Monthly Archives: April 2013
Queer Collaborations Conference 2013
Registration is now open!
(Please note: the Queer Collaborations Conference organisers have changed the dates and their conference will no longer be held on the 3rd-9th July, it will now be taking place on the 8th-14th July. This now clashes with NUS Education Conference being held in Adelaide on 10th-12th July, and the Queer Collaborations Conference organisers sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this causes.)
Equal marriage rallies
France & NZ have passed equal marriage in the past week joining a list of now 14 countries to do so. When will Australia catch up? Join the rallies happening around the country in May to speak up:
Melbourne: facebook.com/events/519903788054877
Perth: facebook.com/events/412951355446528
Brisbane: facebook.com/events/126094367567780
Canberra: facebook.com/events/499719386757196
Sydney: facebook.com/events/152245068265493
Adelaide: facebook.com/events/125463857631337
Snap actions against funding cuts!
The recently announced cuts to higher education will affect all students, including queer students. $900 million will be cut in addition to students being required to repay government scholarships meaning up to 37% more debt and more than a decade of student loan repayments once we finish our studies.
Don’t take these cuts quietly, speak up and join your local actions happening today and in the coming weeks around the country!
Adelaide: http://www.facebook.com/events/189846024497645/
Melbourne: http://www.facebook.com/events/183158695166935/
Sydney:
http://www.facebook.com/events/597602173585296/
Hobart:
http://www.facebook.com/events/295588857241429/
Perth:
http://www.facebook.com/events/533388560047437/
Brisbane:
http://www.facebook.com/events/235832399890527/
Canberra:
http://www.facebook.com/events/300507650082122/
Don’t pay more for less. #NDA2013 #InvestInUnis
Pride Not Prejudice
What Makes You Proud? Why Do You Challenge Prejudice?
The NUS Queer Department is seeking photo and video messages from queer students and allies around Australia on what makes them proud to be queer or an ally and why they challenge prejudice and queerphobia.
Please send your photos and video messages to queer@unistudent.com.au!
Campaigning for Queer Spaces on Campus
Recently the NUS Queer Department had a request forwarded on from queer students who had struck trouble in their demand for an autonomous queer space on their campus. We gathered a few things together and have collated them here for future use by anyone campaigning for their own queer space. If you know of any other resources or would like to offer your own statement on the issue please contact me at catherinerose87@gmail.com.
There have been successful campaigns for queer spaces over the years, this post aims to collate the online records of such campaigns for the use of those who would like to take on the mission of securing or saving a space for queer students at their own uni.
If this is your aim – take a look at how others have dealt with the issue – and be creative in taking the issue on. The common thread between different universities has been a public campaign, posters, petitions and so on. A Facebook page for the issue would be really useful, or you could even try something stuntish like ‘claiming’ an area or setting up a space outside to highlight the problem. Gathering statements of support is another good idea.
This fantastic video documents some things that happened in 2004 at the University of Wollongong as queer students campaigned for their space.
Greenleft Weekly and Qnet have covered a number of queer space campaigns as they unfolded, here are some articles.
1993, University of Western Sydney, Monash University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, University of Notre Dame, University of Canberra
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/34142
1993, Edith Cowan University
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/33541
1993, Toowoomba University
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/33503
2006, University of Canberra
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/34643
2006, University of Canberra
http://www.qnet.org.au/content/news_and_events/news/0602university_of_canberra_queer_space.php
http://the-riotact.com/uc-queer-students-want-space/2016
And lastly, here are a few statements of support for the demand of a queer space. If you would like to send your own please do, and send us a copy.
2013 National Queer Student Representatives List
For the use of everyone, here are the national details of queer student representatives. It has been personally collated so please let us know if there is any information that should be put in to it or updated. If you would like your details added or changed just get in contact with us at queer@unistudent.com.au and we would be happy to add to the resource to more effectively advertise the avenues that queer students to use to find their representatives and collectives. Feel free to share the information.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aou3ilehY5q1dDNiQVdlU0RpYkZndE8tSzlKSkFReEE#gid=0
NDA for Education goes ahead
Last week students participated in a day of action around the country for higher education. I attended and participated in the Education Action Network in Sydney that organised our city’s end of the day and came up with its own demands in line with the national theme – in Sydney we demanded
*Free Education*
*Stop the Staff and Funding Cuts*
*Student Control of Student Money*
*Stop Deregulation of Fees*
Sit down on City Road!
The protest was also held on the second day of a 48-hour strike being held by staff at Sydney University. Recognising the strike as the most significant campaign in the education sector in NSW today, students who were involved in the NDA also gave their support to the strike. In the morning many of us helped staff the picket, then we marched over to UTS where the NDA was advertised to start, we then marched back to the picket bringing students with us from the NDA to give support to the strike. When we got to Sydney Uni again a spontaneous sit down was held in the middle of City Road! We stayed there proud of our achievements before the few final speeches were held – I was invited to speak by students in the organising committee to represent queer students and used the chance to talk about the need to organise now to fight under a looming Abbott government.
Both the Sydney Uni strike and the NDA marked an important step in the struggle for a decent education and I was proud of how many queer students participated in organising around these events.
Sydney Uni strikers hold their own with student support
NUS Queer Department 