#!SUITSSydney University IT Society

Our general meeting is this Wednesday, so it’s your last chance to nominate yourself for a position! We’re looking for an Events Coordinator, First Year Rep, and International Rep. Don’t forget to come along and support your favourite candidates! The meeting will be followed by Games Night — dinner’s on us.

If you’d like to get involved in running a SUITS event, but aren’t ready to commit, why not try your hand at hosting a hack session? All you need is a G- or PG-rated passion you want to share with us. (For legal reasons, it’s best if you keep your other passions to yourself. Especially if you make a viral video about invisible children beforehand.)

This week, we’re also running our delicious Tuesday BBQ. SUTEKH is now flying solo on Thursday’s Movie Night, which will be held in the Bohdan Bolinsky Room in the Holme Building from 6pm.

With love,
SUITS Exec
He’s got passion in his pants and he ain’t afraid to show it… He’s Jason Russell and he knows it.

SUITS General Meeting

When: Wednesday 28th March, 5:30pm
Where: Boardroom (SIT Room 124), School of IT

We’ll be electing a new Events Coordinator, First Year Rep and International Rep. If you haven’t already, nominate yourself here.

The nominees will be giving brief speeches about why they’re the best person for the job. We’ll vote, and then play games and eat. It’s a bit like Parliament, but with dignity.

Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Tutoring 2012

If you’re a casual or fixed-term tutor in the faculty of Engineering & IT, and can prove you’ve been an excellent tutor, applications for the Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Tutoring are now open! You can receive recognition to the tune of $500 for the Faculty award or $200 for a School award (one of which exists for each of the five schools in the Engineering & IT faculty).

For more details or to apply, download the application form here. Applications close 5th April.

Google Code Jam

When: Qualification open anytime from Saturday 14th April 9am to Sunday 15th April 10am
Where: Anywhere you can code from
More: code.google.com/codejam

Whether you’re new to programming, or one of the most seasoned coders out there, Google Code Jam offers you the opportunity to sharpen your programming skills with any programming language of your choice, and test your wits against the rest of the world.

The top 25 will win a trip to Google’s New York Office, and a chance to win USD$10,000 with the title of Code Jam Champion! Plus, there’s a bunch of Google shirts to be won!

The Qualification Round begins on April 14th. Register now at code.google.com/codejam, and let’s show everyone that the University of Sydney has the most eager students in the world (and, most certainly, more eager than UNSW)!

Interested in volunteer tourism?

When: Tuesday 27th March, 6:30-8:00pm
Where: SMC Conference & Function Centre, 66 Goulburn Street
More: www.ayad.com.au

This is an information session for the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) Program, which provides overseas volunteer opportunities to hundreds of young skilled Australians looking to volunteer in Africa, Asia or The Pacific. Each year, the AYAD Program supports 400 Australian volunteers with 3-12 months of paid volunteer work, allowing them to make a difference in developing countries.

Flights, accommodation, living allowances, training and medical support are all provided by the program and it’s open to any Australian citizen, NZ citizen or Permanent Resident aged 18-30.

Sydney University Bowling Club

The Sydney Uni Tenpin Bowling club is looking for members, so it can affiliate with SUSF! There will be games throughout the year, coaching and tips on how to improve your score. It’s a great opportunity to expand your social network within a relaxed setting.

Social or competitive tenpin bowlers of all skill levels are welcome to join! Just register here or contact Andrew Clayphan at clayphan@gmail.com.

Positions Vacant

Australian Government ICT Program

The Australian Government ICT Graduate Program is a new recruitment initiative for University graduates with an ICT degree. It provides 11 months of structured training activities to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to become high quality ICT professionals.

It’s an exciting opportunity for students who are interested in working in the Australian Government to apply for graduate positions in multiple government agencies through only one application. All positions are based in Canberra.

Apply at www.australia.gov.au/ictentrylevel or the program’s Facebook page. Applications close on Tuesday, 3rd May 2012. Candidates must be Australian Citizens (by January 2013) and have obtained their degree within the past 7 years.

Volunteer for Engineers Without Borders

If the AYAD program appeals to you, but you want to help people closer to home, or do some community service related to your degree, consider the Engineers Without Borders Connectivity Program. It teaches basic computer skills to the disadvantaged and asylum seekers. They’re looking for volunteers to help refurbish computers and teach basic databasing and website design.

If you’re interested, or would like to offer another service the program can provide, contact Gillian at gpan2286@gmail.com.

Another year, another exec, and a set of awards for our figurative mantel.

Last week we waved off the 2011 exec as the AGM ushered in a group of fresh and familiar faces for 2012. A special welcome to Sebastian Pauka, who escaped the position of PR Officer to take the presidency, and thanks to our ex-president, James Alexander, for leading us through the year. We’ll do our best not to go mad with power.

Thanks to the 2011 exec, we also claimed honourable mentions for three titles at the USU Clubs & Societies Awards: Best Publication for our newsletter, Best Major Joint Event with the Engineering societies and Best Non-Major Joint Event for our weekly Movie Nights with SUTEKH. May we keep up the good work (or at least avoid bankruptcy for another year).

What, then, are we doing this week? We’re having another Sports Tuesday with Rock-Climbing at St Peters! Join us in the SIT foyer at 5pm to catch a train there.

We’re also holding our regular Thursday events: our delicious weekly BBQ and our (honourably mentioned) Movie Night with SUTEKH. This week, it’s Spaceballs. So grab a harness and some noms: we’ll see you there!

With love, from our Swivel Chairs of Power,

SUITS Exec

Rock Climbing with SUITS!

When: Tuesday 18th October, 5:30 PM
Where: Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym
(Unit 4C/1-7 Unwins Bridge Road St Peters)
Meet At: SIT Foyer to catch a train down together @ 5PM
RSVP: Facebook

Thats Right!

For the first time, SUITS is going rock climbing! And just to put your minds at ease, we wont actually be doing it in suits (although please feel free to if you like…).

Come along for an afternoon of rock climbing goodness with the awesome people from SUITS and relax with DINNER ON US!

We will be meeting as a group in the SIT foyer at 5 to catch the train up as a group. Alternatively, meet us on location for a 5:30 start!

Please RSVP as soon as possible on Facebook so we can get an idea of the numbers attending.

SUITS all new Exec

Last week was the SUITS AGM, where an all new (totally awesome) executive team was elected. Over the last couple of weeks, they will be taking over from the old exec team, who are stepping down from their old roles. To bring you up to speed, the new team are:

• President: Sebastian Pauka
• Vice President: Tinlok Pang
• Treasurer: Alan Su
• Secretary: Stephen Young
• Events Coordinator: Tyler Johnson
• PR Officer: Michelle Mo
• Industry Liaison: Lisa Elizaveta
• IT Officer: Peter Ward
• Undergraduate Rep: Callan Mcnamara
• Postgraduate Rep: Joshua Akehurst

If you see then around, don’t forget to congratulate these guys if you see them around. But most importantly, if you guys see them around, tell them about stuff you want to see us doing. As always, we are only awesome if we are doing what our members want!

Keep your eyes peeled for the end of year report prepared by the previous exec to let you know about all the stuff that happened this past year.

As always, general emails can be sent to suits@it.usyd.edu.au. We would love to hear from you guys.

Movie Night with SUTEKH

This week:  Spaceballs

When: Thursday 20th October
Where: School of IT Boardroom

Sit back at SIT, and get ready for blast off as SUITS and SUTEKH embark on the wild ride that is Spaceballs.

This cult classic is sure to have you gripping your sides as we follow your favourite charachters from star wars, star trek and way too many other films to list through the wild land of parody.

This ons is definitely not one to miss!

Silicon Beach

Last Time this Year!

When: Thursday 21th October, 6PM
Where: Bar 77, Grace Hotel 77 York Street, Sydney

PITCH WEEK is coming up soon and this Friday, it is the last time you can get valuable tips and the spirit from Silicon Beach needed for an awesome pitch.

We will directly go to Grace Hotel together after the lecture.

This event is not only for participants of Matt Barries’s class, but for EVERYONE who’s interested in startups, entrepreneurship and innovation in IT and wants to come with us. =)

Well, we are almost at the end of the semester. More importantly, we are at the end of the term of this exec. It has been a semester of up’s and down’s. SUITS has seen it’s membership more than double, increase its number of regular weekly events and ventured into the uncharted territories of physical activity. In between arguments and almost violent disagreements, we somehow made it through!

But, as with all things, this executive must now bow out, to let in a new wave of fresh minds and highly motivated individuals. Just in case I wasn’t clear, I was talking about you!

If you are interested in applying for an executive position and becoming more involved in the society, here is your chance! We want EVERYONE who is interested to apply. It doesnt matter if you are first year or last year, undergrad or postgrad, we need you on the new executive!

We are still looking for people to fill the positions of Secretary, PR Officer, Industry Liaison, Undergrad Rep, Postgrad Rep and International Rep, although all positions are still open. No previous experience is necessary as long as you are motivated and care about the society. Check our the details below.

Apart from that, we return to the end of this semester at full hilt. Our regular events, including Code Jam’s are back! Come along for a fun filled afternoon of code and hackery this Monday in SIT Lab 118!

In addition, after our AGM, we will be continuing the tradition of Video & Board Games in the Boardroom, the first event for our brand new exec! For the rest of the week, we are continuing with Movies with SUTEKH and our regular weekly BBQ is on as always.

And bowing our for the last time, hope you enjoyed the newsletters, Have a great week,

Sebastian Pauka
SUITS PR Officer

SUITS AGM

Nominate yourself for a position NOW!

When: Tuesday 11th October, 5:30 PM
Where: School of IT Boardroom

After a year of tumultuous change which saw our membership double to over 400 people, the introduction of new weekly events to bring us up to 3 per week, and towards getting the SUITS publication getting up and running, its time for a fresh team to step in and lead SUITS towards even greater heights.

Applying for an executive role is an excellent way to make a difference in the life of the society, changing it to make it better and bring it even closer to being the best society on campus. In addition, they are a fantastic way to grab the attention of future employers. We also have access to the mystical SUITS room, as well as after hours access to the School of IT.

Positions are open to all access card holders. There are no restrictions as to who can apply, and you do not need previous experience. Applicants will be selected by vote at the AGM, so it is essential to get as many members as possible coming along on the night. The positions that are up for grabs are:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• PR Officer
• Events Manager
• Undergraduate Representative
• Postgraduate Representative
• International Student Representative
• Industry Liason

If you are interested in applying, please fill out the Google Form. If you have any questions about executive positions, or want to know more about what is involved in each position, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email, or talk to one of our current friendly executives.

SUITS Video & Board Games Night

FOLLOWING THE SUITS AGM

When: Tuesday 11th October, 6:30PM Onwards
Where: SIT Wintergarden & Board Room

After the SUITS AGM comes some fun. But this is not just any video & board games night. It is the FIRST, yes the FIRST games night of the new executive!

Come and celebrate the election of a whole new executive with a night of board games, video games and of course, free thai!

As per usual, we will have all the classics, from Monopoly to Jungle Speed, Super Smash to Mario Kart, a ton of good friends and a whole new group of people who are about to go through the experience of being executives.

Code Jams

Thats Right, They’re Back!

When: Monday 10th October
Where: School of IT Lab 118

Code Jam’s are nights of hackery, where we delve deep into the secrets of programming to concoct some of the most devious of code…

Seriously though, regardless of coding experience, come along for a night of pressure free, fun fueled coding. Previous topics have ranged from super weird algorithms, to code obfuscation to problem solving techniques, and no matter how much we thought we knew, we always walked away with some new trick under our belts!

Movie Night with SUTEKH

This week:  The Fifth Element

When: Thursday 13th October
Where: School of IT Boardroom

Come join SUITS and Sutekh this Thursday for the comedy classic Airpla…I mean, Flying High! Considered one of the funniest films of all time, and arguably Leslie Nielsen’s greatest role, surely you can’t miss this.

Once again we’ll be in the School of IT Boardroom, with snacks and drinks available at the cost of only a gold coin donation. We need people who can not only enjoy a great film, but who didn’t have fish for dinner.

More details can be found at our facebook event.

Job Notice

An exciting eCommerce start up has just launched a world-first patented technology in Australia.

We’re looking for an extremely switched on software developers with very strong java skills and preferably some commercial experience who can come on board in a full time / part time capacity.

In addition, we are looking for a group of 2/3 interns who are highly committed and willing to learn to join our team.

Please contact robert@wyngle.com.au for more info.

Finally the mid-sem break. A chance to kick back, throw off the shackles of university life and relax for a while. Unless you are a post-grad or greater, in which case life goes on as usual for you. Still though, must be nice without noisy undergrads running around…

I kid, of course (we are awesome), but still, a chance to relax is always welcome, and I will certainly be taking this opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep.

The big news this week is of course the conclusion of the Hackathon, which was an awesome event. 24 hours of coding led to some amazing apps, with submissions from first year to post grad competing on equal footing for the grand prize. You can read more about it in our writeup below.

During the holidays we will also be running the annual SUITS Site tours, visiting Deloitte and Thoughtworks to see what life after uni might be like. The tours are on this Wednesday, and places are filling up fast. More info is available below, but get your details in fast because registrations are vital, and numbers are limited.

Nominations for SUITS executive positions are now open. If you would like to be more ninvolved in running SUITS (arguably the BEST society on campus!!!), fill out the nomination form available below, and come along to our AGM, where we will discuss the past year, the coming year, and elect a whole new exec team to lead us into the future.

Lastly, have a good Mid-Sem Break!

SUITS Exec Read the rest of this entry »

WOW! This weeks newsletter is just EXPLODING thanks to a ton of things that are going on this week and into the coming weeks. Talk about busy!

First off, BIG NEWS!!! This weeks BBQ will be free this Thursday for everyone thanks to our friends at Freelancer, who have decided to shout us all free food and drink this week. And its not just any old food, we have gourmet sausages, salads, cheese and vegeterian options!

Secondly, the Sydney Hackathon is almost upon us. This is an absolutely awesome event sponsored by Elsevier and Google, and is a chance for you to develop an awesome application and win money while doing so.

To give you a head start, we also have an OpenSocial Web Gadget Workshop, run by some of the SciVerse Developers. If you are even thinking about participating (or even if you aren’t), come along to get a head start in developing with OpenSocial. Details are below.

Finally, we have all our usual events and a whole heap more. From video games, to movies, to revues and more, we have it all.

Have a great week,

SUITS Exec Read the rest of this entry »