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>> UEA is back to work, but what now?
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>>Threshold raised for student loans
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>> Obesity: a
BIG problem?
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17th April 2018 Issue 351
The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | concrete-online.co.uk
"What happens on tour, stays on tour..." Netball club force members to drink, lick the floor, and "be quiet" Emily Hawkins Editor-in-Chief Whilst on tour, a sport club allegedly issued a list of rules to new members. These included instructions to lick the floor, finish a drink even if something was dropped in it, and complete any challenges. Sport clubs participated in an annual tour trip, this year in Croatia. Appearing to be from the UEA Netball club, a list instructs ‘tour freshers’ to participate in fifteen rules, worn around members’ necks on a lanyard. “Failure to present your card will result in serious punishment,” it states. The rules include demands that girls “must be quiet” when “older girls” and committee members are speaking, and, “No complaints to any older girls”. Some of the rules are specific to drinking: “If an older girl drops something in your drink you must see it off.” Other rules include reacting to the random yelling of phrases. If a committee member yells “WALKIES”, members must “get
down on all fours and be clipped onto a lead, and walk as if you were a dog, until told otherwise”. SU Activities and Opportunities Officer Cam Koosyial said she could not comment directly on the allegations or any ongoing investigations. However, she said the SU had strict rules banning initiation activity and class it as harassment.
"If an older girl drops something in your drink you must see it off" The SU define an initiation as “an event or trip where members (often new members) of a group are expected to perform a task or tasks as a means of gaining credibility, status or entry within that club that may involve peer pressure (though not explicitly) exerted on students." The definition states initiation activity “may compromise a person’s inherent dignity as a person by expecting, forcing or requiring
an individual to drink alcohol, eat mixtures of various food stuffs, nudity and behaviour that may be deemed humiliating”. “We do have a zero tolerance to this kind of behaviour and ensure student groups are appropriately informed in these areas. Because of this, action taken can include sanctions relating specifically to the group- but also can include wider serious SU and University sanctions. As a result, those responsible for the actions of the group can also be jointly and severally liable for its activities.” UEA SU has been working with British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) on their campaign to make sport inclusive and accessible to all students. The #TakeAStand charter, signed by UEA teams, declares: “Every student should feel included and part of a team if they so wish. We will ensure that no sports club activity involves forced alcohol consumption, ‘initiation style’ behaviour or any derogatory activity.” UEA Netball representatives said they were not aware of such rules and declined to comment.
Gender pay gap almost 20% at UEA Matthew Nixon News Editor Women at UEA are paid nearly 20 percent less than men, a statistic the university has admitted it is disappointed with. A report published in a national government mandated audit revealed women are paid 18.93 percent less than men as a mean overall gender pay gap. This works out to a rate of £14.86 per hour for women, compared to £18.33 per hour for men.
A median gender pay gap of 30.15 percent was found, 11.75 percent higher than the national average of 18.4 percent. According to calculations made by The Guardian, this pay gap of 30.15 percent means UEA effectively stops paying women by 12 September in a calendar year. In terms of bonuses, year on year women recieve a mean bonus of £2,308, compared to £7,986 for men. However, men and women are likely to receive bonuses at a similar rate of about two percent. The university stressed it is
“confident that men and women are paid equally for doing equivalent jobs across the University”. They claimed the gender pay gap has more complex origins. UEA’s own analysis suggested differences are largely because lower paid roles are typically occupied by women. The university said their high rate of student employment (who are paid less and are mostly female) affects the final results. According to Sarah Barrow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality and Diversity at UEA, a more
representative way of judging whether the University is meeting its equality obligations is to compare on a job by job basis. “We are confident and can demonstrate that men and women receive equivalent pay where they undertake the same or similar roles,” she said, adding: “Our equal pay audit is conducted every two years and we carry out robust job evaluation methodologies to ensure people are paid according to the levels of responsibility within their roles.” “This first gender pay gap report
highlights that we have much more work to do in certain areas [...] However, the gender pay gap does not mean staff are not paid equally for doing the same job.” A large factor driving the differences in pay and bonuses is that more men tend to work in higher, administrative positions at UEA. Concrete’s analysis of the report found, despite the fact UEA employs over 900 more women than
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