VOLUME 47
EMPIRE TIMES ISSUE FOUR
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PERSPECTIVE
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Perspective Empire Times would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people, who are the traditional custodians of the land Flinders University is situated on, and that their land was stolen and never ceded. We would like to pay our respects to the elders of the Kaurna nation and extend the respect to other Aboriginal peoples past, present, and future.
Editors Amy Bennett Bec Manser Carmen Giffen
Cover Art
Simran Kahlon Shaiykirra Jones Sheridan Phillips Taygan Beaton Tony Saad Tully Templeman
Shanii Sparrow // 1
Visual Artists Sub-Editors Brie Dark Brooke Cantley Celeste Northcott Dani Nguyen Jacob Barrey Joshua Collison Melanie Ross
Amy Bennett // 11 Bec Manser // 3, 20-23, 30 Brie Dark // 12-13 Carmen Giffen // 26-27, 31
Writers
Masthead & Logo
Amy Bennett Christine Magracia Clare Perilli Connor Phelan Courtney Lawrence Hollie Gardner Kate Douglas Kieran Thornton Lauren Rose-Heard Maddie Hand Madeline Percey Natasha Nagle Payton Hogan Phoebe Sydney-Jones Rachelle Boyle Samantha Tennant
Bec Manser
Photography Emily Vonderwall // 18 Simran Kahlon // 8, 10 Shanii Sparrow // 1-2, 19 Unsplash // 17
Join the Team Empire Times is always looking for contributors. If you’re a writer, photographer, illustrator, or sub-editor, send us an email or visit our website for details. fb.com/empiretimesmag @empire.times Social icon
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Empire Times is a publication of Flinders University Student Association (FUSA). The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editors, Flinders University, or FUSA. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that Empire Times articles and other information are up-to-date and as accurate as possible as of the time of publication. No responsibility can be taken by Empire Times for any errors or omissions contained herein.
Special Thanks Amy Bennett Bec Manser Carmen Giffen
Printers
Special F*ck You
Newstyle Print
Coronavirus
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contents President’s Address
6 // Your Student President's humble beginnings
Between Two Cultures 8-10 // Embracing my Indian-Australian identity
Conversations from Before 11 // A poem
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The Cursed Films 12-13 // Rewatching childhood horrors
The Wrong Fit
Humans of Flinders
22-24 // A short story
14-15 // Hear from other voices on campus
Troubles of a Ginger
Online Exclusives
25 // The stigma behind a hair colour
16 // Find more about our online exclusive content
Mother Knows Best
Exhausting a Memory
26-27 // A humble anecdote on eyebrows
17 // A(nother) poem
Pets of Flinders
What Changed Your Perspective on Study
28-29 // Com-pet-ition dition
20-21 // Moments that shaped your uni experience
Serious Debates
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Student Council Profiles 32-33 // Questions for SC officers
online exclusives:
find them at empiretimesmagazine.com
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You Smiled A vignette
That Someone Who Changed My Life How it enriched my student life
You’re not a Wizard, Rachelle The obsessions that defined me
The Cook Nook Milkshake recipe
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The Duck Comic The saga continues...
nts
contents
30-31 // Pineapple on pizza & double denim
Political Correspondence Q&A with uni political clubs
From the Editors
o, another issue, another on-the-nose theme somehow, even though we decided themes at the start of the year (are we oracles? maybe so). Between then and when this issue was nearing completion in mid May, we’ve had to all but halt printing and move most of our content online, but Empire Times is still chugging along. Amy phoning in! Man, missing Easter with my fam really did a number on me. Now I really do know that I need to try and cherish the limited time I get with the people I love scattered across the country, to support my friends, and to really figure out how to stay funky fresh. So, keep on truckin’, lads. There’s a limited number of fun greetings that include your name. I’m Carmen! This theme title was inspired by my Year 12 art final, which went by the same name. I painted two enormous self portraits, meant to depict self-image and my struggles with eyesight. When I started my paintings, I didn’t know where I was going, but it all worked out in the end. I may not have 2020 vision, but I hope this year goes the same. It has to. Heyya folks! It’s Bec, back for another gripping editorial piece. This year has been a rollercoaster but the biggest perspective change I’ve had has happened in the past two days before writing this; I’m seriously considering cabinet-making as a career and doing freelance editing on the side. Can you get a pairing more odd than that? Let’s see where this year takes us all, stay safe everyone.
Amy, Bec, and Carmen
Empire Times Editors, 2020
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capacity to support International Students during this crisis, and ensure that our funding and the services and advocacy that we provide will not be impacted this year. However, the pressure that students and staff alike have been placed under this semester has been immense, and decisions such as to not postpone census dates were rightfully disappointing to the student body as a whole.
Hello there! Josh here, your Student President, and thank you once again for taking the time to read through another copy of your student magazine, Empire Times! Now more than ever do we need to come together to share in our experiences and knowledge during these unprecedented times. This is the second ‘Pres Address’ that I’m writing from my desk at home instead of the FUSA Office. While it is still nice to have my Border Collie, Cooper, by my side to work, the novelty of working from home as well and has truly worn off at this stage. I along with the rest of Student Council and indeed FUSA are really keen to begin the transition (and hopefully by the time this magazine is published) to be working more from campus. The theme for this issue is perspective, which has encouraged me to reflect upon how we, as a student community, have responded to this pandemic, and the support that our university has provided us in comparison to other universities across the country. Obviously, we had some big wins earlier in the year by Flinders Uni adopting FUSA’s opt-in non-graded pass assessment structure this semester, increasing FUSA’s financial
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When we look at how other universities and student unions across the country have negotiated this unprecedented time it becomes quite clear that our community has done extremely well to support and advocate for one another. The way in which our clubs, collectives, and academic associations have been able to step up and support their members makes me—and I hope everyone else involved in student representation—incredibly proud to be called a Flinders student. We should be proud of our achievements in the last few months and look to build upon this to ensure that nobody is left behind. Perspective allows us all to cut ourselves some slack during this incredibly challenging period of time, but we cannot allow ourselves to be complacent. As students, we must continue to ensure that university staff are supported during constant changes to their working conditions. We must also continue to support our First Nations and International Student classmates who have been disproportionately impacted by this global health crisis and ensure they are given the support that they need by our university. Let’s all take five minutes to pat ourselves on the back, enjoy another sublime edition of Empire Times, and ensure that any transition back to normality is fair and safe for everyone in our community.
~ words by Josh Rayner Bachelor of Public Administration
Between There are so many aspects to discuss in managing a life in a predominately white Australian society while also having an ethnically diverse background, but all I can do is give my perspective based on my experiences. My sister and I were born and raised in Australia. Our parents had emigrated from India and established a life in the Riverland working on the family vineyard. They were welcomed into the country town of Renmark by a strong Punjabi community, where they were able to find support and a sense of belonging, but that is not to say they didn’t have their own struggles. With myself being a second-generation Indian-Australian, there wasn’t a specific community where we could find our own place to fit in. We had to face many cultural challenges and divisions to establish a new identity in which we could belong to. Navigating a life in a largely white Australian society involved a lot of balancing between what I was and wasn’t allowed to do according to the standards of both Indian and Australian ways of life. This balance between the two worlds applied to all aspects of my life. Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to partake in certain things because of the way it could reflect on my parent’s respectability in our Indian community. I wasn’t allowed to go to sleepovers because my parents didn’t want me to do anything stupid which could make them look bad, so I didn’t have my first sleepover until Year 8 when my parents finally trusted me. I wasn’t allowed to be in the sun for too long, because looking dark was frowned upon in the Indian community, so whenever I would prepare
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Two Cultures to go on a boat ride on the Murray River with my friend, my mum would give me a stern glance of disapproval up until I left the house and for an hour afterwards when I would get back. Finally, I was most definitely not allowed to have a boyfriend; I wasn’t even allowed to watch kissing scenes on TV until I was 16. In contrast, however, these were some things that the Australian community would not have even given a second thought to. While I was being told by my Indian parents about what I wasn’t allowed to do, I was being told the exact opposite from Australian society through what I saw from my white friends and TV shows. Australian society was telling me that it was okay to go to sleepovers at a young age, that it was okay
navigating a life in a largely white Australian society involved a lot of balancing between what I was and wasn’t allowed to do
to go into the sun as long as you ‘slip, slop, slap’, and that it was acceptable to have a boyfriend. Because of the stark contrast between the two, I’ve had to try to find a balance where I can partake in Australian societal expectations while also trying to adhere to the cultural norms of my Indian community, which I’m still trying to perfect. Growing up in an Indian household but living in an Australian society was, at times, difficult to manage. In some ways, the person I was at home was different to the person I was out in public, and if I tried to merge these two worlds it would often clash. From my experience, I was made to feel like I couldn’t bring aspects of my Indian culture into Australian society because it made me feel different and, ultimately, alienated. At first, in my early primary school days, I didn’t really realise there was a difference between myself and the other kids in school because we were all just children, but as the years went on minor differences soon added up and essentially created a clear division. It started off with small things, like people giving me weird looks and questioning why I had mehndi (henna) on my hands or why I was wearing a jhanjar (an Indian anklet with bells) and even pointing out how hairy my arms were. But what really consolidated the difference and made me want to hide my Indian identity the most was when I had bought gajrella, my favourite Indian
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sweet at the time, to school for Harmony Day and a girl in my grade had plainly reacted to it with ‘ew’ right in front of me. Even though my grandmother had made enough for the entire class, no one else touched it except one guy who I’m not sure ate it because he genuinely enjoyed it or whether it was out of pity. For years, every time I tried to bring some of my Indian culture out into Australian society, it was rejected, and in response I tried to hide that part of me even deeper inside myself. It got to a point where I completely resented being Indian. I would get mad at my parents if they spoke to me in Punjabi in public or made me go out in my salwar kameez (traditional Indian clothing). But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised I don’t need to hide my Indian culture; it is a part of who I am and it makes me a part of the wide, rich multicultural society within Australia.
The majority of these experiences occurred when I was a kid, when I, along with the other kids, didn’t understand anything about the world and what being different meant, or that it could create a feeling of alienation between us. So when those kids would ask me questions about my mehndi, my jhanjar, or about my hairy arms, it wasn’t because they were intentionally trying hurt me, but it was because they didn’t see people like me every day.
They were used to seeing people alike to them, so they couldn’t understand where I would fit in their view of the world. Back then all I wanted was to fit in, which I thought meant I had to supress my Indian identity so that I wouldn’t be viewed as different. However, now at 22 years of age, I feel no pressure to fit in or choose a side. I’ve become much more comfortable with who I am and I’ve found a sense of belonging among the community of second-generation Indian-Australians who, more or less, share the same experiences as me.
~ words & photography by Simran Kahlon Bachelor of Business & International Relations
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Conversations from Before Marie Antoinette and the Great Bakery Kerfuffle
She said what? That’s ridiculous. I can’t simply believe, What does she think; we have ready-baked pastries lining our sleeves? I’d go so far as to say, there’s no respect for our art. Better than chopping our head and stopping our heart. It’s simply not doable. How would we ever be ready? To feed that many—Oh, hold me. I’m woozy; unsteady. We can't exactly tell her, this thing can’t be done. Whatever we have to do, it’s not gonna be much fun. And so a great many hundreds of cakes did they bake, Using castle flour, eggs, and specialty fondant for common’s sake. And when in the morn’ they proudly displayed they’d not flunked, The queen cackled and heckled, ‘What up, you’ve been punked!’
~ words by Natasha Nagle Doctorate in Geoarchaeology
~ art by Amy Bennett Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
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The Cursed Films My Fear of Goblins, Angels, and Ode to Joy...
Fear. It is what helps our brain rationalise what we are seeing and recognise it as a threat to our life. The mind of a child is young and naïve about how life works, which allows them to create the most rational fears out of the most irrational of things. Basically what I’m trying to say is that children are all gullible idiots who believe anything they see. Because kids consume a lot of fictional media, they might watch something that their dumb, baby brains see as life-threatening. Leaving their minds to press the ‘be afraid’ button on programs where it did not need to. We all have that movie or TV show that scared the life out of us when we were younger, sometimes scaring us to the point of never watching it again for as long as we live. However, if you decide to give that haunting piece of media another shot you may find that the fear you once had for it may not have been as rational as you once thought. In this instance of revisiting childhood media that scared
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me, three very clear examples came to mind: killer robot angels, a cackling supervillain, and Ray Romano. ~ The initial childhood program that frightened me was the 2002 film, Spider-Man, with Tobey Maguire as the titular hero and Willem Dafoe as the supervillain, Green Goblin. I first watched this movie when I was three years old after receiving the DVD for Christmas. I was having the time of my life in my first viewing, until the end of the second act when Dafoe’s character was comforting his son. Suddenly, a jump-scare of the Green Goblin screaming into the camera comes out of nowhere. Ever since then, the unexpected shock appearance in that scene was burned into my memory and I vowed to never watch that film again. However, ten years after that incident, I believed I had matured to a point where I felt ready to watch Spider-Man once more. Unfortunately, when the jump-scare came, the surprise got to me again and threw me off the couch. ~ The next instance was the 2007 Christmas special of Doctor Who, ‘Voyage of the Damned’, which was the first episode of the iconic Sci-Fi series I ever watched. It was also the first time the show decided to borrow elements of disaster movies, due to the episode being set on a spaceship version
of the Titanic. As well as being destroyed and having everyone on the ship die except for The Doctor and three other passengers. The episode had an unreal amount of on-screen deaths for a family program, all with varying degrees of brutality: people being crushed under debris, selfsacrifice, murder robot angels using their halos as a throwing weapon, and even someone falling into a nuclear reactor because they were too fat for a bridge to hold them. It was merciless. Being eight-years-old at the time, and still coming to terms with the inevitability of death, I didn’t vibe with what the episode was showing me and that resulted in me staying extremely far away from the show for a long time. ~ The final program is Everybody Loves Raymond, an American sitcom starring Ray Romano as a family man living across the street from his unbearable parents. He was also one of the main subjects of my nightmares. The show’s opening sequence, featuring exploding CD players, hands crawling through mail slots, Ray Romano’s mammoth face, and ‘Ode to Joy’ playing over the whole thing was a concoction of fear for my younger self. While I did enjoy watching the show when I was that age, its opening would have me leaping behind the couch, begging my mum to mute the television, as I screamed in terror.
in this instance of revisiting childhood media that scared me, three very clear examples came to mind: killer robot angels, a cackling supervillain, and Ray Romano
In my case, after re-watching ‘Voyage of the Damned’, I only noticed how goofy everything was in that episode. And after watching the Everybody Loves Raymond opening again, all I realised was that Ray Romano isn’t real and can never hurt me. That scene in Spider-Man, however, still scares me and I don’t think age can ever fix that.
~ While these three pieces of media chilled me to the bone as a young boy, when I look back at them today, the fear I once had of them is unbelievable. As a child, you experience very little, since all you do is go to school and play, and what happens in the real world would never cross your mind. It leaves you with the belief that anything, be it real or fiction, can happen to you. So, when you see robots kill people with frisbees or Ray Romano rolling towards you on a child’s ride-on car, you believe they are real threats to your safety. But as you grow up and learn how the world operates, the rationality of a mature mindset kicks in and the fear subsides.
~ words by Connor Phelan Bachelor of Arts
~ art by Brie Dark Bachelor of Media & Communication
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HUMANS of FLINDERS STUDENT: PSYCHOLOGY & CREATIVE WRITING
What’s the best decision you’ve made at university? The best decision I made at uni was choosing a
Taygan
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second degree. It may seem silly to add a full year to an already six year (minimum) pathway but what I have gained from pairing creative writing with psychology is an excuse to read fiction, a break from heavy, science-based essays and a lightness of mind. This decision helped my university life by incorporating fun along the way to my end goal.
STUDENT: NURSING
Christine The best decision I would say I have made at university is choosing a course in nursing. Nursing allows me to work and learn in all different areas of care be it surgical, emergency or theatre, it is never just the same objective as you come across so many health issues that you would not expect to ever happen. It also gives me an opportunity to work around areas in law that I so fondly enjoyed learning in high school. Although this course has had its own challenges, I still believe it’s been the best choice I have made.
PROFESSO MANITIES ARTS & SOR:CIAHU L SCIENCES ,
Kate Way back when (let’s not say exactly how long…) I was an unassuming undergraduate student at another university, diligently studying a Bachelor of Social Work. It was an amazing degree, but it wasn’t feeding my soul. After finishing Year 12 and 3-unit English (it’s a NSW sort of thing), I swore I would never study English again. But, turns out about a year later, I was missing English bad. So, I picked up a BA to study in tandem with my BSW. I guess this was the best decision I made at university because, fast-forward about 20 years, I am working as an English professor here at Flinders.
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Exhausting a Memory
My pages used to be an untouched ivory The brush of fingers would elicit a crisp sound Like that which would tempt an arsonist The scratch and hum sound of a lighter would’ve completed me But no longer I crumple like tissue under the desperate thumbs of the writer The abuse wrought by ink and tears Has left me not quite a book, not quite a pillow I provide neither knowledge nor comfort But that doesn’t stop them They read the entries of their past selves Scratch back and forth in permanent pen Until particles of my body flake away They rewrite over the top, never satisfied The truth they seek can never be found They’re yet to see that it is all truth— It is more than their human brain can understand The brain that has been trained to believe in the objective My insides are full of episodes translated into many languages No memory is clear, no memory is as exact as the events themselves But these are occurrences from years ago If I were to speak to the writer, I could let them know Each different perspective is a truth revisited A new frame of reference with which to yield new insights Who’s to say what is true? Who’s to say what is a lie? The writer would see me full of nothing but lies When in fact the truth of the matter no longer exists They will find no enlightenment in their never-ending retrospect I’ve been recycled a million times over and I see it again and again Put to me to rest, and set me aflame Let me finally be the air
~ words by Payton Hogan
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Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing, Sociology & Women’s Studies)
Check out our website: empiretimesmagazine.com To see these articles, read our latest issue in full online, and read our feature articles from across the years!
Online Exclusives
You Smiled by Madeline Percey “You were right. I’ll bet you’re happy to hear those words now. Or maybe you think it’s too little too late, a scant offering in the grand scheme of my innumerable blunders. In any case, I admit it now.”
That Someone Who Changed My Life by Sheridan Phillips “Adjusting to living in Adelaide ... was tough. But I had the support of that special someone, and most importantly, I had the confidence in myself that I could get through anything.”
You’re Not a Wizard, Rachelle by Rachelle Boyle “Regardless of how long it lasted, each obsession would eventually draw to a close. The feelings of devotion would quickly be replaced with shame and embarrassment.”
Political Correspondence See the Flinders political clubs’ responses to these two questions: “How have you had to adapt to advocating for change on virtual platforms?” and “What is the biggest change in perspective for your political party that’s occured in the past decade?”
The Cook Nook Ever wondered how to make the perfect milkshake? Join editor and qualified milkshake connoisseur Carmen as she attempts to find out!
Duck Comic The existential saga continues with the latest update of the ET duck’s adventures...
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I really struggled choosing what to study at university. So much so that I once even printed off a list of all the degree options and slowly crossed them off one by one. Though I didn’t have a good idea on what I wanted to do, I knew what I certainly didn’t want to do. I eventually settled on a Bachelor of Arts and Science, which gave me plenty of room for future choice regarding my major. It also meant I didn’t have to decide between doing what I was really interested in, English and Geography, and what I thought could get me a job, Environmental Management. I’d studied Geography throughout my last years of high school and my interest in it only grew when completing my first uni class of it. It was this that helped me come to a complete decision about what to study, which was to do majors in Environmental Management and Geography. I knew I’d always have an interest in English, but I could pursue that outside of my course through electives and through the Bachelor of Letters.
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The biggest change in perspective I had on study actually happened during my gap years. As a country kid, I was vehemently opposed to even the mere prospect of attending a city university when I’d just graduated high school, and, frankly, it scared the hell out of me thinking about the future. But, halfway into my second gap year and after a few bung jobs (waitress, gardener, farm hand—the list goes on) that failed to stick, I started working an office gig for my parents’ building company. My morale and zest for life were really lagging at this point, but I was lucky my family supported me through it. My parents put me into a TAFE course for Certificate III in Business Administration to help spur me into a more productive mindset, and it worked. There was something about having a schedule (studying on campus, visiting the library, and completing assignments) that made me realise that I truly enjoyed learning and studying. So, I bucked up the courage to apply for a university degree that I’d always wistfully dreamed of pursuing a career in, and lo and behold I got accepted into a Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) for the following year! Now I’m the obnoxious kid in your class that gets all their work done on time and is intimidatingly organised. Sorry, I just can’t get enough of it #study4lyf.
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~ art by Bec Manser Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
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Pursuing a career in the creative industry can seem like you’re choosing an unnecessarily difficult way to make money (if it’s even possible to support yourself (or a family) by being artistic). To ease family members’ minds (and my own), I went about studying various filmmaking fields, gaining skills in every corner of a film set to give me a better chance at not being penniless and on the streets after university. I approached the first and some of the second year of my BCA this way, saying yes too often and usually for jobs I didn’t really enjoy (though being a boom op definitely got me toned). My eggs were in too many baskets; though I did find myself with many helpful basic skills, I didn’t have a solid foundation for any specific career. Noticing this before my second year, I realised my BCA wasn’t giving me the building blocks I was after, so I added Creative Writing to my study. Though it was a little scary putting most of my eggs into one basket, my study is now streamlining me towards a tangible career in writing, giving me direction through this em formative time in my life. yT
Perspective on Studying?
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When I first got accepted into the Bachelor of Engineering Science at Flinders University in 2019, I was nervous and excited to be starting a new adventure; my new pathway was taking action. I deferred my degree until 2020, but when I finally got to my classes I was thrilled to be having a new chapter in my life begin. I loved going to my classes and meeting new and different people. As the year progressed more and more, we had to change from face to face on campus lectures, tutorials, and workshops to online. This changed my perspective on study completely as I did not really like this at first; I enjoyed spending time with the people I’d met in my classes and suddenly I could no longer do that. Our laboratories also got put on hold as we were not allowed to come in contact within 1.5m of someone. But, as time moved forward, I found myself starting to enjoy being online. The friends I have made throughout this year are amazing and I cannot wait to see them all again in person when we finally go back on campus. This year so far has been amazing, and I’m excited to see what irr happens next.
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The Wrong Fit a short story
Patrick sat hunched over, elbows tucked into his lap, and one leg bouncing up and down. He wasn’t sure why it was bouncing; that’s just what it did. The man in the chair opposite wore royal blue trousers, a pale pink shirt, a tie, and a look of smug comfortability to match the framed certificates on the wall behind his desk. He was also wearing socks with smiling cartoon airplanes, advertising him as professional, but not averse to a good time.
That was when Patrick knew his questions would not be answered today or ever in this office. He sighed and began the same way he always did. ‘You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I get this feeling sometimes. Like parts of me aren’t mine.’ The man nodded, writing something down in his notes waiting for him to continue. Patrick half smirked, watching the man’s hand trace the four letters he could spot from a mile away.
‘Good morning, Mr. Treedt. How can I help you?’ Patrick chewed his lip. The bouncing intensified. The man leaned forward, creating a sense of closeness. Patrick had seen it a hundred times on a hundred people; this man wasn’t even the first to wear whimsical socks while doing it. Patrick decided to let the question breathe a while, to see what the man would do next. ‘Don’t be nervous,’ the man said, predictably.
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‘It’s hard to talk about.’ Patrick paused, furrowing his brow. He felt the scar on his forehead drifting towards the centre. ‘Ever spent the day building something? Or just working on the house?’ ‘I have vague recollections,’ the man said, easily, ‘I don’t see my apartment enough to bother doing much work on it.’ ‘Well, you can be completely fine all day, but, afterwards, there’s always a cut or a scratch you didn’t notice at the time.’
The man nodded. ‘You don’t know how you got it and you didn’t feel it until you saw it, but now that you have, you can’t not feel it. That’s how I feel all the time. That’s all I ever feel.’ The man stopped writing and rested two fingers on his lips, narrowing his eyes as though riveted by every word. Patrick already knew what he would say. ‘How old were you when you first had these feelings?’ ‘I’ve always had them,’ Patrick said, hollowly. ‘I just didn’t always know it wasn’t normal to feel this way.’ His other leg began to bounce alongside the first. That dreaded, familiar, closed in feeling started to come over him. Patrick pulled the sleeves of his jumper up to his elbows. The tattoos beneath his thick arm hair were his whimsical socks, or they would be if they were really his.
Patrick caught his breath or tried to. His hands were shaking, and the framed certificates were coming closer. He could even make out the fine print. ‘Yes,’ he said, preemptively, ‘I’ve thought about it.’ ‘I didn’t ask you the question.’ ‘You didn’t have to. We both know what you were about to ask, and I’ve already answered it a hundred times.’ ‘But never to me, Patrick. These are important questions. Please. Have you ever considered trying to perform an amputation on yourself?’ ‘Not anymore,’ Patrick said after a pause. ‘I used to think that, if they weren’t there at all, they couldn’t change.’ ‘What stopped you?’ Patrick’s palms were wet with sweat. ‘I knew they still would.’
The man noticed his discomfort and gestured to the glass of water on the table between them. ‘These feelings. Did they start in one place and spread over time? Or has it always been like this?’ Patrick rolled his eyes at the question but drank deeply. ‘Neither,’ he answered. ‘It just happens, and I have to try and hide it. When I’m walking home from the store and my hands are suddenly larger and hairier than I’ve ever seen, I still have to let them carry my bags. When I get out of bed and find myself standing on feet I’ve never seen before, I have to walk on them like I’ve had them all my life.’ The questions continued as the minute hand ran its lap. When the end was drawing near and the man said, ‘I understand this must be hard for you, Patrick, but I have one or two more questions I’d like to ask before we finish for today.’
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The man wrote a final note on his page then looked up at him with an assuring smile. ‘Well, Patrick, thank you for your honesty. We’ll need to investigate this further, run some tests, but-’ Patrick laughed. It was like a bark, filled with derision. ‘Just say it! Tell me I’ve got BIID, just like the rest of them did.’ The man cleared his throat and shuffled his notes. ‘Body integrity identity disorder is certainly a possibility, based on what you’ve described to me.’ ‘That’s what they said. Only that’s not what this is!’ Patrick got, uneasily, to his feet and stomped around to the back of the armchair and leaned over it, gripping the backrest with ruthless force. His whole body was shaking. Any minute now, he thought. A tear fell on to one of the tattoos. ‘What occupation is listed in your notes?’ he stammered through tightly shut eyes. ‘It doesn’t say. Mr. Treedt, would you please sit back down?’ Patrick didn’t. ‘I do nothing!’ he shouted, feeling faint. ‘I sit at home. I haven’t been able to find a steady job in years. No one wants to hire a man who screams out of nowhere because his hands are wrong and drops whatever he’s holding; they tell you you’re a liability. I’m as scared as ever, but now I’m broke, too.’ The final sign came upon him, that cold trickle down his spine, and his breath caught in his chest. ‘So what makes you think you can sit there, staring at me, when I’ve just paid you everything I have, asking the same questions I’ve been asked by every other quack and give me the same Goddamn answer they all did!’
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~ At his desk, late in the night, the man in the woolen jumper took his fingers away from the keys and leaned back, once again feeling that sense of deep dissatisfaction. No matter what he did, no matter how many different versions he tried, he could never quite connect to Patrick. The character never felt right. He took a sip of cold, stale-tasting, coffee and rubbed his eyes. That’s when it hit him. In short bursts of clacking keys, the scar on Patrick’s forehead slid down, over his lip. He paused for a moment, placing his fingers to his mouth, thinking hard. After a moment, he smiled and continued to make changes. ~ ‘I just wish someone would make the effort to understand, not just tick boxes until they find one to throw me into.’ Patricia was back in the armchair, sitting still now that the change had passed. With a ruby-red fingernail, she brushed away the tears trickling down towards the scar over her lip. There was silence. Their session was long over. ‘I understand,’ said the therapist in a much softer voice. She wore royal blue trousers, a pale pink silk shirt, and a scarf with smiling cartoon airplanes. Patricia stared at her through drying eyes and thought, finally, that she really did.
~ words by Kieran Thornton Bachelor of Science & Bachelor of Middle and Secondary Education
~ art by Bec Manser Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
Troubles of a Ginger In year 10 Biology we learnt about dominant and recessive genes. Sometimes it can be several generations before a trait resurfaces in a family, and it can only happen if a child receives a particular recessive allele from each parent. Brown eyes are dominant over green and blue, curly hair is dominant over straight. Black and brown hair is dominant over blonde and red, with red being the rarest. My parents have blonde and dark-brown hair. With Italian heritage thrown into the mix there was no way they expected their children to have red hair. Yet here I stand. It’s interesting how red hair is perceived differently than other colours. I’ve always liked my hair colour. Thanks to characters like the Weasleys and the lore of the Three Doors Trilogy (thank you Emily Rodda) I thought I was cool and would one day unlock my magic powers (any day now, I swear). But I got so sick of the name calling: carrot top, orangutan. Oh, you know technically carrot tops are green! Wow, is orangutan the best you got? God, get creative for once. These were my thoughts at the people who called me those names in school. I got so tired of them that I just went with it and gave them shit back until they left me alone. So why the stigma? Why this much hate on red hair?
Well the answer comes from a long history of witchcraft and savagery. It is commonly believed by Christians that Judas—the guy who betrayed Jesus—had red hair. Lilith—another Christian figure—was a wily seductress with flaming hair who disobeyed Adam. The colour has always been associated with danger: fire, blood, hell. People often made the link between red heads and supernatural entities; we were witches, Satanists, vampires (Twilight would’ve been way more interesting with a ginger cast). It is also believed that red hair was a common trait among the Danish people during the early Anglo-Saxon period and was brought to England by Viking raiders, who were seen as violent and savage when attacking English villages and monasteries.
it’s interesting how red hair is perceived differently to other colours And let’s not forget the fierce Scotsmen and their constant battles with the English (Jamie Frasier, anyone?). All of these superstitions have trickled down through the centuries and remained as a non-conventionally attractive trait. These days, people may joke that we have no souls and ridicule us for our flame-kissed hair, but us red-heads are magical, sexy, and probably vampires. And I think we’re beautiful.
~ words by Hollie Gardner Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
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Mother Knows Best A Humble Anecdote on Eyebrows In my meagre twenty-two years of living, my mother has periodically gifted me with advice from the astute troves of her brain. From my atrocious eyebrows in eighth grade to navigating relationships, she has saved me much pain that I think is common through the justification of gaining “life experience”. Teenagers usually assert that adults just don’t get it when, in reality, some of the things we do are just plain senseless. Here is a humble anecdote from when I was thirteen. I was all about way too much eyeliner, and teasing and straightening my hair just to look like a cool friend of mine, Zara Zaine, as her hair was bomb and she had the best name I’ve ever heard. One day my mother and older sister sat me down, not quite formally, but nonetheless to inform me that I had plucked my eyebrows far too thin.
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‘This is how I like them,’ I snapped back. Oh, how young, how deluded I was. The hair and makeup took a turn for the better that year and I eventually decided on what suited my personality. However, the eyebrows I kept up with for some months. I can’t quite remember the point at which I realised they were right, but eventually, I listened to my family. I finally stopped plucking in such a way that frayed string appeared to be squatting on the upper-eye space of my face. When I look back at photos, I am both appalled at how terrible they look and so glad that an intervention took place. My family would have known that I probably wasn’t going to listen and
that I’d respond with classic thirteen-year-old sass. Yet they chose to speak up, ready to withstand what might have escalated as far as a cruel jab in retaliation aimed at their own appearance. This seemingly insignificant event was a turning point for me. It taught me that sometimes when I was absolutely certain I was right, someone else’s perspective is actually a better vantage point to view the situation. I had genuinely believed my eyebrows were looking great. When you’re young it’s like you’re the first to
oh, how young, how deluded I was ever feel or need or see things. You think the best thing for you is to just do what feels right, even when it comes to decisions of actual consequence. We steam ahead with the unique fearlessness of someone who hasn’t yet been wounded in this world. I love Taylor Swift, honestly, but her relationship anecdotes of pursuing the ‘treacherous’ road against all advicejust for the bliss of danger and excitement, is not a good philosophy. Of course, there is some value to this way of thinking, and I would be the last person to harp from a pedestal that risk and experience are nothing but harmful. Lest we quench the fire of youth, through which history has found ignition
for countless revolutions in the name of rights and equality. It’s simply an unfortunate consequence of the individualism our culture praises that we don’t hold looking to community and family for guidance in higher esteem. We like to be the sole orchestrators of our fate or destiny or dreams. After all, you do you. But there is beauty and blessing in the words of elders whose knowledge has already been gained from experiencing all the incredible opportunities we have in this bright, shimmering world. As I navigated much bigger things, such as relationships, work, and identity, I was able to learn from the past of my parents, siblings, trusted teachers, and even my employers. I don’t think there is anyone out there without regrets, and in turn, without a story to tell of an experience that helped develop their independence, focus, and resilience. Thank you to my mum, who knew when I was merely infatuated and not in love, when I was lying to her about being ‘okay’, or when a friendship was unhealthy. Goodness, she knew when I needed to stop overthinking and just take a lil’ nap, too.
~ words by Courtney Lawrence Bachelor of Arts (High Achievers) & Bachelor of Letters (English, Italian, Applied Linguistics)
~ art by Carmen Giffen Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
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PETS of FLINDERS Winners of the FUSA @ Home Com-pet-ition! OWNER: LAUREN ROSE-HEARD
Dora
CUTEST PET WINNER! - Dora is a 12 year old ragdoll x siamese. She deserves the “Cutest pet” title because she’s loving, caring and food driven. When she’s not eating, she’s cuddling us. Aggressively to the extent that she squishes her face immensely. She also likes to stick her tongue out, it’s very cute.
If you think your pet has the stuff to become Flinders’ Next Top Model, email us! empire.times@flinders.edu.au
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DUMBEST PET WINNER! - This is Emmy, the Dumbest Cat. it took her months to understand that she can fit through a 15cm wide gap, doesn’t realise that punching a glass of liquid will spill the liquid, and sometimes refuses to sleep until she hears Samuel L Jackson read “Go the F*** to Sleep”. OWNER: CLARE PERILLI
Charlie
OWNER: SAMANTHA TENNANT
Emmy MOST ANNOYING PET WINNER! - Hello! My name is Charlie “Chucky” the Galah. I enjoy long w around the house an alks screaming at the to d of my lungs at 6AM p favourite hobbies ar. My eating my brother’s e collection and gettin Lego scratches from mum g might be annoying b . I my family loves me ut very much!
Ah! La Pizza! The Italian culinary treasure.
The go-to comfort food. The cheese, the ham, the tomato and herbs all combine to create a symphony of flavour on a disc of dough. And like every retro vinyl album, there are blissful varieties of Pizza and awful monstrosities. But here is the ugly truth about the greatest monstrosity in food: Pineapple on Pizza doesn’t work! Not as a dish, and not as a retro vinyl album. Allow me to explain: Firstly, adding pineapple to something does not make it Hawaiian! The people there don’t simply add pineapple to everything. And besides, you don’t just make a dough, and add
whatever you want with it, otherwise it won’t be a Pizza anymore. Secondly, it’s gross! Come on! It doesn’t look delicious at all. The colour of this pizza is just boring and uninteresting. Above all, the pineapple’s juice destroys the flavours of all the other ingredients, and creates this awful and harsh semi-acidic taste that you can only find in a expired Coke can. So, yeah. If you want to eat a pizza, at least get a Margherita. Otherwise, I’m sure there are endless sweet savouries out there, but Pineapple Pizza is not one of them.
~ words by Tony Saad
AGAINST...
debate Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen) & Bachelor of Letters (French)
Pineapple
on Pizza Look, there are many arguments advocating
FOR...
for pineapple on pizza: it’s Australian (think fried pineapple circles); it’s Cajun, Caribbean, Creole (think meat/fruit combinations); it’s added fibre; ham and pineapple pizza is the quintessential comfort food etc. Yet I am not here to regurgitate those gone before. I am here to talk about anchovies, olives, jalapenos, and pineapple. I am not here to call you un-evolved, to call those with a distaste for the complex, heathens. I want to talk about acidity. Let us talk about sweetness. Let us talk about flavour: complexity, versatility, complimentary.
With a mid-range pH score, pineapple registers as sour to our tastebuds. Combine it with the distinct flavours of a Milliard reaction in a good dough (the brown flavourful bits) and the fatty, salty profile of ham, you have got one hell of a mouthful, but it does not stop there. Pineapple brings sweet to the table as well! (Vegans, do not chew me out, olives can provide fat and salt).
It is a lot to digest! Whether seeking the intricate and perplexing flavours of pineapple, olives and capsicum on a ‘supreme’ or the subdued comfort of a ‘Hawaiian’, there is only one thing that is for sure: pineapple is multifarious and as such, belongs on any good pizza.
~ words by Taygan Beaton
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Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) & Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing)
on denim, a Canadian tuxedo, the outfit of our Woodstock dreams. There’s a reason why we all argue so much over this fashion statement, why people turn their heads and stare, because once you double up on denim, you look like you know what you’re doing. This style lets you look effortlessly cool. Denim is one of the most loved materials, everywhere you look you see denim, over there, over here, denim, denim, denim. It cannot be escaped, and it shouldn’t be. It’s one of those things you can find so easily, from the shops, from Kmart, from designer stores, it will always be one of those things that if you need it, it will
be there. So, of course people would gravitate towards double denim. Imagine! It makes getting dressed in the morning so easy. All you need is a pair of jeans and denim jacket, and voila, you are a fashion icon. Think about it. Double denim is the way to go. And if you ever need to be reminded, just look up Justin Timberlake with Britney Spears and you will find inspiration. Because denim on denim is heavenly.
FOR...
We’ve all seen it, the double denim look: denim
~ words by Phoebe Sydney-Jones Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
Double Denim
Let’s talk about denim. It’s a pretty solid fabric
AGAINST...
—versatile, warm, long-lasting and almost always flattering. Few trousers could even come close to a solid pair of Levi’s jeans. That said, when on earth did we decide that double denim was still acceptable? Perhaps it was okay in the 70s and 80s, but they had less options. Perhaps it was even a reasonable outfit all the way up to the early 00s, but need I remind you that we also felt super low-cut jeans and Juicy Couture tracksuits were the height of fashion. It’s time to move on everyone! As a society, we have never had more freedom of expression or innovative technology to foster our creativity. We’re capable of making shirts out
of bamboo. Your new bikini could be made from recycled plastic. It takes a microsecond to design your own sneakers online for goodness sake. It’s time to branch into new fabrics, experiment with textures and wear 3D printed dresses, everyone! It’s not time for more of the same. Ultimately, I’ll grant you the iconic Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake ensemble circa 2001. However, much like Brittany and Justin themselves, double denim didn’t last. Do yourself a favour and get over it like I did.
debate ~ words by Rachelle Boyle
Bachelor of Media and Comunication
Student Council Nathan Cheetham: Welfare Officer What would you like students to know about you? Well... I’m in my third year at Flinders, studying a Bachelor of Arts and will probably major in Linguistics and/or French (but that requires passing topics…). I’m an avid reader and have recently developed an obsession with indoor plants (please feel free to talk to me about plants whenever). Other than that? Big believer in free education, #raisetherate, and guillotine billionaires!
Why did you run for Student Council? I ran for Student Council because I saw an opportunity to impact the university in a way that I couldn’t as a regular student. I believe that universities have a responsibility to take an interest in the welfare of their students, and being on Student Council is the best way to make Flinders University listen.
What are the most pressing issues for the students you represent? Technically I don’t represent a particular group of students like some other office bearers do— welfare initiatives and issues affect all students, after all. However, one of the biggest issues facing students is Youth Allowance. Like the Newstart payment from Centrelink, Youth Allowance (Student) fails to cover students’ essential costs, generally leaving students living below the poverty line. It’s unfair to expect students to juggle full time study loads with part time or casual work, just to keep a roof over their heads. If we can put ‘Student’ as our profession on government forms, then we should be paid fairly.
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Have you seen any personal growth since starting your role?
I’ve been in my role since July 2018, so I’ve had a lot of time to see personal growth. And boy have I seen personal growth. I’m much more confident in myself now which, I think, is a result of having to work with university staff who can seem intimidating (but are usually just regular humans— who knew?). I’m also much more informed more broadly about issues that affect higher education and I’m more politically engaged, which is important.
How do you see FUSA growing in the future?
I believe that FUSA has the potential to continue expanding and offering even more than it already does. In my time at Flinders, I’ve seen both the quality and quantity of FUSA events and initiatives increase dramatically. I’d love to see FUSA become independent from the University in a way that allows for us to fully represent students and criticise the University’s decisions without being blocked due to ‘conflict’.
Profiles Questions supplied by FUSA's Student Council President
Imogen Deller-Evans: Queer Officer What would you like students to know about you?
Some fun facts! I’m a first year Directing student at the Flinders Drama Centre. I’m an avid vegan cook. I’ve seen (almost) every version of Star Trek. And, I’m an absolute freak for hummus!
Why did you run for Student Council?
Some friends noticed how passionate I am about queer student advocacy and encouraged me to get involved. I saw it as an opportunity to connect with and support the community I love in a whole new way.
What are the most pressing issues for the students you represent?
Queer students face a multitude of issues, including homelessness, unemployment, and mental illness. Coming into the university environment is already a daunting task when you don’t have to worry about others disrespecting your identity. We must consider the extra issues queer people deal with when looking to support students. Implementing and providing information for queer housing support, mental health support and/or educational support (such as the Safe Schools program), is crucial. But an easy starting point for everyone is to just be kind and non-judgemental towards your peers, queer or otherwise.
Have you seen any personal growth since starting in your role?
Before elections last year I was publically closeted and as a result quite timid to voice any major ‘political’ opinions. Being in this role has literally brought me ‘out’ into the world, and I’m now much more comfortable speaking up about issues that are important to me and to the queer community.
How do you see FUSA growing in the future?
I have a view that FUSA will grow more independent as a student-driven body. Incorporation is one way I can imagine this occurring, and I think it would be awesome to have the financial means to do so!
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Prizes:
1st Place: $100 2nd Place $50
Details: Submission cut-o: 15th August Winners contacted: Early September Winners will be published on our website
have some questions? contact us: empire.times@flinders.edu.au keep updated on our website: 34 empiretimesmagazine.com
Categories: Fiction Poetry Visual Art NonďŹ ction Photography
FUSA PAGE
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ET 2020 EMPIRE TIMES // 47.4
Amy Bennett // Bec Manser // Brie Dark Brooke Cantley // Carmen Giffen // Celeste Northcott Christine Magracia // Clare Perilli // Connor Phelan Courtney Lawrence // Dani Nguyen // Emily Vonderwall Hollie Gardner // Jacob Barrey // Joshua Collison Kate Douglas // Kieran Thornton // Lauren Rose-Heard Maddie Hand // Madeline Percey // Melanie Ross Natasha Nagle // Payton Hogan // Phoebe Sydney-Jones Rachelle Boyle // Samantha Tennant // Simran Kahlon Shaiykirra Jones // Shanii Sparrow // Sheridan Phillips Taygan Beaton // Tony Saad // Tully Templeman UPCOMING ISSUE:
ISSUE 5: SEX, LOVE & BODY Want to get involved? Contact us! empire.times@flinders.edu.au
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