Category: Features
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COVIDSafe App: Should You Download It?
By Juwariya Malik The COVIDSafe app was touted as ‘essential’[1] to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and reopening Australia’s social and economic activity. But despite its millions of downloads, was the app ever truly necessary or even helpful to reduce the spread of the virus? Further, during its operation, the app has been met with…
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Rethinking Class Participation
By Nicole Sung When participating in class discussions, some thrive, others don’t. Some take it as a chance to banter with the lecturer. Others find it mortifying. According to UNSW, classroom participation is “an assessment strategy to encourage students to participate in class discussion, and to motivate students to do the background reading and preparation…
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UNSW Council Election Candidates: Your Questions Answered
By Henry Chen The elections for UNSW’s 2020 undergraduate student representative on the University Council have been mired in controversy. One prominent candidate, Claudia McDonnell, was forced to withdraw from the race following widespread criticism of her racist social media posts. While these events may have increased voter turnout and attention on the elections, the…
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How COVID-19 Exacerbated Inequality Amongst Students
By Micah Emma Chan The COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the globe causing catastrophic economic impacts and relentless strain on healthcare systems. The profound repercussions of the current situation have exposed the underlying injustices within our society. Closer to home, the pandemic has unveiled the growing and acutely underestimated social divides within our local…
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Sticks and Stones and Words
By Shajara Khan The internet has grown over the past thirty years from a network of digital information limited to certain users to the backbone of our society. Within the internet, the rise of social media has reshaped the way in which we communicate and form relationships. However, social media has blurred the lines between…
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Australiana: An Open-Ended Question
by Arleen Wilcox I come home from a friend’s birthday dinner and collapse on the couch. Socialising can be exhausting as it is, but the nights when every interaction with a stranger starts with a “So, where are you from?” hit harder. This question might not sound like much of a big deal and it’s…