Love in this club
The first week of classes saw the bulk of VUWSA’s O-Week events, with a comedy night, hypnotist, and live music show taking place at the hunter Lounge over weeknights.
Also taking place was Clubs week, with over 80 clubs setting up stalls in the newly opened hub and recruiting for new members. Students Salient spoke to thought the ‘week’, lasting three days, went well. However some placements of tables were questioned, with UniQ and the Conservatives being positioned next to each other. The young Greens and young Nats
were also found to be neighbours, but the latter proved too intolerable and the former shifted their table.
This year is the first in which clubs have been administered by the University. Following a review last year, the University took over management of clubs from VUWSA as they thought they were better placed to manage them, despite most literature proving otherwise.
VUWSA still have a Clubs officer—Ramon Quitales—with the view of regaining control of clubs from the University.
Students’ engagement with O-Week events was good, with the three Hunter Lounge events either sold out or selling close to capacity, and the Campus Hub central building buzzing with students at stalls.
Trouble brews again
Less than a week before home Brew’s O-Week show, a member of the band physically threatened a Victoria student on Twitter.
Harry ‘Haz Beats’ Huavi, Home Brew’s producer, launched an online tirade against the student—who wishes to remain anonymous — including “your gonna get beat down till you can [sic] walk anymore”, and “I’ll smash your Dad if your too scared to face me!”
“I’m down in Welli this weekend just fuck this fuckers face up. Come test! Bring your friends il take them all on you faggots! Fuck you!” read another tweet. The group’s other two members supported Huavi through tweets of their own. Earlier in the evening, Huavi had tweeted “As you can tell […] I’m drinking here by myself ”.
vUWSA president Rory McCourt has expressed “extreme disappointment” at the interaction, and is putting in place policy to not hire
Home Brew again.
“We’re an organisation which has a commitment to making this space safe for everyone”, said McCourt. VUWSA did not take any action prior to last Wednesday’s show despite being aware of the online altercation. The student was advised to make a police complaint but did not, and did not think VUWSA should have scrapped the gig. Home Brew were not available for comment prior to their Wednesday night show.