Welcome to our tenth Issue of Debate for 2019! It feels like just the other day I was writing the editor’s letter for Issue 1 and now here we are. This issue is the sex issue and, coincidentally, issue 10 of Debate from last year was also the sex issue. Maybe we’ll make it a tradition and do the same thing again for issue 10 next year.
We have a real mix of all things sex related this time around. On page 18, we have a piece from Lizzy Carmine on sex in the religious school environment and how it can be considered a real taboo - to the detriment of students. On page 22, we have Helen Shelvey’s guide to sex in a flatting situation. This piece looks at both sides of the equation: being the person trying to have sex in your flat and on the other hand, being the person trying to annoy the people having sex in your flat.
On page 24, Jess Rayner has all the tips around how to get rid of that pesky one-night stand and on page 29, Jessy Thurston examines whether vaping can be considered sexy or not.
We’ve also got some info for you in this issue about proposed fee increases for 2020. The university is planning to increase the student services fee for each student by over $100. It’s a really significant increase that you need to be aware of. These fees fund things like the gym and the counsellors and it’s going to be important to ascertain whether this big increase is justified and exactly where the uni plans to spend the extra money.
On top of this, Dan Brunskill has a piece about the two new positions that have been created on the Student Representative Council (SRC). Considering how much the SRC has struggled to fill vacant roles this year, it was an interesting move for them to make. At the recent AGM, the SRC painted a pretty picture around their ability to quickly fill vacant roles, but I remain sceptical around how successful these new roles will be. Either way, we’ll keep you in the loop with any changes around this.
Talk soon,
Ben