If by chance you stumble onto the South Coast train line at Redfern station and embark on a one hour and 19 minute trip, disembarking at North Wollongong station followed by a short walk to a leafy oasis of tertiary academic glory, you may have found yourself at The University of Wollongong (UOW).
Like most universities, UOW has a student newspaper. Unlike most universities, its paper The Tertangala is older than the university itself.
On this week’s ‘Student Media Spotlight’ we sat down with Will Olteanu to learn more about the history of The Tert, the future of student journalism and the changing role of their newspaper in amplifying student voices on campus.
In Olteanu’s own words, the history of the paper is “a little bit different to say Farrago.” This was in reference to The Tert’s first role as an annex of University of New South Wales’s (UNSW) Tharunka.
The Tert was founded in 1963, first emerging as the student newspaper of the Wollongong satellite campus to the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Later, legislation passed in 1975 to establish UOW as an independent institution, meaning that The Tert is technically about a decade older than the official university itself. Today the paper stands as a cornerstone of community, student news and a platform for creative works at UOW.
Starting off the Zoom with an intriguing sneak peek into their upcoming first edition, Olteanu proudly held the first print draft of their ‘heart-break’-themed magazine to the camera.
Olteanu then took us through his journey to becoming ‘Tert Coordinator’ — an elected position of Wollongong Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) which is a role equivalent to an editor-in-chief but one that speaks on behalf of the magazine’s interests at WUSA council meetings. Olteanu started as a creative writing contributor and last year ran for the Coordinator position but instead was elected as Online Editor. This year Olteanu was elected Tert Coordinator and works on a team with two other editors and a head designer.
What sets The Tert aside from the rest of student publications is they pay their contributors for their published submissions. This, Olteanu says, was introduced in 2021 and amounts are determined according to demand and budget for the year, however they have found the process to be a “nightmare logistically” due to the individual onboarding of every contributor. Despite this, it’s clearly something The Tert is very proud of.
Notable alumni to the paper include Karl Kruszelnicki, an Australian science communicator and author, who is now a fellow at The University of Sydney’s science faculty and Van Badham who is an established Australian playwright and journalist and a current columnist at The Guardian.
The Tert covers a wide range of beats, reflective of diverse student interests. Olteanu observes a particularly high level of creative submissions; this is likely because he promotes The Tert in creative writing classes and lectures and communicates with the faculty. He loves all genres in the paper, but he’s also pushing for more news to be written, because “news is important for student publications to get across.”
As echoed in previous interviews with student media, Olteanu feels like “The Tert used to be a lot bigger, a lot more relevant than it is now” but strongly affirmed that “student voices need to be heard to celebrate their creativity from an organic and community oriented place.” Although The Tert is an intimate community space, Olteanu undoubtedly believes in its far-reaching impacts on students, as a “capacity to be a focal point of student life, and to showcase creative pieces”. Like all good student journalism, past papers have stirred controversy and shock — last year’s Debauchery edition “caused a ruckus”, Olteanu affectionately recalled. In 2004, The Tert permeated Parliament; a Tert article fighting for queer rights was quoted in the First Reading of the Same Sex Relationships (Ensuring Equality) Bill 2004. Olteanu laughed with us about how every student publication is looking for an aspect that sets them apart for bragging rights — he reckons The Tert is the only student publication that has been named in Parliament. Checkmate, all other student media!
In essence, Olteanu describes The Tert’s motivations as a “voice” for students. In a time where student voices are suppressed at many educational institutions and in political discussions, The Tert’s ethos gives students the gumption and opportunities to persevere through our changing times. It’s the student-focused ethos that The Tert personifies that gives student media its gumption to persevere through our changing times.
