Free Must Do Activities in Sydney, Australia

Kirstinia Jurovich    

Take a Free Walking Tour of Sydney

Rain or shine the easily identifiable tour guides, dressed in their iconic lime green t-shirts and bright green tennis shoes, will be hitting the pavement to show people the hidden gems that Sydney has to offer. The Sights Tour is not just about showing people “the touristy things”, it is about showing the cool funky little things that the city has to offer that people would not normally find. If you turn up to Sydney and you do not  know where things are, do not necessarily want to book something, or do not know what you want to do for the day, this tour is the perfect fit. 

Catch Some Sun at Some of Australian’s Beautiful Beaches on the

Bondi to Coogee Beach Walk

This walk takes about 2 hours to complete, or maybe longer if you stop and enjoy the beautiful sights. The photo opportunities are endless!  Along the way there are beautiful places to surf, swim, sunbathe or just take in the beautiful scenery. Each beach along the way has its own unique personality. Snorkel in the secluded Gordon’s Bay and catch some waves at the beautiful Tamarama Beach on your way to the iconic Bondi Beach!  

Get a Unique View of the Sydney Harbor at the Royal Botanic Gardens

Situated right along the beautiful sparkling waters of the Sydney Harbor, The Royal Botanic Gardens offer a lot of places to go and sights to see. Gaze upon Picasso pieces at the NSW Art Gallery, look at the numerous gardens, and tour one of Australia’s oldest buildings, the Governor’s House. This house has one of the best views in the city, and the tour gives a neat insight into the past and present of Australia’s government in the Sydney area. Tours are conducted on the weekends, and run every 30 minutes from 10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Thanks to all these free opportunities, anybody can experience the beautiful city of Sydney.

Greeks Aren’t the Problem

Micayla Chade

A couple of weeks ago a video of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ) fraternity members from the University of Oklahoma chanting racist and derogatory lyrics was posted online.

Within days the video went viral. Protests were held at the university and around the country as more and more details were released. Greeks, unaffiliated students, parents, teachers, celebrities, and politicians all spoke out against the incident proving that it is something that needs to be talked about.

ΣΑΕ nationals immediately shut down the chapter and issued an apology and official statement regarding the incident.

While everyone can agree that the words in this chant were entirely unacceptable, it shouldn’t necessarily evoke demands of shutting down all Greek chapters in general. This is definitely not the first time a fraternity has faced some heat for their actions and to be completely honest it probably won’t be the last.

Scandals like this give Greek life an awful name. It can be easy to assume that everyone associated with the community acts and thinks like those few who have made headlines. But in reality not all those involved in Greek life are racist and self-interested. Many fraternities and sororities raise thousands of dollars a year for a number of charities and volunteer at multiple philanthropies for hundreds of hours a semester. Yet all we hear about are the bad apples in the system.

What we need to do is change the perspective of Greek life around the country. Every U.S. president and vice president except for two since fraternities were founded has been Greek.

 

It proves that leadership and persistence is taught by being a part of an organization like this but that sometimes members can get sidetracked. Focusing on the good in these communities will inspire other chapters to step up and make the change. It is time to approach the problems we face being Greek and fix them.

CES Working To Change The Fort Worth Community

Hannah Stabingas

This semester in ‘Writing For Strategic Communication’ we have the opportunity to work with a real organization and develop content for them.  I am excited to be a part of the team working for Clark Educational Services (CES), founded by Mary Clark Smith of Fort Worth, TX.

This non-profit was created in 2005 with the goal of providing resources for international music students at Texas Christian University.  In return, CES encourages the students to provide music education and development to schools and community organizations in the Fort Worth community. 

After a short medical leave, founder Mary Smith and her daughter Winn, are working to reboot the company and develop even more opportunities for music students.

CES has grown over the years to provide housing and thousands of dollars worth of resources for international music students. This includes anything from groceries, to helping them to find a car or apartment. Mary has devoted her life to these kids over the past ten years and only hopes to grow CES into an organization that can foster and nourish their love of music.

Additionally, Smith wants to provide not just for TCU international music students, but also wants to make an impact on the Fort Worth community as a whole. Her vision is to one day have her TCU students integrated into the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) system to share their love of music with younger generations.

As fine arts programs are slashed every year from school programs, Mary’s hope is to bring this aspect back into young children’s lives.

Her overall mission is clear, to help those who love music to succeed. We are excited to help Mary and CES achieve this goal.

Website: www.clarkeducationalservices.org