Dircksey
Edition 1. Volume 1.
On He at edition
2
3
4
Contents 6. President’s Welcome 7. Guild Departments 9. Clubs & Societies 10. Campus Social Calendar 13. Ultraman 15. Do You Think I’m Fat? 17. Dear Tony 19. Hot Front / Cold Front 21. Sex Thoughts 23. Deregfrustration Publisher / Acting Editor Tom Reynolds Design & Front Cover Tom Reynolds Advertising (08) 9370 6609 communications@ecuguild.org.au Disclaimer GSM is editorially independent of the ECU Student Guild. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor, the ECU Student Guild or the Advertisers. The Editor reserves the right to republish material in GSM and its affiliated formats, as well as to make changes to submitted material for clarity or spacing consideration. Contributors retain all other rights of resale and republication. Thanks for reading.
5
President’s Welcome Welcome to 2015 at ECU! Congratulations to all new students on starting – I hope your first year is everything you hoped it would be and more! I personally loved ECU as soon as I stepped foot on the campus and am immensely proud to be a student here. I hope you feel that pride as your time here progresses. And welcome back to the returning students. I hope your courses are going well, that you’re feeling refreshed after the break and you’re ready for an exciting year ahead of you, filled with more opportunities than ever before. Thank you for paving the way for the newer students, shaping everything to be more relevant and thank you in advance for the tips and tricks you’ll no doubt share to make being a student even better. I trust you feel that connection to ECU too, hence you coming back. Pride in your studies, in your University and in your student organisation – they are all very important things. You’re doing something amazing, both for yourself and for society, by participating in the student community. You’re improving it for your peers and for future students to come. My name is Lewis Price and I am your Student Guild’s President for 2015. My job, along with your other student representatives, is to oversee your Guild, and make sure it is on the right track. This includes ensuring it continually improves on the services and facilities it already offers, creates new ones and ultimately becomes more relevant to students in an everchanging environment. One of my main focuses for the year is to expand the Guild’s presence, so that every student, including returning ones, know that your Guild is full of fresh faces and are dedicated to having something for everyone, as after all – we represent ALL ECU students. And the Guild belongs to YOU! Students need to know that there is a student-run organisation at ECU that exists purely for them.
6
The Guild functions to support you during your time at ECU. I want to make sure students feel as though they can get involved at any level with student life, which can include interacting with: - The huge variety of events offered throughout the year; - The range of services and facilities the Guild offers; - Questions or suggestions to student representatives (which always welcome and encourage them); - Clubs, societies and collectives; - Volunteering opportunities, that can lead to certificates to put in portfolios that help with job applications; - Competitions, to win all sorts of prizes; - The student magazine, and regular meetings, to get voices heard and; - The elections, to give being a student leader a go! Please know that the Guild is as important, fun, relevant and helpful as the students make it, so be sure to interact with it wherever you can! To kick off the year, which is packed with social, educational and welfare based events as mentioned before – make sure you start by coming along to the O’Days that are run on the 17th (Joondalup), 18th (Mount Lawley) and 19th (South West/ Bunbury) of February, which is run by both the University and your Guild. Please know that these are for everyone, and not just new students, and they are incredibly fun! Along with lots of other interesting stalls that will hand out freebies and resources, you’ll find us there doing the same thing, where you can activate your free Guild membership by getting your membership sticker. This sticker allows you access to all kinds of discounts in the State, including member prices at parties and events. Don’t forget to also grab your bag filled with heaps of goodies too – such as a diary to keep track of what is going in this year, and some stationary! I look forward to seeing you throughout the year, and I wish you all the best for your studies. 2015 ECU Student Guild President Lewis Price president@ecuguild.org.au 0490 051 404
Under Graduate
What is the Undergraduate Studies Department? The Undergraduate Studies Department ensures students’ concerns are heard and addressed, can provide help with academic issues, advocacy to the University and wider education issues. The Undergraduate Studies Department is chaired by the Vice-President Academic, and has Faculty Representatives as members within the Department.
What do Faculty Representatives do? · Attend faculty meetings as well as events, such as career fairs · Plan and organise faculty-specific events each semester · Report faculty based issues to the Vice-President Academic Faculty Representatives work on a volunteer basis and contribute towards the Undergraduate Studies Department by attending meetings and organising faculty events. Each faculty is expected to have at least one representative to attend their specific faculty’s meetings and take note of relevant information from the meetings. This information is then reported to the VicePresident Academic during the Undergraduate Studies Department Monthly Meetings (held on the first week of each month) so any issues may be addressed. Issues may also be presented from students contacting the Faculty Representatives or Vice-President Academic. The governing body of the ECU Student Guild (the Senate) hold monthly meetings, and although it is not a requirement, Faculty Representatives are strongly encouraged to attend and participate. If, for any reason, no Faculty Representatives can attend their relevant meetings the Vice-President Academic will attend in their place where possible. The Faculty Representatives will run at least one event per year for their faculty and are encouraged to get involved with faculty-based clubs. Potential events may be academic and or/ social, and Faculty Representatives will be allotted space in the student magazine to report on news from their faculty. Faculty Representatives should be present for any careers fairs relating to their faculty, and promote the Guild during this time. Why become a Faculty Representative? The Faculty Representatives will be a prominent part of representing students at ECU and will make a great contribution to their faculty. They will be given a badge (which includes their name and position), a certificate of volunteer work, a CV reference (upon request) and further opportunities for professional growth, development and training. Veronica Lowe Email academic@ecuguild.org.au
Equity & Diversity The ECU Equity and Diversity Department is one of the ECU Student Guild’s seven departments. It is run by Vice-President Equity and Diversity Ngaire Powell and has representatives from each of the on campus Equity groups (see below) - ECU Aboriginal Student Union Representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Facebook: ECUIndigenous - ECU Queer Collective Representing LGBTIQQAP+ students. Facebook: ECUniversityQC - ECU Women’s Community Representing female identifying students. Facebook: EcuWomensCommunity - ECU Mature Age Student Network Representing students 21+. Facebook: ECUMASN - ECU Disability Collective Representing students with disabilities, carers, and people with chronic illness. Facebook: ECUDisability - ECU Wellbeing Community Representing students with mental health issues. Facebook: ECUWellbeing - ECU Ethnocultural Collective Representing students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Facebook: ECUEthnocultural Each autonomous group has their own committee and provides services, represents, provides peer networking and runs events for students. There is a full list of our events on our Facebook page. Students that belong to one or more equity groups are represented on campus whether they are actively involved in the department or just a general student. Along with the Vice-President Equity and Diversity attending the University Equity Committee, some of the department reps have the opportunity to attend various Equity sub-committees and represent student interests. Each equity group creates opportunities for students to meet and create connections within the ECU community. The Equity Department runs several autonomous events weekly for students to meet in a safe and inclusive environment to discuss relevant issues and support each other through their time at university. We aim to create a network of friends for students during their time at ECU. If you are interested in joining or simply getting involved with any of these departments, please make contact via the details below. Ngaire Powell Vice-President Equity & Diversity equity@ecuguild.org.au Facebook: ECUEquity
7
Post Graduate All enrolled postgraduate students are automatically members of the Postgraduate Studies Department - this includes both Coursework and Research students. Its three core functions are professional development; representation and advocacy for ECU postgraduate students; and planning / promoting social events aimed at helping postgraduate students network to have a more fulfilling time at ECU. It aims to improve the communication between postgraduate students and relevant services and committees within the University, and to make its members more visible to the ECU community, to each other and to administrators. It also aims to advocate for ECU postgraduate students in the wider community, to improve and uphold the prestige of postgraduate students at ECU. Please like the Postgraduate Studies Department on Facebook to keep in the loop with the department’s activity! Ali Sardarinejad Postgraduate Officer postgrad@ecuguild.org.au Facebook: ECUPostgrad
Environemental Sustainabiltiy The ECU Student Guild Environmental Sustainability Department is a brand new department this year that aims to improve the environmental sustainability of our Student Guild, University and our local community. As this is the first year of this department we are looking to recruit new enthusiastic volunteers who are passionate about doing their part for the environment and willing to dedicate a small portion of their time each month to helping our department run projects like the student community garden, Clean up Australia Day, Tree planting days and more. New students in particular are encouraged to get involved as participation in these types of activities are a great way to meet new people and build connections as well as earn useful experience in gardening and sustainable practises that will likely be valuable to you in the future. Students who already possess knowledge of gardening and environmentally sustainable practises are also highly sought after and are encouraged to volunteer as well. Volunteers will also receive certificates of participation showcasing their community service which will look extremely good on resumes when applying for jobs. If you have any further questions, queries or concerns you can contact: enviro@ecuguild.org.au Brandon Carey
International Student Council The ECU International Student Council is the representative student body for all International ECU Students. It exists to provide advocacy and representation for International Students at Edith Cowan University, and to create a social and peer-support network that nourishes and engages international students. The Council’s aim is to provide a support base for overseas students when they come to ECU, a ready-made community for all to participate in, and a social environment to make friends and share experiences while at ECU and in Australia. It aims to advocate for the interests and needs of international students, for high quality education for international students and to facilitate network building among stakeholders with an interest in supporting international students. You can look forward to cross-cultural events, which are both social and educational, such as the annual “International Food Festival”. Be sure to “Like” the International Students’ Council Facebook page to get regular updates on this, as well as other exciting opportunities to get involved with! Richard Javangwe International Officer international@ecuguild.org.au facebook.com/ECUInternational
8
Clubs & Societies Spotlight on...
2015 Guild Clubs ECU Buddhist Youth Club Humans Verses Zombies ECU Bunbury Nursing Students Collective TLG Robotics & Programming Society ECU Students for Refugees ECU Badmington Club ECU Chinese Students & Scholars Assocation ECU Enactus ECU Engineering Club Engenius ECU Quidditch Nerdspace ECU Tennis Club ECU Christian Fellowship Performing Arts Union Network Teach Women in Engineering at ECU WASTV ECU West Australian Student Paramedics ECU Aviators ECU Student Law Society ECU Music Club Collective Hope Inc Jack of Arts POWA Anime Club ECU Parties and Events The Sound
Women in Engineering Women in Engineering at ECU (WIEECU) is a club formed to promote the study of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) to female students. The club is open to all female identifying students studying in a STEM field, supporters of the club’s objective are This year has made me realise the true also welcome to join. potential in myself, my university and the new Guild. The new team at the WIEECU hosts a range of events that provide Guild have passion, great ideas and professional development and networking are biting at the bit to create a legacy opportunities for students. A number of the events are that will perpetuate into the future. for female STEM students only, and the rest are open Improving aspects of ECU students to all students. By attending our events and activities, lives. Trent Baron Vice President of students can develop and learn valuable social activity and I have set high goals communication skills, make connections, and further for ourselves . We aim to create an their future professional careers. inclusive vibrant atmosphere on campus for students to feel apart of a Major events to look forward to are the Industry community. To instil happy memories Networking Brunch, which involved professionals, and and emotions for students to look students from all over Western Australia. The back in years to come and smile to Technology, Engineering, and Computing Conference themselves. The ECU Student Guild (TEC-Con) which is an inclusive, collaborative, and is looking at a big year ahead so keep informative event to bring together students, your calendar free. researchers, educators, and industry professionals in all areas of engineering, technology, and computer Regards science. Lainie Anderson Assistant clubs and social For more information or to become in involved in the social2@ecuguild.org.au club please contact us via email, or our Facebook page. ecu.wie@gmail.com facbook.com/WIEECU
Robotics and Programming Society The Robotics and Programming Society was founded in October 2013, started by a group of students passionate about robotics and technology. Since it’s conception in 2013 RPS has conducted multiple events and been involved heavily in university life. These events are open to all those who are interested in robotics, programming, and technology regardless of their faculty. RPS events are a mixture of educational, social events, or both. We run Introductory and Advanced programming courses, TED Talks, NAO Robot Soccer, Ardunio based activities, and more.
The major event of 2015 is the Technology, Engineering, and Computing Conference (TEC-Con) co-hosted by RPS and Women in Engineering at ECU, the conference is an inclusive, collaborative, and informative event to bring together students, researchers, educators, and industry professionals in all areas of engineering, technology, and computer science. To become involved or find out more information the club can be contacted via: Email: perthrps@gmail.com Website: perthrps.com Facebook: roboticsecu Twitter: twitter.com/perthrps Google+: plus.google.com/118279646033592117988
9
Social Events Please check all details at www.ecuguild.org.au
Film Screen 21 Feb. 18:00 Joondalup Pines ECU Queer Collective
Free Coffee 23 Feb. 9:30 Slice of Italy Ethnocultural Collective
Meeting 23 Feb. 13:00 Room 33C.102 ECU Queer Collective
Crafternoon 24 Feb. 14:00 Room 33C.102 Women’s Community
“Love Is Strange”
For culturally and linguistically diverse students & POC.
Open to all lesbian, gay, bi, trans, pan, queer asexual and intersex students.
Open to all who identify as a woman or suffer oppression as a woman
Equity BBQ 25 Feb. 10:00 Building 18 Equity + Diversity Dept.
Morning Tea 27 Feb. 10:00 33C.102 Disability Collective
Back to Uni Bash 27 Feb. ECU Guild
Meet and Great 2 March Building 23 Women in Engineering
Fundraiser. Beef, Halal and vegetarian sausages on sale
Fortnightly morning tea. Beverages and food provided
Book Swap & Sell 5 March ECU Guild Bunbury
.
ML Meeting 6 March 13:00 Room 33C.102 ECU Queer Collective
Bunbury
Joondalup
Int. Women’s Day 9 March Joondalup
Open to all lesbian, gay, bi, trans, pan, queer asexual and intersex students. Pie Day 9 March ECU Guild Bunbury
Harmony Day 16 March Ethnocultural Collective Joondalup
10
World’s Greatest Shave 12 March Disability Collective
TED Talks Screening 12 March Robotics and Programming Society
Joondalup
Joondalup
Swap Meet 20 March 10:00 Aroma Cafe Women’s Community
Movie Night 20 March 10:00 Ethnocultural Collective
Bring clothes to swap or gold coin for donation.
Joondalup
Comedy Night 9 March ECU Tavern +20 comedians competing for $100 prize decided by audience judges
Harmony Day 16 March ECU Guild Bunbury
TED Talks 24 March 17:30 Robotics and Programming Society Mount Lawley
Hey There! Applications for editor are now open. Applicants should posses excellent communication skills, a basic ability to use design software, exceptional people management skills and a passion for student publishing. The editor’s position will be independent of the Guild, but applicants are expected to meet deadlines, encourage student participation, liaise with the Communications Office and Guild President, and to produce an amazing student magazine. www.ecuguild.org.au 11
Ali Alatas
12
Ultraman It all happened when I was 6 years old, which was in the middle of May 1998. I did not know what was going on but it seemed like people around me got panicked, especially my parents. They did not allow me to go to school and I was so happy to hear that! I could imagine myself staying at home, running and playing around with my neighbour. But it was far from my experience. My parents kept telling me and my older brothers to stay in their bedroom and be quiet. The furthest place that we could go to was the bathroom, which is… inside their bedroom. I wondered why we could not go outside and the only thing that crossed my mind was... “The monster from Ultraman that I watched yesterday is coming to destroy my city. OH NO!” Since my brothers and I had nothing to do, watching cartoon became our daily routine. Unfortunately, my parents kept changing our favourite cartoon to the news channel. I hated watching news because it was boring and I saw a lot of scary things happened in my city, Jakarta. I watched so many people laying on the street with blood all over their bodies and there was a huge wave of protesters in front of the government house carrying the sign ‘GO REFORMATION!’ I only watched it from the television, but I could feel the spirit, the anger, the hope for change among the protesters that could not be stopped even with the tanks and shootings from the army. It was only four days when I was forced to stay at home, but it felt like ages! I felt like a prisoner in my own house because our parents told us not to make any noise. There was one time when my parents came to the bedroom and were really angry at me because I was laughing with my brothers. I asked my parents why they were so angry and they only replied, ‘Because you are a girl.’ I was really confused and for me, they were just being mean. I hated it. During that time, I had not seen my older sister for almost one week and every time I asked my parents where my sister was, they said that she was in a hospital. However, I will never forget the look in their teary eyes; terrified and exhausted. I could feel their fear and I was really sure that the monster had started attacking some hospitals.
Today is already more than 10 years since May 1998 and most news on television has been talking about the Riot that happened during that time. From that moment, I just knew that the May Riot in Indonesia happened due to economic and ethnic Chinese issues. Instead of using the term Tionghua, the term Cina is commonly used to insult Chinese Indonesians. Many victims from the May Riot were Chinese Indonesians; their houses and commercial buildings were burnt down and hundreds of Chinese Indonesians women experienced extreme sexual violence, which was done by Native Indonesians, also called Pribumi. Everything now makes perfect sense. Finally, I understand why my parents were so scared and did not allow me to make any noise at that time. Finally, I understand why my parents were so thrilled when my sister came back from hospital and arrived at home safely. Finally, I understand why my parents are upset every time they hear their children say Cina, instead of Tionghua. And finally, I understand that the monster from Ultraman actually did not attack my city. However, the real monster lives within society and I call it racism. That real monster could destroy people anytime and it will become bigger if people feed it with big portions of revenge and hatred. I am not an expert, but I think… the monster would die slowly if people start feeding it with massive portions of mercy.
Yunnita Mattoha
13
Tiarna Pepall
14
Do You Think I’m Fat? Every third Sunday of the months feels like hell to me because my family has a regular family gathering and it is a must-thing-to-do. Well, I like the idea of keeping all relatives close. But there is one thing that I really hate from family gathering, the same old question that makes me want to get a gun and shoot my brain straight away. Some of my aunties have been asking me ‘so, when will you get a girlfriend?’ question for TEN YEARS! And they started asking me when I was 10 years old. What do they expect from 10 years old boy?!
“Mark, thanks for inviting me to your family gathering. I really enjoy it. Oh… and also, the Roast pork belly! That is the best!”
Most of the time, my family gathering is just full of tormenting questions and comments that are repeated over and over again, for example…. “You look fatter now… look at your floppy arms! You should be on diet!”
Wait... This is a trap. I heard story about this tricky question before from my cousin. He said if a girl asks this, there is no such thing as perfect answers that make a girl happy. If I said no, she might say that I am a liar. If I said yes, she might say that I am such a heartless jerk. Damn, life is hard. I wish I could play dead now.
“You’re so skinny! Why??? Eat more pork!”
“Jill, about that question… Can I answer it later?”
“So, when will you get married?”
“Why?,” asked Jill suspiciously.
“When will you have kids? Oh… only has one? Why don’t you have more kids?”
“I really need to do number two. I think I ate too much. I’ll be back!”
And… so on. Is that a common thing or it’s just a typical of Asian family gathering? Oh well… only God knows.
I ran so fast to the toilet, found some inspiration to answer Jill’s question and I decided to give my best shot.
Well, now I’m sure my aunties won’t ask ‘so, when will you get a girlfriend?’ question anymore because I do have a girlfriend now, Jill! She is my very first girlfriend and we’ve just been together for two weeks. Last Sunday, Jill joined the family gathering and I was pretty nervous to introduce her in front of the whole family members. I know it’s a bit too fast for us, but I just cannot stand those annoying questions and comments anymore. The first time I introduced Jill to my relatives, they gave the warmest greeting to her. We were chatting, laughing and sharing our happiness together. This family gathering is really worth my time and surprisingly, none of my relatives asked any annoying questions to me or Jill. Maybe they got awe-struck by her beauty and her bubbly personality. After having a delicious feast, Jill and I were going to the backyard and we talked about many wonderful things that happened during the family gathering.
“Jill, sorry for making you wait. So, yeah about your question… You’re perfect in any shape, babe. But if you feel you need to get back in shape, we could jog tomorrow morning near the beach while seeing a beautiful sunrise.”
“Yes, it is! I know that it is so fatty but I don’t care. I think I could eat it until I get heart attack!” “But… Mark, I feel so guilty. I’ve been eating pork for 4 days in a row. I think I’m gaining weights. But, what do you think? Am I getting fatter though?”
“What a sweet idea! Thanks Mark, you are the best!” Phew... Well done, Google. You saved my life. Thanks for helping me to get through this. Typing ‘what to answer about do you think I am fat question’ is kind of silly but it is totally worth it.
Yunnita Mattoha
15
Ben Mitchell
16
Dear Tony Never in my life have I known a man to be such a threat to me. He threatens my reality, my fantasy, my way of life. This man, despite being 3,740KM away from me, appears in my doorway, on my computer screen, and on the streets. He has become a part of the landscape and the air encasing Australia in a vice grip. You are not good for humanity, with your coal loving regime you can burn away, while others breathe in your carcinogens from across the world, only your thickened wallets from Murdoch deals saved you from massacre. Liberal gas masks are not clean, the fresh elitist air you’re breathing in it is the final exhale of the working class. We do not expect more than five million Australian people to be beaten, savaged and ostracised by you and your government, while the rest cower in line awaiting your cold hand to sever independence. Whilst Murdoch waits in the shadows to harvest the deads hopes and aspirations to spin into some Fox Channel trash. Yes, protect the naive eyes of the white middle class. Feed into their own insignificant life, Give them sovereignty to oppress all those that oppose the oppressors . After all government, is another way to say better than you. You are male, you walk with your pride, morals, privilege, flashing everyone this with all media outlets at your disposal, searing the eyes of those millions who lay witness to your vulgar display of power, hypnotised to do anything about it. You want to represent the rights of everyone, You are not everyone. You are not strong enough to represent the strength that women have, no man is. The Australian people used to be seen as proud and strong, but since your reign everything we have has been mined down to a few patches of dredged up coral scattered across the sea bed. You have drained us. If you cared more, cared more about the people, the lands we could’ve been spared. You are not a Prime Minister, you are nothing but a petty thief on a grand podium. We are people. We are part of The People but we are not Your people. Paquani
17
Georgia Foulkes-Taylor
18
Hot Front / Cold Front This is a wet sticky clammy smelly tiring heat. This is the wet sticky clammy smelly tired person sitting in this heat. This is the room collecting this heat. This is the room melting chocolate bars and draining flies that land insistently on the wet sticky clammy smelly tired person trying to write in this heat. That is the street outside the room collecting heat. That is the street where a dog licks at a discarded water bottle to get a bit of relief from this heat. That is the street that leads to a town where all anybody can think and talk about is how much they hate this heat. That is the town that goes about its day in the pursuit of wanting a better life with a bigger house and a nicer car and a bank account in Switzerland that is far away from this heat. That is the town that belongs to the country that couldn’t care less about the heat. That is the country that likes money and oil that comes from a place with heat. That is the country that belongs to a planet that is becoming scared of the heat. That is a planet that lives and breathes because of that heat. That is a planet that sits a perfect distance away from the sun that provides the perfect amount of heat. That is the sun that sits a perfect distance away from a planet to give life through its perfect heat.
Distance divides what we know into what we think and what we find. Right ahead, there is a path to abandon all hope and run with the wind tugging at your scarf. The path is cold, with snow on the ground. You walk slowly, not a sound. But why do you walk down this cold road of hate when people call you back and say it’s a mistake? Forward you push on, against their cries. The cold will not hold you and hurt you with lies. It’s winter, so bitter, down the path. Hi coldness and bitterness, I’ve felt you chill me before. I’ve felt my body shiver down to the core. There is one figure on the path - it’s only me - and I’ve lost my scarf in the breeze. I’ve lost the warmth around my neck and I clutch my neck tightly to replace the threat. Sometimes you just need to be alone. You need some space from all the warmth. You don’t request shelter, you just keep marching on. Down the path you travel, the coldness is affecting your whole now. There’s a sickening feeling in your gut, your chest is tight and your mind’s a knot. You’re shivering, your lips are numb. Your brain is on overload, playing reruns. Should I turn back? No, what for? I’m keeping my cold, until I feel no more. But the sun shines above and this coldness is too much. I’ve got to turn back; I’ve extended the bitter touch. There’s only so much coldness I can handle. As I walk down the warm road once again, I feel much better that my coldness has come to an end. There’s still my cold hands that I’ll use to strangle and my heart slightly iced that I will not dangle. Instead, I might just push others away, instead of hearing what they have to say. I might just speak coldly and give them a stare that freezes them in their spot. I might let some people alone to rot. ‘Cuz I’ve been down that cold road of hate - and trust me - you don’t want your head on a plate. I can turn your heart to ice, too, but maybe that’s not what I really want to do. I would rather have you get off that cold road forever more, just so you’re not so bitter and raw. I could have been the ice queen, I could let myself be cold and mean. Maybe it’s my fault I went down that cold road, but I’ve learnt some skills and lightened my load.
I’m shivering still, to what drove me there, but maybe it was a new form of That is the sun that gives life to a planet full of peo- despair. I’ll chill some things and cool things down, maybe the cold DOES ease my frown. You’ll never know what that cold did to me, but you can ple who believe their existence is far from lucky only guess from what you now see. while they sit and complain about the heat. Nicollete Healy
Veronica Lowe
19
Olivia Colja
20
Sex Thoughts 1. Virginity is a social construct. It’s total bullshit. No fundamental part of you changes when or if you have sex. I’m not saying sex is meaningless, or that you shouldn’t wait until you’re ready, or that you can’t make your first time red roses-lingerie-fancy candles special. But your value as a person is precisely the same before, during, and after. 2. You don’t ever owe anyone sex, ever! (I know, I know, I think this actually came up in my health classes, but this is something I learnt on the job.) This also means you can stop at any time. Sore? Upset? Just not feeling it? Stop. That’s it, no questions asked, no explanation necessary. 3. As long as you’re being safe and consensual you can have sex with as many people as you want. I hear you win a gold star if you hit 50. 4. Dear younger readers (approximately aged 17-19) if an older partner says your relationship with them should be “a little secret, just us two” fuck ‘em, or rather, don’t fuck them. You are a whole, desirable, legitimate human being. Your feelings are valid and you deserve better than to be someone’s dirty little secret.
• Nine times out of ten going at it like a mechanical bull with no preparation will not lead your female partner to orgasm. Even if it does 999/1000 it won’t sound like that. • RELUCTANCE FANTASIES, OR RAPE FANTASIES ARE NOT THAT COMMON AND DO NOT HAPPEN LIKE THEY DO IN PORN. IF YOUR PARTNER SAYS NO THEY AREN‘T PLAYING A GAME OR BEING COY, THEY MEAN NO! (Unless you discussed and prepared for this fantasy, have safe words and have time set aside for comfort and debriefing; in which case, play safe and enjoy) 7. Female masturbation is awesome, it’s healthy and natural and sometimes it needs or wants toys. You should never feel any shame about owning a vibrator or 4. If you don’t know what you want the women in Adultshop (or the popular items page on Ann Summers) will help you work it out. 8. Not feeling any sexual attraction is totally normal too. Just because it isn’t ‘common’ doesn’t mean you’re weird or have to explain yourself to anyone.
• Vulvas don’t always look like that.
9. All sexualities are valid sexualities. All genders are valid genders. And there are more sexualities and genders in heaven and earth than are dreamed up in the minds of the sports teachers who led our classes of 13-16 year olds into an embarrassing hell. There is no reason to assume heterosexual as a default. There is no reason to assume cis-gender as a default. You can be LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (sometimes Questioning), Intersex and Asexual/ Aromantic.) You can be any of these or none of these. You can enjoy the labels or completely reject them. If you need to talk it out there are always places you can go. Out In Perth, available through the ECU Student Guild, has contacts listed for a number of local counselling and support services. The ECU Queer Collective is a branch of the Equity and Welfare department of the ECU Student guild and they would be willing and able to point you to the resources you need.
• Penises don’t often look like that. • Breasts do not have to look like that.
10. Have fun with your sex life and your sexuality. Sex, however you choose to safely explore it, should be fun.
5. That “hotdog down a hallway” analogy? Also bullshit. Vaginas are truly miraculous, no amount of pitiful thrusting from some pointless little penis is going to “stretch out” a muscle that will bounce back from forcing out a 10 pound baby. (Readers with vaginas, do your kegel exercises, fun things happen for people who do their kegel’s) 6. Porn is NOT healthy. It is NOT accurate. And it is NOT a substitute for real sexual education. I don’t have the time or the energy to go into all the issues I have with the effects of plan and the harms caused by the industry; here follows the most basic of basic points:
• Lesbians probably don’t act like that; lesbian sex is not designed for the male gaze. • There’s nothing wrong with pubic hair, no matter what it looks like, trimmed, shaped, bedazzled, all gone, or full 70s bush. It’s all good
Anonymous
21
Ali Alatas
22
Deregfrustration I’m getting pretty bloody concerned about fee deregulation. People groan and grumble about subjects like this, and shy away from anything that might venture too near “the economy” and “politics”, but honestly, you should be too. You don’t need to be a nerd, or whatever you gripe with these subjects are, to care about your future and your society. In fact, most people I have encountered that take issue with these subjects tend to be the loudest lovers of this country. So, love your country enough to want it to be better. You just need to have a heart and a brain, which I know you all do. And, to get a bit cheesy, I’ll crack out a “Pericles” quote, because that is a solid and sure-fire way to make a point apparently – referencing stuff: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you”. If you don’t know what “fee deregulation” is; it basically means that politicians want to make it so that there isn’t a cap on how much universities can charge students for their course-fees. It is some scary stuff, so consider looking it up. Essentially, it is the American system… And look at how GREAT that is. Such a BEACON OF HOPE, because, in every movie that features “college” students, they always COMPLIMENT how HIGH the fees are and how DIFFICULT it all is. There definitely isn’t a resounding message of it being UNFAIR, of there being a two-tiered structure of prestigious universities crushing the lesser ones that become community colleges and of only the rich getting an education, coming from the yanks. Look, admittedly, we have it pretty good in ‘Straya with the HECS-HELP system, where we can defer our fees until we’re earning over something like $53,000 a year (which isn’t all that much in the grand scheme of things given how much mortgages will cost and in general how expensive LIFE is) – but I think it is actually making people more docile about this stuff as it becomes “future me’s problem”. People aren’t getting heated enough about dereg, whereas you should all be furious.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a debt hanging over my head my entire life like that. That is scary. I get a tummy ache when I look at how much debt I already have just by doing around half my degree, let alone its entirety, along with the University not having any guidelines to keep them in check. It is been estimated that some degrees will cost $100,000 total without the fee caps. In an ideal world, Universities would all agree to keep their fees the same, but: 1. As if that would happen. Let’s be real. If they can get more money off us, they will, because that means more money in their pockets, even if we’re worse off. 2. Deregulating the fees means politicians can then justify cutting funding to the universities, seeing as the Universities have the power to charge more. Which means said politicians can then spend money where it probably isn’t as needed, including advertisements to convince you that these changes are a good thing (over $8mil was spent on those ads, if you know the ones I am talking about, by the way). Which THEN means that universities HAVE to charge more, because they are getting less funding. Lather, rinse, repeat. Gough Whitlam died last year. He is hardly my hero, but let’s trade him for Justin Bieber and maybe he can school some people on how he made education in Australia free for a time. That should be the goal. Not making it even harder for us. I just don’t get why this is happening. And why there isn’t more friction. Why punish people that want to better themselves, which in turn makes us a more fair and equal society? Out of all the possible things to review to ultimately spend less on, why the part that makes our society smart? It just… Isn’t smart.
Om Nom De Plum
23