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December 07
Cambridge & Chelmsford
for your
information
the essential source of information for Anglia Ruskin students
Festive
second
issue of your
new
student
magazine
Intrepid
Anglia
students in
Amazon
expedition
Student Focus
– Osama Naji
www.anglia.ac.uk
Editorial
Feature
Contents
Editor’s note
2
Listening to you
3
FYI – The launch
4
Amazon adventures
6
Christmas/Chaplaincy
9
Christmas/Overindulgence
10
Christmas/Charity
12
Assessment problems
13
Student Focus: Osama Naji 14
Faculty Focus: FHSC
16
Staff Focus: Gill Betmead
18
Environment team
20
Employment Bureau
22
Library
23
International Student
Support
24
Student Money Advice
& Rights Team
25
Ruskin Gallery
26
Dear Deborah
27
Competition
28
Publication of next
edition:
18 February 2008
Send articles to:
Ruth Andrews
[email protected]
by 7 January 2008
The views expressed in this
publication do not necessarily
reflect the views of the editor
or our University.
2
Listening
Feature
to you
Welcome to the ‘difficult’ second issue of your
student magazine.
Listening to you
A first issue of a mag (or a first book or first album) is always well
planned, deliberated over and worked on at length, launched with a bang
and with luck greeted with plaudits. Once it’s launched and displayed
however, you are faced with the realisation that you’ve got to do it all
over again for the next issue. I’m hoping that this second issue will not
be an anti climax.
Surveys and questionnaires seem to be everywhere nowadays, and we
know that some of you feel overwhelmed by them. But for our university,
they can be a crucial part of understanding what we are getting right and
what we are getting wrong, and we take them very seriously. Each year
there are two big whole-university student surveys involving different
groups of students and asking different sorts of questions, yet there
is quite a bit of overlap between the two. Confused? Read on.
I’ve tried to keep to the same format as the first issue with a student
focus article on p 14 featuring Chelmsford based architecture student
Osama Naji. For the next issue I’d like to interview a student from outside
the Cambridge/Chelmsford axis, and so am keen to hear from any student
from Fulbourn, Peterborough, CoWA, SEEVIC or indeed any outpost of
our far flung empire willing to give up an hour of their time and a photo.
Think how proud your mum will be to see you on the cover, and there’s
a cup of coffee in it for you, and a cake if the budget can stretch to it.
The staff focus this issue features Gill Betmead from the Careers Service
in Cambridge; find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Gill
on page 18. Ideas and nominations for a subject for the next staff focus
would be very welcome as I would like to feature a member of the
academic staff next time, and academics are well known to be shy and
retiring creatures who may need some encouragement to step forward
into the limelight.
The faculty focus this time features our newest faculty – Health and
Social Care – and can be found on p 16. The rest of the mag, like last
time features an eclectic mix of articles, ranging from the very serious
(what to do to deal with problems with assessments on page 13),
through the exotic (the report of Anglia students’ Amazon trip on p 6)
to details of where to go for a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine at
Christmas (Chaplaincy article on p 9).
It just remains for me to wish you a lovely, restful and peaceful Christmas
break. I’ll be back with the (hopefully not so difficult) third issue on 18th
February 2008.
Ruth
Ruth Andrews
Senior Administrator, Office of Student Affairs
Editor, For Your Information
[email protected]
Fancy a bit of
spare cash?
Do you want to become
an Anglia Ruskin
University model?
The National Student Survey is probably well-known now. It has just
completed its third year and gets a fair amount of press coverage when
its results are published every September. The NSS is aimed at final year
undergraduate students only and all of them are asked to complete it.
This year, 56% of ours did so.
Our own Student Experience Survey is mailed to a 25% sample (about
5,000) of all our taught students, all years and both undergraduate and
postgraduate. This year we had responses from 23.5% of the sample.
Each year we spend a good deal of time during semester one working
through the results of the two surveys, making sure our Faculties and
Support Services understand the messages we have received from our
students and developing action plans for improvement. In the Spring
we publish a report on both surveys together with the action which we
are taking. If you would like to read the 2006 feedback report in full
you will find it on Student ANET at
http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/students/feedback_%20NSS_2006v3.doc
The key messages from the two 2006 surveys were to do with:
•
•
•
•
•
Feedback on assessments – quality and promptness
Collection points for the return of assessments
Cost of placement/work experience
Ways of using your feedback to improve teaching and learning
The need for Faculties to get module guides to the library in good
time so that books can be ordered
• The need to communicate better with students
• Reducing late changes to timetables and rooms
• Improving the curriculum pages on our university website
And as the Information Screens, new student email system and the new
Student Information Centres show, we have been getting on with this list.
The 2007 survey results are now with us and will
soon be available on ANET for you to see what this
year’s students – and this might include you – have
said. In the next edition of For Your Information I will
look at some of the key messages for 2007
We are always on the look out
for fresh faces to represent
Anglia Ruskin in our printed
and on-line material. If you’re
a current student, postgraduate
or undergraduate, no matter
what course, or even if you’ve
already graduated, then we’re
looking for you!
All you have to do is drop us
a line at
[email protected]
and we’ll be in touch.
Dr Paul McHugh
Director of Student Affairs
3
The launch
Cambridge launch – Julia Latif (cover
girl), Clare Gregory (SSS Cambridge)
and Debbie Burden (SSS Chelmsford)
at East Road
Are you still haunted by visions
of a gaggle of women in branded
T-shirts, one dressed as a town
crier, bearing down on you with
a student mag in one hand and a
lolly in the other? Then you must
have been around for the launch
of For Your Information during
the week beginning 15th October.
Myself and my loyal band of
volunteers were at East Road
campus during the morning of
the 15th, accosting students with
the mag, ignoring their Monday
morning protests and sweetening
the deal with lashings of lollies.
I even managed to rope in our
cover girl Julia Latif, and the sight
of Julia handing out mags with
a picture of her on the cover was
for your
information
something that caused quite a few
double takes. It was a matter of
some pride that only one grumpy
student refused to take a copy,
despite being actively chased for
some distance by a very
determined town crier.
We moved on to Fulbourn in the
afternoon where nobody escaped
our clutches. We devised a
cunning plan, waiting outside the
lecture theatre until unsuspecting
students came through the door
discussing the (obviously riveting)
content of the lecture, complete
with hand gestures whereupon
we thrust our mags and lollies into
hands outstretched in expanding
a deep philosophical point.
The next day found us in
Chelmsford, covering both
Rivermead and Central campuses.
Perhaps because she was on home
ground here, Debbie Burden our
town crier decided she would take
no prisoners and as a result no one
dared refuse to take a copy. The
town crier’s bell was even brought
into play at one point on Central
campus, rather unnecessarily I felt,
as I was standing right next to it.
All in all it was a very visible
launch, and thanks to everyone
who gave up their time to help
out. One valuable lesson learnt
was never to underestimate a
student’s capacity for sweet eating.
We learnt very quickly not to
offer the bucket for you to help
yourselves, as this resulted in
pockets and bags being filled
and buckets being emptied far
too quickly. Despite this lesson,
and the subsequent rationing of
sweeties, I was still obliged to buy
up all the lollies in the SU shop in
the Tindal building. Apologies then
to any students who went in to
buy a Chupa Chup or a Drumstick
that day only to be disappointed,
but had you succumbed to the
advances of the town crier, you’d
have got one for free.
Ruth Andrews
– The launch
4
Chelmsford launch – Debbie Burden
and Debbie Barker (SSS Chelmsford)
taking a well earned and non alcoholic
break at the SU bar at Rivermead.
5
Amazon
Feature
expedition
San Raphael Falls, the highest
in Ecuador (A day trip)
Photo by Kat Powell, expedition leader
Did you know that Foundation
Scholarships worth up to £750
are offered each year to students
studying at Anglia Ruskin
University to assist with a period
outside the UK to undertake a
study visit in connection with their
chosen course? Application forms
available each academic year
from November with a closing
date the following February.
For more information and to
request an application form from
November each academic year
please go to the Office of the
Secretary & Clerk’s webpage, at
http://sec-clerk.anglia.ac.uk/ then
click on the blue box at the top
named Anglia Trust.
Last academic year, a group of
intrepid Anglia eco-explorers led
by Kat Powell received grants from
the Trust, and below you’ll find a
report from expedition member
Pauliina Laurila along with some
stunning photos.
Anglia Students’
Amazon Adventures
6
I am writing to you and the
Anglia Trust Foundation about
my experiences on our Amazon
expedition. Anglia Trust has kindly
supported our ARU Amazon
expedition team.
We went to the Oriente of Ecuador,
the highlands of the Andes in the
cloudforest where humidity is very
high and climate is mostly cold,
though we had a lot of warm
sunny days as well. Team life
proved to be quite a challenge and
everything didn’t go exactly as
planned, surprise surprise. But we
were able to carry out research as
was our objective. We just had to
change the plans we had made.
For example we had planned to do
frog research but found out that
the frogs were hard to find – every
time we went out looking for them
we could not find any (and when
we were not looking there were
plenty of frogs around making
lovely sounds).
The first four weeks we were
staying at a hostel situated close
to the town of Baeza, secondary
rain forest, waterfalls and Cosanga
river. In the river we were lucky
enough to encounter torrent ducks
which are very rare in the whole
of South America. So torrent ducks
became our group project. I really
enjoyed those hours sitting on a
rock by the river and just watching
in awe their amazing lifestyle as
these small birds dived in to strong
currents in search of food.
We did several hikes to the
surrounding forest and its
waterfalls. It was amazing.
The ground was so muddy that
everyone was simply wearing
wellies and up to their knees in
mud. My worst fear at that time
photographed it every single hour
every night. We still have all the
data handling awaiting us but
it was a very interesting project
right from the start. We saw an
unbelievable amount of huge
moths and beetles that we would
have missed otherwise. And most
of them stayed on the sheet
through the day.
Pauliina collecting behavioural data
on torrent ducks.
Photo by Kat Powell, expedition leader
turned out to be losing my welly
to the mud. There were not so
many mammals around since it
is the highlands and secondary
forest. But this turned out to be
a good thing for me because I
have always been only focused
on mammals and now my eyes
opened to all the insects that were
around in unbelievable shapes,
colours and numbers. I am also
grateful that I started to focus on
the amazing world of plants and
trees out there!
For the second part of our
expedition we moved to Yanayacu,
a biological research centre. It is
only 5+ km from our first place
but a 45 minute walk from the
road surrounded by national park
and many bird watching sites.
There we carried on with individual
projects and I tried to carry on
with the torrent ducks because
I had heard they are also seen over
there. But despite several attempts
I never found the ducks over there.
Our new group project was the
nocturnal insect project: we put up
a white sheet with a light on and
About my personal adventures.
One day I went to the river on my
own looking for the ducks, as I
often did. But then it happened,
just before returning to the centre
I took one wrong turn to a path I
didn’t know... and I got lost. When
I realised I was lost my mistake
was to carry on instead of trying
to find my way back. After walking
for a long time and aware that
it would be dark soon I made
a decision to go in to the river
because that was the only way I
knew – the river would eventually
take me back to where I started.
And walking in the dense forest
was impossible without a machete.
I didn’t have any equipment with
me since I had only gone out for
the afternoon, thinking I would
stay on the path... I filled my
water bottle from a waterfall
and proceeded in the river... After
maybe a good two hours in the
river it became dark, and I had
to accept the fact that I could not
7
Amazon
expedition
Feature
find my way back. So I had to get
up from the river and spend the
night in the jungle, alone. Wow,
that was some experience... I laid
down in this sheltered pit that
seemed like some animal had used
it before. My trousers and shoes
were completely soaked so I had
to take them off. It didn’t rain
much that night and since I was
close to the river I only listened
to the sound of the water and was
not so scared of the sounds of the
jungle. But it was definitely the
longest and coldest night of my
whole life..!!! The sun sets at 7pm
and rises at 6.30am. Loooong
wait... And it was freezing cold.
I had to get up every 20 minutes
to exercise so I wouldn’t freeze! All
night I was wondering if the others
are looking for me and thinking
that if they are they must be
worried sick. I knew how bad the
bigger river looks with its huge
currents. But I was ok, my only
worry was the cold.
In the morning I put on the wet
trousers and shoes and headed
into the river again. After a couple
of hours I finally came to the point
I had been waiting to see: a little
bridge downstream. Only I found
out that there must be another
bridge since I still couldn’t find my
way to the familiar path... So I
decided to stay where I was and
8
just wait. After some time (feeling
desperation rising within me) the
team who had been looking for
me, and worried sick, found me.
Happy ending! I heard that there
were also 10 local Ecuadorians
looking for me all over the river,
upstream and downstream. Back
at the centre I had the longest hot
shower and slept for almost 16
hours. Next day I realised how
lucky I had actually been: two
of my team members had seen a
jaguar close to where I had slept.
About being a vegan in the
Amazon. It was so very sad to
see with my own eyes how much
destruction eating meat and
consuming dairy causes to the
environment. In the Oriente, cattle
is the number one reason for the
destruction of the forest. And you
could see it everywhere. Where
there used to be primary forest
now is only secondary or no forest
at all: just cattle. And as we have
here, the same over there: calves
without mothers, mothers without
calves... The calves that were
fortunate enough to be with their
mothers had a muzzle on so that
they won’t be able to suckle and
that leaves more milk for people.
I left a week earlier than the
others, as I had planned from
the beginning, to go travelling on
my own. I had three more weeks
before I was supposed to return to
England. I had a wonderful time.
When I went to Northern Peru I
stayed with the family of a new
friend I had met. The families were
so poor it was a mind altering
experience for me. I felt so
incredibly fortunate to have the
chance to be in their lives for a
moment.
Christmas/Chaplaincy
Christmas at Cambridge
The Chaplaincy in Cambridge is delighted at the success of Eid and
Diwali and hopes that Christmas will be an equal success. On Monday
3rd December we shall light the campus Christmas tree at 4.45pm. This
will be in Theatre Square. We shall sing some carols and then say a
prayer before the tree. Then there will be mulled wine and mince pies.
Come and sing along.
Then just a few days before I was
supposed to return to Quito and
England I had an accident. I was
in the Andes with a friend of mine
driving his motorcycle, heading to
the coast of Southern Ecuador.
We had stopped by the side of the
road. We were stationary and just
ready to continue again. That’s why
I had my helmet on when the car
hit me... I flew across the air for
15 metres! I went unconscious and
my friend had a hard time getting
help (the car ran, like they often
do) and had to wait quite a while
for the police and the ambulance.
Then I got to experience even that
side of Ecuador.
Our Carol Service will be on Thursday 13th December at 4.15pm. This
will be held in Zion Baptist Church right next to the campus in East
Road. The service will rehearse the story of the birth of Jesus and reflect
on its meaning for us today. There will be a chance to sing favourite
carols and to hear Anglia Gospel Choir and other pieces. Again there
will be mulled wine and mince pies afterwards.
The SU will hold their XXXmas Party on Friday 14th December. If you
go, look out for Mary and Joseph who have found a baby-sitter for the
night so that they can join in the celebrations for their Son’s birthday.
On a different note, Jane Goodall the ‘chimp-lady’ will be visiting Anglia
Ruskin University on Tuesday 4th December at the invitation of Roots
and Shoots Society. We are expecting Jane to speak in the Mumford
Theatre at about midday. Free tickets are available from the SU office.
She may also be available for signing books and general conversation at
the time of Soup on the Run, the regular charity lunch on Tuesdays at
11.50–1.30 in Helmore Street.
Christmas
at Chelmsford
University carol service
for students and staff in
Chelmsford Cathedral at 5pm
on Monday 3rd December,
followed by refreshments
in the Cathedral.
Christmas party in the
Chaplaincy Centre, Sunday
9th December from 5pm.
The Chaplaincy Centre
(90 Ransomes Way on the
Rivermead campus) will be
open every day throughout
the Christmas and New Year
season offering Christmas
snacks and hospitality.
Ivor Moody
Chaplain, Chelmsford
Nigel Cooper
Chaplain, Cambridge
The wildest thing is that I’m fine –
I have a trauma of coxae, but no
fractures! Incredible, especially
when there are so many people
who say you need to drink milk
and eat meat for healthy bones.
I cannot believe how lucky I am.
But it took me almost two weeks
to get fit enough to fly home.
During that time the locals were
so helpful and kind, I never needed
to feel lonely.
So this is my story.
Pauliina Laurila
9
Christmas/Overindulgence
Overindulgence: the downside
Over the past month Student Support Services
has been running a Mental Health Awareness
road show at our Cambridge and Chelmsford
campuses, handing out smiley face stickers, happy
cakes (of the safe kind!) and non-alcoholic drinks.
Although these were intended to be fun events,
the message behind the smiley faces was
nevertheless a serious one. Hospital admissions
for alcohol and drug-related problems soar during
the festive season, and there’s no doubt that many
people use the annual Christmas and New Year
celebrations as an opportunity for massive
overindulgence. Too much turkey is one thing, but
binge-drinking and drug-use can lead to many
problems, not least financial ones, and have some
potentially serious consequences for your health
and well-being. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah’, you may be
thinking, but read on. Did you know that abusing
alcohol or taking recreational drugs can have
serious long-term consequences for your physical
and mental health? Whether you drink too much,
or partake in ‘recreational’ drug use, the outcomes
are not all pleasant… irritability, impaired
thinking, increased heart rate and anxiety to name
but a few.
5 reasons why you really don’t want
to drink too much too often
A few sobering facts about the links
between drink/drugs and mental illness
1
Alcohol
2
You may feel foggy headed and lethargic all
morning after a really heavy bout of drinking,
perhaps all afternoon too… not really the best
preparation for a day of study.
3
Excessive alcohol consumption can affect your
looks – girls, you may be concerned to hear
that too much booze causes your skin to age
prematurely and you may find yourself getting
ugly red spider veins across your cheeks and
nose. Guys, don’t forget that beer guts and the
eau de ‘stale booze’ odour are never ‘in’. All in
all, best to keep alcohol within sensible limits.
4
Please be aware that what you are putting into your
body may feel good at the time, but can have dire
consequences for your future. Please read on….
5
10
Too much drink distorts the way your brain
cells work and you need every one of those little
beauties for your time at University, if you want
to be successful in your studies and get the
degree you’re aiming for.
Alcohol can also affect your sex drive – men
may experience ‘brewers’ droop’, as it’s known
in the trade, and women may find their sex drive
decreasing. However, and most importantly,
too much alcohol affects your ability to make
rational decisions… you could end up thinking
‘Will it really matter that I haven’t got a condom,
because she is really hot?’, or wake up the next
morning thinking ‘Why am I be in bed with this
man?’
For those who drive into University, you could
well be over the limit on the morning after a night
before. Alcohol impairs judgement and slows
response times, and this could lead you to make
bad decisions when driving, leaving you to face
a hefty fine, or the removal of your licence, if you
get stopped and breathalysed, serious injury or
worse…
• Regular drinking can leave a person tired and
depressed. There is evidence that alcohol changes
the chemistry of the brain itself and that this
increases the risk of depression.
• Regular drinking can make life depressing – family
arguments, poor work, unreliable memory and
sexual problems.
• If we drink alcohol to relieve anxiety and
depression, we could become more depressed.
• Self-harm and suicide are much more common
in people who have alcohol problems.
• Psychosis: long–term drinkers can start to hear
voices.
Cannabis
• All forms of cannabis are mind-altering. In other
words, they change how the brain works.
Where can you find help and support?
If you do feel like you’ve got a problem with drink
or drugs there are a whole range of people in
Student Support Services on both campuses
willing to give confidential advice and support. We
will be able to point you in the right direction to
get the correct support for you! Call in, or phone
us on:
Chelmsford: 0845 196 4340/4242
Cambridge: 0845 196 2298/2598
And finally
Despite appearances to the contrary, we are not
telling you not to have a good time this Christmas,
just do it in moderation and above all do it safely.
Remember: it’s your body, your night out, your
responsibility.
Merry Christmas from everyone
at Student Support Services!
Debbie Burden
Student Support Services, Chelmsford
• Cannabis may interfere with a person’s capacity
to concentrate, organise and use information.
• Cannabis can leave users feeling apathetic, lacking
in energy and motivation.
• Around 1 in 10 cannabis users have unpleasant
experiences, including confusion, hallucinations,
anxiety and paranoia.
• If you already have a mental illness, using
cannabis can make things much worse.
11
Christmas/Charity
Assessment
Helping the lonely in Cambridge
What exactly is Contact?
A Contact Christmas dinner – photo by Philip Mynott
Contact is a student run charity that aims to look after
elderly and housebound people who live in Cambridge
and might be lonely from day to day. It involves
students from Anglia Ruskin University as well as from
Cambridge University. Part of this work includes giving
‘parties’ at the end of every term. It was this that I
got involved in first. At Girton College one Thursday
afternoon in December, we gave a Christmas dinner to
about sixty people. We also had some break dancers
and ballet dancers providing some entertainment over
the meal. My job included helping with wheelchairs
from the fleet of taxis to the hall, serving the
Christmas dinner and then sitting and chatting with
some of the elderly people. Everyone invited was full
of Christmas cheer and thought the occasion was
fantastic. Many of these people live alone and for
some this was the only Christmas dinner they had
that year. It felt very worthwhile to be part of this
event and spurred me on to join the visiting service
that Contact also arranges.
To apply for the visiting service I had to have a
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), check which Contact
insist on to protect those they work with. This isn’t
nearly as sinister as it sounds and simply involved me
12
showing some ID documents to the Contact
Administrator, who arranged everything else. I was
then given the phone number of a lady who lives near
to me. Contact tries to place students with people
they share interests with and this worked well for me.
I am a medical student and the lady I visit used to be
a nurse so we can compare times and experiences
which is interesting for us both. We also share a love
of travel and have visited places all over the world in
our conversations. The lady I visit is wheelchair bound
and on a couple of occasions we have been to the
theatre in Cambridge. This was challenging with a
wheelchair but well worth it to see the pleasure it
gave! I have been a visitor for the past two years and
the two of us now have a great relationship. Every
Monday evening that I visit I value the chance to
forget about work and university and just enjoy
making somebody else’s day.
Last April I joined the Contact committee to continue
the work Contact does as I think helping others is such
an important aspect of life. For people who are lonely,
an hour a week and the occasional party can make a
real difference. It’s also been a valuable experience for
me. I’ve learnt a lot about someone else’s life and now
I find it easier to pick up a conversation with people
older than myself. I also enjoy the quiet evenings
chatting and watching television.
If you’d like to join our volunteer team, we’d love
to have you. There are always lots more people who
need visitors and extra hands at parties are always
welcome. No experience is required – all you need
is a keen and friendly spirit!
Check out: www.MakeContact.org.uk
Or, if you have any questions: [email protected]
Rachel Gottschalk, on behalf of Contact
What to do to deal with problems with assessments
The submission of an assignment
triggers a large volume of activity
within Faculties and the Registry.
We use the Academic Regulations
www.anglia.ac.uk/anet/academic/
public/academic_regulations.doc
to ensure that all due processes are
followed so that all students have
a fair and equal chance to succeed.
As students you may find it useful to
consult your abridged version of the
Assessment Regs (www.anglia.ac.uk/
anet/students/newregs/AssessRegs_
0707.doc)
Do Not Forget the Following:
1. Check that you have followed the
guidelines in your module guide
and consulted your module tutor
with your queries.
2. Check the library website for
guidelines on referencing –
http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/
referencing/referencing.htm
3. Tell your Student Adviser if you
have any problem affecting your
learning and your ability to submit
on time.
Dates for submission appear in your
module guide, together with the
assessment criteria. Such criteria
are derived from the: Code of
Practice on Assessment of Students
www.anglia.ac.uk/anet/academic/
public/assessment_revisedjan07.pdf
but may be made specific to
subjects/assessments.
4. Print a coversheet for each module
from your e-vision account.
If you have any doubts at all about
your assignment see your module
tutor. The name of this academic
member of staff and their contact
details will be on your module guide.
7. Make sure you meet the deadline
and get the assignment to the
appropriate Student Information
Centre.
If you have any special circumstances
which might affect your performance
in assessment contact your Student
Adviser via the following link:
www.anglia.ac.uk/ ruskin/en/home/
central/stuadv.html. If you are
struggling to complete assignments
because of health or personal
circumstances you may be eligible to
claim mitigation. Your student adviser
will discuss this with you but you
must claim within five working days
of the due date for the assignment.
You will have to provide evidence to
support your claim. See Assessment
Regulations Section 7.
Marking
be within 20 working days (30
working days for Major Projects). Your
Faculty will tell you how to obtain this.
Marks will be provisional and cannot
be confirmed until the Assessment
Panel.
What happens if I fail?
Get help from your module tutor as
soon as possible and make sure you
know when the resubmission date
is – see your e-vision account. Also,
the Academic Regulations have a
whole series of measures to help
in these circumstances. These are:
5. Complete a receipt for each
module submitted (these can
be obtained from the Student
Information Centre).
1. Every module allows a second
attempt except if you are eligible
for compensation and then you
might not have to resubmit.
6. Ensure both are attached firmly to
your assignment before submitting.
2. Even if you fail a module twice
it may be possible to help if your
degree pathway allows you to take
alternative modules to make up
the credit. The limit to this within
a degree is 60 credits in total and
30 in any one level/ year.
1. All Faculties mark according to
their module marking criteria
within the module guide.
2. All first markers have a sample
of their marks checked by another
academic.
3. A sample of all level two and
above work is sent to external
examiners.
The Twenty Day Rule
Students are entitled to receive written
feedback on their work and this must
3. If you have failed compulsory
modules you may be able to
transfer to the Faculty Framework
degree.
4. Remember our procedures for
extensions and mitigation – you
should use where appropriate.
And Finally
Remember, if you have a disability
or specific learning difficulty you
may want to seek advice from our
Learning Support and Disability
Resources Teams.
Good Luck!
13
Student Focus
Following my difficulties finding a
student volunteer for the last issue,
I decided to take a more sensible
approach for the second issue, so I
practised what I preached by using
one of the services I spend so
much time promoting and asked
the Employment Bureau in
Chelmsford to find me a suitable
candidate. My search criteria were
vague; I needed a male, Chelmsford
based student (to balance up last
issue’s female Cambridge based
one), preferably photogenic, and
willing to give up an hour of their
time and have their face splashed
all over their University. (By the
way, I in no way wish to imply that
non photogenic students will not be
featured here – I have nothing
against the non photogenic, indeed
I count myself as one of their
number, and surely we are what
Photoshop was put on this earth
for? It just so happens that the first
two students featured in the mag
have been extremely good looking,
without the aid of electronic
manipulation of their images.)
Student Focus
Osama Naji
14
Much to their credit, Brenton and his colleagues from
the Employment Bureau, came up with the perfect
candidate and set up a meeting for the following
week. An unsolicited testimonial here for the
Employment Bureau – if you haven’t already
investigated opportunities for part-time work during
your study or post-graduate employment, make
contact with them now, they are good!
Back to For Your Information, Osama Naji is a second
year Architecture student based at Chelmsford. His
accent is a strange international amalgam, with hints
of many accents and yet also somehow impeccably
English. More impeccably English than most English
people’s accents in fact. This is the result of an early
education at International School in Saudi, where the
mixture of nationalities also instilled in Osama a
knowledge, respect and tolerance of different cultures.
Osama came to Chelmsford following 18 months in
Berlin, staying with a cousin and studying graphic
design. He is a truly international student then.
Another benefit to Osama of such a cosmopolitan
background seems to be a high level of self sufficiency;
an ability to adapt to different surroundings and
people, and a capacity to organise himself and his
workload with ease.
During his first year at Anglia, Osama stayed in
the student village at Chelmsford. Here he found
a friendly crowd of international students, all in the
same boat and all a long way from home – an ideal
situation for creating firm and lasting friendships.
Further relationships were forged via participation
in sports; football and rugby – my mention of cricket
merely raised a wry smile; too parochial a sport
for such a cosmopolitan man perhaps. Osama’s
membership of the Arab Society at Anglia Ruskin has
also provided him with a strong support network. This
second year finds him sharing private accommodation
with friends, a change that came about mainly for
financial reasons.
I wondered how the organisation of courses and
teaching at Anglia compared to that of other
institutions. On Osama’s course here at Anglia the first
year was a gentle affair, easing the student into study.
Once eased in however, the workload has reportedly
doubled in the second year. In Germany, by contrast,
the first year was tough – designed to filter out those
not up to speed rather than to bring them gently
up to the necessary level. There are merits in both
approaches, I suppose.
To add to the time pressures of his second year,
Osama has taken on a part time job at Chelmsford’s
finest Multiplex, to complement the odd pieces of
work found for him by the Employment Bureau (EB).
Osama, like me and many others I’m sure, needs
this extra pressure as an incentive to get his time
organised and his work done quickly. There’s nothing
like the knowledge that you have a fixed period of
time in which to get an assignment done for
concentrating the mind.
You have my solemn assurance that the subjects for
these student focus articles are selected randomly
and not on the basis of their capacity for sycophancy.
Despite this, Osama like Julia in the last issue has
very few bad things to say about Anglia Ruskin
University. He finds the library facilities excellent;
he is aware of the services offered by Student Support
and is a keen user and advocate of the Employer
Mentoring scheme (if you don’t know about this,
and you’re a 2nd year student in AIBS or Law, get in
touch with Jan Haldane [Chelmsford] and Katie Morris
[Cambridge] – check on ANET for contact details).
Osama finds the new buildings at Rivermead welldesigned and ecologically sound – praise indeed from
a student of architecture. He is aware of, and a user
of the various sources of information, WebCT, Anet,
the new information screens and the new email
arrangements. I even tested him on this last one by
contacting him via his new email address, and of
course he responded to my email and passed the test.
As a conclusion to our interview, I asked Osama the
standard survey type questions – would he
recommend Anglia to his friends? The answer was
yes. Name one of his university’s best selling points.
For such a widely travelled student, Osama’s response
was perhaps not surprising – Chelmsford’s location
half an hour from London, and from Stansted airport
and through here, access to the rest of the world.
I demanded at least one small criticism and one
did emerge – the need for more contact with tutors,
especially in order to receive and discuss feedback.
My thanks to Osama for giving up his time for this
interview. He didn’t even take me up on my offer of
a cup of coffee.
Ruth Andrews
15
Faculty Focus
Within the faculty you will find a
comprehensive range of courses
ranging from nursing, midwifery
and social policy to operating
department practice, social work
and social care education. All
range from undergraduate to
postgraduate study levels and are
delivered in a flexible manner
where possible to enable part-time
study, and accommodate a
working and/or family life.
The new William Harvey Building on the Rivermead campus, Chelmsford
The Faculty of Health and
Social Care (FHSC)
The faculty was established in
2007 and so is the newest, and
largest faculty at Anglia Ruskin
University.
With over 8,000 students, Anglia
Ruskin University’s Faculty of
Health and Social Care (FHSC) is
the largest graduate provider of
health education in the East of
England. The faculty’s vision is to
improve the health and social care
of individuals and communities
within Cambridgeshire and Essex
16
through the delivery of highquality education, research and
consultancy. Our mission is to
strengthen and expand the East
of England health and social care
workforce of the future, and to
continue to build on the faculty’s
local, national and international
reputation and to ensure that we
continue to provide NHS Trusts
and regional businesses with high
quality research and high quality
professional graduates.
The faculty is based across two
campuses in Cambridge, at East
Road and Fulbourn, within the
new and purpose built William
Harvey building on the Rivermead
Campus at Chelmsford and
we also have a campus in
Peterborough. This unique
geographical spread enables us
to deliver our vision of providing
health and social care education
across the region and offers a
distinct advantage to locally-based
students and businesses.
Also available is an extensive
variety of exciting and innovative
high-profile conferences, weekend
courses, workshops and study
days. Professional taught
Doctorates, PhD research
programmes and bespoke work
with the health services, local
authorities, private or independent
sectors all continue to exceed the
demands of health and social care
practitioners.
The Departments
We have six departments with staff
delivering the portfolio of courses
which provide opportunities for
joint working, inter-professional
links and new networks. The
departments work with each other
to facilitate high-quality responsive
provision in line with changing
service requirements in the health
and social care environment. They
are as follows:
• Acute Care
• Allied Health and
Interprofessional Learning
• Child and Family Health
• Intermediate and Continuing
Care
• Mental Health and Learning
Disabilities
• Social Studies and Primary Care
The departmental structure of the
Faculty of Health and Social Care is
both straightforward and innovative.
It creates an environment that
enables all staff to work in
partnership to maximise their
potential to develop. Promotion
and delivery of all work within the
faculty is actioned in a proactive
manner, with a clear management
presence across all campus
locations to ensure that all faculty
staff feel valued and supported.
Facilities
Across all of our sites we have
modern well equipped teaching
facilities that enable students to
develop key skills in a safe and
supportive educational
environment.
We recently opened a new Health
and Social Care building in
Chelmsford. This was a joint
venture with Essex Workforce
Development Confederation.
This new style of health education
delivery ensures that newly
qualified professionals will be
work-ready from the first day they
start employment. The building
has cutting edge simulated clinical
environments, giving students the
opportunity to get hands on
experience in a variety of settings.
All our students are benefiting
from this fantastic facility
including nurses, midwives,
operating department
practitioners, complementary
therapists and counsellors.
Research activity
Research is an integral part of the
Faculty of Health and Social Care.
The faculty provides a creative and
energetic environment for
undertaking research that
addresses real issues across the
full spectrum of health and social
care. Research in the faculty
unites academics, researchers,
postgraduate students, research
users and service users in a
shared community of enquiry. The
faculty’s reputation for undertaking
high quality, meaningful and
timely research continues to grow.
Researchers within the faculty are
involved in multiple collaborations
with local, national and
international agencies in the
statutory and voluntary sectors.
Currently, we are working on
externally funded projects in the
following areas, mental health,
oncology and social policy with
funding from organisations such
as the Department of Health,
Essex County Council, Mental
Health Foundation, The Home
Office and South Essex Mental
Health Partnership NHS Trust.
There are also a number of
international collaborations with
partners in Israel, Russia, the
Ukraine, Canada, and the United
States of America. Faculty
researchers have also developed
considerable experience and a
growing reputation in the use
of multiple research methods,
including participatory inquiry and
collaboration with service users.
Further information
Please visit our website
www.anglia.ac.uk/fhsc for details
about campus location, facilities
or our research and consultancy.
17
12
Staff Focus
Gill Betmead is possibly the perfect subject for an
interview. No questions are needed; Gill takes you
through her life (which is an interesting one), her
career (ditto), the changes she has seen at Anglia
(which are many) and her views on students and the
help that the careers service can offer them (which
is great). And she takes you through all this with an
infectious energy and enthusiasm and obviously loves
her job. And she takes a marvellous photo and looks
at least 15 years younger than her age. A lesser
person might be jealous; I was just grateful to have
found such a wonderful subject. And possibly a
little bit jealous.
Gill is such an effective and empathetic careers
adviser partly because of her own chequered career;
she knows how soul destroying it can be to find
yourself in the wrong job and how fulfilling the right
one can be once you find it. Hence helping people
to find it is her passion.
Those of you lucky enough to know Gill may be
surprised to learn that she began her career as a
branch librarian at Birchington on Sea library. In fact,
if you were to devise a job and a location totally
unsuited to Gill, I would suggest that this would be
it. I hasten to add here that I mean no disrespect to
librarians – my best friend is one in fact – and today
it is a whizzy, hi tech, interactive and exciting career.
Thirty years ago however, I should imagine it was
more like its stereotype – ladies with hair buns and
glasses armed with date stamps urging you to keep
quiet. Not Gill at all really. I googled Birchington on
Sea and the websites I found were for a bowls club
and a guide to what trains could be spotted there.
Enough said. Despite this, Gill lasted three years in
this classic square peg in a round hole post, and
I should imagine did much to enliven the lives of
Birchington’s largely retired population.
Gill Betmead
Cambridge Careers Team Leader
18
Marriage and a move to Hertfordshire saved Gill from
this quiet seaside town and led her to a post as a
library/resources assistant at a secondary school. This
was a slightly squarer hole for our square peg and
Gill found that she enjoyed helping students with
their homework and to fill in their UCAS applications.
Following a break to have children however, and
despite her vow never to work in a library again Gill
found herself in a job in the library of Cambridgeshire
College of Arts and Technology (CCAT), an institution
for which nearly 30 years and five name changes later
(for the college, not for her) she still works.
Gill has seen many changes as the institution evolved
from CCAT to Anglia Ruskin University, the biggest of
which is the development of student support services
to complement the academic provision. It is as part of
these support services that Gill now works, following
counselling training, voluntary work with offenders
and a Diploma in Educational Guidance for Adults.
Living proof then that the perfect job does exist, and
that you don’t necessarily find it via a direct route;
Gill’s route to her post as a Careers Adviser was far
from direct. And it does seem to be her perfect job –
one she is passionate about and one she looks
forward to doing every day. Part of this is due to Gill’s
relationship with her colleagues and the calibre of
these colleagues in Student Support Services. It is
partly due to the job itself; the fact that Gill never
knows what each day will bring. If a student comes in
to Gill expressing a burning desire to be an embalmer
(and they have done by all accounts), then Gill will
do her utmost to research the route into this noble
profession and help the student fulfil their (rather
strange) ambition.
I came away from the interview full of enthusiasm,
feeling that the world was my oyster careers-wise.
And if I feel like that, as a forty something person who
is still not quite sure what she wants to do when she
grows up, then imagine how enthused a student must
be. I urge you to make an appointment with the
careers service soon. Don’t, as many do, wait until
your final year. And form an orderly queue behind me.
Ruth Andrews
How to access the Careers Service in
Cambridge and Chelmsford
We put as much information as we can online
so you can access it 24/7. Just go to
www.anglia.ac.uk/careers and follow the links.
Or phone to make an appointment on:
Cambridge – Helmore 341, Tel: 0845 196
2298/2598
Chelmsford – 2nd floor Tindal (above the bar),
0845 196 4242/4240
19
Services/Environment
Save on Travel
There are discounts available
on bus travel1 and at local cycle
shops and we run cycle training
schemes throughout the year.2
Help
green
our University!
Our Environment team is
responsible for managing waste,
travel and energy use at Anglia
Ruskin University. We are
committed to eliminating,
preventing or minimising our
University’s impact on the
environment.
Here is an outline of how you can
become actively involved:
Have you switched off?
You can save energy at home
(University or private
accommodation) by:
• Switching off lights when
not needed
• Switching off electrical items
such as TVs and computers
• Unplugging phone chargers
• Using your water wisely
Did you know that…
95% of the energy used by mobile
phone chargers in the UK is wasted
energy? Only 5% is actually used to
charge the phones – they still use
power when left plugged in so don’t
forget to unplug your charger!
Standby still uses power so please
remember to Switch Off rather
than use standby!
Save 1/3 on train fares with a
young person’s railcard (ages
16–25 and students aged 26 or
over in full time education) See
www.youngpersons-railcard.co.uk
If you need cycling maps for
Chelmsford or Cambridge please
contact us.
20
✓
Yes!
Plastic
bottles only
Water bottles
Yoghurt pots
Fizzy drink bottles
Sandwich packaging
Milk containers
Plastic drink cups
Squash bottles
Drink cartons
Washing up bottles
(rinsed out)
Food packaging
Food and
drink cans
Drinks cans
Plastic bottles
Clean food cans
Glass bottles and jars
Clean foil
Paper
Cardboard
We produced approximately 3409
tonnes of waste last year and
approximately 14% was recycled.3
A quick guide to what can be put
into the bins is on the next page.
No!
Bleach bottles
(rinsed out)
What a load of rubbish
Help us to recycle more and send
less rubbish to landfill by using
our recycling facilities on campus
and in our accommodation.
✗
What can
be recycled?
We are also due to launch a car
sharing scheme so that you can
share your journey to University.
This will help you save carbon
emissions and costs. Watch out
for more details.
General waste
Crisp packets
Mixed glass
Glass bottles
Plastic bottles
Glass jars
Food & drink cans
General waste
Paper
Costa Coffee cups
Contact details;
[email protected]
[email protected]
Magazines
Laminated paper
Pamphlets
Label backing sheets
Brochures
Sticky labels
Further information can be found
on our website;
www.anglia.ac.uk/environment
Newspapers
Post it notes
Envelopes
(remove windows)
Tissues/hand towels
Clean cardboard
Paper
Please flat pack
General waste
1
• Dressing appropriately for the
season – i.e. wear a jumper
if you are cold rather than
adjusting the heating
Recycling Guide
Essex campus only
Paper
Cardboard
2
Essex campus only but we hope to launch
in Cambridge soon!
3
Waste figures do not include skips that leave
our site but are from our general waste streams
Cardboard with foodstuff
21
Services/Employment
Services/Library
The Employment Bureau –
University Library
Your recruitment team
24 Hour Opening
On campus to help you find a permanent job after
graduation!
David Negus, a 2007 graduate in
Multimedia Systems
The Anglia Ruskin Destination of Leavers Survey
2005/6 produced in association with HESA (Higher
Education Statistics Agency) showed that 93% of
Anglia graduate respondents successfully entered
employment, or continued their education. This is an
increase on the previous year’s figure of 90%. Without
a doubt, these are impressive results. But behind
the statistics there are individual stories to tell and
we thought we would share a couple of the many
successful placements made by the Employment
Bureau in recent months.
David’s employer, CGEye (a specialist in 3D computergenerated imagery), contacted the Employment
Bureau in August with details of a vacancy for a
Graphic Designer that needed to be filled urgently.
Within two days, Stephanie, the Graduate Recruitment
Consultant in Chelmsford, had three interviews
arranged and one day later David was offered the
job! As you can see from his comments below, David
was delighted:
Anglia Ruskin
Enterprise
“I doubt very much that without your help I’d have
got a job like the one I was offered last week.
I accepted the job straight away and couldn’t be
happier. A big thank-you to Sarah and Stephanie who
were very helpful and really sincere in their efforts”.
Chelmsford
Cambridge &
David Negus, BA Multimedia Systems
ureau
Employment B
ent team
Your recruitm
work
for Temporary
t Jobs
for Permanen
t Building,
Michael Ashcrof
ead Campus
rm
ve
Ri
,
on
pti
Rece
Campus
8, Cambridge
& Helmore 00
45 196 3616
Chelmsford: 08
45 196 2564
08
:
ge
rid
Camb
k/eb
www.anglia.ac.u
.uk/e
www.anglia.ac
07100205
22
b
However, not all job placements are so straightforward!
Often the process of sending CVs, arranging interviews
and organising assessments can take several weeks to
organise. This is when the recruitment consultants at
the Employment Bureau really benefit students and
graduates as they liaise closely between potential
employer and employee. Natalia graduated in 2007
with a BA (Hons) Business Management and was keen
to pursue a career that would make use of the skills
and knowledge acquired during the course of her
studies. It took a few months and several interviews
before Natalia found a job which suited her career
aspirations, salary expectations and was based within
the right geographical region for her. Now she is
settled into a challenging role and making great
progress in her career.
“As a recent graduate, I was becoming more and
more stressed with looking for a job; having
registered with a number of recruitment agencies,
I still received only limited response. I realised that
the Employment Bureau at Anglia Ruskin University
would be best positioned to deal with my situation as
they specialise in the placement of graduates. They
have extensive contacts in the field, and were able
to line up a number of interview appointments for
me straight away. I really enjoyed working with them,
the whole process was tailored according to my
requirements and I was regularly contacted with
the feedback and information about potential
placements. Now, I’m pleased to say that I have
found a great job in Business Management!
I would recommend every student to register with the
Employment Bureau as soon as possible, and make
it the starting point of the job searching process.
You might not need to look any further, and land
your dream job with minimum effort!”
Natalia McDonagh, BA (Hons) Business Management
2007
Contact details for the Employment Bureau team and
current vacancies can be found on the Employment
Bureau website at www.anglia.ac.uk/eb.
For those of you who may struggle to find the spare
time to register during the week, Sarah White, the
Business Development Manager for the Employment
Bureau will be opening the Chelmsford office on the
following Saturdays in order to interview/advise 2008
graduates: 19th January, 9th February, 1st March,
29th March, 26th April and 17th May 2008.
To book an appointment, please email Sarah on
[email protected] or call direct on 0845 196
3609.
Based at Cambridge? Deadlines pressing? The 24
hour pilot at the Cambridge Library may help. We
are open continuously from 8.30 am on Monday
through to 12 midnight on Friday, every week
until the Christmas break. On these days, the
staffed service runs from 8.30 am to 9 pm
(5 pm on Friday) with the full range of self-service
provision for the rest of the time. The trial will be
reviewed in the light of usage.
Library and study skills – get smart!
The University Library and Student Support
Services offer a programme of 30 minute drop-in
sessions to enable you to improve your study and
information-finding skills. These cover a range of
topics including
• Making sense of your reading lists
• Using journals
• The Digital Library, or how to use the library
without leaving your PC
• Researching your assignment
• Essay writing
• Reading for academic purposes
• Exams and revision
The sessions are full of valuable tips, they will
help you to study more effectively, and they will
save you time and effort in the future. For details
of programme content and times, check University
Library noticeboards or the website under Help &
Advice: Training Sessions (libweb.anglia.ac.uk/
helpdesk/train.htm). Could help you get better
grades!
If you missed it…
If you are a new or a returning student, and
you missed (or have completely forgotten) your
introduction to the library, try the online Welcome
pages on our website at General Information:
Welcome for New Users (libweb.anglia.ac.uk/
induction/video.htm). These contain all the basic
information you need to get you going with using
library services for your studies.
23
Services/International
Services/Money
International Student Support
Student Money Advice & Rights
Information for International students
Cambridge
Are you staying in the UK
over the Christmas holidays?
If you are staying in the UK during
the Christmas holidays you might
like to celebrate with other students
at the International Students House
(ISH) in London. Located near
Oxford Street ISH offers
accommodation from £11.99 –
£20.00 per night from 16
December – 26 December plus
a range of traditional events for
Christmas Day (25th December –
including Christmas dinner) and
Boxing Day (26th December).
Further details can be found
at www.ish.org.uk/xmas.html.
International student house is open
all year (including New Years Eve)
and is cheap place to stay overnight
in central London. Visit their
website for booking information.
Alternatively, what about joining
the world famous New Years Eve
(Hogmanay) celebrations in
Edinburgh? International Friends
is organising a trip from 30th
December – 2 January. Travel
from Cambridge or London,
accommodation and the all
important street pass from £229.
Further details are available at
www.internationalfriends.co.uk.
Bookings can be made via the
Student Union in the Helmore
Building in Cambridge or directly
by calling 01223 244555.
In Chelmsford there will be a
Christmas party in the Chaplaincy
24
centre, 90 Ransomes Way on
Sunday 9th December from 5pm,
and the Centre will be open
throughout Christmas and the
New Year offering Christmas
snacks and drinks etc and
an open invitation to use the
facilities, especially the television!
If you are staying in Cambridge,
and have some free time on
Christmas Eve (24th December)
you may like to attend the famous
Nine Lessons and Carols service
in Kings College Chapel. This is a
very popular event and to ensure
you gain entry you need to join the
queue by 9.30 am for entry into
the Chapel at 13.30. This service
is broadcast on national television!
Further details are available at:
www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/
ninelessons/index.html
There will be other activities over
the Christmas break that were not
confirmed at the time of going to
press. If you are staying in
Cambridge or Chelmsford over
Christmas then leave your contact
details with your International
Student Adviser: Jean Yeadon
(Cambridge campus – HEL 122)
Rachel Shilling (Chelmsford campus
– 2nd Floor Tindal) who will then
let you know what’s happening.
questionnaire you received in
November. In April there will be
a follow up questionnaire which
will look more at the experience
you have had on your particular
course. The information you give
is invaluable when helping us
improve the student experience.
A new International Society
in Chelmsford
• Entitlement to student loans and
grants
Would you like to join an
international society in
Chelmsford? One of our
postgraduate students would like
to set up a society with the help
of the Student Union. If you
are interested in the idea and
would like to join please e-mail
[email protected].
• Access to Learning Fund
Whatever you do over the
Christmas break, enjoy yourself!
• Income and council tax
International Student
Satisfaction Survey
Many thanks to those who
took the time to complete the
The Student Money Advice and
Rights team on the Cambridge
campus is based in Student
Support Services on the third floor
of the Helmore building (Hel 341).
We provide advice and assistance
over a wide range of financial
matters relating to students
including:
Caroline Shanahan, Head of
International Student Support
• Funding for part-time and
postgraduate students
• Welfare benefits
• Childcare funding
• Money management
Chelmsford
and see us straight away – we are
not miracle workers but we will do
our best to help you sort things out!
Julia Manley
Senior Student Money Adviser
0845 196 2288
[email protected]
Rodney Blair
Student Money Adviser
0845 196 2600
[email protected]
Matt Hayler
Access to Learning Fund
Administrator
0845 196 2975
[email protected]
Hannah Newham
Administrator
0845 196 2389
[email protected]
Check out our budget planner on
our website
www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/
central/studentsupport/services/
financial/cambridge.html and,
if you missed our money
management workshops in
Welcome Week but wished you
hadn’t, we are running some more
sessions in the New Year – info
about dates and times will be
available later in December.
We operate a daily drop-in session
between 10.00am and 2.00pm for
quick queries; appointments can
be made at other times. If you are
having a financial crisis, or can see
one looming on the horizon, come
The Student Money and Advice Team
at Cambridge – they’re not as scary as
they look
By the time you read this, you
may have seen members of the
Student Money Advice & Rights
Team on the Chelmsford campus
dressed up in overalls promoting
our ‘Money MOT’ campaign. As
a follow up to that, we will be
promoting some more campaigns
in the New Year, so do look out
for us!
In January we will be running an
event to make students aware of
Trusts and Charities they may be
able to apply to for extra funds
(handy after the expense of
Christmas!) There are numerous
trusts and charities that give
small grants to students.
If you miss our event in January,
or just can’t wait until then, do
come and visit us at Student
Support Services, 2nd Floor,
Tindal, Rivermead Campus
where you can pick up one
of our information leaflets about
applying to Trusts and Charities,
have a chat with a Student
Money Adviser or use a computer
programme called Funderfinder.
This has a database of trusts and
charities that you can research.
In March we will be encouraging
you to get to grips with your
money with our ‘Spring Clean
Your Finances’ campaign so
please get involved with that
when you see us, after all
everyone’s finances could do
with a clean up! We hope Kim
& Aggie would be impressed!!
25
Ruskin Gallery
Letters
Anglia Ruskin exhibition pays tribute
to St Trinian’s originator Ronald Searle
Cambridge Evening News)
from 1935–39 (where his
predecessor was Sidney Moon)
and Granta. They were signed
R.W.F. Searle.
As cameras are rolling on the
latest film in the St Trinian’s
saga, Anglia Ruskin University
is preparing to pay tribute to
the originator of the cartoons,
on which the films are based
in the form of a stunning
exhibition of his life’s work.
The first film, staring Alastair
Sim and Joyce Grenfell, was
made in 1954 and it chronicled
the unruly adventures of the
‘school for young ladies’. Now
being revisited by top names
including Rupert Everett, Colin
Firth, Russell Brand and
Stephen Fry, it is bringing
Ronald Searle, a former student
of the Cambridge School of Art
which now sits at the heart of
Anglia Ruskin University, back
into the media spotlight.
The exhibition Ronald Searle –
A Celebration will be open on
10 January at the Ruskin Gallery
on the University’s Cambridge
campus, to follow the launch of
the film, planned for release on
21 December 2007. The show
will feature the legendary graphic
artist’s St Trinian’s cartoons along
with his famous political sketches
and truly sobering wartime
illustrations.
Ronald Searle has been described
as the greatest graphic artist of
our time. His distinctive brand
of visual commentary and satire
has been familiar to generations
through seven decades of
continuous output.
26
His studies were interrupted
by the outbreak of war. He was
captured by the Japanese and
spent much of the war as
a prisoner. During this time
he secretly produced a body
of drawings that record in
graphic detail the misery and
degradation of this experience.
The drawings are now held at
the Imperial War Museum.
A caricaturist, cartoonist,
illustrator, designer and publisher,
Ronald Searle was born in
Cambridge in 1920, the son of a
railwayman, and educated at Boy’s
Central School, Cambridge. He
started work as a solicitor’s clerk,
before studying in the evenings
and later full time at Cambridge
Technical College and School of
Art (1936–1939). He said of this
time, ‘At the Cambridge School of
Art it was drummed into us that
we should not move, eat, drink or
sleep without a sketchbook in the
hand. Consequently, the habit of
looking and drawing became as
natural as breathing.’
While studying, Seale had his first
professional work published in the
Cambridge Daily News (now the
Dear Deborah
Deborah Bowen is a Student Adviser
at Cambridge. Her regular Agony Aunt
column will deal with real problems
students may be having with their
academic life, the University’s modular
system, rules and regulations.
Commenting on the exhibition,
Anglia Ruskin University’s Vice
Chancellor Professor Michael
Thorne said: ‘This prestigious
exhibition is a fitting tribute to the
Cambridge School of Art’s greatest
living alumnus.’
‘While Ronald is unable to attend
this fabulous celebration of his
life’s work, he is working very
closely with us to give us access
to his entire catalogue. We are also
borrowing some prints from some
very famous celebrities who are
fortunate enough to own some of
his work.’
After the war, Searle forged a
highly successful career as a
humorous artist whose range
would span everything from
the hugely successful St Trinian’s
characters to gritty documentary/
reportage drawings, and the hardhitting political comment for which
he is most keen to be remembered.
‘This will be one of our finest
exhibitions yet.’
Said Martin Salisbury from Anglia
Ruskin University: ‘Since his time
as a student at Cambridge School
of Art, Ronald Searle has been an
inspiration to generations of art
students. His work sits within a
particular tradition in Britain of
graphic satire and he is often
referred to as the ‘artist’s artist’
within this genre. Although best
known by the public for his
creation of the St Trinians
phenomenon, his work as a biting
political and social commentator
may perhaps be the more lasting
contribution to the arts.’
He was presented with an
Honorary Doctorate of the
University by Anglia Ruskin
University in November and will
be putting his name to a student
prize, The Ronald Searle Award for
Creativity in the Arts, during 2008.
Since the early 1960s Ronald
Searle has lived in France. Now
in his late 80s, he has received
numerous awards for his work
and been honoured with major
retrospective exhibitions of his work.
For more information please
contact [email protected]
or visit www.anglia.ac.uk/searle
The exhibition is open 10 January
to 13 February. Open to the
general public 10:00 to 16:00
Monday to Friday.
While we are waiting for the flood of
real letters to arrive, we’ve come up
with this ficticious effort in an attempt
to explain a bit more about extensions
and mitigation.
Please send your questions to [email protected]
Dear Deborah
I’ve had a terrible time recently and I’m worried about being able
to hand my work in on time. It all started with a guy I’d had
my eye on for ages. I knew he was going to be out, so I went out
with friends – my sole intention being to impress him. He didn’t
appear to notice me, so after a few drinks, I started dancing
outrageously on a table in the bar. The table collapsed, I sprained
my ankle, then followed the indignity of being thrown out of the
club. I hobbled home on my sprained ankle with only the alcohol
to numb the pain. I don’t remember much after that apart from
waking up in the morning with a stinking hangover, reaching
for the glass of water next to my bed, and drinking it, only to
discover later, it contained the contact lenses I had put in it the
night before. What with the ingested contact lenses, the sprained
ankle and the extra hours I am having to work to pay for the
broken table, I am very behind with my work. Is there any way
to get extra time to complete it?
Priscilla, Preston
This unfortunate chain of events could so easily have been avoided
had you taken the time to check the sturdiness and quality of the
table prior to mounting it.
Nevertheless, it’s happened now and you should see your Student
Adviser as soon as possible to discuss your options.
The University offers three ways in which students can get extra time
on their work:
27
Competition
Competition Time
Short-term extensions which can be given for up to 5
working days (exceptionally 10).
Long-term extensions which can be given for anything
over 10 working days and up to one year. These are
for very exceptional cases.
Extensions cannot be given on exams, and you MUST
request an extension BEFORE the hand-in deadline
on the date your assessment is due to be submitted.
Check your blue guide to Assessment Regulations
to see if you meet the criteria for an extension.
The winner of last month’s competition was Diana
Zheleva (pictured above) from Chelmsford who
wins a £25 gift voucher. The winning answers (as
if you didn’t know them already) are listed below:
1. ARU stands for Anglia Ruskin University
2. Julia Latif is studying BA Film studies
3. I love being a student at Anglia Ruskin because
ARU fulfils all of my expectations :)
To be in with a chance of winning your very own
£25 gift voucher – and it will be the easiest £25
you’ve ever earned – have a go at the questions
below. Email your questions to me at
[email protected].
This issue’s brain teasers are
1. What did Debbie Burden dress up as for the
magazine launch?
2. Who led the Anglia Students’ expedition to the
Amazon?
and the tie breaker
3. How scary is the scary moth pictured on page
7?
28
Mitigation – this is where the University takes into
account any unforeseen/ unexpected circumstances
which are likely to have an adverse affect on your
studies, over a long period of time. Mitigation forms
are available from the Student Adviser or the Student
Information Centre (Rac 013 Cambridge, 1st Floor
Ashby House at Rivermead or Johnson Building J022 at
Central). They can also be downloaded from the Student
Adviser website (www.anglia.ac.uk/student advisers).
Mitigation claims are considered anonymously at
Mitigation Panels, and the sorts of circumstances
considered include sudden illness/ accident that prevents
attendance at exams, bereavement or hospitalisation
close to a date on which an assessment is due to
be submitted. In order for a mitigation claim to be
accepted, it must be agreed that the difficulties you
have experienced amount to mitigating circumstances
and that evidence of those circumstances has been
provided by a responsible third party. Your Student
Adviser can give you more information on the types of
evidence you should produce. Most mitigation claims
are medical mitigation claims and in such cases, the
University would require a supporting letter or a
statement from a doctor, counsellor, or other medical
professional. It follows that if you find yourself unwell
on an exam day or when an assignment is due in,
you should contact your GP. If an appointment is not
available, or you can’t get to the surgery because of the
nature of your illness – tummy bug, or infectious illness,
for example, you should ask to speak to the Practice
Nurse who should be able to assist. You should ask that
the nurse makes a record of the call, in case you need
evidence for mitigation.
Finally, by far the best way to manage your academic
workload is to plan ahead and get your work in
before setting off for a night on the town to celebrate.
Oh, and by the way, never leave your contact lenses
soaking next to the bed…