Song of the Week

I Don't Like Mondays - Boomtown Rats

 

Song of the Week

With Or Without You - U2

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Fallen Angel - Three Days Grace



Song of the Week

Torn - Natalie Imbruglia



 

Song of the Week

Dreamer - Ozzy Osbourne

 

 

 

Song of the Week

A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Tear In My Heart - Twenty One Pilots

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Kooks - David Bowie

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Paradise - Coldplay

 

 

 

Song of the Week

American Idiot - Green Day

 

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Zero Point Energy - Riddlebreak

 

 

Song of the Week

She's So lovely - Scouting For Girls

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac

  

Song of the Week

Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley

 

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar

 

 

 

 

Song of the Week

It Must Be Love - Madness

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Bad Day - Daniel Powter

 

 

Song of the Week

Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve

 

 

Song of the Week

These Words - Natasha Bedingfield

 

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls

 

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Selfies - Nina Nesbitt

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Angels - Robbie Williams

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Grace Kelly - Mika

 

 

Song of the Week

Everybody's Gone To War - Nerina Pallot

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Hot n Cold - Katy Perry

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Alison - Elvis Costello

 

 

Song of the Week

All The Small Things - Blink 182

 

 

Song of the Week

Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects

 

 

Song of the Week

I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick

 

 

Song of the Week

You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Africa Day – 25 May

This Monday is Africa Day and MUSASA has invited all students and staff members to join in the festivities and celebrate with the Monash family.

 

 

Craig Rowe, the director of engagement at Monash, has encouraged everyone via email to dress up in any (African or other international) traditional clothes or accessories and take a "selfie" with MUSASA at the special African themed backdrop that will be set up in Lekgotla Square. He has also urged everyone to remember to share the pictures taken on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #AfricaDay #Monash_SA and to tag the MSA Facebook page for all to see.

The photo-booth will be open from 10:00 to 14:00 in Lekgotla Square and JCI (Junior Chamber International) and AIESEC will be hosting a talk on the Social Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century African Context from 15:30 to 17:00 in Lecture Theatre 7.

The talk is aimed at enlightening and equipping future leaders in communities as well as the business world. Tshepo Thlaku, the CEO and Founder of an ICT and Training company, and the 2015 President of the Africa and Middle East Development Council (AMDEC) will be speaking to students alongside many other student leaders.

Craig Rowe adds, “More Africa Week activities will be taking place on campus from the 25th to the 29th of May so keep your ears open and join us in proudly celebrating our diverse campus.”

Song of the Week

Murder on the Dancefloor - Sophie Ellis Bextor

 

 

 

High Achievers Ignore International Email

Selected Monash South Africa students have ignored an email about the opening call for papers for the International Conference of Undergraduate Research.

 

 

Monash University students from the South African, Australian, and Malaysian campuses, who are considered to be high academic achievers, received an email on the 19th of April 2015, encouraging them to submit an abstract to the International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR). The email invited students to apply for one of the two available scholarships for an all-expenses paid trip to the UK to present at the University of Warwick during ICUR 2015. The email informing students about the fact that the call for papers was open was either ignored or deleted.

 

Many students explained that they had deleted the email thinking that it was just spam or that the email did not apply to them even though the first line of the email states: “You have been selected based on your exceptional academic performance…” Click on the video below to view the full email content:

 

 

The ICUR is an undergraduate research and learning initiative by the Monash-Warwick Alliance. It is an annual multidisciplinary forum that connects students from universities in seven countries across the world to a single conference via videoconference technology. The University of Warwick is based in Coventry, England and annually hosts the ICUR which they say is “an opportunity for undergraduates to showcase their research in a formal yet supportive academic environment.”



Click on the photo above for the link to the ICUR portal

 

When asked about the email, some students said that if they had known what the email was about they would paid more attention to it.

Marli Rossouw, a second year African Literature student explained, “I did receive the email, but I’ve been swamped with assignments and work so I just don’t have enough time to do it.”

Monique de Chalain, a third year International Relations student said, “Please, I have enough things to do without having to worry about the equivalent of an international assignment to complete. I’m 28. So this just doesn’t apply to me.”

Bronwen Murphy, a student majoring in Child and Youth Development explained, “I deleted the email because I thought it was spam. It was sent by someone from the Monash Australia campus so I assumed it didn’t apply to me.”

 

Another student, who wishes to remain anonymous said, “I didn’t receive the email. But I think whoever did should be honoured, especially if they were invited because of their good grades. It sounds like a big opportunity and I would definitely have grabbed it.” Click on the video below to watch Benazir Mirza's reasons for ignoring the email she received:

 

When asked, Merle Werbeloff, the Psychology Research lecturer at Monash South Africa said she did not know anything about the email. Werbeloff added, “It seems like a great career opportunity for anyone who has entered. It’s a shame that I didn’t know about it or else I would have told my students to enter.”

Click on the video below to listen to what Precious Chingono, the Media and Communications lecturer at Monash South Africa, had to say:

 

The closing date for abstract submissions is on Friday, the 22nd of May 2015. Students chosen to represent Monash during the ICUR 2015 are to be contacted via email.

The 3rd annual ICUR will be held on the 28th-30th of September and will run throughout the 48 hours, beginning on the east coast of Australia and ending on the west coast of the United States, with students linked continuously through video-conference technology, live streaming on YouTube, and Twitter.

Song of the Week

Wonderwall - Oasis

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Dirty Little Secret - The All-American Rejects

 

 

 

Song of the Week

Girl Like You - Edwyn Collins

 

 

 

A United Monash For A United Africa

On Thursday, 23 April 2015 at 13:00, MUSASA and Monash South Africa clubs and societies will be hosting an anti-xenophobia campaign - A United Monash For A United Africa.

 

 Students and staff members are invited to join the protest in order to display unity against xenophobia and to celebrate the diversity, multiculturalism, and internationalism of the campus.

The purpose of this campaign is to show South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world, that Monash South Africa embraces and accepts the differences that we all have, including differences in race, ethnics and religion.

Esther Benjamin said in an email addressing the increasing concern about xenophobia attacks, “Monash South Africa has always been distinct and unique in the way we embrace multiculturalism, internationalism and diversity.”

The protest will start off with a march of solidarity around the campus grounds. Students are encouraged to come up with catchy slogans to shout as they all walk together, linking arm-in-arm or holding hands.

The march will then end in Lekgotla Square where a few volunteers will speak about the importance of unity and how students can make a difference in this world by respecting and accepting those from all around the globe.

Community Engagement has also arranged to have a poster at the ready where students and staff members can show their support by painting their hands and leaving a hand print on the poster – a symbol to say that each individual is making a mark in this initiative.

Community Engagement says, “On Thursday we would like to ‘take over social media’. Instead of all this negativity that is circulating all domains, we want to flood Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with positivity and good vibes. We are making our mark!” Community Engagement encourages everyone to take as many pictures as possible and post them with the hashtag links: #walkofshame, #NoToXenophobia

 

 

An Open Mic Session will take place on Wednesday, 22 April, in Lecture Theatre 6 from 13:00 to 14:00 to inform students of the procedures taking place on Thursday.

This is a Monash University South Africa initiative and it is being led by CRIMON, Monash South Africa and Society of MUN-msasmun, MUSASA, MoTimes, MoTV and many other organizations.

 

Song of the Week

Don't Stop - 5 Seconds Of Summer

 

 

 

Concern For Student Safety Increases

Due to recent xenophobic incidents involving people of different cultures and nationalities in South Africa, concern for student safety at Monash has increased. Security staff at Monash have urged students to be vigilant at all times.

 

Esther Benjamin, the CEO of Monash South Africa says, “Monash South Africa has always been distinct and unique in the way we embrace multiculturalism, internationalism and diversity.”

Security staff have added that everyone needs to be vigilant at all times, while being respectful of people around us from different cultures, religions, beliefs and nationalities.

Professor Alwyn Louw, the Academic President of Monash South Africa says, “The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our highest priority and we have taken precautionary steps to increase the safety of everyone. We are also in regular contact with SAPS to remain appraised of developments.”

Security staff requested that students pay attention to all announcements related to security and adhere to all safety-related guidelines.

 

Some of the safety tips include:

-          Avoid places with reported cases of unrest

-          Travel in groups, when possible

-          Avoid walking alone at night off campus

-          Use shuttles for transport at all times

-          Report any suspicious or unusual activity

 

In the unlikely event that anyone feels threatened or has been a victim of any attack, please contact Campus Protection Services on 011 950 4099 for immediate assistance. 

Additionally, Student Development Department can provide counselling and support for any of the students. Please call 011 950 4117 for an appointment.

For more information about the security at Monash, click on the link.

Expert Speaks To Journalism Students

Special guest speaker, Michael Schmidt, spoke to students about Investigative Journalism in South Africa.

Michael Schmidt

Second year and third year Journalism students were invited to attend the lecture on 17 April, in order to gain a more in-depth view on what the field of Investigative Journalism is all about.

Michael Schmidt is an investigative field reporter, journalism trainer, free press activist and former special investigative writer for the Independent Newspapers Group and his book, entitled Drinking With Ghosts: The Aftermath of Apartheid’s Dirty War, has been long-listed for the 2015 Alan Paton Award.

Schmidt began his talk by asking students whether they thought the ‘Investigative Journalism hat’ fit them or not. He continued to speak about the different forms of investigative journalism including Systematic Investigation (document-based), Narrative Investigation (interview-based) and Experiential Investigation (legwork-based). He also spoke about the different forms of journalism found within these categories including counter-intelligence, structural, conflict, forensic, sociological and process journalism.

Schmidt says, “Investigative Journalism is great because it gives you a holistic and nuanced understanding of your world – behind the curtain of PR, propaganda and appearances, self-confidence to speak to anyone at any level of society at any time about anything, a passport full of stamps relating to unbeatable experiences that will be the envy of dinner-party conversation anywhere, and the respect that comes with the ease with which you will wield the combined skills of a lawyer, negotiator, researcher, political analyst, psychologist, historian, raconteur and sociologist – not to mention multimedia expert.”

Schmidt added, “People in power sure don’t like investigative journalists and yet they get some of their most crucial non-intel information from us.”

He ended his talk by asking students, “So, do you want to venture behind the curtain? Does the Investigative Journalism hat fit you?”

During the question and answer session, when asked about the impact of journalism and the difficult scenarios field journalists are exposed to, Schmidt explained, “Most journalists excel by getting their hands dirty. But you have to keep your mind clean.” He also shared that he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but has received help for it. Schmidt added, “You’ve got to be human in whatever situation you’re in. It is difficult sometimes to talk about it, but you have to learn sometimes to not emotionally overcommit. It’s important to look after your own mental state. Investigative Journalism changes you, but you’re still human.”

 

 

After the first Mental Health Awareness Day held on the Monash campus in March, Journalism students were able to identify with Schmidt and understand what could lay ahead when venturing into the journalism field. Cameron Gunn Mackay, a second year journalism student said, “After listening to Michael, I personally feel very motivated to go into the field of investigative journalism. It seems exciting and you get to see the world and experience things that others can only dream of.”
For more of what Cameron thought of Michael Schmidt, listen to the clip below:

Students say that they hope more guest speakers like Michael Schmidt will visit the campus and speak to them in the future.

Open Day To Be A Success

Monash South Africa will be hosting the annual Open Day this Saturday, 18 April 2015, on campus from 9:00 to 14:00.

 

The iDiscover: Pursue your Passion Seminar Series will take place throughout the day with industry expert Monash academics presenting various ‘teaser’ lectures in the different units that are offered at Monash; including Social Science, Business Science, Public Health and Computer & Information Science. Numerous fun interactive workshops and activities will take place during these lectures.

Visitors and potential students will be able to meet with academics and have a one-on-one conversation with a Career Advisor to discuss study options. They will also have the opportunity to meet current students and graduates as they take a tour of the campus.

Amazing performances by student clubs and societies will take place in Lekgotla Square and the groups hope to inspire and encourage prospective students to sign up and join multiple cultural groups.

Visitors will be informed on topics such as accommodation that is available for enrolled students both on and off campus, the various sporting facilities Monash has to offer including tennis courts and soccer fields, as well as the Monash Study Abroad programme which allows students to go and study for a semester either in Australia, Malaysia or one of the many other international exchange partner universities.

Jeswin Leckram, the Marketing Director at Monash said, “The Open Day is sure to be a great day with a welcoming atmosphere for our prospective students and their parents.”

The Open Day Programme Schedule is available online, along with a Pre-Registration form.

Prospective students who wish to apply and enrol while on campus are reminded to bring a copy of their results and ID.

Song of the Week

Vindicated - Dashboard Confessional