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Welcome to the first issue of
Raiders of the Lost Arts!
The craziness of enrolment,
Academic Orientation, and O-Week
is done and dusted, but you may be
still thinking to yourself: “Um… Uni…
Say whaaaat?!”
This is going to be your Ultimate
Survivial Kit.
We want to provide you with the
tools to be outstanding students!!!
But never fear, because your Arts mentors are
here to help!
Mentoring?!
And always remember:
Arts students are the bomb!
The Mentors@Macquarie program has been
around for over 10 years, and assists students
with the transition from school or work to
university.
Your editor, Emily :)
We know how tough the first few weeks of uni
life can be!!
The Arts Mentor Motto:
BE – APPROACHABLE
BE – RESPECTFUL
BE – THERE
BE – SUPPORTIVE
Seeing a High Distinction next to a subject
once you get back results, really is an awesome
feeling and reflects all the hard work.
As your mentors, we can help you in helping
yourself achieve this!
Over the coming weeks, we are
going to give you some “insider info” (but
sssshhhh, don’t tell anyone) to try to ease
some of the stress and confusion you may
have already started to feel as that first essay
looms...
ask me
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Why are they so important??
Blackboard
So you probably knew that the Blackboard Learning System allows you access to
course material, readings, iLectures and slides.
BUT did you know it also:
• Allows students to communicate with their section instructor/tutors via
an emailing service.
• Encourages students to interact with fellow students through
discussions started on the message board (for exams, essays; anything
unit related!). Arts topics are always very content heavy!
• Provides students with additional research resources through links. This
can be to referencing guides, extra reading… Even grammar exercises, if
you are studying a language!
So if you miss a lecture, have a question, or need help, Blackboard is the place to
check out!
Unit Guides
Your unit guide contains all the important information you need to successfully
pass your unit.
It has information such as:
• The contact details of your unit convenor, lecturers and tutors. It usually
has the lecture and tutorial timeslots too, because your teachers don’t
want you to miss class! ;)
• All assessment details (when they are due, what needs to be done, how
much it is worth, where to hand it in etc.)
• A week-by-week summary of lecture topics, readings, and tutorials.
• There is information about extensions, academic honesty
(plagiarism is a strict no-no!), university grading policy, student
services, and IT information.
• Title pages for assignments, referencing guide, extra reading
materials, etc. maybe also be included…
ask me
Often a burning question can be answered by looking in the unit outline, so
have a sticky-beak before asking your tutor!
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iLecture / Student Emails
By now you’ve probably heard about iLectures and indeed you might have already
used the service. Without iLecture, missing a lecture could be very painful –
iLecture essentially allows you to listen to a lecture after the fact and can be
accessed through Blackboard. iLecture can be a great study tool – try putting
lectures on your iPod or MP3 and listening to it while exercising or doing
housework. But there are also really good reasons to actually go to your
lectures, including:
• Attending your actual lectures (in person) is very important, because it
allows you to LEARN the course content!!! iLectures, while incredibly
useful, should not replace attending lectures. Having to listen to 24
iLectures the night before an exam is not an ideal preparation!
• You get to meet lots of people in your lectures! Many of the friends
we’ve made at university we’ve met in lecture theatres.
• Lectures are also a great opportunity to get your lecturer to answer your
questions and clarify issues that may be confusing you. Many lecturers
are quite lax about responding to emails in a timely fashion, so this is
probably your best bet!
• Remember that you can use iLecture as a study tool as well as going to
your lectures!
We hope you’ve all now accessed your student email (well, you wouldn’t be
reading this otherwise), but we think it’s worthwhile giving you a couple of tips:
• Did you know that the University actually requires you to check your
emails once a week? The best way to satisfy this requirement is to have
your student email account forward emails to a personal account.
This can be done within your student email account by clicking on
settings>forwarding and POP/IMAP and entering your personal email
into the box that comes up.
• Aside from the fact that you’re required to, why is it important to check
your email often? Your student email is the main way that the University
contacts you, so it’s important to check your email, otherwise you might
miss out on something! Of course, it’s also really important to check your
student email regularly, as how else would you receive this helpful
newsletter?
In week 6, we are having a SMART ARTS get together!! Stay tuned…
Hope you have a spectacular week! Bye for now!
The coolest kids you’ll ever know, AKA, your Arts mentors :)
PS. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email.
Remember to “Ask me!!”
‘Like’ us on Facebook – the Mentors@Macquarie group :)
ask me
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“Drum-roll please…”
Meet the team bringing you Raiders of the Lost Arts!
Emily Sheppard – Arts Team Leader
My name is Emily, and I’m currently majoring in
Egyptology, but really love everything from
Mythology to American politics!
I’m really looking forward to my third year at
Macquarie, and all the adventures ahead of me.
A few fun facts about me: I’m addicted to buying
dresses, I’ve been kissed by former PM John
Howard, I can recite Shakespeare, and I sing badly.
Jacqueline McDonald – Arts Team Leader
Hi my name is Jacqueline McDonald, I am going into my third year
of a Bachelor of Creative Arts International majoring in Music &
Performance.
I am President of Rotaract Macquarie, one of Macquarie’s clubs.
My interests are visual arts, music and performance. I am a bubbly
person and I like to make everything fun.
Michaela Constantine – Arts Mentor
Hi my name is Michaela Constantine. I am in my second year of
studying the Bachelor of Arts with the Diploma of Education
and am majoring in Ancient History!
I love food, photography and all things history! I also
love talking, anything from small talk to big talk, which
I do at an alarmingly fast rate!!
ask me
I hope you have a great time at Macquarie!!
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Amy Lego – Arts Mentor
Hi my name is Amy Lego, and I’m currently in my second year of a
Bachelor of Ancient History Honours.
I love everything history related and hope to one day become the
next Indiana Jones!
I am a bubbly person who loves to have fun and make new friends.
Patrick Gibb – Arts Mentor
I’m Patrick Gibb (please call me Pat). I’m in my second
year doing a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in
Politics and Economics.
I’m a complete political junkie, and when I’m not
reading the news, I often like to cycle and go to the
gym.
Tahnia Rahman – Arts Mentor
Hi, my name is Tahnia and I am doing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in
Human Resources and Education.
I love my degree because it allows me to do virtually anything. So far I
have studied – geo-science, linguistics, early childhood, health,
psychology, literacy, human resources and education subjects, and
totally love it.
I love reading books and I secretly want a vampire to fall in love with
me.
ask me
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