Volume 4: Vertigone

August 2022

The Coroner’s Inquest

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson

Stacked Consequences

by Jacqueline Adams

Breaking Down UTS Staff Salaries

by Ashley Sullivan

The University of the Future: In Conversation with Senator Mehreen Faruqi

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson

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What I cannot agree to, and have made clear from the very beginning, is an increase to the amount spent on Vertigo magazine. I have proposed the amount of $129,000 for Vertigo which covers the full costs of the production in 2021 ($128,357) and I am not willing to almost double that to $245.000 as requested. I have made my concerns about the print version of Vertigo very clear: it is a high quality production that suits the purposes of a very small fraction of students, largely the publishing team and the design students who contribute to it. I have asked for a plan to increase its accessibility, and content designed for international students, and received no response. In years prior I have offered the President the opportunity to work with UTS and our journalism team to turn Vertigo into a fully online publication.

This has not been taken up. There appears to be no willingness to make changes to the production costs of this magazine which I do not believe is serving the interests of the majority of students. If the UTSSA insists on continuing to publish the magazine unchanged, it will have to do so within budget.

This is my final position on Vertigo.

Acknowledgement of Country The University of Technology Sydney would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the Traditional Custodians and Knowledge Keepers of the land on which UTS now stands, and pays respect to Elders past, present, and emerging.

– Maree Graham Deputy Director, Students, and Community Engagement Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research If it is within your means, please consider donating to an Indigenous organisation such as: •

Blak Business — “Bringing together information, knowledge and resources to facilitate broader learning and discussion about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander topics.” — blakbusiness.com.au

•

IndigenousX — Indigenous media organisation — Indigenousx.com.au

•

Seed — Fighting for climate justice — Seedmob.org.au

•

•

Black Rainbow — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Sistergirl and Brotherboy (LGBQTI+SB) Organisation — blackrainbow.org.au ANTaR — Advocacy organisation dedicated to justice, rights and respect for Australia’s First Peoples — antar.org.au

More organisations can be found here:

Vertigo would like to extend a personal acknowledgement to the Traditional Custodians and Knowledge Keepers of the land on which we lived and worked as editors and designers during the creation of this magazine. We pay respect to Elders past, present, and emerging, and extend this respect to any First Nations people reading this volume.

As students, we must acknowledge the Indigenous contributions to academia that have enriched our understanding of Australian history and culture. We exist on stolen land, and recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded.

Jess Prowse would like to acknowledge the Gundungurra and Dharug people of the Ngurra Nation.

Alexander Kingsford would like to acknowledge the Cammeraygal people of the Eora Nation.

Andy Lee, Clara Atkin, and Joey Chalita would like to acknowledge the Dharug people of the Eora Nation.

Ashley Sullivan would like to acknowledge the Burramattagal and Dharug people of the Eora Nation.

Sophia Ramos would like to acknowledge the Boolbainora clan of the Dharug people of the Eora Nation.

Siena Zadro and Joseph Hathaway-Wilson would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

CONTEN WARNIN T G

t e are conten sed that ther vi ad be ld ers shou Vertigo read eces. re relevant pi to fo be s warning or references ntain themes a, co bi ho es op ag m im s and , incest , ho pe r* h, , at Some article ce de use, violen lth, abortion, addiction, ab t, ul mental ill-hea in sa is as th al keep nces, sexu ety. Please sexual refere climate anxi d safety are d an an th n, al io he at ur yo e; in discrimin az enjoy our mag mind as you us. important to g Services If you or someone you know is experiencing or has TS Counsellin U e th ct ta elling ns Con ou experienced sexual abuse, you can call or refer to the C TS U e visit th on 9514 1177, or following confidential hotlines. t more and ou d fin to site lp he lfse Services web e lin tensive on General — 1800 737 732 access the ex u or someone you yo If , th al he l resources. ta Counselling — 1800 211 028 ling with men know is strugg to your ng ki ea sp er id Crisis Centre — 1800 424 017 please cons essional, or althcare prof . w lo local GP, a he be If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic the numbers calling one of violence or child abuse, call or refer to the following 24/7 11 14 confidential free hotlines.

Lifeline — 13 36 46 22 — 1300 Domestic Violence Line — 1800 656 463 Beyond Blue

NSW Child Protection Helpline — 13 21 11 If you are struggling with self-injurious behaviour, such as self-harming or an eating disorder, please reach out to the following: Butterfly Foundation — (02) 9412 4499 If you, or someone you know, is struggling with or has struggled with drug or alcohol abuse, please consider speaking to your local GP, a healthcare professional, or calling the numbers below.

Alcohol and Other Drugs Information Service (ADIS) — 1800 250 015 NSW Quitline — 13 7848 (13 QUIT) Available Monday to Friday: 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Available Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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ANDY LEE, M, JOEY

JESS PROWSE, JOSEPH HATHAWAY-WILSON, SIENA ZADRO, ALEXANDER KINGSFORD CHALITA, SOPHIA RAMOS, CLARA ATKIN, & ASHLEY SULLIVAN.

Editors' lett-er Dear Readers, We write to you from the midst of a predicament. The UTS Senior Executive have deemed it necessary to dictate the distribution of student union funds. As a result, the budget that Vertigo was provided at the beginning of the year has been slashed by almost half, and we are now unable to print anything beyond this issue.

In an article by Central News, former Deputy ViceChancellor Shirley Alexander expressed her desire to see a student publication that is relevant to UTS students. Hence, we present to you the final print issue of 2022: ‘Vertigone’.

Treat this volume as a handbook: the UTS student’s guide to everything you should care about, here and now.

reading these articles. Preserve it, nurture it, use it as fuel. But don’t let it consume you. Think not of what is, but rather, what should be. In the oft-quoted words of Dylan Thomas: Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light Thank you, as always, for reading Vertigo.

Lots of love, Vertigo 2022

Check out Joseph Hathaway-Wilson’s ‘The Coroner’s Inquest’ for an editor’s rebuttal to the Vertigo funding cuts, then flick over to ‘Piling Cuts, Stacked Consequences’ by Jacqueline Adams to read about their ramifications. Let Clara Atkin guide you through the list of course cuts at UTS in ‘Airing Dirty Laundry’, while Ashley Sullivan discloses the salaries of our staff. Learn from UTSSA President Anna Thieben about the Senior Executive’s plan for 2027, and hear from Greens Deputy-Leader Mehreen Faruqi about the most pressing issues facing Australian tertiary education today.

And it’s not all about us either! Shanelle George talks Roe v Wade, while Elektra Politis reflects on the reality of secular Australia. For a walk through the lighter neck of the woods, ‘Poems, Photographs, and Movie Reviews’ showcases the latest poetry, personal essays, and short fiction from UTS’s budding creatives.

While the powers at play may have turned our mood from ‘Sonder’ to sombre, we ask one thing of you while you peruse these pages. Capture whatever it is you feel when

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Editors' Question.

Which dystopian world would you choose to live in?

IN : C L A R A AT K es

er Gam The Hung wanna be because I gjay. the mockin

AS HL EY SU LL IVA N:

JO EY CH AL ITA :

The Planet of The Ap es because monkey.

A N DY L E E :

JE

mes ger Ga pitol n u H Ca The or the f t s u j but n lol. fashio

6

so tha be Divergent ystem and with the s s. factionles

Blade Runner because the aesthetics are pretty cool.

I can Westworld so g rich sleep knowin ed by people got kill robots.

WS E : SS PRO

: K IN G S F O R D R E D N A X E k AL t I can f **

SIENA ZADR O:

Animal Farm oink oink comrade.

SO PH IA RA M OS:

Ready Player One so I can just become a degen and live in a headset.

J OS E P H HA W I L S OT H AWAY N: U TS 20

27.

s o i ptf y 2

1 3

EVERYONE WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD.

LORDE

BY

GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

BY

5

QUEEN.

4

I KNOW THE END.

BY

ELTON

BY

JOHN.

IN THE END.

PHOEBE BRIDGERS.

BY

LINKIN PARK.

BACKSTABBER.

6

BY

KESHA.

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE.

7

BY

MONTY

PYTHON.

8 9

DESPERADO.

BY

RIHANNA.

CRIME OF THE CENTURY.

BY

SUPERTRAMP.

7

T

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QUEST ONER’S IN

LIGHT The

Dying

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THE COR athaway-Wilson H PAST

by Joseph VERTIGOent F O S T S s GHO igo Pre ost of Vert

by The Gh ENCES ONSEQU C D E K C STA eline Adams

NOTES ON UTS 20

by Anna Thieben

p20

27

p24

AIRING DIRTY UNDRY: YOUR GUIDE TO UTS LA FU NDING CUTS p2

by Clara Atkin 6 BREAKING DOWN UTS STAFF SALARIES by Ashley Sullivan

: OVERTURNED ROE V WADED STEP FOR A BACKWARHTS HUMAN RIG orge

by Shanelle Ge from Aston Brown s ph ra og w/ phot

THE ACHE

by Anonymous

p30

p34 p38

ATE NGE: THE CLIM p42 CHASING CHA

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by Ashley Sulliv SING KERS: ASSESR R O W LE C A IR M OF A SECULA p46 THE REALITY

T N E M N R E V GO Politis

by Elektra

8

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p10

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RAGE AT THE EAG: SH CASING COLLECTIVES AT UTS OW

p48

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NUS VS. THE SSAF

p50

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilso

S M E O P PHO

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by Adeline Chai

SMORGASBORD

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by Ayesha Baig

RS.', 'SULTRY 'VIOLENT WINTE ART OF SUMMER.', 'THE N ME', 'WE PO p60 MEMORIES U LE' S APP ARE EVE’

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by Siena Zadro

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p70

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A LWAYS IN

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p78

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OB REPORTS MUTUAL AID PANTRY

p80 p82

by Anna Thieben

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Inquest The Coroner’s

n

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson

THE SLASH

Come ye, gather by the shore as we push this burning longboat out to sea. Remember the days when we didn’t need to stress over enrolling in a face-to-face tutorial? When our favourite tutors weren’t working on casual contracts, and we didn’t wait six weeks to get our marks back? Remember when Vertigo wrote about more than just its own imminent demise?

No? Nevermind, perhaps you’re too young for that.

For everyone reading this, from stalwart fans to first-time readers (Ver-gins, if you will), we believe that an explanation is in order.

This issue may read as an impassioned manifesto more so than a non-partisan student publication. Alas, desperate times call for desperate measures. If Vertigo is to go out of print, the least it deserves is a “Cause of Death”. See that longboat burning on the horizon? Yep, that’s us. You may be wondering how we got there.

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Pt. 1: Vertigo: a brief history Were it not despairing over its imminent extinction, UTS Vertigo would be celebrating its 31st birthday. In the beginning (1991), Vertigo succeeded Newswit as the official student publication of UTS, three years after the university itself evolved from the New South Wales Institute of Technology into the University of Technology Sydney. The original editors’ office was based on the top floor of Building 1, inspiring the name of the young university’s student publication (fyi, we now work in a windowless storage space on the third floor of Building 3, down the corridor from MediaLab — come say hi, we have a coffee machine).

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Image sourced from Museums Victoria

So, what do you need to know about Vertigo that you may or may not know already? Here are the quick facts before we get into the good stuff: 1. Vertigo is managed by an editorial team of six to twelve UTS students. A new Vertigo team is elected each October by the broader UTS community (i.e. you!).

2. The publication is financed by the UTS Students Association (UTSSA), also known as the student union.

Vertigo is one of many services provided by the union and is constitutionally obliged to follow their rules.

The UTSSA is also voted in by you.

3. The stylistic and written content of Vertigo is picked by the incumbent editorial team. Historically, the publication has maintained a focus on student issues, Australian politics, pop culture, and subculture.

4. Since 2015, the magazine has produced six issues a year. Before that, we printed eight. Before that, ten. The highest number of issues printed in a year according to our archives is twelve.

Fast forward to the here and now. Over the past three months, Vertigo’s digital platforms have been spewing material protesting a reduction in their funding. As opposed to the standardised six issue suite, the 2022 Vertigo editorial team will only be printing three issues of the magazine for the UTS public, the third being this paperback spiel on the lamentable state of the world today. Vertigo says that if funding is not returned to its usual levels, the publication may go out of print entirely.

So, what happened?

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Pt. 2: Radical movements and extremist activities The month is December 2005: After nearly a decade of unsuccessful attempts, the Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Upfront Student Union Fees) Bill 2005 is passed through the Australian Senate by the fourth government of Prime Minister John Howard. The new bill heralds the introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU), at the expense of Universal Student Unionism (USU) in Australia. University students are no longer required to pay their union fees. Indeed, it is no longer compulsory for them to join their student union. Liberal Senator Santo Santoro calls it one of the Howard Government’s “crowning achievements”.1

One prominent Young Liberal by the name of Edwin Dyga applauds the bill, referring to the political initiatives of student unions as “radical movements” and “extremist activities” which regularly lead to violence and disruption.2 For years, the Liberal National Coalition have been barracking for “freedom of association” and, at last, they have their wish.

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Fast forward to October 2011: John Howard has been succeeded by Kevin Rudd, who is in turn succeeded by Julia Gillard. A new bill, the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill 2011, is passed through the Senate with support from Labor, the Greens, and various independents. This bill marks the introduction of the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF), an intriguing new middle-ground between John Howard’s VSU and the USU of old. SSAF is a mandatory fee paid by university students “to support the provision to students of amenities and services not of an academic nature”.3 In other words, student unionism is still not compulsory, but SSAF is. Money accumulated through SSAF may cover the cost of clubs and societies, sport and fitness resources, the student union and its services, student media, food relief, legal aid, and a million other services that should contribute to the university experience.

But there’s a catch (and this is the important part).

Instead of being distributed by a student body, the university’s SSAF money is handed over to University Management: a small executive of Chancellors, Vice-Chancellors, Presidents, and Deans who are responsible for the administration of the university. It is this executive who distribute the university’s SSAF revenue among the relevant services, usually via the signature of one Deputy Vice-Chancellor in particular.

THE SLASH

Enter Shirley Alexander.

Pt. 3: A high quality production

l

At UTS, SSAF revenue (the money you pay every semester) amounts to approximately $10.2 million every year. That money is spent on orientation, UTS Counselling, UTS Careers, Accessibility and Financial Assistance, HELPS, COVID-19 hardship initiatives, ActivateUTS, and the UTSSA. The exact breakdown of these finances has been made available on the UTS website (many thanks to campaign work of the UTSSA).

Since COVID-19, the UTSSA has received approximately 12% of this revenue, a downgrade from the 15% it received before the pandemic. This money (which, since COVID-19, has amounted to roughly $1.2 million) is then allocated by the UTSSA Executive to their various services: Casework and Advocacy, the UTS Legal Centre, Bluebird Brekkie and Night Owl Noodles, Orientation, Student Collectives, and Vertigo.

That’s if Shirley says so.

From her appointment in January 2006 until her resignation in June 2022, Shirley Alexander served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education and Students) at UTS.

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Every UTSSA budget required her approval. For the most part, this was not a problem. Long-serving staffers and other actors within the UTSSA have told Vertigo that Alexander rarely, if ever, stipulated how exactly the UTSSA needed to spend their budget.

Until now.

On May 4 2022, Shirley Alexander emailed UTSSA President Anna Thieben about the planned allocation of the student organisation’s budget for the year.

While Alexander was content with how the majority of the UTSSA’s budget would be spent, she refused to approve the requested budget until the amount of money being allocated to Vertigo (which had already been agreed to by the UTSSA and the editorial team in January) was reduced to almost half of the planned figure. The paragraphs she wrote regarding the student publication read as follows:

“What I cannot agree to, and have made clear from the very beginning, is an increase to the amount spent on Vertigo magazine. I have proposed the amount of $129,000 for Vertigo which covers the full costs of production in 2021 ($128,357) and I am not willing to almost double that to $245,000 as requested.

I have made my concerns about the print version of Vertigo very clear: it is a high quality production that suits the purposes of a very small fraction of students, largely the publishing team and the design students who contribute to it. I have asked for a plan to increase its accessibility, and content designed for international students, and received no response. In years prior, I have offered the President the opportunity to work with UTS and our journalism team to turn Vertigo into a fully online publication. This has not been taken up. There appears to be no willingness to make changes to the production costs of this magazine which I do not believe is serving the interests of the majority of students.

If the UTSSA insists on continuing to publish the magazine unchanged, it will have to do so within budget.“

d

b

d

y FINAL

THE SLASH

Y M S I S I H T

n POSITION ON

VERTIGO.

13

Having already printed two issues prior to Alexander’s verdict, the 2022 Vertigo editorial team is now unable to print their entire suite for the year, making this issue, which you now hold, the final print issue for 2022.

l

Pt. 4: The great debate When taken at face value, Alexander’s justifications for reducing Vertigo’s budget aren’t too unreasonable. However, dissecting the matter at hand may prompt you to think otherwise. Let’s break down some of what the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor had to say about UTS’s student publication (and why she is wrong).

Topic #1: The interests of students At the crux of Alexander’s feud with Vertigo is the need for our content to meet the interests of UTS students. Of course, the interests of the student body should be of paramount importance to any student publication. However, there are a few reasons as to why Alexander’s opinion here is problematic.

THE SLASH

1. Shirley Alexander is not a UTS student.

2. The Student Satisfaction Surveys which Alexander uses to gauge student interest do not contain any questions concerning UTS Vertigo, making her opinion even more poorly informed.

3. Evidence suggests that if anything, student interest in Vertigo is far higher than Alexander assumes; Vertigo has a larger Instagram following than any other student publication in NSW (including University of Sydney’s Honi Soit), and, last year, more students voted in the elections for the new Vertigo editorial team than they did the elections for their new SRC, NUS delegates, or any individual UTSSA office bearers.

Topic #2: How much money is too much?

In justifying her revised figure for Vertigo’s 2022 budget, Alexander claimed that $129,000 would cover the entire cost of production for Vertigo in 2021. So, what’s the issue here?

1. The 2021 Vertigo budget was made to account for the extensive Sydney lockdown. Only three issues were printed for the public in 2021. The 2022 team, just like the teams before the pandemic, is expected to print double this amount. Alexander is well aware of this.

2. The proposed budget for 2022 is closely aligned with pre-pandemic Vertigo budgets ($209,177 in 2018 and $236,715 in 2019). Note that SSAF revenue in 2021 actually exceeded the amount accumulated in 2018, so it’s not as if the money isn’t there.

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3. Vertigo’s budget can be divided into three parts: the expendable budget, the editorial team stipends, and the overhead costs.

Overhead costs cover the cost of UTSSA staff salaries, technology hire, technological support, stationery, and insurance.

This money is undoubtedly essential to the production of the magazine, but the team has no control over how it is spent. In 2021, the Vertigo editorial team was only given control over approximately $60,000 of the $128,357. In 2022, the editorial team was given control of only $50,000 of the $129,000 allocated to the publication. Editorial team stipends make $40,000, while the remaining budget is put towards overhead fees.

Topic #3: Willingness to make changes Alexander has attempted to heap the blame for Vertigo’s budget onto Vertigo and the UTSSA themselves, claiming that she offered past Presidents the chance to turn Vertigo into an online publication while also asking for a plan to increase accessibility and content designed for international students.

1. There is no record of Shirley Alexander ever making direct contact with the Vertigo team.

2. The fact that the Vertigo team and UTSSA President change every year means that the possibility of progress towards Alexander’s vision is near impossible, which she knows.

Topic #4: Relevance of content

THE SLASH

3. There is absolutely no specificity about what “increasing accessibility” would entail. This demand is also ignorant of the fact that Vertigo and the UTSSA staff recently implemented a translation service for our website and, since 2021, have been replicating all print content on our digital spaces.

In an interview with Central News, Alexander expressed her desire to see “a newspaper that is relevant to UTS students,” referring to Vertigo as a place to “read poems, and look at photographs, and movie reviews”.4 Additionally, according to past UTSSA President Aidan O’Rourke, Alexander has also longed to see a publication more akin to the University of Sydney’s Honi Soit.

1. As mentioned in Topic #1, Alexander has no metric for measuring student engagement with Vertigo. If the content is irrelevant to students, that should be made apparent by the students, not by an administrator who is paid to speak on their behalf.

2. The notion that Vertigo publishes little more than poems, photographs, and movie reviews demonstrates an even deeper ignorance of the publication’s content. See a list of articles explicitly concerning UTS below.

3. Honi Soit is a fantastic student publication because it relies so heavily on the strong Arts contingent at the University of Sydney. Similarly, Vertigo falls back upon the highly commended Communication and Design courses that UTS offers. The fact that we have a high-quality publication as a result of this is not a coincidence.

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And one more thing: In stipulating that the budget for Vertigo should be reduced from the agreed upon figure, Alexander is overruling the autonomy of two democratically elected student organisations. The UTSSA is constitutionally required to finance Vertigo and ensure that content is relevant. Any qualms over the production of the magazine should be managed between them and the Vertigo editorial team. Numerous avenues were at Alexander’s disposal had she been serious about evolving the student publication for the better. She pursued none of them.

n

THE SLASH

Pt. 5: Findings and conclusion Now, as the last of our lonely longboat dissipates into the fog, let us turn to the seasons ahead.

and the right of students to make decisions on matters about themselves.

If the budget allocated to the 2022 editorial team is replicated in 2023, Vertigo will be forced to undergo huge reductions in quality and quantity, that is, if it is kept in print at all. Not only does this erase the proud history of visual excellence that has earned Vertigo a reputation around university campuses, but demonstrates a complete disregard for student media altogether. The ultimatum provided by Shirley Alexander places the university’s official student publication in a no-win situation, wherein it must adhere to the personal preferences of an outgoing Deputy Vice-Chancellor or suffer the consequences.

So, where to now? While Alexander may be stepping down, she recently revealed that a “benchmarking review of comparable student publications” will be undertaken with the aim of helping the UTSSA improve what Vertigo delivers” (let’s hope they check out the University of Sydney’s Pulp, the creation of which was inspired by Vertigo). UTSSA President Anna Thieben has requested that at least one Vertigo editor is included in this process. She is yet to hear a response.

Perhaps the most insidious feature of the budget reduction, however, is Alexander’s total indifference towards the autonomous processes which form the basic tenets of student unionism. Management’s refusal to approve the UTSSA’s requested budget, in a period when SSAF revenue has returned to pre-pandemic levels, signals a clear cut contempt for both Vertigo

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Between now and then, it’s up to UTS students to make clear their wishes to Management.

God forbid, they might end up making our decisions for us.

parting gift:

a list of “relevant” student content published by Vertigo since 2021

Note: this list does not include any of our content about Australian politics, the economy, pertinent social issues, popular culture, student lifestyle or the work of UTS alumni, which may also be relevant to our readership. No sir. This is your cut-and-dry, strictly-about-UTS, Shirley-Alexander-approvable content only (at least we think it’s what she wants, we’re not entirely sure tbh).

2.

1.

Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Student Union Fees) Bill 2005

3.

The NUS Versus Freedom of Association

4.

Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Act 2011

‘How to nudge UTS into saving the world’ by Miranda Crossley ‘Humanities degree fee hikes hurt us all, here’s why’ by Ella Smith ‘In conversation with Andrew Parfitt’ by Joseph HathawayWilson and Joey Chalita ‘In conversation with UTS startups’ by Sevin Pakbaz ‘Lust Slut’ by Frances Harvey ‘Motion passes: UTSSA set to partner with UTS Executive in controversial new agreement’ by Joey Chalita ‘Never cross a picket line’ by the UTS Education Action Group ‘Notes from a 2020 Graduate’ by Dylan Crismale ‘Pandemonium within the pages: book recommendations with UTS Litsoc’ by UTS Literary Society ‘R.I.P. environmental subjects’ by Melissa Sukkarieh, Damien Nguyen, Anna Thieben, and Finn Billyard ‘Silicon Valley Girl’ by Alice Winn ‘The Casual Vagrancy’ by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson ‘The questions you’ve always wanted to ask: Socialist Alternative’

by Alice Winn ‘Things I would tell my first-year self’ by Josh Hortinela ‘The ultimate guide to making friends at uni’ by Emily Dwyer ‘Top 3 modern facilities around campus’ by Sevin Pakbaz ‘Unmasking universities: leveraging a pandemic’

by Charlotte Sheridan and Eve Cogan ‘USyd SRC and Honi Soit stand in solidarity with UTS Vertigo’

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson ‘UTS renter rich-list: the most expensive suburbs around campus’

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson ‘UTS Stupol 101’ by Erin Ewen ‘Vertigo campaign strengthens as UTSSA, NUS declare support’

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson ‘What the hell is the Student’s Association?’

by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson ‘Zoom fatigue’ by Anna Lei

THE SLASH

‘3 night stand with Respect.Now.Always’ by Olivia Mathis and Sevin Pakbaz ‘5 myths about uni: debunked’ by Tessa Pelle ‘5 things my VisComm degree taught me’

by Emilia Tortorella ‘A conversation with Amanda White: UTS senior lecturer’

by Erin Ewen ‘A conversation with Nour Hammouri: President of the UTS Palestinian Youth Society’ by Sevin Pakbaz ‘A systematic review of the university food court’

by Clara Atkin ‘Beneath the tower, the beach’ by Joshua Green ‘BTS with UTS: SRC reps meet with the university’

by Anna Thieben ‘Breaking down Atilla’s anti-racism statement’ by the UTS Ethnocultural Collective ‘Challenging racism with comedy: the first ever UTS PoC review’ by Hebah Ali ‘Fast cuts to FASS courses’ by Joey Chalita ‘How to make friends at uni (for people who know nothing)’

by Andy Lee

Vertigo in crisis after funding ‘denied’

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Ghosts of

Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, centres around Ebenezer Scrooge, a selfish and cold-hearted miser who goes about making little kids’ lives miserable while they try to spread some cheer. The children beg the man to spare some change, but all he does is jeer and flaunt his wealth in their starving faces — until he is paid a timely visit by the ghost of Christmas past. Today, in the Vertigo office, the ghosts of our very own past gathered to spread their wisdom.

Vertigo: Do we want to give our readers a quick introduction of ourselves?

THE SLASH

Evlin DuBose: Yeah, my name is Evlin. I was an editor and video producer for the 2020 Vertigo team, and I later became the 2021 DSP. Angela Jin: Alright, I’m Angela, I was one of the 2021 editors and I’m the 2022 DSP. Joey Chalita: Hi, I’m Joey Chalita, and I’m the current Editor-in-Chief for Vertigo 2022.

V: Evlin, what sparked your interest in Vertigo and what was your dream when your ticket ran to edit the magazine in late 2019?

ED: Vertigo in 2019 was so involved on campus. They had been printing beautiful issues and I had classes with some of the editors. Lily Cameron was one of the fiction editors, and she encouraged me to go for it. At the time, I was dealing with a lot of other stuff and I didn’t feel like I was capable of becoming an editor because it’s a big commitment. But then I went to the closing party at the end of the year, and the fact that there was such a presence on campus made me realise that maybe I could do this. I mingled with people at the info night that they hosted and then I kind of fell into one of the groups that ended up being the 2020 team.

V: And what legacy did you want to leave on the magazine?

ED: We had very long conversations about that. Ultimately, we wanted it to be a very fun and expressive place for all students. We had an engineering student on the team who didn’t know what she was capable of or what she wanted to do, so that really opened our eyes to expanding the scope of the magazine while also being very expressive and playful with what pieces we chose and the design

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Interview with Joey Chalita, Evlin DuBose, and Angela Jin by The Ghost of Vertigo Present

Past

that we went for. One of our volumes was called ‘Trash’ and was just the designers breaking as many designer rules as possible — Comic Sans everywhere — and they probably wouldn’t have had that opportunity in an assignment. So it was a great room to play but also a compassionate space as well, where we could use the platform to advocate for things that mattered, like Black Lives Matter, Indigenous voices, and queer rights.

V: What about you, Angela?

AJ: I always wanted to be a contributor, but I was always too much of a coward. It wasn’t until I was stalking someone on their LinkedIn and they said that they were previously an editor of Vertigo that I jumped on Vertigo socials, and found out that info night was that night. I was like, “Oh, this is destiny”.

I knew that 2021 would be my final year at uni, so I thought: fuck it, why not? I really had nothing to lose, so I tried and then formed a team, campaigned, and somehow won — sorry, Joey.

JC: (Laughs) Thanks, but it all worked out.

ED: Were you on the losing side of the 2021 Election?

JC: Yeah, we lost by one vote.

ED: Oh, I remember that actually! We were like losing our minds in the 2020 Facebook chat. We were all so concerned about who would inherit our baby.

V: So, what was your vision for the magazine Angela?

AJ: I was really pushing for interfaculty involvement. While campaigning, you realise how few people know what Vertigo is, but I really wanted to get it out and make more of a name for it on campus. In terms of content, we wanted to produce something very universally relatable.

ED: Oh yeah, accessibility was a big thing for us too. You just reminded me of the multimedia aspect of Vertigo that we really wanted to push before the pandemic. There was Vertigo TV, and you guys also started the Vertigo podcast that was wonderful to listen to. We even had a library exhibition for our second issue.

Yeah, that was super fun to do that stuff and the library staff were so supportive of us being able to do that.

V: What interactions did you have with Shirley Alexander during your terms?

ED: I remember she had a lot of complaints, particularly about the design. Personally, I never once spoke to her directly. We always had the UTSSA President passing along the nonsense directives from above.

AJ: I’m not sure how it was with your team Evlin, but no one in my team had any experience with student politics, and we were very, very upfront about that, which might have been a bad idea.

We kind of said to the UTSSA, “Hey, we’re happy to have you guide us, we have no experience,” and they might have taken advantage of that because they immediately started intimidating us by saying, “No, never approach Shirley, you must talk to surely Shirley through us”. They would always come back to us with the results of our proposals saying, “Nope, wasn’t successful”, and we eventually couldn’t help but think, “Did you even try?”. We were very aware of how much power the SA had over us, so we were afraid to push back. So yeah, we never dealt with Shirley directly.

ED: Oh, we definitely did not feel supported even if there was some in the background. I think we were surprised when, towards the end of the year, Sam Silcock (UTSSA President 2020) stepped in between Shirley and us as much as he did. I remember we were arguing to have ‘Trash’ printed after lockdown and we kept asking if we could speak to Shirley directly. He was like, “Don’t do that, she will assume control over the magazine if you do that”. Previously, there had been zero communication between us and the UTSSA. There was an incident with our Black Lives Matter stickers and another incident with our issue ‘Body’ in which we essentially had a giant penis in the centrefold of the issue. It was an illustrated penis — it was making a comment about queer male gazes — but you would have thought we had printed literal porn by the way that the SA carried on. We ultimately had to get our DSP, Georgia Wilde, to step in on our behalf. They were silent from then on out, but they frequently used their power and the constitutional bylaws, which often didn’t exist, to censor us and get us to do what they wanted.

JC: That’s an excellent point because as a reader, those were two of your most noteworthy moments. ‘Trash’ is my favourite issue from 2020 — it was amazing, especially how you guys just went off the rails experimenting and showing people what Vertigo is. Also, yes, that penis spread was confronting, but it also encapsulated the zeal and passion of the magazine and the potential for students to express themselves. You wouldn’t see that Sydney Morning Herald because we’re not the Sydney Morning Herald. So, those were standout moments for us.

THE SLASH

So, it’s not like UTS management is inept and unenthusiastic when it comes to the arts.

V: Did you feel that the UTSSA during your term was supportive of Vertigo?

V: Before we wrap up, what does the perfect Vertigo look like for you?

AJ: A stipend for the DSP would be good. Right now it has no compensation whatsoever.

JC: It also doesn’t make sense that you guys have less power than the UTSSA General Secretary or the President in determining student issues.

AJ: I don’t think I’ve had a formal conversation about this with the SA, but we were saying that if anyone should dictate what the quota1 covers, it should be Evlin, not the General Secretary, who had no interest in Vertigo and who doesn’t have an editing background.

ED: I would love see a revival of the podcast and also Vertigo TV I think that would be really cool, but it obviously comes down to money and the time that the student editors can afford to dedicate. I would love to see a more independent Vertigo that had a better control over their own budget.

Vertigo editors are constitutionally required to meet a non-fiction quota of 50%, half of which must pertain to UTS student life.

1

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THE SLASH

dams

by Jacqueline A

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THE SLASH

21

22 THE SLASH

THE SLASH

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on the

sustainable with high educational outcomes.

However, only insofar as these initiatives are profitable. In fact, the key goal of this plan is not to increase student learning outputs or improve the quality of education but for the university to be debt-free by 2027. 1

The UTS 2027 plan.

Obviously, this is where the plan begins to unravel for students and staff. Even before the university could use the excuse of the pandemic to employ cost-saving measures, they had created UTS 2027 as a justification for cutting staff and expenditure to increase their profits.2

Like the mysterious council themselves, the 2027 plan is difficult to find and even more challenging to understand.

But, as students paying thousands of dollars to this institution, it is within your rights to know how UTS is actually run. In my time as President of the UTS Students Association I’ve done a bit of digging, and I’ll do my best to break it down for you.

The UTS 2027 plan was introduced in 2018 before COVID-19 completely reshaped the university sector.

A complete document of the plan is impossible to access; however, if you visit the university’s website, you can see a lavish graphic design detailing the breakdown of the plan into five key initiatives (refined from eight listed in the initial launch): 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Lifetime of learning Connected research Our distinctive identity Sustainable partnerships Working together

These all sound good in principle, and they do go some way towards guiding the university to be inclusive and

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7

Locked away in the UTS tower is an elusive and omnipotent council. We call them Management, and if you listen closely you can hear their corporate laughter echoing around the campus walls as they slash your subjects and overwork your tutors. They are governed by one, all-powerful document.

“The aim of the project as outlined in the November 2020 Blueprint was to achieve approximately $100 million of sustained savings across 2021 and 2022 to respond to the financial impact of Covid and the need to protect strategically important priorities to ensure future financial sustainability,” reads a statement from the NTEU’s UTS branch.

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THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

s e t o N 27 Plan 0

by Anna b 2 Thieben

Hundreds of staff cuts and voluntary redundancies in the past few years were justified with the 2027 plan. In fact, they have made $43 million per year ongoing savings through the Voluntary Separation Program undertaken in 2020 which they now speak proudly of. Even though our university actually made a 10.7% surplus as a percentage of revenue they achieved last year.3

If Management left their board rooms for a second and stumbled into a tutorial or an online lecture, perhaps they would realise how little this surplus means on the ground.

Not to get technical, but the workforce cost as a percentage of revenue for this university decreased 11% in the past year, beating their cost-saving targets by 8%. Our increasingly casualised staff are left to fulfil the roles of multiple employees, completing unpaid work after hours to get our essays and reports marked. This is unsustainable for staff and a significant detriment to your education. From larger class sizes, to long waits for E-Requests, to limited feedback for assignments and less time with your academic staff. Our education is being sacrificed at the expense of profits.

And Management knows this. *queue evil laugh* THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

UTS 2027 is the product of the corporate university model which embodies a managerial approach to producing, and selling education. We know that this is not what is best for students. In fighting the 2027 plan, we are fighting back against the notion that management controls the university.

With 97% of National Tertiary Education Union members at UTS voting to take action this semester, the time to call out management is now. Staff are fighting for salary increases, job stability, casual employment improvements, union rights, transition leave, and much more. Ultimately, the fight is for better learning and teaching conditions.

When your staff are on the picket line this semester, they are actively opposing this plan. Stand with them to prove that the staff and students are the backbone of this institution, not Management. We should be at the centre of how it is run.

After all, their master plan means nothing without someone to impose it on.

1 & 2: The ‘Fit for 2017 Blueprint’ — NTEU-UTS Feedback

3: UTS Council Meeting Report

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Airing Dirty Laundry: Your Guide to UTS Funding Cuts

THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

by Clara Atkin To be honest, when I hear of “funding cuts”, I only really care when it directly affects me. As a FASS student, I was saddened by the funding cuts to my courses, which were seen in less face-to-face hours, and as an avid-breakfast lover, I mourned the loss of Bluebird Brekkie...

And you probably know the cuts that affected you.

Finding a master list of all the cuts UTS have imposed is very difficult. Surprise surprise, they do not publish this in a neat little document for anyone to find. Surely this must be because they couldn’t find anyone with enough time to collate all this for you!

Have no fear, UTS! Here is our attempt at collating just some of the recent funding cuts we have experienced recently.

Vertigo funding (obviously) Each year, the newly elected team proposes a budget ​​— funds they expect to use to produce the magazine. This budget includes a stipend, printing costs, purchasing fonts, google services and so on. The UTSSA then goes through each section and decides how much to grant.

The 2022 Vertigo team went through this process, and our budget was approved at the beginning of this year by your student body.

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Despite this approval, which guided us to allocate our funding for the year, UTS management stepped in to revert funding to the level it was last year (this is a round-a-bout way to say our funding was essentially cut). As expected, that dramatically shifted our funding allocation, leaving us with just enough money to print this issue.

If you want to find out more about this specific issue, check out ‘The Coroner’s Inquest’ by Joseph Hathaway-Wilson.

Bluebird Brekkie (aka Bye Bye Birdie) If you have ever hung around Building One on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., you’ve probably witnessed the hoards of starving students waiting to be served by the one and only:

Night Owl Noodles!

Bluebird Brekkie was the sister to Night Owl Noodles, operating two times a week to provide a decent breakfast for students coming into university for free since 2011!

This year, we did not see the return of the beloved free yoghurt and muesli combo. This was a massive loss for many university students, but especially on-campus boarding students who lost two meals a week. Due to cuts towards the program, the UTSSA were unable to run both free food services, so Bluebird was put down.

THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

Funded by your Student Services and Amenities Fee, this program provides students with a free dinner twice a week during each semester. But does anyone remember the long-lost Bluebird Brekkie?

Academic Course Cuts Some of us have experienced funding cuts to our courses, had lectures moved permanently online, and had “reversed learning weeks” where we have had to teach ourselves.

Supposedly this is because of lower enrolments, particularly from international students, which has led to overall less funding available for these particular faculties.

However, despite the challenges everyone has experienced over 2021, UTS achieved quite ‘positive’ results, including seeing “External Research Income” increase from 2020 and a surplus due to mysterious asset sales and withholding expenditure.

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Since the beginning of 2020, some courses have had funding cut, while others, such as the following, have been discontinued completely (note that many of these courses are still in the process of being phased out):1

THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

Faculty of ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

C03047 Master of Education (Research) C02050 Doctor of Education C03018 Master of Arts (Research) [Humanities and Social Sciences] C02034 Master of Arts (Research) [International Studies] C02019 Doctor of Philosophy [Communication] C02039 Doctor of Philosophy [International Studies] C02041 Doctor of Philosophy C02020 Doctor of Creative Arts C03044 Master of Creative Arts (Research) C04298 Master of Digital Information Management C07125 Graduate Diploma in Information Management C09082 Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education C04307 Master of Education (Learning and Leadership) C11255 Graduate Certificate in Education (Learning and Leadership) C10264 Bachelor of Global Studies C10415 Bachelor of Languages and Cultures

BUSINESS SCHOOL ◆ C11208 Graduate Certificate in Executive Business Administration ◆ C10235 Bachelor of Accounting

Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building ◆ C11215 Graduate Certificate in Public Leadership and Management

Faculty of Health ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

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C11194 Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Nursing C11195 Graduate Certificate in Clinical Teaching C11196 Graduate Certificate in Neonatal Nursing C11201 Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing C11259 Graduate Certificate in Human Fertility and Assisted Reproduction C11116 Graduate Certificate in Perioperative Nursing C11117 Graduate Certificate in Anaesthetics and Recovery Room Nursing C11118 Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

C11200 Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Health Nursing C11192 Graduate Certificate in Information Technology Project Management C10344 Bachelor of Primary Health Care C20058 Diploma of Primary Health Care C20057 Advanced Diploma in Primary Health Care C04140 Master of Health Services Management C04246 Master of Advanced Health Services Management C07048 Graduate Diploma in Health Services Management C11107 Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management

Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology C04161 Master of Business and Technology C06060 Graduate Diploma in Business and Technology C11138 Graduate Certificate in Business and Technology C04224 Master of Science in Internetworking (Extension) C04160 Master of Science in Internetworking C07080 Graduate Diploma in Internetworking C11145 Graduate Certificate in Internetworking

The reasons for phasing out these courses vary from “lack of demand”, to a “change in direction from the clinical partner” to other degrees “replacing” these, especially in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

This is only a few of the areas of our university that have seen funding cuts – from faculties to amenities, it is expected that cuts will continue. But hey, there has also been funding allocated towards other areas of the university — like a snazzy robot in the library!

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◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

REFERENCES

1: Minutes of Academic Board

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y

g n i k a e Br Down

f F A T S S UT

by Ashley Sullivan

In 2020, UTS recorded a $43 million deficit, mainly from the loss of international fees and $51 million worth of staff redundancy costs. Through cost-control measures and initiatives, such as the reduction of around 400 full-time employees through forced and voluntary separation, UTS was able to finish 2021 with an operating result of $122 million.

While this restructuring presents a solution to long-term debt, the excessive workload heaped onto continuing staff alongside reduced campus teaching and activities has implications for the quality of future education. Will the increase in the teaching load for current academic staff be reflected in their salary?

Let’s first look at how well our staff are already being compensated for their work.

Although it’s difficult to predict whether remaining UTS staff will have their salaries adjusted to their higher workload, the University of Technology Sydney Academic Staff Agreement 2018 holds that, under rule 18.2, a salary increase of 1% is payable to staff on, or subsequent to, the date of the Agreement.1 While this may appear to be a positive trend for academic staff, this figure does not account for inflation and actually represents a decrease in staff wages.

The NTEU has been fighting for all

30

NTEU members employed by the University to increase their salary rates and allowances by 12% (flat) by 31 December 2024.2 So far, UTS has been quiet on the issue, and there has yet to be the creation of a holistic Enterprise Agreement with salary increases for all staff members.

For both full-time and casual academic staff, rates are broken into salary steps based on twelve months of satisfactory service.

Members will automatically progress to the next step until they reach their maximum salary rate. The number of salary steps vary in length, ranging from four steps for lecturers and seven steps for senior lecturers.

For casual staff, their salary includes a causal loading of 25% in place of the Agreement benefits for which they are ineligible for, which includes leave entitlements. With three salary steps across the categories of Lecturing, Tutoring, Marking, Clinical facilitators and Other academic activity, normal rates of pay for casual staff are calculated using the Level A (Associate Lecturer) Step 2 rate.

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THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

SALARIES

Here is a handy side-by-side comparison of salary rates from 2017 to 2021 for full-time academic staff.

Full-Time Rates Classification

1–Nov-17 Per annum

1–May-21 Per annum

Level A: Associate Lecturer (Step 1)

$75,871

Level B: Lecturer (Step 2)

$100,923

$108,203

Level C: Senior Lecturer (Step 2)

$122,684

$131,534

Level D: Associate Professor (Step 2)

$147,876

$158,543

Level E: Professor (Step 2)

$183,874

$197,138

$81,344

As with academic staff, professional staff also have opportunities to progress to higher salary rates based on competency requirements, quality of work, and availability of work.

Full-Time Rates Classification

1–Nov-17 Per annum

1–May-21 Per annum

HEW1 s1011

$47,603

$51,036

HEW5 s1051

$67,614

$72,492

HEW10 s1101

$121,707

$130,486

Casual Rates Classification

1–Nov–17 Per hour

1–May–21 Per hour

HEW1 s1011

$32.58

$34.93

HEW5 s1051

$46.28

$49.62

HEW10 s1101

$83.30

$89.31

▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

Senior Staff Specialist 1 Senior Staff Specialist 2 Senior Staff Specialist 3 Senior Staff Group 1 Senior Staff Group 2 Senior Staff Group 3 Senior Staff Group 4

Unfortunately, the Agreement provides zero clarification as to what each of these categories involve and how they differentiate from each other.

The only explanation given is that ‘Senior Staff’ is defined as an employee of the University appointed to “Executive, management and senior specialist roles”, so there’s that at least. While the minimum base salary rates only show up to 2019, Senior Staff are also seeing an upward trend in their salaries compared to 2015 figures.

THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

j

9 Turning to the salaries of professional staff, the University of Technology Sydney Professional Staff Agreement 2018 covers professional staff and interns employed by the University classified at levels 1 to 10.3 Level 1 employees involve cleaners and laborers, level 5 employees include administrators for advice and determination and experienced technical officers, and level 10 employees have substantial managerial responsibility as senior program, research or administrative managers.

To take a look at the salaries of UTS Senior Staff, we’ll be switching to the Senior Staff Group Collective Agreement 2013.4 Coming in at only 22 pages compared to the 75 of the Academic Agreement, the salary details begin to get a bit blurry. With senior status comes senior perks, with well-behaved staff members seeing an annual salary increase of 2.5% if they meet performance expectations. Split into annual salary rates and casual hourly rates, there are seven categories of senior staff members:

Annual Rates Classification

Minimum Salary April–15

Minimum Salary April–19

Senior Staff Specialist 1

$112,686

$124,313

Senior Staff Specialist 2

$131,351

$144,980

Senior Staff Specialist 3

$151,054

$166,727

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0 Casual Rates

Classification

Minimum Salary April–15

Minimum Salary April–19

Senior Staff Group 1

$77.09

$85.13

Senior Staff Group 2

$92.35

$101.94

Senior Staff Group 3

$110.11

$121.54

Senior Staff Group 4

$130.91

References

$144.50

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So, how much does the Vice-Chancellor earn, I hear you earnestly ask. While there is no Enterprise Agreement to turn to, the 2021 UTS Annual Report provides a general snapshot of the remuneration of UTS Senior Executives.5 Band 4 (Secretary)

$700,000–$1,100,000

Band 3 (Deputy Secretary)

$400,000–$699,999

Band 2 (Executive Director)

$300,000–$399,999

Band 1 (Director)

$150,000–$299,999

According to The Australian Financial Review, former UTS Vice-Chancellor Attila Brungs earned $1,090,000 in 2020, a $5,000 decrease from his 2019 salary of $1,095,000 due to increasing his university donation to 18% of remuneration.6 In fact, all senior leaders of the university donated up to approximately 10% of remuneration in 2020 to assist with the hardships of COVID-19!7 Looking at the 2021 Financial Statements, it appears that the seven-figure salary package for the Vice-Chancellor has resumed to the upper end of the ​​$1,090,000–$1,099,999 scale considering that higher donations were no longer noted. Interestingly enough, there appears to be no mention of staff cuts to Senior Executives as a part of UTS’s cost-saving strategies for the future.

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1: University of Technology Sydney Academic Staff Agreement 2018

2: Log of Claims endorsed

by UTS members

3: University of Technology Sydney Professional Staff Agreement 2018

4: University of Technology Sydney Senior Staff Group Collective Agreement 2013

5: UTS Annual Report 2021: Review of Operations

6: As uni heads’ salaries nosedive, Nobel Laureate takes bottom spot

7: UTS Annual Report 2021: Financial Statements

5 b

ROE V. WADE OVERTURNED: A BACKWARD STEP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

by Shanelle George

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

CW: Abortion, death, r*pe, incest

Ten years ago, it was only natural to assume that the world would move in a linear fashion. That as time goes on, so would society. Ten years ago, we all believed that the future would ensure progression in protecting human rights. But on June 24 2022, the U.S moved backwards as the decision of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation was handed down. The result? The abolition of the American constitutional right to abortion that was set out in Roe v. Wade.

ABOUT ROE V. WADE The case of Roe v. Wade was a 1973 class action case brought by Jane Roe on behalf of herself and others to challenge Texas abortion laws. The basis of the case centred on the argument that Texas’s laws which criminalised abortion were unconstitutional as they intervened in a woman’s right to privacy, protected under the 14th Amendment. At the time of the trial, abortion was only permitted in instances where the

34

pregnancy presented a serious risk to the mother’s life, thereby setting a high threshold for termination which failed to give women any substantial reproductive decisions. However, in a landmark decision handed down by a 7-2 majority, the Supreme Court found that the right to abortion fell within a person’s right to privacy under the 14th Amendment. Specifically, it found that excess government control of a person’s body was unconstitutional and unjust. It is important to note that the case did not legalise abortion but rather significantly altered the way states could regulate abortion. As a result, women were given a right to an abortion within the first trimester of pregnancy which could not be interfered with by state regulation.

WHAT IS PRECEDENT? Before we discuss the disheartening result of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation, you may question how such an important decision can be removed? The answer rests in the concept of ‘precedent’. Roe v. Wade is considered constitutional precedent, which means that judges in lower courts are bound to follow its decision. However, the caveat is that superior courts, or courts at the same level on the hierarchy, can make rulings that overturn constitutional precedent. This means that the decision of Roe v. Wade, which was handed down in the Supreme Court, could be overturned

Ph

by another decision in the Supreme Court.

For the right to an abortion to become an absolute right — that is, safe from future Court decisions — it would need to be codified into federal law, which has not yet been passed successfully. Consequently, the future of the Roe v. Wade precedent and the right to abortion rested in the hands of a conservative Supreme Court operating in an increasing polarised political environment.

wn ston Bro

tion illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Although lower courts upheld that the ban was unconstitutional and violated the precedent in Roe, the state of Mississippi appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. Upon hearing the case, the Court upheld Mississippi’s ban and by doing so, destroyed the protections afforded to women under Roe v. Wade by removing the constitutional right to abortion. More importantly, the Court gave no regard to instances of r*pe and incest which could result in unwanted, harmful pregnancies. The case of Dobbs marks the first time in US history the Supreme Court has ever ruled to remove a person’s fundamental right.

DOBBS V. JACKSON WOMEN’S HEALTH ORGANISATION

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Fast forward 49 years, and the Supreme Court heard the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation. The case was a challenge to a ban introduced by Mississippi that made abor-

To put it simply, it means that in 2022, American women have fewer rights than their mothers did in 1973. As a result of Dobbs and the abolition of the right to abortion, individual states have

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

s from A otograph

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WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

been given back the power to regulate abortion.

States such as Arkansas and Oklahoma had previously legislated “trigger bans”, which meant abortion would become illegal as soon as Roe v.

Wade was overturned. It is expected that at least 20 more conservative states including South Dakota, Utah, Mississippi, and Alabama will also immediately exercise their power to criminalise abortion. As such, women who are unable to access abortion services are forced to choose between travelling unreasonable distances or bringing their pregnancy to term. Furthermore, any ban on termination will disproportionately affect low socio-economic communities that cannot afford the cost of travel needed to access abortion services. In Arkansas, the trigger ban creates a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for illegal abortions with no exception for r*pe or incest. To put this into perspective, Arkansas considers incest a Class C felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Let me repeat: a woman impregnated as a result of incest that attempts to access abortion services will be subject to the same penalties as her perpetrator.

However, perhaps the most frightening outcome of this case is the standard it sets for future decisions on human rights. The ruling of Dobbs has paved the way for unprecedented legislation that removes fundamental rights and may very well encourage the introduction of future bills that attempt to regulate access to birth control, gender, and marriage equality.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT US? So what does the overturning of Roe v. Wade mean for Australia’s abortion laws? Although it has no direct legal effect on our abortion laws, it has increased scrutiny over the lack of a national framework regulating access to abortion. In Australia, there is no constitutional right to an abortion, leaving it to individual states and territories to rule on the matter. Although all jurisdictions have legislated to make abortion legal, each state and territory imposes different restrictions on the circumstances which permit abortion.

In NSW, the right to access abortion services comes from the Abortion Law Reform Act 2019.

This Act decriminalises medical and surgical abortion in the first 22 weeks of pregnancy and requires the consent of two medical

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However, despite room for improvement, it is clear that women in Australia are substantially more protected than their US counterparts, given Australia’s abortion laws are based on legislation rather than constitutional precedent. For abortion to become a criminal act in Australia, it cannot simply be overturned as was done in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation.

Instead, it would require new laws to be passed through the House of Parliament of each State, which is substantially harder to achieve. Furthermore, the decriminalisation of abortion, and more specifically self-induced abortion in NSW, recognises the systemic barriers that women face in accessing costly abortion services.

Australia’s laws ensure that marginalised groups

that cannot access surgical abortion services can obtain alternative termination routes without the fear of persecution.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

practitioners for abortions performed after 22 weeks. Furthermore, section 12 of the Abortion Law Reform Act 2019 provides that a woman is not held to have committed an offence if she performs a termination on herself, thereby permitting the use of self-induced abortion pills.

However, it is important to recognise that although abortion is legal, it took Australia till 2021 to fully decriminalise abortion. With SA being the last jurisdiction to decriminalise abortion under the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2021, it raises the question of whether Australia is really as progressive as everyone believes.

Clearly, Australia’s laws represent the rights and freedoms that women have been fighting for. When we compare this to the laws working against our female counterparts in the US, the injustice becomes clear. In a judicial system where the protection of human rights is erratic and unstable, we may wonder where they will draw the line. If the US courts are so willing to strip fundamental human rights and replace them with barbaric provisions, what’s next?

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by Anonymous

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

When I was in Year Ten, I completed work experience right near Oxford Street. As a young girl who identified as bisexual, being among an integral part of Sydney’s Queer culture was invigorating. I remember grabbing a coffee just before my first day in the office and seeing a small rainbow flag wedged in the cafe’s window.

It was weirdly life altering: a small token of visibility. It was like the street and I shared a secret.

Years later, during Pride Month, I caught the train to Museum and returned to soak in the streets welcoming queerness once more. I was no longer a naive Year Ten student but 19 years old, more cynical, and identifying as a lesbian.

I was less secure in my identity, not because it wasn’t true, but because it felt like something I had to prove. Walking down the familiar street, I couldn’t help but notice something missing: the lesbian pride flag. All of the most prominent queer identities were represented in shop windows and on street poles — gay, trans, non-binary, pansexual, asexual — but not the identity represented by the first letter of the LGBTQIA+ acronym.

This worsened the ache in my chest that had been there for years.

This month marks my eighth Pride Month knowing I’m a queer person; my first knowing I’m a lesbian. I still don’t feel comfortable using that word. Lesssbian. It seems to be something associated with the “boarders” in Chris Lilley shows, straight girls kissing each other for laughs at house parties.

“God, you’re such a lesssbian,” they always hiss bitterly.

I think that’s part of why I haven’t yet reconciled with this part of myself.

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Growing up, I was lucky to attend a pretty prestigious, but pretty religious school. It offered me the opportunity to grow my mind, which I thought was the best opportunity I could ever receive. But, simultaneously, it offered me the opportunity to grow my own self-doubt, namely doubt in my own identity. And that’s not to say it was the Orwellian image of a private religious school that many people conjure up when reflecting on their high school years. I never felt as if I would be ousted if I was outed. I think the bad part was the little comments. They always seemed to get under my skin. ng girl — ht-presenti lways ig ra st ly e tiv (a I am a rela f long nails The hair, sort o s. g y n a d lo e st v o a h m I ress up d I d ad tell n a re I ), painted e books th d n a to ten ld only rec music I lis t you wou u . b , re ry u o lt u st on the c a different e clued in ’r t u h o g y u if o it ognise le never th f this, peop phobic Because o retty homo p g in ratk a m t u lways ope twice abo resence, a p y m s in a ts w I commen ption that the assum ing under m.” “one of the

about lesbians having better orgasms. I didn’t hiss the word lesbian out like they always did.

But, again, I was met with laughter, and the topic was swiftly dropped. They moved on, but my mind meditated on it for the rest of the night.

I was probably younger than most when I came to the conclusion that I liked girls, which was nice. I remember sitting on the grassy hills of my school oval and looking at my friend — a female friend — like she was the sun, and I sort of just knew: accepted it there and then.

But when I did, I never came back to question if I didn’t like boys. To me, it was a given. Boys were the sun, girls were the moon. Both were nice, and liking boys felt like a necessity. I could like girls, sure, but removing the possibility of liking boys was inexplicable.

And that’s not to say that bisexuality doesn’t exist, but it is to say that I just wasn’t bisexual.

That familiar hiss sounded even worse on a voice coated with liquor. I froze, but the girls around me burst out laughing, and not even forcefully. I was mortified, but not fully surprised.

I mean, I couldn’t be, right? I was surrounded by a group of painfully straight high school girls who saw the concept of love as an easy game that was rigged for them to win. But not me.

Stupidly, I said something. My response isn’t as clear in my memory — I don’t think I was particularly eloquent, given the anxiety and the alcohol — but I stammered out something that pointed out how ignorant the comment was, and probably blurted out that one statistic

I have a pretty unrelenting mind. I feel like I’m constantly searching for a boy that my eyes can grab onto. Someone digestible, never too attractive, just kind and gentle, and I force myself to wax poetic about him when, in reality, I’m not feeling anything at all. Perhaps that’s a result of how we are raised. We are expected to dress and express ourselves in a way that appeals to men, and it’s hard to ever grow out of it. I still find myself craning my neck in clubs to see if any guys are looking at how a dress holds my figure or looking up every five minutes in class to see if the boy with the dark eyes will meet my gaze. It’s a habit I can’t seem to shake. I’m honestly scared I never will. And frankly, I’m sick of it. Why should I feel this unrelenting need to attach my worth to men when nothing fruitful will come of it?

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

I vividly remember a conversation that took place around a campfire on a cold night. Many of my friends and I were clinging to plastic cups filled with vodka and fanta, throwing it down our throats to heat up our insides. Words were spilling out, quick and heavy, like molasses on a hot spoon. A string of those weighted words came from one of my friends. I think she knew that I wasn’t straight, but I also think she was careless about that fact because it made her uncomfortable — she forced me onto her male friends and never asked me about girls.

39

ry hetereosexucalled “compulso ng hi et m larised so is g in in 1980 but popu What I’m describ Adrienne Rich inated et ig po or c by do ed r in te oc”. The mas rd ality ”, a term co te as M d way. I an te bi lu ous “Les ing in a di by the now-fam h of Rich’s writ uc m 2020, in es n at w in do em diss t during lock en m cu on Tumblr and , do is th me, and at first bling across eply applied to de remember stum t in ea po id e ch th , Ea ated y world. n a man reciproc and it rocked m lost crushes whe I elf unable to ys it. m ve d lie un be fo I ’t I couldn scomfort , and di ed us ca an of marrying a m y with one. see myself happ

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

That fact was solidified when I recently dated a guy. At the time, I was still combatting the ache within me that told me I didn’t like men, so when the opportunity presented itself, I took it. Here was a nice guy who I got along with, so I took it as a test of sorts. I could prove that that stupid ache was lying to me and that I could still fill the role I was always supposed to.

I know that’s wrong, to operate under that knowledge and still let a man date me.

But now I can start to understand why exactly I did it.

I truly convinced myself at the time that this was it for me, that he was it for me.

I ignored the fact that the peppering of kisses coloured me pale. During the sweaty nights in bars, he’d buy me drinks, and when I was sick, he’d bring me flowers, and my friends told me he was lovely.

And he was, so, I convinced myself it was real and it was right.

I know now that it was all a performance. I can still remember my straightened spine and the forced smile, the uncomfortable ache in my stomach that flared up again like an open wound when he kissed me for the first, and second, and third time. The hot tears that rolled down after I finally admitted to a friend that something was wrong. My friend tried to blame it on him, and so did I, but it really wasn’t. He was a good boyfriend, and he told me he loved me…

I just knew I could never say it back. So I ended things very very badly, and cried myself silly more, feeling that uncomfortable ache expand until it consumed my whole body.

And that’s not right in any respect. I hate that I’ve had to go through so much forced love that’s knocked me down each time because it’s what’s expected of me.

I guess that’s part of why I’m writing this anonymously. If this is something I’ve struggled to accept so much myself, how will the world do any better?

But at the very least, I’m getting there. I’ll stop shivering when I say the world lesbian, and I’ll speak to the other people I see shivering too. I won’t question myself on drunken outings and thoughtful nights anymore because I know in my heart who I am.

And I thin k my ache that will heal soon eno ugh.

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Autumn Session

We had over 500 student engagements with our free advocacy service

NEED HELP? CALL US ON (02) 9514 1155

WHAT INSERT A WONDERFUL SECTION TITLE WORLD

CW: Climate anxiety

CHASING CHANGE:

by Ashley Sullivan

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Since 1970, the Earth’s surface temperature has risen faster than any other 50-year period over the last 2,000 years. Since 1900, global sea levels have risen faster than in any century in the previous 3,000 years. In 2019, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were higher than any point in the last two million years. In 2020, there was no detectable decrease in the CO2 growth rate. As it stands, the comfortable habitability of our Earth will dissipate by 2050 unless governments take drastic action to prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5°C.1 So, what are our leaders doing about it, and where do we come in?

AUSTRALIA’S CLIMATE AMBITIONS Established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement is an international treaty that guides nations to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Although 193 parties have entered the Paris Agreement, thus committing to limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C, the appearance of a united front against climate change falls short at the hands of apathetic leaders, inconsistent policies, and unfulfilled pledges.

Currently, 2022 marks Sydney’s wettest year to date.

NSW has experienced widespread flooding for the fourth time in less than two years. Riverine flooding poses the most significant risk to driving uninsurable homes.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) predicts that continued climate inaction within Australia will lead to increased frequencies of hotter days, rising sea levels, frequent extreme rainfall events, and declining snow depths.3 Basically, without systemic overhaul, the future will look much like a natural disaster movie that occurs incrementally over generations.

However, faint hope is on the horizon as the Albanese government recently announced new climate targets to reduce Australia’s emissions by 43% by 2030.4 While this target is consistent with a 2.0°C reduction, a considerable improvement from the Coalition’s target of a 26–28% reduction, the Labor party’s revised commitment to emission cuts continues to fall short of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 1.5°C.5 As one of the world’s highest carbon emitters per capita, one can only wonder whether this decision represents a meaningful commitment towards a greener future or yet another unfulfilled political promise.

PROGRESS THROUGH THE PEOPLE The knowledge that climate change will cause irreversible damage and breed unlivable environmental conditions if not addressed by serious slashes to global emissions is not a comforting thought for most. A global study conducted by the University of Bath found that three-quarters of Australians aged 16–25 were frightened for the future, with 40% expressing hesitancy to have children due to climate change.6 With far too few decision-makers taking action to prevent the climate crisis, the fight for the protection of the future has largely fallen within the hands of today’s youth.

Bearing the brunt of sparking public debate and raising awareness, young climate activists are leading the way in the campaign for environmental empowerment in the face of governmental negligence. After all, the biggest climate change strike in Australia’s history was led by school children.7 Youth organisations like the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, and Australian Student Environment Network are building the movement for climate justice, yet protest activities have grown harder to organise as stricter laws attempt to curb demonstrations. On April 1, the NSW parliament passed the Roads and Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2022, which attracts severe penalties of up to two years in jail for protestors who block public roads, rail lines, tunnels, bridges, and industrial estates.8 Similar anti-protest laws disproportionately criminalising activists are currently before parliament in Victoria and Tasmania. After all, is it really surprising that a court system which declared that the Australian government does not have a duty of care to protect young people from climate change harm has no qualms about restricting the rights of climate protestors?

WHAT INSERT A WONDERFUL SECTION TITLE WORLD

Unfortunately, Australia is a frontrunner in failing to take climate action at state and international levels. The gross insufficiency of the Morrison Government to work towards net zero emissions landed us the bottom rung on the Climate Change Performance Index for Climate Policy.2 From withdrawing funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to approving the Adani coal mine, it’s safe to say that reaching Australia’s 2030 emission reduction target of a 26–28% decrease was a low priority.

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TAKING ACTION

WHAT INSERT A WONDERFUL SECTION TITLE WORLD

In spite of the hurdles and the hopelessness, the fight for climate justice will continue to survive through active hope and hard work. As we demand action and accountability from our governments, we can each do our part to address the reality of climate change.

The easiest way to contribute to averting the climate crisis is to be an informed voter. Read up on what environmental policies each party is offering and how they align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Research which corporations are investing in fossil fuels and support politicians who push for renewable energy sources.

Yes, the notion that “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism” applies to corporations benefiting from exploitative work conditions, more so than the consumer. However, this does not provide a get-out-of-jail-free card to justify overconsumption and excessive waste. Consumer demand drives the system, so, if you have the means, try your best to redirect your spending towards ethical consumerism and shop consciously.

Whether you choose to join a climate activist group, participate in local council meetings, attend a demonstration, or use social media to call out industry leaders, your involvement in climate conversations helps amplify the movement.

1. Summary for Pol- 2. Climate Change icymakers — Global Performance Index Warming of 1.5 ºC

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3. Climate change in Australia

4. Climate change: Australia signs new carbon emissions target

5. How much warming would the party climate positions lead to?

Analysis

6. Government inaction on climate change linked to psychological distress in young people – new study

7. Biggest Climate 8. Australia: Climate Mobilisation in Aus- Protesters’ Rights tralia’s History as Violated 350,000 Students + Workers #ClimateStrike

MIRACLE WORKERS: ASSESSING THE REALITY OF A SECULAR GOVERNMENT

CW: Dis cri homoph mination, obia, se xual referenc es

by Elektra Politis

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

at does lar country. But wh Australia is a secu really te sta n church and separation betwee 22? mean for us in 20

Prime ’s appointment as Anthony Albanese ge as an ch r fo the catalyst Minister may be andon ab to s ek se t rnmen Labor’s new gove ch is ange focus on faith. Th Scott Morrison’s ts like myself ul ad pact young im ly lar cu rti pa ll wi of secularism a dismissive view who experienced ol system. ho in the religious sc while growing up inister to alia’s first prime m A case that chall Although not Austr rison’s or enged the notion s beliefs, Scott M of a secular go s vernment under Hi hold strong religiou y. tit en id l ca liti Morrison’s leade po s hi to al gr te in rship was the s wa din tro duction of the Re faith d its foun ligious Discrimina llsong Church an tion Bill 20 an 22 ali devotion to the Hi . str Th is polarising bill se e Au was known by th eks to prohibit di in at n’s ion scrimer Brian Houston to us on Ho th e basis of an indi ations involving vidual’s religious ar, belief or activity ye is public. After alleg th er rli ea d in a variety of area men surface s of public life.3 in If this bill is pa harassment of wo ssed, it will signific t been to Hillsong no d ha he ed im an tly impact a at th e ur Morrison cla LG no BT ho QIA+ community being the guest of as it may limit th th op wi po e 15 years despite1 eir rtu nc rie ni tie pe s for employment, milar to my ex education, and access to service s hi service in 2019. Si ed us on ris or s based on their school, M identity. In particular, it will pr authority in high image ovide religious sc esent a virtuous pr to y tit en id s hools with d lle th da religiou e po pe we ck ba r to reject or discrim public. He only inate against s LG iou of himself to the BT lig re QI of A+ re stu tu dents, isolating th en the na em from their peers and lim on these beliefs wh blic scrutiny. iting their educat pu g cin fa s wa ional opportunities. authority re we ns tio ra political aspi Scott Morrison’s As a graduate of s called on a Catholic high sc belief that he wa e th by l ra hool, be Li motivated this proposed law er rm is deeply signific

by God. The fo try un co is th d ant to ge sa to lea m es e. m De is th sp ite the nature of secu ed to receive larism, these s 2019 Party leader claim hi in g sti rin tu tio du g ns tin ar in e codependent on eagle pa Australia’s in the form of an ed his parliament. State which he describ and federal gove in n, ig pa m ca rnis election th m ed en ur ts no fu nd around 70% of ”.2 Morrison ho the annual cost ntly ta win as a “miracle ns re co qu by ire ice d fo off r running the NSW his time in Catholic idea throughout dresses schools sector, wi ith in political ad fa th parents and th s hi t ou ab g e speakin an sc ali ho str ol community expe ents like the Au cted to fund the .

21 20 and attending ev ril 4 re Ap m ain in de ce r. My experience es conferen as a student Christian Church

AGE 46

His heavy focus on religion, support of Hillsong, and the presence of other controve rsies have all led to Morrison ’s current image as a prime minister who faile d to maintain Au stralia’s secular values. Political an d everyday decis ions cannot be made using the re ligious dogma of a religion, that according to the latest census data , is shrinking.

Policy should be made using logica l reasoning that adheres to th e Constitution an d benefits the majority of Austr alians.

1. ‘Disappointed and shocked’: Scott Morrison distances himself from Hillsong pastor Brian Houston

2. It’s time to call it out: Scott Morrison doesn’t care about secular accountability

3. Religious Discrimination Bill 2022

4. School Funding FAQs

5. Anthony Albanese warns religious discrimination bill could ‘drive us apart’ as Labor pushes for amendments

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

taught me th at religion in forms author presence of ity. The religious auth ority was refle the practical cted in expectations placed on st I remember udents. strict and ofte n questionabl that controlle e rules d how we co uld wear our forms and ot uniher elements of our appear that would co ance ntribute to a perfect publ Unfortunate ic image. ly, this insist ence on perf not entirely le ection has ft my way of thinking. may erception direction blurred p These practic e is th h r T al re ter rer unde me Minis concrete affirm strictions also led to mor ome clea ri c P e d b te in o e p ations of belie iament p rl a a ly with no choi r new oke in p p s e H . ce but to agre f, leaving students of ou e der y Albanes the opposition lea e with what being told. W they were Anthon s e were once a i2 m 2 cri ry 20 split into boys girls and wer ligious Dis e us in Februa and e visited by a at the Re riv th “d d e to religious grou rn initially seem d a e design p who and w ed to uplift an s a w law as 2 2 d 0 e l2 d empower us women. As th propos e th nation Bil d as e day went on e b 5 ing forms e descri , this group be to express th inst stopp a apart ”. H g e importance a gan d e of practising and urg is “at the tity and avoi chas“flawed” ding the cont ation if it inst in m ri c is raceptive pill sd ation aga d believed it w as they of religiou creasing discrimin as linked to to be rea cancer. Muc nature of relig of in y waiting h like the tl n e expense ious texts, th rr u c is sharing of did not appe his bill is e. values ar to be a lig others”. T e third tim ht suggestio were intended ate for th n e n. They in the S as orders. Eve ustralia’s staff membe n though no g-in as A n ri n a rs shared thes t all e w s perform a e intense be anese’s I fear that th ecided to liefs, d ese restrictio uring Alb 6 He also e D h r, te . ns would ha oath far more oppr e Minis ve been religious his essive if we 31st Prim stead of a II, unlike endured the in of the Religio th n e o b ti a a z li effects E ffirm n us Discrimin a to e e n u tio ation Bill. It is of my experi ention Q n’s declara because ence in high did not m tt Morriso cond time a o c S school that I r o young adults s s feel many ith ly the se have a compl predece This is on d an affirmation, w ex and blurre ception of se erve her”. d perte cularism, as “s ta s their life in ed ister has has often be 010. ucation en shaped by prime min being the first in 2 its rejection. rd t Julia Gilla ncept tha ty is a co ri o k th a u a -m forming f decision Religion in shape my view o ership d a to on’s le continues untry. Scott Morris on. Although co oti ing in this perpetuated this n w religion will r ho e h e rt in fu rm only entity, to dete y rl a e olitical id o p to ’s ll e ti s s e n is a it Alb ular future Anthony more sec a rd a influence w secure actions to n ever to concrete more tha w o n d e are need lity. and equa freedom

6. Anthony Albanese Made No Reference To God Or The Queen When He Was Sworn In As Prime Minister

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E G RAat the EAG:

by Cat Do herty and Sara Chaturve di

E

Showcasing Collectives at UTS

RAGE, RAGE!

The Environmental Education Action Group (EAG) is a collective that acts as a safe pocket for students to raise criticism and complaints about UTS. We work on fighting against diverse issues on campus and channeling frustration into action so we can make change!

RECENT EAG TS ACHIEVEMEN Fighting against Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) proved to be one of the Education Action Group’s biggest campaigns. During the golden era of UTS’s student activism, anti-VSU rallies were said to have gathered thousands of protesters, yet according to sources, priorities have not always aligned in the years following. When National Labor Students ran the UTS EAG, the collective was seen as a lackluster in its attempts to promote solid action in the fight for students’ education. There was an incident where NLS pushed attendees to enter a jumping castle instead of a mass rally and picket line at UTS.

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MEASURING THE POPULA OF STUDENTRITY ACTIVISM Institutional representation is an essential element of democracy.

However, society has continually been ignorant of the youth’s voice. When young people are alienated or separated from political institutions, a crucial demographic cannot meaningfully contribute to discussions which will have consequences for their future.

Student activism has always been an outlet for student voices. In the past, UTS was said to have been the centre of student activism in Sydney.

Ever loaned a laptop for three days?

You can thank the 2010 UTSSA for that. Our campus’s vibrant history of unionism is filled with occupations, police raids, protests, and rallies, yet this seems unheard of today.

In recent years, the student voice has become significantly passive in the face of student issues. This isn’t to say that students don’t care, but spaces to vent and critique the university have

transferred online — for example, the infamous Facebook page UTS Confessions. And although it may feel satisfying to unleash your feelings towards the university anonymously, the reality is that it is rare to see real change as a result.

This increased shift online correlates to the impacts of COVID-19 on our university experience and engagement, with many students feeling isolated from their peers. The pandemic has also led to a general decrease in motivation, and among many young people, there is a strong sense of nihilism. For many students, this demotivation made it very hard to be involved in university life, particularly in student activism. It’s also important to remember that many of us haven’t had a ‘normal’ university experience, and don’t actually know what we may be missing out on as there isn’t anything for us to compare it to.

On a more bureaucratic note, the bosses at UTS have continuously suppressed student activism and pushed the student union to the shadows. Many students don’t even know the UTS Students’ Association

RAGE exists. As student-elected representatives, the UTSSA should be that voice for change. If that voice is silenced, it becomes very difficult for students to work collectively against issues that affect them.

GETTING INVO IN THE EAG LVED One of the EAG’s current campaigns is to bring back in-person lectures from the grave that UTS has put them in. Other universities have revitalised face-to-face lectures after COVID-19 restrictions have eased, so why can’t we? The answer is frighteningly simple — with no actual insight into what students want, upper management has just decided they don’t like them anymore. The EAG won’t stand for this. We have been building a collective movement of students and staff to fight to bring in-person lectures back.

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If you’re frustrated about long waits for assignment marks, inadequate feedback, shortened class lengths, and subjects that have been flipped online or cut entirely, massive job cuts and money-saving measures by UTS management is the answer. This has diminished the quality of our education, as your tutors and UTS staff are overworked and often in insecure jobs.

Another main campaign of the EAG is to stand in solidarity with UTS staff, as the timeless statement goes: Staff working conditions are student learning conditions. This involves potential industrial action from the UTS branch of the NTEU (the union for university workers).

The EAG will be running a campaign to encourage students to support staff in the event of striking and not to cross the picket line (a.k.a, don’t scab, a.k.a, don’t go to class during a strike!). It is essential to support staff if you want to improve your university and learning experience!

RAGE

If you’re interested in being involved in the EAG, follow our social media pages: Facebook: UTS Education Action Group Instagram: @uts.ed.action.group We hold regular organising meetings — keep an eye out on our Facebook for the meeting event pages!

RAGE, RAGE!

On a positive note, the large show of student support for Vertigo in the wake of it being defunded by management highlights the appetite for action among the student body.

However, there still needs to be a widespread transformation on campus regarding how we as students work together to instrument change.

To do this, we need to express our grievances not just on social media pages but through collective action and activism. Thankfully, there are ways to do this, and they start with the UTSSA!

E G A

RAGE E G RA 49

NUS vs.

F A S S E TH -wilson

SECTION NAME RAGE, RAGE!

by Joseph Hathaway

With staff strikes and fee hikes already occupying the pages of student newspapers around the country, there is no better time for the National Union of Students (NUS) to bring the issue of student union funding to the fore.

“There’s an awareness around the sector that something’s got to give,” says NUS President Georgie Beattie. “Student unions and student representation around the country is dying, and it needs to change.”

Since its inception in 1987, the NUS has fought for students’ right to welfare and a high-quality education. Now, they’re fighting for their right to fight.

However, the NUS’s current campaign against the Student Services and Amenities (SSAF) is nothing new. If anything, it’s the product of a sentiment that first formed 17 years ago, before the SSAF was even conceived. Allow me to explain.

ism (USU) Universal Student Union Unionism t den Stu ory and Compuls g! CSU was thin e sam the are U) (CS aponised by a term invented and we er to create ord in the Liberal Party student lian stra Au und aro ma stig 5).

200 (c. unions

SSAF: The Histories In 2006, the fourth government of Prime Minister John Howard introduced Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) to Australia. VSU allowed Australian university students to dictate whether or not they joined their student union — a drastic change from Universal Student Unionism (USU), which had been a feature of Australian universities prior. USU required all students to pay a union fee as part of their university enrolment; VSU allowed students to decide whether they would join the union. The Liberal Party’s justification for introducing VSU rested primarily on the idea that students shouldn’t be forced to pay fees which they can’t afford and which don’t satisfy their interests. As Education Minister Brendon Nelson maintained: “This is the 21st Century. It’s time students in this country, many of whom come from struggling families, are given the choice as to whether they will part with $500 or $600 to support students’ political representation and services on campus.”

A bit rich coming from the party which increased humanities degree enrolment fees by 113% just fourteen years later. Anyway, in his speech to the House of Representatives, Nelson maintained that he was confident university life would continue to flourish and that students would “continue to join and support political, cultural, sporting and other organisations.”

Alas, he was wrong.

Multiple student representation and student life organisations soon reported a mammoth loss of amenities, services, and membership fees. Nationwide data suggests that these services collectively lost as much as $166 million, which makes sense given that most students don’t proactively pay university fees unless they’re asked to.1 The unfortunate fact of the matter is: students, regardless of whether or not they are pro-union, benefit from the services that student unions provide. A student who uses essential food services provided by their union (think along the lines of Blue Bird Brekkie or Night Owl Noodles) is unlikely to know that these services exist because of their union, and is thus unlikely to pay their union fees if they aren’t mandatory.

The laws around student union fees didn’t change until several years later... sort of.

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Under the government of Julia Gillard in 2012, Australia was introduced to the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). In summary, SSAF was a half-hearted lifeline for Australia’s student unions. While it didn’t abolish VSU, it did require university students to pay a fee that supported student unionism to some degree.

However, instead of going to the student union, SSAF money was handed over to university administrators (a.k.a. the senior executive/ the university leadership team/management), who dictated how that money was spent. While SSAF money must be spent on nonacademic student services and amenities, it does not have to be put towards the student union. In fact, at UTS in 2021, only 12% of the $10.2 million accumulated through SSAF was put towards the UTS Students’ Association (UTSSA). The rest of it went to ActivateUTS, sport, and fitness While SSAF may be an improvement from the John Howard days, the lack of USU in the Australian university sector is still hugely detrimental to student unionism and activism. As NUS Education Officer Luc Velez states: “There isn’t this huge groundswell of angry students currently waiting to storm parliament so that they can have better student union structures.” Indeed, it would seem most students aren’t even aware of their student union’s existence, even if they are benefiting from it.

With the election of the Albanese government in 2022, Australian student unions are seizing the chance to return to a state of autonomy. However, the NUS’s campaign against SSAF is not just a reaction to the newly formed Labor government. Rather, it is a call to arms against the exploitation of COVID-19 (*sigh* why has it always gotta be like this?).

During Australia’s nine years of Liberal-National governance, between 2013 and 2022, universities were more or less safe from being called out for blindspotting their student unions. Compounding this, the COVID-19 pandemic provided the perfect opportunity for universities to snatch student dollars away from student representatives (no, I’m not being a raging leftist, the data shows it). Documents obtained from the UTSSA reveal how, between 2019 and 2020, SSAF money at UTS decreased by 1.42% (from $10,359,932 to $10,212,749), and yet funding of the UTSSA decreased by a whole 19.49% (from $1,519,000 to $1,223,000), and then again by another 3.52% between 2020 and 2021, during which time SSAF revenue actually increased by 0.41%. Of the many services funded by SSAF, the UTSSA took on the greatest proportional decrease in funding between 2020 and 2021. Local community radio station, 2SER, copped the heaviest blow, with its funding being decreased by 55%.

The plan of attack For the NUS, the plan to improve student union funding is hindered by the fact that students, for the most part, are blissfully unaware of current SSAF legislation or the ramifications that it has on student life (unless, of course, those students are diligent and informed readers of Vertigo). Their plan of attack has been divided into three separate approaches:

1. By spreading awareness among Australian students around what SSAF is and what it is spent on (this specific initiative has been pursued relentlessly by the UTSSA. You may have seen their infographics taped to noticeboards and newsstands around campus).

2. By coupling the SSAF campaign with other activist initiatives. While students may be unaware of the ramifications of SSAF legislation, many of us are already riled up about climate inaction, fee hikes, and the funding of their student publication (hee-hee). At this present moment, however, most students are unaware of how these initiatives are enabled by their student union, and thus compounded by the framework of SSAF. 3.By talking with the people in power. Unlike most student unions, the NUS has direct access to federal MPs with the power to move and pass national legislation. With a new Labor government now in power, this connection could prove invaluable.

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So, why now?

While the union being defunded may sound like someone else’s problem, it is a problem which has wide-ranging implications, most of which affect all students in some way or another. These implications include: access to legal aid, access to academic support, the funding of essential food services, the funding of student media, the funding of counselling services, and more.

As dire as the situation at UTS is, the going gets tougher at other universities around Australia. At La Trobe University in Melbourne, a progressive change in governance of the La Trobe Student Union saw its funding decreased from $2.8m in 2020 to $0.275m in 2021. At the University of New South Wales, the SRC is subordinate to ‘Arc @ UNSW’, an apolitical board-led organisation (similar to ActivateUTS), which, according to Velez, “is run as a company, not as a union.”

The University of Adelaide, meanwhile, has implemented a structure similar to UNSW’s, in which the Adelaide University Union (AUU; equivalent to Arc or ActivateUTS) is run by Liberal Party associates, while the SRC — a student-led organisation subordinate to the AUU — is led by a President from far-left political organisation, Socialist Alternative. This has resulted in the complete defunding of the University of Adelaide SRC.

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One opportunity (to seize everything you’ve ever wanted) They said change in government means that it is looking likely that new laws around SSAF could be passed in the coming months or years before 2025. Speaking to Vertigo, NUS President Georgie Beattie and Education Officer Luc Velez maintained that they were confident of the Albanese government passing legislation on the matter. The challenge, they say, will be a matter of moulding said legislation to what the NUS and Australian students need, and not a watered down variation of demands. “[USU] is quite a politically-weighted term,” Velez says. “Because it was such a heated debate during John Howard’s era, I don’t think there are many politicians who want to put their name to that fight again.”

SECTION NAME RAGE, RAGE!

“It’s also not just about how much funding is going to the student unions, but also what unions the funding is going to, and who controls those unions.”

Currently, it is up to over one million Australian university students to raise their voice around the issue. You can sign the NUS’s petition to return funding to student unions using the QR code below, and keep up to date by following them on social media platforms.

Powered by SSAF, Run

by Students

footnote:

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Higher education report 2008

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Autumn Session

Helped over 250 students with peer tutoring

LEARN MORE www.utsstudentsassociation.org.au /services peer-tutoring

CW: Sexual assault, drug addiction, misogyny , gerton ria, Brid cation o h p u x Edu rs for E Spoile Paris, and Se in Emily

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

When a friend asked for my opinion on the second season of Gen-Z’s favourite show, Euphoria, I told him I couldn’t watch it without wincing.

The series set off a social media storm after the new season aired in January 2022. Though the creators of Euphoria have tried to break new grounds with their sensitive portrayal of topics as heavy as addiction, these conversations were ultimately overshadowed by their fans’ dispute over being #TeamMaddy or #TeamCassie.

The two fan-favourites, Maddy and Cassie, went from being besties in season one (how could one forget the iconic scene where Maddy says to Cassie, “Bitch, you’re my soulmate”?) to enemies in season two…all because of a boy.

Are you surprised? I’m not. After all, the media industry has a history of butchering friendships between their female characters. Think about the seasons-long rivalry between Blair and Serena in Gossip Girl. And surely I’m not the only one who still thinks that Bella’s friend, Jessica, hated her in Twilight after that shady wedding speech? Though stories chronicling female friendships have diversified over the years, most of them are still powered by an avalanche of competition and betrayal.

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by Adeline Chai

This is evident in Netflix’s releases this year.

In Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton’s best friend protects her self-interests by publicising Eloise’s scandalous secrets. In Emily in Paris, Emily has her eyes set on her friend’s boyfriend of five years despite the abundance of single men walking the streets of France. If we’re talking specifics, this friend, Camille, is the sweet girl who unhesitatingly took Emily under her wing when she was intimidated and lost in the city. We see their friendship properly sour in season two when Camille finds out that Emily was seeing Gabriel in secret (again).

In moments where girlfriends like Maddy and Cassie manage to stay out of each other’s hair, their friendship is mediated by “girl talk” with men at the centre, or commodity consumption, where quality time entails weekend shopping and mid-week trips to the spa. I would be lying if I told you I’m not disappointed about Euphoria mostly failing the Bechdel Test (Rue talking to her mother about drug use is probably one of the only exceptions, but then again, this test isn’t even close to being a good indicator of female representation on-screen) — this is a show that has been praised as “cutting-edge” and a “creative triumph”, yet it wasn’t creative enough to serve more than stunted dialogue between its women.1 Mind you, to pass the Bechdel Test, you only need to have two women on your show, they have to hold a conversation with one another, and

they have to talk about something other than a man.

But I can sympathise with how difficult this might be because, of course, women don’t have much to say to each other unless they’re pining for the same man.

All of this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Firstly, women do like each other. Surprise!

Professor Shelley Taylor from the University of California found that instead of resorting to the automatic fight or flight response like most men, women who are stressed calm themselves by bonding with other women.2 Sure, talking about boys and shopping trips is often part of the parcel of being in a female friendship. However, if people think that girls have nothing more to bond over than just boys, fashion, or gossip, they’re completely misguided.

While I clamour for films to feature more of these mundane but formative moments, it appears that the intricacies of these friendships are not palatable to everyone. An acquaintance said incredulously, “The screen is dominated by exciting things.

Ordinary female friendships lack drama, and I’m not sure we need more accurate portrayals because they lack action.”

“I think that’s the kind of argument that male gatekeepers make to say, ‘Your stories are not interesting enough’,” she said.

Hear Hear!

Men have had many opportunities to see themselves and their mates through an ample selection of movies. Think Superbad (2007), Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Hangover (2009), and quite literally, I Love You, Man (2009). After all, “bromantic comedy” is a genre of its own. However, in films that feature female friendships, conflict-fuelled and reductive portrayals of women are standard fare.

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

For me, romantic love has never been the pinnacle.

Everything I’ve learnt about love has come from being around the most incredible women: after a long week or two at uni, I find myself most looking forward to a meal with Xin. When my family was going through a rough patch, Taz sat quietly with me in a park as I uncontrollably cried for three hours. Believe me when I say Jo, my longest relationship to date (she’s been my best friend for 17 years now!) has seen and heard the worst of me, but she’s always been the first person to let me live all of it down. Through them, I know that love isn’t supposed to be disappointing or painful — it isn’t draining and it certainly doesn’t give up on you.

Love, as I know it, is being able to fully accept yourself because you are confident that the other person would embrace and encourage it.

To this, Professor Lisa French, Dean of the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, says that conflict within a narrative arc can happen outside an on-screen relationship, without the need for rivalry or jealousy.

The friendship of Maeve and Aimee from Sex Education is a much-needed exception. Despite their differences, they had discussions about their dreams, privileges, and feminism — as you would with your best friend. They have asked for and received relationship advice, but their conversations did not revolve around men.

Moreover, the beauty of their sisterhood showed itself in Maeve’s support of Aimee’s recovery from an incident of sexual assault. Maeve accompanied Aimee to lodge a police report on her birthday and travelled to school with her every day as Aimee became terrified of catching the bus. And (get this!) even though there was an underlying tension between Ola and Maeve because of their shared interest in Otis, them coming together to support Aimee shows that there are indeed many things in a girl’s life that are more important than a boy.

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Illustrations by Jess Prowse

Sex Education, a British teen comedy made by Laurie Dunn for Netflix, is anything but conventional — after all, it is unapologetically premised on sex positivity and is doing a better job at sex-ed than most schools nowadays (all while giving a great representation of female friendships/coexistence). Perhaps all of the reviews terming it to be Netflix’s best show will send a clear message to Hollywood that there is a general appetite among audiences for diverse and inclusive representation.

Sadly, not everyone has experienced such positive and uplifting friendships. I know that toxic on-screen female friendships are sometimes representative of one’s real-life experiences — I too have been hurt by a friend or felt jealous of one.

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

However, Hollywood’s frenemy trope is heavily gendered.

Just like other friendships, female friendships have their highs and lows and are certainly not one-dimensional. Hence, this should be replicated in stories about female friendships.

Professor Rosemary Overell, Senior Lecturer of Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore, says films like Boyz n the Hood (1991) drive the narrative that, unlike women, men have strong bonds with each other at their core.

“If men have falling outs with each other, it isn’t framed in the same way. It’ll be around a business deal, or even if it is around a woman, they’re positioned as having no other choice, and it being quite a rational decision,” she said.

I want to see women inspiring and uplifting each other to achieve their dreams on-screen. I want directors to capture the steadiness that your girlfriends can and will assure you amid big life decisions. I want to see them have uncomfortable conversations when one friend inevitably crosses a boundary or hurts another. But I want to see them work through it as many of us do without resorting to pettiness and drama.

My friend agrees in his reply to my rant about Euphoria: “If I had a daughter, I wouldn’t want her exposed to a lot of the shit that Hollywood pumps out and for her to think that it’s normal behaviour.”

Me neither.

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1. ‘Euphoria’ Is the Wokest Show to Fail the Bechdel Test

2. Biobehavioral Responses to Stress in Females: Tend-andBefriend, Not Fight-or-Flight

Autumn Session

We had over 500 student engagements with our free advocacy service

NEED HELP? CALL US ON (02) 9514 1155

Smorgasbord

by Eleni Carydis

I eat a plate of sour strawberries You told me there is one that’s sweet A personalised hay stack Yet still I chew, still I eat.

A smorgasbord in front of me To me it looked an open book,

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

But no ingredients were listed down and You did not know how to cook.

I lounge amidst grapes overhung Though my favourite foods are missing here It fills me not, the food is bland A natural condiment; a tear.

You urge me there is nothing wrong And plate by plate I am assured, My stomach turns, it feels unwell Food is not something to be endured.

Sour sour sour sour I pray and pray for the next bite In the mirror I’ve grown so large I’m incapable of any fight.

You, an indulgence I cannot afford Your true world swings the fatal blow Who do I pray to? Who do I pray for?

And what will I eat when you go?

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Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow Strength in Sorrow

by Ayesha Baig

CW: Mental ill-health

Many think of me as a heart-wrenching monster that replaces all the good parts of life with darkness. A painful ache that brings your memories and failures to the surface, demanding growth and recovery. I wish they understood that I mean well.

It’s true; I cling to the most intimate part of your soul to follow any loss, heartbreak, or unfulfilled desire.

I’m the tears that pool around your eyes when you think of the last time you heard a loved one’s laugh. The memories of an inside joke with an old friendship that turned toxic.

The sting when you hear of someone studying the course you were rejected by. The wishes for a life where you weren’t constantly worried about the future.

But here’s the thing — I am not the villain.

I do not wish to be the thief of your joyous memories and desires. I only seem like the villain because I demand resilience during weakness, confronting you with unsolicited distress until you gain the strength to uninvite the pain.

I can’t apologise for the hurt attached to my arrival, but sometimes I wish everyone would treat me the way they treat Hope. Hope is greeted with so much positivity. I know Hope is the light-hearted option between the two of us, but it is deceitful. It’ll blind you with optimism. Hope comes with contingencies.

A gamble of things working out. And when things fall apart, it flees, forcing me to clean up its mess, crushing you in the process.

In this transitory world, you will never need to be afraid of my arrival. When I come to visit, you should not feel upset. Because I’ll sit with you. I’ll sit with you for as long as you need.

I will keep you in my melancholy embrace, caressing you with soothing memories that will bring pain before delivering strength.

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

I purge the anguished chaos that’s too difficult to deal with in the daylight. I provide strength to extinguish the storm of chaos and heal the mental wounds that deprive you of really living. I visit everyone, regardless of age, race, or gender.

You don’t have to understand me. You don’t even have to like me. But you must bear with me while I mould you into a stronger version of yourself.

I only hurt you to build you. But I will always be there, a steady companion, a shoulder to cry not on but with. Accompanying you on wyour journey to appreciate life once again.

Best, All the Sorrow you’ve ever felt before.

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Poetry Collection by Gokce Caliskan

Violent Winters.

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

The days are much shorter.

The darkness lasts much longer.

Even if I can’t see the flood of memories, Washing itself onshore, The cool breeze allows me to recollect them.

Their presence is alive with the rain.

Sometimes we are lucky, and they spare us With lewd howls of the wolves.

Their calls ring in my ears for weeks.

The scent of oranges and lemons drives my taste buds wild.

The scent of raw, warm flesh drives their taste buds wild.

The feeling of warmth and vulnerability allows my naive body To feel protected underneath the baggy clothing.

It’s a well-known fact that these wolves’ senses Heighten from our goosebumped skin.

“If your skin is covered, You are no longer bait.”

This is an underestimate of their imagination.

It is winter; they salivate at the slightest temptation of recalling you.

It is winter, and for the wolves, everything is temptation.

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Sultry Summer.

The days are much longer.

Their patience is shorter.

They are tired of watching us create memories.

And they are ready for a fight.

We plan escape routes in our minds as we walk past them.

Dialogues carved into my mind for a quick response.

“I’m waiting for my brother.” “My boyfriend should be here soon.” “My dad is on his way.”

These wolves are more likely to spare me when I’m the property of another.

How can they still have time to kill?

Us girls are time.

Precious but treated at their disposal.

Sometimes we are lucky, and they leave it to their imagination.

It is summer, and they can’t handle our temptation.

It is summer, and for the wolves, Everything is a temptation.

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

When the sun sets, they reek of terrifying depravity Yet are quick to growl in denial.

Their stares burn my skin There is no sunscreen to protect me from their damage.

Leaving third-degree burns on my shoulders as if they forgot what sunkissed meant.

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The art memories of upon

me

CW: Abuse, violence

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

When you touched me, I felt at home.

It felt like eight hours of sleep, With the welcome of a warm dream.

You made me feel like a snug space, After a stroll in the snow.

You are my peace.

The heated hugs you captured me with never felt out of place.

Even when you grabbed my upper arm And yanked me into your car.

You allowed bruises to blossom, On my pale ghostly skin.

Drowning me in the blue until my cheeks matched the sky.

You allowed cuts and scra tche To carve the ir way into th s, eir new hom All rent-free e. because you lo ved helping Throwing m others. e into a field of roses, Until the tho rns made my blood run in streams.

You b e You h at me, I fli n urt m e, but ched.

I enjo y e But fr ed looking xclaimed t h om d a isgust t your art at it was l You w ove. w I ere an o c artist overed the rks, expre ssing mirrors in your emoti the room. ons o n my canva s.

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wE Are Eve’s apPlE I’m in front of the mirror again.

With a blink, my eyes float to the areas I have been conditioned to hate.

The lines created by my smiles, The roundness of my stomach, The stretched seams across my arms, The weight in my cheeks.

The devil knows how to work itself through small screens, Giving us an ideal image of women.

How to talk, dress, eat, sleep.

Just like a serpent with ill intention.

Sneaking up on us at our weakest.

Telling our insecurities as if they were dark confessions.

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

Yet they display our bodies like fruit.

To be plucked by the desperate hands of society.

To them, all fruits are smooth and succulent nectars.

Perfect to have after dinner and sweet during lunch.

No fuzz, bruises, or creases.

The only tell-tale signs of femininity.

But we won’t let you take a bite.

“You need to be skinnier” “You need to be taller” “You need to look like her” God, I’m in front of the mirror again.

I stopped looking at myself as human but rather as a failed piece of work.

God, did you fail me?

I’m a failed piece of work because I don’t fit their mould.

I will forever be rotten in my eyes.

We will forever be rotten in our eyes.

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Orange trees

by Durr-e-’Adan Haque

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

There were at least ten of them huddled there, planted by our father’s father back when he was still hungry. round fruit in both hands pulling and pulling hair tangling in the lowest branches pulling and pulling the stems unripe unyielding still green still yellow snap they roll over our fallen shoulders.

We’d toss them towards the lump of bricks with a metal shaft they told us was once a barbeque but had become what tetanus shots are for. rusted sharp edges time to slice juice bleeding down reddened metal sawing spitting flecks of zest sunlit and disappearing the peel the flesh still green still yellow The halves and slices tumbled down and blacken in remains of coal, left to the insects and rot.

No one was eating them anyway.

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the rain

by Durr-e-’Adan Haque

we’re lost as soon as the car doors slam picking our way between the fields

houses hover above the fields on stilts that seem too weak but we’re not sure which one is hers the path’s become a stream of mud and those cheap sandals we bought in Meninjau seem desperate to burrow into it we’ve forgotten who decided to leave her out here miles of rain we’ve no choice but to turn back or cross the river a river so milky brown we can’t tell how deep how safe how dangerous perhaps it was she who decided eventually we find a dip and roll up our jeans (not far enough) the water rushes round our thighs and it’s better to cut our feet on the rocks at the bottom than let our shoes pull us under on the other side there’s a man we don’t recognise he says nothing when the water reaches our waists we’re grateful she can’t remember what she survived somewhere floating about this sea of green turned grey and brown with blue she lives suspended

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

the clouds begin to empty and we’re drowning in the sea of rice

we thought we’d reach our mothers’ mother before it started but

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SECTION NAME

Autumn Session

Helped more than 100 students solve their legal problems

NEED HELP? CALL US ON (02) 9514 1155

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS

SECTION & MOVIENAME REVIEWS

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Directions to mak ea

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By Siena Zadro

1

Cut around the perimeter of the previous page

4

Fold in half along longest side

2

into e page h t d l Fo s ection four s

5

Fold the two ends in on each other as shown

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Autumn Session

Helped over 250 students with peer tutoring

LEARN MORE www.utsstudentsassociation.org.au /services peer-tutoring

4TH ISSUE

Superman The Most Underrated Overrated Superhero

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

written and illustrated by andy lee

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SEE HOW SUPERMAN DEALS WITH THE GREEDY HANDS OF LEX LUTHOR!

No one ever calls Superman cool. I wonder why?

Maybe it’s because he hasn’t been given a solo hundred million dollar budget movie in the past decade that’s been universally loved. Maybe it’s because he is so powerful to the point where it would be a simple breeze (literally) to stop a bunch of criminals from robbing a bank. Or maybe it’s because we’re so used to seeing real-world examples of powerful people doing nothing to help make this world a better place.

Kryptonite isn’t Superman’s Kryptonite. Superman’s one true weakness is his love for humanity, which was instilled in him as a child. On the dying planet of Krypton, his parents delivered their baby to Earth out of love for their child. He was raised and loved unconditionally by a humble couple that encompassed kindness and compassion.

While he may grow up to fight giant alien robots across the galaxy, he doesn’t forget to catch up with the motherly waitress from his hometown’s local diner. He, inspired by his adoptive parents, chooses to love Earth unconditionally. In turn, his love interest, Lois Lane, embodies the resilience needed to survive the chaotic world around us, and the fight for truth that exists at any level of society.

In contrast, Lex Luthor offers insight into the corruptive power of wealth and the struggle to surpass a god through man-made efforts.

POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS & MOVIE REVIEWS

I think it’s disappointing that most of the world dismisses Superman as a character because he’s “unrealistic”, “unrelatable”, or “outdated” from an era when people believed in fairytales. It sucks that the idea that someone who uses power for good is “boring”. Suddenly, a billionaire with psychological trauma who dresses like a bat is considered more resonant than an immigrant trying to find his place in the world. There are only so many human problems you can escape from through superpowers. Despite Superman’s ability to break the supersonic barrier, Clark Kent is still late for work.

While Superman can save twenty people from a burning building in a matter of minutes, Clark Kent continues to live in the shadow of his father’s fatal heart attack.

Recently we’ve been blessed with mainstream media that flips the Superman stereotype on its head with shows like The Boys and Invincible, where a Superman-like figure is the ultimate antagonist. While I enjoy these shows, this form of parody is becoming more redundant as Superman becomes buried in history. Everyone goes through a ‘Superman is boring’ phase, but part of growing up is realising that Clark Kent’s effort to consistently do the right thing with his powers is a quality to admire. The best Superman stories are never about the villains he fights.

Instead, his most famous tales examine how a couple from a farm taught a child not to think, “This is what I wanted”, but to reflect, “I could’ve done more”.

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SECTIONALWAYS NAME IN FRIENDSHIP,

In Conversatio n with

Senator Mehreen Faruqi Joseph Hathaway-Wilson of Vertigo sits down with Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, to discuss staff cuts, student unions, and your favourite student publication.

V: On June 1 you wrote to UTS Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt urging him to reinstate full funding for UTS Vertigo. Why do you believe it is vital that student media is cultivated not only by students but by university management themselves?

M: Student media is crucial not only for our universities, but more broadly, for democracies. Student-run publications have a strong history of advocacy on a huge range of social issues. They hold institutions accountable, especially by amplifying the voices of young people, and there are not many avenues for young people to contribute to public debate like student publications. Vertigo is also a platform for so many UTS students to get their first publishing opportunity, and it’s critical for them to build their experience as writers and go potentially into careers in publishing and writing.

“Vertigo is representative of a strong culture of design and media excellence that UTS is known for, so any cuts to a publication like this will impact that.”

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V: Australian student unions are financed by the Student Services and Amenities Fee at the discretion of senior university executives. As the Greens spokesperson for Education, what can be done from both a parliamentary and grassroots standpoint to strengthen the independence of student unions in Australia?

V: One of the largest fallouts of the pandemic on Australian universities has been the overwhelming casualisation of staff. What is currently being done or can be done by the government to attain greater job security and proper wages for university staff?

M: Before being a politician, I was an academic in a university for quite some time, and I did see, very sadly, universities becoming corporatised and operating as businesses. It happened with funding cuts from the government, but it was also a misguided imperative of efficiency and productivity that saw a huge rise in insecure and casual work. We know now, with enquiries into systemic wage theft in a large number of universities, how inextricably linked wage theft is with casualisation. It’s heartwrenching, because those academics and those researchers really can’t plan for a viable future or even plan for their life. It also has flow-on effects on how universities operate and how learning and teaching is done. I guess one of the biggest fallouts of this casualisation is the impact it has on women. We know that casual workers and particularly women — who are overrepresented as casuals — are really bearing the brunt of what I would call exploitation and wage theft as well.

Currently, the government is taking little to no action to ensure that staff have secure and safe jobs. What we want is clear reporting requirements of employment statistics, which means headcounts of fixed-term and casual staff, so the public knows exactly what is going on in universities. There should be requirements for universities to set publicly available targets for increasing permanent and secure employment. There should also be improved rights of entry for unions in universities so they can intervene wherever needed.

V: I think it’s an important point you raise about transparency. In an interview with Vertigo earlier this year, Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt justified the high rates of casualisation at UTS by pointing to workforce diversity and saying that a casual contract is largely beneficial, which I found interesting given how many of our casual tutors are having to take on the workload of permanent staff.

M: Absolutely, and on that argument of “people want to have flexibility at work” — it’s not actually the workers that have the flexibility in that situation; it’s the employer who has the flexibility to hire and fire workers whenever they want to. Casual staff have no rights to paid leave and a vast majority want to have security of employment. The amount of money that casual staff are paid for marking is so imbalanced with the amount of time that they spend marking. We must abolish piece rates as well.

IN FRIENDSHIP, ALWAYS SECTION NAME

M: Voluntary Student Unionism was such a step backwards during the Howard government in terms of how students democratically function on campuses. A decade and a half later, we really are seeing the impacts of that in a lack of representation of student voices, less money for clubs and societies, and less money for student life. Student unions do such an incredible job despite these losses, and they keep pushing forward to improve things on campus. The Greens are in full support of the independence of student unions and see it as essential that the Student Services and Amenities Fee is allocated democratically. These funds should be increased, they should be dedicated to student services, and most importantly, they should be controlled and distributed democratically by students.

V: One other fallout of the pandemic is the increased focus on online learning. What’s your stance on the digitalisation of learning at Australian universities?

M: When I was teaching at university, I was teaching face-to-face and online. My experience was that to really do justice to online teaching, you need to support the teachers, and you need to provide really good resources to students. It’s not about recording a lecture and then using it over and over for years to come. I fear universities see this opportunity as a cost-cutting exercise when it is the exact opposite. I agree that there should be an option for online learning as it has become much more accessible for so many students. But also, so many students want the in-person experience of university. So many students are feeling isolated and robbed of their in-person experience — some of the students I know have deferred their studies due to being unable to cope with online learning systems. So, it is important to consider the impact this has on students and on lecturers who also must undertake increased teaching hours and are feeling stressed. [Online learning] can only work when there are resources, funding, and support provided.

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V: How do you believe Australian universities can better support international students who have been locked out or severely disadvantaged by the pandemic?

M: It was just atrocious, during the pandemic, the way the government treated international students. These are students who had called this place home. These are students who do all the work that so many who live here don’t want to do. And they were left completely high and dry with nothing, not even a skerrick of support from the Federal government during the pandemic. My office and I were contacted by literally hundreds and hundreds of students who were in real strife. I just think that was disgraceful how that happened, and it can never happen again.

Apart from what those international students faced, which was horrendous, I think it has affected the reputation of Australian universities in terms of how international students might perceive it. They pay exorbitant fees, and it was clear they were just being treated as cash cows.

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“We know that Australia has such a high cost of living, so we must ensure that international students have equal access to essential facilities and services.”

International students should have access to safe and affordable housing while they are studying here, and they should have access to travel concession cards and health services — that is the bare minimum that we should be doing.

V: You recently published a discussion paper called ‘The University of the Future’. In summary, what does Australia’s university of the future look like?

M: The university of the future, in my perspective, is a place where students flourish and staff have the security and the funds to do research, learning, and teaching of the highest quality. The university of the future is a place where higher education is built on the notion of democracy and equity. In terms of what I want to push forward, we need to look at reversing the uni fee hikes and funding cuts of what I call a very shitty Job-ready Graduates Package. Our universities are also in desperate need of massive new investments in teaching, learning, and research, and that’s something which I’m very keen on pushing the new government for.

The university of the future needs an overhaul of university governance, because only by radically shaking up who runs our universities will we be able to shift the balance of power away from the corporate managerial class back to staff and students. Finally, we need to look at wiping student debt and making university and TAFE free.

V: What are the most paramount priorities for The Greens in the sphere of Australian education right now?

M: Right now, from the perspective of staff, it is really important to address the issues of casualisation and wage theft at universities. From the perspective of students, it is crucial that we push forward with reducing the burden of debt. The cost of living, for young people especially, is massive. We need to look at how we can reduce that burden — by wiping student debt or by using any other strategy which makes life easier for students. We had free university and TAFE once, and there are many people sitting in parliament who benefited from that. I see absolutely no reason why schools are free, but universities somehow aren’t. It’s all part of the parcel of life-long education, from early learning through to schools through to universities and TAFE — it’s a basic human right.

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STAFF SECTIONALWAYS NAME IN FRIENDSHIP,

tkin Clara A

While the context of this issue may surround the governing bodies of UTS, we wanted to take a moment out of the doom and gloom to shoutout some of the amazing staff who go out of their way to make our learning experience at university both welcoming and joyous every week... in the weeks when we have classes, that is (*winces in funding cuts*).

We asked you which of your tutors deserved a little more recognition. Here is what you said.

faculty of art s & social sciences Cale Bain CALE BAIN!!! CITCOMM!! HE WAS THE BEST omg he’s amazing Phenomenal - funny, engaging, sincere Cale Bain for being hilarious and also the most down to earth teacher

Sarah Attfield Dr Sarah Attfield! She is my absolute favourite.

She is encouraging and supportive

Sebastian Gro undstroem He is so understanding and willing to genuinely listen to everything you have to say truly cared about students progress and their assignments (also warned a cafe when they served me glass) irkowa Natalie K the best subject coordinator ever, she is genuinely so caring and passionate about the subjects she creates cares so much about student progress and voiceeverything you want in a tutor

Alena Radina She is a Cit Comms tutor, and she’s seriously amazing my entire tutorial loved her ewman Martin N His lectures and tuts are the only reason i didn’t drop journalism in the first sem He’s such a g and very supportive

Penni Russon turned a second major into a major passion of mine :) incredibly caring about student wellbeing and constructive feedback Jeffrey Crabtr ee Jeff for heading up Music Biz and dealing with all the drama that comes with running a record label

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Annie Smith Annie Smith! Marketing and customer value. So personable and considerate! n Mark Gaw Mark Gawn from Future of Work is amazing because his content is critical of casualisation

faculty of en gineering, and information

technology Luke Mathies on Not so much a tutor but Luke mathieson from FEIT - literal GOAT sub coordinator rence Liroy Lou

Alana Piper Made our first semester of engineering so fun and She was super understanding + supportive while I engaging even online was struggling with external shit eetapple faculty of d w S r o n a Ele esign, Amazing Tutor, caring and helpful

transdiscplinary innovation Bem Le Hunte her dedication to giving bcii students new learning opportunities

faculty of law Costa Avgoustinos made me like my law degree

Harry Hobbs All round legend

architecture and building

Meg O’Shea Meg O’Shea is so sweet; great tutor - gives super helpful feedback, and clearly cares about her students is the best visual narrative tutor rdcastle Nicola Ha

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David Drayton David for always being a laugh, straightforward and understanding of me

Nicola is the goat goes above and beyond

Fionn McCabe That man changed my entire outlook on uni with one summer elective Hibberd Georgina Took personal interest in all students and accounts for different learning styles

Micke Lindebergh Micke Lindebergh because he is the cutest most bright person ft Alisa Cro Pre press legend who was so nurturing and genuinely excited when we showed our work 77

e m a c y First the for the

MEDIA

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up. l spoke l a u o y ...and

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Thank you to those who stood up for us.

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STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION REPORT President’s Report SECTION NAME

Anna Thieben

Welcome to your spring semester at UTS! I wish to add my voice to the outcry of students mourning the defunding of Vertigo. This magazine is the epicentre of critical student media at UTS, and we must defend it at all costs. Vertigo is funded by your SSAF and democratically elected and run by students. It is in our interest to push for what we want Vertigo to be, not UTS management. I will continue to back the Vertigo campaign this semester and further my negotiations with UTS management to secure more funding for the magazine.

As a union, it is important that we are able to do this work, and stand as a radical opposition to management in our fight for the student voice. Unfortunately, a majority of councillors on the UTSSA SRC have voted to sign a Student Partnership Agreement with UTS management, agreeing to work towards common goals. It seems obvious that if management is focused on cutting the funding of our organisation, firing our lecturers, and giving our tutors unstable jobs, our goals are not aligned. I stand in complete opposition to the UTSSA being a signatory to this agreement. I believe it will minimise and brush off our activist presence on campus, making our commitment to standing in solidarity with the NTEU disingenuous. There is no obligation in this empty agreement and, therefore, no material gains for our organisation. Management will continue to do whatever they like, and this document will do nothing to benefit students.

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Looking back at semester one, I am most proud of the work the UTSSA did in trialling the Mutual Aid Pantry in Building 2, Level 3a, Room 145. Down in the belly of this corporate, exploitative institution, our community has come together to support each other. It’s been a while since we have had a new student welfare initiative, so getting to build this with a passionate group of students and staff has been amazing.

Exciting news! The pantry will be open for semester two.

You should definitely pop in and take some free essentials.

We are talking canned food, a leftover meal from a local cafe, sanitary items, laundry powder, and more to come!

If there is anything in particular you would like to see in the pantry, if you want to help run it, or you have ANY questions, you should come by or send me an email (president@utsstudentsassociation.org).

To finish up, let me add that this semester your staff in the NTEU (National Tertiary Education Union) will be striking.

They will be on the pickets fighting for better working conditions to secure you the best learning experience possible. So when you hear about the strike, don’t be a scab and go to uni. Join staff on the picket line, and show where your loyalties lie.

General Secretary’s Report Sabrine Yassine Welcome to another semester everyone.

The year has been moving at a fast pace as we continue to build, mobilise, and strategise towards our goals and campaigns for the coming semester. In fitting with the theme of the magazine you’re currently reading, it is evident that the campaign at the forefront of this semester is the Vertigo campaign to re-establish a consistent and appropriate level of funding for our magazine.

I’ll continue to work towards to the longevity of Vertigo as these past months Vertigo and the SRC have continued to have discussions about the magazine in its current form and funding situation. As we’ve witnessed, the strong UTS community has come together to in conjunction with Vertigo and the SRC to back the complete funding of our student media.

The SPA offered an opportunity for the UTSSA to advocate for three specific issues we would like included in the agreement, and in turn, receive a commitment from the university to deliver on mutually beneficial outcomes.

Undertakings are put in writing and signed off by the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and student leaders in a very visible form to the UTS community, faculties, and beyond.

This is crucial in fulfilling our defining role of being the loudest voice that represents student interests. Explicitly articulating our priorities for students and having this remain in writing for the SA’s foreseeable future is a means of keeping management and the wider university accountable and aware of our objectives as a union.

Reflecting on the last semester, I can proudly say that everyone’s efforts from our campaigns to our committees has shown the true dedication of our council this year. I hope to see a continuation of this as we move into the next semester, and I look forward to what is to come!

Melissa Sukkarieh

In the June SRC meeting, two significant and contradictory motions were passed. The first being an endorsement of the Student Partnership Agreement (SPA), an agreement between the student union and university management, and the second being a motion supporting the NTEU following their recent and exciting vote to take industrial action.

Although the council voted to stand in solidarity with staff at the picket, what does solidarity mean to a council so quick to sign agreements with the same people responsible for hundreds of job cuts?

Solidarity means more than not going to class during a strike, standing side by side at the picket line, or passing a motion through council. The SPA explicitly outlines support of each signatory for the UTS 2027 plan. A plan that has been used to justify hundreds of job cuts and “voluntary separations” from 2020 onwards and which will continue to see attacks on staff jobs in the name of a savings account.

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On another note, a big theme of the end of semester one was the Student Partnership Agreement. I want to thank everyone that contributed to the SPA following previous deliberations. There were many meaningful contributions on all sides of the discussion and I’m glad to see that through collaborative efforts, we were able to codify our support for staff conditions, funding outcomes, and the results we need to see to remedy SASH on campus.

Assistant General Secretary Report

While UTS are set to make millions in surplus profit this year, 70% of UTS staff still have unstable positions, and the NTEU continues to fight for job stability, pay increases, and against stolen wages.

Signing agreements with management during a strike year entirely undermines our position as a union, and undermines any ‘solidarity’ we have promised staff in the bargaining efforts.

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bluebird & nightowl pantry SECTION NAME

by Anna Thieben The UTSSA is proud to announce that we will officially launch our BlueBird and Night Owl pantry on campus this semester. Grounded in the principle of Mutual Aid, it is a student-run service offering free food and essential items — no strings attached :) Bluebird Brekkie and Night Owl Noodles have been providing delicious free meals on campus for ten years. But with the COVID-19 pandemic and the current fucked prices of groceries, food insecurity has dramatically increased for students, creating a significant barrier to our success. So, we looked at how we could help. By harnessing the powers of charitable corporate donations, food wastage, and the kind spirit of the UTS community, we have been able to collect a wide range of items to give out to you (free of charge!) in the pantry. t ecause i change b o t u o t y c e t j a is wh k is sub er, this v Our stoc e w o H . : me in onated f you co is all d o find i t y l e k i are l 1.Canned foods (Think tuna, veggies, beans, soup, tomatoes, etc.)

2.Fresh herbs and veggies 3.Some nice carbs (Rice, pasta, noodles and maybe bread) 4.Coffee, tea, milk and biscuits 5.Laundry detergent and dishwashing powder 6.Condoms (and hopefully other contraception items in the future) 7.Pads and even reusable period underwear (come quick before they are all taken)!

8.A friend

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$0.00!

We are located down the stairs to the student kitchen near the food court (CB02.03.120). Our base opening hours are Tuesday — Thursday from 12 p.m — 3 p.m. However, pop by any time, and if one of our great student volunteers has opened the door, you are welcome to come in. If we are closed, there will be a selection of items outside the door for you to take from and a box in which you can donate products back to the pantry.

We will also be holding a series of workshops in the pantry during the beginning of semester. Everything from Urban Foraging, to Zine making, to a simple recipe swap using ingredients from the pantry. For more details, stay tuned to the UTSSA FB (https://www.facebook.com/ UTSStudentsAssociation) or Instagram page (@uts. students.association).

• • • •

Do you have an idea to make the pantry better?

Do you have a workshop you want to hold with us?

Would you like to help in the pantry?

Are there any other products you think we should try and source?

To get involved, join our FB orgainsing group or pop down to the pantry to have a chat: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/2491321207705581/

Please note: As the pantry is a new project, it will take some time to build up and get some regular items for students. We appreciate your patience and support while we get this up and running and are excited to see how generous the community can be.

TUES WED THUR 12 -3PM

Building 2, Level 3 (near the food court)

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*NEW* Bluebird Pantry

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PITCHES:

Vertigo is always on the lookout for creative writing, visual art, feature articles, news, and reviews in the following sections:

Have an idea that you’re not quite sure how to finish? Send it over with the following:

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STUDENT LIFE POLITICS ARTS + LIFESTYLE BUSINESS, LAW + STEM SHOWCASE CREATIVE WRITING MISCELLANEOUS

• Title • Summary of themes and content • Style and tone • Approximate length If you have any examples of previous work, please attach them to your email too!

CONTACT US: SOCIAL: MEDIA o

@utsvertig

o @utsvertig

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Email your work or ideas at submissions@ utsvertigo.com.au and one of our editors will be in touch! Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for callouts!

For other inquiries, please contact us at editorial@utsvertigo.com.au

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While you’re waiting for the next issue, check out our website for more Vertigo content. If you have a piece that doesn’t quite fit with our theme, feel free to submit your work for publication on our website. Whether it’s about current events, student issues, pop culture, or your personal experiences, Vertigo is always looking for new voices. Submit now.

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