In this installment of the increasingly degenerate tales of Nexus’ travels, Nexus decided to visit some snow as a counterpoint to hopefully going to the beach once Spring has sprung. The nearest and most convenient snow was Snow Planet in Auckland, who offer student deals and are open at night, which suits Nexus’ schedule rather nicely. Nexus organized a team and set a time and date upon which to embark.

Statistically speaking, there should be more gays on campus. 10,000 students at Waikato and three regulars at the weekly Askew meetings? Get out of here. Where’s my gays at? I have decided it’s my job to hunt them down and, if need be, out them. I don’t mean with a crossbow and garlic. I don’t even mean with a snazzy red suit and some beagles and a fat peasant running behind me with a little trumpet. I am hunting them in the same way one ‘hunts’ for flowers or ‘hunts’ for a bargain at Chartwell (which, during a recession, is remarkably easy).

You have probably never heard of it. The magazine you're holding is drenched in it. Your hands are covered in ASPA.   Don't worry, it isn't some nasty communicable disease, it is just your friendly neighbourhood Aotearoa Student Press Association. We're a network of student publications ranging from Victoria's―the one I edit―Salient, to Craccum at Auckland University, Chaff at Massey Palmy,Canta at Canturbury University, and about ten others in tertiary institutions.

I can really identify with the Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu.  Perhaps not when it comes to the fact of living with your mum until you are 57, but the luckless with the ladies, hard drinking bachelor lifestyle he enjoyed is one that rings a few bells.  Legend has it that Ozu and his long time co-writer Kogo Noda crafted their immensely detailed screenplays during all night benders, measuring their progress in terms of the amount of empty Sake bottles scattered about the place.

The former president of the NZ Jewish Council, David Zwartz, is demanding an apology from Waikato University over the controversial Van Leeuwen thesis affair. In a letter published by the New Zealand Jewish Chronicle, which accompanies a reprinted version of Nexus’s original feature story about the thesis debacle, Zwartz accuses the University of “blunders and huge errors of judgement by its administration.” Elsewhere he refers to the University behaviour as “disgraceful.”

Education Minister Anne Tolley and Labour Party leader Phil Goff both had separate private meetings with Waikato University Vice-Chancellor Roy Crawford about enforcing a restriction on student numbers - while Nexus was on holiday, blissfully unaware Education Minister Anne Tolley did not speak to the Waikato Times after her meeting – Nexus speculates that if it had been present it might have had to dodge bear traps.

I've just been prodded by Josh that my little 2 weeks of not thinking of uni is coming to an abrupt end, and that I've completely forgotten to write a "welcome back pplz" column. As a result, instead of trying to fuse together cohesion from kindergarten philosophy and deep thought, I'm instead going to write mumblings from my short lived vacation, much like a Killers' song; mostly unintelligibly, but good enough to make it enjoyable. Enjoy!