The first step to running a magazine is accepting that people aren’t always going to agree with everything you do.

The response to our edition two article, ‘The Pub Crawl Problem’ by Jasper MacCuspie, reinforced this for us.

“Pub crawls violate regulations set out by the University and the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) clubs and societies department,” we said.

“Farrago hates pub crawls!” they replied.

The Facebook angry reacts and comments poured in, and a pub crawl was held by the Lawn Bowls Club in response to the article, forgoing the usual disguise of a “historical tour” (the club isn’t affiliated to UMSU, so the usual rules don’t apply). Whether it was their intention or not, the Lawn Bowls Club gained us ~traction~, and we want to thank them for that.

The article provoked debate and controversy, and that is what Farrago has always been about. Thumbs up to Jasper for taking on a contentious article and sticking by it.

This magazine is made by students, for students, and we urge you to involve yourself in the campus debate—even when you disagree with us.

Right of reply is an integral part of what we do. Our website now contains a “letters” subtab under the campus section. Email us your letters to the editor—whether it’s to point out an inaccuracy we’ve made, to tell us you absolutely frothed an article, or to rant about why you wholeheartedly disagreed with one.

This being said—for fuck’s sake, don’t be a dick. Don’t send in or comment anything threatening, abusive or deliberately offensive. We want to involve you in the conversation, but our writers have as much of a right to speak on issues they care about as you do.

We hope that you find Farrago critical, thought-provoking and subversive. If there’s a topic that we haven’t covered which you think we should, pitch it to us! Or, send us a tip-off if it’s something potentially newsworthy. We love our blessed educational institution, the University of Melbourne, but we’ve been gladly pointing out its wrongdoings for 93 years.

Now let’s talk about edition three, what you’re really here for. In the campus section, ‘Unsafe Community’ by Lucy Williams and Nurul Juhria Binte Kamal takes a critical look at the training that the University provides camp leaders. In important news, Valerie Ng talks to some Burnley students who are pissed off about the proposed cuts to their campus library in her article, ‘Crisis at Burnley’. A monthly print magazine isn’t the most hospitable environment for the news cycle; you can find more (and more timely) campus news content on our website.

In the nonfiction section, Trent Vu’s ‘A Shit Job’ is a hilarious personal essay on his experiences working in hospitality and retail. We’re mesmerised by Tilli Franks’ article ‘The Origins of Grief’, an analysis of grief provoked by experiences in Sumner and Christchurch, New Zealand.

In the creative section, ‘Bananas’ by Annie Liew is for those who like prose but hate bananas. We’d also recommend Jocelyn Deane’s poetry about death, dinosaurs and molly.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Triennial exhibition at NGV yet, Mega Safira has you covered with a spectacular photo essay (page 34). And if you’ve ever wanted to look inside your parents’ drawers but haven’t had the guts—Jean Baulch has done it for you (page 56).

Thanks for picking up this small child of ours. We hope you love it, but if not—you know what to do.

Ashleigh, Esther, Jesse and Monique