Oh, we are SO back.
After surviving our supposedly final online MSC, Semester 2 finally brought us back where MUSA Did What belongs: inside the room. MSC #7 marked our first physical council meeting of the semester, held on 20 August at LT4108—and compared to watching everyone exist as rectangles on Zoom, the room finally had a pulse again.
Semester 2 has barely settled into its seat, yet MUSA already has elections underway, major events approaching, new systems rolling out, departments throwing increasingly ambitious ideas onto the calendar and, most importantly, students arriving with questions. Some serious. Some practical. Some that made the room significantly more interesting.
Welcome back to campus.
Students Asked. We Listened.
Student Voice returned with not one, not two, but four concerns worth bringing into the room.
First came questions surrounding Monash Cultural Night (MCN), specifically whether students without an existing country community could form one to participate, alongside concerns about ticket pricing and accessibility for guests outside Monash. MUISS Heads Noor and Keitaro addressed the query during the meeting.
Then came something considerably closer to our daily survival: the water dispensers.
A student reported that water from certain dispensers smelled unpleasant and could sometimes taste salty, prompting a request for them to be changed. And while we were apparently redesigning the campus survival kit, another submission asked about the lack of free microwaves, particularly for students bringing meals from home, as well as the possibility of sleeping pods or dedicated rest areas to make long days on campus slightly more humane.
Finally came perhaps the night’s most unexpected Welfare question: whether condoms could be made available on campus as part of sexual-health awareness and harm-reduction efforts. The concern was formally raised and addressed by Welfare.
Water. Microwaves. Sleeping pods. Sexual health.
Student Voice really said: if we’re back on campus, let’s talk about actually living on it.
And frankly, that is exactly what the forum is there for.
Campus Has Entered Its Busy Era
Once Student Voice wrapped up, the reports arrived—and apparently every department collectively decided Semester 2 needed to be packed.
One particularly important update came from the President’s report regarding the use of AI-generated assessment feedback. Student perspectives had been gathered through a survey and focus group, with the general sentiment favouring AI as a supporting tool rather than a replacement for the human element in academic feedback. Those views were presented to Monash University Australia, with further discussions scheduled for September.
Administrative communication is changing too. MUSA plans to gradually shift submissions from email towards ASANA Forms, with different governing bodies handling requests from departments, school representatives, clubs and communities before matters are escalated to Student Life where necessary. Appreciation Night is also in the works, tentatively scheduled for 26 October.
Meanwhile, election season is officially alive. Election responsibilities have been handed over to the Election Commission, the Annual Elections have been announced, and Open Talk was scheduled to give candidates a chance to face students and present their platforms. Installation Night is already being planned for later in October too.
But enough paperwork. What are we actually getting this semester?
Quite a lot, apparently.
MUISS reported record participation of more than 200 students at its International Games Night collaboration with SASS, while Jom KL welcomed 94 attendees and InterLink supported more than 100 students online. Malaysia Day is coming in collaboration with Welfare, EDI and SPI, while Monash Cultural Night 2026 has been confirmed for 18 October at HGH Convention Center Sentul, with up to 350 performers expected and an overall participation target of around 850 people.
Activities, meanwhile, appears determined to make sure none of us spend Semester 2 sitting quietly.
After Jurassic Mingle Night welcomed 88 participants despite rain forcing some activities to relocate, attention has shifted towards the Merdeka Celebration and Bazaar, MonQuest, Off the Record, Wellness Week, EDI Week and the developing GLOW Halloween collaboration. Student Life has also approved RM10,000 in sponsorship for MonQuest and MBP Destress Night.
And MonQuest deserves its own sentence because someone apparently looked at The Amazing Race, Doctor Who and Running Man and said:
Yes. Monash.
The proposed event would bring up to 300 Monash students and 200 participants from other Malaysian universities through 12 physical, mental and creative stations across Monash and Sunway Square, ending with a Running Man-inspired name-tag ripping finale.
Then there is MBP Off the Record, a planned jazz-themed de-stress night featuring a live jazz band, lighting, free-flow non-alcoholic drinks, catering, a photobooth and activities for up to 400 students. GLOW Halloween is also forming as October Orientation’s official Block Party, while Welfare has Recharge Day, Malaysia Day and other initiatives on the way.
Somewhere between elections, MCN, MonQuest, TEDx, Merdeka, Halloween, Wellness Week, Radio Monash, MONGA projects and everything else brewing behind department doors, one thing became painfully obvious by the end of MSC #7:
The quiet part of 2026 is over.
Semester 2 has entered the room with questions in one hand and an event proposal in the other. Students are asking for better facilities, departments are throwing increasingly ambitious ideas onto the calendar, elections are underway, and somehow we still have several months left for something completely unexpected to happen.
So keep asking questions. Keep submitting concerns. Keep watching what happens behind the posters, booths and polished Instagram announcements—because somewhere underneath all of it, there is usually a story.
And should anything particularly interesting find its way through the walls of MUSA…
Well.
You know where you’ll hear about it.
Until the next MSC, this has been MUSA Did What, episode 7.
Design by Giselle