Trimesters and UNE Orientation A Short History of Student Unions

At last U.N.E. has a student paper which, we hope NUCLEUS Vol. 1, No. 1, Feb 2013

Contents

Stewart Horsfield

Sarita Perston

The original Neucleus (1947-2005) stood for many things at UNE, most importantly as a tangible symbol for the student voice. It instigated and fuelled productive debate within the university and was a powerful player in the never ending struggle for the retention and advancement of student rights. It helped to achieve some great things for students, positively advancing the very structure of the university. It gave voices to those who needed and deserved to be heard, alerted students to serious issues within the university, and gave them the knowledge and grounding to fight for their best interests. It was the beating heart of the student culture, older than the university itself (circa. 1947, when UNE was still the New England University College, N.E.U.C., a branch of Sydney Uni), for 58 years. But, in 2005 it was let into careless and destructive hands, and was dismantled practically overnight. While the seven year break in publishing is not something we should be proud of at all, it is something very much worth remembering and should not be forgotten. The change of title and format stand as a reminder of what can happen when we let our guard down, and should bolster our resolve to never again let the student voice fall into such abysmal silence. We have worked hard to get this back, and we will fight to keep it. What is the Nucleus like? What kind of newspaper are we? First and foremost we’re a publication for students, by students, whose purpose is to facilitate and promote content of interest, relevance and value to the university community – particularly students. We work within the ethic of the UNEG mission statement: “To represent without fear or favour, the Undergraduates of New England. To encourage participation in a fair and just tertiary experience through shared higher thinking.” For our purposes, this is not limited to undergrads, although we aim to fairly and faithfully represent the various student cohorts, which will also mean an emphasis on externals (who make up over four-fifths of UNE students). Student newspapers have a history of being sharp, satirical, and creative, unafraid to say what people are really thinking and to demand student entitlements and the right to be heard. We have no intention of breaking with this tradition. Wordplay, edginess, comedy, and all other forms of literary

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- Editorials

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- Letters to the Editors

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- Trimesters and UNE

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- Feature: Student Unions

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- O-Week Survival Guide

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- ORIENTATION

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- Clubs & Societies

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- Info for Externals



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- Profile: Prof. Mike Morwood

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- Environment: Waste Not, Want Less

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- Art Pages

Back cover

- Neucleus, Vol. 1, No. 1

If you want to become a contributor for the Nucleus, please get in contact with us. We will constantly be looking for people to write articles and submit work of their own inspiration. Email us or go to our website for more information [email protected] www.nucleus.org.au Front Cover Art by: Victo Ngai www.victo-ngai.com

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of the Nucleus or UNEG. If you have an issue with an item published in the paper, write a letter and we will be glad to print it. All contributions must include name and contact details. Ensure that all contributions contain nothing that may be considered sexist, racist, discriminatory, violence provoking, or plagiarised. We assume our readers can tolerate a degree of satire and the odd swear word, but anything containing unnecessary profanity will not be published. Publication is always at the discretion of the editors. All content is published under the Creative Commons By 3.0 license. Refer to website for license information.

e, shows promise at least... and intellectual cleverness are acceptable, indeed encouraged, but we maintain that publication will always be at the discretion of the editors. We demand and jealously protect our, that is, the Nucleus’s, autonomy from the University and the controls of university administration and politicking. When push comes to shove, we answer to no-one but the students. Writing should ideally be of a high standard (in reality we want to encourage students as much as possible and have room for almost anything), and should promote intellectual dialogue, information and discussion, with each contribution being informative or entertaining (or both), and provoking thought and response from people involved in what is after all a tertiary education system, a body of higher thinking. There is no reason or excuse to dumb things down or to play it smarmy; to act insincerely or without integrity. Having said that, there is particular reason to make all content accessible to all students - both through distribution, but also through writing style and content. That means that while we may publish a philosophy column with mind-bending questions on the nature of reality, etc., we will aim to ensure that it’s written in layperson’s terms - in a way that means any person, any student, can pick it up and genuinely get something out of it.

Quality and accessibility are two things that are very important to us. So how should we look? We don’t know. We’re working that out as we go. We want something that looks and feels like a student newspaper, that makes you want to pick it up, not just to read it but to hold it. We want to be careful not to make it too much like the boring old tabloids that nobody reads, but to steer as clear away as possible from the glossy promotional mags of the university and of general pop culture publication. It’s a student rag, a bastion of student collectiveness and coherence within the University. Because UNE isn’t coherent: it’s fragmented and suffers from poor communication. Any information that is important for students - university news, info on clubs and societies, changes in policy and regulation, activities happening, where and how to get help and support, what we all need to know, should know, should care about, would care about if we knew, all of that - needs to be in the one place. So that’s (as much as we can make it) the Nucleus.



- The Editors

Undergrads

2013 is here and as for the past 75 years UNE has new influx of students, a refresh of future leaders exploring the opportunities that tertiary education in Armidale has to offer. This is a chance to reflect on the past, the present and future of each and every one of us. It is such a short time that most of us will be at UNE and although short it will have such a major influence on how we experience the rest of our lives. For those students joining in 2013 and enrolling for the first time, welcome. You have joined a fraternity that has proud history and tradition. UNE is the first regional university in Australia with some unique and quirky points and has a tradition of graduating generations of leaders and problem solvers. As a regional university we have some unique characteristics, approximately 80% of the students are external, 70% are women, 75% are over the age of 25 and UNE is growing each and every year; this is UNE. The UNE 2012 Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) survey highlighted health and welfare as the most important issue amongst the UNE students. The challenge is how we engage and explore unique ways to address health and welfare issues across a diverse student demographic. The one most common issue is the generational rotation of tertiary students. It is so short and it is incumbent upon each of us to ensure in the short time we are here the amenity of the future student experience. Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Sydney University, (Sydney University is the parent of UNE), and as I admired the buildings it occurred to me that they reflected a similar image at UNE, only regionalised. The buildings had the same mixture of old and new, the same mixture of cultures. I mused that if a future generation had not thought it important to invest in the next generation of graduates, universities would

be old, dusty and elitist. As you go about your studies take time to reflect on where you are and who played a part in the privileges you enjoy. With pride the undergraduate board has reinstituted a student newspaper (Nucleus) at UNE. It has been a long hard road to hoe. We should applaud the tenacity and dedication the Media Hub committee, especially Josh and the editors Stu and Sarita. To get this project off the ground was a massive effort. The Nucleus predecessor was a victim of the VSU; to have a forum for communication across this university is exciting and can only have benefits for UNE. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the undergrad board (UNEG) for their hard work and support through a tough few months. Without that support it would be a lonely journey and hardly worthy of the office. It is a poor leader who does not listen to the voice of dissent. For the student representative organisation (SRO) this will be a big year, the UNE undergrad and postgrad boards are focussed on student amenity. With this in mind there is potential for restructure and streamlining of administration and in turn a more effective and influential student voice. It is important that we work with UNE to have an independent and autonomous SRO, providing advocacy and representing fair and just tertiary experience for students. The theme at UNE this year is inspiration and aspiration, you as individuals are the inspiration and the course you are enrolled in is taking you towards your aspirations. Take full advantage of your tertiary education, it is a time for engaging in higher thinking and paradigm busting. In 2013 I wish you all good luck with your studies. - David Mailler, UNEG President

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Postgrads I am enormously honoured to be writing for the initial edition of the Nucleus. I believe a student newspaper is an appropriate platform that can be considered as a great forum for all UNE students in all of its different services. These services might include contribution to UNE community, collaboration between UNE students, engagement with UNE associations, and to be oriented and up-to-date with the news at UNE. As the President of Postgrads@UNE and the Saudi Students Club in Armidale I would like to welcome all UNE students to the New Year and I hope it will be a happy and productive one for all of you. Marvellously, as an international student from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia KSA, I feel very lucky to be studying in a town like Armidale. The people have been very friendly and I have enjoyed being a student here as I think

UNE is really the heart of the town. That means developing UNE associations and their activities properly can nourish Armidale culturally and economically. I am currently studying for a PhD in Physical-Chemistry. At home I have published a poetry book, named First Sight, in Arabic as well as presented some of my poetry in numerous local newspapers and specialised poetry TV programs. Besides being a very keen learner I have worked as journalist/editor in Nuqoosh Magazine, one of Saudi’s cultural and scientific magazines, during my study here for my Masters. As part of my duties for that magazine I have interviewed several UNE staff and students. I have had additional responsibilities like following the news; the achievements as well as some of the problems Saudi students encounter on scholarships. One last word, I highly encourage all UNE students to concentrate on their studies and to utilize their spare time wisely and effectively. - Abdullah Alanazi, Postgrad President

National Union of Students The National Union of Stu- nise that student services like this are central to campus life. dents is typically described as the peak representative body for university students in Australia. But NUS is more than this. It is a strong, dynamic and powerful voice for students that can be a formidable check on government policy positions and university decisions. I first became interested in NUS when I was in my first year of university and heard about something called a ‘National Day of Action’. This was a day where students around the country gathered together to demand a better future: fair youth allowance; an end to student poverty; saving student services and clubs and an end to voluntary student unionism. There is something very rewarding about being involved in student activism. It is a powerful thing to be in a rally with your fellow students; to hear the student voice across media headlines; to campaign around issues that affect us. Taking the fight to those who make decisions about our education and welfare is what matters. But we are only as strong as our members. This is student unionism and I encourage you to get involved in any way you can, because education changes lives and provides us with opportunities we might not have had otherwise. This magazine you are reading is a student service, and one that has been reinstated. For that reason, I am especially honoured to be contributing to it. It is important to recog4

Voluntary student unionism (which existed between 2006 and 2011) saw the loss of over $900 million from student services and activities. It also resulted in the collapse of a number of student organisations across the country. Student services and representative organisations need to be student-run and well funded. Students are best placed to know what students want. This is why NUS will be participating in a review of the SSAF legislation this year, and asking students how it can be improved. It is important for the SSAF legislation to be strengthened to ensure that students’ money is going to students and that your student organisations like your Guild are independent so they can stand up against the university for you when they need to. We are in an environment where higher education is suffering; the sector is starved for funds and the government has made no commitment to increase public funding. This year NUS will again be running a National Day of Action on March 27. We will be taking a stand against course cuts, press for increased uni funding, no increases to student fees and a strong student voice on campuses in the face of Uni Council cuts. Throughout the year we will be furthering these efforts and lobbying MPs and candidates in the election to ensure that they vote for our education. So, join the fight and get involved through your uni Guild. For more information visit: http://www.unistudent.com.au/ and follow me on Twitter: @NUS_President - Jade Tyrrell, NUS National President 2013

External I began studying a Bachelor of Biomedical on campus in 2009, but quickly learned it was not for me. I transferred to the Bachelor of Business (International Business), studying externally from the (much warmer) mid north Coast! Starting a new discipline by distance was very daunting at first. No set lectures, tutorials to mull things over with peers and lecturers and finding time to study amongst work and family obligations, I feared I would be left feeling isolated, disadvantaged and questioning whether I could really do this. To combat this, I clicked the emotions icon on then ‘blackboard’ to ‘unhappy’ and soon after I was emailed by student services who offered me a point of contact and ways to interact and engage to enrich my studies. From here I found was a spectrum of services to offer support. The first being online through ‘blackboard’, and then through the current system ‘moodle’. In this forum your study space is available 24/7 along with all the resources you need to succeed in every unit. Access to lecturers via moodle, email and phone also provided plenty of support options. Next were intensive

schools, which provided a great opportunity to meet students in similar situations and gain tips on how they make their study/life balance work. The New England Award (NEA) also provided me with the opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities just like internal students. With the academic support and NEA I was that much closer to a campus experience, but with the added bonus of real life experiences by studying externally. Studying externally allows you to reach goals beyond even what you could imagine. I didn’t do High School Maths but received an industry award for an accounting unit and some of my best marks were in maths related units by following the unit requirements and putting in the hours. Some externals (like me) are fortunate enough to have a Study Centre - USE IT! It acts like a mini UNE campus and meeting point for your fellow externals and possible future study buddies or mentors! I definitely haven’t felt disadvantaged as an external in terms of the quality of my education, and in some respects feel I have had more time with lecturers via the several modes of contact. All of the resources available to externals enabled my two worlds to function sideby-side and reach my goal of a degree and life experiences I never would have had if I hadn’t studied externally. - Alice Rack, UNEG General Representative

ViceLastChancellor year, for the third year running, the University re-

Welcome to the first edition of the Nucleus student newspaper and congratulations to UNE Undergraduate Student Association President Dave Mailler, Vice-President Joshua Osborne, and especially Editors Sarita Perston and Stewart Horsfield for this welcome initiative, which will add a valuable new dynamic to student life. The editors are no-doubt aware of the unique challenges they face in engaging with UNE’s extraordinarily diverse student body, both culturally and geographically, all with vastly differing reasons for studying and personal aspirations. This diversity is one of the greatest challenges the University faces and indeed, one of our greatest strengths in the competitive global higher education sector. The strength of our student experience is the first priority and the foundation stone on which our Learning Without Limits five-year strategy is based.

ceived five stars for its student experience, but this is something we are always working on improving. It is my hope that the Nucleus will prove a valuable addition to the student life at UNE. It is a high ideal to which the Nucleus aspires, at all times to promote the best interests of the student body, to be relevant and to inform debate about the issues which affect it. And it appears they are off to a good start... our outgoing Chief Operating Officer Peter Enlund has informed me of the intelligent questions asked about the College Redevelopment Project, while the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students and Social Inclusion), Eve Woodberry, was likewise impressed in her own interviews on the University’s move to trimesters. It is my own hope that this close two-way communication can continue as yet another avenue to keep the university student body well informed and ensure the University is responsive to your needs. - Professor Jim Barber, UNE Vice-Chancellor 5

Letters to the Editors Dear Editors, Personally, I find buying food from vending machines quite degrading. First you have to pathetically fumble for change in your pockets, then make a selection and wait for it to drop out of the machine like a sluggish booger allowed to glide luxuriously down the upper lip of a toddler by a neglectful parent. If you stare deep into the eyes of your own reflection in the machine’s glass you will see your soul despairing somewhere under your vacant, vaguely yearning gaze. Then you bend down in a hollow genuflection to suckle directly from the cold teat of the Holy Cow of Consumerism. Still, I find this ritual preferable to the disappointing parade past the sad three flavours of re-heated frozen vegetable mix in little boxes at the “Cafe”. It’s a shame that the consistent friendliness of the staff is perfectly offset by the grimness of the food. Though, it wasn’t always at such a poor level. I remember a time, not that long ago, when the food was much better. This is not helped by the fact that as the food has gotten worse, the prices have stayed the same. The prices are no longer reflective of the quality, nor are they realistic for a service catering primarily to students. Also, I find the name of the “Cafe” utterly nauseating. Anonymous

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to respond to the recent announcement made by the university on parking. I’ll start by informing readers that the university actually had a review done on car parking by an external consultant in 2012. I hope

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we didn’t pay anything for the consultation because it lacks imagination, the changes are pathetic and I doubt that the report was made available to the public.

Dear Editors,

The only changes, as far as I can tell, are a $20 dollar increase (not even close to inflation), motorbikes park for free and we have to fill the parking form in online. A $20 dollar increase is incredible, at a rural university where space isn’t an issue and public transport second rate. Why do we have to pay such ridiculous rent for a car park? I can only speculate that this comes from a fear that less cars will be parking out at the university as a result of Jim Barber’s plan to replace staff with ‘automated program instruction’ (Australian 31/10/12).

One suggestion, just off the top of my head; make the unit codes in the Course Rules link to their corresponding Unit Information pages! The process of getting used to this system, which requires constant back and forth between pages can be quite frustrating.

I call upon every student representative to demand an explanation and try to redress this price hike and for every student to register their disgust at [email protected]. Happy parking, F.U, Parking

G

Got? Write! Send:

[email protected]

G

I’m writing with a suggestion for the good women and men responsible for designing the online course and unit catalogue. It desperately needs streamlining!

It would be wonderful if it was made simpler. Anonymous

Dear Editors, At 31 I find myself heading back to school to become a teacher, the emotions are running deep, and well to be honest its all a bit scary, when we were younger our whole life was engorged with experiencing new things. Then suddenly we got albeit just a bit older, working on our chosen careers all the while learning to become more and more guarded. We start planning and watching every step we take, constantly analysing the impacts and consequences. Starting a new degree is meant to be fun not scary, so its with this that we all hit that apply button, and come February 25th when that first lectures start for the next group of mature age students I think we all need to step back, take a deep breath and well basically have some fun. Robbie Ornig

TRIMESTERS AND UNE: A Closer Look

Last year saw a major change take place at UNE with the introduction of trimesters. Under the new system, two 13-week Semesters were reduced to 12 weeks and the 9-week Summer School was adjusted to 11 weeks. The intensive school periods in the middle of semesters, and the breaks between semesters, were both cut from 3 to 2 weeks long. The Nucleus looks at why these changes were brought about, what the repercussions have been over the first year, and how the future of UNE could be affected by trimesterisation. In 2012 UNE jumped in the deep end with trimesters and the effect was felt throughout the university. So why do we have trimesters? The decision to move UNE to a trimester system first came from the Vice-Chancellor Jim Barber in late June 2010. The baton was handed to Eve Woodberry, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Students and Social Inclusion, who was asked to put together a discussion paper; it was released in September 2010. Logistics were worked out and implemented during 2011 in a consultation and review process. In February 2012, UNE began operating on a trimester system. President of UNEG, David Mailler, has described the first year, 2012, as a mixture of winners and losers. He believes that since the implementation of trimesters, consultation with students has come to a halt. Responses No official survey about trimesters has yet gone out to students and staff – the first will hopefully be coming out at the end of February or start of March. The Pro-Vice Chancellor of Students and Social Inclusion, Eve Woodberry, has said an external review will also take place in February/March 2013. The majority of feedback so far has been given to representatives in student boards, the academic board, and unions.

vided for each place in the nominated quota and did not change if university places exceeded or fell short of their estimations. Now, these federal contributions are dependent on the actual number of students that enrol. The previous model worked in UNE’s favour as enrolments often did not reach speculated figures. Now, the more students a uni can attract, the more funding it gets. The Nucleus understands that these implications are a major impetus behind the decision to move to trimesters. Australian universities are now thinking competition, they’re thinking markets; they’re trying to get as many students as possible. Other universities with large numbers of distance education students have already moved towards attracting these bees with trimester honey, with greatly varying methods and levels of success. UNE has a huge external cohort - about 80% of students - with part-time external study sometimes taking up to 10 years. Recent figures show less than 40% of external students complete their degrees. UNE, under the directorship of the Vice-Chancellor, is marketing itself to external students (a niche market) and international students (who pay full fees) wanting to fast-track their degrees by studying over the third trimester. How is Trimester 3 different to Summer School?

Different levels of negative and positive feedback have been informally reported by these representatives. Whilst fast-track or catchup study is pleasing some, the condensed timetable for the first two teaching periods has led to issues such as high workloads and feedback delays.

Primarily in length, having gone from 9 to 11 weeks, and in the number and variety of units offered - whilst only one of the 170 units offered in the 2012/2013 Trimester 3 period was delivered internally, UNE says this number is a starting point from which a substantial Trimester 3 offering, including more internal units, will be built.

Why trimesters?

So what did trimesters look like in 2012?

In an academic board paper the goals for UNE’s move to trimesters were stated as: 1. increased flexibility for students 2. increased retention and completion by distance education students, and 3. increased student demand Prior to 2012, a university would estimate the number of students they would enrol the coming year. Government funding was pro-

SHORTENED TEACHING PERIODS: THE SQUEEZE

Work and administration for non-academic and academic staff alike has increased, with additional enrolments, less time to compile and release unit results, units having to be remodelled, and shorter timeframes for delivering content, responding to students, and assignment and exam marking. For students, the time to learn unit content, research and write their

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assignments was reduced. Feedback to students has often been delayed, creating problems with the flow of learning and exam preparation, with feedback for one assessment sometimes arriving after the due date of the next. There has been talk that some feedback previously sent out by post (to external students) will be replaced by online feedback to cut down on waiting times. We’re not sure what this idea will look like, but UNEG has voiced the need for feedback comments to remain specific to the individual. The end of Trimester 1 saw a rise in the amount of units for which results were not available. Moreover, the release of results falls on the first day of the next trimester, or up to two weeks later if delayed. This is a major concern for students with pre-requisite units or those trying to prepare for the next study period. Additionally, the10 day catch-up period for academics between the last of exams and the next round of intensive schools has been all but eliminated, and concerns have also been raised regarding both staff and students about ‘burn-out’ due to the reduced holiday recovery periods.

The 10 day catch-up period for academics between the last of exams and the next round of intensive schools has been all but eliminated. The Quality debate Unit restructuring may help ease intensity of workload and hopefully this will happen between this year and next. It’s anticipated to include moving the date of assessments and content forward in the trimester.

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Clashes HOLIDAYS

Another issue is the misalignment of university holidays with school holidays. This year, for example, UNE winter holidays fall between 18th-30th June - completely out of alignment with the NSW school holiday period of 2nd-13th July. Around 75% of UNE students are mature-aged and 70% are female, suggesting many students are likely the primary carer of their children. Student representative Katja Ingham has found that parents, especially single parents, have found it hard to juggle children and university during the autumn, winter and spring school holidays. Third trimester units are often online and not compulsory, so the trimester 3 period can be spent with children over the summer holidays. Whilst the uni plans to introduce more internal units next Trimester 3, the number of external units should also rise. INTENSIVE SCHOOLS

However, whether or not the amount of content will be reduced is another matter: a squeeze is happening between the perceived quality of a unit and the quantity of workload per week. On the one hand, there is a risk of diluting the value of our units and our degrees. Accredited Courses (such as nursing or pharmacy) also need to comply with third party accreditation standards. All courses need to comply with TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency).

Intensive school clashes are not a new problem, but with intensives trying to fit into an even shorter period of time the problem has now been exacerbated. This is especially true for science departments, whose units are reliant on their specialised facilities. The outcome is that while core units must still be available, choice of electives will be reduced. Departments are trying to work on solutions such as block teaching of externals and internals together.

On the other, students are struggling, particularly in high volume reading units or units with intensive practical components. If hours remain the same, an extra ½ hours per unit per week will be expected of students. At this level, 7 hours a day for 6 days a week will be an average expectation of a full time student work-load. This might affect internal students who previously studied at a level of 4 units a semester and used their summer break to earn money, as many students do.

Trimester 3 statistics T3 units: 170 Only one was offered internally. T3 enrolments: 8300 This included 1250 new students.

The Academic Board and TEQSA are currently discussing the quantity versus quality debate and a representative has mentioned each respective unit is going to be individually assessed, with a balance between the two being the final goal.

Advantages for students are flexibility with units, including repeating failed units; being able to fast-track a degree; and being able to start uni in the Tri-3 intake period. These points have generated considerable positive feedback from students.

The Winners

Trimester 3 enrolments and new student intake far exceeded the university’s expectations, with 8300 enrolments including 1250 new students for the trimester. Although we don’t know yet if these figures will affect the amount of new students enrolling in Trimester 1 this year, spreading the load rather than increasing the number of students who go to UNE, early figures show that application numbers are similar to last year. External students increased their load slightly and student representatives have found students asking for more units being offered next year. When UNE sneezes, Armidale catches cold Armidale’s business sector was hit hard with 5 and a half weeks less of UNE’s internal cohort spending money in town. UNE’s response to this is a promise of more on-campus units next year and they are hoping this will ease the problem. Armidale Dumaresq Council mayor Jim Maher said that the Council hadn’t comprehended the full impact that this change would have on local business activity. Whilst confident the effects won’t be long-lasting, Maher is aware that if the internal offerings are not improved next time around as promised, the town will suffer. Staff expectations There is an increasing amount of administrative work expected of academic staff, particularly with the current need to restructure units. A complication with trying to offer units to both those who want to fast-track their degrees and those who want to continue studying as they have been is the issue of what units will be offered in trimester three. The Nucleus has been assured that units for trimester 3 that are designed to fast-track a degree will also be offered in during the first two trimesters. This does mean that the mapping of units across the year becomes increasingly complicated. However, the growing amount of choice for students may mean less choice for academics regarding when they teach. The National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU) has concerns that the negotiation of teaching periods will become increasingly inflexible, as has already been indicated will be the case by at least one School

CENTRELINK

Are you considering studying part-time?

A minimum of six units in one year counts as ‘full-time’ for Centrelink purposes – under the new Trimester system, this CAN mean staggering them over all three Trimesters. For example, if you plan to study two units in Tri 1 and just one unit in Tri 2, you could study three units in Tri 3 – and still count as full-time for the full year. You need to tell them in advance that this is what you plan to do. If you’re going to talk to Centrelink to convince them your load fits the bill, take: - A copy of your transcript/enrolment - A letter from the university or faculty explaining that 2-3 units can be a fulltime load Keep an eye on the Nucleus WEBSITE - we will keep you updated if we find out more information about Trimesters & Centrelink.

contacted by the Nucleus. Currently a great many permanent academics have chosen to continue teaching in the first two trimesters. Most of the units offered in Trimester 3 have therefore been coordinated and taught by casuals, around which there are further concerns relating to quality, working conditions and reliability. There has been an indication that in trimester reshuffling, 37 new positions are being budgeted for, said to include 20 academic positions and 17 professional staff (that is, non-academic staff) positions. However, more detail on these positions is difficult to obtain. Questions on whether they will be permanent or casual and when they are scheduled to start (positions can take up to 12 months to fill) are still unclear. The Actual Figures While response to trimesters has raised concerns over the limited time-frame for getting through coursework and assessments, a comparison between 2011 (semester) and 2012 (trimester) results has shown that student performance has essentially remained consistent. Attrition (withdrawal) rates did vary, rising for externals and falling slightly for internals, with great variation between different schools. Indeed student unit satisfaction increased marginally in the first year of trimesters according to results presented by the academic board. The academic board has, however, identified external attrition rates as a problem and have stated that it needs further investigation. We still need to ask whether full-time study has become more difficult under the trimester system, but a break-down of part-time and full-time figures is not available. Overview It’s unlikely that UNE will ever change back to a semester system and the financial sustainability of UNE is certainly important to everyone who has a connection with the university. However it’s also certain that trimesters have caused more than a little upset and there are some cumbersome issues which need resolving. UNE’s biggest task now is to acknowledge and deal with the issues fairly, transparently, and with all parties being taken seriously. In talking with UNE management, staff and students, the rhetoric doesn’t always line up. The culture of UNE is often divisive and knowing where other cohorts are coming from is important if UNE is to be constructive. This is particularly true for those who have been appointed to help solve the issues of trimesterisation. Surveys on our response to trimesters are scheduled to come out at the end of Febuary/early March. UNE management will need to put in support mechanisms for those who have found themselves to be at the losing end of trimesters and these surveys will help in better understanding the winners and losers involved. As students, it is important that we respond to them so UNE management is as informed as it can be when making their decisions. Trimesterisation is a complicated issue and judging trimesters is not as simple as declaring it a success or a failure. But life isn’t black and white - and isn’t that what we come to university to learn? - Elsie Baker

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STUDENT UNIONS: A SHORT HISTORY

Following World War II, Australia and the western world experienced high levels of economic growth, high profits, and near to full employment. Nonetheless, in Australia, the living and working conditions had urgent need to be improved, and were improved, through the agency of the state implementing collective type programs for the community. This was so the great majority could enjoy those things which would have been denied them by virtue of their limited purchasing power, and which were standard consumption items for the richer economic cohorts, such as education, housing and health. These collectivist type arrangements, paid for by “progressive taxation” induced a continual and unrelenting reaction from those who thought that taxation and government participation in society and its main economic mode, capitalism, was an infringement on the moral economy of the wealthiest cohort in society, the one percent of the population that controls, by rule of thumb, one third of the wealth, a subset of the 20% who own 80% of all wealth. This was given expression through the Liberal-Country Party coalition who endeavoured to stop anything that was of a collectivist nature and associated with the Labor Party. Most importantly, unionism. While unionists claimed that being in a union enfranchised a person within the economy, as compulsory voting enfranchised people into democratic and participatory government, the conservatives argued that it was all a communist plot. In more real and practical terms however, President Roosevelt in the US had demonstrated the need for workers enfranchisement within unions so as to off-set the power of corporations, dysfunctionally powerful in American society, and which he blamed for the Great Depression of the 1930s. Roosevelt made unions legal in the US in 1935 with the National Labour Relations Act. Unions were made legal one hundred and eleven years earlier within the British Do-

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minions, in 1824. In Australia, unions developed a coherent culture and institutional network before that of capital, which was characterised by the rift between and within the industrial and rural sectors. This leads us to universities and student unions. One consequence of World War II was the opening up of university to those other than the wealthy. This occurred because the child of the unions, the Labor Government, created education schemes for returned servicemen and women during and following the Second World War. Indeed, Sir Robert Madgwick, the first Vice-Chancellor of the UNE had previously been head of the Army Education Service and noted that the time was ripe for those other than the elite to gain a university education. Even Menzies later concurred. Still, the situation only marginally improved.

“Apart from the data contained within the [Neucleus] hardcopy, it was a tangible symbol of activity, it was in a sense a flag that any student could wave in the air, put under one’s nose, or paste on a wall.” However, in 1972, the Whitlam Labor Government came to power, increased the combined primary and high-school expenditure in Australia by 90% and made university free to every Australian citizen. Consequently, many more peo-

ple attended universities. Australia awoke one day to the realisation that to attend university had become the right of every person irrespective of their bank balance, colour, or gender. (This situation was and is being sorely tested, a demonstration in itself that societies can regress and that progress is not inevitable.) Parallel to this was the growth in voice, and the importance of student unionism. The student and workers’ uprising in Paris in 1968, and the tragedy of the war in Vietnam played a big part in stimulating student unionism. The “Kent State Massacre”, with the killing of four students at Kent State University by National Guardsmen in the US gave focus to the demands of the youth of the world, their union, and activities. It also helped stop the slaughter in Vietnam. From this time students began to have a place in the Australian narrative and debate. Student unionism was very strong at UNE at this time, with Neucleus the voice of the student body. Apart from the data contained within the hardcopy, it was a tangible symbol of activity, it was in a sense a flag that any student could wave in the air, put under one’s nose, or paste on a wall. The hard copy was hard to ignore, because it was laying on the table in the Bistro, the cafeteria, the Colleges, the Student Representative Council’s office, the Dentist’s, and in lecture theatres.

Student unionism gave voice to all political and religious persuasions. Indeed, today, both the leader of the Liberal-National Party opposition, Tony Abbott, and the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, nurtured their political skills within student unionism in the 1970s and 80s.

to care for its members via compulsory taxation. Compulsory student unionism likewise sought a collective mode to address students’ collective problems and needs.

There was a revival of focussed student activism around 1985, particularly at UNE. The SRC incorporated Women’s, Environment, Overseas Students, and Housing officers who had need to write policy documents, analyses of administrative propositions, and to forward research papers regarding issues which had an impact upon students. Students at UNE were media savvy, and were organised. Indeed, the metropolitan university student unions became concerned at the high profile of the UNE students in the State and National context. The National media (particularly the Australian University Supplement) were receptive to the arguments emanating from the UNE SRC. The Armidale Express ran an editorial, “credit where credit is due” noting the SRC’s participation in local community concerns, from its AIDS, housing, and community welfare campaigns, to its submission for The Catholic Enquiry into National and regional poverty.

First and foremost it stopped in its tracks the real libertarian aim of the institutionalised culture of public expression , particularly that of the youth. For 75 years students had a public voice, made tangible through Neucleus. Gone. There were student representatives on most university committees. Gone. The university dentist is gone, as is automatic use of all sporting facilities, as is legal representation for students in need. No doubt thousands of representations to the university administration on student’s behalf were undertaken by Officers of the Student Representative Council. Not anymore. Overseas students had a combined voice, quite apart from their national affiliations. Not anymore. Before, university protocols demanded of the administration that it ask the student body for its input regarding policy changes. Out the window. The Claude Street Flats (Wright Village) were constructed for students from low socio- economic backgrounds after a media campaign and pressure from the SRC - will that happen again?

The left was strong on campus during this time, however there was no lack of conservative input and debate. It can therefore be said that Student Unions from the mid 1960s had a high profile, with strong groupings around the left, the right, and the various religious persuasions.

So, what did “voluntary” student unionism achieve?

effectiveness in engaging the world at large. The process was enhanced through the continuity of a strong collective institutional base with an ethos, culture, processes, formal legitimacy, and know-how. The institutional base was made illegal by the Howard Liberal regime in 2006, with the Young Liberals, after winning control of the Student Representative Council on the basis of the Union’s legitimacy, voting the institution out of existence, after its maturing over 75 years. Goodbye representation, goodbye Neucleus. However, it seems that student activism may be having a new lease of life at UNE with much of the VSU legislation rescinded by the Labor regime. It is important therefore that an understanding of the history, and thus the processes and potential of student unionism, is taken into account during the start-up process. It is doubly essential given that the culture and wherewithal of participation was destroyed by the seven year gap of inactivity. This gap in continuity, this destruction of an institution, this killing of culture, was after all the genius of Howard’s VSU.

- Peter Robert Ellston, Economics, UNE.

Student unionism empowered students, giving them political and administrative skills commensurate with their intellectual capacities which could enhance their

It cannot be argued therefore that any one ideology had a monopoly on student power. The only argument proffered was that it was not libertarian to have ‘compulsory student unionism’. This is the same as attributing non-libertarian connotations to compulsory voting, yet which makes democracy viable; or that compulsory taxation is an attack on our liberty, when it is the basis, or pre-condition, for public education, health, sewerage, garbage and waste disposal, national parks, public museums, the police, indeed all public works and other manifestations of a caring society, which would otherwise be non-existent, or confined to gated communities for the wealthy. It is not anti-libertarian for the community

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Whether you are entering college for the first time as a fresh faced school leaver, or a mature age student moving into the town of Armidale, your first orientation week could be an awe-some experience, it could be a slap in the face or it could be a bit of both. As an orientation week veteran I offer here a limited amount of ‘O-Week’ survival advice. I’ve experienced them all: three O-Weeks on campus and two as a town dweller. Here are six steps of survival: . The College Kids. Here is a brief list of the local Uni lingo, a unique language The first few nights of O-week can be full of alcohol fuelled shenanigans. indigenous to UNE that you may be hearing around the For many it is likened to a second schoolies week. The evening events campus, colleges and sanctified university events: bring together bulk strangers into a unique mass meeting where friendships are quickly formed. Within this mass hysteria it is easy to lose track 1. Fresher: First year student. Welcome. of how much you have had to drink and participate in pack behavior. If 2. Townie/town rat : Internal or external student living in you know your limits and stick to them you don’t have to lose all memory of the night, especially if one of your new friends does something memthe town of Armidale (not a college kid). 3. Up top: The actual University campus at the top of the hill, orable, like perform an overly ambitious rendition of single ladies for all to see. There are many 21st stories in the making to come over the week. the place where learning and enlightenment beckons. 4. Girra/Gizza : The 24 hour petrol station providing stu. The Townies. dents with late night snacks for over 20 years. There’s even a The townies experience can be equally vivacious. Without sounding like bottle-O, Bonus. your mother on a scratched CD it is really important that if you intend to 5. Mi Goreng (Mee Gooraang): Standard food choice of drink at the town student events that you have a plan or designated drivmost students at 99c a packet at Coles; Asian style fried noo- er to get you home. There’s nothing worse than getting lost in a strange dles, similar to two minute noodles - but spicy! new town where people say strange things like: ‘Hey man I’m just ducking to Gizza to get a couple of bevo’s before heading up top to the Stro.’ 7. LSS: University of New England’s Law Students’ Society. 8. SportUNE: The university’s sports facilities which include and are not limited to a gym, pool, courts, fields and climbAlcohol isn’t a necessity of O-week but for many people, especialing wall. 9. The Stro: The university Bistro - providing regular ly for college kids it does play a pretty large part of the week. If you Wednesday night entertainment (and a free BBQ) and even are going to indulge don’t forget to pick up a bottle of Powerade or two on your way home from Dan Murphy’s. Why you may ask? some big name aussie bands. 10. The Bull, The Kilda, The Club, Tatts, The Wicky, The That leads me to… Railway, The Grand, The Bowlo, Servies, etc.: Public drinking venues frequented by students on a regular basis. 11. Lifesaver day: A day of stalls, music and BBQs up at the university where you can find information on sports, ex- The comfort zone. Go ahead, take a step out of your comfort zone, Unitra-curricular activities and clubs available to students, and versity is a place to learn, live and discover. More importantly, to discover yourself. O-week provides you with an incredibly broad array of free stuff…. Heaps of free stuff! opportunities. Don’t regret not making the most of the few experiences which you are privileged enough to be a part of. If you are incredibly hung-over and dehydrated you are far less likely to be attending and absorbing information at the introductory lectures. These provide you with your first insight into the academic side of University life. Although the college events and townie activities are adventures where you get to meet future friends, don’t miss out on the commencement ceremony (especially for town residing students as it may be one of your rare opportunities you ever get to wear academic robes), introductory lectures and lifesaver day. There is so much more to the University experience than classes and pracs, although those of course are the reason you are here.

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Repeat step 3. When O-week is over - it is over. It’s important to continue to socialise and cement the friendship bonds which were created during O-week, however it is most important to find the right balance. Many college veterans will have heard the word balance thrown at them hundreds of times, because it’s so important for new students to master. Don’t forget you are at university to study - but if you don’t get some down time relaxing with friends, and throw in a bit of sport for health and fitness you might find yourself drowning. If you do find yourself struggling in deep water - don’t worry there is always support at the University and someone to throw you a lifeline.

The Student Support Team If you need help with your studies and are not sure who to to turn to - ask the Student Support Team. Their job is to make sure students are being looked after at university. Ed, Blake, Frances, Jacinta and Lisa stay up to date and if they can’t help you out, they’ll know who can. They’re often around campus, or you can: - drop into Student Assist in the Lamble Building and ask for them. - call (02) 6773 4430 and if they don’t answer, make sure you leave your number so they can call you back. - email [email protected] - friend EdUNE on Facebook

Student Support Team

They also post to Twitter, YouTube and the UNE Insider’s Guide, which has posts of upcoming info for students including Graduation, Orientation and Exams. Insider’s Guide: www.une.edu.au/insidersguide

Any troubles or queries you may have, take them to AskUNE first. The answer you’re looking for may be just a few clicks away. Find the link at the top of the UNE home page.

First Year Advisors Julie Godwin

Nola Holmes

Science Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Business and Law  Faculty of the Professions

Email: [email protected] Room: 324 - McClymont Building W34 Phone: (02) 6773 2057

Email: [email protected] Room: Rm 31/EBL Building W38 Phone: (02) 6773 2181

Winifred Belmont 

Di Kelton-Chambers

Arts Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Education, Health and Rural Medicine  Faculty of the Professions

Email: [email protected] Room: G21 - Arts building Phone: (02) 6773 2396

Email: [email protected] Room: at PBL Reception Pat O’Shane Building C13 Phone: (02) 6773 4084 13

3 1 0 2 n o i t ) a 1 t r n e t s ie

r

(Trime

Friday Feb 15

International Orientation - Lewis Lecture Theatre

Sunday Feb 17

5pm, Townies & Mature Student Welcome BBQ the Stro

Monday Feb 18 10am: 11am: Midday: Midday: 2pm:

Commencement Ceremony Toolkit - Lazenby Hall BBQ Rural Medicine Ceremony (TBC) Cohort Group Events (Townies, Colleges, Mature Students, etc.)

Tuesday Feb 19 10am:

Midday: 2pm:

Lifesaver Day - Lazenby Hall and Surrounds BBQ - Courtyard SportUNE Olympiad - SportUNE

Wednesday Feb 20

Compulsory Introductory Lectures - Major Lecture Theatres (see map) Academic Skills Fair (TBC) Library Tours - 10:30am, 11:00am, 11:30am, 12:00pm, 12:30pm, 1:00pm - Dixson Library 12 - 2pm: BBQ Lunch for New & Continuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students 2pm: NSW-TEACH Scholarship Session 2:30pm: ABSTUDY Centrelink, Scholarship Sessions and Student Support Sessions

Thursday Feb 21

Compulsory Introductory Lectures - Major Lecture Theatres Academic Skills Fair (TBC) Library Tours - 10:30am, 11:00am, 11:30am, 12:00pm, 12:30pm, 1:00pm - Dixson Library Thursday Evening: Freshers Bash (18+) + Cinema Night (U18’s)

Friday Feb 22 FREE DAY

Sunday Feb 24

Swimming Carnival (Intercollegiate) (TBC)

Student activities STUDY CENTRES February Wednesday 20th Taree ‘Getting Started’ Evening Thursday 21st Tamworth ‘Getting Started’ Evening Tuesday 26th ASO ‘Academic Writing’ video conference into all centres Thursday 28th Sydney Orientation (tentative) March Monday 4th ASO (Martin Collins) FNDN 123 workshop – on-site in Parramatta Monday 11th ASO ‘Academic Writing’ for Post graduate students (research) students via video conference to all centres Monday 18th ASO (Martin Collins) FNDN 123 workshop – on site in Armidale, beamed to centres For more information contact Frances Munro on: Phone: (02) 6773 4439 or 0417 678 144 Email: [email protected]

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MAJOR LECTURE THEATRES

Business Arts and Humanities Nursing and Social Work Environmental & Rural Science Law Science & Technology

UNION ARCADE

LAZENBY HALL

LEWIS LECTURE THEATRE

DIXSON LIBRARY Library

In addition to collections of books and papers, study spaces and computer access, Dixson Library also offers: past exams and electronic reserves (electronic copies) workshops and training sessions vending machines laptop hire (including Skype access) ways to store and charge your own laptop USB, headphones and calculators to borrow group study rooms - book online silent zones for study and many other services.

Student helpdesk

Student Central (the support hub) have a spot at the Dixson Library front desk. If they’re not there you can easily call with the phone provided. Alternatively seek out the Student Assist office in the Lamble Building. (02) 6773 4444 for administrative queries such as enrolment (02) 6773 2897 for careers assistance, councillors, etc

IT Support

An IT helpdesk is located on the ground floor of Dixson Library (the ‘Learning Commons’) or call (02) 6773 5000 or 1800 763 040 More info at www.une.edu.au/it-services/ and in the ITD newsletter.

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SAFETY AND SECURITY

As well as ID card and parking information, Safety and Security provide safety escorts and the saftey shuttle service - at any time of day or night if you feel unsafe. UNE’s very own student-powered radio

Become a VOLUNTEER or just listen in at FM106.9 or online Come in and visit us, in the studio next to the cafe near (Union Arcade)

Call (02) 6773 2099 Union Arcade office Opening Hours 8.30am - 4pm weekdays A 24-hour safety centre is also located near the colleges, on Elm Avenue near Duval College.

www.facebook.com/TuneFM106.9 [email protected] Stream it live: www.tunefm.net

Help with renting, with Centrelink, with employment, and with university complaints and advocacy. These Student Support Officers are different from the student support of the University and they can provide independent advocacy.

On campus sports centre: facilities include a gym, pool, playing fields, climbing wall, and indoor and outdoor courts. There are clubs and groups for all kinds of sports to get involved in.

a stall at Lifesaver Day ‘The Box’ app Contact: Phone: (02) 6773 3116 Email: [email protected] Office located between Tune!FM and the Cafe.

The Bookshop (2nd hand books) ATMs hair dresser 16

Contact (02) 6773 3034

UNE Medical Centre Located adjacent to Wright Village, on the corner of Claude St and Elm Avenue, with bulk billing available. phone (02) 6773 2916 Opening Hours: 9am - 4pm weekdays

By night... Every Wednesday is Stro night, with live acts, themes and prizes, Dj’s and some big names playing throughout the year. First look out for FRESHER’S BASH, 21st Feb during O-week. Doors open 8.30pm til late. Soon: TROPICANA night, one of the bigTHE BREATHER gest nights of the year. By day... the Stro contains some tea bags, instant coffee Contact: etc so you can get a free cuppa. befriend on Facebook to keep There’s also plenty of couches. up to date with what’s happening

Other stuff in the Courtyards

Other - Union Arcade Campus Essentials

Opening hours 9am-5pm weekdays

ring (02) 6773 3856 www.sportune.com.au

They also help you get in contact with people or services in town (like Centrelink) in assistance with any issue. Look out for:

The Oorala Centre

A space and support centre for all internal or external Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students.

Office of the Editors the Nucleus

United Campus Bookstore

Union Arcade

a cafe

email: [email protected]

Academic Hire

UNE Cashier

a fountain childcare: Yarm Gwanga. Call (02) 6773 3173

Clubs & Societies

Law Students’ Society

Townies Living off-campus? Looking for social events, networking, sporting teams or just want to meet other town students? Townies@une is the group for you. Membership of townies gives you access to regular + formal social events. We have teams in the intercollegiate competitions, including MB/PT + SFK. We run events for externals in intensive schools, and this year we are introducing a regular study group. Townies@une welcomes all students who live off-campus, including externals, mature age + international students. Visit our table at Lifesaver Day!

Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/townie.une Website: blog.une.edu.au/unetownies

Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/une.studentssociety

AIA Buddy Program

Enactus Enactus UNE (formally SIFE) is a group of students who develop business, leadership and entrepreneurial skills through the implementation of community outreach projects. Members also have access to mentors, paid business internships and travel opportunities.

Our projects:

Farming Futures In collaboration with the Rural Science Undergraduate Society we work with Australian agricultural and agribusiness industries to host an annual careers fair and networking dinner to help promote careers in agriculture. The 2013 events will to be held at UNE on Friday 2nd August.

UNE Law Students’ Society hosts academic, cultural, social and sporting activities, in an effort to supplement the legal education of students, both internal and external. Activities this year include Academic Competitions, Cocktail Night, and the Multi-Sport Challenge between Law and Economics, among many others! Membership is just $10, which entitles members to discounted rates to LSS-hosted events and merchandise, access to LSS facilities, and a rather splendid membership card. Join us in our common room in the Law School, post to our facebook wall, or email us at [email protected] if you have any enquiries, suggestions, or just feel like a chat!

The Minimbah Project We are working to increase financial literacy skills and access to fundamental rights and services for our Indigenous Australians by working with Indigenous youth.

Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/uneenactus

The AIABP is a fun and fresh way for Australian and International students to enhance their social experience at UNE! We offer a range of events to meet the needs of New England Award participants, people wanting to make new friends, students studying languages, people interested in different cultures and more. The Buddy Program enables participants- both Australian and International- to broaden their friendship network, perform community service, build cultural sensitivity, cross-cultural leadership skills and most of all, not be bored during their time in Armidale! Trimester 1 Activities

19/02/13 - Introducing Cultures: Courtyard Cooking Show 02/03/13 - AIABP Future Leaders Workshop TBC - I Love Culture Festival Every Month - AIABP Birthday Party

Contact us: Website: www.aiabuddyprogram.wordpress.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/aiabuddyprogram

GSMA GSMA is Armidale’s Gender and Sexuality Minorities Alliance, based at UNE. It is a group that hopes to provide events, support and a discussion forum for the Armidale area’s GBTLI community. This group encompasses both the old Queerspace group as well as the old AQuA group. The Queer Space at UNE is a space where all GLBTI Armidillians can come meet, socialise, get information, help or just talk to other GLBTI people. It is a Space were everyone is welcome and can feel safe and at home. We also welcome allies!

Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/gaygsma

GOT A CLUB OR SOCIETY? Let us know so we can include you in future issues! Drop in to our office in the Union Arcade or email us: [email protected] 17

UNEWS The University Women’s Society (UNEWS) is a group which organises fund raisers, cultural events, activism and social gatherings among many other things. Our mission is to collect a group of women together to get things done in a positive way. We also aim to empower women through knowledge and skill sharing. Most of our events are open to all women, even if you’re not a member so feel free to come along, you might even like it enough to become a member or associate member.

Contact Us: Email: [email protected]

MUMS@UNE We are a support group for Mums/Mumsto-be who are studying (internal/external) at UNE, Armidale. We are also the largest off campus group and are proud to be part of the student cohort at UNE. Admins are Sikiki Lloyd, Catherine O’Connor and Rachel Campbell. Feel free to direct your questions to any one of us (Ed UNE too). Here’s to our future successes through higher education!

Contact Us: Facebook: Search for “Mum UNE” * please add ‘Ed UNE’ (https://www.facebook.com/ed.une) as a (mutual) friend before requesting to join this group * as we are an official UNE ‘group’ members must be UNE students, especially in regard to certain policies eg UNE Communication Policy and Cyberethics Policy. * Note: if your privacy is set so we can’t message you to ask/confirm the above & you are still waiting to be added, that may be the reason why, or check your ‘Messages > Other’ folder, you may have a message waiting to be read. :)

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International Students Association ISA was re-established in August 2011 after a 7 years hiatus. The honour of this restoration was due to the efforts of international student volunteers like Jambay and Bo Jiang, in addition to the administrative support of Lesley Nies and Bronwyn Gilson. ISA is directed by UNE International Services. Fortunately, this year ISA obtained the membership of the Council of International Students Australia - CISA. The main objective of ISA is to promote the international students, their affairs and cultural diversity within UNE. The International Orientation of this year will be held at the Lewis Lecture Theatre on Friday 15 February 2013.

Contact Us: Website: (Launching Trimester 1, 2013) Facebook: www.facebook.com/isaofune  

AYCC New England AYCC New England is the local branch of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Our aim is to empower young people in the New England region to take action on climate change through education, inspiration and mobilisation. We participate in national campaigns, engage in issues on a local level, receive training and support from the state branch, and provide opportunities to become involved on anything from downtown market stalls or regional political activism to national summits and events. It is young Australians who will face the consequences of decisions made today. The AYCC’s vision is to deliver the short-term political impact and long-term cultural change needed for a safe climate future. We welcome all young people and also have roles available.

Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Website: www.aycc.org.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/ayccnewengland

Bus Transfer Service for Intensive Schools February/March 2013

Bus transfers between the UNE colleges and Armidale train station and airport are being provided for the upcoming intensive schools. The dates for each of the morning and evening bus transfer services between January and March 2013 are provided below. Please note that these transfer services have been organised to align with the start and finish of the various intensive schools being held at UNE during this period. February · 19, 22, 23 & 24th (morning) · 17, 18, 19 & 24th (evening) March · 4, 7, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 & 29th (morning) · 1, 10, 14, 17, 20 & 23rd (evening) Evening Pickup: Airport: 4.40 p.m. flight arrival – transport students to town (Armidale Post Office) and UNE colleges Train: 6.00 p.m. train arrival – transport students to town (Armidale Post Office) and UNE colleges

EXTERNALS Morning Transfer: To train station: in time for 9.00 a.m. train departure as follows: 7.45 am – Drummond & Smith 7.50 am – St Alberts 7.55 am – Robb & Earle Page 8.00 am – Austin 8.05 am – Duval 8.10 am – Mary White 8.15 am – Wright Village 8.25 am – Armidale Post Office To airport: in time for 10.15 a.m. flight departure as follows: 8.45 am – Drummond & Smith 8.50 am – St Alberts 8.55 am – Robb & Earle Page 9.00 am – Austin 9.05 am – Duval 9.10 am – Mary White 9.15 am – Wright Village 9.25 am – Armidale Post Office

UNE Regional Study Centres

UNE has a handful of regional study centres, equipped with IT facilities, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You just have to get your student card activated for access (see below) and you can use them any time. Study centres are located in: Coonabarabran Glen Innes Gunnedah Guyra

Inverell Moree Narrabri Tenterfield

There are also staffed study centres in Tamworth: Available 8:30am - 8:30pm Weekdays and Saturdays and Taree: Available 6:30am - 9:30pm, 7 days. For more info, visit: une.edu.au/ac And for getting your student card activated to access the centres, contact Frances Munro on: Phone: (02) 6773 4439 or 0417 678 144 Email: [email protected]

Are you doing a PhD, Masters, or Research Project?

We’re looking to show off the work of our Postgrad students doing research in interesting areas, so if that’s you, get in touch with us! Email us with a short abstract of your area of study: [email protected] 19

In a hole in the ground they found

(if you check out Dixson Library’s display of a cast of the skull you can still see where it had its brush with the pickaxe)

...a Hobbit

Not to be confused with Bilbo Baggins and the Shirefolk, this creature was a primitive human-like species displaying a unique mix of modern Homo and ancient Australopithecine features. UNE Paleoanthropologist Professor Peter Brown formally named the species Homo floresiensis, for its origin on the island of Flores, but at only one metre tall and with the contemporary popularity of the Tolkien franchises , the ‘Hobbit’ nickname has found a secure place in contemporary reference. The north-eastern area of the small, central Indonesian island of Flores is riddled with limestone caves, carved out of the landscape by millions of years of erosion and geological uplift. In 2001 Mike Morwood lead a joint Indonesian-Australian team of archaeologists to one of these, a large cave known by the locals as Liang Bua, or ‘cool cave’. Surrounded by lush tropical rainforests and small villages on the slopes, and broad rice paddies on the flat flood-plains, this was a place rarely visited by foreigners. 20

This year marks the 10th anniversary of ex-UNE Professor Mike Morwood’s discovery of a tiny hominin skeleton on a tropical Indonesian island, which became known to the world as ‘The Hobbit’... What followed were years of careful excavations until one day, at the bottom of a dark hole six metres deep, one of the workers’ pickaxes unexpectedly sliced into a tiny skull that had the consistency of blotting paper. Two weeks of careful preservation work were undertaken by Indonesian archaeologists Rokus Awe Due and Thomas Sutikna before the bones could be handled and studied. Analysis of these first bones, as well as those of nine other individuals which were uncovered during further excavations - alongside thousands of stone tools - revealed them to be those of a previously unknown species of small, primitive human-like creatures, which would have lived on the island around 12-80 thousand years ago alongside such bizarre creatures as pygmy elephants, giant rats, 1.8 m tall stalks and Komodo dragons. Though some experts initially claimed these could be the bones of deformed modern humans, the constantly growing body of scientific analysis now suggests that this is considerably unlikely.

Professor Mike Morwood, then a lecturer at the University of New England, was one of the archaeologists at the head of this expedition. Now at the University of Wollongong, he still maintains close ties with our university and is currently heading an archaeological project in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia with UNE archaeologists Associate Professor June Ross and Doctor Mark Moore, as well as his continued work in Indonesia. A perfect example of the clichéd ‘eccentric elderly professor’ with a grey beard and often unkept hair, and a habit of turning up when you least expect him, Mike has always encouraged enthusiasm for archaeology in the next generation of archaeologists and a number of UNE students (including the author) have been involved in his projects, getting the opportunity to work on exotic and inspiring dig sites around the world. At the annual Association of Australian Archaeology conference in December 2012, the largest archaeological gathering in the country, he was award the top honour of the ‘Rhys Jones Medal’ in recognition of his outstanding contributions to archaeology. A cast of the primary H. floresiensis skeleton was on display at the Australian Museum in Sydney last year, on loan from the University of Wollongong, while the UNE Dixson library already hosts its own ‘Hobbit’ exhibit including a life-sized reconstruction of this tiny creature (on the ground floor). Archaeologists hope that the excavations in Indonesia may reveal more H. floresiensis bones, which so far have only been found in Liang Bua; or perhaps the remains of other currently unknown species of early hominins.

Yinika Perston

Prof. Morwood

It’s an exciting time to be doing archaeology in Southeast Asia! - Yinika Perston

Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL, flickr.com

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‘Live simply, so others may simply live’ - Ghandi

ENVIRONMENT

Waste not, want less

Social studies show that nine out of ten Australians experience guilt when discarding a half-eaten sandwich they should never have purchased, and doubtless don’t require an enlightening lecture on the plight of starving third-world children. Yet food shortages are a real threat. China knows this; it and other wealthy countries are buying thousands of hectares of third-world agricultural land. But does Australia know this? Developed nations such as ours produce almost double the amount required to satisfy the nutritional needs of our populations. And where does the rest go? It’s not all to foreign exports or re-use. A large amount is, simply, wasted.

A Rotten Problem

As this organic matter begins to decompose it releases methane - a gas with a greenhouse effect 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Although some of this gas is captured, purified and used to generate electricity, the landfill sector remains Australia’s second largest producer of methane. Another by-product of this process is the toxic leachate that invades surrounding ecosystems, threatening the contamination of soil and groundwater. All this pollution, however, is merely one aspect of the problem.

When caught up in the constant juggle between study, work, health, family and friends, it is far too easy to ignore In a country as vast and arid as Australia, the sustainable such issues – issues that we know use of resources is a fundamental redeserve greater attention. But, with “...the market teaches us to value pes- sponsibility. much of the media focussing on what ticides over blemishes, packaging over we eat, how much we eat, and how content and teeth-rotting sodas over The CSIRO reports that a single often we eat it, how regularly do we water... two of the saddest intuitive les- kilogram of potatoes equates to 500 contemplate what it means to waste? sons we learn... growing up in this part litres of water required during production. To put this into perspective: of the world are that food has no worth every kilogram of beef that is disUgly Vegetable Syndrome It is estimated that between 20-40% and that meals have no purpose other carded – including those out-of-date than sustenance.” sausages in the freezer – wastes an of all perfectly edible fruit and vegapproximate 100,000 litres of water. etables are rejected for cosmetic reaConsider, again, the excess produce sons before they reach supermarket - Darren Fleet, Adbusters Australia, that farmers are obliged to produce shelves. Fruit and vegies also make up Sept 2012 in order to satisfy aesthetic requirethe highest percentage of household ments, and it is no wonder that the Murray Darling Basin is food waste. Overpurchasing and overproduction are enin such a state. grained behaviours; the United States Economic Research Service reports that 7% of supermarket meat products are So - why write about it? Not to spread guilt and gloom. discarded without sale, and 30% of purchased meat is disRather, to say that overproduction and the Ugly Vegetable carded uneaten. Syndrome are driven by consumer behaviour, and as consumers it is our choices that have the potential to bring So what happens to that bag of apples festering in the botabout change. tom of the fridge? Or those leftovers, tossed aside when we ordered pizza instead? Many of us are already sporting worm-farms and compost bins, planning our shopping lists and sharing brilliant reciWhere does it all go when we have had enough? pes for leftovers. For everyone else, this is simply a reminder that, next time we peer into the depths of our grocery basAccording to the food-rescue charity OzHarvest, 3.28 milkets, we have some serious decisions to make. If we don’t lion tonnes of food are driven to landfills across Australmind our carrots bent and our bananas speckled, we need ia each year. Despite the introduction of green-bins and to prove it. compost centres in some residential areas, including Armidale, food and other green wastes still contribute to 47% of overall landfill waste. 22

- Zoe May

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25 #300091984, Flickr.com

JINJA SAFARI Dec 1st, 2012 Armidale Town Hall

The energetic stage performances by the Sydney-based band Jinja Safari are well known across the state, and Armidale was lucky enough to host one in December last year. The all-ages, drug/alcohol-free event kicked off with local Armidale hip-hop sensation Koorified, who very early on got some young’uns break-dancing on the Town Hall dance-floor. The Kennedys followed. Singer Simon Kennedy engaged the audience in a spontaneous, playful dialectic. Then local boys Fresh Nelson gave their usual screamo hard-core, fantastic performance and had the audience wildly singing and retro head-banging along. The lights dimmed. Four figures walked on to the stage, accompanied by screams and whistles from the audience. Lights lit and BAM! The audience entered the surreal and 70’s-esque world of Jinja Safari. The entire set was played with few breaks, almost making it one long, harmonious song. The Town Hall, built in 1882, probably heard its first Indian sitar, which was innovatively and unexpectedly twanged. Pepa Knight fearlessly climbed speakers and leapt into the audience which suspended him in the air for the grand finale, and Stral ‘Nugget’ Roach danced enthusiastically as he played his tribal drums. The four band members ended their spectacular set spraying very, very silly string on to the awed audience and then offered the stage to the aweds, where band and fans chatted for quite some time. All students and young people should be aware that Music NSW runs a regional tour through an organisation called INDENT, which trains up, encourages and financially supports local youth to put on all-ages gigs. This year’s line-up exceeded all expectations and I would certainly hope to see plenty more all-ages gigs showcasing local Armidale bands in the near future. - Lucy Fensom 26

Photos: Lucy Fensom

Competition

Like to draw? Want to excersize your fabulous wit in a public forum? Enter our monthly cartoon comp and you could WIN THINGS! This month we’re after cartoons on the subject of ELECTIONS (or anything else), and the winning submission will receive a choice of prizes!! Either: free 6-pack of cider courtesy of Top Pub in Uralla OR The Mystery Prize... Don’t fret external students! The Mystery Prize will be accessible to you as well so feel free to enter.

Send your entries to; Via email: [email protected] Via post: Attn: Nucleus Undergrads, Madgwick Hall University of New England Armidale NSW 2351

Cartoon by: Milly Roberts 27