Campus

Lost and Found Words by Joy Jasmine Kaur I was lost. Metaphorically, completely lost. I won’t lie. I just simply couldn’t remember who I was.  Even if I thought about how I used to be, that seemed like a long-lost dream.  Something that couldn’t be regained.  I lost interest in everything. Every damn thing. Life had completely lost its meaning and purpose for me.   They say that the transition to university is hard. Yup, I felt it, the hard way.   My transition to uni was coupled with my transition to a new country without all the people I

Words by Mark Daniel Osborne   The smell is first. No change, and no change  for the homeless. Big Issue,  cashless purchase, cashlessed purchased? Manicured blue-collars,  hi-vis, Add coiffe to the cost of living? Asked a Golden Stranger for the cheapest beer. "You remember," I heard, stopped. "You're a member?" she said. I remembered her, but two years past. Confused and impressed, but then made sense of. Energised her with humour, then ordered. A bird sits upon a stool Waiting for fries... Smoking, supping, watching Like the city I'd left Changed yet not  diminished by its familiar rot Growth within,

Words by Anna Art by Suzy Jones   Controversially, discipline is my ultimate form of self-care. I am not talking about the drill sergeant “do one hundred pushups, run a marathon, survive on nothing but scraps of lettuce and bone broth” sort of discipline. Without a doubt, restrictive behaviours and a lack of balance culminate in nothing but severe burnout and rapidly declining mental health. I am talking about prioritising the fleeting discomfort of delayed gratification over the hedonistic, short lived pleasure of instant gratification. I am talking about setting a 15 minute timer and making a schedule to complete

Words by Krista, MSA Welfare Office Bearer   When I think about wellness, I think about meditation, journal writing, yoga. Taking regular breaks, eating well. And sure I’ll think about some more social aspects, like hanging out with friends, being a part of a sports team or a volunteering group.    But sometimes we can do all of these things, nail that perfect lifestyle-balance - and out of nowhere, it can all be taken from us.    That’s what happened to Pat Cronin on the 16th of April 2016. He was a university student just like us, and went out

Words by Monash Thrive Art by Zoe Elektra   There’s an abundance of information at the tips of our fingers telling us how to improve our mental health: “eat this,” “do this exercise,” “read more,” etc… How do we know what actually works?  Monash Thrive has you covered!  They launched their 6-credit point elective unit “The Science of Thriving” this semester. It’s open to all undergraduates, and it’s designed to teach a combination of critical skills and knowledge around mental health and seeking help. It has a bonus professional development benefit, as you can learn skills you can carry into

Words by Stephen Mack Art by Kathy Lee Content Warning: Discussion of mental health struggles   My Year at Wholefoods   It would have been about this time last year when I first walked into Wholefoods. Nineteen years old, six months deep into therapy, one foot out of the closet, and equipped with little more than an unfilled prescription for antidepressants and the anxiety-driven ambition to get a life and maybe, just maybe finally get around to making some friends.  I’m now twenty, eighteen months deep into therapy, one leg out of the closet, and equipped with a fair bit

Words by Monash Permaculture and Monash Association of Sustainability   Have you seen the community garden near the Monash Clayton campus center? It is a lovely garden with glorious fruit trees and lots of overgrown parsley! If you are anything like the Monash Association of Sustainability, you might be thinking that this would be a wonderful place to rebuild for the Monash community. If so, you will probably be interested in this article, which describes the garden, what it has achieved in the past, what is happening with it right now and what it could be in the future.   

This article and artwork were both first published in Lot's Wife Edition 2, 2021. It started and ended with a Bachelor of Arts, but what happened in between wasn’t an ordinary route. My story Year One During Year 12, I was set on enrolling into the Bachelor of Arts because there was a wide breadth of subjects available. At the time, I didn’t have a career path set in stone, which caused me many dilemmas later on.  From the get-go, I changed my minor from human rights to behavioural science within the first few weeks of the semester. I thought

This piece and artwork were first published in Lot's Wife Edition 5, 2021.  By Allyssa Gardner, Monash Students for Climate Justice Member In recent months, extreme weather events have ripped through the Northern Hemisphere. The United States, Canada and Siberia have seen deadly heat waves and subsequent wildfires. Turkey and Greece are the latest nations to join this list. There were also fatal floods in Germany and China, while landslides took lives in Bangladesh and India, and Iran is suffering a severe drought.  All over the world people are dying from extreme weather events that are exacerbated by climate change.

Last year, in Edition 4 of Lot’s Wife, I wrote an article on the fall of journalism, the Fourth Estate. In my article, I highlighted how journalism is being pulled in all different directions: firstly, by the outdated you-sell-papers-you-earn-money business model; secondly, by social media and clickbait entertainment; and finally, by decreasing government funding. I argued that it is the responsibility of the modern-day Three Estates – the government, corporations and citizens – to ensure that the powerful remain accountable.  In the race to preserve democracy, sometimes it can seem like ethical journalism is only inches ahead of misinformation and

This piece was first published in Edition 1, 2021. Beginning university is an exciting yet overwhelming time. The sooner you understand certain aspects of university life, the less stressed you will feel. Here’s a list of all the things I wish I knew when I started studying at Monash to help you feel more prepared.  Take Orientation (O) week seriously I know that’s probably the last thing that a new student wants to hear. Why start studying a week earlier than semester starts? The answer is simple, it actually will help you later on. When O-week starts, your units for

Both this article and the accompanying art were first published in Lot's Wife Edition 5, 2021. Content warning: mental health, illness I remember the first time that I called to book a counselling appointment. I don’t remember exactly what drew me to the phone, but I do remember it being a spur of the moment decision that required me to momentarily swallow the ‘my problems aren’t large enough yet’ rhetoric for just long enough to input the number.  The phone rang, and rang, and rang. My brain went into overdrive trying to protect me from this uncomfortable feeling – the