Woroni Edition Four 2016 by Woroni

Borders Woroni Issue 4, Vol. 68

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There’s a New Education Officer at ANUSA Ana Stuart

Classic Album ReviewRadio Head: Kid A Isabel Keller-Tuberg

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What Sort of Humour is Off-Limits? Atrophy: From Play to Film Codie Bell Bronte McHenry Page 15

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This Article Has No Label Jade McKenna

Science: The Gendered Profession Kate O’Sullivan

Woroni Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Issue 4, Vol. 68

News 3

News in Brief Andrew Cavanagh SRC Votes Against NUS Reaccreditation Andrew Cavanagh 4

School of Music Community Consultations: Undergraduate Students Pamela Hutchinson Fenner Fights for Survival Anton Symons 5

ANU Housing Leasing: What You Need To Know Mark Han 6

Bruce Hall’s Major Redevelopment Raises More Concerns Than Answers Mark Han ANU Achieves Widespread Support of Divestment Samuel Smeele 7

Resolving Crisis in the Middle East: An Iranian Perspective Pamela Hutchinson International Relations: Reflections and Projections Kathy Wu 8

Pamela Denoon Lecture: Sexual Equality - A Modern Minefield Isadora Bogle 12

CHL Change Document Sparks Student Outrage, Diverges from VC’s Proposals Miguel Galsim

Keen to be Green Alex Elgue 19

The Corbyn Curse Nicol Brodie

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Feature 20

Beyond Borders - A Reflection Kate Pereira 21

Do I Deserve To Be Australian? Daniel Wang Digging Up Roots Paroksh Prasad 22

My Experience With Racism Eben Leifer Stop Making Me Choose Between My Nationalities: Confessions of a Third Culture Kid Lorane Gaborit 23

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Inflict Lasting Pain Izaac Smith 24

Why You Should Care About Refugees Natash Chabbra 25

Invisible Politics Jackson Howard 26

Syrian Refugees: Who Cares? Jesse Zondervan 27

Syria and the Facade of Partition Alex Ray 28

Hello From The Other Side (Of The Wall) Alice Park

CAP & CHL: What Went Wrong? Professor Andrew Walker 14

Brian Schmidt: Friendship, Facts and Fenner Caity Price 15

Proud to be a Fenner Resident Liam Loader 16

Accommodaation At ANU Is Broken - Here’s How We Fix It Ramon Bouckaert Hunting Grounds (Trigger Warning Violence, Sexual Assault) 17

Inequality in the PHB Brody Hannan 18

Close the Gap Hillary McArthur

5 Asian Musicians to Listen To Now! Lucy Li

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Comment

Woroni Radio 38

Anderson .Paak’s Malib: A Review Matt Bowes A Life of Creativity: Woroni Speaks with Bertie Blackman Miguel Galsim

“Partridges Are Their Own Worst Enemy”: Kurdish Divisions And The Dream Of A Homeland Alix Biggs 31

The Sinister Secret Behind Shangri-La’s Hazy Façade Michelle Hao NGA Tom Roberts Exhibition Rory Caddis ***

Arts & Reviews 32

Famous in Our Own Right Manon McPherson-Harrington

Woroni is published on the land of the Ngunnawal people.

‘Woroni’ translates to ‘mouthpiece’ in the Ngunnawal language.

Contact

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Woroni is printed by Capital Fine Print.

Board of Editors

Life & Style Fuckboi Spotting Codie Bell and Jessy Wu 43

France After the November Attacks: An Insider’s Perspective Rachel Kirk A Letter From Abroad: Montréal, c’est le fun! Alana Cunningham ***

Sport 44

The Ultimate Cult Daisy Ewan Flying Foxes: Money Isn’t Everything In The Premier League James Mount 45

Everything Is Awesome Hiking Around Canberra: Booroomba Rocks And Lego Land Jiaying Goh 46

World T20 Episode VI Ali Bulbul

GULP Adrieene May

Acknowledgement of Country

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Satire 47

Second Year Law Students Shattered to Learn Criminal Law and Procedure is “Not at all like How To Get Away with Murder” Madhav Fisher Oscars Scandal! Two Men Seen in SAME OUTFIT Madhav Fisher 48

What’s On?

Editor In Chief - Waheed Jayhoon Deputy EIC - Mitchell Scott Managing Editor - Liam Osawa News - Andrew Cavanagh Content - Ria Pflaum Radio - Caitlin Magee Creative - Joanne Leong Communications - Daniel McKay

Staff

Admin Assistant - Gowrie Varma Proofreader - Siobhonn Shannon Financial Controller - Brendan Greenwood

Sub-Editors

Managing Assistant - Rhys Dobson Marketing - Derek Wu News - Ana Stuart News - Mark Han News - Pamela Hutchinson News - Miguel Galsim Design - Eva Krepsova Art - Shan Crosbie Comment - Nishanth Pathy Features - Bronte McHenry Arts & Reviews - Gabriele Naktinyte International - Paroksh Prasad Life & Style - Phyllida Behm Science - Allissa Li Sport - Madhuri Kibria Satire - Zoe Saunders Professional Development Charlie Austin Radio Technical Officer - Jamie Palamountain Presenter Liaison - Finn Pëdersén Music/DJ - Brendan Keller-Tuberg Events and Sports - Brittany Wallis Social - Hannah Wright Woroni would like to apologise to Jade McKenna for misattributing her article “This Article Has No Label” in the last edition. Have an opinion about how Woroni should be run? ANUSM is consulting students on upcoming constitutional and electoral reform of the organisation. Email your suggestions to contact@woroni.com.au

News

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

News in Brief Andrew Cavenagh

New Environment Officer for ANUSA Mike McKenna and Odette Shenfield have stepped down from their position as Environment Department Officers on ANUSA due to work commitments. They have been replaced by Zoe Neumayer and Victoria Herbert. This has created a casual vacancy for the position of General Representative on ANUSA, which will be filled by Open ticket coordinators.

ANUSA Backs Save the Arts Campaign ANUSA unanimously voted to back the “Save the Arts” campaign at the second SRC meeting of the year. The

campaign is focused around plans to demolish the union court arts centre in the redevelopment and not replace it with a similar site. If this were to happen there would be no suitable venue for student productions located on or in the immediate vicinity of campus.

Student Proposes to Paul Chen in Lecture Paul Chen, the subject of an online fan club and Economics lecturer was proposed to in a lecture on Thursday 17th March. The student, Ben Jowett, was turned down by Mr Chen who pointed to his wife as the reason for his rejection of the surprise proposal.

Fenner Hall Lights up Northbourne Avenue Fenner Hall has protested the changes to ANU accommodation, including moving Fenner Hall onto campus, by lighting up Fenner Hall into a giant “FH”. When asked by Woroni how it was conducted, a Fenner source told us that posts and phone calls were used to arrange the display.

an Schmidt and Federal MP Andrew Leigh spoke with humour and passion. In the end the audience, through the highly accurate clap-metre decided to back the side of the Vice Chancellor and only current student on the panel – ANUSA VP Clodagh O’Doherty and decided that classroom teaching was indeed not yet dead.

Teach for Australia Debate On Thursday 17th March Woroni and Teach for Australia hosted a debate on the whether or not classroom teaching was dead. Speakers from both sides, including Vice Chancellor Bri-

SRC Votes Against NUS Reaccreditation Andrew Cavenagh On the evening of Tuesday 15th March, the Student Representative Council (SRC) voted against re-accrediting with the National Union of Students (NUS). The motion to reaccredit was defeated in a secret ballot 12-18.

students to have a vote on the issue instead of just the SRC. As the vote had been called the motion to delay the vote to the OGM was invalid. After reaccreditation was rejected by the SRC, a motion was put to have a debate about this topic at the OGM. The motion was withdrawn the next day.

This vote followed a lengthy debate in which speakers put forward a variety of reasons for and against reaccreditation with the NUS.

When contacted by Woroni, the NUS president Sinéad Colee stated: “[w] hile it’s unfortunate that ANUSA has chosen to no longer financially affiliate to NUS, the only peak body representing undergrads on a national level, and won’t be continuing to work with us and students across Australia, we will continue our campaign against attacks on education like we did successfully against deregulation in 2015.”

Recurring arguments for reaccreditation included the importance of representation at a national body. Arguments such as the success of campaigns such as fee deregulation and the changes that were happening at the National Convention (Nat Con). The changes were due to the acknowledged need to ensure that it was a safer more efficient conference. Arguments against focused on the factionalism of Nat Con, which was claimed to lead to pre-determined outcomes as the main reason for leaving. Furthermore, the unsafety of Nat Con, the claimed disdain of Nat Con and NUS leaders to the ANU were also put forward. James Connolly, ANUSA Education Officer, moved the motion, stating that he thought that “Reaccreditation is the choice between having a national voice or not having a voice at all”.

He stated that despite the faults of the Nat Con the NUS remained an effective organisation when for lobbying in student interests. ANUSA Vice President, Clodagh O’Doherty, seconding the motion, spoke of the importance of unionism but stated that as it stood NUS was a flawed organisation that she could not support reaccreditation with.

Debate lasted for close to an hour, with speakers allowed only two minutes to put forward their position. All the heads of collectives spoke, as did senior ACT NUS figures and almost the whole of the ANUSA executive. Almost immediately after ANUSA General Secretary Sam Duncan called for a vote on the matter, Gabriel Coburn requested that the vote be taken at the OGM. This was done to allow

“The Liberals’ new plan to increase student contributions by 10% and cut university funding by 20% will heavily affect ANU students and we’ll continue to strongly advocate for those studying here at ANU.” “We hope that in the future the ANU board will see fit to restore funding to NUS so we can continue to run even more effective campaigns.” A motion may be put in 2017 for the ANU to reaccredit with the NUS in 2018.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

News

School of Music Community Consultations: Undergraduate Students Pamela Hutchinson – News Correspondent Thursday 10th March saw the first round of the Vice-Chancellor’s community consultation process for the ANU School of Music. All who attended had the chance to meet and talk with Andrew Podger, who was appointed in February this year by Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt to head the review of the ANU School of Music. At this event, students had the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns about how the School of Music should function in the longterm. Professor Podger, a former Pub-

lic Service Commissioner, will work with the board to help secure the School of Music’s long-term economic and academic future. There were a number of major issues that were discussed. The two main areas were ensembles and communication with students. Arguments were raised that students at the ANU need performance opportunities, with not all students able to play outside of the ANU. As well as this the demand for ensembles dictating which ones were formed and

creating general performance groups for non BMus students was also discussed. The role of staff members encouraging performance opportunities amongst new and returning students was also brought up. Students also expressed that they found it difficult to get in touch with Administrative staff. They proposed an increase in the reception hours at the School of Music.

the School of Music to let them know about know about upcoming competitions earlier, receive funding earlier and receive marks back quicker. For students wishing to participate in these discussions, please get in touch with your student representatives via musicstudents.anu@gmail.com

Students also expressed a desire for

Fenner Fights for Survival Anton Symons On Thursday 10th March, the university held two consultation sessions where amongst a series of changes announced, it was revealed that Fenner Hall was moving on campus. This was followed by a Q&A session at Fenner Hall on Wednesday 16th. At the two sessions, it was confirmed that Fenner Hall is moving to SA5, a new Daley Road Hall, at the beginning of 2018. Since the announcement, many Fenner residents have spoken out against the proposed changes. There are two main grievances that the residents have regarding the plans: increased cost and loss of culture. The current tariffs to stay at Fenner Hall are $211 a week, compared to a provisional tariff of $260 at SA5. At the meeting, residents raised their concerns that the cost increases will prevent some from affording accommodation offered by the ANU. At the initial announcement, there was widespread shock at the proposed increases. “$260 a week is really just not affordable for me,” said Jade Davis, a concerned Fenner resident who is facing uncertainty if she continues to live at Fenner in 2018. “I would not be able to afford to stay here,” she continued, “I’d have to move out.”

Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt confirmed at the Fenner Q&A session that he was exploring possible options to help students who are financially independent. There is no announced plan at the time of writing. Students are expected to hear more about these options in the coming months. However, Brian Schmidt, Executive Director Chris Grange, and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Student Experience) Richard Baker, tried to rationalise the tariff increases by considering potential refurbishment costs or completely rebuilding Fenner at the current Northbourne Avenue location. They stated that repairs for Fenner would cost around $12 million, but there is an element of uncertainty due to the fact that Fenner, originally constructed in 1965, may face maintenance issues in the next decade. In addition, they suggested that a replacement for Fenner at the current site would cost around $56-60 million. SA5 is expected to cost $53 million. At the Q&A session, Mr Grange explained that the lease for Fenner’s land terminates on 31st December 2017. However, he confirmed that the ANU has an agreement with the Commonwealth Department of Finance for a lease of a further 25 years. The issue, according Chris Grange, is that the investors the university is

seeking will commit to a 30 year investment period, meaning there is an element of insecurity to investing in Fenner, which will make it more difficult to raise money for a potential refurbishment, or complete rebuild. It has also been confirmed that SA5 will have management similar to UniLodge, whereby the head and deputy head are employed by UniLodge. There is uncertainty regarding the position of Samitha Ramanayake, the Deputy Head of Fenner as well as the position of the Head of Fenner. Neither Grange or the VC could confirm they would have the same job once Fenner is relocated to SA5. The concern over the Fenner culture was the other main area of concern for residents. Campbell Starky, a Fenner resident, told Woroni that “we like to think of ourselves as having a slightly different culture to a lot of other accommodation options”. He added that “being off campus is definitely a big thing.” There is a concern that increased tariffs could change the culture. Many residents talk of the diverse community within Fenner, and having residents from a mix of socio-economic backgrounds. The Fenner Residents Committee created an online form where residents

could mention any ideas or questions. As of the Wednesday Q&A, they had received 83 responses. When Woroni spoke to Sean Ding, the president of the FRC, he said “many of the responses from the google form, and a lot of statements I’ve received personally are along those [cost and culture] lines.” Mr Ding went on to say that “the question isn’t so much why aren’t people happy to move. It’s more a question why is it important that Fenner stays where it is.” Ding notes that it is important future students have the option of off-campus accommodation and the associated benefits. “That is something that really needs to get across to the decision makers here… it’s not simply a childish attachment”, but something “greater than that”. Ding referred to the “ability to leave the university at the end of the day” and by extension being able to “create that mental barrier between home and [university] work, to separate yourself, to have that balance, independence, connection to the broader Canberra community”. Woroni will have further information on the changes to accommodation as the situation develops.

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

News

It implies demand for ANU Housing to remain high into the future - a likely scenario

The long term stability of the ANU Housing portfolio is an attractive option for a low risk investor

ANU responsible for student welfare and ultimate responsibility for infrastructure and maintenance as residences

ANU will not give a guarantee of return to the investor

The ANU is looking for a “long-term institutional partner” - think superannuation funds

Duration of lease will be 30 years

Conditions of Lease

Rent to be kept at 75% of market rate

Split responsibilities

Investor responsible for dayto-day maintenance and infrastructure at residences

Investment bids close on May 27 2016

ANU Housing Leasing Announcement: What You Need to Know

Such as teaching spaces, informal learning spaces and other services

Improve student infrastructure

Mark Han – News Correspondent

Why?

Properties Affected

$300 million was a figure of the debt presented by Chris Grange, Executive Director of Administration and Planning

Ursula Hall Burton & Garran Hall Davey Lodge Kinloch Lodge Warrumbul Lodge

Lease will enable ANU to:

Lena Karmel Lodge Graduate House Toad Hall SA5/ New Fenner Hall

Repay loans Allows ANU to spend more on other projects

$1.5 billion in total over 30 years (without CPI adjustment

Rough calculations show that rental revenue from these properties will amount to around $50 million per year as 2015 rates

Some loans were borrowed at high interest rates just before the onset of the GFC

Final value of the investment will be determined by what the investors are prepared to offer Still too early to speculate the expected amount ANU will recieve

How much money is involved?

Brian Schmidt did give a hypothetical example of an interested financial institution looking for stable 5% returns per year

The ANU has not given a valuation of the lease

News

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Bruce Hall’s Major Redevelopment Raises More Concerns Than Answers Mark Han – News Correspondent In a raft of proposed changes to the ANU housing portfolio, Bruce Hall is slated to undergo a significant redevelopment into two separate halls at the end of 2016. The change, which is still subject to design and financial considerations, is another step in the administration’s goal to expand student accommodation significantly over the coming years. Announced by Pro-VC Schmidt at the early morning student accommodation forum on Thursday 10th March, the proposed development will see Bruce residents become the first occupiers of the new SA-5 building along Daley Rd in 2017. The temporary relocation of Bruce residents will allow major demolition and construction works without forcing residents to move off-campus or significantly altering the established community at Bruce Hall. SA-5, which was built to relieve the pressures of the first year accommodation guarantee, will not fulfil its original intention. Instead, the building

is planned to substitute Bruce Hall in 2017 and replace the current Fenner Hall in 2018, with minimal net increase of accommodation places next year. To accommodate the catered Bruce Hall, SA-5 will also include catering options in 2017, but will be removed in 2018 as it reverts to its intended non-catered function, similar to Fenner Hall. The two planned halls, one of which will be Bruce Hall and the other currently unnamed and designated as SA7, have not been designed yet and will be open to input from Bruce Hall residents in the coming weeks. However, Schmidt indicated his desire for two similarly designed halls to maintain aesthetic symmetry and better access to CSIRO across the Clunies Ross Road. The $90 million project at the site of Bruce Hall will see 800 beds between two separate halls, has been subject to concern by Bruce Hall residents. Both

residences will be catered. The current plan, while still largely fluid, may feature a shared dining room between the two future halls. A concept floated by Director of Administration and Planning Chris Grange describes two C-shaped halls with private courtyards for both halls and a shared dining room. This plan of a shared dining room has faced significant opposition by current Bruce residents since it was first proposed last week. Residents noted that the dining hall as a quintessential part of Bruce Hall culture and sharing facilities could be precursor to a much larger and disparate residential community. Bruce Hall residents reiterated their desire to remain separate wherever possible to the new hall at the first community meeting with a panel consisting of Pro-VC Schmidt, VC Baker, Head of Accommodation Lynda Mathey and Chris Grange on Thursday evening. The community meeting was largely a Q&A between

concerned students of Bruce Hall and the panel. It addressed pertinent issues such as the rich physical and cultural heritage of Bruce Hall and the future dynamics between SA-7 and Bruce Hall. The panel was adamant that SA-7 would have a separate identity and culture to Bruce Hall despite the high possibility of sharing facilities akin to the Burton and Garran Halls. This is in part due to limiting issues such as the construction budget and land use. The panel was also supportive of the retention of the physical heritage of Bruce Hall, with Schmidt saying, “The challenge to incorporate (old Bruce into new Bruce) is difficult, but it is doable.” The community meeting was the first of what is expected to be many more interactions between the ANU administration and residents as the University finalizes its plans for Bruce Hall over the coming months.

ANU Achieves Widespread Support of Divestment Samuel Smeele On Tuesday 15th March, the Fossil Fuel Free ANU movement announced that they had 451 signatures on their latest petition. This petition was signed by staff and students of the ANU from all ANU colleges. The petition calls upon the Vice-Chancellor to completely divest in companies that hold investments in fossil fuel production. This is being driven by the threat of climate change. The launch, held at the China in the World Centre, had around 30 in attendance. It had speeches from organisers and ANU staff, including Emeritus Professor Frank Briggs from the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The focus of the attention was the need to divest and holding the new

Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt to account. Mr. Schmidt has previously stated that “citizens of the world need to demand” action on reducing global temperature growth. This has also indicated that he does support the science of climate change as an imperative issue. The VC didn’t respond to members of the movement when they took the petition to the Chancellery after the launch. The launch also coincides with a national campaign on Australian universities campuses to call upon universities to divest on Friday 15th April. Campaigner Odette Shenfield stated that failure to act by 15th April will result in further action. The movement is looking into a “Flood the Campus” protest should no action be taken at

the ANU’s April Council meeting on divestment. Some did question the mechanisms for which the movement is going about this process. Emeritus Professor Frank Briggs stated that “just sending messages to the VC doesn’t work”. He also mentioned that there were others at the ANU that need to be convinced, but failed to give the names or positions. Despite his suggestion, the overwhelming focus by members of the movement was on the VC. This was due to his recent appointment, and their belief of the need to complement the ANU’s research on climate science with divestment action. Fossil Free ANU was first conceived in 2011 when students discovered that the ANU held investment in various

fossil fuel companies. It is one of the world’s longest running divestment campaigns in the world. They were successful in limited divestment of companies with fossil fuel operations in 2011 and in 2014. Furthermore, they have also been successful in allowing ANUSA to call a referendum on divestment. This referendum achieved over 82% support for divestment, which has been pointed by the movement as a basis for student support. It was lamented by many of the speakers, particularly by Odette Shenfield, that the ANU hasn’t divested yet is disappointing. She determined that “we’re ready to move onto new campaigns and we’ve spent long enough convincing ANU it’s the right thing to do”.

News

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Resolving Crisis in the Middle East: An Iranian Perspective Pamela Hutchinson – News Correspondent

On Tuesday 15th March 2016, Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt had the privilege of welcoming Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to the ANU. The ANU’s Llewellyn Hall reached its full capacity in numbers attending, accompanied by TV cameras and journalists from local, regional and national publications. Outside, a large police presence surrounded the building, along with protesters. In his sole public address in Australia’s capital, Dr Zarif discussed Iran’s foreign policy and its role is combating terrorist groups, such as Islamic State. Dr Zarif also addressed some key issues affecting Iran, including the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Ye-

men. Dr Zarif declared that his objective for speaking at the ANU was to “hear your views and exchange in a dialogue” about the issues facing Iran and the world today. An enthralling speaker, Dr. Zarif asserted how we, as a global community, can combat issues that are threatening our world’s security. “In a globalised world, we will either lose together or win together,” Dr. Zarif said, and how “our destinies are bound together because we live in a globalised world”. More of a preacher than a speaker, Dr. Zarif warned his audience how “terrorism is a threat to all of us”. Dr. Zarif declared that we are “victims of security” in today’s world and

“unless everyone is secure, no one is secure”. He also contended how “terrorism is the product of people feeling deprived” of their own sense of security. Referring to terrorists whose aim is to obstruct our global peace and security, Dr. Zarif explained how “it is mad to obtain security by the insecurities of others”. Dr. Zarif’s lasting message for us was that the first step in resolving the world’s crises is “by listening” to each other and exchanging in a constructive dialogue – which is what Dr. Zarif started on Tuesday night.

Iranian nuclear program, resulting in the lifting of the economic sanctions against Iran in January 2016. “Iran should have a nuclear program that will always remain peaceful”. Many leading international figures have described Dr. Zarif’s nuclear deal as a triumph of diplomacy and a major historical achievement.

As Iran’s Foreign Minister, Dr Zarif has led negotiations with P5+1 countries in resolving the conflict over the

International Relations: Reflections and Projections Kathy Wu

On the evening of Wednesday 16th March, the ANU International Relations Society (IRS) hosted its first academic event for the semester. This was a panel discussion about significant events that occurred in the world. Moderated by Andrew Banfield, head of the School of Politics and International Relations, the event had 15 minute presentations from three speakers: Dr Tyrell Haberkorn, Dr Shiro Armstrong, and Associate Professor Matthew Zagor. Haberkorn first addressed the lack of democracy in some Asian nations, particularly with respect to the freedom of speech. Citizens with many different professions, such as students, activists, lawyers and academics were punished to varying degrees in their

respective countries. When asked for a solution to this issue, she answered that both internal and external forces are equally important. She concluded with the invitation for the audience to “look carefully, watch carefully” about this particular issue during the year. Armstrong then moved on to talk about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-member trade agreement which was concluded late last year and signed only a couple of weeks ago in New Zealand. “The good, the bad and the ugly” were outlined, and the take away message is that, surprisingly, the biggest challenge to the ratification of the TPP is actually US domestic politics, which many presidential candidates announcing they will not sup-

port the deal. Nevertheless, according to Armstrong, the TPP would create big opportunities for Australia. Zagor, who is also an international human rights lawyer, talked about the European refugee “crisis”. According to him, the “European Experiment” is not really seen to be working and face many obstacles. He also gave some very interesting statistics, of which one in particular stood out. Of the hundreds of thousands or even millions of refugees accepted into Europe, only a mere 660 were actually relocated and settled. To put that into perspective, that is only approximately ten more people than the number of students currently enrolled in POLS1005, as pointed out

by Banfield. The EU Council is meeting on 17th-18th March in Brussels to take further steps in addressing the issue and attempt to finalise the new Joint Action Plan with Turkey. The IRS will be hosting a panel discussion about the Israel-Palestine conflict on Tuesday 22nd March. The society also organises trips to v arious embassies - all those who are interested can contact them through their Facebook page.

News

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Pamela Denoon Lecture: Sexual Equality - A Modern Minefield Isadora Bogle

On Tuesday 8th March, the 27th annual Pamela Denoon Lecture was delivered by Nelly Thomas in the Manning Clark Centre to mark International Women’s Day. The Lecture was established in the memory of activist Pamela Denoon and aims to motivate women to engage with significant issues affecting women in Australia. Nelly Thomas is an Australian comedian, author and health promotion ambassador, and she spoke on the topic of ‘Sexual Equality - A Modern Minefield’. Thomas deployed her comedic talent to full effect during her speech in an attempt to negotiate the “perilous” and “polarising” public debate around sexuality. Speaking to a full lecture theatre, Thomas said that “a precondition of sexual equality is information”. The state of inequality is maintained because “meaningful discussions about sex are rare”, including in sexual education classes at school, and between parents and their children. In particular, she noted “the absolute silence in sex education around sexual diversity”.

said that it is moving too slowly. She argued that we should focus on the everyday sexual inequalities - “the so-called ‘little-things’”, in addition to the higher-profile issues such as sexual and domestic violence. In interrogating the notion of “choice”, Thomas maintained that “whenever there is a real or cultural rule that applies to one gender and not the other, we need to askwhy?”. Thomas argued that we will know when sexual equality has arrived when we respect women’s sexuality, “without it feeling like a currency or an obligation that’s owed to men”. She highlighted how the cultural consequences for young women negotiating this space are “more severe” than those for men. Thomas discussed the porn industry to highlight how public debate on sexual issues

She argued that despite a highly sexualised culture, as a society we have a “general discomfort with the idea of sex that we dress up as politeness”. Thomas recognised that there is now a movement to talk with young people about informed consent, respectful relationships and sexual pleasure, but

Artwork by Judy Kuo

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Pictures from the Woroni Archives Curated by Daniel McKay

Special

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Special

Issue 4, Vol. 68

News

CHL Change Document Sparks Student Outrage, Diverges from VC’s Proposals Miguel Galsim – News Correspondent Students attending an undergraduate forum with College of Asia and the Pacific (CAP) Dean Veronica Taylor expressed overwhelming discontent with the CHL Change Document, with Vice Chancellor Schmidt stating that he was “not very pleased” that his recommendations were not included in the document. The document, released on Thursday 25th February, outlines the proposed changes to the School of Culture, History, and Language, with a projected completion date of August 2016. The CHL will be restructured into the School of Languages, Histories, Cultures, and Environments, with proposed cuts of up to 15 academic staff. Fixed-term and externally funded staff will not be affected. In addition, the School’s number of professional staff would be increased to ten. As part of this restructuring, the School will be divided into the departments of Languages, Histories, Cultures, and Environments, with each department holding only seven full-time equivalent (FTE) academics. Additionally, the document also marked six FTE continuing positions to be allocated to strategic areas, and placed all fixed-term FTE positions into an unspecified category. However, key proposals of the document appear to disregard the recommendations of an external review conducted in 2015, as Woroni has previously covered. Despite the review specifically cautioning against restructuring as a potentially destabilising action, CAP Administration will be dividing the School onto four new departments and establishing a new structure for continuing academic staff. Furthermore, the possible culling of 15 academic staff, amounting to a 27% decrease from the current 56 continuing academics, could jeopardise the School’s pre-eminence in strategic fields such as Asia-Pacific studies and linguistics, as per the 2015 review. In terms of the School’s financial problems, the Change Document does not contain any financial figures or data to substantiate its claims to resolving the CHL’s problems. Given the lack of data, it is not certain to staff and students if the Change Document’s proposals will resolve these financial issues. Speaking in his capacity as National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU)

delegate, Dr Mark Donohue said “if the figures are correct and the School runs at a $1.5 million deficit – this university is a multi-billion dollar industry, why not allocate $2 million extra [for CHL]?”, especially if the CHL academically outperforms many other areas of the University. He also pointed out numerical discrepancies in the document. It proposes that the new structure will be four departments with seven continuing academics each, with six strategic FTE positions to be allocated in addition. This would bring the number of continuing FTE staff to 34, which indicates a 39% drop in staffing – higher than proposed by Taylor, and the largest cut of academic staff in an Australian university, according to Donohue and the NTEU. “The first reaction that most academics had was widespread disbelief... since then you’ve had a lot of people going silent, as though they were in shock,” he said. Moreover, disenchanted by the process and its duration, staff have been unwilling to engage with the CAP Dean and many are still considering relocating to other institutions.

VC’s Proposals Absent from Change Document On Tuesday 8th March, Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt held a roundtable discussion with higher-degree research (HDR) students at the CHL. CAP Associate Dean for HDRs, Chris Ballard, was in attendance. According to Schmidt, the session was intended to gather opinions for how the ANU administration could handle the situation better. Ballard and Schmidt spoke against the movement of HDR administrative staff from the School to CAP-level, and Schmidt expressed surprise at the disproportionately large amount of HDR students that only a handful of professional staff were to administer. Regarding the difficulties of the review process, Schmidt told the attendees that he intended to rebuild trust between CHL staff and the Administration. He assured the students and staff that there was “no maliciousness”

in his actions, but expressed regret that he had inherited a troublesome review process that should have been dealt with years ago. Furthermore, he was “not very pleased” that his proposals for the CHL changes were not included in the recent Change Document. This was particularly the case for the 15 proposed cuts, exceeding the “handful” of staffing cuts he had anticipated. While he did intend to provide the best experience to HDR students possible, he acknowledged that “a few students will be severely disadvantaged” by the change process.

Student Outrage at Undergraduate Panel At a panel for CHL undergraduate students on Wednesday 9th March, CAP Dean Veronica Taylor attempted to explain the Change Document’s proposals and answered audience questions, although many attendees were critical of the cuts. Taylor prefaced her talk with the argument that there will be “little, if any affect on undergraduates” and that “languages remain a strategic priority” in the CHL. She also noted that Administration would work with Honours students whose supervisors are affected by the changes. However, Dr McComas Taylor of the CHL highlighted that there were around 1000 students studying Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian at the CHL at present, with 19 teaching staff. After the proposed changes, this number of FTE language teachers would drop to seven, thus putting even greater strain on an already understaffed area of the university. Taylor responded by reiterating her commitment to language as a priority, and hoped to use other School academics with language skills to assist in teaching. Yet, according to the Change Document, even if all of the six strategically-appointed academics were allocated to the Languages department, the number of teachers would only reach 13.

However, it is not certain if Taylor’s proposed changes will benefit the language program. Students present, as well as Dr Donohue, stressed that staff with language skills did not necessarily have the educational tools to teach this language, thus hampering the efficacy of the School’s language programs. Donohue told Woroni that under the changes, he would be made to teach Indonesian despite his lack of training in language teaching. He was doubtful that this teaching scheme would satisfy the ANU’s commitments to high-quality language teaching. Also, the Change Document states: “Instructional positions in less-commonly taught languages that are additional to the commonly-taught languages and linguistics academic positions in the Languages Department will therefore be filled on 2 or 3 year fixed-term basis.” It identified Burmese, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese, and Sanskrit as languages to be affected. Consequently, continuing academics teaching these languages would be commuted down to fixed-term contracts. Many students also questioned the logic of trimming a School that was already understaffed, and were critical of Taylor’s intentions to stimulate growth in the School. While Taylor did underline her desire to maintain the quality of teaching, she did not elaborate on how decreased staffing would benefit this. She did not provide a detailed response when a student asked her why the CAP would defund an already under-resourced School. She answered that the point was “good feedback, and that it [would be] taken on board”. No clarification was given as to how the School would be able to attract high-quality academics in the future, given the uncertainty of its structure and staffing profile. At the conclusion of the forum, Taylor announced that there would be routine feedback sessions with ANUSA to discuss the effects of the Change Document’s proposals.

Comment

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

CAP & CHL: What Went Wrong? Professor Andrew Walker Professor Andrew Walker is an anthropologist who served as Associate Dean (Education), Deputy Dean and Acting Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific between 2009 and 2014. He is now Professor of Southeast Asian Studies in CAP’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. There has been a lot of discussion about the proposed staffing cuts to the School of Culture, History and Language (CHL) in the College of Asia and the Pacific. In a university that claims to be a world leader in Asia-Pacific studies – and in a country whose fate is so closely tied to our regional neighbours – the cuts are bewildering.

utive, should accept some blame for not addressing CHL’s perilous trajectory sooner. The curriculum changes in CHL which I led could have been staged more gradually and implemented more smoothly.

players in the school seemed unaware about how money was earnt, and how it was spent. Financial management may not be a preferred activity for those working in the humanities, but this sort of neglect is inexcusable.

The ANU leadership must also take responsibility for its refusal to address the structural constraints on CHL’s operations. More on that below.

These are some of the immediate causes of CHL’s financial difficulties. And, on the basis of the poor financial numbers that have resulted, the temptation is to engage in a knee-jerk series of cuts. That is what seems to be happening.

There are three immediate reasons for CHL’s financial difficulties.

In simple terms, CHL spends more than it earns. There are complex reasons for this, but the basic financial crisis is clear-cut: CHL is accumulating deficits of well over one million dollars per year. Something has to change.

First, student numbers have been stagnant, and in some cases declining. Staff in CHL need to take responsibility for this. They have insisted on maintaining a highly fragmented and incoherent Asian studies curriculum, which is very difficult to sell to potential students. Many staff in CHL have made a virtue of very small class numbers, regardless of the financial implications. Up until very recently there has been no concerted attempt from within CHL to revamp and refresh their educational offerings. CHL’s Masters program, the Master of Asia Pacific Studies, could have been made into a nationally prominent flagship but, despite the very hard work of some individuals, CHL has never rallied behind it.

This underlying financial problem has been poorly explained. Many staff and students have asked me how this could have come about, given that CHL had spare money in the bank as recently as 2013. But we all know, from simple household budgeting, that savings will quickly evaporate (and turn into debts) if you spend more than you earn.

Second, the financial problems that existed when the former Faculty of Asian Studies was merged with parts of the former Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (to create CHL) were never properly addressed. The parts of the Research School that now sit within CHL largely maintain their former business model: research intensive staff and PhD supervision.

Some well-prepared graphs and tables could very quickly put to rest the uncertainty, and conspiracy theories, about CHL’s financial position.

Simple back of the envelope calculations would demonstrate that this model is unsustainable, but many former RSPAS staff have persisted with it nevertheless, assuming that others are willing and able to subsidise them. CHL has received an important subsidy from the central ANU for teaching small enrolment languages; unfortunately, a substantial proportion of this has been used to prop up other parts of the School, rather than cementing the future of CHL’s world-class language program.

ANU has a very proud record of scholarship in the cultures, histories and languages of the Asia-Pacific. CHL boasts many world-class researchers and teachers. Its Asian language program is unmatched in Australia. So what has gone wrong?

What has produced this mismatch between income and expenditure? There are many reasons, and I will only explore a few. Before doing so, it is important to recognise that responsibility for this financial problem needs to be shared. Some within CHL are inclined to put all the blame on external forces – the College of Asia and the Pacific, and ANU “management”. This is plainly wrong. However, the College and the ANU are not without blame. I, and other members of the past College Exec-

Third, some imprudent and costly decisions have been made on staffing, and internal financial management has been weak. During my time on the College executive, CHL lacked internal processes for monitoring financial trends and student load. I was often surprised, and alarmed, that senior

But what about the bigger picture? So far, there is no indication that this bigger picture is being taken into consideration. Indeed, I have seen a statement by a senior ANU academic leader that staff in other areas should not be concerned about what is happening precisely because CHL is being considered in isolation. A central component of the bigger picture is that the ANU leadership has effectively hobbled CHL. An enormous number of students at the ANU have an interest in the disciplines that CHL teaches: history, anthropology, archaeology, cultural studies, linguistics and languages. But the ANU has decided to arbitrarily divide humanities study between the Asia-Pacific (CHL) and the rest of the world (CASS). The effect is that students in the largest degree at the ANU (the Bachelor of Arts, which is managed by CASS) have limited access to humanities courses taught by Asia-Pacific experts in CHL. ANU has turned its international comparative advantage in Asia Pacific studies into a disadvantage, by corralling students with degree rules and institutional boundaries. It has never provided a compelling incentive for staff in CHL to maintain a vibrant and adaptive curriculum. Of course, there are historic reasons for this division of labour, but it is a dysfunctional division that the ANU leadership has been reluctant to address. A recent working party on CAP-CASS relations (charged, I presume, with documenting common sense) has made some encouraging recommendations but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Based on my previous experience with cross-college negotiations, I am not expecting much of a dessert.

So, the ANU leadership has placed substantial constraints on CHL’s access to humanities students; and then punished CHL for not covering its costs. That doesn’t seem fair to me. But it gets worse. Recognising that ANU students do want to learn about Asia-Pacific humanities, the ANU is funding scholars to teach them in CASS (while CHL’s courses languish). In CASS’s School of Archaeology and Anthropology, for example, there are more than a dozen staff who work on Asia or the Pacific. This really is an Alice in Wonderland world. ANU is making cuts to humanities staff in the college that is responsible for Asia and the Pacific, while maintaining a large cohort of staff to work on Asia and the Pacific in another college. It doesn’t take a Nobel Prize to see that this is crazy. But it may take one to fix it. I am not arguing that staff should be cut in CASS, rather than CAP. There is a great deal of fine research and teaching on both sides of this arbitrary divide. What I am arguing is that ANU should examine its humanities effort holistically, and not indulge in a kneejerk reaction to an entirely predictable budget crisis. It should decide on the areas where it wants to make a world class contribution, and support those areas financially and structurally. If ANU was really serious about addressing the dysfunctional CASSCAP competition it would not be proceeding with a downsizing of humanities in CAP without looking at the bigger picture. CHL’s financial difficulties are real, and they need to be addressed. But it would be a lost opportunity to address them in isolation. If only ANU could break the shackles of its historically determined boundaries, we could build a vibrant and financially sustainable school that would lead the world in Asia-Pacific and Australian humanities. It will require vision, courage and some sophisticated financial modelling. I’m not sure that we’re up to it.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Comment

Brian Schmidt: Friendship, Facts and Fenner. Caity Price

Photography by Xiaolun Jia

“… And as we all know, Fenner is renowned for the best flat-white on Northbourne Ave.” Brian Schmidt’s dramatic announcement is met with roaring applause at Fenner Hall’s Commencement. Brian’s attendance and speech had every Fenner resident glowing, we felt special. No other Vice Chancellor has paid such attention to our often-overlooked, off-campus gem. This attention and friendship was especially exciting, considering his off-hand sass directed at UniLodge. A few short weeks later, Schmidt makes another applause-worthy announcement. “I don’t want to come out with any surprises! I want to consult with the student leaders, and have absolutely no surprises.” Confusingly, this statement immediately preceded the exciting surprise that Fenner will be demolished and its residents moved to SA5, where there has been no guarantee of a café (that we know of) and hence no chance to make Schimdt those Northbourne flat-whites he loves so much. Oh, and the building

is a UniLodge – or managed by UniLodge at least. Importantly, however, Schmidt promised to consult with the student leaders. This consultation is probably why he decided to announce that Fenner residents “don’t care who change their light bulbs”. Many residents struggled to pinpoint the exact student leader that was consulted on this point. Any respectable Fenner resident knows that the maintenance team, with beloved frontrunner Bruce, and the cleaning team, with ‘banterous,’ ‘Fumba’ (Fenner Zumba) enthusiast manager Priscilla, are vital components of the Fenner community. There doesn’t seem to be many actual light bulbs in Fenner rooms, but in any case it seems that residents are pretty sure they’d rather Bruce be changing them rather than an at times, perhaps impersonal UniLodge employee. No Fenner resident seems to know which student leader Brian consulted about demolishing the building, either, but surely Schmidt was true to his word on this point.

Brian Schmidt is, after all, a friend of Fenner. All residents know that his espoused connection with the community at Commencement had no ulterior motive, so Fenner decided to hear him out on some cold hard facts about the benefits of moving to SA5. Schmidt explained that Fenner was an old building, and that ANU has to spend “tens of millions of dollars” on repairs! This really stopped Fenner residents in their tracks; 10 million dollars is a huge amount to spend, especially when the ANU already owes from the loan they took out to build the 53 million dollar SA5! ANU also doesn’t want to keep pooling money into Fenner as the land is leased. This puzzled residents, seeing as ANU is happy to sell their assets to investors and eventually ‘buy them back’, effectively creating another lease situation. The facts about the expensive maintenance bills definitely convinced Fenner residents to accept the move to SA5, and even applaud the $50 rent increase that will be experienced every week. It’s all worth it for the ANU to

save on those maintenance bills; who doesn’t love being a bit frugal after all! There is also a small issue about the 1500 bed spill over from the 2016 accommodation guarantee, and the fact that moving Fenner residents to SA5 will reduce the number of beds created from approximately 1060 to 560 in 2017. However, we are all sure that the ANU has an in-depth strategic plan all mapped out. It is slightly concerning that the strategic plan doesn’t involve any information about when/where other new residential halls will be built (for those 1500 beds in demand), how Fenner will keep their culture in SA5 without any of the same physical aspects (including the café), how Schmidt expects college life to remain affordable for low SES students etc. etc. but I guess that makes the future all the more exciting and surprising! #KeepFennerOnNorthbourne

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Comment

Proud to be A Fenner Resident Liam Loader

Photography by Xiaolun Jia

In my short four weeks at ANU, I could never have imagined that by now I would not only have been accepted into a community, but appreciated by one; that I would have developed a stronger sense of worth and identity than I have ever had, or felt that I deserved to have. Or that I would be proud to be a Fenner resident. Another thing I never would have imagined is this being put under threat. This community spirit and sense of home cannot be relocated, recreated, or rebuilt. And I don’t think its worth can be quantified by a dollar symbol. With this in mind, the ANU has two options; to destroy or to preserve. There is no middle ground, and destruction cannot be compensated by a new building. Community, unfortunately in this instance, is more than the people in the building. Fenner has come to be characterized by a unique amalgamation of an intangible community spirit, supported and harbored by the structural features of the building. Underpinning this is a strong institutionalized process that takes the spirit and building to create

something that can’t be replicated. A home. A home with walls painted in humility. A common area furnished by friendship and camaraderie. The bricks laid with a mortar mixed with care, appreciation, and understanding. And a front entrance that once walked through, cannot be exited. Because once a part of Fenner, you are never without a home. None of these qualities cannot survive without the other, and it is this symbiotic relationship that has fostered my love for ANU. Because ANU is a big place, and overwhelming place and ultimately, it is a lonely place without the existence of Fenner in its current state. The University is great, but it is made greater because of Fenner. It is that simple. Without Fenner as a residential option, the ANU risks becoming an elitist university. This is particularly evident within the incongruent na-

ture of the university’s aims and the practical measures being implemented to achieve them. It was stated that ANU has traditionally attracted two camps; those that are from Canberra, and those that can afford to move to Canberra. It was also posited that changing this is one of the University’s primary goals. However, as a student with a full study load in a double degree of Law and International Relations and who is completely reliant on parental allowance, the removal of Fenner is detrimental to the continuation of my studies at ANU and is an immediate deterrent to future students due to the raised costs.

to be administered to affected businesses and responsibility needs to be taken for future consequences. I don’t believe that Fenner, and by extension ANU, has a duty to these businesses, but I do believe they have a role to play in their continuation.

Secondary to this is the local Braddon economy. I do not exaggerate when I say that Fenner is keeping Burger Hero, the local corner shop and the kebab store afloat. It is the small businesses that rely on Fenner and the revenue the 500 plus students bring that will hurt if the Fenner community is dismantled in 2018. I believe that if the current plans are to go ahead, a letter of warning and apology needs

As stated previously, it is all of these values, physical structures, and institutionalized systems that intertwine to form the very fabric that is unmistakably recognized as that of Fenner Hall. A fabric that is stitched with the thread of integrity and detailed by the hands of a legacy. Preserve, don’t destroy.

The fact that Fenner is off campus only enriches the culture and experience. Apart from the added convenience for students, we get the feel of walking off campus and away from university troubles and demands. Moving Fenner onto campus devalue what Fenner can offer as a residential hall unlike any other.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Comment

Accommodation At ANU Is Broken - Here’s How We Fix It Ramon Bouckaert

Brian Schmidt recognises that our accommodation system is not working as it should. We are 1,500 beds short of demand, and rents keep increasing every year to dizzying heights. Things need to change, and we need more than a band-aid solution. At the moment, residential halls are not price competitive with share housing, and they should be. Halls were never envisioned as costly, lavish alternatives to private rentals – they were intended to be convenient ways for students to live inexpensively with shared facilities. Look at the design: small rooms, shared bathrooms, laundries, plumbing, and common kitchens or cafeterias were intended to make residential life cheap. Today, rent on campus is comparable to sharing a fully-kitted-out two-bedroom flat down the road. That’s if you even get a choice – with the shortage of beds, you’re lucky to be offered a place on res at all.

Something is broken. Here’s my fix.

Step 1

will help reduce financing costs, and help to reduce the ultimate cost of development. Our VC has done well here.

Step 3

Recognise that simply keeping rents low doesn’t actually solve the underlying problem. Limiting rents is all well and good, but it doesn’t stop halls from being expensive to build and maintain. If students don’t pay, the university must, and the last thing anyone wants is the university cutting educational services to finance a multi-million-dollar property empire subsidised by our student fees. For halls to get cheaper, you actually have to make them cheaper.

Build those halls inexpensively. This means tackling the union influence on construction budgets, which has a particularly huge and ugly effect in Canberra. This also means getting rid of territory taxes that serve to drive up the cost of development, like the Lease Variation Charge. These are both challenges for the territory government, but it seems the current territory government have made it clear they aren’t up for the task.

Step 2

Step 4

Build more halls. Fund this by bringing in some private investment by leasing existing halls. Private capital

Conduct a review into how the colleges are run, because they currently cost way too much to maintain. This

might mean contracting companies who are better equipped to run our student halls, instead of the university itself. Maybe. It might just take getting some consultant to look at the books and see where relatively painless cuts can be made. Either way, something needs to be done to address hall budgets. That’s the path to cheaper and more sustainable student accommodation, and it looks like Schmidt is slowly steering us down that path. As always, criticism of the VC is popular amongst students, but I wouldn’t chide Schmidt too much for doing what needs to be done.

Hunting Grounds Anonymous

Trigger Warning: Violence, Sexual Assault Moving to a new city, making new friends and adjusting to life at University is a chaotic journey to say the least. For many of us starting at the ANU in 2016, it’s our first proper taste of independence, and boy is it sweet. But with that independence comes the harsh realisation of being a woman on campus – the harsh realisation that I am never safe. Of course I already know this. All women know this. It’s something that has been routinely embedded into our consciousness. “Don’t talk to strangers,” “stay as a group when you go to the toilet”, and “never walk alone.” For girls, these lessons are taught early; they aren’t just warnings - they’re the key to survival. It still, however, is a frightening reminder of what being a woman on campus really means: for a split second, your safety depends upon everything you’ve been taught. For me, this split second was spent locked up in a toilet in Coombs, scrambling for the ANU OK app as a man scuffled through the women’s bathroom. Like everybody else, I was excited for my first Thursday night out with

friends. We’d made plans to go see the ANU film society’s screening of “In the Heart of the Sea” and go into the city later that night. With a group of seven others, I’d felt safe while watching the screening. I’d already had some of my first law lectures in Coombs that week and had been comfortable enough with the building. But what I’d hoped would be a fun night out quickly descended into terror. During the film I’d left for the bathroom, knowing my friends were only a few metres away. As I entered the bathroom, a man had been loitering outside the door. Nothing to worry about though right? I was having fun, I was at my dream university – I was safe. But only seconds after entering the bathroom, this same man had followed me in. I was locked up in a bathroom stall, listening to him walk around each cubicle, not knowing what to do. What was going to happen? My chest was tightening as I pictured the horrifying reality of what could have happened. Luckily, he left. I stayed in the bathroom for another 10 minutes before I built up the courage to go outside and ring security. I repeatedly apologised to security staff for over exaggerating, feeling the need to pardon myself for

inconveniencing them. After being followed into a toilet by a strange man, fearing for my life, I had felt guilty after calling people whose actual job it was to help. In hindsight, even to myself, it sounds stupid to feel guilty. And it is stupid to feel guilty - I have the right to ring to security when my safety is threatened. But this is how young women have been conditioned within our society. No matter where we are – a park, a festival or Australia’s top university – the misogyny the permeates our community forces us to blame ourselves for the actions of others. Australia’s cultural nightmare of victim blaming and violence against women has its seeds in every public space, on every campus. Everyday thousands of women live in perpetual fear of going for their morning runs or walking back alone from evening lectures. Many men rob us off our right to simply exist in public spaces, whether that be via catcalling, stalking or assault. Only last week the ANU Women’s Department hosted a screening of The Hunting Ground, a US documentary following the journey of a number of women who have been

sexually assaulted on US University campuses. Providing startling insight into US rape culture, the screening shared stark similarities with the situation faced by women on campus in Australia. Prefacing the documentary was Vice-Chancellor Schmidt, who again reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring women can lead their lives at the ANU without being subject to violence. I’m optimistic that Vice-Chancellor Schmidt is genuine when he says he is determined to increase momentum and help make our campus a safe place for everyone. But that isn’t an easy task. No commencement address or phone app will protect women from this systemic problem. What Vice-Chancellor Schmidt instead needs to be doing is actively challenging misogyny and gender inequality on campus, in the media and even within our own government. Schmidt needs to make it clear that the ANU will not stand for violence against women. Until then we need to call our campuses for what they are – hunting grounds.

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Comment

Inequality in the PHB Brody Hannan

Adapted from a speech given to the ANU Academic Board. Being a regional student, my experience of coming to university was somewhat different to many students at ANU. I studied at Cowra High School, the local high school in a small town a few hours north of Canberra. I was the Dux of my school, receiving an ATAR of 95, the highest mark my school had received in the last 15 years at the time. Like many students with a passion for science and a strong desire to attend the ANU, I had hoped to study the Bachelor of Philosophy (PhB) – I saw it as a degree unique to the ANU – a degree for high achievers and the top science degree in the country. Yet despite my strong passion for science, and my 10 bonus points, I was still not eligible for the PhB - the ANU does not accept bonus points for degrees that require an ATAR of 98 or above. Instead I was accepted into the Bachelor of Advanced Science Honours, another high-achieving degree with an ATAR cut-off of 95, which does count bonus points. I remember my first few weeks of science classes last year – you’d walk into a lecture, lab or tutorial and all the focus would be placed on the PhB students – whether it be extra mentorship, programs, add-ons, tutorials, exams or other services – the entire science cohort would know about it. I’d walk into a lecture and hear the line “and for those students doing the PhB…” at least 5 times in a given class. In labs and tutorials, PhB students would form their own groups and cliques. Every day in my science degree so far, I have been made to feel like a second-class science student. I know, after discussing this with my peers, that many of them feel the same. I understand that this is somewhat a cultural problem behind the prestige factor, or stigma, attached to the PhB. I also appreciate the need for the ANU to make the PhB a ‘cut above the rest’. It is intended as the flagship science de-

gree of the university and to be something more than the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) or Bachelor of Science degrees, which are offered at most tertiary institutions around Australia. I’ve always considered myself being

uphold, and appreciate that some academics and staff of the ANU would be opposed to dropping ATAR requirements across the board, the ATAR cut off of 99 is simply unachievable, not to mention unheard of, to the vast majority of schools across Australia.

was the “Bachelor of Philosophy”, I was given these weird looks and questioned about what happened to my love for science. Having to explain to people that “it’s like the doctorate of philosophy – science research at an undergraduate level” was often confusing. People simply didn’t know what the degree was about just by looking at the name. We could adopt the viewpoint that if you don’t understand that the PhB is a science degree, than you’re not the kind of student we want in the program. Or, we could see it as a problem with the way the PhB is represented, and the lack of exposure rural students get to it. There needs to be greater promotion of the PhB to rural areas rural students aren’t going to want to enter a program that they don’t know exists.

capable of undertaking the PhB. In fact, many students here at the ANU are. And whilst the argument that we “simply get the marks and transfer into the degree” later can be made, there are so many unique components to the PhB program – the camps, mentorship and research projects, just to name a few. The longer it takes students to join the program, the further they fall behind, and more they miss out on the benefits of the PhB. It’s problematic that ANU offer such a transformative and unique degree, but only accept students from a very small demographic of the Australian schooling population. With a subject that relies so heavily upon collaboration and innovative ideas, diversity is crucial to both science and the PhB. For that reason, more should be done to ensure that more rural and otherwise disadvantaged students enter into the Bachelor of Philosophy. The first and most obvious way that this can be done, is through greater promotion of the degree to rural areas, but more important is that there needs to be greater assistance for students who fall short of the ATAR requirement. Whilst I understand that the ANU has an academic reputation to

Arrangements like the Rural Medicine Entry Schemes that operate at undergraduate medical schools could well be a model to emulate. Whilst the schemes vary between institutions, they include:

Allocating a certain number of places for rural students in the cohort. This ensures that the best rural students, regardless of their ATAR, are included in the program

Reducing the ATAR by several points and adding further applications and interview stages to still remain selective, and ensure competitive applicants

To include, some or all, of the bonus points awarded to students Such an entry scheme would ensure that we retain the high quality of scholar currently enrolled in the PhB while also broadening access to include rural students. Furthermore, there is a misconception by many rural students of the PhB; when I told my family and friends that my first preference for university

But, from first hand experience – when you pick up an undergraduate course guide, and you flick through degrees, and see programs which require ATARs of 99 plus, you tend to ignore them. If a student from a rural school has never heard or seen anyone get an ATAR of 99, then why would they pay attention to a degree with that cut off when they already know they won’t get it? Similarly, if a rural school has never had anyone get an ATAR above 90 in over 15 years, then why would the school’s careers counsellor make an effort to promote a degree like the PhB to their students – when they know that no bonus points are taken? If the ANU genuinely wants diversity in an elite degree like the PhB, and want to assert it as a science-research degree – then you need to make it more “within-reach” of students. Once these students think they can get into the degree, then they’ll look into it and see what it’s all about. Let’s make the PhB an elite degree, not an elitist one.

Photography by Joanne Leong

Comment

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Close the Gap Hillary McArthur The ANU Rural Medical Society’s annual Close the Gap Conference will be held at the ANU on the weekend of April 9th and 10th. Leaders in Indigenous health will speak to hundreds of university students, health professionals and community members who will come to the ANU from across Australia to work towards a shared goal. This year is particularly special, marking the 10th anniversary of the Close the Gap Campaign, a campaign where Australia’s peak health bodies, NGOs and human rights organisations aim to achieve health equality for Indigenous Australians by 2030. The conference, first run in 2007 in support of the Oxfam Close the Gap campaign started the year before. It has grown from being a 1-day conference involving 30 medical students to a 2-day conference including seminars and workshops that has been attended by over 150 people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have a life expectancy 10-17 years less than non-Indigenous Australians. Australia’s Indigenous people have some of the highest rates in the world for preventable conditions such as otitis media, trachoma, and diabetes. It is well known that Indigenous people face systemic discrimination from structures in society including the health care system, and the conference aims to look at ways of changing this within the country. It is important that young Australians such as ANU students are informed of the health inequities faced by Indigenous Australians and learn what they can do about it in their careers and everyday life. This year’s speakers include Dr. Jackie Huggins and Luke Pearson. Dr. Huggins is a Bidjara and Birri-Gubba Juru

woman from Queensland who has received a Member of the Order of Australia and is the current Co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. Luke Pearson, another speaker is a Gamilaroi man from New South Wales who founded the twitter account IndigenousX. He has over 25,000 twitter followers and his account has become a leading and important voice for Indigenous representation within Australian media. Danielle Dries, a final year ANU medical student and the current Indigenous Health Officer for the National Rural Health Student Network, will act as the Master of Ceremonies. Danielle is the winner of the 2014 Allied Health Inspiration Award from Indigenous Allied Health Australia. There is a free open seminar is held on the Saturday, featuring a performance

by traditional dancers and multiple inspiring guest speakers. After a social bush dance event on Saturday night, the Sunday workshop will be delivered by Indigenous Allied Health Australia. The workshop will focus on capabilities and cultural responsiveness. Last year’s attendees enjoyed the intimate style of the workshop, where they were able to work on their own skills and were given an opportunity to clarify concerns or confusions they may have had. A key issue discussed was the role of LGBTI people in Indigenous communities. The event is open to anyone interested in Indigenous health, including all ANU students. You can register at http://armsclosethegap2016.getqpay.com/ and for more details on the event head to the ‘ANU Rural Medical Society Close the Gap Conference 2016’ Facebook event.

Keen to be Green Alex Elgue

It’s that time of year again.

attempts to tone down the festivities in Ireland were instead replaced with a National day off when so many people turned up to work drunk that it was deemed ‘unsafe.’ Note to self- that’s how I can get out of my next economics exams.

Shamrocks everywhere. Tiny cartoon leprechauns line the streets. Everything seems to have turned the same shade of acid green, and the smell of beer is so thick in the air you wonder if it’s coming from the people themselves. Ah yes…the glorious return of St Patrick’s Day. But what actually does this National Day of dress ups and drinking represent? The simple answer would lead one to suggest Ireland. The celebration, however, is based on the Catholic religion, as you may have inferred from the name. It was initially named in honour of the 5th century patron saint of Ireland, who found God after a traumatic childhood of kidnap and slavery, turning to the priesthood for salvation. The story is not quite as light-hearted as the festivities would suggest. To convert a large proportion of Ireland to Catholicism, St Patrick was responsible for driving out a large

number of pagans who refused to convert, and was said to have forced thousands to turn away from their initial faiths. Now what, if anything, does this have to do with the drunken revels of March 17th? Well, it could be argued that there isn’t too much in common between the festival’s origins and its current celebrations, especially since the holiday was secularised in 1903.

However, it can easily be argued that the festival has retained its value when it comes to choosing your guns and sticking with them no matter the cost. Just as St Patrick fought valiantly to thrust his beliefs in the public eye, so too do the partiers on his day fling themselves under public judgement, completely willing to be judged by those who, let’s be honest, are probably having less fun. And there’s no denying stubbornness pays off: several

So this St Patrick’s day, don’t think about the origins of the celebration. They don’t matter- the true meaning of the day is etched in its history. The green glory is about standing tall and declaring “This is me. This is what I do. Take it or leave it.” Through years of disapproval, the Irish have looked at the people who told them to sit down and be silent to “Bugger off” (as they would so eloquently put it). That’s the lesson we should all take away- we are all proud, fun, vibrant people and we have a right to be alive while we are here. And if anyone tries to interferewell. It’s hard to hear them over a pint of bright green Guinness.

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Comment

The Corbyn Curse Nicol Brodie

David Cameron had good reason to smile when Jeremy Corbyn rose to ask his first question in Westminster. Allegedly, the Tory Cabinet had quietly celebrated the rise of the “left winger” to their competing political party. Unfortunately, Corbyn’s leadership of British Labour is nothing to celebrate.

The election of the steely veteran to the head of British Labour excited many party supporters, estranged by the centrism pursued by Blair and his replacements. This enthusiasm was accompanied by the sentiment that Britain would boast two distinct political parties, not simply two different shades of blue. Interestingly, the media did not analyze the sharp divergence between the electric energy of Corbyn’s supporters and the apprehension of the wider UK. Jeremy was enthusiastically embraced by 59.5% of Labour’s internal vote and injected thousands more people into Labour’s ranks. He boasts a strong democratic mandate, but it is delusional to generalize these results to that of a national election. Mr Corbyn’s victory within his party was a consequence of him motivating a small, but politically active section of the public to stack a

Labour party conference vote. It is by no means a referendum on his ability to win an election, let alone form a government. For the most part of his political career, Jeremy Corbyn has remained an outsider to national politics. He has supported nuclear disarmament, Brit-

ain’s withdrawal from NATO and is a self-confessed pacifist. His voting record confirms this, as well as his wish to not toe the party line. So how is it suitable for a man who has remained outside the mechanics of government and who is unable to achieve political compromise to be Britain’s opposition leader? Opposition and government require political acumen, maneuverability and above all, a hunger to win elections. All those are impossible given Corbyn ostensibly prefers successive Tory victories to any moral compromise. Furthermore, his poor management skills were evident in his approach to the Commons vote on Syrian airstrikes. Instead of identifying the popularity of a free vote and diversity of views within his party, Mr Corbyn promptly tried to bind his MPs against British intervention. Despite

efforts by his Momentum faction to enforce his position, Labour MPs and members of the shadow cabinet resisted. Corbyn had unnecessarily divided his party on an issue of national security whilst simultaneously failing to implement his own policy position. This moral ardour points to the un-

suitability of Corbyn to govern the broad church of British Labour. The opposition must encompass the wider concerns of the community, and be able to effectively scrutinize government policy. But Corbyn’s Labour is relatable to almost none of their base. His narrow views estrange him from the working-class base of the Labour party that has looked to UKIP and the Conservatives for job-security and concerns over mass immigration. On the other hand, his Socialist credentials discredit him in the eyes of many middle and upper income voters who are essential to win over if Labour wishes to clinch power. Sadly, Corbyn has only gained popularity in areas like gentrified East London. He has failed to resuscitate Labour’s national polling (currently around 30%) and only a 1/4 of total Britons could imagine him as being prime minister.

It is time to recognize that Corbyn is not representative, but sectional. His views will relegate the Labour Party to an insufficient rump of the national vote, guaranteeing yet another Conservative majority. This will play into the nationalist rhetoric of the Scottish independence movement, who increasingly depict the British govern-

ment as conservative, unrepresentative and above all, distinctly English. It is not healthy that the current Tory government rules out-right from England, without any seats in Scotland. Without a competitive opposition, the government cannot be properly scrutinized, and a sizeable amount of the population is left unrepresented. Upon his election as Labour leader in 1994, Tony Blair said something that should resound loudly through Corbyn’s head. “Power without principle is barren, but principle without power is futile”. The British Labour party is a party of government; it should be led by someone who wants to get them there.

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Issue 4, Vol. 68

Beyond Borders – A Reflection On Cultural Identity Kate Pereira Family heritage transcends borders. It informs one’s sense of self and can go to the innermost core of personal identity. How is it, though, that it’s possible to feel disconnected from such an important part of who I am when in certain environments? My father is Indian, and my mother’s family is of Irish descent. Despite my mixed cultural heritage, I don’t believe I’ve ever felt that I am both at the one time. At different times, in different places and with different people, I always feel closer to one side than the other.

der now what effect this would have had on my identity. Some would argue that it is not the role of a school to develop a person’s cultural identity, and while I agree that it is predominantly in the hands of family, school plays a central role in the development of an individual and therefore should encourage racial identification.

my heritage. Growing up in my mother’s household meant we were rarely exposed to the Indian side of our identity. This was perhaps due to the traditional Anglo views that her parents had instilled, and has therefore influenced the way we view ourselves as Indian. My cultural identity continues to be

Leaving the traditional Catholic girls school that once defined much of who I am, has made me consider why I feel like this, and reflect on the role of society in defining someone’s cultural identity. All environments have their boundaries. Within these confines, we are expected to adapt and act accordingly to their values and attitudes. At times, certain e nv i r on me nt s have acted as cultural barriers, ignoring heritage as a defining means of identity. At school there was little acknowledgement of the Indian side of my identity. It was a rare occasion to be asked to reflect and research the history of our relatives. Racial identification was a non-issue and I was fortunate enough to not see racism or prejudice. While the school had other focuses, such as female identity, it would have been valuable to have had a stronger focus on cultural identification, and I won-

Beyond the school gates, we are no longer guarded from the outside world. No longer do people have to conform to the strict rules and expectations of school. My Indian heritage was addressed differently in public. I am regularly asked by strangers ‘where are you from?’ or ‘where were your parents born?’. While I am proud to answer these questions, they prompt a feeling of disconnection as they cause me to realise how little I know about

recognised when travelling within Australia and globally. When I was sixteen, I went to Ramingining, a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory. On the first day I was greeted by a crowd of young children who were so fascinated by the colour of my skin that they wouldn’t let go of my arms. Similar again was when I visited Vietnam last year and many people commented on the strength of my Australian accent, which appeared to surprise them giv-

en that that although I may look Indian, I have adopted predominantly Australian traits. In the short time that I’ve been at college, my cultural identity has been recognised very openly by my peers. On my first night out, a fellow resident with whom I share a common Indian background identified me as ‘another brown person!’. This immediate distinction by a peer was something that I was not used to, and while I definitely wasn’t opposed to it, it felt strange to identified so directly. Living in such an unrestricted environment has instigated a sense of responsibility and motivation to take further interest in my cultural identity. Having moved away from the e nv i r on m e nt s that I have grown up in, I now wonder what it will be like without the protection and safety of the school environment and living at home. What affect will my Indian background have on the way I live my life? Will it determine friendships? Will it make a difference when I am trying to get a job? While I cannot predict this, I hope that I can develop a stronger cultural identity and be able to represent both sides with pride and confidence.

Artwork by Emilio Elmowy

Feature

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Do I Deserve To Be Australian? Daniel Wang “Why aren’t you white?” she asked. I sat stiff-backed as the German woman casually sipped her coffee. It was a good question - why wasn’t I white like the last Australian exchange student she’d met? My conception of what it means to be Australian as an Asian is ever evolving. There’s something that messes you up a bit by being told to ‘go back to your country’ in primary school. It makes you feel like you don’t belong in Australia and are not Australian. Second generation Asian Australians, as good at math as the average person, have a fairly difficult time reconciling the Asian and Western parts of our identities. Australia is not simply a multicultural place where everyone exists peacefully as The ANU Mar-

keting Department would like us to think. It’s a very personal, internal, perpetual clashing of cultures - in my case that of the East and West. There is a dichotomy of expectations between the Asian and Western part of the Asian-Australian experience. The Asian household expects self-sacrifice for the greater good of the family unit. You forgo personal relationships, opportunities and pleasures to uphold the instruction of your elders. Yet the everyday Australian experience celebrates individualism, passion and doing what you feel is best for you. Finding the balance between these two spheres is unique for every Asian-Australian. When I was younger, I always had trouble associating with those who weren’t Asian. I had grown up speaking Mandarin before English, lived in

an Asian-centric suburb, 95% of my family friends were Chinese, I played the piano and violin and went to a selective school. I ticked just about every box of the Asian stereotype. I think it’s quite clear why I felt alienated around non-Asians. I had grown up in a microculture that made anyone but Asians foreign. I had been socialised in an environment that, ironically, wasn’t multicultural. This, in conjunction with a sprinkling of racist comments, created a murky perception of ‘how Australian’ I was. So, returning back to the coffee sipping German woman. I explained to her that my parents had migrated to Australia, that I was born in Australia and was Australian. That went down a treat. Who would’ve thought that is was that easy?! The construct in my mind that I was somehow different

as an Asian-Australian was not so cement as I had thought. This was a defining moment for me. Bigoted racists exist, but their sentiments do not represent the majority of those around me, including foreigners. Racists didn’t need to affect my self-perception as an Australian. I didn’t have be the stereotyped sunkissed-surfing-stunning-beautifulblonde-babe in order to be Australian. My tumultuous relationship with Eastern and Western cultures did not exclude me from being Australian. What it means to be Australian is different for everyone. It’s an ever-changing perception, I know that now, and I know that I need my own declaration, and that alone, to be Australian.

Digging Up Roots Paroksh Prasad Life as a second generation Australian was never going to be easy. I guess everyone during their adolescence questions their identity. However, the answer to these when posed by a cultural hybrid is much more complex than otherwise. The task of balancing our roots with our surroundings has always been a delicate art which can have pervasive repercussions if not perfected.

the world developed and progressed and that he should treasure whatever he was able to and pass on whatever he could to his children. He agreed that it was undeniable that his culture would slowly dilute but expressed his anxiety that his children will one day become ashamed of their rich background due to their modernised need for logic and reasoning. This struck a chord with me.

I trace my origins to South Indian Brahmin families. For those who are not conversant with the term, Brahmins are, and were the caste of priests, scholars, teachers, and spiritual leaders in ancient and medieval India. My father’s roots lay in a family of priests and scholars while my mother’s ancestors were advisors to the feudal kings. Both of these communities are fairly niche parts of the wider Brahmin sect.

I was born in Canberra. In fact, I have lived here my entire life in a fairly normal neighbourhood with the same opportunities as many of my Anglo-Celtic peers. Throughout my adolescence, I imagined myself as the proud son of Indian-born parents who expressed his traditional culture while maintaining a common Australian way of life. Fairly straightforward, right?

Many ancient cultures are based on superstition, fantastical tales, and mythology, however such literature is of no relevance to the youth who pursues scientific rationality over all else. I do not, in any way, condemn science. But what I do not appreciate is the loss of centuries of colourful tradition and culture which narrate to us the story of our forefathers and mothers. I want to be able to tell my children and grandchildren the same tales my grandmothers told me, and which so entranced me as a child. I want to be able to express our family history to them and for them to do the same with their heads held high.

The Brahmins also happened to be at the peak of a highly controversial caste system. I do not deny that the caste system wronged many individuals in the past, but I cannot let my cultural origins disappear simply on account of shame. There is far too much knowledge and wisdom that has come from my people that is constantly overshadowed by notions of fraud and corruption. These Brahmins were the ones who studied and educated subordinates in some of the most advanced mathematics, sciences, and arts of their epochs.

My identity crisis took a drastic turn over the summer when I was visiting an indigenous tribe in Vanuatu. I was conversing with one of the members of the tribe who lamented to me of his fear regarding the loss of his tradition, culture, language, and way of life. He spoke of even his grandparents’ inability to remember all of their rituals and practices. I assured him that such events were merely the way in which

What I do not want is for my descendants to get caught up in a whirlpool of homogeneity and let our familial and cultural roots disintegrate in time.

Yes, I accept that the job of some Brahmins was to chant verses in order to bring about arguably arbitrary ends for which they took money as repayment; but, that was simply the way of society in those days. There are still many, many people who feel

that Brahmins are the links between themselves and the Almighty. So long as this practice is not manipulated and taken advantage of, is it so wrong? Yes, superstitions are proven to be whimsical, but if they provide a person with peace of mind, are they so redundant? I wholeheartedly accept that many Brahmin practices are outdated and irrational, but I strongly believe that this is no foundation upon which I should disregard my heritage. Being brought up in Canberra, I have been taught to think for myself, to have an opinion and to question that which is proposed to me. It follows that, at some point, I am forced to question the bases for my culture and tradition. The answers I find are not exactly on par with my principles and morals. Does this mean I wash my hands of my ancestors? Or does this mean I look beyond those norms and look at the contribution made by my people to their society? Yes, I may worship mere idols and believe in the supernatural but I also believe in the preservation of my heritage, and ultimately, my identity.

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Issue 4, Vol. 68

My Experience with Racism Eben Leifer

In my life, I can say with much relief that most forms of bigotry that worm their way into our society are foreign to me. I am not a woman, nor a member of the Queer community, so the prejudice felt against them is not one I have experienced. Even in regards to racism as a white-Anglo Australian (born in the UK), I will never know what it means to be a person of colour in this country. So in that context you may ask, what would a white, English guy know about racism? Well, I was born into a family of deep Jewish roots and the heritage and virtue of such has made apparent to me the casual racism forever prevalent in Australia. While my immediate family are non-practicing, the religion has played an incredibly important role in defining me as a part of the culture I am from, and connecting me with the people I share it with. Like many Australians I know who can proudly trace back their ancestry to those who fought as ANZACs, or through the many cultures that now make up this multicultural nation, I too am proud to be defined by the history of my ancestors.

For me, it is the festivals we celebrate, whether it be Passover or Hanukkah, and the family gatherings that come with them that I value. It is reconnecting with cousins, uncles and grandparents, while listening to Hebrew prayers. It is also the time we spend learning about our ancestors, like my own - four brothers who travelled from Poland to the UK at the turn of the 20th century to seek a better life. But more than this, these actions and traditions are a part of me. Acknowledging where my family has come from, and the faith they kept for all that time, to be passed down from parent to child for generations. It is hard, as I am sure it is for anyone, to hear something so powerful used as an insult, or treated with contempt – even more so when it is done in a carefree, casual manner. During my high school years, to be Jewish was to be considered ‘greedy’, ‘stingy’ or ‘possessive’. My friends would refer to someone as Jewish, in an attempt to insult or degrade them, after some decision involving money had been made. These statements were not some deliberate ruse to crush people

of the faith from being considered equal, they were simply part of the vocabulary that had developed in high schools around Australia. Likely from the same sources that sought to make the term ‘gay’ an insult. Now, to say that this is the same victimisation suffered by Indigenous Australians, or those of a non-Anglo background would be a misconstruction of the truth. I have never faced institutionalised racism, nor do I ever expect I have been judged unfit based on the colour of my skin. But to say I have not experienced racism would, I feel, be an unfair characterisation. When my friends in full knowledge of the ancestor I lost in Treblinka (a Nazi concentration camp) decide it is appropriate to make Nazi salutes, and sing the national anthem of Hitler’s Germany in order to elicit a reaction from me, it is clear that casual racism is still alive and well in Australia! We live in a time where the Israel-Palestine conflict has claimed the lives of so many people that the causal element of the ongoing violence has been lost behind the blatant attacks of

Jewish people. It is easy to understand why someone like me can see the still existent prejudice when adult men can walk onto school buses filled with Jewish children and scream at them, telling them they are going to suffer because of what happens on the other side of the world, as did just a few years ago. Or when the Socialist Alternative Group on the ANU campus receives a ban from campus for threatening the Jewish Students society with assault. Or even when a friend tells you, ‘you should apologise on behalf of all Jews to Palestine’. My experience of racism is not grandiose, nor is it inhibiting to my ability to live my life as I wish. Still, racism is insidious – it is not a single large gesture but the collection of tiny attacks that grind us down. This is my collection, it is what I have seen, felt, heard and lived. We all draw borders; around what we consider ourselves, what we consider important to us and what we want to protect. For me that is my Jewish heritage, my family history and the freedom to live with it and not in spite of it.

Stop Making Me Choose Between My Nationalities: Confessions of a Third Culture Kid Lorane Gaborit

Whenever a World Cup rolls around and the inevitable France v Australia game comes up, I find myself getting asked the same question over and over again: “Who are you gonna go for?” Most of the time I avoid the question, and reply that I’m backing whoever wins, but the truth is much more complicated. Do I support the country where I took my first breath, the country that is the source of my mother tongue and the culture my parents raised me in as well as the receiving end of countless international calls to close and distant relatives since the age of 4? Or do I back the country I have grown up in, home to some of my best and worst memories, the source of opportunity after opportunity, the ground I’m standing on right now? I’m a Third Culture Kid (TCK). Coined by American sociologist Ruth Van Reken, the term refers to someone who was raised in a culture outside of their parents’ for a significant part of their development years, building relationships with both their original and host culture without having any

real ownership of either.

English for someone from ______!”

The resulting third culture, an undefined amalgamation of experiences between two worlds, is one that is becoming increasingly relevant and relatable to young people everywhere due to the onset of globalisation and transnational migration. According to researchers Paradis, Genesee and Crago, there are currently just as many bilingual children in the world as there are monolingual, and I’m sure that among the readers of this very article a significant amount are in the same boat.

It makes you wonder whether national and cultural identity is really a matter of personal choice, or something outside of your control. Where is the line that separates living in France and being French, or the border between being from Australia and Australian?

This TCK boat is one that is filled with confused loyalties from both sides; loyalties to family and politics as well as to patriotism and pop culture, clashing and coinciding in different ways. For TCKs with appearances that visibly contrast with the visual expectations of their identified nationality, this is a boat that is equally affected by racism and stereotypes, the question of “Where are you really from” or “Oh I thought you were ______” as well as the occasional surprised exclamation “But you speak such good

That said, lacking a clear and collective cultural identity doesn’t make TCKs global nomads or culturally homeless. Every single one will have their own unique story. In my case, I will always feel nostalgic for my native country, France, but I will equally always crave acceptance and seek to give back to my adopted one, Australia. And sometimes that will mean that I will resent my parents’ decision to move my sister and I out here because it means I have missed out on things like seeing my grandparents more before it was too late, or celebrating Halloween with my friends at school. But it will also mean that I will feel extremely grateful for the experience and opportunity, which has brought me a lot more than meets the eye.

For me, and other TCKs, it has meant becoming more adaptable and open-minded. Being culturally sensitive, and aware of how to navigate the different perspectives and values of others. It has meant not falling into the traps of stereotypes and cultural expectations, because we have no set ones to reference. And even though I can’t name a single recent French pop hit, and I don’t think I will ever feel comfortable kissing strangers on the cheek instead of shaking their hands, I know that the rush of pride I feel whenever La Marseillaise is played is real. Likewise maybe I will never develop the tastebuds for vegemite or appreciate the Australian delicacy that is fairy bread, but I don’t think I will ever find a place where I am happier than when I am on the sunburnt side of tan and barefoot on a beach. So please, stop making me choose between my nationalities. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, and that’s really not the point.

Feature

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Inflict Lasting Pain Izaac Smith Full Disclosure: I’m a straight white man. I grew up in country Australia, I went to high school in country Australia, and I now attend university in (arguably, somewhat) country Australia. Essentially, I’m the archetype of a person who needs to check their privilege; I basically embody the status quo. So when I tell you that - despite the above - I’ve been a victim of constant, sustained harassment and racial vilification, you’re probably harboring some serious doubts. Fair enough, let me explain. I graduated from my predominantly white, country-high-school-bubble life at the end of 2011 and immediately plunged myself into the vastly different environment of a Japanese high school as part of a year-long exchange student program. The goal of the exchange was lofty enough: to foster an understanding and appreciation of other cultures, customs and peoples. A sufficiently altruistic vision statement, if a little ironic to boot. Not given any choice about where it was I would be going, I found myself in a small country town in central Japan. There were few people who understood any English, and I met no other Caucasian people that lived nearby during the entire year. Given that Japan consists of a population that is around 99% Japanese born Japanese people this, of course, is unsurprising. In short, attending high school as not just the only foreigner in the school, but the only foreigner in the entire town, was a daunting challenge; but one I was confident I could be overcome.

But then they began - the comments. The guy who sat next to me in Physics class just started out of nowhere. Not obviously aggressive, but somehow hurtful. He would constantly ask “Why are you here?” “Why did you come to Japan?” speaking in a mixture of broken English and Japanese. It wasn’t the words themselves, so much as the tone in which they were said, and the frequency with which he would them. “This is not your home” they seemed to say, “you don’t belong here, you’re not one of us”. While by themselves these words made me uncomfortable, I didn’t feel as though I could say anything to anyone. He wasn’t explicitly saying anything racist, so perhaps I was just imagining things. Justifications like these would surface as I would worry about the next time I had to see this guy, and I honestly started to believe myself. Maybe he just doesn’t understand? Maybe he’s never met a white person before, or heard an Australian accent? Maybe he’s just confused? I tried to ignore it, but something just seemed out of place. It kept bothering me, and it made me uncomfortable. And then the more aggressive stuff started. He would mutter things under his breath at me. The words were quiet and infrequent at first, but soon after they got louder, more imperative and commanding. “Go back to where you came from”. “Fuck off home”. “You don’t belong here”. “You’re a stupid foreigner”. These statements said in Japanese. Then; “You are our slave”. “You are dirty”. These state-

ments said in English. This wasn’t a once off. This was an uninterrupted hour, three times a week. I started to feel ashamed of who I was, of what I was. I wished that I could be different, that I could have been born Japanese or something that this guy would approve of, or honestly anything else just so I could get him to stop. By this point, I had internalized so much of what he had said that I didn’t feel as though I could reach out to anyone. No teachers. No friends. No-one. Eventually, and after it escalated to him stabbing me with his pen, I went and told someone, got him admonished and the whole thing lessened. But it never fully stopped, and I never fully got over the fact that someone who had never met me decided that I was worthless based on the colour of my skin and the country of my upbringing. It made me think back to high school. While the school I attended was predominantly white, there was a large minority of Indigenous students, and a small minority of students from south and south-east Asia. Some of these students would experience similar things; being called FOBs (Fresh Off the Boat) and told, both jokingly and seriously, to go back to where they came from. I had never really thought much of it, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me - that’s what my parents used to say.

But the idea that “words will never hurt me” is bullshit. Words don’t just hurt, words inflict lasting pain onto a person. I don’t know if this guy was joking. At this point, I don’t care. I found out the hard way that words, said often enough, can be internalised and catastrophically damaging to person. Don’t get me wrong, on the whole I absolutely loved my year abroad, and I would absolutely go over again in a heartbeat. And of course, the vast majority of people there were not rude or racist in any way. But that doesn’t matter when all you can hear is the one voice among the many. The things we say to another person about their heritage, culture, skin colour, or ethnicity have a lot of unintentional power - power that increases exponentially with the societal privilege held by the person saying them. I fully and deeply appreciate and understand this now. It just shouldn’t have taken a firsthand experience of racial vilification for me to change my actions.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Feature

Why You Should Care About Refugees Natasha Chabbra My parents migrated to Australia from India in 1992, a year before I was born. Our family identifies as Sikh, a minority religion in India that was founded in the 15th century, and is based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak. By no means does this make me special. By 2013, Australia became home to 369,000 ‘Indian Australians’, and we now form 2.13% of the Australian population. Originating from the farming state of Punjab, Sikh men first became known for filling the demand for labour on Australian cane fields and as shepherds on sheep stations. 900 Sikh regiments fought alongside Australian soldiers in World War Two.

accent? That when I went on my first high school camp, I got locked in a portaloo and got called a ‘curry puff’? Or that a few years later at civic pool I got told to “go back to my own country”? But what does this have to do with refugees? Well, I believe that if you think that I deserve a fair go in Australia, then you

My parents came to Australia as skilled migrants, but lived in a one bedroom flat in Dandenong for three years using cardboard boxes as bedside tables. Between them, they have contributed more than 40 years of their lives to the Australian Public Service, were selected for postings overseas, made smart financial decisions, and worked hard to make sacrifices so that my sister and I could enjoy lives they came to Australia looking for. Person-

Indian Australians, and Sikh Australians are not a new part of Australian society. My cultural heritage is important to me. I speak Hindi, I celebrate Diwali, I can make aloo gobi and (relatively) round roti’s like Jess in ‘Bend it like Beckham’, and my dad wears a turban like hers too. There is permanently a CD of Bollywood music in my car. When I land in Delhi airport to visit my extended family, it feels familiar, like home. But, I was born in Dandenong, English was my first language, I drink beer, I love beef, I love being outdoors and going to the beach, I listen to Triple J - I have even used the phrase “Fucking Oath Cunt” on occasion. When I land in Sydney airport after a trip overseas, I feel an even stronger sense of familiarity and relief. Most of my closest friends are white, and many of them would not know that I experience racism on a regular basis. Most of the time I brush it off, “really, it’s not a big deal, I’m not easily offended”. Most of it IS harmless, I have amazing friends who show a genuine interest in my cultural heritage and whom I love sharing it with. But why is it that in as early as primary school I realised that I would make more friends if I ditched my Indian

should care about refugees too. There seems to exist this dichotomy between people’s perceptions of migrants and refugees. A skilled migrant comes to Australia legitimately and contributes to the economy, and a poor refugee comes to Australia to feed off the welfare system. It’s simply not true. The only common difference between the two is that one comes on an assessment of their humanitarian grounds, and once on an assessment of their skills. Doctors, lawyers and engineers are amongst the hundreds of thousands who flee conflict in Iraq and Syria, and many of the migrants who drive you home in a cab after a night out in civic have come to Australia on skilled or student visas. I believe that every migrant and refugee contributes something valuable to our multicultural society.

ally, I have experience volunteering with Indigenous communities on the South Coast, with victims of domestic violence in Canberra, working on community and youth engagement, all to make Australia a better place. I volunteer with the Australian Red Cross, because that is the nationality that I identify with. When people talk about the need for social integration of refugees, they don’t know that as migrants, my parents faced the same cultural challenges. My mum watched neighbours every night to try and understand Australian culture. When she was invited to her first potluck dinner, she actually ‘brought a plate’ because she thought they were short. When she was sitting at a train station and got asked ‘How you going?’ she replied “…By train”.

My grandparents fled their home of Punjab during the bloody partition between India and Pakistan in the 1960’s. But I don’t even have to go that far back to find that my family has experienced persecution, as it is understood under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Statutory Definition. In the 1980’s there was mass political persecution of Sikhs in New Delhi. Both my parents saw, first hand, members of their community be looted, set on fire, raped and killed in front of them. My parents could have come to Australia as refugees. Not because they were poor, or uneducated, but because they had the right to flee persecution. They were chosen to come to Australia based on their merit as skilled migrants. Regardless of how they arrived in Australia, they saw a beautiful country where everybody was given the opportunity to succeed and where people’s rights and dignity was protected. Regardless of how they would have arrived in Australia, they worked hard to build themselves a life and to give back to the country we call home, and my sister and I do the same. So next time you direct a harmless joke at somebody for being a ‘curry puff’ or for wearing a turban, you should think of what you are actually saying – “You’re not like us” and “You don’t belong here” – because these statements are not just hurtful, but are, in fact, wrong.

Collage by Eva Krepsova

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Feature

Invisible Politics Jackson Howard

In 2015, an estimated 38 million people were internally displaced around the globe 18 million people were refugees and 1.8 million were asylum seekers. And yet, one word can explain the horrific lack of action by international leaders that leaves far too many without the necessary assistance; that word is politics. Indeed, the invisible, but very real, force of politics continues to prevent effective action, and when effective action does somehow eventuate, politics is the force that brings it to a halt. It is undeniably chilling that what should be a social issue is now warped by the realm of politics, where the national interests of states contend with obvious moral duties to protect human rights, and more significantly, human lives. Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, the devastation in Syria has provoked what the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has labelled as the “biggest movement of people since World War Two.” In May 2015, the United Nations estimated more than 4 million Syrian refugees had fled the country, and around 8 million were internally displaced. In March 2015, 12 million were considered in need of humanitarian assistance, including around 5.6 million children. By May, this had risen to 15 million. As UN action was, as has become all too typical, far too slow in dealing with the crisis on hand, many of these refugees were forced to put their lives in the hands of people smugglers crossing the Mediterranean, in the hope of reaching safety in Europe. It was in October 2013, when 366 migrants perished at sea, that the Italian Government responded by launching Operation Mare Nostrum. The fleet, consisting of an amphibious assault carrier (capable of landing rescue he-

licopters), two frigates and five patrol vessels at any one time, rescued 150,000 migrants and arrested 330 people smugglers in its one year of operation. However, opposition within Italy grew as opposition throughout Europe became vocalised. The British Government labelled the program as “an unintended pull factor,” believing it encouraged migrants to take the perilous journey. The Italian Government had also been neglecting to abide by the Dublin Regulations (obligations which EU members must adhere to in regards to the asylum seeker application process) in not fingerprinting and properly examining all rescued migrants. By October 2014, pressure from the European Union had mounted to the point where the Italian Government was forced to abandon the program. Instead, the EU established Operation Triton, presenting it as a superior alternative to Operation Mare Nostrum. However, Triton received far fewer resources and only one third of the budget. Most importantly, it did not include the active search and rescue component that was a crucial feature to the success of Mare Nostrum. Ultimately, the number of those crossing the Mediterranean has continued to increase, with the UN documenting 219,000 in 2014, which increased to more than 300,000 in 2015. This trend suggests that the removal of Mare Nostrum has not reduced the ‘pull factor’ at all. As the politics of the European Union left many refugees helpless, many in Syria were forced to flee to neighbouring countries. However, unlike European states, countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are not equipped to deal with such an enormous crisis, as they are lacking resources and funds to effectively host the flow of millions of refugees. As of 2016, more than a quarter of the Lebanese population is comprised of Syrian refugees, prompting the government to call on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to halt refugee registration. This achieved little, however, as thousands still flow into the country. In Jordan, more than one in thirteen people are now Syrian refugees. As of May 2015, Turkey had taken in 1.6 million refugees from Syria, the most of any state. Such mass movement of people to these countries have significantly burdened domestic economies, and for the refugees, they are left stranded in camps with limited food, water and necessary resources. Looking closer to home, it is since 1982 that ethnic Rohingyas, a Muslim minority, have been refused citizenship by the Buddhist Burmese

government, which denies their existence altogether. Within the country, more than 140,000 are estimated to be internally displaced, and local authorities severely limit access to NGOs to provide aid. Decades of this social and institutional discrimination has forced many Rohingyas to flee Myanmar, a phenomenon which has escalated a great deal in the past few years. Between 2013 and 2015, the UN estimated more than 120,000 Rohingyas fled the country in what it dubbed as “floating coffins.” The rate of refugees fleeing is increasing. In May 2015, 8,000 refugees were stranded in the Andaman Sea, which finally prompted some response from the South Asian Pacific region. On the 29th of May, officials from various regional states, including Australia, attended the Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean, hosted in Bangkok, with the objective of attaining a multilateral solution to the crisis. The Burmese Government continued to reject all accusations that it was to blame for the crisis. When the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott was asked whether Australia would offer resettlement to some of the refugees, he replied “nope, nope, nope.” Both Malaysia and Indonesia, however, agreed to provide humanitarian assistance to 7,000 migrants. Ironically, Australia is one of the few states in the region to have signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, yet the government continues to forgo the obligations it has agreed to. Article 33 of the Convention establishes the principle of non-refoulement, where a state party may not return a refugee to a location where they may face persecution. Article 31 declares the right for refugees not to be punished for the illegal entry into the territory of a contracting state. Australia continues to violate these obligations with its ‘Stop the Boats’ policy, whereby the Navy has repeatedly and forcibly turned back boats, and with the functioning of offshore detention facilities. Amidst the talks in Bangkok, a spokesperson for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry called out the Australian government in stating those who sign treaties have an obligation to believe in what they sign. A final shocking twist in events was the Abbott Government’s decision to pledge $5 million (AUD) to the government of Myanmar. Australian migration policy since the beginning of the 21st Century has ceaselessly abandoned moral duties to refugees in a clear preference for border security. Still, this year, the migrant crisis in the South Pacific

continues, and though initial aid from Malaysia and Indonesia was promising, 26 NGOs report that 70% of migrants in Malaysian refugee camps have no access to safe water. Can we be hopeful that states will begin to opt for moral obligations rather than political interests? Only months into 2016, it is yet to be seen whether countries capable of effective action will finally take initiative. The Italian Government proved that successful resolution is definitely in the realm of possibility. Indeed, even Germany, which had once favoured the establishment of offshore processing centres in Northern Africa, resembling Australian centres on Nauru and Manus Island, has now led the way in Europe for resettlement. In August 2015, the government agreed to suspend the ‘Dublin Regulations.’ A month later, Chancellor Merkel assigned €6 billion to emergency aid and promised an intake of 800,000 refugees by the end of the year. In November, German newspaper ‘Die Welt’ declared that more than 950,000 asylum seekers had entered the country in 2015. Other EU states, however, continue to act in the interest of border security. In September 2015, the Hungarian Government began erecting a 177 km long razor-wire fence along its Serbian border to prevent the flow of refugees. The horrifying popularity of Donald Trump in the ongoing US Presidential race suggests that an unfortunately significant percentage of the US population supports racist and hardline immigration policy. Perhaps most significant in the continuation of opposition to resolution is the rise of ISIS, which has allowed governments to employ the excuse of terrorism to justify border security over an obligation to refugees. In the meantime, whilst politics continues to interfere with resolution, refugees continue to flee persecution, continue to die at sea, and continue to live without hope.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Feature

Syrian Refugees: Who Cares? Jesse Zondervan

Europe is full of borders, borders that can no longer be assumed to be open indefinitely. Whilst Europe is arguing about these borders, they are struggling with their worst migration crisis since World War II, Richard Flanagan tells us the stories of the people behind the 5 million Syrians fleeing their home country, and it is my reading of Flanagan’s ‘Notes on the Syrian exodus’ from which this article was inspired. This week I’ve heard that I might go to Greece for next year’s fieldwork. It would be a part of my honours year in London, and I am very happy as I’m intrigued by the geology of the Mediterranean. I only had to look at the Guardian today, however, to realise that the Mediterranean has entered into a dark chapter in its history. I’d heard about the refugee crisis, as anyone who follows the news will have, and I’ve known for a while that masses of refugees flood into Europe (more than 1.3 million in 2015 according to Eurostat). I’ve known too, that smuggler boats sinking in the Mediterranean have been killing hundreds of the passengers on board seeking safety (over 1,200 in April 2015 according to the International Organization for Migration) and that these desperate attempts are the result of mercilessly patrolled, fenced borders in Bulgaria, and a Europe that aids war, but doesn’t want to host the refugees that follow from it. So what? Donald Trump is campaigning in the US, the National Rugby league is on, and I’ve got to study… On 5th March Richard Flanagan, Australian novelist and 2014 Man Booker Prize winner, published his notes on the refugees he visited in

Lebanon, Greece and Syria, and they blew me away. Flanagan paints a picture of people in camps, people who dream of their lives back home in a once peaceful Syria where they grew peaches, studied fashion and lived in safety in their own homes. Their nightmares are the sound of planes flying over, the bombings that turn their worlds black and red, Daesh severing heads in their

blame them? It is in an article in the journal ‘Science’ that Custers and Aarts review psychological discoveries on unconscious will. These challenge the human experience of making conscious decisions to take action, summarizing some compelling evidence that the unconscious prepares for these decisions moments before the conscious does.

and Greece certainly seems to need more, asking 500 million as their already dwindling economy struggles to cope with the nearly one million refugees it hosts. Turkey too claims that providing for refugees already cost them ten billion. We can make an honest attempt at solving this problem though, as some acts of kindness show. Here, I give the example of Maria Androulaki, inhabitant of the Greek island Lesbos, who risks arrest and persecution by driving people from the remote beaches to town for re g i s t r at ion, or the Austrian convoy of volunteers that last year crossed into Hungary to help in refugee camps. These are the kind of actions we need: only empathy from us can forcibly drive politics higher up.

towns, the cold sea taking away children. The inclusion of both these people’s stories, and of Flanagan’s own thoughts and feelings, with a lot of dialogue, will give you an insight into this crisis as no regular news article can. Flanagan says, these are stories of people, “… not like you and me. They are you and me.” It was a big eye-opener for me and I invite you to read this article in the Guardian. I can’t help wondering though, why did it take his notes to make me care? I’m European, and know what’s been happening. I have been following the events as they unfold and hold an opinion. But this is not the same as caring. To talk , all you need is knowledge and an opinion, but to take action, you need to care. Does the rest of Europe care? Do politicians care about refugees as people, or as issues and policies? Can we

In that light, I don’t think it is at all surprising that the statistics and reports published by a media culture, which is increasingly dependent on press releases, fails to convince us to take action against human sufferings, often alienated by differing nationalities, language and culture. Now that Germany is taking the lead in hosting, it is clear that Europe seems unable to cope with the turbulent vast flow of refugees. Most causes of this inability are socio-economic, domicile political pressures, combined with a failure of a common European asylum policy. The EU is about to allocate 300 million euros to a European aid plan and 6 billion for Turkey to host refugees, but is this enough? Is this too late? For some it will be undoubtedly too late

But to obtain that kind of social perception, to humanize the ‘migrant crisis’ you can’t describe it in two words, nor in numbers, policies or money. You have to read novels, journalist’s notes on dialogues. You have to listen to people’s stories and feel the human connection. That’s why I believe more novelists should work for newspapers and more people should read novels. Will you?

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Feature

Syria and the Facade of Partition Alex Ray

General Issam Zahreddine is something of a legend in Syria. He commands the Syrian army outpost in the city of Deir Ez-Zor on the Euphrates River – a city besieged by the so-called Islamic State since 2013. Syrian opposition forces have put a US$200,000 price on Zahreddine’s head: he is their second most wanted man after President Bashar Al-Assad.

if we wait much longer,” Kerry said. The same idea gained brief exposure when Prime Minister Turnbull raised it during his visit to Washington earlier this year. Kerry’s statement was partly a conciliatory nod to Washington’s agitated allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia – whose proxy forces in Syria have fal-

If regime change via proxies cannot succeed then partitioning Syria is the next best option for the powers opposed to Syria’s regional role. Dividing the country among factions vying for power would create weak entities reliant on foreign sponsors. In Australia, Syria’s partition has been backed by former Australian Foreign

Zahreddine is a member of Syria’s tiny Druze religious minority. Yet he is in charge of a mostly Sunni garrison among a Sunni civilian population that has remained loyal to the government.

There is no reason why partition would be any more ‘accurate’ at drawing ethno-religious boundaries than the Sykes-Picot agreement that carved modern Syria out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire after World War 1.

Deir Ez-Zor’s story illustrates the resilience of Syria’s religious diversity; it is one of many examples that challenge the prevailing sectarian narrative that characterises the war as a conflict between a Sunni majority and minorities such as ‘Alawites, Christians, Druze and others. Deir Ez-Zor also points to the folly of proposals by some Western politicians to partition Syria along ethno-religious lines. Partition is their ‘Plan B’ if armed rebellion fails to bring about regime change. Armed groups fighting to overthrow the government have recently taken a battering from the Syrian army with Russian and Iranian support. This has helped bring about a conditional ‘ceasefire’, offering the country’s long-suffering population a glimmer of hope after five years of war. The deal – brokered by Russia and the United States and endorsed by the UN Security Council– includes all parties except the most extreme Islamist groups: the so-called Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat An-Nusra (Al-Qaeda in Syria). So far the agreement has seen a dramatic drop in casualties despite alleged breaches by both sides. However, many are sceptical of its long-term prospects. US Secretary of State John Kerry was clearly apprehensive about the ceasefire – technically, a “cessation of hostilities” – implemented on February 27. He seemed to anticipate its failure by again floating ‘Plan B’ – “It may be too late to keep it a whole Syria

Partition would represent surrender to the extremist belief that different communities cannot co-exist in a tolerant pluralist framework – as Syrians largely have for centuries. This pluralism is reflected in the composition of the Syrian leadership – civilian and military. While Assad is an Alawite, his Prime Minister and Ministers for Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs are all Sunni.

Mourner at a cemetery for Druze soldiers of the Syrian government army tered since late 2015. Yet ‘Plan B’ has broader aims than simply placating Washington’s allies. Incapacitating the Syrian state – the original goal of foreign regime-change advocates – would benefit every major power in the region except Iran which, despite the nuclear deal with the West, is seen as a disruptive force in global hydrocarbon politics and a barrier to Western regional dominance. The goal of regime change – accomplished with disastrous results in Iraq and Libya – is partly driven by the heated competition for ‘leadership’ of the broader Middle East, particularly in the cultural and ideological realms. With Egypt weak and Syria now set back 40 years, post-conflict Syria offers fertile ground for rolling out profound cultural and ideological changes in the region. Saudi Arabia, which seeks leadership of the Arab world, is best positioned to fill the void. It has shrugged off its parvenu status to eclipse Egypt as the most influential Sunni Arab state.

Minister Bob Carr, whose record on Syria includes suggesting assassination as a necessary step towards peace. However in a surprising rejoinder from the usually ill-informed ALP, deputy Labour leader Tanya Plibersek correctly pointed to the coherent national identity many Syrians hold dear: “There are generations of people who have grown up with an identity as a Syrian or an Iraqi … Recent polls confirm many people feel a sense of national identity and feel the conflict is soluble’’, she stated. There are other reasons why partitioning Syria is a reckless option. Partition along sectarian lines – because that is likely all that the Islamist opposition will accept – plays into ISIS and al-Qaeda’s hands. They would love a Sunni state that reinforces sectarian divisions. Sunnis who do not agree with their vision would then have little choice but to abandon the pluralist values many still support.

While broad sections of the country can be identified as predominantly Sunni, ‘Alawite, Armenian, Kurd or Druze etc, nearly all of these areas are dotted with other groupings. Inter-religious marriage has also been relatively common. Any attempt to redraw Syria’s boundaries is likely to be based on territory now controlled by various militia rather than its pre-war demography. Even Syrian Kurds – who would likely benefit the most from partition – are not sold on the idea. Many see it as too great a risk given Turkish hostility and would prefer federalism with a degree of self-government. It is telling that partition is not being suggested as a solution to Iraq’s conflict, which features significant Sunni resentment of the central government. While partitioning Iraq would likely worsen its conflict, Iraq has far clearer ethno-religious divisions, with Kurdish separatism further developed and distinct Sunni and Shi’a provinces. But partition of Iraq is not currently on the agenda of western powers – for whatever reason. Regime change in Syria and the advantages it promises for its proponents – Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the US and other NATO allies – remains the main game despite the ‘ceasefire’. Under the pretence of ending an unwinnable conflict, ‘Plan B’ is another route to that end.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Feature

Hello From The Other Side (Of The Wall) Alice Park As John Oliver puts it, Donald Trump is now the biggest mole growing on America’s back, which may have “seemed harmless a year ago, but now that it’s got frighteningly bigger, it is no longer wise to ignore it”. C a n c e r ous Trump is somehow “t r u mpi ng” through the election with the support of a despondent demographic, and his policy proposals on i m m ig rat ion has factored into his unsettling popularity. Specifically, his signature bid on building a huge concrete wall across the border where the U.S. and Mexico meet, has stirred up controversial debate over illegal immigration policies. This contentious debate unsurprisingly revolves around whether or not this will prevent the entry of Mexican illegal migrants, but the true questions that need to be delved into centre around the implications of the actual physical divide. Essentially, a border already exists between the two sovereign nations – so what does taking something from a concept or an invisible line in the ground, and turning it into a physical barrier do to the mindset of those being kept out, and those being kept in? The idea of creating a fenced border at the frontiers of U.S. and Mexico may seem absurd but it’s not a new idea the U.S. has already spent billions on fencing one third of the South-Western border. Throughout human history, many societies have built and erected numerous walls and fences to create borders

Somehow, in Trump’s vision, building a 1954-mile concrete wall is no big sweat: “[it’s] easy, and it can be done i ne x pen sively… It’s not even a difficult project if you know what you’re doing” says the Republican dark horse.

to keep certain people both in and out of territories. In essence, they worked as means of circumscribing movements of people. Think back to the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall that was later demolished, and the Israeli West Bank Barrier that divides Israel from the Palestinians. The human practice of wall building is an ingrained trait of modern states. The many examples show that walls in the past have generally been more than infrastructures, but manifestations of cultural and psychological ideologies; they exist not only as concrete walls but also within the mind. The 1961 Berlin Wall is a classic example borne out of state fear, which embodied conflicts of ideology and politics. For most of the time, creation of physical barriers between people legitimises ethnic exclusion and domestic discriminatory customs. Where a border is defined by taking physical form, the perception of difference and exclusion becomes more intense but also tangible at the same time. This creates limits to both the peo-

ple wanting to enter, but also for the people who are on the other side of the wall. Potentially, the wall’s manifestations of exclusion may bolster feelings of belonging and prejudice. While feelings of resentment grow on one side, feelings of superiority and self-righteousness grow on the other – both spurred on by the symbol of inequality and exclusion which has been erected in-between them. America’s concerns about immigration practices and movement of people reach back to the very beginning of U.S. history. At particular points in its history, immigration movements of the Irish, Chinese and Italians were once considered immigrant threats to the American image and are not capable of integrating into the American society. This is obviously untrue today, but now, the concerns have shifted onto Mexicans, Latin Americans and Muslims. Trump’s wall would be a physical barrier, it would produce an international stigma about the value and status of Mexicans, it would divide the world in opinion, and would be a step backwards in history.

Well Trump, all I can say is that U.S. Customs and Border Protection put forward an estimate of more than $22.4 billion dollars just to build the damn wall along the entire Mexican border (where twothirds of it is along rivers) - good luck with that). This doesn’t include the additional on-going costs on maintenance, operational monitoring, and border security, and not to mention the unpleasant job of expropriating private land from unhappy citizens. Inexpensive, hey? Let’s just get Mexico to pay for it (says he). For Trump, this probably seems so simple. Perhaps, for him, it doesn’t take much to ostracize an entire group of people when you are contending for the spot at the top of the Western world’s hierarchy. Let us not so much focus on the mascot but on the ma

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Feature

GULP

Adrieene May A couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to be one of 11 students from ANU to be involved in the pilot year of the Global Undergraduate Leaders Program (and if there’s ever been a less appealing acronym than ‘GULP’, I haven’t heard it). This program, a collaboration between ANU and the University of Minnesota (UMN), is an initiative which seeks to develop student leadership skills and foster an understanding of sustainable development, culminating in a two week trip to the small African country of Malawi. The trip to Malawi is the first time all 22 students meet, having conducted all previous meetings via Skype. While in Malawi, the students conduct a community support and development project; in 2015, we ran 3 hour sessions in various high schools on the importance of gender equality for development, while in 2016, the group ran a three day leadership camp for high school students.

In hindsight, just the name of the assessment should have been somewhat of an indication… The IDI is an assessment of intercultural competence, which is conceptualised as the ability to change perspective across cultures and adapt behaviour to the cultural context. It’s a 50-item questionnaire that asks participants to answer questions while thinking about a culture they’re a part of and one with to which they’ve had a substantial amount of exposure. The results put you on a continuum somewhere along a line of five different stages. The continuum is shown as an arrow, angled upward, from ‘denial’ at the lower end to ‘adaptation’ at the higher, pointed end of the arrow. They also give you a score for where you think you are, compared to where

Perhaps it was our bad less developed result. Perhaps it was our charming Australian cynicism. Either way, we were not generous in our feedback on the IDI. Most of us were rather dismissive of the whole thing, while some of us were particularly direct in their opinion about this measure and others of its ilk. All this to the UMN group, who would frequently described themselves in terms of their results on such measures. For the ANU students, we saw the results as pretty much meaningless – perhaps useful in a specific context, but not really representative of us, and probably implicitly reflecting a degree of the patented Australian “fit in or fuck off” mentality. This last, I should say, entirely unintentionally, as the people in that group are some of

Now, given the theme of this issue, it’d be reasonable for you to be thinking that I’m going to write about the experience of visiting the remote far-Northern reaches of a tiny African country. In actual fact, the cross-cultural difference that was most prominent was between ANU and UMN, or the ‘Australians’ and the ‘Americans’, as we soon came to refer to ourselves. For cultures that appear to be similar in so many ways, the differences between us became apparent very early. The most obvious of these was in our different approaches to, and appreciation of, the personality assessments we had to complete as part of the program. These were the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment and the Intercultural Development Inventory. The Strengths assessment provides a good starting point for understanding the differences between ANU and UMN: upon being given our five key strengths, we spent the majority of our 3-hour drive to the ANU Kioloa campus discussing how little we cared about the strengths we’d been told we had, while some of the students from UMN identified so much with their strengths that they referred to themselves by them (“Well, because I’m an Inputer®, I think that…”). At this point, I think both sides just thought the other was a little bit weird and different. It was with the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) that uh, tensions started running a bit higher.

you ‘actually’ are, so that’s just great. They assure you, in the IDI, that there’s no ‘right’ place to be – there’s no good or bad. Or maybe they just assure the people who aren’t very far along to continuum. Either way, the Australians received a LOT of assurances. I’m still not entirely sure how they think they can try and convince people that there’s no good or bad place to be though, when it’s called a ‘development inventory’; I guess we weren’t bad, just ‘undeveloped’… We all got given our results individually, and then we received our group results at our next meeting. The UMN students got their results at the same meeting. The Australians, true to form, were decidedly less ‘interculturally developed’ than the Americans. After getting our group results, we had the opportunity to discuss both our results, and the measure itself.

the most accepting and loving people I have ever met. It was probably more an outcome of the types of questions asked in the IDI (we said defensively). Our dismissiveness was contrasted with the wholehearted acceptance of the IDI by some at the UMN. To them, these measures – not assessments or tests, we were told – seemed to show them more about who they were, and to provide a useful lens through which to understand themselves. So now, on the one hand, we have a group who are slightly defensive because of their results, but also see measures of these kinds as the sort of thing where, if it’s useful, use it - but if not, don’t worry about it mate. On the other, we have a group who seem to see themselves only, at the time, through the perspective of the assessment, and felt, it seemed, somewhat threatened by our utter disregard for it. After our mostly, although not exclusively, civil dis-

cussion, both sides disconnected from Skype and spent the remaining 10-15 minutes of the meeting expressing, in no uncertain terms, how completely insufferable the behaviour of the other group was. It was a challenge that came up quite a few times, in different manifestations, throughout the year and the two weeks in Malawi (one time quite spectacularly – you can ask me about that personally). We were all as prepared, I think, as a group of university students from developed countries could be for the cultural surprises that a trip to one of the poorest countries in Africa could bring. More accurately, we were all prepared for being completely unprepared. In the process of this, I think we made the mistake of assuming, as I think many people do, that there wouldn’t be any cross-cultural obstacles between the Australians and the Americans. In fact, I don’t even think we got as far as making that assumption: it wasn’t even a consideration to make assumptions about. Both groups were comprised of university undergraduate students from developed, Western, English-speaking countries, so really, how different could they be? In the end though, those cross-cultural experiences were some of the most challenging for the whole experience on both sides, I believe. Finding these firm cultural sticking points, between groups who seem on the surface to share so many common characteristics, was surprising and showed us all that when dealing with any culture other than our own, there’s going to be challenges. Especially when the Americans are so obviously wrong!

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Feature

“Partridges Are Their Own Worst Enemy”: Kurdish Divisions And The Dream Of A Homeland Alix Biggs

Ignored, maligned and suppressed, the Kurds suffered greatly in the twentieth century. Undoubtedly losers in the carving up of the Middle East that followed the First World War, the Kurds have spent a century struggling to maintain common identity in spite of the state borders that now divide them.

The Kurds are a distinct ethnic group within the Middle East, and can claim to be the world’s largest stateless nation. There are over thirty million Kurds, occupying swathes of Iraq,

Turkey, Iran and Syria. Kurdish nationalists have for decades employed terminology that seeks to transcend the countries they inhabit, speaking instead of Greater Kurdistan as an entity that unites all Kurds. Such rhetoric, however, disregards the cultural, linguistic and political divergences that have repeatedly divided the Kurdish people. In addition to the physical borders that split their traditional homeland, the Kurds face growing internal divisions that threaten to erect further barriers to statehood. The Kurds are currently experiencing a period of renewed attention on the global stage not accorded to them since the brutality of the genocidal Al-Anfal Campaign waged against them in Iraq in the 1980s. They are at the forefront of the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and are seen as a potential beneficiary of the conflict. They are experiencing increased legitimacy internationally as they are armed and aided by a number of foreign governments, strengthening their claims for autonomous statehood. Additionally, however, many Kurds have been displaced and are emigrating from their traditional homelands in the Middle East. In the midst of this current upheaval, many Kurds are questioning what it means to be Kurdish and whether international borders will ever reflect their notion of Greater Kurdistan. A well-known Kurdish proverb attests that “the Kurds have no friends but the mountains,” and the Kurds have repeatedly found truth in this. Especially in the wake of oppression by host governments, Kurds have been forced to become self-reliant. This has not proved enough to unite the Kurds, and internal divisions are rife. During the mid 1990s, Iraqi Kurdistan (an autonomous region since 1993 under the protection of an American no-fly zone) experienced a brutal civil war that exposed the deep fissures that divide Kurdish society. Political dispute between the two major parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic

Party (KDP) erupted into deadly violence, drawing in Kurdish factions from Iran and Turkey. Within living memory for most, this brutal period has resonated with Kurds, deepening and solidifying political divisions. Memory itself is a barrier to unity, and in Iraqi Kurdistan a repetitive narrative appears to be emerging. Some have suggested that Iraqi Kurdistan is once again near the point of irrevocable fracturing. Widespread strikes and sometimes violent protests marred the second half of 2015, with much of the public dissatisfied with delays in the payment of public servant salaries, a dire economic situation and a lack of infrastructure development. Serious political maneuvering is necessary to avert an internal crisis as wider Iraq struggles to contain the threat of the Islamic State.

their distinct sense of ethnic identity by terming them “Mountain Turks.” In Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime tried to completely eradicate the Kurds through a genocidal campaign that drew the condemnation of the global community. In Iran, the Kurds continue to be denied political agency, and are regularly harassed by state security services. The Kurds share a common narrative of oppression and discrimination, and yet nation building cannot be founded upon this alone.

The geography of the Kurdish homelands has also manifested itself in cultural and linguistic divisions. Much of the Kurdish homeland is mountainous. This has proved both a blessing and a curse to the Kurdish people; at times of extreme suffering, Kurds have fled to the mountains for sanctuary, and yet equally their immovable topography has, over the centuries, resulted in ethnically homogenous Kurds who are otherwise very different. The mountains that protect them also form a barrier to communication and collaboration. The most striking example of this is their language: Kurdish encompasses three main dialects – Kurmanji, Sorani and Pehlewani – which are all distinct and not always mutually intelligible. People from different regions who identify as Kurdish speaking may not always understand each other, which in turn reinforces cultural differences. Kurds from different areas maintain varying traditions of food, handicrafts and folklore, and in some cases struggle to find commonality.

dinya hemi neyare kewi ye kew ji neyare xwe ye.

Barriers have also been placed in the way of Kurdish social advancement. For many decades in Turkey, learning, speaking and publishing in Kurdish was outlawed, and official policy sought to deny the Kurds

There is a proverb in Kurdish that reads

Its English translation does not echo the poetic nature of its original language, but the sentiment remains the same, addressing the problem of disunity among the Kurds: “the world is the enemy of the partridge, but partridges are their own worst enemy.” In order to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of Kurdish nationhood, the Kurds must themselves seek unity and cohesion, lest they become their own worst enemy.

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Feature

The Sinister Secret Behind Shangri-La’s Hazy Façade Michelle Hao Soft wisps of silvery mist unfurl across the lush peaks of Yunnan (South-Western Chinese province), Laos and Myanmar obscuring the vast expanses of emerald rice paddies. Yet cleverly disguised in these mosaic fields, a thriving industry for drugs continues to bloom. According to UNODC (United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime) it is estimated that 3000 tonnes of marijuana has been grown and sold during the past 20 years in this Golden Triangle. South East Asia has been crowned the lost ‘Shangri-La’, a rediscovered Utopia for tourists that appears an Eden of the past. Untainted by the rapid industrialisation of World’s Eastern Special Economic Zones, Yunnan, Laos and Myanmar are the last places in Asia where the sapphire sky remains visible to the naked eye. For the province “this was both a blessing and curse” as according to anthropologists who work in the region “to keep up with its reputation and sustain tourism, the curse of Shangri-La leaves Yunnan in limbo”. The local municipal governments have

prohibited any mass industrial activity in this ‘protected region’. To the untrained eye, this is a land of simple life, but behind the façade of heaven on earth, are a people driven desperate by poverty, with a severe lack of infrastructural development. The Golden Triangle has a total population of almost 1 million, but has less than 50 high schools. The “Golden Triangle” region has a vast amount of heroin processing factories, mostly located deep in mountains and rainforests. “Southeast Asian heroin”, or SEAHEROIN as it has come to be known, is a highly refined version of the drug that is sold around the world. Due to the low socio-economic status of South East Asia, Miao, Yao and Lisu farmers who dwell at the Golden Triangle area from generation to generations specialise in poppy cultivation. Majority of them are uneducated middle-aged women in decorated, pleated dazzling skirts with sophisticated patterns, batik apron and embroidery shoe. These women, due to

the lack of an advanced government welfare and subsidy system, would be unable to fund basic survival without the poppy-growing industry as a source of economic income, and for some, a shortcut to fortune. More and more Hill-Tribe farmers participate in poppy cultivation, resulting in a fast growing illicit drug production industry. According to The Economist: “Laos was long regarded as one side of the Golden Triangle, which was responsible for producing over half of the world’s opium as recently as the 2000s. After frequent government helicopters scan the fields, setting alight fields of suspected hemp crops. Villages had to find other ways to survive. Hemp crops behind hidden amidst wheat, potatoes and rows of corn. The government cannot control the situation due to heavy corruption. As one of the largest opium production countries in Golden Triangle area, Myanmar lived mainly the national minority people for generations by poppy cultivation for livelihoods.

In order to fight against the government to protect their opium farming, local farmers armed themselves. In these armed, the largest is the former Burma-Thai border Kun Sa (Khun Sa) group. They formed a powerful, armed force military of nearly 3,000 people in army uniform, with wellequipped weapons and actual combat experiences. Though South East Asian governments have offered no way of alternatives for Golden Triangle population to thrive other than the tourism industry which allows for the young and literate population to develop a worldwide vision. it offers no solution for the Hill-Tribe farmers to make a living. I strongly suggest the government along the Golden Triangle border to work together to enhance their agricultural production other than opium poppy cultivation, stop corruption, building more public infrastructures, hospitals and schools with UN aid.

NGA Tom Roberts Exhibition: An Experience Rory Caddis If you haven’t noticed from the plethora of advertising all over our beloved Capital and Action buses, the Tom Roberts exhibition is on now at the National Gallery of Australia. When I first heard about this, I was offended that our national gallery would show this artist’s first solo exhibition whilst the National Gallery of Victoria celebrated the monumental careers of Ai Wei Wei and Andy Warhol and the Art Gallery of New South Wales decorated its walls with works ranging from Da Vinci to Dégas. Therefore, I went into the Tom Roberts exhibition with major reservations. I felt as though the NGA was serving us the most basic Australian art to please the oldies and bring in some tourists. But this random Australian artist brought in the goods for the NGA. There was a line to enter to

the gallery the morning of the exhibition - keep in mind this was a Tuesday - and hordes of old people were lining out the door to collect tickets. Issue 1: I have never seen a bigger or more elaborate exhibition shop in my whole life. It was like a tacky typo store mixed with Country Road complete with “period” façade, oh and it was painted a dark blue - literally the most eye catching part of the whole exhibition. Issue 2: The layout was so boring, the walls were white. The rooms were chronological (original); there was one feature room which held the huge painting we all would have seen in high school at some point depicting the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Issue 3: The gift shop sold men’s hy-

giene products, why? The members café was also “high tea” themed for the duration of the exhibition, because Shearing the rams definitely screams ‘high tea’. Anyway, aside from the NGA’s obsession with commercialism, the celebration of the work and life of Tom Roberts could just be found under the thick layers of marketing and high priced shaving cream. Tom Roberts really was a brilliant member of the early Australian art world, and the NGA did do justice in describing his contribution. The art was of high quality and the collection was complete which gave one and expansive view at his oeuvre. The question one is faced when visiting such an exhibition is what the role of the NGA is. Should the public institution appeal to the masses with

this basic, but immensely popular, exhibition or should it aim to provide a platform for art to be explored and developed? Being a public institution it obviously should appeal to the masses, which sucks, because the masses don’t understand art and they have boring tastes which fuels theses commercialized exhibitions exploring an old Australian artist whose need for a solo exhibition is not really founded in my(very humble) opinion. In a perfect world the NGA would have enough funding to celebrate these amazing Australian artists of the past whilst being included in the international art conversation.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Arts & Reviews

Famous in Our Own Right Manon McPherson-Harrington

Recently, I’ve been learning to DJ. I’ve even played a gig, at La Di Da in Belconnen. I had a great time, and was very grateful to be given the chance to play alongside my mentor, Isaac Dugdale (Gate Five). There aren’t many female DJs around, which I knew before I started learning how to do it myself – but I hadn’t really experienced this lack of diversity before. Even though it was obvious that we were working together and both adding integral beats and synth chords to the mix, men kept coming up to Isaac and congratulating him. I kept trying to catch an eye, give a smile, but all unsuccessfully. I know this was because he knew these people, and it was his show, but this lack of recognition seems all too familiar when it comes to female DJs and musicians. More and more attention is being drawn to the fact that female mu-

sicians, and particularly DJs, aren’t taken as seriously as their male counterparts. First of all, they are often referred to predominantly by their former career position – DJing is merely seen as a hobby. This is demonstrated to an extreme extent in an article written by electronic music news website Run the Trap in 2014 about DJ Sasha Grey, who previously worked as an adult film star. The article started with this sentence: ‘that’s right, boys, longtime porn star Sasha Grey is heading out from behind the dicks to behind the decks as she attempts to make a (tramp) stamp on the EDM world.’ I can’t begin to point out the number of things that are wrong with this sentence. The article continuously refers to her as an ex-porn star, rather than a DJ, which seemingly removes the obligation of the magazine to show Sasha Grey in any respect as a musician.

This example exposes even deeper tensions between the the workplace and gender. A study done by Stanford School of Business a number of years ago found that women’s dedication in the workplace was most often interpreted as a ‘favour’, or ‘just being nice’, rather than actual talent and hard work. Female musicians are so often seen as just dabbling, because they aren’t recognised as legitimate until they have been in the music industry for a long time, or until a male musician decides to work with them, which is equally unfair. ‘Famous’, a song off Kanye West’s latest release, and ‘The Life Of Pablo’ is yet another example of this problem. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Kanye, and I’m sure plenty of people will agree with his lyrics just because they aren’t a fan of Taylor Swift – but finding her tacky doesn’t give Kanye an

excuse to be sexist. “I feel like me and Taylor still might have sex/Why? ‘Cus I made that b*tch famous.” It’s clear that Yeezy is referring to the infamous incident at the Grammys when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s best female video award presentation to say that Beyoncé should have one instead. The worst part of these lyrics is the idea that she owes it to him. Sadly, it is so commonly assumed that successful female women have had sex with powerful men in the music industry as a trade for fame, production benefits, or networking. Sometimes I think I’m lucky that I don’t particularly want to be a part of this industry; I wouldn’t want my success to be reduced to “blonde, size 10 girl attempts to DJ.”

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Arts & Reviews

5 Asian Musicians to Listen To Now! Lucy Li The Grammys, Oscars, and other awards ceremonies have all come under fire lately for their lack of diversity. In Australia, despite the fact that we live in the Asia-Pacific, very little is known about Asian music. Few Asian artists ever make it into the mainstream here, let alone into popular music charts. If you’re keen to broaden your knowledge of Asian music and listen to some tunes you may not have heard before, check out the five musicians I’ve reviewed below.

1. Zico At just 24, Woo Ji Ho – better known

as Zico – is a fearless leader of Korea’s hip hop music industry. Starting out as an accomplished rapper in Seoul’s underground scene, Zico has in recent years exploded onto Korea’s mainstream music charts as the leader of the K-Pop unit Block B. Block B have done several US and Asia tours and topped charts consecutively. As a solo artist Zico has collaborated with the likes of Jay Park and AOMG, Paolo Alto, MINO, CRUSH, Zion T, and received international attention for his songwriting and production. Some of his biggest hits include HER, Fear, and I am you, you are me, from his latest MP which also landed him a feature on Dazed and Confused. Other songs to listen to include: • Turtle Ship • Okey Dokey • Oh Jackpot • Veni Vidi Vici

2. G Dragon

When talking about Asian names in music, G Dragon is a no-brainer. Perhaps one of the biggest celebrities in Asia – if not the world – G Dragon has an overwhelming following of over 3 million on Instagram, and an enormous international fan base. Finding his start in the intensely successful K-Pop group BIGBANG, G Dragon has since branched out to work with big artists in both the Asian and Western industry. Missy Elliot was featured on his solo EP, and US producer Diplo, who has recently risen to fame with the release of What Do You Mean? and Where Are Ü Now? with Justin Bieber, has produced several songs for G Dragon and the two have worked closely in the past 5 years. The hit song Dirty Vibe featured both G Dragon and fellow Korean artist CL – who has just broken onto the American scene with her debut songs Dr Pepper and Hello Bitches. G Dragon is known by celebrities worldwide, and is even close friends with Grimes! He has built a strong bridge between the Asian and Western music industries in his own right. What to listen to: • Crooked • Michi GO • Dirty Vibe • You Do • Zutter • Coup de Ta • One of a Kind

3. Hyukoh

This band will make its way into your most played list in no time. A small but growing indie rock band from Seoul, Hyukoh has begun to earn its name in both Asian and Western music communities. Their influences stem from the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana, while interestingly incorporating elements of hip hop and 90’s “vaporware” glitch art aesthetics in many of their music videos and fashion concepts. The lead singer of Hyukoh, Oh Hyuk, spent many years as an art student in Beijing, gaining some attention in China before moving back to Seoul to start the band. Their hit songs include Big Bird, Comes and Goes, Hooka, Island, and Panda Bear. Be sure to watch music videos when listening to songs as many of them play a crucial part in the overarching narrative of their songs. Songs to listen to: • Panda Bear • Bowling • Island • Mer • Comes and Goes • Hooka • Big Bird • Wi ing wi ing • Parachute

4. Keith Ape

The rise of Trap music has become something of a hot topic this past year. If you’ve heard people at clubs shouting “it g MA” and “underwater SQUAD” you have the dangerous Keith Ape to thank. Recently featured in a mini documentary on VICE magazine’s music column Noisey, Keith Ape has made his mark on the international music scene, pioneering a new genre of Asia-centric hip hop culture. Shirts with Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters are becoming popular in urban skate/hip hop fashion culture and Asian hip hop is growing in appeal. Keith Ape works with his crew of rappers, the underwater squad, and big names in rap/ trap such as Japanese rapper Kohh, cjamm, Dumbfounded and more. He

has collaborated with Western artists including Denzel Curry, A$AP Ferg and Waka Flocka Flame. His biggest hits include It G Ma and Vigorous.

5. Young, Patient

Based in Canberra and Sydney, Young, Patient is a Chinese-Australian singer, songwriter/producer and rapper. She has collaborated with other local talents such as the Sydney-based producer 2two1 and Taka Perry. With ambitions to open up Asian music to the Australian market, she regularly covers Korean music along with popular western songs on her YouTube channel “Young, Patient,” and incorporates Chinese with English in many of her raps. She is also the lead singer of all-girl emo/punk band ampON. Her biggest hits include U MAD, MACHINES, and LIKE ME.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Arts & Reviews

Woroni Radio Playlist: Borders Brendan Keller-Tuberg, Mark Wilson, Molly McLaughlin and Annelise Corey Borders are made to be broken. They delineate difference and prevent migration, although they can also create a sense of identity and belonging. Our first playlist is comprised almost exclusively by musicians not from America, Australia, nor the UK. Among other genres, post-rock is featured this week (Radiohead, Toe, Sigur Ros, Boris, Oddarrang), which by definition looks to eclipse the boundaries of rock, dipping its feet into hip hop, punk, left-field electronica, neo-soul, and folk. The second playlist breaks the boundaries of hip-hop, folk, pop and electro, and emphasises the interconnectedness of our modern world by travelling from Colombia to Cuba, England to America, and all over Australia. They blend the borders of public and private spaces, singing and speaking, history and the present. Just try to put this weeks’ selections in boxes. We dare you. Playlist 1:

Playlist 1

Playlist 2:

Playlist 1:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. Missy Higgins – Oh Canada 2. Bomba Estereo – Mar (Lo Que Sien to) 3. Fraser A. Gorman – Big Old World 4. Radical Son, Urthboy, Trials – No No No 5. Horrorshow – Itchy Feet 6. Thelma Plum – Around Here 7. Ibeyi – River 8. Sampa the Great – Blue Boss 9. L-Fresh the Lion – Get Mine 10. M.I.A. – Borders 11. Little Simz – Wings 12. Crystal Fighters – Bridge Of Bones 13. Gordi – Nothing’s As It Seems 14. FKA twigs – Two Weeks 15. Chairlift – Crying in Public 16. Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were 17. Vallis Alps – Young 18. Montaigne – I Am Not An End 19. Girlpool – Before the World Was Big 20. Kendrick Lamar – These Walls

Playlist 2:

J Cole – Intro NGAIIRE – Around Radiohead – The National Anthem Songhoy Blues - Al Hassidi Terei Toe – All I Understand is That I Don’t Understand 6. Lykke Li – Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone 7. Jai Paul – BTSTU 8. Boris – Spoon 9. Fever Ray – When I Grow Up 10. Ash Koosha - Mudafossil 11. Esbjorn Svensson Trio - Goldwrap 12. Iceage – Forever 13. Phoenix - Lasso 14. Sigur Ros – Staralfur 15. Little Dragon – Klapp Klapp 16. Bjork – Pagan Poetry 17. Arisophanes – As You Want 18. Ben Frost – Venter 19. Asgeir – In The Silence 20. Oddarrang – Self-Portrait

Mon

Tues

Weds

Thurs

Fri

4:00 pm

ANU Bar Playlist

4:30 pm

ANU Bar Playlist

Feeling It

5:00 pm

Music to Grow Up To

Badhaus

Big Questions

Classical Music Show

5:30 pm

Music to Grow Up To

Acoustic Geography

Never Stop Moving

Dogchat

Oksana

6:00 pm

Sci Spy / Point Facts

3 Fingers

Never Stop Moving

Oh It’s On You’re Face

Rockin’ Sessions

6:30 pm

Let’s Review Things

Newy & Lloyed

Loving Local

Real Talk

That 70’s

7:00 pm

Femgaze

Barabajagal

Loving Local

Best of the Rest

Viv’s Fitness & Health

7:30 pm

Kong & Raider take ANU Students

Barabajagal

Zach, Mac + The Weekly Wrap

Uplink

Erotic Tales

8:00 pm

Beach Rats

The Dish

Uplink

8:30 pm

Beach Rats

Questions & Soda

9:00 pm

Persian Rug Store

Not Quite Disco

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Arts & Reviews

Radio Spotlight: ‘Feeling It’ Woroni Radio

This week’s featured Woroni Radio show is ‘Feeling It’, a 30 minute podcast of fresh EDM, Future Bass and Glitch Hop streamed on Wednesdays from 4.30-5pm on Woroni Radio and at ANU Bar. Who are you? I’m ‘Feeling It’, otherwise known as Lewis from Sydney. What are you doing at ANU? Actuarial Studies and Law, hoping to get more and more involved with music at ANU. What is your radio show about? Do you follow a theme? It’s mostly chilled EDM I like to listen to. Future Bass (think Flume etc.), Liquid, some more Glitch Hop is finding its way in there. I play a 30-minute set, and I try to make each set hyped up enough to get you excited, but chilled enough that you can actually study while listening to it. Where do you find your tracks?

Years of scouring SoundCloud for songs has left me with a bit of a stockpile, but it will definitely run out within a few more weeks. I generally always have music playing away in the background and when a song catches my attention I favourite it. I spend most of my time putting the episode all together as I’m pretty particular about transitions and creating a reasonable ‘mood’ throughout the whole set. What inspired you to do a radio show? I didn’t want to leave music behind at high school, and Woroni looked like a great place to get involved. I’m excited to show people some music that they may have not heard before, and I get to practice putting sets together which is also awesome. What’s the coolest thing that’s happened since you’ve begun your radio show? 2 pretty cool things. My set was played at ANU bar, which is so cool. It was really unexpected. My second set was played at my friend’s 19th and everyone was really enjoying it. It was

so cool seeing people enjoy my music and when I finally get some time to go to ANU bar I really hope for the same experience. What do you hope to do with your radio show? I really want to build it to the point I can reasonably do it live. Every week is more practice, but I wouldn’t want to do it live till I knew it would be ‘nearly’ as good as when I do it at home. What do you love about music? I love that a person can make music in their house, and within minutes of it being uploaded I can listen to it and enjoy it. Also, that music can be different so easily, and one decision made by a musician, like where to go with the piece they are creating, can change the entire feel of a song. I often will be listening to a song and it goes in a completely different direction than what I thought and it makes me interested straight away. Unexpected but good is hard to achieve and that’s what I really enjoy.

My family are all big music nerds, and with 9 of us it gets pretty intense listening to 3-4 instruments played at once when people are practicing. It’s a lot quieter in Canberra for sure. Would you agree that Woroni Radio peeps are the coolest people on campus? Non-obligatory yes! They are so helpful and they really know what they are doing. Some pretty awesome shows I recommend listening in whenever you have the chance. To tune into Woroni Radio weekdays from 5pm for shows and for 24 hours of music: mixlr.com/woroni-radio/ Find out more about Feeling It, including weekly set times at: https://www. facebook.com/feelingitradio/?fref=ts and listen here: https://soundcloud.com/ feeling-it-702581860

Tell me a (fun) fact about yourself.

Arts Week Exhibition – Exhibiting Artist Information The exhibition will be run during Arts week from the April 26 to 29 to celebrate the diversity and talent at the ANU School of Art. Each workshop will be represented in the fun exhibition run in conjunction with the ANU School of Art Society and ANUSA, with promotional support by Woroni. If you would like to exhibit your work, please send images and label details of the work you would like to exhibit with a 150 word bio to shancrosbie72@gmail.com.

Opening:

Tuesday 26 April at 6pm

Location:

Former Brian Kenyon Student Space (next to Commonwealth Bank, Union Court)

Install day:

Friday 22 April (9am – 5pm)

Artist bio (150 words) and work details due: Monday 11 April

Contacts:

Shan Crosbie – shancrosbie72@gmail.com 0481113305 Bridie Mackay - bridie.mackay7@hotmail.com

36 Issue 4, Vol. 68 Arts & Reviews

Art in Woroni Shags—Printmedia

Asavari Donath —Furniture/Wood

Ella Morrison

Wayne Creaser—Furniture/Wood

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Arts & Reviews

Lily Pedvin’s minimalist portraits of students from the ANU School of Art aim to reveal the variety of personalities that inhabit the creative spaces here on campus. She hopes to dismantle the ‘art school student’ stereotype and show that we are of all ages, backgrounds, dreams and aspirations.

Lily Pedvin Canberra Stories 2016

Samantha Ristic—Photomedia

Jeremy Brown—Furniture/Wood

Pixie Be—Textiles

Campbell Chalmers—Printmedia

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Arts & Reviews

Anderson .Paak’s Malibu: A Review Matt Bowes

When Anderson .Paak broke through onto the mainstream hip-hop stage last year, appearing on no less than 6 tracks of Dr Dre’s comeback album Compton, the story told in the press was one of a master handing on his legacy to his new protégé. Dre was 50 after all, and given the tortured recording process that his third studio album had had, and the finality with which it arrived, a fourth was looking pretty unlikely. Compton, some said, was his chance to pass on the baton to the current generation of MCs, who weren’t weighed down by memories of their former glories. But while there’s no doubt .Paak’s music showcases much of the same lyrical nimbleness and musical dexterity that defined the best of Dre’s early work, he’s anything but unburdened. On ‘The Dreamer’, the album’s closer, .Paak sums up his childhood in Oxnard, California, through the lens

of the cable TV that was piping old reruns into his living room. It’s a fitting culmination for an album that constantly feels like it’s moving backward, hurtling toward this point in time, this microcosm of youth, reflected back at .Paak through the eyes of his children. .Paak’s story goes to the core of what it means to be a person of colour in a predominantly white country; with a family notable only by their absence, a father behind bars, a mother addicted to gambling, identity crises, destitution and homelessness. It’s heavy stuff, but .Paak sells it with aplomb, his voice, with its incredibly rare timbre, giving the music a warm yet defiant tone, lulling you with its elegiac quality, not singing, not rapping, merely emoting. As his forbear Dre would attest, it takes skill to talk about real pain without diminishing it. But whereas NWA’s anger animated their experi-

ence injustice, .Paak takes a different outlook. ‘We never had to want for nothing/ All we ever need was love,’ he sings, with unerring conviction, on ‘The Bird’, displaying a belief in the power of human feeling that harkens back to Gaye’s famous, ‘Only love can conquer hate.’ Like Gaye, .Paak seems to see hardship as integral to our experience of love, testing it, challenging it, but not obscuring its real beauty. It’s why, after starting off talking of his beginnings, .Paak turns his attention the present, allowing his compositions to drift as he does, in and out of the moments that have enlivened his slow climb to success in the music industry. On ‘Without You’ in particular, .Paak plays out a fight that he’s had with a lover, trading lines with the artist Rapsody, before deciding that if he can’t have love he’d rather not feel at all, because ‘What good is a heart if it can break?’.

Ultimately it’s this heart-on-sleeve emotion, grounded as it is in the deeds and misdeeds of the past, that makes .Paak’s music essential, especially when played against the backdrop of a US that is at once angry and eerily soulless. It’s a nation which, more than ever, needs this music, not just to recount everyday inhumanities, but to provide an impetus for change. From Killer Mike’s social activism, to Black Lives Matters protesters chanting Kendrick’s ‘Alright’ at rallies, musicians like .Paak finally have a chance to make a statement with their art, and they’re taking it with both hands.

A Life of Creativity: Woroni Speaks With Bertie Blackman Miguel Galsim Bertie Blackman, Australian musician and dedicated creative, flew down to Canberra from Sydney on the evening of Friday 11th March to perform at PARSA’s “Let Her Rip” concert. It wasn’t her first time performing at the ANU, and with the concert raging in ANU Bar, Woroni sat down with Bertie in the quiet of Pajenka’s to discuss creativity, music, and the efforts of women in a male-dominated industry. Bertie hails from a family of creative-types in Sydney and said that the arts were a key part of her childhood. Music remained her main focus throughout her life, and while she did not attend university, she often visited and performed for friends who did attend. “I didn’t get a degree in the end. Although, it just depends; as a musician in university you learn about different structures of music and composition, but I guess as a songwriter it all comes from within,” she said.

Bertie also spoke about her “snap decision” to move to Melbourne five years ago. She found that “change is really important. If you wake up in the same place every day, and you know what to expect, then you need to shift something. There’s only so much you can write about that.” In terms of her inspirations, she noted her love of words and mental imagery as central to her craft. “I have a vivid imagination, so I make up a lot of stories and worlds in my head... It’s a very ephemeral feeling,” she said. Visual arts, books, and films also fell into the equation, with Bertie acknowledging her habit of “people-watching”. “It’s stories, really. When I meet a stranger, I like to ask about where they’re from and what they do, rather than just writing about your own stories all the time. It can get pretty boring. I’m just interested in general about where people come from, and what makes them tick... I think you’ve got to have that curiosity as an artist.”

Her latest album, The Dash, was released in 2014 and carries a prevailing 1980s sound. She named her mother as an inspiration for the style, and recognised the 80s as her “formative musical years” and a fond part of her childhood. “I wanted to do a record about how that sounded to me, in my head.” However, she said that she tended “to change pretty drastically” from record to record. For her, creating new bodies of work was about “exploring new territory. That might come in the form of appreciating 80s-structured pop music, but it will sound very different”. Speaking on the challenges of women in the music industry, Bertie said that there were things more challenging for women, but that there were also challenges for men as well. “When it comes to music, women are far more sexualised,” she said, with their appearance being privileged over

their musical abilities and inner qualities. “When I tour with other bands, usually I’m the only girl on tour and I’m surrounded by like, 17 men... For me it’s just about equal opportunity between people. But in a male-dominated industry, it can be challenging sometimes.” In the end, Bertie stated that “you just have to be who you are. Be really fierce and really own your sense of individuality.” She finished by speaking on what she wanted listeners to take away from her music, and said: “if you break off a piece of memory from my show, and keep it like a special flint and watch it in your hand every now and then – I’d give them that.”

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Life & Style

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Summer Style

Photography and Outfits by Millie Wang

N. O I S S E R P X E ONE E H T E R A YOU SHION, A F S E IN F E D O WH

LSE NOT ANYONE E AT TITUDE. PAINTERLY ST YLE O F CO -ORDS LIGHTEN YOUR DAY

ESSENTIALS. FLOWERY DRESS DENIM JACKET

AND A DARCY TOTE

GO OUT AND BE YOURS ELF

NG ARE ESSENTIALS FOR SPRI

Life & Style

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Fuckboi Spotting

With Codie Bell and Jessy Wu The fuckboi (fuccboi, fukboi, fuckboy) is not simply a boy who you fuck. He is a boy who only wants to fuck, who feels ‘confined’ when he is not allowed to fuck around, and who doesn’t care if he fucks you over. This is the word that heterosexual women have been searching for since the sexual revolution. It addresses a tension that began then and continues today: women can have sex with whoever they want, but when the only offerings are fuckbois, is the sex worth having? In this column, Codie Bell and Jessy Wu have put together a guide to help you identify and avoid fuckbois before feelings can develop. Disclaimer: This column describes only tendencies and general characteristics. Any resemblance to real persons the authors have dated or fucked is coincidental, and any correspondence on this issue will be answered with ‘well if the shoe fits, fuckboi’

The first specimen we are examining is the troubled intellectual fuckboi.

Habitat The troubled intellectual fuckboi is most often sighted in cafes that exclusively hire male baristas, discussing roasting methods and the superiority of cold brew. On the rare occasions he condescends to attend a tutorial, he can be heard asking ‘but is the author really dead?’ That is, when he isn’t busy interrupting women in the class. He lines his nest with classic rock posters, and will be demonstrably impressed if you can recognise David Bowie. There are also posters of street art – although they are definitely not Banksy – and he will smile smugly if you assume they are.

Mating Call “You know, you are really mature for a first year.” “To understand me, you really need to read Machiavelli’s The Prince.” “You’re familiar with Haruki Murakami? I’m impressed.”

General Description The troubled intellectual fuckboi lures you in with his eagerness to ask the ‘big questions’ and his ability to create ‘totally inspired’ playlists that somehow all resemble the soundscape of a 2012 Australia Day barbeque. Once he has you in his web, he will begin to confide in you about his ‘complicated relationship with my biological father’ and his self diagnosed

‘inability to trust women’. He thinks labels ‘confine him’, because how can his feelings be surmised with a mere label such as ‘girlfriend’? Although he does have a complicated relationship with his ex, and he makes sure to remind you that you ‘would never be able to understand’. He is always eager to discuss his own issues, and always finds a way to bring up his parents’ divorce. Uncannily, when you try to open up about yourself, he will always find a way to reroute the conversation back to something about him. He positions himself as the arbiter of good taste, and smiles approvingly when your tastes resemble his, while smugly dismissing everything else you enjoy as ‘so high school’.

Sport

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Campus Style

David Mang

Em Roberts

Gabriela Freeman and Tianna Butler

Elena Bild

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Life & Style

France After the November Attacks: An Insider’s Perspective Rachel Kirk

At the front of the long line, a security guard is meticulously going through people’s bags, and checking their IDs. Without ID, you’ll have no luck getting in – some people have taken to carrying their passports around to prevent problems. This is a university library in Guyancourt, at the outskirts of Paris.

In the terrorist attacks of 15 November 2015, 130 people died after suicide bombings and shootings in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis and the Bataclan theatre in Paris. These were the deadliest attacks on France since the Second World War, and, since then, France has officially been under a state of emergency.

The same procedure takes place in all the university buildings around here. You have to leave extra time in the mornings when you’re rushing to class to make up for the security procedures outside, flatly refusing entry if you have forgotten your wallet.

The state of emergency involves significantly increased levels of security, as well as a number of raids directed at suspected terrorists. Large public gatherings are banned. While this can, and has, applied to anything as innocent as sporting events, it more controversially allowed the French government to ban particular environmental marches late last year. The state of emergency has recently been extended until the end of May, and may well draw on even longer – there has even been discussion of making it permanent. That the results of this system can be felt five months on, outside Paris itself, shows the deep effect

The shopping centres have guards to check customers’ bags. While getting into any of the Parisian museums has always been tough, it is now like going through airport security. This is France under the French government’s national security system for the current state of emergency, Plan Vigipirate.

the attacks have had on the French national psyche. The repercussions of the increased standard of security have been severe. Parliamentary debate over the past couple of months has centred on proposed laws that would allow the French government to strip citizenship from convicted terrorists with dual citizenship, even from those born in France. These are extremely similar to the laws that Australia passed in December of last year, and have already proved unpopular – the Minister for Justice, Christine Taubira, controversially resigned over this proposal. These laws have received approval from the National Assembly, the French Parliament’s lower house, and will go before the French Senate later in March. These governmental responses are especially concerning given the current environment in Europe regarding immigration and refugees. Today’s

France is far less welcoming than it would have been in the past. Support for far right parties is increasing drastically. The Front National, in particular, known for its xenophobic policies and extremely conservative stances on other issues such as equal marriage, is rapidly gaining in popularity. It would be hard to deny that some of this support is a direct result of the attacks – they have shaken French society in a unique way, making citizens feel unsafe in a way that previous attacks, such as those upon satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, have not. Five months on, the responses to November’s attacks in Paris are still felt in French society. The level of security even on the outskirts of Paris is high, and the state of emergency, and all the consequences of this, will not stop until May at the earliest. Without a doubt, legal and political repercussions will continue to appear throughout the months and years to come.

A Letter From Abroad: Montréal, c’est le fun! Alana Cunningham

“I’m from Australia.” “Woah, that’s far!” This is generally the first conversation I will have upon meeting people in Montréal. While I feel a little chuffed that I can impress them by simply being Australian, each time it happens it reminds me of how far away from home I am. But that’s why I’m on exchange, to try my hand at life away from creature comforts and to experience all that this city and l’Université de Montréal has to offer me.

Let’s start with the weather. Now, people warned me about the infamous Montréal winter and I dismissed them, thinking, ‘I’m from Canberra; I can deal with the cold!’ However, when that -40 wind chill came around, it took me a minute to comprehend – then a good few minutes more to realise that I had class and would have to face it head on, literally. Living on Res has been a huge change as well. The proximity to campus is great and after living with my parents for 22 years, I’m making the most of the independence. I’ve enjoyed taking the time to cook for myself, I’ve even embraced the satisfaction of doing my washing and cleaning my room so it’s just how I like it. I’ve been lucky enough to make some close friends who also live in Les Résidences. We

have spent numerous hours in the kitchen together, sharing in good times and great food. Speaking of friends, after making an effort to go out and meet new people in the ‘Semaine A’, I managed to wind my way into a wonderful group of international students. We’ve had many a party (including a very successful Sausage Sizzle I threw for Australia Day) and I have never had to worry about not having a social life. What’s more, they are mostly Francophone so I’m able to practice my French with them. I’m grateful for my Anglophone friends here all the same because sometimes the French just gets too much! That’s what I love about this city though, bilingualism is well accepted

and as much as I try my best to speak French when I’m ‘oout and aboout’, having the option to fall back on English if I become really lost in translation is simply comforting. I can’t believe that my exchange experience is just over half way through. While I would not say everything has gone perfectly, the positives have definitely outweighed any negatives and I would not change where I am right now for anything. P.S. One last word of advice about exchange – embrace ALL the new experiences because honestly, you’ll only get out what you poutine!

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Sport

The Ultimate Cult Daisy Ewan To most people, ‘Frisbee’ is something friends muck around with on the beach or in a park. When you add ‘ultimate’ in front of it, the sport just seems so much more baller (and that’s something, considering not a single ball is used, as Merryn Christian likes to point out to me when she tries sadly - to argue Quidditch is more of a legitimate sport than ‘ultimate’). In the world of make-believe sports, Ultimate Frisbee is the most successful sport to ever emerge from the dubious colored history of ‘park shenanigans’. But what is Ultimate? I’m sure many of you have asked yourself this question after observing at some point an ultimate player in their natural habitat (i.e. throwing a disc on Fellows). Ultimate is played similarly to grid-iron with the aim of catching a disc in an ‘end zone’ to score. Yet it also combines the non-contact and ‘no moving with the disc’ rules of netball, with the free-flowing athleticism of AFL. While numbers world-wide are hard to quantify, the US has over 5.1 million players, and Canberra itself has over a thousand people registered in the local leagues. Late last year, Ultimate was recognized by the Olympic

Committee and from there it’s only a matter of time before it is introduced to the Summer Olympic Games. Ultimate already has a world competition format held every 4 years, which is going to be held this year in London. After a year of grueling training camps, one of ANU’s own, Adelaide Dennis, has been hand-selected to represent Australia on the ‘Firetails’ - the Australian Women’s team. More importantly, it is among the biggest sports at EUGs and AUGs - last year, the ANU ultimate club sent two teams to AUGs - that’s more individuals than any other club. So basically, if you had fun last year at EUGs with the netball or rugby teams and wished you could have repeated the experience on the gold coast, you chose the wrong sport! What initially attracted me to the sport was its versatility as an all-season game; I am personally a netball convert who started playing in my 3rd year of university with the aim of maintaining my fitness in the off-season. Ultimate not only maintained it, but exponentially improved it! Games are an hour and a half long, and when our teams travel to weekend tour-

naments, four or five high intensity games a day is normal. Ultimate players are now some of the most serious athletes around; we train longer, run faster, and throw harder, proving just how far the modern sport is from a dog and a park. Yet don’t let this intensity put you off - ultimate is played in Canberra and ANU at social league level if you just want to have a great time with friends every week (just check out http://canberraultimate.com/). As it is a sport most people only begin at university, it’s a fun way to bring friends or work colleagues with different sporting backgrounds together - it evens the playing field, so to speak. Ultimately (hehehe), it was the social element of the sport that kept me hooked. Don’t get me wrong - Frisbee is a cult; It’s just one of those really great ones where once you’re in, you don’t know what the outside world is like, but you are having so much fun and meeting so many great people that you don’t care. You don’t even realize that your Facebook feed is filled with tournament pictures (both of the sport and party variety). You don’t realize that you haven’t seen your old

college friends in weeks, or that you are constantly going out with your friends to throw a disc. More tragically, you don’t realize until it’s too late that the problem with that guy from the bar that time wasn’t that he wasn’t smart enough or funny or good looking enough - it’s that your scale of attractiveness has been irreparably skewed; the epitome of ‘hot’ is now the guy who can pull off a full field hammer. At this point, you can never date a guy who can’t throw a decent forehand; you have two choices: dump him, or make him come along to ANU training!!!!! From the current high priestess of the Ultimate Cult, come and join hands with us in song and praises (and serious hammers) on Wednesday nights at Fellows, from 6pm! ANU Ultimate Club: http://www. anuultimateclub.com/ North Canberra Ultimate League (most popular among ANU students) starts April 6th: http://canberraultimate. com/e/ncul-autumn-2016

Flying Foxes: Money Isn’t Everything In The Premier League James Mount What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? It just so happens that we may be about to find out. As the English Premier League barrels towards its conclusion, Leicester City appears to be that unstoppable force. Staring their critics right in the face, they have consistently defied the belief that league titles cannot be won unless hundreds of millions of pounds are spent every year on established, world-class players. Led by the extraordinary performances of Jamie Vardy (league leading 19 goals) and Riyad Mahrez (14 goals and 10 assists), Leicester sit on top of the ladder 2 points clear of Tottenham in second with only 11 games left. Perhaps more significantly after the weekend games, they are 5 points clear of Arsenal and 9 points ahead of Manchester City. For many, the latter two were considered the main title contenders at the beginning

of the season. When the cost of the Foxes squad is compared with that of its three main rivals the significance of their performance thus far is magnified. The combined cost of the Foxes squad is reported to have cost between 26 and 50 million pounds. Big money to some, but when placed next to Manchester City’s expenditure of 450 million as well as Arsenal and Tottenham’s 250million and 160million respectively, it seems positively minuscule. Even 11 games out from the finish, their hard-earned lead could well be decisive. Leicester’s draw is by far the kindest of the top four vying for the title. In their remaining games they play only three teams currently inside the top 10 (Southampton [7th], West Ham [6th], Manchester United [5th]). Meanwhile, Arsenal faces both Tottenham and Manchester City, allowing Leicester to sit back

and enjoy watching their rivals take valuable points off each other. Furthermore Leicester has no remaining cup matches to distract them. In comparison Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal are all still competing in at least one if not two mid-week competitions. If that draw isn’t enough, Leicester also has statistics on their side. In the Premier League era no team has won the league with more than 6 losses. Given Arsenal and Manchester City are already on 6 losses the pressure will be on them to be near flawless in the run home. The Foxes certainly have it all in their favour (including the support of all neutrals around the world), and if they continue to feed off their current momentum, it will be very hard to chase them down. The acid test will come in their last 3 games when they come up against Manchester United (pushing for a

top 4 spot), Everton and Chelsea (the reigning champions who are finally finding some form). In order to be confident of taking out the title the Foxes must go into those last three games with a 5-point lead over all their challengers. If they can reach that milestone, it is Leicester’s to lose, but if their lead is 3 points or less a repeat of Liverpool’s disastrous conclusion to the 2013/14 season is certainly on the cards. As this Premier League season has demonstrated more than ever, results can never be taken for granted and undoubtedly many twists and turns are ahead. One thing is certain however; football fans around the world will be glued to their television screens as the curtain is drawn on what has been the most unpredictable and enjoyable season in the Premier League era.

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Sport

Everything Is Awesome Hiking Around Canberra: Booroomba Rocks And Lego Land Jiaying Goh

“Please come hiking with us at Booroomba Rocks this weekend – we’re trying to take photos for Woroni!” Facebook post, 2016

Booroomba Rocks

Getting to the Booroombra Rocks trailhead is really easy. You will need: 1. a 1998 Toyota Corolla; 2. dank beats; 3. a cassette to 3.5mm headphone jack converter for item (1); 4. L plates, also for item (1); and 5. at least four really opinionated and constantly hungry friends. Driving there from the ANU on a sunny Saturday takes about an hour. Follow the road signs south to Tharwa. Continue south onto Naas Rd, before turning right onto Apollo Rd. Eventually, there will be a sign on your right that reads ‘Booroomba Rocks’. Drive 3km along a dirt road, until you reach a clearing with maps and markings on a surprisingly delightful pit toilet. The trailhead begins at the sign which

reads, “Booroomba Rocks: 30 minutes/1 hour 45 minutes return”. The walk is fairly easy, and is suitable for inexperienced hikers, as there is only one trail which leads you to the top.

the sort of dirt road that makes you wish you had a giant Land Rover and a full driver’s licence, but carpe diem! (Please be careful and maintain a safe distance at all times between vehicles.)

Lego Land After returning to the cars, we decided that Booroomba Rocks had not quite quenched our thirst for adventure. Luckily, we had a Rooftop’s map for the area (they are easier to read, and have more track notes than your standard topographic maps; you can also purchase them at any good outdoors store). On that map, was a spot near us marked “Lego Land – rock climbing spot with good views”. UTM Coordinates 6-7628, 60-5863.

Finding Lego Land itself was actually fairly difficult. After walking past a clearing with several giant rocks, we found a small track that led further north. We walked a few hundred metres down this track, before bumping into some rock climbers. They told us that this track would lead us straight back to Booroomba Rocks. To get to Lego Land, we turned back to find a small, easily missed track track directly to our left. It led to another a collection of giant granite boulders, which we navigated around, trying to find a high point with good views. You will know that you’re in the right place if you’re sitting on a flattish collection of rocks, and there are a few metal rock climbing hooks attached to a wall nearby.

We drove to the nearby Honeysuckle Creek Campground from Booroomba Rocks. There is a dirt trail to the right, near the end of the bitumen road at the campground. The beginning of the walking track to Lego Land is 3km further along this dirt road, which is

From there, we scrambled across rocks and squeezed carefully between rocks, passing giant cameras between us. We found a cave. From this cave, you can then squeeze through a gap on your right, and then through another gap, until, suddenly, your head pokes out and you’re literally on top of the world. Holler at all your friends, gingerly transfer their giant cameras through the gaps, and lead them up – because everything is cool when you’re part of a team. When we got back to the Toyota Corolla, it was revealed that my car remote had run out of battery, so we couldn’t disable the immobiliser and start the car. But it was okay, because: Everything is better when we stick together Side by side, you and I, gonna win forever, let’s party forever We’re the same, I’m like you, you’re like me, we’re all working in harmony.

Sport

Issue 4, Vol. 68

World T20 Episode VI Ali Bulbul

For many avid sporting enthusiasts, the satisfaction of supporting your team colours inspire worldwide communities to converge for one purpose, to witness high-level entertainment, expect the unexpected and to be loud and proud of your nation’s participation and desire to succeed. The term “World Cup” reserves a special mention on behalf of all sporting events. This is due to all the hype, anticipation and excitement we all experience when a major tournament rolls around, this time culminating in the T20 World Cup hosted in India (8 March 16 – 3 April 16) and what a showpiece it promises to be! To all you cricket fanatics like myself or to those who just like to see a high-quality contest between bat and ball and can’t wait another moment, be sure to tune into all the action and witness history as well as the meteoric rise of one of the fastest developing brands in world sport. No matter who your team is, one thing is for certain is that entertainment is 100% guaranteed. To our newer audience who may not be familiar with all the teams participating in the tournament, the following provides a general preview on what to expect from your team and how they’ll fair in winning the title.

Best Finish: Semi-Finalists (2009, 2014) Preview: The prospect of leaving Hashim Amla or Quinton De Kock out of their best XI highlights the batting depth in their Squad. Consistently one of the more high-performing teams in world cricket, a reinvigorated SA side featuring plenty of fresh faces to the international scene, alongside seasoned campaigners and superstars in De Villiers and Steyn to mention too, SA will once again be looking to go one better than semi-finalists. Prediction: Semi-Finalists.

III. Sri Lanka:

World Ranking: 8th Key Player: Sachithra Senanayake. Best Finish: Winners (2014) Preview: A nation with a reputation for generating some of the most technically gifted batsmen in history, one of the keys to Sri Lanka’s success in this tournament lies in their off spinner, Senanayake. With a mix of veterans and relative newcomers, Sri Lanka batting is their primary strength with the skipper Mathews, Chandimal, Dilshan and the six-slogger T. Parera, highlighting an impressive batting unit that will be looking to make a big impact in familiar conditions. Prediction: Quarter-Finalists

IV. West Indies:

Group Stage: Super 10 Stage Group 1 I. England:

World Ranking: 6th Key Player: Jos Butler Best Finish: Winners (2010) Preview: What England make up for with a relatively inexperienced team in comparison to other playing nations is their ability to win matches in clutch moments in a match. Plenty of match winners with the bat including Hales, Morgan, Butler, Root and Stokes however their bowling department will be tested without the services of Broad and Finn. Prediction: Quarter-Finalists

II. South Africa:

World Ranking: 3rd Key Player: Imran Tahir

World Ranking: 2nd Key Player: Chris Gayle Best Finish: Winners (2012) Preview: A team comprising of experience, youth, power stroke making and promising fast-bowling to rattle a few team line-ups, the Calypso Kings will be out to make a massive statement in the competition and prove once again why they are one of the teams to beat. With a string of members tuned for T20 competition worldwide, expect some fireworks! Concerns over their lack of quality of spin bowling will test them at times. Prediction: Quarter-Finalists

V. Afghanistan:

World Ranking: 9th Key Player: Mohammad Shahzad Best Finish: First Round (2010) Preview: Making their 50-over World Cup debut in 2015, Afghanistan captured the heart of both Australia and New Zealand as hosts of the tournament for their approach to the game, culminating with their first ever win over Scotland. Fast-forward to 2016, put simply, this is a very good cricket team and have shown they deserve their place to compete with the world’s best. No one giving Afghani-

stan much of a chance to progress any further past the Super 10 First round, (after winning 3/3 of their associate group stage games) but let’s root for more upsets because it’s the romance cricket needs, but doesn’t deserve. In summary, Afghanistan are the men cricket needs, but not ones that cricket deserves. Prediction: Super 10 Group Stage.

best balanced line-ups in the tournament, New Zealand have shown in recent history their brutal best when it comes to batting and also consistent performances with the ball. The Black Caps Spin Trio in Santner, Sodhi and N.McCullum definitely complements their extensive pace-attack, highlighted by Trent Boult whose knowledge of the conditions in the subcontinent will be key in delivering his devastating best. Prediction: Finalists (Runners Up)

Group 2

IV. Pakistan:

I. Australia:

World Ranking: 5th Key Player: Adam Zampa Best Finish: Finalists (2010) Preview: Prior to a 2-1 T20I Series win against SA earlier this month, Australia had lost seven consecutive T20Is and were ranked a miserly 8th. However with a team full of big names and even bigger hitters, including Warner, Maxwell, Watson, Finch and the list goes on, Australia provide several match winners and many will be interested to see how they perform in spin-friendly conditions away from home, especially from young Adam Zampa, who is the sole primary spinner in the team. Prediction: Quarter-finalists

II. India:

World Ranking: 1st Key Player: Virat Kohli Best Finish: Winners (2007) Preview: The top ranked T20I Team and tournament hosts had won 10 of their 11 past T20I games prior to the tournament commencing, highlighting the fine touch the M.S Dhoni-inspired squad is currently in. Superstars including Kohli, R.Sharma, Yuvraj and of course Captain Cool himself to name few shows the well-balanced line-up India has in their batting. The two Ravi’s (Jadeja and Ashwin’s) spin-bowling will cause plenty of problems for international batsmen. India’s impeccable record at home suggests they’re the team to beat! Prediction: Champions.

III. New Zealand:

World Ranking: 4th Key Player: Trent Boult Best Finish: Semi-Finalists (2007) Preview: Entering the post-McCullum era of innovating New Zealand Cricket, the Black Caps will be out to continue their rich vein of form in the T20I circuit, highlighted by consistent performers Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill. With one of the

World Ranking: 7th Key Player: Mohammed Amir Best Finish: Winners (2009) Preview: Fellow subcontinental team Pakistan have arrived at the tournament with their opponents knowing what to expect, that is to expect the unexpected. Blessed with a team full of talent and an arsenal of left-arm fast swing bowlers at their disposal, Pakistan’s strength is their fast bowling & along with Shahid Afridi’s leg breaks and variations, collectively they will definitely cause headaches for many oppositions. With Batsmen beautiful condition to playing spin, they should be able to go deep into the tournament if they get it right. Prediction: Unpredictable but on their day they’re unbeatable (Semi-Finalists).

V. Bangladesh:

World Ranking: 10th Key Player: Shakib Al Hasan Best Finish: Super 10 Preview: From being the perennial underdogs to world beaters, Bangladesh’s dramatic turnaround in the last couple of years has taken the world by storm. Bangladesh are no longer a minnow now. Their progress as a oneday international side in the 2015-16 season has been exceptional, and the Tigers would be hoping to carry their momentum in the game’s shortest format, with a good showing in the ICC World Twenty20 2016. Securing a spot in the Super 10 Stage, Bangladesh is placed in Group 2, alongside a very tough pool in Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan. Bangladesh will be relying on the experience of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza to guide them through. Prediction: Super 10 Group Stage. Game On!

Satire & Humour

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

Satire & Humour

Second Year Law Students Shattered to Learn Criminal Law and Procedure is “Not at all like How To Get Away with Murder” Madhav Fisher

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and entrances,…” - Wiliam Shakespeare, As You Like It

And in criminal law, such a discussion of exits has been the fodder for fictional (“How To Get Away With Murder”), literal, and courts somewhere in between (Hey Judge Judy!). Since arguably its high point in “The Merchant of Venice”, the law in fiction has not been doing great. However, there is a special place combined with a certain TV show that destroys the hopes and dreams for participants more ruthlessly and brutally than any other. This place is the introductory lecture of LAWS1206 for students who expected it to be like “How To Get Away With Murder”. This TV show, loved by millions, deals in everything law students love. Attractive, wealthy lawyers; attractive, wealthy professors; and attractive, wealthy tutors. Yet don’t be fooled, there is some diversity from this character description, some are just attractive.

Headlining this attractive and (mostly) wealthy group is Professor Annalise Keating. This attractive, wealthy and black (Minorities!!!! Oscars!!! Chris Rock!!!) has a gaggle of interns who squabble and murder (just the two, wasn’t a habit). Through their adventures, these model legal students (models being operative) show what the study of criminal law is like. Thus, armed with legal insight from “How to Get Away With Murder” our newly sprouted legal flowers emerge into MCC Theatre 1, trembling with anticipation. First impressions are usually good. The cohort is attractive; mostly. A multitude of good-looking people, and others who succeed despite their (lack of) looks, sit in expectation. Then, the lecturer arrives. The lecturer is not an attractive, black woman. They are just a normal person, usually a little bit older. They are not dressed up, and carry a coffee,

stains of which are on their clothing and notes. They begin the lecture. It is different. The lecturer is not talking about discrediting the witness, introducing new suspects or anything. When do we get to lie down in a murder victim’s still bloody bed to recreate the scene of the crime? Maybe it’s just like this for the first week? Corporations will be like “Suits” though…right?

Satire & Humour

Oscars Scandal! Two Men Seen in SAME OUTFIT Bolwen Fu LOS ANGELES, CA – Following the #oscarssowhite controversy, the Academy is back at it again with its white nonsense as actor Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in a tuxedo identical to another guest. Academy Award President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, expressed her dismay, stating: “When our board of old, white, conservative men decided to finally give Leo his long-time-coming Best Actor award, we certainly did not think he would put on such a ludicrous display.

To do so made a mockery of the inherent privilege bestowed upon him.” Woroni sources later revealed that the other guest wearing the same tuxedo was Paddington, the bear from Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-nominated film The Revenant, whose brilliant performance in mauling DiCaprio was greatly lauded. This, like the lack of minority race nominees, similarly drew attention to the sore lack of bears nominated. Various fashion magazines and bloggers were quick to the scene with their takes on who wore the tuxedo better.

Blogger Perez Hilton wrote, “For a man as accomplished as Leo, the tuxedo may as well be default costume. And it is,” but continued, saying that, “While Leo dons well, Paddington wears it like a glove. The wooden cufflinks really bring out his large paws. His barrel chest and broad shoulders are complemented by the suit in a way no man can replicate.” Others were more critical of Paddington’s tuxedo choice. Glamour Magazine wrote “What the fuck is that bear doing in a suit?!”, while animal rights activists applauded the choice to have

him at the award ceremony in the first place. Perhaps more shocking than the #samesuit controversy, the Australian film industry managed to stay relevant without Cate Blanchett, with George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road picking up the most awards of the night.

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On? 21 March to 1 April

Event

Date/Time

Location

ANU Careers Tertiary to Work

11am-3pm Wed 23 March

National Convention Centre

ANU Sport ANU vs UC Intervarsity Challenge

6pm Wed 23 March

University of Canberra

CSSA Dragon Night Food Festival 2.0

5pm Wed 23 March

Union Court

Japan Club Sukiyaki Night

6pm Thu 24 March

ANU Schhol of Music

Vietnamese Student Assoc. Pho Dinner Night

7pm Thu 24 March

iPho Civic, Canberra

Black Hole Society Movie Night

7pm Thu 24 March

Unilodge Kinloch Theatre

ANU Careers GeoScience Aus. Careers

1pm Thu 24 March

RSES Lab 2 DA BROWN

Clubs & Societys ANUROVISION

5pm Fri 1 April

Union Court

Want to advertise your event with Woroni? Contact us at marketing@woroni.com.au Scan the QR codes for links to event pages!