woroni VOL. 68, Issue 3. Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
PAGE 15 HOLD ME, papa, hold me! Fighting Female feticide in india
PAGE 18 Mereka adalah pemberontak juga "They're rebels too"
PAGE 24 The ANU is failing working class students from our education pullout
PAGE 35 the duality of "broke" rethinking how we about money
talk
ANUSA TO SEND NUS AN ULTIMATUM
Text: Max Koslowski Graphic: Sophie Bear
Coalitioning with seven other university student associations, ANUSA is hoping to send an ultimatum to the NUS: if the organisation fails to clean up their act, the universities will not affiliate with the national student union. It’s the second consecutive year that ANUSA is threatening not to affiliate with the organisation unless they meet certain requirements. Last year, ANUSA did not affiliate after the NUS contravened one of the requirements, choosing a factionally-aligned returning officer. The other university student unions that hope to sign onto the letter are Curtin Student Guild, UWA Student Guild, ECU Student Guild, University of Melbourne Student Union, University of Sydney SRC, University of Newcastle Student Association and Flinders University Student Association. Currently, the policy has not been signed by any of the eight universities. Together, these student bodies represent 40 per cent of the NUS’ annual affiliation
fees. The universities hope that, by holding $240,000 worth of affiliation fees over the organisation’s head, they can manufacture some structural changes. The NUS’ annual budget is near $1 million. ANUSA’s affiliation fees are $10,000. The letter asks that the NUS uphold key performance indicators -- of which some were used last year by ANUSA when they similarly requested the NUS clean up their act. One of the letter’s demands is that the NUS appoints a returning officer this year that is not a member of any NUS faction. The letter also demands that the NUS conduct an independent annual audit of their finances. In 2013, a report from independent auditors TLConsult stated that structural problems “unchanged for nearly two decades” meant that the NUS only had enough funds to “sustain the organisation for approximately one year in its current form”. The ANUSA student representative council, a body of ANUSA executives, elected general representatives, college representatives and department officers,
..THIS TIME WITH OTHER UNIVERSITIES will vote on the affiliation policy in a meeting on Tuesday. However, some within the SRC will oppose the motion. General representative Ashish Nagesh, who has opposed affiliating with the NUS in the past, supports putting the question to a student body referendum. The last time ANUSA held a university-wide referendum on the topic was in 1992 -- it caused one of the largest turnouts to a student vote in ANU’s history, with other 2500 ballots cast. Over 1500 of those votes opposed affiliation. Nagesh told Woroni that he also had concerns about the transparency of the NUS debate. “It has definitely not been fair, many members of the SRC have expressed frustration that they were not involved,” said Nagesh, speaking of the involvement that SRC members have had with setting the affiliation requirements. “On Tuesday I will fight for change. ANUSA is an organisation that should be accountable and transparent and
it currently isn’t within its own SRC.” NUS president Mark Pace told Woroni that if an ultimatum became university policy, he would try his hardest to meet the requirements set out by the eight tertiary institutions. “It’s important that member organisations to the NUS feel like their students are being effectively and responsibly represented,” Pace said. “The national office bearing team will be working hard throughout the year to respond to the indicators set by ANU students.” When asked specifically about the requirement that the returning officer not be factionally-aligned, Pace said he would advocate for a change. “While the decision will be decided by the 17 voting members of the national executive, I’ll be recommending a non-factional returning officer.” The NUS came into being in 1987, and aims to be a national student voice on government policy and student affairs. w
News comment 7
Defunding Climate Change: A Case for Divestment Bella Himmelreich 8
Meanwhile in Canberra Jasper Lindell 9
1968: A Year of Student Rebellion Grace Hill 10
The Right to Translation Noah Yim 11
My Father’s Sins Yuka Nagata
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Using Mimicry to Solve Nature’s Problems Brody Hannan
sATIRE 47
Nine Issues with the Night Noodle Markets and How We Can Fix Them
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Lachlan Smith The Urban Planning Standards Australia Should Be Aiming For 47 FUCK FUCK FUCK: The Jessica Woolnough ANU Snowsports Stall 24 Won’t Take Dad’s AMEX The World’s Greatest Will Fletcher Collective Action Problem Lydia J. Kim 35
The Duality of “Broke” Tabitha Malet
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Student with Paraplegia Insists That “Everything is Absolutely Fine” Amelia Richardson
Culture 36
Sashimi, Shrine and Sunsets: Adventures in Japan Mariam Abouelnasr
The Eternal Gun Control Debate Richard Hong
My Country: Right or Wrong? A Friendly Call to Action Kevin Marco 38
Striking Through The (P)Ages Joe Reed
Seeking Clarification About Quidditch Sophie Hyland-Fitch
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Australian Political Parties are Investing in Memes Max Koslowski 15
Hold Me, Papa! Hold Me! Sonali Banerjee ‘rebel’ Features 16
Rebelling Through Weihnachten Bei Uns Hugo Kneebone Multilingual
The History of Superman’s Red Undies Brandon Tan Once Upon a Paper Moon Nell Fraser 41
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Why the 90th Annual Academy Awards Left a Bitter Taste in My Mouth Madeline Calo
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Innerself Asefeh Abedini 18
Mereka Adalah Pemberontak Juga – They’re Rebels Too Sophie Hewitt The education pull-out Featuring written pieces from Sophie Johnson, Kim Stern, Shae Maree Nicholson, Vanamali Hermans, MakaylaMay Brinckley, Brody Hannan, Jacob Mildren, Bolwen Fu and Bella Himmelreich.
creative 43
The Up Until Mahalia Crawshaw 43
Warrior Shikhar Mishra 46
A Shore Thing Anonymous 46
Adding to the Novel Juniata Rose 46
Discover 31
The 37 Per Cent Rule Liam King
This paper is recyclable. Protect the environment and recycle me after reading.
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Food Show Addictions Stefhan Meyer
A Broken Spirit Makayla-May Brinckley Creative Magazine Preview
We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the traditional owners of the land on which Woroni is written, edited and printed. We pay respects to Elders past, present and future. We would also like to acknowledge that this land – which we benefit from occupying – was stolen, and that sovereignty was never ceded. Within this ongoing echo of colonialism we commit, as writers and editors, to amplify the voices and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at our university. We will honour the diversity of their stories.
Board of Editors
Editor in Chief: James Atkinson Deputy EIC: Nathalie Rosales Cheng Managing Editor: Jonathan Tjandra Content Editor: Mia Jessurun Radio Editor: Zoe Halstead TV Editor: Linda Chen Art Editor: Sophie Bear News Editor: Max Koslowski
staff and Sub-Editors
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acknowledgement of country
Woroni apologises for incorrectly attributing the article “Trump in Tweets” to Brandon Tan. The actual contributor of this article was Bentan Honeywood and we apologise to both Bentan and Brandon for this error. The online version of this article has been attributed correctly. Woroni apologises for incorrectly attributing the article “Lore of the Lake” to Jeffrey Weng. The actual contributor of this article was Lachlan Forrester and we apologise to both Lachlan and Jeffrey for this error. The online version of this article has been attributed correctly. Woroni apologises for incorrectly attributing the article “The World In Our Pockets (and How it Distracts Us)” to Jeremy Tsui. The actual contributor of this article was Chris Walsh and we apologise to both Chris and Jeremy for this error. The online version of this article has been attributed correctly. Woroni apologises for incorrectly attributing the artwork alongside the article “The World In Our Pockets (and How it Distracts Us)” to Clarence Lee. The actual artist was David Liu and we apologise to both David and Clarence for this error. The online version of this article has been attributed correctly.
Financial Controller: Brendan Greenwood Website Development: Nick Sifniotis Senior Sub-Editor: Ben Lawrence Senior Sub-Editor: Eleanor Armstrong Comment: Georgia Alexiou International: Brandon Tan Features: Ally Luppino Multilingual: Charbel El-Khaissi Arts: Miriam Sadler Reviews: Josie Ganko Environment: Jessica Woolnough Science: Liam King Creative Writing: Annabel Chin Quan Creative Writing: Emily Dickey News: Noah Yim News: Phoebe Lupton News: Kobie Chen News: Alessandra Hayward News: Luke Kinsella News: Dan Le Mesurier News: Jacob Thornton News: Georgia Clare Executive Producer: Steph David Presenter Liason: Sonja Panjkov Radio Technical Officer: Adam Bell Music & Events: Annika Law Breakfast Producer: Imogen Purcell Radio Producer: Dorothy Mason Radio Producer: Maleika Twisk Radio Producer: Byron Dexter Radio Producer: Gil Rickey Radio Producer: Lulu Cathro Radio Producer: Darcy Bembic Art & Design: David Liu Art & Design: Millie Wang Art & Design: Hannah Charny Art & Design: Clarence Lee Art & Design: Maddy McCusker Senior Camera Operator: Bremer Sharp Senior Video Editor: Shasha Ma Camera Operator: Manya Sinha Video Editor: Caitlin Jenkins Video Editor: Hayley Pang TV Producer: William He TV Producer: Zachary Schofield TV News Reporter: Isabella Di Mattina TV News Reporter: Judith Zhu TV News Reporter: Ayaka Miki Tsu TV News Reporter: Amanda Au
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Want to contribute? Send words to write@woroni.com.au and visuals to art@woroni.com.au. Woroni is powered by Sophie’s tea tips, Mia’s tofu, Nat and Ben’s Big Macs, James’ chickenless-chickenchips, Steph’s popcorn, Gil’s wellness bowls and Zoe’s koalas... it’s almost as if we should make a cookbook?
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Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
A B&G STUDENT LEADER WAS REMOVED FROM THEIR POSITION LAST WEEK: SHOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO RUN AGAIN?
AFTER A 31 YEAR BREAK, THE ANU HISTORICAL JOURNAL IS BACK Text: Luke Kinsella
Text: Max Koslowski
After a 31 year hiatus, the ANU School of History has announced the revival of the ANU Historical Journal.
Last Thursday morning, the Burton & Garran Hall Members’ Association held a closed, emergency meeting where they asked the question: should their treasurer be expelled?
The journal will be published annually, with the release of its first edition due late-2018. The journal has received over 20 manuscript submissions so far that will be peer-reviewed by academics from the Journal’s board of reviewers.
Over the course of two days, BAGMA student leaders discussed the question, seven individuals complained about their treasurer’s behaviour, and the treasurer spoke against these claims.
Editor Emily Gallagher isn’t completely sure why the Journal went on a hiatus in the first place. “Very few archival sources have survived regarding the Journal and [the ANU Historical Society],” she told Woroni.
He was removed from college leadership in a closed vote, that required three quarters of BAGMA to agree. Two days later, nominations for the vacant position opened. The process has raised some important questions -- how should college leadership teams treat complaints against one of their members? And should those that are pushed out of college leadership be allowed to run again? Students inside and outside of BAGMA have raised concerns about the fact that the ex-treasurer can run for the position from which he was removed. In a statement that was released college-wide on Friday, BAGMA offered little detail on why they removed their treasurer: “This member of BAGMA has exhibited an inability to fulfil the roles and responsibilities of their position and has conducted themselves in a manner which contravenes the standard of behaviour required by a member of BAGMA. Multiple complaints were received and BAGMA does not tolerate any conduct of this nature. This conduct was in strict violation of Chapter 1, Section 6a, 6c and 6d. It was on these grounds that a special vote was conducted.” The parts of the constitution that BAGMA referenced are also non-specific. Section 6 says that all BAGMA members must act in the interests of the student body at all times, conduct themselves in a “professional manner”, and “provide a forum for students to discuss college policies, and to express their opinions safely and fairly”. One BAGMA resident was unequivocal in their support for a constitutional change: “Yes, there should be constitutional changes - this has highlighted how ambiguous the constitution can be. We have a constitutional review committee that is open to all residents of B&G, and the committee will be looking at making some changes.” One of the original students that complained about the ex-treasurer’s actions
However, she presumes that it was due to financial hardship and the decline of the ANU Historical Society.
told Woroni that it would be insensitive of him to run again.
information at their Thursday emergency meeting.
“Given the circumstances and given the situation, and the number of people involved in the situation that still sit on that committee, it’s quite an insensitive decision that I personally believe is counteractive to the committee's interests,” the complainant said.
One claim was that in the new residents’ first week, the ex-treasurer kissed a first year student while out clubbing, breaching the aforementioned internal rule and abusing his power as a student leader.
“I don’t know whether the system itself should change, because it’s based on procedural fairness and the ability to contest a decision that’s made on your behalf,” they added, referring to the silent vote that ultimately removed the treasurer. The removal of the ex-treasurer has also raised questions about how student leadership organisations should treat abuse of power. Woroni understands that BAGMA tries to maintain a standard around any inappropriate acts between student leadership and first years during O-Week. The internal convention is that student leaders should not engage in any inappropriate relations with incoming residents while in a leadership position. However, Woroni also understands that this rule has been treated with discretion in the past: in previous years, students on BAGMA have consistently disregarded this convention, and were not removed from the leadership group. Woroni understands that it was allegations from seven individual complainants which motivated a motion of no confidence in the treasurer to be voted on by BAGMA. According to multiple sources, the Burton & Garran Hall administration have plans to process these claims into incident reports. In two instances, BAGMA did not hear the allegations directly, but instead learnt of the details through relayed
Other claims were based more directly around the ex-treasurer’s capacity to perform his role: there were suggestions that shopping lists he drafted for O-Week were not to budget. The president of BAGMA, Alex de Souza, argued that this was a considered decision. “The decision was not made lightly but we believe the member of BAGMA had conducted themselves in strict contravention of our constitution.” When the above claims were put to the ex-treasurer, he chose not to comment: “I’ve decided not to comment on any of these questions. I do not believe Woroni is the best place to defend myself.” The ex-treasurer also said that “as of now” he had not renominated for the position of treasurer. Nominations close on Sunday, and eligible students have the opportunity to nominate from the floor. Woroni has decided name the treasurer in
not to question.
Max Koslowski is a resident at Burton & Garran Hall. He was a resident in his first year of university, and is currently in his second year. He does not hold a leadership position, and never has. w
“The Journal was inextricably tied to the Society and its decline and disappearance accompanied that of the ANU Historical Society,” she said. According to Woroni in the 1970s, the ANU Historical Society was “one of the largest and most vigorous societies on campus”. “With its regular newsletter – Footnotes – and its popular film screenings, history events and sherry parties, the ANU Historical Society attracted the interest of many history and “non-history” students throughout the 60s and early-70s,” Gallagher said. Academics, postgraduates and undergraduates are welcome to submit works to be published. Gallagher sees the Journal as a way to empower students to get involved in academia and the editorial process. “Historical research, of course, should be assessed on its own merit, not the reputation of the author,” Gallagher said. Those who wish to contribute to the journal do not have to be studying history to do so. The upcoming 2018 edition will include historical pieces from students and academics in the fields of archaeology, modern history and gender studies. The first edition will also include memoir pieces from the original editors of the Journal: Alastair Davidson, Ian Britain and Rosemary Auchmuty. “We definitely intend to have a launch event with our authors, editors and readers,” Gallagher said. w
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Vol. 68 , Issue 02
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ANU EXPANDS PAID PARENTAL LEAVE, BUT ADVOCATES THINK MORE SHOULD BE DONE Text: Phoebe Lupton ANU has announced that they provide up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave to employee’s partners, but the National Tertiary Education Union has warned that ANU still fails on key gender equality indicators. Vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt announced the move at an International Women’s Day forum on Thursday as part of a combination of policies that aim to improve working conditions for female academics at ANU. “Increasing flexibility in paid parental leave entitlements and supporting the role of partners in caring for children
will help address gender inequality at the university,” Schmidt said.
flexible working conditions, and harassment statistics.
Schmidt also committed to a goal to have 50 per cent of executive roles held by women.
Universities in Australia that have the accreditation include the University of Canberra, Monash University, the University of Technology Sydney, University of Wollongong, and Western Sydney University.
And while the NTEU welcomed the move, they suggested that more needed to be done to achieve equality for women in the university workplace. “We’d like to see them do more including achieving Employer of Choice accreditation from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency as many other universities have,” NTEU ACT division secretary, Rachael Bahl, said. “We know there is a lot more ANU can do to support women.”
One specific issue that the NTEU targeted was insecure employment arrangements for women. According to the NTEU ACT division assistant secretary Cathy Day, women at ANU are held back by casual working arrangements, and “no pro rata access to ANU’s paid maternity leave for women in the first 12 months of employment.”
Commenced in 2014, the WGEA Employer of Choice accreditation is only offered to organisations that hit a number of gender equality targets in areas such as leadership, pay gap,
International Women’s Day was first established in the 1900s. The day has historically been dedicated to the celebration of and discussions surrounding the gender pay gap – in
recent years, the question of paid parental leave has entered mainstream discourse. In 2017, Goodwill ambassador and actor Anne Hathaway centred her International Women’s Day speech around this issue, saying that “paid parental leave is not about taking days off work, it’s about creating the freedom to define roles.” ANU’s paid parental leave program was negotiated as part of the university’s enterprise agreement for 20172021. w
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'WE'RE GETTING A BOOKSHOP': MARNIE HUGHES-WARRINGTON Text: Max Koslowski Despite taking on considerable damage from the recent Sullivan’s Creek flooding, the Kambri reconstruction process remains on track to finish by the beginning of 2019’s academic year -- and it’ll come with a bookshop, deputy vice-chancellor Marnie Hughes-Warrington has announced. “We’re in very advanced discussions with the bookshop, and we’re hoping to make an announcement soon.” Hughes-Warrington told Woroni on Thursday. “Can you imagine? No bookshop in Kambri? That would be terrible!” It was announced earlier in the year that Union Court would be renamed Kambri, in a homage to the four Indigenous Australian nations that originally inhabited the land on which ANU is today. And while Hughes-Warrington was tight-lipped about any further details on the bookshop, she promised that the university would make a formal announcement soon. “People are going to be excited. If you are a true lover of books you’re going to be excited.” The Chancelry has decided on a bookshop as they start finalising which outlets will set up shop in the new Kambri. Hughes-Warrington said that decisions were being significantly influenced by
the desire to cater for a range of food tastes and price levels. She told Woroni of the questions that the retail selection committee ask themselves: “Do we have a sufficient range of food, for different tastes, allergies and dietary requirements? And price points,” Hughes-Warrington added. “From the $6 to $20 range.” The deputy vice-chancellor also confirmed that a supermarket would be one of those new outlets -- however, it would not be a Coles, as earlier suggested. It will also not be full-sized. And despite the recent flooding, construction was still on track to be completed by the beginning of the next academic year. “We are roughly on track,” Hughes-Warrington said. “We’re still trying to get a final assessment on the damage from the flood. At this stage the indications are that we’re roughly on track and the precinct will be up and operating for the next academic year.” An assessment on damage to the construction site is yet to be completed, but the deputy vice-chancellor remained optimistic. “We’re still doing an assessment to see how much of the base was washed out from under the foundations. They have to make a determination about whether they do some mediation work
or whether they have to redo some of the foundations,” she explained. Hughes-Warrington told Woroni that she would know of the final decision by early next week. While 11 diggers, a crane generator and a truck were irreparably damaged by the floods, the university will not shoulder the replacement costs: instead, construction company Lendlease (and their insurers) will. Special emphasis has been placed on ensuring that Kambri will not suffer from flooding damage. A weir, which regulates water flow, will be built along the shore of Sullivan’s Creek. The large, outdoor amphitheatre which features prominently in preliminary Kambri designs
has been built with the expectation that it will experience some flooding. Hughes-Warrington further suggested that the worst of the noise disruption was behind us. “You’ll hear the clinking of the scaffolding, and the pouring of the concrete,” Hughes-Warrington said of the next stages of construction. “And you know, the occasional bit of chatter from all the workers.” Up to 600 workers are expected to be working on the site by July this year,
as the university attempts to push construction progress along.
Students should expect to see the scaffolds of new buildings appear within the next couple of months. w
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Week 3, Semester 1, 2018
WHAT DOES A LIBRARY DO WHEN IT LOSES 100,000 BOOKS? Text: Jacob Thornton It felt more like a wake than a forum on Tuesday as 50 or 60 academic and administrative staff filed from the Menzies Library foyer into the Macdonald room on the building’s south side. They had assembled to hear from doyenne of Library Services, Roxanne Missingham, and deputy vice-chancellor, Marnie Hughes-Warrington, on the subject of just how badly the Chifley Library and its collection had been damaged by the February flood, and what the emerging strategies were for the epic task of rebuilding that collection over the coming months, years and decades. The forum was a chance for the most affected stakeholders to survey the situation at Chifley with a few weeks’ distance from what was a gut-wrenching and traumatic event. Until Tuesday, details about the extent of the losses have been somewhat vague. vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt noted in a university-wide email following the flood that “there was significant damage to the library’s microfilm collection relating to literature, politics and current affairs, as well as books and journals relating to history, parliamentary papers, politics, philosophy and anthropology.” In a statement released on 1 March, Missingham reassured staff and students that old and rare books had been spared, and outlined the steps being taken to ensure continued access to the undamaged sections of the library’s collection. She also stated that an expert conservator was assisting the library in its assessment of the damage. Missingham told those assembled at the forum on Tuesday that the prognosis given by the expert conservator, Kim Morris, was extraordinarily dark. “Prepare for the worst”, he had said. She then described the triad of circumstances which had brought on what was a slowly unfolding calamity. The library’s basement had held the floodwaters for around 24 hours before being drained. That, in combination with high temperatures and high ambient humidity, meant that mould would rapidly thrive and begin sending invisible clouds of spores into the air. Morris told librarians there was a critical five-to-seven day window within which materials could be rescued before catastrophic mould infestation set in. So great was the mould’s drive to multiply and colonise after long lying dormant on shelves and between pages that a book, removed by Missingham within the prescribed window and kept in a staff area at Menzies Library, was found covered entirely with mould within a week. In the immediate response, librarians determined that priority should
be given to those materials which held the least likelihood of easy replacement. Figures in HAZMAT gear descended the stairs to the swamp and painstakingly retrieved the most valuable ephemera: official publications, pamphlets and serials which would likely prove vital to the future work of PhD students and researchers studying subjects including film and indigenous history. These documents were removed to a cold-storage facility where they can now be kept at -18 degrees for up to twelve months. Further action will need to be taken, however, as freezing functions to deactivate mould spores rather than kill them. The microform collection, which inhabited the many rows of waste-high cabinets on library’s first level, was hit particularly hard. “Mould loves gelatin,” explained Missingham. So immediate and total was the damage to the microfilm and microfiche that VC Schmidt had afforded it top billing in his initial communiqué; print losses were acknowledged second, perhaps reflecting the early optimism that with swift action and expert consulting, monographs which had been spared direct contact with the flood waters might be recovered. That optimism, held by many in the student body, has not been borne out. The sheer force of the inundation had made a clear impact on both speakers. “When it came,” said Roxanne Missingham, “it came with a force of nature.” As she had already done in a blog post Tuesday morning, Marnie Hughes-Warrington emphasised the word “punched” in describing the violence with which the heavy tables, buoyed by dark rushing waters, had crashed through walls and into shelves. The water that entered the building, Hughes-Warrington explained, was classified “black water, which is contaminated water.” It entered from outside after breaching Sullivan’s Creek, but it
also came from within when the library’s plumbing backed up, pushing sewage up through the drains and toilets. Water containing high levels of dissolved carbon compounds and pathogens from waste matter then wicked gradually upward through millions of tightly compressed pages, causing books to swell and form strange snaking rows along shelves where horizontal expansion was no longer an option. Compacti strained and then buckled under the tonnes of additional water weight, rendering whole swathes of the collection inaccessible for days in the stinking warmth. The result, the Chief of Library Services and deputy-vice chancellor jointly confirmed, was that virtually the entire floor, covering sections ‘A’ to ‘Du’ of the university’s collection, had been lost. It is estimated that this constituted up to ten percent of the ANU’s collection. To use the word decimation therefore is no overstatement. In addition to the materials now on ice, 2024 items which were out on loan at the time of the flood were spared. Hughes-Warrington described the decision to remove the entire collection from the building — a necessary precaution lest mould spores make their way upward to the remaining collection on levels three and four — as gut-wrenching. Attendees of the forum heard that a list of the damaged materials had been sent to the National Library of Australia, and that it was understood that of the more than 100,000 items lost to the flood a mere 30, some of which were in Russian, were not known to have copies held in any other Australian library. It is an incredibly positive result and yet somehow felt like a near miss of the bullseye. Since Tuesday, however, the losses have been cross-referenced against a more recent and comprehensive database, and that
figure has been happily revised down to two. Two out of 100,000. Once the state of affairs had been made clear, the floor was turned over to the audience, and the first questions were decidedly pragmatic. Dr. Catherine Frieman, senior lecturer in Archaeology, sought a list of the lost works so that she and her colleagues might begin the difficult process of selecting and seeking out those teaching materials deemed high priority. Frieman also suggested that a shuttle be arranged to transport students and researchers between the ANU campus and the National Library. While the prospect of distributing a list of over 100,000 works was deemed to be unfeasible, the suggestion of a shuttle service was received gratefully, and Missingham subsequently told me that Joanna Fitzpatrick, associate director of operations at Facilities and Services, put the case for five daily trips between the ANU and NLA to chief operating officer Chris Grange this week. It was also determined that lists of all honours and PhD students whose research was affected by the flood would be handed to Missingham by their respective schools, and the chief librarian pledged that library staff would work closely with those students to ensure that necessary materials were promptly provided. Tom Worthington of the Research School of Computer Science asked the blaring question of whether flood mitigation strategies were being reviewed, to which Marnie Hughes-Warrington responded in the resounding affirmative. Dr. Paul Burton, Senior Lecturer in Classics, wondered whether librarians’ lives could be made easier via the flagging of items known to be unavailable in the catalogue of Bonus+, the resource-sharing program which allows post-graduates and staff to borrow from other university libraries. It is worth noting that
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
In February they were informed that their domain had been wantonly vandalised by the waters of the neighboring creek, and asked to stay home. For the last several weeks librarians have been moved to new buildings, integrated into existing workplaces, made the best of ad hoc conditions, and experienced uncertainty about what might greet them upon returning to Chifley. For Roxanne Missingham’s part, work days ending well after 1am have become the new norm. Mindfulness and solidarity are, of course, perennially valuable. At the present, however, their communication in interactions with our librarians, particularly those from Chifley, is priceless. As Hughes-Warrington put it, the “Tim Tams and sympathy” are what make the biggest difference.
As the topic of discussion turned to what one questioner termed “the philosophy of replacement”, however, the atmosphere became noticeably more tense. Hughes-Warrington had earlier identified some scope to “reimagine” Chifley, and I watched the word being jotted down by attendees on either side of me. Now, the questioner opined that “paper’s nice, but for a working university library electronic is really going to be more appropriate.” Roxanne Missingham recognises the value of digitised resources: in her former role as parliamentary librarian, she oversaw the digitisation of federal hansard back to 1901. After she spoke about this and the usefulness of searchable documents in research, some at the meeting inferred that the ANU’s hansard collection and parliamentary papers would be replaced in a purely digital format. This is not the case. The subtext of this discussion was the debate about whether some experiential element of reading is lost when a book is consumed in a digital rather than paper format. It is a touchy topic for some, and largely subjective due to its aesthetic dimension. The “physicality of reading” was invoked by one member of the audience, who warned of the loss of the relationship between reader and author. It is clear that there exists a feeling of apprehension among some, though not all, in the affected faculties that the rehabilitative process may result in some restructure or rationalisation of the library’s collection.
By this point the mood in the room had passed from its initial quiet dread, through the shell-shock of learning that so much had been lost, and elevated to the brisk, no-nonsense tone that often accompanies cooperation in the face of adversity.
But Missingham and Hughes-Warrington were naturally prepared for these kinds of questions, and acutely aware of the need for both physically and digitally accessible resources. For Missingham, it is Chifley’s very status as a working university
Bonus+ will be made available to undergraduates as part of the effort to ensure continued access to materials. Both Missingham and Hughes-Warrington beamed at the suggestion, apparently as much for its symbolic meaning as for its practicality. Expressions of concern for the trauma which this event has inflicted on librarians go quite a long way. These workers are specially trained to be the gatekeepers of knowledge, to point out doors which open onto information that a student or researcher might never have thought to seek. They tend their libraries like gardens, maintaining order, organising their contents to make patterns intelligible to the human senses.
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library which makes the presence of rows upon rows of books so vital to its function. She views the act of browsing as a mode of interaction with the library not to be underestimated, and with a wry smile noted to the audience of academics on Tuesday that “it is possible to convince the librarians at the National Library to let you into the stacks,” which are typically off limits to the public.
might avoid a scenario where books which aren’t specifically required by staff or students are simply never replaced, pushed inevitably to the back of an ever-lengthening queue of materials deemed of a higher priority. “You can’t. You just can’t,” came a disembodied voice from behind me. But this pessimism flows from a place of uncertainty — it may be mitigated with ample consultation.
Marnie Hughes-Warrington puts it more bluntly: “books are critical,” she tells Woroni. For her, a philosopher of history who has written on the subject of marginalia, the thought of the permanent erasure of the interesting and sometimes completely insane scribblings made by students in the pages of old books provoked a barely perceptible crack of the voice. For some these often furious dialogues between anonymous readers and handsomely embossed authors represent the first motions in the churn of academic debate: today’s scribblers are tomorrow’s interlocutors. Physical books are necessary for these interactions to occur; ebook databases like Routledge and Oxford Scholarship Online are unlikely to introduce public comment sections to their platforms any time soon.
It will likely be years before the Chifley Library collection begins to resemble its former self. Hughes-Warrington told Tuesday’s forum that “sometimes it will feel like we’re making progress, at other times it’ll just feel completely abject.” Today, however, in the first sign of progress tangible to students, the library will reopen its doors for the first time. Hughes-Warrington had said that the resumption of the building’s air-circulation facilities would be a “big breakthrough”, a threshold moment. There will likely be more of these behind the scenes, as the library has already begun fielding enthusiastic enquiries from the ANU community and its periphery about donating money and materials. This spirit of generosity has raised another quandary for Missingham, who says “the question is: where do we put things?” w
The attitude of both Roxanne Missingham and Marnie Hughes-Warrington is that the process of rebuilding the library’s devastated collection must involve a steady stream of communication with heads of schools, educators and researchers. In this way the most urgently needed materials can begin to repopulate Chifley’s shelves as quickly as possible. Of course, the very necessity of prioritisation itself raises further complexities. A question was raised by historian Alex Cook about how the library
7
COMMENT
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
Defunding Climate Change: A Case for Divestment
Text: Bella Himmelreich Graphic: Gil Rickey
When you say the words “environmental activism”, people’s minds often jump to picturing you on the frontline: camping out in old growth native forests, a David and Goliath fight between an individual and a fossil fuel corporation. These fights are highly individualised, hyperlocal and, evidently, really important. However, we can also take action to fight for the climate at a more macro level: forcing systematic change, putting climate change back on the political agenda and taking away the social license of polluting industry. We’re talking about taking money away. “Divestment” is a concept that means the opposite of investment – it is the removal of investments from funds, stocks or bonds. It is a concept that has surfaced in previous movements, notably apartheid in South Africa and against the tobacco industry. In 2012, the concept re-oriented to a new target; fossil fuels and the threat of catastrophic climate change. It has grown into a global movement, spreading to universities, councils, religious organisations and super and pension funds. Fossil fuel divestment asks individuals and institutions to end their investments in coal, oil and gas, and instead invest in cleaner alternatives for the future. It is important to note, however, that it is not a matter of ethical consumptions – switching a bad investment for a good one. Instead, It is a political act, producing both a direct impact, by removing funding, and stigmatising the industry in a concerted move towards a low-carbon economy. The Moral Case The case, laid out, is fairly simple. Currently, the fossil fuel industry has five times as much carbon in their reserves than can be used if we are to secure a future with warming of under two degrees – the internationally agreed upper limit. Bill McKibben, founder of environmental organisation 350.
org and whom the revival of the term divestment is often credited to, says “if it is wrong to wreck the climate, it is unethical to profit from that wreckage.” By refusing to engage with or profit from fossil fuel companies actions, institutions begin to strip away the legitimacy of an industry held, particularly in Australia, in very high esteem and with immense lobbying power. The “Money” Argument The other argument for divestment is that fossil fuel investments are increasingly risky and that, if we are to meet international agreements on climate change, the investments will become worthless. They will rapidly devalue and become stranded assets, as legislation and regulation come into place to try and keep under the carbon budget we have set. The theory is that we are creating a huge, trillion-dollar “carbon bubble”, that when it breaks could be the catalyst for another economic crisis, or at the very least, be a bad move for investors expecting growing returns over the coming decades. While we are unsure whether we can in fact adhere to a two-degree warming limit, more and more firms and investors are acknowledging the risk of these assets becoming worthless. ANU Divestment Steps towards divestment were taken at ANU in 2014. It caused outrage from mainstream media and certain political figures but was also applauded by the international community, staff, students and prominent economists and environmentalists. Then Vice-Chancellor, Ian Young, declared “[we] have acted exactly as a leading Australian, and world, university should.” This happened because of a successful campaign run at the ANU. It took a show of mass support from students and staff, having supportive people on council making the case as well as financial and public image pressure. Either as a result of coming under such intense political scrutiny, a change in management or most of the prominent divestment campaigners and supporters graduating, the ANU has walked back its
commitment to divestment and currently invests $65 million in coal, oil and gas. To protect our climate, we must understand that divesting our uni is one of the most powerful ways we can take local action to have a global effect. We must also understand that despite divestment’s clear logic, institutions heavily invested in, and often with vested interests in, fossil fuel companies, will not easily step away. We need a clear plan of how to make them take this step. We Don’t Have To Wait One of the biggest appeals of divestment is that people can have a real difference immediately. Divestment campaigns bypass governments that are inactive or ideologically opposed to climate action. We are able to take direct action in moving to a low carbon economy ourselves, and also force climate change back on the political agenda as the stigmatization of fossil fuels grows. Divestment operates as global distributed campaigning – lots of little campaigns, targeted at local institutions sparked across the world. This distributed style allows campaigns to be run at a grassroots, local level, but also for the first time shows what may be a concerted, global battle on climate change looks like. Universities are where researchers first found out about climate change and where most climate adaptation research happens now. Universities are communities of young people, one of the frontline communities most affected by climate change. Let’s make our universities places where powerful climate action happens as well – the fossil fuel industry is a big target, but it is starting to come up against serious resistance.
Bella Himmelreich is Fossil Free ACT campaign’s organiser.
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
8
Meanwhile, in CanbeRra ... heads remain in the sand atop the automation cliff
Text: Jasper Lindell Graphic: Hannah Charny Before you could go through each day without any need to talk to anyone in person thanks to technological automation and intervention, there were some pretty menial tasks that people got paid to do. Not just the kind that Henry Ford made possible with the development of the production line, where a person would be tasked with screwing in a screw what would have seemed like a million times a day. We all seem to know people from our parents’ generation who entered the workforce doing some pretty tedious stuff, limited skill required. Sadly, it’s pretty hard to find a job in mostly office-bound Canberra that would involve separating pages from a tractor-fed printer these days, or working as an assistant in an architect’s firm tasked with writing the names of objects on plans with a Rapidograph pen and miniature stencil. We’ve got technology that can do that for us now. The stakes are higher to gain employment. A typing pool is more likely an exciting art installation of typewriters submerged in water in a makerspace in San Francisco, than an integral part of day-to-day communication and administrative work. But before we all get terribly excited about a new dawn on the age of leisure, where knock off time is brought forward and start time is pushed back, there’s some politics to contend with. Jobs have always been politically convenient. Those in power like to be seen to be creating jobs — take a look at Donald Trump’s Twitter — and those who would like to be in power like to point
out that those who are aren’t creating jobs. It’s very predictable.
continued to undermine old notions of what it meant to have a job.
academics, journalists and people in service industries who live like this.
Remember the 2016 budget? The era of “jobs and growth”, a political catchphrase that sounds fantastic, is what voters want to hear and is yet somehow totally devoid of meaning by itself. The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, boasted of the results this year. There were 400,000 jobs created in 2017 and 75 percent of them were full time.
Young people predominantly make up those in casual employment, often working jobs around university commitments. It offers flexibility while they study. But if casualisation continues to creep into industries where once an employee could have expected benefits and security, we’re in strife.
After considering this, hearing how the government talks about innovation doesn’t suggest they’re ready to confront what seems to be coming.
But wage growth is stagnant and many predict we’re heading towards a cliff: the future of work is far from certain and we should be doing more to think about what having a job and being employed will look like in the future. No wonder the Australian Council of Trade Unions launched a “Change the Rules” campaign, the largest since the “Your Rights At Work” campaign of WorkChoices-era, in response to four years of stagnant wages in Australia. But it’s not the only part of the story. In 2013, David Graeber, a professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics, described what he called “bullshit jobs” at Strike! magazine. “It’s as if someone were out there making up pointless jobs just for the sake of keeping us all working. And here lies the mystery. In capitalism, this is precisely what is not supposed to happen. Sure, in the old inefficient socialist states, such as the Soviet Union, where employment was considered both a right and a sacred duty, the system made up as many jobs as it had to (this is why in Soviet department stores it took three clerks to sell a piece of meat),” he wrote. “Bullshit jobs” are things like telemarketing, public relations and unnecessary layers of administration which don’t add anything to the actual delivery of a service. Since then, the gig economy — ad hoc employment for single tasks epitomised by Uber drivers and people scurrying about on Deliveroo bicycles — has
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that 32 per cent of people who were looking for work in 2011 are now employed full-time. Only 17 per cent of people who weren’t in the labour force in 2011 were employed full-time in 2016. You have the greatest chance of getting a full-time job if you’ve already got one. For the rest of us, it’s getting tougher. We’re working longer hours for less in insecure positions. In November last year, the McKinsey Global Institute declared in a study of 46 countries, which considered 800 different professions, that 800 million jobs would be replaced by automation in little over a decade. So how are we going to support ourselves? There’s the utopian model of universal basic income living, where we’re free to make stuff, think stuff and do stuff. Heading in that direction, though, would require us to get off our current course of intense work culture, where worthiness is pegged directly to busyness. In reality, it looks like we’re heading towards a job-starved market where our generation is forced to work across as many casualised positions as possible, never certain where the next pay cheque is going to come from. Already, there are
The then minister for industry, innovation and science, Arthur Sinodinos, told a conference in May 2017 that we “have to be optimists”. “I know some people now ask ‘should we be a bit scared because innovation means that jobs are going in some areas’, but jobs are growing in others,” he said. New jobs were being created that we “we have no idea” about, Senator Sinodinos said. “This is the lesson of history. This is the lesson of technological progress.” In politics, saying that we “have to be optimists” is a bit like putting your head in the sand and hoping an issue will go away. The trouble is, it doesn’t look like the job dilemma is going to correct itself. It might pay to give it some attention. Jasper Lindell is Woroni’s political columnist and a former news editor
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Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
COMMENT
Student Protests of 1968 1968 – year of student rebellion
Text: Grace Hill Photos: Woroni Archives
In 1968, university campuses were aflame with political activity worldwide. Students challenged university administrations and railed for civil rights, as well as protesting against racism and inequality in their own countries. It was the year students fought against colonialism, and the imperial barbarity in Vietnam. Inevitably, 1968 was the year of the student. In France, among other countries, student movements linked with radicalising workers, thereby shaking the seemingly stable foundation of capitalist rule. Openly authoritarian or nominally democratic, governments were threatened by this movement, and responded with brutal, and sometimes even deadly, force. Such experiences led millions of young people across the world to identify as revolutionaries. Fifty years on from this momentous year, student radicals should look to and celebrate 1968. Across the world, student numbers were growing, and funding didn’t keep pace. Students were being crammed together in unprecedented numbers, which conflicted with their expectations of university life. Then, like today, university administrators, backed by some right-wing students , demanded that campus be free from politics. Universities were increasingly expected to work alongside business, which is all too familiar today, creating a contradiction for students who expected education to
be about broadening minds. These contradictions led to rupture. As all this was brewing, the horrors of the Vietnam war were becoming harder for the ruling class to obscure. Students in Australia helped friends to evade the draft, even hiding them in student union offices; Japanese students blocked the streets to stop visiting American dignitaries; American students regularly protested draft and recruitment centres. Importantly, students linked both their own frustrated ambition and the war with the for-profit education model – education run according to the profit motive and linked with business would always deny students fair rights and conditions. This model tied into the capitalist war machine, with administrations using their campuses as recruitment and R&D grounds for weapons manufacturers. Again, this is a familiar reality today, with ANU boasting a plethora of military and fossil fuel industry ties. As student protests turned into anti-capitalist politics, critiques of war and demands to remove profits and business from campus, universities and states cracked down with increasing brutality. Violence pushed many students to the conclusion that they were revolutionaries, and that, as students alone, their power was not enough. The student rebellion in France rocked the world – students and workers united, after days of student battles with police, aviation workers walked out. Within 5 days, 9 million workers were on strike.
Sections of students were won to the politics of solidarity, centred on working class struggle. The year of 1968 is an inspiration to all students who search for a way to build a better world, and it offers key lessons. All the issues students faced were fundamentally linked with capitalist profit-making and competition. The other great issues of 1968 – the Vietnam war, denial of civil rights, repression of workers, sexism and homophobia – all were also fundamentally linked with capitalism. All the oppressed and exploited people of the world had, and still have, a common interest in ending the system that produced these horrors. Their
liberation was, and still is, bound together, and only anti-capitalist politics, based on the politics and power of the working class, could achieve liberation for all. “Be realistic. Demand the impossible”, the French youth insisted, encapsulating the spirit of 1968 student rebels. This slogan should continue to inspire us today, to not just demand the “realistic”, but to set our sights on the destruction of capitalism, and have this politics informour struggles for a free education system today. Grace is a member of the ANU Socialist Alternative club.
COMMENT
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
10
The RIGHT to Translation Text: Noah Yim Graphic: Sophie Bear
Looking back, the evolutionary path of democracy is remarkable; the ancient Greek practice of old white men meeting on a hill to discuss pressing issues is barely recognisable as the precursor to modern Western democracies. This path has been carved out by an eternal struggle to uphold two fundamental tenets of democracy; equal franchise and free speech. We value free speech so highly that it was the First Amendment to the US Constitution, it is Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it is often cited as the impenetrable argument in issues regarding media, education, art and, in some cases, cake decoration. Our preferred tongue for free speech in Australia and the US is English; government, courts and public discourse are conducted almost exclusively in it. We see highly polished and sophisticated English in newspapers and journals and a colloquial, snappy vernacular online. However, a quick glance at these nations’ demographics reveals that English is not an ideal language for all its people to digest, discuss and present thoughts and opinions in. Data from the Australian government shows that as of 2016, 49 per cent of
Australians were born overseas, or had at least one parent born overseas. 21 per cent of Australians spoke a language other than English at home. The US is similar. Though we rarely see these individuals’ opinions in mainstream public discourse, they are avid participants in free speech; niche language media has bloomed. The Epoch Times, the largest Chinese language newspaper in Australia, prints 1.6 million newspapers per week and boasts an impressive 200 million pageviews per month. Monolingual free speech sufficed in bygone eras where globalisation had not yet taken hold and proudly multicultural nations like Australia and the USA espoused racist policies and demanded cultural assimilation. At the time, an acceptable portion of the public could participate in free speech as was conducive to good democracy. Today, however, linguistic diversity poses a threat to free speech. We have now reached the climax of this chapter in the history of democracy. Is globalisation deemed to be repugnant to free speech, or will society find a way to mediate the two? To continue down the path of globalisation, we must introduce a universal right to translation. It will act to remove the linguistic barrier to fair, representative democracy. Furthermore, it will
initiate a global culture of free speech and truly unlock the communicative and cooperative potential of the Internet. Such a right already exists to some degree; in US federal courts, the accused possesses a right to an interpreter where appropriate. Also, services like Google Translate allow for reasonably accurate translations between many languages. However, they cannot capture the subtleties of language such as its connotations, diction and tone, which are paramount in public discourse. The torch of democracy has been passed onto us to continue free speech. It is now time to create a universal right to translation to achieve this and show our commitment to equality, diversity and acceptance.
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COMMENT
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
MY FATHER'S SINS Text: Yuka Nagata Graphic: Hannah Charny
‘Reputation, reputation, reputation. Oh I have lost my reputation. I have lost the immortal part of myself’ Reputation. It’s the mark that we leave upon the world and what fosters our sense of identity. We may hate to admit it, but many of us place a disproportionate emphasis on how others perceive us. In some cases, this obsession stems from the lingering reputations left by our ancestors casting an unshakeable shadow of guilt – inner demons tormenting our consciences. I have always identified as Australian. I grew up Aussie – corn thins with vegemite for morning tea, fish and chips at Balmoral on hot summer weekends. The only difference is that I was born in Japan. As Kymlicka would say, I adequately waived my national rights and assimilated into a new societal culture whilst still enjoying the kaleidoscope of cultures that my Japanese heritage provided. I fully relished the freedom to choose how to lead my new Australian life. Inquisitive minds young children have. In year eight, I did some digging for an independent research history project and, to my surprise and horror, I stumbled across the atrocities the Japanese army had committed in WW2. A multitude of emotions came crashing down but, above all, despair. Despair for knowing the atrocities my ancestors committed and being associated with a culture whose history permitted unspeakable crimes to occur. There are things you must become aware of, but when you do find out, it changes the way you perceive the world. Rose coloured glasses removed, I found myself angry at my parents simply for being born Japanese. I got into a fight with my dad and he consequently lashed out at me recounting the story of his mother. My
grandmother was chased out of Manchuria during the War and could not bury her mother while she fled because the ground was too frozen to dig up. My self-consciousness became heightened. Did my Asian peers or strangers secretly hate me for the acts of my ancestors? Because I would. No, I did, for a while there, and sometimes I still do.
As part of the ANU Japan Club I was prepared to welcome more members along with the rest of my team. What I was not prepared for, was an old man from the Green’s party to start berating my fellow members and me. ‘I have a question for you. Why did the Japs go on a course of aggression from the year 1931 and massacre hundreds and thousands of people?’ Never mind the casual racial slur. The aggression, accusatory glares, pointed fingers – all press play on the familiar mixtape and tears. He was demanding an answer But when people blame you for things you cannot change, how are you meant to respond? How could anyone give a satisfactory answer in the face of hate and anger, which you empathise with?
Guilt. Despair. Anger. Frustration. It is a constant mixtape on replay. It comes up here and there but the same constant melody. It comes up when I think of the Japanese government and the current PM Shinzō Abe, the grandson of a Class A war criminal. It came up when I visited the Yasukuni Shrine for the first time last year and I thought – why would they bury war criminals there with soldiers from the war, some of whom are no older than me, perhaps younger? Who wouldn’t have known about the manipulative tools of government, pawns in an elaborate game of chess. I even took up Japanese Foreign and Security Policy to comprehend the causes of unspeakable acts and make sense of the source of my internal turmoil. It was the Market Day on the 14th of February 2018, that will perhaps stick with me for a long time to come.
Unspeakable horrors were committed – but it is easy to point fingers to innocents. To blame those who become wound up in the complexities of government and propaganda. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. During the war, accumulation of power poisoned the minds of leaders. But does this imply that all individuals, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers, humans just like you and me, were similarly corrupt and evil? Will I forever be defined because of the body I was born in and the family I belong to? I cannot change the past. If I could, I would turn back time, try and change it and risk the butterfly effect. I guess what I am trying to say is I am sorry. I know that nothing I personally could say or do will ever make up for anything that my ancestors have done. Although I identify as Australian, there still remains a part of me, which is Japanese. However, we cannot change the past. We can only learn from it, but we often forget and result in repetitions. “Never again” after the Holocaust, but a
COMMENT
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
12
The Eternal Gun Control Debate Individual rights or public security? – an endless debate over US gun control
incidents happened at schools and public.
Text: Joe Reed Graphic: Maddy McCusker Whether ‘tis nobler to ensure public safety by sacrificing your entitled rights or to preserve your rights by undermining the public security? This has been a long-lasting debate in human history. There is always a subtle trade-off between the two and a great policymaker should be able to balance this subtle equilibrium. It was a Thursday morning where, as usual, I woke up early and started to read the news on my way to uni. I flipped to the international section, hoping to find some exciting news from around the globe but, to no one’s surprise, it was just another day that a US school shooting occupied the headlines. Since the US’s bloodiest massacre in history occurred in Las Vegas last year, gun-related killings have been repeated over and over again; in their wake, so too has a debate over gun control. For many years, Americans have faced an arduous journey to make any progress to tackle this issue. Nevertheless, resolving this issue in the US will not be as simple as how Australia or Japan resolved theirs, due to the involvement of numerous interest-groups (including government, private sectors, lobbies and so forth) and the potential breach to American Second Amendment. The incapacity to move forward in a clear direction is, if not directly, responsible for numerous
The school shooting in Florida on the 14th February reignited the debate to enforce tougher gun laws. In early March, the Florida Senate narrowly passed a bill which raised the legal age to purchase firearms from 18 to 20 and allows school staff to carry guns. This action considerably pleased a variety amount of politicians, including governor Rick Scott, President Trump, as well as Florida’s Attorney General Pam Bondi who commented the changes were ‘ the right thing to do’. On the other hand, this bill irritated numerous private sectors, gun lobbies, and in particular the National Rifle Association (NRA) which notably filed a lawsuit against the Floridian government, claiming it violates the Second Amendment. The head of NRA, Wayne LaPierre, argued that the cause of the school shooting was attributed to the failure of school security, American mental health system, and home structure rather than faults in the current gun law and legal age to purchase gun. He further commented ‘if the so-called neo-European socialists take the house and senate… American freedom could be lost and our country will be changed forever’. In spite of the conflict of interest, Wayne LaPierre’s comments on education, school security or American mental health system are not necessarily wrong. It is logically valid that these factors to some extent can contribute to the increasing school shooting. Working on these issue, with an extended timeline, has promising prospects for controlling
public shooting. Nevertheless, to solve one issue by raising hundred more issues is not an efficient or time-saving approach. As a result, in order to best reduce tragedies happening, short-term strategies are indispensable alongside these long-term approaches. To best decrease the occurrence of public shooting in a short period of time, it is not unreasonable to adopt some aggressive measures as seen in other countries, such as Japan or Australia – by modifying purchasing procedures or forbidding the use of guns under certain circumstances. These approaches, for obvious reasons, are not going to fundamentally eradicate the issue of gun violence which has lasted for decades in American history, but it can be expected to reduce the incidents in a very short period of time. With the short-term strategies in place, government will need to gradually shift their focus on more fundamental issues in regards to gun violence, including the mental health and education systems, and school security. Also, the American government has to be more proactive in engaging negotiations with public sectors, gun lobbies and other stakeholders. Ultimately, it is of a vital importance for all sectors to have a unanimous and crystal-clear comprehension of the US Second Amendment. Thus, the road ahead is long and uncertain, but to end the continuous tragedies, the US government must clearly identify long-term and short-term strategies. Actions speak louder than words. The new bill is a good start because it is, at least, a sign of action.
13
COMMENT
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
Striking through the pages Text: Joe Reed Graphic: Maddy McCusker
Lecturers and other university staff are currently embarked on a series of strikes in the UK aimed at reversing changes to their pensions. Thousands of university students and staff have braved the sub-zero temperatures to rally together outside their respective universities. The overwhelming message of the campaign was: leave our pensions alone! Many universities have been swept by organised protests with crowds numbering well into the hundreds and, with strikes still ongoing, it is likely that there are more to come.
guaranteed a set amount of pension when they retire. The proposed changes would alter this process so that their pension would fluctuate depending on the state of the stock markets, meaning that staff see a much greater level of uncertainty in the level of their pension. University staff who have already witnessed these cuts to their pensions over recent years say that these changes could see them £10,000 a year worse off when they retire, with younger staff being affected the worst.
The strike action has been prompted by changes proposed by Universities UK, which would drastically change the way university staff receive pensions. Universities UK, who set the pension scheme for many university staff, claim that a £6 billion deficit exists within the current scheme.o ensure the long-term viability of the program, they argue that changes need to be made. Without these changes, significant cuts would need to be made to other departments, eventually leading to the loss of jobs and a quality of education.
Thus, members of the University and College Union voted overwhelmingly in early January to proceed with a series of short strikes, with 93 per cent of voters in favour of industrial action. The strikes have affected 64 universities across the United Kingdom, with over a million students finding lectures and seminars cancelled on short notice. In comparison, most of the universities that have been founded since 1992 are covered by the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, which remains unaffected by the potential changes – hence why only 64 out of the UK’s 130 universities have seen strike action take place.
Under the current scheme, university staff who pay into a pension fund are
While most students are supportive of the strikes, many feel entitled
to compensation for hours of missed lectures. UK students who pay up to £9,250 per year for their higher education should be covered under consumer law for missed contact hours, and indeed Kings College in London has already announced it will be refunding students for hours of lost learning. There is growing worry amongst many students about the negative effects that the strikes will have on their education. As universities slowly approach exam season, the chance that more industrial action will impact the degree outcome of students becomes increasingly concerning. What will happen in the future is still unclear, but many students will be praying for a swift end to the current disruption. As of yet, there appears to be no solution on the horizon, and with the UK university system still in chaos, neither side appears willing to budge.
COMMENT
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
14
AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL PARTIES ARE INVESTING IN MEMES. WHY?
Text: Max Koslowski Graphic: Sophie Bear
Clive Palmer announced his return to federal politics last month. The renegade ex-MP said that his Palmer United Party will contest every seat in the country, despite currently battling a court challenge to freeze $200 million of his own money. It’s
a
pretty
special
situation.
But what makes Palmer’s comeback truly unique is that it is the first party launch in Australia — and maybe even the world – that has been accompanied by its own Facebook meme group. Yep. The Palmy Army, as they call themselves, is a closed Facebook group run by Clive Palmer’s Facebook profile. The group has 10,000 members. It has its own display picture frame – a Palmy Army insignia that is done up in oldstyle WordArt. And every day, dozens of memes are posted by the group’s young members – some of which are shared on Clive Palmer’s own Facebook page. I’ll be honest: at best, the memes are hilarious. But at worst, they represent Australia’s own alt-right — there are dozens of foul, race-baiting “jokes” in the Palmy Army group, and no sign of any moderation or administrator input. And Palmer isn’t the only politician using memes to try and win over young voters. In January I spoke to Labor marketing guru Dee Madigan, who told me that notorious, Labor-supporting political meme hub ALP Spicy Meme Stash was run by the party itself. It’s a mover and shaker: some of their memes have reached more than two million people, and they’re starting to frequently make national headlines. “Social media used to be the thing that was used only to speak to people who were already on side — to gee up the troops, if you like,” Madigan said. “That’s where the change has been. Memes don’t just speak our members, but are used to galvanise public support.” She told me that a couple of years ago, Labor spent around 20 per cent of their marketing budget on online efforts – while these days, they were pumping
close to half their resources into it. But as political parties transition into a new age of campaigning, they are entering a poorly regulated arena. Take the ALP Spicy Meme Stash. While many of its memes are created directly by the Labor party’s marketing team, others are contributed by the general public. Facebook users don’t know where the content comes from. Recently, that fact was exploited in a way that could get some people questioning the ethics and legality of the page. When news of Barnaby Joyce’s affair with ex-staffer Vikki Campion first broke, Labor’s official line was that they would not comment on other politicians’ personal matters. Whenever a Labor party parliamentarian spoke to media, that was the line they would toe. But that rule didn’t apply to ALP Spicy Meme Stash; in some of their most popular posts to date, the page absolutely let rip. Labor even chose to place Campion at the centre of some of the meme action. The ethics of any meme page doing that is questionable — especially one run by a professional political opposition. If any Labor politician had come out and joked about Joyce’s affair like ALP Spicy Meme Stash did, they would have been skewered. It’s time we start investigating exactly what should be legal — and illegal — when it comes to political parties, memes and anonymity online. Should Labor have to declare that they authorised the stash’s content? Should Palmer be held accountable for some of the material that his Palmy Army creates? Clive Palmer is already running again - it’s not like Australian politics needs any more jokes.
15
COMMENT
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
HOLD ME, PAPA! HOLD ME! Content warnings: Female feticide, Abortion, Violence against women, Birth Text: Sanjoli Banerjee Graphic: David Liu
(Cry of an unborn daughter from her mother’s womb): I cry, I beg, I beseech From the womb of my mother. O papa! Bring me to your world The one you talk about to mumma. Where daughters are considered Goddesses And the bearers of human life. Let me grow into a beautiful doll And swing in the cradle of your love. Let me be a flower in your garden Spare me a chance to live. I’ll live on whatever you give I shall not snatch my sister’s toys nor shall I ask for any comforts. Just spare me a chance to live. To come out not in fragments but with body and soul Do not bury me in the hospital’s backyard Let not doctors kill me for a few coins. After all, I belong to you, papa! I dream of decorating your room And sprout like a fragrant bud To chirp like a bird and dance like a squirrel I’ll smile. I’ll make your life sublime Just accede to the prayer of mine Spare me. Don’t kill me. Bring me to your world. I beseech, I cry, I beg From the womb of my mother. This world has been patriarchal. History is full of women’s movements demanding equal rights as their male counterparts. Right from her birth, rather before her birth, a woman has to bear unacceptance and trauma in many countries, especially in India where selective abortions are carried out, thus killing thousands of female fetuses every year. And, even if they are born into this world, many of them are soon abandoned. So,
their fundamental right to life is denied. How can the world be so tyrannous? There exists a strong desire to have a son who is perceived to be an asset and an investment, whereas a daughter is considered a liability. In the Indian society, parents often consider a daughter to be a financial burden since she will have to be educated and, later on, married off with a huge dowry. Moreover, safety of the daughter always remains a concern for the parents in the wake of rising crime against women. Why does this mindset exist even in the 21st century, when women have left no stone unturned to prove their mettle? Surprisingly, not many people realise the long-term implications of this malpractice and crime. It must be understood that it will have lasting social as well as economic repercussions and this can cause a total imbalance in the society. How many more years will it take for people to realise the power of women? How many more years to make this world safe for women? How many more years to witness 100 per cent literacy rates for females? How many more years should women struggle to get their rights? For how many more years do women have to fight for dignity? How many more years… MY STORY It might not be easy to stand up against traditional practices and to challenge societal norms, but it is definitely important. It is crucial to influence positive change, and that has been the mission of my life. I was hardly five when my younger sister was about to be born. Our relatives were pretty upset to know that my parents
were going to have their second daughter, which according to them was an illluck. While my mother was being pressured to have an abortion, my dad was being brainwashed. The episodes surrounding her birth were very disturbing for my parents, but the pressure from all corners failed to deter their grit. Although my mother gave birth against all odds, my parents still seemed perturbed. When I asked them the reason, they told me/ laid out the reality of how rampant female feticide was, especially in North India where the female sex ratio once was as low as around 650 girls to 1000 boys. When I learnt what the concept of female feticide actually was, I was shaken to the core. My sister’s birth was an awakening for us and, in a couple of days, we all started campaigning against female feticide. Gradually, it became a mass movement and a nationwide campaign. The national dailies splashed this news, sensitizing masses. We organized various peaceful protests, cycle rallies, street plays, talks and seminars in universities and colleges to change society’s mindset. Also, we started working at the grass-roots level, thereby visiting people, especially in villages where the female sex ratio was very low. We would talk to women, listen to their problems and counsel them telling that there was no difference between boys and girls and that girls were no less. When we saw our efforts bear fruit with more and more people understanding the concern and the female sex ratio gradually rising, we never looked back. My efforts were acknowledged and, subsequently, the state government honored me when I was just seven, making me
one of the youngest social activists in India. This cause gave me meaning and a purpose in life. Soon, I became the voice of millions of unborn daughters appealing a lease of life for them. My father and I directed a documentary film called ‘Beti’ (Hindi translation of daughter). In 2015, we wrote a letter to the current Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi, with 14 pragmatic suggestions to curb female feticide. It is worth mentioning that the Indian Government has adopted five of those solutions and is considering the other nine. We feel strengthened to see that this issue is a national concern now with many Indian celebrities and political leaders talking about it. Hopefully, one day, people will discern that girls are assets and possess an infinite potential to do wonders. They deserve equality and empowerment through education. We all need to stand up against female foeticide, the dowry system, illiteracy among women, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment. Let us join hands to create a world “where mind is without fear and everyone’s head is held high” (Rabindranath Tagore).
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
Features
Rebelling Through Weihnachten Bei Uns Text: Hugo Kneebone Art: Maddy McCusker
It’s Christmas Eve. Most of Australia is either preparing for tomorrow’s festivities or enjoying the time off It’s 40 degrees outside, and worlds away from where my family’s traditions began Dad enters the living room with buckets of water in hand; perhaps in a futile bid to keep our Christmas tree (der Tannenbaum) alive. This pagan
tradition of hauling pine trees indoors definitely did not begin in this hemisphere. In the kitchen, Mum assembles the home cooked gingerbread house (das Lebkuchenhaus). Meticulously, she pipes white icing over the roof of the house to replicate snow. I recall the painstaking effort earlier in the day of trying to find the exact icing: “nur Dr Oetker� (“only Dr Oetker�). Mum would
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repeat this over again, as we fruitlessly sifted the shelves of the local supermarket. Freshly decorated with holly, I’m tasked with hanging the finishing touch to our front door; the wreath (der Weihnachtskranz). We then swelter through a Christmas Eve mass at Church, before returning home. My brothers and I chow down our dinner in anticipation of the best bit of the night, the gifts (die Bescherung)!. I spend the rest of the evening fixated on my latest toys‌ Within our suburban home, we quietly rebel against what is accepted when it comes to Christmas traditions, which are happening just outside our doors. It’s the small touches, like the almost strange fixation we have of using the same brand of icing on the Gingerbread house every year. It’s the fact that we begin our Christmas celebration the day before, and that, against all odds, we keep a European fir tree alive through weeks of unrelenting heat. Even those these details are seemingly insignificant to a kid fixated on how lucky he was to have just scored a new copy of PokĂŠmon Gold, it’s these small details that have lasted the test of time. Traditions that I thought were quirky, out of place – that made me a bit different to all the other kids – are now what give me a sense of home and of connectedness to my family. It’s for this reason that now, each Christmas when I bake a Gingerbr e a d house: “nur Dr Oetkerâ€?..
A U O Y E AR
? T N E D U ST WORONI
// / / Â Â? @
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Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
INNERSELF Written and translated by: Asefeh Abedini Graphic: Gil Rickey
I am candle, your inner candle. I am light, the light inside of you.
I am cloud, the clouds of your eyes.
I am the roar, the numb roar in your throat.
Find me, the beam will glow.
Find me, your tears will flow.
Find me and the blood in your veins warm up.
Listen to me and I will be your servant.
I hold a message from you for you, hear it and use it:
"Listen to me and reach out to yourself.
Find me and embrace me
 to find you and love yourself.
Love me and save me,
to be loved and saved.
I am the inner voice of you,
Do not forget yourself!"
Multilingual
Multilingual
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
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Mereka adalah pemberotak juga | They’re rebels too Content warnings: Domestic Violence, Islamophobia, Racism, Homophobia
Written and translated by: Sophie Hewitt Language: Bhasa Indonesian Graphic: David Liu Ketika perempuan Indonesia dibahas di dalam Australi, biasanya orang-orang membayangkan wanita-wanita beragama Islam, yang memakai jilbab, berbicara dengan suara yang lembut, dan hidup dengan sikap taat. Benak, suara dan badan mereka terlihat sebagai hal yang kecil dan tanpa kemandirian. Kalau situasi itu benar begitu, jelaslah mengapa teman perempuan saya yang masih memakai jilbab di Australi. Jelaslah mengapa, walaupun dia mengalami rasisme dan pelecehan yang langsung, dia masih ingin membertahankan keyakinannya. Kalau situasi itu benar begitu, jelaslah mengapa teman perempuan saya masih memprotes terhadap aturan pemerintah nasional di atas kelompok minoritas dia. Jelaslah mengapa dia pindah ke Australi untuk belajar supaya dia dapat
kembali ke kampungnya dan terus berjuang atas nama keluarganya. Kalau situasi itu benar begitu, jelaslah mengapa teman perempuan saya mengenyitkan dahi waktu dosen mengatakan bahwa homoseksualitas adalah penyakit yang harus disembuhkan, walaupun mahasiswa dilarang menyangsikan kewenangan. Kalau situasi itu benar begitu, jelaslah mengapa teman perempuan saya putus dari pacar dia setelah pacarnya memukuli dia. Jelaslah mengapa walaupun masayarakat menyatakan bahwa dia adalah wanita yang rusak, dia mengatahui bahwa itu salah. Kalau situasi itu benar begitu, jelaslah mengapa teman perempuan saya tidak perlu menikah walaupun orang tuanya merasa kecewa. Jelaslah mengapa dia berjuang terhadap stigma itu, karena dia mengatahui bahwa kemandirian
ekonomi dan kesenangannya tidak bergantung dari suaminya.
order to return to her village and continue fighting on behalf of her family.
Kalau situasi itu benar begitu, jelaslah bahwa saya masih belajar banyak dari wanita itu.
If this situation is really true, explain why my friend furrows her brow when her lecturer says that homosexuality is a sickness that has to be cured, even though university students are prohibited from questioning authority.
* * * * When Indonesian women are discussed in Australia, people usually visualise Muslim women, who wear hijabs, speak with a soft voice, and live in obedience. Their minds, voices and bodies are seen as small and without autonomy.
If this situation is really true, explain why my female friend left her boyfriend after he hit her. Explain why even though society claims that she is now a broken woman, she knows this is false.
If this situation is really true, explain why my friend still wears a hijab in Australia. Explain why, even though she experiences constant racism and harassment, she still wants to hold onto her beliefs.
If this situation is really true, explain why my female friend hasn’t gotten married even though her parents are disappointed. Explain why she fights against this stigma, because she knows that her economic independence and happiness are not dependent on a husband.
If this situation is really true, explain why my friend still protests against the national government’s control over her minority group. Explain why she moved to Australia for her studies in
If this situation is really true, explain why I still learn so much from these women.
the education pull-out What does education look like at ANU in 2018? We asked students to share their reflections in this special pullout. Among these perspectives are Makayla-May Brinckley’s about the promotion of Indigenous culture and history in our institutions, Vanamali Hermans’ about how ANU is letting down working class students and Bolwen Fu’s about how student satisfaction statistics do not reflect reality. If you have one to share, send an email to write@woroni.com.au!
What exactly are we paying for? p. 20 make education free again p. 21 nothing about us, without us p. 22 work, study, eat, sleep, repeat p. 23 the anu is failing working class students p. 24 are regional students worth supporting? p. 26 challenges facing regional students p. 27 happiness in education p. 28 culture wars come to campus p. 29
What Exactly Are We Paying For? Text: Sophie Johnson
Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng A few decades ago when our parents and grandparents were young, a universit y degree was a guaranteed ticket to a better life. Degrees were rare and special, a marker of a qualification that meant something, and put you on a pathway to a well-paid job. While perhaps all millennials wear rose-tinted glasses to think back to the days of being able to buy a house and provide for a family on a single salar y, there’s a grain of truth which is hard to ignore. In this day and age, house prices have sky-rocketed, as have living expenses, and a universit y degree just doesn’ t hold the same value and significance that it once did. Today, there seems to be a straight forward pathway for children and young people. Primar y school, then high school, graduation (gap year optional), head to universit y, graduate again and find a job. There’s not as much room for people to exist outside of this framework – we’re all part of a universit y system that is essentially a machine, churning out thousands of fresh graduates each year and tossing them into the work-force. Given the number of young people with degrees (we’re a dime a dozen), we’re being forced down the professional ladder, starting in unpaid internships and working our way up in a manner that would have been an outrage to previous generations. Statistics
from The Australian regarding recent graduates are also suggesting that the degrees we study often turn out to be no help at all in the professional workplace. Admittedly, according to the Wall Street Journal, those of us with a tertiar y degree earn about 7 5 per cent more than those who have only a high school diploma, and are vastly less likely to be unemployed, but the question arises of whether the thousands of dollars that universit y students are forking out each year are really worth it at all. Or, more accurately, what exactly are we paying for? A universit y degree is now a minimum requirement for any professional job. In many ways, it has replaced the high school diploma as societ y places a higher importance on education. In my parents’ and grandparents’ day, not all kids finished high school; the number of students in the cohort dropped significantly from Grade 10 to Grade 1 1. To me, that ’s unheard of. Graduating high school is a vastly more common today than ever before, and dropping out was not something I even considered, though experiences undoubtedly differ town to town and state to state. With the plethora of high school graduates evening out the playing field, more and more students started going to universit y, despite the fee increases, in an effort to get ahead. E ssentially, there are three categories of education: for older generations it was Grade Ten graduate, High School Graduate and Universit y Graduate. The universit y degree that you were handed at the end of your
studies put you safely into the categor y of ‘Most Educated People’. But now, the number of people attending universit y has more than doubled, and for us, the three categories are High School Graduate, Universit y Graduate and Post-Graduate Degree-Holder. It ’s like ever ything has gone up a step and, all of a sudden, despite the higher level of education that we’ve achieved with a Bachelor’s Degree, we’re not in the group of ‘Most Educated ’. We’re just normal. A tertiar y degree is not something that adds an extra dimension to your resume, but rather makes up the bare bones of it . It ’s a screening process that employers use at the ver y beginning of the process – you’re not even part of the conversation without a degree. It no longer holds the value that it once did. The competition for jobs is also harsher, with internships, high GPA s and extra-curriculars significantly affecting your chances and more and more graduates are being forced to move back home before finding a job that can allow them to be self-sufficient . It ’s an unfortunate truth, but the value of universit y degrees truly has decreased. Once upon a time a degree made you stand out from the crowd but , now, it seems like it ’s the basic requirement for being part of the crowd at all.
Make Education Free Again Leek and Mushroom Pie
Text: Kim Stern
has recently manifested in the negotiations between ANU and The Ramsey Centre for Art: Nathalie Rosales-ChengText: Nick Blood Western Civilisation. Our university pursuing a Art: Catherine Suwignyo dead insurance mogul’s cash by creating a new course about the virtues of Western Civilisation (with Tony Abbott and John Howard both on This is a simple, nourishing, and of cheap I whip this up In December 2017, the Liberals introduced the board the feed. Ramsey Centre one can only when I want to make something but have no will energy, a cap on the number of government-fundimagine what these be) or is have only the latest impress! I learned the recipeproblem. from my Education ed student places at universities. Thisvegan poli-friends I want tosymptom of a broader the chef inand his university retirement. isHea business. cy amounts to a funding cut of $2.2 Dad, billion.who has becomeisquite a commodity used to be a one-trick-pony with his famousthat “Dad’s Lasagne”, It’s little surprise arms manufacturers but now he’s improvising with whatever Their method is telling. The Liberals andand theexperimenting fossil fuel industry have many ties are available, and Australian this is easily campuses his best invention know how unpopular attacksingredients on with and faculties. so far.aFor Dad and me, cooking is not a science. We eyeball education funding are, so they found everything and trust our so atake this back recipeisasclear. a way to implement cuts without passing Theinstincts, need for fight But a guideline, of instructions! legislation. That this was introduced in not a strict set fight for what? We need to rally against December, when school’s out and most every attack, lest students seem a soft are distracted with festivities, illustrates target for cuts. But what’s also needed is an Ingredients both the lack of any democratic mandate alternative vision of how education ought to Leeks (washed and then sliced) the government has in pursuing –these be organised. We need to call for a radical – Mushrooms (any kind will do, portobellos cut problem. into cuts and their determination to pummel solution tobutthe structural The hearty chunks work best) students for budget savings regardless. National Union of Student’s campaign to ‘Make – Something creamy Education (yoghurt, sour milksuch in a a solution. Free cream, Again’ or raises pinch) The cuts have already taken effect. As – Puff canola funded oil, making them vegWoroni reported in February, ANU axed the pastry (many Ause properly education system where an-friendly) Diploma of Languages while the University good education is offered to all, at no cost to – A tiny bit of milk students, would start to address the chronic of Canberra is offering staff “voluntary Optional: separation packages”. The Australian illness plaguing our universities. Removing Catholic University has thrown out– Garlic over the profit motive from education would – More alliums! I love onions. The smell offrom thema in the thirty courses, and Universities Australia transform education commodity into panwill lifts the soul. These can beright spring calculated in January that these cuts a basic andonions, wouldred beonions, a good start to brown shallots.decades Whateverofyouneoliberal have, they’ll see 10,000 student places go unfunded and or white onions,reverse course and addare some extra flavour. warned that student services and grants staff cuts. Free education would lay the next on the chopping block. As usual, these basis for students to demand course content Preheat your oven based to around 175 Celsius. If youtohave a cuts will result in ordinary students 1. paying on what they want be taught (like fan-forced oven, use the fan Indigenous and lower the temp slightly. the same or more for a worse quality degree. more and gender studies) rather than management deciding what is useful 2. Heat then add the how garlic, These “reforms” add to a growing pile of some oil in aforpan, business (like to onions, more efficiently leeks. Cook on medium the leeks start to children). attacks on young people. Decades and of fee dig up heat coal until or bomb Palestinian soften and smell amazing. increases and government cuts, plus assaults on welfare recipients, have left students “But – how to fund such a thing?”, asks the Add the mushrooms next.R.M. It willWilliam-wearing look like a wholecommerce reeling. Two-thirds of students live 3. below smug, lot of food, but everything shrink as it cooks. Stir the poverty line and the correlation between student.will Free education was forecast to cost everything around occasionally to make sure itincooks students from low-SES backgrounds and an extra $8 billion annually 2014. We know evenly. university drop out rates is well-documented. the money is there. Some quick budget saving When we aren’t on campus, we’re working suggestions would include reversing the recent 4. At wanttoto the get the puffmanufacturing pastry out of industry precarious jobs where penalty rates arethis point, you’ll grant arms the freezer. If you do ($3.6 this too early, and it gets way too warm detention more of dream than reality or searching billion) ending offshore is harder to work(running with. those death camps has cost $5 billion for an affordable share-house in and a real estate market which increasingly resembles since 2012). Even just forcing the wealthiest 5. Once you’ve reduced everything to atosloppy, wet little mess,tax they’re a casino for landlords and investors. 200 companies pay the you’re almost there. Add something at this point,$8.4 billion. meant to wouldcreamy generate an extra it canin be plain yoghurt, milk, or sour cream. This will University Vice-Chancellors are up help thicken out the mixture bring outorthe f lavours. arms against these changes, arguing that Looking and to Germany Chile who’ve recently disadvantaged and rural students will be implemented free education is a good start. In 6. Once the mixture is creamy andit starting to look a worst affected. This is true, but university these places, was legislated bylike the government pie filling, you’re ready. canback add of salt and pepper as reformer, administrations are hardly the most reliable not You off the a great individual you like at this point.but because of a massive student movement of allies. Despite the liberal gloss, the modern university is no different to any other multifrom below. Hundreds of thousands marched Pour the mixture out into ramekins, bowls, orbywhatever million dollar enterprise. Ask your tutor7.about and won free education fighting for it. It’s you have available. Place sheet over the top, of similar the rates of casualisation and job insecurity goinga to takeofa pastry student movement trim of the edges, poke proportions some holes ininthe top with a forkthe to issue into they face, or look at the increasing sizes Australia to push let the steam out, andthe dabmainstream the pastry top with somethe milk lectures and classes to see the profit motive and force government (whatever kind you prefer). Thisit.will make the pastry turn that dictates the operation of all corporations. to grant Building such a movement won’t a delicious golden brown. Note: it is a good putto the happen overnight, butidea the to time start is now. ramekins on a tray, as sometimes the pies will leak! When universities can’t get the money from the government, it’s only natural to Kim Stern is the 2018 NUS LGBTI Officer 8. this After about 15-30 minutes you should see the tops sniff it out in the private sector. At ANU turning golden brown. This is the sign that your work is done, and deliciousness awaits.
Nothing About Us, Without Us Text: Makayla-May Brinckley Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng
To s ay t hat our e duc at ion s y stem under v alue s Indigenous k nowle dge is a s e vere under st atement . A lack of under st anding of A b or ig inal and Tor re s S t r ait I slander p e ople s’ histor y, cult ure , and ident it y is p er v asi ve t hroug hout e duc at ion at all le vels . A nd w hile t here has b e en s ome c hange in t he r ig ht dire ct ion at A NU, we st ill have a lot of wor k to do . A s a young A b or ig inal woman coming to t his uni ver sit y, I conne cte d w it h t he T jab al Indigeno u s H i g h e r Education Centre and began a minor in Indigenous studies through an Arts degree. The difference bet ween the culture of Tjabal and o t h e r y o u n g A b o r i g i n a l a n d To r r e s Strait Islander students, and the knowledge in Indigenous studies classes, was stark . There was a disconnect bet ween our cultures a n d t h e w i d e r u n i v e r s i t y i n s t i t u t i on . Our ident it y as young A bor ig inal and Tor re s S t r ait I slander p e ople is linke d w it h e ver y asp e ct of our li ve s – including our e duc at ional jour ne y. B ut t he link b et we en our ident it y and t he e duc at ion s y stem is we ak . We have a lac k of A b or ig inal and Tor re s S t r ait I slander le ct urer s , t utor s , and cour s e convenor s . We have a lack of A b or ig inal and Tor re s S t r ait I slander p e ople s in e xe c ut i ve role s . We have a lac k of st af f, of c ult ur al te aching , of our stor ie s and k nowle dge in clas s e s t hroug hout t he uni ver sit y. T his lac k of Indigenous e duc at ion at all le vels le ave s st udent s , Indigenous and non - Indigenous alike , at a s e vere dis ad v ant age . Not onl y are young A b or ig inal and Tor re s S t r ait I slander p e ople unable to f ur t her t heir under st anding of histor y and
cult ure , but we are als o c re at ing non Indigenous g r aduate s w ho are enter ing t he wor k force wit h lit tle k nowle dge of F ir st N at ions is sue s and cult ure s . Ine v it abl y, non - Indigenous p e ople w ill wor k wit h Indigenous p e ople af ter g r aduat ion , s o t his lack of k nowle dge is damag ing . E duc at ional inst it ut ions e x ist as place s to shap e our f ut ure le ader s , but our s y stem is f ailing us . W it hout genuine steps to bro aden our under st andings of Indigenous cult ure , we are producing a gener at ion of le ader s who will ne ver k now ot her wis e . T he A NU is mak ing prog re s s in cre at ing a cult ur al shif t to incor p or ate more A bor ig inal and Tor re s S t r a i t I s l a n d e r v o i c e s i n to t h e c u r r i c u l u m a n d to d i v e r s i f y o u r s t a f f. B u t I c a n’ t h e l p b u t ask – is this too little, too late? There will be thousands of students that pass through this universit y without ever having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander lecturer. There will be thousands of students that take Indigenous courses that are 50 years out of date. But , we are a mere cog in the business of the univer sit y, s o we must accept what it g i ve s us . We have wave s to go b efore t he e duc at ion s y stem is inclusi ve of F ir st N at ion s p e o p l e s . A b o r i g i n a l a n d To r r e s S t r a i t I s l a n d e r p e o p l e s h a v e waited for the changes, and they are s l o w l y h a p p e n i n g . I c a n o n l y h o p e t he p ace will quicken to a s ens e of urgenc y. Mak ayla is a proud W iradjuri woman from C ootamundra . She is in her fourth year of undergraduate study in Psycholog y and Arts and is passionate about diverse and inclusive advoc ac y on c ampus . T he views reflected here are her own and do not aim to reflect other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at ANU.
Work, Study, Eat, Sleep, Repeat Text: Shae Maree Nicholson
Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng Wo r k , S t u d y, E a t , S l e e p , R e p e a t . I t ’s a daily structure that many of us at the ANU are familiar with. Plent y of students have part time or full-time jobs and it is even becoming common to meet someone with more than one job. Money is simply always on o u r m i n d s . W h i l s t r e a s o n s v a r y, m a n y students at the ANU are working solely for expendable income as a means to support their lifest yle and are able t o c u t d o w n w h e r e n e c e s s a r y. O f t e n , these students are the focus of how the ANU, and especially how the academics, conveners, and tutors, structure their courses and lessons. Higher Education is becoming increasingly inaccessible for working students; from mandator y labs that o f f e r n o f l e x i b i l i t y, t i m e r e q u i r e m e n t s for readings and course material, to the generalised culture around being low-SE S. All of this plus the cost of attending, measured in the tangible costs of lost wages through reduced a v a i l a b i l i t y, textbooks, supplies, and course fees, with the intangible emotional and psychological costs, places a burden on students without t h e p r i v i l e g e o f e x t e r i o r s u p p o r t . I t ’s hard managing all of these things and these costs impact how you structure your degree and whether you stay enrolled. Part time enrolment has complications in and of itself in terms of degree time but is often the most chosen route. There are options to catch up through summer or winter semesters but the time requirements for these intensive courses, whilst expected, are almost imposavolved. The same can be said about internships and exchanges, highly beneficial programs that working students are unable to participate in because of time requirements. There is a major absence of understanding that employment e q u a l s l i v e l i h o o d . P e r s o n a l l y, I d o n’ t h a v e s u p p o r t o u t s i d e o f m y s e l f. I l i v e a l o n e , I d o n’ t h a v e t h e b e n e f i t o f f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e f r o m f a m i l y, and Centrelink does not give a high
enough payment for me to continue t o l i v e i n d e p e n d e n t l y. T h e r e a r e m a n y things that my conveners could do to a s s i s t m e t h a t t h e y d o n’ t d o b e c a u s e o f t h e p e r c e p t i o n t h a t m y w o r k i s n’ t m a n d a t o r y. T h e y o f t e n w o u l d n’ t consider the fact that a student may not have done the reading because they were at work until ten at night and genuinely did not have the time, the perception is immediately that t h a t s t u d e n t i s i n s o m e w a y l a z y. Scheduling labs and tutorials correctly is important for all students but is especially critical for working students. A miss-step in lab scheduling can cause major issues with employers. I have previously attempted to get priorit y enrolment for one of my courses explaining that I could only attend labs that were on a particular day due to work . It was a reasonable request but the response I got back was more akin to the Hunger G a m e s “m a y t h e o d d s b e e v e r i n y o u r f a v o u r ” m e n t a l i t y. B e c a u s e o f m y abilit y to attend multiple labs I was unable to get placed into any of the labs that I needed and was advised that I should just organise something with my employer instead. I have been forced to drop a course because I have not been able to get the lab that I need to fit with my employment . Complications like this push back how long it takes for degrees to be completed. I took a summer semester this year t o t r y a n d “c a t c h - u p” a n d i t w a s ridiculously difficult . I expected as much, but the responses from my classmates I did not . In bet ween managing three separate jobs, I was doing several readings ever y night, attending class for eight hours three days a week for t wo weeks, and submitting an assignment almost e v e r y d a y. U p o n t e l l i n g o n e o f m y class mates that I was working before a n d a f t e r u n i v e r s i t y, t h e y i n f o r m e d me that they took t wo weeks off for the course. I explained that I c o u l d n’ t a f f o r d t o d o t h a t , t h e y responded: “ Why did you even take t h e c o u r s e t h e n? ” T h e i m p l i c a t i o n from statements like this, and this c e r t a i n l y i s n’ t a n i s o l a t e d i n c i d e n t , i s t h a t i f I c a n’ t a f f o r d t o g o t o u n i v e r s i t y
w i t h o u t w o r k i n g t h e n I s h o u l d n’ t b e going to universit y at all. I could then go on and explain the economic trap that engages but to simplif y: Poor + No Education = minimal job opportunities = S t i l l P o o r. With all of this considered it is no wonder that many low-SE S students, i f t h e y d o i n d e e d g e t t o A N U , c a n’ t maintain their enrolment because inaccessibilit y is just too much. But , l e t ’s f a c e i t , A N U d o e s n’ t r e a l l y w a n t you to work whilst studying, they make that abundantly clear in their h e l p f u l “ S t u d y & Wo r k ” g u i d e o n A N U ’s website. The guide weighs up the pros and cons of working whilst studying without acknowledging that some of u s d o n’ t h a v e a c h o i c e . I n a d d i t i o n , the ANU advises you to seek out employment that is relevant to your d e g r e e , o f f e r s y o u f l e x i b l e h o u r s , i s n’ t t o o f a r a w a y, a n d o f f e r s y o u s e c u r i t y. Those of us who need to work to sur vive understand that hardly any of that is a requirement, the ideal job would be one that offers you enough hours, minimum wage and the comfort t h a t y o u p r o b a b l y w o n’ t b e f i r e d . T h i s i s n’ t t h e r e a l i t y t h o u g h . M a n y o f u s have to take on more than one job to ensure that we can at least afford accommodation and food. The guide i t s e l f p r o b l e m a t i s e s t h e w o r k /s t u d y relationship and places the blame on t h e s i c k / t i r e d /m e n t a l l y e x h a u s t e d student rather than requiring ANU to take responsibilit y and implement reasonable adjustments for working students. The adjustments that would help a r e n’ t e v e n t h a t h a r d t o i m p l e m e n t . Priorit y enrolment is already in place but the process needs to be more accessible to working students. Course material can be made more financially accessible by ensuring that libraries have more than 2 copies of the text book; assessment can become more accessible by allowing employment issues to be a viable r e a s o n f o r a n e x t e n s i o n . H o n e s t l y, I could go on and on with a full list of all the examples of changes that ANU could make to greatly improve the experience of its underprivileged student s but … I’ve got to get to work .
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THE ANU IS FAILING WORKING CLASS STUDENTS Text: Vanamali Hermans
Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng As working class people, we value higher education because it opens up the world. My degree is set to give me a chance at a higher average income, at a broader career path and a lifetime more of opportunities. Coming from a family of merchant seamen, of labourers, of childcare workers, disability care workers and secretaries who haven’t had these chances, I am incredibly grateful. But this isn’t what I value most about being at university. Instead what I value most is the way higher education has changed the way I think: it’s given me new ideas, analytic tools and critical thinking skills my hometown couldn’t offer me. These ways of thinking have helped me make sense of my place within such an inequitable world, have given me a voice, a sense of agency and a sense of self-worth. Like Jessica Andrews, a working class Masters student in London, wrote for the Independent in February “every day I struggle with guilt and hunger and shame and I know these are feelings I will always be coming to terms with,” but higher education and writing “has given me the tools to work through them”. This is not to say higher education is more valuable than vocational education like TAFE or apprenticeships, or the many other livelihoods working class people create for themselves. Places like the ANU could not function without labourers who over many seasons rebuild, restore and maintain the learning environment we often take for granted. That being said, coming to the ANU should be an opportunity every working class person, who I hope might find higher education as transformative as I have, has. For young carers and single Mum’s who have not yet been able to pursue the education they want, for newly settled migrants in Western Sydney to young kids itching to escape the poverty of rural Australia - our national university should be a place for you. But as it stands, it’s not. It’s inaccessible and, as I’ve written before, our number of low-SES enrolments reflect this. So what could the ANU be doing differently for working class students?
Scholarships and Bursaries Despite the breadth of scholarships available to ANU students, few are equity-based and targeted at working class people who, after deferring tuition costs to HECS, still so crucially depend on this source of income to get to university. Instead, the majority of scholarships on offer are merit-based, meaning they are offered on a competitive basis in relation to academic achievements, extra-curricular
activities or community service. We know how meritocracy works and that those from upper class, privately educated backgrounds are more likely to have access to a wider array of opportunities and extra-curriculars than working class students. We know that these profoundly privileged students are more likely to secure merit-based scholarships and that working class people miss out. This remains true of scholarship programs like the Tuckwell, which despite taking into account personal circumstance and adversity, still prioritise merit over equity. This will likewise be true of any scholarship offered by the Ramsay Centre’s newly proposed Bachelor of Western Civilisation, aimed at attracting the ‘best and brightest’ (often code for ‘from the North Shore of Sydney’). Instead of investing time and energy in scholarship programs from the pocket of Paul Ramsay, the ANU needs to be creating a suite of equity scholarships for working class students, capable of subsidising both moving costs and the cost of living for the span of their degrees. These scholarships need to be publicised in postcodes the ANU would never normally reach out to and have a clear and unbureaucratic application process. For many working class people and their families, navigating a scholarship application is unfamiliar territory. As Bridget Neave, an employee at the University of Sydney’s Widening Participation and Outreach program has said “You don’t know about these scholarships because you don’t know anyone in your family, school or community who has ever gotten one.” Ditching often condescending and unhelpful ‘budgeting’ classes during O Week and instead expanding the emergency bursaries for textbooks, laptops, equipment and other living costs available through ANUSA is similarly important in providing economic security for students coming from poverty.
Housing For many working class students who have grown up dealing with housing insecurity, finding secure, affordable accommodation at university can be the difference between completing a degree and not. Poverty makes the lives of working class people precarious, with many people jumping between private rentals and public housing waitlists. For many of us the idea of juggling this precariousness as well as study can be enough to crush higher education aspirations. Without the guarantee of any significant financial safety net or the assurance that long-term, affordable housing will be available, getting to and staying at the ANU is not achievable. Currently there are limited affordable housing options for working class people in Canberra. The ANU colleges, marketed by the university as the housing solution for all, are too
expensive for those who already struggle to make ends meet with casual work and Centrelink payments below the poverty line. The rents of colleges like Bruce Hall, Burgmann and Johns XIII continue to rise, and limited scholarship support is available. This means that many working class students cannot access on-campus accommodation if they want this experience. It is important to consider, however, that making on-campus accommodation at the colleges cheaper is not a fix-all solution. For mature aged students from working class backgrounds wanting to study at the ANU, international postgraduate students, students with disabilities, students with children or students dealing with any other significant barrier, college accommodation is not always appropriate, desirable or welcoming. Often the colleges are toxic environments where misogyny and violence goes untackled, as has been exposed in the Red Zone Report, and unequal dynamics of power are reaffirmed. For working class kids who see being accepted into these institutions as a way out of trauma, living at college is often not safe and secure and is instead re-traumatising on several fronts. More accessible housing needs to be made available off-campus, within close proximity to the university. Models like the Canberra Student Housing Co-Op offer more affordable accommodation and the university could be investing in a significant housing stock within inner north suburbs as it has done in previous decades. This could ensure working class students have access to below-market-price rents and don’t have to compete in an exorbitant rental market.
Social Support It’s important to consider that getting to university is only half the battle - for working class students to succeed and thrive in an institution geared against them, ongoing social support needs to be on offer so that people can be supported throughout the entirety of their higher education. As I mentioned above, for many students trying to escape poverty, trauma has played a complex role in shaping their experiences. Trauma therapist Laura Brown has written extensively on how “social class has a circular relationship with trauma. People who are poor or working class are more likely to have exposures to some kinds of trauma and also less likely to have the resources with which to respond to a trauma when it does occur.” In an environment like the ANU, this trauma may manifest in many ways, from addiction – considering how regularly many of us are exposed to alcohol and drugs in both safe and unsafe ways – to mental illness. For working class students struggling to cope, limited support is available through ANU Counselling: wait times are often unbearable and there exists limited capacity for consistent and regular support. ANU counsellors are frequently left only with the option of outsourcing social support to services within the broader Canberra community, which are hard to access when you have limited resources (it’s extremely hard to find bulk-billing services in Canberra!) and are unfamiliar with the ACT health system. The same can be said for those working class students who are most likely to be carers or themselves living with a disability needing to access social support. Help is limited to the work of the DSA and Access and Inclusion, which at most can help with the creation of an Education Access Plan (EAP) supporting learning
considerations and provide referrals to services like ANU Counselling or the ANU Health Service. Expanding Access and Inclusion to incorporate recovery programs like many US universities have created would help make ANU a supportive space for those working class students navigating trauma. Expanding the type of social support available for students living with disabilities as well as carers could likewise see Access and Inclusion play a greater role in making the ANU accessible, centralising the services working class students need to survive at university. Perhaps most importantly, the ANU needs to be investing in and expanding ANU Counselling so that poorer students unable to access mental healthcare anywhere else in the community have a source of support and healthcare they can rely upon, for free, on a regular and ongoing basis.
Cultural Change If the ANU is failing working class students on so many fronts, and so much needs to change, then why aren’t we talking about it more? Perhaps the biggest barrier at our university is the culture of elitism that is interwoven within the fabric of the ANU. From its obsession with rankings and sleek marketing, to the slow and unwitting takeover of our student spaces by public servants, private businesses and corporate organisations, at every twist and turn we are prevented from having honest and open discussions about class and poverty. These are issues considered too hard and shameful to talk about, which is why we revert to sanitising terms like ‘low-SES’ and talk disingenuously about what ‘low-SES engagement’ might look like. I cannot put it any simpler than this: poor, working class students don’t need to be ‘engaged’ with. The ANU does not need complicated 2020 targets for low-SES enrolments whilst remaining uninterested in cultural change. Instead, working class students need the resources to get here, to stay here and for the ANU to accept this institution is not a playground for the wealthy. This university is for us too, because higher education is for us too, and we shouldn’t have to plead for acceptance. We shouldn’t have to feel so estranged from the rest of our cohort because we aren’t upper class. We shouldn’t feel alien in the classroom because nothing we read reflects our experiences in the world and, most importantly, we shouldn’t feel the biting loneliness, shame and humiliation that comes with being working class at the ANU. I don’t think higher education can ever be truly accessible for working class students until it’s made free and Youth Allowance, Newstart and other income support payments rest at a livable wage. But I do believe the ANU administration has the immediate power to make changes that could drastically improve the chances of people coming from poverty and it is a damning indictment on this university until then. The opportunity to learn and to think critically is what we should value about higher education above all else, and, referring back to Jessica Andrew’s writing, what has given me the power “to take all of the anger and confusion I have felt through being a young, female, working-class person in the world, and turn it into something else”. Everyone should have an opportunity to learn how to do that, especially the other angry people from poverty like me.
Un Tes
Are Regional Students Worth Supporting? Text: Brody Hannan
Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng Try and come up with a strong argument for why regional students are worth giving extra support to be at ANU. We don’t get marks as high as our peers from the city. The median rural student has an ATAR of four points lower than the average city student. Whilst there were 34 public schools featured in last year’s top 100 performing schools in the HSC, there were only four schools featured from a regional area. Students from regional communities are often unable to access the facilities and resources that help you do well in school. Once we get to uni, we’re less likely to graduate. Whilst the ANU has an attrition rate that’s half the national average of 14.8 per cent, nationally, students from regional areas are 21 per cent more likely to drop out of uni than students from metropolitan areas. If you’re from a remote area, you’re 62 per cent more likely to drop out. Regional students are also less likely to even attend university – about 20 per cent of people living in regional and remote areas have degrees, compared with 40 per cent of those living in cities. We require more support and financial assistance – and every equity scholarship or bursary costs the ANU money. It simply costs more to have us here. If this is all the case, then why bother? To have a truly ‘national’ university is hardly a reason. Why should we spend more on support and outreach to bring more regional students to the ANU? Regional students are innately driven. They often juggle several jobs at once alongside their studies, and have a strong sense of community – determined to give back to the ANU and to their hometowns. Regional students work exceptionally hard and don’t pass up opportunities - they know how lucky they are and value the chance to be a student at this incredible university. Too often, the importance of supporting regional students is told through a lens of pity and disadvantage. The stories of our students from regional areas however, paint a very different picture. Renee Selvey, First Year Maths/Music from Wagga Wagga, NSW “Being on a scholarship myself, it has been a huge gift to be able to focus my energies on the opportunities at University and where I want to get involved, rather than concerning myself over a job to fund living expenses. I still see the importance of work – currently teaching guitar, but I feel very privileged to only work two hours a week compared to some other regional students who work much longer hours. I’m looking forward to performing in Fenner Hall’s musical and Big Night Out; I see myself in the coming years becoming more involved within the ANU music scene.” Jacob Mildren, Second Year Commerce/Policy Studies from Wodonga, VIC “Moving from regional Australia to university can be a huge challenge. New surroundings,
new friends, new costs of living, but especially important – new opportunities. Opportunities we simply can’t access at home. One of the best traits of regional youth fortunate enough to be at ANU, is their willingness to dig in and have a go… I’ll be damned if I find a regional student who wastes the opportunity. Perhaps it’s about our sense of community. Coming from a small rural or regional town where everyone chips in, being involved is a way of life. Regional students are the first to put their hand up, get involved in clubs, societies, internships. That’s the value of regional students.” Lachlan Arthur, Fourth Year Science from Gawler, SA “My university life is a stark contrast to the one I would have had if I had stayed in South Australia. Rather than balancing a three-hour commute to and from the city for Uni with paid work, I have been able to live on-campus and put my energy into work opportunities that are relevant to my career and pursue research, volunteer and sporting opportunities that would have been impossible if I weren’t at ANU. The scholarship I have received has enabled me to volunteer overseas and participate in four exchange programs throughout my degree, taking me to over 20 countries in total, and found the ANU’s PhB Society. My ANU experience has been life-changing, and the fact that someone else’s generosity made my experience possible is enough to motivate me for the rest of my life.” Tania Willis, Deputy Director of Access, Inclusion and Wellbeing from Armidale, NSW “I’ve been working since I was 14, whilst I completed some studies at TAFE. In the early 90s I was made redundant from my retail job. I was only 19 at the time, and my partner and I were living on around $160 a week with a small mortgage – it was a very difficult time for us but we made it work. After around six months of job hunting and rejection, someone finally gave me a go and I started casual work with the largest employer in our community, our local university. I loved the work and recognised early on that I wanted to study and discovered that I could apply as a mature aged student and study part-time while I worked. So…at 23, whilst on maternity leave, I decided to have a go at study – taking 7 years to complete my degree – as I juggled part time study alongside full-time work and family life. It’s important that we don’t set up deficit models of support as students from regional backgrounds are incredibly capable, resilient and empowered to succeed. What we now need to do is continue to expand our suite of financial support which in turns supports wellbeing and academic success and work with our students and future students to engage and better communicate our programs and services with the broader community.” Support for regional students isn’t merely altruistic. It’s an investment in the university, as regional students enrich the student experience for us all. To invest in regional students is to transform not only our regional communities, but the ANU.
Challenges Facing Regional Students Text: Jacob Mildren
Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng Moving from regional Australia to university can be a huge challenge, both culturally and monetarily. Regional students do not lack the intelligence or the ability to attend university however, in many cases, it is simply inaccessible. A large proportion of people in regional Australia have never been to university. The natural progression of a regional student’s life is generally not to attend university at all, but to become involved in employment or apprenticeship locally, staying connected to family and friendships forged as early on as kindergarten. In many ways, this is a very rewarding life, and by all means has a place in our Australian society, but this cannot be the life for all in regional areas. In a time of manufacturing automation and increasing transport costs, demand for labouring or lower skilled jobs is dwindling in these regional localities. We can sit here in Canberra, at the ANU, and assume people in this situation will naturally begin to look for higher qualifications to gain different or “better” employment, just like us here would or are doing. However, for regional students, I would argue this is not the rule, but the exception. When no one in your family has ever attended university, when university is 300+ kilometres from your home, when it is going to cost in excess of $20,000 per year to simply live at university,
moving away to university is incredibly difficult. When most of your friends and people around you are calling you out for thinking about leaving for university, asking “why”, “who would do that”, “why are you leaving us”, “you’re going to be a snob in the big smoke”, it’s even harder. This can make it extraordinarily difficult to sell the value of higher education in many regional areas, leaving so much untapped potential. I was lucky enough, from quite a young age, to be taught to be aspirational; I was taught to seek out information always asking why, how and who. I was sold the value of seeking knowledge, which ultimately encouraged me into coming to the ANU. Getting to the ANU was still not without difficulty, but a lot of people would find it more difficult than I. Breaking an intergenerational cycle, leaving to the unknown and working to fund the adventure takes great effort and commitment. If you’re willing to take that leap, leave comfort and take up the multifaceted challenge of university, and most of all work for something you’re not even sure what the benefit will be at the end, you are doing extraordinary things. We need to sell the value of higher education, and most importantly, along with it, sell the importance of making higher education accessible. The tipping point that changes a family forever may be the generosity of a scholarship, bursary or even employment that recognises a regional students effort to make a change. An action that acknowledges the effort of a regional student to break away from the norm and challenge themselves in a completely foreign environment. Anything we can do university in general regional students that to the unknown, is
to make the ANU and more accessible, giving tipping point to venture a very positive thing.
happiness in education Text: Bolwen Fu
Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng Many universit y ranking s ystems seem to favour A NU as a world-class research institution that spearheads ac ademic progress . A walk around c ampus will see A NU boasting that it is ‘ranked first in Australia’ or it is among the ‘ top 1 5 law schools in the world .’ T hese ranking s ystems emphasise a range of factors relating to a universit y’s educ ational output . A mong these factors are the qualit y of research , the number of Nobel Prize winners , and the number of cit ations ac ademic s garner from their work . Yet , ver y few of these ranking s ystems account for a crucial aspect of universit y life: student s atisfaction . A s student s , it c an be difficult to gauge s atisfaction in the universit y as a whole . One of the few metric s available to us are SE LT reviews , but they only reveal course -specific information . More general information about student s atisfaction with universit y life is often anecdot al. Recent studies confirm feelings likely shared by many A NU student s . A cursor y glance at dat a gathered in 2 0 16 on the Qualit y Indic ators for Learning and Teaching (QILT ) indic ates that A NU perform poorly in many areas of undergraduate student experience: learner engagement (6 0.0 per cent versus the national average of 6 4 . 2 per cent ), learning resources ( 8 2 . 9 per cent versus 8 5 . 2 per cent ) and skills development ( 7 7. 4 per cent versus 8 1 . 2 per cent ) were all well below the national average . Perhaps the most concerning was the ‘student support ’ aspect , which s at at 6 4 . 5 per cent , a whole 7. 5 per cent below the national average of 7 2 .0 per cent . Regarding the overall qualit y of educ ational experience , the A NU s at on the national average of 7 9. 9 per cent . In contrast , B ond Universit y had the highest overall qualit y of educ ational experience in Australia , sitting at 9 0. 2 per cent . T he issue is that the ac ademic rankings of universities tend to conflate ac ademic prestige with a fulfilling , well-supported student experience . T his trend c an be
particularly misleading and damaging to those entering universit y for the first time . For inst ance , when selecting universities , bet ween 7 0 to 8 0 per cent of international student s prioritise the ac ademic prestige of the universit y according to the mainstream ranking s ystems . A fter having paid upfront the full ac ademic fees for the semester, they are sometimes left with a sense of diss atisfaction and dis appointment with the educ ation they are receiving. Loss aversion then compels these student s to absorb these signific ant sunk cost s and continue studying at their universit y. T his diss atisfaction c an then lead to poor ment al health and educ ational outcomes for not only international student s but also interst ate domestic student s . A study conducted at the Universit y of Western Australia concluded that the primar y determinant s of student s atisfaction at universit y are school work , time management , and relationships formed while at universit y. T he ‘school work ’ variable looked at questions such as ‘ I am given the chance to do work that interest s me’; ‘ I achieve a st andard in my work which I consider s atisfactor y,’ and ‘ I c an cope with my universit y work well.’ T hese factors all require a combination of ac ademic competence and support from the universit y. In recent years , the A NU has t aken some steps in the right direction . T here have been effort s to reform the SE LT review process such that it collect s feedback on courses in a more effective manner. T his will hopefully increase student s atisfaction in their coursework . In 2 0 1 7, the A NU also hired a full-time Wellbeing C o Ordinator who work s with student s and st aff to develop policies conducive to a healthy, happy universit y. We know that our ac ademic s are leading , world-class researchers in their field – but are they also pedagogic al expert s? T he dat a above seems to point in a different direction: that we need ac ademic s who inspire and sust ain a passion for learning while t aking on some pastoral c are responsibilities to ensure their student s are coping. T hrough doing so, perhaps we c an close the gap bet ween student s atisfaction and ac ademic prestige .
Culture Wars Come to Campus Text: Bella Himmelreich
Art: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng ANU is the first university in Australia announced to be offering the Ramsay Centre’s degree for Western Civilisation. It is to be funded entirely by a $3 billion bequest from the late healthcare and media magnate Paul Ramsay. The donation will fund ten teaching staff and have an overall cohort of 60 students, known as Ramsay scholars, 30 of whom will receive $25,000 residential scholarships. Its central aim is to create a “cadre of leaders – Australians who [have an] awareness and appreciation of their country’s Western heritage and values.” The Ramsay centre has clear links to conservative politics; Paul Ramsay was a close personal friend of Tony Abbott and George Pell, and this is reflected in the choice of appointments to the board of directors. Board members who will oversee the execution of the centre include Tony Abbott, John Howard, Kim Beazley, former head of conservative trade union SDA Joe de Bruyn, and former director of Cumnock Coal, Tony Clark. Tony Abbott and John Howard’s board positions also aren’t the only links from Ramsay to the Coalition. Since 2004, Ramsay Holdings (the major shareholder in Ramsay Health Care), and Ramsay Health Care itself have collectively donated more than $2 million to the Liberal and National parties. This is absolutely as wild as it sounds. Even if the centre refuses to be branded as a conservative think tank, it serves a very similar purpose. Having this degree fully funded by private interests at ANU allows an exclusionary and elitist political agenda to co-opt the legitimacy of a public institution. It is an alternative, unchecked route for conservative public figures to channel their beliefs
into an institution that, without the significant donation, sees no cause for their inclusion. But Western Civilisation does not need a ‘revival’. In the 1950s, historians made a deliberate move away from focusing on ‘civilizations’ in the liberal arts. They acknowledged that the framework prioritised angloAmerican traditions, created rigid borders and competitions between civilisations and generally was taught in elite English universities, to which non-European students from colonial countries rarely were allowed to attend. Even now, our university continues to be based on western systems. We are saturated in courses that focus on western politics, philosophy, languages and poetry. Already in 2018, cuts have been made to the College of Asia and the Pacific, and a Bachelor of Latin American studies is no longer offered. And yet, ANU are going to put $25 million per year of private money into 60 students for a degree that wants to morph a Bachelor of Arts into one that excludes critical theory and focuses entirely on the Western Canon. Its central aim is “to promote a deeper appreciation of the manner in which the legacy of Western civilisation, in all its aspects, has shaped the successful nation that Australia is today”. For a country founded on genocide and ongoing colonisation, this statement seems to disturbingly dismiss our history. But what can we expect from members of an advisory board who based their careers on extending this legacy? It was under John Howard’s prime ministership that the Northern Territory intervention commenced. It was Tony Abbott who only two months ago made the comment that the First Fleet was good for First Nations people. Both are leaders who have time and time again refused to recognise the bloody history of Australia and the damage that ‘Western values’ continue to cause. The Ramsay Centre has framed this degree as a lost appreciation
of the arts. Historically, however, the conservative side of politics has serially undervalued the arts. Money is funnelled into hard sciences, technology innovation – admittedly both important fields – but removed from music, fine arts and humanities schools across the country. At ANU, the effects of federal funding cuts have decimated our School of Music, our Art School and our drama department. Continental philosophy, arguably a pivotal part of European and Western history, offers only two undergraduate courses while Anglo-American philosophical traditions thrive. The argument that universities have stopped focusing on the arts is coming from the very people responsible for stripping these faculties of resources. For the Ramsay donation then to be spent on only 60 students seems a strange way to try and strike a broad revival of humanities. Leaving aside the content of the degree, what consequences does this have for academic freedom at universities? A private benefactor and sitting politicians should not be able to dictate the content and ideological tilt of a public university. Universities must be places where honest and direct criticism can be levelled at government decisions. Universities must allow their faculty staff academic freedom and encourage free, rigorous debate and opportunities to critique our society. If a degree is being funded entirely by private money, and money which demands access to and control over the content which it teaches, it is public education in name only. The clear partisanship of both the benefactor and board presents a further threat to ANU’s independence. We would be naive to view the Ramsay Centre as generous act of charity to our university. Instead, we must see if for the Trojan horse that it is and assert that it has no place on our campus.
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
Discover
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THE 37 PER CENT RULE Text: Liam King Art: Maddy McCusker
Introduction It's now week 5, and you're still squatting on the floor of that smug bastard who started looking for houses during the last exam period. Dreams of a two storey O'Connor townhouse opposite The Ruc are long gone, your aspirations have slipped past Lyneham, past Mitchell to faded white towers of Belco. In your darkest moments – on that blow-up mattress you call a bed – you've occasionally considered Tuggeranong. You've been given a further month reprieve, on top of the two months that were only meant to be two weeks. And then it's the house or the streets. You went to the best private school in Sydney, got an HD once, you study Law! Things were never meant to be like this. Perhaps, with a toastie machine and some baby wipes a pod at Chiefley could be cosy once it drys out? Could you fly in from Sydney and fill your timetable up on Tuesday and Wednesday? Not like you were going to go to uni any other day after the first week. Book a hostel for a week, fall madly in love with an SR, marry them, then live in their double room?
Assumptions
The best news about these five weeks of turmoil is you now have your pick of the houses. Your fanciful plans are humorous memories. All N you apply for, want you, and you're five nineteen-year-old mates. Those landlords left it too late, and now they will suffer noise complaints and stained wine carpets. So, you've got a month to pick the best house, how should you do it? With the only caveat being, once you see a house, you must take it or lose it. Pick too soon, and you won't have seen the best house. Too late, and you'll be left with regrets and a faint smell of cat urine. We'll also assume this dream house has an equal likelihood of popping up anywhere in your list of potential houses.
Strategy
Go to M out of the N inspections, then settle for the next house that is better than the previous (M/N) % . The house you are aiming for is called X, so we need to find (M/N)% to maximise our likelihood of finding it.
Maths behind it all..
And next, that P(M+1,N)< p(M,N) goes to:
We now need to find the M that satisfies both of these conditions.
Example So, you've filled in so many applications that you are now sick of your name and nonchalant about the lie regarding your financial stability. And grad job applications and assignments have got on top of you so you could only apply for five houses, so we get the following:
We would get M =2, so the first 2 houses should be ignored. Then you accept the next best one. knock 'em down So we have our equation now:
And our problem is to find M where this is true:
It is clear we are building squares above and below the line (1/x) Firstly above (the highest point on the curve is where the top of the square is):
And below (lowest point on the curve is where the top of the square is):
With these equations we are making rectangles 1 unit apart, then multiplying them by their position on the line 1/x, so if we were looking at the rectangle(likelihood of choosing the right one is increased by having this here) at the house being between M+5 and M+6, we make our rectangle by multiplying the width: (M+6) –(M+5) =1. By the height of the line at the point we will depend on whether we do the top or bottom value, it will be: 1/(M+5) and 1/ (M+6) respectively. Multiplies by one, they stay the same. Now if we integrate (this adds up all our increases in additional chances) our term to solve it, this sums up:
And below (lowest point on the curve is where the top of the square is):
With these equations we are making rectangles 1 unit apart, then multiplying them by their position on the line 1/x, so if we were looking at the rectangle(likelihood of choosing the right one is increased by having this here) at the house being between M+5 and M+6, we make our rectangle by multiplying the width: (M+6) –(M+5) =1. By the height of the line at the point we will depend on whether we do the top or bottom value, it will be: 1/(M+5) and 1/ (M+6) respectively. Multiplies by one, they stay the same. Now if we integrate (this adds up all our increases in additional chances) our term to solve it, this sums up:
While our other term goes to:
Line them up
Let’s calculate the probability P(M,N) of picking X if you date M people out of N and then go for the next person who is better than the previous ones. The overall probability is naturally a sum of several terms:
If the first house is the best, tough luck, you'll miss it, and the first M houses. So the likelihood of them is 0. But if the newly refurbished Turner 6-share, with a pool for only $ 500 a week is the (M+1)th you're in luck.
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Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
As it has to be better than all previous house:
Discover
Pick your target
So the condition we want to place on P(M,N) is: P(M-1, N) < P(M,N) and P(M+1,N)< p(M,N).You set up the conditions we specify, do some algebra and find a rule. Firstly that: P(M-1, N) < P(M,N) goes to:
The greater the N, the smaller this chance, so let’s consider the (M+2)th house. This means the (M+1)th didn't have a higher rating than the previous M, and the probability of the (M+2)th being the best is (1/N) again: And as (N/M)≈(N−1)/M when N and M are large (just put some fake numbers in and try!). We can just work on the term for our lower bound, then we get: Now, for the (M+3)th, we repeat the argument for the (M+2) th case, and get:
That there are finitely many houses in Canberra is quite a reasonable assumption to make, as there is only a population of 381,000. So we can keep enumerating out the argument until we get to the point where all but the final ( (N−1)th cases) , as for the final one. It doesn't matter. You got the house with the neighbours who are
So the best place to execute our plan, to select the next best house(the house before is M) after all the ones we have seen is at around 0.37 multiplied by the total number of houses – this is just 37%. Veranda and a picketfence You've done the maths, your housemates thought you were too weird and left you and so you took to craigslist to find new housemates. But that doesn't matter, by picking the next house better than all the first 37% you saw, you found your dream house. Dave who is coming down from Perth for an undisclosed line of work might think shitting in the garden is fine as "it's all dirt anyway". Jimmy might ruin your date night every week by bringing around a different group of friends and all taking dark web hallucinogens. And Andy will be arriving tomorrow with his bond, backpay of rent and all the lounge room furniture until the end of the contract. But at least you have your castle, and it was all because of the 37% rule.
Discover
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
Using Mimicry to Solve Nature’s Problems
Text: Brody Hannan Graphic: Mille Wang Maddy McCusker Biomimicry – the idea of drawing inspiration from nature to influence the design of materials, structures and systems. Biomimicry influences virtually every component of modern design – the shape of our buildings, the aerodynamic designs of a fighter jet and bullet trains, the way computer networks communicate with each other, and the hydrophobic material of Olympic swimsuits. It can be used to solve big problems, but can biomimicry solve the greatest challenge of the 21st Century – Climate Change?
Evolution and Trial and Error A key principle of the design process is trial and error. In drug design, chemists simply try different chemicals at (calculated) random until they find a drug with the desired effect. If you’ve ever had to code, you’d know that a good way of finding a solution (albeit, not necessarily the best one) is running through countless iterations of a program until you find one that works. And just like a computer program, the faster and the longer you can try an iteration of a problem, the more solutions you can try, and the likelihood of finding a ‘better’ solution grows. Could we tap into the greatest trial and error process on Earth – evolution? It’s been running for 4 billion years, as long as there has been life on Earth! And this is where biomimicry can be useful – the Earth’s climate and environment has been ever changing for billions of years, and life on Earth has already experienced five mass extinction events in its history. Knowing how species and ecosystems have survived through these aeons of change could hold the answer to how humans can adapt to climate changes, as well as mitigate against further effects and stop a sixth.
Biomimicry and the Fight Against Climate Change According to a paper put out last year at the International Conference on Applied Energy, biomimicry can mitigate against the effects of climate change through several key ways: Energy Effectiveness and Energy Efficiency Many things in modern engineering are high consumers of energy and major emitters of greenhouse gas emissions – mainly a result of inefficiencies in cooling and insulation. Improving energy efficiency in these parts of our lives is not only an important step in addressing climate change but also an immediate one, too. By emulating the effectiveness of living organisms and systems in how they use materials and energy we can become less resource intensive and
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thereby improve our energy efficiency. For example, Harare’s Eastgate Centre, the largest office and shopping complex in Zimbabwe, uses the structure of southern Africa termites to provide a stable temperature inside the shopping centre,with minimal mechanical cooling,thereby reducing GHG emissions.By cooling, heating and ventilating by almost entirely natural means, the Eastgate Centre is consuming 90% less energy than a conventionally climate-controlled building of the same size. At Cornell University in the US, they are making what they’ve termed a ‘synthetic tree’. Instead of using transpiration and the capillary action of roots and leaves in trees to pull water upwards, they are creating a wallpaper that they hope to put on the inside of buildings so that it will move water up without pumps. When the average person uses over 60 litres of water every time they shower, you can imagine how much water would need to be transported up a residential high rise building which can reach over 100m tall, full of many hundreds of people. You could use the energy from pumping that water 100m for your shower to instead run your laptop for a full 1 hour lecture. That’s a lot of energy.
Energy Generation While it’s important we reduce the energy lost to consumption inefficiencies, fighting climate change will also require significant innovations in the way we generate energy. Drawing inspiration from kelp – a type of seaweed found in shallow, clear ocean waters – Australian scientists developed a new type of tidal energy production in 2006, one that uses a series of buoyant floats (blades) able to pivot on the sea floor with the rise and fall of the sea. The movement of the blades drives hydraulic cylinders which then generate electricity. With the help of biomimicry, engineers and scientists are improving traditional methods of renewable energy. Using the shape of the hydrodynamic edges of Humpback Whale’s flippers for wind turbines enables them to turn in much slower wind speeds and generate more electricity thanks to the more aerodynamic design. To demonstrate, the whale-inspired turbines generate the same amount of power at wind speeds of 16km per hour that conventional turbines generate at 27km per hour.
Carbon Capture and Storage While the methods and designs listed above are great at reducing future environmental damage, biomimicry can also help fix the problems that we have already created. The environmental principle copied here is carbon sequestration
– capturing carbon from the atmosphere (or capturing it before it gets there in the first place) and storing it in a less-harmful way, usually underground. Traditionally, carbon storage centred around ‘sweeping it under the rug and forgetting about it’. Biomimicry can, however, help carbon sequestration be much more productive and useful. For instance, the Rocky Mountain Institute in the US is working on developing an alternative material to concrete which emulates the ability of marine snails to grow crack resistant shells that are harder than any artificial ceramic. Marine snails do this through a process known as biomineralisation, where they turn carbon into more useful carbonates. This technology turns concrete production – once a heavy source of carbon emissions – into a way of storing carbon safely and usefully. Biomimicry is obviously very useful in tackling environmental problems, but it doesn’t solve the cause of these problems – our unsustainable way of life. Even if we mitigate future environmental problems using biomimicry, we will still need to deal with the current impacts of climate and environmental change. It's going to take a lot more than some clever science and a keen eye for nature to solve this global issue. And perhaps, the principle, of ‘fixing it’ is wrong. A solution solves an existing problem; medicine cures the sick. We are gambling with our species survival, a game where the world needs to get better every time. Ingenuity must outstrip greed, or everything is over. Perhaps, not playing is the smarter idea.
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Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
Discover
The URBAN Planning Standards australia Should Be Aiming For Text: Jessica Woolnough Graphic: Sophie Bear
developments are sustainable and inclusive. There is widespread research and ideas on how to make buildings more sustainable.
Sustainable infrastructure is an area with the potential for significant greenhouse gas emission reduction, especially considering around 70 per cent of the world’s population will end up living in cities. As such, making the infrastructure in large urban centres sustainable is vital for our survival on this Earth.
There is also a lot of research and ideas on how to make buildings more accessible and inclusive - namely under the concept of Universal Design. For those of you unsure what Universal Design is, the National Disability Authority gives a pretty good definition: “Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.”
And it’s no secret that climate change is one of the biggest issues of our generation. This was internationally recognised when 194 states, along with the EU, signed the Paris Agreement. This lays out a plan to address climate change through greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance strategies. Australia signed the Agreement in April 2016 and ratified it that November. The centre-stone of Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement is our target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2628 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. The Australian government has implemented several strategies to reach this goal, such as an Emissions Reduction Fund and a Renewable Energy Target. But I believe there is more we could be doing to reduce our climate impacts. Namely, we should be improving minimum building standards for commercial and residential developments.
Combining Universal Design and Sustainability is for the benefit of both people and planet.For those of you suggesting money as the reason why very few buildings incorporate these ideas in their design – I counter argue that there are countless low-expense sustainability and accessibility design features. In fact, making our buildings “greener” – that is, well-insulated, more water-efficient, solar-supplemented and naturally-lit – will actually save us money in the longer term. For example, research predicts that a $4 per square foot investment in green materials and features in buildings now will yield savings of $58 per square foot over a twenty-year period. And as for making buildings more accessible: this is a key step towards enabling more people to better participate in and contribute to society, which will benefit the productivity and health of our entire socio-economic system.
What I propose, however, goes beyond just introducing sustainability measures to every new building. I believe we should also address another huge task for our generation: making our societies and cities more accessible and inclusive. As such, I propose a complete restructure of our building codes: to ensure
So why haven’t the building codes been updated to incorporate at least some of these sustainability and accessibility measures? Naturally, there is a wad of red-tape, which isn’t helped by the often slow-moving nature of politics. There is also a lack of collaboration between those focused on sustainability and
those focussed on accessibility. But this is crucially compounded by a lack of awareness; and potentially even a lack of caring. Here are a couple of examples of what implementing Universal and sustainable designs can mean in practice:
Low-emission Building Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and other pollutants, will help reduce our contribution to climate change. It’ll also make the air more breathable, which is great for everyone – particularly people who suffer respiratory impairments or illnesses. Ramp access to buildings with stairs.This makes a building, and the services and opportunities within a building, more accessible to a wider range of people. This will help make our societies more equitable and productive, as it will allow more people to better engage with the community and its services.
Well-planned Interior Design Maximise natural lighting, as this will help reduce electricity use, which is great for reducing our environmental impact. Also, ensure all surfaces, such as kitchen benches, are low enough for all users and that building layouts are easily navigable. This is important to ensure all users can comfortably use the facilities. And let’s face it – carefully planning out the layout of a building before it is built is more cost-efficient than having to renovate in the future. Legislation on building accessibility is sure to catch up to developers one day, so why not save money and incorporate the necessary features now? hope some of you are convinced that both Universal and sustainable design is needed; and that we shouldn’t inefficiently consider one separately from the other. After all, we want our buildings to be
both sustainable and accessible – not sustainable OR accessible. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say Universal Design comes under sustainability, which is often defined as the ability of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. And I ask you, can we, as a biological system, remain diverse and infinitely productive if we exclude and block the effective participation of people with disabilities? Let me give you a hint… the answer is no. If you are someone interested in urban and infrastructure design, then I urge you to practice both Universal Design and sustainability. And I ask you to consider them from your very first inkling of a design, not after a development is built. For everyone else, I ask you to help fight for our urban centres and infrastructure to be improved: for our planet, for our society and particularly for people with disabilities. Noone should be excluded from having the same living standards and experiences as their peers: especially not when there are implementable solutions that can make developments more accessible and inclusive.
Discover
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
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The World's Greatest Collective Action problem: the pollution of our attitude Text: Lydia J. Kim Graphic: Sophie Bear
“Collective action. Participation or contribution by individual members of an interest group to the provision of public goods.”; a definition most students familiar with Colomer’s The Science of Politics, An Introduction already know. In our battle against environmental degradation, there isn’t a weapon more potent than collective action itself. So why aren’t we using it?
behaviour, they often shrug and suggest that the onus is not on them: as they are “simply one person”. Such attitudes are what hinder progress from being made. We are our own obstacles. The potential reality is far from this. As individuals, we can incite mass collective action simply by interacting with a few people around us.
In today’s society, there seems to be an overpowering notion that efforts made by single individuals do not have a great enough impact to be deemed worthy. Furthermore, many amongst us seem to use the wrongdoings of businesses and governments as an alibi for our own inaction. We often assume that the only ones that play a real role in environmental issues such as climate change are institutions – never ourselves.
For example, if one person inf luences three of their friends so that they use reusable water bottles instead of disposable plastic ones and each of them went on to inf luence three of their friends, it would only take nine ‘generations’ to change the ways of 29,524 people (= 30 + 31 + 32 + … + 39). Considering that the average Australian drinks 30 litres of bottled water a year, this means a single individual can, in fact, make a significant difference to introducing a more sustainable culture. But the impact these individuals will have doesn’t stop here.
An anecdote: oftentimes my friends tell me how they’d like to “visit the Great Barrier Reef before all the coral dies”, without expressing any actual concern for all the bleaching that has been, and still is, occurring. When reminded that the death of the corals is a consequence of human
Consisting mainly of plastics, methane-emitting mounds of waste have led to countless pulmonary disease-related deaths in communities surrounding Manila’s Smokey Mountains, in the Philippines. Now think of how much change 29,524 people can make over the years towards reducing
these plastic waste piles and the associated deaths. There is no potential for this change without that one individual’s efforts. And the greater the number of participants, the greater the benefits everyone will reap. There is no excuse for our complacency. Something individuals often seem to forget is that institutions, namely businesses and governments, are ultimately just groups of people like themselves. What sets them apart is the level of agency and power they hold, but this is changeable. With enough cohesion and will-power amongst a group of individuals, they could hold as much, or even more, authority. Our job then as single actors is to form our own institutions and rise-up against the current environment-assaulters that dominate our economy and politics. By doing this, we can infiltrate industries with a new wave of green ideology. Partners in Health have demonstrated exactly how powerful our own institutions can be – in this case, in the medical field. All it took was five PhD students with a desire to “bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair” to establish a non-profit that now helps millions across the world. They did not need a business
or government to pave the path for them - they created their own path. At first, what you and I can do as individuals to make a considerable difference may not be very clear. But all it takes is a moment of our time to realise how much inf luence we actually hold over those around us. All it takes is a little bit of interest. And of course – it’s unfair to blame any single negligent person for the entire degeneration of our planet. But it’s also irresponsible to say that they have no role to play in it either. Had more of us noticed earlier the power of collective action and the crucial roles we play in it, maybe our environment and humankind wouldn’t be headed towards such a gloomy future as it is now. So, on which side of history will you stand? Will you contribute to the cause, or will you concede defeat without even trying?
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Discover
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
THE DUALITY OF 'BROKE' Text: Tabitha Malet Graphic: Maddy McCusker
‘Broke’. Adjective, informal: having completely run out of money. Synonyms: bankrupt, insolvent, poverty-stricken. ‘Broke’. Adjective, informal: having negligible spending money. Does not hinder your ability to provide yourself with basic food or shelter. Synonyms: university, millennial. There’s a common perception that being ‘broke’ is a necessary part of university. Students are not infrequently told that it will help them appreciate their first salary (and perhaps make it stretch further.). Campus culture draws a fuzzy lifeline between $25 blown on brunch and two-minute noodles for the rest of the week. A deplorably low bank balance is something to laugh at. And yet, more quietly, another ‘broke’ operates. In 2012, a survey by Universities Australia investigated financial situations on campus. They found that full-time domestic students identifying their financial circumstances as a “‘substantial source of worry to them”’ were experiencing real consequences. They were three times more likely to defer because of finances than other students. The bizarre paradox is this: those many of those located on polar ends of the ‘broke’ spectrum moments where the polar ends of ‘broke’ have a similar lived experience. Chances are it’s not hard to picture yourself with an empty fridge and an empty stomach, pouring peas into your two-minute noodles to get at least one of your five- a- day. Perhaps you pay your own rent and could imagine falling
short. The difference between true and false ‘broke’ is how you got there. Once the barest of essentials are paid for, how you use the rest of your money is a choice. University students are saturated constantly bombarded bywith the idea that they should use this choice to live while they can. You don’t have much time before it will be considered improper to dance incredibly drunk in your underwear at Mooseheads. The solution is clearly to shout $100 of drinks tonight, even if you honestly can’t afford it. All this free time you have will be gone in two years, so why not use it to spend your life savings on brunch? And while that might have been an enjoyable (and Iinstagrammable) 24 hours, you are left with $2 in your bank account. Here’s to three days eating two-minute noodles with peas in. Here’s to ‘broke.’! True ‘broke’ isn’t a choice. It’s broader, and messier. In 2012, 18% of full-time domestic undergraduates said they regularly went without food or other necessities because they could not afford them. This constitutes a 3% rise since 2006. The average income of full-time domestic undergraduates, however, has risen significantly in the same period. What are we seeing here? In short, an increasing disparity between the haves and the have-nots. To top it all off, And in a world where at least 80% of the people I know have at some point told me they were ‘broke,’, the ‘have’s’ are clearly not shy of using the word. You might, not unfairly, ask why this really matters. Language is always developing. The ways groups of people use
a word are often out of step with its dictionary meaning. That’s just the workings of slang. I would argue, however, that this is much more serious. The normalisation of ‘broke’-ness by choice at university has crowded pushed out people who are ‘broke’ by necessity. These people are facing real, daily and harsh consequences, of due to their lack of income, and others’ appropriation of poverty is doing them no favours. Since coming to university, I’ve met about five people who were really struggling with money. In every case, it was less present in the routine conversation than whispered to me on the sidelines. None of them used the word ‘broke.’. Perhaps they feared that, if they did, their very real struggle would be laughed off. Perhaps they are ashamed and jealous of their peers, who throw around the word while spending $50 on drinks. They almost certainly wish that their struggle was a harmlessly silly aesthetic choice. Maybe all of this makes them scared to present their uncomfortable reality in an unhelpful forum. There is nothing wrong with changing our language when we find discover that it cuts deeper than intended. Let’s decide to care about people who live their struggles on the sidelines. Let’s save the word ‘broke’ for when it’s really needed.
culture
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
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Sashimi, Shrines and sunsets: ADventures in Japan elements of Japanese culture we’d never
Text: Mariam Abouelnasr experienced before. These ranged from Art: Sophie Bear & Steph David a cooking class with an expert sashimi
If you’ve ever travelled overseas, you would be well acquainted with the excited “how was your trip?!” bombardment of questions that tend to await you upon returning home. I, too, had experienced this many a time, and would often reply enthusiastically enough, “Yeah, good thanks!” It wasn’t until I had studied abroad, however, that I began to conjure up more passionate descriptions: amazing, incredible, unforgettable. I was lucky enough to spend five weeks in Kyoto, Japan, studying an intensive course of Japanese language and culture. Being quite introverted myself, the idea of spending five weeks sharing a tiny room with three other people, quite frankly, sounded like a nightmare, but this did not weaken the magical allure of Japan that drew me in regardless. The study experience itself was brilliant. Suddenly we ate, breathed and lived Japanese. We had three hours of language class every day, which was a lot of brainwork for a bunch of students who were lucky to get in an hour of Japanese a few times a week before this. The cafeterias on campus may quite possibly be my favourite memory of the trip in general. The food was not only cheap, it was delicious and was given out in generous servings – not to mention they served my favourite Japanese food, Taiyaki. We ate our lunch with Japanese students every day, which was a really great way to make friends and practice our Japanese with native speakers. My fondest memory of these conversations was when we attempted to explain some of Australian culture to our new friends and observed their shock and horror when we showed them what a mullet looks like. After classes, we had cultural activities, where we were exposed to a number of
chef, to a Taiko drumming class, to playing games with Geiko and Maiko (types of Japanese Geishas). Studying Japanese culture in Australia could never have given me the immersive experience I received whilst in Kyoto.
This immersion really struck me when we went to Fushimi Inari shrine as a group. It is situated on a mountain, and we made our way up through a series of orange Tori gates with numerous small shrines along the way to the top. Of course, we expected an amazing view upon reaching the top. However, our Japanese friend Daisuke, who had evidently done this walk a thousand times before, insisted that he show us a better view. We followed as he ducked and weaved behind a smaller shrine area and past a “danger” sign. Slightly apprehensive, we trusted his judgement, and we suddenly reached a clearing. Like something out of a movie, we had emerged from a cluster of stone and ornaments into an open area on the side of the mountain that looked out onto all of Kyoto. The sun was just beginning to set, colouring the sky in beautiful deep oranges and pinks. At first, we were all chatty with excitement at the discovery, but before long we’d fallen into silence, just admiring the incredible view before us. This experience among many others taught me the value of travelling with locals – they always know the best views. Japanese locals are like no others when it comes to hospitality. The kindness of Japanese people and their constant desire to be good hosts is something that amazed me from the very beginning of our study program. The teachers and program organizers consistently surpassed any regular expectations we’d had to ensure we were all as comfortable as possible. I also saw this hospitality at
play when staying at a hostel in Osaka. The main motivation behind choosing this particular accommodation was the super cheap price, so I wasn’t expecting anything particularly fancy. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a lovely guy, Ren, who seemed to truly care about who his guests were and where they’d come from, and gave us brilliant recommendations for places to eat and shop. Later on in the stay, we happened to be leaving the hostel at the same time, and Ren insisted on walking us all the way to the cheesecake shop we were looking for, helping us to practice some Japanese and telling us more about Osaka along the way. This kind of above-and-beyond hospitality became characteristic of my interactions with Japanese people. Naturally, before leaving Australia, I’d had many anxieties about my trip. The aforementioned rooming situation, whether or not I’d get sick of Japanese food and if I could handle the claustrophobia of a Tokyo subway at rush hour. I wasn’t sure if I could keep up with the study and still have time to sightsee. I wasn’t confident with my Japanese and thought I’d embarrass myself when I tried to use it in practical situations. None of these worries played on my mind for even a day after reaching Japan and I’m glad I didn’t let any of them get in the way of my decision to go. Studying abroad was an experience that truly changed the way I view both study and travel and gave me fresh motivation not only for continuing Japanese, but also for hopefully studying overseas again in the future.
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culture
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
MY COUNTRY: RIGHT OR WRONG? A FRIENDLY CALL TO ACTION Text: Kevin Marco Art: Maddy McCusker
The number two seems to be everywhere in my life. I have lived in two countries, I’m doing two degrees, and I was born on 2 March. Recently, I celebrated two decades of living and wasting my parents’ money. Most importantly, I’ve always felt that I am of two nations. I was born and raised in Indonesia, but my family is Chinese. I admire my fellow Indonesians, of course assuming that there is one central Indonesian identity. I am proud of our resilience in the face of trials and tribulations, foreign and domestic. I am proud of our boundless optimism and faith in the better future, despite being continuously let down by others and sometimes even letting ourselves down. I love the fact that we were the first people to unshackle ourselves from the yoke of colonialism and to herald in a new age that rose from the ashes of World War II. At the same time, I feel just as proud about my Chinese identity – part of a community that is 1.4 billion strong and 5,000 years old. I remember listening in awe as my grandfather delighted me with tales of the rise and fall of kingdoms and dynasties, of grand fleets and expeditions, and of the unbroken entrepreneurs and wise men. Indonesians and Chinese are both my people, and I love them equally – a feeling I think is shared by many of my fellow international students, particularly those from Asia. However, to love our history and way of life is one thing; to unflinchingly support a government because of this is another. The nation and the State are not the same. Pride in our history and culture should not blind us to the questions that our government and politicians have raised. Recent events in both Indonesia and China have indeed forced me to grapple with some troubling questions. I am not sure how to feel about politicians refusing to confront religious fundamentalism in Indonesia that threatens to swamp my home with hate and intolerance, with some politicians apparently tacitly approving. It is also a bitter irony that, a century after the last Qing emperor was deposed, China now has the closest thing to an emperor in power, with its government attempting to develop a ‘credit system’ that could deny public goods to millions of ‘untrustworthy’ citizens. It is beyond my current ability to provide you with an explanation of why it has come to this.However, I have noticed a pattern has emerged in Asia – from India to Japan, from the Philippines to Thailand – of governments tightening control, abridging civil liberties, and stoking nationalist/sectarian sentiment.
This pattern has a clear result: increasing authoritarianism. You may think that we do need authoritarians to show us the way in a world that is becoming less certain and more dangerous. But, to paraphrase Yap Thiam Hien, what’s the point of our people’s fight to be free from foreign oppression and dominance if we end up being oppressed by one of our own? For me, it is self-evident that increasing authoritarianism is unacceptable given the sacrifices made by people infinitely braver to free us from exactly that – authoritarians and oppressors. However, I cannot answer for you. You may very well end up disagreeing with me and I will respect that. But I ask of you, at least reach this conclusion on your own. Do not base your conclusions on mere blind faith or peer-pressure. Do not feel that you have a sense of obligation to support the government unflinchingly simply because you love your people and ways of life. Do not support your government because of nationalism. In fact, don’t be a nationalist at all. Be a patriot! As Timothy Snyder said, a nationalist tells other people their country is the best; a patriot tells their country to be the best it can be. If you are going to base your support on the old adage: “My country, right or wrong”, then at least be aware that it is incomplete. The full version reads: “My country, right or wrong. If it is right, let it remain right. If it is wrong, let it be set right”. We must express our disagreement if we have any, either through demonstrations or the ballot box. For those who feel unable, remember that from little things, big things grow. For all this talk about the 21st Century being the ‘Asian Century’, we still haven’t addressed the question of what exactly it entails. Will we see our world split, with countries ruled by paternalistic cabals of old men on one hand and countries ruled by holier-than-thous on the other? Or will the century bring something more? Something better? The answer to this greatly hinges on whether we should accept increasingly authoritarian Asia – and we students couldn’t be better placed to formulate the answer. We are fortunate to have access to the ANU’s wealth of tomes, books, journals, and research papers, as well as its academics, so let’s use them! We have, at best, six years and at worst, if you are doing a Master’s degree, two. I’m pretty sure there are enough days when we are not swamped by essays or exams and can do a bit of reading at Menzies
or attend a conference held here on campus. We should also try talking with people from various backgrounds and differing perspectives. Making friends with them will help insulate you from any attempts to demonise certain groups of people, and will in turn insulate them from attempts at demonising you. Whatever you decide, the worst option is to do nothing. To go home none the wiser about your country and apathetical about the direction the powers are taking it would be a great tragedy. If nothing else, care for the pragmatic reasons: to make sure we are not left to foot the bill for their mistakes.
culture
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
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Seeking clarification about qudditch
Text: Sophie Hyland-Fitch Graphic: David & Sophie Bear Upon mentioning quidditch to the uninitiated, there are two questions that a player always receives. The first is, “wait, do you fly?”, and this is easily answered: “No. Sorry”. The second is, “so then – how does the Snitch work?” This, I will explain in due course, for there is much more about the game that must be explained first. Quidditch is a full-contact, mixed-gen der sport. What does that really mean? It means that women, men, and everyone in between play on the field together. Gender inclusivity is literally written into the rulebook: no more than four players (on a team of seven) of the same gender may be on the field at once. These players may play one of three positions: Chaser/Keeper, Beater and Seeker. Chasers and Keepers have a very simple goal: put the quaffle (a volleyball) through the opposition’s hoops, and stop the other team from doing the same to them. The ‘quaffle game’ might be likened to basketball or rugby, and each goal is worth 10 points. There are three chasers and one keeper in a ‘quaffle team.’ Beaters, unlike Fred and George, do not hold bats – instead, they hold bludgers (dodgeballs) that they can throw at any member of the opposition (just like dodgeball). Getting hit with a bludger is called getting ‘beat’ and knocks you out
of play until you can run back, touch your defensive hoops and re-enter play. Seekers, again, play an entirely different game. The tiny, shiny, Golden Snitch from the books is represented in real life by an oz-tag style tag on the back of the shorts of a Snitch Runner who really, really doesn’t want you to pull it off them. The Seekers have the unenviable job of running to and fro across the pitch after the Snitch Runner, and once they catch up, they must then wrestle the Snitch Runner to pull off the tag, earn 30 points for their team, and end the game. And just in case that wasn’t enough confusion, quidditch also incorporates a handicap. In basketball, you must bounce the ball. In soccer, you can’t touch it with your hands. In quidditch, you must have a stick (PVC pipe or wooden dowel, not an actual broomstick) between your legs at all times. In addition to looking a wee bit silly, it throws in the twist of making the already complicated game now, essentially, one-handed. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re now asking yourself why on earth anyone would play such a complicated, confusing game. However, the chaos of quidditch is in many ways its primary attraction – it’s simply FUN. In a game where you’re running around with a stick between your legs and balls are flying everywhere, it’s impossible to not
smile. That being said, the sport isn’t rapidly growing by merit of its ridiculousness alone. Many female players leap at the opportunity to play quidditch simply because it’s mixed gender and full contact – in what other sport is a woman going to have the opportunity to square off with a male as an equal? While feminism continues to rise and women are gradually being offered more opportunities in the world, sports at large are lagging behind the trend, with segregation of both play and pay still prevalent. Quidditch provides an opportunity for people of all genders to come together and make a difference on the pitch. I really do mean it when I say that the largest, strongest man and the smallest, daintiest girl (or the other way around) may be equally as effective on pitch. Quidditch is a sport that, due to all its complexity and chaos, rewards a good thinker just as much as it rewards physical prowess. “So then, what about Harry Potter?” you say. Well, he’s not really in the picture anymore. Quidditch has rapidly matured away from the glorified roleplay it originated as in 2005. People who first hear about quidditch may mock its players as ‘a bunch of book nerds’ but will very quickly retract the statement after watching a match. However, the essence of the world and the sport that Rowling dreamed up still remains; for so many of our generation, the
world of Harry Potter and quidditch represents a safe space where individuals and groups have the opportunity to prove themselves despite adversity. That has certainly been my personal experience as a quidditch player; while I discovered my own drive, fitness and enthusiasm for the game, and formed friendships and team bonds, the ANU Owls team has progressed up the ranks, rising to the top of the NSW state league. Not only is there league-level play; Quidditch Australia annually hosts a State Shield competition (akin to NRL’s State of Origin) where the best from each state face off to play the highest-level quidditch in Australia. Last year, seven members of the ANU team were involved in the NSW state representative team. And yes, there is even a World Cup for quidditch, just like in the books. It’s held biennially, and in 2016 James Mortensen, ANU’s coach, captained the Australian team to victory in Frankfurt, Germany. This year the World Cup is being held in Florence, Italy, and one of ANU’s long-time members, Danny Fox, is leading the team as assistant coach. While quidditch on a global scale is accessible for any player to pursue, the game still comfortably accommodates everybody: competitive or not, big or small, athletic or slow, thinkers and doers alike.
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culture
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
The History of SUPERMAN's Red Undies Text: Brandon Tan Graphic: Edwina Landale
Since his debut in Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster in 1938, Superman has come to be known as the archetypal ‘ideal’ superhero. The first real superhero, his simple outfit of blue spandex, red cape and underwear reflected circus strongmen attire of the 1930s to convey an individual of incredible power. Following his success came the creation of the entire superhero genre in comic books, and the eventual formation of a merchandising juggernaut and the summer blockbusters we see in cinemas today. Superman has undergone a range of changes to his tradition, whether it be temporarily dating Wonder Woman or gaining weird electric superpowers. Nevertheless, his famous red Speedos remained largely unchanged for 70 years. That was until 2011, when DC Comics (yeah, it’s weird how they expand it into “Detective Comics Comics”) decided to reboot their shared superhero comic universe. Among other changes, they
included a brasher interpretation of Superman who no longer wore his red underwear – a move that received mixed reception from fans. Maybe this change symbolises how Superman no longer reflects the ‘Golden Age’ America where he was created. As the US has slowly lost its place as the ‘world leader’ to China, and as it takes on a more ambiguous image through the war on terror, writers have struggled to ensure the Man of Steel remains relevant to their current readers. Removing the underpants was surely one way to make a character who can shoot laser beams from his eyes seem more realistic. This has formed the crux of Superman’s characterisation within the DC Extended Universe, where his status as an alien is explored in greater detail and his human aspects are downplayed. Unfortunately, this was criticized as being untrue to the superhero everyone grew up with. Although many other members of the DC Trinity debuted wearing underwear, their removal in the modern age worked to grow the essence of their character. Once Batman moved away from a
campy style to instead reflect real-world grit, it became obvious that the inclusion of underwear would fail to strike terror in the hearts of Gotham’s devious criminals. Similarly, Wonder Woman’s change from bikini to Amazonian battle armour was a much-needed move to realistically show she comes from a culture of warriors. The character of Superman is a complex one. His best stories are often ones where his human characteristics shine rather than superpowers, such as when he convinces a suicidal teen not to jump off a roof in All-Star Superman. Yet, audiences buy action media expecting heroes to combat supervillains and save the day. It’s certainly difficult to satisfy two different types of audiences while making positive character development for this cultural icon. On April 18th, Superman’s comic Action Comics will become the first comic book in existence to reach its 1000th issue. As a result, Superman will once again be donning the red trunks he hasn’t worn for the last seven years (there’ll be an in-story reason for it). However, is this
an appeal to nostalgia in the same way Trump has been peddling his ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign to Americans? Surely not, as Superman has always been a symbol for humans of the DC universe to strive towards. I’d argue the red underwear remains as important an element to Superman’s wardrobe just as his ‘S’ symbol does.
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
culture
once upon a
paper moon Text: Nell Fraser Graphic: James Atkinson Recently, I’ve found myself recounting the demolition of the ANU Arts Centre countless times. “That crane there? An Arts Centre – two stages, a café, a restaurant”. It doesn’t do it justice. It’s impossible to succinctly explain to a first year what the building was and the impact that its demolition has had on theatre at ANU. Yes, it housed two perfectly sized theatres – the 70ish seat Drama Lab and the 350-seat mainstage complete with an orchestra pit – venues which are hardly replicated elsewhere in the ACT. Yes, it was reasonably priced for student productions – impossible off-site without subsidies. And yes, it was easily located on campus. But it was more than these conveniences: it was ours. There was a distinct element of ‘home’ about the place. A sense of belonging and ownership. It wasn’t a venue you went home from at the end of the night, or after you handed in the keys at the end of the booking. It stayed with you. The Arts Centre to me was 13 hour days and 50 hour long weekends. It was spray painting the walls, hammering the stage, vomiting in the Drama Lab. For long weeks, I spent more time in that building than in my own home. Lying on the floor of The Burrow eating three days old Chinese, trying to catch a nap between the rows of seats and the hum of music, debriefing on the grass out back in a haze of cigarette smoke and sleepless delirium. Like our own homes, we knew to prop open the back door to get in without a key, knew that the fridge in the Burrow was more of a freezer and that the XSA microwave was much better than the dressing room one. In our home, we could be ourselves unashamedly, in all of the ridiculous mistakes. The kind of oversharing and exploration that a home allows. In a space which was as much ours as the Arts Centre we were able to be messy. The best creative discoveries and achievements don’t come from following rules: they're born from experimentation and wild mess making. It’s true that the Arts Centre was grotty and falling apart. Our costume rooms were accumulating crap and becoming inaccessible. The Fenner Room looked as though an economics professor had gone for a smoke break in 1998 and never returned, leaving his office to drown in paint tins and fedoras. These gems of fossils, the
sedimentary build up of past lives, gave it heart. Recounts of past inhabitants held an air of magic. One of my most tender memories of the place was the time I encountered a friendly elderly gardener and his mysterious companion, Mr Croker, at the back of Vivaldi’s. The pair fondly pointed out the giant Albert Einstein face (referred to familiarly and anthropomorphically as simply ‘Albert’) which loomed over the loading dock. They taught me the name of the mainstage theatre – The Paper Moon Theatre – and quietly inspected my set while reminiscing about the building’s golden age. It is important to remember the role that the building has played in providing a home for more than just ANU students. The Arts Centre has been welcoming performers for decades, and Teatro Vivaldi provided a home for the wider Canberran theatre community. At the recent Canberra Area Theatre (CAT) Awards, the restaurant’s proprietors were jointly given a special honorary award, recognising the distinct service they long provided. I feel somewhat conceited for suggesting that my attachment to the building could at all match that of those who have come before me. I only knew the building for two years and two, albeit intense, shows. In that time, I felt a part of the history of the place. I experienced how the daggy comfort of the building allowed me to be unabashed and experimental and loving, and, ultimately, to make good theatre. At the CAT Awards, I sat in the audience and listened to each recipient speak of the family that is the theatre community. I couldn’t agree more. I also believe that a stable sense of home plays a significant part in supporting and fostering such a family. In 2018, the struggle for student theatre at ANU isn’t just in securing affordable and practical venues (a mammoth and disappointing task in itself). It’s finding a home where the mess of theatre, experimentation and student life can meet. I fear that while the Art Centre’s demolition hasn’t eradicated student theatre at ANU – perhaps it has rather embroiled and activated us – it has chipped away at the distinctly messy and loving heart that makes theatre, especially student theatre, what it is.
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Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
culture
Food Show Addictions Text: Andrea Rose Graphic: David Liu
In our increasingly globalised society, food has become an integral way of connecting people with cultures and f lavours that aren’t native to them. It has also become a status symbol, a fashion statement, and a marker of one’s knowledge of the world. Why is it then that we often find ourselves spending more time marvelling over food creations on TV and social media than we do actually making them ourselves? I think the answer lies in the (relative and admittedly subjective) quality and type of show it is. Sit back as I take you on a journey through a food show lover’s guide as to why we are so obsessed with watching others cook, eat, and enjoy what we often cannot have.
I thought to myself as I ate my own reheated meal, ‘wow, I would never allow my restaurant be so bad that I have to call this British farce in to help me, what team of absolute morons’. Kitchen Nightmares brings us to the type of TV that we turn to when we want to laugh at the misfortunes of these hapless chefs. I feel as though any show containing anything Gordon Ramsay (aside from his kids series, where he is uncharacteristically humane) makes us feel more accomplished, a little bit better about ourselves. Most of all, it provides an outlet to laugh at the bullying whilst saying ‘oh but they deserved it a little bit, look at the quality of their plating.’
Man vs Food
Man vs Food is a guilty pleasure, a show we (or maybe it’s just me) watch when we feel like eating an absolute mountain but cannot possibly stomach the sheer quantity of food being consumed. This show is the Current Affair to food shows: the low-grade, hilariously terrible, and an overall appalling waste of resources kind of situation that epitomises many a health problem in the Western World. I, however, sometimes find myself salivating over the sheer grease. This particular fascination for such a show comes from fulfilling the greed that I know, morally and financially, I cannot ever oblige. It is fantasising about eating a rack of ribs slathered in smoky BBQ sauce, followed up by a 10 000 calorie intake just for the lols and a free feed. It is the deep secret, hidden in my YouTube suggestions, passed off as outrageous and disgusting, yet the thing I go to when I am in the thick of exam period and craving a serious feed.
Instagram ‘Foodporn’ is the millennial go-to for aesthetically pleasing images of brunch and coffee. Its addictiveness stems from the ease at which filters and the correct plating of avo on toast, can make our ordinary lives look so much better. But Instagram has upped its game in recent times. The variety of food inspo varies considerably from old mate Ben’s
MasterChef MasterChef is a different kind of fantasy. The show gets its charm and devout fan base from its relatability, from a crowd that can picture themselves in that kitchen. We see winners like Julie Goodwin, a humble Aussie mum who makes a killer roast, and we feel like she could be our mum. This show fosters a strong sense of allegiance: it is a beautiful combination of relatability and loyalty that sees us f lick to channel 10 for our weekly dose of kitchen shenanigans.
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares I remember fondly when I first came across this show during a scene in which Ramsay was aggressively berating a chef for freezing meatballs.
morning protein smoothie for #bulkseason #cleanshred to a detailed video of perfect dip triage for your Sunday arvo session, accompanied by the recipe, from a page entirely dedicated to food videos. I think that Instagram is a severe culprit of allowing us to believe that we can make food and eat food that is vastly more complex and most exotic than it actually is.
just a plate: it touches on the emotional journeys of the individuals, the cultural phenomena, as well as discussing the environmental impact of the food sourced. This show is a marvellous mix of unachievable cooking fantasies, and a reminder that food is so much more than a trip to Coles, it is everything around us and everything that sustains us.
Chef’s Table
At the core of it all, I just really love food shows. For me, they provide a variety of emotional experiences that make them humanising, and they are a constant reminder that I really am a terribly unimaginative cook.
A show that takes me on a soul-searching food journey every.single.time. Chef ’s Table is the ultimate food show: the only one I turn to when I want to see creations of a kind that I will NEVER in my life achieve. The kind that makes you feel you’re a part of the process, eating and cooking these phenomenal pieces of art. For anyone that has ever had the privilege of spending 50 minutes engrossed in this ethereal creation, you will understand my obsession. It comes from a place of absolute adoration and respect for the way in which all of the chefs take such great lengths to infuse their food with every aspect of their environment, their culture, and their personal lives. The series is more than
culture
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
42
Why the 90th Annual Academy awards Has Left a Bitter Taste in my Mouth Text: Madeline Calo Graphic: Walter Valtteri Kuusisto
draw. It had been just as dolled up as the rest of the audience sitting in the auditorium. The rollercoaster of emotions continued as Kimmel, in a bout of self-awareness, appeared to redeem himself by stressing the importance that the winners should give speeches. He went so far as to state: ‘You have an opportunity and a platform to remind millions of people about important things like equal rights and equal treatment'. As you can imagine, I was stoked. This was precisely what I had hoped for, expected even!
My interest in the Annual Academy Awards has only ever extended as far as the red carpet. I would sit glued to the screen, observing the entrancing procession of unrealistic splendour, as stars strutted along in custom-made designer garb, assuming myself to be the utmost authority on what was 'hot' or 'not' this season. This time around my attitude was different. Following a year of protest and agitation against under-representation in filmmaking, and the emergence of horrific sexual harassment and assault allegations from within this seemingly ideal world, I had a renewed interest in the proceedings of the Oscars. There was an opportunity here: a platform where these issues could be addressed, movements supported, and engagement created by some of the most influential and recognisable faces in the world.
My triumph was short-lived as Kimmel, full of fanfare, announced that the winner with the shortest speech would be going home with a brand new jet ski. His previous sincerity was abruptly tarnished. I felt deflated. While the Academy clearly wanted to display an open, supportive and generous front, the actual message came in loud and clear: ‘keep it short; we don't have all day'.
By no means am I saying that the Oscars, being the high profile event it is, hasn’t always had this ability to foster change. I merely suggest that this year, more than ever, it appeared that the Academy would actually seize the opportunity. There had been a perceptible increase of shared consensus on these issues. The iron felt hot for the striking; the price seemed right, to me it made complete sense that the Oscars would run with this momentum.
wake of ever-multiplying harassment allegations, it was beyond me how a laugh about an inanimate object's lack of a penis, inability to talk, and the fact that his hands were always where you could see them was enough to highlight the toxic culture that pervades Hollywood. This was closely followed by a reference to The Shape of Water, as Kimmel sniggered that this year would be remembered 'as the year men screwed up so badly, women started dating fish'.
And so I settled in for the long haul, to watch the ceremony from start to finish, all the while hoping to witness something important.
In some ways, I understand what he was trying to do, but it was his manner that grated on me. As much as Kimmel had no other choice but to be entertaining, why is it that we have to gloss over important issues with humour and wit before we address them on a large platform? And while people can say that this issue received screen time, it lost the gravity that such a serious topic should
And I didn't. Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue featured numerous quips about the Oscar statue being 'the perfect man'. In the
Later, attempting to address issues of underrepresentation, a short video was previewed featuring a diverse set of actors offering common sense reasons for equal representation within Hollywood. Kumail Nanjiani added to the discussion that producers should aim for diversity, not merely because it is morally correct, but because it is financially beneficial. The whole experience was surreal. At what point did we stop trying to convince people to do the right thing just because it was right? Why do we need to add the postscript that they should act because it would benefit them? I understand that the quickest way to get someone to change their behaviour is to convince them they would be acting in their self-interest. But how antisocial and selfish has the human race become that we are immune to the appeals of mass societal movements? And further, do we just write this all down as an ends to a means? Does it matter if the only way we
achieve equal representation is through appealing to the gorged, money-hungry elite of the filmmaking world if we do indeed achieve said representation? My head was spinning. As I woefully endured the remainder of the ceremony, one moment of clarity and true authenticity surfaced. As she accepted her Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Frances McDormand, offered a sentiment that stood out among all the other appeals for recognition which had been tokenistic at best. She asked all female nominees to stand for applause, and called for ‘inclusion riders’. Succinctly addressing issues of gender and race McDormand was solemn in her delivery, finally delivering the dignity that was deserved. A singular moment. A shining star amongst a room full of stars. Undeniably, there is change occurring in Hollywood. There have been voices, bone-shatteringly loud, unforgiving, brave, angry and unwavering, demanding change both in front of and behind the cameras. And yet, as I sat watching the Academy Awards this year, well beyond the bounds of the red carpet, I was left wondering where this rage had gone, and why this program was so damn palatable.
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Creative
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
warrior Text: Shikhar Mishra Graphic: Sophie Bear
She looks away, her gaze shifts, What is she thinking, so lost in her black and white world? Acid tears run down her cheeks. The brilliant amber eyes, Flooded. Their fire f lickers. Many a battle they have seen. Headstrong, yet capricious. From the ashes they have risen, And march to the beaches, They will. O she herself is a tempest, But her greatest fear and challenge, The blazing storm within her, of course! She runs, runs, runs away from herself. She still aspires, and enquires, But sometimes she douses her fires.
content warning: violence
The up until
And now she looks hither; our eyes meet. I see the pain, I see the f laming sting, Oh! If only a doctor I could've been. I see it all, but can’t do a thing.
Text: Mahalia Crawshaw Graphic: Sophie Bear
Fierce Amazon! I see your suffering! I see your distress! Pray tell us, why do you go down this path, Of torment and agony? You are on a pyre of your own.
Last night I dreamed that I was stabbed I was on my side Asleep Almost When I heard something A shuff ling, a creak, a sigh And then I felt it It-it didn’t hurt It was Cold And then,
She, most brave, erupts into laughter. I wish to be a Valkyrie; Wish to vanquish my fears. Wish to break these chains in my mind, And f ly, f ly, f ly away! Man is weak; he is terrified. Time for us to rise. Second-choice warriors we are no longer. We are here to conquer! With those words she gallops off, Into the starry night. Spear in one hand, whip in the other; Astride on her magical horse. And as her figure becomes but a distant dot, Sunshine beams through the land. The trees shake, the volcanoes blaze. Long Live! Long Live! The commons roar. Hush! Hush! Shhhh... Her scars run deep, She is a warrior, a warrior. Bittersweet memories still vex her sleep; The amber in those elegant eyes glows, Ever stronger, Yet her heart still silently weeps…
Then I felt the blood gush gushing out A swirling waterfall of red pooling in my sheets I tried to hold it in Hold myself in Keep my in in But it was Useless I cried And pleaded But He came again And again My stomach My chest – I woke up T-terrified Alone With a pain in my stomach that felt like hell I felt so damn vulnerable And alone I’m so close to being gone And my body is so ready Even at night my mind is tick tick ticking Ready Waiting Ready
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
BEREFT Sarah Oost
There she sleeps Ready as a sunflower To awake Good old dog Callous paws, drying Whiskers grey Weathered memories Oh But her bounding heart Like in her youth; ebullient Ready Remembering the tall sky. The sensual aura, Freedom. Trotting behind the big horse. Sharp rocks unforgiving. And dry dirt, of deserted warrens Tempting kangaroos A rabbit! And now Those seventeen years in passing Another day comes One too many, She gets sleepy Asleep again.
Preview of 'Catharsis', the 2017 Woroni Creative Anthology
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Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
I Rise! –For the sun has soaked the curtains through, splash out through hotel shouts and into Spring which drowns the inner hubbub. Heat burns through sternum tiers and gasoline seeps in, sucked up by children shouting ‘Foreigner!’ There is never enough silence. Sound slides down pubescent buildings and the dampness sends back echoes of antiquity torn up, bones filled with screaming concrete and left breathless below footsteps and burst blossoms II by the corner room, we came back as the sun cried yes – now – no, that was later, and when you woke he was behind me in the glass. I gazed down at you and up four flights of stairs and back through time, twin reflections slid across the bed, he split you open and I shattered at the sight Anna Miley
satire
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
STUDENT WITH PARAPLegia insists that "everything's fine" Text: Amelia Richardson Graphic: Gil Rickey
Local flexible-double student Ben has insisted that “everything is absolutely fine” while making his way from his 11am macroeconomics tutorial to his 12pm Biology lab in his wheelchair. With the AD Hope building elevator out of action and Melville Hall stairs too crowded to approach, Ben takes the long way around the front of the BPB carpark and Centre of Arab and Islamic Studies. He then propels himself along the university’s once peaceful path adjacent to Fellow’s Oval and the Chifley Library, dodging fast and slow walkers
alike by swerving on and off the grass. “I really don’t mind, I love a bit of extra cardio”, Ben insists, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Ben must then ease his way down to the campus’s most narrow bridge and back up the gradual slope to the JCoS side of campus. Hours later, Ben will make his way back along this path to his home in Lena Karmel Lodge, a mere 1.2 kilometres away. “I know the Disabilities Student Association like to make it seem like there are accessibility issues in the pop up, but I like to think of it more as a challenge, or a game”, Ben told Woroni enthusiastically, “the added adrenaline of whether I will make it to class, and how I’m going to get there, really adds to my workout”. The Kambri site is due to be completed in late 2019, meaning Ben will likely graduate before he is able to enjoy
a flat, open space on campus again, but – just in case it wasn’t clear – he insists that it’s “totally fine” by him.
FUCK FUCK FUCK: THE ANU SNOWSPORTS STALL WON'T ACCEPT DAD's AMEX Text: Will FletcherGraphic: Gil Rickey for Anglo-Saxon Physical Activities. Dear ANU, I normally begin my emails with a note saying that I have CC’d Father into our correspondence, and that all future emails will be monitored for any personal threats or defamatory statements which may form the basis for actionable litigation. However, Papa is currently in Macau on a business trip, and as such will be far too busy to review the entirety of this (sure to be lengthy) email chain. I hope you can forgive what might be considered the blatant naivety of a first year law student, but I am certain that, in this country, we have a constitutional right to engage in free market economics, no? As such, it’s rather ironic that on ANU’s (supposed) ‘market day’ I was unable to tap-and-go my membership for ANU Snowsports. I wonder if you would have so wantonly denied my attempts at joining if you knew about my family’s private lodge – the Ramsay Centre
It doesn’t take a second semester law student to spot the issue of your ANU Snowsports stall refusing to accept valid and legal tender in the form of an AMEX (if you earn less than $200K a year, you might know it as American Express) triple-double Black Diamond express card. The credit limit on this card is close to $100K for a single transaction. As such, I am very curious as to why they so rudely refused my Father’s hard-earned money. Might this fall into what we in the pre-legal profession call ‘reverse discrimination’? I look forward to Father taking you for all you’re worth, you upper-middle income slime. By the way, I didn’t even have to type this email. I got my Tuckwell-mandated Personal Assistant to type it out. Eat shit.
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creative
Week 5, Semester 1, 2018
a shore thing Text: Anonymous Art: Steph David
A Broken spirit
I was born of the ocean. Its waves lapped up the shimmering froth on the banks of the shore. They made me – the shore – I was born of its waves’ accord.
Text: Makayla-May Brinckley Art: Steph David
She rustles, a breeze passing soundlessly through her. She hears a whisper, A low note of what is to come. The sky calls out to her, yearning for her touch. Wondering, wondering, if she should go on. All that has failed her weighs heavy on her breath; And all she has to come seems too far out of reach. And as her spirit fails, and she is ready to pass through, One final call of duty, Of what she must be.
Often the ocean, of which I was born, cannot help but over – lap my froth. The froth is a marker by which the ocean must abide but it doesn’t always. Often the ocean, hungry and bulging with overflow goes past its own marker (which is also mine). Creeping, creeping, it thinks that I can’t see the hands of its waves, fingers gouging my friable shore which cannot help but yield to the ocean over time.
Unbroken, she returns and She soars in the sky, not even a cloud to touch her She plummets to the earth; The trees waving as she passes by. The whispers of the ocean call her to their senseless crashing. She is whole again, One with The Sky, The Land, The Sea.
The ocean is eating away at its children, my children. Its waves take away from the shore; eroding. But not before it gives. Born of the ocean, I was given gifts of foundation with the strength of men tenfold; gifts of green, fecund. Both are giving, my gifts from the ocean. For all of its returning – pestering – eating – taking – grains of salt help cleanse the wound and the hurt. It stings, but the cleanse precludes the rising sun. Oh, sun! With your dawning comes the lapping of time followed by the lapping of its waves. Of the ocean I am born again.
adding to the novel Text: Juniata Rose Art: Steph David
i’ve cut my nails, since then when means a lot has happened things like bandaids and band bookings and swimsuits and sunburn. behind it of course, is the usual narrative the internal monologue tour d’force. crashing into windows breaking open doors all my latches are left unable to be used; twisted, maimed. and upon it all; here is my smile my laugh (my mum’s eyebrows, but that’s not important now) and until forever i will have all these things.
satire
Vol. 68 , Issue 03
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FEED-Back on the Night Noodle markets Text: Lachlan Smith Graphic: Gil Rickey
away. The crowds will thin and we can finally enjoy the event without having to elbow our way through to the toilets!
3. Weather 1. Inconvenient Location This year the noodle markets were held in and around Questacon and the National Portrait Gallery. This location is a record 45 (!) minute drive for people living in the deep south of Canberra and even longer for those in outer Gungahlin. This is unacceptable and makes it near impossible for the event to grow. How can we fix it? Easy! Move the event to the Tuggeranong.
2. Crowds This year the roads surrounding the markets were bumper to bumper and impossible to navigate. How can we market this as one of the feature events on the CBR calendar if it is so disgustingly packed? Well, luckily, I have a solution. If we move the event to the Tuggeranong Town Centre, we will eliminate a lot of the attendees because it is too far
This year was so cold and windy it made the event insufferable. The winds coming off Lake Burley-Griffin were arctic! As soon as I got out of my car, I could only think about returning home and cosying up in front of the fireplace. Theoretically, if the e v e nt were to move to another location with a smaller lake, say Lake Tuggeranong, this issue would be resolved. The smaller lake would cause less extreme weather conditions and therefore preserve that ‘summer feel’ we all crave.
4.Children This year the markets were crawling with children, further contributing to the large crowds and noise level at the event. If the location were to change to a less kid-friendly atmosphere, such
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as Tuggeranong, the smaller numbers of kids present would make the event more professional and mature; a vibe that the noodle markets has always been shooting for but never achieved.
5. Predictable Locations I don’t know about you, but I am SO bored of seeing the same buildings every year with lights projected onto them. Change it up ACT Government! I have done extensive research for alternatives and the best ones, objectively, are the Tuggeranong Hyperdome, Bunnings Tu g g e r a n o n g a n d the Officeworks building next door! Let’s take gentrification to the next level, sheeple.
8. Expensive Food
splash of the Orient to their cuisine options, with Peking Duck Smiths Chips. You can even get two for $5 – talk about value! Coincidently, the top rated 7/11 on Yelp is the Erindale store, just a few minutes outside the Tuggeranong CBD. I am sure they would be happy to provide a pop up stall for the event.
23. It’s not in Tuggeranong! Okay, I’ll admit that I might have a bit of bias towards Tuggeranong, but don’t let that get in the way of my well-researched and articulate piece. This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I am one of approximately ten ANU students who live in Kambah. Let’s start a movement, let’s go to Andrew Barr’s office and get him to change the location to one for the future #TUGGERZ4NOODLES
Gee whizz, this year I paid a whole $18 for what was essentially a small bowl of chicken and rice! Let’s change up the vendors and seek out more affordable options. 7/11 have recently added a
ken-ken
By Sebastian Rossi