Lord Mayor’s Friendship Ceremony Comes to Griffith

By Marlene Kastner, studying a Bachelor of International Business, Griffith University

For the first time ever, the Lord Mayor’s popular Friendship Ceremony came to Griffith University’s Nathan campus and proved to be an absolute success!

With a warm welcome for international students living in Brisbane, I felt a particular emphasis on our ‘friendship’ with the local student community.

The stage was set in the Campus Heart surrounded by information stalls pulsating with students searching for their bonafide Friendship certificates signed by the Lord Mayor himself! Featured stalls including Griffith’s Careers Service and Volunteering Queensland among others, which really highlighted the opportunities available to international students when studying in Brisbane.

The A-Team take out the Amazing Race!

On Saturday 23rd February, Griffith University students descended on QCA South Bank for the signature event on the Student Linx calendar: The Amazing Race. And who better to recap the event than the Griffith MATE that led her team to victory?! 

By Fan Li from Taiwan – Sport Mgmt (Hons) & B. Psychological Science 

Photo: Paolo Avinante

Despite the constant rain that made international students wonder whether it was worth coming to Australia, the weather made an amazing exception for the Amazing Race. On Saturday morning, the sunshine bounced off everyone’s smiling faces, we played games, enjoyed challenges, learned about each other, laughed, danced, and some even had to get wet!

Amazing Race

If you are reading this, drop everything! You are hereby invited to participate in The Amazing Race, Semester 1, 2013. But what is the Amazing Race you ask? Only the signature event with the highest attendance on the Student Linx calendar!  And the most fun you can have getting sore feet!

The Student Linx Amazing Race is a spinoff of the popular TV series. In our version, Griffith University students will race around Brisbane’s CBD to complete an array of fun and exciting challenges. By taking part, you will encounter fun challenges including (but not limited to!) photo challenges, puzzles, and various team and individual challenges. Last year we had people bobbing for apples and trying Vegemite for the first time – a spoonfull, straight from the jar! Points are awarded for completing challenges, but deducted if you fail to arrive back within your time limit. If you are the team with the most points, you will be declared victorious! You can then claim some great prizes (along with second and third place), and of course you also unreserved bragging rights…until next semester!

The Amazing Race presents you with a unique opportunity to get to know Brisbane City whilst making new friends from all around the world. This year The Amazing Race is going to be bigger and better than ever with exciting new challenges and a new and improved route from start to finish. So bring your competitive spirit, a few friends, a smile and may the best team win!

The Amazing Race will be held on Saturday 23rd February from 9:00am-3:00pm. Register your spot now as there are only a limited number of places! Hope to see you there!

Our best race yet!

The Underdogs took out first place. Photo: Kimberley McCosker

On the 10th March, over 100 students gathered at QCA for the first Amazing Race for 2012. A total of 19 teams set off from Griffith’s South Bank campus in the hopes of taking out first place.

Each team was led by a team captain.

Around 15 volunteers helped out on the day to make the Amazing Race a fun and exciting day. Some of the volunteers were located at challenge points around Brisbane.

Challenges included eating a spoonful of vegemite, an egg and spoon race and high-fiving a stranger.

Brisbane Welcomes International Students Recap

by Daria Dolgova, Bachelor of Journalism – Nathan campus

Brisbane welcomed international students on the 3rd of March, 2012 in King George Square in Brisbane City.

Griffith University was one of 65 exhibitors present on the day. Other exhibitors included Translink, Brisbane City Council Library and the Queensland Police.

Current students Yashan Thilakaratne and Jose Martinez were presenting Griffith University on the day.

Win a Wild Mob trip valued at up to $950!

Ever wanted to become a conservationist? Thanks to financial support received from DEEWR, Student Linx is offering students the opportunity to participate in an environmental conservation project with Wild Mob.

Students will be involved in the collection and analysis of marine debris, removal of invasive vegetation, and monitoring of the coastal areas. Wild Mob will facilitate recreational activities such as sunset walks, BBQs and snorkelling. Students will have the opportunity to see local fauna such as butterflies, turtles, goannas, stingrays and dolphins.