Edition 7 2015

Illustration by Joanne Leong

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WORONI No.7 Vol.67

CONTENTS 3. Putin at the ANU - Miguel Galsim

3. Student Project Gets Camera Rolling - Lizzie Storor

4. Marathon Meeting: 3rd SRC of 2015 - Nic Bills 4. Meeting Michael: Julia Gillard’s Speechwriter on Partisan Integrity - Aditi Razdan 5. Gender Diversity Affects Every One of Us - Zoe Halstead 5. ANU Students Neverest - Amy Cohodarevic 6. In Conversation: Ben Gill on NUS Anti-Accreditation - Maddalena Easterbrook 7. In Conversation: Megan Lane on NUS Pro-Accreditation - Maddalena Easterbrook 8. Online Juris Doctor at the ANU - Waheed Jayhoon

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9. ‘The Strays’ Takes the Stella Prize - Benedicte O’Leary Rutherford 9. Real People Reviews - Anonymous Contributors

10. In Response to ‘Riding Free’ by Christoper Resdie - Stephanie Rowell 12. The Mystery of Periods - Hillary McArthur 14. The Missionary Position - Aden Cotterill

21. Virginity Complex - Linda Ma 22. Past Lust - Joel Divnam 23. A Question of Academic Integrity and Accountability - Natasha Lennard

24. Meet the Candidates 25. Why Sport Needs More People Like Mitch Clark - Zach Mackey 25. How to Build a Star - James Barrett 26. SE-XY

17. Scoring as a Young Adult - Mark Fabian 18. The Cost of Selling Sex - Isobel Nomchong

- James Ansell 27. Dem Winter Feels - Neeraja Shankar & Paroksh Prasad 27. In Defense of Trackpants - Nic Hall 28. Campus Style - Isabelle Lee

20. Fucking in the Face of Danger - Edward Bloom

32. Moroni

15. Just Like You - Nishanth Pathy

16. Sex Re-Education - Zoe O’Leary Cameron

19. Dear Body, - Laura Campbell

29. The Layman’s Guide to Sexier Writing - Friedrich “The Doublewood” Nietzsche - Zeno

Editors’ Note: Last edition we did not correctly accredit the article ‘PARSA Elections’ to Sophie Jones. Thank you, Sophie, for your contribution!

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Woroni is published on the land of the Ngunnawal people. We respect elders past and present and recognise that the sovereignty was never ceded. Advertising inquiries and submissions can made at: advertising@woroni.com.au Phone: (02) 6125 9574 Shop 15, Lena Karmel Building 26 Barry Drive, Acton 2601

BOARD OF EDITORS Editor-in-Chief - Alex Catalan-Flores Deputy Editor-in-Chief - Jacob Ingram Managing Editor - Abigail Widijanto Content (Contributions) Editor - Beatrice Smith Content (Multimedia) Editor - Rashna Farrukh Content (News) Editor - Sophie Yates Radio Editor - Ellen Stokes General Editor - Mitchell Scott

S TA F F Simone Proctor - Administrative Assistant Siobhonn Shannon - Proofreader Alice Hoeng - Distributor Woroni is printed by Capital Fine Print.

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SUB-EDITORIAL TEAM

News Correspondent - Maddi Easterbrook News Correspondent - Waheed Jayhoon News Correspondent - Anna Kaufmann Science - James Barrett Comments - Jessy Wu Features - Vincent Chiang Satire & World - Hugo Branley Arts & Reviews -Benedicte O’Leary Rutherford Arts & Reviews - Ria Pflaum Life & Style - Paroksh Prasad Sports - Zach Mackay International - Virgina Harding Radio - Megan Shellie Radio - Jeremy Jones Radio - James Bernasconi Radio - Isaac Dugdale Design - Rosemary Hammer Photography - Faza Bijaksana Videography - Archie Chew Business Development - Mitchell Scott Business Development - Giordano Borzuola

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

CAMPUS NEWS PUTIN AT THE ANU CAMPUS NEWS

For the amount of interest in Vladimir Putin and his politics, there is a surprising lack of academic events held on campus dealing with the topic. Realising the absence, the ANU International Relations Society hosted an academic panel to discuss “The World According to Putin”, with distinguished guests Kyle Wilson, Stephen Fortescue, and Kirill Nourzhanov providing insight as to why Putin acts as he does and where he wants to take his country into the future. The panel was chaired by society president Simon Papagiorcopulo in the China in the World Auditorium, which was filled just shy of capacity by interested staff and students.

MIGUEL GALSIM

In the first part of the talk the speakers together gave an overview of the mentality of Putin, as well as the domestic politics and economic situation of Russia. Immediately, the picture painted of the Russian leader became Rembrandtian in detail, fitting for a complex man trained as a KGB officer, transformed into President, and adept at reading the behaviours of others, sometimes deceiving them, and sometimes drawing them into his political influence. It was also explained that life had indeed gotten better (in terms of economy) during the reign of Putin and while his rule was characterised as dictatorial it was made clear that the Russian people – informed, rational individuals, not propagandised

zombies – overwhelmingly support their President. Inevitably, the discussion turned to liberal Russians, on which their potency and presence was adroitly debated between the speakers. The conversation then moved to other pressing issues, the most salient of which was Ukraine, and what was described as de facto Russian territory in Crimea. Again, the speakers brought a range of perspectives to the issue, where it was illustrated that Russia moved into Crimea because Putin saw it, like many states bordering Russia, as critical to his idea of national security. During the question time that followed, difficult questions were posed to the speakers from members of the audience which resulted in lively, informed, and necessary debate.

Yet with the conclusion of the panel, the discussion did not stop. Refreshments were served to the guests in the foyer and speakers stayed behind to talk with the students, addressing their questions. Nevertheless, Russia is not the world, and other areas of interest certainly do exist, and can be analysed in a manner similar to how the ANU IR Society did so on the night of Tuesday 5th May. Miguel is the 2015 Treasurer of the ANU International Relations Society. ‘The World According to Putin’ was held under Chatham House Rules.

STUDENT PROJECT GETS CAMERA ROLLING CAMPUS NEWS

LIZZIE STOROR

Yo, Jackie Chan, how have you managed to transcend cultural boundaries so effectively in your films and humanitarian work? Hallo, Angela Merkel, do you approach negotiations differently depending on whether a man or woman leads them? Sup, Barack Obama, what is the craziest thing that you’ve ever experienced on Air Force One?

(Advanced)(Honours) Brody Hannan.

These questions, and many others, were posed by students filmed in and around Union Court throughout Week 11 as part of an upcoming project called “Refocus”. The project was created by a group of ANU students but spearheaded by its manager, first year Science

The filming in Union Court marked the first step in the project’s mission to connect high school and university students with leaders who inspire them. Once questions have been submitted, either through video or social media, Refocus plans to get in contact

with the leaders students name and pose to them the students’ questions. Refocus encourages people to ask questions without a technical or political focus and instead focus on character and personality specific to an individual leader.

student,

“I’m providing a platform for youth to engage with influential figures in the Australian and international community,” Hannan told Woroni. “Refocus hopes to offer a window into the life of these leaders and inspire and empower students to achieve their own aspirations.”

Reflecting on her participation at the Monday 11th May filming, law student Joy Zhang said that “the filming experience allowed us to be creative whilst considering the best way to capture the message of the person speaking…we definitely had a heap of fun being stars for those few minutes!” PPE student Oliver Friedmann

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was involved on the other side of the lens and expressed how, as cameraman, he enjoyed observing how students responded to the task at hand: “I found it really interesting asking people about their favourite leader, and trying to work out how the personalities of their chosen leader informed and reflected their own character.” The rest of this term will see Refocus launch its online presence and begin getting in contact with the subjects of students’ questions. While the project is still in its early stages, it appears that the team behind it have the drive and enthusiasm to match its lofty ambitions.

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WORONI No.7 Vol.67

MARATHON MEETING: 3RD SRC OF 2015 NIC BILLS

CAMPUS NEWS

The third SRC meeting of 2015 was perhaps the most dramatic meeting the ANUSA has convened this year. Held on 28th April, the marathon meeting ran for almost four hours yet failed to pass a motion regarding re-affiliation with the National Union of Students (NUS). Other highlights included the announcement of “mature age and students with children” focus group. ANUSA President Ben Gill said this group was created “to identify gaps in [ANUSA’s] services for these categories of students and discuss ways to better engage [with them]”. Initial discussions raised ideas for starting a crèche for short term and all-day care. Gill also introduced a policy that all members of the ANUSA Executive will undergo a performance review in the next few weeks to gauge their performance. Queer* Officer, Kat Reed, concerns that the current

raised media

policy does not allow any ANUSA representative except the President to speak to the media except without written consent. “As a Department Head who is supposed to have complete autonomy on matters regarding my department, it seems unreasonable to hold department heads to this rule too,” said Reed. Reed proposed a motion that no department representative of ANUSA should be prevented from speaking publicly about their own personal views. However, the constitutional legitimacy of the motion was questioned by General Secretary Megan Lane, who replied that “policies made at ANUSA cannot fly in the face of things written into the constitution”. A constitutional amendment was proposed for the upcoming ANUSA Annual General Meeting, which will be held on 21st May. As a result, students will be able to decide at the meeting whether Department Officers are able

to speak to the media on issues and policies relating to their Collective. A motion was also passed by the SRC to create the much-awaited Disputes Committee, which is an independent committee that solves professional relationship issues, votes of no confidence and bad management claims. A Financial Review Committee was also created. In the Social Officer’s report, Jack Gaudie said the “Grants and Affiliations Committee has held a special meeting where we cleared all payment request and approved $26k to clubs and societies”. This brings the total money approved up to $52,500 for 2015. Treasurer, Sophia Woo, said in her report that ANUSA has spent over $684,000 so far this year, out of a total budget of $1,380,000. The next meeting of the SRC will be held on Tuesday, 26th May, following the ANUSA AGM on Thursday, 21st May.

MEETING MICHAEL: JULIA GILLARD’S SPEECHWRITER ON PARTISAN INTEGRITY CAMPUS NEWS Very few people can say they knew a former Prime Minister in a personal capacity. Unless you are Michael Cooney, who last Wednesday was hosted by the ANU and The Canberra Times in a “Meet the Author” event for his book on Julia Gillard. Author of The Gillard Project, Cooney was one of former Prime Minister Gillard’s speechwriters, and a self-described writer “who writes with both individual integrity, and the integrity of a partisan”. It was this term, “partisan”, that became a recurring motif throughout the evening, as Cooney spoke of it as something to be proud, rather than be ashamed of. A born and bred Canberran and ANU Alumnus, Cooney attended

ADITI RAZDAN the Johns Chapel, endured windy sport trainings on North Oval, and attended many post class sessions at the ANU bar. However, as it became obvious in his address, ANU also fostered his “limitless thoughts”, and encouraged the “integrity of partisanship”. It was here that he first joined the campus’ Labor Right, then by 1994, the Labor Party.

inseparable from the values of the party”. This candid approach continued through his reminder that The Gillard Project was very much “his story”. Once the floor opened up to questions, audience member Liam Fitzpatrick immediately raised Gillard’s famous “Misogyny speech”, which was one Cooney “ironically played very little part in”. Fitzpatrick asked what he thought of it, and whether he was frustrated that he was not a part of it. Cooney conceded that politicians could write their own speeches better, but they “simply have too many other things to do”. Question time provided the audience with insight into Cooney’s partisan views. If he

Cooney’s address made use of references to George Orwell’s 1984, as Cooney attempted to convey the integrity in partisanship, rather than the shattering stereotype of a partisan mind being comparable to the “duck” speaker 1984 describes. Yet throughout, he suggested to the audience that it is unrealistic to demand that someone adopt a stance of “false neutrality”, as inevitably “partisans are

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was to work for any Labor leader now, Cooney revealed it would be Luke Foley, because he is a “thinker” and perhaps someone who can pioneer the “new model for Labor that NSW needs”. It was interesting that Cooney also summarised Labor’s position now as “more ideologically unified now than in any other time in history”, whilst conceding that this may affect the ability of activists from different factions of Labor to make a strong ideological case. The next ANU and Canberra Times meet the author event will be held on Wednesday, 20th of May, with multi-award winning foreign correspondent Christina Lamb.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

GENDER DIVERSITY AFFECTS EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US ZOE HALSTEAD

CAMPUS NEWS On Thursday 30th April a panel of scholars, community leaders and lawyers gathered at the Innovations Lecture Theatre for the LSS’ inaugural Forum on Gender Minorities in the Law. The event that aimed to shed light on the struggles transgender and intersex individuals face in seeking legal recognition within Australia and abroad. Statistics reveal that transgender and intersex individuals are marginalized in our community, with 90% of trans people experiencing discrimination, of which 80% experience it in all aspects of daily life. Discrimination within the legal system forms part of the problem activists face in achieving equality for gender minorities. The panel discussed the issues that arise when a society and its laws maintain outdated conceptions of gender binaries, questioning whether traditional gender constructs are helpful for creating a fairer society. Panelist Heidi Yates, Chair of the ACT LGBTQI Ministerial Advisory Council, explained that feminists like her often feel conflicted when collecting data on women’s participation in civic life, with surveys often asking the binary question of “indicate your sex; male or female”. Attendee Eun Ju Kim-Baker questioned the

panel on the best way to involve straight white men in conversations of gender minority rights. “It’s crucial not to sit comfortably in an echo-chamber of your own ideas, even for marginalized groups. We’ll never blow up the binary without cissexual white straight men contributing their views and passion.” The panel highlighted that efforts to legally recognize transgender and intersex people have started to see success in the ACT, with the creation of a third “X” box on birth certificates alongside the pre-existing “M” or “F” boxes. Previously, to switch between the male or female boxes on one’s birth certificate it was necessary to undergo surgery, which requires sterilization. Thanks to the recent creation of the “X” category, ACT born citizens can change their gender to “X” if they have undergone some form of medical treatment (which may include counselling or surgery). Chair of the recent inquiry into gender diversity in the ACT, Simon Rice OAM feels that this change is a step in a positive direction for gender minority legal recognition. However sub-dean of the ANU Law School, Wayne Morgan, believes it will take much more campaigning for reform to extend beyond the socially progressive ACT.

a community based approach was required to encourage officials to make legislative change,” explained panelist and leading community activist, Peter Hyndal. The forum also addressed the continued use and additions to the acronym LGBTQI in campaigning for minority gender and sexuality rights. Ms Yates argued that it is time to move away from the acronym, as often conversations about the LGBTQI movement concentrate on LGB issues and conflate the differing experiences of the people that come under that umbrella. Attendee Isabel Meredith Mudford echoed the sentiments of Mr Hyndal on this issue: “the distinct separation of the LGB and TI groups makes sense in confronting Australian issues of discrimination, however internationally (in less progressive societies) the experience of being ‘othered’ for one’s sexuality or gender-identity can be quite similar.” LSS Social Justice Vice President, Karina CurryHyde and Equity Officer, Jessica Elliott, felt the event “was a great success with lots of insightful questions asked… We ran the event to highlight the important interplay between law and gender diversity at the ANU”.

“Through lobbying it became apparent that a top down approach wasn’t enough. In the ACT

ANU STUDENTS NEVEREST CAMPUS NEWS Jackson Bursill, a fourth year ANU student as well as prolific Inward Bound competitor and coach, has co-founded “Neverest”, a challenge that will see him, three other individuals and 12 relay teams run the vertical height of Everest on Stockyard’s Spur in Canberra on Saturday 30th May. Bursill’s aim is to raise money for the Australian Himalayan Foundation after the Nepalese earthquakes severely affected more than 350,000 people, roughly the population of Canberra. The challenge to try and raise $50,000 has taken ANU by storm, with teams from various colleges and

AMY COHODAREVIC Tri Friends participating along with other inter-state teams. A vertical test of endurance, relay teams or individuals will ascend Stockyard Spur above Corin Dam 18 times. Starting at 9pm on Friday 29th May, relay teams and individuals will begin the 75km trek with hopes of completing it in 18 hours. The length of the challenge pushes it into the “ultra marathon” category, but with the added challenge of a continuous incline. All money raised will be for the Australian Himalayan Foundation and its relief efforts in Nepal.

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The Australian Himalayan foundation works in partnership with local communities directly affected by the earthquake. Their work focuses on improving education, health and conservation in the area. Since the earthquake, they have been providing relief particularly to the communities and schools that they have been assisting for many years. As such, the Foundation is best placed to make the most valuable contribution in the recovery process. In addition, as members of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) they are held to a code

of conduct ensuring all money raised directly helps the recovery process. To date, more than $7,000 has been raised from donations all over Australia. The challenge to date has over 75 runners participating. If all participants finish Neverest, a World Record for the largest number of people attaining the greatest vertical distance in a 24hour period will be achieved. To track their progress and donate, visit the website: https://www. chuffed.org/project/neverest/ or with the #neverest2015 on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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WORONI No.7 Vol.67

BEN GILL

the recent posters, which victimise students with disabilities using the phrase “having a disability is already expensive enough” and the recent ‘Racism Is….’ campaign of which the message was unclear due to ill-thought graphic design. The voices of ANU students are already drowned out at National Conference, which decides NUS policy, where student interest is less important than self-serving factions vying for power and influence. While we all want a strong national voice for Students in Australia, not even the NUS executive could argue that NUS provides that, given the questions of equality, governance and the unacceptable treatment of delegates at National Conference. How are you managing the divide within ANUSA over NUS accreditation? Yes, people are divided but you’d want a representative association to actually consider what they are voting for and actually think about. So the discussion that we saw at SRC was very robust and professional. People disagree on different things, people have different agendas, different ideas about what should and shouldn’t happen. At the end of the day, what will be, will be. If the SRC chooses to vote one way, that’s what the association will do. I have been trying to emphasise conflict - people have a tendency to avoid it, but in fact, it is actually one of the most efficient ways to get things done, and I think without it, people would end up resenting each other afterwards. So while I have been trying to bring everything to the forefront, we have been having some quite frank discussions about what is in the best interest long term, but it is a sensitive topic. People don’t need to be right or in a consensus all the time to get things done, but they do need to feel like they have been heard, and I think that is what SRC did.

ANTI-ACCREDITATION IN CONVERSATION WITH MADDALENA EASTERBROOK, NEWS CORRESPONDENT

Why are you not looking to accredit with the National Union of Students? After hearing the presentations from the NUS executives and the discussion at SRC, I had strong concerns regarding the financial mismanagement, the toxic environment reported at National Conferences putting delegates mental health and wellbeing at risk, and the decision to defund the autonomous Indigenous, Disabilities, and International Students Departments. Over three years, the NUS has run deficits totalling more than a third of a million dollars, deficits the Union did not report until last year. Students are regularly verbally abused on the conference floor at NUS’ national conference, and members of the executive have failed to call out members of their factions when bullying takes place. I don’t understand how anyone can advocate that we should pay so ANU students can attend a conference in which they are likely to be verbally abused. NUS still maintain a travel budget of $50,000, while the autonomous departments that need more not less representation - have seen funding slashed. There are also issues prioritising some autonomous departments over

others i.e. Women’s and Queer* still receive a wage. This is not to say that the works of these department is not invaluable, but rather the International, Disabilities and Indigenous Departments are not given the same opportunity and do not appear to be considered on the same level. If the motion is successful, and ANUSA does not re-accredit with the NUS, are you worried that ANU students will be left out of national campaigns, their voices won’t be heard or ANUSA won’t be able to have a say in student matters spearheaded by the NUS? I’m worried that ANU students are already missing out. NUS deciding to not sufficiently fund department officers means that ANU’s indigenous and international students, as well as students with disabilities, are already missing out on representation on a national level. The NUS has made it clear that fighting deregulation is their only priority. While this fight is vital for students, ANUSA will continue to play a vital role in staging rallies that oppose deregulation and utilising our media contacts in Canberra to advocate for our students. There are concerns around NUS’ campaigns representing marginalised students, in particular

If the SRC votes to not re-accredit, will that symbolise the end of NUS? I think that would be overemphasising our position in the grand scheme of things. I mean there is that “reputational thing”; this is the national university, which could have the domino effect. But it really comes down to how much NUS office bearers consider their organisation valuable. If they say our members, the universities, want change, we

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change. If our business model is not currently working, what will regain the trust of those institutions. Once an organisation is caught out, whether it’s a policy they didn’t have or financial governance, once that has been identified, you have no option but to change. I like to see that we would consider reaccrediting next year, that NUS is a much more effective and they may very well change around in the next few months, but where they are currently, something needs to change. If the SRC votes to re-accredit, will you stick to the original reaccreditation fee of $5000? The reasoning behind the original motion was that was what we budgeted for. If the SRC wishes to go higher than that, constitutionally we will need to take that to an OGM to alter the budget. If the students think that it of the upmost importance that we do pay a higher re-accreditation fee, then that is what the SRC decides. But I don’t want to have to start not doing projects that we agreed to do. What do you plan to do if ANUSA ends up re-accrediting with NUS? Will there be certain conditions for ANUSA to put forward to the NUS? Should the SRC decide that it is in the best interest of students to reaccredit to NUS, I consider it my job to represent their views. However, I will be advocating strongly that any decision to re-accredit will be on the condition that the NUS make autonomous departments a priority, fix their broken budget, increase transparency around decision making and address the toxic culture which permeates throughout its National Conference, stifles progress and inspires doubt. Whether we can demand that or not, I think more discussion needs to be had. Personally, I like the idea of having a National Union of Students, I think it’s really important on a national level to do this, I just don’t know if NUS is currently where it needs to be to do that effectively. I think [the damaging behaviour] that happens at the conferences are a good example that more thought needs to be given to the fundamentals about how the organisation is run before they can really start being more effective.

W hadn’t have gotten out and rallied and rioted in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth last year, the government would have thought [deregulation] was fine. NUS does a really good job of finely treading the line between action and lobbying to make sure that the government is very aware when something is not okay.

MEGAN LANE

And we are part of that narrative. Students have to be part of the narrative if we are going to stop deregulation. Jacqui Lambie and Ricky Muir both spoke when they were voting down deregulation, about the fact that [they were voting this way] because students had contacted them and they had sat down and spoken with student leaders. That is NUS and those are the campaigns that NUS run. Because of those interactions, they decided that it needed to go to a senate inquiry; it needed to go to an election. Innovative campaigns that take the voice of students to parliamentarians- no other university or student body would do that. If the SRC votes to not re-accredit, will that symbolise the end of NUS? So generally I am not a big fan of the idea that dominoes fall. But I think that NUS is a delicate institution because it is a year-to-year organisation. ANUSA, I believe, has a relatively high profile amongst other universities in Australia, and if we choose to walk away from NUS, I think that would be the first domino to fall. I don’t think it symbolises the end of NUS but I think it is a slippery slope. ANU students have a valuable contribution to make at NUS and it would be a shame for that not to be exercised. Last year, four students from ANU spoke at NUS; that is more than some universities. Some delegates just go and don’t speak and just vote but four of us spoke. We make a real contribution on the floor.

P RO -AC C R E D I TAT I O N IN CONVERSATION WITH MADDALENA EASTERBROOK, NEWS CORRESPONDENT Why do you want to re-accredit with the National Union of Students? I think it is really important for ANUSA to be affiliated to our peak national body to make sure that ANUSA has a say. We represent 11,000 students and it is important that these people are represented at the federal and state level. [The NUS] do it less in the ACT, but they do lobby state governments around welfare issues. Deregulation represents the biggest threat to student welfare and quality education in Australia since… I can’t think of a similar example. So it is important that ANUSA and the students at ANU have a say. The biggest thing that came out of SRC the other week is that the biggest concerns seem to be around the defunding of autonomous office bearers and departments. You have to think long and hard about why that is less of an issue, and I guess that is because I think NUS’ primary role is to represent students for quality, accessible and equitable education. So welfare for me is a secondary tier. [Women’s Officer] Loren Ovens raised the fact that the women’s campaign is centred on the cost of deregulation on women, and for me that is entirely appropriate. Women will pay twice as more [sic] under deregulation, and just because it is not about safety on campus, does not mean it is not a valuable campaign. The Women’s Department only ever runs one campaign a year and this year- the year of the greatest threat to education quality and accessibility ever- it is appropriate that the Women’s Officer looks at women’s access to education. I also don’t think that safety on campus

is something best dealt with by NUS, because it is not an issue that is solely dealt with university to university. If you are a serious harasser or sexually assault somebody, that falls under the criminal code. That is not something you lobby a government around. NUS does not lobby governments around safety on campus, it lobbies around the cost of a degree and accessibility and about how ATARs are formulated. I think safety on campus is something that is best dealt with at a lower level, directly from students at the university, because every university is different and its issues are different.

Does ANUSA need the NUS for the government to hear its voice? For example, also in the last SRC meeting, previous Education Officer Laura Wey’s anti-deregulation protest was used as an example of a successful independent movement.

In the previous SRC meeting, ANUSA Vice-President James Waugh stated that the NUS is not the strong national body that ANUSA requires. What do you have to say about this?

Part of the reason I think Laura’s actions were so successful is because they were part of that broader movement. They were on the national days of action. The idea that we get the benefits of NUS without having to be part of it or paying for it, I think that is a really dangerous idea because if everyone thought like that, that would be the end of NUS. Certainly, if that thinking is pervasive in the SRC- and pervasive throughout SRC’s in the country- that would spell the end of NUS because you don’t get anything for nothing in this world. If NUS is not equipped with resources then it will die. If students don’t think that lobbying the government is valuable, then don’t accredit to NUS. If students don’t think that organised national days of action are valuable, don’t accredit to NUS. If they don’t think that consistent messaging from students about deregulation is valuable, don’t accredit to NUS. These are all the things that resulted in deregulation

So I am taking a course this semester in political pressure groups and lobbyingJames Waugh is also taking this course, I might add- and what all the studies say is that one group is never enough. For an issue to really get momentum and to really create change, it seems to me that many groups have to be involved to represent different sides of the argument until everyone forms a consensus; it is all about narrative building. So NUS tells part of the narrative; the NTU tells part of the narrative; individual universities, the Group of 8, they tell part of the narrative; and together, they weave such a rich tapestry of evidence and reason, that in the end creates consensus at a government level. The NTU’s job is to represent staff and lecturers and that side of tertiary education. If students

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015. not passing last time. The idea that ANU can do its own thing is true but if everyone thought like that, NUS would be over very quickly and we would lose those big-ticket items, like the lobbying efforts. Is it practical for ANUSA to not accredit this year but consider reaccrediting with the NUS next year instead? One of the things that were mentioned [in the last SRC meeting] was financial mismanagement by past NUS general-secretaries and other executive members. I would say that ANUSA had exactly the same problem, in fact, possibly even worse. [ANUSA] underwent a review, put in new financial practices, and now we don’t allow just anyone to sign off on cheques. The NUS has gone through the same process. They found out there was a problem, they sacked their auditors, they changed their accounting and bookkeeping staff, they hired new staff and auditors, and now they are in a much better place for financial governance. Anyone who wishes to crucify NUS about that, should continue to crucify ANUSA. If you are willing to forgive ANUSA for its faults, because it repented and it underwent reviews- the university reviewed ANUSA and they are all through our accounts now- NUS holds itself to a higher standard now and that is good for students. Conference culture was also raised as a significant deterrent to reaccreditationn. Do you share the same negative experiences of NUS Conferences? I loved the Conference. In fairness, I am a bit antagonistic as a person, and people are incredibly passionate about issues. People cry about whether or not education should be free or should be paid via HECs. That is the kind of environment the conference is. It is incredibly emotional and it is not just data and policy fuelled, it is emotionally fuelled too. So people find that their emotions are hurt very easily. If they are deeply invested in an issue, it is very easy to offend people at conference. Everyone yells. There is a lot of banter but it is all meant in jest. It could be that I am less easily offended, and having attended a few political conferences, I see it for what it is. I am not saying it is the best set up, but you have to allow room for passion. There should be no room for needless rudeness and there is no space for bullying. There is a real perception that Student Unity are the bad guys, and they hate everybody and everybody hates them- and it’s not just at NUS, it happens at ANU too. But I am not in this game to hate anybody or hurt anybody. We are all here because we generally believe in good outcomes for students; we believe that students best lead those outcomes. I believe I make student politics a better place by being here, and so does every other person who is on that conference floor, no matter what faction or state or university they are from, that’s why they are there. [NUS Conference] Is fuelled by hate and passion, and unfortunately if you cant handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

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JURIS DOCTOR AT T H E A N U

CAMPUS NEWS The ANU College of Law is set to release details in the coming days concerning the introduction of an online Juris Doctor (JD) degree, which is slated for a 2016 start. The program, which has materialised after several years in development, was given approval last week by the Academic Board, the peak body responsible for reviewing academic policy at the ANU. Initially, the JDO will only be available on a part-time basis, a decision which was based on market research alluding to student preferences in this regard. Practically speaking, this means that the minimum length of time required to obtain a JDO at the ANU would be six years. Although the conventional on-campus JD and the online version (dubbed as the “JDO”) are planned to run simultaneously, the curriculum structures and approach to coursework will be quite different. However, the financial cost and relevant entrance requirements will remain consistent across JD streams. Dr. Skye Saunders, chair of the JDO Group, who is responsible for the development of the JDO’s academic curriculum at the ANU, shared details of the proposed course structure with Woroni. The degree will place a large amount of emphasis on problem-based learning, as “a pedagogical vehicle to better understand natural relations between jurisprudence and the legal profession” and it would not “simply be a content dump of information on-line,” said Dr. Saunders. Instead of traditional lecture- based material, the JDO will utilize web conferencing, email correspondence, and a variety of other online tools to create a collaborative space for student discussion. The first aspect of this mode of delivery involves small student groups of 4 or 5 interacting with their professors in a web seminar setting, typically at the start of the week. Following this, students are then encouraged to

WAHEED JAYHOON, NEWS CORRESPONDENT spend time on the online collaborative space with other students to enhance their learning experience, culminating in the submissions of “capstones” at the end of the week. Capstones are used to track weekly progress and make sure that students have appreciated learning outcomes – examples included drafting a model contract or responding to a problembased question, but could also deal with more complex issues as part of more formative assessment. Dr. Saunders has hailed this as an “innovative approach to education”. The only other faculty currently employing this problembased approach is the ANU Medical School. To better suit the dynamic of this web conferencing approach, several of the fundamental compulsory courses will be dramatically restructured from their oncampus counterparts, with the merger of several interlinked classes (torts/civil litigation, criminal law/evidence) and the removal of others (foundations of Australian law, and ethics – both of which will be integrated into existing classes). This makes transferability of degrees between the on-campus and online JDs difficult in the earlier stages, however, students undertaking a JDO are allowed to choose from a variety of on-campus master’s level electives if they are not offered under the online stream. It is believed that the inception of the JDO was motivated by the flat line in growth of the traditional JD program, with potential students often seeking part-time education whilst working and unable to re-locate as readily as undergraduates. Professor Donald Rothwell, who serves as Deputy Dean for the College of Law, stated that the on-line program “would remove this natural impediment” that prevents post-graduates from studying at the ANU. Colleges were approached by the

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University three years ago to see whether such opportunities existed as part of Vice-Chancellor Ian Young’s “ANU BY 2020” strategic plan. Now at its halfway-point, the introduction of an online JD is consistent with many of the “ANU BY 2020” goals for online education and future student growth. Professor Young has said that the University will likely achieve postgraduate growth online as opposed to on campus in the following years. However, Professor Rothwell stressed that the ANU was “still very committed to the on-campus JD”. Integrity of the online learning community is a concern for both staff and students alike. In terms of practicality, the emergence of a webbased degree places a large amount of reliance on the online network and proper IT support in mitigating technological failures, which may prove troublesome. Policing of academic honesty is also more difficult – while capstones and oral examinations are the intended methodology of testing, the possibility of invigilated examinations has also been discussed. The ANU has taken steps to liaise with leading members of the legal profession about this new educational approach. “The [ACT] Law Society has been informed of the ANU’s plans to introduce an on-line JD program and has had a discussion with ANU representatives regarding the program,” said Chief Executive Officer of the ACT Law Society, Diane O’Hara. “The Society acknowledges that online programs are increasingly an integral part of the tertiary education sector. Both the Society and the ANU remain committed to ensuring that any new course delivers high quality academic outcomes and maintains rigorous academic standards.”

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

“THE STRAYS” TAKES THE STELLA PRIZE ARTS & REVIEWS The Stella Prize is an Australian literary award that has been recognising women’s writing for the past three years. Acting as a counterpart to Australia’s most prestigious literary honour, the male-dominated Miles Franklin Award, the Stella Prize fittingly derives its name from the very same Stella Maria “Miles” Franklin, author of My Brilliant Career. As writer Kate Grenville states, “a women-only prize can be career changing”. However, the Stella offers much more than just its $50,000 in prize money and an increase in sales and publicity. Rather, its “graceful flexibility

BENEDICTE O’LEARY RUTHERFORD about genre”, as Helen Garner puts it, accepting both fiction and non-fiction works, encourages women to playfully experiment with genre themselves.

mapping a family of World War Two refugees in Perth; the shockingly young Ellie van Neerven Hubble’s Heat and Light, consisting of interlinking short stories rich in family and environment; and of course the winner, The Strays by Emily Bitto.

This sense of diversity and innovation is striking in this year’s shortlist. Including Foreign Soil, by Maxine Beneba Clarke, a series of ten short stories dealing with displacement, class, and race; Christine Kenneally’s The Invisible History of the Human Race, an amalgamation of science and history to chart the story of humanity; Sofie Laguna’s novelisation of a childhood with autism in The Eye of the Sheep; The Golden Age, by Joan London,

Bitto’s debut novel follows Lily, child of an unremarkable family, as she watches the drama of a bohemian life unfold around her school-friend, Eva. The children are ignored as Eva’s parents become more and more involved in the artistic community that surrounds them, and the family situation devolves. Centred on themes of loneliness and neglect,

and framed by the strength of the protagonists’ relationship, The Strays presents us with the dilemma of how to live when surrounded by dysfunctionality. Described by Judge Kerryn Goldsworthy as “like a gemstone: polished and multifaceted, reflecting illuminations back to the reader and holding rich colour in its depths”, The Strays is clearly deserving of this prestigious award that recognises only the most “excellent, original and engaging” in Australian women’s literature.

REAL PEOPLE REVIEWS

ARTS & REVIEWS

To The Waitress Wearing Boots: My family and I spend a lot of time in cafés. My dad hasn’t lived in Australia since I was a kid, and when he comes to visit we take up this strange, roving existence through the streets of the cities we meet in. Having no home in Australia, my dad takes up residence in cafés. As such, together we are now able to pick apart every café and restaurant we come to in the most amazing detail. Food: too hipster. Coffee: only lukewarm. Menu: Comic sans? This weekend, however, on a pavement in Newtown, one boot-wearing waitress put a stop to all that. Complaints half out of our mouths, we were confronted with this smiling, benevolent, boot-wearing wonder who promptly engaged us in the most lively conversation I have ever experienced from waiting staff. Thank you waitress for reminding me that complaining in cafes is not nearly as fun as admiring red leather boots.

ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTORS

Five stars to the waitress. But mostly, five stars to her amazing boots.

to my seat across the aisle, no less than 3 people think, “Ooh, there’s a seat”, realize they would have to wake her up, and backtrack to sit literally anywhere else. As the luggage doors slammed shut, and the bus pulled away from the Jolimont Centre, I turned my gaze across the aisle and there she was, awake, sitting up, and with no one beside her. Yes, I thought, possibly the greatest mind of our generation.

Murray’s Coach Girl: This is dedicated to the girl on my Murray’s bus today who could possibly be one of the greatest minds of our generation – she had figured out a foolproof way of not getting anyone to sit next to her. There she sat, as I walked onto the coach, already dreading the inevitable discomfort of having a complete stranger sit just a little bit too close and who would, even worse, try to sustain a conversation. Or snore. I always tend to get the snorers. Set up comfortably, in a seat not too close to the front, and yet not too close to the back to get bathroom fumes (which nobody wants), was perhaps the brightest mind of our age; pretending to be asleep with a bag just draped enough on the seat next to her that if anyone with a desire for that seat moved it, it would be dramatically awkward. Anyone who was even considering that seat would just have to wake her up. I saw, in my brief trip from the stairs of the bus

Five stars for simple, foolproof genius. Do You Want Anything?!: Children are essentially tiny drunk people. They walk around without pants on, often stumbling, and with a general lack of any inhibitions. This was proved to me on one of my many fateful trips to Maccas, which, as we all know, is a safe haven for the weird, the wonderful (sort of), and the drunk, which on one particular day last week, happened to branch out to include a small child of about 7, with two pigtails, socks and sandals. Her mother, was trying

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desperately to get her young daughter, “Julia”, as we would soon learn, to eat something – anything. “Julia, please pick something!” “NAH”, Julia replied, clearly having changed her little mind to something other than the previously desired Happy Meal toy. “Julia, we’re going to leave if you don’t pick something!” “NO”, Julia replied, clearly not going anywhere, but clearly not picking anything to eat either. Her mum tried once again, obviously desperate - “Julia, I swear, pick something or we’re going!” Julia, by now, was evidently fed up with her mother’s attitude. She looked down at the half melted soft serve in her hand, looked up at her mother with defiant eyes, looked back down at the ice cream clenched in her hand, and shoved it into her forehead. “NUH”, she chirped obstinately. The battle had been won. 4 stars for completely not giving a shit, but minus 1 for giving your mum a hard time, especially so close to Mother’s Day. Spread the love, people.

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WORONI No.7 Vol.67

IN RESPONSE TO ‘RIDING FREE’

BY CHRISTOPHER RESIDE

COMMENT Mr Reside’s comment piece about the Abbott Government’s recent “No Jab, No Pay” policy fundamentally fails to conceive of who this policy actually targets. Mr Reside fails to conceptualise the reasons why a child may not be up to date with vaccinations. Furthermore, he fails to understand the significant difference between the majority of anti-vaccination campaigners, who are classed as “conscientious objectors” and the typically low income, rural and disadvantaged families who this policy will actually affect. Much of “Riding Free” is concerned with “free riders” who, according to the author take advantage of herd immunity for selfish reasons such as avoiding subjecting their child to “the discomfort of a jab.” While he is right to suggest that such people exist, and this is the reasoning of some anti-vaccination campaigners, these people are not the people whom this policy affects. The parents involved in the anti-vaccination movement are typically affluent middle to upper class white people, residing in high SES areas such as Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and Lower North Shore.[1] These people are not the same people who receive welfare payments in the first place, and as such the policy provides no disincentive for them to vaccinate

STEPHANIE ROWELL their children. Furthermore, urban areas of Australia that have low to middle SES for the most part have higher rates of vaccination than these higher SES areas.[2] Even if a person who is a conscientious objector falls into a lower income bracket, the Government, after the initial announcement of the policy, removed “conscientious objection” from the ground on which a parent could prevent their child being vaccinated. Even if this had not been the case, medical professionals such as Associate Professor Julie Leask from the University of Sydney have recognised that this group of people are very unlikely to change their beliefs even when threatened with something such as a reduction or restriction on welfare benefits; instead, anti-vaccination groups are likely to be further alienated from government and society.[3] This may lead to children being excluded from school, childcare and healthcare, a key concern of Dr Brian Owler, President of the Australian Medical Association.[4] The real people that this policy affects are the people who cannot access vaccination and whose behaviour will not be changed by the policy. These are people living in very remote areas of Australia,

where cost and geographic distance are significant prohibitions to access to vaccinations and other medical services. While the Abbott government may assert that living in rural Australia is a “lifestyle choice”[5] and as such should not be a consideration in health policy, the reality is that almost a third of Australians live in rural or remote areas,[6] and this is unlikely to change in the near future. As such, we should focus not on further (harming) the health outcomes of rural Australians by punishing them for something that is not their fault, but instead ensure that every Australian has adequate access to healthcare and vaccinations regardless of where they live. “Vaccine contingent welfare” not only does not target the true “free riders”, as Mr Reside would like to characterize them, thereby not solving the problem it sets out to, but also punishes those who are systematically disadvantaged by inadequate rural healthcare services for whom not vaccinating their children is not a selfish choice, as Mr Reside would like to assert. Whilst the Abbott government has honourable intentions trying to increase vaccination rates in Australia, and Mr Reside is correct in emphasising the need to protect the community at large by promoting vaccination, this

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policy will not solve the issue of declining vaccination rates in some areas, and instead further disadvantages those in society who face significant barriers to accessing healthcare. [1] http://www.sbs.com.au/ news/map/immunisation [2] Penrith, in Sydney’s outer west, has one of the highest immunization rates in Sydney at 94.1%, while North Sydney – Mosman area has one of the lowest rates at 83.4% http:// www.sbs.com.au/news/map/ immunisation [3] http://www.theguardian. com/society/2015/apr/13/ coalitions-no-jab-no-pay-policyelicits-mixed-feelings-in-healthprofessionals https://julieleask.wordpress. com/ [4] http://www.skynews.com.au/ news/top-stories/2015/04/12/ no-jabs--no-childcare-rebate-plan. html [5] http://www.theaustralian. com.au/national-affairs/ indigenous/remote-communitiesa-lifestyle-choice-tony-abbott/ story-fn9hm1pm-1227257611488 [6] http://www.aifs.gov.au/ institute/pubs/factssheets/2011/ fs201103.html

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

Illustrations by Danby

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WORONI No.7 Vol.67

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Illustration by Joanne Leong

THE MYSTERY OF PERIODS FEATURES As a woman, all I want to do is embrace body positivity, but periods make this a very difficult thing to do. Every month our endometriums (the lining of the uterus) decide that the best thing to do is flood out of us, forcing us to buy bits of expensive material to put into ourselves. Plus we get to experience a range of minor (and sometimes major) physical and emotional side effects. Seriously science, why do we have to go through this so many times a year?! The short answer is that the science is still annoyingly unclear on this point. There are many theories, which have all been rebutted by many others. Most fall under the idea that periods were once useful, but are now out-dated. Another, considered the most reasonable, is that it is more costefficient to shed the endometrium than to continually maintain its health until pregnancy or menopause. This is a very narrow view. Out of all mammals, only a few (us, some other primates, bats and the elephant shrew) have periods. Luckier animals only build upon a base layer of endometrium in response to fertilization, or they get to reabsorb their endometrium. This seems

HILLARY MCARTHUR

like a much better option – no loss of iron or other nutrients that we’ve managed to save for a month, no accompanying mood swings or other side effects. And why do these side effects occur? PMS is probably the most well known symptom of changing hormones associated with menstruation, and it can make many people feel sad, tired, anxious and irritable. I find this the most frustrating aspect of my period. It has me questioning every time I’m upset whether my feelings are legitimate or overhyped, something I shouldn’t have to think about. What’s less well known is that PMS can last even after your period begins, and also causes tender breasts, weird bowel movements and cravings. I’ve been lucky enough to experience cramping only a few times, but I know people that are in so much pain every month that they faint, or literally can’t get out of bed. It’s thought that cramps occur due to the uterus contracting to push out its lining, and if it contracts too hard it can cut off oxygen supply to nearby muscles. In the process it can push out a few more unwanted things, like diarrhea and vomit. How fun!

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What actually is a fun side effect is feeling really, really horny during your period. There are quite a few theories for this one, all hilarious. One is that due to all that extra fluid putting pressure down there it accidentally leads to prolonged stimulation. The other is that we want what we can’t have, although you can still orgasm via pretty much any of the usual methods (I’ll just throw some keywords around here; like vibrators, a towel, the shower…) so I’m not sure about this one. Also, orgasms can actually help cramping and PMS symptoms. And of course, the horniness could also be due to the change in hormone levels, but scientists haven’t pinpointed which hormones. What this lack of conclusion really uncovers is that there is a big hole in the scientific understanding of female anatomy. There is still no fully effective treatment for severe cramps, no female equivalent for Viagra, and the contraceptive pill still sucks. For now I’ll just have to celebrate periods for the psychological relief they bring as a pregnancy test, and hope evolution eventually catches up to spare future generations of women.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

Photos by Archie Chew

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WORONI No.7 Vol.67

FEATURES Christians believe some pretty weird things about sex, right? That’s certainly what I thought growing up. My caricature Christian was the ascetic, celibate monk that shuddered at the word sex. I thought Christians were anti-sex. My perspective made sense considering my only source of education on Christian belief was The Simpsons and Ned Flanders. But things changed when I became a Christian four years ago. My caricature, along with my opinions, changed as I adopted what real life Christians believed and although some of my current views may seem pretty weird to you, I hope this article is an opportunity to clarify the Christian view of sex. Granted, one article barely scrapes the surface and I don’t intend to cover the entire topic, but what I do hope is that this article lays a foundation for further dialogue.

Jesus, a Eunuch and a Prostitute Walk Into a Bar… You are deprived without sex. Perhaps it’s my naïve perspective, but this message is implicit in much of our surrounding culture. We’re often told that if you’re not doing it you’re an unfulfilled human. Just think of a movie like The 40 Year Old Virgin. It plays on familiar ideas. If you’re a middle aged person who hasn’t had sex, then you must be just a little bit odd. Or if you’re facing a life without sex you have no option but to get some. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not out to condemn the comedic genius that is Steve Carrell. Nor am I putting out a call to burn copies of The

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ADEN COTTERILL 40 Year Old Virgin in Union Court. But what I am hoping is that this movie illustrates the implicit message of our culture: without sex you’re unfulfilled. Christians take issue with this message. This issue should not arise from some underlying pious or self-righteous approach to sex, instead, it should find its source in a deep and sincere love for people. Christians believe that you have an inherent worth, irrespective of your sexual experience. Whether you fit on the celibate monk, 40 year old virgin end of the spectrum, or find yourself leaning more towards the David Duchovny, Hugh Hefner end (or anywhere in between for that matter), you possess an inherent worth. When I began to investigate the veracity of the Christian faith, I was shocked by the life and ministry of Jesus. In particular, I was taken back by how Jesus’ love had no racial, cultural or gendered boundaries – it was universal and all-encompassing. And this was no different when it came to sexual experience. On the one hand, Jesus loved and valued eunuchs, people who were definitely not getting under the sheets (Matthew 19: 1112). But on the other hand, he also valued and loved those who were having lots of sex, like an unmarried woman with a complicated sexual history (John 4: 1-26) and a prostitute (Luke 7: 36-50). Jesus never condones their sexual life; he’s definitely not a supporter of sex outside marriage. Nevertheless, he still acknowledges their inherent worth and loves them irrespective of their sexual experience. So as Christians try to imitate the love Jesus had for others, we necessarily have to push back against the cultural message that sex is somehow

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tied to the worth of a human. Instead, we believe that a person has worth because they are created by God and are loved by God. But what then is the place of sex in a Christian worldview? Does it have any value?

What’s Sex Worth? In early Christianity sex was often hated on. Many church leaders thought that it was a particularly dirty sin. They thought that if you gave up the celibate life it was indicative of moral weakness. Some even argued that celibate marriages were spiritually superior. Now I and many before me, think these guys got it wrong. Christians believe God made sex (Genesis 1: 28) for within marriage (1 Corinthians 7: 1-7). So sex definitely shouldn’t be hated on by Christians. I mean for God’s sake, one of the books of the Bible is a steamy ancient love letter (Song of Songs)! The Bible’s claim is that when used correctly, sex is good. I get it - there are plenty of things you might find unappealing and unconvincing about the Christian take on sex. There are heaps of big issues here I haven’t even mentioned (all of which would need at least a couple of articles to be discussed properly). But what I hope I’ve given you are the essentials of the Christian perspective. And I hope these essentials are a foundation for further dialogue about sex and its place in our culture.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

Photo by Archie Chew

FEATURES One of the critical junctures of the marriage equality movement was the decision was to present those who do not identify as heterosexual as “just like you”. We’re all just like you, they said. We’re white, we’re middle-class, and we just want the right to be married, just like you and your partner have. Politically, it was genius. How can you argue that someone who is “just like you” shouldn’t have equal rights? The issue with this line of argumentation is that it diminishes the very real and damaging issues that still exist for nonheterosexual persons in our society. In being “just like you”, it implies that nonheterosexuals are seen to have issues that are “just like yours”. Their role in society is “just like yours”; their subculture is “just like yours”; the norms that define them are “just like yours”. Unfortunately, this often isn’t true. For many of us who identify as non-heterosexual, life isn’t yet “just like yours”. As a gay male, there’s still that feeling of desperation when (yet another) potential love interest turns out to be straight, and yet your desires are no less intense. There’s still that internal conflict of whether to be truthful when you respond to someone unfamiliar of an older generation, asking whether you’ve got a girlfriend. There’s still that sense of isolation when you grow up outside of the

NISHANTH PATHY

inner city, and you’re the only one “out” at your school for a good few years. There’s still that blossoming of self-loathing when, once again, you feel yourself falling for one of your male friends because the only other way you know of meeting gay men is through Grindr or at Cube. Often, in our lives, it’s the choice between a community rife with promiscuity and superficiality and the “normal”, oblivious world. You can dissolve into a gay community which, while accepting of your sexuality, often will not tolerate political divergence or deviation from its norms, or alternately you can pretend that you actually are “just like them” and live a lie. The core of all of this is that it’s so often invisible to the majority of the world. So often, when many of these issues are mentioned with a straight friend, there is a degree of incredulity given in response. After all, weren’t our problems meant to be “just like yours”? In much of society, there seems to exist this belief that since you can no longer be fired for being queer, since you can be openly queer in the military, since it is rare to be beaten in the street for being queer, that somehow all the issues have gone away. There seems to exist this belief that when legal equity almost entirely exists and the issues are invisible, that there isn’t anything left to solve.

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None of this is to negate the huge improvements that have occurred insofar as LGBTIQ* rights in the last few decades. We have so, so much to be proud of as a society in the changes in the ways that we treat gender and sexually diverse citizens. We have come a long way, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way yet to go. Even with the overwhelming majority support for same-sex marriage, there is still a huge disparity between the queer experience that is seen and the queer experience that is lived. There is an understanding in the “normal” world of what it means to be queer, and often, that understanding is wrong. Supporting legal rights for LGBTIQ* people is noble, but to genuinely support the person behind those rights, we as a society need to understand that the experience of queer people isn’t the same. We need to understand those disparities of experience, and the normative differences. We need to understand that the queer population isn’t “just like you”, because it’s only after we as a society have this understanding that we can move past legal equality into genuine societal equality. We don’t need to be just like you, and you don’t need us to either. “Just like you” is a cliché. But us “just liking you”, and you “just liking us”? That we could all do.

WORONI No.7 Vol.67

FEATURES At the tender age of 14, I knew it was time to start asking the big questions in life. What is consciousness? Are morals innate or learned? And how can I get my boyfriend off with my hands? I posed this last question to a male friend, amidst discussion of the others in our middle school philosophy class. “Er…” he responded, stoically avoiding eye contact, as he mimicked a movement similar to utilising a Shake Weight. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. At that stage of my life, I barely knew the first thing about penises. I did know that, if inserted into me without a sheath of latex covering them, they could potentially cause all kinds of unpleasant things, including STDs and babies. That was covered in our Year 7 and 8 sex education, where a stuttering PE teacher outlined the changes of puberty that three-quarters of the class had already experienced, where we spent 45 minutes on STDs and different types of contraception. But hey, compared to abstinence-only education, my school was progressive in terms of sex ed. Across the board, high school sex ed is woefully lacking when it comes to learning about the safe and responsible giving of pleasure. Focusing on the nuts and bolts of straight sex overlooks many of the questions young people really want answers to, but may either feel too anxious to ask, or may not even know yet that they need to be asked. This leads to a deficit of knowledge that impacts individuals not only in their early sexual encounters, but also into their adult lives.

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ZOE O’LEARY CAMERON

A high school friend was in Year 10 before she determined once and for all that she was Kinsey Scale 6 gay. Suddenly she had a whole host of new questions about safe sex and pleasure that had never been addressed by any adults in his life. Another mate, in her early twenties when we talked, hadn’t ever had an orgasm due to her guilt and awkwardness surrounding masturbation and sex – and, surprise surprise, a history of partners who had been taught less about female pleasure than she had. I’ve talked to people who can’t understand why they gain so little enjoyment from one night stands found on Grindr or Blendr or Tinder - even questioning their own sexuality or potency as a result - as well as people who want to get promiscuous, kinky or polyamorous, but fear negative reactions or simply don’t know where to find information on the things that interest them. Since that fateful day in Year 9, I’ve learnt heaps more about sex. Much of this is due to my personal experiences with a range of humans - some experiences delightful, some abysmal, many ho-hum, some hilarious (FYI: sex on playground swingy bridges is rather unpleasant in real life, but it always gets a laugh in Never Have I Ever). But practical trial-and-error should not be our first honest exposure to the minefield that is sex and all its accoutrements. And mainstream porn – increasingly available, and increasingly accessed by young teenagers – can’t be considered “honest” in the least. Here’s a novel approach: we should normalize frank and open discussion with as wide a range of people as possible. Discuss your best experiences and why

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they were great; your crappy experiences and how you wish they’d been better. Talk about contraceptive options; sex toys; STI tests; about consent and safe words; the “weird” stuff you’ve done and why you would or wouldn’t do it again. Informal discussion is a two-pronged approach. Contributing your experience helps to educate others, while you simultaneously learn from their experiences. Everyone gets awkward talking about sex, especially in non-sexual contexts. But the current lack of adequate sexual education in youth means we need a grassroots solution while we encourage educators and policymakers to come to the party. We ought to be openly discussing how to have good sex as much as we discuss parenting or job hunting. If you have knowledge, dispense it freely. Talk to your friends, your partners, your family if you possibly can as much as thinking about your kin doing the nasty might make you squirm, I doubt anyone wants their siblings, or indeed anyone they care about, to have bad sexual experiences due to a fundamental lack of knowledge. Sex-positive education, formal or informal, won’t prevent teenagers from having sex: sex is inevitable. But it might prevent them from having at best, lacklustre, or at worst, traumatic sexual encounters. Understanding diverse sexual needs might free them from shame, whether that shame is attached to same-sex attraction, interest in polyamory, masturbation, or wanting to try anal play. At the very least, sex-positive education will fix the problem of having nowhere to turn to for information other than porn.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

Photo by Archie Chew

FEATURES

MARK FABIAN

“The Game” is such excrement, as though “pick-up artists” have something more than a clue that isn’t actually just pseudoscience wrapped up in jerk-tech and served with a side of patriarchy. If you want to prey on the vulnerable because you’re vulnerable, “The Game” is for you, otherwise you’re off on the wrong paddock. The only truth about dating between the ages of 16 and 23 is that it’s all crazy and nothing makes any sense.

watch her smoke and wish you hadn’t quit. Just when you’ve excavated a comeon tucked away somewhere in your dense skull full of all that ‘game’ you realise she’s been playing you the whole time.

You’ll profess your love to a few girls as a teenager trying to be sweet and chivalrous like in the novels and The Notebook and everyone’s favourite TV soaps, and you’ll get dropped like a log of firewood covered in spiders.

So you’re buggered in the game of love and no advice from your girlfriends, an aged womaniser, fucksticks who choke women as an icebreaker or your dad is going to help you out of it.

So you’ll play coy and maybe that’ll work for a bit, maybe you even get laid. Then you stumble on the best girl ever—mind like a diamond and a body to match. Oh ho, but guess what? She was raised old school on the land and if you want to walk with her you best come correct. Here’s you playing it off like it’s no big deal thinking a bit of hard-to-get never hurt anyone’s chances and then all of sudden, she’s gone—she didn’t think you were serious. Next up you’re taken for a ride; a wild, glorious sweaty ride for months when you least expected it by a girl who likes to dictate terms herself. Didn’t think girls like that existed did’ya?! But actually they’re everywhere. She bowls you up one night out the back of Knightsbridge while you

And finally you develop a fetish for the exotic and to your amazement all the other cultures of the world have all their own customs and they all fragment further based on social class and schoolyard clique.

So what are you to do? Well you might just try being yourself. I know it sounds strange but it actually works real well in all its grand simplicity. If you like a girl, and I mean really like her, just tell her. If she likes you back then it’s a goer. If she doesn’t like you back then it wouldn’t have worked out anyway if you’d tried to game her into the sack and then tried to fan that kindling into a bonfire. The only thing burning would be you. If you don’t like a girl and you just want to see her naked, then tell her that instead. Maybe you’d stand a better chance of success if you played her for a fool, but then the real fool would be you because now you’re a dickhead.

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And if a girl takes your fancy and you’re real curious and you want a bit more than just to see her naked—maybe you want to have a weekend in the lonely mountains and a few late nights defending Jack Kerouac from her criticisms (‘the beatniks are such boys!’), then her tell her that. Why must we always assume that only men want flings? There are six billion people on the earth and plenty of ‘em of want exactly what you do. It could be sex, love, babies, a fling, a frolick, a big white wedding down at the local Parish church, fornication dressed in fur, whatever…you can find it. And you will if you’re honest about what you’re looking for and how you feel about it. So don’t try to make sense of it, just put yourself out there. Frankness has a surprisingly mysterious quality to it in a world full of wankers doing magic tricks and asking out 60 girls in a night at Mooseheads like that’s dignified. You’ll fall on your face a bit, but that’s unavoidable, ‘cos like I said, these years are pure chaos. Once the mid-twenties roll around people have a better sense of themselves and want they want; they’ve been burned a bit and they’re not so scared or sensitive anymore; they’ve loved once or twice, lusted a bit more than that and they’re ready to communicate. Then you don’t need game, you just need character. In the meantime, just call for the hit and hope you come up 21. The author blogs at markfabian.blogspot.com

WORONI No.7 Vol.67

FEATURES Now she’s wearing nothing but her corset, her back is arched, and her legs push against the ground in protest; she’s exhausted and losing the will the fight back. Her twigarms are pinned to ground by the greasy, half-naked male on top of her. Through his Armani-knock off sunglasses he stares at her. She doesn’t look back, but stares off into the distance waiting for it all to be over. Three men crowd around them, staring as the undernourished woman tries to escape; they don’t try to stop it. They stand there in their figure-hugging collared shirts and denim shorts and in bold, opaque letters, the words “DOLCE & GABBANA” cut across the entire image. Some of the world’s most influential and affluent designers currently use offensive sexual imagery, such as the one exhibited above, as a key sales strategy. This particular example of sex being used (and abused) in advertising is from Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring/Summer 2007 collection. The image sparked such high levels of controversy that it was eventually pulled off the market. However this result did not mark the end of sex in advertising, in fact, commercials have become increasingly more sexualized over the past decade. It must be acknowledged that the notion “sex sells” is a far from revolutionary and

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ISOBEL NOMCHONG

attractive females figures has proved to be a highly successful bait for reeling in a male customers since the beginning of modern advertising. The difference is, that images of explicit nudity, fetishized fantasies and sexual domination in advertising have become normalized. Australia’s historically conservative psyche has been largely rewired and our generation has been conditioned, via pervasive cultural norms, to consider the over-sexualized portrayal of both men and women in advertising as standard. It is not merely high-end designers who are guilty of using such images as part of their advertising portfolio. Industries that haven’t been historically categorized as “sexy” are beginning to hop on this bandwagon of bad-taste. Today it seems as though every market, from cars to skin care, seems to have been brushed with some form of erotic advertising campaign. Designers and celebrities alike are constantly chasing the “shock factor” by challenging standards of decency, in what can only be described as a desperate attempt to sell more clothing, more magazines and more albums. But at what cost are we selling sex? The unrealistic and offensive portrayal of both male and female sexuality is

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beginning to warp our perceptions of sexual normality. The nature of advertising means that companies aim to obtain the highest exposure possible in order to maximize their potential client base. Consequently society is flooded with these images, boobs on the sides of buses, bums on the cover of magazines, bare-skin spread across our television screens. The overexposed nature of these overexposed images means that all demographics will incidentally come across them. Children and teenagers who aren’t necessarily mature enough to understand the concepts in many of these sexual commercials grow to accept the messages as the norm. When advertisements, such as the Dolce & Gabbana example above, allude to notions of gang rape and female subjugation, these images become normalized and even fetishized. Whilst this reasoning may sound hyperbolic or far-fetched, the fact of the matter is the media releases images that carry sexual connotations or suggestions, and no one regulates who sees these images. Women are too often reduced to sexual objects whilst men are continuous placed in the dominant position, whilst industries may be adopting this stance to sell product, in the end what they’re really selling is a perception of gender roles.

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Photo by Archie Chew

Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

FEATURES I’m not going to lie. I have hated you for a longtime now. It seemed that throughout my entire life you decided to fail me whenever I needed you. Whether it was my hips or my weight or even my genetic coding, time after time it felt like you were giving me a big old “fuck you” and I despised you for it. Through high school I dealt with you in humor. My self-deprecation was not only a great punch line but was my way of making sure that I never loved you.

LAURA CAMPBELL myself against you. I wanted you to not define me. I wanted you to not make me into some high school movie cliché that I could never fully shake. Then you got sick. I got sick. Lung failure, arthritis, fatigue, chronic pain, scars, pills, doctors – lupus. All I could think was “HOW DARE YOU?!” As if you hadn’t put me through enough, now this?! I thought you had failed me again and I loathed you for it.

See, the world had decided that you weren’t good enough for me and I agreed with it. You weren’t what the world wanted and you weren’t what I wanted and for that I wanted you to disappear.

We didn’t see each other for a while. I blacked out mirrors and avoided reflections. I separated you from every part of my life.

I wanted you to shrink.

I’m so sorry for that. You have to understand that I was so angry at the world and my circumstance and you were the closest and easiest target.

I wanted you to be skimmed over in photographs because there was nothing different about you. I wanted boys to become shy because of you. I wanted to not be called a “pretty face” or “great personality.” I wanted to not have to prove

We survived, but damage was done.

As I grew and began to live I realized how special you were and how you never deserved any of that hate. You never

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deserved anything but to be loved. You fought for me when the world had said no. You survived so that I could live. Every day I wake up, I take a huge breath. Some days are good. Some days are bad. The point is not how the day goes but that I have the day. You make that possible. You allow me to have whatever experience comes towards me and to battle it with whatever strength I can afford. I never said thank you. So now I am saying it: I love and respect you in every single way. You are my greatest companion throughout this entire situation we call life. You were there from my first thought and breath and you will be there for my last. You know me in my entirety. You are my postcard to the world and you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I love you, Laura Campbell

WORONI No.7 Vol.67

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Photo by Archie Chew

FEATURES [Full disclaimer: Author and Woroni take no responsibility if you do get caught having sex in public after reading this article.] Earlier this year I wrote an article called “Summer of Love”, which highlighted 7 of the top spots on campus to have a romp in. However, I made the assumption that people who would go on to bump uglies in these locations were people who had already participating in public sex before. The previous article didn’t contain any tips on how to avoid being caught, or even what to do in these locations once you’re caught. So without further ado, here are my tips on how to have danger sex around campus without getting caught. 1. Wear appropriate clothing – I’m not talking about high vis vests and safety glasses, but if you’re thinking about have sex in public, you need to be discreet. Skirts work well for women, as you don’t need to take them off. Given that it is getting colder, maybe invest in some tights that provide easy access for the partner of your choice. For the guys – don’t wear a belt and use a

EDWARD BLOOM

pair of jeans that have a button fly instead of a zipper. Zippers hurt. 2. Keep the noise down – Where you’re on the roof, or in the basement of Hancock library, you’ll want to keep moans and groans to a minimum. I’m the kind of person who growls during sex, and you really don’t want that either. Part of the thrill is the possibility of getting caught, but being louder than necessary WILL get you caught. And the last thing you want is the librarian walking in on you and your partner. Or is it..? 3. Position, Position, Position – There are obvious positions to have sex in when you’re in a public area. Standing up, against a wall, in his arms, the list goes on. I can’t tell you what positions are best because its contextual, but be smart about it. There’s no point lying down on the tennis courts, you’re going to get grass burns. 4. Timing is everything – You don’t want to pick midday in the library; everyone is going to be there. Unless you’re into that

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sort of thing. When you’re going to fuck in public, you’re going to want to wait until the sun goes down. 5. Be Quick – The faster you are, the less chance you’re going to get caught. But at the same time, make sure both you and your partner are satisfied. The worst thing you can do is leave someone unsatisfied. That, and get caught. There you have it! 5 quick tips to help with your sex life. Sex in public is an incredible amount of fun and something everyone should do once in their life. But don’t forget the importance of consent and safety. Always obtain the consent of your partner before embarking on this mission and use protection. And one last thing – if you see someone having sex in public, don’t say anything about it, to them, to your friends, or on Stalkerspace. Don’t be that guy. Just walk away and pretend you didn’t see anything; you’ll be a better person for it.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

Illustration by Joanne Leong

FEATURES

LINDA MA

From the “V-card”, to “popping the cherry”, to “deflowering”, “taking” it or “losing” it: society has long contrived an image of virginity as being central to the identity of a young woman. A perverse obsession with female virginity has existed throughout the centuries, from virginity checks and purity balls, to female genital cutting and selling your virginity on eBay. Even our prime minister has gotten in on the act. Tony Abbott said in 2010 that “virginity is the greatest gift you can give someone … don’t give it to someone lightly”.

society. To control this, we have deemed the status of a woman’s virginity to determine her very identity. The dichotomy of virgin/ non-virgin still holds strong among us, a double-bind which encases women.

Why is this wrong, and how can we construct a better ideal of sexual experience?

The patriarchy-derived virginity complex hurts men, too. Men who are not as sexually experienced are stigmatised and have their masculinity and virility questioned. Men feel compelled into sexual activity earlier than they may feel comfortable with, and are enculturated into pressuring women into “giving up” their protection over their virginity.

This imaginary female virginity is simultaneously constructed as taboo while also being valorised, romanticised and upheld. Sexual double standards are at play, as men’s active sexual prowess is celebrated, while women who exercise their own agency around their virginity are shamed as sexually licentious. Women are simultaneously encouraged to save their virginity for someone “perfect”, irredeemably losing their virtue if they drop their guard, but also to see virginity as a burden and the state of being an adult virgin as being more painfully unbearable than even having to walk through Union Court during election week. The virginity complex, then, is one of the many remaining manifestations of patriarchy. It is an obsession with controlling, demarcating, and owning women’s sexuality, which has long been seen as an existential, unpredictable, mystical threat to the civilised order of male

It has never been clearer that virginity is a social construct. What act do we speak of when we say that a virginity is “lost”? Is it any type of sexual experience? Vaginal penetration? How relevant is this to nonheterosexuals, who may well never lose their virginity according to that definition?

Your first sexual experience does not compromise you as a person. It is a rite of passage, where you step into yourself as a sexual being, rather than falling into a ravine. It is not something either to be fearful of or impatient for. American sex educator Laci Green calls it, brilliantly, your “sexual debut”. Sexual experience is an iterative process, through which education and skills are slowly obtained. Your first time will probably not be mindblowing. But it also shouldn’t be shameful. It is the first step in an exciting, pleasurable, journey of discovery. At university, we’re all in such close contact that feelings of FOMO are

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frequently intensified. But it’s not the case that “everyone around me is doing it”. My own assumptions and prejudices about the sexuality of those around me have frequently been shown to be wrong. Whether you have or haven’t had sex, this does not constitute your identity, your morals or your values. Your sexual debut is an experience no more than any other. There is nothing wrong also, in making the choice not to have sex, whether due to religious reasons, sexual orientation or other personal factors. The decision to save sex until marriage, as one example, should not be made through social pressure or shame at a “purity ball”. It is an informed, considered choice, made by an individual as a covenant with God, as a crucial part of their spirituality and religious observance, rather than about policing the “possession” of virginity. If you do choose to take this step for the first time, here are some tips for making it as good as possible for all involved. Don’t set unrealistic expectations, particularly for orgasms—enjoy the moment and the process of learning and exploring. Foreplay is important, both for enjoyment and the intimacy with another’s body. It is not a case of “hit it and quit it”; at this stage, penetration probably isn’t the most pleasurable part of the experience. Use lubrication and protection. Create a sense of trust and comfort, where both parties are actively and enthusiastically consenting. Remember, your first sexual experience does not define you. You have the choice and ability to define you and your sexuality for yourself.

WORONI No.7 Vol.67

FEATURES It was one of the most intimate experiences of my life. When she arrived we’d both already eaten dinner, so we made a self-saucing pudding together. While it baked we watched a documentary, our bodies close together on a couch. Soon, our dessert was ready. There really is something about baking. I can honestly say I hadn’t planned what happened next. Sure I’d often wondered what it would be like, had imagined who might make the first move, how it would feel. In fact, it was better than I even imagined. The night seemed never-ending. We went on and on without stopping, occasionally pausing to catch our breath, sometimes to change our position. It was almost dawn when we finally stopped talking. For days afterward my self revelled in every part of the memory of it: the quiet, honest phrases; Keith Jarrett playing jazz in the background; the dilated sense of time, that this miraculous moment could last as long as we wanted, that sleep could wait. It was a lovely example of what can be present in the absence of lust. Another glorious night, although rather different, occurred months prior. Shared with a different person. She and I hadn’t known each other long, nor would we, as she was soon to leave. But there was a

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JOEL DIVNAM

lovely something, a something that can’t be replaced by any amount of compatibility on a scale confected by a dating website. It was a cold, cold night, but there was heating and quite a lot of manchester. And we ended up having what was, for me at least, some incredibly good sex. Being the practical sort, I’m not about to have such an experience without reflecting upon it! Perhaps a few different factors were at play, in that we communicated openly and we spoke lovingly and respectfully. But what’s more, the encounter felt free of lust. It wasn’t undergirded by a primal need to get off, but by a joy in each other and each other’s body and each moment of what was taking place between us. It was beatifically far from what Heather Corinna, author of s.e.x., describes as “a gender-specific set of directions that are a progression towards orgasm”. I tell these stories together to make something clear: in questioning lust, I’m not criticising sexual pleasure. Rather, I’m suggesting there is an opportunity cost to lust, that intimacy may be left by the wayside when all roads lead to orgasm. Without wanting to preach asceticism or seem prudish, I’m wondering if maybe it’s more rewarding – whether spiritually or sexually – to reduce the influence of lust in our relationships. For me, this partly means getting better at appreciating non-sexual forms of

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intimacy, of being open to those moments when love isn’t consummated but is, instead, consummate. Of remembering how enjoyable long languorous hours of “quality time” can be. It also means getting better at appreciating the value of intimacy in sex, of being more aware of the presence of lust in such situations and, I suppose, not letting it define the experience. I think it’s like the role of hunger in relation to food. It’s perfectly reasonable to be hungry and to eat in order to sate one’s appetite. Food sure does taste good when you’re hungry. Yet I most enjoy a shared meal when I’m not hungry. Then it’s an experience not just of eating but of companionship, of shared savouring of both the repast and the company. Without lust, there is space for intimacy. This space may be filled by the outpouring of souls, blending like paints on an artist’s palette. It may be filled by the blending of bodies, in emotion embodied and feelings made corporeal. Or, I suppose, it may not be filled, and maybe that could feel like a shame, or a missed opportunity. Yet, just for the chance to flourish, to live out the moments that will tower like sequoia in the forest of memory, to teeter on the edge between humanity and what almost feels like divinity, it’s worth that risk.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

A QUESTION OF

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

COMMENT On Thursday 19th March, the ANU College of Law hosted former head of the International Law Department of the Israeli Defense Forces, Pnina SharvitBaruch, in an event titled Asymmetric Conflicts: Applying the Rules. Despite the academic and factual controversy that has surrounded the content of this talk, both within Israel and internationally, Ms Sharvit-Baruch was provided a platform to argue that Israeli actions against Palestinian civilians during Operation Cast Lead (20082009) were legitimate and are defendable under international law. How should we judge the Law School’s decision to host a talk that aims to legitimise the killing of 900 unarmed civilians, including 300 children during Operation Cast Lead? Some would argue that academic freedom is contingent upon moral integrity, whereby academic expression does not come at the expense of more fundamental human rights, such as legitimising actions that lead to large civilian deaths. Others would suggest that academic analysis, irrespective of its moral consequences, should be given a platform for expression. If we put aside the moral integrity of Ms Sharvit-Baruch’s talk, there still remains a need to question whether academic standards have been met. There is an expectation that academic expression be comprehensive and critical, that arguments be made cogently, not through a selective choice of sources, but through rigorous engagement with documented investigations and thoughtful response to alternative interpretations. Such accountable academic engagement was

NATASHA LENNARD

unfortunately lacking from Ms SharvitBaruch’s presentation, with her academic analysis based upon the assertion of “facts” inconsistent with independent research conducted by international organisations ranging from the United Nations to human rights groups. Throughout her talk, Ms SharvitBaruch referred to unspecified “Israeli investigations” into civilian causalities and cited a table from Wikipedia to support her argument that targeting civilian areas, including private homes, schools, hospitals and buildings hosting United Nations agencies, constituted proportional and appropriate responses to the armed aggression of Hamas and that instances of civilian death were “mistakes” which “happen” in situations of asymmetric conflict. As an academic event, the use of Wikipedia as a source is questionable, and while it is reasonable that Israeli sources be used, there is need to ask why these sources weren’t directly referenced, and why the speaker failed to engage with and respond to a wider range of international investigations. Of particular concern is the lack of engagement with the 2009 UN Fact Finding Mission and the 2011 McGowan Davis Report, which have suggested, along with numerous human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, that the actions of both Israel and Hamas amount to war crimes – with Israeli crimes grossly exceeding in number and severity those of Hamas. In the few instances where reference was made to these reports, it was to dismiss human rights and human rights

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law as irrelevant frames of analysis for approaching Israeli actions in Gaza. Given the selective use of sources and the clear disdain shown for human rights based analysis, there is reason to question whether this talk adheres to standards of academic accountability and integrity. There are also questions surrounding the motivations behind hosting an academic speaker whose analysis puts forth exclusively the viewpoints of the Israeli state. In situations of asymmetric conflict, it is common for expression to be given to analysis that defends the actions of the dominant power. It is also common for such expression to avoid the kinds of rigorous scrutiny that analysis challenging state narratives often receives. If Ms SharvitBaruch has an academic right to legitimise civilian deaths through her application of international law, then surely she also has an academic responsibility to acknowledge human rights as an internationally respected frame of academic inquiry and to engage with international findings that have documented Israeli human rights abuses in the context of military actions in Gaza. As students it is important that we are concerned with the academic integrity of events held at our university and question the frames of analysis they both use and exclude - particularly when their subject matter concerns the lives and human rights of civilian populations. Natasha Lennard is the President of the ANU Students for Justice in Palestine.

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MEET THE CANDIDATES BENEDICTE O’LEARY RUTHERFORD I am a second year Arts/Art History and Curatorship student majoring in English and Art History. Currently serving as Arts and Reviews SubEditor, I have become aware of the conditions and support necessary to create quality journalism. As Editor, I would be dedicated to providing this support to all aspiring writers. I am passionate about the unique service that Woroni provides, enabling students to experiment with words,

with ideas, and discuss topics that are important to them as students of ANU. Woroni needs to capitalise on its unique position and its potential for nurturing an experimental student voice. Diversifying the range of contributors, particularly through increased post-grad and international student involvement, supporting new writers, and working with regular contributors to improve the calibre of their work is essential. Woroni,

both online and in print, could benefit from a more dynamic layout. Defined segments, the inclusion of more artworks, and greater attention to visual detail can create a paper that is highly enjoyable to read. With my dedicated focus on the quality and diversity of content, an emphasis on professionalism, and improvements to the way it is presented, Woroni can become a successful and innovative publication.

GIORDANO BORZUOLA I have been involved with Woroni for as long as I’ve been at ANU. I’ve worked for a semester as a Radio SubEditor and more recently as a Business Development Sub-Editor. I think I would be a good Editor because I know Woroni, including what it does

well and (more importantly) what it doesn’t do as well. I want to work on bringing you all a higher quality paper that we can be proud of as a student body. I would also like to put to use the knowledge I have gained working on the business development

portfolio to try and facilitate Woroni’s reliance on SSAF funding. I have the knowledge and practical experience of Woroni to improve it both as a paper and as a business.

MADDALENA EASTERBROOK I am a Law/International Relations student and a current News Correspondent (News Sub-Editor) at Woroni. I am very passionate about journalism and I have contributed extensively to the news side of Woroni over the last year, working in both print and radio- I hosted and produced “Newsfeed”. I previously studied journalism at the University of Technology Sydney, and interned at the ABC during the summer

break. I value journalistic integrity and inclusive representation of all groups on campus. This experience in journalism will enable me to be a very capable Editor, and I am fully committed to improving Woroni to better serve the student body. At present, there are only a handful of people on campus who understand the happenings in student politics despite these issues affecting the entire student body. It is important

for all students to make informed voting decisions, and I want Woroni to be an independent and impartial news source that students can rely on. As Editor, I would focus on the social media aspect of Woroni to encourage student interaction and more feedback from the community. This would include an immediate news cycle and better use of multimedia to make Woroni more engaging for students.

MITCHELL SCOTT Hi, I’m Mitch and I would love to help serve the student body as an editor on the Woroni board. I’m passionate about helping students to reach their potential, in whatever form it may take. During my time at Woroni I’ve not only contributed to Woroni Radio, but helped organise forums, debates and video interviews as Managing Assistant. This semester I’ve spent lots of time as Business Development Officer exploring new ways to help

the student body express themselves, and gaining the funding Woroni needs to start new and exciting projects. Apart from Woroni, I’ve also had experience managing people, projects and finances during various paid positions over the last 3 years. Bringing these skills to the board will help Woroni achieve awesome things for the student body to enjoy into the future. The ANU doesn’t

have a single voice, and Woroni shouldn’t either. I believe that student journalists, photographers, musicians and artists should have a supportive platform for self-expression. The student body has so much to share, and it’s our responsibility to give them the medium to do so. As an editor of Woroni, I’ll make sure this happens whilst continuing to improve the newspaper we know and love.

WAHEEDUDDIN JAYHOON My name is Waheeduddin Jayhoon and I am an IR/Commerce student. I have been one of the incumbent news correspondents (Sub-Editor) for the “Campus News” section of Woroni since the start of the semester, and have been regularly contributing news articles to Woroni since my first year. These experiences have given me firsthand knowledge in managing the campus news section, as well as an understanding of the organizational and logistical aspect of

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editorship. Prior to my role as news correspondent, I co-hosted “Dippin’ Sauce”, a weekly radio podcast, which has also given me insight into the processes behind Woroni Radio and multimedia that ANU Student Media has become involved with. I am very committed to Woroni as a platform that can disseminate relevant, editorial independent campus news for ANU students. Since it is the chief distributor of topical

student content, it is important to be more accessible to and celebrate the diversity of ANU students. Although Woroni has done an excellent job of this so far, I hope to achieve more by redistributing some attention to post-graduate, international, and offcampus students. I would also like to extend the length of Woroni to provide more space to opinion and feature columns.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

WHY SPORT NEEDS MORE PEOPLE LIKE MITCH CLARK SPORT Geelong Cats ruckman Mitch Clark is nothing but an inspiration. Very publically he has suffered and fought depression, the good days and the bad, and has never shied away from his illness. In a world which still, even with all the work done and words said to us, shuns mental illness and its sufferers, Mitch Clark has been a beacon of strength and a symbol for sufferers out there that it is not only okay to speak up and share your story, but be vocal in the world. After Geelong smashed Collingwood, Clark was pictured in tears, walking into a side room with head coach Chris Scott. The day after, Clark posted on his Facebook page that “Depression makes very little sense and rears its head whenever it chooses and unfortunately last night was one of those times.” Clark is not trying to make himself out to be an example of how you can “beat

ZACH MACKEY depression”, rather someone who is always going to battle, always going to struggle to stay on top. He says so himself, “I’m nowhere near ‘cured’ and am still learning how to best deal with my dark days.” What I think is the most pertinent message to take from Mitch Clark’s story is that everyone can learn from his experiences. The highest paid player at Melbourne, he felt the pressure to perform, and accepted when he could not take it anymore. This lead to a premature retirement last year on the back of playing only 14 games in 2013 and 2014. Any young person who has played sport has at some stage felt the pressure to perform. Any sign of perceived “weakness” is pushed down, and unfortunately there is not the acceptance of mental illness as there should be. MPlease know I am not saying mental health is not a weakness. Dr. Thelma Dye Holmes has been

quoted as saying, “Mental health has a stigma that is tied into weakness and is absolutely the antithesis of what athletes want to portray.” This is the world in which Mitch Clark has stood up and should be seen as an inspiration. As a club Geelong should also be congratulated for their handling of Clark. The situation after the Collingwood game was treated with dignity and respect, and showed that as an organisation they are more than just winning games. It was a heartwarming scenario over the weekend, and I hope Mitch Clark continues to be seen as an icon and the type of role model sport deserves. I wish him well as he continues to battle depression and face his dark days. Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

H OW TO B U I L D A STA R SCIENCE

Nuclear fission is the ideal energy source of the future. Fission reactors are vastly more efficient than fusion reactors, use the harmless and abundant elements hydrogen and lithium, produce no greenhouse emissions and generate effectively zero dangerous waste. The only problem is that the nearest fusion reactor that can currently provide for our energy needs is 150 million kilometres away. We call it the Sun. A team of the ANU’s scientists and engineers, led by Professor John Howard (not that John Howard), is helping to fix that. In southern France, an international mission is underway to construct the first economically viable fusion reactor, called ITER (Latin for “the way”). A fission reactor, whether natural or human made, releases energy by “fusing” light atoms rather than “splitting” heavy atoms. There are some differences between ITER and a star. The human-made reactor is contained in a doughnut-shape by electromagnetic fields within a

JAMES BARRETT

metal chamber called a tokamak, rather than being contained in a sphere by its own gravity. ITER’s tokamak is contained within a seven story high, natural-disaster proof structure. Both human-made reactors and stars are made from plasma that reaches temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees celsius in the centre. Sometimes, turbulence causes powerful bursts of superheated material to escape the confined body of plasma. In the case of ITER, this could be dangerous. There are a few reasons why these bursts of energy do not always melt holes through tokomaks, releasing the superheated plasma and destroying the Earth. It has to do with the amount of plasma in relation to the amount of metal forming the metal tokomak containing it, as well as the time it is in contact with the tokomak. Yet, “meltdowns” are possible and it is important to prevent them, especially in such a large reactor. These bursts of energy

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and the temperature of the tokomak containing the plasma must be carefully monitored. The job of the ANU team is to design a system for ITER that will monitor this information. In June, Professor Howard will be meeting with the ITER team in France in preparation for this work. It’s hard to tell whether fusion is really “the way” forward for our energy production needs. ITER will represent a theoretically “ideal” source of energy and be economically viable in itself, but it is really just the last experiment before commercial fusion reactors are designed. It will be decades at least before we see as many commercial fusion reactors as fission reactors. Solar panels and other renewable energy technologies are already springing up everywhere. Personally, I think renewable energy technologies will dominate the near future. I’d still bet that fusion reactors will eventually be utilised in ways that we cannot yet imagine.

Image: Wikipedia

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SE-XY? SCIENCE

Back in primary school, everyone would tease the redhead kids because they were going to be extinct by 2030 (or some other date soonish in the future). As everyone got older we discovered that wasn’t actually going to happen (sidenote - if you weren’t aware, redheads won’t be extinct by 2030). But recently while socialising with some of my prettier friends and discussing the shortcomings of the different genders, I heard one of them snicker to another that they’d have the last laugh as males would “soon be extinct”. Having not pegged either of them as genocidal maniacs, I was curious to know what they were talking about. To my surprise I was told that in the next 4.5 million years the Y-chromosome would disappear and men would not exist. Putting aside the fact that 4.5 million years was only “soon” to astronomers and geologists, I was intrigued by this. Was it true? Is the mighty Y-chromosome really going to disappear?! (Spoilers - No, it’s not) Some background - humans have “chromosomal sex”. Women have two medium-sized X chromosomes and men have one X and a (tiny) Y chromosome. When we do the deed and procreate mini-

JAMES ANSELL

humans, each parent gives one chromosome to spawnling. These chromosomes are full of different genes that perform different functions. The X has about 1,600 genes but the (not-somighty) Y has way less - around 50. But only 27 of these are the “you-will-have-a-penis” part of the chromosome. And many of these genes are duplicates and inactive. Honestly most of the Y-chromosome is “junk DNA” that doesn’t really do anything. Because of this, in the early 2000s, scientists John Aitken and Jennifer Graves speculated that the Y-chromosome shows all the signs of a degraded chromosome near the end of its life.[1] We know our sex chromosomes started as a pair of ordinary chromosomes - like in birds. Plus, sex chromosomes are ordinary chromosomes in monotreme mammals (e.g platypuses) which last shared a common ancestor with humans 166 million years ago. This means that in the past 166 million years the Y-chromosome has lost nearly all of it 1,600 genes. That is about 10 every million years and if that continues the Y chromosome will disappear in 4.5 million years! But this idea has two big problems. Firstly

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Image: Wikipedia

it assumes that decaying genes is bad or unusual - which it isn’t! As time passes everything breaks down, genes included. Secondly it assumes the rate of gene decay is constant. There’s no reason to think the Y-chromosome’s decay would be constant. One could guess that the decay could get faster as the Y becomes more unstable or it might stop when the Y is stripped down to only the essential genes. The latter is exactly what scientists think has happened. Biologist David Page’s group from the MIT Whitehead Institute are at the forefront of this research, monitoring the decay of the Y-chromosome by comparing it to other related animals. They found that since we split from monkeys 25 million years ago very few genes have been lost. And since we split from chimpanzees 5 million years ago we haven’t lost any at all (while chimpanzees have lost a few). All signs that the Y-chromosome has stopped decaying! So my apologies ladies - seems like the Y-chromosome won’t be disappearing anytime “soon” and you’ll have to keep putting up with us men for the foreseeable future. [1] ‘Human spermatozoa: The future of sex’, Nature 415, 963 (2002)

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

DEM WINTER FEELS LIFE & STYLE As the winter months roll in we tend to fall into tides of despair and hopelessness, which are no doubt furthered by the dark clouds and dewy mornings. However, why must we be constrained by such negativity? Instead we should take this opportunity to look within ourselves and see the warmth of the light that we are all animated with. The old adage teaches us that “to give is to receive” and it is precisely the practice of this which will serve as the logs that fuel our fires. It’s funny to think that each of us feels this way, and does not acknowledge that the person sitting next to us may be feeling much the same. Would it not be easier to fight these feelings if each person recognised that their neighbour lacked the same companionship that they

NEERAJA SHANKAR & PAROKSH PRASAD themselves were missing? A catch up over coffee here and a movie and wine there; that is all it takes to remember that there is someone out there feeling the same way that you are. It is all about the mutuality – the fact that both of you are in the same position. Neither of you is worse off than the other. So here is the key: do something for them and you will find that the fire within you strengthens. Do something for them and you will feel the warmth of compassion reflected back at you. Make that phone call, or tee up that lunch date, because you’re not only finding yourself a companion but also providing that same comfort of companionship to someone else. It is in knowing that you are needed by another person that

Image: Flickr

reminds us that we have a reason to love and be loved. However, a warning. Going into such a friendship with expectations of reciprocation could prove to be a volatile activity. Going into it expecting specific rewards means that you are setting yourself up for disappointment, should they not be granted. Keep at the forefront of your mind, therefore, that the giving far outweighs the receiving, because by giving you are indirectly receiving. So don the scarf and the beanie and get out there, because it’s not worth living a self-centred life, when we stand to gain so much by being in the company of and in the service of others. Besides, doing so might just find you someone who will let you forget #demwinterfeels.

IN DEFENSE OF TRACK PANTS LIFE & STYLE

Winter is coming. The cold is upon us. This means but one thing. Trackies. Yep, trackiedacks, sweatpants, jogger bums, tragic trousers, exercise pants, sweats… whatever you call them; they are starting their slow annual takeover of campus. And this is scary. You realise all those guys you thought were 10s are actually 2s, now that you’ve seen them in their winter get up of trackies and a hoodie. And I weep for all the first year girls. Oh nervous fresher girls, who would dress up for every lecture, tute and prac. There will be no more of that now that they are getting comfortable in their new environment and embracing the comfort of track pants instead of a pair of Bardot skinny jeans. Yep that guy has

NIC HALL

been wearing the same pair of Canterbury trackies for 2 weeks. And no, that girl definitely won’t be shaving as long as she’s wearing her comfy pants. To the fashion elite, this is an outrage. The humble track pants symbolise everything they stand against. To those of us who are “on fleek”, trackies are just the first step in a winter cycle that spits you out the other end, fatter and hairier, stripping you of any pride in your personal image. The fashionistas walk past shaking their heads, in ironed chinos that are rolled up so you can see that they aren’t wearing any socks with those boaties. The hipsters reject the conformity of your dress sense to a society that is so heavily influenced by so-called premier sporting brands and

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major global corporations like Nike and Adidas mahn (they’d probs pronounce it “adeedis”). And who can blame them? Trackies don’t really make much of a statement other than, “WOW! That dude played for the ACT when he was 15… probably in touch…for one away game in Albury.” But to all those naysayers, I say you need us trackie wearers! You need us like us like Goldilocks needs the Three Bears! Like peanut butter needs jelly! Like ANU Crushes needs a formal investigation into the legitimacy of most of their posts (something creepily fun about making someone think they’ve got an admirer, huh?). You see we make you look good, without us there would be no bad to compare yourself with.

Bonus No. 1: Skinny jean chafe is a real thing that does not happen to you when you’re wearing the oh-so-comfy track pants. Bonus No.2: “Oh no! I spilt some coffee on myself! Don’t worry, the waterproof trackies don’t stain.” No one will be the wiser and you’ll smell great for weeks. Bonus No.3: The track pant wearing community is a vibrant welcoming community accepting of all races, religions and backgrounds. So basically, if you like being warm and comfy and you have little respect for your appearance put some trackie dacks on and join the revolution.

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CAMPUS STYLE ISABELLE LEE

LIFE AND STYLE

1.

3. Vincent: “And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust ?” 4. Alicia: “Gotta catch ‘em all.”

2.

1. Adela: “University: where madness and genius are separated by just a few degrees.” 2. Will: “Busier than a one-toothed man at a corn eating contest with the upcoming exams season.”

3.

4.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

THE LAYMAN’S GUIDE TO SEXIER WRITING SATIRE

FRIEDRICH “THE DOUBLEWOOD” NIETZSCHE

So recently I have been marking a lot of essays. I happen to be a tutor at the ANU and this is what I am paid to do. I really must be a masochist, but it’s not all bad. Sometimes the essays are actually quite good. Others tickle me even when they are not so good. But there are some which neither tickle me, nor are they any good. It is for the authors of these essays that I have a few maxims and aphorisms which I would like to pass on. Any aspiring writer looking to improve their writing should stare into their depths and ponder them well. I hope they will leave tortured red marks of ecstasy on your intellect but I’d say the intellect of the typical student is plenty tortured already. And yes, what follows is slightly obscene but I really can’t help myself. By the 50th essay without human contact, the spirit wavers and the mind craves a little bit of exhibitionism. So enjoy, reader, as I lay bare my naked soul. 1. From the CASS school of thought: What does not destroy me makes me stronger. There are 24 hours a day. Essays are now penalised at 5% per working day. 2. Overcoming is a virtue: Hard questions are usually the most appropriate for doing well. Wallow not in flaccid mediocrity. 3. An unexplained example is akin to masturbation. Only one person in the world will ever get pleasure from it. 4. Conclusions: Should always involve a powerful climax. There is nothing worse than simply restating the case and sneaking away.

5. Adventure: Only the daring get to view the best scenes. Just make it clear where you are going in the introduction. Even the foolhardy need mental preparation before you break out the whips and handcuffs. 6. Few actually enjoy the company of old dead white men. In orgies and essays alike. 7. Good analysis is like flirting with an attractive stranger. A little bit of teasing. A touch of coy suggestion. But mostly a lot of work. 8. “Direct quotations are but other people’s tools.” Unless you lack those tools yourself, you should use your own words. 9. And behold as the fool wagered his future on a tug-of-war. What sayeth the wise? One should hope that all the paragraphs are pulling in the same direction. 10. On false hope: To promise something and then not deliver is most disappointing. If your argument is not that big, then don’t talk a big game. There is satisfaction in a modest and well-structured argument if you know how to use it. 11. The well-presented essay is like a beautiful woman at a bar. Regardless of what they say, they will get attention. 12. Even God took 6 days for creation. Who are you to try it in 2? Thinkest thou that thou art above God?

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13. Obscurantism: To play hard-to-get is to risk losing interest. 14. Causal links: The appetite for reason sometimes needs lubrication. One cannot simply shove the argument in. Don’t forget the foreplay. 15. Are you one who reads? Or one who bullshits? First question of conscience. 16. To reference or not to reference? Second question of conscience. 17. Will they notice if I lie about my word count? Third question of conscience. 18. On the nature of the profound: Any writer capable of the D can get an HD. The D essay is basically a HD essay that is still soft. It all depends on effort and the Will-ToAnalysis. The HD is profound, while D is the yet to-be-profound. By implication, any thought carried through to its analytical conclusion is profound. 19. On spanking: To use simple words to convey complex ideas is the mark of intelligence. To use complex word to convey simple ideas is the mark of an ass. And asses are good only for spanking! 20. Must I explain so explicitly? I like my evidence like I like my sex. Pounded deep into every fibre of my being. May these words serve you well in troubled times. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to go take a cold shower.

WORONI No.7 Vol.67

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C AREERS & JOBS PRESENTED BY THE ANU CAREERS CENTRE. ASSESSMENT CENTRES SAM GUTHRIE, CAREERS ASSISTANT So you’ve been working hard on all your graduate job applications and you’ve just got a call inviting you to an Assessment Centre. An Assessment centre you say, sure we can help with that. You’re worried, you have no idea what that is. Take a deep breath and relax. Sure assessment centres are assessing you but they aren’t designed to trick you. Let’s run through some of the ins and outs and help dispel those fears and help you prepare. For this edition of our Woroni careers column we’re going to be helping fictional Frida get prepared for her assessment centre with an equally fictitious but unnamed corporation. Who knows, maybe she’ll get the job of a lifetime out of it? First things first, despite the name an assessment centre isn’t a place – you can’t find it through Google Maps, seriously, don’t even try – it’s a process, and that process has a number of aspects. But why does the process even exist? Assessment centres allow employers to observe how applicants operate as part of a team and in conditions similar to that of their everyday work. By incorporating a number of activities into the recruitment process employers can assess applicants more holistically, you should see it as an engaging chance to succeed. And a better chance to showcase your abilities than just an interview. A study conducted by the British Psychological Study considered the value and validity of a number of different elements of the recruitment process. They found the assessment centres afforded not only the best value but also were the most valid recruitment too. Let’s get back to Frida. She has been invited to her assessment centre, she’s never been to one before and she’s curious how she can prepare for something like this. Like for an interview, you can prepare by understanding what the process is likely to include and research and practice to give yourself the best chance. It also helps to consider the skills and qualities the employer is likely to be assessing and to think about how you’ve developed and demonstrated these skills over time. Did you see our previous article about the benefits of casual work? You didn’t, Frida? Don’t stress, just remember, there are lots of skills you’ve developed in your extracurricular and casual work capacities and they’re actually very important to landing that dream job! So what might an Assessment Centre include and how can you prepare?

• Aptitude tests (known, along with personality tests, as psychometric tests) and presentations are common elements of assessment centres – although, of course, each and every assessment centre is going to be slightly different, so best to check out the information you got with your invitation to attend, Frida – you can prepare for these. Aptitude tests are designed to assess your cognitive abilities, they usually take the form of numerical, verbal, or abstract reasoning. While your cognitive skills can’t be studied in the same way that you crammed for that Admin Law or Chem exam, but you can try some examples online and get prepared for the look and feel of the questions. Google’s a great tool for this, but you should also check out some links on CareerHub (search Aptitude tests or Assessment Centre under Resources), even pop into the Careers Centre and ask in person - we’ve got links and information we can share. When it comes to presentations you might get a topic in advance or you might not, either way it can’t hurt to do a bit of reading about the company (what do they do, what’s topical for them, have they been in the news? You’re likely to get a topic related in some way to the role/company. You can also work on your presentation skills. Think back to that public speaking you haven’t done in years – or if you’ve been a student pollie, Frida, all those skills you’ve been practising for yonks –, remember to be aware not only of your content but also how you come across. Your body language and tone can be just as important as knowing your stuff. In case you’ve long forgotten your presentation skills focus on these; well defined structure, relevant, succinct content; appropriate body language, eye contact, voice and pauses, use of visual aids and prepare for Q&A (sans Tony Jones). • Then there are in-tray exercises and case study exercises. These are generally very specific to the company or department. You can best prepare for these by researching the organisation, what it does, and how it sees itself doing that. Both exercises will present you with real world circumstances from the day-to-day operation of business and expect you to react accordingly. In-tray exercises will simulate a manager’s own in-tray and ask you to prioritise the tasks accordingly. Usually time limited, this exercise is asking you to be decisive, show an understanding of what will be important tasks, and suggest and articulate an appropriate order for the tasks. • Case studies are similar, but they can come with different names sometimes, so watch out for problem solving exercises and written exercises. Once again, the best thing you can do is to be aware of the circumstances of the company and industry. These activities

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will be looking for your clarity of thought, comprehension, mental agility, creativity and communication skills; all qualities and skills you’ve been developing throughout your time at university.

• Group exercises are another common activity found in assessment centres. These activities in groups of 6-10 candidates are designed to assess your behaviour and effectiveness in a team environment. You might be asked to work on a theoretical or business problem or you might be given a physical task; think paper, bridges, weights, limited amounts of tape. You’re being assessed in terms of the quality and originality of your contributions, but especially your constructive involvement. Now Frida, you may be tempted to think that if you do all the talking, come up with all the ideas and tell people what to do that you’ll be marked as outstanding. Maybe so, but not if you have not included others, been bossy or cut people off! This is an activity to identify how well you work with others to achieve a result. And its not your all time favourite tv show Survivor! Its not last man or woman standing. More than one, in fact all of the candidates in your group, may be offered a role. • You may also be invited to a social events or cocktail party, or even have lunch or refreshments during the Assessment Centre day. These events aren’t simply for relaxation and bonding, these are part of the process too. You may get the chance to speak with the recruiters, senior folk from the company or recent graduates. Use this as a chance to have constructive conversations so you can find out more about the company, its people and its values – and they can see your interpersonal skills in a different setting and, hopefully, see you as someone they’d be happy to have representing the company at meetings and with clients! You know the drill, don’t drink too much alcohol if it’s offered, and be aware of your appearance. Is that spring roll going to spring a trap on your outfit, will that second skewer of chicken make for a greasy or awkward handshake? It’s horses for courses, if you’re there to get a job act like you want a job. Speaking of which, finally, Frida, remember to wear business attire! It should go without saying, but sometimes you just need to ask someone to be sure (so ask the Careers Centre, then your interviewers will never have to know you were unsure). Remember to bring a positive and inquisitive attitude, and whether you’re successful, or not, you should ask for feedback, chances are this won’t be the last assessment centre you ever attend. So, fancifully fictitious Frida, best of luck with your equally fictitious but certainly not frivolous assessment centre.

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Week 12, Semester 1, 2015.

CAREER HUB

CASUAL JOBS

GRADUATE JOBS

Register with the ANU Careers Centre’s CareerHub today and have instant access to information on job vacancies and internship, graduate and volunteer opportunities. Casual positions are generally advertised for short periods and may be taken down once a position is filled (before the listed closing date). All jobs go up and expire on CareerHub in real time so it is a good idea to visit the site regularly. Check out recent listings below and visit CareerHub to register and get the full details including closing dates: https://careerhub.anu.edu.au

Big Improvements Tutors

Australian Institute of Superannuation

JOBS ON CAMPUS Casual Employment Office Register now! The Casual Employment Office organises the timely placement of quality casual staff against University business unit needs. The Casual Employment Office seeks applicants with diverse skills and experience in Administration, Research and Laboratory Assistance, Finance, IT, Reception and Executive and Personal Assistance. Read more: Casual Employment at http:// hr.anu.edu.au/employment-at-anu/jobopportunities/

CASUAL JOBS

Tutors Needed for a Growing Business - 3 locations (Kaleen, Dickson & Tuggeranong). Big Improvements Tutors work at our centres in Kaleen, Dickson and Tuggeranong taking students individually or in pairs. Tutors make a difference to students who struggle at school and we encourage you to be creative and have fun - tutoring shouldn’t be boring! Tutors need their own reliable transport, must be flexible, organised, and confident. Pay: $25-$31/hour. Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Closing date: 5 June 2015

Court Monitor, Spark & Cannon Canberra We are currently seeking a couple of casual Court Monitors in Canberra to be involved in recording and monitoring proceedings at the ACT Law Courts and Tribunal. To be successful applicants will possess the skills and attributes: professional presentation; a keen eye for detail; excellent communication skills and a pleasant and approachable manner; good keyboard skills and technical knowledge; and available three or more days per week (Monday to Friday). Pay: starts $22.77/hour Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Closing date: 5 June 2015

Change Agents, Community Shapers

Receptionist, Jordan Lawyers

Established in 2015, Community Shapers is an innovative and progressive community engagement centre which selects clients based on their progressive credentials and provides meaningful and engaging over-the-phone outreach to our clients’ supporters. We believe in the power of values-led, well-informed and inspired one-on-one conversation to effect social change. We only partner with progressive clients working towards a fairer, kinder, more sustainable world and we only hire “change agents” who share similar values. Pay: $23.30/ hour. Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au

Jordan Lawyers is a law firm in Canberra specialising in property conveyancing, commercial law and estates and is conveniently located in the heart of the Weston shops. We are seeking a part-time conveyancing clerk/ receptionist to work 9-5pm Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays. Prior experience is preferred but not necessary. Job involves: answering phones; assisting solicitors with various work; filing; administrative tasks; and liaising with clients and other parties. Pay: award rate.

Closing date: 31 July 2015

Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Closing date: 29 May 2015

Casino Dealer, Canberra Casino Ltd. Want to be paid to have fun whilst becoming a skilled, professional Casino Dealer? This paid training school will commence on 22nd June 2015 ($17.35/hr). The training course is conducted over a four-week period, Monday - Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and will conclude on Friday 17th July 2015. Applicants must be available for the entire duration of the school as attendance is compulsory. Full-time and a limited number of casual positions will be offered at Casino Canberra after successful completion of the course and gaining of a Casino Employee licence by the ACT Gaming and Racing Commission. Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Closing date: 7 June 2015

Software Engineer, Agile Digital Agile Digital are seeking to engage a bright and enthusiastic Computer Science or Engineering final-year/graduate or masters student to take up a casual position as a junior software engineer. The candidate should have a broad understanding of the Unix (preferably Linux) operating environment and the Java programming language (or other JVM language). A friendly demeanour and excellent communication skills will ensure a great fit with the team. Full time work is available postgraduation. Pay: $58,000 (pro-rata). Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Closing date: 24 May 2015

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The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees Super Grads program offers university graduates a rare and unique opportunity to join in one of Australia’s fastest growing industries. The superannuation industry manages $2 trillion of assets for Australia’s retirees. This exceedingly rich experience will not only provide you with a great job and develop your business skills but also provide you with valuable superannuation training in addition to social, community and networking opportunities. Pay: $4555,000 + super. Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Applications close: 5 June 2015

Allianz, Sydney General Insurance Leadership & Relationship Management and Sales Graduate Programs in Sydney. Allianz Insurance Australia is part of the Allianz Global Group operating in every State and Territory in Australia, and is one of the leading Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurers. By joining Allianz, you are joining a company that offers a fast-paced, flexible and innovative work environment and a rewarding career. Pay: competitive salary. Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Closing date: 28 May 2015

Migration and Refugee Settlement Services ACT Opportunities have arisen in a not-forprofit community based organisation that assists migrant, refugees and humanitarian entrants to settle successfully and harmoniously in the Canberra region. The organisation seeks highly motivated, qualified, and experienced individuals to fill the following positions: • Project Officers (Full Time 12 month contract), salary $47, 443 -$52, 383 • Case Officers (Full Time 12 month contract), salary $50,150 - $56, 316 • Receptionist/Admin (Full Time 12 month contract), salary $ 44,400 -$50,150 Read more: http://careerhub.anu.edu.au Closing date: 29 May 2015

ORONI COMPLAINTS? CALL DIRECTLY AND REGISTER YOUR COMPLAINT HERE: (02) 6277 7340

THE SEVEN UNWONDERS OF THE WORLD: THE MONA LISA SATIRE

In this regular segment, Woroni takes you on a tour of the greatest man-made clusterfucks ever to grace the surface of the Earth. This anti-guidebook will introduce you to the most spectacularly ruinous landmarks the world over, from the dying Aral Sea in Khazakstan to the smouldering ruins of the old nuclear proving grounds of the French Pacific. Whether their sheer disastrousness makes you want to laugh or cry, these spectacular monuments to the supreme power of human folly are worth a visit. Tourism is a weird thing. On the one hand, the world is a fascinating place, made up of such a dazzling, complex and textured fabric of possible experiences that only the most dedicated shut-in would not want to see and experience for themselves. On the other hand, the only thing that can truly ruin the experiences the world has to offer is mass tourism. Case in point is this week’s Unwonder: the Mona Lisa. Let me paint the scene, for those of you who have not yet been to see the Mona Lisa. Early morning finds you wandering through the streets of the beautifully preserved 1er arrondissement, along the bank of the slow-flowing Seine, and the normal Parisian smells – baking bread, diesel exhaust, coffee, garbage – linger richly in the air. As you approach the Louvre, the first thing that strikes you is the length of the queue to get in. It is a monumental, and what’s more, almost entirely stationary. Every few minutes, it is convulsed by a slight tremor as it

ZENO moves forward a metre or so. You gird your loins for a long wait, and join it. “At least the length of the line must at least be a sign of how great the museum is!”, you think to yourself for the next few hours. When you finally get in, you spend a little while wandering the relatively uncrowded exhibits. “This is great!”, you think to yourself, while wondering in the back of your mind where the huge crowd of people from the line could possibly have got to. As you approach the Salle des Etats, however, you begin to hear a strange kind of muffled grumbling. “Unusual for an art gallery” you think, but you press on nonetheless. As you get closer to the famous Mona Lisa room, the noise grows louder and louder and louder, until the volume alone begins to remind you of that time at your 11th birthday when your mum left the room briefly to check on the cake, which you and your mates took as an excuse to practice your Zulu war-cries while launching splattering salvoes of party pies at various poorly-chosen targets in the living-room. You turn the corner into the Mona Lisa room and what you see in front of you is almost as catastrophic. A huge, hydra-headed crowd, irregularly strobed by dazzling cameraflashes, pulses and surges around the far wall, where, over the heads of the crowd, you see four museum guards standing impassively around what seems to be a tiny, nondescript square. The members of the crowd elbow past each other, holding a ludicrous array of photographic devices at various crazy 32

Images: Wikipedia angles above their heads. They’re taking pictures, but it’s a bit hard to tell what of – perhaps they’re all die-hard fans of rectilinear architecture, because they seem to be taking photos mostly of the walls and ceiling. You plunge into the crowd, determined to see what all of the commotion is about. Half-an-hour later, battered, bruised and tired, you re-surface at the front of the crowd, the veteran of a thousand unintentional photo-bombings, only to see what the fuss was about: that indistinct square at the front of the crowd was the Mona Lisa! And now you can gaze contentedly on her mysterious visage, face-to-face, without obstructions! Except for the handrail, the protective glass sheeting, the burly French security guards and the eager jostling in your back that reminds you that your turn at the front ended approximately yesterday, you have an uninterrupted view across the five-or-so metres of empty space that separates you from the famous artwork. You’re so close, you can almost make out some of the colours. What a spectacular Unwonder! Don’t forget to buy several ugly novelty “Mona-Lisa-inspired” coffee mugs on your way out, to help you remember the whole exhilarating experience. I recommend you visit to the proud Unwonder that is Mona Lisa as soon as possible, because the number of adventurous tourists heading “off the beaten path” to visit her increases every year. Don’t forget to bring a camera with the biggest fuck-off flash you can buy.