RAYNA BLAND | NEWS: ISSUE #2 FLAT WHITE
It is close to the middle of the semester and we all know we haven’t watched a single lecture after Week 1! Fear not, as the mid-semester break is the perfect time to catch up on all those missed lectures, and to help you with studying, check out our curated list of where to find the best coffee no matter where you are on campus! And if you still haven’t joined a society or club, check out some of them below to see if anything catches your eye!
To get your society or story in Grapeshot, contact me at:
raynabland@students.mq.edu or grapeshot@mq.edu.au
Got any news? Tell us!
Campus Coffee Spots
Find the perfect flat white at any of the following locations on campus:
St Laurent, found in the ICC food court.
Cult Eatery, found in the Arts Precinct, ICC or in the Media department (5% off for MULS members).
Soul Origin, ICC food court.
Library Cafe, location: library.
Taste Baguette, check it out in the ICC food court.
Crunch Cafe, found in the Macquarie Sports and Aquatic centre.
(BREW) us, location: MGSM.
4RPF Cafe, location: 4RPF.
Piccolo Me, found in the Australian Hearing Hub.
Chatime, found in the central campus courtyard.
Pablo & Rusty’s, found on Wally's Walk.
Walanga Muru
Walanga Muru is a program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The program is run by staff with strong educational qualifications who encourage students to grow academically, personally, and culturally. This intellectual environment is driven by Aboriginal values, perspectives, and knowledge; the guiding values are Respect, Relationships, Responsibility and Reciprocity.
Walanga Muru means ‘follow your path’ in the language of the local Dharug people. Walanga Muru strongly believes that the success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is achieved through a holistic approach that recognises cultural differences and experiences. Find out more information about Walanga Muru through the Macquarie University website.
Central Campus
You might have seen the new Central Campus. Fresh green lawns to lounge on and soak up the sun. Beloved Boost continues to live on at Macquarie in the ICC and we have new additions like Chatime! Life is sweet...
The main new building, the ICC, offers three levels. The first level is where many fooderies can be found. Pool tables, vending machines, fun lighting and as you walk through to the back of the ICCs first level you can find Macquarie's iconic Ubar. The other levels offer study areas, classrooms and verandahs where you can overlook over a horizon of beautiful green trees.
UBAR
The new Ubar is a nice, open, and new space with a great view of the lake. The atmosphere is lively and vibrant. The high ceilinged terrace and large space definitely beats the old Ubar shipping containers (not that they were not lovable). With this new space it seems like Ubar will be hosting a lot more events which is exciting.
Over the opening of session 1 Ubar offered 20 deals in 21 days of specials. Students and staff could purchase $1 coffee, $5 El Toro pizzas and discounted cocktail jugs. Ubar also hosted a hilarious comedy night. The night included comedians such as Frenchy, Kyle King, Steph Broadbridge, Tom Armstrong, Sam Kissajukian, and Nat Damena.
Cork & Canvas taught a night of Paint and Sip! Carmeli Gonzalez, an MQ student who attended the night with her friends said she enjoyed the night: "It was amazing. We ended up creating a great piece... it was step by step and the instructor encouraged creativity."
Catch the Sunset Sessions as well each Friday from 4-6pm. Live music, sunset views over the lake and an extended happy hour!
Find out about these events and specials on Facebook (@Ubar) or Instagram (@Macubar).
MUSE!
While the ICC and Ubar are great facilities, other spaces on campus have been neglected such as MUSE. The MUSE building is next to the ICC. The second level is open which includes the MacShop, Student Engagement and a small study area. Once you walk up the stairs and turn left you can find the Women’s Room and the Macquarie University Queer Collective’s Queer space. These two rooms are incredibly important safe spaces on campus for students.
The Women’s Collective (WoCo) and the Women’s Room
Libby Payne and Amanda Matthews are the presidents of the Women’s Collective. As Libby Payne, WoCo's Co-president, explains, "The women’s room allows women identifying and non-binary people a space to relax, study, sleep, pray, breastfeed, and socialise. This space also offers free tampons, pads, and condoms, which aren’t available for free anywhere else on campus."
The space also offers valuable information "for survivors of sexual assault, and domestic violence, on where to go to seek help." The room is maintained by the Women's Collective but the safe space is open to all female and non-binary identifying staff and students regardless of whether they are a part of WoCo or not.
The Women’s Collective hosted a Whine and Wine event to kick the year off. We gathered at Ubar to meet other MQ women, chat about our lives, and discuss politics. There was also an online Tea and Chat event.
WoCo also hosted a film screening to celebrate International Women's Day. The Macquarie University's Gender Studies program joined with the Women's Collective, the Sydney Feminist History Group, and the Faculty of Arts to present a screening of Brazen Hussies. Directed by Catherine Dwyer and produced by Andrea Foxworthy and Philippa Campey, Brazen Hussies tells the story of a revolutionary chapter in Australia’s history: the Women's Liberation Movement (1965-1975). Catherine Dwyer also attended the Q&A after the screening!
WoCo also hosts a number of contingents to social justice protests. Recent contingents include Youth Survivor Speak Out: Stop Sexual Violence – Stop Christian Porter Now,
Global Day Of Climate Action, Pro Choice Rally, speaking out against Staff-Student cuts at Macquarie University, STOP BLACK DEATHS IN CUSTODY, and Trans Day of Visibility.
The Macquarie University Women's Collective is a great group of strong, intelligent, intersectional feminists. Stay updated with their events through social media. Their Facebook page is Macquarie University Women’s Collective and find their Instagram at @mq.woco!
The Macquarie University Sustainability Society (MUSS)
The Macquarie University Sustainability Society (MUSS) is a student organisation that advocates and engages in environmental sustainability on campus and in everyday life. This group cares for climate justice. To advocate sustainability MUSS recently participated in Clean Up Australia Day. Tyra, the president of MUSS iterated that "Clean Up Australia Day is important for MUSS as we strive to encourage environmental sustainability."
Clean Up Australia Day highlights how problematic single-use plastic is. As Tyra envisions "We hope for a single-use plastic free future, and therefore use the Clean Up Australia Day to reiterate the hazard of single-use plastic to staff and students on campus." MUSS is a relatively new student group and an incredibly important one. As the need for climate justice becomes increasingly apparent, it is paramount to have environmentally conscious groups making efforts to make the planet a healthier place.
“MUSS values the Clean Up as it can help create a new “normal” around being environmentally conscious" Tyra tells us; let's hope for many more "normals" when it comes to saving the planet and making greener choices.
Uni Students For Climate Justice (USCJ)
MQ Uni Students for Climate Justice took their fight straight to the bosses on the 5th of March. Literally. They occupied the lobby of Glencore. Glencore, as a corporation, has plans to destroy Aboriginal Heritage sites in the NT, and is one of the biggest producers and traders in the world of seaborne coking and thermal coal. This social activist group plans to keep on fighting this great fight. The students will be partaking in the next global protest for climate justice to take a stand against corporations that seek to destroy the planet for profits.
Macquarie University Musical Society (MacMS)
MacMS presented Worlds Away Worlds Away which was a collection of three short 30-minute musicals. Each musical explored a unique perspective on being worlds apart – or Worlds Away – from those around you, and the differences that can exist in how each of us view our experiences.
The show was very creative and the singing was excellent! MacMS puts on lots of shows throughout the year; find them on socials to stay updated with audition notices and show releases!
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Macquarie Socialists
By KIM STERN
Capitalism is a system rife with injustice, oppression and planetary destruction. Billionaires increased their fortunes by $10.2 trillion dollars during the pandemic as unemployment numbers skyrocket. The explosive movement for racial justice, Black Lives Matter, was a response to ongoing systemic violence against people of colour around the world. An unquenchable thirst for profit drives fossil fuel companies to catapult us toward climate disaster at an alarming rate.
We urgently need a socialist alternative to capitalism but we need to get organised if we are ever going to be able to win one. The Macquarie Socialists is an anti-capitalist revolutionary Marxist group who believe in the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism by the working class. We run political meetings and organise protests around a number of issues such as the environment, workers rights and LGBTI+ liberation.
On campus we are leading the campaign against the attacks to staff and university courses by Macquarie Uni management. We organised protests last year against over 200 units and 300 staff cuts in the name of profits and this year we are organising against the forced redundancies of a further 80+ staff. Students need to organise and fight because the only way that we can make changes in society is through protests. Education should be a human right not to generate profits for university bosses. Find out more about the campaign by liking the page on Facebook: Macquarie Students Against Uni Cuts.
The Macquarie Socialists are also a part of organising the Marxism Conference, a massive five day gathering of the left dedicated to radical politics. It features impressive speakers who’ve been involved in radical struggle, such as Gary Foley, a veteran Indigenous activist who was part of setting up the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. The Conference is a space for left wing people to come together, get to grips with socialist ideas and organise with others who want to get rid of this barbaric system. Find out more and grab your tickets at: www.marxismconference.org
So if you are a radical anti-capitalist, now is the time to get involved with the Macquarie Socialists!
Find us on Facebook @Macquarie Socialists or contact Kim at 0411 095 982.