Learn how to play golf in one of the best facilities in Sydney; get Scuba certified and explore the beauty of the ocean; learn the art of fencing; or the poise and expression of Latin dancing.

With ten courses available there’s something for everyone. Meet new people, learn new skills, and have fun!

Courses are open to all staff, students and members of the community.

 Learn more and register now.

That’s what makes Food Truck Thursdays so exciting!

Every Thursday during Session 1 there will be a different Food Truck in the Central Courtyard serving up delicious specialties.

Last Thursday the Night Hawk Truck arrived on campus to the delight of students and staff, and the rest of the month’s line up is as follows:

• Thursday 10 March: Eat Art
• Thursday 17 March: Caminito
• Thursday 24 March: Monster Rolls 
• Thursday 31 March: Agape Organic  

So roll on in to the Central Courtyard between 11am and 1pm each Thursday during Session 1 for some weekly lunch inspiration.

One in five students experience significant stress, anxiety, low mood or sadness during their studies. Here Bareena Johnson, Campus Wellbeing’s Allied Health Advisor, introduces you to a new online resource you can refer students to for support.

With the beginning of the academic year upon us, we will soon be welcoming thousands of new and continuing students. This is traditionally an exciting time, however it can be a stressful and difficult time for students as well.

As a staff member you may have contact with students in a variety of situations and circumstances. Occasionally you may become aware that a student requires additional support or would benefit from developing skills to manage their emotional wellbeing.

You can now refer a student to a collaborative innovation between Campus Wellbeing and the eCentreClinic – The UniWellbeing Course.

This free online program for Macquarie University students teaches them practical, proven skills to help manage stress, worry, anxiety, low mood and depression. It consists of four lessons over five weeks, allowing students to fit the course around their university commitments. They can access the lessons at anytime, wherever they have an internet connection.

Additionally, the course provides resources to help students tackle common challenges, such as procrastination and sleep problems. All students receive weekly support, via telephone and secure email, from an experienced Campus Wellbeing psychologist.

To date, more than 300 students have participated in the UniWelbeing course. We are seeing very good improvements in students’ emotional wellbeing as a result of the course, with over 85 per cent saying it was worth their time and they’d recommend it to others.

To learn more or refer a student, please contact us:

Phone: (02) 9850 7497
Email: campuswellbeing@mq.edu.au
Web: http://students.mq.edu.au/support/health_and_wellbeing/counselling_service/resources/
In person: Campus Wellbeing, Level 2 C8A (Lincoln Building)

*Note, if a student requires immediate help please call Campus Wellbeing without delay: 9850 7497.

Remember to contribute your story – for ‘in their own voice’ – for publishing in This Week. These stories will celebrate the diversity, passion and collaborative spirit of Macquarie staff.

“Student Groups are important for developing a community of like-minded individuals who feel they belong at university,” says Kim Guerin, Director, Campus Life.

With more than 150 affiliated Student Groups at Macquarie University, the groups provide opportunities for leadership, and the development of personal and professional networks, with participation in these co-curricular studies benefiting graduate capabilities and supporting the wellbeing and retention of students. More than 30 per cent of student groups are discipline or faculty-based with these groups working to connect students with the staff of their faculties.

“The annual Student Group Awards provides the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the groups,” says Kim.

The winning student groups

Faculty of Business and Economics Award
Actuarial Students’ Society at Macquarie University

Faculty of Human Sciences Award
Macquarie University Education Society

Faculty of Science and Engineering Award
Macquarie Medical Science Society

Community Spirit Award
AIESEC Macquarie

Equity and Diversity Award
Women In Science and Engineering at Macquarie

Religious and Spiritual Award
Christian Union

Social Spirit Award
Vietnamese Students’ Association at Macquarie

New Student Group of the Year
Macquarie University Nepalese Students’ Association

Campus Engagement Award
Sweets By Sweets, and
Macquarie University Disney Appreciation Society

Student Group of the Year
AIESEC Macquarie

Congratulations to all our Student Group award winners and the team at Campus Life who support their co-curricular activities.

Get involved in student groups at Macquarie.

FAME Festival is a brand new two-day celebration of university and community life at Macquarie.

FAME will showcase the diversity of our campus community by bringing together food, music and people in a vibrant festival-style atmosphere.

The event will run from 10am on Wednesday 14 October and Thursday 15 October, and is open for everyone to attend, including students, staff, family and friends – the more the merrier!

Entry to FAME is free and will offer a wide variety of activities such as pop up food trucks, roller derby, live music, an international film festival, Oktoberfest celebrations and free rides and amusements. All events have free entry, however some elements to the Festival (such as food and drinks) will have independent pricing.

It is important for staff to note that classes will not be cancelled during the Festival, with the festival designed to allow students to attend activities and events around their class and assessment commitments.

More information on the Festival activities will be made available closer to the day, but to find out more now visit the FAME Festival website, and for any enquiries use the ‘Ask a Question’ form.

Winter is coming to an end, and so too is the Soup Kitchen. While the theme for previous years has been experimental flavours, this year the varieties were kept simple and the focus was more on a sense of community.

Staff and students have come to expect great things from our budget soup lunches, so no one is more elated than Executive Head Chef Peter Brewty that the Macquarie community has jumped on board with the idea of ‘Paying it Forward’.

“We have received 175 soup donations from staff and students as random acts of kindness,” says Peter. “We have given away 105 of those, so still have quite a few to pay forward before the soup kitchen closes next week.”

The last day of the soup kitchen is Friday 28 August with the final week’s menu still up for debate.

Have a favourite soup? Chef is running a quick poll to determine the line-up! Vote now

A tradition at Macquarie since 2009, the Courtyard Challenge is now a vibrant annual event that promotes diversity, social inclusion, engagement, health and fitness. Participants complete a series of races across various categories including Colleges, Sports Clubs, Warriors@Work and Sports Scholar. An awards ceremony and BBQ immediately follow the event.

“The Courtyard Challenge is based on the historic Great Court Run held at Trinity College in the UK each year,” said Cindy Hoad, General Manager, Sport and Recreation. “Everyone on campus can get involved, whether that’s participating as an individual or team or cheering participants on from the sidelines.”

Registration is free and open until the morning of the event.

The Soup Kitchen’s mission is to support the wellbeing of our community, both on and off campus, through affordable, convenient, nutritious and tasty food.

To support this ethos, Hiranya Anderson from the Department of Linguistics and the team of chefs at the Soup Kitchen have cooked up a great idea on how we can all do our part to give back to the University community.

The ‘Pay It Forward’ campaign encourages patrons of the Soup Kitchen to share the soup love and perform a small gesture of generosity by ‘shouting a soup’ to those in need of a delicious and nutritious meal.

The logistics are pretty simple: anyone can approach the Soup Kitchen asking to purchase a ‘Pay It Forward’ soup. The soup is then paid for and they are given a post-it note to write their message of support to a person in need. The post-it note is then kept on display at the Soup Kitchen until it is redeemed.

Anyone in need can ask for one of these soups. The system relies on trust and honesty, but the redemption can be for any reason at all: perhaps someone forgot their lunch, is stressed with work or exams, or just needs to have something brighten their day.

“This last week has been amazing,” said Executive Head Chef, Peter Brewty. “We have received such great support from staff and students on campus in just our first week and now have a whole wall of ‘Pay It Forward’ soups to give away!”

Often, eating a healthy, substantial meal is not a priority among many at Macquarie, due to time, cost or other restrictions. The Soup Kitchen wants to change this, one soup at a time, and show that it is important as a community to band together to perform more random acts of kindness to support those in need or just bring a smile to someone’s face.

Check out what’s on the Soup Kitchen menu this week.

Valuations are critical for the University to ascertain the correct value of our property to declare in our annual insurance renewal.

Staff can assist in this process (when necessary) by providing access to all buildings, rooms, plant rooms, server rooms or any other areas including areas occupied by the University controlled entities.

Global staff will include Mr Phillip Warren, Mr Ben Hill and Mr Jim Chamberlain and will at all times be in possession of a letter from Ms Trudy de Vries for identification.

Your assistance is appreciated.

For more information contact Maggie Feng (maggie.feng@mq.edu.au) or call ext. 1683.

“Making scones is actually really quick and easy,” said Housien. “It only takes 20 minutes to make them from scratch, to the table!”

After striking up a conversation about scones with Staff Café regular John Ten Have, Housien offered to demonstrate just how quick and easy making scones can be using his all-time favourite recipe. So John, along with fellow scone lover Elsa Mardones took him up on the offer.

As part of the class, Housien showed John and Elsa several techniques guaranteed to make a good scone, including how to encourage scones to rise together, and to whisk cream using a figure-eight method.

“Housien’s a great teacher with a passion for sharing his skills,” said John.  “Yet another joyous discovery in the sanctuary which is the Staff Café!”

“It really made my day knowing my customers walked away with skills I taught them, skills they can now teach their friends and family,” said Housien.

Jealous of John and Elsa’s private lesson in ‘sconography’? Don’t be! Housien was so pleased with his impromptu class, he’s now offering scone masterclasses for interested staff, every Tuesday morning in July.

Housien’s scone masterclasses
Dates: 7, 14, 21 and 28 July 2015
Time: 9.45am – 10.30am
Where: Staff Café
Cost: $15 (includes all ingredients, scones to take home and a coffee)

Register now : Email Housien Koussan (housien.koussan@mq.edu.au). Places are limited to four per class.