SWINE Issue One 2017

ISSUE #01 2017

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Meet the Team Contributors Editorial Can’t Hardly Wait Getting your Life at Uni Started Franking With the Earth Swinburne Club Guide Inis Oirr Wakefield Street Orwell Paper The Ecological Cost of Education

SWINE Issue. 1 Published February 2017 Printed by the SSU on recycled paper

MEET THE TEAM

MEET THE TEAM

IMOGEN BAILEY

RYAN CAROLAN

SARAH SORDELLI

SHERVENE TAN

Avid lover of the well written word, dogs and a good coffee. I write, read and will correct your grammar without hesitation. Teaming up with these other legends to provide you with some sweet content throughout 2017. Love it.

I am 26 year old and just began my PhD in philosophy under the brilliant Arran Gare. I am constantly shocked by people’s indifference both to politics, to education and to life. So it is my goal to change that in at least one person.

Sarah is a third year Communication Design student. She has really bad OCD in graphic design, making sure everything is aligned, hence this issue!

She is constantly on her phone no matter where she is. Sarah would rather injure herself than to let go of her phone.

Shervene hates writing... anything. So that’s why she decided to persue a course in Communication Design at Swinburne.

Currently in her third year, she specialises in illustration and publication design but is open to anything design wise so much so, that her favorite phrase has become: “Please hire me”.

EDITOR IN CHIEF

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DESIGNER

DESIGNER

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EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS

CONTRIBUTORS: Ryan Carolan Sarah Sordelli Imogen Bailey Shervene Tan Felicity Oriander Nick Gleeson CLUB CONTRIBUTORS: Alex De Fazio Madd Rovere Steven Taylor Mitch Kloet Phuong L. Samuels Reet Kamal Jarrod O’Sullivan Faraz Haider Katie McLean Sharni Boldiston Jessica Scata Elliott Mann Alec Young Nguyễnn Chu Quốc Anh Audrey Nikopoulos Alex Giang

Hiya Swinny fam! I'm your new SWINE magazine editor for 2017! Hope you got lit over the holidays and you're super refreshed and ready for uni. This first edition contains a whole lotta goodness; with a 'how-to' guide for newbies, as well as a Swinburne Club guide.

We've also got some killer articles from some awesome contributors; so this edition is literally bursting at the seams! We're working to get 3 editions out per semester, so if you've got some creative juices flowing and want to write, photograph or draw something, feel free to drop ya stuff to us. That's all from me for now. Say hi to your dog for me!

Cheers, Imogen Bailey, Editor-in-Cheif

Swinburne Student Union

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CAN’T HARDLY WAIT Nick Gleeson

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had a great deal of trouble thinking of a story that would be fitting to put into this edition’s ‘Survival Guide’.

‘It needs to be light-hearted, but informative as well’ I’d say, only to be scoped by a sideways glance from a lady cradling her morning latte, mid sip. This cafe experience was at the height of multiple days of brainstorming and note taking where I thought that, instead of writing a hilarious (and possibly NSFW) story I’d lived in my first year for a laugh, I’d write about one that happened before I had even started my time at university.

Expectation is a strange thing. Being the second member of my family to ever land a university placement, what I was about to jump into was an enormous question mark! There were no immediate sources I could speak to that would give me any first-hand advice about what to expect. So, being the child trapped in an adult’s body, I did what I usually do when uncertainty dominates; I researched.

The starting block, possibly to a fault, was to do what any kid who grew up addicted to the internet would do and started collecting movies to marathon.

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Instead of using Netflix, I made the decision to seek out physical copies of each film to make the expedition more tangible. An actual treasure hunt, heck yes. After a week of hunting and gathering, I built my viewing fort and got stuck in. The collection of movies was, according to the trustworthy people on the internet, considered to be quintessential films about college.

The proceeding days of my life were surrendered to the directorial whims of the Weitz brothers and a handful of other directors renowned for their coming-of-age-at-uni films. Thinking in retrospect, looking at any kind of real world account of what was in store may have been far more enlightening than any of the films, but there I was.

A day later, I came out of my cave, in dire need of a shower, thinking that what I was about to embark on was to be a trial-by-toga for a position into the church of the red Solo cup.

scored by Offspring. My first week was, honestly, the most frightening week of my life so far. Since you’re reading this in a student magazine, it’s likely that you’re living - or have lived - this week yourself.

About now is when I should mention that none of this happened. Actually, that’s a lie, the questionably hobbit-like marathon did actually happen. But, there were no togas, no cult-esque hazing (a term I hadn’t heard of up until this point) and no soundtrack

Or was it ATC?’

This shit is scary, right?

There were many questions going into my first few weeks. Some of the most frequent ones were, in this order: ‘I have to get up how early for that lecture?’

‘Are lectures compulsory?’

‘Is it acceptable to wear pyjamas to early lectures?’

‘Where is the closest place to get caffeine to take to that lecture?’

‘Where the hell is the AMDC building…

Although it was frightening, it was also one of the most genuinely exciting weeks too. It allowed for me to gain a whole new perspective on how life can be. Growing up on a farm, far

away from the city, I wasn’t sure how exactly to introduce myself. It was always met with a shocked look and a ‘no wayy!’ from people when I’d tell them I lived on a farm. Usually, people are not expecting it from a stick thin, blonde kid with skin so pale it nearly glows in the dark.

Now we’re getting to the good part.

As scary as it may be, it was the most revelatory time as it allowed me to finally be who I wanted to be. I never had to stress about dressing a certain way, liking a certain kind of music and not doing what everyone else was doing. I could finally present myself as I saw fit, and damn it was liberating.

For those of you who are stressed about all this new stuff, my advice would be to take a step back. You made it to a university. You’re a smart noodle. You don’t need to freak out about what those guys from high school or wherever it is you came from think.

Wear, jam to, and spend time doing and be whatever you like.

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Getting your life at uni started (How to Swinburne) brought to you by the Swinburne Student Union.

Transport to Campus: Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus is well serviced by public transport. Running through the heart of the campus are the Belgrave, Lilydale and Alamein (don’t catch Glen Waverly) services. Jump off at Glenferrie to come to uni. Alternatively there is also tram route 16 which runs down Glenferrie road.

Local, full-time, undergraduate students are eligible for transport concession cards. You can apply for a card from Glenferrie Station, Student HQ, or on the Public Transport Victoria website. Student HQ will authorise your form once you have filled it out and you can collect your concession card from the customer service centre at your local train station.

Your concession card will make you eligible for cheaper public transport fares, so make sure you receive a concession myki rather than an adult one.

On Campus:

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eginning university for the first time represents a unique and difficult challenge on multiple fronts. It is a distinct change from high school because the onus of responsibility is increasingly shifted onto your shoulders. This is magnified by the fact that going to university represents efforts in other aspects of your life to become more independent.

For example, it may be the first time living out of home; the first time you have to consider cooking and cleaning, paying bills, rent and living in shared apartments. Alternatively, if you’re a mature age student, you might feel less willing to participate in university life, especially if you are balancing your study with work and family commitments. This rise in responsibility may be liberating but it may also affect your ability to participate in campus activities. So we’ve provided you with a ‘how-to’ guide designed to help you get accustomed to university life and get the most out of your time at Swinburne.

Getting around the Hawthorn Campus is made simple with the directional signs; assisting you to find buildings, public transport access and Swinburne services. The Swinburne Student Union (SSU), the office and (free*) printing service is available in the UN Building on Level 4, accessible by lift and internal stairs.

The Swinburne Student Amenities Association (SSAA) is located in The George building. Swinburne University Staff have offices all over the campus, and can be found via your Unit Outline or via the Staff Directory on the Swinburne website. Swinburne University Senior Staff are located in the SPS building.

The Health Service is available in The George on Level 4. The Queer Lounge and Womens Lounge is available in the AD Building; Level 2, entrance opposite Haddons Cafe. The Library entrance is Located in the Atrium, opposite the BA Building.

Free printing available to students who become members of the Swinburne Student Union.

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Environment and Sustainability If you are passionate about environmental and sustainability projects, the Swinburne Environmental Community (SEC) is an excellent place to meet likeminded people and learn about a whole range of environmental activities happening locally and all over the country. SEC meets every Tuesday at midday in the Hammer and Swine (Union-run bar).

The Swinburne People’s Garden is located at 18 George St, just a two- minute walk from campus, and is maintained completely by student volunteers. If you would like to learn more or volunteer, come along to a meeting or email Joaqina at sustainability@ssu.org.au.

Recycling on campus: Any bin with a yellow lid or labelled appropriately takes hard plastic, paper, cardboard, tin cans, and glass.

Composting: Bring your food scraps/organic waste to the community garden’s compost bin on 18 George St (behind campus).

Bicycle facilities:

Find the application form for access on the Swinburne website. Shower facilities can be found at The George on level 1 and 2.

There are also bike repair stations that provide tools for basic repairs. These are located outside the Engineering building (EN), the Sports and Recreation Centre (SR), and in the basement car park of AMDC. The map on the right shows the bicycle parking and repair stations around the Hawthorn campus.

There are over 350 secure bicycle parking spaces across the three campuses, as well as shower facilities.

Hawthorn campus features bike lockers for extra safety, but you will need a swipe card to access some secure bicycle parking areas around the university (including Engineering West (EW), Swinburne Place South (SPS), and Advanced Manufacturing and Design Centre (AMDC)).

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Health

How to book an appointment at Health Services.

The Health Services are on level 4 of the George Building, and you can book to see a doctor, counsellor, and psychologist or see someone from Disability services.

Counselling is free for all students – book to see one at the health service reception on level 4.You can register your details and book online now to see a doctor through SwinHealth on the Swinburne website. Alternatively, you can book an appointment at reception – you must bring your student ID card and Medicare card with you to your first appointment. If you are an international student, you can bring in a passport or some other form of photographic ID. Also note: Swinburne students will be bulk billed and fees for staff and community members will be $75.00 with $37.05 rebate. Please note nonattendance fees apply if you book and do not attend. You are require to give at least 2 hours notice for non-attendance.

If you need to see a Psychologist, it would be best to ring the Health Service to see if you need a referral from your General Practitioner (GP) or not depending on your circumstances.

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Disability Services If you need to see someone from Disability services, you need to book at Health Service reception.

They can help you set up a study plan, which would help suit your needs for when you start university; for example, extra exam time in order to take breaks, using a laptop in exams, extra time to complete assignments. Book an appointment with Health Service reception on level 4 of the George Building in order to see someone from disability service.

If there is a case where you were in an accident/something happens beyond your control and you missed the census date to withdraw from a unit, the disability services can help you with an application for remission of debt – so that you won’t be penalised financially for withdrawing late.

Hawthorn Physiotherapy Clinic Hawthorn Physiotherapy Clinic is a short walk from the Swinburne Campus and offers all your physiotherapy needs.

You can book an appointment to see a Physiotherapist as well as participate in the clinical Pilates classes.

This clinic provides all the necessary equipment such as treadmills, cycle bikes, weights and pulleys for arms. The clinic is brilliant for rehabilitation, where you will be supervised while doing exercises to bring back strength and range of movement in their air-conditioned facility.

They offer reduced rates for full time tertiary students and full pensioners, as well as being registered to treat all Workcover, TAC, Injury Net, Armed Forces personnel and their families and Veterans Affairs patients. For more information go to hawthornphysio.com.au

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LAS Centre

MASH Centre

Women

Chaplaincy Service

If you find you need assistance with how to write an essay, proofreading or referencing, you can book an appointment with the Learning and Academic Skills (LAS) Centre at Swinburne. Book online through SwinEmploy, but first visit the LAS page on the Swinburne website to choose your faculty. Phone and Skype appointments are available if you cannot attend a face-to face appointment.

The Mathematics and Statistics Help

The Women’s Collective aims to provide a safe space for women and women identifying folk at Swinburne University. In the space there are couches, desks, quiet spaces, information regarding services, sanitary items, places to breastfeed and a place to go if you just need some time or feel a little unsafe.

If you need support any time, we have our chaplains who welcome students to come and talk to them at any time. They are located on level 3 of the George Building and they can give you support and guidance. No need to book an appointment; just drop in to the office.

The LAS Centre is located on level 2 of the George Building. For very quick questions about an assignment there is no appointment needed, instead there are students and staff from the LAS centre who can help you. They operate in the library on level 2 and are available during the following hours:

There is no need to book an appointment, just rock up to AMDC building, level 5, room 503. You do not have to go to the MASH centre by yourself, bring a group along and work together! The tutor is there to help you, so don’t be shy in asking!

9am – 8pm, Monday to Thursday, 9am – 4pm Friday.

If you would like to help the LAS Centre with becoming student helper, please visit the website for more information and how to apply: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ student/study-help/las.html

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(MASH) Centre has a range of tutors to help with maths and statistics. If you’re studying engineering, statistics (used in psychology), maths and physics, this service is for you!

The tutors operate during different times and days and on the window of the MASH Centre there is a timetable shown of when the MASH service is available.

You can like our Facebook page at SSU Women’s Collective, or join the Facebook group page by the same name if you want to interact more freely with other members in privacy.

You can also get in touch at womens@swin. org.au if you want to find out more details about the Collective, or if you want to find out where the women’s space is.

If you ever feel unsafe on the Hawthorn Campus, contact Swinburne security on 03 9214 3333 and they can escort you to safe transport or a safe space. Otherwise, call 000 for emergencies.

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Cafes on Campus There are a few places on campus that are available for a quick coffee, during those straight 7 hours of classes, and for fairly decent prices.

Around most of the classroom buildings, there is Cafe on Uni (UN Level 1), Atrium Cafe (outside the library) and Haddons Cafe (AR Level 1).

Cafe on Uni is known for its Pom Doners; paper cones, filled with hot chips, and choices of meat, toppings and sauces, and a small is just under $7.

Around the campus Glenferrie road offers some great places to eat and drink. Here are a list of some of the best cafes, cheap eats and bars which are just a short distance from campus.

Haddons Cafe is known for having the better coffee on campus.

Atrium Cafe is known for their hot chocolate and quick snacks for between study sessions.

There are multiple cafes and restaurants along Wakefield St, next to the SPS Building.

Lucy’s Dumplings, which is very popular among Swinburne Students is located towards the furthest end of the building, and offers a range of snacks, but mostly known for their dumplings. Cafe Gomez is also located along Wakefield St and offers great coffee on the cheap; a medium only $3.50.

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Vegetarian and Vegan Options Around Campus

Further Information:

There are numerous options around the Hawthorn campus for anyone wanting to eat meat and dairy free. There is also a Facebook group called ‘Vegans and Vegetarians of Swinburne’ that is a friendly and helpful community answering any questions and providing recommendations for students.

On campus there is Lucy’s Dumplings which offer vegetable dumplings, as well as juices and steamed vegetable buns.

Most cafes on/around campus have soy and other milk alternatives for drinks.

Mon Ami offer a small selection of vegan friendly snacks, as well as other cafes on campus offering Asian style vegetarian foods (including sushi and stir frys).

A short walk from campus is Poki Time, which has vegetarian/vegan options.

The Resistance café offers sweet potato fries and Schnitz provides vegetarian options. You can also buy your fresh produce from the Woolworths just off Wakefield St. Glenferrie Road is a hub for vegan and vegetarian cuisine, including; Grill’d, Bay City Burrito, Guzman y Gomez and Spanish Doughnuts which boasts a delicious vegan paella.

Piccolina Gelateria has a couple of vegan gelato options, if you’re looking for a sweet treat. The Asian supermarkets further up Glenferrie Road offer a wide selection of frozen faux meats and other Asian food stuffs.

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SSU Student Representation and Elections: Once a year, the Swinburne Student Union will announce their yearly elections.

This election is to re-elect all positions for Student Representatives.

The voting is held in the Atrium (outside the library entrance) and all students have the option to vote in this election. Guides on how to vote are handed out during that time.

Students must remember to bring their Swinburne ID Card, and can only vote once.

Become a candidate Once the election is called, posters will be put up about how to go about registering your candidacy with the Returning Officer (RO), once completed, they will email you with confirmation and rules and processes.

Publish in Swine magazine If you are interested in publishing material for the Swinburne magazine; the Swine, please email imogen.bailey@ssu.org.au or ryan.carolan@ssu.org.au for more information.

Each month, the Union will host a Council meeting, which students are welcome to attend. Council is where all student representatives meet and discuss important Union issues and discuss how the Union will continue.

More information can be found at ssu.org.au.

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Fracking with the Earth

Felicity Oriander

Fracking. A word that sounds comically similar to a well-loved curse word. But the environmental implications of fracking are far from light-hearted.

Fracking is the practice of drilling deep holes into the Earth using toxic chemical-laden water and sand to blast-release natural gas that is trapped.

Shots of U.S home-owners lighting a match to their tap water and experiencing an explosion of flames sounds like a huge hoax. It is not. It is happening. The original clip can be seen on Josh Fox’s 2010 documentary Gasland.

Sounds pretty bad doesn’t it?

It gets worse.

Fracking is not just the ugly and harsh practice of drilling enormous and deep holes into the Earth, it has drastic implications for the health of entire ecosystems. Indeed, toxic water is used to help release the gases stored deep in the Earth’s crust.

These pipes are made of concrete. Concrete cracks during fracking more often than not, and when it does it releases gallons of this toxic H20 into our household and agricultural water supply underground.

20-40% of this water flows back to the surface and can be classed as radioactive waste, according to the Environmental Agency.

What do we do with the waste? Try to treat it or just dump it?

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Moving toxic water is a high-risk venture. If it spills

it is disastrous, but if it sits underground it will move around and contaminate more people by naturally seeping into our supply.

Companies such as INEOS in the UK have appallingly stated, ‘’We will capture and contain it, treat it back to the standards agreed … with the Environmental Agency and discharge where allowed under permit-- most likely the sea.’’ Failing to mention whether the ‘standards agreed’ were safe for household use, drinking or farming and whether or not it would impact marine ecology.

The US has been fracking since the 1940’s but it only started to take off in 2005 on a global scale, with almost all continents seeing the occurrence of it.

Once contaminated water leaches into a farmer’s territory, it destroys valuable crops immediately, making them entirely unsuitable for consumption and

wasting time and money for individuals affected.

Fracking does not just negatively affect our water but also causes earthquakes by the mini explosions underground releasing the gas.

According to experts at Extreme Tech, the state of Oklahoma experienced 890 earthquakes in 2015 that were caused by fracking.

In addition to these awful environmental consequences, fracking has been shown to raise levels of carcinogens present in the atmosphere and rates of breast cancer have spiked sharply in fracked towns. Real Natural reported that breast cancer rates in the 6 most fracked counties in Texas rose by 20% from 2005-08. Endocrine disruptors and chemicals like benzene, a carcinogen, contribute to 25% of cancer-causing chemicals in fracking water.

Furthermore the gas that is released is methane, renowned for trapping heat much faster than CO2.

Methane is behind the rising temperatures of our planet and, if we don’t act, will further destroy our planet.

Governments have, incredulously, been apathetic to banning fracking, with only exemptions in National Parks in the US reported.

Australia has widespread fracking in QLD, NSW and Western Australia. Victoria, to its credit, imposed a state-wide ban on the practice at the end of August 2016.

We know the effects of fracking. Let’s choose to neither frack nor fuck with the Earth.

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Swinburne Club Guide

Swinburne University Car Club Alex De Fazio:

Team Swinburne Jarrod O’Sullivan:

We are the Swinburne Uni Car Club (SUCC) and we have been running since 2013. We’ve become one of the largest Swinburne clubs, with over 120 financial members and over 1800 social members in our Facebook group. We host lots of Motorsport events such as Time Attack, Drift, Hill Climb and Motorkhana.

Have you ever wanted to work for a real race team? Do you want to use the knowledge you’ve gained through your studies to achieve something real? Want to get real world experience, build industry connections and life-long friendships?

Then Team Swinburne is for you. At Team Swinburne, students studying Engineering, Design, Business and Marketing get the opportunity to work together on designing, building, marketing and racing a formula style electric race car each year!

We also have a range of social events such as car meets, cruises, and dyno days. We are also the host Club to Uni Nationals and Uni Time Attack Challenge! We encourage all kinds of members of any gender and any age to come share their passion for cars and motorsports.

The easiest way to join is to head to www. succmotorsports.com.au or to look out for us on campus.

Through our exciting project you get access to exclusive materials and equipment such as water-jet cutters, laser cutters and 3d printers. You will get the opportunity to see your designs go from first principles to a complete design and then into a real life race car! To get involved send an email to mail@teamswinburne.com for more details on how to become a race team member.

You can also visit us in our workshop in building TC room 104.

Chuck us a like too: https://www.facebook. com/teamswinburne/?fref=ts

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Swinburne Tinkerers Guild Steven Taylor:

Swinburne Law Students’ Society Elliott Mann:

Swinburne Biomedical Engineering Society Sharni Boldiston:

Calling tinkerers of all fields and flavours: If you know something about something, not scared of (mild) electrocution, enjoy the smell of solder in the morning, or just wanna FPV race Quad-Copters in Rocket Park, you have found your home! Swinburne Tinkerer’s Guild is a cross-faculty, crossplatform, electro-mechanical blunderbuss powdered and ready to blow your mind.

The Swinburne Law Students’ Society (SLSS) is an association aimed at assisting Swinburne Law students with their studies and general law-school life. We run regular social events such as trivia nights, pub crawls and karaoke. In addition, we provide various professional events where you can meet actual lawyers and witness the skills you are learning, put into action.

Focusing on small/mid-scale projects to hack at throughout the semester and organising group space for some larger projects in the Summer & Winter Breaks, the guild is a place to meet other ‘meddlers’, get all giddy over the latest contraption, actually use some of the skills you have been building at Uni and discuss the awesome breakthrough <insert field> had last week, and how that’s going to be a total game-changer.

We are here to make the long road at law school enjoyable by ensuring that our members have the support they need whilst coping with exams, assignments, work commitments and the social side of life. Alongside our social and professional events, we also have a website containing resources such as a ‘First Year Survival Guide’ and a ‘Mooting 101 guide’ (trust us; it’s not as scary as it sounds!).

The Biomedical Engineering Society is a relatively new club established in 2016.

The aim of the society is to bring students that are studying or are interested in Biomedical Engineering together. We host events that allow students to explore the various pathways that studying Biomedical Engineering offers, hear about Industry Based Learning (IBL) experiences, as well as assisting newcomers to choose the most advantageous electives.

Get involved by joining the Facebook group below, post your projects, get on the email list and head along to the next meeting/event/project build day! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ tinkerersguild/

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Membership is open to all Swinburne Law students but everyone can come and participate in our social events.

Find us at https://www.facebook.com/ swinlss/ or http://www.swinburnelss.com/

These events will foster networking and participation with other Biomedical Engineering societies and businesses. Since establishment, students have become more focused and engaged with other students and staff within our discipline.

To find out more or to sign up, please contact Sharni Boldiston via email: swinburnebmes@gmail.com

Behind the Game Madd Rovere:

Behind The Game is a club for Swinburne students interested in game development.

We provide a safe, friendly environment for students to network, playtest, discuss and occasionally play digital and non-digital games! If you’ve never worked on a game before, or aren’t studying games- that’s ok! This club is for everyone interested in being a part of creating games, from the inexperienced to the confident.

Last year, we formed our club and hosted networking events, study sessions and cool design discussions and workshops. This year, we plan to do more with a bigger committee, bigger membership and more time and funds. Expect game sessions, talks, uni-wide collaboration and general game design shenanigans, alongside all the cool events we’ll be hosting this year!

To get involved hit us up on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ BehindTheGameSwin/

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Swinburne Boardriders Mitch Kloet:

Swinburne Football Club Katie McLean:

Swinburne Table Tennis Club Alex Giang:

Swinburne Boardriders is a new club for anyone who loves to surf, wants to learn, or just likes to spend time on the beach. We’re planning several exciting events for 2017, including the inter-uni Surf Ball, entering the Uni Games, weekend trips away and plenty of day trips up and down the coast. All skill levels are welcome, if you enjoy time at the beach you’ll fit right in. Don’t surf?

No worries!

Swinburne Amateur Football Club (SUAFC) is currently in its 22nd season with the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), with three men’s teams and one new women’s team. Pre-season training is currently underway two nights a week (Monday and Thursday) at Anderson and Fairview parks and the men’s and women’s teams both start from 6pm.

Table tennis is a great sport played by many people around the world! It is great exercise and also requires quick thinking and can be played by anyone! The Swinburne Table Tennis Club provides all those budding ping-pongers a place to have a hit. We are run by an excellent committee dedicated to bringing a competitive, fun and safe environment for all players of all levels. We provide equipment, but we highly recommend bringing your own if you are looking to improve your game.

Come along for a swim, snorkel, or just have a BBQ and build a sandcastle with us.

Memberships are free and we’ve got cool merch for everyone!

Don’t forget to give our Facebook page a like to stay up to date with events, and join our online group at: https://www.facebook. com/groups/634972356676678/?__ mref=message_bubble

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Games are on the weekend, with men’s teams on Saturday and women’s yet to be confirmed. All experience and knowledge of the game is welcome, SUAFC is a friendly welcoming environment that aims to give anyone who’s interested in football the chance to have a go.

There is room for everyone at our club when it comes to AFL! For more details about the club or playing, feel free to contact Vice President Katie McLean via email: katelynmclean97@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook. com/swinburnerazorbacks/?fref=ts

The best part about joining the club is you get the chance to meet different students from all around the university.

To simply join, head over to the myssaa. com.au site and find Swinburne Table Tennis Club. The membership fee for a year is $50 and includes the opportunity to represent Swinburne in all three Uni Games tournaments, play in any club day and meet awesome people! We will be available on all days during orientation and also week 1 welcome back week!

Women in Information & Communication Technologies (WICT) Reet Kamal: Women in Information & Communication Technologies (WICT) was founded as a Swinburne Faculty group supported by the Faculty of ICT in 2015. The aim of WICT is to connect, support and encourage females across IT channels at Swinburne.

As a group, our motivation is to continue to create an environment allowing female students to interact with their peers as well as network with female academics and industry partners. The club is on a drive to increase the diversity of the members so that new members are from across Swinburne which includes all faculties, vocational education and Swinburne College.

The group organizes regular events to raise visibility in the area of academic studies and industry learning. We can help provide you the platform to network and learn from industry representatives, academics and peers. We are looking for new committee members in 2017 so volunteer to make a difference, join the committee or become a member. Just click on: www.facebook. com/groups/SwinburneWICT 30

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Women’s Collective Audrey Nikopoulos:

La Literati Faraz Haider:

Soundfreqs @ Swinburne Phuong L. Samuels:

The Women’s Collectives’ aim is to support female and female identifying students at Swinburne University by providing a safe space, hosting events, supporting students’ needs and making sure that students have access to the right resources. We have a safe space on the Hawthorn Campus where students can go if they feel unsafe, study quietly, access resources regarding feminism and health services, or use the kitchen to heat meals or make a nice cup of tea.

La Literati is a place for those of you who possess a love of literature, whether that is in the form of reading or writing. As the day to day tasks of uni become mundane, tedious and downright torturous, La Literati will provide a place to unwind in the ink that has made its mark on paper and history.

Soundfreqs @ Swinburne is Swinburne’s only inclusive music club for those interested in and/or passionate about music production, performance and composition. All levels of expertise are welcome. No longer are you excluded from joining a specific club just because you can’t play a particular instrument! The club aims to connect people through music.

There will be events run at Swinburne for International Women’s Day on March 8th. There will also be conferences such as Network of Women Students Australia (NOWSA) in July and we will also host events with guest speakers to inspire students involved in the Women’s Collective. This year there will be a focus on activities which are not only relaxing, but also encourage students to support and help one another. There will be ‘crafternoons’ run regularly, which will include knitting, crochet, and art. We look forward to seeing everyone back at uni for semester one!

The love of literature in La Literati is purely for recreational purposes and in no way for university academia. The Literati will always be encouraged to share what they have written as well; all genres and styles are welcome. As our founder wrote, “to read and to write is to love: to love is to live”.

To get involved visit us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/165196750637666/?multi_ permalinks=166832303807444&notif_ t=group_activity&notif_ id=1486056825481065

Whether you join to make friends, contribute to music collaborations, or want to learn or teach a musical instrument, Soundfreqs welcomes you! We have heaps of fun music related events and you also get exclusive access to our growing collection of music equipment, including a KORG sequencer/sampler, three mini synthesisers and maybe (if you’re nice), the president’s violin.

Vietnamese International Students Swinburne Nguyenn Chu Quoc Anh: The Vietnamese International Students at Swinburne (VISS) club is here to bring Vietnamese students together.

We organise events and activities for Vietnamese students to have fun together and we keep this aim at the heart of our club.

To join us, contact us via our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ visswinburne/ https://www.facebook.com/ visswinburne/

To join us, join our Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ swinburnesoundmaker

Feel free to ask any questions regarding the Women’s Collective by emailing womens@ ssu.org.au

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Swinburne

Student Union

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Drink Specials

$6 Basics $3.50 Pots of Boags / 5 Seeds $9 Jager Bombs

Swinburne Italian Club Jessica Scata: The Swinburne Italian Club brings students together who are of Italian background or just love and are passionate about Italian culture. This club gives members an opportunity to experience and enjoy Italian food, music and lifestyle together through events. Some highly anticipated events held at university include free pizza and cakes day.

We are also proud of our affiliation with the Melbourne, Monash, La Trobe and RMIT University Italian clubs with whom we hold the annual Boat Cruise, Italian Ball and EOX Toga Party. These events bring students together to do what Italians do best; mangiare, ballare e parlare (eat, dance and talk).

If you would like to get involved in the club, go to the SSAA website and become a member on the Swinburne Italian Club page, add â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Swin Italiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on Facebook or approach our friendly committee at clubs day and our events held at university.

Friday 3rd March 8pm The Hawthorn Hotel Prizes for Best Dressed Free Entry for Swinburne Students

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$5 for Non Members 18+ Event, valid passport or Australian ID required

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Inis Oirr Felicity Oriander

Inis Oirr is Irish for ‘Small Island’. It is the baby of the three Aran Islands which lie off the country’s rugged West Coast. Renowned for being the last stronghold of Gaelic and traditional culture, they are flooded with tourists clamouring for a horse and buggy ride, fishing, walking and traditional music in summer.

60% of islanders still speak in their native tongue and woolly Aran jumpers are the prized garment to take home.

Mid-October, I am the only passenger on the ferry.

An azure blue sky washes over my eyes, streaked by buttery sunlight and the promise of perfect contemplation.

Once off the ferry I’m bursting to devour the island with my footsteps. I take a left on the road and spy a graveyard on a hill to my right that looks as old as the island itself. The history of generations living and dying here instantly grounds me to the place.

Inis Oirr is gorgeous and quaint- lush green fields are partitioned off by primeval stone walls comprised of stacked shingles. Ancient building practices means adhesive is unnecessary, the small cracks in the walls allow the fierce Atlantic winds to sail straight through.

I pad along the beach, my feet strong and buoyant in their durable hiking boots. The beach transforms swiftly from white sand surrounding a shipwreck known as ‘The Plassey’ into a natural road of dark grey rocks. I stop to make a little video, interviewing myself, overjoyed. Intuition tells me to document this day…there is magic here.

I have seen no one since leaving the ferry and head for the red and white striped lighthouse in the 35

distance. The air is dewy and smells more like the farming fields than the wild ocean.

I bend to touch a rock. It is rough and charcoal coloured like ashen volcano.

Immediately I am hit by an insatiable longing for times long ago. Inis Oirr, and indeed, all the islands of the Celtic lands seem to have this effect on me. The population is only 200 here. Humans used to live in small communities where everyone knew each other and contact was warm, abundant and sincere—Inis Oirr has retained its old soul.

The lighthouse is suddenly upon me, wrenching me from my yearnings. I grimace as I see the wrought-iron gate is locked. Access denied! I turn away and walk inland.

I come to a street with houses on it, old and new side by side. Modern ones with solar panels though they do not look intrusive on the landscape. Some with thatched roofs and trellises of tiny flowers, and some with renovations--hinting at commitment and the cheerful willingness of many hands.

A child’s brightly coloured play cubby adorns the front yard of the one I like best.

It appears to be the oldest on the street and boasts a pluck of charming thatch. My lips bud into a smile. It is reassuring to see that there will be future generations on Inis Oirr to preserve what seems to me, the very definition of a good life.

I trek on towards the tiny white-washed chapel and enter with reverence--not because it is a holy place but because it is important to the islanders and represents a place of hope and stillness. There are no sounds except the wind rattling the door.

Honeyed wood that has sweetened with age, ancient musty bibles and candle smoke tickle my nose.

I tiptoe over to the candles burning on a bench, each one symbolic of the person who placed it there. I dump my coins and light one for myself. All that I have been, all that I have learnt, all that I will become from the spirit of this place…..awaits.

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Wakefield Street

Orwell Paper Ryan Carolan

Imogen Bailey

Minds float along Wakefield Street, Each bubbling away with different insights, different wavelengths Eyes sweeping the grounds, gathering information, garnering location.

Some have been round once, twice, three times still unsure of themselves.

Clubs, societies and associations all competing for attention Yet none have any sway when there's free food flirtatiously advertising itself.

Each mind eager to learn; keen to make a mark.

Some dressed to the nines, others in trackies and T shirts, All with different bags to carry the information.

The sun beats down, the sunglasses are on, headphones are in.

Each bubbling mind floating through the hallway, Pursuing unique objectives Along Wakefield Street.

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In times such as these where there is no official logic guiding world events beyond organised destruction and no steady ground for contemplation in-between the rushes of the modern world, where it seems as though the world is simply a mechanical process unfolding, free from the need of human intervention, contemplation is indeed a key remedy.

But where do we focus our contemplation? It seems that one thinker we have turned for guidance recently is George Orwell.

It is no coincidence that George Orwell has become relevant once again, if he ever wasn’t. He represents a man that attempted in his life and work to find out that all-allusive truth, the very thread that connects all the greats together. Indeed, in a world where truth is not worth the paper it is written on, contemplation becomes priceless. Or as he

put it: ‘in times of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.’

For those who don’t know, Orwell’s classic 1984, an imagined futuristic Soviet dystopia pushed along by suspicion and fear, is currently one of the bestselling books right now (2nd place on Amazon’s list), despite being published in 1949. This phenomenon can, in part, be traced back to the use of the term ‘alternative facts’ by the Counsellor to the President Kellyanne Conway and the suggestion that: ‘I don’t think you can prove those numbers (of the crowd at Trump’s inauguration) …

There’s no way to really quantify crowds.’ Many people have rightly drawn similarities between the use of alternative facts and Orwell’s ‘newspeak’, which was designed to eradicate individual thought, as well as “doublethink” which represents the ‘power of

holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them’.

And while the novel does indeed represent with exceptional clarity and precision the modern crisis of bureaucratisation, media control, developments in technology (especially spyware), and many other things, Orwell shows so brilliantly the problems that arise when language is taken for granted (‘The Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war’ for example). However, 1984 was written not to provide solutions but as a warning for future society, one spectacularly unheeded.

For this reason, it is a novel that can magnify the helplessness of an individual spiralling them into a deeper depression. It is not a novel to inspire change.

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What is required now is not another dose of nihilism but, rather, to rethink some fundamental assumptions.

Indeed, for us university students, it is the beginning of semester. So it is necessary to ask ourselves why we are here.

This is why I believe that although reading 1984 is necessary, a reading of Orwell’s short essay ‘Why I Write’, published in 1946, is essential reading for new university students.

In it Orwell argues ‘that there are four great motives for writing’ that ‘exist in different degrees in every writer’ which are shaped ‘according to the atmosphere in which he is living.’ They are: Sheer Egoism: ‘Writers share this characteristic with scientists, artists, politicians, lawyers, soldiers, successful business men – in short, with the whole top crust of humanity. The great mass of human beings are not acutely selfish… Serious 39

writers, I should say, are on the whole more vain and self-centred than journalists, though less interested in money.’

Aesthetic enthusiasm: ‘Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement.

Pleasure in the impact of one sound on another, in the firmness of good prose or the rhythm of a good story. Desire to share an experience which one feels is valuable and not to be missed. The aesthetic motive is very feeble in a lot of writers, but even a pamphleteer or writer of textbooks will have pet words and phrases which appeal to him for nonutilitarian reasons… No book is quite free from aesthetic considerations.’

Historical impulse: ‘Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.’

Political purpose: ‘Using the word political in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude…

The more one is conscious of one’s political bias, the more chance one has of acting politically without sacrificing one’s aesthetic and intellectual integrity.’

In another article of his, Politics and the English language also published in 1946, he discussed five more rules in absolute terms: (i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. (ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do. (iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. (iv) Never use the passive

where you can use the active. (v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

Before reminding us, with his sixth rule, that we should ‘break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.’ The point being that we should have rules to guide our actions but we should always be willing to rethink them before we defend something barbarous.

In times like these of universal deceit it is not surprising that man has been far more willing to defend the indefensible than stand up for what is right. It seems we are taking the path of least resistance. If we truly want to do something great, a necessary aspect is to struggle against the current.

Most importantly, however, Orwell says of the writer ‘it is his job, no doubt, to discipline his temperament

and avoid getting stuck at some immature stage, in some perverse mood; but if he escapes from his early influences altogether, he will have killed his impulse to write.’

Orwell’s most important insights from both language and writing revolve around the concept of remembering. Because if we fail to know where we came from and to learn from our mistakes, whether individual or collective, we will continue to fall into the same traps.

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The Ecological Cost of Education Ryan Carolan

In a recent article published on The Conversation entitled Educating Australia – why our schools aren’t improving, Tom Bentley and Glen Savage argue that the education system has ‘undergone major changes’, both in good and bad ways, through its ‘more active… use of mobile and digital technology’, by a ‘more urbanised’ population with ‘unequal wealth and income’ distribution in the context of growing ‘fiscal austerity’. Bentley and Savage thus correctly observe the ‘vice’ the education system is facing between ‘mounting pressure to achieve better outcomes for people (almost universally economic outcomes for individuals rather than groups), while expected simultaneously to innovate and solve wider problems of society.’ However, despite recognising that these vices are not conducive to education, the writers fail to go far enough to identify the education crisis that exists so deeply in Anglophone countries. Indeed, evils may be necessary to force people to act. As George Orwell wrote regarding Homage to Catalonia ‘I happened to know, what very few people in England had been allowed to know, that innocent men were being falsely accused.

If I had not been angry about that I should never have written a book.’

So before going further we should ask: what exactly is education? Is it, for 41

example, a group activity or an individual activity? Further, does education equate to specialisation or should it be a more general and subtle style? When considered like this it is clear, as Liah Greenfeld points out in Nationalism: Five Roads to Modernity, that education, like nationalism, is an emergent phenomenon – ‘a phenomenon whose nature – as well as possibilities of its development and the possibilities of the developments of the elements of which it is composed – is determined not be the character of its elements, but by a certain organizing principle which makes these elements into a unity and imparts to them a special significants.’ So, society decides what education should be based on the most fundamental of organising principles of society.

What is the most important organising principle of not just society but almost all aspects of individual life? Not politics, not the environment, but economics or ‘the market’. Indeed, political discourse revolves around the politics of austerity, the need to ‘tighten the belt’, while billionaires get voted into office in Washington and across the globe simply to continue the unregulated destruction of the world’s, and people’s, ecosystems. Banks and transnational corporations were once the richest and most influential lobbyists, they have now realised it is more efficient

to simply take office. So now someone creates a ‘thing’ that will benefit society, because of the market system one of two things happen. Either it is mass produced cheaply usually meaning both slave labour and environmental destruction are required in the production process. The second option is that it remains expensive and only the well-off can indulge. Are either of these options fair? One thing is certain: for a democracy, the private individual has absolutely no power judge. The market has judged observations like this to be of no significance.

So, it should be no surprise that as the economy has become more globalised in the 20th century and began, through the market as well as the mind control industries, to promote material individualism, individuals became relationally more powerless as corporations became more powerful by shaping individual choice through advertising campaigns, PR departments and celebrity production. This ability to control humans co-evolved with the centralisation and mechanisation of the mas-producing economy, which continues to drive environmental destruction, built global momentum in the 1970s and continued swimmingly until the economic crash in 2008. Seeing as no real attempt was made to fix the systemic organisational crisis of society after this, something drastic needed to change. The change coming

would come eight years later in Donald J. Trump and the notorious alt-right.

The paradox of the ‘vice’ for Bentley and Savage lies in the fact that they forget education is shaped by the broader social, cultural and environmental conditions of its time, which then also shapes society. Now classical economic theory shapes western culture and the way education ‘emerges’.

More than anything else, the economy logic defends the right of the individual to accumulate wealth and avoid paying taxes over the common good of education for the whole of society.

Now education is considered purely as an investment (you educate yourself so you can get a job), which confirms the centrality not of education but the economic system in our society. Further, it leaves those who defend free education without a platform from which to defend their ideas. If education is considered an economic investment by politicians, it would make no sense to defend free education. That is by its very nature a ‘bad deal’. But what if your investment continues to drive economic progress and ecological destruction?

It must be said, if the organising principle of society is problematic in some way, say overly destructive, similarly destructive problems will manifest through the whole

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of society in largely unpredictable, yet logical, ways. For example, banning Muslim immigrants could, logically, make a lot of Muslims in America angry causing them to consider retaliation. Yet where this retaliation might take place is unpredictable. This is what writers call ‘replicating the failing system’: building a wall has been done before.

If we continue to replicate the same ideas when we consider ‘what is education’, we will inevitably continue to replicate the same system. Indeed, the education system cannot be considered in isolation from the broader tensions of a global, national and local system. And the tread that runs through all Western education is that notion that knowing facts and following rules is an education. Education necessarily becomes simultaneously universal and depoliticised.

Why? Because the only ‘universal’ language is mathematics which reduces all meaning, all struggles and effort, i.e. the whole point of politics, to a meaningless quantified measurement.

From here, we turn to the relevance of this point in regards to Swinburne. The slogans of this university are ‘knowing’ and ‘turning knowing into know-how.’ But the important question is: know-how to do what? With a vocational or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) university like Swinburne, this is essentially being given the skills to get a job and make money.

There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong with this until one considers that the most necessary component of our economy is 43

consumption. If consumption stops, so does everything else! Thus, education is now seen largely as a way to increase consumption in the future. Indeed, once upon a time education was free in this country and of a very high standard. Now it is offered as if it is an investment and, consequently, university becomes a business. When education becomes a business, then what is the nation it exists in but a business to be bought and sold? And what more is there to do than go to work? Is there not something more to education than simply money?

The skills most students are now being taught are to manage in a highly competitive and mechanised economy right as the economic system competes for space with the entire globe. How do we compete with that? It seems like something must give because, in all honesty, it is the natural environment that is the primary organising principle of society and money means nothing when there is no food in the shops.

It is obvious that on Earth the most fundamental systems that keep us alive are the natural ecosystems. Without them, nothing else could sustain itself. And the fact that we continue to replicate a failing system is simply because it is impossible to reconcile our destructive short-term economic system with the long-term health and stability of natural environments.

The perfect example of this is Trump and his entourage who share with him different perspectives of the same world-

view – essentially the unending collection of material wealth and power and the continual subversion of humanity to this process (Trump actually opened his own university!). This vision of how the world ‘should be’ necessarily filters its way down into the public and private institutions of the nation and, in the case of America, the whole world’s version of the ‘real world’ and how it works. So people are educated in such a way as to be unable to question the system that taught them.

It seems that technology has an important role to play as the writers point out. But the problem seems to lie in the way our society is organised around technology with the ‘knowledge’ that any problems in the future will be smoothed out by further advancements. What we fail to remember is that we will always face new problems.

A seeming fact now may become, later, an incorrect assumption. However, the most concerning crisis of all, the ecological crisis, is not being discussed because an ecological problem ‘does not compute’ theoretically with classical economic theory and cannot simply be smooth out by technological advancements. So, what is right, nature’s or man’s current conception of reality?

Well it must be said that Man is far better at producing propaganda. Two media releases I received recently show this perfectly - ‘BHP BILLITON SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AWARDS WINNERS’ as well as a quote: ‘It is estimated that by 2030, 40 per cent of current Australian jobs probably

won’t exist as we know them and that the pathway to the careers of the future will mostly come from a STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.’

In other words, in the future educated people will not be leaders, just managers.

But what exactly will ‘manage’ the climate?

Will BHP make sure those who deserve recognition get it just so long as they do not challenge the oil industry? Indeed, this logic of technological control is perhaps the greatest fallacy of all time because we are outsourcing our quality of life to technology.

So, creating an education system which actually begins to transfer us from a hypernormalised world back to a creative world requires society at large to rethink the way it and its economy are organised. This is an important point to remember whether you are beginning your university degree, somewhere in the middle or coming to the end. Because whether we are discussing a university community or a nation, the only thing that can really change it are those at the bottom precisely because they are in the position to see the flaws.

This is also why education cannot be moved online. To do this would fragment and further individualise the education system which will inevitably create more and more problems. Instead of allowing the current of modernity to continue to push us into a dark future, we must push back. And central to this push must be the creation of communities built of social responsibility.

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Notes

•Student priced drinks •Food and snacks •Arcade machine •Free Pool Table Level 3 UN Building 9214 5440 facebook.com/ HammerandSwine

•Beer Garden •Contact us to hold your function at the Hammer & Swine

UNI NIGHTS EVERY THURSDAY DURING SEMESTER 46

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