Let the wild rumpus start!

For those reading this you would be aware that my favourite time of year is only a week away. Orientation Week is the time of year when the Union, through the power of student creativity, can engage students new and old by providing a taste of everything we offer. There are three full days of clubs & societies out in force, performances from some of the best student talent in the country and a hefty number of freebies around the place – and who doesn’t love a freebie?...

I sat down with this year’s directors, John Fennel and Alistair Stephenson, to get the inside scoop about what it means to go into the wild and what we can expect from this years three-day O-Week extravaganza.

What made you guys decide to take us into the wild this year?

The theme is in line with the way we think about our time at uni. It’s full of adventure, discovery, and fun - but also a touch of darkness and mystery. There are buildings we'll never set foot into, experiences we'll never have, and people we'll never meet. But that’s half the fun of it - it’s a place of endless possibility.   

What can we expect to be different about O-Week this year?

No two O-Weeks are alike - each year the directors get a blank canvas upon which they can create their festival. We’ve had such a range of experiences during our time at uni and that’s really come out in the types of events we’re hosting.

Being postgrads, we thought it would be nice to have a 3 Minute Thesis competition. We’ve played Interfaculty Sport in our time, so we’re having a showcase on the front lawn. And we’ve had involvements in various publications, which is why we’re hosting a student publications exhibit, Jungle Books, over at the SciTech Library. It’s also not going to rain, which is heaps different too. 

We've also worked hard to expand the line-up - this year we're pushing more events than ever before, and thus a greater diversity of interests will be represented. It's hard to know what's going to be "your thing" when you get to uni (we certainly couldn't have predicted our interests), so we hope a bigger line-up will go some way towards making that easier.

Hey, the rain is a longstanding tradition guys! Are there any returning favourites?

Of course - O-Week wouldn't be O-Week without Speed Dating to creep out the first years, Theatresports keeping everybody on their toes and the spread of hip hop, Quidditch or drama showcases to wow their respective audiences. The executives behind these events work insanely hard and we're not ones to mess with their formulas.

Otherwise - our opening night party, Let the Wild Rumpus Start, kicks off O-Week with DJs, face painting, and onesies. The following night we have our all-ages Comedy Night in MacLaurin Hall, complemented by Sunset Jazz over at Hermanns for the people who’d prefer a drink with their jazz. Our closing night party is our Band Night, Animalia, featuring some of Sydney’s best bands and headlined by Jinja Safari. It’s going to be huge!

What single event are both of you most looking forward to and why?

John: I can’t pick a single event - they’re all great! Shut up! I am really excited about sleeping when it’s all over though...  

Al: Animalia, by a long shot. I'm a huge fan of the three bands that'll headline the night, so very keen to see them in action!

My favourite thing about O-Week is the freebies, what can we forage for this year? Please give me event times and locations so I can set up camp early...

With so many events on our schedule, we can’t possibly tell you where to go... meaning you'll have to be at O-Week all day everyday, signing up to all clubs and societies, taking part in all events, and wearing onesies. No questions. Also, it’s all on the USU website.

Well, you know I’ll be running around for freebies, how will you be spending your time during O-Week?

We were hoping Tarzan would swing us around from event to event on a vine. We haven’t given up on making that happen. Otherwise we'll probably be weeping with joy on Eastern Avenue about how awesome the festival is, in a loincloth.

Final question, if you weren't directing O-Week, but you were literally lost in the wild, what would be the one thing you would need with you and why?

An iPod so we could listen to Arcade Fire and run around like Max from Where the Wild Things Are (one earbud each, because we're best friends).

I’m super excited and you should be too! For more information, check out the Union’s website www.usu.edu.au or Facebook page www.facebook.com/USUAccess

My personal picks for O-Week 2014 are:

1.     Animalia

https://www.facebook.com/events/637293903028534/?fref=ts

2.     Campus Culture’s Scavenger Hunt https://www.facebook.com/events/508472012607717/

3.     Sydney University History Society Historical Tours – there is no link, because Facebook is not historically accurate, it’s like Wikipedia in that way…

4.     The annual Liberal versus Labor Debate

https://www.facebook.com/events/713621908655557/?fref=ts

5.     Into the Wilde – ALL OF THE SUDS PROGRAM BECAUSE 125 YEARS OF AWESOME, HOW COULD YOU GO WRONG?

https://www.facebook.com/events/455780361218289/?previousaction=join&source=1

Hope to see you around campus on the 26^th – 28^th of February, I’ll be the guy scrounging around for free stuff and taking photos for the Campus Culture Scavenger Hunt concurrently!

Robby Magyar

Board Director

Queer Review Report

In my capacity as the Queer Portfolio Holder of the USU Board of Directors, I have been conducting a Queer Representation, Engagement and Leadership Review to update, improve and extend what we offer to the queer community at the University of Sydney. This has been an ongoing project that I have conducted whilst working on other Board projects, such as the Programs Review that Tim Matthews blogged about last week.

View the Queer Review Report.

It is hoped that this review, and the thirty odd recommendations contained within, will help change the way queer students engage with the USU and make our service offerings much more relevant and supportive. Members have been consulted at every point of this review, be it at the series of forums hosted during Pride Week or in discussions with queer leaders on campus. This review has been produced by and for queer students.

Please read the report and if you have any questions, concerns or general comments, please send in a written submission to r.magyar@usu.usyd.edu.au by Friday 15th November.

In you email, please indicate whether you wish to submit anonymously, as these submissions will be included in the final report tabled for discussion at the Board meeting on Friday 29th November.

Please be constructive in your responses.

Robby Magyar
Queer Portfolio Holder of the USU Board of Directors

Programs Review

We all get involved in the University of Sydney Union community for different reasons. For some it was finding your niche in that club you joined at OWeek, for others it was a party or festival during Semester that caught your eye. The USU’s Programs Department is responsible for the wide gamut of parties, festivals, and events which make up such a large part of our contribution to this vibrant student experience. Earlier this Semester, Robby Magyar and I compiled a review for Board on the scope and activities of the Programs Department, with a view to providing the most dynamic and diverse programs offering possible in 2014.

We began with a quantitative analysis of the performance of the Programs Department activities for the period January 2012 – July 2013. Here is an insight into what we found:

• The USU ran a total of 261 events in this period, which were attended by 30,954 people. Another way to think about this is that the USU ran events on more than 7 of every 10 days in 2012.
• Of the five largest events in this period, four were during OWeek.
• During Semester, many of our most successful events involve partnerships with our diverse and active Clubs and Societies Program.
• Attendance rates at our events are, on average, 130% of our projected event attendance (with the average event being attended by 119 students).
• The events that we run come in all shapes and sizes – with 30 performance events, 16 art events, 12 lecture events and 12 parties run by the Programs Department in this period. We were incredibly proud of the diverse event offerings coordinated by the USU in this period.
• The USU ran 87 events in this period (or one third of all events) intended to build a community of International Students on campus. These events include a weekly film screening and pool competition, as well as an Australian Discussion Group where International Students from non-English speaking backgrounds are invited to socialise and practice their English language skills.

There are some things that you should look for coming out of this review, that hopefully will expand and diversify the programs offerings:

• We hope to offer renewed International, Interfaith and Indigenous programs, that will coordinate more regular events under these programs throughout semester.
• We are hoping too coordinate some new initiatives as well, around health and wellbeing, and sex and consent.
• We are looking into ways to run more consistent events at the start of Semester – so you can build on the networks and connections you make at OWeek.
• We are currently consulting with students and clubs and societies about how we can expand and diversify our Programs offerings for Postgraduate students in 2014.
• We are looking to integrate more events for queer- and female-identifying students into our regular festival lineup in 2014.

We would love your input on which direction you would like to see us take your student programs in 2014. Please don’t hesitate to email me at t.matthews@usu.usyd.edu.au with your thoughts!