I am late. Again.
In my defence, somewhere between preparing for a new semester, academics creeping back into my life, and Orientation demanding everyone’s attention, I occasionally forget that I am a student before I am MONGA’s Head of Writers. Tragic, I know. Nevertheless, where there is an MSC meeting, there will eventually be a MUSA Did What article—even if “eventually” is doing some heavy lifting here.
MSC #6 took place online on 18 July, two days before July Orientation officially began, and what was supposedly our final Zoom MSC of the year felt appropriately like one last virtual checkpoint before everyone returned to campus. The agenda itself was straightforward: the Annual General Meeting report was formally endorsed, and then came updates, reminders, deadlines and a whole lot of “Semester 2 is coming.”
The Calm Before Campus Wakes Up
If MSC #6 had one message, it was this: enjoy the break while you still can.
Behind the relatively quiet Zoom screens, Semester 2 was already being assembled piece by piece. The President reminded departments about EMS deadlines, office clean-ups, and the newly launched MUSA Event Calendar, while Finance wrapped up its Semester 1 audit and prepared departments to begin submitting Semester 2 funding requests once their events received EMS approval. The AGM, which followed MSC #6 that same evening, was also set to review MUSA’s financial performance across 2024, 2025 and 2026.
And then came C&S with a familiar friend: the bazaar conversation. Two clubs had expressed interest in holding bazaars in August, but Student Life rejected their proposals and advised them to revise for September or October. Meanwhile, C&S Week was already scheduled for Week 1, club administration had reopened for Semester 2, and financial documents were being audited. In other words, clubs may have been on break, but C&S certainly was not.
MUISS was similarly preparing for a busy return, having completed its second round of Country Representative elections for China, Mauritius, Brunei and South Korea. Jom KL and International Games Night were lined up for Orientation, while preparations for Monash Cultural Night had already begun, with countries recruiting performers ahead of the August deadline.
Semester 2 Is Calling
And if you thought that sounded busy, Activities essentially opened the Semester 2 catalogue.
July Orientation was preparing to welcome approximately 2,000 new students across five days under the theme Festivals Around the World. Welcome sessions, MUSA 101, campus tours, Go Global, International Games Night and Block Party were all waiting around the corner, supported by 126 recruited Student Buddies.
Beyond Orientation, the Semester 2 ideas were already getting interesting. Jurassic Mingle Night promised dinosaurs and networking, the Merdeka Celebration proposed a four-day bazaar and a community-made Jalur Gemilang, while MonQuest was introduced as an Amazing Race-inspired campus competition. Activities and Welfare were also preparing EDI Week and Wellness Week—with the latter casually proposing a petting zoo featuring animals such as alpacas, goats and cows. October Orientation, meanwhile, was already looking suspiciously spooky with Activities, MUISS and several schools discussing a large-scale Halloween celebration involving a DJ party and haunted house.
Publicity had its own machinery running: Semester 2 merchandise was in development, Orientation content was being produced, an event calendar was being prepared for the MUSA website, and Radio Monash already had podcast plans extending to Episode 9, with its first four episodes live. Welfare was planning six potential Semester 2 events while continuing work on the sanitary pad dispenser initiative, and the Student Lounge had gained an air-hockey table, power-bank kiosk and first-aid kit. Even the schools were quietly loading their own plans. Science alone had six Semester 2 events in development, 46 peer mentors recruited, and its SOS: Save Our Souls reel series underway.
So perhaps MSC #6 was not the loudest meeting of the year—but that was precisely the point. Campus looked quiet because everyone was still on break; behind the screens, however, calendars were filling, events were forming and Semester 2 was already knocking before some of us had even remembered to check our timetables.
And with that, we close what was supposedly our final online MSC of 2026. Zoom boxes off, lecture theatre lights on. The next time we meet, Semester 2 will no longer be something we’re preparing for; it will already be happening.
And trust me, MSC #7 has quite a bit to say about that.
Until the next MSC, this has been MUSA Did What, episode 6.
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