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Shouts and Whispers: Student Activism, Outcomes, and Experiences

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Thomas (Tio) White (he/they) is one of the MSA Environmental and Social Justice Officers When most people think about student activism, they think that they don’t know enough to participate. They think that the issue is too complicated, isn’t about them, or not a part of their direct university experience.  Somewhat predictably, as one the 2024 Environment and Social Justice Officers, I don’t think it has to be this way. I want to offer an alternative way of viewing this space of student empowerment and advocating for change. Student activism and student experience are not necessarily mutually exclusive, where an
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CampusStudent

Belonging 101

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“There is a club for everyone at Monash,” – MSA Clubs and Societies.  As someone who comes from overseas, I remember struggling to find a sense of belonging at university. On one hand, I knew that I received an offer to study here, therefore I should have felt like I ‘belonged’ as a student (If I passed all the qualifications, then surely, I was ‘meant’ to be here, right?). However, I soon learned that a sense of belonging cannot be achieved just by entering the door that was made open for you; you also need to feel connected with the
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AnalysisCampus

Teaching Conditions are Our Learning Conditions

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If 2024 is the beginning of your journey at Monash University, prepare for what is shaping up to be a year marked by significant industrial action. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) represents university workers of all types across Australia, advocating for safe and secure employment, and a brighter future for higher education. A well-supported university system, with staff in secure and well-compensated positions, is crucial for delivering quality education and leading-edge research. In 2021, reports emerged that approximately 4,500 staff at Monash University, including around 3,100 current casuals and more than 1,400 former employees, were victims of wage theft,
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Campus

Lost and Found

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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
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Campus

Melbourne Again

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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,
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Campus

Discipline as self-care

20230217_180852 – Suzy Jones
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
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Culture

An Interview with Matt Cronin

Pat-Cronin-Foundation-End-The-Coward-Punch-Feature-600×450-1 – Kristalleni Lymbouris
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
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Campus

The Science of Thriving

A282BA79-6C1F-4C55-A1CA-32C4631D746B – Zoe Bartholomeusz
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
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Campus

My Year at Wholefoods

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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
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Campus

The Monash Permaculture Garden

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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.   
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Campus

Pathways and Problems

Ruby Comte Menzies
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
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Analysis

Do Not Sit Idle Whilst Our Leaders Burn The Planet

Myles Blum Global Warming and Consumerism
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.
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