Nucleus Vol 3 No 2

editors. john shirley sarah owen

cover art. cayden monkton

back cover art. aiden robb

contributors. john shirley cassandra keogh david mailler annabelle duncan melissa jones alex davis marty branagan shieann ackroyd lucy froud carleigh wallace cassarndra slade-potts elke henderson megan croft aiden robb ellie smith chris ryan david stevenson-relf sam smith jessica kennedy sean o’malley constance chatterley kirsty raines ashley pianco melanie eve pease uni4me

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 item published in the paper, write a letter and we will be glad to print it.

All contributions must include name and contact details however we may not be able to individually reply to each contributor.

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our readers can tolerate a degree of satire and the odd swear word, but anything containing unnecessary profanity will not be published.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.

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 Student Media Hub with Tune!FM 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!

contents.

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2, MARCH 2015

Editorial // 03 UNESA President’s Report // 04 Annabelle’s Welcome // 05 News // 06 Wanna Hear a Joke? Parking at UNE // 14 Why Marijuana Could Save the Australian Economy // 15 Northern Tablelands Election Special // 16 Orientation Week 2015 // 20 UNE #nohomo? // 22 Opinion - My Uterus is None of Your Business // 24 Opinion - The Great Mail Robbery // 24 Letters to the Editor // 26 Reviews & Advice // 27 Reviews // 28 GOON! // 29 Naughty Bits // 30 Mardi Gras // 31 College Cuisine with Ashley Pianco // 32 Just Ask // 34 Cards Against Humanity // 35

.editorial JOHN SHIRLEY

Hello and welcome to the 2nd edition of Nucleus for 2015.

It’s only been four weeks since classes started and already the pressure has started to mount.

Assignment dates are looming, essays are nearly due, and all those online exams, my gosh… not to mention all the crazy antics of ‘O’-week, the hugs ‘Stro nights, and the college pub nights.

It’s safe to say that UNE has kicked off in a big way this year. Are you guys feeling alright? You look like you need a rest, so why not take this chance to kick back and catch up on what’s been happening on and around campus.

Since releasing the last edition, we’ve had the distinct privilege to welcome a new edition to the team here at Nucleus! Cassandra Keogh has come on board as our Assistant Editor in charge of content. One of the greatest advantages to having Cassandra on board is her presence in the colleges! So if you have any questions, or hear of anything weird going on down there, let her know.

The 2 biggest issues coming up this month are the parking situation at UNE and the upcoming state elections, but fear not! We haven’t filled every page with stories about piles of parking fines and political promises to end them. We’ve also packed in some goon, weed, and ants ;-) So sit back, relax, and dig out those Doritos.

important notices.

GRADUATION

SCIENCE; HEALTH; MEDICINE

20 MARCH EDUCATION

21 MARCH

LAW; UNE BUSINESS AWARDS

27 MARCH

ARTS; HUMANITIES; BEHAVIOURAL COGNITIVE & SOCIAL SCIENCE

28 MARCH CENSUS DAY 31 FEBRUARY

Much love, Your Ed’s

LECTURES END 2 APRIL Hello!!!

I am excited about my appointment on the Nucleus editorial team but it hasn’t come without a rocky start. Phone interviews in a car in a strange small town are never a good idea; people think you are talking to yourself and get worried. They then begin to pace around your car!

I come from a small coastal town called Evans Head and I have recently turned 20. End of the teenage years for me! I am starting my third year of a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws! I know most people cringe at the thought of studying law but for me I find it exhilarating.

EASTER 3 -6 APRIL INTENSIVE SCHOOLS START 7 APRIL LECTURES RECOMMENCE 20 APRIL

The prospect of an argument gets my adrenalin running! I also enjoy political debates, sport and crime mystery shows #livingontheedge. I like to think I’m funny but people laugh when I’m serious and not when I’m intentionally being funny, so who really knows!

I am looking forward to the year ahead! I am sure UNE will be full of events, issues to cover and plenty of caffeine for us to consume. Bring it on!

Cheers, Cassie Nucleus acknowledges the Aniwan people who are the traditional owners of the land University of New England is situated on.

Nucleus would like to advise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers that this issue may contain images and names of deceased persons.

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We would also like to pay our respects to elders, both past & present and extend that respect to other Aboriginal people.

UNESA is here to stay.

MARCH REPORT DAVID MAILLER - UNESA PRESIDENT

We are already in the third week of the first Trimester which is hard to believe. On behalf of the UNE Student Association, welcome to the hurricane of trimester study and Good luck on this year’s study adventure. One piece of advice to all students is that while study is important, university is, and should be, so much more, so take advantage of the extra-curricular social and sporting activities throughout the year. The older I get the more important life and work balance becomes and the harder it seems to attain.

On a positive note, the student association is full of optimism for the future and sure the University will take the opportunity to respect the importance of the UNE Student Association. UNE life has an opportunity to resolve its relationship with UNESA positively, and the board members of UNESA are committed to ensuring the student association remains independent so it can fulfil its obligations to UNE under the Higher Education Support Act (HESA). It has been particularly pleasing to see there has been acknowledgement among a few of the senior management that some of the past objectives of senior managers at UNE were to overwhelm and destroy the student association.

The first step in a resolution is to acknowledge the issue wholly.

Part of the HESA refers to certain obligations that every university has in relation to the students, their representation, and also student advocacy. The act refers to adequate resourcing and the student association. Student advocacy is an important function of the federal education legislation and the contracts the university has with the commonwealth.

The UNESA board is committed to ensuring UNE students continue to have access to quality independent advocacy in relation to the Higher Education Provider (HEP).

UNE has been slow to resolve adequate resourcing and the largest part of this operational and administrative role remains reliant on the goodwill of students. It should be noted that UNESA and the board has remained intent on being part of the solution, which has been evident in all its short history. The endemic toxic culture of ‘shooting the messenger’ that I have witnessed in my years at UNE has in the past few weeks been stymied and throttled back. This provides some hope that the current senior management has shifted from management to leadership. It might be too early to call, though eternal optimism is a far healthier place to be. It is a credit to the elected student representatives and their commitment to UNE and its students that UNESA exists.

The UNESA board has repeatedly committed to work cooperatively with UNE senior management on how we can, together, meet the specific higher education service act advocacy obligations, and despite the outcome of the March 28th state election UNE students are and will continue to be well represented.

DESIGN PRINT POST freecall 1300 853 700 email sales@evansprinting.com.au 215 Mann Street Armidale www.evansprinting.com.au

your local printer proudly suporting the Nucleus

.Welcome to Students ANNABELLE DUNCAN - UNE VICE CHANCELLOR

Welcome back or welcome to UNE. It is wonderful to have a full cohort of students back on campus, and it is always a pleasure to have a student buzz around the campus again. 2015 should be a busy and interesting year for us. The new ‘Stro is in action, construction of the new Agriculture building has begun, we recently opened the refurbished Tamworth Study Centre, and we will be opening the new SMART farm building in a few weeks. The colleges are busy as always, and new catering arrangements at the colleges seem to have been very warmly received, judging from the responses of the students I have spoken to.

The uncertainty in the Federal sphere persists, with the fate of the proposed higher education “reforms” being unknown. Current speculation in the press suggests the proposed changes will not pass in this current Parliamentary session, in which case it is unlikely that any changes will be implemented next year.

Nevertheless, there has been a continual erosion of Government funding to Universities over the past 20 years or so. All Universities are trying to offer the same high quality student experience and conduct the same high quality research with much less money. I do not think this is likely to get better, regardless of what happens with the proposed legislation. Recent data indicates that Australian spending on tertiary education is about on par with the average for OECD countries, and this will be taken as a reason not to invest more Federal funds into the sector.

So we need to think about what our future will be. Without financial viability we cannot do the things that we need to do, such as constantly upgrade our course material and our technology, improve our on-campus accommodation, and support leading research.

Over the next few months, we will be working on a new UNE Strategic Plan for 2016 to 2020, and I am aiming to circulate a rough draft later this month. It is, ultimately, my responsibility to develop this plan and to present it to Council for approval, but I believe the most important part of strategic planning is the process itself, rather than the final plan. It is in the planning process that people’s hopes, aspirations, and vision for the University are taken into account, and it is where we get buy in to the final plan.

As a starting point for this process, I believe we must recognise the historic commitment of rural and regional Australians to both scientific innovation and to a rich and diverse economic, cultural, and social environment by conducting high quality research across a broad range of disciplines. We need to ensure that we continue to offer affordable degrees and produce graduates equipped with the skills required of global citizens, leaders, and thinkers in the twenty-first century, just as we did so well in the twentieth century.

Above all, we need to maintain an inclusive and dynamic culture of teaching, learning and research across the university.

With all of this in mind, I wish to reiterate that you as students are our most important priority at UNE. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that you enjoy the best possible university experience this year and for the years to come. I wish you all the very best for the commencement and continuation of this academic year.

artwork by Melissa Jones

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ROBB & AUSTIN SHACK UP ALEX DAVIS

Since February, Robb College has been split across three colleges, Drummond and Smith, Earle Page, and Austin College. Austin has 49 Robb Students this year. Robb has a very prominent culture and is a huge part of UNE. It can be said that all colleges were nervous, especially Robb, in how this ‘split-up’ arrangement would work and how would everyone work together.

Initially, the residents had their concerns; we had never had much to do with Robb. So far there has been more co-operation than disagreement and everyone seems to be getting along. This is the situation and we may as well make the best of it!

Early on in this new relationship the friendly Robb residents invited the host college positon holders to a barbeque and introduced themselves over a few beers.

Thus far Robb have done a fantastic job in managing the changes of this year, especially in having to compromise to work with other college’s practices and rules.

A highlight of the new arrangement was being able to see the Robb Freshers and the deteriorating state of their fire-helmets in the Walters Dinning hall as O-week progressed. These helmets are a part of the Robb culture in O-Week, something Austin has never had. It was great for the Austin Residents to be able to experience the Robb culture.

The smokers table in the courtyard has become the intercollege hangout, and the once solitary Austin smokers have now developed into Ambassadors between the colleges.

On behalf of Austin we would like to welcome Robb and we hope that you might be interested in versing us in a game of Noona (our unique courtyard rugby-like sport) soon.

ANNA CREECY

Moving into college is a harrowing experience enough; I know I’m not alone in my thoughts.

In the lead up to moving from city to country, Freud would have had a field day with my dreams of running around naked, taking the form of a baby in a classroom, or being spoon fed and blindfolded while laughter surrounded me.

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Yes, I actually had those dreams.

It goes without saying that Robb College has a reputation that extends all the way to Sydney.

With that in mind, being thrown into the deep end and nestled in another college with very few of your fellow Robbers becomes a little bit stressful.

Boy, was I wrong. Austin College, have been more than welcoming to all the Robbers. As a smoker, our little yellow lined smoking area has inadvertently become a dual-college social hub.

Outside of Robb, the jovial JCR committee and their plethora of activities have kept our contact with Robb members and Robb spirit alive. Although we sleep apart, you still feel very much apart of a family.

As for Austin, 99% of you have been an absolute pleasure. From just a wee smile as we both dispose of our dirty laundry in the laundry room, or the ever constant offers of names and handshakes makes us feel as much a part of Austin as we are of Robb.

Obviously not everyone is pleased with the situation; neither are we. And for that 1% who has made that abundantly clear, I do hope that they see reason and join in on the movement.

Whether we like it or not, this is the situation.

From all of the Robbers of West Court, I’d like to thank Austin for, so far, taking lemons, making lemonade, and sharing it around over some good banter.

Also included are the precise collection data needed to make the collection scientifically valuable. This kind of data is critical as a background for studies around the effects of climate change, ecosystem management and soil heath among other things – after all, it’s the little things that run the world.

All the ants that are sent in are carefully sorted and pinned by a team of volunteers here at UNE, forming a reference collection that will eventually span the whole of Australia. So far we’ve built up a good collection of New England ants, which form the basis of the two illustrations featured here.

The artists, Danielle and Melissa, are two Zoology students who are working with School of Ants to create a series of identification images that can be used in the resource kits handed out to schools and tree groups. Others in the team have been cataloguing and identifying the ants, a slow process given the small number of volunteers.

With the hundreds of specimens coming in from across the country, we always need extra hands.

Whether you’re interested in animals, learning practical lab and ecology skills, taking entomology this trimester (trust me, the more practice you get pinning insects the better! It’s oh-so-easy to accidentally destroy that perfect butterfly you found), getting valuable months of ‘experience’ before applying for that graduate position, just after the NEA points or thrilled by the possibility of discovering a new species (is that not the coolest thought ever?), School of Ants Australia is worth checking out.

For more information on the project, visit

WHAT IS THIS? A SCHOOL FOR ANTS? MELISSA JONES

CALLING FOR WORKERS Something exciting is afoot in the Zoology Department. Lions? Tigers? Elephants? No… ants!

If you don’t think ants are exciting (yet), then read on – you obviously just haven’t heard of School of Ants.

School of Ants Australia is a citizen science project being headed by Dr. Kirsti Abbott, a lecturer in entomology and zoology at UNE. School students (and interested adults) all around Australia are invited to send in ants collected following the simple, standardised instructions given on the website.

http://schoolofants.net.au/, ‘like’ the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/schoolofantsOz for updates, or drop into the Z3 lab (opposite the Zoology Museum) on Tuesday mornings between 9am and 12pm to catch the volunteers working as hard as – well, ants.

External and overseas? Check out the School of Ants initiatives in North Carolina and Italy.

artwork by Melissa Jones

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news

NATIVE VEGETATION FORUM

MARTY BRANAGAN

On 12 February, UNE hosted a forum about possible changes to legislation that cover NSW’s native vegetation. The NSW Farmers Association has welcomed the proposed changes (including the condensing of several pieces of legislation into one) based on a review led by former productivity commissioner Dr Neil Byron. However, a range of environmental groups including the World Wildlife Fund, National Parks Association and Total Environment Centre have condemned the review.

Australia’s unique environment consists of numerous endemic species which interact in ways that science still struggles to understand fully. These ecosystems had built up a delicate balance of relationships over millennia, but they have been severely impacted since 1788. Nevertheless, oases of native vegetation remain as important homes for many species of flora and fauna which are threatened by local or total extinction.

The Native Vegetation Act was introduced in 2003, building on 1990s legislation, to stop what scientists and community members saw as a disastrous rate of land clearing, and because Australia is signatory to international environmental agreements that impose obligations on a nation to act. This has been contentious, with many farmers arguing that the legislation is too restrictive, while conservationists believe it is necessary, and some believe it could go further.

Matters came to a head last year when Glen Turner, an Office of Environment officer, was shot and killed near Moree. A landowner has been charged with Mr Turner’s murder, following an alleged dispute over land-clearing.

Some believe that changes to the act, which were already being considered, are needed even more now because of this killing.

Mr Turner’s colleagues, however, argue that changing legislation because of this action would only condone violence, and encourage more.

They claim that regulations need to be clear and enforced without fear or favour; instead governments and public service heads have allegedly often sent ambiguous messages to appease their current audience (farmers or conservationists), ultimately playing one side off against the other.

The forum After a Welcome to Country by Anaiwan Elder Steve Widders, who stated that Aboriginal people have been debating and resolving similar issues for millennia, a range of speakers presented various viewpoints before the forum broke into smaller groups. The forum facilitators encouraged people to seek out and converse with people from different perspectives, and to try to understand where they were coming from. This seemed a beneficial process, leading to some constructive dialogue. With ground-rules set early the conversations were respectful, despite very different (and passionately-held) views being expressed.

Speakers included Rob Stokes, state Minister for the Environment, who argued for decentralisation and devolution of powers. Attendees, however, queried whether there would be funding and training of staff to achieve this. Many Local Land Services and Councils are already cashstrapped and overburdened, so who will do or pay for the new work? Will new people be employed? Why not keep a department that already has trained people and existing funding arrangements?

A significant theme was that farmers feel that they were not trusted – that legislation was rushed into place without consultation because the legislators feared (perhaps justifiably) that any delay would lead to massive clearing. Many farmers feel that they do the right thing conservation-wise but are not rewarded for their efforts, and are tied up in bureaucracy or penalised for supposedly minor infractions. If they are preserving biodiversity and carbon sinks for the benefit of the whole of society, shouldn’t they get recognition and financial reward for this?

Biobanking and biodiversity offsets were proposed as an option, but one attendee asked if these offsets will be appropriate, given the questionable offsets provided by the coal corporation Whitehaven to allow the clearing of the publicly-owned Leard State Forest at Maules Creek, near Narrabri. (These offsets are of a different forest type and at a much higher altitude.)

Another speaker, Wendy Hawes, asked ‘Who’s going to tell the animals about the offset area?

How are they going to get there?’, adding that it is like knocking down a third of a town and telling the displaced people just to move (across a hostile desert) into houses in another town and share their food.

Another attendee claimed that a new offsetting scheme would just mean that forest that couldn’t be knocked down (under the current legislation) will be used as offsets for knocking down forests elsewhere. Overall, there would be a loss of vegetation, and so an impact on climate change and probably on biodiversity.

With world leaders such as Barrack Obama claiming that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity (150,000 people are already dying each year from it, according to the World Health Organisation), it seems extraordinary that the review of the legislation didn’t consider its climate implications.

Another theme was the inequity in government policy, where wealthy politically-connected farmers or miners get away with massive clearing (or pay fines as part of their costs) while small farmers can’t even clear a single tree from an airstrip.

The solutions suggested were for corporations to be forced to abide by the same regulations that govern everyone else, or for farmers to be allowed to clear as easily as corporations.

If the latter happens, there will be a backlash from conservationists, and the conflict will continue. Nevertheless, the organisers of this forum should be commended for bringing diverse people into a room to discuss these issues, sit down with ‘the enemy’, and work together to develop constructive ideas for conflict transformation.

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une MAULES CREEK

MARTY BRANAGAN

The 250 strong Bat Attack convergence have taken their protest festival to the Leard State Forest with a rally declaring that they will ‘never let this happen again’. The protest comes as Whitehaven Coal recommences clearing in the critically endangered Leard State Forest.12 people have locked down bulldozers destined to clear the forest, and 200 people rally at the gates to the mine with a giant Grim Reaper puppet and signs reading “Coal is Dead”.

The gathering are calling for a halt to forest clearing activity, and are sending a clear message to Mike Baird: “never again”, The project has been plagued by protest for over two years now, with over 300 arrests, including fifth-generation farmer Rick Laird and former Wallabies captain David Pocock.

news

Spokesperson for the Leard Forest Alliance, Ros Druce, said “There is a state election in six weeks, and Mike Baird needs to know that the unfinished business of mining reform in New South Wales will haunt his Government until it is resolved.”

The Leard Forest Alliance have consistently called for an overhaul of mining approval processes and an end to mining company political donations in the wake of the approval of the (scandal plagued) Maules Creek mine project.

Further Information: Ros Druce, Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson, 0427 826 188 Phil Evans, Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson, 0490 064 139 Website with pictures updates frontlineaction.org/leard-state-forest-clearinghalted-bat-attack-protesters/ Twitter updates @FLACCoal and #LeardBlockade.

“There are precious remnant woodlands proposed to be cleared for coal mines elsewhere in New South Wales, and other communities fighting large new mines as big as this one. The thousands of people that have come to Maules Creek will now spread out across the state and they will never let the coal industry and the New South Wales Government do this again.”

Police and Police Rescue are on the scene at the Bulldozer site.

artwork by ShiShi

uni4me independent advocacy.

Has the University Written to You? Might You be in Trouble?

Uni4Me Independent Advocacy is here to help you.

If the University contacts you about: plagiarism misconduct show cause Uni4Me INDEPENDENT Advocates can assist you to respond and work out an overall plan to get you back on track!

We are totally INDEPENDENT from the University. Anything you tell us is completely confidential.

Uni4Me can also advise you about any APPEALS of assignment, exam or overall unit results.

We cannot always get the outcome you want, yet we always do our best to help you improve your situation.

Drop into the Uni4Me office top courtyard next to the Student Media Hub phone us on (02) 6773 2506 or email uni4me@une.edu.au

PLAGIARISM TIP from Uni4Me Talking about you unit work, including assignments requirements, with other students is great for learning. There is nothing wrong with studying together and helping each other with the general knowledge and skills of the unit. The risk of plagiarism can arise if you cross the line into sharing your actual assessment work with fellow students - including just small parts of it.

Do NOT ever share your completed or near-completed assignments - or even small parts of them - with other students!

Do NOT ever ask a fellow student for their work or near-completed assignment work!

It can be ‘all too easy’ when rushing to meet assignment deadlines, when the pressure is on and stress levels are high, to cross the line from gaining insight and inspiration to COPYING. Avoid this ONE plagiarism risk by NOT sharing assignments - simple as that.

To increase your confidence about ALL risks and types of plagiarism do the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) of UNE101.

For more info about the AIM got to http://www.une.edu.au/current-students/resources/academic-skills/plagiarism

une MAILLER FOR MEMBER

JOHN SHIRLEY

UNESA’s president, David Mailler, has thrown his hat in the ring in a bid to become the next Northern Tablelands member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

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David has shown just what a student at our university is capable of, and his trials over the past few months have been nothing short of substantial. David’s advice for all those still deciding who to vote for is this: “Get in contact with the candidates and ask them questions. If they truly care about your vote they will respond.”

We would like to wish him well in the upcoming election.

The Australian Eurovision contestant for 2015 is none other than Guy Sebastian, who recently announced the song he will be performing, which is titled ‘Tonight Again’. This announcement has been received with mixed feelings and has us wondering if this will be the Fairytale we’ve always hoped for, or if we will see Only Teardrops.

EURO-FEVER

No idea who he is?

David has been married to his wife Clare for 22 years, is a father of three, and has spent the majority of his life as a grain producer between Goondiwindi and Moree. David believes that generational transfer is one if the biggest issues we face as a society, which has developed into a particularly keen interest in Agricultural sustainability. To that end, David began his Bachelor of Sustainability at UNE in 2011.

Over the last few months David has had to juggle family life, work, studies, and his election campaign, which has sent him across the length and breadth of the Northern Tablelands electorate.

JOHN SHIRLEY

Around this time of the year, a strange feeling of Euphoria begins to descend on the Australian people. A feeling that makes us Rise Like a Phoenix and Fly on the Wings of Love. Eurovision is right around the corner, and for the first time since its inception in 1956 Australia has been invited to compete!

This opportunity is a ‘once-off wildcard entry in the finals’ and as such has granted Australia both a great privilege and burden. With so many talented Australian artists like Sia, Kylie Minogue, Gotye, and Iggy Azalea, it seemed as if the selectors would be spoilt for choice. The selection committee came to a decision at the start of March.

VALE SIR TERRY PRATCHETT

Sir Terry Pratchett, the author of the hugely popular series Discworld, passed away surrounded by his family on the 12th March 2015.

Sir Terry Pratchett released over 50 books during his illustrious career, with titles such as: The Carpet People (1971), Going Postal (2004), Hogfather (1996), and the award winning Discworld series. These works earned him a large number of awards including 9 honorary doctorates, the Carnegie Medal from the British librarians, and, most notably, his knighthood for services to literature in 2009.

Sir Terry Pratchett will be missed by readers and authors across the world.

2015 UNE MURAL DESIGN COMPETITION Entry forms must be emailed to uneskillstradesociety@gmail.com or handed in to Uni4me by 25th March Name

Student No.

Course

Year

Email

ON/OFF Campus

Phone

Describe/Explain your mural design:

Design Brief!

– What makes you happy?

– What does “community” mean to you?

– What do you enjoy most about UNE?

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Location!

Got a specific wall or space on campus in mind for your mural idea? Tell us how you think your mural design would improve this location!

Winning Prize $100 gift voucher for UNE Bookshop. “Skills Trade Pack” including t-shirt, travel mug, and other goodies. Feature in the Nucleus.

Certificate of appreciation plus uni-wide renown as the winning mural designer! Name of winning designer will be included in the finished mural.

Winning designer will be notified after March 25th Helpful consultations with UNE Skills Trade Society and collaborating professional mural artist will follow to fine-tune the winning design to suit a specific wall. Mural painting will commence ASAP. All students welcome to participate in the painting process!

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news Tip #2: Sign up for plenty of hobbies and activities!

I know this is typical advice that you will undoubtedly hear from every ‘overager’, but it is too commonly passed off as invaluable. To emphasise it’s significance I’m going to write it again in capitals: SIGN UP FOR THINGS. There are heaps of chances to sign up for things during O-week which, as an ‘underager’, can be very advantageous.

By joining in and singing up, you are not only taking an opportunity to meet heaps of new people who enjoy the same thing as you, but you are also giving yourself an excuse not to be pressured into drinking! Your RF will also probably like you a lot more which can be handy in case you do commit something naughty.

Tip #3: Don’t be scared of The Head of College or the position holders!

LUCY FROUD

There are two kinds of people at college: those who are underage and those who are not. This division of residents begins the very moment you step onto college grounds.

It doesn’t help that your parents will probably want a photo of you in front the entire extremely-good-looking college position holders, or that you have to keep reminding everyone that you’re underage when they talk about the countless parties being organised; but, believe it or not, it doesn’t end there. You are the minority. You won’t know how to look after yourself; you won’t be able to cook Mi Goreng Noodles or use the washing machine. You will lose every important college item that you own multiple times and if you like to live life on the edge you may get caught drinking alcohol by the college president (which is very illegal – don’t do it). But, while that pretty much sums up the negatives of an underage O-week, the list of positives can potentially be much longer…

It simply depends on what you make of your situation.

Tip #1: Socialise in the commo and you will learn!

When I arrived at Austin College on the Sunday morning before O-week, I was bloody terrified. Not necessarily of leaving home or my parents, but rather of the highly likely event that I would soon die of malnutrition. I could not (cannot) cook to save myself. However, by 7:30pm that evening after a decent 2-hour window to eat as much as I could from the buffet in the dining hall, I felt revived enough to starting learning new things. By the following Sunday my experienced elders had taught me how to cook Mi Goreng, pasta and nachos using a single microwave. My mind was blown.

Finally, if your RF is as wicked as mine, there will be plenty of ways that they will find to include you in the happenings of O-week.

Take for example, the punishment of tabasco shots, the ‘Dobby Costume’ and the 6:00am wake-up calls – they are very creative with inflicting pain on all freshers. Don’t be intimidated by the stunning position holders or the endlessly intelligent Accy mentors.

Fear not if you cannot cook, or do your own washing powder, or find your way around, or join in on the drinking.

Just remember, your fellow ‘overagers’ will always be there to help make sure you only do things ‘if you want to’.

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UNDERAGE ORIENTATION WEEK

Okay, maybe be a little scared – there isn’t much that goes on at Austin that The Head of College and the position holders don’t know about. However, more often than not, they are perfectly happy to have a casual chat with you and will do their best to help in any way possible. During O-week there are still a bunch of things to do as an underager that the position holders organise and while you may just want to hang out with everyone else, you can usually do just that! The position holders are generally not as mean as the façade they put on would indicate so just be social during O-week and all will be well.

yarn up.

CARLEIGH WALLACE & CASSARNDRA SLADE-POTTS

Many people don’t know about the little oasis for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students behind the Arts building, known as the Oorala Centre. This sanctuary provides academic support for on and off campus students. For many of these students including the beautiful writers of this article, Oorala is a home away from home. It is a safe and supportive environment that allows students to study freely, and develop friendships. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have access to Oorala 24/7, which is extremely helpful for late night study sessions and during exam periods! We even have a kitchen and lounging area, for those mid-study breaks.

Oorala provides many facilities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students such as the ITAS program, where students are able to access tutors in their field of study, and guidance and information about available scholarships. They also have a Facebook page, where events and opportunities for students can be found regularly, and can be reached at 1800 622 384 to assist students in whatever ways they can. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly, and for many students they are almost like family. They love seeing students around Oorala, and are always up for a chat!

ORIENTATION WEEK 2015 During O-Week, the Oorala Centre held a stall during Lifesaver Day outside the doors of Dixson Library. Their goal was to give the 160 new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students relevant information for their study, accommodation needs, and directions around campus. Returning students (Cassarndra Slade-Potts, Carleigh Wallace, Maya Swift and Bruce Cohen) ran the stall, with the help of Oorala staff member Tonia Ryan. Having returning students run the stall was great for new students, as it allowed them to get to know some faces that they would be seeing regularly at Oorala.

Another event that was held during O-Week was ‘Yarn-Up’. This event gave attendees an opportunity to meet with local Aboriginal community members and Elders, students from local high schools, first-year advisors, and a plethora of services available to them at both UNE and within Armidale itself, all within a relaxed and friendly environment, while eating a BBQ lunch. This day was a huge success, with over 100 people in attendance and many signing up for the variety of opportunities available.

Amongst the many things you’ve read so far, the Oorala Centre helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to connect with their ancestry. The Centre connects past and present generations across Australia with a culture so rich and vast that it cannot be put into words. There are so many fantastic things happening at the Centre, and students should definitely come and be a part of it.

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The Oorala Centre, the place where people come together.

this next section contains adult content!!!

FEATURES

want to hear a joke? parking at UNE. ELKE HENDERSON

Well one thing can be said for sure about the University of New England. They care about the environment. One can assume as much by what must clearly be a stance on increasing our university’s global footprint. We all know it’s those pesky cars that rack up CO2 emissions and put holes in our ozone layer. Now nobody wants that. So what better way to fix the issue than to minimise a person’s ability to bring a car to university? Ingenious! No carpark = no car = no worries! Yet for some strange reason everyone seems to have an issue with the parking situation here, and I can’t imagine why.

I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that UNE isn’t actually interested in sustaining the environment, but more so sustaining their pockets. So sarcasm aside, we’re onto real talk. I arrived at UNE in 2012 and found parking to already be quite the joke. Planning on arriving to class on time? Better leave 30 minutes early to find a park. In fact you better make that 45 minutes because IF you did end up finding one, you’re going to need that extra 15 minutes of walking time. Finding a park in the close vicinity of your lecture building has become the equivalent of winning the lottery 5 times over.

Actually, you probably still have a greater chance of winning those millions. Now of course carpooling is the way to go, yet I hope you’re prepared to get in an all-out brawl with your mates over who will spend all that time driving around up top, and also risk not getting a park on return to college.

And what about the townies? Those poor things barely have an opportunity for carpooling!

Now if 2012 parking was a joke, fast forward to 2015 and it’s climbed the ladder of fame to being a world class comedy act! Up top parking is still as frivolous as ever but at on-campus living, it may as well be non-existent. College parking was certainly still part of the joke in 2012. There were 8 colleges and yet only enough car parks for about 2. Now some high up jokester thought it’d be a right laugh to build another college that holds over 200 people, and only add an extra 30 parks. What is logic? Now I’m no mathematician but I have used a calculator quite a few times in my day and those numbers just don’t seem to add up. At all. So riddle me this UNE, why the hell would you put in a contract for another college but not another substantial car park? You already couldn’t cater for the colleges that were here! Now we understand the initial purpose of Wright College was to house Robb while their renovations went through, but that didn’t exactly pan out did it? Instead Robb is spread out over 3 colleges and there is now an empty carpark by an abandoned college. The reality is nobody wants to park over in the Robb car park. It’s far away. It’s dark. It’s not safe. Now I don’t know about you but I reckon that big patch of grass behind Wright College would look a whole lot nicer with a giant slab of concrete and white lines over it.

There are over 1000 students living on campus, yet the University only sees fit to have enough car parks for half. “It’s OK,” they say, “most people won’t even bring a car.” Now there again is some highly flawed logic if I’ve seen some. Where exactly is it that UNE thinks on campus students come from?

What? We all lived in Armidale and just decided to spend thousands upon thousands a year to live in college because it’d be fun? Excluding the odd few, the vast, vast, majority of students live over 2 hours away and require a car for at least transport to and from their home town. On that note, have you ever met a girl? Have you ever seen the inside of a girl’s college room? Did notice how much crap she owned? Believe it or not, we need that crap.

And we need a car to cart that crap here. All I can say is thank God for no longer having to pack up my room in between holidays any more.

“It’s OK,” they say, “people can walk up top because it’s healthier anyway.” Hah! Give me a break. We all know the only thing you’re interested in is lining your pockets with the dollars we spend on parking permits. The price of which seems pretty damn steep for something we’re not guaranteed. I’d say it’s safe to say our health is at the bottom of UNE’s priority list, along with our safety. Because here is the reality of this situation: Armidale is f**king freezing in winter. Only a polar bear would be caught walking up top in that weather. It’s like UNE wants us to get hyperthermia! Second of all, nobody wants to walk up in the rain. Ever. Third, the lighting is terrible. If you think for one second I’d feel safe walking from up top at night, you clearly lack all form of intelligence. And what about all those people who work in town, come back at a late hour, and have to basically park in Uralla?

On the walk back to college from their car they may as well wear a sign that says “Mug me”. The eerie lighting of the footpaths and carparks hold the makings for a B grade horror movie. C’mon UNE, if you’re not going to provide us with enough car parks, at least provide us with rape whistles.

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.why marijuana could save the australian economy ANNA CREECY

What do over 30% of Australians, the people of Woodstock, your parents during the 70’s and Michael Phelps all have in common? Can’t guess? Weed.

Yeah, that’s right, marijuana. Whatever you call it and however you take it, The Australian Bureau of Statistics believes that over 70% of Australians have at some point in their lives seen, come into contact, or known about it. This, statistically, makes it the most commonly used illegal substance in the country. Trust me, there is a point.

My next question: What do you think is the most talked about political issue in Australia at this current time? The economy! Slashing university funding, GP co-payments, and even slashing weekend penalty rates seems to be the only ideas our government have come up with; and, might I add, increasing the contributions to the Australian Ballet. Now although I come from a performing arts background, I really don’t think this is fair.

However, as a university student, who still can’t understand why letters need to be in mathematics, I believe I’ve solved the problem. Tax the hippies!

Seems like those daydreaming, kite flying beatniks up in Byron and Nimbin have been onto something far longer than the educated, well-respected leaders of our country. Here, as follows are the reasons why The Australian Economy would be saved if we legalised and taxed weed!

So here are the facts: Over a third of Australians have smoked weed.

11% of those admit to smoking weed on daily basis. That’s roughly 750,000 honest people in the country.

An ounce of weed costs around $200 The estimated weekly usage rage of weed is 735 kg. That’s about 39 tonnes per year.

With a bit of Maths and hey presto – you can estimate, on a weekly basis $5200000 of money floats through untaxed per week.

Are you starting to see my theory? Lets have a look at a few more numbers • If you put a GST tax on the sale of marijuana, you would be able to inject a further 520 000 per week into the economy just on sales tax alone.

Thus, per year, that’s just over $2.7 billion.

• If there as a further tax on licence sales for venues and individuals, assuming they’d be taxed the same way a driver’s licence would, that’s $750

000 income per month.

So, sales taxes are obviously the way to go. But how about the offset increases? Lets look at a few of them.

Hospitality: • Scooby-doo taught me one thing as a child. High people like to eat. Commonly known as the munchies, a high person develops an incurable desire to eat everything and anything. Judging from Scooby-Doo a common desire is fast food with sweet things? Don’t ask, I don’t get it either. But if people all over Australia were happily smoking weed, I think more would be happily venturing out into the public to cure their desires.

• Assuming the 750 000 people spent an extra $30 per week on munchies food, that’s an extra 11.7 billion per year worth of hungry peoples

money going back into economy. God bless those hungry hippies.

These numbers seem to be adding up quite nicely don’t they? But wait, there’s more. Lets have a look at the case study on tourism increases to Denver, Colorado.

• In late 2013 Denver, Colorado legalised the restricted sale and use of controlled weed. This means to buy, use, and sell you needed to be over 21 with a licence. Also, the weed itself was actually controlled, with a restriction of 100 mg of THC per ounce. Safety-first kids.

• During 2014, Colorado’s tourism increased by a whopping 37% from their pre-weed days. That’s a whole lot people wanting a joint over their morning coffee.

• Optimistically if Australia had the same increase on their average tourism numbers, that’s another measly 28 billion on top of our already impressive tourism intake. I feel as though smoking a joint then seeing the Barrier Reef would be a profitable thought from the smoker and tokers of the world.

So these seem just a few ways that the legalisation of weed would help the economy. But think of the jobs, infrastructure; the medical and retail industries that would benefit in order to cope with the new wave of people coming through to reap the benefits of all the happy high herbs floating through our great nation.

And thus leads me to one final figure. Just from sales tax, licensing taxes, the hospitality and tourism industries, you could inject a monstrous $42.4 billion into the Australian economy.

So what’s stopping the government from doing this? I mean, I know everyone has a price, but surely they’re not dumb enough to deny $42.4 billion per year? Is it the crime? You’re going to want hear this.

Whether you smoke it, eat it, put it in your tea, or rub it on your body weed seems to be a favourite choice for one third of our nation.

Mr Tony Abbott, if you’re listening I hope you’re twiddling your thumbs and your creepy ear hair is twitching at the thought of all that money going through your well educated hands. The figures speak for themselves and I hope you listen.

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In 2009, 813,000 people died from alcohol related causes, including over dose and violence. In 2009, the rate of death for weed related causes, 172. Like I said, I’m no whizz at maths, but clearly there’s a message in these numbers.

MEET YOUR MEMBERS iii)The growing ratio of students to academic staff over the past few decades as well as the increase in the administrative duties of academic staff have increased work pressures and thus the lecturer’s availability for one-to-one student consultation. The working conditions of staff, as in all industries, have an impact on the quality of the service they deliver and the working conditions of academics are being constantly eroded.

DEBRA O’BRIEN Why are you running for parliament?

I am standing as a candidate for the State election because the Liberal National Party’s slashing and privatisation of many public services in education, health, housing and social support are depriving people of basic services and robbing them of educational opportunities. I believe that by investing in these services there are numerous long term benefits not just for individuals but also for communities. Shallow economic rationalist thinking that purports to save money by cutting services end up costing the economy and society more in the long run.

Why should people vote for you?

People should vote for me because I care what happens to the 98%. The elite already have plenty of people representing them, including the Liberal National Party.

If successful, what do you hope to achieve during your time in office?

If Labor succeeds, the cuts to TAFE funding and staff will be reversed, more nurses and paramedics will be employed, disability services will be improved, a moratorium on coal seam gas will be initiated and cuts to women’s shelters will also be reversed. There are numerous policies that will improve training, health and support services. If I am elected and the Liberal National Party wins the election, I will continue to fight against their savage cuts and their privatisation of public assets. Once these assets are gone, they are usually gone for good.

iv) The casualisation of the academic workforce has shown to have a negative effect on the chances of student success due to various factors such as lack of availability for student consultation, and limited time for preparation and staff training. v) The increased focus on vocational training with narrow industrial requirements as opposed to the development of critical thinking skills is eroding what it means to be educated. This affects not only the students’ capacity to tackle a changing world but also their ability to contribute to a fairer and more democratic society by challenging the status quo.

Education should be creating citizens able to change the world not just adapt to it.

How do you intend to address these issues?

The issues of most concern fall under the Federal jurisdiction, but fighting against privatisation of education is essential at all government levels. We can see it in universities with global training corporations encroaching on academic teaching with online courses that can be bought more cheaply than qualified staff. Education should stay a public service dedicated to educational goals, not profiteering.

Where will your preferences be going if you are unsuccessful?

I have preferenced the Greens first, then Independent David Mailler and the Nationals last.

What do you think are the top 5 issues students currently face? i) Affordability of university and student debt are urgent issues. The deregulation of the universities and interest rate changes on HECS debt will discourage low-income students from entering university. Who would have thought Australia would be facing $100,000 degrees? Yet here we are.

Modelling shows that it may take 36 years to pay off a HECS debt that currently only takes about 10 years. There will now be a built-in bias against graduates with carer responsibilities, which are usually women.

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ii) Insufficient student income support means students suffer the pressure of combining study and work, which may interfere with their university responsibilities. Also there is less time for students to develop or be involved in a broader university cultural/political/sporting life. Universities are nowhere near as interesting and exciting as they used to be, especially in developing opportunities to engage in social, cultural and political activities. Many of today’s leaders developed and honed their skills in the kind of university clubs that are now defunct in a climate that has a much narrower view of education.

DAVID MAILLER Why are you running for parliament?

“It’s about walking the talk” David Mailler and The Country Party are concerned with the lack of effective representation for rural and regional communities. Mr Mailler is hoping to marginalise the Northern Tablelands seat in order to get more attention focused towards rural and regional communities in an effort to attain services equitable to those of major centres such as Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.

Why should people vote for you?

Career politicians like Mr Marshall may have more experience with the political workings of the state, but they lack the experiences and empathy for local issues that can only be gained by living through them. David Mailler has worked the land for many years and came to the University of New England in order to study environmental sustainability as he is concerned that we have not been looking at what we will pass down to future generations, and have instead been consuming resources without thought of sustaining them for our children and grandchildren.

MERCURIUS GOLDSTIEN

If successful, what do you hope to achieve during your time in office?

My aim is to highlight rural and regional Australia as this is where 75%80% of Australia’s GDP comes from. To that end I hope to build respect among larger centres (Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong etc) for rural and regional communities and to attain equitable services for their residents.

What do you think are the top 5 issues students currently face, and how do you intend to address these issues?

1.

Access to tertiary education – Vocational education is important to upskilling and retraining young people in regional communities and providing local economic opportunity. I believe the wind back of vocational training in our electorate is undermining our ability to maintain viable and vibrant communities.

Why are you running for parliament?

Northern Tablelands needs a lively Greens movement to make the politicians in Sydney sit up and listen to our needs. Safe seats are safely ignored by both the Liberal-Nationals and Labor sides of politics, whereas a closely-contested seat will get positive attention from whoever is in government.

Why should people vote for you?

2.

The viability of small businesses – The small business sector accounts for approximately 2 million businesses and employs over 7 million people in Australia. Small business is a major determinant of the health of the economy and I intend to work to establish a consistent definition of small business in Australia that ensures competitive advantage for Australian small business.

A vote for the Greens is a vote for new jobs, innovation and investment in the renewable energy sector, a vote to permanently protect farmland from CSG and coal-mining, a vote to maintain essential public services and infrastructure in public hands and to save TAFE from cuts and closures.

3.

The ability to sustain oneself throughout their tertiary education This ties back in with the viability of small businesses, as most students seeking employment will be, and are, employed by small businesses like cafes and pubs. Most students, at some point in their academic career, realise that they need some form of gainful employment, and if small businesses keep taking hits the way they have in the past, then there will be nowhere for these students to go.

The Greens economic plan for renewable energy, affordable housing, upgraded public schools, TAFEs and hospitals can be achieved *without* the need to take on unsustainable debt or privatise our public assets. By simply maintaining certain business transaction taxes at their current levels and restoring previous levies on unproductive property investment income and automated poker-machines, the government will have sufficient revenue to reach for the 21st century industries and services we all need in NSW. A Greener government will also promote sustainable agriculture throughout NSW and protect our natural resources from unprofitable and unsustainable logging operations in state forests and national parks.

5.

Adequate health care According to ABS data, regional life expectancies are substantially lower than that of urban populations. The hospitals in our region have not seen significant investments in forty years and it is becoming increasingly difficult to access health services. Some patients are forced to travel significant distances to gain access to essential services.

I will advocate for recognition of equitable access to health services as a basic responsibility of government, and I will support community driven initiatives aimed at reducing social isolation.

Where are your preferences going?

Preferences in state elections are completely optional, and I have elected not to have any preferences. With that in mind, I encourage everyone that is voting to simply put a 1 in the box of your preferred candidate and leave it at that.

What do you think are the top 5 issues students currently face?

1. Debt - Greens recognise that people with higher education qualifications benefit all of society through your life-long contributions of skills and increased productivity. Instead of discouraging students from further study, we should be promoting more affordable educational opportunities so that we can all benefit from a highly educated working-age population.

2. Long-term job prospects - Greens want to develop in NSW the 21st century industries of renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, which will launch thousands of new careers for young people in innovative and growing industries, sustaining you through a lifetime of worthwhile and rewarding work.

3. Unaffordable housing - Greens will take pressure off rents and mortgages by promoting private home-ownership and socially-just public housing instead of the unproductive property investment casino that now exists in NSW.

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4.

Having effective representation I became of founding member of the Country Party of Australia to help shape our regional future. My aim is to restore rural and regional affairs to a position of viable prominence and respect within the Australian political landscape.

If successful, what do you hope to achieve during your time in office?

4. Removal of services - Earlier generations of students benefited from greater assistance for transport, health, employment and housing needs.

It’s unfair to ask the current generation of students to not only take on huge debts but also to miss out on the social services that were previously available. Greens will look after students better because we believe in “paying it forward” to the next generation of NSW citizens and workers.

5. Recognition and respect - Greens value every member of society without discriminating or ignoring the needs of the whole person. Greens promote recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Australian Constitution, marriage equality so that NSW citizens can marry the person they love, and equal social and economic participation rights for people with disabilities.

Where will your preferences be going if you are unsuccessful?

The choice of preferences is every individual voter’s right to make their own. I would encourage voters who support Greens policies to Vote 1 Green in Northern Tablelands and the Upper House, and then allocate their remaining preferences on the basis of how closely the other candi dates’ policies follow our own.

and also so that some of our key projects are followed through.

If successful, what do you hope to achieve during your time in office?

Armidale and Inverell rural referral hospital upgrades. Moree district hospital upgrade would follow, and that’s something I want to work on very strong in the next 4 year term. I want to see improvements to some of our smaller hospitals like Guyra MPS and Glen Innes district hospital with the addition of helipads, as well as some other improvements there. I want improvements to be made around transport infrastructure, particularly improvement work on waterfall way from Armidale to the coast, and the inclusion of flights from Armidale to Brisbane by Rex. I also want to help the council in redeveloping the airport and expanding the industrial park near the airport, which gives us the opportunity to attract new business and industry to Armidale.

What do you think are the top 5 issues students currently face?

1. The cost of living pressures.

2. Better health services.

3. Providing more gainful employment opportunities to young people in the region.

4. Affordable transport would be especially good for students and also the parents or friends that are travelling up here to see them.

5. Safety. Education around how to remain safe and keep your valuables safe, especially with the big spate of break-ins that has been occurring lately is something that I have seen a great need for recently.

How do you intend to address these issues?

ADAM MARSHALL Why are you running for parliament?

What drives me is a desire to try and improve things for rural communities, to use my role to try and help communities achieve their vision, fight for retention of services (and for their improvement), and the building of better infrastructure. I see my role as trying to help our communities achieve their goals by making sure all the ingredients, all the building blocks are there. So whether we look at health, education, transport infrastructure, emergency services, etc. my job is to make sure that they are there, but also to help communities to grow, to develop, to create more jobs, and ultimately give more opportunities for young people to stay. I also have some longer term projects for the electorate that I want to see through.

Why should people vote for you?

I just think that when people go to the polls, they actually think very carefully about their vote, regardless of who they vote for. But why do I think people should continue to support me? Because over the last 21 months I have brought a record amount of funding into the electorate for infrastructure, and hopefully by now we will have had a commitment from the government to redevelop Armidale rural referral hospital, and some other health infrastructure around the electorate. We’ve also seen a lot of money

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dedicated to improving local road infrastructure and a huge amount of education spending in our local schools. I think in the last 21 months our electorate has been firmly on the government’s agenda and I want to continue working in the government to make sure our voice is heard

By continuing to put pressure on the ACCC and also holding some of our local retailers and distributers to account who are just blindly ripping people off, and also educating the community to be more choosey as to where they purchase their fuel rather than just accepting whatever the price board says at your local fuel station.

In terms of health services, I’ve been working very hard with the health minister over the past 20 months to extract funding to redevelop Armidale Rural Referral hospital. That to me is absolutely essential and a key priority for not just Armidale, but also the surrounding region. That investment is long overdue.

In terms of safety for the community, one it’s about working the university about education, and we’ve already started in the last 12 months by having regular meetings with the representatives from the university, the International students association, and the police to make sure we’re on top of any of those sorts of safety issues. Making sure the police have the resources they need is also key. Having a dog unit in this region now has actually been key to the police making a number of arrests in relation to these break and enters.

I see one of my big roles as working with councils and businesses to try to help them grow and expand their operations to create more jobs for the community, which in turn will open up more opportunities for students to find employment during their time at university.

Where are you preferences going?

State elections are optional preferential, so you don’t have to number each box, and I’d be encouraging voters to just going in and vote for the candidate of their choice. Just vote 1.

If people want to put preferences down then that is completely up to them.

If they’re considering a vote for me them that’d be great, but I would just encourage people to go in and vote. Just put a 1 in the box and walk out.

Students actually have opinions on Political Issues!

CASSANDRA KEOGH

When you ask majority of college students about politics they laugh and say ‘boring!’ But this disengagement from the general political sphere doesn’t mean that we don’t have opinions about political issues. In fact we are probably some of the most forwardly opinionated people you will meet.

A lot of us we say exactly what we think when it comes to issues we are passionate about. But we are not often asked!

Marriage inequality! I just cannot understand why homosexual couples cannot be wed! Gender is no reason to discriminate! An atheist couple can marry in a church without any question, but a devoted religious gay couple cannot! My generation has grown up with change, change towards acceptance of all types of love and I do not question why someone is attracted to someone else. Why can’t homosexual couples have a wedding and be recognized by the law as married. Is it really that hard or harming to society?

Enough ranting why do I, and many others think marriage inequality is a major issue and why does it matter. There are many reasons.

Firstly, many same-sex couples want to marry and why is it our politician’s right to deny any human the right to marry who they love? They don’t just want to marry for love but also for security, to publicly display their commitment to each other and for protection, if they have children together. Secondly, the legal benefits that comes with marriage. It is easier to prove you are in a relationship if you are married, especially in emergency situations. Wouldn’t it also be nice to be treated equally?! Not only does marriage inequality discriminate but it fosters discrimination in other areas too.

Other places around the world have legalized same-sex marriage why can’t Australia too! Come on Australia keep up!

“There’s no legit reason why it should be illegal. Gender is not a reason to deny someone the right to love or marry the one they love. Times are changing its becoming more accepted. Homosexuality is not a new thing; it’s just becoming more recognized. The idea that it’s not natural is a load of bullshit because homosexuality has been observed in most species so there goes that logic.”

Elke Henderson

There is a lot of public opinion on climate change and that doesn’t stop with students. Firstly, according to the recent CSIRO survey majority of Australian do believe that climate change is occurring. 38.8% believe that climate change is happening but it is natural and fluctuates with the Earth’s temperature. 7.6% do not think climate change is happening and 6.3% have no idea whether or not climate change is actually occurring. This seems very consistence with student’s opinions too. In my opinion climate change is occurring and we should be taking a forward approach to it, not taking the ignorant approach and pretending it doesn’t exists and that everything will just work out by itself eventually- when does that ever work?!

“There’s a lot of fuss around the climate change debate. Looking after ourselves and our earth is important but we need to be real and calmly consider what’s actually happening – on both sides of the argument.”

Brighid Carey Another political issue that stems much debate amongst students is refugees. It is a divided line between hatred and support. Millions of people around the world have to flee their home countries to escape war, genocide, torture and prosecution. We have so much space and so much to be able to give in Australia yet we have such a strong disposition against refugees, why? Is it our politicians or is the media coverage on boat people?

There seems to be this fear that terrorist and danger comes from accepting refugees.

“I can’t stand boat people, if they can afford to be smuggled, they can afford the paperwork for legal immigration! I have no problem with immigration as long as the person assimilates into the Australian culture.”

Fred Moss Despite students being disengaged to the general political sphere, politicians should recognize the issues important to us and cater accordingly.

They might even be able to engage us in politics and maybe get our votes.

But hey, that’s just the logic speaking.

volunteer with the blue shirts.

Help improve the on-campus experience for your Student Community! help plan and run events contribute your own ideas to build bigger and better events gain experience in teamwork meet new people and broaden your social network obtain points towards the New England Award

Whatever you can manage makes a big difference!

All students are welcome.

To register your interest or for further info, drop into Uni4Me, phone (02) 6773 2506 or email uni4me@une.edu.au

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Being a Blue Shirt is totally flexible.

Some give a lot of time and others a little.

ORIENTATION WEEK 2015 AUSTIN STYLE

MEGAN CROFT

Approaching the entry to Austin College on Sunday 15th February was quite daunting. I felt an immediate rush of relief flood through my body as I realised that not having my provisional license could in fact be a benefit as my family and I struggled to park the two cars filled with my stuff. My Dad, who gets easily frustrated, then wanted to park his car on the side of the road to unload the stuff. I was immediately argumentative towards this idea as college is all about first impressions. And I didn’t want to draw attention to myself by having to stand next to all my stuff like a loner.

Luckily we found a park so I was able to breathe. We approached a table with lots of people surrounding it and I immediately froze. So many unfamiliar teenagers. And they’re the scariest kind of people. But I was greeted with a huge smile and an enthusiastic hello by one of the position holders, which immediately made me more comfortable.

And then came the real fun. TRIVIA NIGHT! The idea sounded fairly lame. It wasn’t one of the things that popped into my mind when I thought about college. It ended up being one of my biggest nights during O week and was actually insanely fun. Now whether that’s because there was drinking involved or because of some of the bizarre things we had to do, I’m not sure. Between each game of trivia a little competition was held in which each block nominated a person to compete. In one contenders had to go find a variety of items, some including a night-time pad, a bed extension and some vegemite.

Another was a talent show and one dude fire-twirled. After trivia everyone went back to their floors to play drinking games and get to know each other further. But only if we wanted to. This was the start of my messy night and I’m sure it was for others too. Then to the bar. Always to the bar. Where my night turned even messier… I didn’t think that was possible. The poisonous, legendary Austin Grenade put me on my a$$.

Imagine this. You’ve come to university, not sure what to expect. You’ve heard things from talking to people but you still try to keep an open mind. You think there will be things organised to do but O week will mostly be pretty relaxed. It’s about getting to know the place, right? WRONG. O week is crazy.

You’re in a deep sleep that first morning and suddenly “Gasolina” blares at 6:30 through the PA that you had no idea existed. If you don’t know this song, youtube it and share my pain. And in between the song a position holder is yelling at you to get up. This happened every f*cking morning and I always woke up angry. All us poor, silly freshers had to get up before that damn song finished or there was a punishment. Mine for the first Monday was a shot.

Which wasn’t beneficial to my screaming head. Each morning we would complete strange, sometimes torturous, mostly fun tasks. If you acted like a fool the night before, our floor got the privilege of dressing up as “Dobby” for the day, as our theme was Harry Potter. If you behaved you were freed by being given a sock at the end of the day. I thankfully wasn’t ever “drunk dobby” and got to laugh dignifiedly at everyone who was.

Unfortunately I missed the Commencement Ceremony and the Back to School night that Monday. Although I was lying in bed, I was still awake for some of it. And if the realisation that I was at college hadn’t settled in the previous night, it certainly did that night. I experienced all kinds of crazy things, including drunks yelling profanities and people stumbling into my room and having their faces centimetres away from mine. I walked out at two in the morning simply to refill my water bottle only to discover a bit of floor incest going down, with one of the committee members sitting next to them on the couch talking on the phone.

Tuesday kicked off with Lifesaver day and that dreaded walk up that horrid hill. The water and Zooper Doopers given out at the top were received in an almost begging manner. And that was only the beginning of the free stuff. Free pizza, free barbeque, free Frisbees, free diaries, free wall planners, free stress balls (a must-have), free stationary. Free, free, free, free. Uni students love anything that’s free. Oh, yeah and you signed up for stuff too. Lifesaver day had absolutely everything; sport UNE, anime stalls, a commonwealth bank stall, a dominos stall, a reach out stall, an army stall and many more. It was a nice distraction from thinking about how much one needed to throw up. Fresher Olympics then followed that afternoon, which was an awesome opportunity to get involved and laugh at the position holders try to beat each other at tug of war. Movie night followed, with a welcoming sober night (the only one of the week).

Introductory lectures began on Wednesday and I’m sure everyone was thinking, “sh!t, I’m actually here to study”. That night the boys dressed “blokey” and the girls in uniforms for Gearsticks and Motors at the White Bull. We sang hilarious, inappropriate songs and learnt the Austin song. The girls also had a scavenger hunt to complete, which made the night quite interesting. Projectile vomit in the outside smoking area also made for an interesting night.

You do you, ladies. Remember that and life will be easy.

UV Night at the Stro came around fast and white shirts were thrown on. Pre-drinks in the commo before of course, so as to minimise costs at the Stro.

As a uni student you must be strategic with your costs from day one. Everyone’s faces were covered in UV paint upon arrival. You were lucky if it wasn’t still there in the morning. I think everyone has a different opinion about the Stro, so I’ll leave it at that.

4 nights of drinking down. You’re almost there. The returners have returned. By this point as a fresher you are comfortable and the increase in people is more exciting than anything. A painful half hour bus ride to Top Pub for Graffiti night. Mostly painful as a returner decided to bring on a bottle of “coke” and open it so it spilt everywhere; a lot of it on me. More songs were sung and I received a bit of a laugh as I walked off the bus. What I learnt that night: the returners are f*cking crazy.

By Saturday you’re glad the week’s coming to an end but at the same time you don’t want it to. But all that goes to the back of your mind as it’s Block Party Night! Everyone raves about it and for good reason. We all dress up in our assigned characters (whom our RF, Elke chose by stalking each of us on Facebook) and play drinking games with our floors. The commos are packed with returners, freshers and affiliates and let’s just say we found out lots about each other in a short two hours. I didn’t want to know most of it. We all chucked in money for bins, so there was plenty of refreshments. You can see why Block Party is held on the weekend, as it would be cruel for anyone other than those responsible to clean up that horrible mess.

We wake up not too early to a false fire alarm and then set off to the Swimming Carnival. It was cold. It was rainy. The seats were wet. My head hurts. I’m tired. Why are we here? Those were my initial observations and thoughts. But the day gets warmer and better quickly. Competitiveness between colleges emerges and things get quite personal. Between every race there was a mass participation race so everyone gets a chance to have a swim. Swimming Carnival day was a nice end to the week and a great start to what could have been a very disastrous day. Of course it is a university event so there are kids everywhere leaning over, heaving violently.

After one of the strangest, craziest weeks of my life I survived. There were good and bad parts. There were tears. But when it finished I didn’t want it to.

Most importantly, by the end of the week I felt comfortable. I felt excited. Austin College knows how to do O week well. They know how to do it right.

The Second Hand Bookshop warmly welcomes all students.

Please come and see us at our shop located in the Arcade above the top courtyard.

All our books are sold on behalf of other students and are priced at least 30% below current retail price.

The quicker you hand in your books, the quicker we can list them and the quicker they sell.

Any queries or comments please contact us at: bookshop@services.une.edu.au Cheers, The team at the Second Hand Bookshop

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We love adding new books to our stock, which we display on our web site at http://www.servicesune.com.au/une-bookshop-search.php

UNE #nohomo?

AIDEN ROBB - PRESIDENT OF GENDER AND SEXUAL MINORITIES ALLIANCE

For most students, studying at university is a time of great personal development, self-discovery and newfound independence. For students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex (LGBTI) or anyone else in the Queer community, this is particularly pertinent, given that universities are usually more socially accepting and open environments.

The findings of the first Australian LGBTI University Guide1, released in February, have shown that while a number of Australia’s 44 universities lead the way in promoting inclusive policies and support for LGBTI students, a large number, notably regional and religious universities lack considerably in this area.

Jointly-produced by the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and The Star Observer (Australia’s national LGBTI news publication), along with support from Out for Sydney, Transgender Victoria and Organisation Intersex International Australia, the report aims to provide LGBTI students with an assessment of every Australian university, based on the how supportive and engaged each uni is for LGBTI students.

Publicly available information regarding LGBTI students at each university was vetted against a set of 15 criteria, ranging from student anti-discriminatory policy and mandatory staff-training to LGBTI-specific health support and students-staff ally programs. Notably, only 10% of universities had a fully inclusive LGBTI anti-discriminatory policy; most did not explicitly note gender identity and/or intersex status in their policies, despite recognising sexual orientation.

Not surprisingly, Metropolitan universities, such as Curtin, Wollongong, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sydney and the Australian National University all fared relatively well in the Uni Guide’s criteria. However, not a single university was able to pass each criterion completely, whereas in a similar report which this one is based off of in the UK, at least 4 British universities passed the test, showing that Australia’s higher education sector could definitely do better. Regional and religious universities fared the worst in the report, and, bad news for UNE, our Uni was named by The Star Observer, in the bottom 10 institutions, alongside the likes of Charles Sturt, James Cook, Divinity and the Australian Catholic University.

UNE has not met even one of the 15 criteria fully, failing entirely 9 of them while the remaining 6 criteria were either not entirely inclusive of all queer students (notably for trans and intersex) or information was not publicly available. Notably we lack an ally program, LGBTI-specific health advice and consultation, our anti-discrimination does not recognise intersex students and staff, are not members of Pride in Diversity (a non-for-profit workplace program to assist employers in being more LGBTI friendly) and our Queerspace (to those who even know it exists) is little more than a small storage room in the car park behind the Arts building.

These initiatives may not seem like much to most people, some may even say why bother setting aside resources and services for LGBTI students. But they do matter, not just to LGBTI students, but to all students who benefit from an inclusive and diverse environment on-campus. For a regional university that takes pride in its high level of student satisfaction, meeting the criteria of the LGBTI University Guide must be an important goal for UNE. And for anyone who does not believe this is not an issue for a rural uni like UNE, I say; We are here, we are queer and we study at UNE too.

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1 lgbtiuniguide.org.au

FIND US ON FACEBOOK: GSMA@Queerspace

CLUB & SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SERIES

Governance Essentials

for all UNE clubs, societies and associations SATURDAY, 21 MARCH : 9.30AM–1.30PM • Lunch & refreshments included This Governance Essentials workshop will help current and aspiring office-bearers more confidently lead the goverance and administration of their club, association or society.

It will also be of benefit to people interested, or in the process of forming, a new club or society.

What will this workshop cover?

The workshop will introduce the knowledge and skills needed to ensure that the governance of your club, group or society is simple, effective and compliant. Areas covered will include · · · · ·

Governance fundamentals, including constitutions Running meetings Decision-making processes Office-bearer roles Record keeping and reporting

Format The workshop will include a mix of presentation, question-and-answer, open discussion and networking. This format will allow for attendees to address their own particular needs as well as discuss ideas with peers.

To attend The workshop is free to students but booking is essential. Please email your attendance request to clubsandsocieties@une.edu.au , phone 6773 4059 or speak to the Clubs and Societies Coordinator at the UNESA Office below Madgwick Hall.

CLUB & SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SERIES

This series of workshops supported by UNESA aims to enrich student experience and amenity at UNE by creating more dynamic, resilient, and enjoyable clubs and societies. The workshops also aim to build leadership and management capacity in participants, and will be recognised for the New England Award.

Workshop Series dates: Saturday, 25 April — Efficient, effective & enjoyable: the well-run club How to make sure your club, society or association is well organised so you can better enjoy its activities and events.

Saturday, 16 May — Financial & money matters What you need to know about managing money and your fiduciary responsibilities.

Saturday, 23 May — Growing Engagement How to build interest, support and involvement for your club or society.

MY UTERUS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

ELLIE SMITH

In light of the recent conversation in the wider media about sexism in medicine, I wanted to continue the discussion on the topic of gender equality in medicine here. I have come to realise that despite only being a medical student, I’ve already noticed how my gender has the potential to impact on my opportunities. I’m hoping to contextualise the stories in the media within the space of the University of New England and encourage people to speak out about discrimination in all its forms.

When I was 12 I broke my wrist and as a result spent a few days visiting the hospital, and I absolutely loved it. From this (and binge watching Scrubs) I decided that medicine was for me. That was fine for a few years, until people started asking me what kind of doctor I’d like to be. After a bit of research, and the proud declaration that I could handle any blood and gore the world would throw at me, I decided that surgery would suit me just fine. At the time I didn’t know about the low rate of women in the specialty.

As soon as I mentioned surgery, even at 16 or 17, the first thing out of most people’s mouths is a judgemental ‘oh, but don’t you want a family?’ This response was, and is, still so common that I’ve been trying out different responses to see what people say. Sometimes I say yes, and the answer is almost invariably ‘well, surgery really isn’t family friendly.’ Other times I say ‘I’m 21, ask me in 10 years.’ Then I went all out last year and said ‘no.’

I’ll be darned if all five doctors standing around the table didn’t stop what they were doing to stare at me dumbfounded. It’s a paradox if there ever was one. The only way people take your surgical ambitions seriously is to say you don’t want kids. But then, am I really a woman if I don’t want children?

By the time I got to medical school I had already started to doubt myself. Like Dylan Moran says, ‘people will kill you over time, and how they’ll kill you is with tiny, harmless phrases like “be realistic.”’ I decided to just put my head down and work hard, and hopefully it would work out for the best. That’s why I was particularly devastated when the news last week screamed sexism in medicine, especially surgery.

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A senior surgeon, Dr Gabrielle McMullin, made comments this month that it is better for a trainee’s career to ‘comply with requests’ for sexual favours than it is to report harassment. It has ignited huge controversy and prompted an internal review at the Royal Australian College of Surgeons. It has also started a conversation about something that’s been going on for years.

Research out of the US found that 92.5% of female doctors had experienced, witnessed or heard stories of gender discrimination in medical school.

Health care and social assistance has the biggest gendered wage gap of any Australian industry, at 30.7%. Yet organisations in the industry aren’t investigating why. Less than a quarter of organisations in the industry have ever undertaken gender pay gap analyses. This is coming from an industry that is only five years away from gender parity (1:1 males and females in the workforce).

It’s undeniable that female medical students at UNE are killing it on the leadership front. I’m the fifth female president of UNEMSA, with two females acting as VPs, Adelaide Pratt and Melanie Nardi. Of the five ‘medical’ or related societies, four have female leaders, and the majority of the committee members are females in these same four societies. The only committee with more males and a male president is, as you might have guessed, the UNE Surgical Society. To be fair, three of their past four secretaries have been blonde women, and the one exemption is Pat Felton, who does have notably feminine eyelashes.1 So what happens to this desire to lead once we graduate? Based on the above statistics, women are clearly driven to fill leadership positions, yet 80% of medical college presidents are men.

While med school admissions have been tipped in favour of females for some years now, only 9% of surgeons are female. Advice from senior female surgeons often encourages women to work hard so their competency can’t be questioned. So again, women are expected to excel above and beyond the standards expected of men, just for a seat at the table.

Even in medical school women have to battle harder just to be taken seriously. Sexism comes in the form of subtle jabs and jokes, or as Laura Bates calls it ‘Everyday Sexism’. It’s in the benign things like patients assuming you are the nurse and your male colleague is the medical student.

Or it’s the specialist who repeatedly introduces you to patients as the ‘gorgeous young ladies studying medicine.’ It can even be teachers who routinely favour male students because they’re more likely to become surgeons. It begins as professors chuckling heartily at how impassioned some of these ‘young ladies’ are about blatantly sexist remarks but it ends in a 30% pay difference. There is one great thing about this subtle sexism. It’s not always a big deal to call it out. Male or female, if one of your colleagues makes a sexist (or racist, or homophobic) joke, don’t laugh.

If the silence isn’t deafening enough, tell them that you don’t think that discrimination is funny. Politely correct the ‘darlings’ or ‘sweethearts’ with your actual name. Every. Damn. Time.

So on that note, I’m saying to hell with it. I’m a feminist who is proud to be feminine. I’m a feminist who loves Grey’s Anatomy AND Taylor Swift. I love wearing dresses to clinical, so I’m going to wear dresses to clinical. Being girly shouldn’t be synonymous with being incompetent. Why does the fact that you see my figure mean that I’m unprofessional. What on earth about my body tells you if I’m good at medicine or not? In fact, being a girl should tell you that as a UNE student, I’m more likely to have held a leadership role than my male counterparts. I want to be a surgeon and what I plan to do with my uterus is none of your damn business.

Go forth my friends, we’ve come a long way but there’s still a way to go.

These articles are interesting and helped to shape my opinions • anu.edu.au/news/all-news/ yes-sexism-is-rife-in-surgery- %E2%80%93-and-its-time-to-do-somethingabout-it • amsa.org.au/amsa-blog/20141109-medicine-is-not-immune-to-gender-inequality/ • ashleighwitt.blogspot.com.au (follow her on twitter while you’re at it, her personal bio describes her as a Taylor Swift groupie. Safe to say she’s my new favourite person) Now, before you get upset at me making a light-hearted jab at a man being feminine in an article essentially about feminism, ask yourself, why is it funny for a man to be like a woman?

To throw, run, laugh, or act-like a ‘girl’ is almost always an insult. Our society so heavily favours the masculine that it’s funny for a man to lower himself to a feminine quality. In turn, this is harmful for all of those people who would like to express their gender identity outside of our rigid gender norms.

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THE GREAT MAIL ROBBERY OR PICKING YOUR OWN POCKET 101 CHRIS RYAN

One dark night in Buckinghamshire in August 1963, an overnight Royal Mail train travelling from Glasgow to London was brought to an unscheduled halt close to the Bridego Railway Bridge spanning a roadway passing below. A well-drilled team of 15 robbers took control of the train, lifting £2.6m in used banknotes being returned to bank head offices in London. The rest – as they say - is history. Ronald Biggs (one of the robbers) was subsequently reported to be living quietly in Adelaide and Melbourne on his share of the proceeds, before heading to Brazil

*F N

where he was out of reach of the British law.

But what of his legacy . . . ?

Fast-forward to 2015. No daring night-time raid on a mail train carrying millions on this occasion. Just a bureaucratic heist. Good old-fashioned daylight robbery. A return postage paid mail service for Library books that has been provided for external students for the past two years has been derailed due to a short-sighted and grimly parsimonious decision by the University.

Not very significant you might say – but think again.

For students studying in disciplines that demand extensive reading in and around the subject matter and on particular topics – notably but by no means exclusively in the Humanities and social sciences, where definitions, concepts, theories, and viewpoints are highly contested – ready access to books without incurring the additional financial burden of parcel postage on the one hand, and frustrated research, sub-optimal learning achievement, and outcomes on the other. It may even result in students looking elsewhere for their University learning (A recent ad-hoc survey of a number of Australian universities indicated that the majority provided free two-way postage for library books borrowed by external students).So, how did this situation come about?

Students would be aware that commencing in 2013 the University (unilaterally, and against the advice of UNESA, which argued for the

retention of a reduced level of the Student Service and Amenity Fee (SSAF) for externals) abolished the collection of this fee from external students.

Return postage was being paid from SSAF and continued to be paid from SSAF reserves until the commencement of T1 this year. It is important to note that the discontinuing of SSAF for externals was a University decision, and it is on that decision that they have hung their hat in determining that return postage would no longer be pre-paid – regardless of whether payment would come from SSAF or from general University funds. How much is involved? The most recent figures that are available indicate that the cost of this service is approximately $41,000 p.a., which equates to under $2.50 per external student. Hardly a King’s ransom. Such a risible cost for a valued and valuable service to those students who need to read extensively for their course-work and research.

Surely it is within the bounds of possibility that this can be funded from course and tuition fees.

It makes one wonder whether those who decided this service should be done away with have a grasp on what providing a high-quality university education to its students is all about. Further questions arise. Is this the sort of penny-pinching – and, one fears, worse – we can expect if the mooted Pyne “reforms” to higher education make in through the Senate.

Of course, there is the broader perspective. This is not the first occasion on which the University

*Free for electronic and online use only. Staff assisted fees apply for transactions undertaken in branch or over the phone. Excludes third party charges from other institutions.

New England Mutual is a trading name of Community Mutual Ltd. ABN 21 087 650 360 : AFSL 241167 : Australian credit licence 241167.

has chosen to try to ignore the needs of students and their pleas for retention of a much valued and important student facility. And in doing so, the University forces students to fund much-needed and vital services from their own pockets – or go without.

This is a fight not merely for postage but for respect and recognition of students by the University Council and Administration. The postage issue has become a prism through which the nature of the relationship between students and the University may be viewed. Is the University looking to build a stronger and more robust consultative relationship with its students – one based on respect, recognition, and cooperative advancement? If so, this issue provides the ideal opportunity to demonstrate that intention by making it fact.

We might well ask: Is the University prepared to “stand and deliver” on the demonstrated academic and financial needs of the student group, or will it act like Thunderbolt and other bushrangers who roamed the highways and roads of the New England region a century and a half ago and who notoriously used those same words to demand that travellers turn out their pockets and hand over the contents to them?

The question is: Which way does the University wish to go?

Will the University choose to look to the future – or to the past?

In response to “Bachelor of Music Online Hits Sour Note” Though Mr Reynold’s Article was full of opinion, it was very light on fact. Some of these missing facts are below for your reader’s edification: 1.

The review of the Bachelor of Music was conducted in 2012 by a panel of experts from a number of universities and in cluded both Australian and International Representatives.

2.

From this review, a number of changes were proposed, in cluding moving Music back to the main campus in order for the music program and staff to be more connected to other disciplines within the School of Arts. Moving the pro gram to wholly online was also recommended at this time.

3.

The Bachelor of Music has been completely overhauled to ensure that UNE remains attractive to the needs of students wanting to become music professionals in a very competi tive market.

4.

80% of students prior to 2015 were external students, yet for the most part, learning was directed towards internals. In 2013/14, the externals (ie by far the largest part of the co hort) began to be the focus of teaching and learning, with podcasts (not a recording of the internal ‘lecture’ but direct ed solely at the external student), online workshops and in teractive learning tools such as Auralia introduced.

5.

As promised, UNE is providing on campus classes for the four students enrolled prior to 2015.

6.

2015 has seen strong commencing numbers, proof that the new course and pedagogies are indeed attractive to prospec tive students.

Now for some opinion: Firstly, to say that the move to a wholly online Bachelor of Music is a ‘stupid idea’ is a huge slap in the face to those of us who have completed, or are completing a B Mus as externals.

Is our overall experience and eventual degree worth less because we completed it online? We have made it work, mostly through determination and the innovations in learning approaches presented to us

by UNE educators such as Dr Alan Davison, and Dr Eve Klein, the two most recent Convenors of Music. Further, conservatorium style programs (which UNE never even had to begin with) are being largely abandoned through the country, programs at the VCA in Victoria and the ANU School of Music are moving to a more ‘rounded’ approach which includes Professional Practice and other important ‘life skills’ for musicians which sit alongside the more traditional areas of music study such as Harmony, Musicology, Ethnomusicology and Performance.

letters to the editor.

They are highly-skilled multi-instrumentalists and work closely with James Morrison, the eminent Australian trumpet player. Another has had her compositions published, another books bands at a large metropolitan establishment and is a sought-after guitar teacher. Another is on staff with one of Australia’s best children’s choirs and is a sought-after vocal coach and educator, and there are so many more. I list these achievements as evidence that there are many different ways in which a degree which covers broad subject areas can enhance the skills students already posses and that online delivery not only works but delivers meaningful outcomes.

Further, UNE Music students are also forging careers as researchers and composers, with the 2014 Honours cohort performing very strongly and being offered international post-graduate opportunities, and several online students from the last 3 years have begun PhDs after excelling in their completely online Bachelor of Music.

Regarding networking: in completing our degrees in our home towns, some much larger and with many more opportunities than Armidale, it is in fact essential that we actively network with other students and music professionals in order to apply our skills and forge our careers.

I would go so far as to argue that external students are perhaps more connected than our internal counterparts. We do meet, we do ‘jam’ and we do collaborate with others. Learning online does not necessarily equate with learning in a vacuum.

In making the Bachelor of Music wholly online, UNE becomes unique in a tertiary market. We had the chance to be a leader in the field of online music and blaze new trails in teaching and learning, and in what is definitely a bold move, UNE took this step. Nay-sayers from our own institution are for the most part either ill-informed about the reasons this decision was made, or unwilling to upgrade the skills and pedagogies necessary to be successful in an online environment.

To say that a Music as a discipline cannot be meaningfully engaged with in a virtual space is to ignore the success of programs such as the ACO’s virtual classroom and Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir.

Throughout this move, since the review in 2012, misinformation has been promulgated deliberately as fact. It is disappointing that the Head of School, Convenor of Music and President of the Music Student’s Association have not been contacted for advice, evidence or information and while I respect Mr Reynolds’ right to an opinion, I prefer to base mine on facts.

I applaud and congratulate the tenacity of Associate Professor Alan Davison (Head of School, Arts) and Dr Eve Klein (Convenor of Music) in overcoming significant hurdles to complete both the move to online delivery and the overhaul of the Bachelor of Music and for starting UNE Music on the path of excellence in a contemporary and dynamic tertiary music climate.

Rachel Campbell MuSA President

have something to say? a rant, a compliment, a complaint, an idle thought?

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we want to hear it! send your letter to editors@nucleus.org.au or come in and see us!

warning this next section contains naughty bits!

REVIEWS & ADVICE

reviews

Spoiler Alert

game.

DAVID STEVENSON-RELF

VIRTUAL REALITY IN GAMING

Almost every gamer has heard of Oculus Rift, but here is something new, FeelReal, so you can feel the heat of the environment in your game.

Literally. This device will blow both hot and cold air in your face. Not only that the device comes equipped with 7 stored scents. So you can smell the charring of your victims as you surround them with fire in Skyrim. Unfortunately I get the feeling that developers aren’t going support this new device. However it definitely opens up to modding communities to make the most of it.

Virtual reality headsets are set to become more competitive with the Games Developers Conference earlier this month unveiling the two competitors to Oculus Rift. Steam’s VR Headset (aka HTC Vive) and Razer’s Open Source Virtual Reality system. These unveilings are going to lead to a race for supremacy that the Virtual Reality field needs to move forward. Honestly the difference between these three competing virtual reality systems are surprisingly small so far, but get excited to see what each company is going to bring out as development kits are released.

With individual developers and the gaming giants all eager to get their own virtual reality headsets out there, the implications for gaming on consoles and PC may soon be driven by how games can be created with VR in mind.

book.

JESSICA KENNEDY

PAPER TOWNS

If you have never read a John Green novel before, then let me fill you in on a little secret; they’re really good. For someone from an older generation, he really seems to get young people. Okay, maybe a few of his characters are slightly stereotypical, but in general young adults can relate to the problems the protagonists face in his novels. By now, everybody has probably heard of The Fault in Our Stars, which was thrown into the spotlight last year when it was made into a successful movie adaptation.

Now that Paper Towns is being transformed into a movie, it is definitely a good time to check it out if you haven’t gotten around to it already. It’s pretty much the perfect combination of young adult, mystery, drama and thriller all rolled into one, and was one of the best books I have read in a while. You quickly get sucked into the lives of Q, or Quentin, and the mysterious Margo as they embark on a series epic adventures that most teens only dream of actually experiencing. But when Margo disappears, leaving a gaping hole in Q’s life, the novel suddenly becomes a fast-paced mystery-thriller, filled with road trips, creepy abandoned buildings and carefully hidden clues. Once the real action starts you’ll find yourself racing through the book faster than a jar of nutella. And we all know how fast those things disappear.

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The best part though? The novel is only short. So no excuses for not running out to grab it now.

.film SAM SMITH

REAR WINDOW

Let’s talk about voyeurism; we all do it, and it’s okay (mostly because we all do it). Everyday people watching has turned less into a guilty pastime and more into an everyday pursuit, something to do while drinking a coffee outside of a café, or procrastinating in the university library (yes I see you Mr. Nose Picker two study carrels over).

Rear Window, directed by The Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1954, is a suspense thriller which will make you think twice before taking a peek into other people’s lives again.

The story follows L.B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) a photographer confined to a wheelchair inside his apartment with a heavy, inconvenient leg cast who has taken to peeking through the rear window of his apartment into the open windows of his neighbours on a New York City block. Driven to irrationality by a summer heat wave and the tediousness of apartment imprisonment L.B. starts to get caught up in the lives of his neighbours.

Watching Miss Torso, a barely-clad dancer and her many admirers; Miss Lonely-Hearts, who often throws dinner parties for non-existent men, and Emma the bedridden woman across the courtyard who constantly nags her salesman husband.

Woken on a stormy night by a scream, L.B. looks down into the apartment block to notice Emma’s husband Lars Thorwald leaving their apartment with a suitcase, with Emma no-where to be seen.

As the movie progresses, and L.B. becomes increasingly certain Thorwald has murdered his bedridden wife, you as an audience member are given no more insight into the situation as L.B. Using only a first-person point of view throughout the film, you are left to wonder if L.B. has simply been driven mad or has stumbled upon murder most foul.

A film classic, and well worth a watch; don’t let your Extension 1 English friends talk you out of it. 9/10.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOON!

SHIEANN ACKROYD

Goon, Goonie, Boxed wine, Cask wine, Goon sack, The silver God (apparently that’s a thing?), whatever you want to call it, now that I have your attention, turns the big 5 0 this year. Known for its relative cheapness for the amount of standards it contains, the mentality of the phrase ‘fruity Lexia make you sexier’, as a justification for ‘dropping’ your drinking standards by consuming it, and the fact that your goon can turn up after 6 weeks in your college room and still be ok to drink definitely makes it attractive amongst university students.

From a humble leather sack made out of goat skin, to the silver plastic sack we know today, it has developed to take over liquor shelves across the world. From an internet source I find highly reliable, as of 2015, 1 out of every 3 glasses of wine drunk, comes from a cask.

WOW. Haven’t we gotten cheap?

MBPT SCHEDULE 2015

artwork by ShiShi

Things to remember when drinking…

SEAN O’MALLEY

Be warned, at no point in this piece of writing will the words ‘drink responsibly’ follow a number. That’s because these are suggestions and I don’t suggest that you casually drink. Always drink with a purpose.

1.

The three Berocca method: Take one Berocca before drinking,

one right before you sleep and one when you wake up. YOU’RE WELCOME. 2.

For the love of all things sacred, please be a vomit trained drunk

– if you even think you’re close to vomiting, either go outside, or

go to a bathroom. Nobody likes vomit.

3.

Don’t be a macho douche. Not ever – not even when drunk.

You’ll probably end up in a fight and then either in hospital, or

with an a assault charge… maybe both.

4.

An extension on point 3. If you wouldn’t do it while sober, don’t

even think about doing it while drunk. Except for karaoke – that

is something you should never be doing sober.

5.

Leave the girls alone. They have enough of your shit during the

day, without you cat-calling them on their nights out. Besides,

there are very few things that make you seem as insecure as

getting loud and suggestive with someone who isn’t interested.

6.

Don’t call people – especially exes – while drunk. Don’t leave

messages while drunk. It never ends well. Don’t send dick pics

either… you dick – you might be trying to indicate where you want this whole thing to go, but more likely you’ll be remembered

as a dick, who sent a picture of his dick.

7.

Ok, yeah, she smiled at you. That doesn’t necessarily mean that

she wants the ‘D.’ More likely than not, she’s probably smiling at

something one of her friends said.

8.

Ok, so she’s running her hand along your thigh. Still doesn’t

necessarily mean she wants the ‘D.’ 9.

Ok, she’s back at your place – or your back at hers – probably

likely that she may want the ‘D’ at this point, don’t worry, I’m

sure she’ll let you know.

10.

This is for both of you… always have sex with the lights on when

it’s with someone new. Some STI’s are visible… and condoms are

certainly visible.

11.

Don’t make $hit awkward in the morning… just high five or

whatever, then take your crap and go.

12.

At no point in a one night stand are you permitted to say ‘I love you.’

13.

Don’t drive in the morning if you feel like crap – assuming you

even know where you parked your car. You’re probably still high range.

There we go lads (and maybe ladies?).

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Admit it. You have drank straight from the shiny plastic sack at least once, and sucked it dry, consequently regretting it the next day when you wake up from your slumber, hung-over. Possibly you’ve played goon of fortune?

Or maybe even goon pong? Or even, might I add, some of you may have won your fair share of the ‘goon box challenge’. Then there are the majority of you (of course) who have used the empty sack as somewhere to lay your head. Essentially it’s recycling right? What I have come to understand is, when people say come have ‘a couple of drinks’ or ‘social drinks’ they don’t mean bring goon. But what I love most about goon, besides its questionable good taste and its cheapness, is the fact that it is a proud Australian product. Cask wine was developed in April 1965, right in the midst of what we now call the Baby boomer generation, which could explain another reason there so many pregnancies in that era… if you catch my drift.

TALK DIRTY TO ME Episode Two - Talking Dirty Washington Irving once said “the tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use”. While I find it hard to believe that he was once referring to the practise of dirty talk, it’s still an excellent way to start this article.

In the early days of my own sexual awakening, I often found myself tongue tied. Watching porn back then made me feel like an absolute criminal, and the effect was that I placed terribly negative connotations on dirty talk.

I would blush for these women who were (and still are) being objectified, and had to do ridiculous things that probably didn’t give them any pleasure, while simultaneously saying how much they loved it and wanted this (frightening, and rather pushy) man to cum all over her face. Um, really? Suffice it to say, the porn I would watch would leave me flawed, and I would eventually just start to look in the lesbian category, or the “for the ladies” category. Not because I was gay, but because at least there weren’t any rude men in those clips. Goodness me.

Despite all this, I eventually came to realise that there is something very awesome and powerful in the successful application of dirty talk. But I was still slow to the party. Being someone who most of the time finds herself in long-term relationships, I had a lot of difficulty expressing anything to my partner. I guess the verbal paralysis developed from a fear of being judged.

What if, due to my lack of practise, he would suddenly look at me in shock and disgust before yelling “you want me to put my finger where?”

It felt like a legit fear at the time (although now I shake my head. He would’ve freaking loved if I’d said that), but you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve come a long way since. Looking back now, the experience would be best described as one of trial and error. If I can give you any advice, it would be: ease into it.

Do your research. As I said, erotic fiction and porn use some powerful language. Men, I think you already know all the good sites, but ladies, I direct you to my old faithfuls: www.pornhub.com www.redtube.com www.xhampster.com Also, I didn’t know this until now, but there is a tumblr called The Naughty Diaries; it’s labelled “erotic fiction for women”. I know what I’ll be doing when I get home. After I finish my other very important unit readings of course….

Anyway, while this language is generally quite harsh, it will give you a basic structure that you can either build upon, or detract from. Find some phrases that work for you and go from there.

the naughty bits.

CONSTANCE CHATTERLEY

Back in my early days I enjoyed a few simple staples, such as telling him how good he feels, or how excited I was.* And you can never go wrong with telling him how big and hard he is.

Now, if you’re sleeping with a woman you need to tell her how great she looks, how excited you are, or how you loved how excited she is.** I know that sometimes, sex is just sex, but generally it is a pretty big deal for a woman, so if you’re genuinely having a good time, tell her.

A few years ago, I dated a man after a long-term relationship; it was the quietest sex I’ve ever had. There was a massive communication drought during this brief, casual relationship, and from the kissing to the removal of the condom, not a word was spoken. It was awful. I wanted to speak, but as soon as one little “I’m so wet” came out, I felt disgusting.*** He would quickly brush it off and continue, and afterwards I would go home feeling very fat and ugly. It turns out this man was gay, but this is not the point….

It probably has a lot to do with how events transpired, but you understand what I’m getting at. If you manage to get into bed with a girl, that’s really awesome. Well done for getting that far. Now make her feel like the total goddess that she is, and she might even let you back in.

If you’re sleeping with a man, it’s quite simple. Don’t say too much, otherwise his ego will get bigger and no one wants that. But be receptive, excited, and honest. If he’s doing something right, tell him. That’s really all the etiquette you need to know.

So, with this, embrace the awkward sentences ahead. I know that for some of you, it might seem uncomfortable at first but trust me, it’s an excellent skill to acquire. And remember, dirty talk should not leave the bedroom, nor should it be subject to psychoanalysis. Sometimes, you really do just want a finger up there. No big deal. *I use other words, but I don’t want to get into trouble… But what I really mean is, “You feel so good inside me” and “I’m so wet”. ** “Your tits are so sexy”, “You make me so hard”, “You’re so wet”. ***Sorry, I had to say it to illustrate my point.

“When the full moon hangs in the sky the Coven of Dark Radio convenes to delight in the fear and death that fuels our world.”

Join me, the Sorceress of Dark Radio under the April full moon for the commencement of

Midnight Macabre, season two.

Midnight Macabre is TuneFM’s horror themed radio drama programme. It airs once a month on the full moon at midnight. It contains course language, violence, sexual, horror and adult themes and content may cause disturbance to some audiences. It is not suitable for persons under eighteen years.

Mardi Gras

mardi gras.

Across

Down

4. A traveling amusement show

1. A person whose gender identity does not correspond to that person’s biological sex assigned at birth

6. The power to determine action without restraint 10. Commemoration with ceremonies or festivities 12. To rest or remain on the surface of a liquid 13. Ardently active, devoted, having or showing zeal 14. Strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint 15. A female sovereign or monarch 16. Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate 18. Exhibiting sexual desire towards a person of one's own sex 19. A large public procession held in honour of an event

2. Prismatic colours caused by the refraction and reflection 3. A profoundly tender affection for another person 7. To draw with force, effort, or difficulty 8. Sisters Danni and Kylie 9. Almost impossible to believe; incredible 10. Dress appropriate to a particular occasion or festival 11. Highly gratifying to the feelings or self-esteem 16. Social gathering 17. Street A major thoroughfare in Sydney, running from Whitlam Square to Bondi Junction

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5. Our largest city

college cuisine with ashley pianco Ingredients: 150g of butter 1 cup of brown sugar 2 eggs ½ cup of plain flour ½ cup of cocoa A cup (or two :P) of your favourite chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips.

(I have found that a block of Caramello with the squares cut in half works the best).

You can also add chopped nuts such a walnuts, peanuts or almonds.

Method: 1.

Preheat oven to 180⁰C. (These can also be made in a microwave.

Continue reading for microwave instructions).

2.

Combine butter and brown sugar. Add eggs. Once smooth, add chocolate.

3.

Stir in flour and cocoa.

4.

Grease and/or line a cake tin. (This mixture also makes amazing

cupcakes if desired). Pour mixture into the tray.

If you are using a microwave place mixture into a greased and/or lined CERAMIC dish.

DO NOT PUT A CAKE TIN IN THE MICROWAVE! 5.

Cook in oven for approximately 15 minutes. But keep an eye on

it. It is way better to have undercooked brownies than overcooked brownies!

If you are using a microwave the cooking process will vary greatly depending on the type of microwave you have. Generally if you let it cook for ten minutes before checking you should be right and then just continue cooking as necessary.

6.

7.

8.

Once cooked, turn onto a cooling tray.

Eat while still warm with favourite toppings such as ice cream, chocolate topping, granulated nuts, chocolate chips, cream, berries etc.

Once cool, store in an airtight container. Brownies can also be iced. Combine a cup of icing sugar, 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 TBSP of cocoa and enough boiling water to bring it together.

You can also use store bought icing.

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Looking to keep active while studying?

PCYC Armidale is a thriving club with heaps of activities for university students. Situated in the middle of Armidale at 176 Rusden Street, PCYC features an array of martial arts, court sports, dance, fitness, and gym activities for students at reasonable prices with times that suit students.

Martial Arts programs include: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido, Japanese Sword Fighting, and numerous Self-Defence classes for women. All have classes for adults.

Court Sports include: the largest In-Door Archery range in the New England, full size courts for social futsal, basketball, and table tennis games.

Dance Programs: Adult Ballet & Breakdancing Clubs are very well populated by university students with classes running on the weekends as well.

Strength & Conditioning Gym features the most Olympic weightlifting & strongman equipment in Armidale plus a huge array of free weights and cardio equipment with the cheapest student price in town at only $30 per month.

PCYC also has a unique Fitness Training Centre which is set up for boxing, kickboxing, MMA, and group fitness with all the latest functional fitness training equipment. Classes run every day and on the weekend. Male, female, and mixed classes are available.

Contact Number: 02 6772 1023

The smoke curls toward the light, scattering the moths for a few seconds. Bill doesn’t pay them any attention.

He worries the inside of his lip with yellowed teeth before he indulges in another drag. The bricks at his back are rough, they catch the fibres of his shirt. When he began the cigarette they had been cool, now they feel warmer.

The sounds of the pub tumble from the nearby doorway – familiar voices amplified and roughened by drink.

From where he is, Bill can see the Keno through the window.

The hypnotising rhythm of blue and red squares and random numbers sets a slower pace than the noise of the patrons.

Every now and again it is interrupted by an announcement.

An enticement to the punters proclaiming that someone, somewhere – someone somewhere else – has won some money. Perhaps, the people in the bar would like to win some money too; become one of the faceless ‘winners.’ Bill stops watching it, turning away with an internal sneer so strong that it curls his lip and becomes an outward one.

Bill stares down at the cigarette in his hand, takes in the ash by his foot, and wonders when this became such a comfort.

I really should quit, he thinks, knowing before the thought is finished that he won’t. Somehow that is comforting too.

He stares at the sandwich board. Awkward letters are picked out in pink chalk. The word ‘schnitzel’ is misspelled and a small annoyance settles over Bill when he notices the sheer He watches a nearby couple crumple into their newly-arrived level of apostrophe abuse in so few lines. Probably should have taxi. The driver looks tired and put-upon – they can’t be the gone with the steak and chips. At least it was spelled correctly. first drunken couple he’s had to ferry home tonight. The tail lights cast a red shine across Bill’s eyes when he blinks. The exit of two inebriated strangers is marked on his retinas. Bill deposits the cigarette butt in the small silver bin bolted to the wall. The smoke continues to issue from the hole on the furthest right.

Bill turns away and heads back to the bar as the ghostly taillights fade from his vision. written by Mel

just ask.

We’ve only been here a month, why do I already want to skip class?

Whether you love what you study or not, you’re going to want to skip class. Although it’s usually not the end of the world if you miss a lecture because they are available online, your class might have attendance requirements. There’s a good reason for this, if you attend the lectures, you’ll be amazed at just how much you’re absorbing even if you feel as if you’re drifting off!

It’s taken me a bit longer to finish my degree than it should have, and the requirements for my degree have changed since I enrolled. What do I do?

Typically the course rules that were in force at the time of enrolment are the rules that apply to your program of study. If you have transferred to another course, it will be the rules in place when your enrolment in the new course was accepted. If you find your course in the course catalogue, you should be able to select which rules apply to you by selecting the year you commenced study in that program across the top of the page. If you’re still stuck, try Student Central.

I’ve heard it gets pretty cold here. Any tips on keeping warm this winter?

Share body heat. Preferably under a blanket.

So I had a ‘busy’ time during O week and I’m not sure I was protected (I was a little drunk…). What do I do now?

Whoops! No lectures here, but condoms are one of the best ways to protect you from STI’s and unplanned pregnancy. Grab a handful from Uni4me, they’re free! There is a terrific Sexual Health Advisory service that provides phone support from trained specialists. They might not be able to help you with everything you need, but they are very knowledgeable and will point you in the right direction.

Sexual Health Info Link 1800 451 264 Monday – Friday 9am-5:30pm How do I reference for my assignments?

Who knows! I still can’t get it right. Check the academic skills office, they have fact sheets for the widely used referencing systems, and they will help you understand what’s expected for you.

So I’ve walked back from the ‘Stro at night a couple of times now and it’s a little creepy. Why aren’t there more lights?

ADVANCE OPEN APPLICATION Advance Open Applications for the 2015 Awards Mentoring Program for University Students across Australia At Advance, Australia’s largest global network of high-achieving Australians connecting Australian’s across the world, we believe mentoring is a powerful tool which helps to build the clarity and self-awareness required to be truly innovative.

Advance supports pioneers of innovation to help drive the next generation of talented game changers promoting Australian talent on a global scale. Advance believes innovation from university graduates is the key to building Australia’s brand - we are a bright country, we should share it with the world.

As part of our Awards Program; which celebrates Australians living overseas and at home who are exceling in their industry, we are pleased to offer the Awards Mentoring Program. The program matches Australian university students with a 2015 Advance Global Australian Award Winner for 12 months of one-on-one mentoring.

The mentorship program aims to inspire, motivate and enlighten a community of the next generation of Australian leaders. The program provides advice to help students find direction in their studies and refine their career goals. Since 2012, we have had 22 outstanding mentees/students be a part of the mentorship program and are excited to select our next 10 mentees this year. The program is open to all final year undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at an Australian university.

Mentees will be invited to attend the 2015 Advance Global Australian Awards<http://advance.org/awards-2015-homepage/> and Leadership Summit, where they will meet the 2015 Award Winners who will act as their mentors. The final 10 mentorship program winners will be honoured at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 14 September 2015 where the Awards and Leadership Summit will be hosted.

The Global Australian Leadership Summit, an exclusive networking event celebrating current and future leaders across the world, will take place on 13-14 September 2015.

Cost cutting measures. Electricity isn’t cheap.

If you have any questions just ask at editors@nucleus.org.au.

Applications close 1 May 2015.

Visit http://advance.org/awards-2015-mentoring/ to apply now.

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Student Media 2015 What did you do with your year?

WRITING

BEHIND THE SCENES DESIGN

FEATURE ARTICLES ARTICLES

EDITING MUSIC SELECTION

MAGAZINE LAYOUT COVER DESIGN

OPINION PIECES CREATIVE WRITING PIECES REVIEWS ON AIR COPY WRITING SCRIPT WRITING BLOG WRITING

SHOW PRODUCTION DEBATING SHITUFF FACT CHECKING MARKETING COFFEE/TEA DRINKING

POLITICAL CARTOONS GRAPHIC DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY

ACTING/PRESENTATION

INTERVIEWS

NEWS TEAM

STUDENTS VOICE WORK - ADS & IDS RADIO THEATRE PERFORMANCE STAFF/LECTURERS ON AIR ANNOUNCING RESEARCHERS SHOW HOST AUTHORS OUTSIDE BROADCASTS POLITICIANS BANDS/ARTISTS

NEWS COLUMN LAYOUT SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTING ON AIR REPORTING PHOTOJOURNALISM INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

FUTURE PREP

now recruiting for: 2015 announcers

NETWORKING UPDATE RESUME

news team

music team

Sharpen your broadcasting skills by taking on a Cover UNE, national and international news as position as an on-air announcer with Tune!FM. part of the student media News Team.

You’ll be broadcast locally on 106.9FM and During your shift you’ll report on-air, on social streamed live around the world on tunefm.net. media and in print.

There’s a great team working behind the scenes at Tune!FM reviewing the mountain of new music that comes in every week to decide what gets played and what doesn’t.

TIME COMMITMENT: 2 HOURS A WEEK TIME COMMITMENT: 2 - 4 HOURS A WEEK

TIME COMMITMENT: AS MUCH AS YOU CAN GIVE

come find us at the Student Media Hub (union square - on the corner between Uni4Me and the ‘Stro) PARKING FINES IS THE BEST CURE FOR FRESHER FLU

MY FAVOURITE GOON SACK