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STUDENT POLITICS
CULTURE SCRAPBOOK
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FILM ESSAYS! INCEPTION & TOY STORY
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LOCAL CULTURE: WHOLESALE MEAT DIRECT
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AUSTRALIAN YOUTH CLIMATE COALITION
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MODEL UNITED NATIONS
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editors: connor o’brien, myriam robin, mateo szlapek-sewillo
incidental illustrations: alexandra weiland (pages 39 & 47)
photography credits: regent’s college london (page 44), australian youth climate coalition (40), connor o’brien (36), sbs (6, cover), vegan butterfly (2)
Editorial Student elections are one of the more baffling things one can go through at this University. As such, we thought it proper that On Dit presented to you this election guide, designed to cut through the spin, deconstruct the narrative, and, hopefully, entertain. It can often seem like election week has nothing to do with you. So it may seem bizarre that On Dit has devoted the majority of this edition to exactly that. We do so for the simple reason that the Adelaide University Union offers a whole bunch of things that you probably think should be provided for students. Things like Education and Welfare Officers who are independent from the university to fight on your behalf with the bureaucracy. Things like On Dit. Things like laminating and binding facilities, and events like O’Week. The student union is controlled by students, and in student elections, you decide who you trust to ensure the union keeps delivering the things you think are important. Despite what they tell you, student politicians can’t change the world. Often, they can’t even change the university much. But they can ensure the union continues to function in the way you want it to, and for that reason, student elections are important. Forever yours, Myriam (& Connor & Mateo) August 23, 2010
On Dit is an Adelaide University Union publication. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the editors, the University of Adelaide, or the Adelaide University Union.
ondit@adelaide.edu.au / (08) 8303 5404
- Fair Trade at the University Dear Eds, I would like to commend the Adelaide Uni Vice Chancellor, the members of the Student Affairs committee for their strong support for Fair Trade, and the Adelaide University Union for recently passing a motion to support the University of Adelaide taking the necessary steps in becoming a Fair Trade University. I’d also like to highlight that the Adelaide City Council recently recommended to the Australian Association of Local Government (ALGA) that it place a Motion on Notice at its Annual Assembly that calls on all Local Government Authorities throughout Australia to support the global Fair Trade movement by seeking accreditation as Fair Trade Councils through the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ).This motion was carried – and I think all those in the ACC and the ALGA are to be commended for their support. Fair Trade is close to my heart, and having advocated for the cause for many years, I can say with great conviction that, although not faultless, the Fair Trade system of certification hugely benefits poor farmers in the way it says it will, and bridges the gap between producer and consumer in a way that is only equalled, in my experience, by farmers markets and food co-operatives enjoyed here in SA. On the occasions where I have met with Fair Trade producer partners, I have been enlivened by the connection Fair Trade can make between the producer and me. Likewise if I sip my morning tea knowing where it came from, knowing the farmer’s family and children are provided for by the Fair Trade system, I feel a sense of community and peace that ye ‘ol el-chepo – produceprofits-at-expense-of-people’s-dignity-tea will simply never provide. I’ve had time to consider the theory and application of Fair Trade, and remained quite convinced that my participation in a fair trade for my morning tea, is more likely to lift tea farmers closer to my standard of living, than if I sent them a barrel of rice and a gas stove, or the money to buy it. I’m not sure tea farmers want my aid, but I’m sure they want a decent price for their product. I’m happy to oblige. Lily Pearce. Fair Trade Advocate, Adelaide City Council Steering Committee Member, Oxfam SA/NT State Committee Secretary.
- Cheerleading, Reconstructed Dear On Dit Magazine, I am a university level cheerleader from the U.S., and after reading “Bring It On?” in the August 9th publication of On Dit, I just want to set a few points straight. First, Sarah wrote, “There are cheerleading teams that cheer for sporting teams....These teams perform dance routines at games with or without pom poms. Competitive cheerleading is much more of... a sport.” In the United States, there are many cheerleading teams that cheer for sporting teams and these teams are competitive cheerleaders who perform on the sidelines with stunts, tumbling, and cheerleading choreography. These teams still go to competitions like competition squads, but they just dedicate more time and energy to cheer. Second, AUS Cheer is not the only association that organizes cheerleading competitions in South Australia, as Sarah wrote. The Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation (AASCF) is actually a nation-wide association that organizes competitive cheerleading in Australia and is partnered with the United States All Star Federation and the International All Star Federation. This organization is one of the most well-respected cheerleading organizations in the world. In fact, the Outlaws, an AASCF cheerleading team based in Newcastle, just won the cheerleading worlds competition, and was featured at the most recent Olympics. Third, Sarah also wrote that level three is the highest cheer division in South Australia. This is also untrue. AASCF cheer competitions have divisions that can compete in levels up to 6. Since cheerleading is relatively new to South Australia and most of the teams that do exist compete under AUS Cheer instead of AASCF, not many teams in South Australia are ready for these upper levels. Fourth, Sarah wrote, “The American teams had an equal gender balance.” This is far from true. Some teams have an equal gender balance, but most teams have less guys than girls until you get to the university levels. High school and middle school aged teams usually don’t have any guys at all. I would love it if more guys were involved in cheerleading in the States, but sadly, male cheerleading holds a bad stigma in most areas.
Fifth, Sarah said that she thinks no one has ever been seriously hurt. More than 50% of serious injuries related to sports in the United States come from cheerleading. These injuries mostly occur when cheerleaders attempt stunts and tumbling that they aren’t ready for. That doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t cheer, but it does mean that when people cheerlead, they need to be trained properly. Through organizations like AASCF, this kind of training is available. Thanks, Nikki Morgan. Cheerleader for over 11 years in the United States
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No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” - Winston Churchill, 1947
We just had a federal election, where it was up to all of us to decide which policies we like, who we trust, or for some people, who looks better in swimming trunks. Now it’s time to vote in student election week, or for some students, avoidthe-Barr-Smith-lawns-creatively week. We need student representatives to speak for students. Whether it is to our universities, or to our politicians, student representatives try to get our voices heard, in addition to their own. On issues like IT and printing facilities, teaching quality and youth allowance equity, a strong student voice is essential. On wider issues, like changes in the funding agreements between universities and governments, students’ concerns are important variables in the equation. Student representatives provide a strong voice while the rest of us are busy going about our lives and degrees. This takes both time and passion, and for the sacrifice these individuals make, student politicians should be recognised. But let’s be a little more honest. Student politics has many, many problems, as do its practitioners. With a relatively small quota needed to get elected, an uninformed and uninterested constituency, a temporally constricted media, and all sorts of shonky shenanigans going on during election week itself, too often who you know and how popular you are is more important than your ticket’s policies or integrity.
A small quota means that you can just try to get all those who vaguely know you to vote for you. This turns all your friends and acquaintances into statistics, so that no single person is important, but numbers are. This is one of the reasons you may see candidates marking their arms after walking someone over the line. Walking voters over the line is a common practice. A canvasser shoves a how-to-vote in the hand of another uninformed potential voter, often international students who don’t fully comprehend the situation, and the candidate nominally spout some policies while directing the unsuspecting innocent across the spray-painted or taped barrier, which the electioneer is forbidden to cross. As this vote counts just as much as spending five minutes convincing someone of why you are better than the opposition, but takes one quarter of the time and effort, walking someone across the line has got many board directors elected. An uninformed and uninterested constituency makes manipulation by student politicians far too easy. This fact, tied with just one main media source (which you’re reading currently), means that untoward behaviour not easily detected, let alone reported. Even if they are reported, the next edition of On Dit doesn’t come out for a couple of weeks. As a result, there is no incentive for honest politics. Student elections are perfectly imperfect, but this does not mean that the elections are pointless. While I recognise that student elections are flawed, there is really no other method to decide to whom to give our voice. It is worth noting, that while student politicians are, by definition, not typical students or people, this does not mean they
are not qualified to speak for students. Those who choose to get involved are often the ones who are the most engaged. If there’s one thing you want in someone speaking for you, it is conviction, which is thing that there is no lack of in student politics – even if it is often misdirected. One of the main criticisms of both the campus based Student Representative Council (SRC) and the National Union of Students (NUS) are that they can’t possibly represent the multitude of views of students. At the last NUS education conference, a resolution was passed instructing the NUS president Carla Drakeford to publish a media release on asylum seeker policy, an issue that does not unite students across the country. But, just like federal democracy, majority views prevail. When they don’t, it’s either because the opposition was not heard, or it was silenced. In student politics it is the former. This election week, try to inform yourself. Get a sense of who has the same views as you about the role of unionism, the role of education and the role of government. Take the time to ask questions. Spend five minutes discussing what you want from your student representative bodies, after all, whether you like it or not, they’re your voice. Plus you get a badge informing them you’ve already voted, so they’ll have to leave you alone. For all its many faults, student politics is a necessary evil. If you accept that students should have a say in their education and institutions that affect them and that this voice is stronger united, then it’s clear that a united effort, to be the strongest it can be, needs a single voice. As there will always be more than one person willing to be that voice, and the best way to decide who should be that voice is an election, I hope that student elections continue long into the future.
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If you vote in the Adelaide University Union student elections that are about to descend on us all, you’ll be given no less than three pieces of paper, likely in various pastel shades. One is for the AUU Board elections, one is for the National Union of Students, and one is for the SRC. Read on for an explanation of each of these separate ballots. Student Radio directors and On Dit editors are normally elected also, but this year saw only one team nominate for each, meaning they were automatically installed. Adelaide University Union Board The big leagues, where the smartest and most ambitious aspire, or where the most loyal are directed. The AUU Board of Directors contains 16 elected students, who oversee the entire organisation and have just-about-tyrannical power over the whole thing. The AUU Board also elects from within its number the AUU President, who is paid an honorarium to be a fulltime student representative. Generally, directors campaign as parts of specific factions, most of whom aim for but inevitably fall short of complete domination of this body. Meetings occur once a month, and involve reports to Board by the President, General Manager, and various affiliates who rely on the AUU for money (such as, for example, the Clubs Association), and any other business that arises. New initiatives generally don’t succeed unless they have large factional support or are so watered down as to be meaningless. It’s a very conservative body, not politically, but in terms of character. I’m not pointing this out just for the voters’ benefit. Generally speaking, most people who run for Board have no idea what they’re getting into, and take a few months to find their feet. Apart from the three returning Board Directors, Penelope Nugent and Raffaele Piccolo (both 2010 directors, Liberal and Labor Left respectively) and Jason Virgo (2009 Board, Labor Left), only two of this year’s contender’s have even attended a Board meeting as
visitors (the meetings are open to all students, and for much of the year have had their dates and locations placed in On Dit, as well as on the AUU Website). Casey Briggs (unaffiliated) and Vincent Schlegel (Indy-Go) have attended one meeting apiece, meaning they have some idea of the mind-numbing bureaucracy of this body. Now, probability suggests that some of the Board Directors elected this year will be decent. But just about all will go into election week with only the rosy picture painted by the hack that recruited them. If you’re a voter, you should know the high-turnover rate makes keeping most candidates accountable impossible. All you can do is either judge people by their faction (unwise I would say - there are good candidates of all stripes), or do as most do and just vote for a friend you respect. Student Representative Council The SRC is coming to the end of its first fully functional year, but is clearly still finding its feet. The body has a directly elected President, and no less than 13 office-bearing positions (social justice officer, women’s officer, environment officer and queer officer being just four examples). They meet about once a fortnight, and its members sit on various University committees, where theoretically they should provide a voice for students within university decision-making. An affiliate of the AUU, the SRC’s predecessor was killed off by a mixture of VSU and accumulated years of mismanagement. The SRC’s proudest accomplishments this year must include the not insignificant media attention some of its events have garnered (marrying students for welfare, giving away noodles and sausage sizzles), and the raised awareness it has garnered in students of activism on campus. Ashleigh Lustica (this year’s President, who is not recontesting) was instrumental in bringing about FIX, the new student lounge in the old UBC. I reckon she did an amazing job. But that does highlight a point. The best things the SRC does are those that benefit all students, and are aimed
at local, realistic changes. But the multitude of office bearer positions with specific and often wildly idealistic concerns means these broad campaigns are often overlooked. Attend an SRC meeting, and you will be shocked at the level of discussion that goes on over the most trivial of things. One drawn-out negotiation on the type of recyclable spoons that should be used at an event comes to mind. It’s at times like these that I’m not sure what the SRC is there to achieve, apart from giving leftwing students an outlet and cash for the activism some see as an integral part of university education. Most significant lobbying on the behalf of students to the university tends to be done by the AUU staff or President, as opposed to SRC members. This is probably wise, because, as I’ve already hinted at, the AUU Board tends to have the more politically savvy members. I have no advice as to how you should vote for this body. I would say you should vote for good candidates, but I’m not sure I should advise you to put good people through a year of the SRC. National Union of Students This is the national authority on student opinion. They speak for you, whether you like it or not. Don’t bother voting for someone who represents your views though. At NUS, all that matters is your faction. Voting is en bloc, and the Labor Right and Left tend to battle it out from year to year. Last year, their wrangling threatened to almost derail the entire organisation, with it failing to elect new office bearers at its national conference (another one was called a month later). In 2009, NUS elections on campus were cancelled due to a legal technicality. In a stunningly brazen demonstration of just how important the Labor factions consider securing the 6 Adelaide delegate spots to the natioanl conference, a motion was speedily and without notice passed, appointing candidates and leaving independents fuming. Ultimately, who you vote for at NUS could have large consequences. But not ones that affect you. 2011 won’t be an election year. Vote for whoever you want.
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Voluntary Student Unionism has not made University politics redundant – it always was. This is due in part to the sort of people want to be student unionists. In coming days, sociopaths majoring in liberal arts are going to harass you around the campus. They will insist that by voting for their respective Labour Party faction, you will help to save the University from the other, very evil, Labour Party faction. Here are some techniques for avoiding these beastly creatures.
1. Tell them you do not go to the University, even if you do. 2. Once you have voted, you will be given a sticker which will indicate to the unionists that you have already voted. Abscond with a roll of these stickers – you will want to apply several hundred of them to your person during election week. 3. As you walk past the unionists, try to look very interested in your telephone, iPod, or shoes. Never make eye contact with a student politician during election week. 4. If somebody tries to thrust a pamphlet into your hand, politely inform them that you aren’t interested. Should they persist, politely inform them up exactly which orifice of theirs you are considering relocating their pamphlet. 5. If cornered by an incumbent, ask what it is they have achieved over the past year. If they break down crying, sneak away. 6. Wear an article of clothing that implies you voted for the Liberal Party in the just-passed Federal Election. Alternately, whistle Stand Up Australia jingle very loudly. This is a dangerous ploy however as while the unionists will not approach you, they may throw rocks in your direction. If you actually did vote Liberal, then ignore this technique. 7. If they trap you all alone and you cannot get away, just close your eyes and think of England.
The Left (Indy-Go and Activate)
Although Activate and Indy-Go aren't the same ticket (all involved are at pains to point this out), a decent description of The Left cannot be given without some consideration being given to the connection between the two. The candidates for both tickets have been almost exclusively recruited by Lavinia Emmett-Grey - former Adelaide University Union (AUU) President and matriarch of The Left - and she will be the one organising the campaigns for both come election week. Activate is the oldest of the political tickets that will be contesting this year's election, having first appeared on campus under that name in the 2000 elections. Closely associated with the Left faction of South Australian Young Labor, they operate under a binding caucus for floor votes, meaning that the ticket will come to a joint decision on any major decision before the meeting, and this decision will be binding on all the members of the caucus. Activate have fared well in the last two years, scoring 4 of 18 seats on Union Board in 2008 and 5 of 16 last year. The retiring presidents of both the SRC and AUU (Ashleigh Lustica and Fletcher O'Leary respectively) ran with Activate at the last elections. Next we come to Indy-Go. Founded by Emmett-Grey as a so-called "ticket of progressive independents", Indy-Go's election debut came in 2008, where they took three seats on AUU Board, a feat they repeated in
2009. By taking independent candidates and forming a ticket, Indy-Go is able to improve the electoral chances of its members by channeling preferences to other candidates on the ticket, something which usually makes the difference in AUU board elections. In the last two years, Indy-Go has helped elect a number of genuine independents, but this has been the exception rather than the rule, with most simply towing The Left’s line. The camaraderie built between candidates from Activate and Indy-Go (through joint banner-painting sessions and the like) has previously made acting as a genuine independent (and going against the rest of The Left) a difficult choice for those elected to make, with ostracism and disapproval the usual consequences. The extent to which Indy-Go formally binds on AUU board office bearer elections (President, Vice-President, executive, etc) has been contentious in the past. Emmett-Grey acknowledged in a pre-election debate and on the Indy-Go website last year that elected candidates are bound on office bearer elections. However, at other times this has been denied by both Emmett-Grey and some Indy-Go candidates. Whatever the official policy, an elected Indy-Go candidate will be (if everything goes to plan) a de facto vote for office bearers from The Left. The Internationals
"The Internationals" is a rather unimaginative name given to the loose coalition of (generally Chinese) international students who run in the elections every year. With such a large international student population, the Internationals have typically received large primary votes, making two or three elected candidates a pretty safe bet. In past years this numerical presence has rarely translated to actual influence, with attendance at board meetings lacklustre. However, board directors Xu Ting (who also serves as post-grad representative on the University Council and International Student Officer on the SRC), Shaoming Zhu and Eric Fan Yang have somewhat confounded this reputation: attending almost every meeting and showing few reservations about speaking up, especially on international student issues). This year, it appears like two separate international tickets have been
organised, one by Fan Yang and Ting, and the other by Zhu. Zhu ran with the Liberal ticket last year, and has since helped the AUU establish an employment database for use by its careers advisors. He possesses a more assertive style than the other internationals, and while he is not running himself, he is acting as campaign manager for another international ticket running with a multicultural agenda (i.e. greater integration between local and domestic students). It’s worth noting that he is fielding a female candidate both for Board and as SRC Women’s officer – one of the first times in recent elections that an international ticket has fielded woman. The Liberals
Student politics at Adelaide Uni (and throughout Australia) is generally a battle between the two factions of Young Labor, leaving the Liberals to share the balance of power with the Internationals and the odd independent. In the past, the shared hatred directed at Liberal board directors from both the Labor Left and Labor Right has often left elected Liberals without office bearer positions, leaving them with few obligations to the AUU other than the once-a-month board meeting. While Liberal candidates are generally not supporters of Student Unionism, their small numbers leave them without the ability to “roll back the frontiers of the Union” (a phrase used by a Liberal candidate in 2009). In the absence of this power, Liberals on board have in recent years served as voices of dissent and kept the larger factions honest, turning against the Labor Right just as often as they do against The Left. The College Ticket The first of two new tickets this year is the College Ticket, founded and coordinated by current board director Penelope Nugent, who ran as a Liberal last year. Taking candidates from residential colleges, the ticket claims to be a non-binding and non-political ticket for college students, a group that has not seen united political representation in recent years. That said, when the college vote has been called on, it has been significant - Nugent's college connections played a large part in her receiving the highest primary vote last election - and one would expect the College
Ticket to garner some of the higher primary votes this year. Given Nugent’s connections with the Liberal club on campus, with her at the helm it is difficult to imagine the College Ticket not forming some sort of alliance with the Liberals this year. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how they go about pursuing their pro-college agenda, and the extent to which their elected candidates vote together. Due to what is believed to be a mixture of candidates not nominating in time and being poached by other tickets, it is not certain at the time of writing whether the College Ticket will run. Its lead candidate, Nugent, is still on the ballot, and expected to contest. Perhaps the College Ticket will be absorbed into the Liberal one. At this stage, it is not certain. Synergy
Another newcomer to Adelaide Uni's political scene this election, Synergy will be an intriguing player in the upcoming election. The ticket's name is an obvious nod to the ticket of the same name that saw a coalition of the Labor Right, Liberals and left-wing independents remove the Labor Left from power at the University of Melbourne last year. It appears that their campaign strategy and rhetoric will come right out of the Melbourne ticket's playbook as well: trying to sell the ticket as an independent group of people with different political backgrounds. Early indications are that this is not an entirely untrue summary, with Liberals and Greens nominating under the Synergy ticket. Although there are suspicions that Synergy was simply a new Labor Right ticket, the fact that senior players from the Right were planning a different ticket as recently as early August, and that they seemed completely unaware of Synergy until the close of nominations makes this seem unlikely.That said, one cannot help but draw some connection between Synergy and the Labor Right: many, if not most, of their candidates come from the Right, and Mikaela Wangmann (Synergy's convener) is the younger sister of a senior Labor Right figure at UniSA. Regardless, it appears that Synergy will fill the void left by the now defunct Innovate (lastyear's Labor Right ticket) as the main competition to The Left.
Not all the tickets are represented here, but only the ones whom we managed to contact and who responded to our request. For a full description of the tickets contesting student elections, see the Election Broadsheet published by the AUU and our article on page 16 of this edition.
IndyGo The majority of students on campus do not align themselves with a political party. It was with a view to represent these students that veteran student activist Lavinia Emmett-Grey established IndyGo in 2008. Though any member of the Union may run completely independently in student elections, these candidates lack the wherewithal to pitch a successful campaign, let alone successful policy. Lavinia, a former Adelaide University Union President and member of the Labor Left outside of university, recognised the significant lack of structured and cohesive representation for this unaligned group of students and sought to remedy it. Some may argue that the idea of a party opposing party factionalism is contradictory, but it is this unorthodoxy that makes IndyGo refreshing when compared to its counterparts. The beauty of IndyGo is that each candidate is free to their own beliefs and decisions, safe in the knowledge that the party
encourages individuality. In 2010, the SRC’s Ethno-Cultural, Social Justice, Environment and Welfare Officers, as well as the General Secretary and several General Councillors were IndyGo candidates. IndyGo vowed to campaign for the improvement of student accommodation. IndyGo’s Hayden Tronnolone, current SRC Welfare Officer, directed a lobbying campaign calling for an inquiry into the state of student accommodation in South Australia, drawing attention in both television and print media. IndyGo’s Ramanathan Thurairajoo, the Ethno-Cultural officer, played a vital role in acting on the pledge to campaign for greater support for international students on campus. He established the Adelaide Indian Cultural Society, and undertook many university and union consultations with international students. With students’ cultural backgrounds also in mind, Hayden ensured that all meats served at Mayo and at SRC barbecues are halal, and that vegetarian options are available at all times at the University’s food outlets. This year saw many students with an interest in sustainability turning to IndyGo. This may have related to the SRC’s impressive Fair Trade Expo, directed by IndyGo’s Bec Taylor. This expo demonstrated IndyGo’s commitment to the provision of Fair Trade foods and beverages on campus. Thanks to Bec’s leadership, Mayo cafeteria now provides Fair Trade coffee, as do the staff kitchens in most faculties. IndyGo also promised a campaign for better recycling and waste disposal options on campus, which IndyGo’s Joel Dignam championed. Joel helped to obtain the University’s new reversevending machine, which has already seen over 1,000 bottles be recycled. An improvement to options for student transport was also a focal point for IndyGo, so Joel helped to arrange for 20 second-hand bicycles to be donated to students in need. Finally, a mental health campaign was promised by IndyGo in 2009, and Hayden has already begun significant preparations for this to take place soon. He also collaborated with the University’s Counselling Service to develop a set of posters giving students exam advice and motivation. In the 2010 Student Elections, IndyGo is running a large cohort
of students for the Board, the SRC and the NUS delegation. The campus’s only independent party hopes to continue its growing success, as it strives to achieve unaligned and unbiased representation for all students. - Ali Thompson Synergy Men and women of the University of Adelaide! The decision we will make for our Union is a choice between the past and the future, between the habits and fears of the past, and the demands and opportunities of the future. There are moments in history when the whole fate and future of students can be decided by a single decision. This is such a time. It’s time for a new team, a new program, a new drive for equality of opportunities: it’s time to create new opportunities for our students, time for a new vision of what we can achieve in this generation for our university. It’s time for a new union administration. My fellow students, I put these questions to you: Do you believe that students can afford another year like the last 36 months? Are you prepared to maintain at the head of your affairs a coalition which has lurched into crisis after crisis, embarrassment piled on embarrassment week after week? Will you accept another three years of waiting for next week’s crisis, next week’s blunder? Will you again entrust the Union’s finances to the men and women who deliberately, but needlessly, ripped the guts out of campus culture? Or to the same men and women who allowed the Sports Association to disaffiliate from the Union? Can you trust the last-minute promises of men and women who stood at the forefront of every major decision that has led the union to this point? We have a new chance for our Union. We can recreate this Union. And we are determined that the students at Adelaide University shall berestored to their rightful place in their own Union. We will put
students back into the business of running the AUU and owning the movement. We will revive in this union the spirit of cooperation and selfrespect, mutual respect between student government and students. But the best team, the best policies, the best advisers are not enough. I need your help. I need the help of the students, and given that, I do not for a moment believe that we should set limits on what we can achieve, together, for our union, our university, our future. - Mikaela Wangmann Convener of SYNERGY
Internationals #1 We have been the balance of power on the board and we have always acted responsibly. We naturally don’t have political factionalism and we could not care less about ideologies. We bring a different perspective to the board and act solely in the interest of students. If you are an international student, please vote for us. We experience the same difficulties as you and have always been speaking up for you. If you are a domestic student, please vote for us. We are the naturally objective judges and we make decisions not based on what we believe but on what we see is best for you. - Eric Fan Yang (spokesperson for the first ticket of internationals) Internationals #2 The policies of the second International ticket, convened and organised by Shaoming Zhu. 1. Lead multiculturalism on campus: We support a fair system to allow all students to truly express who
they are and share their individual cultural heritage. 2. Push an online interactive message board on AUU website We think all students’ voices should be heard, any constructive advice should be considered and more important actions should be taken upon issues. We believe more interaction between you and AUU should happen, real reflection of your thoughts will be published and real results of problem-solving action will be watched by you through this message board. 3. Advocate ‘mateship’-style help We urge necessary help that goes to individual or group of people who are less fortunate, especially ethnic minorities. As a result, it will realise real and equal opportunities for all students. - Shaoming Zhu Activate Every year I have been at uni I have been out there in election week on behalf of Activate, and I’m happy to say I’ll be out there again this year. Activate has contested elections at Adelaide Uni for ten years now, and every year you will see our distinctive megaphone logo on banners across campus. Even though I am not contesting this time, I am grateful that there are people who are going to continue to fight for a passionate, engaged community of students that stands up and fights for what it believes in. Activate’s slogan is ‘Progressive, Active, Accountable’. We call ourselves progressive because we believe that university should be an open and inclusive place where you should not be discriminated against because of your age, sexuality, or nationality. We believe that students should be at the forefront of fighting for this in the wider society. We call ourselves active because we will fight for what is right and for what we believe in. You will see Activate’s candidates organising and attending rallies and events, and you find Activate’s candidate’s at board and SRC meetings. Activate lends its voice and its hands to what needs to be done to make a strong, student-con-
trolled Union and SRC. And we call ourselves accountable because Activate believes that a transparent union is a strong one. Over the years Activate has pushed for openness and transparency. Activate will always fight for this. I was first drawn to Activate by common beliefs around free education, environmental and social justice, and rights and opportunities in our society. If you think these things are worth discussing, then Activate is for you. Activate is policy driven and for this year we’ve done what we set out to achieve. For example, last year Activate ran on a policy of setting up a computer recycling scheme, to help financially stressed students who don’t have access to a computer at home. We have the support and the materials to run a pilot program for this next term, within the SRC. We also said that we would push for online course readers and submission of essays, and for a different way of reviewing SELTs. These have been put into formal position papers and have been submitted to the proper University committees - and we will continue to lobby hard for these things. Activate also promised to fight for student space with facilities so that any student on campus could just sit down and relax - Ashleigh Lustica (SRC President) and I were instrumental in ensuring the abandoned UBC space was converted into a student lounge. This is just a sample - a full list of our policies from last year and what we have done with them will be provided on our Facebook group and our website. One of our political opponents told me that we ‘take this too seriously’, and I think that this is indicative of the biggest difference between Activate and the other groups who say they want to represent you. We take it seriously because it is serious. Fighting on issues like student income support is important. Fighting for a better university is important. Fighting for equal rights for gays and lesbians is important and these are all things that your student representatives can do. Choose your representatives wisely - base your decision on conviction, commitment, and a proven record of delivering on what is promised. - Fletcher O’Leary
SCRAPBOOK - contemporary and/or local culture, high and/or low (the funny-lookin’ creatures edition)
The Human Centipede Like Snakes On A Plane before it, the whole premise of this film is stitched up right there in the title. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to stitch three people together in order to create a kind of bizarre pseudo-myriapod invertebrate, you’re in for a real learning experience here. Really, we don’t want to gross you out explaining the human-to-centipede procedure explicitly, which means we can’t say anything at all because the whole thing is so disgusting. We hear rumours that The Human Centipede should be slithering over to the Mercury Cinema soon. The feel-good movie of the summer?
Mac and Me (1988) This is, by far, the best/worst movie ever made. A Coca-Cola-sponsored ‘sequel’ to Spielberg’s E.T., this film climaxes with an inexplicable danceoff at a suburban McDonalds outlet. It sounds crass to say it, but the scene where the kid in the wheelchair rolls off the cliff is truly one of the greatest to be immortalised on 35mm.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s
Beat the Devil’s Tattoo California’s meanest indie rock band come back with their fifth studio effort, with new drummer Leah Shapiro formerly of The Raveonettes. Trademark dark, swirling rock & roll.
Curren$y’s Pilot Talk Yes, that dollar sign is intentional. Shante Anthony Franklin, who used to be on Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money label and made his name with a stellar run of mix-tapes, embraces the finer things in life, like smoking copious quantities of weed and playing NBA on the PlayStation. A frequently hilarious and oddly relatable record in a genre often slated for its nihilistic materialism.
Yeasayer’s Madder Red (music video) Veronica Mars herself (uh, Kristen Bell) stars in this clip, as the owner of an adorably deformed one-eyed pet that drips blood and puss out of most every orifice. YouTube this sucka.
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Zero gravity shootouts, chaotic car chases and mammoth explosions that would make Michael Bay green with envy. Yes, the new Sci-Fi thriller Inception is your typical Hollywood blockbuster. Only it’s not. Hidden somewhere beneath all that fandangle action lies something studio executives would usually hiss at while clutching a crucifix; a clever plot. Few films have one nowadays, possibly due to the word ‘clever’ being misinterpreted as ‘clichéd’ by screenwriting monkeys, or possibly because thinking films generally wind up in art-house theatres with a total audience of four. For this reason, if a big-budget action film wants to make a profitable return, the story must go something like this: boy meets girl, girl has giant knockers and runs around in super slow motion, boy discovers he can shoot lasers from his elbows, girl is impressed. Roll credits. Inception, for reasons I’m about to tell you (so be patient!), is an exception to this rule. The film deals with psychological
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concepts that would give Dr. Freud a braingasm, such as the veracity of our dreams, the conceptual fabric of ideas and the uncontrollable influence of our subconscious. Surprisingly, these dense themes haven’t stopped the film from exploding at the Australian box office, earning an impressive $16 million in its first two weeks. That’s practically unheard of for a film that is neither based on a pre-established franchise nor made by James Cameron. So does this mean that your average moviegoer is actually getting smarter? Goodness no! You see, the real genius of Inception has little to do with how impenetrably complex the story is, but rather how well it convinces you that it’s impenetrably complex. Given that almost every important plot detail is plainly verbalised by the characters, and that the story is actually without any game-changing twists, the film is arguably quite straightforward and easy to follow. Sure, things get a little bit hazy if you decide to read into it on a deeper level, but between dodging freight trains and outrunning avalanches, you don’t get much time to think too hard about the intricacies of the plot before the film is over. As a result, Inception leaves everyone feeling as though they have a PhD in psychology because they ‘get it’. It’s interesting to note that Inception’s writer/director Christopher Nolan actually began formulating the story over ten years ago, right around the time a little film called The Matrix was making the rounds. Larry and Andy Wachowski’s realitybending thriller went on to earn a sizeable $460 million globally as both audiences and critics alike ‘got it’. As with Inception, The Matrix succeeded not only because it squeezed on the adrenal glands like any good action film should, but
because it tricked the brain into thinking the plot is actually more confusing than it really is. As for the two Matrix sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions? Well, they’re a mess. It’s as if the Wachowski brothers drew a line straight down the middle of their screenplay in order to divide brains and brawn – smart people and dumb people – so that they never crossed paths. If Reloaded wasn’t chasing down teleporting albino twins in one of many pointless chase sequences, it was forcing us to endure some of the most confusing expository dialogue from a pompous twat who looks like he should be selling us fried chicken. What sets the original Matrix apart from these lacklustre sequels is that nearly all of the action scenes are integral to the telling of the story (yes, even the bullet-time). The same goes for Inception; the gravity-defying action is undeniably there to show off some big budget effects, but more importantly, it’s there to craft an engaging narrative in the most exciting way possible. As you can imagine, it’s not easy to achieve a perfect balance between smart but not too smart, exciting but not senseless, and still prove to be hit at the box office. In all of cinematic history, I can only think of a few other quality Sci-Fi films that fit the bill: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, Back To The Future, Total Recall, Minority Report and WALL-E (as much as I’d love to include Blade Runner, the fact remains that the film was a critical and commercial flop when it was first released). These films effectively unite three radically different types of moviegoers; those who go to the movies purely for the spectacle, those who think all films should be profound explorations of the human condition and those who like to dress up as Chewbacca on weekends. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.
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Pixar Animation Studios is a household name nowadays and upon taking my seat in the cinema to view their latest effort, Toy Story 3 I was once again expecting something brilliant from them. A long while back before the release of Toy Story in 1995 the once computer hardware manufacturer was however a struggling company that almost went out of business due to lacklustre sales. In 1991 they signed a $26 million deal with Disney for the production of three computer-animated feature films (Toy Story being the first) but even in 1994, then CEO Steve Jobs (the guys that now holds new iPods for press photos among other duties) was tempted to sell the company to Microsoft. Luckily he resisted said temptations as when Toy Story was finally released by Disney for the 1995 holiday season it was the top grossing film of the weekend. By the end of its theatrical run Toy Story had taken in US$361 million across the world and opened up a new audience to the wonders of animated film. Pixar films are now known widely throughout the world and have brought in a staggering US$5.5 billion at the cinemas over the last 15 years. In 1995 most of us were primary school or kindergarten kids and upon seeing Toy Story we were probably more interested in the misadventures of Woody and Buzz, or even their re-
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spective toys which were released in mass in the following months, than we were in the quality of Pixar’s animation and the extraordinary efforts of the 110 production staff. I never saw Toy Story upon initial release and it wasn’t until the video release of Toy Story 2 which I borrowed from the kids across the road in the early 2000s did I become interested in the film franchise and its creators, Pixar. Through my teens I held on to that lingering sense of childhood (I’m sure many can relate) through the Pixar films such as Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. They became the children’s films of Generation Y and hit that ever-too-illusive combination of being financially successful as well as being widely regarded by critics and the public as excellent films. Pixar and most importantly the Toy Story franchise has inspired similar animation companies such as DreamWorks Animation which first released Antz in 1998 and later found greater success with the Shrek franchise. They have also had a great influence on the grater film world as in 2001 the Academy introduced an award for the Best Animated Feature Film which to no one’s surprise has been won by a Pixar film a record five times. Unlike DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek film series which hasn’t aged nearly as gracefully as its counterpart Toy Story series, Pixar have maintained a dominance that can be attributed to their painstaking animation production and attention to detail. The story and the characters in Toy Story (particularly the latest and arguably best film of the trilogy) have an incredible ability to evoke an emotional response from their audience despite the obvious setback of being animated and not ‘real-life’. The detail in the facial expressions and the movements of the toys give them almost human qualities, which along with Andy’s toys collective views on their own friendships and what they hold to be important make them characters that are accessible to a wide audience both young
and old. When Pixar’s latest offering Toy Story 3 hit cinemas earlier this year most would have expected something great but what we received was nothing short of extraordinary. It had been 11 years since Toy Story 2 came out and the kids that initially loved the first two films in the 90s and early 00s had grown up significantly. We were now young adults studying or in the work force and childhood had it seemed nearly escaped us. The same could be said for Andy as his once favourite cowboy Woody and his space ranger Buzz now spent their time in his toy box as memories more so than toys. When it’s time for Andy to move away to college he struggles to know what to do with his toys as he has moved past childhood. This theme of growing up and now longer being a kid is so universal and is what makes Toy Story 3 such an important film as it continues to speak to the audience that made it successful initially. What began as a reasonably simple story about a young boy’s toys when they come to life in Toy Story 15 years ago has grown parallel to its audience to become a very mature story of what it feels like grow up told through the eyes of one boy’s toys. Pixar was acutely aware of their audience and knew a typified story aimed at younger children wouldn’t prove sufficient for the audience that was largely going to see this film. The maturity of Pixar has made their films, and in particular Toy Story 3, more than just ‘kid’s films’ and has put animated films back on the radar. In recent years we have seen serious films such as Waltz with Bashir, A Scanner Darkly and Persepolis using animation as their preferred production method. It seems that well-made animation can prove just as resonating and important to an audience as any ‘real-life’ story and the brains behind Pixar Animation and Toy Story 3 typify this.
- Local Culture! -
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I promise I’ll eventually stop writing in On Dit about buying music. But having examined physical formats and the Big Star closure, it’s refreshing to take a look at something that’s genuinely new: Wholesale Meat Direct. It’s not a bargain bin butcher-shop – it’s Adelaide’s newest answer to the question of music distribution. Wholesale Meat Direct is a not-for-profit independent record store comprised of a couple of tables against the wall in the Format zine shop. One of them holds an array of affordably-priced CDs and records from local bands. That’s important, and along with Clarity Records, helps to fill the vacuum left in Big Star’s wake. But the other table is where things get really interesting. On it are a couple of almost-retro computers, which you can use in conjunction with a USB drive or blank CD to construct your own musical compilation from local bands. For free. Zero dollars. To be clear: you can go into Wholesale Meat Direct with no money and come out with sweet tunes. The range, while still on the modest side, is very diverse, and growing by the day. All the music there is licensed under an Australian Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. Don’t fret if you don’t know what that means. Simply put, Creative Commons is an organisation devoted to destroying three words: ‘All Rights Reserved’. In the blogtorrentube era, it’s understandable that people see music copyright as a tool of ‘the man’. It’s the area of law which makes it possible for major record labels to sue people for downloading Justin Beiber, and take down YouTube guitar lessons. It doesn’t help the struggling artists who really require this protection (after all, legal proceedings are expensive) and it does even less to let the consumer know just what they can get away with. Enter Creative Commons.
Creative Commons releases copyright licenses that people can use to make it crystal clear exactly which rights they reserve, and what they let you do with their product. There are some pretty big examples. Wikipedia is licensed under one, and in the music sphere, Trent Reznor used one to release two Nine Inch Nails albums in 2008. The type of license that Wholesale Meat uses is pretty generous – so long as you aren’t making money and you credit the artist, you can do whatever you like with their tracks. You can lend them to a friend, remix them, even use them as a soundtrack to your DIY slasher flick. It’s all fair game, and guilt free. Even if they had the resources, they couldn’t send lawyers after you. ‘But why do we have to go to a shop?’ you snort. ‘Can’t they put it all online?’ Well yes, they could, but you’re missing the point (like you always do). You trade away some of the convenience you’d get with an online service, but in exchange you get all the advantages of a real shop with real people. Music, after all, isn’t just something to be enjoyed in isolation. The guys at Wholesale Meat are, in my limited experience, pretty friendly, and they know their stuff (they’re also members of some of the bands in question, which helps). If you make the effort to walk there, you’ll get recommendations, descriptions and gig dates. And a little exercise. It’s easy (at least for me) to get excited about this. However, I think it’s important to keep in mind that none of the bands on Wholesale Meat Direct’s system are getting paid. Which, let’s face it, for most local bands is nothing new. They’re in it for promotion and simply to share their work. Wholesale Meat Direct is about sharing, publicity, and having a centralised source of Adelaide music – but it’s not a sustainable model unless people make it one. That’s you. If you really like an album and can spare the cash, buy it. Go to the band’s next
gig (chances are they have one). That’s what it’s all about. Wholesale Meat Direct is now open just off Hindley at 15 Peel Street, between 3 and 6pm Monday to Friday. Check it out. It’s the realisation of a good idea, and a great way to hear some of the interesting music coming out of our fair town. Just don’t forget the CD table while you’re there.
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In his piece, “Elections & Brightly-Coloured Band Aids” (On Dit, 78.8), Dominic Mugavin targets the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) when making two main criticisms of what he terms ‘single issue groups’: that they do not achieve real and lasting change, and that they cost our democracy. The reality is that single-issue groups in general, and the AYCC as a case in point, provide an accessible, empowering and effective way for individuals to take action on issues that matter to them. By providing a non-partisan outlet for such civic participation, they strengthen the foundation of our democracy – an engaged citizenship. The greatest merit of a group like the AYCC is its inclusiveness. People join the AYCC because they are concerned about climate change. There is no homogeneity of political views or economic ideologies; the mission of the AYCC is to build a generation-wide movement to solve the climate crisis, not to convert everyone to drink bio-dynamic milk. Given that many people who would otherwise be involved in activism are turned off by the existence of cliques or tacitly mandated value systems, the AYCC provides an avenue for these people, allowing a greater diversity of people to be part of the broader climate movement. Contrastingly, often an activist group with broader aims can be alienating to its members. I have known people to join environmental groups only to find themselves engaged in ideological warfare on grounds of sexuality or indigenous rights. The question isn’t whether these are also worthwhile causes – the question is whether from someone’s interest in addressing the climate crisis we should make assumptions about their other interests. The very fact that the AYCC is a single-issue group is what enables it to engage and involve people so successfully, and has no doubt contributed to its place as Australia’s largest youth-run organisation.
Regarding the successfulness of single-issue groups, I contend that many significant social progresses have occurred as a consequence of a campaign focused on a single issue. Suffragettes, for example, campaigned exclusively to give women the vote. In Australia, the Franklin River dam was stopped by thousands of campaigners dedicated to a single issue. While politicians will typically cement in law the changes that these bodies have been working for, the focus of these groups is essential for establishing the groundswell of support that makes such political action possible. Thus, the AYCC’s aim is analogous to the singular aims of other comparable and successful popular movements for change in recent history. In terms of the AYCC’s methods, of which Dominic seems so critical, I wonder what alternative he proposes. Just in South Australia, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition has distributed leaflets, spoken at schools and public events, and been featured on radio, television, and in the press. We have produced our own videos, had opinion pieces published, and recently organised a two-day youth climate summit, Power Shift, which mobilised hundreds from across SA. We have directly and indirectly lobbied politicians, and, on Election Day, our members will be handing out cards scoring the climate policy of the major parties. These traditional campaigning methods are used in tandem with the AYCC’s utilisation of new media. I don’t see how this reflects a lack of understanding of “political structures and their inputs and outputs.” The work of the AYCC has strengthened and improved our democracy. Our national project Youth Decide resulted in the world’s largest per capita youth mobilisation on climate, with 330 events held nationwide. This means 330 occasions for volunteers to acquire skills in community organising and management, to engage with our political system, and to make their voice heard. The 37,000 people who voted were each given a chance to express their concern about climate change, and the results of this event
were shared directly with federal politicians. As an advocacy body, the AYCC represents its 54,000 members, sharing their views with politicians and making their voices heard in the highest halls of power. “If you’re not turned on by politics,” said Ralph Nader, “politics turns on you.” While I am passionate about solving the climate crisis, I am also a passionate advocate for democracy, and I am grateful for the effectiveness with which the AYCC acquaints its members with Australia’s democratic systems, teaching them how to have the most impact, turning them onto politics. I am privileged in my role to meet hundreds of people who are passionate about acting on climate change. The AYCC exists for these people, to involve them as part of a broader movement, to share with them the knowledge they may need to be effective, and to train them in the skills required to make social change. Thousands of people have been inspired and moved to take action by the AYCC, and hundreds of thousands have encountered our work, either directly or through the media. The AYCC is building a generation-wide movement to solve the climate crisis. Call it a band-aid if you will, but it’s healing the wound.
Joel Dignam attended the Copenhagen Climate Conference with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition as a Youth Delegate, and is now the SA co-director. He studies Sustainable Energy Engineering and is Environment Officer on the Adelaide Uni SRC.
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It’s not very often that I find myself inspired by a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie. In fact it’s not very often that I find myself watching a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie. But after watching the pair take on the world of international politics, or at least a model of it, in Winning London (available in its entirety on YouTube for your procrastinating pleasure), I couldn’t help wanting to get involved with the Model United Nations. After all, convincing Ireland to vote on your resolution is all the more worthwhile when their delegate looks like Jesse Spencer. Model United Nations (MUN) conferences are held at state, national and international levels and provide an opportunity for students with a keen interest in international politics to interact with each other and gain an insight into the workings of various committees of the United Nations. While it’s very easy for us to sit in tutorials and complain that the UN achieve nothing, after acting as the delegate for Australia when discussing the issue of Taiwan/the Republic of China without upsetting either of your most important allies, you start to appreciate the difficulty of diplomacy. Conferences vary in size and duration, with the big ones such as WorldMUN lasting over a week and attracting delegates from around the world. All conferences, however, are about engaging with international issues and gaining a deeper understanding about the United Nations and the processes of multilateral institutions. Delegates are provided with the opportunity to practice their debating, public speaking and research skills, as well as to refine their techniques of persuasion and negotiation. MUN brings together a brilliant collection of young minds and supplies a unique opportunity for the creation of valuable friendships and connections. As Under Secretary-General for Committees (yes, even the conference organising committee is organised like the UN), Tanya Bainbridge, recalls, “that’s
what really makes MUN worthwhile; it’s not the heated debate, the awesome socials, or the chance to call the delegate for the US an “imperialist pig” but the people you meet that make MUN-ing memorable.” So how can you get involved in the obviously amazing phenomenon that is MUN? Well that’s the easy bit, because this September the University of Adelaide will be hosting SAMUNC (South Australian Model United Nations Conference). This year’s conference includes challenging topics such as the reunification of the Koreas, avoiding a GFC 2.0 and natural disaster prevention and relief. With six diverse committees to choose from, you can sign up for the Security Council, serve as a Justice on the International Court of Justice, solve problems on the International Monetary Fund or join our dynamic Press team to report on the conference! And that’s just for starters; SAMUNC 2010 includes access to guest speaker events and exciting socials each night of the conference, as well as a great chance to meet students from around Australia who share your passion for debate, diplomacy and a business-wear dress code. The ever so slightly harder bit for those of you who are new to MUN-ing is the idea of having to get up in front of a room full of strangers in suits and convince them that whatever you have to say is correct. But don’t let this scare you. As Co-Secretary-General, Sharon Traucki, remembers, it was her first experience at an international conference, when she “was pretty nervous, and in a room of 40 people, and hadn’t actually spoken a word apart from my compulsory opening statement” but was met with consideration from her fellow delegates, that gave her the courage and inspiration to continue with her successful MUN career. Before you know it, your name will be on every speaking list and you will be motioning
for moderated caucus at every chance you get. While it may be difficult to find the perfect solution to all the world’s problems in just 3 short days, the secret to passing your resolution can be as simple as winning over the other delegates at committee dinners. But at the end of the day, MUN is not about winners and losers. The feeling when your resolution is passed after hours of negotiating, and is perfect down to the last punctuation mark, and you can turn to your fellow delegates and smile as you realise the friendship you’ve found, that is what makes all MUN-ers winners. SAMUNC 2010 will be held from the 22nd to the 24th of September. Registration is open to all students at the University and costs $70. To register, head to www.auuns.org
State of the Union. Words, Fletcher O'Leary: AUU President
Federal Election By the time this goes to print the Federal election will all seem like a distant dream, or a living nightmare (depending on which side of politics you are on vs. which side of politics wins). Whoever got in, it’s going to be an interesting three years for University students, and we need to be ready to campaign for what is in the best interests of students. Regardless of who has won, student income support must be increased, funding for Universities to build infrastructure must increase, and the government must commit to continue increasing the number of University students from disadvantaged backgrounds. What’s happening Every year Academic Board reviews the Education Portfolio Performance Review. You can access this in the meeting papers (available to all students on the University’s website). There are some interesting facts in this report, which deals with everything including staff to student ratios, student satisfaction, and retention and progression rates. It also divides information between domestic and international respondents. It makes for interesting reading: for example, one Faculty has one full-time staff member for every forty full-time students. I attended the University Learning and Teaching Committee in early August to discuss some proposals for performing a review of SELTs, as well as mandating lecture recording, electronic submission of assignments, and providing electronic course readers. I’ll keep you posted, but I think that we will be able to get some movement on these ideas.
Coming Up The campus elections are coming up in the week beginning August 30th. Come around, say hi, talk to the people out there and, of courses, vote! The State Final of the National Campus Band Competition will be happening on September 9. And finally, World Week (the artist formerly known as Multicultural Week) will be coming up mid September. Last year’s Multicultural Week was awesome, and this year it looks like it’s going to be even better.
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