Two weeks ago the residents of Wadham 3 ventured down the deserted, “other” staircase, with no intentions of finding anything. There, at the bottom of the stairs, they found an emergency sign with no apparent purpose resting on the floor. It was retrieved by one of the residents who brought it back up to it’s new home on third floor. It was then placed outside the door of the floor tutor, serving as the catalyst for the events to come. This door belonged to Justin Smallwood, a tutor, but more importantly a victim. Over the following days the sign was moved around the floor to various positions by an unknown source, until it has found a permanent residence in the bathtub. While this may seem an isolated event, it was far from it, and so began the Buttergate Scandal.

What is Buttergate you may be asking? Well, even the residents of Wadham 3 don’t completely know. Last week a packet of high table butter was mysteriously placed on top of Smallwood’s handle. Smallwood, once again the victim, is then suspected to have moved the butter to the other resident’s door handles. The butter has now, and still continues to make its rounds around the door handles of Wadham 3. Has the victim become the perpetuator? Are all the resident’s involved in this conspiracy?  All that is known is that Nathanial Brady wants answers.

So do we Nathanial, so do we.

In a continuation of events, the name and poem signs that were placed on our doors by none other than our beloved O-weekers have been targeted. The signs have been moved around the floor to doors that do not associate with those names. This can only be described as the purest form of anarchy. How will we know which resident lives where? Will Hugo assume Carrie’s identity? It is yet to be seen.

Loaded glances and raised eyebrows have been noted amongst a few of the residents, perhaps a sign of more to come. Watch out, Wadham 3.

The post What’s Happening on Wadham 3 appeared first on IH Globe.

Before all the linguistics experts in the room call me out and making up my own latin word, i’m gonna defend myself by saying that, as I have found out, there is no word for Latin for ‘Sisterhood’, or even ‘Sorority’. But there’s no denying that just as IH loves to shake that Fraternit-ass, a little Sororit-ass has never hurt anyone either.

I’ve always been a fan of the ‘sisterhood’, and having been blessed from a young age with some amazing female role models (special mention to my true hero, Nicki Minaj), as well as spending eight years of my life in an all girls choir (for the record, choir camps were LIT y’all), I’ve always felt the importance of having that relationship with other girls, regardless of where you were all at in life. There’s just something awesome about how many things we can have in common together or be comfortable talking about, solely based on our common girl bond.

It is an understatement to say that the girls we are blessed with at IH are amazing. They are nothing short of incredible and are hands down the most driven people I have had the pleasure of knowing. Not only does their talent and hard work shine through with passion, their competitive spirit intimidate and wow crowds, and their ambition amaze everyone – they are also the most kind hearted people you could have the pleasure of knowing. Alongside the daily compliments received amongst them, the shit talking and banter, and the occasional prime time impromptu musical performance, happiness radiates from all of the girls at IH. When you stop and think about those that you appreciate around this college, many a girl will pop into your mind, and that, is a wonderful thing.

Because the fact is, around the world, we still have need for equality. There are still many problems and many disadvantages that we are put at. So with everything that we face in the world, from bigger political inequalities and injustices, to even feeling that you are being treated differently at university or in other workplaces, it is amazing to have a home like IH, where you know you can always come back to an incredibly positive and loving group of individuals. I have the great joy of getting to teach 5 – 7 year old girls singing each week at the Australian Girls Choir, and I can honestly say, that even from that age, it is amazing to see just what girls can do. And when I do teach those girls, it makes me so happy to know that they will all also grow up to be just as fierce, unpredictable, and awesome as the girls that I have had the pleasure of knowing at college; the girls that I know will always stick together, through thick and thin.

So here’s to the gals of IH – to the girls that can recite every line from Flight Of The Concords; the girls that will never hesitate to give you an important lecture on Feminism, and why we still need it; the girls that have incredible artistic talent, and create a masterpiece out of nothing; the girls that love gymming and running, and will never go a day without it; the girls that talk with passion about their degree and their dreams; the girls that can effortlessly smash all the boys in futsal and given day; the girls that will fight for their opinions to be heard; to the two kick ass girls in particular that create an incredible college newspaper for everyone to enjoy every single week; and the girls that will always, no matter what, stop and smile when they see you, and ask how your day has been. To all of you, you are what makes IH home, and an awesome one at that. So shake that sororit-ass proud. And keep doing you, cause you’re all doing damn good.

The post Sororitas appeared first on IH Globe.

As we parked in front of the entrance of International House, I felt a surge of pain and unhappiness as I was about to take one huge leap to something I felt completely unprepared for. But I guess the sadness got flushed away through the cordial and cheerful greetings of the O-Weekers, the leaders of the much successful Orientation Week.

It was time to say goodbye to Mum, and begin my journey into something which I was not ready to jump into.

And that’s when I met many other freshers. I began to understand and appreciate their backgrounds and traditions, and how they’ve been able to live their lives so far. Trust me, everything I have been able to understand from the many other freshers, who I would now call my friends, has been remarkable.

We had many freshers coming this year from 40 countries.

Following the great and comforting ambiance provided by the O-Weekers and the higher administration at IH, we got introduced to our teams. I was in Cosie’s team Cosmonaut, the cool team!

The theme for this year was “Intergalacto Week”! Star Wars, Meet the Robinsons, Astronauts etc.

We were engaged in a wide range of activities from a scavenger hunt and outdoor challenges to karaoke night, to a moonlight cinema and chanting with the greatest pride the IH IS HOT TO GO song all around the vivid city of Melbourne! I think my dancing skills have also improved through the Fresher Dance!!!

The more activities we did as the time passed, the stronger our bonds became!

Oh, I forgot to mention! I bruised my knee after the scavenger hunt (on the first day itself), so I really couldn’t run much! Nevertheless, I did as much as I could (because O-week happens only once in your life), made so many friends and locked some of the best memories that I would cherish for a lifetime (not on my phone or computer, but in my heart).

It’s only been a week, but we’re now one big family. We may be different in culture, country, traditions and interests. And through sharing these ideas, it has brought us together in different situations, making our community a dynamic one indeed. But we all have one thing in common; we belong to International House now. We are one unit; we’ll always look out for each other in the ups and downs of this oddly, challenging University life. I believe that to be a true IHer is to truly value the meaning of Fraternitas-brotherhood.

It is a miracle that I got to know so many other freshers coming from different countries within the short time span of just one week. I am proud and blessed to be here at International House.

Thank you for an unforgettable and truly memorable O-week!

IH IS HOT TO GO!

The post O Week and the beginnings of fresher life as told by Sheraya appeared first on IH Globe.

In my first semester at college, a drunk person took a shit on the windowsill of a bathroom during on the year’s first party’s. That’s right, they shat (the past tense of “to shit”) right on that windowsill. The result was probably the most hilariously funny and uncomfortably serious speech that PC ever gave us, in which he said the bracketed quote. That same semester, I participated in the ICAC play, and got to know not only my own college mates who were in the production better, but also students from the college crescent as we trod the boards. In that very semester, I heard perhaps one of the greatest stories of revenge against a milk thief on Scheps 5th. I won’t go into many details, Nishq can fill you in if you’re curious, but let’s just say the whole situation left someone feeling shitty. (Jeez this first paragraph talked about a lot of shit).

The next semester, even greater heights were hit. I co-directed a musical with Freya McGrath, Fame, and we got to enjoy the remarkable talent of so many IHers (#remember). We had Jun Kit Wong perform an amazing version of Let it Go that won him the Mr. IH crown. Cindy Nguyen, our wonderful former president, finally learned what a T-Swizzle was, as well as what the word “pls” means. The YO app gained a small cult following for a short time, although they failed to convert Meagan Mcdonald, a staunch advocate of common sense against the app. I missed my first ever exam, a time in my life where I felt amazingly horrible and learned a valuable lesson about checking your timetable.

This year, well I feel it has been summed up well by our wonderful Satadal. We laughed over a myriad of running jokes and memes like Harambe. We cried over losing someone so dear to us that it feels like the world has grown so much smaller without them. We loved and hated and argued and came together, all under the broad expanse of this amazing college. It has been said over and over, our great motto of this college is Fraternitas, literally meaning brotherhood, but for all of us, meaning family. Blood is thick, but our bond over this time has been irrefutably thicker. We recognize each other, through blue and yellow attire, through our love of international cooperation, through our ability to see the amazing beyond the skin.

I hope to return many times after I have left, down the years to see where all of us have gone. What avenues we have chosen and the new stories we have added to our books. Because that is what it means to be a college student. It has nothing to do with money as some would think. It has nothing to with arrogance or entitlement or seclusion. It has to do with sharing our lives together, pouring out and taking in, every mote of life lived at this wonderful, strange, and complex place that we eagerly and with pride call our home.

Once an IHer, always an IHer.

– Hamish Plaggemars

The post What it Means to be a College Student appeared first on IH Globe.

A summary of the emotional rollercoaster that is a fine arts degree.

We’re back into the swing of exams, and IH couldn’t be more focused on their studies and university work. Whilst writing this article, I’m effectively procrastinating from my own studies, and trying to take my mind off my upcoming exa-

Woah, slow down there Karolina, did you say exams?

Uhh yeah, how come?

You’re a music student, right? Do you have, like, normal exams? Do you even get assessed on anything? You must have hardly any studying to do!

Of course I do, my degree is just like any other degr-

But you’re doing fine arts, surely that doesn’t count as a normal degree? What are you actually planning to do after university? You know you have to get an actual job, right? What does your degree even give you?

The previous scenario has played out too many times to count throughout the past few weeks, which has made me think a lot about my degree and what I am doing with my life (typical edgy thoughts, I know). Scrap that though, this whole year has been one big question mark, as I have fudged my way through weekly existential crises, hours of late night rehearsals, dozens of public transport adventures, and an excessive amount of cold mochas, wondering what in the world I have gotten myself into. Yes, it is no myth that the life of a fine arts student is a risky one, with surprisingly many contacts hours (twenty-eight a week to be precise). It is a road less travelled, and often less respected, in the sense that all of our hard work and creative output, as exhausting as it may be, supposedly leads to nowhere.

I whole heartedly dispute the notion that a fine arts degree will get you nowhere, as my whole life I have continued to be inspired my musicians, actors, and innovative leaders, who use their art to empower and entertain the world. I strongly believe that with art and creativity, you can genuinely entertain, inspire, and help the world be a brighter place. Whilst for a long time, I was set on undertaking a more substantial degree (who knew Karolina dreamt of being a lawyer for, like, ten years?), I reached a point in my teens where I realised that without being able to put out my music to the world, I wouldn’t be satisfied with my life choices, and I would always feel some kind of dissatisfaction and regret.

The great thing is, I know I’m not alone in how I feel. Fine arts, arts, or totally unrelated to arts, everyone has that one idea in their mind of what they want to do in their twenties, and how they want to reach that dream. Without that incentive and passion to succeed, the world as we know it would not be possible. It is so important that we all pursue what we love, regardless of what it is, as everyone one of us has set out a role we were born to play. Ahead of us, there is still so much more, and it is too big of a waste to not take a risk and think of what could have been. Whilst at least once a week, I will genuinely sit down and ask myself why in the world I am wasting my time doing this degree, I will also once a week, be at work, teaching primary school aged girls singing, performing in a recital hall, or even just playing in my own solitude, and in those little moments of pure satisfaction and enjoyment, I know that I’ve made the right choice.

From my perspective, all of us come to college for the same reason; to study what we love. There’s no way anyone would exert so much money, time, and dedication into moving overseas or interstate to study something, unless they were completed passionate about doing so. If we look at things from that point of view, it becomes clear that your and my degree aren’t so different. Sure, I may spend my days in rehearsals, playing or writing music, others may be working on science practicals, learning about finance and politics, or researching how the world has changed and what is yet to come. All of these are equally exciting in that everyone one of us is doing these things because they genuinely interest us, and we strive to be better at them. The moment you start to feel this passion not only in yourself, but amongst everyone else here, it ceases to matter whether my fine arts degree is less valid than a commerce degree, or whether an arts degree has less direction than one in science. Because really, to be in your late teens verging on adulthood, and dedicate all of yourself to what you love to do and strive to do in the future, is an art in itself, and quite a fine one at that.

To everyone currently completing exams and take-homes, worrying about their grades or their plans for next year, I invite you to take a break from your laptop screen, put on some soul-inspiring music (I’ve been playing Belle & Sebastian for the past half hour, but like, Smash Mouth or the Zac Brown Band is cool too if you’re into that), read the rest of this Globe, and have a think about all the great things in your degree. Think of all the times that you’ve been genuinely interested and motivated by your studies, the feeling of satisfaction that you get from acing your exams, and about why you travelled all the way to Melbourne in the first place. Whilst our bachelor titles are used to separate us into different groups of people with different career prospects, all of us share the common bond of doing what we love, and are here to get something more out of last few adolescent years. That’s what really matters, and I know that’s why I chose the degree that I’m doing. What happens in the future, where that degree may take me? Those are just the finer details. Either way, I’m excited to see what happens next, and you should be too.

-Karolina Judd

The post (Re)defining Arts appeared first on IH Globe.

No doubt a large part of the International House community saw our production of “Blackrock” by Nick Enright which explored the fallout on the town after the rape and murder of a young woman. The show was a remarkable success due to the talent of the cast, the hard work of the crew, and the great vision of the directors. However, I’m not here to review and discuss the overall outcome of the play, but instead my experience of playing the “antagonist” Ricko. My apologies if this sounds like a literature essay, I’m currently putting off another one to write this.

Ricko was perhaps my most challenging and, at the same time, most interesting character that I’ve ever had to portray. Having done theatre going on fourteen years, I have predominantly played characters that more or less lie in the humorous spectrum. I was a monkey with an attitude, quick-witted Robin Hood, a bumbling rich merchant, and a rather exasperated White Rabbit. These characters exceptionally fun to play and certainly expanded my range, but they lacked a certain realism that I did not experience until my coming to university. I began my foray into more mature characters when I was cast as Mrs. Van Amersfoort in the ICAC production of “The Book of Everything”. She was a rather quirky woman who had suffered much at the hands of childhood ridicule and the horror of watching her husband executed. But, despite that rather dark past, I felt I was still playing a character that was comedic. Many of my scenes produced laughter rather than tears and while I’m not complaining at such a positive response, it still did not feel like a mature character.

Ricko, on the other hand, was like diving into the deep end of realism. On the surface he appears quite amicable and well-adjusted, if a little morally misguided when it comes to alcohol and women. However, as the play progresses, we’re exposed to the darker side of Ricko’s personality and it’s honestly quite horrifying, especially to portray. I had several people come up to me and say they were a little nervous to speak to me after they had seen the show. He tries not once, but twice, to sexually abuse two different women and kills the first one after she fights back against his completely inappropriate advances. He then pressures his best friend, Jared, into lying for him to the cops to save him from jail, and then drunkenly attacks Jared when he refuses. With every scene, Ricko devolves from the charming rapscallion beloved by most into a true monster, and eventually suffers the age-old fate of all monsters: Death. To have to step inside the skin of someone I find so morally abhorrent and completely opposite of me was not easy, but at the same time, it was oddly quite fun.

It seems strange to say that, and I’m still a little hesitant to use the word now, but I find no other way to describe it. Ricko is a deeply complex character who, despite his many horrendous actions, has redeeming qualities. I have always thought some of the best characters to play were those that made it entirely hard to love or hate them. Ricko is no exception. What’s very interesting about this character is that he has two instances of doing something commendable and two instances of doing something terrible. However, we are only exposed to the smaller of these pairs of instances. Off stage, Ricko sexually assaults and then kills Tracy Warner. Also off stage, and in the past, he saved Jared’s life when he found him badly bleeding after an accident while skating. These are two of the biggest moments of his life, but we are not exposed to them visually. Instead, we see the smaller microcosms of those events. On stage, Ricko sexually assaults Tiffany and then attacks Jared. As well onstage, we see him save Toby from choking on his own vomit and escorting him to safety. This is no accident on Enright’s part. He is trying to show that even the worst rapist or murderer is still, deep down, human. Does that excuse their actions? Of course not, there is nothing that can excuse their actions, but it does shed light on why some of us can still sympathise with them. As Rachel says in the play about Ricko “He did the worst thing. He made someone die” but despite that, Jared is still able to remember the good things that his friend did, calling Ricko “a mate”.

Ricko was, in all honesty, a truly milestone performance for myself and yes, he was fun to portray. I wat to be clear and say that I condone none of his actions, they were wrong and should be looked upon as such, but they were also enlightening. I learned about what I was capable of and comfortable of in terms of my acting ability. It was not easy to step into his shoes, but I’m glad I did as it has opened up a whole new perspective on the way I perform. A huge shout to my cast members for being such valuable teammates to engage with to fully understand this character, you all helped so much. Special thanks go to Thomas Williams and Lauren Robinson for their stellar performances during Ricko’s darker moments, it really made the scenes so much more real and impactful.

I wave goodbye to one of my most eye opening characters and look forward to when I will experience the next.

– By Hamish Plaggemars

The post On Brett “Ricko” Ricketson appeared first on IH Globe.

All watches including analogue, digital and smartwatches will need to be stored for the duration of your exam.

There are many issues with this policy, some obvious, others less so. To make my incoherent rage seem somewhat more intelligent, I’ll summarize it in a nice little list.

How can you cheat with an analogue watch?

Smart watches, despite their small screen size, are relatively simple to cheat with. The capability to store text means that you can have all your notes at your disposal during the exam. In contrast, with an analogue watch you have access to twelve numbers and a hand that moves every second/minute/hour. Banning analogue watches seems a bit extreme, and maybe a bit watch-ist on the University’s part.

Clocks don’t exist.

Well, it may appear that way when you’re sitting in the middle of the Royal Exhibition Building. The clocks are rarely visible amidst the horde of anxious students, meaning that you may not be aware whether you have hours or seconds until your exam is finished. This could have serious ramifications in terms of results, as many students cannot perform as well without a constant reminder of the time within sight.

Looking fabulous

Nothing makes you feel better on exam day than walking in and knowing you’re the best dressed person in the room (personally, I don’t know this feeling). An outfit is not complete without accessories and if I can’t look good, I probably can’t write good either (clearly). So without a watch, some people may not have that much-needed confidence boost to do their best on the day.

Clearly, this new policy needs some serious revision if it is to be followed in the upcoming exams. The introduction of smart watches does not justify this watch-based discrimination that’s occurring. The University should really watch what they’re doing.

The post Ban of watches @ Melbourne University: Keeping up with the times appeared first on IH Globe.