Photo from the University of Newcastle archives of students protesting

The Purpose Behind the Party – How passionate students secured the University’s autonomy

It’s well known that University’s annual Autonomy Day is one of the largest events on the student calendar.

After last year’s majorly successful biggest silent disco in the Southern Hemisphere, the 2023 Autonomy Day celebrations will be kicking off once again on Friday, 11 August!

The celebration marks the declaration of our University as an independent tertiary institution separated from UNSW is packed with various activities, exhibitions and performances all culminating in the legendary extravaganza of Autonomy Party.

Parallel to past international social and political movements, the University of Newcastle was not granted autonomy easily or without conflict.

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How to get the most out of university life: outside the classroom

Are you feeling like you’re not getting as much out of the ~uni experience~ as you wanted? Absolutely lost on how to create long-lasting friendships while balancing study with other commitments? Wanting to easily find avenues for future work or find career relevant positions? Or are you even wanting to give back to the university through volunteering and make real change at the place you … Continue reading How to get the most out of university life: outside the classroom

7 of the best kept secret spots on our campuses

While we’ve all been staying indoors, eating late lunches after 10AM sleep-ins, and adding to our plant collections, our campus has been waiting for our return. It’s always been there for us when we needed it, for a cheeky library session or printing off an assignment. But now it’s time for us to meet again and there’s so much we need to catch up on. … Continue reading 7 of the best kept secret spots on our campuses

Everything you need to know about UNSA, the new student association

For the first time in our university’s history, there is now only one student association that represents all students at the University of Newcastle. As of the 1st of July 2020, the three existing student associations (NUSA, NUSPA & Yourimbah) dissolved and reformed as UNSA (The University of Newcastle Students’ Association). This is not a merger of three associations, but instead the establishment of a larger and more diverse representative structure.

This new association has been in the works since 2016 and will offer the same support and resources as before but has also implemented positions that represent the 4000 Cloud Campus students as well as the Port Macquarie and Sydney campuses.

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A letter to my first-year self

By Simona Gorgievski

Dear 2015 Simona,

You’ve finally graduated! After changing degrees twice and getting sick for a semester you graduated two years after schedule, but you’ve graduated nonetheless. I don’t know if you could have ever imagined being on the other side, or how much you would learn and experience along the way in that first week back in February 2015. But as I delightfully learnt in a cracker TED Talk I watched last month, only because you can’t imagine something or you think it won’t ever happen in your wildest dreams, doesn’t mean it won’t. The limits of your imagination aren’t an indication of who you can become. I wish I knew that in my first week of uni.

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Going home for the summer break

I’m going to be real, I often find myself a bit homesick. I’m lucky enough to have an extraordinarily tight-knit family and feel so blessed when we’re all together, but between my parents, my sister and I, there’s over 12 hours of travel time to see each other. It was my decision to move away for uni and I stand by it, but it doesn’t make the time we all spend apart any easier and it certainly doesn’t stop the normal family disagreements and bickering when we’re all back under one roof. Here’s my best advice for navigating the move back home over the break and how to best keep your independence when you’re back playing for Team Family.

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