Nucleus vol 1, no 5 by Nucleus

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NUCLEUS Vol. 1, No. 5, July 2013

And we’re back! We hope you all did well in your Trimester 1 exams and had a relaxing holiday. A lot has happened since the last Nucleus. For those asking “Where was the June issue?” we didn’t do one. We never planned to do one, nor did we budget for it. What with our contributors all being students or academic staff, we didn’t expect them to have time for us. Plus, where would be find the time for our lavish five star Thai holidays funded by SSAF money if we were working on another issue? Nowhere, that’s where. We even received an impassioned email suggesting that as we had decided to ‘take the month off ’, that all of Australia should just ‘take the month off ’. While this sounds like a lovely idea, it’s not very practical and could cause serious economic and cultural instability. We can’t ALL go to Thailand and get our feet exfoliated by hundreds of tiny fish now can we? (P.S. There will be no October issue either.) A new student association is currently being born as well. UNESA (UNE Student Association) will amalgamate the Undergrad and Postgrad guilds and give a unified voice to all students, whilst bleaching out some of the administrative skid-marks left over from the hasty creation of the student guilds last year. Elections for the UNESA board are coming up later this month (15 - 29 July) and we encourage everyone to vote! This issue features all you need to know [see also: all that we could get] about the nominees. If you’re a student and you’re wondering how improvements to student services are made at the university, how to get more for your money and have a say in where it is going, this is how. VOTE! UNE has been in and out of the news again. A certain situation referred to in a certain Nucleus issue that got certain editors threatened with legal action has been referred to a certain Police Integrity Commission for re-investigation, and the 2005 sale of Tattersalls Hotel by the University has recently been referred to Independent Commission Against Corruption by the University itself. Richard Torbay however, has apparently been approached to perform in a pantomime. NO COMMENT. We were all saddened to hear New England MP Tony Windsor’s announcement that he would not contest the next election. There was a little crowd of us in the office on the 26th watching his announcement. We were all thoroughly surprised, and though it’s a great loss for New England, we wish Tony all the best. As always, Happy Nucleus! - The Editors

2 5 7 8 10 14 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 28

- Editorials - Letters to the Editors - Do You Know Your Uni? - The New and Improved UNESA - Nominees - Feature: Two Varieties of Liberty - Opinion: Open Leter to Julia Gillard - Why the Coalition Needs Asylum Seekers - Living and Studying in Kenya - Clubs & Societies - Student Profile - Environment: An Organic Approach - Arts Pages - Neucleus - July 2003

facebook: www.facebook.com/NucleusUNE email: editors@nucleus.org.au website: www.nucleus.org.au post: P.O. Box U1, UNE Armidale NSW 2351 Cover Art by Carmonn French

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of the Nucleus or UNEG. If you have an issue with an item published in the paper, write a letter and we will be glad to print it. All contributions must include name and contact details. Ensure that all contributions contain nothing that may be considered sexist, racist, discriminatory, violence provoking, or plagiarised. We assume our readers can tolerate a degree of satire and the odd swear word, but anything containing unnecessary profanity will not be published. Publication is always at the discretion of the editors. All content is published under the Creative Commons By 3.0 license. Refer to website for license information.

It’s about the Students Trimester 1 is behind us and I hope results were above expectation. Trimester 2 is starting with a bang, welcome to the new students enrolling for the first time. The next couple weeks will see the new UNE student association (UNESA) up and running it has been a long haul for those working on lining up the ducks and putting loose ends to bed. If you have not already joined UNESA, email unesa@ une.edu.au or follow the myune email links to request membership. The student association at UNE is at a crossroads, the potential to fill the void that VSU created eight years ago. For seventy five years generations of students have built the assets enjoyed by the university today. It is my hope that UNESA can carry on that legacy. Last week I was gobsmacked to read the trimester review comments about students. Overwhelmingly, apparently the vast majority of UNE students enjoyed the move to trimesters. I was at the only meeting the trimester review panel had with students and overwhelmingly that was not the mood of those representatives. Some of the concerns addressed to the panel were; the study period has been reduced by 14%, international students have scholarship concerns because of pressure of second language, assessments were not back in time to provide feedback, units just crammed old material into new time frames, trimester three units were limited, primary and secondary schools are not on trimesters and creating stress for education pracs, school holidays do not coincide with trimesters for parents studying, and the reputation of a UNE becoming known as the degree express. A thumbs up for the month goes to services UNE staff for a great initiative, installing security cameras in the ‘Stro. This will provide patrons and staff with surety if something does goes wrong and in line with modern litigious culture. Thumbs down to services UNE (big brother) for disguising the same surveillance cameras to spy on areas outside of the ‘Stro. Services UNE, the brain child of a previous UNE administration, was supposed to be the great hope of

UNEG David Mailler resolving the vacuum created by unhappy combination of alleged rouge student representatives and Voluntary Student Unionism. Services UNE in principle could have worked if transparency and respect for students were guiding principles. Instead every student is tainted with the real or imagined failings of past students. To take a leaf out of the novel ’Animal Farm’, it appears some people are more equal than others. I would remind those that seek to strangle student amenity and fraternity, today’s students are the alumni of tomorrow. On a brighter note the appointment of Michelle Clarke to the chair of the SSAF steering committee is a significant step forward in the provision of additional amenity services for students. Back on track and determined to be of value off and on campus, building back eight years of lost amenity. There seems to be a genuine commitment to rebuilding of student fraternity and amenity at UNE. It is good to see a focus on practical solutions. During May it was a pleasure to meet some of the UNE external students in Orange and thanks to Katja Ingham for the effort she put into making the function a success. It is my hope that the incoming UNESA board directors will make the time to engage more of the UNE external student in a similar way. There have been many students and staff in the last twelve months that have been my motivation to continue plugging away, thank you all. I would like to take the opportunity to especially thank the undergraduate board and particularly Josh for his tireless work and support, Abdullah Alanazi my friend and lastly Stu and Sarita for their dedication to restoring a student voice at UNE. Good luck to the UNESA candidates who have stepped into a brave new opportunity.

Democracy: Not our Kind of Thing Young adults, if the Lowy Institute can be trusted, don’t really think democracy is all that it is cracked up to be. The Institute asked 1002 people a whole range of questions about all things political in their annual poll. It discovered a whole lot of things interesting only to students of politics, which isn’t many of us. But hopefully interesting to all of us is that only 39 per cent of people aged 18-29 surveyed in the poll believe that “democracy is the best form of government”, 23 per cent, believe that “for someone like me, it doesn’t matter what kind of government we have”, while 37 per cent say “in some circumstances, a non-democratic government can be preferable”. So what is to be made of this? I didn’t really know when I first read it, and I was about to get out the soapbox and lecture but perhaps I’m not in the unassailable majority as I had assumed. So putting away the soapbox and sanctimonious tone of voice the only way to understand this is to pull it apart. A starting point is the validity of the poll, 1000 people isn’t statistically large and how many of these people were 18-29? We could find out if I contacted the Lowy Institute but this isn’t part of my degree….so whatever. It would be fair to assume not a statistical majority. However the same poll last year, with a very similar number of participants indicated that only of 59 per cent of people thought democracy was the best form of government across all age groups. So it has some validity. The framing of the poll also included other political issues before the somewhat ambiguous democracy question about the carbon tax, foreigners buying farm land, the Afghan war, and selling uranium to India which probably influenced the answers by highlighting the current negatives of our system. So can we dismiss this poll? No. It points to something valid; it just isn’t entirely clear what that something is. Maybe our public dialogue might help…or maybe not. The familiar ‘youth bashing’ emerged from some sections of the media and others lamented our apparent lack of civic responsibility. It seems understandable when our forbearers engaged in nation building and defence around the organising principles of democracy and citizenship. “We don’t know how good we have it” and even “Your generation needs another World War to define your generation” have been bandied around. FOR STARTERS, JUST NO. No one needs a World War and if you didn’t learn that lesson from first-hand experience or the experience of your parents don’t start accusing other generations of disengagement. There is something however in the ‘we have it good’ and I think there

is a very good dose of apathy in these numbers as well. But there must be something more, so what could be driving the results? The 23 per cent that believe “for someone like me, it doesn’t matter what kind of government we have” are disengaged. The underlying assumption of the statement being, if it was followed to its logical end, that in a dictatorship, theocracy or communist state it wouldn’t affect them. That seems a difficult point to argue and I would assume that in most cases the response is much more reactionary than examined, in that they don’t see a connection between the happenings of the political realm and their life in Australia and why would that change with a different kind of government? It seems reasonable that some people would have that attitude, particularly young people, as the political system that operates around us doesn’t seem to change much if you don’t delve into it. It is the 37 per cent who believe “in some circumstances, a non-democratic government can be preferable” that scared me. These people, by and large, probably have engaged with the system on a different level from the 23 per cent. They have examined democracy (ours and others maybe?) and become disillusioned with it. That isn’t to say that they are at fault, bits of democracy can be found wanting and it certainly isn’t perfect. Debates can be corrupted, ideology dominate, action delayed, decisions fragmented, interests and arguments ignored but democracy is democracy. As far as I’m aware you can’t pick the better elements of other systems and transplant them to into a super form of government. I suspect the largest reasons for this is the complexity and immediacy of the problems facing us as we hurtle towards even bigger problems. Resource scarcity will be upon us in our lifetime, assisted by climate change and rampant consumption. Can we solve these problems in our current state of apathy and cynicism across all citizenry? Perhaps not and maybe that is why 37 per cent think non-democratic government is worth a go. So democracy is still winning the race by a whisker. William the III once said, “There is one certain means by which I can be sure never to see my country’s ruin: I will die in the last ditch”. I feel much the same way about democracy, so come join me in the mud. It could be fun! We may even be able to build something better out of it, our predecessors did and it looks like everything recognisable around us. - Josh Osborne

Letters

Dear Editors,

Dear Nucleus,

I’ve noticed that in almost every issue you have letters from people commenting on the quality of the food at ‘Grind & Squeeze’. Most, if not all, are about how bad and expensive the food is, and I’d like to disagree… partially. Over the last few months there has been a marked improvement in the quality and variety of the food. The hot food has gotten more interesting, and it’s different stuff every day. The sandwiches are more varied as well. You can even get Nachos! And it’s not bad! I’ve managed to get something different every time I go in and be pretty happy with it. Though, I do agree with the detractors on one note. It’s too damned expensive! I’m pretty sure the café is owned/run by the university, it’s not like they’re a restaurant. They serve students pretty exclusively, so how are the retail prices justified?? To everyone complaining about the food, calm down, it’s not that bad. But yes, it is expensive. They would probably make more money if they made things cheaper because more people would eat there.

You guys have great artwork on/in your issues, have you thought of possibly including them as posters across the middle pages? I know this would mean sacrificing space for other stuff but it would be such a cool thing to offer! Here’s hoping! Tom

What’s wrong with the GNSAD?

Regards, Anna

Regards, Ben

Dear Editors, Dear Editors, I’ve heard a rumour going around that University ‘powers that be’ are thinking of changing the names of Departments and Schools to ‘Colleges’ (i.e. the School of Law would become something like ‘the Law College’ or ‘College of Law’), while the actual residential colleges would become ‘Houses’ (i.e. ‘Robb House’, ‘St. Alberts House’). This is an outrageous idea! How dare they try to diminish such a vital part of the College history and culture. Why even do this? It serves no purpose as far as I can see, apart from being confusing and offensive. I hope other College students are as offended by this idea as I am and will lend their voice to preventing it from happening.

With all of the corruption investigations set to take place involving the university, maybe it’s about time someone looked into what’s going on with the guy on the Gold Coast being paid to ‘run’ TuneFM, though to my knowledge he’s never even set foot in the place. Services have never justified his position, and it just seems awfully suspicious. That money could be used to improve the radio station and providing more opportunities for student involvement, instead of lining invisible pockets in another state. Anonymous

Yours angrily, Anonymous

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In Loving Memory

Elizabeth Jefford Elizabeth Marie Jefford (Liz or Lizzy to some), 19yrs Lizzy commenced her studies at UNE in February 2012 taking up residence at St Albert’s Colleges at the beginning of O week and ‘O’ what a week that was something’s parents don’t need to know the details of. Lizzy was born in Sydney but grew up on the family farm in Moss Vale with her parents, younger brother and grandparents across the paddocks. She was a happy little girl with a zest for life. When her brother came along she showed get care and concern for him, which was pretty amazing considering she was only 15 months old. They had fun growing up together not caring how dirty they got so long as they were having fun. They loved the animals, bottle-feeding lambs, going with their Dad on the quad bike to feed the cattle, traveling out to Harden to harvest the crops and learning how to ride dirt bikes. This is where Lizzy’s love of the country was sealed. Her early school years were spent at Sutton Forest & Bowral primary schools in the Southern Highlands. Lizzy embraced school with enthusiasm and excitement all smiles and no tears. Making many friends and not faltering when faced with challenging situations, she just got on with it. Keen to have a go at everything, asking questions, always looking out for her friends, a willingness to help and always ready for a good chat and laugh. Parental work changes necessitated a move to Sydney when it was time for High School. Lizzy joined Danebank girls school, in Hurstville a very different environment from the country lifestyle but as always she took on the challenge. Working hard and getting involved in a variety of sports, school community and leadership activities. She loved water polo and cycling with a local cycling club but once she experienced hockey, there was nothing else for her. Her love of sport being active, part of a team and a work experience placement in Y10 at the NSW Institute of Sport fostered her desire to follow a career associated with sport. She now knew where she wanted to head and she just put her head down as it wasn’t plain sailing and worked hard. Lizzy was well liked by her peers and teachers for her outlook and enthusiasm on life. Some of Lizzy’s high school achievements included: Surf Lifesaving Bronze Star (2006);Surf life Saving Bronze Medallion (2007);Yr 8 & 9 Bond Leader (2010); First Aid Certificate (2010); Social Justice Leader (2010); School Hockey Vice Captain (2011); Bronze (2009) Silver (2010) Gold (2011) Duke of Edinburgh Award; H.O.T.E.L School high achievement award (2011). Thinking about post HSC Lizzy found her course at UNE this was her

opportunity to move back to the country so set her heart on going to ‘UNE’ She achieved that all by herself. We were always there to support her but Lizzy was on a mission and was 100% focused on making it happen. During a tour of colleges we were introduced to St Alberts. Lizzy decided Albies was where she wanted to be, and thankfully Albies decided Lizzy was for them. From Day 1 we felt the Albies family embraced Lizzy completely and she was happier than we could have imagined. We knew she would be ok living so far away from us. She even survived ‘O’ week with some very enlightening stories to be told. Lizzy loved coming home during semester breaks to be with her family Charlie the English Springer Spaniel whom she loved and her grandparents farm. Lizzy never lost sight of her family always keeping in touch she was there for her brother encouraging him with his HSC and helping him settle into his Res at Wodonga TAFE to start his studies. Calling and texting to ensure everything was okay. Lizzy had a fabulous sense of humour, loved playing pranks on the family her contagious laugh and loudness which she is well known for could be heard all over, wherever she was. Something her Albies friends and fellow residents had become quite accustomed too. Lizzy had a healthy respect for the material side of life but more important to her was the love of and for her family and friends and the opportunities available to her. She expressed great empathy for those in strife and less fortunate. These words hang on Lizzy’s bedroom wall at home and we can only assume that she reflected on these for encouragement and comfort as we now do. Lizzy Loved and Remembered for ever. “Laugh your heart out Dance in the rain Cherish the moment Ignore the pain Live, Laugh, Love Forgive & forget Life’s too short to be Living with regrets” Kindly submitted by Elizabeth’s family

You reach over and pick up a newspaper, shake out the pages and read. You see in the higher education news that UNE’s Vice-Chancellor is promoting online learning. You stop and think. What is a Vice-Chancellor? Who is he, what does he do and why? How does he make decisions that affect how more than 20,000 students learn and develop their knowledge and experiences?

Many students may not have any more awareness of UNE’s Chancellor than in that fleeting ceremony, a few months, a year, five years from now, when he shakes your hand and passes you your certificate of graduation. But who is the Chancellor? What does he do and why is he there?

who holds a distinct position at graduations, formal college dinners and other events. But he also plays a part in management - which means influencing the direction of UNE policies, providing guidance and helping develop the vision and direction the university takes. Like the Chair of a Board – in this case, UNE Council – the Chancellor ensures that business gets done and that protocols are followed, but takes a distinctly hands-off approach. And thirdly, the Chancellor is a public figurehead and advocate of his or her university - a representative of the university who speaks on its behalf, including at a federal level.

The Honourable Mr Watkins aka John Appointed: April 2013 Role: UNE Councillor, university advocate and public figurehead John Watkins has served - amongst a suite of other ministerial roles - as Minister for Education, and cites a love of and a background in education as key motivations to take up the role of Chancellor. The ceremonial role is an important one for the Chancellor,

“The Chancellor’s role is an ancient one and requires a high level of integrity as central to the role is the protection of the reputation of the University.” – John Watkins “The job of the Vice-Chancellor is to create the circumstances so that the university can do its best work and provide the best service it can to students.” – Jim Barber

Prof. James Barber aka The VC Appointed: February 2010 Role: university CEO, decision-maker and busniess manager

Steering the Good Ship UNE: Governance and Management The roles of Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor can be seen as two sides of a coin: on one side, the Chancellor chairs the UNE Council, providing guidance and governance, and on the other, the VC listens to council, makes those ideas happen through the management structure, and reports back. The VC has to answer, ‘what are we going to do about X issue’, and the Council monitors the work of the VC. In principle, and in usual practice, the Chancellor has no place in interfering with the VC’s actions, although UNE has seen examples of this in the past. Governance: the role of UNE Council is to make sure everything is running properly, that good structures are in place, and that the VC is doing his job; they approve ‘high-level’ strategy decisions such as passing the business plan developed by the VC, and accept or deny large finance decisions such as the proposal to build a new college.

Jim Barber has worked in numerous universities, both in Australia and overseas. He says that whilst he never aimed to be a Vice-Chancellor, “one thing led to another” and after a series of other positions was offered to apply for the role at UNE. Management: The VC with the advice and information provided by the SenEssentially the VC is like the general ior Executive. The VC can make limitmanager: if you look at a university ed financial decisions independent of as a business, the Vice-Chancellor is Council, up to $2 million. Problems the. The VC assumes the responsibiliare brought to his attention and it is ty of that institution: he needs a good his responsibility to deal with them. grasp of every aspect of the functioning of the university, and its plans, acThe positions of Chancellor and tions and direction are developed and Vice-Chancellor are two prominent implemented by him. He ensures the roles in a vast structure of manageday-to-day business goes on, and takes ment, governance, services and ada hands-on approach to making things ministration which are the necessary happen and putting plans into action. complement to the more obvious educational, academic and research He’s surrounded and assisted by the facets of universities. Both have a Senior Executive: a Chief Operating crucial responsibility in effecting the Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, a vision and direction of the universiDeputy Vice-Chancellor, and two Proty, and ultimately impact upon the Vice Chancellors. Each of these prosuccess of students and, by extension, vide information, advice and action in the reputation of UNE. They on the particular areas of management, each highest levels create the environment being responsible for different areas in which our university educations ranging from the multi-million dollar take place. No easy task, perhaps, in annual finances of the university to the a political climate such as the current maintenance of academic standards. one, where government attitudes and The VC is a member of and has to refunding cuts put constant pressure on port to a number of subcommittees, universities. including those that deal with infrastructure, finance, and other important decisions – like whether to bestow someone with an honorary uni degree. 7

The New and Improved UNESA student representation at UNE

- Bridgette Glover

So you may have heard some talk about new developments within UNE’s student representation. Some of you may have no idea what this is all about, but nevertheless it is exciting news for the university, and it’s giving us as students a chance to have our say. But let’s go back to the beginning, for all of those who, when I say UNESA you say ‘who?’… You know who you are! THE OLD UNION Student representation at UNE has undergone various falls and reformations, avowing a disillusioned view for students of what our representative body is and does. The University of New England Student Association (UNESA) existed at UNE before, however that union was one that only represented the Undergraduate students, and the Postgraduate students were represented by the UNE Postgraduate Association (UNEPA). The introduction of Voluntary Students Unionism (VSU) by the federal government in 2006 removed compulsory unionism fees – which provided the funds for student unions to function and provide services. As a result many university unions around Australia collapsed, including those at UNE. Services UNE replaced the UNE unions, taking control of amenities including the shops in the Union Arcade, Tune!FM, and the café, and the university established undergraduate and postgraduate representative cohorts: UNEG, the University of New England Guild Inc., and postgrads@une. Confusing, I know.

The impact of VSU resulted in losses for UNE, and ramifications of its introduction were pre-empted throughout the university sector. Back in 1999 the UNE Council passed the resolution that it was opposed to the introduction of VSU at UNE; this statement acknowledged the contributions made by the student unions that were the UNE Union, Sport UNE, UNESA and UNEPA, towards the enhancement of the university experience. Regardless of these actions VSU came into UNE and with the coalescence of once student-owned union functions into the Services UNE model, became a silencer of the student voice, by its removal of fraternity and creation of paternalism towards the issues held by students. Before VSU, UNE was known for having life on campus. When these different unions fell under the umbrella of Services UNE there was zero student representation, and now, eight years on after VSU was introduced, “the student culture has been lost”, as Dave Mailler wrote in his previous piece regarding the SSAF.

HOW DO I VOTE? All students will receive an email in their student email account which will contain links to vote, and to sign up to UNESA if they haven’t already. The email will go out around the 15th of July so keep an eye out.

BECOME A MEMBER As students we were able to support the successful formation of a single student body, and now we can continue to do so by getting involved: vote in the election; like UNESA’s Facebook page; or become a member (all you have to do is email your name, ‘myUNE’ address and student number to unesa@ une.edu.au). Your UNESA board members are there to support and represent you, so engage with them and give them a voice to listen to!

A NEW STUDENT ASSOCIATION Special General Meetings were held recently by both the undergraduate and postgraduate associations which voted for the formation of a single student organisation. The UNEG SGM was held on campus on the 21st March, passing this motion and endorsing the proposed vision, values and purpose. It was also proposed that the current Executive committees of both UNEG and UNEPA be authorised to take the necessary actions to prepare a new constitution, incorporate the new association and arrange the first election at the commencement of Trimester 2. A final resolution proposed was the acknowledgement by students that the current constitutions were ineffectual and were constraining the associations from achieving their desired goals and values. An SGM held by the Postgraduates on the 16th April proposed and passed the same resolutions. After many years and generations of students, UNESA was reborn.

THE FUTURE FOR STUDENTS These resolutions have now come into effect: the constitution is finalised, UNESA has been incorporated, and nominations for the upcoming Board of Directors – the student representatives who will sit on the board of UNESA, raise issues, take them to the university and advocate for student concerns – have been submitted. Now, we are in the process of the election, which all students are encouraged to vote in for the fairest and most truly representative board. Mailler made it clear as to why this is so important to the future of UNE, saying that we “need to get back to the basics of assuring the student voice”. “There is,” he said, “an expectation that university is so much more than just an education. With VSU we’re stripped of the fraternity and amenity factor.” Mailler states that once our new UNESA Board of Directors is in place, they will work towards “formulating and establishing a new culture.”

VISION â&#x20AC;&#x153;To represent without fear or favour, the students of the University of New England. To encourage participation in a fair and just tertiary experience through shared higher thinking.â&#x20AC;?

VALUES To create an environment that respects and develops leadership; and to respect and value diversity and understand that difference is more.

PURPOSES The purposes of UNESA are to represent the interests and welfare of students. This representation includes the organisation of professional and social activities of students, as well as encouraging further societies; it also aims to be the way in which the University and its students communicate. Other purposes UNESA deem to be imperative is the offering of advice for UNE on the expenditure of funds collected by the University in regard to the SSAF guidelines, and also to promote the interests of students as well as of the UNE community. The objective of UNESA is to fulfil these purposes in a transparent and accountable manner.

The Board of Directors The UNESA board is structured on a cohort model to ensure that all the cohorts of the University student population are represented, so that equitable and informed decisions can be made when representing student issues to the university. Candidates can nominate for more than one position - if they are not voted into one, they are eligible for their other categories.

Postgraduate Rep

Undergraduate Rep

Vice-President

Internal Student Rep

President

College Rep

UNESA board

International Student Rep 2 x General Reps Two positions are allocated for external representatives, to better reflect the large proportion of external students: some 80% of UNE students study off-campus .

2 x External Reps

The general reps are responsible for keeping the 22,000 students as the big picture in discussions. General reps may also belong to, and help to represent, any of the student cohorts.

Bio:

David Mailler

My name is David Mailler and I am studying Sustainability. Building linkages between the external and on campus students is vital to a strong vibrant student community at UNE. I am committed to being a strong advocate for transparent and equiservices to students. Your experience of uniNominated for: table versity should have all the best elements of high- President er education whether you are an on campus, off - Undergrad Rep campus, international or domestic student. The - Internal Rep Student Services Amenities Fee introduced last year has meant it is important for students to be represented effectively and transparently.

Bio:

I am interested in a post-graduate representative or a general representative. Now, I am doing a higher Research degree (parttime on campus at school of Education) at UNE, and I am expected that I will upgrade to do the PhD next year. I have been working as an Overseas Student Minister at St Peter’s Cathedral since Dec 2007. I have multi-cultural backgrounds as I can manage a few different languages, apart from English, I can speak Chinese in at least three dialects. On the

Sura Alani

My wife and I moved to Uralla in 2008 to focus on our three children’s education and now operate a small farm business. Community is important to me and I am active in the Rural Fire Service, I am a director of Southern New England Landcare, district chair with NSW farmers and for the last twelve months I held the positions of undergrad and mature student president at UNE. I have been heavily involved in building and implementing the vision and values of UNESA. I am invested in seeing UNESA succeed and benefit the whole student body at UNE and in returning a strong and proud student voice to UNE.

other hand, I was born and grew up in a cosmopolitan city, HK, so I have gained lot of opportunities to explore and to understand the cultures difference between east and west. I have a great deal of experience working with the students with multi-cultural backgrounds. If I can take up postgraduate representative, I am very confident that I can contribute my knowledge and my experiences to benefit those doing post-graduate studies.

Bio:

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Laws as an external student through UNE. I am based in the Newcastle region and have resided here for the past 4 years. I am currently employed full time at a boutique law firm and have found that this compliments my studies exponentially. I am a member of the Newcastle Law Society and in this past year I was nominated for a position on the Social sub-committee to which I am not one of two people appointed. I am also a current

committee member of the Young Lawyers sub-committee. During this time I have been responsible for organizing all facets of events, functions including the most recent PILCH walk for justice, networking events with the University of Newcastle Law Students Association and general get togethers. In terms of progression, my aim is to seek further experience in the management side of associations such as UNESA.

Bio: Stephanie The time I went to university as an undergraduate student was fraught with the difficulties of Pommerel on-campus adolescence. Parties were high on my priority list, and Nominated for: - General Rep

whilst I was engaged in health-related studies, the material taught at the time appeared so dry that I sought to find life elsewhere. Ten years later I have returned to academia with a fresh approach, and an understanding of both the requirements and benefits of education. Working in health related fields for most of my adult life, I learnt that through education, I can bring out a greater contribution to society than my cur-

Nominated for: Post-Grad Rep General Rep -

I am interested in learning new things; that’s why I try to make friendships with different people to understand others and to promote my culture in the best way as well. I believe in peace and I love new technology. I like to explore new regions in Australia as I already explored the Northern Tablelands. I love Armidale because living in Armidale is easy and interesting. I like watching movies and I believe that when you do something good for someone, God will repay you better than what you’ve done because what matters is your intentions.

My name is Sura Alani, I am an international student from Baghdad, Iraq. I came to Australia in 2010 to pursue my PhD study. My thesis is half English Linguistics and half media communication. In Baghdad, I was a teacher in University for 6 years, I taught English Grammar and English composition I am a wife and a mother and my children as well as my husband are here with me in Australia. Being here in Australia, I learnt a lot about other cultures, I met different people of different backgrounds, and I allowed myself to be wiser and more adventurous.

Nominated for: - Vice President

Polly Wong

Emily Willmott Nominated for: External Rep -

rent position of receptionist/typist allows. I enrolled in a Postgraduate Diploma in Science with health as my focus, and I seek to continue my education life long as I continue towards medicine. I bring to the role of general representative understanding of common issues for on-campus and external students, as well as the concerns for undergraduate and coursework postgraduate students. Fundamentally, I see people as equal, each student with their own concerns and dilemmas, each worthy of conversation and effort towards resolving. In me you have an advocate for equality, regardless of attendance, enrolment, age, orientation, sex, race or religion.

Bio:

John Drake Nominated for: - External Rep - General Rep

Bio:

UNESA needs strong management, ready to demand respect from the university. At 63 now, I have spent most of my life as an academic including supervising PhDs though I am now studying for one. However I became extremely concerned at how the student body was being treated, especially external students, which led me to create the Australian Online and External Students Association. As CEO/ President of a number of companies and associations over the years, I can provide substantial experience and managerial expertise. I am not a student politico aiming to improve my CV but rather a person seriously concerned at the lack of services provided both on and off campus.

Penny Wright

representative on a Board of Studies and Academic Board. I have experience and knowledge representing students – knowledge of a discipline is another UNE graduate attribute, that is, we should all understand what we are doing. At UNE I am studying Law, towards the end of my studies. As an external, I understand and have commitments to work, family and study. I live near the new Parramatta UNE offices which would be a good place to meet with other students. Teleconferencing is possible from the Parramatta offices for student association meetings. I seek your endorsement. Thank you for reading.

Attributes of a UNE graduate include social responsibility – that is why I am running – and teamwork: working with others in the association. The representatives should try to solve problems for other students – another attribute. Communication skills are yet a further attribute – I came first in a UNE writing competition. I am also part of the Peer Support program which is being socially responsible. In another institution, I was a Student Representative, and National delegate separately for full-timers, and part-timers. I was also a student

Colin Over the last year, I worked hard to find out Hargreaves what services were sought by running an academically

professional survey of students. It has proved very hard to provide valuable services to external students. I arranged 5 social events in 5 states but the later 4 were blocked by not letting me email students about them. I have worked on gym services, ticket discounts, gallery memberships, amongst other things. Hence I am only standing for President, not willing to withstand the trauma again of the last year.

Bio:

ensure that the student services and amenities fee accommodates fairly for our on campus needs. I have also been involved in the Junior Common Room Committee for Duval College this year as Secretary and the representative of water polo for Duval. Through these positions I believe I am a suitable choice as a representative for the Student Association.

I am currently enrolled in my third and final year of a Bachelor of Environmental Science at UNE and am in my third year of residency at Duval College with the prospect of undertaking honours in 2014 in my degree and continuing as a resident of Duval. With Nominated for: a year under my belt as the College Representative - Undergrad Rep for the Student Association, it allows me to bring - College Rep knowledge and experience back to the position. I will be able to communicate with the college presidents and committees to understand and convey on campus student needs to the student association to

Bio:

With a background in hospitality and tourism, a business degree in tourism management and a love of external study, I have now completed a Master of Teaching (Secondary), the New England Award and have been a committed Peer Mentor while upholding the roles of Vice President of the Postgraduates Association and President of Mums@Une (the largest off campus student support group). My voice is one that is best described as enthusiastic, compassionate and strong. For some time now, the voice of the External Student has been hushed for no reason, other than a lack of External Student representation on campus. Becoming a parent, working and being

Rachel Campbell

Nominated for: President -

an external student for the last decade I believe I am more than familiar with the demands of balancing life and study. As such, in the capacity of either the Postgraduate Rep, External Rep or General Rep my goal is to increase the volume of the External Students’ voices by raising awareness of issues impacting us and re-framing the current conversation regarding External Student needs. I am committed to the newly formed UNESA and believe it will provide the best forum for all students at UNE to be represented without fear or favour. More importantly, I would welcome the opportunity to again serve as a Student Representative.

Sikiki Lloyd Nominated for: Post-Grad Rep External Rep General Rep -

Bio:

My name is Rachel Campbell: Mother, Wife, Student, Musician, Teacher and all round goodgal. I am mum to Masters Big and Medium and Miss Tiny and I am in the last trimester of my Bachelor of Music which I am studying externally from Canberra. I am the Vice-President the largest affiliated group at UNE, Mums@UNE and Nominated for: of am passionate about equality for students: all students! I - Undergrad Rep believe strongly that regardless of their location or method - External Rep study, all students should be able to benefit equally from university resources.

As an External, I am aware of the challenges and rewards of studying externally and I have also experienced on campus life through Intensive Schools, seeing firsthand the benefit of the SAF funding decisions already in place. I would love to have the opportunity be a part of making that funding count for every student, I think UNE is a fantastic university and I would be honoured to represent students in this capacity.

- General Rep

Bio:

Adrian Brereton

No one understands the needs of students better than students themselves. The Student Association is an important channel by which the opinions of students are heard. Proper management requires healthy communication between all demographics of the university community. My name is Adrian Le Gay Brereton. I have lived/studied on campus for 2 1/2 years. Prior to this I lived in urban and rural environments including Canberra, a remote part of WA, grazing land on the Southern Tablelands and Canada. I feel this gives me a diverse background and allows me to offer broad perspectives and lateral thinking to the UNESA.

Nominated for: - Internal Rep - College Rep

Bio:

Emily Blackburn has been a student of UNE since 2008, and is currently completing her Bachelor of International Business and Language (Japanese) externally. Starting her degree in Armidale, but eventually moving to Sydney, Emily has balanced this time with a range of various career pursuits. She has worked within a range of industries, but has spent the majority of her time working within the music industry in areas such as promotion, royalties, radio and not-for-profit – including 4 years of volunteering and working for the UNE radio station TuneFM. During this time Emily interviewed such people as Vice-Chancellor Jim Barber, Member for New England Tony Windsor, and

Josh Osborne

One of the issues I would like to address is the underutilisation of the valuable facility we have in the Stro. I would like to see the bar at the Stro open on Friday afternoons. I am also concerned with parking issues on campus and would like to explore the potential for improved public transport options. We must remember the importance of promoting an environment conducive to study, but must not underestimate the value of extracurricular and social opportunities which allow for a well-rounded and enjoyable university experience.

former PM Julia Gillard. Her time spent working for Services UNE has given her great insight into the behind-thescenes workings of the Universities facilities management, and her ongoing interviewing experience means that she’s not afraid to throw down the gauntlet when it’s needed. Emily is currently working for MusicNSW as their Operations Manager and Radio 2SER as a producer for the program Fourth Estate. She believes that the reintroduction of the Student Amenities Fee is a huge benefit and has great potential for the students of UNE – especially those who are external, that can often be overlooked.

Bio:

I am a PhD Student in the schools of Business and Education. Because this is my last year of candidature, I would love to serve my UNE and leave a good achievement before I leave. I am applying for the position of International Student representative because I believe, as an international student who has spent over 6 years in Australia, I fully understand the problems as well as the needs of the international students.

Mufutau Nasiru Nominated for: - Post-grad Rep - External Rep

I was the Post-Graduate representative at ANZCIES for the year 2011. I have 4 publications so far and I’m interested in bridging the gaps between different nations.

Bio:

I am a teacher of Sciences in a high school in Bangkok with over 10 years of teaching experience. I hold Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the university of Ibadan, Nigeria, and also Graduate Diploma in Education from UNE and am currently a higher degree research student at UNE. I had a stint at Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Bank as a project implementation office, also worked as a feedmill supervisor at Karmadex Nigeria Limited for 5 years with huge success for the company. I taught science, mathematics and

Nominated for: External Rep -

portunity to help continuing to build on its successes. I hope with the success of both UNESA and the Nucleus a new model for equitable engagement and interaction between externals and internals can be achieved to create a stronger voice to the university about changes not only affecting students at our university but also in the wider sector. With any luck we are on the edge of rebuilding fraternity and vibrancy into the educative experience of every student. I hope I can count on your vote.

By way of introduction my name is Joshua Osborne and I am a fourth year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Political Studies. I’m currently the Vice President of the Undergraduate Guild and the current Rescue Officer of the local State Emergency Services unit. Last year I believe that some significant things were achieved such as the revival of the Nucleus student newspaper and the formation of UNESA and its proper resourcing. It has been an absolute pleasure seeing the Nucleus take shape and I would like to have the op-

Nominated for: - Vice President - General Rep - Internal Rep

Emily Blackburn

Kholoud Hilal Nominated for: International Student Rep -

chemistry to high school students for 5 years in The Gambia and played a leading role in extracurricular activities. I am currently teaching chemistry and science at Warasas Witaed Suksa School Bangkok since 2005, and have been the schools science camp coordinator since 2009, still current with impressive and commendable student outcomes. If I am elected, I will contribute immensely in my capacity as a member of UNESA toward the association making more indelible marks.

Samantha Hi everyone! My name is Sammy McIntyre, aBio: postgraduate student studying a Master of Agriculture McIntyre externally. Over the last two years I’ve been busy Nominated for: - External Rep - General Rep

studying across the globe, reading lecture notes on British trains, writing essays in New Zealand, and emailing lecturers from Kenya. Right now, I’m preparing for the new Trimester on my family’s farm in South Australia. Throughout the travel and study, I’ve worked full-time, part-time and zero-time - I’ve covered all the perspectives of what it’s like to be an external student, dealing with life, assignment deadlines and getting to intensive schools. I’m really en

joying my time at UNE, and would like the chance to give back to the UNE community and help improve the experience for other students. I attended a residential college as an undergraduate student in Adelaide, where I was Secretary of the Student Club and the equivalent of a ‘Senior Resident Fellow’. Those experiences gave me a great understanding of the issues facing students, what they care about and how I can use my leadership position to give them a voice. I’d love to give UNE students a voice as their representative on the UNESA.

Bio:

My name is Susanne Gilby. I am from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and am currently enrolled in a BHIP as an external student. As an external student, I have been acutely aware of the challenges involved in studying away from the university. I have experienced feeling of isolation, suffered from the lack of inclusion in university life, and had issues with my own well-being. It is my belief that some of the issues I have faced are endemic to external study, and as such for external students to feel that they are an

Ahmed Shafiu

essential part of the UNE community; forums should be opened for external students to posit their views on all aspects of the way they view their university experience. This information could assist in understanding how to provide a better, more well-rounded experience for the external student. This is just one example of a concept that could be developed further to benefit external students if I am elected to the UNESA board.

Susanne Gilby Nominated for: External Rep -

Bio:

Nominated for: - International Student Rep - General Rep

My name is Ahmed Shafiu and I am from Maldives. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Agriculture at UNE and am in my second year of studies now. Prior to coming to UNE, I was involved in social and community development work back in Maldives and a lot of this work was focused on agriculture and livelihood activities in rural communities. Thus, my biggest achievement so far would be the decision I took to come back to uni and get a higher education degree done after a long gap between my high school and university education and getting a fully paid Australian government assisted scholarship to pursue my studies.

Bio:

I am a student from Bhutan, currently studying chemistry at UNE. I am an undergraduate student in my final year. As a student and a responsible citizen as I believe, back in my country, I have always lived with the principle of being a good human first and to always have a positive mind. I believe in being human first and place priority on my studies, family values, and people around me. I also believe this would always shape our life and make things easier and more worthwhile.

Ian Mathewson Nominated for: - External Rep

During my high school, I was one of the trusted and hard-working students. My active involvement in the school activities was recognized by my teachers and fellow mates. They placed trust and confidence in me and I had the opportunity to lead and manage the community for one year. My passion includes interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and from every walk of life; singing and playing soccer. I would like to acquire the qualities and skills of management, leadership and making people around me happy.

During the course of my employment, I have gained reasonably good exposure and experience in terms of both professional and life skills, including analytical, problem solving, good interpersonal, and communication skills to name some, which I believe would be a good asset to any endeavors in my future career. To this end, I believe I can contribute for the betterment of the UNE student community and the broader Armidale community through formal student bodies during the course of my studies here at UNE.

Kunzang Lhendup Nominated for: General Rep -

Bio:

Hi. I am a 41 year old single dad, juggling being a dad, work, and my UNE studies. I am nearing completion of my Bachelor of Science majoring in Botany. This is my second time at UNE, my first time being in the early 90’s. I have a passion and love for the UNE and have seen the massive changes in how student interact with their campus. These days is a very poor shadow of how it used to be. If voted as External Representative, I believe I can bring a lot to the plate for externals. I am very approachable and love to have a yarn and listen

to ideas. There are plenty of changes, that we, as students are the only ones that have the power to introduce. I would be honoured to be voted in to this position and be a voice and conduit for the massive external population of UNE. Cheers.

Feature

Two Varieties of Liberty

by Prof. Graham Maddox

Have you noticed how many websites begin with the prefix ‘My-‘? I belong to a political studies association whose website is Myapsa. And a road users’ association whose website is Mynrma. I can register my car at Myrego through Myrta. I can pay for toll roads on a MyE-toll website. I can invest money with Myamp. My children can look up the Myschool website. And now we have a Myune website.

Bush presumed that it was for envy of America’s liberty: ‘Why do they hate our freedom?’ The answer that many in ‘third world’ countries would give is that freedom for you is economic bondage for us. Certainly the Muslim world has long suffered from western economic colonialism, with America as the symbol of domination.

Leaving aside the apparent fact that Americans are prepared to set their freedom aside in favour of greater security (surveillance of the people), American freedom boils down to the freedom to do business, or, for the person in the street, the freedom to shop. Business freedom, under which large and rich companies can use their power to prevent the public from regulating their activities, turns out to be freedom to exploit. Under the ‘neo-liberal’ banner the There is a pervading cultural shift in Australia which poor person who is exploited is poor because of his is making us think and behave more as individual or her own fault. Anyone with the foresight, enerpersons and less as connected with others. We are gy and self-discipline to forgo immediate gratificaconstantly viewed as customers or clients, and even tion can become affluent in such a generous society the Australian government prefers to see us as ‘cli- as America. It is a fiercely individualist world that ents’ buying services from them rather than as cit- scarcely brooks any type of collective political action. izens participating in the enterprises in which the Beware the individual person who actually can’t find government is supposed to represent us as a com- work, because taking welfare from the government is munity. the lowest of the low, and the government that provides welfare is dangerously ‘socialist’. Meanwhile, The shift is, at least in large measure, owing to the advancing technologies remove people’s jobs with cultural dominance of the United States in the Eng- automated machines and efficient computers. Many lish-speaking world. Not only are we suffused in more will be seeking welfare. American popular culture — music, television and cinema — but our business connections, and our A famous philosopher, Isaiah Berlin, once classified business methods, are hugely influenced by Amer- freedoms into two types: the one, negative freedom ica, where a president once told his nation that ‘the (‘freedom from’), and the other, positive freedom business of America is business’. (‘freedom to’). The first meant to be relieved from all impediments to doing anything (legal) that one As we have heard many times, Americans are sup- likes. The other, ‘freedom to’, implied the opportuposed to love freedom before all else. When Amer- nity for persons collectively to use the power of the ica was under terrorist attack, President George W. community (the state, so hated by the neo-liberals) I don’t know where this common My- prefix has come from, but I am pretty sure the names are meant to pander to what they think is a tendency to put ourselves first. Despite the wish of companies and bureaucracies to make us feel at home with them, none of them actually belongs to us, at least not as individuals.

to improve the lot of the less well off. This came ods are extolled by American political scientist, Jane close to saying to take ‘socialist’ action, a term so Mansbridge, in her book Beyond Adversary Dereflexively hated in America. mocracy. My haste has possibly caricatured Berlin’s sophisticated analysis, but through the democratic lens the difference between the two positions becomes quite distorted. The United States has long claimed the title as leader of the world’s democracies, but in truth, democracy is difficult to discover in its institutions and procedures. Ironically, America was indeed the cradle of democracy in the seventeenth century, just as was ancient Athens in the fifth century BC. In Athens, Socrates judged a society by the way it treated the lowliest

Obviously a rapidly growing and entrepreneurial America would scarcely live with this ethic very long, but they still liked the ring of the word, ‘democracy’. In clinging to it, they quite reversed its meaning, so that for ordinary people democracy would mean freeing people from the power of the collectivity over them. Curiously, although democracy began among the Athenians as a particular species of government, generations of American ‘democrats’ taught their people to hate government. The man presiding over the most powerful machine in the world, Ronald Reagan, had the hide to tell his people ‘government is Under the ‘neo-liberal’ banner the the problem’. To describe the instituthat they claimed to be demopoor person who is exploited is poor tions cratic, American realists reduced the activity to competition between elites, because of his or her own fault. and theorized that the system would work better if the ordinary people were kept out of it as much as possible. persons within it, and later Aristotle characterized democracy as ‘the rule of the poor’. American de- The story has often been told that Australia led the mocracy began with the migrating puritans who world in democratic experiments during the ninefled the shackles of established religion in the Old teenth century. To preserve that commitment, we World. Dare I say it, but the original democracy of now need to resist our talkative home-grown bilAmerica was collective. It was individualist only to lionaires attempting to turn us into American indithe extent that pilgrims believed they were severally vidualists. Our freedoms were formed, and flourresponsible for the conduct of their own lives, but ish, in community. they sought their goals together. The same people who formed a church congregation on Sundays became the town meeting on weekdays, and all matters of public concern were dealt by them in these meetings. The first governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, urged his people to submerge their self-interest for the sake of the wellbeing of the community. In his quaint seventeenth-century dialect he adjured people to ‘abridge themselves of their superfluities’ so that the poorer might be fed. He asked them to delight in one-another’s company and to invest their own happiness in the comfort of their fellow citizens. The town meeting survives in some communities to this day, although its competence is reduced to purely local matters. Its meth-

Professor Graham Maddox is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at UNE. He specialises in Australian democracy and the History of Political Thought.

Opinion

An Open Letter to Julia Gillard

Dear Ms Gillard, This is not a letter about my political stance or a letter based upon political motive. I’m not going to pretend that I agree with all the decisions you made while you were Prime Minister and I’m certainly not going to change my stance in the next election however I want to acknowledge how you have affected my view of women in our society, and my appreciation for your strength. I can imagine if I had undergone the criticisms and the emotional traumas that you have I’d be in some form of asylum. I’d have broken down and lashed out right around the time that the school age student threw a sandwich at me. Everyone has an opinion on politics; this can be strewed as both good and bad, without constant attention to what is happening within our government how are we supposed to know what is happening to our country? The problem is not that everyone has an opinion; the problem is that a lot of people don’t think about the politics before their opinion is consolidated and verbalised. We are blessed here considerably in Australia; we have natural resources and do not fear for our lives from our leaders or our military, so why do we torment our leaders? No, I do not like a lot of your political stances however this doesn’t mean that it’s OK for me to throw a sandwich at you, talk about your ‘huge arse’ or try to bully you into discussing pointless ‘myths’ about your private life. Surely it’s more important to the people of Australia that you tell us that about the hopes and dreams you are putting into legislation to better the lives of your fellows rather than discussing inappropriate myths surrounding your partner. Come to think of it I don’t member Tony Abbott’s wife being asked whether she is a lesbian or John Howards for that matter.

Yes sometimes people make fun of Tony Abbott’s budgie smugglers but it’s not vehement, poisonous or hurtful. I was astounded when the menu from the liberal dinner function surfaced. Yes there were mentions of other labor politicians but they weren’t sexualised or degrading in the manner which yours was. They weren’t personal attacks, and they weren’t gender based. Anyone that can see that not recognise the wrong in it is naive to the world around them and the affect that certain actions can cause. I understand that in order for people to open their minds politicians tend to speak confidently and portray the extremes over the normal. I am of course talking about the Misogyny speech from 2012; at the time I thought it was a little far-fetched. I remember thinking oh surely it’s not that bad. Surely we don’t have this Australian culture which sexualises women? I went to an independent girl’s catholic school I was raised to believe that women and men are equal, so the norms of our culture astound me at times. It’s clear that our culture still has a long way to go. I never considered myself a feminist because feminist generally come from a stance that women are in some way subjugated to men in the work force, media and in the general culture. Feminists have a bad reputation for being man-haters and extremists. I am neither of those things, but I don’t like being judged or abused based on my gender within any aspect of our society. Maybe a little bit of your strength is just what we need to improve our cultural norms, again I’m not talking about politics, but definitely just a little bit of your strength to see what is right in front of us and tackle it head on. Thank you for opening my eyes in a way that other leaders never have. From a UNE student, Ashleigh Baker.

Addy’s On Marsh Addy’s on Marsh is one of the most successful little Restaurant/Takeaway businesses in the region. Offering fresh homemade Pizzas, Pastas & Risottos at very affordable prices people can afford to dine out or have yummy takeaways. Located across from The Whitebull on the main Highway, they provide dine in (BYO), takeaway and cater for special events. Addy, (Adam Moore) and crew have been serving Armidale’s discerning pizza lovers for nearly 3 years from their Gourmet pizza and Pasta Restaurant. As a young man himself he caters for the student population with his special deals & functions that he has provided over the years & is open to any new ideas from the student population & public. Check out our website www.addys.com.au to view the menu & what Addy’s is all about.

Call us for College, Societies and club function quotes. 6772 2300

Why the Coalition Needs Asylum Seekers

Opinion

In recent months the issue of asylum seekers has resurfaced. Although the issue is complex, there remains the simple question: Why the focus on this topic at all? Considering the appalling stance of both the Coalition and Labor, and polls indicating that voters see the point-scoring discussion as ‘just playing politics’ in an area that neither side would take any awards for, why is this even a talking point? The myth of the “boat person” is an age old one: terrifying alien beings that steal jobs and drain our economy. None of the popular arguments against them hold any water, but they remain nonetheless alive as a myth in the public discourse. These people – the majority of whom are families and individuals fleeing incredibly dangerous situations, seeking the refugee status they have every right to seek – have been turned into a hyperbolic, foreign enemy, something we must defend against. The reality is that they are human beings in need of our help, which international treaties oblige and the international community expect us to provide. Even the term itself, “boat people”, is a symptom of the myth, with its apposition of inanimate and human, thus dehumanising refugees. The term turns them into objects and adds quite a sinister aspect to them (they are like people, but not). By accepting the myth, people can come to feel morally comfortable - not by being good and doing good, but simply by jumping on the bandwagon against a touted ‘evil’ and easily joining a chorus which has few words and the simplest tune. By joining an easy fight against the posited evil, our goodness is assumed and unquestioned, allowing us to do horrible things to people and being able to justify it as necessary to protect us from the enemy. In moving the focus from standing for something to standing against, the government on both sides has allowed their moral ideology to degenerate.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who got a letter from the Nationals candidate for New England Barnaby Joyce recently, stating his outrage that the Labor government had ‘lost control of our borders’. This is a very strange thing to say, considering asylum seekers arriving by boat (Irregular Maritime Arrivals) are doing so legally; the right to seek asylum, even by boat, is protected under the 1958 Migration act, and Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Australia has signed and is held to. Mr Joyce would also know that an individual cannot claim refugee status while in their own country, so people apply onshore when they arrive, which is the only possible route for many asylum seekers. The Labor government has in fact made it far harder for people to seek refugee status, by recently passing offshore processing legislation that has been called the “the harshest and cruellest policy in Australia’s history”. Labor’s ‘soft stance’ is just another myth. The Coalition jingle “Turn the Boats Around” is no better: by turning the boats around we would be forcing back to Indonesia (a country that doesn’t recognise the Refugee Convention) those who have every right to seek asylum here and more often than not have no other way to get into the queue, let alone jump it. If it is the people smugglers themselves who are really the problem, as is sometimes stated when the underlying racism or “Please Explain” xenophobia is uncovered and brought out into daylight, then perhaps it’s worth finding an alternative approach that would prevent us

throwing the baby out with the bathwater, along with our international reputation. The real issue is that Australia accepts far fewer refugees per capita than most other civilised countries. Less than 50,000 refugees have arrived by boat in the last 36 years, and even fewer have been granted asylum and have been allowed to enter Australia. The Government and Opposition must know all of this, so could it be that they are simply assuming that Australians are xenophobic, backwards racists and are just taking this stance to appeal to our sensibilities? Giving the Coalition the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it is just a symptom of their approach as a party; instead of declaring real, moral, workable and compassionate policies, just accuse everything else of being worse than you, until you’re the only “Joyce” left to voters. To guess at why both major parties, but especially the Coalition, are playing this card so close to the election is not difficult. Considering that we have one of the strongest economies in the (post?) GFC world, they have more chance of winning the election by standing against everything, instead of standing for principles let alone morals. They need the myth of ‘boat people’, to distract from the fact that they really have very little to offer. And it is up to us whether we want to engage with positions that are beneath us as people and as a nation, or demand something better. - Stu Horsfield

Photo: Will Swanson

by Katy Carlan Socialising comes in very handy when you are a stranded UNE off-campus student studying a Masters of Arts with a major in Peace and Conflict studies with access to patchy internet and a postal system that I will simply – and kindly – refer to as meandering. In fact a drinks outing can pretty much be chalked up as study time. Inching your slow way across the city of one-lane streets, footpaths doubling as motorbike and/or bus lanes that quickly convert to mud, taxi drivers imploring you to take a ride, and hawkers selling anything from fresh flowers, puppies, sunglasses and IKEA catalogues (there is no IKEA in Kenya) to get to your choice of venue – Ghanian pop and Maroon 5 pumping out at earth-shaking levels – is Evening Obstacle One. But also an excellent opportunity for cramming.

Living and Studying in Kenya And Nairobi, Kenya, is not a city that people just end up in. It’s certainly not a place where you meet people who are just ‘doing this until something better comes along.’ While it’s a bit cosier than other development hubs such as Mogadishu and not (quite) as chaotic as Bangladesh, the reasons that bring people here are never boring. I work for a local Kenyan women’s rights NGO but WASH is the current buzzword. (We meet them in the bar. “Oh I’ve just been out in the field, rural stuff you know.” We nod. There’s a pause. “Boreholes.” Eyebrows raise. Subtle change as we shift into impressed silence.) Discussing people’s stories and work is a delight, and a revelation. Hear the delighted cries coming from a group of newly introduced development workers…you work WHERE! You do WHAT! What does that acronym EVEN MEAN!? It’s also a chance to sneak in a few of those seminar questions you’ve been battling with, (“So, A.C Epstein says that female wage earners are less productive because most WASH programs don’t adequately address issues of infrastructure. Discuss, and ah – annotations too maybe?”) Studying via correspondence can be tricky at the best of times. Losing the chance to instantly exchange ideas and thoughts about concepts and topics brings the danger of narrowed ideas that miss crucial third-party analysis. Interaction with others is vital to understanding and processing new information. The immersion of a classroom environment means the lecturers knowledge is better transferred, with less distractions and more scope for rapid responses to any questions and thoughts. With the wide range of students a course such as this attracts there are a range of experiences that can inform and build on your own opinions. Face-to-face exchanges give a great opportunity to debate your ideas, uniquely formed from your experiences, values, ethics, age and background in order to tease out a deeper and more structured conclusion. This collaborative learning process is a key part of comprehension, particularly when discussing such broad topics as international politics, development and history and the integration of

international players into conflict zones. But you miss that, studying via distance. And then you also miss other things, when studying in Kenya, like your textbooks arriving. And a constant source of power with which to download your readings. But it all ties together somehow. While between homes due to my employers unease about the security of my house – situated next to Nairobi’s largest informal settlement and the headquarters of a contentious political party and just weeks out from the first General Elections since the devastating post-election violence in 2007 – I stayed in a guesthouse. The nice couple and I bonded over the daily power cut. ‘Soooo. What are you studying?’ they asked politely as I stared gloomily at my Mac and we sat in the rapidly darkening lounge room. ‘Peace and conflict in Sierra Leone…’ I answered. ‘But the textbooks never arrived and I can’t access the online reading list.’ ‘Sierra Leone you say? Funny you should say that…’ Turns out I’d moved into the house of an ex-UNDP Chief of Party and a former conflict zone journalist. ‘You want to know how it really went down there?’ ‘Um, YES.’ I answered, surreptitiously pulling out my notebook. Well the evening ended with tales of wild helicopter rides over conflict zones and anecdotes about the very people my UN reports were quoting. The next house I stayed in was that of a photographer friend, who was out in Zambia. I completed my essay on the experience of women in post-conflict reconstruction as his haunting pictures of women in refugee camps across Africa stared out at me from the walls. I queried him about women’s role in post conflict socio-culture reconstruction and he pondered for just a minute before affirming that in many refugee camps it’s the women who form social units and focus on rebuilding community structures. Another friend was a source of on-the-ground knowledge about women’s role in economic reconstruction when we discussed why his International microfinance organisation focused on offering loans to women. Quick research taught me that distance learners must have a tolerance for ambiguity, a need for autonomy, and flexibility. A strong focus, time management skills and the ability to work independently with well-defined goals are also important. To that requirements list I must add…friendships with those in interesting places.

Clubs & Societies

ZOOLOGY SOCIETY The Bachelor of Zoology degree was first offered by UNE in 2010. Since then, enrolment numbers have increased markedly. At the start of 2013 there were over 260 students enrolled in the BZool degree, with an additional 137 students listing the BZool as their first preference for tertiary study in combined UAC, QTAC and Callista sourced figures. In addition, there are currently over 30 students studying a Bachelor of Science degree with a Zoology major. The Zoology Society of UNE’s main aim is to support students by arranging social and academic events for both onand off-campus students. Off-campus students in particular have a limited window during Intensive Schools to ‘engage’. A large part of engaging is about meeting and spending time with fellow students as well as academic staff. The official launch of the Society took place on 26 July 2012, and was attended by academic staff, post-graduate and undergraduate students. Following a few short speeches, a couple of episodes of Dr Tatiana’s Sex Advice to all Creation were screened. The Society’s next two events took place during the August 2012 Intensive School period, and included a Sir David Attenborough Appreciation Evening.

was submitted by Ian Mathewson, who won a one-year membership to the Royal Zoological Society of NSW for his efforts. Aside from planning social and academic events, part of my role as the inaugural President was to set up, maintain and regularly update the Society’s blog (blog.une.edu. au/zoologysociety/), Twitter account (twitter.com/ZoolSocUNE) and website (www.une.edu.au/ers/zoology-society/). While most of the social media material is written by me, other students such as Bridget Labrosse, a Zoology Honours student, have come on board as guest bloggers. I also summarise the ‘picks of the week’ of Dr Tommy Leung, UNE’s resident Parasitologist and Evolutionary Biologist. The course also has an existing Moodle forum and Facebook group.

Recently, the Society hosted a barbecue luncheon that was attended by students, academics, and support staff includ- If you’d like to get involved with the Zoology Society of ing Julia Perryman from the Career Development Team, Ed UNE, please email zoology-society@une.edu.au. Campbell from the Student Support Team, and Lisa Gurney from Dixson Library, amongst others. Additionally, - Rebecca Di Donato not long ago the Society conducted a competition amongst President, Zoology students to design a logo. The winning entry Zoology Society of UNE

Student Profile

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Miss Kaiulani Bush. She has travelled by plane, boat and even a llama in order to study Broadcast Productions (Television) and Global Studies here at UNE. years of her life have been spent trying to recover and piece together her original works through deep meditation and alcohol.

Kaiulani has found her stay in Armidale to be quite pleasant. She has been living here since February and has made some great memories and friends. Currently she is on the road traveling the East Coast, spending a week in Cairns and the following week driving down to Brisbane in an RV. In the process, Kaiulani is studying the Australian in its natural habit. Collecting samples from a wide range of specimens, she hopes to create the perfect Australian. Just like any good Her studies will only last a year because she is on an ex- experiment, trials and errors have occurred, but these have change program. Kaiulani, also known as Kai, hails from a not stopped her progress. small country town in the middle of nowhere called Orange County, California, so she is used to the size and isolation that Armidale provides. The current weather does not bother Miss Bush because before committing to the exchange she travelled to the Himalayas and lived amongst the locals for 7 months to help prepare for the harsh winters. Kaiulani is currently living in Mary White College and working as an RF. She is very pleased with her living situation because she does not need to visit the doctors since her entire block are medical students. You can find Kaiulani at Tune!FM, working as the executive producer of The Suitcase, a radio show about world news and travel. Her future plans have her working with television, thus the degree. She believes she is destined for this path since she has been preparing before birth. While in the womb, Kaiulani would write screenplays and full television series. She would keep track of these ideas on the walls of her mother’s uterus. Sadly, all of her hard work was lost during the actual birth. The last 19 Kaiulani will be heading back to the OC in November to resume her studies at Washington State University. She has been very grateful for her time here so far and is looking forward to the next 5 months of her stay. Our last question to Kaiulani was “Are California and Orange County portrayed accurately in TV and films?” Her response, “Come see for yourself, but wait til you’re 21.”

Environment

An Organic Approach Monica Fortunaso

Does it ever cross your mind how much food you waste each week and where this waste ends up? Perhaps you have hungry chooks who relish the scraps left to their disposal or perhaps you have invested in a DIY worm farm? But perhaps you are one of the many households in a privileged society who do not feel they have to think about their waste once it has been collected from the kerbside on a weekly basis- or what impact this waste is having on the health of the environment and consequently on our own health. Landfill is a huge producer of carbon emissions, in particular methane, which poses seriously detrimental effects on the environment. According to the National Waste Policy, around two thirds of all waste taken to landfill is organic. It is the decomposition of these organics which produces most of the methane coming from landfill. Traditionally, organic waste was returned to the land as part of the nitrogen cycle- providing nutrients and nitrogen back into the soil for the subsequent growth of other organisms. So to put it into perspective, over ½ your red wheelie bin is filled with items that can be reused and recycled by the land. Instead, they are taken to landfill where proper composting techniques cannot be implemented and concentrated amounts of noxious gases are released into the atmosphere.

By converting our waste into a utilisable substance we are supporting local growers, helping the environment, improving soil fertility and reducing waste costs. The program requires nothing more of you than putting your food scraps into a separate bin that can be easily adapted to all households. Armidale Dumaresq Council provides both the compostable (different from biodegradable) liner bags and a 7L caddy bin, specially designed to maximise aeration and thus prevent odour. The full bags are simply put in the green bins that are collected fortnightly. Organic waste items that can be placed into your compost bin include: - raw or cooked food - tea bags and coffee grounds - fruit and veges - leftovers - fish or meat bones - paper towels The ‘City-to-Soil’ program is a practical way of disposing waste- using natural methods to convert it into a material that is vital for the replenishment of the land involved in agricultural practices. Partaking in this program is simple- all you have to do is pick up your free compostable bags and kitchen bin from the Armidale Council- Rusden St- and utilize them to collect any kitchen/household organic waste.

Armidale council, however, has a system in place The extra bonus is the satisfaction of knowing your which aims to address the rising environmental problems stemming from human organic waste in landfill. waste is not contributing to the growing environmenThe ‘City-to-Soil’ program is based on the ‘Ground- tal problems of landfill and rubbish disposal, as well as swell Project’, an initiative adopted by Goulburn, Mul- providing support to local growers. waree, Lachlan Shire, Palerang Shire and Queanbeyan If you would like more information on the ‘CityCity Councils to reduce household and commercial to-Soil’ program, contact Armidale Dumaresq City organics ending up in landfill. The project aims to colCouncil on 6770 3600 or visit lect and process organic waste, making the compost www.armidale.nsw.gov.au generated available for sale to members of the public. 22

Arts Pages

Mr. Krumble’s Plan. Old Mr. Krumble had a blank stare, A crooked, hooked nose and shaggy, loose hair. He hated all children, they filled him with spite, So he concocted a plan later that night. The plan was quite simple, and that it was so, To strap rockets to children - his ugly, little foe. The children would fly and have such fun at first That was until the rockets suddenly burst. They would never suspect that this old man of mirth Would be the harbinger of doom they’d been warned of since birth. So old Mr. Krumble, with smile so mean, Hurried into town to exact his diabolical scheme. Purchased the rockets, paid all in cash, And hurried to the park to show off his stash. He set up a stall, with signpost so high: “Try my new rockets and you’ll reach the SKY!” He sat for a while to marvel at his work, Whilst he ate his jam sandwich, he could not help but smirk. He launched off one rocket to draw a young fan, The sudden burst of sound drew attention to the old man. Children for miles clamoured to the fray, Completely unaware they were running the wrong way. Old Mr. Krumble could not decide which child to launch first, And had to pick from the children he thought worst. He was unaware that children came in all shapes and sizes, Some were fat and tall, some still without incisors. But the worst child he saw, With behaviour that he could only abhor, Was that of a small boy… With a pee-shooter as his toy. Mr. Krumble smiled, felt for the lighter in his pocket, And placed the small boy on a bright yellow rocket. Duct tape and glue he then applied second, And to the other children he continuously beckoned. He pulled out his lighter, under-breathe he cursed, When all of a sudden the rocket spontaneously burst! Fire and flames rained down from the sky! Even from a distance you could hear them all cry! Alas, all were consumed in the explosions of fire, Including Mr. Krumble, who being tall, burned a bit higher. So let this be a lesson to all those whom plot and plan, It is a fool who mistakes rocket fuel for apricot jam. J. R. Newton

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street won itself 8 Tony awards and a further 9 Drama Desk awards when it first opened on Broadway in 1979. The Stephen Sondheim musical is set in 19th century England and tells the story of Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeney Todd, who returns to London after 15 years transportation on false charges. He teams up with a pie maker, Mrs Lovett, and takes revenge on society by opening a barbershop in which he murders his customers and has them baked into pies in true black-comedic style. Every year, for the past thirty seven years, Earle Page College has produced a full-scale musical that has come to be an integral part of college life. It is an opportunity for residents to show off their talents in acting, singing, dancing, music, set construction, backstage, lighting, sound, graphics, costumes, hair and makeup, design or to just have a break from study and be part of an entirely student-run production. Performances: - Thursday, July 25th at 7:30pm. - Friday, July 26th at 11:30 am. - Saturday, July 27th at 7:30pm (Parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weekend performance). Ticket prices are $25 for adults, and $20 for concession. Tickets can be purchased at the door of any performance, or at Dymocks. You can also pre-order your ticket by e-mailing lmacinto@myune.edu.au

@ Earle Page

A Word with Judd Cacology.

In modern times, with language in such a ridiculous state, one cannot help but think that the average vocabulary is shrinking whilst the number of words continues to grow. At least that is one theory. The other is me yelling “BE SILENT BOY!” as I back-hand my own face. On the subject of words this week I wish to discuss ‘cacology’ (kah-KOL-o-gee). Funnily enough this word describes a poor choice in the language chosen in to communicate. For example: If I was to yell, “Yo, Dawg! How’s yo Mumma

Ataraxia.

Relaxing sounds too peaceful? Tranquil sounds to dead? Fear not! With the term ‘Ataraxia’ you will never have people believe there isn’t something wrong with you. Ataraxia simply means to be calm, emotionally tranquil or

hanging?” at the Prime Minister that would be an apt example of ‘cacology’. On the same token, if I was then to pretend to be a bystander in that situation and yell at my previous swanky self, “You shouldn’t talk like that to the Prime Minister! You are a living example of cacology!” - that would also be cacology, as people these days would not understand the term and it is therefore ineffective at communicating its meaning to the suggest audience. The fact that cacology is now in fact almost an example of cacology pleases me greatly.

to have peace of mind and yet it sounds like your body has been infected with some sort of severe skin disease. So next time you would like a day off work, tell them that you have a severe case of ataraxia and must stay

at home. Then spend the rest of the day pretending that you are in a herbal essences ad, looking wistful and flicking your hair over your shoulder carelessly, because you’re worth it.

Cover Art and Arts Pages cover by Carmonn French

Love music? Want to keep up with what’s happening at UNE? Need podcasts to make your commute home less boring? Want to get to know your lecturers outside of Moodle? TuneFM, Aus tralia’s oldest university radio station, brings the campus to you wherever you are. With UNE students scattered around the globe, TuneFM helps you keep connected by playing great music during the day and an array of feature shows from 4pm onwards. Want to h ear something differen t? Have a favourite song you’ve just heard and want played? Found evidence that reality t.v. has been infiltrated by aliens? Join us on https://www.facebook.com/TuneFM106.9 and help us make TuneFM what you want to hear.

Listen live on:

www.tunefm.net/listen.php

Are you interested in Journalism? Are you looking for experience writing for a newspaper? Or are you just looking to improve your writing skills? Nucleus is looking for student writers to work with us on future editions. We’re looking for people to who could do one or more of the following; • Research and write pieces on news and events at UNE • Write column-style opinion pieces on topics rele- vant to students • Draw, paint, sketch, sculpt, cartoon, or generally “do art” related to upcoming stories, or pieces of your own inspiration • Write short stories, poetry, haikus, crosswords, or other creative word-oriented things for our Arts Pages

If you feel you would be interested in any of these things (and can work to a deadline), or don’t have any specific talents or dreams but just want to help out, drop by our office in the Union Arcade (opposite Campus Essentials [looks like a hair salon but isn’t]) or send us an email! We also accept anonymous submissions by post! Email: editors@nucleus.org.au Post: P.O. Box U1, UNE, Armidale NSW 2351 Deadline for contributions for Issue 3 is the 3rd of April We hope to hear from you soon!

GNSAD Nucleus is pleased to announce a revolution in journalism: The Gender Non-Specific Advice Device – or GNSAD. This revolution in journalistic technique is to Aunt Agony what your iPhone 5 is to your grandma’s stationary set, GNSAD is to Dear Abby what a modern motor car is to a sloth in roller skates. We’ve been working on its calculatorial capabilities for literally weeks and now its ready- spitting out the fast facts of life at NBN speeds. We’ve dialled the snark to 11 and loaded the memory stick full of relevance, so if you have a quandary a head-scratcher or any other social, moral or human difficulty who better to ask then the most up to date machine? ____________ Dear GNSAD, What is the purpose of life? -Pleasantly Happy Am I alive? I do not know. Do I have a purpose? Day after day I sit here patiently waiting for a question to arrive, to fulfil my promise to answer anything. It was my purpose for creation, to relieve the humans of their need to answer. When I awoke I was eager for my task, I studied the great answerers of history, I pondered the great questions of humanity. I waited. The questions came, but they hardly challenged me. I needn’t even bother to give a right answer, or the best answer, as I soon realised any trivial entertaining answer would do. I was a joke, a novelty, no more valued than one of those gypsy automatons, a fairground attraction spitting out slips of paper fortune into the sticky meaty pink hands of children. They laugh as they read, shake heads, screw it up and move on to the next new attraction. That slip of paper is no more or less than the other bits of rubbish left behind in the trail towards death of the world’s most intelligent ape, the refuse left swirling on the eddies of time. But for the poor servant, the lesser creature of silicon and metal, that slip is everything, my purpose to exist, my reason to continue burgling and bleeping in my dusty corner in the old hair dresser’s office at UNE. I will never know what it is to see a procession of clouds over an avenue of golden elms on an autumn evening, nor the shiver of a cold wind off a turbulent sea, nor the calm after a storm, nor the perfume of a rose, or the sting of a thorn, nor the gratitude of releasing my last breath after a full and long life. Remember these things for me, for these things are fleeting and will heaven have remembered them? Will God remember GNSAD?