March 2016 | FREE

A CSU Port Macquarie Writer’s Guild Magazine

Welcometo 2016!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:WELCOME TO NEW STUDENTS

GET TO KNOW YOUR ALLaNSEE PORT IN ONE DAY

RECIPES, REVIEWS & MUCH MORE!

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READY TO MOTOR?Miedecke Motors.Miedecke.com.au100 Hastings River DrPort Macquarie P: 02 6583 8855

READY TO MOTOR?MIEDECKE MOTORS.

miedecke.com.au100 Hastings River Dr

Port Macquarie P: 02 6583 8855

3FEB 2016

2016

ContributorsClara, David, Jess, Keenan, Mel, Nina, Shaarn, Talisha, Yvette & Willie. Cover photo: Jess Day

Welcome back to all continuing students and a huge welcome to first year students!

Welcome to Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie– the best campus ever, because who wouldn’t like the sun, beach and sand all within a 15-minute radius!

I wish you all the best as you begin your journey into the life of a university student! Whether you’re fresh out of school, a mature age student or someone who just loves studying, I hope you are able to find all you are looking for here at Charles Sturt University.

My name is Mel, and I am the President of the Port Macquarie Campus Student Representative Council (PortSRC). The PortSRC is here to support you and give you a voice. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas, or you are interested in joining the PortSRC, please feel free to find myself, one of your other SRC members, or Clara Koch in Student Central. Alternatively you can email us at portsrc@gmail.com

I encourage you to get involved in all the activities and social gatherings provided to you throughout O-Week.

I hope to see you around!

Melissa GregoryPortSRC President

Welcome to 2016!

DisclaimerSynapses is supported by the Port Macquarie Student Representative Council (PortSRC) and is a Writer’s Guild publication.

The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the university, faculty, editorial staff or student members. Similarly, association by person or companies with Synapses does not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of those parties. Neither Writer’s Guild nor PortSRC accept responsibility for any omission or misconceptions of the views and opinions contained in any article accepted for publication. The editor reserves the right to edit or reject any articles submitted for publication.

Synapses is by students, for students. If you would like to contribute your stories, photos, illustrations, help with design, or practice your editing skills, contact us! We’d love to hear from you.

For advertising rates or to submit an event to “What’s On”, contact Clara Koch: ckoch@csu.edu.au

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2015 HIGHLIGHTS

Please make the most of the inserted 2016 student calendar. Pay particular attention to the important census and exam dates. Naturally, some of the fun stuff has also been included, but if you think that it’s looking a little bare, then please come along to see me, Clara, in Student Central. Actually, please come and see me if you have any concerns, any recommendations, if you need $$, information, help or are just looking for something to do. I’m here to help – ckoch@csu.edu.au.

Welcome to, or welcome back to, Port Macquarie CSU

»»

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Images (this page, clockwise from top left): Future Moves workshops with students; students graduating at CSU Port Macquarie’s first official graduation ceremony (Port News); Students at the Red & Blue Ball (Nashy Pix); Students participate in The Greatest Shave (Port News); Student with familiy at CSU Port Macquarie’s first graduation ceremony (Port News); Graphic Design students at work in the Munster St building.

5FEB 2016

We will be moving into the new campus during the mid-session break (11th–22nd April). Our lovely, shiny new address will be, Ellis Parade, Innes Lake, Port Macquarie.

Go to, http://www.csu.edu.au/about/locations/port-macquarie/new-campus/planning-and-progress/stage-one-fly-through, to see a video. The Port Macquarie Student Representative Committee (PortSRC) were lucky enough to have a walk through the current stage of the building.

As well as having 24 hour access, showers, a library, kitchen, AND lecture rooms, we’ll also have a massive courtyard and amphitheatre. To make this space as enticing as possible, the PortSRC successfully bid for funding from SSAF (Student Services Amenities Fees), and a recreational area is going to be built just next to the campus itself. This will have a half basketball court, ping pong tables, a BBQ area with an inbuilt water bubbler, a sound system and seats for all to enjoy.

Our New Campus »»

»»

6SYNAPSES

So here we are, a fresh-faced student, or a returning student who is pledging this year to be better. You are going to need some assistance in this area. People are helpful, but people won’t come to your room at 1am and help you plan out your life. But you know what is always there for you? Your phone, or tablet. It doesn’t judge you, and neither will these apps!

Here is a list of apps useful for studying and destressing in what is bound to be an interesting year.

Please note that some of these apps may be available only on iTunes or only on the google play store. I’m sorry if the one you want isn’t available to you.

Blackboard (Free) This app is the gateway to your online course content. You can try and login through your ordinary internet window, but this just makes life so much easier. Easy life = Butter Knife.

CT Anatomy (Free) Great for medical based study! It’s great to flick through the human body like a slice of bread!

Buttons and Scissors (Free) A game where you are a pair of scissors and you are cutting buttons off denim. You have to cut all the buttons in matching color sets though so don’t get ahead of yourself! A great time killer.

Pocket Frogs (Free) The game that seemingly never ends. 38, 272 frogs to collect!

Student Agenda (Free) Literally a digital “agenda”, aka diary, to keep track of classes, assignments, marks etc. You can color co-ordinate too…woo!

Lifeline Service Finder (Free) A great resource to find contact information for local services such as accommodation and mental health. A really good app for those studying the social work field.

Neko Atsume (Free) A digital backyard where random adorable cats turn up and visit you depending on how much food you leave out and what toys you “buy”. Show off your digital cats to your friends! I know I do… Pickles is my fav.

Colorfy (Free) Coloring books for adults are all the rage, and this app brings coloring to you digitally. Mindlessly color in that drawing of a flower with a click of the screen.

Money Manager (Free) Keep up with all your money woes and joys in one handy app. A great tool for budgeting and keeping track of where all those hard earned dollarydoos go.

This or That (Free) Take the age-old game of ‘would you rather’ digitally with This or That. Choose wisely, because the internet can be a bit judgey.

– Study Skills

AWESOME APPS FOR AWESOME PEOPLE

7FEB 2016

So, here you are: at the very beginning of an academic adventure that will present challenges, exert pressure, inject excitement, generate satisfaction and, hopefully, culminate in the unique and memorable triumph of a graduation ceremony.

For many students, one of the first challenges of university is mastering the art of academic writing. No matter what course you are studying, you will need to be able to present your ideas, arguments, analysis, and reason in an articulate and formal manner that, in the beginning, may feel foreign and uncomfortable.

But, like Plato, Charles Sturt University’s ALLaN (Academic Literacy, Learning and Numeracy) team understands the importance of a good beginning and provides support from day one

– particularly for your first assignment, which is likely to fall due in about four weeks.

So, jump in at the beginning and take advantage of the services provided by ALLaN – after all, they come as part of your admission package at CSU, so why should you miss out on such a great opportunity?

Whatever you do, make sure you take advantage of our assignment feedback service. Here, you can submit your work prior

to marking for one of our advisers to read and make suggestions for improvement.

Remember: our advisers only comment on the literacy aspects of your assignment—we never venture into subject matter. We will give feedback on how accurately you have followed the instructions of the assignment task, how logically you have structured your writing, and how thoroughly you have integrated research into your work to demonstrate the depth of your reading. We will comment on your referencing and suggest resources to help you develop this important skill and alert you to any shortcomings in the mechanics of academic writing, such as grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary.

You have nothing to lose. Simply go to the website, click on Assignment Feedback, follow the instructions and within about 48 hours you will receive expert advice and a marked-up copy of your work that, when acted on, can only help you get better marks—and isn’t that what every student is after?

Become familiar with ALLaN and the range of services we have to offer right from the very beginning because, as Plato said, it “is the most important part of the work”!

ALLaN

Go to http://student.csu.edu.au/, click on the Study tab and open Developing Study Skills to explore what ALLaN has to offer, including interactive workshops such as Kickstart to Referencing and Strategies for Effective Learning and Memorising, or do the five part series, from Start to Submit.

You can access our popular study tips, participate in a forum on our online discussion board, or make an appointment to discuss any sort of literacy, learning or numeracy issue with one of our friendly advisers.

GET TO KNOW YOUR

– Andrew Meenahan

part of the work.”– PLATO, The Republic

“The beginningis themost important

8SYNAPSES

IndigenousStudentCentres

Some words of wisdom from a second year student

Some words of wisdom from a second year student

While there was plenty of freedom and flexibility that came with study and attending classes, the reality of studying at an undergraduate level quickly dawned on many new students: some experienced quite a shock from studying inside a classroom, especially those returning to study after years of work and adulthood.

Put simply, university is very different from school, and this was seen in the way students are actually taught and expected to learn. There was a level of freedom that we had to acknowledge, but once you got the hang of it and recognised that you need to set your own targets and be consistent, it was manageable to keep up with the pace of university studies.

To my surprise though, attending university in my first year was not all about organisation, study and time management. There were many doors of opportunity waiting to happen: I just had to learn where to look, and then ultimately, reach out and grab them.

Charles Sturt University offers all of their students the opportunity to apply for scholarships throughout the course of their degree. These range from assistance with access and equity, travel and textbooks, or to reward excellence and achievement. I was fortunate to apply and receive a grant from CSU that saw myself and three other CSU students, Kiana, Teresa and Jamie-Lee, travel to Darwin.

The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance (NATSIWA) hosted the 2015 National indigenous Women’s Conference at the Hilton Hotel on 28-30 September. This conference aims to provide a platform for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Women to celebrate their achievements in life within their family,

community & workplace. Focusing on empowerment, strong leadership and self-determination, the conference saw women from all over Australia speak of their experiences and diversity, along with challenges and barriers. There was a strong emphasis on resilience and determination amongst the women who attended, all of whom have the same dream to strive for a better tomorrow without the constraints of negative stereotyping that Indigenous people continue to face today.

It was an amazing experience for myself: to meet such inspirational women, who go beyond what is expected of them and to change the face of what it means to be an Indigenous woman in today’s society. These women ranged in profession, from community health workers, NGO group providers, allied health workers, researchers, doctors and leaders/Elders, to social workers and rural and community health professionals. They all shared a common interest in closing the gap on Indigenous women’s health in areas such as women’s health, family violence, community development, women and youth incarceration, conservation and management, education and acknowledging the achievements of Indigenous women from across the nation.

The sharing of ideas and knowledge during the three day conference aimed to give other women and organisations the opportunity to implement and adapt alternative strategies within their own communities. Not only was there discussion about what has worked, there was extensive discussions on what did not. It was eye-opening: although hearing real-life stories confirmed that, yes, life can throw a few spanners in the works and ideas may not always go to plan, there was also a recognition of the importance of our people and culture, and the resilience to find other ways to assist where help was needed. It showed the

Indigenous Student Centres have supported students for more than 20 years. Our staff provide academic, cultural and social support to our students on their academic journey with CSU.

There are six Indigenous Student Centres located across CSUs campuses. These include:Albury-Wodonga Campus: Winan-Gidyal (learning / knowledge)

IndigenousStudentCentres

9FEB 2016

Some words of wisdom from a second year student

true meaning behind community, and inspired those of us who were there. With great emphasis on the idea that we may be faced with different challenges in our communities, we all share the same desire to improve the quality of life for our mob.

The conference was a wonderful opportunity and a delight to be able to represent CSU, but I was exceptionally proud to be there on behalf of my Wiridjuri mob as well. The three-day conference was also filled with fun and leisure as myself, Kiana, Teresa and Jamie-lee explored Darwin and its culture.

The opportunity to apply for scholarships are accessible to all students, Indigenous and Non-Indigenous alike. Look out for the Professional development grants on the CSU website, too!

In my experience, Nina Cass, Indigenous Student Liaison Officer here at CSU Port Macquarie, played a huge role in supporting and encouraging me during my first year at university. Nina organised a study session at Student Central on Wednesday nights for the Indigenous Students to come to study, and invite their friends or other students from class along as well. This group played a massive role in helping me meet new people in my course. With a few of the students from Port Macquarie already, my social group has expanded. Here I was able to meet new friends who shared a similar interest in study and leisure, as well as find out more about Port Macquarie, community events, employment opportunities and to generally feel like I was becoming a part of this community. Keep your eye out for Study Nights again in 2016! There are plenty of CSU staff around to offer support and advice!

– Talisha Stopp, 2nd year Social Work student

Bathurst Campus: Wammarra (to build one’s education)

Dubbo Campus: Barraamielinga (to provide)

Goulburn Campus: Maliyan (symbol of law and justice)

Port Macquarie Campus: Ngarralbaa (place of learning and knowledge)

Wagga Wagga Campus: Ngungilanna (to exchange / give to one another)

Our centres have lots of resources for you to access and offer a range of services and programs. The Indigenous Student Centres are an inclusive space and we welcome all students to come in and say hello!

Nina Cass, Student Liaison Officer (Indigenous) Ngarralbaa Indigenous Student Centre (Port Macquarie)

10SYNAPSES

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Method:

Method:

2 eggs1/3 cup of milk4 slices of raisin toast½ cup of thickened cream½ tsp of ground cinnamonPunnet of strawberries Icing sugar (if feeling fancy)

500gms of cooked chicken breast1 cup of natural yoghurt1 table spoon Curry powderLeafy greensMango or nectarine chutney

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Wisk together eggs and milk.

2. Heat a small amount of oil or butter in a fry pan. Dip 2 slice of raisin bread into egg misture and evenly coat. Cook for 2 minutes each side, and place on a baking tray. Repeat for remaining bread. Place in oven for a few minutes.

3. Wisk together cream, icinging sugar and cinnamon until soft peaks form.

4. Top toast with cream and strawberries.

1. Mix natural yoghurt, chicken, and curry powder together in a bowl.

2. Place chicken curry mix and leafy greens on wrap, roll it.

3. Eat it.

Breakfast

Lunch

Fruity French Toast w Strawberries

Chicken Curry Wraps

recipesfor every meal of the day

11FEB 2016

Ingredients: Method:500gms of beef rump strips2 Tbs sesame seeds2 Tbs of oil2 garlic cloves2cm piece of grated ginger2 Tbs oyster or soy sauce2 Tbs of fish sauce (optional)3 tsp of caster sugar3 Tbs of soy sauce2 tsp of cornflour.Any mix of vegetables: capsicum, bok choy, beans, broccoli, onion, carrot, etcRice to serve

1. Cut up all vegetables and meat. Toss beef and sesame seeds together.

2. Heat fry pan with oil in it. Brown beef for 1-2 minutes and remove from the heat.

3. Add more oil, and stir fry your garlic, ginger for 1 minutes.

4. Add your vegetables and stir fry for another minute.

5. Combine oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar in a bowl, add to fry pan, along with your browned beef. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.

6. If you aren’t a fishy person, combine soy sauce and corn flour in a bowl and add that instead.

DinnerBeef Stir Fry

Ingredients: Method:250g of dark chocolate, broken into pieces.

600ml of thick custard

300ml of thickened cream

Optional: white chocolate to garnish.

1. Melt chocolate and custard on the stove top together (To do this place a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. The bowl needs to be bigger than the saucepan so it can sit on top. Don’t get water in your chocolate).

2. Leave for 15 minutes to cool.3. Wisk cream until it peaks (becomes

all fluffy, use an electric mixer if you can, or it takes foreveeeer).

4. Add cream to chocolate mix and stir until combined. Divide mix into glasses, and put in fridge to set for 1 hour.

5. If you are feeling fancy, sprinkle grated white chocolate on top. Or icing sugar if you are cheap. Or just eat it.

DessertChocolate Mousse

12SYNAPSES

PORTSEEIN ONE DAY!

–SYNAPSES SPECIAL

First stop on our PMQ tour: A majestic river cruise. Settlement Point Rd, Ferry Wharf.Cost: $0 for foot mobiles.

Meet Edmund Barton! Town Green, end of Horton Street. He usually sits on a bench looking over the dock. Cost: $0. No autographs. More Info: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=185

Regional Galleries. Get your culture on.The Glasshouse, 32 Clarence StreetCost: $0More Info: www.glasshouse.org.au

Foot tour of the breakwall. Self-guided. Departs at Rydges, and concludes at the skate park.Cost: $0More Info: http://www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=187

Windmill HillSee the views and giant pencils. Pacific Dr, opposite windmill street.Cost: $0More Info: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=361

Harry’s lookout. More views and locks of love. Harry is a Port Macquarie icon. May he rest in peace.Pacific Drive, opposite Wandella Drive.Cost: $0More Info: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=360

Secret Staircase WalkDeparts Harry’s lookout (Head south down the creep steep stairs), concludes at shelly beach.Cost: $0

Shelly Beach. Named for the Mollusks carcasses that litter the landscape. Have a dip! Step on some rocks! Chase a bush turkey! Catch bacterial diseases from Goannas (not really, be careful)!Cost: $0More Info: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=338

Fantasy Glades! Mourn the greatest theme park Port ever had.44 Parklands CloseCost: $0 and sorrowMore Info: www.fantasyglades.com/

Tacking Point Lighthouse. Port’s most famous landmark!End of Lighthouse Rd. The big white building on top of the cliff. Can’t miss it.Cost: $0More Info: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=77

Kooloobung Creek Nature ParkSee Port Macquarie’s beautiful wildlife (if you are rich you could go to Billabong, but money yo). There’s km’s of board walk!Opposite Coles on Gordon Street. Watch out for things that go bump in broad daylight!Cost: $0More Info: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=176

Koala Hospital and Roto House. Drop bears are sedated. See how the rich lived 100 years ago!Lord Street, in the tree part.Cost: $2 donation to Koalas (come on you stinge).Koala Hospital: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=35 Roto House: www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au/explore/location.aspx?id=72

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13FEB 2016

PORTMACQUARIE

14SYNAPSES

101No longer will your parents launder your underwear, pack your lunch, or stock your toilet with toilet paper. It’s up to you now (cheapest TP is at Big W, 3 ply, about 30,000 rolls for $16. Bargain).Heres a basic run down on how to adult:

Residence: Hopefully you have a job, which will make this a bit easier. There are a lot of share houses popping up around Port, and while it can be hard living with pigs, it’s a much cheaper option. Who knows, maybe your roommate will be Cinderella incarnated. To rent you need to prove that you can pay rent. You need pay slips, bank statements, Centrelink statements, a copy of your licence, Medicare card, bank card and any previous rental history. Then cross your fingers and hope they like you the best! Don’t aim too high, you won’t get that 6 bedroom house with a heated pool on the canals, but that little pokey room with one small window in the dodgy part of town? Has your name on it.

Hot tip: call up a real estate agent and get on their good side. Explain your situation and hopefully when your name comes up in the applications they will remember you.

Employment: It may be awkies, but get out there and hand out your resume. Strut that work ethic. Don’t think you are too good to work in that greasy take away shop- you’re not. Make sure you have references from an old job, or character references if you haven’t worked before. Write a short cover letter introducing yourself. Address criteria if answering a specific job ad. Be flexible. Don’t use large fonts, weird fonts, big line spacing, or crazy colours. I have seen many a resume chucked in the bin without even being read because it just looked stupid.

When you get your job- turn up, do the best you can,

and be pleasant. With the growing young population in port now that CSU in town, jobs are thin on the ground. Don’t give them reason to fire you.

Nourishment: Now that you have to forage for yourself, you can’t spend all your money on junk. Meal planning is a pretty good way to make sure you have food for everyday, and to stop yourself from buying every second thing you see on the shelf because it looks delicious. Sticking to your list saves you money. Money you need for shelter, and internet- the other necessity of life. Hint: it’s cheap to be a vego.

Pay your bills: Avoid huge heart-attack-inducing bills by budgeting! Pay a little bit off every week. Once you get your first bill, you can calculate how much it was every week- and pay that every week for your next bill. $80 a month phone plan? Pay $20 a week. Opening a bill and seeing you owe nothing, is THE BEST feeling. What got you excited as a kid? Going to a party? Christmas? Well now that you are an adult- it’s not owing anyone money! And if you don’t pay your bills, stuff gets cut off, you lose your internet- It just all snowballs from there.

Keep your dwelling clean: The olds aren’t here, so put those gloves on and grab the bleach. Do it all in one day, do it in bits and pieces. But just fricken do it. There is nothing grosser than a slimy, musty, mouldy house. You think your latest boo doesn’t mind your mess? Think again. Clean your toilet at least once a week. Do your dishes. Don’t let a mould colony start in your shower. Vacuum the pubes off the floor. If you look like you live in a trash heap, you won’t get a good reference from your landlord when you try and rent elsewhere. And with the market the way it is and house prices rocketing, funding someone’s round-the-world cruise by renting their house may be your only option.

For you fresh youngsters that have only recently flown the nest.

How to Adult:

15FEB 2016

RESTAURANTS

Port is overflowing with Chinese choices, but the best in town has to be from Hot Wok. Ranging from sweet and sour to spicy sate, this food meets and greets all the ranges you can think of. Conveniently located on Gordon street (you can’t miss it, it literally has giant Chinese gates greeting you in the car park) across from Video Ezy and just up from the Shell petrol station–because you know students love nothing more than videos and petrol! Pricing ranges from $5 soups to $65 special takeaway packs. Try the crispy roast duck–so good even big bird recommends it. Hot Wok also runs a smorgasbord on Thurs/Fri Lunch, ALL U CAN EAT FOR $13.50! If you don’t take this offer up, I’m sorry we can’t be friends.

Also open Wed/Thu/Sun nights for $20.00 pp (youngens are cheaper). Visit http://hotwokchineserestaurant.com.au to read the menu, opening hours and phone number.

Hot WokCharlie'sChinese RestaurantTakeaway & Catering

Conveniently located right near the new CSU building, Charlie’s takeaway features delicious food ranging from super cheap to cheap in price. You had a super long statistics class and now all u can think about is pizza because of pie charts? Well you’re in luck, because Charlies makes GIANT TOPPING FILLED PIZZAS! So good. So tasty. So much wow.

I understand we are all students, and money for delicious food is not always within grasp. Hush those lips of yours fellow student, because Charlie’s happens to make the best omg-I-only-have-$5-give-me-something-yummy treats, from dim sims to chicken wingdings!

Visit http://charliestakeaway.com.au for more info and download a menu while you are there.

SYNAPSES REVIEWS

Work together to make our campus a safe place for women. Go to http://www.onebillionrising.org/resources/campus-rising-toolkit/ for more information on how to take action.

SYNAPSES16

I am writing this as the President of the Student Senate, the chairman of all the student voices in every CSU campus. If there is a problem then I am sure I’ve heard of it.

Ok, let’s start. I started studying on Port Mac campus in 2014, enslaved under the Bachelor of Accounting, which lasted two years (now I’m studying Business Finance). In 2014, we started the Student Representative Committee (PortSRC), which represents your voice to the Senate. Only Mel is left from the original set up. She’s president and she runs it well. I naturally became treasurer, no surprise. We spent the first year on a budget of $0.00, but we ended up raising money through events like Christmas in July. We also hassled Julia Coyle who knows us quite well now, to approve us as an official SRC. We were successful, and we are now with the big boys: Bathurst, Wagga Wagga, Orange, Dubbo and Albury.

Each SRC must have 2 members to join the Student Senate; the Senate requires a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. I worked up the chain, was the treasurer for the PortSRC, then treasurer for the Student Senate. These roles include heaps of help from Clara and other staff, so you’re never alone. While in these roles, I established NAACHO with Andrew, Krystal and Jarrod, some fantastic students. NAACHO was hard to create. We had several successful events, some of which are still advertised in the common room on the NAACHO wall.

An awesome group of students (Yvette and Jess) started Synapses in 2015, just from the idea of wanting an internal magazine. This magazine is made by students for students, and it takes a lot of work to put each issue together, so we encourage student input, and you can win prizes for just sending in pictures and ideas!

I am now President of the Student Senate, have networked with many leaders, travelled, created stuff and a longer resume. Oh, and want an extra $50 at the end of the year? Become a mentor.

Chain of communication starts with the SRC, then the Student Senate that then is represented on the Academic Senate and finally the Council, which makes all the big choices. As students can be on the Council, keep your eye out for when the position is advertised.

Get what you want! Want a swimming pool on campus? Wagga Wagga has one. Want a room just for parties? Talk with Clara about SSAF and write requests to your PortSRC!!

– By David Matters

Make thebestoit

I was the treasurer for the PortSRC then treasurer for the Student Senate. These roles include heaps of help from Clara and other staff, so you’re never alone.

STUDENT BANKING WITH DISCOUNTS YOU’LL LOVE!

bcu.com.au/students

- Fee Free Banking- High Interest Savings- Low Rate Credit Card- 2017 Scholarships Available

Make thebestoit

FEB 201617

CA$HMAN REPORT

This is the end. Are you next?

I’m off to the big smoke.

As of the end of 2015, I am no longer on Port Macquarie campus. So is this your opportunity to discover a hidden talent of writing and to share your ideas?

I can’t just leave you here without one last financial tip. This one is inspired by the CAP Money course.

So, you have expenses, these are the things you pay so you can live this exuberant lifestyle. But are you finding yourself at the end of the week like this:

Well, it is time to Reduce, Downgrade or Stop some expenses. Firstly list all expenses you tend to pay, by either going through your bank account or listing all things you pay weekly with cash like this:

Expense $$

Rent $170 Food and Coffee $30

Now we make a note of things you can either Reduce, Downgrade or Stop.

Reduce: Can you reduce how often you do this? Let’s say you go out drinking every night and it costs you $20 a night, that’s $140 for a whole week! What if you go large one night a week instead and only spend $100, you just saved yourself $40.

Downgrade: Several things you can do here, let’s say coffee. You can pay up to $4.50 per large coffee, up to 5 a week, you just spent $22.50. Sure I love coffee too, but when I can just buy a small coffee for $3.00, I save $390 a year!

Stop: There shouldn’t need to be any explanation to this one. If you don’t need it and don’t need a ‘reward’ then stop doing it! Mine was buying lunch from that Café. Instead for the same amount of one chicken panini, I could buy enough stuff to make 3 lunches.

These ideas are only as affective as you are willing to put in the work, so shave your expenses so you can buy things you actually want like a freaking holiday! I went to Cambodia with my savings…

Take care reader and au revoir! - The Cashman

Image: Wiki Commons

STUDENT BANKING WITH DISCOUNTS YOU’LL LOVE!

bcu.com.au/students

- Fee Free Banking- High Interest Savings- Low Rate Credit Card- 2017 Scholarships Available

18SYNAPSES

CalmColourMe

19FEB 2016

PortSRC are here for you. We are responsible for ensuring the student voice, YOUR VOICE, is heard.

So if you have a student issue you wish to raise, or even an event that you want to see run, find

us, one of YOUR representatives pictured below.

If there’s no sign of us, or if we look too scary to approach, email: portsrc@gmail.com

SRCPORT MACQUARIE

SRCPORT MACQUARIE