With O-Day recently passed, Diversity Editors Cleo Robins and Amman Bari took some time to chat with Multicultural Students Union (MSU), one of UWA’s many thriving cultural clubs, about their core ethos, and what 2021 will bring for members after a disruptive 2020.
Cleo Robins and Amman Bari: What is the core mission of your club with regards to multiculturalism and diversity?
Multicultural Students Union: Our core mission is to promote a positive, multiculturally diverse culture on university campuses. Multicultural inclusivity is a significant issue in our society today, and as a club that advocates for multiculturalism and diversity, we believe MSU has a major role in this in hosting all-inclusive events, promoting inclusive behaviour, being multiculturally aware of what is going on around the world and seeing where we can help, such as raising awareness of movements such as Black Lives Matter. We believe that the change to multicultural inclusivity begins within campus.
CR and AB: How has your club changed or evolved in response to the challenges of COVID?
MSU: The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time for MSU, as we are a club that thrives off social events and interactions. As a social club, we really wanted to provide for our community since we couldn’t host events for them anymore, so one way we combatted this was by organising our first virtual escape room event, Midnight Circus! This way we were able to adapt for both international and domestic students in the shape of an online event. After many zoom group calls, the event was a huge success, and we were overjoyed to be able to provide some fun for both committee and our community, during the isolation period.
CR and AB: If you had to describe your club in three words, what would they be?
MSU: Describing MSU’s vibe in three words…vibrant, charismatic and sunny! Vibrant because MSU is full of different characters and talents, charismatic because we are very passionate about our club and there is always something that we are all passionate about (we are currently in a volleyball and dancing phase), and finally, sunny because our committee never fails to bring warmth, kindness, and happiness wherever we are! We exhibit a fun and hearty atmosphere that anyone can be a part of!
CR and AB: What are the most exciting events and opportunities that you have planned this year?
MSU: 2021 is such an exciting year for MSU, more than ever before! We have a variety of events lined up for our community such as our competitive dodgeball tournament on the 19th of March, exciting clubbing event on the 15th of April, followed by our chilled charity cocktail night on the 25th of May, and finally our highly anticipated MSU ball returning to be bigger and better than ever on the 7th of September during study break (for both UWA and Curtin!) For freshers, we have the confidence that our events will be the highlight of your first year, and for our current students, get ready for a big and better year ahead with MSU!
CR and AB: Who would you encourage to join your club?
MSU: Anyone and everyone! If you are unsure which clubs to choose, MSU ticks all the boxes. Our club is not exclusively just for UWA students – as of right now, we are so lucky to cater for students from UWA, Curtin, Murdoch and ECU! So whether you are a fresher seeking new experiences and friendships in a new environment, an international student seeking to broaden your uni life experience, or even a current uni student looking to be more involved in club culture, MSU is for you!