An interview with the Dragon of La Senza, Theo Paphitis (Page 14

Transcription

Newspaper of the students of the University of Surrey
An interview with the
Dragon of La Senza,
Theo Paphitis (Page 14)
News
Students come together at
the NUS Activism Conference
to make decisions on the next
step...page 6
FEATURES
It’s a Chrismas overload as
we look at every aspect of this
holiday, from treats to debt
Page 10 ...
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Three Students have their say
on the meaning of Christmas
and whether or not it has lost
its meaning ... Page 9
Issue 39 – Tuesday 6th December 2011
Sam indroduces the
very first Faculty
Student Reps
1.6m STRIKE
On Wednesday 30th November trade unions went on strike across the country to fight downward
pressure on workers’ pensions in the biggest show of industrial solidarity since the 1970s.
By David Williams, News Team
A
n estimated 500 staff from the University of
Surrey didn’t turn up to work yesterday (30th
November) as they were a part of the biggest
public sector strike in 30 years.
The UCU and Unison along with 27 other
trade unions voted to strike in response to the
SCIENCE AND TECH
The loss of the Western Black
Rhino and the worlds most
efficent car ... Page 20
DANCE & THEATRE
Reviews: A review of MADSoc’s
recent production of ‘I Love you.
You’re Perfect. Now Change’ –
page 24
LITERATURE
Is Poetry Pointless discusses
the metrit of our historical
literary traditon... page 26...
SPORT
Olympic Torch Comes to
Guildford and a look at the
death of GarySpeed on Page 36
Students Union sabbs with striking staff
governments pension reforms.
Thirty or so protestors, ranging from
academics to administrative staff, braved the cold
to form a picket line at entrances to the university
on the morning of the strike.
While much of the group dispersed to attend
a mass rally in Woking a small but dedicated
contingent remained throughout the day handing
out leaflets and speaking to passing students.
The University of Surrey student union
supported the strike after an online poll found
60% of students in favour of strike action.
Throughout the day their support was felt by
the protestors. Sociology lecturer Rachel Cohen
Continued on page 3...
2
EDITORIAL
The Stag | 6th December 2011
Editor | Jack White
[email protected]
Editor-in-Chief | Bakita Kasadha
[email protected]
Deputy Editor (Design) | Hollie Rowe-Roberts
[email protected]
Design Team | Ellie Brodie, Paul A Richmond, Hannah Roberts-Owen,
Christina Morman
[email protected]
Want to stand in
Union Elections?
Nominations open Monday 12th December
Deputy Editor (Marketing) | Tom Goulding
[email protected]
Marketing Team | Shervin Hejazi, Imogen Jones and Eleanor Pearson
News
News Editor | Jyoti Rambhai
[email protected]
News Team | Sophie Howard, John Kavanaugh, Geffory Pullen, Sophie
Smith, Rachel Thomason and David Williams
Features
Features Editor | Nicole Vassell
[email protected]
Features Team | Declan Cooney, Clowance Lawton, Alice Perry, Becky
Powell, Ellis Taylor, Sophie Vickery and Hannah Waan
Science and Technology
Science and Technology Editor | Nathanael Roome
[email protected] | Twitter @SamuraiNath
Science and Technology Team | Neville Boon, Ellie Brodie, Gilbert
Cassar, Lawrence Finn, John Hamp, Dave Holcombe, Shourya Khanna,
Kate McAtamney, Melissa Raske, Alex Smith, Ruth Smithers and Emma
Thomas.
Societies
Societies Editor | Vacant
[email protected]
Societies Team | Vacant
Arts
Dance and Theatre Editor | Hannah Jelliman
[email protected]
Dance and Theatre Team | Emily Bourne, Sarah McDowell, Beth
Hedges, Lucy Jarvis, Tiffany Stoneman and Lexi Sutton
Film Editor | Tiffany Tucker
[email protected]
Film Team | Caroline James, Christie Marchant and Christina Maria
Webb
Music Editor | Sophia Field
[email protected]
Music Team | James Campbell, Arran Coe, Liam Conroy, Dan Davidson,
Dimitri Levantis, Amy McGivern, Tanya Noronha and Elliot Tyres
Literature Editor | Alexandra Wilks
[email protected]
Literature Team | Christina Morman, Emily Smart, Sophie Vickery and
Rebecca Worley
This year The Stag wants to make the elections for
the 2012/13 Union officers the Best Election Yet!
If you’re being nominated, we want to hear your
views and what you plan to bring to the Students’
Union right now!
Don’t wait around – before the election officially
starts on 2nd March, you can campaign how you
like, and The Stag wants to interview you about
your priorities. Get in touch!
Let’s make it a proper fight!
Sports
Sports Editor | Jordan Vine
[email protected]
Sports Team | Douglas Elder, Arabella Gilby
and Sam Limbert
Copy Editors | Megan Barnacle, Michaela Fulton, Emma Giles, Candice
Ritchie and Louisa White
[email protected]
Webmaster | Andrew Smith
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Photo Editor | Raisa Joseph
[email protected]
The Stag is a editorially independent newspaper published by the
University of Surrey Students’ Union.
The views expressed in the paper are those of the individual authors
and do not necessarily represent the views of the educational team, the
whole Students’ Union or the University of Surrey.
Trinity Mirror (South)
8 Tessa Road, Reading
RG1 8NS
The Stag reserves the right to edit all submissions and the right to
decide which articles are published.
[email protected]
Letter from the Editor
Jack White – Editor
[email protected]
T
hey told me I should
be a miser and use
this space to discuss how
awful Christmas is, with
its extremely obligatory
presents and stressful meals.
But no! I’ll say instead how wonderful New Year is and
how much I’m looking forward to it!
I can’t help but love the symbolism of New Year. Of
course, we in reality suffer the continuity from the past,
but it does us a great good to be able to mentally box up
everything we have done at the end of the year and put it
away, whether good, bad or a good mix. Yes! Dwelling on
your past successes can be as bad as dwelling on failures.
Learn the lessons of each and move on.
There can be no better testing ground of this attitude
than university, where a terrible winter can give way to
a wonderful, bountiful spring (I certainly hope this is the
case with my work).
So if, like me, Christmas cums too early (sic) and leaves
you with an emotional emptiness, take heart from the fact
that half of the real Christmas happens after New Year,
when the pressure is off and one can lay the next year’s
plans for world domination.
Speaking of which, it is never too late to join The Stag
and get your plans on the road. You can even email over
the... holiday. All the best to you all!
60% of Surrey students
favoured strike action
...Continued from front page
said: “Members of the Student
Union have been going back and
forth between the entrances of the
university” and also noted that they
had been serving tea and coffee
throughout the morning.
Disability adviser and Surrey
UCU joint chair Rob Fidler described
the effect the governments scheme
would have on university staff:
“A current lecturer is looking to
lose around £100,000 in a lifetime,
new staff joining The University
of Surrey today can expect to lose
£350,000...people can’t survive on a
state pension alone”.
Currently the average public
sector state pension is around
£5,600 a year, one of the lowest in
Europe. “The recession was caused
by bankers and politicians,” added
Mr Fidler “it shouldn’t be paid for
by the public”.
Though campus was noticeably
quieter throughout the morning
many lectures proceeded as normal
and academic facilities suffered
little disruption.
Other universities were hit
harder by the strike with the
University of Sussex suffering
extensive closures and the
University of Brighton and Hove
completely shut. Over 10,000
public sector workers and students
marched through Brighton in
rallies that were mirrored in major
cities across the UK.
Elsewhere in Surrey 247 schools
shut for the day while 5,000 Unison
members working within local
government were also expected
to strike. The Royal Surrey County
Hospital in Guildford remained open
with around 100 union members
striking. A similar number of Surrey
police also staged a protest, forming
a picket line outside their Guildford
headquarters.
Emergency services were still
available although at a reduced
capacity.
Prime minister David Cameron
described the new pensions scheme
offer as “very reasonable and fair”.
Moreover, despite over 2 million
public sector workers protesting
and up to half a million pounds in
output lost, Mr Cameron referred to
the strike as being “a damp squib”.
By Jyoti Rambhai, News Editor
Every year thousands of
students vote on ‘WhatUni’ for
the Student Choice Awards and
this year, the University of Surrey
has been ranked in the top 10 lists.
Throughout
the
year,
NUS said Peter Smeed was unable to attend the conference because he
does not ‘self-define as black’.
S
urrey Students’ Union’s Equality
and Diversity Officer (E&D),
Peter Smeed, was unable to attend
the NUS Black Students’ Campaign
(BCS) Conference last month
because as the NUS put it, he does
not ‘self-define as black’.
NUS then asked whether Surrey
had a student that does ‘self-define
as black’ who would like to attend
the conference.
The BSC promotes the welfare
and development of students who
define themselves as being ‘black’.
Under the BSC rules anyone
who is of an African, Caribbean or
Asian heritage as well as those of an
Irish or Romany ancestry may be
defined ‘black’.
Peter Smeed said “Well, I just
felt let down with the NUS as I
wasn’t allowed to speak up for the
students I was elected to represent.
Discrimination is wrong in all
respects and I think the NUS needs
reminding of this.”
VP Welfare at Surrey Students’
Union, Dave Halls, who NUS had
contacted in regards to this, stated:
“Pete was democratically elected
by all students across campus,
including all students who fall in
the demographic of a ‘liberation
group’... so it is absurd that the NUS
students review their university
on ‘WhatUni’ across nine separate
categories – the data from this is
then complied into a list of the top
10 universities for each category.
The table below shows the
University of Surrey place in each
category:
Man stabbed on Surrey Campus
Surrey Equality Officer denied NUS
A
conference place for not being black
would actively encourage someone
who wasn’t elected to perform that
role to take Surrey’s place, purely
on the basis of their ethnicity.”
‘Liberation Groups’ as defined
by NUS include the black students
campaign, LGBT, disabled and
women’s campaign.
Whilst the Surrey Students’
Union is fully supportive of these
groups, it can be argued that this
is still discrimination based on
ethnicity.
When this issue was raised
to the NUS, it came to light
that the disabled and women’s’
students’ conferences use the
same discriminatory self-defining
admissions policy. It was only the
LGBT conference, from the among
the largest, that allowed people of
all demographics to attend.
NUS President Liam Burns also
discussed the issue with Mr Halls
and explained the reasoning for
why you have to self-define within
the group: if you do not, you can
only sympathise and not empathise
with those students.
Mr Halls disagrees with
this statement: “I would argue,
however, that by attending these
conferences, an E&D officer is
able to enhance their ability to
empathise with these students’
concerns.”
3
Surrey stars in 8 of 9
Student Choice Awards
By Jack White, Editor
NEWS
This discriminatory policy
was also brought to light at other
unions and the response to this
varied significantly.
Some unions suggested that
Surrey should simply play by the
NUS’s rules and send someone who
self-defines as black, but was not
elected – one union even suggested
that in order to get around this
problem, they ensure that only
‘black’ students are allowed to run
for the E&D position. Other unions
were intrigued to see what result
Surrey gained from challenging
NUS.
Students’
unions
pay
a
substantial amount of money to
NUS in affiliation fees every year.
Therefore, many believe that they
should be entitled to resources for
training and representation that
would benefit all students. Thus by
excluding someone from attending
a conference, they are essentially
excluding those students from the
most effective representation on a
national, and local level.
The NUS has recently opened up
the Disabled Students conference
to ‘disabled students, equality and
diversity officers, welfare officers,
and anyone with an interest in
furthering the representation of
disabled students.’
male student was stabbed
early on the morning of
Saturday 3rd December at
Millenium House, University
Court. It is not yet publicly
known whether or not the attack
was premeditated, but the police
arrested an 18-year-old man in
connection with the incident. A
statement from the University has
however referred to more than
one assailant.
The victim is said to be
recovering in hospital having
received
mercifully
shallow
wounds.
The University said, “Our
security team were on hand to
assist very quickly and we are now
working with police to identify
and apprehend the perpetrators.
The safety and well being of our
students is our first concern and
we are proud of our record as one
of the safest campuses in the UK.”
NUS demands urgent action as youth
unemployment passes million mark
By Hattie Elkins, News Team
T
he National Union of Students
(NUS) has demanded urgent
Government action to stem the
rise in youth unemployment of
those aged 16 to 24 as figures
reached the 1 million mark for
the first time.
Figures show that almost
one in five 16 to 24 year olds
(1,163,000) are not in education,
employment or training – an
increase of 137,000 over the past
year.
The social and financial costs
of such a large number of young
people being unemployed hold a
huge threat on the UK’s economy
in both the short and long-term,
with an estimated annual cost to
the economy to be somewhere
between £22bn and £77bn.
NUS
have
suggested
solutions, such as an increase in
apprenticeships, the restoration
of EMA and ensuring properly
paid internships for youths, could
be put in place quickly whilst still
being simple and cost-effective.
NUS Vice-President, Toni
Pearce, said; “Evidence shows
that when young people fall into
unemployment that it holds them
back for the rest of their lives.”
The
government
have
responded to these figures by
introducing a £1bn scheme that
will take place over the next three
years.
It is said to provide
opportunities
including
job
subsidies,
work
experience
placements and apprenticeships
for 500,000 unemployed youths.
And any young person taken on
in any of the schemes will have to
complete it or be refused benefits.
A further £50m will be used
to target 16 and 17 year olds
who are in a similar situation
and will focus on the 25,000 most
disengaged young people.
4
NEWS
Concerns over widening
gender gap at universities
By Sophie Smith, News Team
U
niversities Minister David
Willets spoke of his concerns
over the growing gender divide
in higher education after it
was revealed that only four in
ten males go on to graduate,
compared with the 50% of women
who now graduate with a degree.
Figures also showed that
female students are less likely to
drop out of university than males
and have a greater chance of
achieving a 2:1 degree.
Further to this, according
to research, males often fall
dramatically behind females
within their first year of school.
This is then thought to influence
their educational success in the
future.
In an interview Mr Willets
made a clear warning of the
effects the increasing gender
divide could have stating that: “It
may lead to changes in the pattern
of household living, so there are
some deep questions here and I
think these are questions that, as
a society, we should focus on”.
Furthermore,
research
conducted by the Higher
Education Policy Institute showed
that men are now outnumbered by
women at every university in the
country. Yet the data presented
by UCAS last month revealed
that the average woman in her
twenties earns just over £10 an
hour, a significantly less amount
than males of the same age.
[email protected]
Students born in August have less
chance of going to top universities
By Sophie Smith, News Team
A
report by the Institute for
Fiscal Studies has revealed
that students who were born in
August are less likely to study at top
universities than their peers.
The study, which used the
data of 48,500 students in England,
examined whether there was a link
between the month in which a child
was born and what they went on to
do, after leaving school.
The results showed that August
F
By Sophie Howard, News Team
I
t has been reported that over
1,000 young children and newborns have been admitted to the
Royal Surrey hospital for fracture
injuries, according to information
recently published by NHS Surrey.
Statistics show that the
number of young people admitted
to the hospital has increased
from 1,125 in 2009-2010, to 1,136
within the past 12 months. These
statistics show an increase of 21
cases in the previous year.
Incidentally, the Royal Surrey
is the only hospital in the county
of Surrey where both a newborn baby and a young teenager
have died following a fracture
diagnosis within the past 24
months. This correlates with
statistics illustrating the increase
in the number of those diagnosed
with fractures.
Head of safeguarding children
at NHS Surrey, Amanda Boohood
said: “If a child was admitted to
hospital with an unexplained
injury, and concerns were raised,
staff would take immediate
action. “
She also praises the Surrey
Safeguarding Children Board’s
procedures, working with the
police and local agencies to ensure
the safety of those concerned.
A spokesman for the Royal
Surrey rightly commented: “Royal
Surrey saw a significant number
of under 18s with fractures
arising from sporting activities
throughout the county” –
suggesting a potential explanation
for the increase in the number of
child fractures reported within
the past 12 months.
Experts were shocked and
concerned at the impact that birth
month appears to have on academic
success, particularly as the largest
amount of births occur between
July and September.
Author of the report, Ellen
Greaves said the government:
“should be concerned about the
wider educational experience of
summer-born children, who appear
to be at a disadvantage in terms of
their well being as well as their test
scores”.
Doctor jailed for death of Michael Jackson
Child fracture figures on
the rise at Royal Surrey
born students were 20% less likely
to attend one of the Russell Group
Universities than those who were
born eleven months earlier, in
September.
The report also revealed August
born children have a greater chance
of being bullied and of lacking
confidence in their academic
abilities. It is predicted that as many
as 12,000 young people a year miss
out on university places, simply
because of the month in which they
were born.
ollowing a six week trial,
Dr Conrad Murray, aged 58,
was convicted of ‘Involuntary
Manslaughter’ for the death of
Michael Jackson on 7th November
2011 and was yesterday (29th
November 2011) sentenced to
the maximum of four years
imprisonment.
Although Murray requested
probation, this was denied and he is
to serve his sentence at Los Angeles
County Jail.
He also denied the opportunity
to address the court at the
sentencing.
King of Pop, Michael Jackson,
who was at the time rehearsing
for 50 comeback concerts at the O2
Arena in London, died in June 2009
of a drug overdose, at his rented
home in Los Angeles.
The autopsy revealed that the
main cause of his death was from
the use of a surgical anaesthetic
propofol to help him sleep. This
was alongside other sedatives.
Dr Murray admitted that he had
administered the drug to Jackson.
At the trial, one witness claimed
that Murray had neglected his care
of Jackson, stating that propofol
is a drug that should not be
administered at home, and even if
it is, there should have been proper
life monitoring equipment on hand.
Dr Murray had agreed to take
care of Jackson while he rehearsed
for his concerts and an agreed rate
of $150, 000 per month.
Los Angeles Superior Court
Judge, Michael Pastor called
Murray’s actions as, “money for
medicine madness”.
The Judge also made clear how
he thought the most disturbing
aspect that arose during the trial
was a video tape recording that
Murray had made of his vulnerable
patient, under the influence of
drugs, slurring his words. The tape
was believed to be an insurance
policy.
Dr Murray, who sat listening
to the judge in his grey suit, with
his hands clasped in front of him,
was said to show no remorse and
therefore deserved the maximum
punishment.
Meet the new Student Faculty Reps:
From the pool of elected Academic Reps, we invited applications to become the first
ever University of Surrey Faculty Reps. They will, in their respective faculties, work
closely with staff as well as help coordinate and engage with the academic reps,
introducing:
FEPS: Abdul
Imran Civil
Engineering
Level 1
FBEL: Sam
Bednarczyk:
Business & Retail
Management
Level 2
FAHS: Maria
Holcekova:
Sociology
Level 2
FHMS:
Hiba Khan:
Biomedical
Sciences Level 2
sabbatical
sabbatical
elections
elections
2012
2012
We will start taking nominations for the Sabbatical
Team 2012/13 between the following dates:
Nominations Open: Monday 12th December
We
will start Close:
takingFriday
nominations
for the Sabbatical
Nominations
2nd March
Team 2012/13 between the following dates:
For more information please visit:
Nominations
Open: Monday
12th
December
www.ussu.co.uk/yourvoice
and
click
on
Nominations
Close: Friday 2nd March
‘Elections2012’
For more information please visit:
And
out our
www.ussu.co.uk/yourvoice and
clickcheck
on
notice on page 2
‘Elections2012’
6
NEWS
[email protected]
Students get wise at
NUS Activism 2011
By Anna K. Bernzen, News Team
T
Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have opposing beleifs about the benifits of the HRA
Human Rights Act aids
Police officers at work
By Geoffery Pullen, News Team
N
ew Research at the University
of Surrey indicates that, as
opposed to popular belief, the
Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998 may
be aiding the police in their work.
The unpopularity of this Act,
originating within Europe, has
been furthered by repeated debate
regarding its effectiveness in
Parliament, as well as in the press.
One aspect that politicians
point out in terms of frustrating
criminal justice, is the process in
diverse areas and includes voting
rights of prisoners, the police uses
of samples and prints, and the
deportation of illegal immigrants.
Much of the debate has been
around police officers’ ability to
apprehend criminals, and doing so
without acting in contradiction to
the HRA. The research, carried out
by sociologists at the University,
indicates that this is not true, and to
the contrary police are increasingly
employing the Act in order to help
them enforce the law.
Authors of the research, Dr
Karen Bullock and Dr Paul Johnson
found no evidence to suggest
that operational police work has
fundamentally changed or become
compromised by the HRA. And the
officers they interviewed could not
think of any ways that their work
has changed as a result of the HRA.
Dr Paul Johnson said: “The HRA
has frequently been derided in
the popular press as a mechanism
that affords the guilty too much
protection by inhibiting the
activities of criminal justice
agencies. Unsurprisingly, policing
has often been at the centre of
claims that the HRA hinders or
prevents apprehension and control
of criminals.
“We found that officers believe
that these bureaucratic procedures
provide some positive benefits for
policing, because they can help
clarify and mandate police decisionmaking and ultimately protect
officers from potential criticism
and blame. In this sense, the HRA
has acted to enhance police powers
and legitimate officers’ work on the
ground”.
The research is far from a
complete and glowing endorsement
of the Human Rights Act, however
it has shown that it is becoming
increasingly useful, and that the
widespread contempt for the Act
may be misplaced.
Enternship.com launches micro-site at Surrey
E
nternship.com is a portal
of
entrepreneurial
work
placements for graduates and
students seeking a placement.
The company plans to launch
a specific micro-site for University
of Surrey in January 2012, in
which students will be able to see
all the available entrepreneurial
internships, in the local area.
Start-ups and SMEs companies
can advertise a range of ‘enternships’
on the site and students can apply
for them through the site as well.
The site was officially launched
in 2009 and since then, over 3000
companies in over more than 20
countries use www.enternship.com to
find graduate talent.
Companies include, Groupon,
PayPal and celebrities such as
James Cann and Peter Jones from
Dragons Den and Martha Lane Fox
of LastMinute.com.
It was started by Rajeeb Dey at
Oxford University, who realised
that whilst aspiring lawyers,
accountants, bankers etc. had the
opportunity to do internships within
blue-chip co-operates, there wasn’t
much for aspiring entrepreneurs
or students that wanted to work in
start-up. Therefore his aim was to
connect fellow students with small
businesses and start-ups.
Mr Dey told The Stag: “The
very premise of www.enternship.
com, is to showcase the vast
array of entrepreneurial career
opportunities out there to students
he Students Union building
at the Goldsmith College in
London was bursting with about
1000 students from all over the
country as the National Union of
Students (NUS) opened its largestever conference on student
activism on 19th November.
The convention brought
together young adults from
universities
and
colleges
across the United Kingdom
and campaigners from nongovernmental organisations. Its
aim was, as the NUS’ president
Liam Burns explained: “...to
discuss... the new challenges and
new opportunities we face as
campaigners.”
After an opening plenary,
which set the scene for lively
discussions over the course of the
day, the participants attended
their respective workshops,
which could be chosen from an
extensive list of more than 60
topics.
The issues debated by
the students ranged from
financial worries, such as the
impact of bursaries and fee
waivers on university funding,
to equality issues, including
gendering, disabled activities
and multiculturalism, or health
matters, such as sex education
and drug policy.
Surrey student and Stag Editor
Jack White attended a session on
the university access agreements
on bursaries and fee waivers –
sure to become a hot topic at
Surrey over the next year – as well
as a feedback session on putting
cash in students’ pockets and a
discussion of student apathy and
concrete methods to tackle it.
The workshops were led by
campaigning organisations such
as Oxfam and Save the Children as
well as trade unions and student
activists.
Attending
students
had
the opportunity, for example,
to participate in round table
discussions and panel debates,
take part in training sessions and
theatre workshops or visit a film
screening.
At the end of a day of
interactive
workshops,
the
students met again for a rally
concerning the next steps for
student movement.
President Liam Burns urged
all interested students: “The days
of campaigns being run entirely
from the centre are in many ways
over, if they ever really existed.
This event points to a future
where students are empowered
to put themselves in the driving
seat.”
Students not participating in
workshops were able to collect
information about campaigning
and discuss with activists at a
number of stalls on campus.
Organisations from all across the
social and political spectrum,
dealing for example with poverty,
climate change and racism,
participated in the assembly.
On the same day that students
gathered in London, campaigning
and student activism were
focussed on by the first-ever
NUS conference in Scotland.
Its participants met at the
Edinburgh Napier University. Due
to a video link between the two
conferences, students in London
and Edinburgh were able to catch
up on the other conference’s
progress on several occasions
throughout the day.
and graduates.”
An ‘Enternship’ is an internship
in fast growing start-ups and
entrepreneurial businesses.
Mr Dey added: “Entrepreneurial
companies and people are full of
dynamism, ideas and potential.
“We are passionate about
promoting this sector as an exciting
and rewarding career path and
we hope the site will help Surrey
students find placements and work
during their degrees and after they
graduate”.
The company are currently
looking at taking on an entern over
the Christmas break to help them
launch the site in January.
Down to business: students at the NUS Activism conference at Goldsmiths
UNION
7
Sabbaticals Say...
Make the most of your
union in the new year!
Jake Willis
Union VP Societies
C
Surrey University was awarded the ‘Best Licencee Induction Programme - Non Managed Estates’ at thte British Institute of
Inkeepers annual awards
Surrey steps up with awards,
volunteering and world records
Best Licensee Induction Programme-Non
Managed Estates
Osama Salih
Union President
T
his week is dedicated to celebrate all the successes
that we have had in the past two weeks. On
Thursday 24th we held the Pop-Up thank you for
being involved and telling us your thoughts. It was
a good exercise to gauge feedback from students
whether they felt a part of the Students’ Union or not.
There will be another Pop-Up union on Thursday 15th
December at Surrey Sports Park.
National Blood Service
On the 24th & 25th November, the National Blood
Service bloodmobiles were on campus and it was
great to see 100% bookings for the slots available. The
number of lives saved is 366, so another big thank you
to everyone who has given blood.
Most sexual health screenings in 24 hours
Last week was Sexual Health Week on campus, and
at 12 noon on Monday 28th, we started the attempt
for to break to break the world record for ‘most sexual
health screenings in 24 hours’. The campaign has been
a massive success and although we have not achieved
the world record. NHS have said that ‘‘the screening
is the single biggest screening event ever in Surrey’’.
The number of people who under took the test were
460 participants
You may not be aware that Surrey University
Students Union was nominated for national awards at
the British Institute of Innkeepers (BII) annual awards
ceremony at the Imperial War Museum in London. The
category we were up for was Best Licensee Induction
Programme-Non Managed Estates, this award is given
for the best training of staff, as you are aware we take
the training of our bar staff both full time and student
very seriously, one to enhance our business and two
to give people significant transferable skills. In the
category following in-depth interviews by the BII we
got down to the last two a significant achievement
in its self. The other finalist was Charles Wells Pub
Company of Bedford part of the Charles Wells brewing
empire.
I am pleased to inform you that we WON! This
is a huge reflection on all our staff who have been
involved and I would like to thank everyone with a
special thank you to Ben McCauley and Alan Roy.
Surrey is in the Top 10 Students’ Unions
in the country
The results of the annual WhatUni Student Choice
Awards have come in and your Students’ Union has
been placed in the top 10 Students’ Unions in the
country. Surrey Students’ Union is a Top 10 Winner
in the Students’ Union Category and Top 10 Winner in
the Club and Societies Category.
Congratulations all for such successful achieved
by your students’ union.
hristmas is coming! Obviously,
this means I have probably
reverted back to a small child,
eagerly awaiting the next morning
to open up my advent calendar
while reciting quotes from Elf at
random people across the office.
Christmas is a chance to forget
about whatever has happened
during the year, and to spend
time with family and friends.
However, after Christmas comes
the New Year, and with the New
Year comes resolutions. This year,
why not resolve to do something a
bit different. And why not do that
through the Union?
After the holidays, there
will be plenty of opportunities
to get involved, as the Spring
Term features a packed calendar.
From RAG Week and National
Volunteering Week, to IFestival, to
Elections, there really is something
for everyone. There will be another
trip abroad and the chance to
experience (or revisit) a new city.
There will also be new and exciting
volunteering opportunities, such
as Sport Relief. The Pop Up Union
will also be once again making its
way around campus, getting your
opinions on what you want to see
from us. Ultimately, it’s a packed
term, but also the most interesting.
So, while you’re chilling out
during this downtime, have a think
about what you really want to get
involved in. Chances are we’ve got
the solution, or we’ll try and get
it done for you. Unless you want
another holiday, in which case
you’ll just have to wait till Easter.
Sports colours recognised on
your degree exit transcripts
Trung
Union VP Sports
T
his year I have been working on
getting student’s Sports Colours
on University Transcripts. Cool eh?
So when you leave uni and apply
for a job, you’ll have your sporting
achievement on your transcript.
University
Sports
Colours
recognises students’ commitment,
service and high performance
in their sports club during three
years of their time at University.
The highest of the awards is Full
Colours, followed by Half Colours.
So how do you get your Sports
Colours? Well first of all you have
to meet the criteria and be part of
a club in order to get the award.
You’ll have to be nominated usually
by your club’s committee in your
last university year. Remember to
remind your committee that the
period for nomination submissions
will be during March 2012. Then
the submissions are approved by
the University’s Colours Committee
and the awards are handed out at
Colours Ball 2012. Hopefully this
will be ready for the next batch of
graduates. If not then there will be a
trial run with Full Colours only.
If you want to know more
about Sports Colours, the criteria
or even Colours Awards for Clubs
and Individuals, more information
can be found on the Union Website
at the Sports Homepage under
“Awards & Sports Colours.”
Bike & Property
Tagging Day
We held a Bike Tagging day on
Thursday 24th November to help
crack down on bike and personal
item theft. It was hosted at the
Students Union with the Surrey
Police and help from the university
Cycling Club and was lead by
Emily Band (Police Officer for
the University), Dave Halls (VP
Welfare) and myself. We tagged
over 100 items in that day felt that
as it was such a success, we may be
doing one after Christmas! This is
open to both students and staff so
watch out for us soon!
8
OPINION & ANALYSIS
[email protected]
Now we need more diplomatic
engagement with Iran not less
Oliver Deed
B
uried under a plethora of stories related to
public sector workers going out on strike and the
Government’s Autumn Statement, comes the news
that Britain’s embassy in Iran was stormed. Flags were
burned, staff were evacuated and Britain’s already
shaky diplomatic relationship with Iran has been
shattered.
This should come as no surprise. In the past
few years, under consecutive Iranian governments
including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s,
Iranian rhetoric has become increasingly hostile to
the United Kingdom. In 2005 the Iranian government
accused Britain of orchestrating bombings in the
south-west of Iran. In 2007, 15 British sailors and
marineswere seized by Iranian forces in the Shattal-Arab for “straying” into Iranian waters. They were
subsequently released as a “gift”, but the damage had
been done. Most bizarrely, Mr Ahmadinejad scolded
Britain for its treatment of the rioters this year.
So when the British embassy was stormed, we
really should have seen it coming and planned
accordingly. The government’s response so far has
been to expel all Iranian diplomats from the UK and
to close the Iranian embassy in London. This seems
to be the standard, draconian response of a state in
the midst of a diplomatic crisis. But what will that
achieve? Surely, in the midst of a diplomatic crisis, the
most perverse policy reaction is to cut links with the
very people who could help to rectify the situation.
Of course, Britain has to respond to this crisis but
its response should be couched in a broader policy
response intrying to improve diplomatic relations
with Iran. Now the government has expelled Iranian
diplomats, it should seek to engage with Tehran
through the EU Foreign Affairs Council. If the European
Union member states engage collectively with Iran, it
has the potential to make more progress in curbing its
nuclear ambitions and human rights abuses. The EU is
Iran’s main trading partner and the future prosperity
of its people relies on making this relationship work.
Therefore the EU has significant leverage to bring Iran
in from its isolationist wilderness and re–integrate
it fully within the international community. Britain
should direct its policy response at shaping EU-Iran
relationships.
The recent developments in the UK-Iran
relationship are worrying but not unexpected. If we
are to enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with
Iran, we need to look to the EU to use its significant
leverage to coax Iran into engaging with Western
states in a mature manner. That will be to the benefit
of citizens here in the UN and in Iran.
Learning the lessons of a most strange year
Jack White
A
very interesting year is
drawing to a close – the public
started to assert its authority
over the ongoing economic crisis,
titans fell (from Steve Jobs, to Col.
Gaddafi) and News International
looked extremely bad indeed. One
has to wonder if 2012’s news can
possibly live up to 2011’s.
It could be said though, that
all these momentous events point
to a more general malaise of the
world around us. When you look
more deeply at news stories, it
may be that there is more than
just the ruler hated by his public,
or students suddenly complaining
about their already high fees.
Let’s take the example of the Arab
Spring:
At the NUS Student Media
Summit back in the Autumn, I
spoke to a respected investigative
journalist. As an example of
his work, he gave us some info
on the background to the Arab
Spring. It turned out that a
Russian investor had bet billions
of dollars on a low future price of
Russian grain. But back in 2010,
the grain harvest in Russia was
terrible. Realising this would send
prices skyrocketing and that he
would have to pay the extra cash,
this investor visited Russian PM,
Vladimir Putin. ‘Coincidentally’
the next week, Putin announced
that no Russian grain would be
exported from the 2010 harvest,
saving the investor his money.
But who should be be the biggest
importers of Russian grain? The
North African Arab countries. So
while the price hovered in Russia,
it rose prohibitively on the North
African coast. Huge social unrest
followed.
That is not the first time that
grain prices have revolutionised
North Africa either.
During
the 70s, Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat stopped huge grain
subsidies as part of trade deals
with the US, leaving many people
to starve. Seeing an opportunity,
radical religious groups began to
give out bread from mosques and
community centres, converting
whole swathes of the population
to the ideas both militant and
civil hard islamist organisations,
such as the Muslim Brotherhood,
which is now doing so well in the
Egyptian elections.
The lesson of the story?
When Governments ignore the
people, instead pandering to their
business contacts – looking after
the economy instead of the people
– the public will start looking
for other ways to get their voice
heard. We are starting to see
that, with riots right across the
last year and even last week, with
around 5% of the entire working
population on strike.
BUSINESS
© Gonçalo Valverde
Opinion & Analysis
The problem with the Semi
Peter Bailey
A
s young people, we are faced
with a problem that most of
us will have to deal with in the
next few years, and one that is not
always simple to overcome. We
each have a trade or a knowledge
base, and when the time comes
to put our best foot forward and
be counted we will be tested on
this trade and our conduct will be
important to future success. But
it’s not always easy to come out
all-guns blazing when you haven’t
worked before, or you are in junior
years of a degree course, because
you simply don’t know enough or
have sufficient experience. Here
you face the problem of the semi
(professional, that is).
It has always surprised me how
quickly we are called upon as Young
Professionals to have all the answers.
Just 12 months out of some very
‘academic’ A–levels, it is possible
to take a position of considerable
responsibility in an Engineering
Scholarship programme, and after
two years students from Surrey
are holding down jobs way above
their pay grade across all industries
from hospitality to husbandry. Of
course it’s a great thing to be tested
and pushed, far better than being a
glorified tea person for an extended
period of time in your formative
years. But much like launching an
ocean liner that little bit too early,
it’s not always wise to apply great
pressure too early on.
There have been cases (see
Habitat’s UK intern Twitter debacle
earlier this year) where interns
simply haven’t been up to the
job. More often than not in my
experience people with a bit of
common sense and just enough
training can flourish in the vacuum
of corporate requirements, but
in the same token I can think of
more than a few examples of where
blagging through a meeting or sales
pitch simply hasn’t worked, and
I doubt the person delivering the
semi–professional approach learnt
much from it either. It’s a fine line
between a baptism of fire and just
going down in flames.
The internalisation of doubt
will be familiar to any of you who
have started a business, worked for
a start-up, or even just delivered
a coursework presentation that
you weren’t all that sure about. In
these times you have little choice
but to extrapolate a combination of
minimal experience and gut feeling
into a cast iron suggestion to peers
or potential customers. Great fun
sometimes but it is really a wise
choice?
Perhaps we are putting ourselves
into the fire a little too early, it’s
not that degree courses should be
longer, or placements deferred
later, perhaps just that we need to
temper ourselves earlier in our lives
to minimise the time of being in
semi-professional purgatory. Much
like a badly made garden shed if
you cut out the materials badly and
stick them together wrong to start
with, it’s pretty difficult to stop it
leaking for the rest of its life. The
same applies with learning bad
professional habits.
We all go through times of being
a junior of our trade. Indeed these
can be some of the most enjoyable
times of our lives. What I would
venture is that in tough financial
times you need to give yourself a
better than even chance of coming
out of a testing situation with
minimal cuts and bruises, and a firm
understanding of what you would
do better next time. By preparing
yourself with additional skills and
pushing your comfort zones when
the opportunities are presented,
you can elevate yourself to being
experienced (perhaps beyond your
years) and reap the rewards.
OPINION & ANALYSIS
9
The Great Debate
Christmas has its basis in Christianity, but with its medieval fusion with
pagan ritual and the modern, secular commercialism of the festival, is the
meaning of Christmas lost and does society care? Is it time to replace it or
time to revive it? What about those from a non–Christian background?”
Christmas hasn’t
lost its meaning!
I
think it’s true that the original
reason for celebrating Christmas
has been forgotten. With the build
up to 25th December happening
earlier and earlier each year, the
principal focus seems to revolve
around the materialistic elements
of Christmas rather than its origins.
As a non–Christian, I can say
that each year I don’t find myself
thinking about the religious
reasons for celebrating Christmas –
I no longer think of the story of the
of the turkey and the tree, the crazy
Christmas parties or the brilliance
of the Christmas lights.
If you were to ask a child about
what Christmas means to them
they would most likely say ‘Santa’
or ‘presents’, the chances are that
they wouldn’t place all that much
importance on the Christian origins
that they had been taught.
However, to say the whole
meaning of Christmas is completely
lost seems fairly pessimistic.
“The build up to the 25th December is
happening earlier and earlier each year”
birth of Jesus Christ that we were
taught when we were younger but
perhaps I should.
Yet this is similar throughout
the majority of society today. We
no longer live in a country where
religion is the centre of everybody’s
being and many people simply
aren’t religious so maybe we can’t
expect Christmas to be remembered
in such a religiously–orientated
way anymore.
But yes, nowadays I would agree
that Christmas has very much
become a commercialised event. It
primarily seems to be about things
like the cost of the presents, the size
Christmas hasn’t lost its meaning; it
may have lost its original meaning
for some but you can still find
enjoyment in it. Especially as it
is one of the only times a year for
some, when everyone can come
together and celebrate with family
and friends, which can offer a great
deal of meaning to someone even if
it isn’t a religious or historical one.
I feel that those who want to
celebrate Christmas for its origins
and traditions should be able to
do so as equally as those who want
to enjoy it for what it is: a magical
celebration at a miserably cold time
of the year.
One time a year where we make
the effort to meet up as a family
C
hristmas has without doubt been lost in
translation. It has become a rather fickle event
where people buy gifts for each other because it’s the
social norm, and with the advent of retail gift cards,
the gifts themselves can mean so little and so little
thought can be put in to buying gifts. Consequently
this removes the meaning in the act of buying a gift
for someone, and the whole month has become about
spending money, and not about Christmas.
Christmas is really about celebrating the birth
of Christ and being thankful for God’s love. It’s a
time where people would open a door on an advent
calendar (with pictures not chocolates), perhaps go
and see a nativity play and attend midnight mass.
For me however, Christmas is that one time in
a year where we would make the effort to all meet
up as a family at Granny’s house. We would all have
breakfast, pick a present from the pile and give it to
the person it was for, watch The Snowman, have a
Christmas roast, and listen to the Queen.
We aren’t religious, but we make the most of the
bank holidays and the Christmas break and have
quality time with the family.
The sad thing about Christmas is the
commercialisation. Guildford Christmas lights were
turned on as early as the 24th of November, which
means for a month we are actively reminded about
Christmas when we are in the town centre and
therefore encouraged to spend money on presents.
Presents aren’t a bad thing, but buying them
because everyone else does and buying lots and lots
isn’t necessarily a good thing either, nor is wanting
lots of presents and expecting lots, it should just be
about giving.
But there is still hope. The John Lewis Christmas
advert is a heart-melting tale of a child who is so
desperately excited for Christmas and spends all
December waiting for it. But on Christmas Day he
wakes up, runs past his presents, and gives his parents
the best gift they could ever want – with the biggest
smile on his adorable face. Now that’s Christmas;
even if it costs £6million pounds to film!
The original meaning of Yule has been lost
It depends. on one hand, the original meaning
of yule was lost when the christians stole, and then
ruined, the idea (replacing the 12 days of feasting,
alcohol and general merriment with 12 days of
praying, singing hyms, and general boredom).
commercialism made it fun again, but has eroded the
traditional christian view on christmas. Personally I
say we should embrace christmas for what it really is
– an excuse to get drunk, eat far too much, receive
and give gifts, and spend time with the people you
care about most. Oh, and if society as a whole ever
cared, it certainly doesn’t any more.
“We should embrace it
for what it really is.”
10 FEATURES
[email protected]
Features
CAUTION! MAY CONTAIN
CHRISTMAS CONTENT!
(Too much Christmas Content may damage your
health)
A whistle-stop tour of Christmas
By Sophie Vickery, Features Team
D
ecember 25th is a date eagerly anticipated
across different cultures, generations and
backgrounds yet it differs greatly between
countries, regions, towns and even cul-desacs. So let’s take a whistle-stop tour across
these boundaries to explore the varying
celebrations and meanings of Christmas.
Beginning in Guildford, Christmas takes
a typically English stance; stacks of mince
pies piled high in Tesco, Christmas lights
sparkling above heads of chaotic shoppers
seeking the latest gift ideas in overcrowded
stores repeatedly playing ‘Deck the Halls’.
Does this seem a little pessimistic? Christmas
has undoubtedly become a key element of
economic performance in the business world
yet fortunately the more traditional aspects
of Christmas haven’t wholly diminished.
Surrey University readily demonstrates this
with a campus abundant in students of all
backgrounds and origins excited to celebrate
Christmas in their own unique way.
Some English students begin the day by
attending church services with family whilst
others open stockings in pyjamas; many
students admit they still enjoy gathering on
their parents bed before heading downstairs
to see if ‘he’s been!’ A prominent tradition in
the UK seems to be mid-morning champagne
and smoked salmon canapés whilst Dad
prepares the turkey as ‘King of the Kitchen’
and Mum tries to remember if she’s brought
all the presents out of their hiding places.
There are those families who rapidly unwrap
all presents by 9am whilst others disperse
them throughout the day. Grandparents
twitch curtains to see ‘what the latest present
is’, expecting bikes, scooters or rollerblades
but alas children remain inside on Xbox
games and Nintendo. Meanwhile Mum sighs
as her careful wrapping and labelling lies in a
destructed mound of torn paper being scooped
into bin liners by Dad. Younger siblings then
begin nagging older generations to help battle
Barbie’s packaging which challenges even the
most competent ‘unwrappers’.
Then of course comes lunch where the
household cooks concentrate on calculating
cooking times so the feast can come together
flawlessly. Crackers are pulled, cheesy jokes
told and ridiculous hats worn. As usual the
bread pudding or cranberry sauce is suddenly
remembered half way through and the meal
ends with crammed bellies yet one can always
find room for Christmas pudding. Families
then retire to the lounge for The Queen’s
speech and afternoon films; will it be ‘Shrek’
or ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’ this year? Don’t
forget ‘The Snowman’! Soon enough the
alcohol takes its toll and afternoon naps are
embraced.
Later Grandma promptly remembers that
the ‘Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special’
is on whilst others play those traditional
games which only appear during the festive
season; Monopoly, Scrabble, Cluedo. To finish
the day we manage to squeeze in a cold turkey
sandwich and perhaps another drink; mulled
wine anyone?
Looking further afield Christmas can be
very different. Let’s stop ‘Down Under’ where
Christmas is part of summer and celebrated
with BBQs on the beach! Shrimp replaces
turkey and ice cream substitutes Christmas
pudding. Christmas lights cannot be enjoyed
until late evening after the sunset and whilst
the English throw on another scarf the ‘ozzies’
slap on the sun cream!
Moving in a North Westerly direction
we arrive in Asia where Western culture
has influenced some traditional aspects of
Christmas yet there’re unique elements such
as village feasts and a greater focus on family
time rather than commercialism. Japanese
Christmas cake is often a white cream cake
with strawberries and The Philippines
celebrates the world’s longest Christmas
season, with Christmas carols heard as early
as September 1!
Let’s return a little closer to home;
despite being geographically close France has
several differences in their celebration. They
similarly display traditional nativity scenes
but put Jesus in the manger at midnight on
Christmas Eve. The 24th also involves placing
socks or shoes (depending on how many
presents are expected!) besides the fireplace
or Christmas tree. Christmas dinner begins
with appetisers of foie gras, salmon or oysters
and is followed with turkey and chestnuts and
Yule log to finish.
For students, Christmas often becomes
even more special than previous years
Y’know what really
grinds my gears? I’m just joking,
By Bakita Kasadha, Editor-in-Chief
© Stacey Hunter
YOU!
unless:
1.
You’re the A&E receptionist who
made me stand whilst I gave you
details of how I’d broken a bone in my
foot... You never know how far The
Stag may travel.
2.
You moan about things but aren’t
making any efforts to change your
environment. You know who you are.
So if I happen to knock on your door,
kneel down so that when you open it,
I’m conveniently at a level to punch
you in the trouser region, I’ll respond
in the most appropriate way possible:
“You know why!” (I’ve forgotten the
film this was in but it was something
brilliant.
3.
Tad bit ironic considering the articles
I’m surrounded by.
4.
You were excited about chrismtas
two months ago and felt the need to
tell everyone about it.
5.
You may as well write ‘Dear Diary’ at
the start of Facebook statuses; you
‘follow’ me on Twitter but don’t have
the balls to ‘add’ me on Facebook;
you’re Mark Zuckerberg and have
kept me connected to people that
should have left my life a long time
ago.
6.
You wish I was as feisty in real life as
I am on paper – by ‘you’ I mean me.
I guess I grind my own gears. (For
anyone who thought “Yeah, mine
too” – why are you still reading this
then?)
7. (Insert your own grievance here)
as leaving home commonly provokes a
greater appreciation of family time and
home comforts. Although our whistle-stop
tour shows a variety of meanings, values
and celebrations Christmas holds a special
ability to suit a family’s own style; from
those awakening at 6am to those who sleep
in, from burnt turkeys to feasts fit for Her
Majesty and from the movie watchers to
competitive board game players. Christmas is
adaptable to all kinds of people so whatever
your traditions celebrate in liberation as ‘The
Stag’ wishes you a very Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year!
Spot the santa hats at this Christmas Ozzie BBQ
8.
You think ‘Dutch courage’ means
never having to say anything when
sober.
9.
You who decides Tesco’s deals. Why
do I need 3 for 2? Why do I need to
buy one tub of Utterly Butterly only
to get another free? Why not just
give me one for half price? Don’t get
me started on the aisles, but I can’t
put it better than Ms. Searle (2011):
“Does anyone else in Guildford feel
like Tesco is intentionally (insert bad
word here) with their heads? Cheese,
shampoo and beef should not be down
the same aisle.”
10. (I’m still thinking of this one, besides
I’m already over my word count and
by so much that I won’t even be able
to write the closing sentence, ‘I swear
I’m not a moany mare all the time; it
just really grinds my gears’. Shame.)
FEATURES
11
Top 10
Things We
Love About
Christmas
By Alice Perry, Features Team
Regent Street gets festive early this yearas the evenings get darker
The bright lights of
London at Christmas
By Hannah Wann, Features Team
S
till feeling like a bit of a Scrooge right now? Not quite
had time to get into the Christmas spirit? Among the
assignments, deadlines and the chaotic weeks before
the end of term, it’s easy to forget the holiday that’s
just around the corner. Before you realise it, BAM, it’s
December: Christmas is a just a couple of weeks away.
Your flat is the only one without a Christmas tree
in the window (guilty) and that you haven’t even
started the military mission of buying your friends and
family presents (guilty again). But it’s not too late to
catch up on festive spirit: get into the Christmas mood
by making the most of living just forty-minutes away
from one of the best cities in the world (especially at
Christmas): LONDON. The bright lights twinkling, the
vibrant buzz on the streets, limitless places to go and
things to do; London at Christmas time is unmissable.
Being students, most of us winch at the idea of taking
a trip to London, considering it a massive task that will
empty our pockets in a day. But there are ways to enjoy
the festivities in the big city on a budget...
Ice skating: a classic Christmas activity involving
looking cool and collected for five minutes, wondering
why you never took up professional skating and then
spending the rest of your hour on the ice, on your butt.
Still, a lot of fun! From November to January, every year
Somerset House holds the most glamorous outdoor icerink in London. It’s the perfect winter setting, with a
giant tree, lights and music. Tickets for students are
£8.50 at selected times and days, but you can get an
adult ticket for £7.50 if you go off-peak. If you’re feeling
at little more flush this time of year, there are also Club
Nights on Fridays and Saturdays where DJs from the
Ministry of Sound and Lovebox take over to give you a
unique open-air clubbing experience – (tickets £17). So
wrap up warm and leave your pride behind you at the
ice rink gate.
Hyde Park also has an impressive ice rink at
this time of year, as it is literally transformed into
a Winter Wonderland. Tickets to skate are slightly
more expensive than Somerset House, but entry to the
amazing site – which holds rides, fairground wheel and
a circus - is free. Just walking around the park at night
is bound to put you in the festive mood and the Angels
Christmas Market is the largest one in London, with
handmade gifts and gourmet food galore. If this way
of getting your Christmas shopping done is sounding a
lot more appealing that attacking chaotic Oxford Street
with the thousands, the Southbank Centre may also be
the place for you. Again, free to enter, this beautiful
market along the river is the ideal destination to find
unusual Christmas presents if you’re stuck for ideas
(who isn’t?) and the traditional winter food and drink
and atmosphere should not be missed.
For all chocoholics, the weekend of the 9th is the
time for you to make your way to the Southbank Centre.
These three special days hold the event that dreams
are made of: The Chocolate Festival. With master
chocolatiers showing their skills, chocolate making
workshops and an incredible array of products on offer,
this weekend will be more delicious than you can ever
imagine. And the best bit is, again, IT’S FREE. So you
have no excuse not to spend a day making yourself sick!
Apart from shopping, skating and eating, London
is of course one of the best cities for entertainment.
Feel like hearing some carols? Trafalgar Square is taken
over by choirs from all over the UK from 5-9pm every
day until the 22nd, singing your favourite Christmas
numbers under the magical lights. The festive tale of
The Nutcracker performed by the English National
Ballet also comes to the London Coliseum this December
if you want to see dance (tickets starting from as little
at £10 ), or, if you’re more of a theatre-goer, The West
End as usual is host to the best musicals in the country.
If you haven’t already, sign up to studentbeans.com and
you can get up to 50% off theatre tickets to favourites
such as Chicago, Blood Brothers and Priscilla, and it
always helps to hunt around sites to find the best deal
on the show you want to see.
So get on the train and get into London to find your
Christmas spirit, it’s one of the best times of year in
the city and there are so many things to do that even
your now-considerably-dented student loan will allow!
Merry Christmas!
10
Christmas Lights
They go up ridiculously early and come down late. They may
look tacky in places but they also look beautiful and bring a sense of
Christmas cheer, even to the biggest of Scrooges.
9
Parties
Christmas brings people together. Planning Christmas do’s is
always fun and it’s a great way to get to know colleagues, class mates,
friends of friends and forgotten family members a lot better. So crack
out the mulled wine and get planning!
8
The Christmas Number One
Whether it’s the X Factor lovers or the X Factor haters pledging to
get someone else in this honoured spot, we all love a bit of competition
around Christmas.
7
Movies
Everybody loves a good film at Christmas. Shrek is a personal
favourite. The choice on offer at Christmas is the best all year, with films
jammed packed with action, comedy, romance and festive magic.
6
Food
Christmas is the perfect time to stuff your face as you can put
off crazy diet plans and gym sessions until the New Year. The beautiful
invention of New Year’s Resolutions means that we can all stuff our
faces as much as we like... and worry about weight shifting in January.
5
Adverts
Two words: Coca Cola Advert. Everyone went coke advert crazy
when it was first spotted, clogging up the facebook news feeds and
going out to try and nab a photo of a real life coke advert in action.
It’s not just the coke ad though. All the lovely, warm adverts that come
around Christmas time really make you begin to feel the festive season.
4
Presents
Now, Christmas is not about presents. It’s about baby Jesus and
forgiveness and all of that... although presents are always fun too. Most
people prefer giving presents to receiving them anyway, and we all
know that warm fuzzy feeling when you give someone a present you
know they’ll love.
3
Roast Dinner
Yes we have already mentioned food. But Christmas dinner is
THE dinner of the year. Roast potatoes, parsnips, roast beef, turkey,
stuffing, brussel sprouts, gravy, Yorkshire puddings, vegetables, bread
sauce... need I go on?
2
Crackers
Dodgy paper hats and cheap tat don’t stop us loving them. Who
really knows what the appeal of Christmas crackers is? Regardless, they
are a must.
1
Families
Yes - I know they drive us crazy most of time, and part of the
appeal of going away to uni is to get away from nagging parents and
annoying siblings. But at the end of the day, blood’s thicker than water
and Christmas is the ideal time to catch up with loved ones.
12 FEATURES
[email protected]
Christmas Adverts It’s the thought that counts...
L
ittlewoods have created perhaps
the most untraditional advert
that completes destroys the notion
of Father Christmas! The advert
shows a musical production by
children, singing about all the
presents their mothers have
purchased for Christmas. Are the
days of telling children the story of
Father Christmas gone?
The advert is bursting with
materialistic values: “a HTC for
Uncle Ken, my mother got a Fuji
camera for Ken, my mother’s
wicked”. The list goes on. It seems
so wrong to portray that Christmas
is all about getting lots of expensive
presents.
The advert has caused much
controversy; many parents have
complained to the ASA (Advertising
Standards Authority) as their
children have been left distressed
after being told that Father
Christmas does not exist and it’s
simply their mother’s buying all of
the presents. Surely it is up to the
parents to decide what they tell
their children about Christmas?
Fathers have also complained that
the advert is completely sexist also arguably true. Indeed, it is truly
un-festive!
A slightly more agreeable
advert is the one for John Lewis,
reducing many people to tears.
The ad stars young actor Lewis
McGowan counting down the days
until Christmas, with the viewer
assuming it’s the usual childhood
excitement for presents. However,
when it comes to the big day he
runs past his presents and instead
is finally able to give his own gift to
his parents.
The message? Giving is better
than receiving. A much nicer idea, I
expect many parents will now hope
The heavily criticised Littlewoods advert
the message rubs off on their own
kids!
Other shops decided to go for
a different approach. Marks &
Spencer features the ‘stars’ of X
Factor (with quick editing to keep
up with the change in contestants)
singing “When You Wish upon a
Star” and ends with the tagline
“may all your Christmas dreams
come true”. This is perhaps a little
materialistic, suggesting the need
to get “everything your heart
desires”, as the song lyrics state.
Although it is a festive advert the
message being put across is not so
traditional. However, maybe this is
just what Christmas is about now.
Morrisons
and
Iceland’s
approach to Christmas is, not
surprisingly, about the food.
Morrisons is more focused on
getting all the good quality
produce: “they’ll come for the fresh
British turkey and the British beef”.
The market featured in the advert
has a festive feel to it but one can’t
help but feel the focus is more on
splashing out lots of cash on a great
big Christmas dinner.
Iceland has a similar approach
but feels a bit merrier as Stacey
Solomon sings about she can’t
“wait to see those faces “whilst
driving home to Dagenham. There’s
obviously a focus on all the food
that we should buy from Iceland
but the main thing seems to be the
spirit and joy of spending Christmas
with your family and friends.
Perhaps
some
of
these
companies such as Littlewoods are
suggesting that this is the modern
view of Christmas, that people are
only interested in presents now.
Perhaps that’s how we do view
Christmas; we just don’t want to
admit it! It just seems a shame to
drop the traditional notions that
make Christmas Christmassy.
A
s much as we all anticipate Christmas we are faced
with the daunting prospect of how much money
we will have to spend. I find myself budgeting what
little money (*cough* overdraft) I have for various
people: £50 on the boyfriend, £30 on the best friend,
£40 on the parents, £30 on the siblings - the list goes
on and on. Once you have totalled this amount (£150),
you find yourself a little less cheery than you were
before. However, during this process you cannot help
but unashamedly try to calculate how much money
will be spent on you.
“Secret Santa” is a brilliant idea; you only have
to buy one present and for one person. Yet this does
not always solve all qualms; there is the universal
dilemma of picking a “lesser” friend out of that hat
and still having to spend the agreed amount on them,
when you would much rather fork out for another. Of
course you can always swap people, but if the original
recipient was to discover this... well, I wouldn’t want
to be you.
Homemade gifts are for fantastic for those with
emptier wallets. Cooking someone dinner, making
cakes or sugary treats, for example truffles and
peppermint creams (look on www.bbcgoodfood.com
for the recipes) go down very well, especially with
the male sex I have found. Also, it transpires that
the giver must have put a lot of time and effort into
these thoughtful gifts and not just bought the first
commercialised product off the shelf.
If all else fails, the best solution is to get each
member of the friendship group (this can also include
family or other halves), to write a list of items that they
would like to receive; each agreeing to a maximum
price to be spent, and choose and item off that list to
buy. So essentially you will not be bamboozled as to
what to buy, the recipient will like the present, and
you can actually afford it!
It often depends on the nature of your social
group, but if they are true friends usually whatever
you have purchased or made for them, it will be
appreciated. After all, they are your friends, they
know you. Whether it’s a joke present, or a sincere
gift, remember: it is the thought that counts.
©freakgirl
By Becky Powell, Features Team
By Clowance Lawton, Features Team
Christmas cupcakes are thoughtful and more importantly
money saving gifts
Don’t let debt get the better of you this Christmas
By Dave Halls, VP Welfare
A
s we look forward to the end of
term, with Christmas and New
Year just on the horizon, perhaps
one of the last things we consider
is our finances. This article may
come across a little Scrooge-like,
but bear with me; the intention
is to try and help you stretch out
what’s left of your student loan
into January.
Something that is often not
considered when leaving at the
end of this first semester is that,
whilst you may have survived the
semester on your first student
loan payment, you still have
another month’s rent to pay at the
start of January before your next
instalment from the Student Loans
Company comes through. This is a
significant chunk of money that is
often not accounted for in our first
student loan payment.
The stress and uncertainty of
debt can be incredibly distracting
and damaging to your course
performance- I can tell you that
one from personal experience. I’m
sure many of you will be picking
up work over the break, and
keeping the funds topped up this
way; for those who aren’t, keeping
tabs on where you’re sitting
Credit crunch Christmases can be avoided
financially, and a little budgeting
and foresight as to what’s you’ll
have to be paying out on over the
coming month can make a huge
difference.
There are other steps you can
take to curb ‘hidden’ spending,
you might not realise the extent
to which you’re spending, such as
with Christmas presents; a good
way to keep on top of this is not
to rely on your credit/debit card
to buy presents, but to do so with
cash, being strict with yourself on
just how much you can afford to
spend.
© Brad_Chaffee
Every Christmas the shops try to
lure us in to spend money. What
are their approaches this year?
This isn’t to say you should
spend your break worrying about
money, but being aware of where
you’re sitting with funding can
be really beneficial. If you need
someone to talk to when it comes
to budgeting & finances, either
feel free to pop into the Union to
see myself, or for free advice from
our campus experts- pop in to see
the Student Advice team. We’ll all
still be here after term ends, and
long before term starts again; and
we’re all here to help, so don’t be
afraid to ask.
Have a fantastic break!
FEATURES
study or
Six steps to getting that job To
not to study?
By Surrey Careers Service
C
urrent headlines may lead you to believe
that the hope of securing a graduate job
on leaving university is slim, but university
careers professionals up and down the country
are desperate to convince their students not to
despair and importantly not to believe all they
read – with this article being an exception, of
course!
Without a doubt, the current market is
challenging. But Surrey students have a good
track record in meeting that challenge: of our
2010 (UK and EU) leavers from undergraduate
courses, 94.8% were either in employment or
further study six months after graduation and
with effort and application on your part there is
no reason to suppose that this will change. There
are jobs out there and whilst it may be true that
some jobs attract more than 100 applications, this
does not in turn mean that there are hundreds
of applicants per job. How can that be? The fact
is each applicant may put in for 20, 30 or more
applications – do the maths!
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the
market has taken a hit and it is probable that
this has happened in the time you have been at
university, but there is evidence of green shoots**
particularly for graduates. So what should you
do? The old saying “perfect planning prevents
poor performance” springs immediately to mind.
But where to start? Top of our list would be to
recommend a visit to the Careers Service, and
then follow these six easy steps:
Step 1: Check out the dozens of publications
in our library - free to take away and available
for reference, they will inspire you and give you a
feel for what is out there.
Step 2: Reflect. Think about your strengths
and weaknesses and what you may want from
your career. You can book an appointment to see
a Careers adviser to help you with this or you can
attend one of our workshops. Further still, you
could use an online resource such as Prospects
Planner on www.prospects.ac.uk.
Step 3: Take a reality check, look at what is
available, it may be that what you would ideally
like isn’t practical, but you can take steps towards
it by thinking creatively. Pick up the graduate
job directories, register on the Careers Service
vacancy database and, with the Prospects and
TargetJobs websites, this will give you a feel for
the job market.
Step 4: Take advantage of the many employer
led and careers staff led workshops covering the
whole of the recruitment process from writing
your CV to assessment centres and interviews.
See the What’s on? section of the Careers Service
website.
Step 5: Learn to network! Attend one of our
many networking sessions, use your own contacts
and go to presentations. Remember, dozens of
jobs are never advertised, but are filled by word
of mouth; we call this the ‘hidden jobs market’.
Step 6: Practice makes perfect – have your
CV or application checked by an adviser at one
of our Quick Query sessions or an employer
participating in our Employer Friday sessions.
Also be sure to attend a mock interview or a mock
assessment centre workshop.
Remember, the Careers Service is here to
help at whatever stage you are at in your career
journey, so please use us! We are located in the
Philip Marchant Building, next to Senate House
and our website is www.surrey.ac.uk/careers.
Good Luck!
That is the
question!
13
BE IDLE!
Do not work on Christmas day! (Not that
many would, but just in case you were
considering it!)
BE A LIGHT-WEIGHT!
Start on some of the less ‘heavy’
preparation, such as reading, as it breaks
you in gently.
BE A SOCIALITE!
By Louisa White, Features Team
I
t’s over – how quick did that go?! I
should have predicted it really seeing
as my first two years of University have
flown by, a feeling I’m sure many other
third years can relate to!
Across campus, the majority of
students will have spent the past eleven
weeks working their backsides off and
will now be welcoming the much-needed
three week break. Friday 16th December
is the day we can all breathe a sigh of
relief as assignments due that week will
have all been handed in and Christmas
will be just around the corner.
It’s difficult to know how much work
you are expected to do out of term time,
but think of it this way – term time is
the prime time for learning so anything
you do in the holidays could be seen as a
bonus! Studying in the holidays will be
beneficial to you, as if you do it now you
don’t have to do so much later.
Time off is important though, as it
gives you a chance to relax and catch up
on non-work related things like seeing
family and friends from home. Of course
it is a good idea to do some preparation
for the second term but don’t forget
to make the most of your time away
from work. Here are some top tips for a
balanced Christmas break:
Plan plenty of outings with your friends
and family (cheap ones of course –unless
the parents want to pay, then that’s
another matter!)
BE DEDICATED!
Set aside a few days which will be
dedicated study days – the sooner you
do them the more time you have left for
enjoying yourself.
BE ORGANISED!
Note down your deadlines for the coming
year – you don’t need to be constantly
thinking about them, just bearing them
in mind so they don’t get forgotten.
Hop, skip and a jumper into fashion
By Ellis Taylor, Features Team
A
fter clinging on to memories of weirdly hot weeks
in September, it’s time to let go and embrace
the chills around campus. Winter dressing can be
tricky, with the initial step out the door tricking you
into thinking you’re in Antarctica, not Guildford. But
then you walk loads, getting hot in layers, paranoid
that people are looking at sweat dripping down your
forehead (I hope I’m not alone in that), but it’s possible
to look stylish whilst being snug! We must look to
knitwear; banish ideas of frumpy jumpers made out of
scratchy wool, embracing the new breed that is filling
our shops, and wardrobes.
There are 4 main styles featured on the Autumn/
Winter 11 runways with effortless transitions from
catwalk to campus, regardless of budget.
Firstly we have my favourite - novelty knits.
These jumpers cover everything from tacky prints
to amusing words (One I saw said “Piste off”, classic).
The best seem to be lurking in Topshop, but I did
find a rather wonderful hedgehog print from River
Island, £35. Topman and River Island also have some
brilliant examples for guys. If your budget is a little
higher then try Urban Outfitters for some tack-tastic
knitwear, but if that’s a tad much visit eBay or trawl
the charity shops for some cheap but cool styles.
Another great style is the classic fairisle. It’s an
easy look to pull off, team yours with simple pieces,
keeping accessories to a minimum and you’ll look like
you’re about to hit the slopes. New Look have some
great inexpensive options for all, but this £50 beauty
from Topman grabs my heart.
Next up is a cheeky bit of colour blocking, a trend
that has stayed with us since Summer. Perfect for
those who disagree that Winter equates to dull shades.
Remember the main point of this style is solid colours,
no patterns and bright, bright, BRIGHT! Check out
Dorothy Perkins for example.
Now, I’m afraid that this final style is mostly for
girls. I’m talking sparkles. Ignore the expectation
that it’s reserved for nights out, add a bit of a dazzle
to your day! Try something subtle, it’s not good to be
mistaken for a glitter ball.
I hope I’ve changed your mind on jumpers, now
get yours and let’s make a jumper appreciation
society, and repeat after me...”there’s nothing better
than a novelty sweater”. You in?
Girls k
nitted
oolly
w
Guys
dre
0
an £5
opm
am, T
luxur
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nd £3
5
14 FEATURES
[email protected]
A chat with Theo Paphitis
On the 24th November 2011, Emma Armitage and Lorna Salmon from GU2
met up with major business mogul Theo Paphitis at the opening of his eighth
lingerie store, Boux Avenue, in Guildford’s own Friary Centre. Here, he talks
about his retail experience and shares some of his valuable business wisdom.
GU2: You’ve previously been involved
with lingerie brands La Senza and Contessa,
so you’re obviously interested in this sector –
why?
Theo Paphitis: First of all, it’s dominated
by one big player in the UK, which is good
and bad in business: you’ve got a really big
monster competitor out there, but also you’ve
got opportunities because you can spot where
some of the market is dropping the ball.
Also, lingerie is very special.
For me, it’s a product that’s
very personal and exciting.
Whether you’re a boy buying
it for a girl or a girl buying it
for herself, it’s about more
than just the product - it’s the
experience of buying it. Men
from the UK are appalling
at buying lingerie for their
partners. Compared to the
rest of Europe, they buy
something like ten per cent of
what the rest of continent’s
men buy – which is ridiculous!
You can just imagine them
waffling through the Marks
& Spencer lingerie department. I hope,
with Boux Avenue, we’ve given people the
opportunity to be more relaxed.
GU2: So you’ve been involved in retail,
property, finance and football – where does
your heart lie and where does your business
mind lie?
TP: My heart and my business mind lie in
exactly the same place. When young people
come to me and say that they don’t know what
to do, with A-Levels or a degree that they don’t
even like, all I can say is to follow your passion.
It’s a long, but very short life out there. Don’t
waste it by doing something you’re not
passionate about. I’m very passionate about
retailing, so I’m very fortunate to be doing
something that I really care about, and as it
happens, I make a few bob on the way…
GU2: What’s the best business tip you’ve
ever received?
TP: It was exactly that – follow your dreams
and passions. There’s so much pressure from
your peers and from family to do different
things. I say stop and think: “What turns
you on?” And if the answer to that is “I don’t
know”, you’re not ready. If you’re a round
peg, don’t try and force yourself into a square
hole. Don’t just do something just because you
think it might make you some money, because
being driven by money is actually not the ideal
situation. Go out there, open your eyes, and
even if you have to try four or five jobs first
– do it while you’re young, and then get onto
that ladder afterwards. But don’t just sit there
in the bath, playing with your rubber duck,
waiting for that “Eureka!” moment to come
along – you’ll get very shrivelled waiting!
GU2: Here at Surrey University, we’re
planning to open up a facility (where the
bookshop used to be) which allows students to
build their business from the ground, and get
their foot in the door. What tips can you give
to the men and women of Surrey in relation to
setting up a business?
TP: There are two major tips. One I’ve
already spoken about – passion. But the one
that comes before that in business is something
that’s really, really boring: homework. Do
your homework. Get your facts right, because
that’ll help you make the right decisions for
your new business. Fifty per cent of all small
businesses fail in the first two years. That’s a
huge figure, and it’s because people go into
them without getting all the facts, and doing
all the research first. And for young people,
this is the best time for it. As frustrating and as
boring as it may seem, because you just want
to get on with it, this is the absolute best time
to do good homework. Then, you’ll be ready to
hit the ground running.
Theo Paphitis
joined by other
collegues at the
Boux Lingerie
Launch in London
earlier this year.
The new Guildford
store is situated
on the ground
floor of The Friary
By Katy Sawyer, Features Team
W
e are always trying to get a better deal
at Christmas, but this year why not
help developing countries get a better deal?
We constantly see the world’s problems on
television and in newspapers but we feel
as though our efforts can be wasted or the
money simply does not reach far enough.
The Fairtrade Foundation was established
Buying these products can help all around
the world in places like Uganda; South Africa,
India, Kenya and Rwanda. When most people
think of Fairtrade they think of coffee and
bananas but there are so many realistic
alternatives for the holiday period and they
really do have an impact. Ditch the normal
Cadbury chocolate advent calendar and go
for a fair trade one. There are also Fairtrade
Christmas cards; wrapping paper, Christmas
decorations, Christmas themed food and even
tableware.
I recently helped at a craft fair to help
Surrey become a Fairtrade county so I can
assure you that ‘going Fairtrade’ won’t take
too much of a chunk out of the student loan.
So you pay the price knowing where the
money goes and who it can help.
They say that Christmas is about giving
and receiving - maybe this year we can all
give to the Fairtrade cause.
© spodzone
Go Fairtrade
this Christmas
in 1992 by CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam,
Traidcraft,
the
World
Development
Movement, and the National Federation of
Women’s Institutes. The Fairtrade Foundation
can actually make a difference! Fairtrade
products are sourced from producers and
workers in developing countries who are
disadvantaged in their current system of
trade. So you know that when you see the
Fairtrade mark the goods have been properly
sourced and the farmers are getting a fair
price for their goods.
The Fairtrade Premium was also set
up that gives a sum of money to invest on
economic and social projects. The main aims
of these are to improve public welfare systems
in the poorest communities for example, the
standard education and healthcare.
Chocolate coins, a christmas favourite, can be
found in the Fairtrade range
FEATURES
15
Games
Answers in the next edition of The Stag. Send correct answers to [email protected] to get a mention in the paper.
Sudoku
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The words to find are:
• turkey
• roast
• presents
• XFACTOR
• tesco
• london
• woolly
• debt
• chocolate
Last issue’s answers
Sudoku
Wordsearch
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B
D
E
The words to find are:
• lights
• Homesick
• girls
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• marriage
• rape
• record
• veteran
• graduate
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
17
Science & Technology
Childhood IQ linked to drug use in later life
By Melissa Raske, Science & Tech Team
recent study published
in the ‘British Medical
Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health’ shows
that drug abuse in adult life
is linked to IQ in childhood.
Around eight thousand people
from a British cohort study
which began in 1970 were
followed for thirty years.
At the ages of five and ten,
the children took accredited
IQ tests and factors such
as parental social class and
psychological stress were also
recorded. Then at sixteen
years old the participants
were asked about their
psychological well being and
which drugs they were taking.
T
a measure of individualism, whereas being
kind to others dropped markedly.
The authors state that the main
implication of their findings is that as a
result of these programmes tweens may
desire fame more than they desire to be
kind to others. This is a serious implication
for a study where the values of tweens
weren’t even assessed, and it completely
denies the impact of parents, peers and
wider society on moral development.
Studies that argue technology is
damaging society, such as this one, are often
picked up by the media. Susan Greenfield
(no relation to Patricia) is a prominent
figure in the media and has linked the rise
in autism with the increase in internet
usage, but this has been criticised for a lack
of evidence. This contributes to a general
sense that technology does us no good,
usually without evidential backing.
© Espen Sorvik
echnology gets a bad rep sometimes.
Television and the internet often get
blamed for a myriad of social problems,
such as the ‘dumming down’ of society
and the rise in STD’s following internet
hook–ups. It may also be making us more
individualistic and less concerned with the
feelings of others.
Patricia Greenfield’s Theory of Social
Change and Human Influence hypothesises
that as learning environments turn more
to technology and living environments
become more urbanised, people turn more
individualistic. Uhls and Greenfield (2011)
tested this theory by looking at the main
messages portrayed by popular television
shows aimed at ‘tweens’ (9–11 year olds),
and how these change over time. They
found that fame and the desire for fame
had increased, which the authors took as
Technologys such as computers and televisions are slowly destroying society
for any IQ groups, girls were
4.6 times and guys 3 times as
likely to take cannabis.
A key point of this study
was that it took into account
other factors that could lead
to drug use, such as socio
economic status, whether
there was any psychological
distress in childhood or during
the time drugs were taken.
However, the study offers
no answers as to why there
is a link between IQ and
drug use but there has been
speculation that it may relate
to more expendable income
or the availability of drugs at
university.
The miracle of penicillin: credit where credit is due
Technology and morality: are we all doomed?
By Kate McAtamney, Science & Tech Team
increased likeliness of drug
use as a teenager or adult.
In particular, it was found
that by the age of thirty,
women that were in the top
third for IQ scores were twice
as likely to have used cocaine
or cannabis as the lower third,
while men showed similar
results but to a lesser degree.
The higher IQ group were
shown to be 83% more likely
to take cannabis and 73% for
cocaine.
Men were 50% more likely
to take amphetamines, ecstasy
and be polydrug users by the
age of thirty if they were in the
high IQ third compared with
the lowest third.
Although cocaine use by
sixteen year olds was not high
By Lawrence Finn, Science & Tech Team
I
n WW2, Hitler’s forces are said to have killed
around sixty million people. Penicillin is
believed to have saved a staggering eighty
million. Produced by Penicillium fungi,
its discovery by Alexander Flemming is
considered one of the greatest moments
of all time. Yet it is often the way that
scientific discovery is not the product of a
single moment, but the fruit of many years
of research. The story of penicillin is no
exception to this.
Flemming was the first to recognise
penicillin’s potential but he was not the
first to discover its antibacterial effects. It
was the Irish physicist John Tyndall in 1875.
Yet, Flemming still had little idea of how to
produce enough penicillin to benefit the
population. Enter: biochemist Ernst Chain and
pathologist, Howard Florey, two of the biggest
names behind penicillin – yet two of the least
acclaimed. Most have heard of Flemming – but
can you say you have ever heard of Chain and
Florey? So dedicated were they in developing
penicillin that in the heat of the war they even
took to smearing Penicillium spores on the
insides of their jackets so they might escape
and carry on the work elsewhere in the event
of a Nazi invasion.
Alongside biochemist Norman Heatley,
Chain and Florey eventually isolated enough
of the drug to begin experiments in mice-with
great success. They even discovered its ability
to impede bacterial growth – the mechanism
behind the magic! The next step was to test
it on a human patient – Mr Albert Alexander,
suffering multiple infections from something
as trivial as a thorn and on the verge of death.
Sadly, Alexander could not be saved.
There simply was not enough penicillin. Only
with the aid of two American pharmaceutical
companies could Chain and Florey begin mass
production in large fermentation tanks. This
was key to the success of the first clinical trial
in 1942, which saw to its commercialisation a
few years later. However, the trial was not led
by any man – but by Florey’s wife.
Women played just as big a role as men
in the story of penicillin, including one Mary
Hodgkin. In 1945, Hodgkin was the first
to unveil the structure of penicillin, which
fuelled new methods of production and was
later awarded the Nobel Prize – along with
Chain and Florey.
So when you think of penicillin, spare
a thought for its other pioneers besides
Flemming – male and female.
© Kemal Y
Scientitists investigate the link between IQ and drug use
© Nuevo Ando
A
The list comprised of a
number of drugs and their
alternative names including
cocaine, cannabis, LSD, and
barbiturates as well as a
fictitious drug called Semeron.
Any results that showed a
participant had taken Semeron
were removed from the study
due to possible inaccuracies.
A similar set of questions
were
asked
when
the
participants turned thirty
with a few additions to the
drug list including ketamine
and ecstasy.
People who
had taken three or more of
the drugs were labelled as
polydrug users.
The results of the study
showed that overall a higher
IQ score as a child led to an
By Ellie Brodie, Science & Tech Team
I
© jgmarcelino
n a new psychological study
(Lindley et al, 2011), it has been
found that women who identify
themselves as bisexual are more
depressed than lesbians or ‘straight’
women; also they are more likely to
suffer from stress and to binge drink.
This holds for their male (bisexual)
counterparts who experience
this depression, although not as
intensely as females.
There
could
be
many
explanations for these results; one
suggestion is that there is a stigma
surrounding bisexual people. They
are more commonly told ‘it is just a
phase’ or ‘you are being greedy by
not choosing’. This prejudice comes
from both those with a ‘straight’
and a gay orientation.
More research is now needed
to discover whether this stigma is
one of the main causal factors of
female depression, which is what
Lindley is now planning for her
next study involving focus groups
with bisexual women.
Doctors use technology to help sex lives everywhere
Sex in an MRI
By Kate McAtamney, Science & Tech Team
A
paper presented at the
Society for Neuroscience 2011
conference shows the first video of
a woman’s brain as she approaches,
experiences and recovers from an
orgasm. The woman in the scanner
was actually the PhD student whose
work this is, who volunteered to
self-stimulate her way to orgasm
for her research.
The video was made using fMRI
data and then creating a 3D model
of the brain and the changes in
activity in different areas. The main
aim of the research is to understand
what happens in the brain when
reaching orgasm, in a bid to see
if there are any differences in
the brains of people who cannot
experience orgasm.
The video shows activity in
the motor and sensory areas, due
to the nature of the task at hand
(ahem), and during orgasm, there
is an increase in activity in the
hypothalamus and the nucleus
accumbens, an area linked to
pleasure and addiction.
This study is one in a long line
of neuroscience research into sex
and orgasm. Georgiadis et al (2009)
found that there are a number of
areas activated and deactivated
for both men and women during
orgasm, such as the frontal cortex
and the pons, which bears striking
similarities to brain images of
people under the influence of
heroin.
Georgiadis also found that
there were some differences in
brain activation, in that men
had increased activity in the
periaqueductal grey, which is
linked with the fight or flight
response, and the claustrum, which
the authors argue demonstrates
a preference for the more visual
aspects of sex.
The vast amount of research
in this area is to understand
anorgasmia
and
provide
interventions,
such
as
the
‘Orgasmatron’. The Orgasmatron
is a genuine invention, wherein
women are surgically fitted with
a device in their spine that can
be remotely stimulated and often
results in orgasm. However, this
intervention comes with major
costs, it is priced at around $12,000,
and there is a risk of paralysis from
the surgery.
The world’s
Most Efficient
Electric Car
By Dave Holcombe, Science & Tech Team
A
t the beginning of November
the RAC Future Car Challenge
took place, an event where vehicle
manufacturers of the world
can test and exhibit their most
environmental cars. The overall
prize was won by Gordon Murray
and his car, the T.27. The car used
sixty four pence worth of energy
to make the 57.13 mile journey
from Brighton to London. This is
astonishing, especially when you
are looking at near enough £15 for
the equivalent train journey (OffPeak to London Bridge). The T.27
had the equivalent of 350mpg on
the journey and produced a mere
37g/km of CO2. Other awards won
by Gordon and the T.27 were the
“Best Overall Pure Electric Car”
and “Most Energy Efficient Small
Car (Prototype)” Gordon believes
that the success of his T.27 (and
petrol powered T.25 sister that
was successful in last year’s
competition) is their lightness.
The T.27 is capable of one hundred
© Dominic’s Pics
Mental bisexuals?
[email protected]
miles of travel on a full four hour
charge. For those who watch Top
Gear and saw the part where
Jeremy and James were testing the
Nissan and Peugeot electric cars,
you’ll remember that they took
around twelve to thirteen hours
to fully charge and had the same
range. This shows how quickly
electric cars are coming along.
Although, as discussed by James
and Jeremy, is battery power
really the solution to the oil crisis
and reducing CO2 emissions, or is
it just a stepping stone to the real
solution (e.g. Hydrogen)?
Another
interesting
development in the world of
electric cars is a creation by
Rolls–Royce. Named the 120EX,
Protecting invented genes
By John Hamp, Science & Tech Team
T
he ability to patent genes is an argument that has
been raging for decades, with various companies
and governments making controversial decisions or
blocking the idea altogether. But what actually is the
argument all about?
Firstly we need to know what a gene patent is and
how you can get one. Well it is a licence granted by the
government (or more commonly the European Patent
Office or United States Patent & Trademarking Office)
to an inventor, granting them sole use of an invention
or process they have discovered, they can then if
they choose to, sell or hire out their patent. However
there is a time restriction and generally a patent is
valid for twenty years, at which point anyone can use
the invention/process without restrictions. There
are very specific criteria which can be broken down
to some fundamental requirements to get a patent:
Is it Novel? (Has not been previously discovered), is
it Innovative? (Not an obvious discovery) and is it
Useful? (Has to aid human activity).
From these criteria it is arguable, and indeed
several companies fighting gene patents use the
argument, that a gene patent would be neither novel
nor innovative, so why and how can we classify a
gene as a patentable idea?
A pro argument for gene patenting is that it
stimulates genetic research and would inject some
much needed funding into the industry. This is
because no company wants to invest millions of
pounds into a discovery that anyone can then go
onto use. Furthermore a patent, whilst giving full
commercial control to an inventor (whether it be an
individual or company), forces the patent holder to
actually use their invention, they cannot simply take
out a patent for the sake of stopping other people
researching it. These two points combined would
it is based on the Phantom and
is still as luxurious as one would
expect from Rolls. The V12 usually
found under the bonnet has now
been replaced by the largest pack
of lithium-ion batteries fitted to
a motor vehicle and two 145kW
electric motors connected to a
single speed transmission. The
120EX has 80Nm (59lb/ft) more
torque than its petrol twin and it
reaches 60mph from stationary in
under eight seconds, so this is no
slouch. There is also more leg (or
fridge) room in the back as using
electric motors means that there
is no need for any kind of prop
shaft.
stimulate a huge ‘safe’ investment in the field of
molecular biology and genetics, so surely that is a
good enough reason? Well if we look at the flipside
of the argument we can see there are valid points for
why it might not be such a good idea to let it happen.
Firstly whilst it doesn’t prevent research, it does
very much discourage it, for example if a research
institute, like a University, wanted to use a patented
gene in what could be deemed a commercial way then
they would have to pay a licensing fee to the patent
holder. As well as this it could lead to a monopoly
over the genetic research market. Companies need
to pay to get a patent and hire a patent attorney to
protect it. Small companies can very rarely afford the
upkeep to protect their idea so larger companies will
scope out patents they would like and can purchase
them, normally for nominal fees compared to the
research costs.
An overview of the situation shows that the pro
argument is winning with patents being granted
to companies, and a lot of appeals to have patents
reinstated have been allowed. However the points
here are a small fraction of the greater picture and
many other factors, such as religious views and
international politics, come into play. The better
question is not should we let companies patent genes
but more is it right and will it benefit everyone?
© Net_Efekt
18 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
A model of DNA, RNA’s close friend
A
team at Missouri University
have had positive results in
reducing the severity of Spinal
Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in mice.
SMA is the leading genetic
cause of infantile death in the world
and is due to a missing gene that
when present produces a protein
that directs spinal nerves to give
instructions to muscles.
The team focussed on using
synthetic RNA (similar to DNA),
targeted at a partially working
back up gene (SMN-2), to make the
protein and when inserted into
mice it was found that they gained
weight, had improved motor skills
and an increased life span.
The study was published in
the October issue of the Journal
Molecular Therapy.
How do Brains do it?
Introducing Brain Informatics
By Gilbert Cassar, Science & Tech Team
B
rain Informatics (BI) is an
exciting emerging field of
research which focuses on studying
the Human Information Processing
System (HIPS). Various techniques
borrowed from Computer Science
can help Neuroscience to better
understand essential functions of
the brain such as multi-perception,
attention, memory, language,
computation, heuristic search,
reasoning, planning, decisionmaking, problem–solving, learning,
discovery, and creativity.
You might ask yourself “What
use do we have for BI other than
for satisfying our curiosity of
how the brain works?” Think
about the Information Grid. The
data we generate every day is
overwhelming: data generated from
social media, data generated from
mobile devices, data generated
from sensors, the list goes on. We
have already reached a point where
simply searching for data no longer
satisfies our needs. What we need
is rich information processing that
can analyse existing knowledge
and provide us with insights for
decision making as well as answer
our questions where possible. The
distributed problem solving and
reasoning required to perform such
tasks is beyond the capabilities of
traditional Artificial Intelligence
research. Efforts in the past have
been focused on understanding
the behaviour of humans rather
than what goes on inside the brain.
Understanding the multifaceted
nature of intelligence by exploring
essential brain functions can be
the key trigger for breakthroughs
in Artificial Intelligence and the
Wisdom Web.
T
he
experiments
that
demonstrated
neutrinos
breaking the speed limit have
just been repeated, with a slight
experimental change; the result
was the same.
Is there a systematic error
in the experiment or something
strange happening between Italy
and the Swiss/French boarder,
T
he Western Black Rhino has
been declared extinct just
weeks after it was reported that
the Javan Rhino has disappeared
from Vietnam, and a subspecies of
White Rhino in central Africa has
been classed as ‘possibly extinct’.
A significant factor in their
disappearance is poaching, which
is driven by the lucrative selling
price of their valuable horns.
Rhinos are just one of the
many species vulnerable to
extinction as the Red List,
published by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN), shows.
The IUCN has also reported
that 25% of the world’s
mammals are currently at risk
from extinction even with the
conservation efforts in place.
Poaching is not the only
threat to the existence of a
species; habitat destruction is
another major factor as is the case
for the Sumatran Tiger which is
considered critically endangered.
With only around five hundred
left, one hundred of which live
in unprotected wilderness that
is likely to be destroyed, coupled
with poachers keen to sell tiger
products around the world,
extinction is a very realistic
possibility.
One focus this year is on
Madagascar where 40% of reptile
species are endangered including
types of chameleons, geckoes,
skinks and snakes.
Europe also has an alarming
number of at risk groups
including 44% of freshwater
molluscs, 37% of freshwater fish,
15% of mammals and 13% of birds.
Water Parks around Jupiter?
N
which is causing the neutrinos to
defy current rules? We will have a
much better idea in a year’s time,
when two more groups at Gran
Sasso, where the initial results
originated, and the US Minos and
Japan’s T2K experiments report
back.
Maybe they will give a more
palatable conclusion; of course
there is still an additional option...
Redefine the rules.
Many species of plants are
disappearing too, for instance
taxus contorta, a type of yew tree
found in Asia and used to produce
the chemotherapy drug Taxol has
been listed as endangered.
More than 75% of seventy
nine tropical plants studied in the
Indian Ocean archipelago are near
extinction.
There have been positive
outcomes from the conservation
efforts
including
the
reintroduction of Przewalski’s
horse into the wild after being
listed extinct, and there are now
thought to be more than three
hundred.
However
without
more
successes like these the Red List,
which already appears endless,
will increase in length while the
world’s biodiversity will shrink.
The Western Black Rhino is officially declared extinct as other subspecies are declares ‘possibly extinct’.
By Shourya Khanna, Science & Tech Team
Neutrino’s ‘break the rules’ again
By Nathanael Roome, Science & Tech Editor
Another one bites the dust...
© CSKK
19
ASA’s Galileo satellite has suggested underground
lakes on Jupiter’s moon Europa; the smallest
of four moons discovered by Galileo in 1610. It is
also believed to have a saltwater ocean. In January
2000 the Galileo satellite found that near to Europa,
Jupiter’s magnetic field changes direction rapidly.
This indicates that an electric current is flowing
through Europa. Since solid ice conducts electricity
poorly, salty water (such as seawater on Earth) that
conducts well was proposed as an explanation.
Europa is unique among the large icy satellites
because its ocean is in direct contact with its rocky
mantle beneath. The conditions of the mantle could
be similar to those on Earth’s biologically rich sea
floor, where hydrothermal fields provide excellent
habitats, powered by energy and nutrients that result
from reactions between the sea water and silicates.
Consequently, Europa is the prime candidate in the
search for habitable zones and life in the solar system.
However, the details of the processes that shape
Europa’s ice shell, and the fundamental question of
its thickness have proved difficult to understand.
Now, Britney Schmidt and her team at the
University of Austin, Texas have put forward
evidence of Europa’s icy surface communicating
with the structure below, hinting at evidence for
giant underlying lakes. The team focused on Galileo
images of two roughly circular, bumpy features on
Europa’s surface called chaos terrains. Based on
similar processes seen on Earth - on ice shelves and
under glaciers overlaying volcanoes - they developed
a four-step model to explain how the features form.
Here, due to geothermal activity, water rises
from below the surface and as a lake forms the
icebergs start to float and eventually break up due
to collisions, creating matrix material consisting
of crushed ice as shown in the diagram. Salt rich
water then fills up fractures in the matrix and over
time the entire structure refreezes. This explains
the dome-like structures observed in topographic
studies of the moon. Similar processes have been
well documented in the case of Antarctic ice shelves,
where Hydrofracture of tidal cracks by melt water
allows for the production of large tabular icebergs
and granular brash ice with minimal melting of the
shelf, a process analogous to chaos formation on
Europa.
This recent analysis shows that the chaotic
features on Europa’s surface may be formed by
exchange between this and the underlying lake. It
allows transfer of nutrients and energy between
the surface and a possible vast global ocean below
the thick ice shell. This is thought to increase the
potential for life there.
© Tonynetone
Synthetic genetics
reduces infant mortality
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
SOCIETIES
21
Societies
Do>More, Be>More, Volunteer
A collection of cards made for ‘Make a card for a sick child’.
S
tudents have been more involved in Do>More than ever
before this year! So many of you have been getting ‘stuck
in’.
Over 300 people signed up at Freshers Fayre and we were
delighted that at our first event of the year, ‘Social Volunteer
Speed Match’ saw over one hundred eager volunteers come
through the doors to find a charity to match their volunteering
needs. With over 15 local charities, along with University and
Surrey Sport’s Park volunteering representatives, how could
people fail to find their match?
‘Micro–Volunteering’ events have been hugely successful
this semester. ‘Paint a Pot for an OAP’ exceeded everyone’s
expectations with over 120 people painting something
beautiful to cheer up an OAP’s day. This event was so popular;
the committee had to rush to B&Q in the middle of the day
to buy their entire stock of pots! Volunteers went to the Park
Barn Centre later that week to deliver the pots and all the
OAPs were delighted. The more recent ‘Make a card for a sick
child’ event was just as big a success; over 70 cards were made
for children who’re terminally ill. Their Christmas is sure to be
cheered up by some of the beautiful cards.
CSV’s Make a Difference Day (22nd-5th November – Yes,
despite its name, it’s actually 2 weeks!) meant Guildford
Action also benefited from student volunteers who ran an Arts
afternoon. Volunteers helped service users to make cards,
draw and paint, as well as having a general natter. The staff at
Guildford Action were exceedingly grateful for our time. The
rugby club also transformed two local gardens as part of the
‘Society Garden Cleanup’; the owners were overjoyed!
Still to come? We have a community quiz planned, so if
you live out in the local neighbourhoods, keep your eyes out
for flyers. We also have a project-led campaign running to fill
Christmas Shoeboxes. Items can be delivered to the Union
from now and on the 7th and 14th December from midday, you
can come and decorate and fill the shoeboxes ready to send to
Guildford Action and Shooting Star Chase. Please give as much
as you can to the campaign – a tin of beans, a toiletry set, a
teddy bear... anything will make someone’s Christmas when
this is the only gift they may receive!
Thank you to all those who have supported Do>More this
semester and keep that support coming. Look out for our
events after Christmas: there’ll be another, bigger and better
Speed Match; more ‘micro–volunteering’; some green fingered
volunteers needed to help us with conservation projects and
National Volunteering Week (February 20th-26th) which is sure
to packed with things to get involved with.
Have a fantastic Christmas break! We look forward to you
all getting involved in 2012.
Do>More, Be>More, Volunteer.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.surreydomore.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SurreyDoMore
Paint-a-pot for an OAP
Tofu for thought
By Caroline James, Vegetarian society
I
f you like the idea of trying out
new restaurants or pubs, tasting
new dishes or even finding out
more about the realities of the
meat and dairy industries then
the Vegetarian and Vegan Society
(VegSoc) is the place for you. This
society is brand new to Surrey
and we aim to gain a wider variety
of meat–free meals available on
campus, to spread awareness of
what a plant-based diet consists
of and to be a chance to make
new friends, regardless of their
dietary choices. Our up-coming
social will be a Christmas meal
in Woking (date to be announced
during last week of term) but
we also plan to have screenings
of films relevant to our causes,
fancy–dress themed nights out
and any other suggestions for
enjoyable activities. So if you’re
Vegan, Vegetarian or looking
for the chance to try something
completely different, then please
contact society president Maria
at [email protected] or look
for our group on Facebook. See
you soon!
Are you...
GU2 Radio
G
U2 Radio has won two prizes at the Student Radio
Awards. Your student radio station, GU2, won two
silver awards for best marketing and best chart show.
The ceremony took place at the IndigO2, inside the O2, on
November 9th. The Student Radio Awards were hosted by
BBC Radio One’s Scott Mills and Annie Mac. Many celebrities
and national radio presenters were amongst the crowd at
the ceremony. The annual event judges talent from student
radio stations across the nation, and is a great platform into
the industry. GU2 plans to enter for the awards again next
year and hopefully come away with gold.
Your student radio broadcasts 24/7
For more information go to:
www.gu2.co.uk
RELIABLE?
The Stag needs a new Societies Editor. Get great
experience as a journalist and meet hundreds of
interesting people across the whole range of Surrey’s
student societies.
Email [email protected]
DECEMBER FOOD, DRINKS
& EVENTS CALENDAR
DRINKS
FOOD
Christmas Lunch Bookings
Roast Turkey and trimmings £6.25
Festive Turkey
Brie and Cranberry
Bacon and Brie
£3.95
£3.95
£3.95
Monday – 4 Kopparberg
Tuesday – Barefoot Wine
Wednesday – Snakebite
Thursday – Bulmers
Friday – 5 WKD for
Weekends – Carlsberg
Caesar Turkey Burger
£5.00
Sourz Cocktails
£10
£6.50
£2.00
£2.50
£10.00
£2.00
£3.50
Costa Festive Coffees and Christmas Cake
EVENTS
Wednesday 14th 8pm - Big Band Playing Christmas Carols
Friday Night DJs playing the best of House, Dance, R&B and Hip Hop
Live Sport Weekends every Saturday and Sunday
24 DANCE & THEATRE
[email protected]
Dance & Theatre
Rambert returns to Sadler’s with a mixed bill
By Hannah Jelliman, Dance and Theatre Editor
s Rambert Dance Company return to Sadler’s Wells
receiving mixed reviews, I was eagerly anticipating what
the Triple Bill would provide in terms of both choreography and
performance. Overall, the evening displayed choreographic
variety and incredible versatility of the dancers as they
performed three extremely different works.
The evening began with a recreation of Cunningham’s
Rainforest, displaying his experimental choreographic style.
The dancers effectively performed fast balletic footwork
contrasting with striking still positions and contorted
movement. It is refreshing to see that established companies
are keeping the legacy of Merce Cunningham alive, even if a
little out of place alongside the other, more theatrical works of
the evening. The dancers provided an effective representation
of Cunningham’s innovation in the contemporary dance
world.
The second work of the evening, Seven for a secret, never to be
told, based on child–play and behavioural child development,
was for me a slight disappointment. Choreographed by
Rambert’s Artistic Director, Mark Baldwin, the piece saw a
selection of characters performing several child-like activities
and mini stories. It felt as though Baldwin was drawing
inspiration from Matthew Bourne in the use of character and
movement quality, however, some of the characterisation
lacked substance and the assumed desire for a storyline was
unclear, whilst lacking flow and a consistent narrative. Having
said this, the performance of the dancers has to be commended,
specifically Dane Hurst, who showed incredible technique
and expression whilst making his character believable and,
at times, comical. The company executed the choreography
beautifully and precisely, despite the sometimes obvious
© Hugo Glendinning
A
choreographic choices.
The final piece, Elysian Fields, which premiered only the
previous night, was a powerful display of sex, violence,
anger and lust. Despite being somewhat controversial in
style, the storytelling was gripping and the choreography
daring. Inspired by works of Tennessee Williams, the work
explored sexual power, violence and frustration as well as the
I love you, You’re
Perfect, Now Change!
The cast and crew of I Love You. You’re Perfect. Now Change.
destruction of innocence, death and desire. The audience fell
captivated by the erotic movement choices, contrasted with
explicit acts of violence and rape.
Overall, Rambert Dance Company provided an incredibly
diverse evening of dance performance which was, in general,
captivating and enjoyable. The dancers particularly showed
incredible technique, passion and acting ability.
By Lee-Anne Gough, Dance and Theatre Team
I
t’s a good sign when more chairs have to be put out for the audience and
that’s what happened at MadSoc’s production of I Love You, You’re Perfect,
Now Change!
This hilarious show tells you everything about relationships, marriage,
parents, dating and sex. Every scene told a different story, which sounds
like it would be confusing, but thanks to lights depicting the name of the
scene, the audience were able to keep up with what was happening. There
were some really amusing scenes, my favourite being “A Stud and a Babe”
where two geeky characters were on a disastrous date and feeling sad that
they weren’t, well, a stud and a babe! From the very first scene where a
group are detailing all of the steps it takes to get ready for a date, to online
dating and disappointed parents, all of the situations can be related to.
From this respect, it was an easy and amusing show to watch as it could
connect with the audience.
Some of the scenes were a bit random, however, such as an attorney
promoting their services to help in the bedroom and a prisoner bullying
two people to become a couple. I felt that some of the humour also relied
a bit too heavily on stereotypes, such as a character weighted down
with bags and complaining about his shopaholic girlfriend. However,
the singing voices of the cast were strong and you could tell that every
member of the cast was having fun, which is exactly what a music and
drama society should be doing.
By the end, I had stopped making notes I was so entertained, and that’s
also exactly what a MadSoc show should do.
‘I had to stop taking notes
I was so entertained!”
Essence of Ireland
By Hannah Jelliman, Dance and Theatre Editor
I
t is safe to say I am far from an expert on
Irish dance, so I had absolutely no idea what
to expect when I headed to Glive on a Saturday
evening to see Essence of Ireland. The show
provided an elaborate display of traditional
Irish song and dance to an incredibly
enthusiastic audience. The production loosely
followed the story of an Irish man, forced
to emigrate to America to find work in the
early 1900’s, with readings from letters sent
back to his homeland. Although these letters
attempted to keep a narrative going, the
lack of any particular characters on stage
made it often seem a little stop–and–start,
with random songs and dances occurring
throughout.
However, the quality of the majority
of the performance was outstanding. The
dancers performed incredibly fast footwork
in perfect unison and had neat transitions
between extremely tight formations. Their
sense of spatial awareness was outstanding
and the performance quality of the movement
electrifying. The musicians equally provided
an entertaining addition to the production,
performing classic Irish folk songs from Bell of
Belfast City to Danny Boy and moving through
the ages to more modern Irish music from the
likes of Bewitched and Westlife (although this
felt slightly out of place amongst the patriotic,
traditional numbers that surrounded it).
Louise Gale has to be particularly commended
for her unique Irish Dolly Parton–esque vocals
that demonstrated both power and emotion.
Overall, the show had a relaxed feel,
with audience interaction and participation.
It often felt quite cringy with the cast
encouraging the audience to join in with the
singing of the Irish songs, but perhaps I am
just too young (or from the wrong country) to
truly appreciate the music. There is also only
so much clapping to the beat of the music that
one can take, although the incredibly diverse
audience remained enthusiastic and active
throughout and seemed to have a genuinely
enjoyable evening.
DANCE & THEATRE
25
Your fortnightly guide to the Arts at Surrey
T
he School of Arts Christmas Show will be a celebration of all the art forms under
the School of Arts umbrella: music, dance, film and theatre. Join us for an evening
of performances ranging from ballet commissioned by dance lecturer Jennifer Jackson,
music from bands in the music department, theatre sketches and short film clips as
well as stand up comedy and classical music. This show will be a vibrant and colourful
depiction of the activities happening in the School of Arts, performed with tenacity
and verve.
Join us for this fantastic event – tickets are available online from www.surrey.
ac.uk/arts
What: School of Arts Christmas Show
When: Friday 16th Dec 7:30pm,
Saturday 17th Dec 2.00pm & 7:30pm
Where: Ivy Arts Centre
How Much: £8 (£6 staff & senior, £5 students)
The Nutcracker: New Victoria Theatre, Woking
By Emily Bourne, Dance and Theatre Team
F
rom January 31st to February 4th,
Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker will be
coming to Woking’s New Victoria Theatre
to celebrate its 20th anniversary. I was
lucky enough to see this production a few
years ago at the Royal Opera House and I
was blown away by the fresh originality
that Bourne could bring to a show that is
over one hundred years old. Continuing
to use the original score by Tchaikovsky,
he re-tells the story of The Nutcracker in a
contemporary setting, where young orphan
Clara pursues not a prince, but a muscular
man, who looks more like Mr Universe
through a magical world full of sugary
and sparkly surprises. Matthew Bourne’s
unique approach to dance has been vital
in bringing ballet into the 21st century,
bringing in choreography and a wit which
appeals to the modern audience. Tickets
start from £17.50 and for a west-end quality
show, I think that’s pretty good value.
There’s no doubt that The Nutcracker will
draw a big crowd: I for one will be getting
my ticket early, and I advise you do too to
make sure you see this show from one of
the best ballet choreographers in Britain.
The (Wo)Men in Black Jelliman’s
By Tiffany Stoneman, Dance and Theatre Team
E
nter any theatre and nine times out of
ten you will be greeted by smiling people
in black attire, ready to give you tickets,
programmes, ice cream and directions to the
nearest bar or toilet. But what is it really like
being on a Front of House team?
For my course, we are required to do
a session as FOH at one of the on-campus
theatre venues; however, wishing to expand
my experience, I volunteered to take on
more shifts to get a real sense of the demands
of such a role. It's definitely not just about
friendly faces and knowing the directions to
the appropriate aisles. It can be an incredibly
stressful place to work, dealing with patrons
and VIPs, ensuring performers and directors
are satisfied, and that the audience know
nothing of the problems that may arise.
Box office systems are fantastic creations
– databases are created for regular patrons,
marketing
questions
improve
future
campaigns, and card machines make life easy
for those who don't carry change. Yet for
the person behind the desk it is not quite so
easy; even when a show is apparently fullybooked, things go awry. Various tickets can
remain uncollected just minutes before the
performance, so the process of releasing
and reselling seats begins. Simple enough
in theory, but when faced with a queue of
college students and less-than-impressed
dance tutors, it can be somewhat daunting -
worse still, when the box office system refuses
to comply with your fairly simple requests.
Nevertheless, it is still exhilarating to see so
many eager people willing to hang around in
the desperate hope for a spare chair in the
auditorium.
It all boils down to a calm exterior, an
accepting nod of the head and a quiet word
to the duty manager when people sneak
crisps into the auditorium. All will be well,
and the audience are none-the-wiser to the
threatening storm that was narrowly escaped.
So next time you're in the theatre, spare
a thought for the people in black. We are
generally a happy bunch, proud to be a part
of the theatre team and glad of the reward of
a free show. But, like any job, it can have its
moments and times of incredible pressure.
Give us a smile, a 'thank you', and we'll keep
doing what we're doing, even if it's just for the
free seats.
Gems
“Great dancers are
not great because
of their technique;
they are great
because of their
passion.”
Martha Graham
[email protected]
Literature
The List: what haven’t
you read recently?
The Imagined Lives of
the Mystery Portraits
By Christina Morman, Literature Team
By Emily Smart, Literature Team
T
© National Portrait Gallery, London
he National Portrait Gallery has recently
been able to restore fourteen Tudor
portraits which the gallery obtained in 1858.
At the time, no information was found on
these sitting in the paintings and therefore
this resulted in them being removed from
display.
However, the gallery has finally decided
to bring these portraits back to life by
inviting a number of prestigious authors
to create imaginary lives for these figures.
Authors such as Sir Terry Pratchett, Joanna
Trollope and Minette Walters have written
short stories, each depicting the lives in an
alternative genre, all with equal brilliance.
Pratchett, for example, has written
a humorous tale about an explorer who
presented Elizabeth I with a skunk. Walters,
however, uses the epistolary technique when
portraying the despairing life of the wife of
the male in the portrait, one which may give
the viewer a negative approach to the figure.
It is fair to say that this is an extraordinary
way to transform an unknown painting
into something of fascination, and gives
the portraits a new lease of life having a
compelling context behind them. Both text
and image will be displayed in the National
Portrait Gallery from December 3rd 2011
until August 1st 2012: a must for students
interested in art, literature and the idea
that, combined, they can create something One of the paintings on show as part of the ‘Imagined Lives’ display,
magnificent.
thought to be Sir Robert Dudley.
Is poetry pointless?
By Sophie Vickery, Literature Team
T
o call poetry pointless is certainly controversial,
but how many of us settle down to read a good
poem? Does anyone actually pack a poetry book into
their holiday hand luggage, along with their sun
cream and passport?
One of the problems with poetry is that it is
often difficult to understand, and can be a struggle
for many readers. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that
most of us opt for a novel or newspaper rather than
a ballad. Another reason why poetry rarely features
in the hands of commuters is that poetry can be
frustrating with its elaborate metaphors, images and
ideas which are often rather far-fetched. However,
it’s unfair to criticise poets for their efforts: after
all, they express their ideologies through profound
techniques which require great technical skill. Plus,
there is no doubt that many poems address serious
issues and matters, from war, to society, to love.
Poems can also be highly useful and fitting within
specific situations: an epitaph on a gravestone or a
sonnet for wedding vows.
As a female journalist, I can’t resist but suggest
that deep down we all love a good sonnet because,
in today’s society, men just don’t do love poems.
Romantic poetry is scarce amongst the lives of most
women, and only really appears in a Clinton’s card,
but even here the poems and verses are simply
cheesy. Even though Shakespeare’s mistress had
eyes ‘nothing like the sun’, do we secretly envy her
because she at least had a sonnet written for her?
Unfortunately, it seems the poem lacks value
in today’s bookshelves and Christmas lists, yet we
should refuse to merely dismiss the form when it
can instantly induce moods; narratives are simply
too long to capture and stimulate thoughts and
ideas of credible severity and significance. Overall,
the poem can be valued as it holds much power: to
sweep a woman off her feet, a simple sonnet, moving
monologue or benevolent ballad is all it takes!
A
nyone who cites an interest in
‘literature’ is asked to justify
themselves – who do you read?
What do you read? Are you really
interested, or are you just saying this
to appear intellectual, accomplished
or cultured?
Cue the sweaty palms. What to say
that makes you fit in? How to impress
them? To the sweaty-palmers out
there: do not worry. This person
may be about to spout off about how
enthralling Thomas Hardy is or how
Coleridge has them in raptures, but
that does not mean you have to as well.
The temptation to prove to ourselves
and to others that we belong is pretty
strong. And the first step to doing this
is supposedly to list off how many of
the ‘greats’ you’ve read. We all do it
to some degree. Think back to your
personal statement.
Writing mine, I suffered from
the fear that I was not good enough,
that the amorphous reader on the
other end would see this, hence the
compulsion to put everything in.
I considered including books that
I’d never finished or even read, just
because of their perceived merit. The
temptation was ‘I’ve read the first few
chapters, that counts, right?’ Even
since, the idea of The List has taken
root.
For some of us this List is a reality,
one which we’re slowly working our
way through; for others, it has become
The List of works that we must read
before we can be considered truly
‘literary’. But each new lecture and
each new textbook throws up more
works that must be added to The List
immediately. It’s an ever-growing
monstrosity, one which has the
power to stress and demoralise. Give
yourself a break and be practical. Just
because you have not read all the
other books or essays written by the
authors or critics on your reading list
does not mean you aren’t on par with
the rest of your course-mates.
That’s not to say that you should
be lazy. There’s always the possibility
that the novel that doesn’t look like
your cup of tea might actually induce
an epiphany, or that the boring
looking Theory Essay might just turn
your confusion into comprehension.
Don’t discount something so quickly;
give the first few chapters a try, come
back to it later. Literature’s ability
to take you out of your own lifestyle
and culture and show you the world
through someone else’s eyes should
not be underestimated.
Similarly, just because your
literary idol doesn’t match up with
the next person’s does not make
your passion any less valid. Just
because you aren’t reading ‘serious’
literature in your free time does not
mean your enjoyment of these works
is worth less. This is University: no
one here is the same – similar, but
not copies. As much as we all want to
prove ourselves and do well on our
own, it’s the different voices around
us – fellow students, tutors, lecturers
– and the springboard environment
that they create that will help us get
there.
So if at the end of the day you’d
rather snuggle on the sofa (or
considering we’re mostly students
here: bed) with a book which has
nothing to do with your course and
doesn’t tick off one more box on
The List, don’t berate yourself. Tell
cynicism to take a hike for once. We
are all here because of a genuine
appreciation and a willingness to
explore literature in all its forms, and
frankly, if you enjoy it who can judge
you if you say you prefer Harry Potter
to Thomas Hardy? I won’t.
© skippyjon
26 LITERATURE
LITERATURE
27
Shout About! Children writers
By Emily Smart, Literature Team
A
n impressive and inspiring website
has been launched this month which
is said, by author Beverley Birch, to
“give children a sense of being part of a
world that is taking them seriously.” The
website, shoutaboutmagazine.com, is run
by a group of award winning writers and
illustrators. Their aim is to create an online
creative writing magazine for children
aged sixteen years and younger, who have
a talent and a passion for storytelling.
Birch stated that children “should be
encouraged” to write, and by seeing your
own work published online, could there be
any better motivation?
The idea for the magazine was
founded last November, when members
of Children’s Writers and Illustrators in
South London (CWISL) set up a three day
festival at South Bank University. They
worked with children from extremely poor
boroughs such as Lambeth and Southwark.
The volunteers at the festival announced
that it was “a huge success, terrific fun”
and “are eagerly planning the next in the
series”. The response in which they gained
from the event was so impressive that
the idea of the online magazine became a
definite must.
The website contains works from
famous children authors such as Nicholas
Allen, Paul Bryers and Beverley Birch
amongst many others, as well as exciting
competitions for the children to enter.
There has already been a great
response to the site, seen from the “Your
Shout” page which contains short stories,
poems and art work from children all over
the country. It is highly impressive to see
the thoughts of these young individuals
expressed through these works. Although
many would say that they are extremely
dissimilar to the likes of Shakespeare or
Joyce, they are still enormously intriguing
and powerful.
Although the members of CWISL
initially planned to only publish three
issues online per year, the excellent
support from these members changed it
to a monthly process: this will hopefully
continue to inspire and support young
writers across England, as well as being a
stepping stone for potential writers in the
future.
For the love of Harry – Rowling’s Formula
By Rebecca Worley, Literature Team
I
t would seem J.K. Rowling has tapped into
some secret formula with the creation of her
Harry Potter series. Sitting comfortably in 7th
position on the Sunday Times Rice List, Rowling
has clearly outstripped any other children’s
author of our generation. The films have added
impressively to her success, with names such
as Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman and Michael
Gambon gracing our screens and drawing
people to the cinema in their millions. But why?
I will confess myself to be a big Harry Potter
These books don’t just contain a coming of age
story within their pages, the writing style and
content also grows up with the reader. J.K.
Rowling has undoubtedly created a vivid world
which engulfs readers: so much so that Harry
Potter World has been created in co–ordination
with Disney world, with readers desperate to
experience a slice of that magical world for
themselves. So vibrant is Rowling’s world that,
as a reader, you feel like you could explore it
yourself, in fact you find yourself wanting to,
waiting for that letter from Hogwarts to come
by Owl Post when you turn eleven.
“many people are cynical about Rowling’s writing ability”
geek; this series of books installed in me my
love for reading. I consumed the books the day
they arrived after being on pre-order weeks
in advance. I cried when Dumbledore died,
harboured a hatred for Snape and longed for
Ron and Hermione to finally kiss. However,
many people are cynical about the books and
Rowling’s writing ability. True, each of the
books follow the same format: Harry goes to
Hogwarts, discovers a mystery, gets into
danger and triumphs against it. Many
also argue that Harry isn’t a believable
hero character, going as far to declare
him whiny or boring.
However, of course, I strongly disagree.
I will admit that Harry isn’t the best character
I have ever encountered in a novel. Saying this,
I do understand why Rowling wanted a hero
who wasn’t a stereotypical popular hunk: an
anti-hero. Potter is a believable outcast, the
underdog who we, the readers, are rooting for
throughout. It’s almost as if we know a secret,
we know that Harry is the true hero and yet few
others in the novel understand. This allies the
readers with Harry, we sympathise with him
and we grow to respect him.
This is why Harry Potter is the children’s saga
of our generation, whether you personally love
him or hate him. Now we have to see if he can
stand the test of time. I truly hope so.
28 FILM
Film
[email protected]
In Time (2011)
By Tiffany Tucker, Film Editor
W
New years Eve (2011)
S
et for release on December 8th 2011, New Year’s
Eve is everyone’s winter warmer: set to enhance
smiles, make us feel closer to those around us and
encourage us to realise what is really important
on New Year’s Eve. From the makers of Valentine’s
Day and the director of Pretty Woman, Garry
Marshall creates a film unlike any other, and
this time it seems bigger and better! There is, of
course, an all-star cast, selected with such variety
that there is something for everyone. With the
likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Zac Efron, Robert De
Niro, Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher
and many more, you’ll surely be spoilt for choice!
The main plot line is fairly simple to follow,
with the intertwining and connected relationships
of all of the characters. It follows those who are
single and those loved up couples in the Big Apple
over the course of New Year’s Eve.
Of course, it’s not everyone’s taste; we all
know that with a film like this comes a certain
level of predictability, so as audiences we forecast
what’s going to happen and who will inevitably
fall in love. The thrill does not lie in the suspense,
and there should be no great expectations of deep
philosophical story lines. New Year’s Eve should be
enjoyed for what it is: a feel good, entertaining
flick that leaves you with a warm feeling inside.
Plus, with such a star-studded cast, it’s hard to
find any solid critiques.
My Week With Marilyn (2011)
By Kristie Marchant, Film Team
T
his is a film for all the Marilyn
Monroe lovers out there! Based
on the diary extracts of the 3rd
Director’s Assistant for The Prince
and the Showgirl, this film documents
the troubled life of Marilyn at the
peak of her career in the 1950s.
Constantly harassed by fans and
hounded by the paparazzi, plied
with drugs and alcohol and faced
with her turbulent relationship
with Arthur Miller, Marilyn turns
to Colin as someone she can
trust and help her to experience
momentarily what it would be like
to lead a normal life. Funny and
enjoyable, yet heart-breaking and
sad, this film beautifully portrays
what life was like for the real
Marilyn Monroe underneath her
starry persona, and for the adorable
young man that ends up falling in
love with her.
hy is she running in heels? This
was my first thought whilst
watching In Time. After I pondered over
that question for a while, I had ‘time’
to realise what a powerful, thought–
provoking film this actually was.
Starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda
Seyfried, Andrew Niccol directs a
motion picture that examines Capitalist
society at its worst.
The film centres on a world where
you can only live until the age of 25, and
then the clock starts ticking. In a world
where time is currency, there is a bitter
fight for survival and every moment
counts. The main character Will Salas
(Timberlake) is from the ‘ghetto’,
where people are dying every day and
unable to work enough to live longer.
Meanwhile, the rich are living in an
alternate time zone with decades left
and remaining essentially immortal.
When Will finds himself with a vast
amount of time, he goes on the run with
the beautiful Sylvia Weis (Seyfried) and
together they live minute-to-minute
exploiting the system in which they
live.
In Time basically tells the story of
the reality of Capitalist society, the rich
stay rich and the poor stay poor, dying
young because of insufficient means to
live any longer. This tragic storyline
is made less morbid, however, with a
highly attractive cast and fast–paced
chase scenes. The plot is easy to follow
and the message is simple, although at
times unrealistic.
The Shining (1980)
By Caroline James, Film Team
I
know the Halloween film season
has come and gone, but if you are
still craving something creepy or are
a fan of Stanley Kubrick films, then I
highly recommend The Shining (1980),
undoubtedly the best horror film I’ve
seen so far.
The plot seems simple at first,
focusing around Jack (Jack Nicholson)
who stays at the remote Overlook
Hotel during its closed winter season
as the care taker, with his wife and
son. However, after only a month of
living there, paranormal and disturbing
apparitions begin to appear before
each character, which catalyses Jack’s
descent into madness.
I think what makes this one of the
best films of the Horror genre is the fact
that rather than relying on suspense or
shock tactics, The Shining creates a spine
chilling atmosphere from the moment
the opening credits begin to roll.
This is achieved through the potent
film score composed by Wendy Carlos;
its distorted electronic sounds make
even the aerial shots of Jack driving
through the woods on a sunny day
creepy.
Furthermore, it would be a crime to
ignore the fantastic performances given
in this film. Despite the fact that Jack
Nicholson is renowned for naturally
being over the top, his insane bloodthirsty character is truly terrifying,
particularly in the famous concluding
scene of Jack chasing his son through a
hedge-maze with an axe.
Similarly, Shelly Duvall gave a
brilliant performance as Jack’s wife,
Wendy. Arguably, her constant tearful
pleads to be freed from Jack’s madness
and submissive nature could be seen
as irritating. However, it’s her fear for
what’s going on around her that, adding
to ours, makes her role a pivotal one in
this horror film.
In summary, although The Shining
does bear some of the clichés of its
genre (ghosts, murder and madness),
what makes it stand out as a horror film
is undoubtedly the pure sense of horror
the viewer experiences from beginning
to end.
FILM
29
Top ten films due in 2012
Contraband
The Devil Inside
Set for release in late January 2012 this horror/thriller
follows a young woman (Fernanda Andrade) on a quest to
save her deranged mother. She travels to Italy and becomes
enthralled into the world of exorcisms of troubled victims.
Directed by William Brent Bell, it blurs the boundaries
between science and religion. This film is perfect for those
lovers of Paranormal Activity and The Ring.
This means War
This action rom-com follows two handsome protagonists,
played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. They are two top CIA
operatives who find themselves head to head in an epic
action-packed battle, after discovering that they are both
dating the same woman (Reese Witherspoon). Set for release
in February 2012, Director McG creates the perfect balance
between laughs and explosions. Those who loved The Bounty
Hunter and Mr and Mrs Smith will love this.
The Divide
Directed by Xavier Gens, this Sci-Fi Thriller takes the
apocalyptic film genre and focuses on a small groups’ bid to
stay alive. Survivors of a nuclear attack are bound together
for days, with supplies rapidly running out. The Divide, which
will be released in early 2012, examines the characters’
change of behaviour in a world of seclusion and insanity.
Roadie
This emotional mid–life exploration is set for a big
screen release in early January 2012. After spending years
on the road with Blue Oyster Cult, main character Jimmy
Testagros (Ron Eldard) moves back to his home-town, and
is reunited with a childhood love (Jill Hennessy). Although
this film appears to be for an older generation, it brings to
life true feelings of heart–break and memory in a journey
towards happiness. Director Michael Cuesta does a fine job
in bringing these issues to light.
Haywire
Channing Tatum stars in this action blockbuster in which
a black ops soldier hunts for revenge after being betrayed
during a previous mission. Steven Soderblergh directs this
chaotic masterpiece, and if you loved Salt, then you’ll love
this.
Baltasar Kormákur directs this 2012 action drama,
starring Mark Wahlberg. He plays the main character of a
security guard who is forced to return to his dangerous ways
of living, which results in his partner’s (Kate Beckinsale) life
being put in grave danger. This action-packed, dangerous,
edge–of–your–seat movie is perfect for action film lovers
everywhere.
Joyful Noise
Joyful Noise is a musical comedy which focuses on a small
town choir who set aside their differences to win a national
choir competition. Starring the great Dolly Parton and Queen
Latifa, Joyful Noise is sure to put some soulful music into
every viewer’s hearts and leave you with a smile. Released
in January and directed by Todd Graff, this glee–esque film is
full of musical talents and scenes of great comedy.
Young Adult
From the director of Up in the Air and Thank You For Not
Smoking, Jason Reitman explores the life of a fiction writer
who returns home to small town Minnesota, with her sights
set to reawaken a romance with her high school boyfriend,
who is now married with children. From the writers of Juno,
this film reveals a woman’s insecurities, which are masked
by her pretty face and witty ways.
One for The Money
This film, set for release in February 2012, is directed by
Julie Anne Robinson. It stars main character Stephanie Plum
(Katherine Heigl) as a newly–divorced woman who finds a
job in a bail-bonds business, where the boundaries between
love and crime are blurred, whilst falling for wanted Joe
Morelli (Jason O’Mara). One For The Money appears to have it
all, with comedy, crime and action all intertwined to make a
humorous yet sharp viewing.
Red Tails
Inspired by true events, Red Tails tells the story of a crew
of African American pilots within the Tuskegee training
programme, who are given the chance to shine after being
called into action as pilots of the war. As well as being an
action-packed war film, it tells a particular emotional history
about segregation in a wartime setting, shedding a light on
racism and inequality. Anthony Hemingway directs this
fast-paced film, and those who are a fan of any war film will
surely be in for a treat when it is released in January 2012.
30 MUSIC
[email protected]
Music
REVIEW: James Vincent McMorrow – ‘Early in the Morning’
By Arran Coe, Music Team
E
arly in the Morning is the beautifully intimate debut album of
James Vincent McMorrow. If soothing melodies of gentle folk
and arguably the inner workings of a true artist appeal to you, I
wholly recommend you listen to this album.
In the wake of artists such as Bon Iver and Mumford and Sons,
who are arguably responsible for the return of folk music to the
mainstream spectrum, there is not a lot on paper that sets this
Irish singer-songwriter apart. In fact, for someone who has never
heard the album, it is hard to describe what it is that encapsulates
me on every listen. Perhaps it is the sincere and heartfelt lyrics
that enchant ‘If I Had a Boat’, or the intricate, yet dissonant falsetto
harmonies that really shouldn’t work in ‘This Old Dark Machine’
that create such an astounding album. All I know is, when the
album finishes, I just want to start it again.
What possibly makes this record all the more impressive
and strikingly honest, are the conditions under which it was
created. Similarly to Bon Iver, McMorrow locked himself away
in his seaside home for the months it took to write and record
it. Absolutely everything you hear in album is his work. All the
instruments, the beautiful and haunting harmonies and the
general production of the record are all a result of Mcmorrow’s
efforts. I know as a music student this shouldn’t change the way
I listen to it, or change my opinion of the actual music. But it just
does. Having said all of this, the album maybe isn’t for everyone.
Tracks like ‘If I Had A Boat’, though arguably one of the best songs
on the album, can require a ample amount of patience to listen to
with its spacious structure, long introduction, and only musical
peak erupting right at the end. This however is the worst
thing I can say about the entire album.
His UK tour starts in January next year,
so hurry up and fall in love with this
humbling debut album, and
grab yourselves some
tickets. If you don’t I
might accidentally
buy
them
all
myself.
EDIT
O
R’S
C
HOI
CE
"I don’t know anything about music, In my line
you don’t have to" - Elvis Presley
REVIEW: Luke Ritchie – ‘The Water’s Edge’
By Sophia Field , Music Editor
I
t is a fantastic feeling when you come across a talented
new artist and immediately fall in love with their music.
Luke Ritchie is an example of a true musical talent and his
debut album ‘The Water’s Edge’ is an excellent projection
of this. The sincerity of his lyrics sang so honestly and his
ability to amaze with an acoustic guitar in his hands, create
a fantastically moving album.
The Water’s Edge offers a diversity which makes the
album accessible and relatable to a wide fan base and
each track offers something different to the track before.
Whether it is cleverly slipping into a 3–time–feel in ‘Off
your guard’, the banjo-like guitar picking, or the calland-response in ‘Butterfly’, each track offers something
innovative to keep you hooked. The overall sound and vocal
tone in more upbeat tracks like ‘Song to Sundays’ give strong
hints of similar artists Counting Crows, and the lyrical
honesty and loose harmonies in the slower track ‘Words’
remind me of Elbow’s Guy Garvey. The Water’s Edge is a
collage of musical emotion and expression, whilst the album
features beautifully emotional songs such as ‘Looking Glass’,
it refrains from being a stereotypically gentle or morose
album with his more upbeat tracks like ‘Shanty’, which will
have you tapping along and wishing you knew all the words.
The album was produced after Luke Ritchie embarked
on a project to record a song a week for a series of podcasts
lasting 6 months. By the end of this time there had been
over 8,500 downloads of these songs and Luke Ritchie had
certainly proven himself to be an extremely competent
song writer and hard worker. The debut album has taken
two years to reach our ears, and on listening to the intricate
mixture of folk, rock and even blues, the feeling comes
across that Luke Ritchie spent every minute of those
years pouring everything he had into creating a record he
could be proud of. The final result certainly seems to be a
testament to this. The only negative I have about this debut
album is that no one particular song stands out to me. They
are all very different and enjoyable to listen to, but there is
not a track that seems outstanding.
Luke Ritchie is an artist who proves himself to be
enchanting with just a guitar and his voice, so imagine
how incredible he sounds accompanied by the gentle
sounds of strings or a piano. With that in mind, have a
listen to his music, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
www.lukeritchie.co.uk
32 MUSIC
[email protected]
Old Dogs, New Tricks: Roy Orbison – 'Mystery Girl'
A
© Bradford Timeline
s curious a claim as it may seem, I assert that the latter
half of the 80s was the perfect time to be a Roy Orbison
fan. After some years out of the limelight, Orbison's presence
in American music had reached its highest point since his
60s peak. This was partly due to his music appearing in
cinematic releases of the era, such as 1963's 'In Dreams' in
Blue Velvet (1986). 1988 also saw the formation of BritishAmerican supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, of which
Orbison was a member alongside George Harrison, Bob Dylan,
Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
All of this came to a saddening end, however, with
Orbison's death on December 6th 1988 at age 52 from a
heart attack. In the months beforehand however, he was able
to record the material for what would become his final solo
album. Thus 'Old Dogs, New Tricks' takes a step further into the
past than usual as we visit the posthumously released
Mystery Girl (1989).
From the opening track of 'You Got It', co-written with fellow
Wilburys Lynne and Petty, it becomes apparent that this album
was intended as a continuation of Orbison's classic sound.
This crucially prevents the album from dating. Instead
of becoming overly indicative of their period, tracks like
the mellow 'California Blue' and lushly orchestrated 'A
Love So Beautiful' could believably slot into any point
in Orbison's decade-spanning career.
It would also be wrong to assume from
this approach that Orbison did not
embrace contemporary musical
achievements. In addition to
the aforementioned input
from the other Wilburys,
the writing credits for
Hurts and Kylie at Brixton Academy
Kylie Minogue and Hurts performing at Brixton
By Liam Conroy, Music Team
I
f there is one thing you can rely on Hurts to deliver,
it is theatricality and they certainly supplied it by the
bucket load as their ‘Happiness’ tour came to an end at
Brixton Academy. Led on stage by a funeral procession
of cloaked women brandishing black flags, Hurts made
it very clear that their live show was set to be a treat
for the eyes as well as the ears. Every minute dramatic
detail was accounted for, from the pitch–black feather
headdresses worn by the dancers to Theo’s black leather
gloves gripped around white roses.
Breathing new life into the synth pop genre, once
dominated by the likes of Ultravox and Depeche Mode,
Hurts proved that their live shows are not all style over
substance thanks to moving tracks like ‘Wonderful Life’
and ‘Stay’. The accompaniment of such an impressive
band, particularly the all–female strings section, gave the
music a grandiose quality that often teetered on the edge
of opera in its delivery and dramatic quality. The Black
Swan–style dancers added to the dramatic element of the
gig, making it very clear that this was not just a live repeat
of the album but a theatrical performance like no other.
At times the amateur dramatics drifted into the
realms of tediousness with front man Theo Hutchcraft
being overcome with emotion and feigning weeping or
collapsing into fits of tremors. Such an over-emotional
performance may be perceived as self–indulgent and
frankly unnecessary when the power of the album speaks
for itself. However, it may also be argued that ‘Happiness’
works so well because it thrives in its self–indulgence
and, when performed live, gives fans the chance to clutch
at their hearts, reach out for an air–grab and sing along at
the top of their voice. Ultimately, Hurts create the sort of
emotional pop music that Westlife and their key-change
device would kill for.
The surprise appearance of Kylie Minogue brought
gasps, hollers and even tears to some members of the
audience as she arrived to perform the duet ‘Devotion’
with Theo. Immediately after, the pair performed a
rendition of Kylie’s own ‘Confide In Me’, giving Hurts the
chance to put their own atmospheric twist on the track.
It seems like an odd pairing to match the ‘Princess of
Pop’ with the moody duo but her appearance gave both
singers the chance to showcase their impressive vocals,
harmonising together perfectly.
Finishing the night with their breakout single ‘Better
Than Love’, Hurts drew the line under the ‘Happiness’
tour with a triumphant performance of the tracks that
propelled them to where they are now. So many artists
strive to create an impressive live show and in doing so
often forget about the importance of perfecting the music,
some artists even forget the vocals altogether (don’t they
Britney?). The final leg of the ‘Happiness’ tour has proven
that Hurts have managed to complement the intensity of
their debut album with an equally atmospheric live show,
leaving fans yearning for more.
Mystery Girl include Elvis Costello
on the beautifully melancholic
'The Comedians' and Diane Warren
on the closing track of 'Careless
Heart'.
The
most
vital
contribution to the album,
however, has to be the lead
single 'She's a Mystery to
Me', written by Bono and
The Edge of U2. With a
production that steadily
builds with the intensity of
the vocals, Orbison brings
the hauntingly yearning
lyrics to their full potential,
ending in a climactic falsetto.
Where there is a
cause for concern with Mystery
Girl is in its stylistic variety. Across
its ten tracks, none can be properly
described as up-tempo, resulting in an
album that is largely composed of ballads. Yet breakneck thrills
are ultimately not why most would reach for a Roy Orbison
album. What Orbison is renowned for is his ability to
bring the most potent depths of human feeling to life
through his voice and music.
It is in this respect that Mystery Girl
triumphs, reminding us exactly why Orbison is
the unparalleled icon of popular music that he is.
What hits hardest about the album, however, is
how it evidences the talent that Orbison possessed
even at the very end. Between this LP and his highly
recommended work with the Wilburys, one can safely
say that Orbison went out with anything but a whimper.
© Klaus Hlitscher
By Dan Davison, Music Team
HEAR ME OUT!
Christmas Special!
S
o this is the part of the
issue where we go out into
the wild world, find a willing
participant and discover
exactly what they like to
hear. So if you see someone
walking around, armed with a
voice recorder and a camera,
do not fear… although saying
that, we may be coming for
you.
Name: Jack White (The Editor)
Age: 29
Studying: Space Technology & Planetary Exploration
Favourite Genre: Heavy Metal
Top 3 Artists: Emperor, Metallica, Iron Maiden
Guilty Pleasure: 90s power ballads
Ultimate song: Metallica’s cover of ‘Blitzkrieg’ by Blitzkrieg
Forget what you think you know, nothing is more metal
than this recording. .. especially if you play along to it first
thing in the morning! Yeah!
Did you know . . .
…that the ‘someone’ of Elton John’s ‘Someone Saved My
Life Tonight’ (1975) is singer Long John Baldry, who was also
responsible for discovering a young Rod Stewart busking at
Twickenham railway station in 1964?
MUSIC
33
Musical mayhem
with Lacuna Coil
By James Campbell, Music Team
“A
re you still wide awake
London? Are you still
here with us?” Judging from the
frenzy of bellows and high pitched
squeals that shook the building’s
foundations, it seemed Italian lead
vocalist Cristina Scabbia should
not have feared a lack lustre
response; Lacuna Coil were going
to go down a treat, as an incredibly
animated audience were only too
happy to lap up a gut wrenching
performance at the hands of these
Mediterranean musical sorcerers,
leaving the ULU giddy in their
wake.
First up for the night were
British metal group October
Fall, riddling the audience with
devastating rounds of fuzz and
thrash, which reigned down like
bullets on unsuspecting eardrums;
suffice to say, only the faintest
hints of melody strained to be
heard over the cacophony, but
these metallers did well to prick up
ears and fuel the musical alchemy
of the night. The next group
of tattoo wielding misfits that
clambered on stage got the balance
just right; US based Straight Line
Stitch had the energy and the
presence to keep this bloodthirsty
mob at bay, plunging into track
after raucous track of hard hitting
rock, which the crowd feasted on
with gusto, writhing and colliding
frenziedly with one another, like a
mass of uncoiling snakes.
There could only be one snake
charmer big enough for this stage
however, as the witching hour
drew near. Out of the billowing
darkness, the enchanting Cristina
Scabbia glides on stage, followed
in hot pursuit by her musical
juggernauts, and with a wave of
an ethereal hand, a strike of a
plectrum, and a hammering of
drum sticks on drums, Lacuna
Coil pounce, injecting the crowd
with their own lethal venom
of gothic metal. The crowd
sways like in a drunken stupor,
whilst Lacuna Coil unleash a
deadly arsenal of songs for the
night, bombarding the audience
with songs which brought the
band to prominence including, ‘Our
Truth’, ‘Heavens a lie’, ‘ I won’t tell
you’ , ‘Fragments of Faith’ and ‘I’m not
afraid’. All eyes are transfixed on
the bewitching Cristina, donning
an outfit emblazoned in fiery red
that glitters like scales, with an
alluring voice that never wanes or
falters, amidst the cacophonous
din of screeching guitars and
booming bass.
Lacuna Coil strikes one as being
a group of great humility and they
were evidently appreciative of the
committed English fan bases that
had flocked to see them in their
droves. Founded in Milan in 1994,
and after five studio albums (soon
to be six) and endless time away
on the road, Lacuna Coil make it
clear they still hold dear to their
roots, and illustrated this with an
interlude in their set, asking the
audience to acknowledge ‘Within
Me’, one of the few songs composed
by the group in their native tongue
of Italian.
The set’s finale manifests
itself as a gritty and anthemic
rendition of Depeche Mode’s
‘Enjoy the Silence’, which is met
with hysteria from the rabble,
begging for more; there plea is
granted with the band’s big hits
‘Spellbound’ and ‘Closer’ and a sea of
convulsing bodies surges forward
in all directions. Regardless of the
incessant head banging, the stench
of sweat and whiplash marks from
beer matted dreadlocks, Lacuna
Coil‘s blend of musical mayhem
had the desired effect for fans
new and old, and those who were
willing to give these metal heads a
tryout, were spoilt rotten with this
punchy performance.
Lacuna Coil are due to release
their sixth studio album at the
end of January 2012, entitled ‘Dark
Adrenaline’. In the meantime,
check out ‘Trip the Darkness’ as a
taster for whats instore from these
blackened hearts!
http://www.lacunacoil.it/
A talk with: ‘In Case of Fire’
By Sophia Field, Music Editor
I
n Case of Fire are an alternative rock band originally from Northern
Ireland consisting of three members, lead vocalist and guitarist Steven
Robinson, bassist Craig Skene and drummer Colin Robinson. With the bands
new line-up, they have brought a fantastic and fresh energy proven to the
audience on their recent tour supporting Switchfoot. We at The Stag are
lucky enough to have had the band answer a few questions….
The Stag: How was it touring with Switchfoot this year?
In Case of Fire: It was amazing, even better than we had imagined. As the
support band on a tour of that size we were unsure of how their crowd
would react to us, but every show was great and the Switchfoot fans were
brilliant.
TS: How did you meet/ did the band form?
ICOF- Craig and I (Steven) met through mutual friends and we knew Thomas
(touring percussionist) through the local music scene. It’s a new line-up for
the band and this was our first tour together, so we were pretty nervous
for the first couple of shows but the reception from the crowds eased our
nerves very quickly.
TS: Who are your musical influences?
ICOF- We have a pretty wide range of influences but the main ones would
probably be The Mars Volta, Queens Of The Stone Age and Muse.
TS: What has been your best live experience?
ICOF- The tour with Switchfoot was definitely up there, but I’d say playing
the second stage at T in The Park in 2009 was one of our best live experiences.
TS: Worst live experience?
ICOF- We played an outdoor show once in Dublin that went really well, but
during the last song I got a bit animated and I fell off the front of the 6ft
stage with my guitar and landed on my back. I thought I’d broken my neck
but I ended up just a bit bruised and embarrassed. Got a half decent cheer
though!
© Katja Kuhl
TS: What can we look out for in the future of In Case of Fire?
ICOF- We’re currently finishing writing the songs for our second album and
will hopefully be going into the studio to record it sometime in the New
Year. We’re definitely going to be heading out on tour again as soon as we
can so keep an eye on our Facebook page for any updates!
Visit the website to get your free download of ‘Are You Ready?’ now!
https://www.facebook.com/incaseoffire
34 SPORT
[email protected]
BUCS Sports Results
Badminton
Netball
Surrey Men’s 1st
Surrey Men’s 2nd
Surrey Women’s 1st
vs
vs
vs
2
6
Royal Holloway Men’s 1st
Kingston Men’s 1st
Royal Holloway Women’s 1st
6
2
Fencing
Surrey Men’s 1st
Surrey Men’s 2nd
Surrey 1st
Surrey 2nd
Surrey 1st
39
36
25
vs
vs
vs
58 Brunel 2nd
12 Kingston 2nd
34 Reading 3rd
18
vs
10 Reading Men’s 2nd
4
2
vs
vs
1
2
Rugby Union
112
89
121
vs
vs
vs
96 Kent Men’s 1st
124 Royal Holloway Men’s 1st
115 Sussex Women’s 1st
Surrey Men’s 1st
Squash
Surrey Men’s 1st
Tennis
Surrey Men’s 1st
Surrey Men’s 2nd
Surrey Men’s 3rd
6
12
8
6
vs
vs
vs
vs
6
0
4
6
Chichester Men’s 1st
Roehampton Men’s 2nd
Royal Free (RUMS) Men’s 2nd
Roehampton Women’s 1st
Essex Men’s 1st
Reading Women’s 1st
In this game Reading won on points
Table Tennis
Surrey Men’s 1st
8
vs
9
Portsmouth Men’s 1st
Golf
Surrey 1st
3.5
vs
2.5 Brunel 1st
Hockey
Surrey Men’s 1st
Surrey Men’s 2nd
4
1
9
vs
vs
vs
4
2
1
Royal Free (RUMS) Men’s 1st
Reading Men’s 2nd
LSE Men’s 2nd
Football
Surrey Men’s 1st
Surrey Men’s 2nd
Surrey Men’s 3rd
Surrey Men’s 4th
Surrey Men’s 5th
2
4
3
0
3
1
vs
vs
vs
vs
vs
vs
0
0
2
1
5
2
Reading Men’s 1st
West London Men’s 1st
Royal Holloway Men’s 2nd
Kingston Men’s 4th
Roehampton Men’s A
Roehampton Women’s 1st
Surrey Water Polo Club
By Robert Van Tromp (Social Secretary), Sports Team
A
s a level 2 student at the University,
it’s always nice to see younger,
fitter swimmers coming through the
ranks at the Swimming and Water Polo
club, making lasting impressions on our
current members. Our most recent BUCS
weekend, up in Sheffield, marked our
third successive BUCS. The weekend up
north never fails to disappoint, with all
swimmers pulling out some fantastic
swims and some monumental dance
moves on the Saturday evening, dressed
in pink florescent tights and girls 11-12
year old pants saying “chase me”. Special
praise goes out to Josh Wreford who
showed that anything is possible with a bit
of red bull and a pork scratching, and to
Katie Chapple and Georgina Roughsedge
who braved a weekend away with ten lads,
with banter flying from all angles. It’s
important not to forget the anorak that is
James Godwin, who continues to organise
these brilliant weekends away as a team.
Big shout out to Godwin.
With the University Water Polo
team continuing to go from strength to
strength, things are looking up for the
remaining fixtures of 2011. The fresh
input of Luke Woodman, Dave Seber, Ben
Jarman and Elliot Thompson has only
provided positives for the boy’s Polo team,
with each individual showing their value
to the team in the first few games of the
season. With a much anticipated away
game to UEA in Norwich this coming
Friday, there’s every reason to feel jolly!
The third Swimming/Polo social
beckons with only two days left until the
union is painted red and white by our
club’s most committed individuals. Our
hunky social secretary, Robert Van Tromp,
continues to hold these outstanding
socials, and expects the “Where’s Wally”
themed night to follow suit. Even if you’re
a friend, or sister, or the granddad of a
student on the team, don’t be afraid to get
involved in our free social, taking place on
the 7th December.
With the remarkable facilities we
have, and the flexible coaches we possess,
we continue to encourage more and more
people to try out the sessions provided by
the coaches, whether it is in Water Polo
or Swimming. Our coaches cater for all
levels of ability from national standard to
the basics of Swimming. Our Club days are
from 2pm–4pm on Wednesday afternoons
and 5.30pm–7.30pm on Sunday evenings.
If you fancy trying something different
and this particularly takes your fancy then
come on down for a session and try it out.
For any questions regarding getting
involved with Swimming or Water Polo,
get in touch ASAP [email protected]
© Steve Allen
All is going swimmingly at the water polo club
SPORT
35
By Oliver Deed, Union Chair
A
lot has been written about the
untimely death of Gary Speed
since his suicide was announced by
Cheshire Police. Some of it rightly
dedicate to celebrating an exception
footballer and a widely respected
man, but much of it dedicated to the
problem of depression in sport.
None of us know whether Gary
Speed was depressed, although it
is fair to assume that he was in an
extraordinarily poor state of mind
when he decided to take his own life.
His death highlights the problem of
mental illness in football and sport.
We have been here before. Justin
Fashanu, who played for a plethora
of clubs, including Norwich and
Notts County, committed suicide in
1998. Fashanu was the first openly
gay professional footballer and
had been accused of sexual assault
before his suicide. He suffered from
depression, as did Robert Enke. The
German goalkeeper stood in front
of a train at a level crossing after
suffering from depression for six
years.
The reality is that the culture
surrounding football has tended to
exacerbate the problem. Football
has a macho culture in which
individuals are not encouraged
to express their thoughts and
feelings. This permeates the whole
of football; from the governing
authorities who lack the structures
in place to support a footballer with
problems to fans on the terraces
who exploit any sign of weakness
in an opponent. Some of the chants
associate with Justin Fashanu is
testament to that.
We need to foster an
environment where footballers
can come forward with their
problems and receive the necessary
support without being exposed
to the harsh realities of the media
environment and the culture on the
terraces. The FA, Premier League
and Football League need to sit
down and respond to the problem
of mental illness in football. To be
fair, the FA have made a start by
sending pamphlets to thousands of
ex-professionals. However, this just
isn’t enough.
First and foremost, they should
look to establish a support structure
for footballers with mental illness.
This may take the form of a joint
organisation or an organisation led
by the FA. Irrespective of how it is
constituted, it should aim to bring
together experts in mental health
issues and players representatives
to fashion a support structure that
can be of real benefit to players,
managers and ex-professionals.
Secondly the FA should launch
a campaign highlighting the issue
of mental health in football, along
the lines of the “Kick Racism out
of Football” campaign which has
been a huge success. Whilst we can
never kick mental health issues out
of football, we can highlight the
support structures open to players,
managers and officials alike. This is
a serious issue that all stakeholders
in football should take seriously and
this campaign should be designed
to highlight that.
Lastly, football clubs should
ensure that young players coming
through youth academies should
be educated in the issues of mental
health and aware of the support
structures within the club and the
footballing authorities if they feel
they have problems. Some football
clubs do this already, but we should
look towards a national standard
of education to ensure that all kids
coming through the ranks know
they’re not alone in coping with
mental health issues, if they arise.
The death of Gary Speed will
hopefully open up the debate on
depression in football and result in
the footballing authorities creating
support structures for players who
suffer with mental illness. Football
fans up and down the country
will paid tribute to Gary Speed by
participating in a minutes applause
for a footballing legend, however,
the most fitting tribute would be
for football as a whole to address
the issue of mental illness within
the game.
© Allan England
A look at mental illness in football
Footballer and Manager Gary Speed committed suicide on Sunday 27th November
Surrey Equestrian Society
Horsing around in the equestrian society
By Rachel Thomason, Sports Team
E
ight o’clock on the very misty
morning of Wednesday 23rd
November saw the Equestrian club
- eyes half closed and bundled in
hats, scarves and gloves- meet at
the GSA for the first Equestrian
competition of this year. Whilst
the B Team, comprising of Marisa
Wisniewska, Emily Kitson, Sarah
Grimshaw and Amit Grinvald,
headed off to Portsmouth for their
away competition, the A Team
drove to Silvermere Equestrian
Centre to prepare for our home
competition.
After the horses’ manes and
tails had been plaited, the letters
in the arena had been put up and
the rosettes arranged, the four
other teams eventually arrived –
Brighton, Royal Holloway and LSE –
and the competition began. Louisa
O’Callaghan and Kiera Farrelly
perfected
their
time–keeping
skills for the warm ups and, with
constant updates from the B Team,
we nervously watched our riders
complete their dressage tests.
Genevieve Kirk, Elizabeth Ward,
Emily Chomicz and Penina Kahtan
all rode brilliantly and the dressage
results alone brought Surrey into
first place.
But we didn’t stop there. After
a lovely lunch prepared by the
Equestrian
Society
President,
Caitlin Kretzschmar, we went to
set up the jumping course. Both
riders and helpers had numb hands,
chattering teeth and nerves had
thoroughly kicked in. We wished
them good luck and by the time it
came to their round, the A Team
were completely focused.
Whilst
we
heard
that
Portsmouth’s horses had been
refusing fences, the horses at
Silvermere were giving it their
all. With only a few fences down
between all of our four riders,
the results looked promising. By
the time the horses were damp
with sweat and exhausted from
completing five rounds each,
apprehension rose as we waited for
the remaining results.
Once again in the lead with the
jumping results was the University
of Surrey and as we all exchanged
excited glances, we knew the news
could only get better! But of course,
the results didn’t come without
their drama. Concerns were raised
over the wearing of gloves with
some competitors suggesting that
points should be deducted for
the absence of gloves since it is
compulsory in the competitions.
Luckily, Surrey wasn’t involved and
since nothing could be proven, the
judge and the teams agreed to let it
go.
That meant that Emily Chomicz,
who had been calculating the
results, could finally announce
that the A Team winners were the
University of Surrey with Brighton
in second, followed by Royal
Holloway and then LSE. We then
heard that the B Team had finished
in fourth place but only narrowly
missing out on third! Individual
placings saw Emily Chomicz take
first place, Penina Kahtan take
second and Genevieve Kirk take
sixth, a brilliant result. We were
equally pleased with the B Team’s
results with Sarah Grimshaw
coming fourth and Emily Kitson
only just missing out on placings!
A huge congratulations is in
order for both teams who have been
so committed to these competitions
over the last few weeks. But an
even bigger thanks must go to our
President, Caitlin Kretzschmar,
for organising a great day, and
Silvermere Equestrian Centre and
their horses for making it run
smoothly!
The Equestrian club rakes in the awards at the first competition of the year
36 SPORT
[email protected]
Sport
Olympic spirit comes to Guildford
by David Pugh, Sports Team
E
very four years the world
descends on one country; one
city; where athletes from all nations
compete for the ultimate accolade:
an Olympic gold medal. A burning
torch will leave Athens and travel
through every competing nation
before a tour of Britain. The world
will follow this torch, journalists
will camp out to get a glimpse of its
fiery shell and the likes of Konnie
Huq and Amy Childs will parade
with it through their home towns
to the cheers of thousands.
The Olympic Torch arrives at
Land’s End on 19th May and will
begin a seventy day tour to all
four corners of the British Isles,
before completing its journey at the
opening ceremony in Stratford on
27th July. July 20th is when Guildford
takes its turn. The one day where
the world’s focus will be on the
burning shaft making its way down
the high street, past Wagamamma
and ShakeAway, turning left at
Wetherspoons and on past campus
towards the Olympic park. But
who will represent us? Who will
stand up and show the world what
Guildford stands for, its morals, its
style, and its heart? As a resident of
this beautiful town for many years,
I can think of only one person who
fosters the spirit of us all: no you
won’t see her on the side of a bus
advertising trainers, she doesn’t
have a fancy sponsorship deal with
a high street bank, and she won’t
be parading around on the X factor.
Her name is Brenda, but you will
know her better as the Bearded
Lady of Guildford.
The Bearded Lady of Guildford,
the B.L.O.G if you will, is a Guildford
institution. Freshers you probably
won’t have seen her yet, but give
it time and she will reveal herself
to you. She wanders the Friary,
sometimes venturing out as far
as Sainsbury’s, in her trademark
leopard print coat and silver nose
ring. Little is known about her,
only that she has a soft spot for
Shepherd’s pie and visited Austria
once in 1978. She is a celebrity
among the local townsfolk, the
people’s choice to be our Olympic
champion.
The Bearded Lady of Guildford
is a celebrity in her own right, she
has been featured by LA blogger
Perez Hilton, has fan pages on
Myspace, Twitter and a Facebook
Reasons to be cheerful as Team
Surrey goes on Christmas break
By Douglas Elder, Sports Team
T
he 2011-2012 season has been
a bit of a mixed bag for Team
Surrey. They have won almost as
many games as they have lost, the
joy of victory and the despair of
defeat having gone hand-in-hand
on many occasions. As The Stag
prepares to close its production
factories, its beleaguered writers
give their stinging typing fingers
a well-earned rest and the readers
prepare to weep in the absence
of their favourite University of
Surrey–based fortnightly paper,
Team Surrey can approach the
festive season in good spirits but
with some lessons to be learnt.
For many, this year has been
a baptism of fire, a first taste of
the often overlooked world of
competitive university sport, but
for others they will simply want
2011 to go on and on. Surrey sits an
encouraging 11th in the standings
for the South-East region in the
BUCS (British University and
Colleges Sport) league, with the
opportunity to climb higher in the
coming weeks and in the New Year.
At time of writing, Surrey have
five teams which remain unbeaten:
Rugby Union Men’s 1st - Six wins
from six matches
Hockey Women’s 1st - Four wins
from five matches
Fencing Women’s 1st - Five wins
from five matches
Badminton Women’s 1st - Two wins
and two draws from four matches
to top their league
Volleyball Men’s 1st - Three wins
from three matches
campaign with more than ten
thousand followers, all backing her
to represent Guildford in the torch
relay.
Lewis Shaw, one of the
campaigners and founder of the
“Bearded Lady for Olympic Torch
Bearer” Facebook page said: “The
story of Brenda Hughes is a strange,
compelling, and wholly marvellous
one. Brenda, or ‘the Bearded Lady
of Guildford’ has been a local,
national, and recently international
superhero/celebrity/do-gooder,
with reports of sightings going back
to 2004-5. Not much is known about
her life or occupation, but what
we do know is that her beard and
unusual dress sense has afforded
her much hardship and respect.
Brenda has inspired the world and
reminded us that we can all be what
we want to be. Brenda Hughes is
an icon of national pride, and a
reminder of the prevailing pride
in uniqueness that has kept this
nation’s metaphorical chin up. So, it
is with great respect and happiness,
that I nominate Brenda Hughes to
run the Olympic Torch through
Guildford.”
Guildford resident Callum
Morgan added: “Let’s pray she keeps
the torch away from the beard.”
As a result of this, these teams
sit at or near the top of their
respective divisions, and I wanted
to find out why they have been so
successful. If you read my article
in the last issue of The Stag (and
why wouldn’t you?!), then you’ll
know that Surrey’s women fencers
had enjoyed a fine start to their
debut season, winning all of their
first three games. They have since
stretched that record to five with
victories over UCL and previous
table-toppers Sussex. Captain
Rebecca Smethurst continues to
praise her hard–working team
and the guidance of their coaches,
but emphasises that they must be
“ready to train hard for the next set
of matches to stay top.”
Meanwhile, the Men’s Rugby
Union first XV continue to go from
strength to strength. It is a cliché
that you can only beat what’s put in
front of you, but Surrey have done
this with such style that they have
stormed clear in their division, often
winning by handsome margins,
including their 64–0 victory over
Imperial College London Medics
in mid-November. They attribute
their success to their “professional
attitude towards training and
playing” and that is clearly coming
through in their impressive results.
They will be aiming for promotion
in the New Year and on current
form that is likely to be achieved
sooner rather than later.
Continuing the success stories,
the Women’s 1st XI Hockey have
won their first five games, crushing
nearly every team in their path.
In their last three games, they
have scored a staggering twentyseven (yes, twenty-seven) goals,
conceding just one in the process.
They are another team for whom
promotion is as obviously necessary
as it is surely inevitable.
The club boasts a very good
social scene, but the girls also take
their hockey very seriously and it is
this attitude which has seen them
soar to the top. Although the Men’s
1st XI side are struggling in a very
high division, hopefully the women
can serve as inspiration to turn
their season around.
In order to perform my duties
for The Stag, my brilliant journalism
skills need to be coupled with
knowledge from the games I cover.
Although I have often been to the
Surrey Sports Park on miserable
days, it is still a magnificent
complex. I believe these facilities
have contributed significantly
to Team Surrey’s success so far,
offering an abundance of football
and hockey pitches, there are also
netball and tennis courts, and much,
much more inside. This, coupled
with a newly-found professionalism
in many of the university’s sports
teams has led to a resurgence in
fortunes. I can’t wait to go back
next semester, hopefully to oversee
Surrey continue to impress.
You can find information on
how to nominate Brenda at:
www.london2012.com
and like; “Bearded Lady of
Guildford for Olympic Torch
Bearer” on Facebook.
Wishing a happy holiday to
Team Surrey and to you all!

An interview with the Dragon of La Senza, Theo Paphitis (Page 14

Transcription

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