BY RAYNA BLAND Welcome to The Campus Lowdown! Grapeshot Magazine’s new section dedicated to all campus related news, whether it’s O-Week, awards, protests, society events, food specials, or all the Easter Eggs you need to find around campus! Whether this is your first year at Macquarie or your seventh, I give you the warmest of welcomes to Macquarie University’s campus! A campus full of fairy lights, wild ivy, COVID marshals, stressed students, interesting staff, and the occasional squad of ibis birds that loiter by Ubar. In our first spread, we are going to dive into all things O-Week related, tell you what’s new on campus, give you some MQ society insights, and tell you about the best spots to discover on the campus you are stuck in for the rest of your degree – unless there’s another lockdown!
CAMPUS NEWS O-Week is here! From Monday 15th to Friday 19th of February, there will be O-Week on campus! The event is going to be ‘COVID-safe’ meaning that you have to register before attending. O-Week will be full of welcoming events, workshops, and informative activities that can help you prepare for the year ahead and learn more about what you can do around campus! There will be five zones to explore: Faculty and Course Orientations, Interactive Learning Sessions, Uni Life Panels and Tours, Professional Development Workshops and Social Networking Events. Check your emails for a registration link, once registered you can create your own O-Week schedule just for you! If you do not want to or cannot travel into campus do not worry, all of that information will be available virtually. Grapeshot will have a stall running on Monday February 22nd from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Happy O-Week, may your start to semester one be prosperous!
Campus Cautionaries for Covid-19 Vice-Chancellor Bruce Dowton has announced that the university will continue funding their COVIDSafe ambassador program. This program employs a group of students to ensure COVIDSafe practices are being followed on campus. So look forward to trying to maintain that 1.5m distance as you chat with peers in the halls. Also make sure you have your Student ID with you so you can scan and enter into the library and classrooms. Of course, please do not be a grub and wash your hands properly. And beware! Remember to keep that spare mask in your backpack when catching public transport and do not come to campus if you are feeling unwell. But you do not need me to tell you that, we have been hearing these warnings for over a year now so I feel like we know what to expect. Stay safe everyone!
New Arts Precinct and Building Developments Check it out! As you walk down 25 Wally’s Walk you will have the fortune of discovering the new Arts Precinct! As you explore the area you will find three buildings, an atrium, lots of shaded seats, charging ports, and The Cult Eatery where they offer salmon sandwiches and 10% off to any Macquarie University Law Society (MULS) member! Definitely a nice place to be! The Central Courtyard which is located next to MUSE has opened! Here you can find green lawns and the uni bar, Ubar; a place for pizza, games and drinks with friends. The university is also still in the midst of developing a new Law School on campus with constructions to be completed in 2022.
10