Issue 16

Monday May 21st 2012 Issue 16

IH Masquerade Ball 2012!

Globe TeamcontentsEditorStephanie Rogers

DesignShannon BolandFiona Robertson

ContributorsJenna Mi-Gi

RegularsRebecca DuttonRiley MetcalfeJonathan Regan-BeasleyMarina SaundersPeng TiongEmily Vearing

THE GLOBE is published weekly by Stephanie Rogers on behalf of the International House Student Club.The material here is edited but uncensored and therefore the views expressed here do not reflect those of the editor.

Please share your ideas, your opinions, your ads and your skills with us by emailing us at [email protected]

THE GLOBE acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners of this land. We pay our respects to their elders past and present.

© 2012 The Globe. All rights reserved.

International House241 Royal ParadeParkville, VIC 3052AUSTRALIAihouse.unimelb.edu.au

2 THE GLOBE: May 21 2012

page 4Article: IH caters to

Asians

page 6IH Ball!

Also:Pg 8 Meet the Kitchen Staff! Pg 11 Sudoku

International House Student Club The University of Melbourne

241 Royal Parade, Parkville Victoria 3052, Australia IHSC Communication Officer, Sita Carolina

Office: +61 (0) 3 9347 6655 Facsimile: +61 (0) 3 9349 1761 Email: [email protected]

IHSC Distillations of the week starting Monday 21st May 2012

Issue Description

German Cultural Dinner

Wednesday, 23rd May 2012!

Food Forum Wednesday 2pm at the Constance Duncan Room

CIA Week Will be during 1st week of next semester. Applications to become CIA Week Leaders are due on Wednesday 11.59pm!

Futsal Finals Panda Cup Futsal Finals will be held this Thursday 7:45pm - Clunies 1+2, New Building 3+4, Wadham 2 and Wadham 3

Cultural Committee Meetings

Mondays at 6pm in the JCR

Student Club Committee Meetings

AC: 9.30pm Monday @CDR GC: 9.30pm Wednesday @CDR

For a more detailed report of the IHSC matters, please read the GC or AC minutes. GC and AC minutes can be found on Nexus.

the top two

editor's edictInternational House241 Royal ParadeParkville, VIC 3052AUSTRALIAihouse.unimelb.edu.au

THE GLOBE: May 21 2012 3

MARINA S & Bec D

Steph rogers

Hey guys!What a crazy week it’s been! Everyone looked amazing at IH ball on

Thursday night, a fitting end to the soon to be finished semester one!We have certainly had a jam packed semester, but the coming week still looks to be just as busy, with German cultural dinner on Wednesday, the

much anticipated food forum (free hashbrowns!) and Panda Cup Futsal finals being held this Thursday.

Have a good final teaching week Melbourne Uni people and for every-

fore our eyes and as the clock struck 12 and for those who still remained at the ball got on the bus for a second round. Just as quickly, the bus ride back came to an end. On behalf of everyone, I’d like to thank Jyosheel for one of the best nights yet! From the decorations to the music, the night was spectacular!In hope of more of these nights in the future, we must remember that if you damage anything, please confess or help us identity who may have been involved. It’s not nice having to confess or dob someone else in but in the end, if IHSC has to keep paying for the damages, there will be no more events held!

Following ball, games/movie night was a good way to finish off the weekend as IHers gathered to play sardines and watch Anchorman in the JCR! With only one more teaching period left for UniMelb students, it’s not long until the semester’s over and we’ll be packing up our bags… but until then have an enjoyable week and don’t forget about the “South of the Border” night held by Grey Court residents to finish off the semester!

That’s all from us,P and VP

Hey guys!With the most anticipated and exciting night of semester 1 over, I think that we can all reflect on not only an amazing night but an amazing semester as well! Hidden under some stunning masks, the identities of many IHers were a mystery. Throughout the night, following a number of sunrise champagnes and drooling over Boy Train, it seemed like everyone was having a ball of a time! Hosted by Tim and Aya, I think that they deserve a huge round of ap-plause for leading the night! Also, congratulations to all the award winners- especially to our very own “king and queen”, Jenna and Ben and “prince and princess”, Kyle and Cassie! The night flashed be-

one else have a good week anyway :)

See ya next time!

find us online, on your iPhone or on your iPad at:

.com/IHGlobe .com/IHGlobeor


Article: IH Caters to AsiansBy Jenna Mi-Gi

Every night, as I step onto the stage to make some sort of confounded, uninteresting announcement, I observe that our dining hall is split into two halves: the Asian half and the White half. Maybe I’m being a bit bold here, but that bothers me. I’ve heard a few things this year that may be attributing to this “divide”. So, with no particular preference and in no clear order, I’m going to take this opportunity to correct a few myths:

“IH caters to Asians”I see how some may feel this way, and it’s disheartening to think that some Whites/Aussies may feel they’re at a disadvantage, but it is in no way true. International House is a place of, and please don’t quote me on this cheesy phrase as I did not make it up, “International Space”; it is a space where people from all cultures/backgrounds/whatever start off on the same foot. In other words, IH doesn’t operate on the premise of the white, male, heterosexual hegemony (if you don’t know what this means, ask your first-year arts friend for one of her readings) that the rest of the world employs.

What most people don’t appreciate is, when you’re of Arab/Asian/African descent and you get rejected for a job for some dumb reason like, “you were too eager to answer our questions”, it doesn’t matter whether you were truly incompetent or not, because you still have to deal with the thought that maybe, just maybe, it was because of your race. That is a kind of paranoia that straight, white, Christian men will never have to face. IH is a place where any person can audition for a Café act, stand up for a Student Club position, or hoard room points and apply for an apartment, regardless of their race, sexual orientation, blah blah you’ve heard the rest before. But really, it is. The idea is that no one person should have any advantage over another based on predetermined characteristics.

Take a look at the American election (as you know I am American, and thus I am a patriotic, gun-loving, fata$$…oh wait, I’m not onto stereotypes yet…): The number of people who claimed that Obama only won the election because black people voted for him appalled me. Newsflash, he is a competent, compelling, extremely attractive (how did that get in there???) candidate, it’s not like he’s Flavor Flav. (On a separate note, as many Australians would prefer that I didn’t call their Prime Minister the C-word, I’d prefer you didn’t call mine the N-word…It’s a matter of respect, not political correctness. Moreover, you’ll never know what people find offensive unless you ask, and others will never know what you find offensive unless you tell them. Oh, and don’t you hate people who state the majority of their argument in parenthesis?)

“If they come here, they should learn to speak English” I’ll start with this – it is really, really hard to come and live here. Some people work their a$$es off to get the grades, make the money, and build up the courage to move thousands of miles away from their families just for the sake of a better education. So be understanding, learning a lan-guage takes time and effort. And on the flipside, I know it’s comfortable and easier to socialize with people from your home country when you’re in a new place, but you will get SO much out of going to Aussie events, meeting locals, and practicing English. This gives way for my next point:


“Let’s sit over there, just with other Malaysians [Said in Chinese, but haha you didn’t think I would understand ;) ]”

Just no. That’s not how we do it here. And please, speak English at the dinner table. That’s an IH rule! It’s for a maximum of a couple hours a day, and it’s not fair to the others at your table that can’t understand. To someone who wants to make conversation, an entire table of people speaking a different language can be intimidating. If I didn’t know any better, I may even suspect you were gossiping about me right under my nose! I’m sure you’re not, but I hope you can see how one can conclude such a thing… Look, I’m not trying to preach, and I’m not trying to say everyone at IH is ignorant and disrespect-ful. After all, it’s nearly impossible to not socialize with and gain understanding of people from other countries while you’re here. This is just a reminder to think back to those skits you saw in O-Week, where we poked fun at the Asian and Australian stereotypes to show how most people don’t fit perfectly into those molds. If those facets of Aussie or Asian culture turn you off, take a second to look back on yourself: If you’re Aussie, are you usually a drunken bigot? If you’re Asian, are you merely a diligent anti-socialite? The answer will definitely be no, because no one is that simple. As we learned in our Inter-Cultural Communication Course - a three day course in July that is mandatory for Mini O-Weekers but is open to EVERYONE (I highly recommend that you all ap-ply…after all, what kind of piece of writing would this be without an advertisement hidden some-where within) - our Reticular Activating System naturally responds to difference by categorizing and simplifying those observations. We stereotype people to make life easier to understand, but that doesn’t make it right. People of the same country most certainly will not share the same qualities.

If anyone disagrees with what I’ve said, feel free to write back. I just want to generate a more public discussion on an issue I think we are facing as a com-munity. I’m open to your opinions, but I can’t deny what I’ve noticed every night in the dining hall. Sure, I know there are nights when I’m exhausted and not feeling social, and I just want to sit with my friends. Those nights are inevitable and acceptable; it’s these problematic trends that are worrisome.

In conclusion, it’s not about boasting the various nationalities of your best friends (e.g. the classic re-sponse, “I’m not racist because my neighbor’s Asian, and we get along great!” doesn’t really cut it), it’s about your willingness to understand and socialize with people from different countries. It’s about mutual respect, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. So take a chance; sit with someone you don’t usually sit with (oh, and definitely don’t pull up a chair to a table that’s full, that’s just not on).

I know for Aussies it is hard to live in a place where foreign cultures with rich histories are often celebrat-ed over your own, and that for internationals it is hard to come to a country that is known for its Anglo-dominance, without your family or friends. Neither group has it easy, which means that sometimes living here is not a simple task. But it is definitely, definitely worth the struggle, and some of you are missing out.


IH Masquerade Ball 2012!Dazzling dresses, fabulous masks and many, OH so many champagne sunrises. The IH ball went off with a bang last Thursday night, a truly great night was had by all IHers who attended, and special thanks must go to Jyosheel for all her hard work in organising such an awesome night!

Congratulations Prince and Princess Kyle and Cassie, and of course King and Queen Ben and Jenna!



Congrats to this week’s winner, Cherisha ‘Cherish her’ Koshy...remember to vote online for YOUR favourite fresher!

With Peng Tiong

This week’s lucky interviewee...Jake Rivers

Many of you know this guy as the hash brown man..or pancake guy..whichever delicacy you eagerly await each hot breakfast morning for. But how well do you REALLY know Jake?

Jake really is an Iher, he has lived in Geelong, Surfer’s Paradise, Canberra, and even went to an international school in Beijing, China! His parents worked for foreign affairs...so he has really gotten around.

His favourite IH meal is ‘the wide selection of curries’..some-thing we are all familiar with (did anyone else think last night’s was excellent by the way?)

When asked about his least favourite...’the meatballs. Oh god the meatballs’. Having not actu-ally seen these mysterious meatballs on the menu as yet, his response is somewhat less than encouraging...

When asked THAT question. Just WHEN exactly, do we get hash browns? he is quick to reply...in his own words, he is the hot breakfast man, but is 100 per cent with us in our epic struggle to demand answers as to the whereabouts of the crunchy triangular goodness that are IH hash browns.

Where does he see himself in 5 years time? Doing Vassi’s job...or partying it up in South East Asia.

Meet the staff!

ha ha!“The number you have dialled is imaginary. Please rotate your phone by 90 degrees and try again...”

How many mathematicians does it take to change a lightbulb?None. It’s left to the reader as an exercise.

Why did the Mathematician get arrested while doing integration in his car?Don’t drink and derive.

Q: What is sour, yellow, and equivalent to the axiom of choice?Zorn’s lemon!


columns

Facebook, Inc. has raised $16 billion US dol-lars with its initial public offering, the third largest in US history. This puts Facebook ahead of other giant companies such as Kraft, McDonalds and Amazon. There is still some doubt about the ac-tual value of Facebook (as they have trouble at-tracting advertisers,) but this puts them in a po-sition to be the ‘next great blue-chip’ company.

A new legislative election has been called in Greece, after no party managed to form a coalition. This is bad, but surprising news for both Greece and the EU, especially as auster-ity measures make Greece poorer and poorer (the statistics here are really quite shocking,) and the troubled Greek economy spells bad news for the EU and the Euro. Obama and other G8 leaders have met to try and bring an end to the crisis, as it damages stock mar-kets globally (including in Australia.) There is now fear that Greece will exit the Eurozone chaotically, which will be bad for everyone.

More bad news for Julia Gillard, as polls show her in a record-low 23% approval rating in Queensland, which would mean that every La-bour Queensland MP would lose office, including Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and Kevin Rudd. This is more bad news for Gillard, as various scandals continue to embarrass her and the Party. Don Richie, OAM, the ‘Angel of the Gap’ who saved between 160 and 500 people from sui-cide at a popular suicide spot in Sydney has died. He was Australia’s Local Hero last year. Other notable deaths this week include Car-los Fuentes, a Mexican author credited with a reinassance in Latin American literature, and Dietrich Fisher-Deskau, arguably the great-est operatic baritone of the twentieth century.

Another reminder to enrol to vote in the upcoming Melbourne by-election.

funny stuffSerious S#*% You Missed this Weekwith Riley Metcalfe

Congrats to this week’s winner, Cherisha ‘Cherish her’ Koshy...remember to vote online for YOUR favourite fresher!

10 THE GLOBE: April 16 2012 THE GLOBE: March 5 2012 11THE GLOBE: May 21 2012 10

columns

ICAC Musical Anything Goes!By Emily Vearing

If you missed out on the inaugural ICAC musical the other week, I hope you had a brilliant excuse so as you don’t spend the rest of your life wallowing in sadness from missing out on this extrava-ganza! …That may be a slight exaggeration, but only very slight. Anything Goes by Cole Porter is one of those cra-zy wild up-tempo musicals, filled with mad characters, irrational plots and killer tunes.

Set aboard the SS American, with love triangles, gangsters and missionaries galore, collegiate talent was showcased at its best. Featuring IH’s own Ben Gray as Billy Crocker, a love-sick heartthrob who stows away, posing as a gangster who is posing as a sailor aboard the cruise ship where among the legitimate passengers are his boss, the girl of his dreams and his diabolical friend/wannabe lover/first class cabaret singer, Reno Sweeney (Brittany Lewis, from Queens) who all have their own agendas to pursue (Follow that one if you can!)

A group of fellow theatre enthusiasts/curious IHers joined me at the Anything Goes gala opening night, where we were served wine and nibbles (wine, food and musi-cals, three of my favouritest things in the world!) and were privileged to see the show before the masses. Unfortu-nately there were a few tech issues, particularly in the sec-ond act but that didn’t stop us from being swept away by the fast–paced, witty dialogue and catchy musical numbers.

The choreography was wonderful, especially in the grand ensemble number ‘Anything Goes’ that ended the first act with a bang, which featured tap dancers in old school nau-tical costumes (Yeah you know there’s no going back from there. Once there’s tap dancing you know you’ve been sucked into the cheesy, wonderful world of the theatre).

Vocally, Brittany Lewis stole the show as Reno but the whole cast gave fantastic performances. Asides from our delicious IHers, Ben, Richard, Erin and Johnny, (because their talent and charisma is just a given) some of the standouts were Tom Li as the criminal Moonface Martin, James Cameron as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, the British fiancé of Billy’s sweetheart, Hope Harcourt and Scout Rigoni as the super saucy Erma.The set and costumes were fun and colourful, which just add-ed to the vivacity of the show. All in all this was an excel-lent choice of show for spreading some intercollegiate love. I would also just like to mention one thing you definitely missed out on by not seeing the show and that was Ben Gray’s chi-nese accent. He has clearly put his time at IH to good use.


Puns and other space filling things

Tickets available from Riley Metcalfe, Sheps 172, ext 572

Hey ihers! Our very own Riley Metcalfe is involved in the Melbourne Uni Choir! so go support him :)

A man was found dead in a vat of falafel condiment.

Police are treating it as a hummuscide.


sudoku!

Squiggly Sudoku! ...and something a little less challenging

Do YOU love IH? Do you want to represent the students and have a say in what goes on?

Are you interested in joining the Student Club Committee of 2012-2013?

Elections will be held at AGM mid second se-mester.

Start speaking to current members NOW!!

Issue 16

Documents

ih ball

crazy week

coming week

pm clunies

authe globe

cia week leaders

ih masquerade ball

ihsc matters