halls news issue three 2013.pdf

7/30/2019 Halls News Issue Three 2013.pdf

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ExaminationsIf you think that the semester has gone by quickly, imagine how quickthe next 3 weeks will pass by till exams. Dont get too stressed at thethought of your exams around the corner. Utilise this time to find outeffective ways to approach your study and what you can do to

prepare yourself during this time. Make sure you get familiar withyour exam timetable so that you dont turn up on the wrong day.

Exams can be stressful so please be mindful of the other residents inyour hall. To ensure that the halls remain quiet and conducivefor focussed study, Massey imposes an alcohol ban in the halls duringexam time. Noise levels must be kept down to a minimum, even ifyou have finished sitting all your own exams.

Events for May and beyond:KiwianaThis was a successful fun filled event with manyinternational students getting a taste of both classic Kiwi food andculture with an opportunity to partake in Kiwi games and competitions.

Creative ArtsThis competition is still underway for the month ofMay and we look forward to seeing your talented creations.

Halls BallNext semester will hold this major event.Remember to collect your ball gowns and suits when you return homefor the holidays. Tickets will go on sale in July.

Upcoming events Soccer Tourney (28th July), the Flatting Expo(11th Sept) and the Talent Night (26th Sept).

The Accommodation Services Team would like to wish you allthe best for your last assignments, tests and exams. Safetravels back home for the holiday break and we lookforward to seeing you again next Semester!

The end of Semester is near...

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Gumboot Shield Ladder Board

Past events - Touch Tourney,

Kiwiana

Upcoming EventsHalls Soccer Tourneyand Ball

Student Counselling Exam Tips

Sport and Recreation Centre

Medical Centre Colds and Flu

Campus LivingImportant Notices

ChaplaincyUpcoming events

CTL Exam Workshops

ISSUE THREE l 22nd May 2013

Above: Cow Milking Activity at Kiwiana

Below: Egmont vs Rotary in Touch Tourney

Level 2, The Student Centre (above the MUSA shop)

MASSEY MANAWATU


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KIWIANA

There was food galore and the sun was out at theKiwiana Event held during common break on the 8th ofMay. Feijoas, Fried Bread, Fish and Chips,Pineapple Lumps, Boil up, Marmite, GiantPavlovas, Jaffas, Minties and Fairy Bread, just to name afew. YUM!

With competitions ranging from eating cow pats,

milking a fake cow, guessing the number of NewZealand lollies to throwing gumboots, it was certainly aneventful afternoon. Entertainment from Manawatahi, theMaori Students Group, created an authentic vibe thatheld everyones spirits high. There was also anopportunity for international residents to learn how toperform the haka and to learn different kiwi slang.

Congratulations goes to Jess Drysdale of McHardy Hallfor guessing the closest number of eggs in the Giantpavlova, Amy Holland of McHardy Hall for guessing the

closest number of jaffas, Megan Stevenson of Atawhaifor the pineapple lumps and Subadra Sagayadeyan ofKairanga Hall for the jetplanes in a jar. The cowpateating competition was once again messy. A clearwinner emerged this year, Lunar Arthuro of Rotary. TheGumboot throwing competition was quite intense thisyear but Reuben of Atawhai was a clear winner in theMale section with the furthest throw ever in the history ofthis event. Joy from Atawhai was the winner in thefemale section. Well done to both who grabbed Allblacks and NZ gear.

Check out all the photos on Facebook!


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EXAM PREPARATIONSTUDYUP: KNOWLEDGE TO GO

Preparation

makesperfect

Develop some extra

memory skills and learn

some structuredrevision tricks.

Tues

21st May12 noon or 5:30pm or 8:30pm

Thurs

23rd May12 noon

Surviving the

exam

Study tips and

strategies for getting

through the exam.

Tues

28th May12 noon or 5:30pm or 8:30pm

Thurs

30th May

12 noon

Want some really useful tips on how to reviseeffectively for your upcoming exams?

Our StudyUp series ends off with two really usefulsessions to teach you some strategies to be moreeffective in your approach to studying andrevising for your exams.

To view the session onl ine:

Ensure that your computer is able to connect, runAdobe'spre-flight check. The workshops will bebroadcast live fromhttp://connect.massey.ac.nz/studyup/. Each session is half an hour.

Click on the link 5-10 minutes before the sessionbegins.


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CHAPLAINCY

Semester One Only Contracts

If your Residential Agreement is for Semester 1 only, and youwish to extend your contract and stay until the end of the year,please come to the Residential Services Office by 9TH June2013 to sign up for Semester 2.

If you are leaving at the end of this semester, please ensureyour fees are fully paid and that you have completed the BondRefund Form, (a copy of this form will be sent to you soon) andreturn it to the RSO.

If you are unsure of the length of your contract please contactour office.

Semester Break

In the next few weeks you will receive an email regarding the 3week break in June/July and information in regard to the mealrebate available for this time. Please note your contract doescover this 3 week period and you will be charged your normalaccommodation fees for the full 3 weeks. Further information isavailable on page 26 of the Accommodation Handbook 2013under theCheck Out section.

All Matai residents must vacate and completely clear out theirrooms for the 3 week break, so that distance students can usethese rooms.

If you have any questions about the upcoming 3 week break,please come into the RSO and talk to our staff.

Accommodation Fees

If you would like to take advantage of our prompt paymentdiscount, payment in full for your semester two fees must bereceived by 1st of July. A reminder invoice will be sent to you

by email in the last week of May.

Parcels

Please remember when collecting your parcels from the RSO,you must bring some form of photo id (student id card; driverslicence; 18+ card). Please also ensure that senders know to putyour name on the parcel as we have recently received parcelswith either no name on them or a nickname which is notregistered in our systems.

Eats n Treats shop at RSO

You may notice a decrease of stock available at our Eats nTreats shop, this is due to closure at the beginning of semestertwo. We will continue to run our stock down from now.

Im writing this in the middle of Graduation Week. At themoment that magic time may seem a long way off to manyof you. But, believe me, however distant it may seem now,the time will come round really quickly. Like many othersyou will find yourself asking What happened to my time at

Massey?

Use your time here well. Study wholeheartedly but realisethere is more to life than books and certificates saying youcan pass exams and are worth employing. Appreciate thewide range of people you have the chance to meet and thedifferent takes on life you encounter. Rather than just goingwith what appears to be the crowd, think through foryourself just what you believe about life, the sort of personyou want to be, and the values and priorities that will guideyou. These things too, are part of a holistic university

education and you will never have a better chance toaddress them.

Amongst other things, the Chaplaincy team at the Centreare here to help you work through issues like these so feelfree to drop by any time and have a chat.

Within the day to day life of the Centre we continue to offerthe following events.

LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH THE BIBLEMondays 12-1.30pm

Fridays 4-6pm

MASSEvery Wednesday 12 noon

PANCAKESEvery Wednesday 7pm

CHRISTIAN MEDITATIONEvery Thursday 12.30pm

Everybody welcome to all of the above.

We at the Centre hope you have had a great term. Wehave enjoyed getting to know many of you at PancakeNites and on other occasions. We hope your exams gowell, you have a great mid-year break, and we look forward

to seeing you again at the Centre sometime next term.

Colin Day(on behalf of the chaplains)


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MASSEY MEDICAL CENTRE

WINTER WARNING

Dont assume youre immuneOnly about three weeks until exams. This year winter has yet to really set inand before it does I would urge you all to straight away make an appointmentto see one of our nurses for a flu jab. This would be the best few dollars you

spend on your health all year. Its odds-on that influenza will strike in studyweek or during exams themselves and to save yourself the lost time fromstudy, not to mention the stress it will cause you, get the flu vaccination now.

Whats the difference between the flu and a cold?Lots of people come in to see us during the winter months with what they callthe flu but is in fact just a plain old cold. The key difference is that fluinvolves fever, feeling hot, or hot and cold, headache, and generalisedaching, usually of sudden onset and usually preceding the subsequentrespiratory symptoms of sore throat, nasal congestion and cough. On theother hand a cold does not have those key symptoms of fever, headache andaching. The cold is just the sore throat, runny nose and cough parts. Its thefirst 2-3 days of fever, headache and aching that distinguishes the flu from a

cold and is the reason you really struggle to do anything until that phasepasses.

MASSEY HALLS BALL UPDATE

Dont forget to bring back your gorgeous dresses/suits for theMassey Halls Ball.

This is happening inSemester 2.

Friday August 9th at Travelodge,8pm-Midnight.

Tickets will go on sale day one of Semester Two (15th July).Only 475 tickets will be sold, so its first in first served! More

info out next Semester.

In fact, we often see people with a streaming nose, sore throat andcoughing away who say they feel a lot better, now that the fever,headache and aching have gone. If you really have had the flu youllknow that a cold is just a minor nuisance.

Minimising Spread

What can you do to minimise the spread of these respiratory infectionsin your hall? In the last few years we have had our share of pandemicalarms. One good thing about that is that we have all been bombardedwith good advice about limiting spread of these respiratory tractinfections. What applies to bird flu equally applies to influenza andcolds. Regular, effective hand washing will limit the spread of theseviruses from surfaces to your nose or mouth. If you have a cough orare sneezing, cover your face in your elbow crease or with a tissue.Thats all, simple basic stuff, but if we all do it, we can reduce thespread of these winter bugs significantly

Dr Mark Morris

Medical DirectorMassey University Medical Centre


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STUDENT COUNSELLING

Scary Exam Time

You probably know the feeling you have so much to do thatyou spend all your time rushing there is no longer any timeo visit friends, take a break, go to the gym, take a walk or goo church. You resent those people who seem to go out

drinking every night and still seem to crack the semester tests.You spend every waking moment at your desk not daring todo anything else. You find it hard to concentrate; you aregrumpy and sleep poorly. Your body feels gross and unfit andyour mind seems to have stopped working. You are faintlyaware that your chest is tight, your shoulders sore, you have adull headache and sometimes find it hard to catch your breath.

Stress! We need it to do our best but it can also paralyse usand lead us to do less unhelpful and even downright harmfulhings such as drinking too much, wasting time, gambling, orspending money we cannot afford. Stress is triggered by ahuge range of life events not just exams and it can be thebreak up (or threatened break up) of a relationship, anmpending sports fixture, or by a blind date.

There is actually quite a lot we can do about it and simplypretending it is not there, is not one of the better strategies!

But I dont have time to relax! Relaxing is not necessarilyabout taking lots of time away from your studies of course

you need to spend enough time at your desk but it needs tobe effective time and too much stress makes that ineffective!Here are a few quick strategies:

Plan your immediate environment so it is not too messyand cluttered and swamps your concentration ordistracts you (turn off email and cellphones, avoid anoisy or cold place, ensure enough ventilation so as tostay awake)

Organise your time so you know how much you need to doand so that you can know where you are in theprocess. Use a timetable.

Remember the 80 / 20 principle it takes 20% of the timeto learn 80% of the work but to learn that last 20% iswhat takes time ask yourself if you have to know it alland perfectly or is 80% good enough?

Stop. Take a deep breath right deep into your body. Feelyour stomach expand against your waistband as youdo so. Now breathe out slowly against your lips asthough you were cooling a cup of hot soup. Continue tobreath slowly and regularly for three of four breaths.

Sleep is a time when your mind organises and makessense of what you have learned. It is part of yourstudying and not something to do when you are notstudying. You need to have sufficient restful sleep andit is definitely not wasted time.

Exercise does not have to be an hour in the gym. A briskwalk around the ring road, either alone or with friends,can rejuvenate you, flood your brain with oxygen andgive you a chance to reflect on what you have learned

up to that point.Eat a balanced diet try to avoid the junk comfort foodswhich will leave you feeling uncomfortable. Keep a jarof something tasty such as carrot sticks or apple slicesall already cut and ready to nibble when you find youneed something.

Stretch your whole body screw yourself into a tight ballclutching your knees and tucking your head into yourchest, then uncoil slowly and reach as high as you canas you breath out.

If you find that you are overwhelmed, talk to someone who canhelp there are strategies which can help (but you do have toactually use those strategies). It is less helpful (and a waste ofprecious time) to bemoan the struggles but a far betterinvestment to face them head on and do something to changethem!

Both the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the StudentCounselling Service run seminars to assist at this time socheck out what is available and make use of it!

A Stress Busters session is scheduled as part of the WOWseries on 30th May as well.


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I have been aware of the term mindfulness for a few years now,

but had struggled to think how it could help with exams. Thatwas before reading an article in the Guardian, Couldbeditation be the answer to exam nerves? Mindfulness isthe latest big thing in schools. What is it and why is it so popular?

In the article they describe two ways in which mindfulness maybe used to help with exams. One is called the7/11 the otherbeditation.

The 7/11 is a relaxation breathing exercise. Matching thecounting to the breath, you breathe in through your nose for acount of seven, and out through your nose for a count of 11. As

with many mindfulness techniques this helps focus yourattention, in this instance you use the breath as an object ofconcentration. By focusing on the breath you become aware ofthe minds tendency to jump from one thing to another. Thesimple discipline of concentration brings us back to the presentmoment and all the richness of experience that it contains.

Beditation is simply the process of meditation whilst lyingdown. Meditation might sound slightly new world, but it is ofcourse thousands of years old. On one level meditation is asimple yet powerful technique that effortlessly allows your mind

to become calm and peaceful. Which is not a bad state to be inwhen youre studying or in the exam room.

What exactly is Mindfulness?Although mindfulness has its roots in eastern philosophy, manyacknowledge the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn from the MedicalCentre at the University of Massachusetts as being the founderof the modern mindfulness movement. Jon Kabat-Zinn definesmindfulness as paying attention, on purpose in the presentmoment non judgementally.

If you imagine that there are two modes of attention, thinking andsensing, attention often gets drawn to whats wrong, whatsthreatening, our attention scans for problems and this is for goodreason, it is a primeval survival technique.

This triggers the thinking part as you attempt to solve the

problem. Now there is nothing wrong with this but the mindneeds a balance and there is a time to think and a time to relaxand sense.By moving your attention to the present moment and into thesensing mode you will instantly become more relaxed. The7/11 breathing and meditation techniques are just ways ofhelping you do this. Research is showing that there are hugebenefits of spending some time in the sensing mode and not inthe thinking mode.

How it helps with exam stressStress is often created by thinking what might happen if I fail,

what happens if I am not good enough, or cant answer thisquestion? These are all examples of the thinking state ofattention. To feel stressed is a perfectly natural reaction; it isthe result of being faced with a challenge that initially at least,looks impossible to overcome. But in an exam it is far fromhelpful, often cutting off your ability to think straight andsometimes paralysing your actions.By using the 7/11 breathing techniques before the exam tohelp you feel more relaxed, during the exam to stop a panicattack taking over, and even after the exam when you begin towonder what you should have done but didnt, can beincredibly helpful.

Meditation can help both in the short and long run, our mentalhealth and intellectual skills are shaped by what we do with ourattention, where we place our awareness. And of courseintellectual skills are vital not just in the exam but whilststudying as well.

Is it just in the mind?Brain-imaging studies show that mindfulness meditation canreliably and profoundly alter the structure and function of thebrain and produce, for example, greater blood-flow to and athickening of the cerebral cortex in areas associated with

attention and emotions. As well its impact on specificproblems, mindfulness has been shown to have a very positiveeffect on intellectual skills, improving sustained attention,visual special memory, working memory and concentration.


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Get ready to party at the Massey Recreation CentreLes-Mills Re-Launch night:

Monday 27 MayYour chance to try out the Les Mills classes completely free and helpus celebrate the awesome job our instructors do.

Experience all the new music and new moves from the latest

re-launch direct from Les Mills. Look out for more information at the

Recreation Centre coming soon.

Re-Launch

SPORT AND RECREATION CENTRE

Confused about Sports Supplements?The Institute of Food Nutrition and Human Health in association with the

Recreation Centre presents

SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS A- ZInteractive displays from the 3rd year sports nutrition students.

Wednesday 29th May

12.00pm 2.00pm

MUSA LOUNGE

Orla Pettman joins our team as our Clubs and Activities Co-ordinator. She will be developing

and running new recreational activities aimed at helping keep students fit and healthy on

campus. Look out for Orla at social leagues and other student

programmes at the Recreation Centre and on campus.

Tamara Scott-Valath has been appointed in the role of High PerformanceCo-ordinator. Tamara is a Massey graduate and has worked for Sport Manawatu for the last 6years. She brings a wealth of experience to our service and will be working to assist our SportsAcademy Students in their sporting and academic endeavours.

Would you like advice on how to use the equipment effectively? Or maybe you need someone tospot you through those last few reps? We have the 3rd year exercise practicum students workingas Fitness Assistants in the gym. Theyre here to help you! Check out the times they are availableand make use of their time and knowledge.

Need help in the gym?


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SPORT AND RECREATION CENTRE

COMING UP IN JULY/AUGUST

Social leagues - Semester two

Social Leagues are the perfect opportunity for you to get involved in the sports you love to play.The leagues include basketball, football, netball and volleyball.

No experience is needed and the leagues are aimed at students who want to take part incompetitive sport where the emphasis is on fun. Discounted registration fees for teams madeentirely of Massey students.

Contact Orla Pettman ([email protected]) for more information on Semester two socialleagues.

The Challenge is back for 2013! Run, Ride, Row your way to success on the

leader board and take on your mates in this individual and team challenge. Thisyear were holding a special Halls Challenge on Sunday 4th August. Look out for

more information in the July newsletter.

Be sure to watch the new Massey TV commercial and then go to the app on the Massey Facebook page tosay what you like about the commercial and enter the competition.

You could win a new Xbox Kinect Package!!! The link to the app: http://www.facebook.com/masseyuniversity/app_448301905230676 or you can go towww.facebook.com/masseyuniversity and click on the Xbox tab.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS


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halls news issue three 2013.pdf

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