Upcoming Events at RMC - O Week - Harbour Cruise - And more...
What is the Voice and who are this year’s editors?
Feb 2018
Editors
Zoe Walters & Jennifer Good
What is The Voice? ........................... Pg. 2
Who are this year’s Editors?............. Pg. 3
Tips for Living at College ................. Pg. 5
Tips for Surviving O-Week ............... Pg. 7
Who’s Who at College ...................... Pg. 8
Hotspots Around the Area ............... Pg. 10
Upcoming Events at College ............ Pg. 12
Last Year’s O-Week ......................... Pg. 14
The Wiretap .................................... Pg. 16
February Calendar ........................... Pg. 17
Welcome to The Voice 2018!
Hi there and welcome to The Voice 2018!
Now you may be wondering what is The Voice? Who are the editors? What is going on? Well don’t worry - this will all be explained in this first edition of The Voice for 2018, all you need to do is keep reading!
We hope you are all settling into RMC well, we both remember the nerves when first moving into RMC, but don’t worry by the end of O-Week you’ll have met many many new friends!
What is THE VOICE?
For all you guys out there that may not know, whether you’re new to college or have just never seen the Voice before, The Voice is a college magazine released every few weeks covering all the events happening at college. The Voice will be filled with articles about the events at college and info about all the upcoming events and how to get involved in college life. Some of you may remember the Voice from last year - our previous editors Basel and Nicole did an amazing job. There may be new editors this year but The Voice 2018 will continue to cover a range of different events and bring you photos, info and Wiretaps.
To welcome you to the 2018 Voice we want to introduce ourselves and tell you a little about ourselves and why we wanted to be The Voice editors this year. We both share the responsibility of editing and putting together The Voice but we also really want your contribution - whether it’s an article, poetry or an interview for the Humans of RMC section, so we would love for you to approach either of us and tell us what you’d like to contribute! Make sure to come introduce yourselves and say hello!
Who are the Editors?
JEN GOOD
Hey guys! I’m very eager to be co-editing The Voice for this year! I am studying Law and French at uni (I know, weird combination) and it is my second year at college so hopefully that means I’ll be able to help out if you guys have any questions! I hope to help make the voice great this year and I am looking forward to meeting you all.
ZOE WALTERS
Hi everyone! I’m excited to be one of the co-editors of The Voice this year!
I’m currently a third year student at MQ and this is also my third year living at RMC. I’m studying a double degree of Biodiversity and Conservation and Archaeology and although that doesn’t sound like I’ve got any experience editing a magazine such as The Voice, I promise that with your contribution we will make The Voice as great as it has been in previous years!
Robert Menzies College -
The RMCSA is comprised of a number of positions including The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Rep, Sports Rep, Cultural Rep, the Community, Communications and Marketing Rep and the Sustainability, Volunteering and Fundraising Rep.
Robert Menzies College is named after Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister and has been a residential college since 1972.
The Voice was established 44 years ago and is designed to bring you the latest on events at the college
RMC has multiple sporting event competitions against DLC and The Village including netball, waterpolo, basketball, touch football, soccer, ultimate frisby, dodge ball and volleyball. At the end of the year the scores are tallied and a winner is declared between RMC and DLC.
The RMCSA is the Robert Menzies College Student Association which is comprised of a number of college residents who have been voted into their position on the RMCSA. The RMCSA is responsible for organising events and they encourage people to approach them about new ideas for improvements or events.
Here at the college we have 12 RAs and multiple senior RAs. The RA’s are spread throughout the blocks and are always there if you need help. There are different RAs for different college focuses - chaplaincy, community and academic.
Living at college will be a new and different experience for anyone moving in here. It’s a big community with lots of people and lots of events. To help you make this transition a little easier we have put together some basic tips and reminders for living at the college in 2018.
Tips foR Living at College
Tip #1
Keep asking names! There are over 300 residents at college which means there are lots of names to remember as you meet people and make new friends! To combat the likelihood of forgetting names just keep double checking to make sure you eventually remember them!
Tip #18
Read the Voice!
Tip #23
Keycard! Keys! Keycard! Keys!! Your keycard and keys are some of the most important items you will have at college. Although your RAs are always around if you need to get your room unlocked, its easier to try not to forget your key as you’re leaving! Maybe even hang them on your doorknob?
Tip #398
Don’t forget laundry tokens!! The washing machines at college all require laundry tokens which are bought from the office. Don’t forget to stock up on tokens before the weekend!
Tip #41
Chicken and rice is the college speciality so make sure to adapt and learn to love it lots!
Also don’t forget to follow the instagram page “Chicken and Roice”
Tip #54
Fire Alarms are sensitive! To avoid a big fine from accidentally setting it off, which us poor uni students can’t afford the best thing to do is to just avoid setting it off in the first place!
Tip #162
Your ID is always an important thing to keep with you during O-Week and later in the semester! Anytime there’s an impulsive trip to Ubar or a last minute decision to come out to Ranch, it’s always important to have your ID with you!
Tip #746
Windows! Make sure to check where your window is facing before you get changed! Whether your window faces DLC or into the RMC courtyard, wouldn’t want people looking in!
Tip #112
Make sure to stock up on snacks, RMC favourites include chococlate, two minute noodles and Le Snaks!
Make sure to keep your student ID with you if you’re on public transport and using an Opal Concession card - don’t want to get fined for not having the right ID!
Tip #814
Get to know the staff, they will be like a second family! From the office staff to the kitchen staff, they’re all fantastic people and would love to get to know you.
Tip #356
Tip #97
Don’t forget to check your mail box for any letters or parcel slips as these tend to get very full very fast. Parcel slips can be exchanged in the office inside their hours (9-5 on weekdays).
Decorate your room to make it feel more homely and comfortable, whether that’s buying your own doona cover or decorating with photos and fairy lights!
A Few tips for surviving O-Week
Tip #796
Tip #78
Drink lots of water!!
Staying hydrated during O-Week is super important! Whether you’re drinking water to prevent a hangover or keeping hydrated during the Tour de Mac or Scav Hunt, water is always important to make sure you survive successfully!
Tip #50
Go to as many O-Week events as possible! You won’t regret it and it’s the perfect time to meet everyone!
Tip #4
The Forest is the perfect place to pre-drink for outer college events. With Dan Murphy’s up the road it’s easy to save money on alcohol and pre-drink with friends.
Make friends with someone with a car! They’re always helpful when you’re in need of a drunken midnight Maccas run.
Tip #199
Get to know the Mac Centre, it will be your lifesaver when you’re looking for outfit ideas or supplies! And remember Coles is open until midnight.
Tip #12
Download the QPAY app. The tickets for Harbour Cruise, Ball and other college events are sold through the app so make sure to never miss out!
Tip #63
Leave your door open to say hello to people as they walk past and drop in for chats!
Who’s who at College
As we know college can be very overwhelming when you arrive - there are lots of residents as well as lots of staff
Housekeeping and Conferences
Office Staff
There are multiple amazing people working in the office to help everything at college run smoothy. As you can see in the picture there are lots of people here to help. Whether it’s Vicky helping with your checkin or Elisa giving advice and hugs when needed, the office staff are always there to answer your questions.
all the cleaners. Sana is the one to contact if there is something that is not being cleaned. You can either let your RAs know or email her directly.
Maintenance
Here at college we have a large maintenance staff made up of many current and previous college residents.
John is the head of the maitenance team. If you have any issues, the best way for them to be resolved is by putting them into the maintenance app. You can always spot a maintenance worker by looking for their fluro orange shirts.
Kitchen
We are blessed to have a great staff of cooks and chefs working in our kitchen. They always feed us so don’t forget to thank them and show your appreciation. Make sure you let the college know if you are vegetarian or vegan or if you have any food allergies, a good way to do this is through the college resident app.
Duty Officers
If you need any help after office hours
The Dean
Katrina is our Dean of Residents and is a brilliant person who can help you with a multitude of things while also supplying you with her famous homemade cookies!
The Master
We are excited to welcome our new Master of College this year, although we don’t know much about him yet, we’ll have a feature interview with him in our next issue!
Senior Residential Advisors
We have a group of three SRAs living at the college in the flats located at the bottom of N block and B block. These members are here for any sort of advice or help you may need and work with the RAs to make sure college is safe and enjoyable for all. They also work closely with the chaplaincy.
There are always job opportunites to work in the college in housekeeping, maintenance or the kitchen so keep tuned
Hotspots Around the Area
The Courtyard and Astro Turf
This is a lovely area to catch up with friends, play chess or to study, next to it is the astro turf where you can play ball games like soccer or basket ball.
The Common Room
This is an area where you can chill out; play a game of pool or play the piano if that’s your thing. There is also a tv room so grab your newly made friends and catch up on the latest tv shows. The best part of this room is that you can continue to make noise in it after noise curfew (11pm).
The Block Common Rooms
These are great hang spots too with the convenience of being in your block (or your friends!), just make sure you are quiet in these areas in noise curfew.
Dining Room
You may think that this area is just for eating but really it is where friendships are made over the knowledge that rice and chicken will be your staple food.
Strike
Student nights are on Tuesday and there a ton of things you can do here including bowling, laser tag and karaoke.
Macquarie Centre
The Macquarie Centre is a life saver, there are a variety of shops and food outlets to cater to everyone. The cinema has student movies on Monday for $8 and from Tuesday to Thursday for $10. It is also very close to RMC.
The Forest
The Firest is the designated pre-drinking area and also where we hold many events with DLC over the year. It’s located just outside the college and you’ll pass it daily on your walk to uni.
Ranch
Ranch nights are on Wednesday, some of them are themed and some of them are not but there is guaranteed to be people going and be a fun time.
Macquarie University Gym
The Macquarie gym is located on the other side of the university (giving you a nice warmup before your work out). It has two pools, a wide range of equipment and a variety of classes. As a resident of RMC you will get free membership so make sure you let them know at the desk that you are from here.
Macquarie Library
The library is huge, as well as borrowing books you can also borrow textbooks for a few hours. It also has a few floors with group study and silent study areas. On weekdays it closes at 1 am making great for those late night assignments.
Ubar and University Commons
This is the university bar that is located in front of the library in the giant hard-tomiss shipping containers. It hosts comedy nights, trivia and has pretty tasty pizza.
- - - - Upcoming Events
O-Week is filled with a range of great events organised by the Student Exec Team at RMC. To make sure you’re all sufficiently enthusiastic about the upcoming events here’s a brief summary of some of the fun you’ll be having during O-Week!
After a Sunday full of introductions, there are even more events on Monday!
Monday begins with the New Members meeting followed by another dance training session.To finish off the day the Scavenger Hunt begins!
Tueday begins with an early start to continue the Scav Hunt which will have you running around the city centre. Make sure not to forget the Pub Crawl and the Coffee Crawl after dinner!
To continue the week Wednesday has a range of upcoming events including dance training, the Vice Chancellors welcome, a pool party at the MQ gym and ending the night at Ranch or going out to North Ryde for a movie night.
at College - - - - - - - -
After the events of Wednesday does not slow down! With more dance training, the BBQ with DLC , the official dance off with DLC and a movie night in the common room.
To give you some time to sleep-in and relax the exec have organised a relaxing finishing with the Harbour Cruise.
To finish off the full week the last few events over the weekend are the Tour de Mac on Saturday and the O-Week Closing
Ceremony on Sunday
Make sure to check your fresher booklets for more information on the events and underage events!
Last Year’s O-Week
A quick glimpse back at the 2017 O-Week events just to make the older college residents feel a little sentimental about their introduction to college.
THE Wiretap
Welcome to The Wiretap!
The Wiretap is a section of The Voice completely dedicated to the weird and funny conversations, statements or comments heard around college or uni! We also feature the occasional funny picture submitted to The Voice. Be sure to send us any submissions to our Facebook page!
Share your voice!
Are you a creative soul and want to contribute to The Voice?
Send through your work as a message to our Facebook page (RMC - The Voice) or submit it anonymously to one of the editors! Any contributions are accepted - drawings, poems, stories, articles, etc. And don’t forget any to send in any funny submissions to the Wiretap
If you want to be featured in the Humans of RMC section, let us know and we will interview you!
Or feel free to talk to one of the editors Zoe Walters (A207) or Jen Good (A203)
