Lot's Wife Edition 1 2017

ACTIVITIES
SEAN GLASS & SARAH HARRIS
Sarah Harris and Sean Glass are the Activities Office
Bearers for 2017! We will be working hard to bring
Monash Clayton students fun events such as pub
crawls, trivia nights and after exam parties all
year round. But the fun isn’t just for after hours
events, the dynamic duo will also be feeding the
hungry masses with free Hump Day barbecues!
So if you’re ever in the mood for a snag or a
hash brown come down and see Activities every
Wednesday on the Lemon Scented Lawn. Also as an
added bonus we’ve lined up live music acts to serenade you whilst you eat
for the first 7 weeks of semester, how good is that?
INDIGENOUS
JAYDEN CROZIER & BRYDA NICHOLS
ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE
TESS DIMOS & JASMINE DUFF
ESJ is a hub of left wing activism at Monash, uniting
activists and progressives in combatting oppression and
injustice. We organise left wing forums and protest
campaigns on campus, fighting the government’s
attacks on migrants, welfare, and working class people.
As Trump’s attacks on Muslims have escalated, mass
opposition has swept the United States. Inspired by
that movement, we have organised thousands of people
in Melbourne to protest against not only Trump but
our own right wing government and their barbaric refugee
policies. This year we’re part of the national campaign to Make Education
Free Again. On March 22, students in every major city around the country will
protest against the unacceptable living standards that students experience
and for more accessible education. We want as many people involved as
possible – that means you! To get involved, like us on facebook at MSA
Environment & Social Justice or email msa-enviro-l@monash.edu.
The MSA Indigenous Department exists to represent
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Indigenous people are underrepresented in higher
education and more likely to prematurely withdraw
from their studies. Our department strives to provide
support networks and advocacy for these students.
This year’s office bearers – Jayden and Bryda – are
committed to raising awareness about issues facing
Indigenous students such as ITAS funding cuts, closing
the gap, creation of an MSA Reconciliation Action Plan
and the renaming of the John Medley Library. Similarly we aim to promote
Indigenous culture on campus. Our first event of the year will be hosting
the Wominjeka Monash Clayton on February 22nd. The event is during
O-Week and will feature a traditional Indigenous Welcome to Country, led
by Aunty Di Kerr and Aunty Carolyn Briggs. It will also be headlined by
prominent Indigenous Australian artist, Dan Sultan, with local Monash
student talent. We hope to see you there!
WOMEN’S
SHREEYA LUTHRA & NIKOLA GUZYTE
Hello fellow students, the Women’s Department has
well and truly kicked off this year with planning
underway for events, workshops and campaigns.
Getting ready for O-Week is a heap of work for
every department, and while we’ve been doing this
we’ve also been preparing for a few post O-Week
events, including a movie night for International
Women’s Day (keep an eye on the big screen outside
of campus centre)! There will be new surprises coming
to the Women’s Room, so swing by if you haven’t before
and hopefully we can unveil the changes soon. #watchthisspace! If you’re
not very well acquainted with the Women’s Department, feel free to swing
by upstairs campus centre! We’ve got plenty planned for this year, including
NOWSA, a national women’s conference that we will be partaking in, so
never hesitate to come along to something or express interest. Thnx v much
xoxo ur women’s officers.
DISABILITIES & CARERS
NAWAMA GREEN & MELANIE LOUDOVARIS
Hello from the MSA Disabilities and Carers (D&C)
Department. We have been working on plans for this
coming semester, including organising a lounge
space in our office for students to use, working
towards making guides to study and how to get
support, as well as working on ways to improve
accessibility of MSA events and activism. We will
be holding events like morning teas and discussion
groups throughout the semester, find us on Facebook
for more information and details. We look forward to an
awesome year and a great first semester.
student affairs
QUEER
ANDREA DUVAL & DENISE ATZINGER
Insert generic welcome. Since we’re always accused of
having a gay agenda, Monash Queer Department has
gone to great pains to stay on theme. This includes:
LGBTea, Queer Beers, plotting discussions and
workshops. We’ve already had a great glittery start
to the year with our Monash contingent marching
at Pride and a picnic afterwards. But the events are
still coming. We’d love to see people check out our
trivia night in week 2. Keep your eyes open for our
Karaoke Night and Queer Ball. Feel intimidated visiting
our lounge on level 1 of campus centre? We’re having friendly intro sessions
for the first few weeks for new students (or veteran students but new to the
lounge). Please check out our Facebook page, Monash Queer Department -
MSA. You can follow for all the updates and get in direct contact with the
Queer Officers for more info.
PEOPLE OF COLOUR
JASMINE NGUYEN & KAPIL BHARGAVA
It’s the START of something NEWWWW and it
feels so right to be here with YOU! Ohhh ~ It’s
Jasmine and Kapil, your officers from the brand
new People of Colour (PoC) Department! The
PoC Department’s main function is to support,
unite, represent and empower students of colour.
We’ve been busy sorting out the office, regulations
and social media. We’ve also been talking to clubs
and planning campaigns and events for the year. To
name a few, keep an eye out for the Holi festival with the
Hindu Society and the United Colours of Monash campaign. Since this is
the Department’s first year, our intention is to make sure we start it with
a BANG by reaching out to as many people as possible so we can build
together a stronger, more inclusive and diverse community.
Jasmine Nguyen: jasmine.nguyen@monash.edu
Kapil Bhargava: kapil.bhargava@monash.edu
OBR
Office Bearer Reports
8-9