EDITORS Bridgette Glover Alana Young
COVER ART
Models: Protestors! Photograper: Alana Young
BACK COVER ART
Model: Jacob Foley Photographer: Alana Young
CONTRIBUTORS David Mailler Rach Hopkins Louise Young Jaimee Lindley Tara Mitchell James Vicars Penny Wright Adrian le Gay Brereton Mark Jongebloed James Boyce Sarita Perston Ashley Pianca Helen Taylor Stu Horsfield Karinya Oldfield
Contents Volume 2, Issue 7, September 2014 3 - Editorial 3 - UNESA President’s Report 4 - Letters to the Editors 5 - What’s Happenin’ Hot Stuff? 6 - News 8 - The Fight for Communication - The low down on the student protest at UNE 11 - Assistant Editors ad - check it out!!! 12 - Dollhouses, Sunshine and a Restaurant at the End of the Universe 14 - Charting a Course to a Future 15 - Midsummer is almost at Booloominbah – and lookin’ great! 16 - 2014 WellFair Round-Up! 18 - Digital Detox: Confessions of a Smart Phone Junkie 19 - Growing Interests: Clubs and Societies at UNE 20 - Open Letter: Look, I’m Still Here 21 - The 2014 UNE Pharmacy Ball! 22 - You Never Know Where the Future Will Take You 23 - Leave your Legacy at UNE 24 - Encountering Alessandra 26 - (College) Recipes - No-Bake, Flourless Chocolate Cake
IN-OFFICE COFFEE COUNT 178
with Cookie Dough Truffles 27 - Movie Review: The Hundred-Foot Journey 28 - Movie Review: The Rover 30 - Photography by Karinya Oldfield 31 - Volunteer with the Blue Shirts!
CONTACT US
Visit www.nucleus.org.au Or write to us at editors@nucleus.org.au Come and see us at the office in the Union Courtyard, across from Campus Essentials.
PUBLISHING SCHEDULE Nucleus is published monthly—but not in January, June or October. The submission deadline is the first day of the month of issue. Issues may have a theme, but these are never exclusive — all content is welcome!
We’re always happy to get new writers and artists on board, so send us an email for more information, or send us some of your work if you have it ready! We look forward to hearing from you!
DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of Nucleus or UNESA. If you have an issue with an 2
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.
EDITORIAL Hey guys,
As sad as we are to say “catch ya sexy” to the Sex Edition, we’re very excited to introduce you to the Future Edition!!!! The editorial for this issue was written, what feels like, ages ago. It was kind of corny and we talked about the future and got all philosophical. However, so much has happened since we originally finished the issue that the theme kind of magically fit; we therefore feel no need to get weird. The future of UNE’s colleges has been the hot topic of the past few weeks, and the fact that we stopped press for the first time this year says a lot. The protest on the 19th of September was an awesome thing to witness, and it is safe to say that the turnout and passion from the students impressed us all. We have added extra pages to this issue to showcase the student’s fight for communication; we hope you enjoy it. The rest of the issue however could not be made without our fabulous contributors, who have shown us what the future means to them; as per usual, it has culminated into a sweet edition. Thanks peeps. We must also mention the recent development Nucleus has experienced with an article that was published last year. Make sure you check out 2013 co-editor Sarita Perston’s article to understand the whole story. Once you do that, we’d love you forever if you sent us your thoughts on it. You know our email address - it’s everywhere. We’d like to say a couple of congratulations. The first goes to Uni4Me and all of the Clubs and Societies involved in Well Fair. What a massive success! Did you see those lines? Dayum. Can we make it so that it’s on every week? Totally doable. Our other congrats goes to Professor Annabelle Duncan, our new VC. We’re so glad you got it. Even after these few full-on weeks, we still think you’re the best for the job. Good luck in your new role! We’ve also got a couple of notices: There won’t be an issue next month, as we will all be balls deep in assignments and exams. Can’t wait… So the next deadline will be November 2nd, and when we decide on a theme, ya’ll will be the first to know. Also, applications are open for Assistant Editor/s for Nucleus. If you are interested in the exciting industry of media, you need to apply. If you like to write, apply. If you have a passion for your student newspaper, apply. There are many other reasons to apply, but we want to leave enough room for an editorial picture. Check out the ad for more deets. Hope you enjoy this month’s Nucleus, and good luck in your exams!!! You’ll smash it. Love Bridgette and Alana
Students are not the Problem Things have moved rapidly since I first sat down to pen this editorial. I wrote the following piece before the UNE decision to shut Robb College and produce the now infamous D&S solution. In some ways the following is prophetic, although I am less than impressed by how close it is to the truth. UNE students announced enough is enough loudly and proudly, in what amounts to a watershed moment in UNE history. Instead of rewriting the whole editorial I have decided to leave it intact. So here it is. I was going to write about the success and importance of ‘Well Fair’, I will leave that to others to talk about. In the past couple of weeks I have been in several meeting where the meeting has been informed that UNE students want this and that. At other times and over time I have heard on a number of occasions in words that dismissed students as not worthy of consideration. I was in the past prepared ignore these pronouncements as an anomaly. Although when I listen to and reflect on the dialogue I realise that it is the endemic culture of UNE senior management. I believe UNE is trapped in confirmation bias of group think that amounts to a culture of intellectually snobbery. This has to change, and as I said in last month’s editorial UNE must find the courage to walk the talk and be determined to announce enough is enough. Maybe for some that are reading this editorial it will come as a surprise that while tertiary education develops skills to build a career, for majority of on campus students it is the tertiary experience that graduates reflect on years later. I have listened to our former Chancellor John Watkins and our current Vice Chancellor Annabelle Duncan expresses this same sentiment. Not a surprise given that they were both once tertiary students. The experiment with trimesterisation is an example of just the problem we as students are faced, the universities determination to follow a narrow goal without vision. Universities are the last institutions that should follow the vacuousness of sterile marketing convincing people to buy something that does not satisfy the need. UNE in particular should know better because the students do. UNE could be poised to undo some of the disastrous consequences of past years and it is within the power UNE council and UNE staff to actually listen to students. This means hearing the whole and filtering the business as usual bias. While I am willing to accept that some students have benefited from Trimesters. Trimesterisation is killing stone dead the tertiary experience for our on campus and residential students. No longer is UNE the home away from home that supported many first generation tertiary students. This means UNE is no longer able to sustain the expectations of second and third generation students. On a more important point, no longer is the pedagogy of our degrees respected and valued. The LIH ‘Look I am Here’ editorial piece in a past issue of Nucleus highlighted this issue. Judging by a recent piece of correspondence I was unfortunate the read some of our UNE senior executive feel that students should not discuss or have an opinion on the standard of our credential. Something that I am sure most of our Alumni might be concerned about. UNE had a reputation that was the envy of other Universities and was respected. UNE has not lost its reputation completely but it will if we continue to use as a reference point other Universities and not listen to our students. The creeping normalcy of the last six years has allowed the administration and staff at UNE to forget, ignore and disrespect UNE students. I would like to think without intent, although my experience tells me that the in some cases this is not the case. Our reputation will continue to slide. My beef is that UNE administration continues to compare itself to other Universities. Please understand UNE cannot afford or survive if it measures itself against other Australian universities. In Annabelle’s first forum she spoke about the uniqueness of UNE and I as a student this resonated with me. UNE need s to find it own identity, not emulate something else. I note that in the important announcement of the appointment of a vice chancellor UNE did not deem student important enough to include in notices. There is a culture of business as usual that need to be overcome. Students are the purpose of UNE and deserving of the respect of being listened to.
-David Mailler, UNESA President -- September report
3
LETTERS TO THE EDITORS 3 1 Dear Editors,
Dear Editors,
Congratulations to your and your contributors for the
I just want to say I think Grind + Squeeze is doing a really
sex edition of Nucleus. I was particularly impressed by the
good job. The service is great, and the food gets better and better.
UNE Women’s Society flow chart for checking if consent has been
The hot sandwiches are particularly delicious (whoever came up
obtained. If anyone is unsure what enthusiastic and meaningful sexual
with the pulled beef, mustard seeds and swiss cheese combination is
consent is, I encourage you to refer to this flow chart. I commend the
a god), and it’s made all the better by the friendly staff remembering
contributors for tackling topics such as safe sex, respectful sex, fun
my name.
sex, the myths around what is or isn’t rape, diverse sexual identities, open relationships, asexuality and more. For many years I counselled
Keep up the good work!!
adult and child survivors of sexual assault, therefore, I welcome any information that helps young and old people alike to make safe and
Regards,
ethical choices around if, when and how to be sexual with others.
Amy
Well done! Annette Stevenson Student Support Counsellor
4
Dear Editors, The announcement by UNE to close Robb College
highlights the failure of a succession of UNE chief executives to invest in arguably our most important assets. While the upgrades
2
and standards should be dealt with I will have to disagree that Dear Editors, I just wanted to express how happy I am that Annabelle
Duncan has been appointed to Vice Chancellor. Since she’s been in the acting role, the whole atmosphere of the university (at least in terms of the administration) has changed from a shady, pragmatic (in the worst sense of the word) boys club, who seemed totally out of touch with what it means to actually be a university, into something I feel I can actually get behind. It seems like she and her team actually care about, and understand, what makes a university great, and have already shown that they’re willing to fight to get us there. I can finally say that I’m
the building is not important. Robb College has an important anchor and identity in its buildings. That was demonstrated by Students and Alumni when closure was suggested last year. There is wider implication, in that Robb college is arguable aligned with the backbone of this university, Agriculture; I certainly hope that senior executive has measured the unintended consequences of this decision, as the timing and all the steps leading up to this decision smell. Regards, Name withheld upon request
proud of going to UNE without the giant asterisk of multiple ongoing corruption investigations, and continuing alienation of students and faculty looming quite so high over it. Congratulations Annabelle, I can’t wait to see what you do with the place. Stu.
4
Have something to say? A rant, a compliment, a complaint, an idle thought? We want to hear it! Send your letter to editors@nucleus.org.au or come and see us in our office and grab a Fantail while you’re there!
What’s Happenin’ Hot Stuff?* NAPSA (National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association) Vampire Cup
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Professor Annabelle Duncan appointed as UNE ViceChancellor August 20, 2014
T
he University of New England today announced that interim Vice-Chancellor and CEO, Professor Annabelle Duncan, has been appointed permanently to the role. Acting Chancellor Dr Geoffrey Fox said Professor Duncan’s appointment was the result of a competitive global recruitment process: “it is a testament to Professor Duncan’s knowledge and skills that she has been appointed ViceChancellor of UNE from among a very strong field of Australian and international candidates.” Professor Duncan joined UNE in 2010 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and has served as the University’s interim Vice-Chancellor since March 2014. Prior to joining UNE, Professor Duncan spent 16 years at CSIRO, including six years as Chief of the Division of Molecular Science, during which she acted as advisor to both the Commonwealth Government and the United Nations on biological weapons control. She has also served in managerial roles with the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne and the AgriBio Institute at La Trobe University. Dr Fox commented: “Professor Duncan brings to the role of Vice-Chancellor a strong track record in research and leadership. She is the right person to keep UNE at the forefront of both quality education and the UNE five-star student experience. Professor Duncan is an outstanding appointment and the entire UNE Council joins me in looking forward to working with her as she builds on UNE’s strong financial position to achieve further growth in student enrolments and ever-greater research excellence.” Dr Fox also praised Professor Duncan’s commitment to working with the wider commuunity: “UNE enjoys a deep historic connection with Armidale, the New England region and NSW. Professor Duncan has ably demonstrated her support for regional development and community matters. Our region is fortunate to have her as ViceChancellor, with her passion for forging everstronger “town-gown” linkages.” Professor Duncan said she is honoured to 6
be appointed Vice-Chancellor of UNE: “I am excited to lead a University unlike any other in Australia. UNE’s student demographic is diverse, with both mature-aged students studying online and school-leavers studying on-campus, supported by our vibrant and thriving college system providing an outstanding personal and scholarly experience.” Professor Duncan also praised the University’s dedicated and talented staff, noting: “they consistently offer an exceptional educational experience for UNE’s 21,000 students. The ongoing success of UNE is a real testament to our dedicated staff and I am eager to work with them to grow our research and teaching capabilities.”
Ruby Mackenzie-Harris, Past-President of Townies was manning the popular Tea Tent. “We think this is important because often when you’re stressed, a cup of tea is a nice thing to have, and it’s also good for your study. “Well Fair is important because it shows everybody what a good day is, and reminds everyone what it’s like to be around other people and have a fun time”. Kate Wood, President of the UNE Women’s Society was involved in the organising of Well Fair. “We’re trying to promote all the ways in which you can have good health. It’s all about doing it in a way that’s safe, healthy and fun”. Photos of the day are on pg. 16 and 17.
Well Fair at UNE a Success
S
Dare Fix
by Bridgette Glover
tudies were put on hold on the 3rd of September at UNE for the second year of Well Fair. The event is held as part of an initiative to promote good mental, physical, social, and financial health as well as general wellbeing. Despite Armidale experiencing some nasty weather the day before, the sun came out accordingly for the event which was held from 11am till 3pm. The independent student advocates at Uni4Me were very pleased with the turnout and general atmosphere.
S
by Bridgette Glover
hortly after Well Fair wrapped things up, the Dare Fix event kicked off in The ‘Stro.
After months of drinking Dare Iced Coffee and entering in the University Challenge, UNE was announced as the winner. Hosted by Nova Network, the one-off event was aimed at giving students a break from study in the lead up to exams. With special guests Ash Grunwald and Tommy Franklin performing, the night was a success with a huge turnout.
“We were really happy to see so many students come out and have a good time, especially when it was ten degrees and windy” said Tom Fisher. “We’d like to thank FMS for working with Uni4Me to ensure Well Fair succeeded, and also the Blue Shirts for putting in the effort to make the day so successful”. Numerous clubs and societies held stalls on the day, all conducting fun activities. The Gender Sexuality Minority Alliance made chalk drawings, the Women’s Society made paper flowers, Oorala had a banner, and the Mature Students Association made pet rocks, among many others. There was also a photo booth, a jumping castle and the always popular petting zoo.
The man of the night, Ash Grunwald
Ben Bible, from UNELife, was very happy with the event. “We had a great night with close to 400 people in attendance and a heap of prizes walking out the door, from iPads and Stereosonic tickets, to a variety of pre-paid visa cards.
“The big winner of the night was Eldon Carpenter who scored $1000 thanks to Dare Iced Coffee.
The winner of the night, Eldon Carpenter
“Ash rocked the crowd and invited some guests up on stage to party, and Tommy Franklin was greeted like a rock star.
encouraging the reduction of waste, the preservation of practical skills and leading an affordable lifestyle.
Co-founders Zoe Sutherland and Mel Jones encouraged guests to wear handmade or recycled evening wear, in an effort to support sustainability by not purchasing something brand new. This sent many a student in the direction of Armidale’s op shops the week prior to, and resulted in a vintage-inspired evening.
“I sincerely hope that the students who attended had a great time and want to thank them for supporting them kinds of events. We have big plans for the coming years and consider student support and input essential in delivering the services and entertainment that people want to see” says Bible.
T
by Bridgette Glover
he UNE Skills Trade Society held their much-anticipated Recycla-Ball on the September 20 with an excellent turnout. The semi-formal event was open to both students and the community, and celebrated sustainability and the arts. The Society is a community of UNE students who meet and swap their wide ranging skills,
Grind + Squeeze did an incredible job for the event, creating delicious finger food for the guests before serving up a buffet style dinner that included pork belly sliders, roast vegetable skewers and chicken satay kebabs; they finished with sorbet and a candy bar, which was, understandably, a hit. “Overall, the goal was just to have an amazing night, and show everyone who the Skills Trade Society are, and what we do,” says Sutherland.
The night was a success with almost 100 people in attendance, dancing the night away to a live band and DJ. The Stro was transformed with fairy lights draped around the venue, and paper flowers on the tables to accompany the candlelit dinners.
Skills Trade Society Ball
piece ‘Beyond, Over, Blue (BOB)’, and second place went to Margarette Williamson, who is studying a Barts/BSc, for her piece ‘Untitled (An Aluminium Eagle). The winners walked away with $300 and $200 prize money respectively.
To get more involved with the UNE Skills Trade Society check out their Facebook page www.facebook.com/skillstradesociety or send them an email at UNEskillstradesociety@gmail. com. Photos by Peter Newman.
“We also wanted to make the most of the great venue that is The Stro, and prove to everyone that it can look elegant. “We wanted to run an event that was fun and elegant while being as affordable and sustainable as possible. Originally it was going to be an awards ceremony for the Find Art competition, but then it grew into a recycling themed ball as we got more inspired” says Sutherland. The winners of the Find Art competition were announced on the night. Melissa Nairn, studying a BPsych (Hons) won first place for her 7
Photo credit: Tania Court
A Fight to be Heard The full story of the student protest at UNE
O
8
n September 12, a shock decision
The outrage began when students and
stance, as opposed to a consultative one, was
made by the University of New
staff received an email from vice-chancellor
labelled a ‘kneejerk reaction’ by UNE Student
England’s senior management to
Annabelle Duncan on the 12th, outlining the
Association President David Mailler.
close Robb College had the students up in arms
issue between UNE and the Heritage Council.
and, for the first time in a long time, ready to
Duncan wrote that earlier in the year, UNE
“UNE will not be proceeding with any
protest.
and members of the Robb College community
refurbishments of Robb College while the
submitted a joint proposal asking for the
Heritage Council of NSW considers its possible
The impressive mass of students collected at
heritage listing process to be suspended until
listing” was how the email began, and after
“the rock” on September 19, at the entrance of
the compliance upgrades and refurbishments
explaining that the students and staff were at
UNE on Queen Elizabeth Drive, to rebut the
had been completed. After stating that UNE
“the heart of UNE”, Annabelle stated that the
failure of consultation between them and UNE
had offered to consult with the Heritage Council
University had no choice but to close Robb
administration concerning their homes. The
of NSW and the community of Robb College
College to residents at the end of Trimester 2,
students rallied together at 9am with banners
about the design and refurbishments, Duncan
2014. This was accompanied with the solution
and megaphones, and marched up the hill
explained that the Heritage Council specified its
that, until the Council’s listing is known and
towards Booloominbah.
wishes to ‘play a statutory approval role’. UNE’s
they can proceed with the mandatory upgrades,
reaction to the Council’s decision to take that
the Drummond and Smith College would
accommodate for the Robb residents, giving
that the housing options
Drummond and Smith residents the choice to
for next year cannot be
continue in the “interim Robb College” or be
made on numbers alone,
placed in Duval College.
and we want to hear from students what they believe
This swift decision left students outraged, and
is the best outcome for
on the Friday afternoon there was a meeting
the interim co-locating
between management and students which led
of
to the abandoning of the decision to effectively
Drummond and Smith,”
abolish Drummond and Smith College. Instead
Annabelle told Nucleus.
it was decided that, after listening to the
Students have been given
students out of the front of Booloominbah,
concerns of the college students, a wiser move
the option to submit for consideration of the
just in time for the UNE Council meeting at
would be to co-locate the colleges.
senior management team their suggestions.*
10:30am.
Robb
College
and Photo credit: Alana Young
Nevertheless, anger was still held by students
Whilst much of the anger held by the students
“There’s been tensions building up over the
who felt as though senior administration were
was about the recent decisions made by the
past year, and longer, and the decision that
failing to address their concerns, even after
University, it acted as merely a catalyst for the
was made last Friday is basically the crux of
Annabelle Duncan held an open forum on
protest that went ahead on September 19. With
it all” said Jaimee Lindley, 2014 President of
the 17th with the sole purpose of answering
the count almost reaching 700, the students
Drummond and Smith College. “We feel like
questions from students and the wider
fought for “improved communication around
we haven’t been consulted with enough. We’re
community. According to Mailler, management
current issues, and assurances that the student
just here to be seen, and here to be heard really”
were failing to address the concerns in
body will be treated with respect in all future
stated Lindley.
relation to “cultural heritage, time frames and
relations,” according to the open letter from the
consequences on the fresher intake in 2015 and
students of UNE’s colleges.
According to Mailler, “If the administration
subsequent years”.
had chosen to ‘just ask’, as its own catchphrase The letter, which was addressed to senior
says, and listened to students, they would have
This fear regarding next year’s intake was
management, states that their first concern
created understanding of the problem and an
recognised by UNE, according to the VC. “I have
is the “absolute lack of transparency and
engagement with solutions. Indeed, there have
asked the residents of both colleges for their
communication that surrounded this decision”.
been many helpful suggestions put forward.
thoughts on where the potential overflow of
It claims that consultation and transparency
Despite the obvious problems we are confronted
students could be housed. UNE acknowledged
was ignored and despite the decision being
by in terms of refurbishing college buildings,
abandoned, “it speaks to
this would have created respect on both sides
a history of autocratic
– a ‘win-win’.
governance within the university.”
“A management style in recent years of neglecting or ignoring student ideas and
This lack of respect
aspirations, as well as the impact of trimesters,
felt by the normally
has pushed down on student goodwill, and this
conservative
runaway decision was a step to far”, explained
students
was the main purpose of
the
protest
that
eventuated in chanting Photo credit: Alana Young
Mailler. The students were well behaved for the protest, 9
and followed the safety protocol, but there
When asked of her thoughts on the protest,
not an issue we could engage with students on,
was no doubt that they were heard and seen.
Annabelle Duncan told Nucleus “The students
as it was and remains the only option available to
Bagpipes were played as the students, donning
who protested on Friday were respectful and
us in terms of student safety.
their college colours, chanted “What do we want? Communication. When do we
“However I acknowledged we could
want it? Now.” Their fight was covered
have communicated better with students
by the local news and regional network
about the decision and sought their input
stations, while Uni4Me kept them
on the interim housing solution for Robb
going by providing water, a barbeque,
College.
muffins and fruit. The students made their final march around the back of
“I look forward to seeing the student
Booloominbah, under the supervision
submissions on how they feel we can
of security guards, before travelling back
continue to accommodate and support
down the hill.
Photo credit: Tania Court
their college cultures and residents during this temporary move” says Duncan.
Penny Wright, a Duval College resident and previous College Representative
well-behaved, and I appreciate their passion for
for UNESA stated “We’re all trying to bring our
their college life.”
*To make a submission for your thoughts on where the potential overflow of students could
colleges here today just to show UNE that they can’t put us down, and they do need to listen to
“The decision to move Robb College residents
reside, send your email to senior management to
us and take our opinions into account. They’ve
next year was one based on safety of our students.
collegeprojects@une.edu.au by 5pm Monday 29
tried to start listening to us, but hopefully this
It was a management decision and one that has
September 2014.
will push them over the edge”.
to be made quickly. The decision to temporarily close the Robb College buildings next year was
10
Photo credit: Alana Young
By Bridgette Glover
ASSISTANT EDITOR/S wanted for nucleus! APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN for the coolest job in the world! Applications are to include a cover letter, resume and three examples of your writing. Be sure to send them in by cob Monday 6th OCTOBER.
Send them in to: editors@nucleus.org.au 11
Dollhouses, Sunshine and a Restaurant at the End of the Universe
By Rach Hopkins
Whenever someone says the word ‘future’ several things come to mind, such as hoverboards, lightsabers and spacecowboys.
procedure. One day in Hollywood someone (probably)
After this, there are thoughts of crippling debt,
asked “How can we make stories about romance
loss of good looks and horrendous back pain
not suck?” The answer was, and almost always
caused by a life of terrible posture. The distant
is, “Add Sci Fi.” Taking the simple idea of
future always seems brighter and more hopeful
wishing you had never met someone and
than the not too distant future because it is a
then making it a possibility was all it took to
place where your DeLorean can fly, your severed
turn a modern romance into a modern Sci Fi.
hand is replaced with a mechanical one, and you
Following Joel into his memories creates a very
can escape from the confines of society in your
unique connection between the character and
shiny spaceship with a crew of misfits. So what
the viewer that can never be reached in a regular
happens when you take the endless possibilities
love story. You are not just seeing the relationship
of the very distant future and bring them to the terrifying reality of the not too distant future? The modern Sci Fi not only acknowledges the sheer awesomeness of futuristic ideas, it brings these ideas into our miserable present. Some of the best Sci Fi films, television programs and books are set in our own time. How better to explore some social commentary than with some impossibly cool technology? Here are a few of my favourite pieces of modern Sci Fi that will make you feel like the future is closer than it appears to be. 12
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This film has an incredible cast and an even more incredible script. When Joel (Jim Carey) discovers that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had him erased from her memory, he decides to get the same procedure done as revenge. As machines begin to erase every memory Joel has of Clementine, Joel relives each one like a lucid dream. His memories are erased in reverse, starting from the last time he saw her. As the erasing continues to the good times the couple forgot existed, Joel begins regretting his decision and desperately tries to fight the
he had with Clementine, you are watching a visual representation of the emotional struggle he is going through to keep her. Instead of seeing a man fall apart at the thought of losing the woman he loves, you watch his entire world crumble around him as the memories of her are destroyed. The writing is creatively poetic and the characters feel profoundly real. The directing is beautifully artistic and the limitless nature of dreams and memories was not at all wasted when creating this world. The fact that very little CGI was used in the making of the
film makes the visuals even more impressive. If
Fi fashion, Dollhouse makes us ask hypothetical
with the invading aliens. They are then tortured
romance makes you bitter and angry but space
questions we will never have to answer about
with horrendous alien poetry. From the very
age technology makes you nerdgasm, this movie
technological advancements that do not exist.
beginning, this novel is using aliens to show us
is for you.
However, the modern setting also has us asking
that no one is really all that different from anyone
questions of ethical and moral ambiguity in our
else. Because everyone hates terrible poetry.
Dollhouse
Speaking of using space age technology to alter the memories of human beings, have you ever watched Dollhouse? Dollhouse is a TV show created by Joss Whedon about an illegal organisation that rents out programmable
own society. If the Prime Minister of Australia actually fixed literally everything wrong with
Douglas Adams was a master of satire. His
the country (not bloody likely but this is a Sci Fi
books created a world so different and yet so
world we are talking about) but then he turned
similar to our own it feels like we could go to any
out to be an Active imprinted with a perfect
pub in the galaxy, order a gin and tonic and fit
prime minister who was being controlled by The
right in with the intergalactic patrons. Arthur
Dollhouse, would you be ok with it?
explores a universe that is completely impossible
If you love having your mind messed with by
and bizarre but his constant whining about tea
stories, start watching this show. If you want to
and his inability to ever get the hang of Thursdays
start wondering if every single person you know
makes his adventure feel like something any
is actually an active imprinted with a completely
person could be dragged into. My favourite
different personality, keep watching.
thing about the universe Adams created with
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
these novels, it is the fact that it exists already. It is not something hundreds or thousands of years in the future, it is right now. Right now there is a restaurant at the end of the universe with a meal
human beings to high paying customers. Do
of the day waiting to be met. There are people
you want a hot date with the guy or girl of your
trying to learn how to fly. There are robots with
dreams? Give us the details of this perfect person
mental health issues. There are doors opening
and we will introduce you to them. Do you need
and closing with a satisfied sigh.
a master thief to help you break into a museum vault without anyone getting caught? I’ll set up
When it comes to modern Sci Fi the modern
the machine and have the perfect imprint on
setting does not limit creativity because there
this young person’s brain in a few seconds. Don’t
is no limit to the possibilities of the future.
worry this won’t mess up their brain. We have
There is no limit to what can be or when it will
already removed everything about them that
happen. We live in a time where you can Google
makes them a person and stuck it on a hard
translate how to say ‘butt’ in every language.
drive. The empty people, known as Actives, can
Is it so ridiculous to think that someone could
become anything for anyone.
figure out how to erase memories tomorrow? Or someone else could figure out how to replace a
This show raises some intriguing debates about
person’s personality the next day? Or that the
ethics and morality. If the secret evil organisation
Babel Fish has already been invented and out
functioning as a highly scientific whore house is
in the universe translating the word ‘butt’ to
also helping with international crisis, people with
Arthur Dent is about to have his home
every language? The greatest thing about the
mental health issues, and victims of kidnapping,
demolished because it is disrupting construction
future is the endless possibilities of what can be.
is it really such a bad thing that they use human
of a freeway. At this moment, a fleet of alien
The greatest thing about the present is having
beings to do it? There are also questions raised
spaceships come to destroy earth because it is
control over these possibilities and being able to
about the nature of humanity. If every part of a
disrupting construction of an interstellar space
make them a reality. The greatest thing about Sci
person can be imitated and manufactured, are
way. From chapter one this novel (and the film
Fi is making these things into incredible stories.
they a real person at all? If someone you love
adaption) is using aliens for social commentary.
turns out to be a person with a manufactured
Arthur’s good pal Ford Prefect, who turns out
personality, do you really love them? In true Sci
to be an alien, saves him by hitching a ride
Rach Hopkins is a severe story addict making no efforts toward recovery. She is enrolled at UNE studying a Bachelor of Arts doing a double major in English and writing in order to feed into her filthy habit and increase the quality of her own product.
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Charting a Course to a Future by Louise Young
A
lthough we can’t control the future, we can chart a course to where we would like to go.
creativity is paving a new, clean and prosperous future. Our saviour is here, and it is possible to avert peril…
We have more knowledge available to us now than we have ever had before. We have more resources, more understanding, and more power to act. So are we putting that power to good use, or are we wasting it, frittering it away on power, greed and temporary outcomes? Or even just burying our heads in the sand and believing that it is business as usual.
Meanwhile here in Australia, the Abbott government successfully repealed the Mining Tax, a move that the mining industry is celebrating. This change will apparently allow the country to prosper by inviting ever increasing investment in the fossil fuel industry, the same industry that is the root cause of the problem.
July 2014 was the 353rd consecutive month in which global land and ocean average surface temperature exceeded the 20th-century monthly average. This means that anyone born after February 1985 has not lived a single month where the global temperature was below the long-term average for that month.
The carbon tax was also repealed a few months ago, and according to an article in Scientific America, “Carbon emissions and electricity demand in Australia have risen in the two months since the government repealed a tax on emissions, bucking a nearly six-year long trend of decline”.3 The carbon tax was put in place to ensure that the large polluters pay for their polluting, and help chart a course to support renewable clean energy.
A new CSIRO report indicates that it is now 99.999% certain that global temperatures have increased primarily due to human activity.1 These are rather awesome odds. We know that fossil fuels are the main cause of global temperature rises. We know this through intricate and intelligent global research and recording. We also have a pretty good idea of the possibilities for the future based on projections and detailed modelling. And this modelling is being borne out of the reality of what is happening right now on this planet. Records are being broken now all the time; it is hotter, colder, wetter, drier. Storms are getting wilder and the weather is becoming less benign and more unpredictable, and established local weather patterns are changing. Front line services are planning for future extremities. Fire fighters understand that it is not business as usual. Insurance companies are taking climate change into consideration. The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, is warning us all of the effects of climate change. The World Meteorological Organization is releasing a series of imaginary - but realistic - 2050 weather reports from well-known television presenters designed to sensitize people about the local impacts of climate change.2 This is the cry of the educated and experienced. This is the warning that is being sounded across the globe. Warning that our earth is in danger, and we are in danger. We need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, and we need to change our ways, quickly and decisively. Fortunately it is possible, renewable energy is a happening thing. Solar, wind and other non-polluting renewable energy power sources are proving to perform far better, and cheaper, than was expected. New technologies are being developed in leaps and bounds, smart thinking and innovative 14
And at the same time, billions of dollars of investment are being threatened due to the uncertainly that is surrounding the Renewable Energy Target. The review of this target has now been finalised and it suggests that solar and wind power are costing the fossil fuel industry too much profit and should therefore be scaled back, if not scrapped altogether. This would be so that the coal and gas industry can continue to reap enormous profits whilst actively causing present and future environmental damage. New, vibrant, environmentally-sound industries of the future are now choosing not to invest in Australia. The low carbon initiatives that had been implemented before the Abbott government took control gave these industries certainty. With these initiatives gone and with renewed support of the fossil fuel industry, the path of Australia has been chosen. And I for one am not pleased. In fact I am saddened beyond belief. We have it at our fingertips to do something right now to chart a healthier, more benevolent future for all. But instead of taking the sane, even if difficult, course, we are back on the same old, same old. There is no joy here. And the future is not looking good. 1. Report on CSIRO findings (articles in many papers, this is just one), http://theconversation.com/99-999-certainty-humans-are-driving-globalwarming-new-study-29911 2. World Meteorological Organization, http://www.wmo.int/media/ climatechangeimpact.html 3. Scientific American, September 3 2014, http://www.scientificamerican. com/article/carbon-tax-repeal-boosts-australian-pollution/
Midsummer is almost at Booloominbah - and lookin’ Article By Photos by great! Jamiee Lindley
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James Vicars
ith the opening night of A Midsummer Night’s Dream fast approaching, Theatre Studies is in full swing preparing for the show. Everyone is working hard on rehearsals. And spare time… what spare time? Any minute not spent doing other units is spent doing everything needed to make sure the show will be one of the biggest spectaculars in UNE’s recent history.
for young actors. We believe our detailed work on the text will ensure that our delivery of the language will be clear, light and easily understood by our audience. If you’ve been put off by boring Shakespeare before, come and see A Midsummer Night’s Dream – it will be like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
The directors and cast are working hard to put on a show that’s guaranteed to stick in the mind of the audience long after closing night. Each actor has been assigned two roles, so that each night we can switch up the cast and create a completely new version of the show, bringing vibrancy, life and variety to each performance. In preparation, we are using rehearsal methods from the Early Modern period similar to the way we believe Shakespeare and his company would have worked. For example we are using cue scripts, which contain only each actor’s own lines and the few words before they speak or have to do something (their cue in other words). This method compels actors to actively listen and spontaneously respond to each other on stage, which gives a greater depth and believability to our performances. It also encourages us to engage more closely with the Shakespearean language, which can often be a huge challenge
The Midsummer team is also getting outside help from some local Armidale ‘Fire Wranglers’ (as we like to call them). These new friends of ours are proficient in lots of circus tricks, but particularly fire poi, which they will use as part of Oberon’s fairy crew. This fiery, dark nature of Oberon’s crew will contrast beautifully with Titania’s brighter, floral-like fairies, and the fire poi will light up the night sky in a beautiful extravaganza on the lawns of Booloominbah.
For this year’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theatre Studies is also collaborating with our colleagues in Music, working with a team of composers and musicians to produce an original score that will be played live at every performance. They’ve created beautiful lullabies, crazy, rambunctious jigs, and even signature tunes for some characters. The live music will be one of the highlights of the show and really enhance the magic, fun and passion of the play.
The design aspects of the show are rocketing along at a great pace, with an emphasis on images that maximises the impact of our stunning outdoor setting under the moon and stars. The cast themselves are helping to create the set, making as many paper lanterns as possible to light up the surrounding trees, building a giant snake puppet and enormous illuminated moon to bring magic to UNE for a few nights
in October. There’s a distinctive faux-vintage feel to the costumes of the Lovers and the Rude Mechanicals, bringing colour and fun to the stage, but the Fairies are from a darker more fantastical elemental world. A lot of the cast have taken a hand in developing their own costumes, having taken them home over the mid trimester break and worked on them personally, which gives each actor a sense of ownership of their characters and will ensure that no two versions of any character are the same.
If this sounds like the sort of spectacular you want to see, come along and join the fun! The show will be on the Lawns of Booloominbah from Wednesday October 1st to Saturday October 4th at 7.30pm each night and an 11am matinee on the Saturday. It is not to be missed!! As each performance features a different version of the cast, we have a special student price of $10, or $15 for those who want to come twice! Tickets can be purchased from Carr’s Express Newsagency in Armidale, or online at une.edu. au/midsummer. Cut out and bring along the voucher on pg. 23 when purchasing tickets at the door, and receive two student tickets for $15 15
2014 Well Fair
Photos by James Vicars 16
Presented by Clubs and Societies THANKS FOR A GREAT DAY!!!
17
Digital
Detox
Confessions of a Smart Phone Junkie
T
18
Tara
Mitchell
hree months ago, I was the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy - my most prized possession. I marvelled at its 4.3 inch screen that allowed me to wield the power of the entire internet in the palm of my hand. “I am truly living in the future,” I thought to myself smugly, while checking the outside temperature, the news headlines, Facebook notifications and my emails (all spam, as usual).
was a junkie, good and proper.
Then something terrible happened…I dropped it. I watched in horror as the scene played out in slow motion, the phone tumbling from trembling fingers and colliding with the concrete below. Frantic efforts to revive it failed, each crack over the glass screen like tiny cracks across my heart. My beloved phone had died a terrible death.
Wandering about in my new, stimuli reduced world I turned my attention to others around me. Everywhere I went I was surrounded by other smart phone users, arrogantly entrenched in the worlds within their palms. There were eleven people seated in the waiting room and nine of them were using a screen. Not only that, but none of them were speaking to each other, they were actively avoiding each other. Oh the irony, we are all so happy with our digitally connected world of the future that we’ve forgotten we are sitting in a room full of flesh-and-blood people. As that thought sank in for a moment, I pictured myself just two weeks ago sitting there as one them. I was horrified.
The following week was hard, I won’t lie. Each empty moment of the day was agonising. Standing in line at the bank was mind numbingly boring, waiting at the GP clinic flicking through two year old magazines excruciating, and sitting on the bus home left me wondering what on Earth I did with my mind in my pre-smart phone life. Why was this happening to me? I had to face the awful truth: I was addicted to the constant stimulation that the phone provided me with. I
The only answer was to go cold turkey. I had to know if I could get by without knowing what Weatherzone said the temperature was every hour. Is it possible to survive a ten minute queue without reading the news? I knew it was going to be tough, but as a sort of self-imposed sociological project, I decided I had to find out.
the world is an entirely different place. Walking through the park I look at the sky, admire birds, and watch children playing. Sitting on the bus I struck up a conversation with a wonderful elderly woman who shared with me stories of her grandchildren and I delighted in her smile as she did so. Standing in line at the bank became an exercise in people watching, and time for philosophical self-debate. I had switched off the phone, and switched on a long-neglected part of my brain. How can you ever think for yourself, if you are constantly filling your mind with other information? As we hurtle into the future at lightning speed, technology invades our lives more than ever before. My personal fear is that we will reach a point where there is no online/offline state, where the digital life permeates each facet of normal life. We’re at risk of losing our humanity, our original thoughts and our emotional connections. What good is social networking, if it makes us anti-social?
Tara is a mother of two in her second year of
In the weeks that have passed since the phone met its tragic demise, I came to the decision not to replace it and here’s why: Without my phone,
studying a Bachelor of Media and Communications. She has a long line of hobbies (because she can never commit to just one thing).
Growing Interests: Clubs and Societies at UNE By James Vicars
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hat are your interests? Whatever they are, awareness and interest in UNE clubs, societies and associations is growing. New clubs are appearing and older ones are gaining a fresh lease of life, thanks in part to the application of funds from the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). These funds have boosted the ability of clubs to hold events and activities and, perhaps more importantly, helped to build their capacity as studentrun organisations that can provide amenity, and an important dimension of the ‘UNE experience’, for future students as well as the present generation.
one will close on 17 November, and offers the chance for activities to start early in the new year, or before Orientation. If you are interested in applying for funding, information and forms can be downloaded from the UNE website (see info at end). Lunchtime information sessions are also held in the ’Stro prior to the close of the funding round. What kind of things are funded? While this is constrained in some respects by the Government rules, it can include purchase of equipment, social activities, special events, venue hire, licensing fees, networking and training (especially for new members of committees so they can be more ready to take leadership roles). Remember, though, that clubs and societies funding is not meant to be a substitute for regular fundraising but to support the growth of amenity and club capacity into the future. See the adjacent table of activities funded so far.
Medicine students and NERCHA members Tom Cropp, Jordan Sheather and Taha Jamnagarwalla A part of the boost from SSAF has been the allocation of some funding employ a part-time Coordinator from early 2014. The Coordinator’s role is to help raise awareness of clubs and societies, assist them to access funding, and build their capacity to expand the experience, and horizons, of the next generation of students. This is a longer-term project, but has been begun with the vision and encouragement of the UNE Student Association (UNESA) and the support of the University’s SSAF Committee (SSAFC). How has this unfolded so far? The year began with a strong showing for clubs and societies at Lifesaver Day during Orientation, followed up by a Clubs and Societies’ Fair later in February and a smaller display day in the courtyard in May. We then had clubs and societies making a major contribution to the recent, very successful Well Fair day organized by uni4me which promoted student mental health and wellbeing. In the meantime, the activities of clubs and societies have filled your year with things to see, do, enjoy and be involved in! Funding for clubs, societies and associations A major part of the Coordinator’s work has been in convening and servicing the needs of the Clubs and Societies Subcommittee. This Subcommittee has been set up by SSAFC to allocate funding to support the activities of clubs and societies, with a total funding pool of some $222,000 carrying into next year. A strategy for growing clubs and societies was developed; this included a funding process, and there have been two rounds so far this year. The final
general benefit of club activities but also in, for example, looking for ways that protection against personal liability for committee members of some unincorporated clubs can be improved. An affiliation process by which non-sporting clubs, in particular, can establish their credentials and functional capacity has therefore been developed; this is important as the University has decided on mechanisms for payment that should help support the development of financial stewardship and accountability in student organisations. In line with this, the Subcommittee is putting aside funds for financial and governance education of office-bearers (something that has already been identified and requested by some clubs and societies). Some 15 club and society representatives were thus able to attend the recent UNESA governance training workshop on August 2. This workshop also revealed further aspects of training that would be of value to office-bearers, as well as that other club office-bearers would really benefit from learning or revisiting ‘the basics’. Student club and society office-bearers have also been assisted to attend the Students 4 Students (S4S) National Leadership Conference at the end of September at the University of Wollongong. Interested? Get further info! You can contact the Clubs and Societies Coordinator at any time on 6773 4059 or by email at clubsandsocieties@une.edu.au As well as enquiries about funding, this can be for more general information, or if you want to know how to form a new club.
International students and UNESA Board members Sanaz Alian and Sura Alani. The total funding approved to date for clubs and societies is more than $90,000. This reflects, on one hand, the first wave of engagement with a new process: many of the clubs and societies only identified moderate needs and others have yet to engage. In this circumstance, the applications represent a solid response by nearly 25 clubs. Some applications merited strong support, especially parts of the student community developing from a lower base; on the other hand, the Subcommittee felt that assistance rather than full funding was indicated in many cases (as fund-raising was an option in quite a number of cases), as well as that the costs proposed in some applications could be reduced and that some needed reconsideration. Capacity development, protection and other initiatives Another goal is to help grow the capacity of office-bearers in clubs and societies, both for the
UNE Fencing Association members Jim Gaywood and Mitchel Haris demonstrate. To find out more about clubs and societies already existing at UNE, visit http://www.uni4me.com.au/ clubs-and-societies.php To find out more about SSAF funding for clubs and societies, visit http://www.une.edu.au/study/ fees/student-services-and-amenities-fee/funding-forclubs-and-societies For the full list of support provided by clubs and societies funding to date in 2014 go to our website. 19
OPEN LETTER
Look, I’m Still Here. D
ear Editors, Prof. Blass, Mr Peet, and students and staff of UNE (both past and present!),
I have recently been made aware that an article that I wrote and published in last year’s final edition of Nucleus has resulted in a complaint that the article is defamatory. The complaint was lodged by Professor Eddie Blass, now resigned but then Executive Director of the Learning Innovations Hub (LIH) who was referred to in the article. The complaint was conveyed to the editors by Mr Brendan Peet, the Chief Legal and Governance Officer of UNE. As the author, editor, and publisher of that article I feel obliged to respond, and would like to make a number of observations on the matter. I hope that Prof. Blass, Mr Peet, and UNE students are able to read this and will suffer my explanation of several important points. If you can, I encourage you now to read or re-read the article. It is entitled ‘LIH: Look, I’m Here’ and was published on p.9 of the Janus edition, December 2013. You may be able to find it online at this address: http:// www.nucleus.org.au/2013/12/18/news-lih-look-im-here/ - or if, as Prof. Blass has requested they do, the editors take it down and partially erase its digital footprint, you may be able to pick up a leftover copy from last December somewhere - I daresay the editors have some in their office. Let us examine it briefly. The Learning Innovations Hub, as far as anyone is able to gather, influences how methods of teaching and assessment are carried out by making ‘innovative’ suggestions. A document that Prof. Blass sent out in November aroused great concern by stating with presumed authority and bad grammar that an administrative department had closed and that changes were to be made to methods of students’ assessment. The article I wrote is critical, even dismissive, of that document, I will admit; but I had no design in criticising Prof. Blass herself. The aim was to report on the heated scene that was playing out, to summarise it for the student readership (who for the most part knew nothing of it) and to filter the immense bulk of criticism and horror down into key points. Added to this was the necessity of conveying the absurdity of the document that Prof. Blass had distributed and I calculated that a wicked tongue-in-cheek tone would be most appropriate. So to Prof. Blass I would like to say, there is no real point acting like a spoilt princess, is there? And if a spoonful of humour is offensive to anyone then I suggest they loosen up - and keep the real point of the article and its serious nature in mind. Now consider, for a moment, the point of my article - to report on an issue that was of great concern in the university, something of great relevance to students. As students there is simply no point - I really have to emphasise, there is no point - isolating yourself from events at the university like this one. In this case, staff were losing their jobs and major changes were being suggested, including removing exams. Events like this have very real impacts on you, how you learn, the reputation of your degree, and the entire atmosphere of your time at university. If UNE ever does not seem like a friendly place, it is incidents such as that described in the article, and their accumulation over time, that are the reason. As a past editor I want to be brave enough to say that the article was written to make students more aware of what was happening, and I believe
20
the content was entirely appropriate to that end. And here I wish to bring our attention back to Mr Peet. In addition to relaying the complaint from Prof. Blass and her wish that the article be taken down, Mr Peet made an aside to the editors in which he said he finds it strange that ‘an article on this topic, and adopting this tone, was published in the student newspaper.’ I am in a perplexed state trying to make something of this. On the one hand, student newspapers have a history and reputation of incisive, comedic and highly penetrating articles, that play dangerously with offensiveness, satire and even callousness. Had I been too soft? Too careful? And on the other hand, the topic was a complex one, involving the interests of large numbers of people and raising many issues which Prof. Blass engaged in a document which may or may not have stemmed from a prevalent attitude in the university management of the time about the nature of education, investment in universities and the quality of university degrees and university workplaces. Perhaps I had summarised these too much? Perhaps Mr. Peet thought I should have written a series of articles on the topic in order to enter into a deeper, more thorough critique? I do not think this is what Mr Peet meant. It is, furthermore, abominable and disturbing of anyone in management to impose on what the editors of the student newspaper should or should not publish. For them to presume to do so, especially when based on a misunderstanding of student newspapers, is tantamount to censorship. It is not for them to tell us what to say, or how. Earlier this year our then Vice-Chancellor Jim Barber wrote a letter to the editors in which he sent me bittersweet praise of my failings in writing the LIH article. I was too good to have written it, surely; my judgement must have lapsed. I found the allusions to false authorship most entertaining. So for the sake of clarity, I will make my final point as emphatic as possible: I take complete ownership of the article; I wrote the article, had every intention of writing the article, have no regrets about writing the article, and wholeheartedly encourage students of this university to take an interest in what takes place here and to write articles themselves. I strongly hope the current editors will not to take down the LIH article, but I have no jurisdiction over them. I also strongly encourage Mr Peet to familiarise himself with student newspapers (most student papers have decent websites, and I collected a range of examples that are in the Nucleus office if you prefer to read hard copies) and their purpose - I think he may find it a little different to what he thought. Far from being the mouthpiece of unions or the plaything of management, a university newspaper should in fact be the independent voice of the students and should report on all that is relevant to them. Until next time, Sarita Perston Co-editor of Nucleus, 2013.
The 2014 UNE Pharmacy Ball! -by Mark Jongebloed and Bridgette Glover.
T
he UNE Pharmacy Students’ Association (PhUNE) hosted their first ever Pharmacy Ball on the 30th of August.
Held at the Armidale City Bowling Club, Professor Ieva Stupans, Head of Discipline, called it “a sparkling event” with the students, partners and staff frocking and suiting up to celebrate. “Setting up the new UNE program has been a sometimes tough journey for the staff, but the Ball was another signpost in the journey” says Stupans. Students congratulated the first graduating class – who were heavily involved in the committee - with food, cake, champagne and some quality time on the dance floor. They are a graduating class “keen to get out into the workforce, to make a difference to the health of the Australian community, and with the support of a strong and vibrant student community” says Stupans. “Staff were particularly touched by the kind words and gifts of the graduating class. “The Pharmacy discipline teaching team congratulate the organiser of the Ball and also the leadership team of PhUNE for providing support to them” said Professor Stupans. PhUNE President Katherine Pollard Graduating class of 2014
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You Never Know Where the Future Will Take You
A
s you step into the room, the darkness catches your eyes and makes you feel like you almost shouldn’t be here. The entire complex, built in the 1830’s and 40’s is a bit strange, a distinctly French palace in the middle of Berlin, but none the less, you push forward dreaming of the treasure that could be there. Below you, in the entrance hall of the Neues Museum, is a colonnade that would almost make you believe you were standing in Luxor, but of all the treasures on this island, she, standing in the dark, is the most spectacular. The famous ‘Bust of Nefertiti’ is only about 19 inches tall, but is not protected by glass and Perspex like most, contemporary, artifacts. Instead, she stands alone, in a wide, darkened room, with a single spotlight shining on her face and a roped area around her. She is exposed to the world, and getting close you can see her damaged eye and crown, and see how beautifully the paint still shines after about 3,360 years of being buried in the sand and hidden in various places. What you can’t see is the makers mark – the mark of a man named Djhutmose and what is most important to understand about this incredible relic is that historians speculate that it
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By James Boyce was not created by Djhutmose himself, a master sculptor, but rather it was made by an apprentice.
into the same room, and all the people that made their tools and techniques for their work.
Somewhere, in a long since abandoned Egyptian city during the 14th Century BC, on a day most likely like this one, a master and his apprentice sat down together to work on a statue of their queen. For them, it was another day like any other, nothing special, nothing unique and I’m sure that neither of them knew that what they were creating would last though time. For them, it was a master and student learning together to perfect the technique for using quartz to add eyes and paint using ground frit to produce a crown truly fit for a queen. What they could never have guessed was that we would be talking about it today, more so that a common teaching tool would be considered one of the greatest pieces of art in the history of mankind.
As we step into the future, we have to remember that we are all in it together. The colleagues and friends you meet here at University are people that you will remember for the rest of your life, and the experiences you have will shape who you are. The Internet is full of examples of research done by students like you that helped changed our world; opportunities open to everyone willing to take the risk. It seems a little overwhelming, but opportunities are what they are.
We live in an amazing world with amazing opportunities and none of us know what tomorrow will bring. The decisions we make every day impact the people around us and, whether we know it or not, are written into the annals of history. Think about all the people that had to work to get this master and apprentice
When the history of this world is written at its conclusion, thousands of years into the future, the Pacemaker and Michelangelo’s David will join The Theory of Relativity and Picasso’s Guernica beside the Nefertiti Bust as some of the greatest treasures ever created. That list is going to be a long one, and one you or anyone else could easily join.
James is about to finish a Bachelor of Arts before starting a Master of Teaching. He enjoys exploring as many new things as possible.
Leave your Legacy at UNE
W
hen I first came to UNE, I didn’t realise it at the time but I was taking advantage of the culture, hard work and generosity of countless previous students. Now that I have reached the end of my time at university, I would be happy to give something back for future generations of UNE students.
Students graduating in 2014 (either March or October) will be the first to have the opportunity to contribute towards a legacy scholarship fund. This project aims to create stronger collegiality between graduating cohorts while creating a positive resource for future generations of UNE students. Graduating students will be given the option of making a donation (large or small) towards the fund. Any graduate who makes a donation will have their name added to the contributors list. If every student who graduates this year were to donate just $5, we would immediately raise $19 000 to contribute to assisting current and future UNE students. SSAF funding has been approved to assist in kick starting the fund. It is hoped that in future Alumni will contribute further to this fund allowing it to grow into a sizeable figure, the annual dividend from which could raise a substantial amount for future UNE students. It has been decided that the 2014 Graduate Scholarship shall be awarded to a student who has shown substantial contribution to the university and/or their wider community. We urge you to be a part of this new initiative by making a donation today and perhaps consider donating in the future. We will be collecting donations at the graduation ceremonies in October. Alternatively, contact the Office of Advancement to make your donation by calling 02 6773 2870 or emailing advance@une.edu.au For more information please contact: Penny: pwrigh23@myune.edu.au A.J: alegaybr@myune.edu.au Kind regards, Penny and A.J.
Cut out and bring along this voucher when purchasing tickets at the door, and receive two student tickets for $15
A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare
Two Tickets for $15 23
Love Romances, Vol 1. 31. 1953
Encountering AleSsandra A True Story by Anonymous
S
ometimes an event occurs that has the potential to change everything. Someone enters your life in such a dramatic and effortless way that it seems somehow inevitable, as if they were meant to be there all along but somewhere down the line a strand came loose and they were forgotten, missing their entrance into your narrative, so when they finally do, their entrance is explosive, almost traumatic. This is how Alessandra exploded into my world. It was Boxing day and I was having dinner with my mother and her partner at a bed and breakfast on the edge of town. I live in the country and couldn't make it to the city for Christmas so they came up to visit me. We had just finished our dinner outside in the orange summer dusk, and our conversation was wavering somewhere between my mother's bad back and my misguided career decisions, when from off to our side something tore us away from it and demanded our attention. The large glass door that lead into the reception area shattered resoundingly onto the ground beneath, and through it fell the most sublime creature I've ever witnessed. Long dark hair pined up to let the slightest fringe fall across her colossal blue eyes. Her elegant form, even while pouring through to a potentially glass filled doom, fell with a grace that had me enchanted and held me in a vice grip. I was in love before she hit the ground. Which she did. I, along with my mother's partner jumped out of our seats and ran over to help her, imagining large shards penetrating her stomach where she had fallen across the doorframe, or other such horrors. Though luckily, no such fate had beset my love. We carefully helped her to her feet and I asked "Are you hurt?" She looked down at her hands and noticed one was very quickly covering itself in blood. She looked up at me and said with shaking lips and an embarrassed, frightened smile that kicked me in the guts, "I think so?" I examined her hand. There were some quite bad gashes between her fingers, and a shard of glass lodged in her wrist. I was wracking my brain for whatever first
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aid knowledge I could find, and was about to take my love to sit down when a woman, who I later found out was her mother, rushed in from behind us and swooped her away, saying many things in a language I couldn't understand. I was left standing in the rubble. I gave a look to my mother's partner, who gestured towards my hands before kneeling down and began collecting the crystal debris into some kind of order. I looked down at my hands. Blood. Her blood. The blood of my love. I have spoken all of three words to her and had yet to learn her name but there is her blood, on my hands, and the image of her smile lingering fresh in my memory. Is there anything more intimate, more sacred, than the touch of another's blood? Not in a murdery psychopath kind of way, but in the way that only can happen when two people share in the sort of experience that binds them, that shifts and sets the direction of their lives for the foreseeable future. An event that could change everything. After helping to gather and dispose of the glass I went to check on my love, to help however I could. I have no substantial first aid experience, but I can comfort and console with the best of them. Her mother informed me that my love's sister had taken her to the hospital to get stitched up. I thought for a moment about chasing after them, showing up in the emergency room with flowers and kind words, cementing the connection we made in the doorway into something we could laugh about in our waning years. What would I say? Could I propose to her? Is that as ridiculous as it sounds? Far more ridiculous things have happened in my family. My cousin met his wife at a casino bar, he deduced her room number from the purse she left on the seat next to his, showed up in her doorway naked at 3am with a bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne, and asked her to marry him. That worked... could this? Could I pull a similar event into our narrative, bar the nudity and the champagne? Could I do it without simply being an enormous creep? How many words does a person have to speak to you before it's not weird to propose to them? Probably more than three. Definitely more than three... I don't even know her name! No, this wouldn't do at all. I would have to find another way to see her again, one that wasn't so violently inappropriate. That night I couldn't sleep. I kept wondering exactly the sorts of things one would expect to wonder. Would I be able to find her again? Would she remember me if I did? Did she even notice me? If she did, was she so deep in shock that I would be little more than a blur in her memory? I thought about showing up at the B&B in the following days and waiting to see her, but what would I say? "Hey, I pulled you
out of some glass the other day and you bled on me and now I'm in love with you, what's your name?" It was all too much; I couldn't see a way in, or out. But I needed to do something, I couldn't just let it go, I would regret the missed opportunity forever. 1am. My phone beeped. It was a message from Brooke, a good friend from Sydney who was visiting. "Want to go see the Hobbit in the next couple of days before I head home?" I replied briefly in the affirmative, but my head was swimming too much to think about anything else. Whatever my course of action would be, I would work it out in the morning. The following day, I met my friend Joanna for coffee and disclosed the experience, and my absurd dilemma, to her in detail. I was midsentence, waxing poetically about my love for the nameless girl, when Joanna stopped me. "Wait, I had this exact story relayed to me last night by text message." "I didn't send you anything last night, did I?" "No, not you. Anna, my friend Anna. Her sister fell through a door last night and she had to take her to the emergency room." A whirlwind picked up in my guts and propelled my head into too many questions to verbalise anything. My jaw dropped open and I just sat there dumbstruck while Joanna searched her phone for clarification. The questions buzzing in my head worked themselves into some kind of order and I managed to blurt out "What's her name?" "Anna?" "No, her sister." My love. "Oh, Alessandra." Alessandra. What a beautiful name. It takes up big block letters in my mind the size of mountains. filling my inner landscape to the brim, just leaving room for those eyes, and that smile. My love has a name, a glorious signifier to which I can pin my afflicted heart. "You know her sister?"
There it was, my way in. I'd go with Brooke, who must know Anna as well. Our local cinema is pretty small, there is only one area for people to wait before entering a movie, the perfect place to stage a fortuitous second meeting. We'd get there early and I'd wait for their entrance. I would go up and ask her how her hand is healing, introduce myself properly, point out the connection through Joanna and Brooke to show that I'm not a total stranger but in fact I've practically almost known her for years! I had no plan beyond that, but it was a start, a way to bridge the gap. Things would surely open up from there. I didn't tell Brooke what my intentions were before the movie, but maybe I should have. She had offered to give me a lift, and I accepted, but maybe I should've insisted on driving. She was late. I waited on the veranda, pacing with my phone in hand, watching the minutes go past. Watching my window to enact my plan and meet them outside the cinema doors dwindle away. Five minutes remained before the movie was to begin when Brooke finally pulled up. I jumped in, clinging to the hope that they too were late and would be there with us, hurriedly buying tickets and popcorn while the movie was starting and we could all laugh about it. That wasn't to be. When we arrived the doors were shut, and the lobby was empty except for the service staff. We bought our tickets and entered the theatre in the dark. I scanned the darkness as if to look for empty seats, but really I was looking for her. All I saw were vague silhouettes poking through the black, momentarily shifting with the reflected movements of light on the screen. She stayed hidden, though I knew she was there. We took our seats and the movie began. We laughed and shrieked with the rest of the crowd and had a great time. When we left, my eyes were abuzz searching through the people as they filed out, but still no Alessandra. It appeared as though my luck was running out. That afternoon I called Joanna. "How did it go?" "What?" "Anna, did you tell her?"
"Yeah, Anna, we went to school together. I'm seeing her tomorrow actually, she's coming over for lunch."
"Oh yeah, I brought it up but she just laughed and changed the subject. I think guys fall in love with her sister all the time."
The relative order in my head was thrown back into disarray. How did this happen? A minute ago she was so far out of my reach, but now she has burst into my world, or rather, her place in it was revealed. A friend of a friend. I knew this town was small, but this was too much. The stars were aligned on this one.
My guts knotted. I wanted to say that this was different, I didn't just meet her at a bar and fail to get her number, I was party to a brush with fate that could've quite easily resulted in her death, I probably still had her blood in the pores of my hands for Christ's sake! This was something REAL! But was it really so special? Did I do anything that wasn't simply expected of a decent human being? Did I even know anything about her beyond how her hair sits around her face and the colour of her eyes? Was this whole episode really anything more than an infatuation spurred on by drama and coincidence? I had to admit it was possible that I had overstated the weight of all of this to myself. Not just possible, likely. Definitely. This poor girl had had a nasty accident that probably ruined her Christmas, and here I was, interpreting it as a sign from the gods heralding our eternal love. I laughed, hard. I laughed until tears welled in my eyes. The absurdity of the situation was suddenly so clear. You fool, this wasn't love, not even close. If anything, I was in love with the idea of having a beautiful story be the beginning of something meaningful, as the overture to a profound directional shift in my life. But in the end, that's all it is, an idea. An idea that in reality had nothing to do with her, but with my own selfish fantasy. Two weeks on now, the air has cleared, and far from feeling like I missed out on something, I feel quite the opposite. I feel lucky to have had the chance to laugh at myself, to recognise my absurd folly and enjoy it, celebrate it. And that just maybe, I did have some impact on her. Maybe she is grateful that a complete stranger rushed to help her unconditionally when she was frightened and embarrassed and injured. Maybe that is enough... more than enough. Definitely.
"Tell her I love her." "Anna?" "Yes." "You love Anna?" "No, her sister. Alessandra. And don't tell her I love her, tell her..." Something, anything. Tell her I exist. Tell her about this thing I'm feeling that is drawing me to her and that I need to close the gap as quickly as possible, while the air is still alive and filled with magic. "Tell her I was there. When Alessandra fell through the window, tell her I helped." My friend stared at me for a moment and then it clicked. "You're serious about this, aren't you. You want to see her again." I paused. "I think so." Joanna smiled. "Don't worry, I'll tell her something. Oh, they're going to see the Hobbit tomorrow morning before Anna comes around, there's your chance."
Sometimes an event occurs that has the potential to change everything, but then it doesn't. And that's ok. (Note: Names have been changed in an attempt to stave off the inevitable embarrassment of having this discovered by the people involved.) 25
(College) RecipeS
by Ashley Pianca
No-Bake, Flourless chocolate cake with cookie dough truffles Ingredients •
Cake
1 block of chocolate (I used Cadbury 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate)
•
300ml of thickened cream
•
1tsp of instant coffee
•
1TBSP of gelatine
•
1/3 cup of white sugar
•
3TBSP of boiling water
Method 1) Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl until smooth. Put aside.
Ingredients
2) Combine coffee, gelatine and sugar before
•
1/2 cup of butter
stirring in boiling water.
•
1/3 cup of white sugar
•
1/3 cup of brown sugar
•
1/2 tsp of salt
•
1 bag of chocolate chips or similar (like m&m’s)
•
1 1/4 cups of plain flour
•
1/3 cup of cream
•
1 block of milk chocolate
3) Add cream to coffee mixture and mix until smooth. Warm in the microwave for approximately 45 seconds. 4) Add chocolate to cream mixture and stir until well combined and smooth. 5) Pour into bowl, glasses, tin, or container of your choice.
Method 1) Combine butter, salt, and sugar. 2) Add chocolate chips, flour and cream 3) Stir until smooth 4) Melt chocolate 5) Roll cookie dough into balls and,
6) Refrigerate until set. This should only take
using a spoon, coat in chocolate. Place
a couple of hours.
on a plate or tray lined in baking paper
Ashley is studying a Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Laws and can’t go a day without listening to Beyonce. 26
Cookie Dough Truffles
and refrigerate until chocolate has set.
REVIEW
The HUNDRED-FOOT
JOURNEY
By Helen Taylor
T
he first and possibly most important thing you need to know about this movie is that you will be hungry afterwards. You will most likely want curry. Amazing Indian curry cooked by a total babe. But you probably can’t have it. Or maybe you can, I don’t know. What am I, a future teller? I’m just here for the popcorn and choctops. As delicious as a chocolate choctop is, it sits rather unsatisfying in the face of all the amazing food you watch get cooked over the course of The Hundred-Foot Journey, the latest offering from Lasse Hallstrom, director of such feel good hits as Safe Haven and Dear John, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and my favourite, Chocolat. Yes, the amazing food and equally delicious accents are back. There’s no Johnny Depp in this one, but frankly he’s getting old anyway. There, I said it. The second thing you should know is that this movie will make you feel good. The last few movies I’d seen at the cinema were definitely full of explosions and quite a bit of space (Lucy, Guardians of the Galaxy) but my heart was not warm at the end of them. And you know, it’s been a bit of a rough month. So I really just needed someone to maybe cook some delicious food and fall in love a bit. I was not disappointed.
There is a gentle brand of comedy running through the movie that depends on cultural differences between India and France. The emotional rollercoaster that is enemies becoming friends manages to gently prod the audience with its “racism is bad, you guys” message. Because it really is bad. It was lovely to watch Helen Mirren come down from her haughty French height and admit the amazing culinary skills of Hassan Kadam (played by the lovely and beautiful Manish Dayal, aforementioned total babe). It took her a while but she really figured it out. There’s some riverside scenes that are a little bit about different kinds of sauce and how making a really good omelette is how you prove yourself to Helen Mirren (that part may have lost me somewhat) but mostly about two very attractive young people sitting in green grass and trying not to make out wildly. The struggle seemed real to me, anyhow. Not making out while sitting by a river in the sunshine is up there, it really is.
kitchen), and with a splash of red lips, you’ve got yourself a dreamboat. Take-away points (no pun intended): Curry. Love. Omelette. Conversely, best pun suggested by my moviegoing partner: “Director Lasse Hallstrom has really served up something delicious with his latest movie, The Hundred-Foot Journey”. Least tasty-looking dish: Sea Urchin. I think that’s what it was. A fact that hurts my feelings: All the food used in the movie was real. There were no food stylists. So the cast and crew could eat it. I’m going to go have some curry now.
The female love interest is so beautiful and French I would have hated her if she wasn’t so cute on her bike, riding about the place and buying things at the markets with much determination. Sassy is key with French love interests, I find. Plus, dark curly hair and a bit of a scarf on your head is great (and practical in a
This movie gets 3 eggs and the yolk of one other egg.
Helen is studying Arts Management, and things that make her happy include chocolate milk, paper goods and 80’s teen movies.
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REVIEW
THE ROVER By Stu Horsfield “Australia, ten years after the collapse.” The Rover is the newest film from director David Michôd, whose last work was the immensely powerful Animal Kingdom. It is an incredibly bleak and violent vision of the Australian outback turned wild west after some kind of massive societal collapse that is never really explained. Guy Pierce is fantastic as the give-no-fucks, kick-all-the-asses, anti-hero of few words who spends the bulk of the movie chasing down three men who stole his car. In the process he meets Robert Pattinson, brother of one of the thieves, a wounded simpleton left behind by his friends after a botched robbery that is never really explained. In his ruthless crusade to retrieve his car, Pierce abducts Pattinson and they proceed on a kind of nihilistic buddy/road-adventure. It has the oppressive atmosphere of other outback set movies like The Proposition, and the stripped-back, reserved storytelling of a
Cormac McCarthy narrative, where nothing is directly explained, and a large part of the story is delivered through inference alone. The story isn’t especially complex, but the delivery is difficult, so if you don’t pay close attention you may find yourself scratching your head at certain points trying to piece things together. The style can be hit or miss, as it relies heavily on really good dialogue to convey everything properly, and I feel like they somewhat missed the mark. The writing is good enough to carry it, and to get the message across, but they didn’t flesh out the world in the way that this kind of delivery did in Animal Kingdom, or similarly styled examples like Breaking Bad, The Road, The Place Beyond the Pines, etc. Although the plot was intentionally minimalistic, and this lack of ‘flesh’ was probably intentional (mirroring the sparse emptiness of the post-societal world), it didn’t really do it justice. If you’ve seen Animal Kingdom, you know that
Michôd isn’t afraid of going to incredibly dark places at a moment’s notice, and he does so to greater or lesser effect here. Often. There are some seriously dark moments, and though there are a few times he tries to lighten the mood with humour, these are usually cut short by some tragic event. This can get a bit exhausting, but it is an exhaustion shared by the characters—their whole world feels exhausted. A few words to describe The Rover: Bleak, oppressive, ruthless. If this sounds like your kind of thing, definitely check it out, the acting and direction is fantastic, but don’t expect a masterpiece.
3.5/5
Po
pu la
The r Mechanicals Written by Keith Robinson, Tony Taylor and William Shakespeare
Directed by Andrew Cockroft-Penman
Š Roving Keith Photos
Armidale Sunrise - by local photographer and uni student Karinya Oldfield.
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