Image description: The background has a marbled pattern, with the colours red, blue, pink and purple. In the foreground is a white text box, with hot pink text that reads “UWA Campus: Home Edition”. In purple text below this, the copy says “an impractical guide for adjusting to the ‘new normal’”.
By Courtney Withers
Now it’s time for a more impractical – or silly, if you will – guide to adjusting to that concept of the ‘new normal’.
The campus life we once knew has changed drastically for the time being. However, there are always things we can do to maintain normality and the sense of campus community alive.
It’s a weird, weird time, working from home at the moment, and I certainly have had some strange occurrences. Whether it’s my mum walking past my screen in live Zoom lectures, asking me a question; or sending a comment to the entire tute, intending it for a close friend.
The lovely Pelican sub-editors and myself have come up with a few ways to get back that UWA spirit, and ignite that campus culture: some ~ ‘helpful’ ~ tips to making your very own UWA Campus: Home Edition.
- “Why not build your own moat in your backyard, and jump from side to side until your heart’s content? The good thing about this one is that there’s not going to be anyone from Reid Library telling you off for doing so — bonus!” (Courtney Withers, Campus News)
- “Microwave the stinkiest fucking lasagne you can get your hands on, and then put it right across from you, to really grab the essence of Reid Library by the balls.” (Deni Campbell, Science)
- “Maybe you could set aside twenty dollars for what you would have spent on parking in a day. Waste your money from simply being at home!” (Courtney Withers)
- “Make yourself an ‘okay’ coffee, so you feel like you are studying in Reid.” (Ei Hnin, Media Staff)
- “Stare into space in your online class to simulate that real three pm tutorial feeling.” (Abigail Macleod, Arts and Design)
- “Explore outside and see if you can discover any peacocks! It might not be the same, but imagine those pesky crows are just as majestic.” (Courtney Withers)
- “Get your housemates to intermittently turn off the Wi-Fi throughout the day.” (Kyle Pauletto, Tech and Games)
- “Open a tab on YouTube of people talking and laughing loudly to simulate the ground floor of Reid Library. What better way to ruin your already terrible productivity?” (Isabelle Yuen, Literature and Creative Writing)
- “Imitate that walk to the Business School, and run around your house for fifteen minutes before your next online class.” (Courtney Withers)
- “Put your stuff all over the dining table and disappear completely for hours. Only come back when someone tries to move your things and tell them really passive aggressively that the space was saved.” (Deni Campbell)
- “Get your housemates / family to dress up in their old high school uniforms, and occupy every convenient space in the house.” (Paris Javid, Science)
- “If you’re missing UWA election season (I know you all are!), why not get your family to harass you with flyers each morning as you greet them for breakfast?” (Courtney Withers)
- “Open online shopping/social media tabs on your computer while pretending to look at lecture slides to enhance your in-class feeling.” (Ei Hnin)
- “If you’re feeling sad about not being able to make snide comments to your buddies during a boring lecture, just use your phone! Send a funny comment to your friends during your Zoom lecture, and wait for their live reaction on screen.” (Courtney Withers)
Use these tips wisely, and enjoy your very own campus – away from campus!
Courtney is currently searching for peacocks in her backyard.
Graphic by Stirling Kain