Yak october 2011

INSIDE:

ORAL RE P RISKY SE ORT: THE X TODAY’S LIVES OF UNI STUD ENTS American studen

t Gabrielle makes a u Saulsber y nique inve stigation in practices, to our erm, ‘down under’.

THE DEAD

You can ru n

WILL RISE

but you ca n’t hide!

YAK CHA LL FRIGHT N ENGE: IGHT A sc

are-yourse lf-senseles s guide to some well known (an d m aybe not s known) ho o well rror classic s!

ARCHITE CTURE IN Truly H

E L S INK I one of the more lovely currently in bands the Austra lian music circuit.

YAK TO

WIN!

BERFEST AN OKTO MENT VIP TREAT ETAILS. 13 FOR D SEE PAGE

ISSUE 3 / OCTOBER 2011 BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE U Cover design by Jade Gleeson

S T N E T N CO

17 ORAL REPORT: THE RISKY SEX LIVES OF TODAY’S UNI STUDENTS With Gabrielle Saulsbery

10 THE DEAD WILL RISE With Lachlan Stevens

05 YAK CHALLENGE: FRIGHT NIGHT With Rowena Grant

12 WHAT’S ON 14 MEET TOM GREEN With Megan Lucas

08 TO DOZE OR NOT TO DOZE? With Claire Young

21 GIG REVIEW: ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI With Katie Burgess

05 WHAT IS THE WORLD

COMING TO? With Matthew Hatton

04 STALKERSPACE

04 GREEN U Embrace technology to reduce our carbon footprint

05 SUPPORT U A guide for Internationals

22 SPOTTED Caught on campus

16 THE GREAT

05 WATT

PROCRAS-DEBATE

SPACE

With Tom Carey

15 THINGS I’VE LEARNT

23 VOX POPS

AT UNIVERSITY

What’s your biggest fear?

With Alexandra Neill

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, OR WANT TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE? CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE (YAK MAGAZINE) OR DROP US AN EMAIL AT YAKMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM EDITORIAL Katie Burgess - Managing Editor Jess McAneney - Deputy Editor Lachlan Stevens - Deputy Editor Rowena Grant - Deputy Editor

CONTRIBUTORS Alexandra Neill - Contributing Writer (pg 15) Angela Geddes - Design Ashley Hamilton - Photography (pg 22) Claire Young - Contributing Writer (pg 8 - 9) Gabrielle Saulsbery - Contributing Writer (pg 17-19) Jack Morrison - Contributing Writer (pg 11) Jade Gleeson - Design (cover) James Brown - Contributing Writer (pg 4) Jane Hume - Design (pg 7)

Joyce Ching Yee Ho - Design (pg 14-15) Kati Keenan - Contributing Writer (pg 5) Matthew Hatton - Contributing Writer (pg 3) Megan Lucas - Contributing Writer (pg 14 - 15) Mei Yen Ng - Photography (pg 21) Tom Carey - Contributing Writer (pg 16) Wai-Jing Man - Design (pg 8 - 9)

ADVERTISING For advertising opportunities, contact YakAdvertising at yakmagazine@gmail.com Yak magazine is a free publication of UoN Services Ltd © 2011. www.uonservices.org.au

SUBMISSIONS The Yak editorial team is always on the look out for passionate student writers to contribute articles to the magazine. If you would like to take the opportunity to get your work published, please send a sample of your writing to yakmagazine@gmail.com

NEXT MONTH: Next issue: Tuesday, November 1

Printed by PrintCentre on Callaghan Campus.

Be responsible and dispose properly.

• JESS & ROWIE DIVE INTO THE DATING POOL • CAMPUS PROFILE: A CHAT WITH STALKERSPACE • YOUR SUMMER FESTIVAL GUIDE + MORE!

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR :)

This month in Yak, we’ve attempted to prepare you for the impending zombie apocalypse (October 9) without having to resort to the spud gun or planting a row of defensive petunias around the perimeter of your property (for anyone who missed that reference, you must give Plants Vs. Zombies a go). We also chat to a lecturer about people falling asleep during his lectures, discover the sucky side of oral sex and review the greatest scary movies of all time to get you pumped for Halloween (and educate you on how best to protect your delectable flesh and brains).

Now, regardless of the subject (although STAT1070 appears to be a particular favourite among other students), lecturer, company, caffeine consumption and sleep the previous evening, I seem to always doze off in McMullin Theatre. The ambient lighting, the sweet musty odour and the melodic drone of my advertising lecturer lulls me into slumber. Having a kip at uni has become an art form, nay, extreme sport, this year thanks to various Facebook groups and the advent of plenty of creepers on campus willing to take a photo of those snoozing. To honour this trend, I am going to teach you how to bunk down mid-lecture.

• Check that your lecture is available on Blackboard – if so, you’re good to go!

• If you’re finding it slightly difficult to nod off, actually do your readings!

Guaranteed to put anyone under.

> LACHLAN

> ROWIE

What is your biggest fear?

Waking up one day and my stunning good looks being gone. I even had a painting commissioned that would age instead of me, just to combat this.

What is your biggest fear?

Young children. I swear those little b*stards are after me - cutting me off in supermarkets, trying to deafen me in public places and staring at me in a Children of the Corn-esque fashion. *Shudders*

What’s something you do differently than most people?

I eat with the knife and fork in the wrong hand. I don’t know why. I’m not left-handed. I just do.

What’s something you do differently than most people?

Digest. I don’t have a gall bladder. I don’t recommend this way of life.

> JESS If you had to choose between eating only pineapple for the rest of your life or having a pineapple as one of your hands, what would you choose?

Whilst eating pineapple for the rest of my life would serve my vanity, having a pineapple as a hand could be very useful. Not only do I have a readymade weapon to protect myself when sleazy guys attack but I also have a ripe pineapple ready for the eating at any point in time and if chopped off it would, of course, regenerate.

It could also be carved to serve any purpose, such as holding a beverage or two.

So, in conclusion, my love of cuisine wins and I now have a pineapple hand... awkward.

What’s something you do differently than most people?

Tan. I have red hair, so I don’t tan.

• Once settling in, use anything you have handy to form a pillow! That giant handbag I carry around? Full of ducks feathers, children’s tears and marshmallows.

• It’s all about positioning! If you want to be sneaky about it, place your head in your hands, while holding a pen.

Make sure you sit somewhere slightly concealed and try to blend in (unless your lecturer is a bully and expects you to participate).

• Most crucially, try not to snore!

• If you are sprung snoozing, blame late night studying, cold meds that won’t wear off, sniffing white-out, donating blood and attempting to pick up a pesky contact lens with your face.

Best of luck nappers!

Katie B

> KATIE

> ANGELA

What is your biggest fear?

David Bowie. The movie Labyrinth scarred me as a young child and now his face, voice and music send shivers up my spine.

If you had to choose between eating only pineapple for the rest of your life or having a pineapple as one of your hands, what would you choose?

I’d rather have a pineapple as a hand. How could I deny myself the taste of chocolate for the rest of my life!

For the impending Zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice and why?

Armed with an Akubra and clad in plaid so fine it makes John Williamson look like a hipster, Bob Katter is my weapon of choice. He will first confuse the zombies by using ocker idioms like ‘wowser’ and politically incorrect views, then finish them off by disintegrating them with the lustre of his protest poncho. If the force from the north fails, we are all screwed.

What is your biggest fear?

I accidentally trod on a cockroach barefooted once; my biggest fear is that I’ll do it again! It was so gross!

James Brown explains how embracing technology is saving our environment, one lecture at a time.

Although Dwight, Jim and the rest of the gang over at Dunder Mifflin might not like to admit it, the world is fast becoming a paperless one. I mean, to the majority of people, notebooks aren’t hardbound collections of lined sheets, they’re those aluminum-encased things that get us on Facebook!

You people do know that social media services are businesses, yeah? And you know that businesses sell things to make money for their owners, yeah? And that social networks sell your personal information and connections to advertisers so they can target advertising at you, yeah?

Our reliance on technology can be a positive thing – especially when you consider the reduction of our carbon footprint. For argument’s sake, when you consider the amount of students at our university, you could estimate that there are 7500 full-time students in degree programs whose courses are taught off lecture notes. Let’s also say that each course has weekly lecture notes consisting of at least 10 double-sided pages. If each of those students printed out their lecture notes, 600 reams of paper would be used weekly. Based on current estimates, 600 reams of paper is equal to at least 35 trees.

Because, to the casual, capable-of-looking-at-somethingdeeper-than-just-the-surface observer, it sure as hell doesn’t seem like it.

I’ve seen it time, after time, after time. Someone comes out with a free to access social media service (be it Facebook, Twitter or Google +); everyone flocks to it like sheep in the hope of being in that early adopter “in” crowd – because who doesn’t want to be a hipster? (Aside from, you know, normal people).

So – if you’re keeping up with the maths – that’s over 400 trees worth of paper used every semester. And this is based on bare minimum statistics; it doesn’t even include lab notes, course readers, assignments, or even the ink used on each page!

What follows, about a month later when someone gets around to reading the service’s Terms of Service, is the outrage that this service is selling all the personal information that you volunteer to advertisers so that they can make money and continue to exist as a business and a service.

So you ask, where does our reliance on technology come into helping us reduce this consumption?

There seems to be this idea out there that, because a business sells itself as a social network, normal business practice doesn’t apply; that, for some reason, the usual levels of cynicism applied to businesses by consumers are skipped over. Social networks are perceived to be altruistic and beyond the usual expectations of private (or public) enterprise.

1. Laptop, netbook, iPad, tablet, touchpad – whatever you’ve got, use it! Download your lecture notes onto your personal device and bring it to class with you!

2. There are applications available on both the Windows and Apple operating systems that will allow you to make your own notes on top of the lecture notes, regardless of file type!

When are we going to start forcing people to accept responsibility for their own actions instead of attempting to pin blame on a company whose own motivations are as clear as anything to see?

3. And although you may feel like a diligent student by bringing printed notes, how many times have you left lectures with them blank? If you’re not going to make notes, you may as well leave them on Blackboard.

The lack of understanding and thinking is just mindboggling. When are people going to learn?

SOPHIE

Random chalkboard in the corridor of the chemistry building, I’m really sorry I drew a penis on you. Your owner was pretty irresponsible leaving chalk laying around through.

57%

SAM

Parking was so tight... Ninja ways were used to exit car.

42%

24 August at 12:19 • 13 people like this

SAISHUS 26 August at 15:43

To the guy who started yelling a phone number out a car window at me then stopped when he saw my face... Thanks.

50% 92%

43%

Antiques Roadshow

67%

26 August at 17:18 • 19 people like this

Cyclists

33%

Stockings worn with shorts

58%

Newcastle Knights Bacon

50% 8%

SUPPORT U

A Guide for Internationals With American exchange student, Kati Keenan I’m halfway around the world in a country I’ve never been to, with people I’ve never met. It’s a little scary to say the least.

How am I going to make friends? Where will I get cheap food? How do I get involved on campus? These were all questions that were running through my head when I first arrived here in Newcastle, but were answered soon enough.

During O-Week, the uni did an amazing job of informing international students on the many resources they can tap into.

One organization that has been very helpful to me as an international is NUSA. Whether it is that caffeine kick in the morning, your fruit and veggies for the week or getting involved on campus, NUSA provides support for the international and domestic student. Other offers include free fruit throughout the day, safe sex products, free breakfast, discounted bus tickets, barbeques on Thursday afternoons, and even just a place to hang out.

The U also provides many opportunities for international students to learn more about the University of Newcastle, and Newcastle itself. The Unofficial Guide to Newy is the go-to guide for transport, food and coffee hotspots and tips on how to survive campus without the stress! Check it out at www.uonservices.org.au If you are an international student who speaks English as a second language the University has the resources to help you develop English reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The program is an online tool that will help make your life in Australia that little bit easier. There are also speed conversations classes that run through the English Language Centre and the International Office that offer International Students the ability to improve their English in a social setting and make friends with Australians in the process.

The International Office is available to provide support to international students. It operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. There are several International Support Advisors who are available to assist international students in need. You can simply e-mail international-advisors@newcastle.edu.au for advice or drop into the office (located next to Bar on the Hill). After hours, there is an international student assistance line that is available, on 1800 081 233. Alternatively, contact the University’s Security office (02 4921 5888) and ask for assistance. In an emergency of course you should always contact 000.

AND THE WINNERS OF CLASSIFY ME, THE 2011 UoN SERVICES ANNUAL STUDENT ART PRIZE, ARE...

Abbey Cecil Amy Hill Leasha Craig Rachel Ireland Zoe Allen

OCTOBER OPENING NIGHTS Thursday, Oct 6, 6.30pm Thursday, Oct 27, 6.30pm

HIGHLY COMMENDED

HIGHLY COMMENDED David Torres-Smith The Goring in Madrid (Oral Fixation)

OCT 5 - OCT 23

OCT 26 - NOV 12 Fine Art Honours Exhibitions by

Susan Cairns ClassifyMe 2.0

Konrad Hense, Stephanie Pease and Sugar Tits Untitled

EXHIBITIONS

Eilis Doyle Deborah Hally Anthony Yates Riona Tindal Lyndon Savio Sarah Stubbs and Melanie Webb

MAJOR PRIZE WINNER

COMMENDED Teresa Purnell Too Much is Barely Enough

IMPETUS AWARD Opening night of Classify Me with judges Cash Brown, Jason Sarah Jones The Last Coffee Wing and Alicia King with Professor Kevin McConkey on Thursday, August 25.

VOLUNTEER AT

WATTSPACE

AND GAIN VALUABLE PROFESSIONAL ARTS PRACTICE

Watt Space needs volunteers to help out in the gallery on opening nights, with front desk and sales, hanging of group shows or anything else you’d like to help out with. If you are a current student of the University of Newcastle and are interested in helping your gallery while gaining valuable experience, please email wattspace@newcastle.edu.au or call the Watt Space uni office on 4921 5188.

CONTACT US

Email: anne.mclaughlin@newcastle.edu.au or amy.hill@uon.edu.au, Website: www.newcastle.edu.au/group/watt-space Facebook: Search: Watt Space Student Gallery of the University of Newcastle.

Watt Space Gallery, University House, Auckland St Newcastle. Open 12 noon -6 pm, Wed - Sun. Ph: 4921 8733

Yak Magazine - October 2011

05

By Rowena Grant Designed by Jane Hume

W

e set our Features & Profiles Editor, Rowena Grant, the challenge of investigating some scary movies that people might not have seen, mixed in with a couple of classics.

Lights off, check. Gigantic fluffy pillow for comfort, check.

Stuffed leopard for moral support, check. This is how I began going into the ‘fright night’ challenge. Or, as I like to refer to it, the ‘let’s ruin Rowie’s psyche and give her some severe emotional scarring she will never be able to get rid of’ challenge.

It begins with ‘Orphan’. After getting some suggestions from my fellow editorial team, I decided to get what I presumed would be the worst out of the way. Children freak me out. I wanted to get that sh*t over and done with. And I did, with much leopardhugging and yelling at the screen. A mother and father decide to adopt an older child into their family of four. Hilarity does not ensue. Hectic ‘accidents’ do.

Moral of the story: maternal instincts are supreme, and don’t adopt young Russian girls.

Good for: those who appreciate directors playing on the cliché ‘mirror shot’.

Number two on the list is ‘The New Daughter’, chosen mainly because Kevin Costner is a hottie. This is a classic horror/ thriller movie set-up. A single father moves with his two children to a big ol’ isolated house out in the country. Weird, muddy footprints appear randomly. The daughter starts changing. The father hears stories about the house from townsfolk. There are ambiguous nature shots and a random black and white sequence.

Moral of the story: stay the frick away from random mounds of dirt.

Good for: those who don’t like cats but like dirt.

‘Hollow Man’. Recommended by a friend. Not that scary. I may be getting desensitised to this genre, because the scariest part of this movie was that I didn’t find Kevin Bacon attractive. With your thrillers and horrors, you want something that immediately has you on edge. It takes about 45 minutes for this film to even get close to doing so. Basically some guy works out how to turn people invisible and tests it on himself. He then turns into a crazy, egotistical rapist slash murderer.

Moral of the story: don’t f*ck with nature.

Good for: people who like boobs and explosions. And blood. So much blood.

It took me a few attempts to watch this next movie. The first two times I fell asleep. I don’t know if it was just because I was really tired or if it’s because I’ve now watched that many scary movies in such a short amount of time that I am becoming numb to the entire genre, but there I was: Snoozeville.

However, on the third (and successful) attempt to watch the movie I nearly peed myself. Literally. ‘Paranormal Activity’ – things that go bump in the night documented by a couple who find out that messing with demons is definitely not a good idea. Paired with my terrified soul was frustration at the incompetence of men. Just ask for freaking help!

Moral of the story: don’t mess with sh*t you’re not an expert in.

Good for: people who hear creaking at night.

A classic: ‘The Exorcist’. A priest losing his faith, a daughter who starts getting more than a little psychotic, a wiji board.

This classic moves so fast you have no idea what the hell is happening until BAM! She’s peeing on the floor in front of guests. BAM! She’s crawling down the stairs upside down and backwards with blood coming out her mouth. BAM! She’s vomiting slime that is greener than the grass on the other side.

Enter the Exorcist. He knows his sh*t.

Moral of the story: don’t mess around with wiji boards and/or talk to imaginary friends.

Good for: seeing how far costuming, make up and special effects have come in the last forty years.

By far the scariest of them all was ‘Insidious’. A little boy falls into a ‘coma’ after a fall and his mother (Australia’s very own Rose Byrne) starts seeing weird ‘people’ around him. Featuring a particularly scary creature/demon/spirit and what I like to refer to as an elephant gas mask, this movie was scaring me so much I took barely any notes. It doesn’t beat around the bush like so many others in the same genre. Instead of scaring us with the unknown, ‘Insidious’ gives us images of the spirits straight away, and is all the more scary for it.

Moral of the story: sometimes the solution isn’t just to move house.

Good for: anyone who wants to spoon/clutch someone for comfort.

While I wouldn’t normally go straight for a scary movie over a (much safer) rom-com, I have developed a new appreciation for the genre. There were a lot of similarities that I picked up on.

Every movie had a rather good-looking older man in it, many had wiji boards, and all were entertaining. Who knew that thrills like this could be so good! Well, after you get over the fact you nearly wet yourself, anyway.

Yak Magazine - October 2011

07

08

Yak Magazine - October 2011

You can’t stop blinking. As your shoulders droop further down towards the ground you find yourself drifting in and out of focus. Eventually your eyelids will beg to be shut. Would anyone really notice if you just closed them for a few seconds?

Unfortunately you are now asleep in a lecture at the University of Newcastle, and things could go in several directions from here.

Best case scenario? You are sitting next to a friend who can give you a little nudge to wake you from your peaceful slumber, without anyone realising you even nodded off.

Worst case scenario? You get your photo taken and uploaded to the ‘People falling asleep at the University of Newcastle’ Facebook page. The unflattering picture of you drooling on your shoulder and slumped over your textbook is now and forever in cyberspace.

But don’t worry because you are not alone. In fact more and more students are finding themselves battling the sleep monster in a cycle of Monster, Redbull, V, No-Doz and coffee after coffee after coffee.

Upon asking a few students at the Auchmuty Information Common why they were consuming energy drinks, I found that most aren’t doing it to get a buzz, they are simply just trying to keep their eyes open.

So what are lecturers at our university doing to prevent this inconvenient mid-lecture slumber and how are they keeping us awake and active throughout class?

Communication lecturer Melanie James thrives on keeping her students engaged in class due to her previous experiences as a university student.

“Overall I guess I hate being boring and hate seeing a class of faces before me looking bored,” she says.

When contemplating how to teach his students about the sublime, Kit took things to another level. He wanted his students to understand 18th-century philosopher Edmund Burke’s concept of the sublime.

As the idea of terror is central to the concept, Kit decided to confront his fear of heights. He took a leap of faith and jumped out of a plane to show his students what it’s like to go out and experience something first hand.

What makes this more impressive is that he actually talked about the concept of the sublime mid-scream, while falling out of the plane. Kit then added subtitles to his skydiving DVD and put it up on YouTube and played it for his students in a lecture.

So what can you do to avoid feeling like you are going to fall asleep at any given moment throughout the day? Here are some tips you might find useful to get a good night’s sleep.

Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Having a predictable sleep pattern helps to synchronise your body’s circadian rhythm to light and dark. What this basically means is that your body temperature drops when you fall asleep at night and rises again in the morning giving you more energy to face the day.

Try not to eat any food later than 8pm or your metabolism could keep you awake for longer and playing sports or going for a walk with friends will help you crash better at night.

Some health practitioners recommend applying a wet wash cloth to the back of the head just before you are ready to hit the hay to help slow down your mind.

Melanie models her teaching style and techniques from previous lecturers that she has found particularly engaging.

“I had some wonderful lecturers and I’ve modeled my practices on theirs,” she says. “I’ve also tried to put into practice what I’ve learnt from my studies and research into teaching and learning.”

As a lecturer for the second year Communication course Audience Studies, Melanie keeps her students awake by starting a live Twitter feed in the lecture where students can comment on parts of the presentation that they find interesting and interact with other students within the lecture theatre.

Like Melanie, Kit Messham-Muir’s way of teaching is also reflective of his own experiences as a first year student. During Kit’s very first art history lecture at university, his lecturer was explaining the evolution of art throughout the years.

“I could see no connection between the history and theory stuff and me as an artist,” he says. “So that was it for me, I put on my Walkman headphones and sat at the back of the lecture room for the rest of the degree listening to 80s syntho-pop.”

As a lecturer Kit now aims to educate his students in a way where they appreciate the history of art.

Avoid activities such as playing games on your phone, text messaging, checking emails and even reading a book as these activities are known to stimulate wakefulness.

But what are other universities doing to keep their students awake?

Perhaps the University of Newcastle could take a page from Duke University’s book. The college, which is located in North Carolina, offers a stress-free and quiet haven known as ‘The Oasis’. In this bright-coloured room, students are able to sit back and relax in electric massage chairs while looking at the view outside from floor-to-ceiling windows.

Duke’s Director of Health Promotion, Franca Alphin stated that ‘The Oasis’ allowed students to escape from stress, in the hopes that they would then work more productively and get to sleep earlier at night.

I know what you’re all thinking, maybe the University of Newcastle could get our own oasis room where we could all sit back and relax in massage chairs…

In your dreams.

Yak Magazine - October 2011

09

By Lachlan Stevens

Lachlan Stevens chats to zombie overlord Ella Reed about the annual trek of the deceased They are shambling, rotting corpses of the people that you once loved. Featured in movies of the likes of Zombieland, Dawn (and Shaun) of the Dead and 28 Days Later, zombies are brain hungry, horrible beasts. Whether you combat with them with your trusty 12-gauge shotgun or a Ke$ha CD, it will be a tough fight to ward them off. And for a single night, these undead monstrosities will walk the streets… in Newcastle.

Panic not and put down that potato gun, the Newcastle Undead Society’s Zombie March will run through the streets of Newcastle for the third year in a row, on October 9.

During the earlier years of the society, organiser Ella Reed found herself outlaying significant amounts of money to ensure the event’s smooth running.

The society itself was the cadaverous love child of an arts grant from the Youth Action and Policy Association of NSW (YAPA) and the energy and vision of 20-year old Ella Reed.

I cannot help but wonder if one of its benefactors is the Umbrella Corporation? When asked to confirm this, Ella gave a somewhat unconvincing answer.

After its conception, it became responsible for the Zombie March, that had been previously run by Newcastle’s This Is Not Art festival by comedian Rhys Nicholson (who you might know as host of the Goonion’s Stand Up If You Can comedy night in August) for two years prior. She also added to the event the Scream Screen and a zombie-themed short film competition.

“My financial agreements are between me and the Umbrella Corporation… I mean… between me and my sponsors,” she states.

ZOMBIE

1

SURVIVAL 2 3

TIPS

With Jack Morrison & Lachlan Stevens

“I would get money back bit by bit through the Scream Screen admission, but it still did cost me a fair bit of money,” she says.

However, as the popularity of the march has increased, many companies have offered their generous support behind the event, leaving it as a fully self-funded event.

This year, the event is to start at the new Newcastle Museum in Honeysuckle before carving a maze through

Moaning and dragging your feet will not let you blend in. You will look stupid and you will get eaten.

Zombies can run. So no, a brisk walk will not get you away. You must also run.

The only way to kill a zombie is to remove the head, or destroy the brain. Burning, hacking and drowning might look good in a movie, but they won’t work in practice.

4 5 6

For those of you who believe that God will save you, who do you think made those zombies?

There is no cure. It doesn’t matter if they were your friend, girlfriend, family or beloved childhood pet.

Once they’re bitten, they need to be killed. Or they can kill you. It’s totally your choice but.

Yes, watching Shaun of the Dead is fun, but it is a comedy. Real zombies will run, smell and eat you, no matter how loudly you play Queen.

However, she admits the reception is usually reported as pretty good.

At the conclusion of the march, participants gather at Newcastle Greater Union on King Street for the Scream Screen short film competition. It’s an ‘anything-goes’ festival with an undead-related theme.

“It’s the only short film competition running in Newcastle at the moment, so we tried to keep it as broad as possible with the guidelines to keep it open for everyone.”

the city, heading up and back down Darby Street, before zipping through Hunter Street, and back to Greater Union Newcastle.

For those of us who aren’t quite bereft of life but want to play too, there will be volunteers on hand to give you a bite hand in getting in the spirit. Whether this be a well-placed rip or two in some older clothes or a full on makeup job and drenching in a few litres of fake blood, attendees have the choice of fitting in as much or as little as they want.

“Zombie costumes are simple,” Ella says. “Find something you like and destroy with blood. Preferably fake. But that’s your choice.”

In previous years there have been many strange looks exchanged between residents of the Newcastle CBD, probably exhibiting a mix of emotions from the likes of entertainment through to deathly fear for their lives.

Despite this, Ella admits that she has never actually participated in the march herself.

“I’m really busy during the event making sure everything’s going smoothly.”

“But apparently they have a lot of trouble when they pass by the Brewery,” she laughs.

While there has been much speculation over the years as to a hidden meaning behind the Zombie March, Ella insists there is none.

“A lot of people read in to it,” she says.

Originally it was meant to be an ironic stand against the dying arts scene in Newcastle, but it’s just for the sake of it nowadays.

“But at the end of the day, it’s just marching through the city with a whole bunch of people dressed as zombies. Just a bit of fun.”

7 8

The rules in Zombieland are quite accurate and there is no harm in following them. However, under no circumstances should you go to a Pacific Playland. That sh*t is a deathtrap.

Shopping centres are not good places to set up a defensive base.

There are far too many entrances.

Similarly, churches and other places where the religious gather are veritable killing grounds.

9 10 11

Ella describes the competition as one that caters to film makers of all skill levels and means. Whether they be recorded on an iPhone or on professional equipment, shot in one take or “edited to buggery”, Ella assures that they will be given every opportunity possible in the competition.

Judging the competition are a few famous faces.

Josh Reed, director of the 2010 film Primal, came on board following an attempt by Ella to get David and Margaret from At The Movies on board. While she didn’t expect any results, she heard back from Josh, who had been given the email from a friend at the ABC. A huge zombie fan, he was eager to help.

Another famous face amongst the judges this year is Maynard Crabbes, a veteran radio personality with a career including work at the university’s own 2NUR FM, Triple J and more recently ABC Local Radio. He was also a regular television host on Foxtel from 1994 through to 2001.

As the night goes on, the society will be moving to the aptly named After-Life Party, hosted at the Great Northern Hotel from 8pm, featuring local band Funkwit. After a hard evening of shuffling and shambling, many Zombies will no doubt be consuming beverages of the alcoholic variety. If you want someone to survive the zombie apocalypse with, it might just be the night to find them.

With the apocalypse fast approaching, attendance at the Zombie March may be your only opportunity to test out your anti-zombie measures. Be alert but not alarmed, keep your small arms on hand and keep a strong supply of garlic just in case the situation comes to it.

The Newcastle Undead Society’s Zombie March will be occurring on October 9 from 5pm and will be commencing from the new Newcastle Museum. Entry to the Scream Screen is $5.

Kinemortophobia – fear of the undead. This won’t actually help you in not dying, but at least you now have a word for your pantwetting fear.

The natural leader in your group always dies first. Never be the natural leader.

If you’re a girl, develop a romantic relationship with the geeky guy.

He will save your life at some stage.

12 13 14

Gunfire attracts zombies. Inversely, close combat increases the chance of you being Zombie-fied. Use a suppressor.

Know your zombies! Contrary to popular belief, there are multiple species of the common garden variety zombie. Each species has its own characteristics so you need to know if you’re facing a Shaun zombie, Romero zombie, Resident zombie or any other species. Knowledge is power, people. Knowledge is power!

Spread this issue of Yak around to ensure that everyone sees this handy list of facts.

26MONDAY/SEPT Uni Break

27TUESDAY/SEPT

Uni Break

28 WEDNESDAY/SEPT Uni Break

29 THURSDAY/SEPT Uni Break

30 FRIDAY/SEPT

07FRIDAY Uni Break

Graduation Ceremonies Great Hall

08/09 SAT/SUN Uni Break

UoN BusCom Bash Saturday, 7pm - Great Northern Hotel Zombie March Sunday, 5pm - Newcastle Museum Honeysuckle Scream Screen, 6pm - Greater Union Newcastle

12 WEDNESDAY Tai Chi Beginners Class 9.30am - The Forum Trivia 1pm - GT Bar FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Sam Hollins’ 12pm- Derkenne Courtyard FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Rossington & Bell’ 12.30pm- Bar on the Hill Lawn Pool Competition 3pm - GT Bar

Uni Break

Wind Down Wednesday FREE MUSIC: ‘Gemma’ 3pm - 7pm - Bar on the Hill

Uni Break

13 THURSDAY

01/02 SAT/SUN WEEK 10 10 MONDAY 03 MONDAY Uni Break

National Young Writers Festival - Various venues. www.youngwritersfestival.org

04 TUESDAY Uni Break

05 WEDNESDAY Uni Break

06 THURSDAY Uni Break

Graduation Ceremonies Great Hall

Wii Wars 3pm - GT Bar

FREE Lunchtime Music Sam Burton 12.30pm - Bar on the Hill Lawn

Chinese for Beginners 1 6.30pm - Richardson Wing

UCard Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm - GT Bar

11 TUESDAY FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Mark Jackson & the Ukastle Ukestra’ 12pm - Derkenne Courtyard Trivia 1pm - Bar on the Hill Beer Bingo 4pm - GT Bar Chinese for Beginners 2 6.30pm - Richardson Wing

Watt Space Art Gallery Exhibition launch 6.30pm - Watt Space Gallery

CONGRATS to HOT COPs

for winning the AACA National Campus Band Comp State Finals!

They will now be representing Newcastle University and NSW in the National Final, held in Melbourne, Wednesday, October 19.

14 FRIDAY Chinese Language & Culture for Seniors 9.30am- Confucius Institute, IDC Building Dapper Day 10am - University of Newcastle UCard Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm - Bar on the Hill

15/16SAT/SUN

OCTOBER WEEK 11 17MONDAY Wii Wars 3pm - GT Bar

Nursing Forum 5pm - Nursing Theatre

18 TUESDAY

FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Newcastle Con Students Contemporary Vocal Showcase’ 11.30am - Derkenne Courtyard Trivia 1pm - Bar on the Hill Beer Bingo 4pm - GT Bar

19 WEDNESDAY

FREE Lunchtime Music ‘De-May’ 12pm - Derkenne Courtyard FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Sam Buckingham’ 12.30pm - Bar on the Hill Lawn

21 FRIDAY UCard Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm - Bar on the Hill Oktoberfest 12pm - Bar on the Hill NUPSA Postgraduate & Honours Lunch 1pm - Auchmuty Courtyard

22/23 SAT/SUN

Fat As Butter Saturday, 12pm - Camp Shortland

WEEK 12 24 MONDAY 25 TUESDAY

Trivia 1pm - GT Bar Pool Competition 3pm - GT Bar

Trivia 1pm - Bar on the Hill

Wind Down Wednesday FREE MUSIC: ‘Gemma’ 3pm - 7pm - Bar on the Hill

Beer Bingo 4pm - GT Bar

FREE Lunchtime Music 12.30pm - Bar on the Hill Lawn UCard Happy Hour 4pm -6pm - GT Bar

Trivia 1pm - GT Bar Pool Competition 3pm - GT Bar Wind Down Wednesday FREE MUSIC: ‘Gemma’ 3pm - 7pm - Bar on the Hill

Campus Markets 11am - 2.30pm - Auchmuty Courtyard

Wii Wars 3pm - GT Bar

01TUESDAY/NOV Trivia 1pm - Bar on the Hill Beer Bingo 4pm - GT Bar

27THURSDAY

02 WEDNESDAY/NOV

FREE Lunchtime Music 12.30pm - Bar on the Hill Lawn UCard Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm - GT Bar

28FRIDAY UCard Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm - Bar on the Hill Newcastle University Finance Club’s End of Year Investment Seminar 9.15am - 4pm - University of Newcastle, Sydney Campus FREE ENTRY

26 WEDNESDAY

WEEK 13 31 MONDAY

Halloween Featuring ‘The Only’ DJ’s 7.30pm - Bar on the Hill

Watt Space Art Gallery Exhibition launch 6.30pm - Watt Space Gallery

Wii WARS 3pm - GT Bar

FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Mark Jackson & the Ukastle Ukestra’ 12pm - Bar on the Hill Lawn

20 THURSDAY

FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Andrew McLachlan’ 12pm - Bar on the Hill Lawn

Trivia 1pm - GT Bar Pool Competition 3pm - GT Bar Wind Down Wednesday 3pm - 7pm - Bar on the Hill

03 THURSDAY/NOV UCard Happy Hour 4pm -6pm - GT Bar

04 FRIDAY/NOV UCard Happy Hour 4pm -6pm - Bar on the Hill

29/30 SAT/SUN

FREE Lunchtime Music ‘Patrick James’ 12pm - Auchmuty Courtyard

WIN LORD OF THE STEIN! You will have a space reserved for you, a stein filled with beer, a meal and express bar service at Oktoberfest, Bar on the Hill on Friday, October 21.

To win, simply visit our facebook page - www.facebook.com/yakmagazine and tell us your scary-movie plot in 50 words or less. The winner of the most creative entry will be announced on October, 14 at 5pm and the winner will be messaged via facebook.

The band has come far in their first year, having only formed in last August.

By Megan Lucas Designed by Joyce Ching Yee Ho

Megan Lucas chats to Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen drummer Tom Green about gigs, uni and balancing life on the road.

“We had our first gig a year ago last month [August]. I had no experience really, I had played a few gigs with metal bands and folk bands like at the Cambridge,” Tom explains.

They have worked hard, practising and performing gigs both in the area and afar.

“We jumped in and decide to go for it, started around Wollongong and Sydney and Newcastle then Port Mac and it went up further north and further south,” he says.

It was their initiative that led to them being one of just seven bands chosen to perform on a select stage at the infamous Byron Bay Bluesfest.

Pinning down Tom Green was not an easy task, and no I don’t mean the Freddy Got Fingered comedian. This Tom Green resides right here in Newcastle and is best known in the local music scene as the drummer from Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen.

The four piece blues/funk and roots band are starting to make a name for themselves and have even played a few high profile festivals this year including Bluesfest, Gumball and New Beginnings.

Sitting across from Tom in the city campus café he would not stand out from any other university student, although he may look somewhat familiar to you.

If you have ever had trouble with a computer in one of the university hubs, it may very well have been friendly rover Tom who helped you out of your pickle.

In his second year at the Conservatorium of Music (Con), Tom is studying a double major of composition and creative production.

So that’s right, he is a university student, works as a rover AND is a member of a busy and flourishing band. No wonder I had trouble tracking him down.

Tom hasn’t always been a drummer. As most young musicians do, Tom started on the piano. From there he went on to learn saxophone, which would become

14

Yak Magazine - October 2011

a main instrument for him, singing and eventually drums as well as “just pick[ing] up other things along the way.”

He began to learn percussion seriously when he started lessons.

“I got percussion tuition from the conservatorium for two years and that wasn’t really drum kit at all. That was timpani and marimba all those sort of instruments,” he explains.

“Last year I was playing in four or five bands, while in a musical at civic theatre, while doing uni and two jobs. I ended up quitting one of them which was a wise choice. But I got really sick so I slowed down,” When he later joined the Con, it was his prowess on the saxophone that led to Tom meeting fellow band member Will Gijsbers.

“That is how I found out about the band, that is how I found Will. He was looking for a saxophonist to play for a song and you know, the rest is history,” he says.

When the first drummer for the band had to move away they turned to their studio saxophonist to fill the gap.

“When he had to leave, I was playing saxophone for one or two of their songs in the studio and then ended up being their drummer,” Tom says.

“We did a busking competition and were one of seven bands out of 54 who got to play,” Tom perks up in his chair as he retells the experience. “There ended up being a heap of people that came to watch, something like 400 people being around us. I stood up and couldn’t see over the crowd from the drum stool. So that was awesome.”

He finishes clearly humbled by the magnitude and appreciative of the recognition it has given the band.

“People who saw us there have come to see us at shows.”

Their Facebook page states that they are “already renowned as one of Australia’s hardest working acts” and it is easy to see why.

The band released their debut EP “Like A Queen” in January this year and unlike other bands that have a named title member followed by “and the”, Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen are a collaborative band.

“We were all writing the songs together, even though the name is Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen, it’s a collective and Bowen is very cool about that.”

Although all these endeavours seem quite ambitious, having just three main time consumers is actually a step back for Tom. “Last year I was playing in four or five bands, while in a musical at civic theatre, while doing uni and two jobs. I ended up quitting one of them which was a wise choice. But I got really sick so I slowed down,” he explains.

By Alexandra Neill Alexandra Neill takes us through some extra-curricular advice you won’t get from your tutors.

1. Soft serve sundaes do not count as dinner, no matter how much extra stuff you add to them.

2. Always take a whisk to a party.

3. If you drive for long enough you will find a McDonalds.

4. Monty Python is relevant to all subjects. No exception.

5. The later in the afternoon the tutorial is, the more likely it is to contain people too lazy to get their head around the registration system.

6. People queuing for a free barbeque will not necessarily know the occasion the barbeque is celebrating.

Despite half of the band not attending uni, Tom says they are understanding and help make the juggling act easier.

7. Attending a lecture will not automatically make you learn. You actually have to listen.

“These guys are really chill so it helps with not being too stressed and having the time,” he says.

8. 9am is not a civilised hour for anything.

The hardest aspect of balancing the band with uni for Tom is missing weeks and feeling behind. “Sometimes I will be missing weeks of uni.

Week two of uni this semester I missed the whole thing because we were doing six gigs down at the snow.”

9. The 11pm P plate curfew should be taken into account during the early stages of planning. Not at 10:45pm.

10. Spontaneity is always a good idea.

11. Randomly introducing yourself to strangers has about a 60/40 success rate.

He understands that every uni student has a busy schedule and says there is no real secret to fitting it all in.

12. Midnight is a perfectly reasonable bedtime. In fact it is early.

“It’s busy but it’s just a matter of juggling,” he says.

13. It is possible for a path to be uphill in both directions.

“It’s a week by week roster. Because things will change with the band, some weeks we will have four gigs, some we will have none.”

Eventually Tom and the band would like to take their music to the overseas market.

“The ambition is to get overseas in two years, have an album released and have a solid base in Australia, being a name people recognise. That’s the plan,” he says.

But for now the strategy is to finish uni and keep building the band’s profile.

“If all goes well, we’ll hopefully build up the profile some more and have some fun. That is what it’s mainly about,” Tom says.

He smiles as he explains how much he enjoys his life and embraces his hectic schedule.

“Every week is different which keeps life exciting and makes the degree a bit more of a challenge which is fun,” he says.

If you would like to see Tom and Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen perform, you can catch them at their end of uni gig on December 2 at the Great Northern.

14. No one has ever read a whole Shakespeare play in a week. Anyone who says they have is lying.

15. You cannot absorb information by lying on your textbooks.

16. Within the limits of reason and legality, everything is worth trying once.

17. Super-fast three-point turns are a valuable life skill.

18. Majoring in writing does not make blogging a legitimate substitute for studying.

19. If you’ve ever wondered who still uses Power Point you have never attended university.

20. When preparing to go out of an evening it is worth considering whether or not the clothes you are wearing are comfortable to sleep in.

21. Academic essays on Elizabethan poetry should not contain sexual references.

22. Anything is an acceptable topic for research at a tertiary level.

23. It is possible to guess what discipline a group of students are studying by observing their clothing choice.

24. The world is a very small place.

25. You can spend large amounts of money buying books and feel bitter about it.

Next month: Check out the next 25 things on the list!

Yak Magazine - October 2011

15

By Tom Carey Tom Carey takes us through the fine art of time wasting.

Procrastinating is an integral part of being a student. The way in which we procrastinate begins to form who we are as a person and may shape the way our future lives are led.

Even as I began to write this column I had to give myself over to the urges that are procrastinating in the form of beer, Facebook and quite a lengthy Family Guy session.

I shouldn’t pretend to know all when it comes to how we procrastinate, but I will continue to share some of my experiences of the academic’s break times and try to give some insight into the psychology behind why we choose one method of procrastinating over another.

Facebook is undoubtedly one of the most popular ways to procrastinate. In that little window of social media, I am a boss, seeping with coolness away from the dank scholarly life that is uni. Already twice in writing this paragraph, I have jumped across to check out what is happening in my life and what my schedule for the next few months will entail.

Facebook drives our lives, allows us to casually stalk potential mates and dates, find out who’s done what to who and in some cases who’s done who. We thrive off secretly knowing the details of people’s lives, even those who we may not know personally very well at all. But who needs those personal relationships when we have Facebook to create them for us?

Alcohol tends to lubricate the mind and allows for a more freeflowing approach to getting assignments done. This is often demonstrated by the swarming masses that take over Bar on the Hill and the GT Bar before and after classes and also quite regularly during some of the drier lectures and tutorials.

A sneaky beer (best coupled with TV and footy) will lead to a lengthier break from the all important studies and does leave the procrastinator feeling refreshed and ready to bust those books, especially the following morning.

The procrastinating method that I struggle the most to wrap my head around is exercise. I don’t mind going to kick the

footy with the boys after a slog at the notes or just after writing a witty title, but for those of you who hit the gym or go for a run, I take my hat off to you. Although I applaud your enthusiasm, I personally don’t want to be anything other than the stereotypical student, whose laziness and undeserved intellectual cockiness is our greatest asset.

I heard something interesting the other day, a way of procrastinating that took resourcefulness and time management to a whole new level. It was putting off doing work for one subject by doing work from another subject or for a different purpose. I don’t think it’s something that we consciously set out to do when we procrastinate but it does happen. I mean, why am I writing this column? I have quite a big assignment due Thursday that I am yet to begin, but yet I feel so productive pumping out these few hundred words for something that may very well never be read. It is definitely feel good procrastinating.

The final method, (though I know there are many more out there to be explored) is one that truly invigorates mind, body and soul – Procrastibating. Procrastibating achieves a number of things; it can wake you up in the morning, get you all set for a solid day of punching numbers and stringing words; It can get your mind back on track late at night when you need to cram those last few notes for an impending test; It can even put you to sleep when in the right mood so you wake up as happy as Larry. A midday procrastibate can help out with all these things. It is truly a crucial tool in the procrastinating trade.

As students we are the forefront of the next generation of world leaders, peacemakers, warmongers, oil barons, technological gurus and possibly - though looking at the calibre of this column, unlikely - media personalities, journalists and business people. It is important that we take as many lessons as we can from our days as students, lessons that will change and shape our lives as responsible adults and the most important of these is how we procrastinate.

By Gabrielle

Saulsbery

“Really? I hope they don’t have to put the pictures from the cigarette packs on undies now,” joked Sally*, 22.

She may be joking, but her deer-in-theheadlights look shows her true shock.

Previously, it was widely believed that such cancers resulted from heavy tobacco and alcohol use, but 55 percent of oral cancers were attributable to HPV alone with no excessive exposure to alcohol or tobacco at all.

The study reported by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 2007 shows that men and women who have performed oral sex on six or more people in their lifetime are eight times more likely to get some sort of oral cancer—that is, cancer of the throat, tongue or tonsils.

According to the Australian Government’s sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention campaign, HPV is one of the most common sexually transmissible infections in the country.

Yak Magazine - October 2011

17

only 46 percent of men and 37 percent of women under 20 consider oral sex “sex”. Another ten percent of young women remain unsure.

The results of this smaller and more recent survey of uni students in particular reflect a much smaller percentage than the findings of Richters and Rissel.

Broken down into percentages, only 19 percent of the students interviewed consider oral sex ‘sex’, with only half of those counting their oral sex partners in their body count. If “not really” answers count as unsure, then 14 percent were in that boat. The remaining 67 percent don’t consider it sex at all.

“I suppose [people don’t count oral as ‘sex’] as it doesn’t fit with the traditional construction of sex and virginity,” says James*, 22.

“That sucks,” says Melanie*, 20. “A lot of people are going to have it then.”

Melanie was one of the 21 Australian university students who agreed to participate in a survey on their oral sex practices and beliefs to get to the bottom of the issue.

The findings were alarming when set next to the HPVcancer connection and rates of other STDs in Australia.

The results of the survey of Australian students convey a view of oral sex as casual and socially acceptable. Four of the 21 consider oral sex “sex,” three said it “wasn’t really” sex and 14 give a solid “no, it’s not sex” answers.

However, of the four who consider it sex, only two actually count the people with whom they just had oral sex in their “body count,” the number of people they have had sex with. Both are female.

According to Richters and Rissel, having vaginal intercourse for the first time is what most people consider the loss of their virginity, no matter how miserable it may have been the first time.

“You lose your virginity when your hymen breaks, so that makes it sex,” says Hannah J., 20.

Most of the students who do not count their oral partners in their body count say simply that it wasn’t sex.

The problem with most people discounting oral sex as sex is that they’re therefore not safe in their practices. Although 19 of the 21 students surveyed knew that there was some risk of STIs from oral sex, not one had used a condom or dental dam last time they had it.

“When you’re talking to people about who you have ‘had sex with’ it is just common knowledge that you are talking about intercourse,” says Jack*, 19.

If it’s not real sex, what’s the risk, right? Although little data can be found specifically about STIs being contracted through oral sex, it’s feasible.

Many consider oral sex as foreplay, a lead up to sex or a part of sex as a greater whole.

A study by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in the US in 1998 concluded that giving oral sex puts one at risk for HPV and possibly Hepatitis C. It also said that receiving oral sex puts one at risk for acquiring herpes simplex 1 (HSV1) on the genitals.

“Penetrative sex is a step up from oral sex in my eyes,” says Christopher, 20.

Young people today seem to reflect the ideologies of former US President Bill Clinton, who “did not have sexual relations with that woman” when intern Monica Lewinsky gave him a blowjob in the oval office in the 1990s.

According to Doing it Down Under: the Sexual Lives of Australians by Juliet Richters and Chris Rissel in 2005,

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) says that oral sex is one of the most common ways for STIs to be passed on, specifically for Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital herpes and syphilis.

STIs are on the rise in Australia and the rest of the world.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 43 percent of communicable diseases reported in

. . . . .

"Penetrative sex is a step up from oral sex in my eyes"

the Australian population in 2007-2008 were STIs. Chlamydia was the most prevalent with 58,515 new cases alone in 2008.

Eleven of the 21 surveyed students answered questions on whether or not they had been tested for STIs and whether or not they had ever been diagnosed with one.

Of the eleven, two have never been checked, six have never had a positive test, and three have had Chlamydia.

Although none of the students had used a condom or dental dam last time they had oral sex, five of them had in the past.

“When I first [gave oral sex], I was 16 and it was with my boyfriend. I stopped doing it with him because I’d been together with him for a year. Since him, it’s just a matter of hassling to get [the condom] on,” says Melanie. “My friends don’t do it either.”

Sally, the one student who had used a dental dam before, explains the device as “impractical.”

Some students had never even heard of a dental dam (a square of latex or polyurethane held over the vagina as a barrier during oral sex) and a few said they would have no idea where to get one or how to use it properly.

Students’ explanations for why they suppose young adults today don’t use protection during oral sex are sometimes similar, sometimes varied and always interesting.

Lack of education was one reason. “We’re taught about intercourse and all that but not oral,” says Zac, 24.

“In my experience I think it’s our culture—I don’t know anyone who’s used it consistently. I’ve also never seen a dental dam. I wouldn’t know what to do with it,” adds Melanie.

“When you get sex ed in school, they focus on how to put a condom on but don’t mention anything about doing it for oral sex,” she says.

Another reason is that people often see condoms as a contraceptive method rather than STI prevention.

“When most people think of the dangers of sex, they think of pregnancy,” says Maria*, 20.

Since the pregnancy issue is off the table for oral sex, in students’ eyes, condoms are as well.

Felicity, 22, suggests that nerves play a big role in people not speaking up about protection during oral sex.

The average age of the first oral sex experience of the surveyed students is 16.2 years of age while the average age of first sexual intercourse is 16.8.

Most people seem to have oral sex before sexual intercourse, so their inexperience may render them too nervous to ask, like Felicity suggests.

On top of all that, it’s awkward. Nobody likes the taste of latex, and almost every student concluded with the same answer—as Victoria*, 21, puts it, “It’s because we’re reckless and the general consensus is that it doesn’t feel as good.”

All the interview and survey participants walked away with heightened knowledge about STIs, particularly the cancerous possibilities that result from HPV contracted through oral sex.

Despite the life-or-death weight of the risk, there were mixed responses on whether or not this new info will change their practices.

“It’s hard to get that practice up and running if no one knows what to expect from it,” says Sally.

Those in relationships do not plan to change their practices with their significant other, and a majority of the single students don’t plan to start using protection when engaging in oral sex in the future.

Some have come up with an alternative plan.

“It’ll make me more selective about who I [perform oral sex] on,” says Cora*, 20.

“It just depends on who it’s with—with a random I might not be more inclined to give [oral sex],” adds Renee*, 20.

For this generation, habits are hard to break. With the possible problem of oral cancers far off in the distant future of the 30s, 40s and so on, many are not immediately inclined to change their sex practices.

“I’m not worried about it… You think ‘oh, that’d never happen to me’,” says Jane.

“I think that some people do it initially because they’re not ready to have sex. It’s a difficult conversation to have if you’re young and nervous,” she says.

However, if the next generation of students learn about oral sex in their high school sexual education classes, maybe they will grow up being more inclined to use protection than this one.

“First time I did it, I felt really pressured and there’s no way I would’ve asked him to put a condom on.”

* Names have been changed where privacy was requested.

Yak Magazine - October 2011

19

Share your views

voice

Newcastle

Have you wanted to be more involved in shaping Newcastle’s future? Are you interested in providing input into Council decisions and activities?

Join today

Register online at www.mynewcastlevoice.com.au

“There’s enough decision-making done on our behalf; younger citizens need their own voice heard and not have others speak for them.”

James, 16-24, Wallsend, Newcastle Voice member

ARCHITECTURE

By Katie Burgess Photography by Mei Yen Ng

IN

Of the many things I discovered when Architecture in Helsinki played at Bar on the Hill, the following are certainly the most pertinent.

Firstly, Architecture plays the kind of music that brings a smile to your face without you even realising it. Secondly, although not named for their knowledge of Finnish engineering and construction, Architecture truly are the nice guys of Australian modernist pop. And last, but not least, Cameron Bird can cock an eyebrow so well it would make your grandmother blush.

What began as a slow evening built rapidly in momentum. The three support acts included quirky electro-pop outfit Little Dottie, progressive electronica duo Oscar & Martin and New Zealand indie band Cut Off Your Hands, all of whom proved to be rather popular if the empty schooner glasses bordering the stage were anything to go by.

People began jostling for a spot in the nosebleed section early, although the boppy, electronic funk did not provoke much activity that could have resulted in blood loss.

Architecture’s set actually began on time, which is a rarity in itself, opening with breezy numbers from their latest offering, Moment Bends. The early part of the set was reminiscent of the Johnson and Friends theme song with spry little synth riffs, cleanly strummed chords and tight triadic harmonies teamed with catchy lyrics. ‘Escapee’ proved to be one of the more recognisable tracks from the new album, although ‘Contact High’ succeeded in getting the entire floor moving. They pulled out some crowd pleasers early on, with ‘That Beep’ lulling even those on the fringes of the floor into dancing.

Lead singer and guitarist Cameron Bird exchanged courteous banter with the crowd and dedicated songs to everyone from the Newcastle Knights to Arts students (much to the highly vocalised disgust of the Business students in the crowd). Even the lady who cooked the band dinner that evening merited a mention!

HELSINKI The rest of the set was what can only be described as salacious funk, with the vocal tone shifting from sweet to seventies smut, an abundance of slap bass and falsettos finer than Barry Gibb. The three main vocalists were used interchangeably throughout and the band mixed up their lineup frequently during the set, with everyone having a crack at different instruments seemingly just to prove that they were the masters of plurality of sound.

Their stage presence was energetic, with even beardly bass player Jamie Mildren getting amongst the synchronised dance moves the three front men were pulling. Let it be said that Kellie Sutherland really can’t dance (let’s be fair, we can’t all move like Kimbra) but she gave it a good solid go which was much appreciated by the crowd, who seemed to perk up as soon as she took control of the microphone. Moves on stage encouraged even curiouser ones within the crowd: I even saw the sprinkler attempted in tandem! Although the ticket price was cheap even in student terms, it would have been worth the $27.50 alone just to see the glockenspiel-ist Gus Franklin bust moves sweeter than Napoleon Dynamite.

The band finished on a high with ‘Heart It Races’ and although Kellie Sutherland barely staggered off stage due to a latent knee injury, the band still indulged the crowd with an encore; a throwback to London Beat’s 1990 track, ‘I’ve Been Thinking About You’. As the night drew to a close, the band profusely thanked the crowd and everybody involved, cementing in my mind the notion that Architecture are truly one of the more lovely bands currently in the Australian music circuit.

Architecture in Helsinki’s latest album Moment Bends is in stores now.

Yak Magazine - October 2011

21

at C u ltu r a l Awa ken in g s 20 1 1

The team at the Australian winter university games 2011 AUG Photography by Ashley Hamilton

This month, we asked the kids on campus

BRENDAN COMMERCE

“their greatest fear!”

What’s playing on your iTunes?

What iPod? Jason Derulo, Backstreet Boys.

SHAUN PHARMACY

> Rowena Grant (photography) > Jess McAneney What’s playing on your iTunes?

I listen to a lot of rock, especially the Silent Comedy.

What’s your greatest fear?

Giraffes! Those stick things with the balls on the end can definitely be a bludgeoning object, they make me edgy!

What’s your greatest fear?

Staying single ( Editor’s note: Have you met Rowie?)

What’s your best Halloween costume/ experience?

I would just rock up as me, is that ok?

What’s your scary movie recommendation?

The Descent, for sure.

What’s your best Halloween costume/ experience?

On my 19th Birthday, which is Halloween, I wore a white robe and said that once someone took the robe off me I would stay in what I had on underneath for the rest of the night – I was wearing a red g-string and red bow tie and my robe was taken off at 4pm!

DYLAN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

What’s playing on your iTunes?

Definitely hate iPods, but I will tell everyone that I have been listening to Taylor Swift!

RUTH OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

What’s your greatest fear?

My greatest fear would have to be turning out like Brendan (See above!)

What’s your best Halloween costume/ experience?

I would like to dress as a ghost, it is easy and not much effort. However, one year I went as a pumpkin thanks to my mum’s sewing skills!

What’s your best Halloween costume/ experience?

Yeah, I would also go as myself!

BIOLOGY

What’s playing on your iTunes?

I just leave my iTunes on shuffle and listen to whatever comes up!

What’s your greatest fear?

I am definitely afraid of spiders.

What’s your scary movie recommendation?

I try to avoid scary movies!!

What’s your best Halloween costume/ experience?

I once went to a Halloween party as Rafael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I won $100 bar tab for being the best dressed!

What’s your greatest fear?

I am afraid of drowning!

What’s your scary movie recommendation?

I try to avoid scary movies... In year 8 I saw Tommy Knockers - it was PG and that was it for me and scary movies!

What’s your scary movie recommendation?

I once sat down to The Lakehouse... I was very afraid!

SARAH

What’s playing on your iTunes?

Gotye.

CHRISTIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

What’s playing on your iTunes?

Gotye and Boy & Bear.

What’s your greatest fear?

I would hate to be trapped in a burning house.

What’s your scary movie recommendation?

I am too scared to watch Wolf Creek, as I have heard some bad things...

What’s your best Halloween costume/ experience?

One year on Halloween, some kids knocked on my front door and threatened to egg our house if we didn’t give them lollies. Granted, my mum yelled at them!

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STEINS Ucard $3 Others .50 $7 *Refill

s $5

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 Bar on the Hill, 12pm - 7pm www.facebook.com/baronthehill

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