damage and destruction.”

“Mummy?” the little girl screams.

“Sylvia?” a deep, masculine voice now calls. My husband is home.

I cringe at the sound of his voice. His stupid, perfect voice, in that stupidly perfect body. Good god do I hate that man. I hate the love of my life, with all his stupid little perfections... The only imperfection in his life... is me.

fiction TECHNOLOGY

Poem by Ian Escandor Hey, I got your call and – wait – I’ll call you in a second, Give me a minute… let me find some good reception, Talking on the phone – ironic it gets hard to chat, Hard to decipher your tone over a text, It’s amazing how today, two can talk right through cement, But I wanna know you better by the feel of your flesh, Caressing on your sense, Not your satellite dish, Devices keeping us in check, But separate us at its best, I need a better signal, Both of us complaining that we’re talking to a brick wall, Yelling at both our brick phones, Our dinner dates interrupted by the pitch of ringtones, Alarms and alerts designed to catch your ear drum, Graphics on devices designed to snatch your vision, GPS on gadgets and now they’ve developed retinas, All I hear is static, and static – that causes breakin’ ups, So, slow down, Technology so foul…

Slow down, Technology profound, Surrounds your household, Workplace and your town, Your jacket pockets and wallets, It follows you around, You walk around then, couch upon the lounge, Television telling you to update with the latest, ‘New and better’ – marketed as synonymous, Targeted to consumerist, Backed up by the conglomerates, It’s hard to be an optimist, Humans become Wi-Fi dependant, Intimate over the internet, But hard to speak their sentences, I am a product and of course I see the irony, But are we in control or are we losing it to technology?

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Hello Winter!

It’s here again!

The cold dark season Hel loandWin ter!that gets the better of our

days and nights.

It’s here again! The cold and darkBut don't let gets the the better of our season that days andcooler days nights.

But don't dampen let theyour mood, because cooler days dampen winter your is our friendepeople! mood, becaus a lot winter isThere’s our going on this friend people! season There’s a lot from Winter is here again! studs going on this to floral, bright red to The cold, dark season that gets the better season from studs of our days and nights is upon us.tosporty. floral, Dare to stand on to floral, bright red to out There’s a lot going on this season from studs campus this sporty.

Dare to bright red to sporty. semester? stand out on

clobber WITH NERMIN SADAK

campus this semester?

Fierce but Fine Give those skinny jeans a tough

Fierceedge but Fine by adding some studs and

Hello Winter!

spikes.

Give those skinny jeans a tough edge by adding some studs and spikes.

It’s here again! The cold and dark season that gets the better of our

days and nights.

But don't let the cooler days dampen your mood, because winter is our friend people!

There’s a lot going on this season from studs to floral, bright red to sporty. Dare to stand out on campus this semester?

don’t worry! There’s always the oh-so-comfy jumper and sneakers looking your way!

Of course we didn’t forget the guys! Here are some ways you can make coming to uni a little more Red meets Black exciting this SPORTY semester.

We all know that wearing black in

Red meets Black

Wewinter all isknow thatwhy wearing a staple, not give Red meets ForBlack daysbut when you black inthose winter is a staple, it acan’t splash of colour this season? be bothered dressing, We all know wearing black butthatwhy give splash don’tnot worry!

There’s always in it a winter is a staple, but not give jumper and the why oh-so-comfy of colour this season? it a splash of colour this season?

Fierce but Fine Fierce but Fine

Givethose those skinny jeans ajeans tough a Give skinny edge by adding some studs and tough edge spikes. by adding some studs and spikes

sneakers looking your way!

Checkmate

Denim decoded Of course we isdidn’t forget No wardrobe complete without the guys! checks. Pair your checkered shirt Whoexciting. said you can’t do Herewith areindigo some you can make coming to uni A little more jeansways and your favourite

Of course we didn’t forget the guys! Here are some ways you can make coming to uni a little more exciting this semester.

Checkmate

We all know that wearing black in winter is a staple, but why not give it a splash of colour this season?

No wardrobe is completeFlower Power without checks. Pair your Bring those floral dresses out from checkered shirt with indigo summer and team them with opaque tights and cowboy boots for that chic look jeans and your favourite on campus! high tops

Checkmate

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Flower Power Bring those floral dresses out from summer and team them with opaque Flower tights andPower cowboy boots for that chic look on campus!

Bring those floral dresses out from summer and team them with opaque Bring thoseboots floral dresses tights and cowboy for that chic look on campus! out from summer and team

Flower Power

them with opaque tights and cowboy boots for that chic look on campus!

denim on denim? Go on, we dare you!

high tops.

Red meets Black

SPORTY For those days when you can’t be bothered dressing, SPORTY don’t worry! There’s always thewhen oh-so-comfy For those days you jumper and sneakers looking your way! can’t be bothered dressing,

No wardrobe is complete without checks. Pair your checkered shirt Time with indigo jeans and yourGym favourite high tops.

For all those who lift, don’t worry we’ve got you covered!

Sometimes there’s nothing better than a cozy pair of trackies!

Denim decoded Who said you can’t do denim on denim? Go on, Vintage twist we dare you!

Want to look classy but not

over the top? Team a simple tee with your favourite jacket and you’re dressed to impress!

Vintage Twist

Want to look classy but not over the top. Team a simple tee with your favourite jacket, and you’re dressed to impress!

LOVE GURU JESSE NEO Hey Jesse Neo! I am spending a lot of time with a guy who ticks all my boxes when it comes to the base human instincts.

He has a comely visage and a deep growly voice like Wolverine at a jazz bar. My central nervous system feels like it’s dipped in honey when he chooses to sit beside me. But when he opens his mouth my first instinct is to throw a punch: He and I disagree on almost everything. Refugees, petrol excise, the Kardashians – you name it, he will take an offensive view on it. Do I vote with my head or the other important organs? L Do you recall those figure–ground illusions that used to make you bounce off the walls?

Is that a picture of two faces, or is it a vase?

Just as your eyes decide which is the correct image, your heart must also decide the type of person you want to be with, and believe me, there are several views.

As birds of a feather flock together, your similarities will let you laugh together, shop

YOUR HEALTH ACCORDING To THE stars Winter is the perfect time to get some medical advice from the stars. Check your Rising Sign too, to make the description more accurate.

ARIES: You risk health issues around the head such as hair loss and headaches. Don’t strain as there may be nervous tension and high/ low blood pressure. You may have fillings, root canal or braces. Drink a lot of water.

TAURUS: Be careful what food you indulge in.

Throat inflammations are common and problems near the lower mouth and tongue. You may have fillings on your lower teeth. Look for ear infections, stiff neck and shoulder tension.

GEMINI: Your most sensitive parts are your hands, arms, shoulders and lungs. Stay alert when you catch cold because it may turn into bronchitis. Open some windows, exercise and

together, and even spend the entire weekend solving a crossword together without ever losing an eye.

two depressed people. I really want to leave but I feel bad. How long do I have to wait before I dump her and become the cat-loving man I am? P

The problem being with someone too similar to you is that if your wheels fall off and their wheels fall off too, how will you get help? The both of you will get into deeper water, feeding off each other’s negative emotions.

If you smash your car in Parramatta campus car park, do you walk away or seek help?

Do not let your girlfriend stay in bed and spread the sadness. That is like leaving your car in the middle of the street after an accident. Her depression has rubbed off onto you.

You are turning into a doormat. It is time to take action, get up the nerve and purchase a cat. I’m sure she will see that cats are just as lovely as dogs.

On the other hand, there are many who believe opposites attract. Just as John Steinbeck said “What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter”, you and your sweetheart will live off your differences. If you get in hot water, your darling will bring cold water. There will be some fights but that is the price to pay. There is no right or wrong.

Dear Guru My girlfriend is making me depressed. Her dog died and she has taken to her bed. I have to console her, do her shopping, look at pet photos. Now there are

But of course she needs time to grieve. Give her time to recover and in the meantime plan all the great things you could do with your new furry friend.

Contact the Guru at crUWSible@uws.edu.au

calm your mind since insomnia is not new to you. Learn meditation?

SCORPIO: Be wary of your reproductive organs, the organs that excrete waste, sweat glands, and hemorrhoids. Practice safe sex.

CANCER: Watch your breast and stomach areas, since tummy aches and bloating are not unusual. Many of these illnesses come from your emotions. Control sugar, salt, yeast and carbohydrate. Take time to calm down alone.

SAGITTARIUS: You may have been strong and full of energy when young, but now you really need to exercise. Pains in your hips, pelvis and thighs are common. Don’t eat too much.

LEO: You are most at risk of diseases relating to your heart and immune system. Exercise to avoid blood clots, high cholesterol and back problems. Control red meat intake.

CAPRICORN: Your health increases as you age. Problematic areas are your joints and bones as they can get stiff and hard and lead to arthritis. Moisturise, stand in the sun, drink warm water and eat healthy.

VIRGO: You feel your health is more unstable than others and may wonder why you experience so much pain and digestive problems.

Eat more vegetables and drink more water.

Stress can lead to allergies and insomnia.

LIBRA: Watch your kidneys, bladder and ovaries. It is likely that when you were young you wet your bed a lot. Librans face diabetes, eye problems and fever. Try not to have your heart broken as it can lead to weight gain.

AQUARIUS: Take care below the knees. You may experience cramps and twisted ankles.

There is a weak spot in your circulatory system which can lead to cold hands and problems with your heart.

PISCES: Take care of your feet. You may develop athletes foot, rashes and pain when you walk. You may have allergies and attract illness by just being in negative environments.

Control your appetite for junk food.

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