Tertangala

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Tertangala
Type Student newspaper
Format Magazine
Owner Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association
Editor Allison Jeffares
Associate Editor Hailey Sutton
Founded 1962
Language English
Price Free
Headquarters Flag of Australia
Circulation 3000
Website: Tertangala Online

Tertangala is the magazine of the University of Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association (WUSA)[1]

Contents

[edit] Content

The magazine features student investigative and feature articles, news, artwork, opinion, film and music reviews, as well as interviews and editorials. Submissions from staff and students (including student association representatives) makes up the bulk of the magazines content, however submissions from other members of the community are also accepted.

From time to time, the Tertangala has been known to use themes as a way to source content and spark interest amongst the student population. However, themes are not at all restrictive and content is accepted even if it does not conform to the set theme.


[edit] 2008 Editions

So far in 2008 there have been two print editions:

  • Issue 1: Survival Guide
  • Issue 2: Fiesta

[edit] 2007 Editions

  • Issue 1: Survival Guide
  • Issue 2: Nuclear: Splitting the Atom
  • Issue 3: Surveillance
  • Issue 4: 45th Birthday Edition + Tertangala History section
  • Issue 5: Loud & Strong: Gender and Sexuality
  • Issue 6: Straya - Where the bloody hell are you going?

[edit] History

The Tertangala has a 45 year history, making it older than the University of Wollongong itself. It began in 1962, when the University was an external campus of the University of New South Wales.

Colloquially referred to as "The Tert" by students, the paper is usually edited by the elected Media Coordinator of WUSA. The Media Coordinator is elected by a popular vote open to all WUSA members.

The Tertangala has a radical editorial tradition and many of its former editors have transitioned into active political and artistic life. Past editors and staff members have also gone on to write for other publications, such as Rolling Stone, The Australian and Vogue.

All copies of the Tertangala are archived by the University of Wollongong library, and many are available online.

[edit] The Name

The name Tertangala is said to mean "smoke signals". The name originates from the time when the University of Wollongong was a campus of UNSW. The paper's name was said to reflect the notion of Wollongong students communicating from their industrial (and notoriously polluted) city to the parent campus in Sydney.

[edit] Controversies

A constitutional provision in the WUSA constitution, designed to check the Media Coordinator's editorial power, provides the right of veto over the content of the paper by the President of WUSA.

The right of editorial control versus the censorial privilege of the WUSA President has ofttimes been a source of controversy and tension on the University of Wollongong campus. In early 2004, then-Editor Anneliese Constable fought the then-President Michael Szafraniec for the right to publish reports critical of his administration of WUSA.

[edit] Funding

The Tertangala is funded directly by WUSA and through revenue raised by advertising and membership. The editor of the Tertangala reserves a right to determine who can and cannot advertise in the paper.

[edit] Impact of VSU

Until recently there was also a number of staff members employed to write for the paper, but these positions were made redundant after the implementation of voluntary student unionism led to a cut in the association's revenue. The magazine also had to stop paying for student submissions.

While the true impact of VSU is hard to quantify, the people involved in making the Tertangala are certainly feeling its effects. In May 2007, the Media Coordinator Adam Knobel was interviewed by a writer for Honi Soit - the student newspaper at the University of Sydney - about the effect of VSU on the publication. The following is an extract from the interview:

"VSU has had an almost crippling impact on the magazine. In terms of budget, the Tertangala [has] gone from having $120,000 a year, to only $20,000 a year.

Paying for student contributions was a way that the Student Association could help students - who are often short of money - to supplement their incomes. While we used to be able to pay students for their submissions (5c a word), we've had to discontinue this due to lack of funds. Sadly, this makes it much harder for us to secure content for the magazine.

Before VSU, the Tertangala was also able to employ an editor and six staff members. In 2006, in preparation for VSU, it became clear that only the editor would be able to be paid. Then, as funding and budgets were reassessed, it became clear that we would no longer even be able to pay the editor.

This means that the Tertangala is currently staffed by a group of loyal volunteers, several of whom are having to drop to part-time study simply to keep the magazine going. They work extensive hours - often four days a week during session - for no pay."

[edit] Past editors

  • 1993-1994 Jason Dickie#, Craig Wallace#, Kathryn Goldie
  • 1994-1995 Kathryn Goldie
  • 1995 Damien Cahill
  • 1996 Ronika Joukhador
  • 1997 Van Badham
  • 1998 Stu Hatter
  • 1999 Stella Chambers#, Ben Langford
  • 2000 James Beach
  • 2001 Ariane Lewis
  • 2002 Dan Morgan
  • 2003 Siobhan Christian
  • 2004 Anneliese Constable
  • 2005 Kristen Kalkman
  • 2006 Grant Coleman# (Jan-Aug); Beth Patchett# (Aug-Sept); Adam Knobel (Sept-Dec)
  • 2007 Adam Knobel
  • 2008 Allison Jeffares

(# = resigned, + = dismissed, @ = acting/interim)

[edit] External links

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Student newspapers in Australia

Bootleg | Catalyst | Crossfire | CUrio | Delirra | Empire Times | Entropy | Farrago | Getamungstit | Grok Magazine | The Hack | Harambee | Honi Soit | ISM | Interpellator | Lot's Wife | Metior | Muscateer | National U | Neucleus | On Dit | Opus | Pelican | Prodigy | Properganda | Quasimodo | Rabelais Student Media | The Rattler | Seed | Semper Floreat | The Student Leader | Tabula Rasa | Tertangala | Tharunka | Togatus | Universe | Vertigo | The Western Onion | Woroni
Student broadcasters in Australia

2MCE Bathurst | 2NUR Newcastle | 2SER Sydney | RMITV | 3SYN Melbourne | Cue FM Canberra | TUNE! FM Armidale | 101.5 Radio Adelaide