Lost in the System the University Is Far from Adept at Dealing with Students’ Mental Feature Health, Findsnatalie Czapski
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Week 9, Semester 1, 2014 HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE Deregulating Pot USU p.4-5 university p.6 Politics p.12 Elections Lost in the system The University is far from adept at dealing with students’ mental FEATURE health, findsNatalie Czapski “It’s hard to come to grips with university when she began Ultimately, she deferred that an assignment, I had to go to the fact that depression isn’t struggling with poor mental semester, and transferred from three different places [with] necessarily related to your health.“Arriving at university her Agricultural Economics degree a medical certificate.” life conditions. Sometimes it’s in the morning,” she tells me, “I into the Education Faculty. Now inexplicable - you don’t necessarily would get panic attacks … I was in her fourth year of her new She felt deeply uncomfortable with have to have experienced crying all the time, sometimes I degree, Maddison is a much better the bureaucratic, dehumanised something terrible to have would start crying in my lectures.” place, but still vividly recalls her nature of her interactions with depression. When I first started struggles from several years ago. the university. feeling depressed I kept thinking She sought professional help, and, ‘Just snap out of it, what do you when her panic attacks continued, She believes that University “You never actually deal with any have to depressed about, you have she asked for medication. bureaucracy exacerbated her person face to face, you just hand everything you could want’.” mental health condition. in a form.” “The anxiety I was experiencing *** was so debilitating that I really “Organising special consideration needed to take something just to was stressful in itself for me. I was CONTINUED ON Maddison was in the second function normally and to think studying a degree that was across semester of her first year of normally,” she recalls. three faculties, so every time I had PAGE 11 3 Letters 13 Getting blocked on Tinder LETTERS 4-5 Proposed changes to tertiary education 14 Ballet not just for the old 6 The Manning Files 15 Live comedy in Sydney to some, the dissolution of the Koori the many, for trading in morality and Contents 6 Investigation: Pot politics 16 Chess: a report from the frontlines Centre might be old news but it is progress for self-interested political 7 Private comment not up for policing 17 SRC Help Callout for Indigenous something that has severely impacted gain, we will continue to exercise our HONI SOIT Honi Contributions the Aboriginal and Torres Strait right to protest. We will continue 8 Brain tingles and how to get them 18-19 SRC Reports ISSUE #8 Islander community on campus. It to speak out when we disagree 9 Profile: Craig Reucassel 20 Puzzles, quizzes and what’s on (mini edition) The Editor-in-Chief is looking for writers for Indigenous issues and was my intention to bring this issue with what the government is doing, related subject matter, artists willing to create pieces that reflect on back into public discourse in order because without opposing voices in 10-11 Feature: Mental health on campus 22-23 Honey Soy cultural and native concepts and anyone who is competent in Adobe to tell the university that we haven’t the conversation, democracy suffers. 12 University of Sydney Union primer 24 The back page InDesign and willing to be on board. forgotten what they have done to us and we still haven’t forgiven them. So thank you for your concern, Please contact Madison at [email protected] if you but we don’t need it. No amount are interested in contributing. The deadline for submissions is I want to make it very clear that this of condescension can change our Friday 9 May. article is not meant to interrogate determination to fight injustice. anyone other than Professor Houston. We acknowledge that Honi Soit’s office is located on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We would like to acknowledge The edition will be autonomously managed by Indigenous students, The article sought to indicate the lack Anna Egerton the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and pay our respects to the Elders past and present. but contributors need not identify as Indigenous, or come from of transparency and communication Indigenous backgrounds. between the ISS department and BA/BSc (II) Indigenous students. All I ask is that Professor Houston and the ISS department tell students what is going seriously would suggest they are. Not seeing the on, what they are planning, and how Editorial Get your house we can be involved. forest for the There are more jokes I want to discuss, in order but the “stifling regulation” of your wood The vote to remove Vice-President principles that animate democracy steer the organisation. an online format if it meant the Laura Webster Tom Raue may have been the most than to grandstand about counting USU could employ a lawyer to take word count prevents my “free speech” Dear Honi, Dear Honi, from continuing. Besides, lacking publicised decision that the USU coins. And so budgets are signed off without on students’ cases? Arts III optimism I mustn’t be a “mainstream Board has made in recent memory, seriously questioning the worth of I’m disappointed in you. Through I wish to say something of Tim but it was not the most important. Australian”, so it’s not like I even * * * their allocations. Almost half the At the core of most of these item-by- editorial error, you’ve embarrassed Vice President, University of Sydney Asimakis’ article on Christopher This is not to trivialise the fight for budget – just over $10 million – goes item questions is a valued-based one: matter. Just try not to take jokes Hitchens which appeared in print last a well-meaning student. I expected too seriously from now on, okay? Students’ Representative Council transparency; it’s just to say that the In 2011, three of the six Directors we towards the wages of staff every year. Should the budget aim for maximum better of you and so did Chaneg week. As I understand it, the gist of choice of how to spend $22 million of elected to USU Board voted Liberal. Of Does the Union need a marketing benefit to the maximum number, or this article was that Hitchens once Torres. It is excruciatingly obvious Your sincerely, student money is more significant. the 11 Directors elected since, none do. team so large? Couldn’t the student should it seek to assist those who need that he intended his recent letter Atrocities condemned male circumcision as a And that it should be equally executives of Clubs and Societies take it most and commit to progressive to be published in Honey Soy, yet medical practice, a criticism contrary William Edwards ideologically fraught. There have been some noticeable shifts on many of the duties of the people projects? you published it as if it contained aplenty to academic findings on the benefits in outlook: the current Board values who fill the Events and Programs his actual opinions. Honestly, I’m of that practice. According to Tim, the Arts I Dear Honi, The Commission of Audit – and transparency more than past Directors team? A Director who wants to change the incredulous that you missed the conclusion is that Hitchens criticises the horrified response to it – should budget in any meaningful way needs male circumcision merely because have, it would be unlikely to approve following markers of satire. Chaneg Torres, your condescending indicate how uncontroversial this is. Because they haven’t been budget an answer to that. And they need to religious people advocate for it, which LifeChoice, it is more sensitive to portrayal of left-wing groups on It takes a uniquely blinkered hawks about unnecessary items, the be able to defend it with intelligence To make myself is anti-intellectual reactionism rather identity politics. But the budget has Conservatives laughing at proles campus in last week’s Honi was Thatcherite to deny that ideology USU is left unable to act on the more and force and self-assurance, than a reasoned inquiry. faced very few significant changes. suffering, a la the ‘And Then I perfectly clear misguided and inaccurate. Thank underpinned the Commission’s ambitious projects it could undertake. because they will run into a wall of Said’ meme, is a staple of anti- you for your concern, but we are not proposals. Subsidised student housing. Improved resistance from staff protecting their Dear Honi, The nub of the issue, however, is When we elect Directors, we are conservative satire. By confessing ‘desperate to look for anything to counselling services. Free ACCESS. positions and their interests, and that religious arguments for male electing a vision for the Union. The such Schadenfreude in paragraph protest about’ – the Abbott government (If you’re suffering under the delusion Paying C&S leaders. from fellow Directors too conservative I thank Professor Houston for circumcision have not traditionally constitution bestows upon them the one, Torres made his intent clear. He has committed more than enough that this was non-partisan cost- or unambitious to consider that the engaging with the article “Uni Failing been couched in the positive utilitarian power to direct the USU in line with proceeded to demonstrate a farcical atrocities to fuel our fire. cutting, observe that the Commission that vision. But when it comes to the * * * organisation they have wedded their misunderstanding of politics by Indigenous Students”. I would first like terms mentioned by Tim. Rather, identified the rising costs of asylum university life to is imperfect in to address a statement Houston made male circumcision has been performed most significant, vision-based decision suggesting that Australians voted Taking your example, George Brandis’ seeker detention to be a problem.