Concrete 306

Issue

13.01.15

306

Concrete online Scan for all the latest news, sports and society blogs

Former UEA student wins Costa first novel prize

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student Newspaper

concrete-online.co.uk @Concrete_UEA ConcreteNewspaper

>> Elizabeth is Missing was partly written at UEA.

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Geri Scott: responding to Charlie Hebdo

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Cuba: Myles Earle’s Caribbean dream

>> Judges praise “outstanding” debut. >> Novel is also in the running for Book of the Year.

Geri Scott Editor-in-Chief Emma Healey’s debut novel Elizabeth is Missing, some of which was written during her time as a UEA student, has been named best first novel at the Costa Book Awards. The book, which prompted a fierce bidding war between nine publishers last year, has been showered with praise since its publication in June 2014.

Healey began writing Elizabeth is Missing at the age of 22 and completed it after five years of researching and writing. During this time she also completed a postgraduate creative writing course at UEA and also worked as a web administrator for the university.

On hearing the news, Healey said: “My editor called me when I was at home and I was sitting on the stairs ... I just shook a lot.

It is amazing ... I feel like I say everything is amazing since the book was sold, but just because I’m repetitive it doesn’t mean it’s not true. It’s incredible, I still can’t quite believe it”.

Despite this prestigious award and having been writing stories from the age of 15, Healey jokes that the start of her writing career wasn’t the smoothest: she left school with five GCSEs, including a C in English Literature. However,

Emma Healey: UEA graduate and award-winning writer Photo: Martin Figura she continued writing to try and make sense of the struggle with dementia, a condition from which her grandmother suffers and which was the direct inspiration for Elizabeth is Missing.

Judges for the Costa prize said: “This outstanding debut novel gripped us from the very first page – once you start reading you won’t be able to stop. Not only is it gripping, but it shows incredible flair and unusual skill.

A very special book”.

Elizabeth is Missing is one of five category winners and is in brilliant company to compete for the title of Costa Book of the Year. Also in

the running are Helen MacDonald and Ali Smith, two writers who will be speaking at this spring’s UEA Literary Festival. MacDonald, who won the Costa biography award for her memoir H is for Hawk will be visiting UEA on 25th February 2015, whereas Smith, who has been awarded the Costa novel award for How to be Both, will be speaking on 18th March.

You can find more information and the full programme of the 2015 Spring Literary Festival at www.uea.ac.uk/litfest.

Healey is now working on a second novel.

The Costa Book of the Year will be announced on 27th January 2015.

venue

Azealia, Azalea and cultural appropriation

Student union lobbies university over mental health pledge Dan Falvey News editor In an open letter sent to UEA’s Vice Chancellor, David Richardson, the Union of UEA Students (UUEAS) has condemned the university for their consistent failure to tackle the issue of mental health.

The letter, sent at the end of last semester

by UUEAS Welfare, Community & Diversity Officer Holly Staynor, claims that “a litany of excuses, process issues, committees and interminable bureaucracy characterise the university’s collective response” to the issue so far.

UUEAS has lobbied UEA to sign the Time to Change pledge, which commits

the university institution to developing policies and procedures to challenge the preconceptions that surrounds mental health.

The Time to Change campaign aims to support people with mental health issues and combat stigma against mental illness. It was launched in 2009 and has seen vast amounts of support in its relatively short history. UUEAS signed the pledge in May of last year.

In the open letter, the union says that the university’s decision not to sign the pledge is “completely unacceptable”.

The letter’s author, Holly Staynor, said: “We’ve been lobbying the university for months on the issues facing students with mental health problems, but all we get is excuses. It’s time for the new VC to stamp his authority on the university over this vital issue

and ensure that students get the support and help they need”.

Responding to the union’s criticism, a UEA spokesperson stated that: “The proposal to sign the ‘Time to Change’ pledge was brought to the UEA Equality and Diversity Committee and was very positively received. The decision was made in principle that the University would support the initiative to support the elimination of mental health stigma and discrimination.

“Since this meeting, the Committee has been awaiting an example plan from the union to explore what commitment the pledge requires and how we can work coherently with them, with a view to create a university plan of

action”.

One in four people will suffer from mental health problems at some point in their lives.

“It’s time for the new VC to stamp his authority on the university over this vital issue” Holly Staynor, UUEAS Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer

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Editorial

editor’s column THE

T

Geri Scott Editor-in-Chief

“Giving students the chance to give a first-hand account of their experiences with mental health was an extremely positive step”

13.01.15 Tuesday

Dear Gloria,

he start of a new semester is here, and for a good few of us at Concrete this means our final semester at UEA. Whichever year of study you’re in, the drawing to the end of the academic year is often stress-inducing, whether this be due to essay deadlines, exams or up-coming pressures.

This issue, Concrete has an over-arching theme which focuses on different areas of mental health. It often seems paradoxical that universities, which are renowned for openmindedness and acceptance, are not always the most understanding places when it comes to mental health.

20% of students reported to the NUS in 2013 that they suffered from mental illness, and that is only those who felt comfortable enough to be open about how they felt. These statistics in themselves are worrying, but it goes even further when you discover that only one in ten of those people had sought help from their university, and a quarter seeking help elsewhere.

Therefore, we felt that giving UEA students the chance to give a first hand account of their experiences with mental health and write

Middle Class Moments

May I name you that, diary dearest? It’s one of my new year’s resolutions to personalise the details of my life. I read an aticle in last month’s Tatler about the philosophy of some eastern country that said finding intimacy in the ordinary does totally awesome things to your Chakras.

about what they wanted to discuss, was an extremely positive step.

This builds on a big focus this year on mental health on campus here at UEA, with societies such as UEA Student Minds, Operation UEA, Headucate and Norwich Nightline taking massive steps to support students who suffer from mental illness, as well as educating the wider student body about mental illness and removing stigma.

Fortunately, the situation in universities across the country is improving, and whilst there are still many challenges faced, universities and students are beginning to challenge the stigma, and start talking about mental illness.

If you feel like you might want to speak to someone about mental health, there are lots of places you can go on campus for help. At the union you have the Advice Centre, which is based at the Welcome and Information Point in Union House, whereas the university can provide support through the Dean of Students’ Office and the Counselling Service.

As always, you can always speak to your academic advisor or GP too!

dairy, gluten (although, of course, I haven’t eaten bread since that unspeakable bloating incident of 2009 – I couldn’t leave the villa for a fortnight. Nightmare), red meat, fats and small-chain proteins. Apparently they’re going to be the subject of the next health scandal...

I’m also making sure that I think positive.

Binty told me that negative thoughts can damage the molecular structure of water? So This week I have starrted my annual detox. Gwyneth – I’m putting the San Pel in a special cabinet that woman is literally my guru – says that it’s the most next to the champers in order to shield it from important part of the modern woman’s New Year Rebirth. harmful vibes – and Giles is banned from being Last year’s left me feeling totally rejuvinated: I ate nothing moody in the kitchen. I’m not having his silly but smoked salmon for a month. little grumps slowing down my detox. And I don’t want to even think about This year, I began by juicing as many superfoods as I could what this Frankenstein water lay my hands on in Waitrose. Vegetable smoothies are this could do to my body! season’s must-have. Honestly, I must have shoved like, half of the Amazon into my second-best Louis Vuitton. (I Ta ta for now, Gloria. I’ll used to keep it for best, but Giles spilled champers all over keep you posted. it on Boxing Day – he can be so self-centered when he puts his mind to it – so I had to demote it.)

And who knew that kale had so many vitality-providing vitamins? Christ, my skin feels radiant just thinking about it! Gwyneth says that superfoods are the only thing to eat before Valentine’s Day, so I’m cutting out carbs, sugar,

Tabitha Hortond Woodwoo

Photo: Flickr, Sembazuru

Illustration:

Ella Gilbert

Complaints If you wish to make a complaint about an article in the paper or on the website, or about a social media post, please email the editor (concrete.editor@uea.

ac.uk) to explain the precise nature of your complaint and to clearly indicate the relevant article, passage or sentence. We will be pleased to respond as soon as we are able.

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student Newspaper

The University of East Anglia’s independent student newspaper since 1992

Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593466 www.concrete-online.co.uk Editor-in-Chief Geri Scott concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor Peter Sheehan concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk Managing Editor Ella Gilbert concrete.managingeditor@uea.ac.uk Website Administrator Will Cockram concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News Elliot Folan & Dan Falvey concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Global Oliver Hughes concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Comment Joe Jameson concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Features Courtney Pochin concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Science&Environment Jacob Beebe concrete.scienv@uea.ac.uk Travel Jodie Snow concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Lifestyle Becca Bemment concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk Sport James Newbold & Kat Lucas concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy Editors Helena Bradbury & Frances McKeown concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Chief Photographers Will Cockram & Jacob Roberts-Kendal concrete.photography@uea.ac.uk Distribution Manager Amit Puntambekar concrete.distribution@uea.ac.uk

As revealed to Ella Gilbert & Peter Sheehan Front page photo credits | side bar Top: Je suis Charlie Middle: Agência Brasil Bottom: Wikimedia

Editorial inquiries concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk Got a story? concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Concrete welcomes all letters and emails, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Letters should be addressed to the editor-in-chief, and include contact details. All emails should be sent to concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk. We will consider anonymous publication, and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Anonymous article submissions are permitted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper. No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the editor, Geraldine Scott. Published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2014 Concrete BMc ISSN 1351-2773

News

Student union launches anti-sexual harassment campaign Page 4

Commentcartoon UK journalists condemn terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo

Union news round-up Science students to get free lab coats and goggles After pressure from the Union of UEA Students (UUEAS), the university has announced that all science students will be provided with free access to laboratory coats and safety glasses where required.

Some students previously had to pay, but as of September students will be given to them for free.

Connor Rand, Undergraduate Education Officer at UUEAS, said: “I’m delighted that all new science students will get free lab coats and safety glasses next year, saving many students money.

It struck me as really unfair that science students on some courses did get these items free whilst others didn’t and after pressing the university to consider this I’m delighted they agreed”.

Megan Baynes News reporter Last Wednesday morning, two heavily armed men stormed the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine, Paris. 12 people at the magazine were killed, including was the editor and some of its best-known cartoonists. 11 others were left injured. But the support shown for the journalists has left many extolling the importance of freedom of speech.

This is not the first time that Charlie Hebdo, a magazine known for freely satirising all religions, has been attacked. Following a bomb attack in 2011, some were critical of the magazine.

But in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s attack, there has been an outpouring of support for both France and for the principle of free speach. Paris, the world, and social media have been inundated with messages of solidarity, under the slogan “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”). In addition, political cartoonists from across the globe have picked up their pens to show that freedom of speech cannot be silenced.

Yesterday evening, a vigil of solidarity was held at the Forum in Norwich. Clémentine Pellegrino, one of the organisers, said: “There is a community of people in Norwich who are definitely feeling the need to honour the memory of the journalists, police officers, and civilians who lost their lives.

“We believe that they deserve a place on as many media platforms as possible. Also, it is important for us that the English media show that this killing not only led to a number of unnecessary deaths, but also put European society and freedom of speech at risk: what is left to do if we cannot laugh at controversy?

“We want to show that the French and English people of Norwich are part of another peaceful movement of insubordination, and that we are not ready to accept censorship and a dominant thought.

“We also want to give the Muslim community our support in this time of need – when a lot of people will unfortunately attack them for what these Islamist radicals did to us, and to their community”.

Tech companies across the world have also shown support for “Je suis Charlie”. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, condemned the attack, while Google donated £195,000 to support the magazine, and Apple currently displays ‘Je Suis Charlie’ on a banner on their French website.

Mark Zuckerberg, in a post published on his personal profile page on Friday morning, called for a rejection of “extremists trying to silence the voices and opinions of everyone else around the world.

“A few years ago, an extremist in Pakistan fought to have me sentenced to death because Facebook refused to ban content about Mohammed that offended him”. He continued: “we stood up for this because different voices – even if they’re sometimes offensive – can make the world a better and more interesting place”.

Stephen Fry, who studied at City College, Norwich, has also called on the world to publish Charlie Hebdo cartoons as a sign of defiance against the attacks. He wrote: “show them the pen will still flourish when their guns have rusted”.

World Cafe event to return For the fourth year in a row, UUEAS is bringing back its annual World Cafe event, where ethical and environmental societies at UEA network and gather members. This year’s event will include workshops from People & Planet and New Internationalist.

There will also be stalls featuring groups from the wider Norwich community. The event will be in the LCR on 28th January, from 17:00 – 21:00.

Rooster Teeth Society approved by Union Council Illustration: Asia Patel

COMMENT Geri Scott asks how student newspapers should respond to the attack on Charlie Hebdo

J

e suis Charlie” has become the phrase adopted by those wanting to show support for the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in the days following the attack on their offices in Paris, resulting in the death of 12 people. For student media, the relationship to Charlie is summarised

by Doug Saunders of The Globe and Mail who said: “The fluorescent-lit offices of Charlie Hebdo, every time I’ve visited, have resembled nothing more than a student newspaper on production night: a helterskelter of crumpled papers, cigarette butts, half-full wine bottles and stubble-faced guys trying to think of something funny on deadline”.

For those of us who spend a lot of our spare time volunteering in student media, this is a picture that’s quite familiar, most student newspaper offices look, feel and smell the same. Plenty of student journalists will also identify with the defiant nature of Charlie, and aspire to the edgy, fire-starting topics to which Charlie is drawn.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that many student newspapers have felt the need to rush ahead with an article or editorial

covering the attack, to stand in solidarity with a publication which they feel an affinity to. But when professional, international media sources such as the BBC, or the New York Times, are grappling with the correct way to report the atrocity, it couldn’t be clearer that “je ne suis pas Charlie”; I am not Charlie and neither is the wider student media. So how should student media respond, if at all?

As an, albeit inexperienced, journalist, this latest atrocity struck a particular chord with me; I struggled with finding a way to approach the Charlie situation with the appropriate amount of emotion and the professional amount of distance, and debated over whether Concrete should report on the happenings at all. In the end, we felt that reporting on the actions of the press and asking one of our most talented illustrators to respond in a way which reflects the art of those who lost their lives, was the most respectful way to proceed.

Student media should respond by continuing to ask questions and challenge those around them, even when the scoops may not be very exciting, and realising that in many ways we are lucky to operate within a sphere which supports rather than buries opposing ideals; you’ll rarely see more confusion-inducing views than in the opinion pages of a student newspaper, or a medium in which debate is more encouraged, and that is an ideal that Charlie Hebdo stands for; solidarity in freedom of expression.

At its final meeting of the term on 11th December 2014, Union Council voted to approve “Rooster Teeth Society”, which aims to bring together fans of the media production company Rooster Teeth. The society’s application was the subject of much debate, but councillors ultimately voted to approve the society by 25 to 17 with 16 abstentions.

Union Council votes to oppose restrictions on student housing At its 11th December meeting, councillors heard and backed a proposal from Welfare, Community & Diversity Officer Holly Staynor which opposed local government proposals to restrict the number of student houses in the city. The motion was prompted by a Norwich City Council consultation on what the council’s policies should be towards “Houses in Multiple Occupation” (HMOs), which are mostly occupied by students. One option being considered is a blanket ban on all HMOs; a second would limit HMOs to 20% of housing; a third would allow the council to ban HMOs in a certain area; and a final option would aim to build housing specifically for HMOs, rather than converting existing housing, and adopt a citywide accreditation and licensing programme.

Staynor’s motion urged Norwich City Council to adopt the fourth option.

Union Council is the representative body of the UUEAS. It decides policy and holds student union officers to account.

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Union announces election timetable

News Student union launches campaign against sexual harassment

Elliot Folan News editor Nominations for the Union of UEA Students (UUEAS) elections are set to open on the 19th of January. Five full-time officer positions and thirteen part-time positions are up for election.

The full-time officers are paid a wage of £18,000 a year, and have responsibility for managing the student union on a day-today basis; for collectively making executive decisions; and for leading the union’s campaigns.

Part-time officers work on a voluntary basis, and have the responsibility of representing specific groups – such as women, LGBT+ people and ethnic minorities – as well as campaigning on specific issues such as ethics or the environment.

The paid positions up for election are Campaigns & Democracy Officer, Undergraduate Education Officer, Postgraduate Education Officer, Welfare, Community & Diversity Officer and Activities & Opportunities Officer.

The part-time positions up for election are the LGBT+ Officer, Women’s Officer, Ethnic Minorities Officer, International Students’ Officer, Disabled Students’ Officer, Mature Students’ Officer, Ethical Issues Officer and Environment Officer. There are also four “non portfolio” officer positions, the roles of which are determined by the winners’ manifestos.

In last year’s election, an average of five candidates stood for each of the full-time positions and average turnout was 16.6%.

Nominations open on Monday 19th January and close on Friday 20th February. Training on campaigning and manifestos will be provided in week seven. Students interested in becoming a union officer can start their nomination process by visiting ueastudent. com/stand.

UEA’s Vice Chancellor, David Richardson, in the “It’s Never OK” video, filmed by UEA:TV for the campaign Photo: UEA:TV

O

n the 12th January 2014, the Union of UEA Students launched a new campaign, led by the Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer, Holly Staynor, and Women’s Officer, Dolly Ogunrinde. The Never OK campaign, which focuses on creating a campus safe from sexual harassment, uses visuals that are set to challenge the perception of sexual

harassment on campus.

In tandem with the campaign, the Good Night Out project was also launched at the Returners’ LCR club night on Saturday.

This follows on from a one-day workshop in which 200 members of student bar staff, security and managers received new training to ensure students have safe, harassment-free nights out. The hope is

that students will feel safe approaching staff and knowing that their incident will be dealt with the upmost respect.

Later in the semester, the campaign will invite clubs and society committee members to take part in consent workshops in relation with the Dean of Students to further expand the initiative.

Amy Rust

81% of students don’t think degrees are worth £9,000 a year Kathyrn Fox News reporter A recent survey conducted by the Student Money Saver website has found that a large majority of students in the UK don’t consider their degree to be value for money.

With 75% of institutions now setting blanket fees of £9000 across all of their courses, 82% of the students surveyed believed that the highest fees did not correlate with the quality of their degrees.

The majority of the students actually valued their degrees far lower, opting for between the £2000 and £6000 mark instead.

What the research did not question was whether, with hindsight, the students would still have undertaken their degrees. Looking back at research conducted by the Telegraph in 2013, only 58.4% felt that their degree

COMMENT Having never had more that eight contact hours a week during my three years at university, it is questionable where I am benefitting from my £9,000 tuition fees being spent. With no subsidisation of course texts, materials or printing, in comparision with the largely subsidised

wasn’t worth the full £9000 a year.

Furthermore, 86.2% would have been willing to enrol in university again. These students would have been the first students to be hit by the fee hike, finishing their first year.

Yet only a year and a half later, these attitudes have changed significantly. It is possible that this is due to the change in teaching hours as university progresses. Some students would argue that as the amount of contact time drops, the fees should drop representatively.

Whilst the majority of the students surveyed in the Student Money Saver research were ultimately optimistic that their degree would increase their earning potential, a significant portion did not believe that they would ever earn enough to fully repay the cost of their fees.

With the upcoming general election in May, the cost of university in the future could be open to further change. science course materials and printing, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify how the university spends the tuition fees of arts’ students.

Students would better benefit from an itemised breakdown of how their tuition fees are spent, something which universities are unwilling to provide.

Helena Bradbury

Students march against £9,000 tuition fees in 2010. Photo: Wikimedia, Michael Shaw

News

University undergraduate recruitment falls in 2014-15 Elliot Folan News editor Recruitment of undergraduate students at UEA was lower in 2014-15 than in the previous academic year, university statistics have revealed. The university says it had planned for this eventuality, and that the shortfall has not adversely affected its finances.

Figures produced annually by the Planning Office show how many students are registered as attending UEA. The most recent report, published in December 2014, seemed to show that undergraduate recruitment was nearly 5% lower than the previous academic year, and that this could have left the university with a substantial financial shortfall. However, the Planning Office has explained that some students were not included in last month’s figures because their registrations were delayed. Updated statistics will be provided at a later date.

Financial documents from a meeting of University Council, the university’s decisionmaking body, on 1st December 2014 stated that student recruitment was “lower than forecast” across multiple schools, and that some schools were having “financially challenging year[s]”.

All other budget information was redacted.

However, a UEA spokesperson said that the lower recruitment has not left the university with a financial deficit, commenting that: “The number of new undergraduates coming to UEA in September 2014 was lower than the previous year, but this was not unexpected and was planned for”.

Despite a drop in recruitment at UEA, the Ucas End of Cycle Report for 2014 found that many providers of higher education have accepted more students in 2014-15 compared to 2013-14; 62% of providers reported an increase in recruitment.

It is currently uncertain whether it is a reduction in applications or greater discernment on the part of the university that places it out of step with other higher education providers nationally. But the university spokesperson did say that UEA

Increasing number of A Level students miss predicted grades

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Amy Rust News reporter Students studying for their A Levels are less likely to achieve their predicted grades compared to those studying four years ago. A new report by UCAS has found that in 2014 18 year olds who were predicted ‘ABB’ were 34.7% less likely to achieve their predicted grades than students in 2010. For those predicted AAB, the proportion attaining ABB or better fell from 58.4% in 2010 to 46% in 2014, a 21.2% drop proportionally.

The End of Cycle report also found that more students who were predicted BBB were entering ‘higher tariff’ universities. 35% of

34.7%

Photo: Flickr, University of East Anglia “took the strategic decision to recruit only students of the highest quality to maintain a high entry tariff”.

With Ucas applications for the 2015/16 academic year due for submission in just

two days time, the university is optimistic about its performance: “Although the current application cycle is ongoing for September 2015 entry, the demand for places at UEA is already looking extremely positive”.

The percentage of 18-year-olds who were less likely to achieve ‘ABB’ compared to 2010.

those students gained a place at a university with higher entry requirements, compared to 11% in 2011.

That said, the report concluded students rarely achieved better than their predicted grades. This research comes as the top selective universities are increasingly accepting students with lower grades than required.

In August of last year a record number of applicants were awarded a place at university.

However, some universities lowered their grade boundaries for students that had just missed out of the top grades. Universities also added 100,000 extra places last year due to increased demand. However, although the number of individuals applying to university is rising, UCAS went on to state that the growth in higher education is now coming from new interest in vocational courses and BTECs. This trend is set to continue with the 2015 results.

May’s plan to evict international graduates blocked by senior Tories Megan Baynes News reporter A proposal by the Home Secretary, Theresa May, that would have required internationalstudent graduates to leave the country at the end of their course and then reapply for a new visa in order to return, has been blocked by senior members of the Conservative party.

May pledged the harder line on international students as a move to bring down net migration figures. She hoped to have the policy put into her party’s election manifesto, and then to have it implemented by a Conservative-majority government in the next parliament.

However, in a move led by the Chancellor, George Osborne, senior Tories have torpedoed the proposals. One senior Conservative said: “We have a policy that international students can stay when they graduate if they find a graduate-level job paying £24,000 a year. That remains the policy”.

The current system allows students from outside the EU to stay in Britain for four months after the end of their courses, and if

they get graduate jobs they can then switch from student visas to a work visa.

A senior Home Office official said that abuse of the system was fuelling net migration, and May has admitted that the government is unlikely to met David Cameron’s target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands by the next election.

£24000

The amount that international students must earn to qualify for a work visa.

This proposal can be seen as a move on May’s part to combat this.

The Home Secretary argued that the projected increase in student numbers will be unsustainable unless the majority leave when their student visa expires. However, in April it was revealed that the number of overseas students taking up places in British universities has decreased by nearly 5,000 in one year: the first fall in 29 years.

In a Times article last month, David Willets, Universities Minister, wrote: “There

is a global trend for more students to study abroad. We should aim to increase our share of this growing market.

“But if we implemented the latest idea from the Home Office for new restrictions on overseas students, we would not only miss this golden opportunity – we would be acting in a mean-spirited and inward-looking way”.

Stela Glakousaki, International Students’ Officer at UUEAS, told Concrete: “Already, international students are given only four months of post study visa, when the average time for home students to become employed is six months. May’s proposed policy, in my eyes at least, is unethical. International students are only welcome when they can boost the economy, by spending thousands of pounds on their education and personal expenses.

She added: “I think it is more likely to affect the interests of masters students.

Because they come only for a year, there is not enough time to improve their language skills, so they are at a disadvantage compared both to international students that have done undergraduate degrees in the UK and to home students”.

Photo: Flickr UKHomeOffice

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Global

O

n 15th December, a lone, heavily armed, Islamist gunman, Man Horin Monis, entered a coffee shop in Sydney’s Central Business District, taking all eight employees and ten customers present as hostages.

The siege lasted for approximately 16 hours, climaxing in a fire fight within the café between New South Wales security services and the lone gunman. An event that was captured by countless news cameras and broadcast live to televisions, laptops, smartphones and tablets across the world.

The central and public location of the attack ensured that such news reporting was possible; news reporters saw the story developing in front of their eyes. However, so did the general public; the population of Sydney were watching a crisis unfold and were seemingly helpless to do anything about it; and as on many occasions in recent years, this is where the social networking spheres came into their element.

The hashtag ‘#illridewithyou’ dominated social media both during and immediately following the café siege as a show of solidarity between Australians and their Muslim compatriots who may have been scared to travel alone through fear of violence in retaliation to the events in Sydney. The trend was sparked by the experiences of Facebook user Rachael Jacobs who encountered a young Muslim woman who had felt it necessary to remove her hijab on a train immediately following the attack. Jacobs comforted this young woman and encouraged her to continue wearing her religious attire free from worry, as Jacobs intended to accompany her along her journey in order to protect her from verbal or physical attacks. Upon her return home, Jacobs encouraged fellow Australians to follow suit and accompany any Muslims who may feel unsafe. The tagline was mentioned 150,000 times in just four hours and was endorsed by public transport associations across Australia as well as in other major world cities. #Illridewithyou thrived off a sense of community, teamwork and camaraderie that had been born out of disaster and panic and gave the general public a sense of opposition; a way of seemingly counteracting the evil that had surrounded them.

Similarly, the on-going responses to the atrocities surrounding the journalists at Charlie

Obama claims the US is now less racially divided – but is this true?

Cameron Sparkhall Global writer “Change is coming to America”. These were the words that stood out during Obama’s victory speech at Chicago in 2008. These words can be interpreted in many different ways, from an ideological shift within America, away from the dominant right-wing rhetoric, to another interpretation that racism within America is in the past and that America is now in a ‘post-racial’ state. Stanley Elkins presented an argument back in the 1950s that the violent history of slavery has still had an effect on certain institutions within the US; we can even see today that racism is present within the police force and the judiciary.

In a speech to the White House press corps on the 19th July 2013 President Obama mentioned that “violence that takes place in poor black neighborhoods around the country is born out of a very violent past in this country”. There was obviously a concern

Photo: NYDailyNews

TWITTER versus TERROR Caitlin Doherty examines the power that social media has in shaping global movements here on the issues of race within the United States. However, recently President Obama claimed in an interview that the US is now less racially divided than it was back in 2009.

The nation-wide protests on the incidents that took place throughout 2014 say otherwise.

Barack Obama is the first black president of the United States. From this alone we can see the lengths to which America can be seen as ‘post racial’. Along with this, the gradual removal of affirmative action programmess over the years can show both interpretations of equality and inequality among race relations. For instance, it can show the much higher employment and equality of minorities and confidence therefore to remove the programmes.

On the other hand it could be argued that by reducing the affirmative action programmes it has expressed the views of the elite to discriminate against minority rights.

When looking at the unemployment of African Americans it has been consistently double that of whites within America for the past six decades according to a report back in August 2013 by Drew DeSilver. When looking at this and the other socio-economic disadvantages faced by African-Americans the removal of affirmative action programmess should not have occurred, discrimination is still present within America. This is evident in the amount of stop and searches on African Americans which are carried out by the police.

During the 1990s there was an attack on welfare from the right wing by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Newt

Gingrich. The attack on welfare particularly harmed single African American mothers and there is still a sense of shame about being on welfare today, not just in America but also here in Britain. Used as a form of scapegoating to distract from the ever more damaging white collar crime such as tax avoidance and the diminishing worker rights within both America and Britain.

Efforts have been made to try and curb police brutality. For example, the Obama administration put forward $75m on body cameras for 50,000 police officers to help deter undesirable behaviour when arresting civilians after the unrest within Ferguson in 2014. This measure was too late, body cameras should have been used far earlier, at least back in 2012 after the Trayvon Martin shooting.

There was really no need for Obama to issue a statement claiming that the US is now less racially divided because it is obviously not the case. Obama is now part of the executive and the policy-makers within the administration, it could therefore be seen that he is blind towards racism that occurs within the poor neighborhoods.

Mychal Denzel Smith, who writes for The Nation, Photo: Flickr, Barack Obama argues

Hebdo this week in Paris have also signified the sense of solidarity achieved through social media. Just as was true in Sydney, 24 hour news culture partnered with Twitter ensured that the news was delivered to our pockets as and when it happened, and allowed for immediate protest against the attempted silencing of free speech through the trend of ‘#JesuisCharlie’. Just like in Sydney several weeks previously, outrage and opposition to the ideals of the extremists was the prevailing message; the hatred was being thwarted.

Both the Sydney and Paris attacks were examples of the growing number of ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks, those being undertaken by individuals or a small group, acting of their own accord in the name of a cause; generally with a religious or a political motive. In recent months there have been instances of lone wolf attacks in Ottawa, and Sydney as well as the European cities of Nantes, Tours, Dijon and Brussels in the lead up to Christmas.

These attacks are in great contrast to what Western Society had grown to expect in relation to terrorism over the last 15 years, most memorably the acts of barbaric mass murder at the hands of Al-Qaeda in New York, London and Madrid, and perhaps such contrast holds the answer to the success of social media campaigns in response to these events.

Social media is perhaps the greatest builder of community; millions of people can connect in a matter of minutes, as long as they have a smartphone in their pocket. The communities that are created by Twitter and Facebook span the planet, generating some sort of a fighting force; a sense of international union in opposition to the actions of the radicalised individual or group. Something that is greater than the violent individual or several individuals develops; something that was previously impossible thanks to the sense of anonymity and unknown scale of terror organisations.

The sentiments and responses which have been witnessed on social media as a result of recent crises can be defined perfectly in the words of a Charlie Hebdo journalist that were recently circulating the networks: ‘L’amour plus fort que la haine’ – love is stronger than hate. As Islamophobic sentiment builds in the wake of these attacks, the spreading of this message is all the more important. for a ‘conscious raising’ of white America and that the system needs to change completely not just reform. Maybe that’s what the answer is, to change the system to root out the deep racism that occurs within these institutions.

The forecasts for the 2050 census have predicted that whites will become the minority within the United States, what will this say about racism for the future? President Obama is seen as an icon of ‘post-racial’ America, but icons don’t represent reality.

Median US household net worth

White $110,729

Asian $ 69,590

Hispanic $7,424 Black $4,955 Data from CNN money

Comment

Ellen Musgrove reflects on why it is crucial to speak out when you’re stuggling Page 8

The paradox of overachieving Concrete’s Editor-in-Chief, Geri Scott, writes about the downside of overachieving as a way to prove yourself to others.

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don’t know how you do it” is a phrase I’ve become quite accustomed to hearing the last few years. It’s usually brushed off with a giggle and the excuse of “lots of coffee and not much sleep”. The truth is sometimes I don’t know how I’ve done it either, and that’s not boasting or a humblebrag but more a testament to the occasional state of my mental health, that sometimes I’m not sure how I’ve held it together when the to-do list seems unattainably huge.

I had always been an ‘overachiever’, whatever that term really means; a ‘gifted and talented’ student since childhood, Head Girl at secondary school, a person who likes everything just so and always has a plan A through to E just in case. That doesn’t sound all that bad, huh? Not until I realised that the reason I wanted these things wasn’t for personal achievement, but that I had an addiction to external validation. This is the reason that overachieving is so paradoxical, you spend your time being absolutely selfish and working on yourself to all appearances, only to be extremely sensitive to the desire

to please those around you, to impress them.

Like any addiction, you build up a tolerance, in this case to praise. Therefore, each goal that you reach doesn’t satisfy anymore, and builds up to something better next time, ultimately becoming unachievable. In short, you set yourself up for a fall.

This addiction to the validation of others is dangerous in itself for the reason that it masquerades so successfully at being about personal development and achieving your own targets. But it becomes even worse, because this emotional pattern is effectively self-defeating, owing to the fact you lose an authentic sense of self in favour of reaching the dizzy heights that you think others expect of you. It becomes a situation in which your self worth is defined by your successes and how they are perceived by others.

The result of this is that you never end up totally satisfied; even when you hit a big milestone you can’t stop to enjoy it and savour your achievements. Instead you’re thinking about how you could have done better, picking apart the scene thread by thread and

immediately setting the next ambitious goal.

Plans start to fall into place instantaneously because the ‘next’ accomplishment - (and trust me, it’s the real thing this time, it always is!) - will be the one that finally makes you feel good about yourself, the one that means

caring about achieving, but the eventual burnout that inevitably affects Type-A, perfectionist, workaholic people made me stop in my tracks, I had hit a brick wall and I’d hit it hard. It wasn’t through choice that I came to a standstill, but through physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. I wanted to carry on but my body was saying no, it wasn’t letting me, there wasn’t any energy left to give.

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you’ve made it, you can relax after this one and take a break.

As it turns out, I had become addicted to being busy, which resulted in an overwhelming feeling of guilt when I wasn’t doing something I deemed productive and worthwhile. Guilt both to others who I felt expected something of me, but also to myself as I felt I was cheating myself out of being the best I could be: “you’re better than this” was the mantra I’d cruelly tell myself over and over if I hadn’t finished what I’d wanted to that day.

It would be a lie if I said I had stopped

hockingly, the world didn’t implode as I expected it to. I begrudgingly slowed down and I was forced to set smaller goals. I weaned myself off the addiction I had to external validation and being crazy-busy and focussed on balancing doing what made me feel good with what I felt was necessary.

On a friend’s recommendation I read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now over the summer and took from it a passage; “There is nothing wrong with striving to improve your life situation... Your life situation consists of your circumstances and your experiences. There is nothing wrong with setting goals and striving to achieve things.

The mistake lies in using it as a substitute for the feeling of life, of Being. The only point of access for that is the Now”.

Very slowly, gradually, and with a lot of resentment and regret I came to realise I was wasting the now. Then, seemingly all at once it clicked into place, as if a light had been turned on in a pitch black room, that you don’t have to kill yourself to prove yourself, and the only one you need to prove yourself to is you.

with their messages.

This time around the decision is not how we wish to start, but one of how we wish to continue. The country is still very much healing the wounds inflicted by the banking crash and the spending cuts which were needed, despite their savage nature, so the ideas which the parties will pitch to us will be trying to put distance to the past five years of economic policy, whilst reminding us that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

All things considered, it is not surprising, that Nick Clegg has chosen to appeal to those who might wish to see another coalition, in the hope that it might deliver a similarly tempered government, which accepts its limitations and gets over party differences quickly. It certainly tackles the threat which faces the Liberal Democrats from the rise of other minority parties such

as UKIP, the SNP and the Greens. It may also prove to be a strategic battle to focus on regaining some of the ‘protest’ votes which the Lib Dems have lost since being in government, rather than battling it out with the Conservatives and Labour. It definitely highlights just how ignorant they are being when they seem to treat these parties’, whose support is growing all the time, as an inconvenience at best, whilst assuming that their support will return soon enough.

No matter what the papers, radio or broadcasters say, this election is still a very long way off, and politics is possibly one of the most uncertain entities in modern society. To quote Commander Samuel Shore from possibly one of the best children’s programmes of all time, Stingray: “Anything can happen in the next half hour!”

“I was forced to set smaller goals”

Concrete’s Election Countdown

Photo: Flickr, Philip Heyward

Comment editor, Joe Jameson, kicks off Concrete’s coverage of this year’s general election.

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he general election is just around the corner, and yet, we have been very much thrown into the deep end. Political pundits say that this will be the longest election in history, so is no surprised that the rhetoric and name calling has already begun, but what is more crucial is that it will be one of the most important elections in living memory. 2010 was a landmark election due to the hung parliament, and the creation of the Lib-

Con coalition, however, 2015 is the more important election, because the nation has to decide whether it believes that it has to swallow George Osborne’s medicine.

It is a shame, then, that the election has got off to such a petty start already, with the tit-for-tat game of point scoring being played out between the Conservatives and Labour over the issue of unfunded spending commitments. This shows that these parties haven’t been paying attention to the political mood of the country, no longer are the majority of voters convinced that the choice at an election is simply down to Tories or Labour, the thrust of UKIP’s outsider argument is resonating through the electoral demographics and the more that the ‘established’ parties bicker amongst themselves, the more likely it is that the public will become less and less enamoured

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Comment

Elliot Folan on the use of mental health slurs in colloquial language

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s someone with mental health issues, anxiety, autism and probably a degree of depression, I’m very used to a level of discrimination and stigma around things that are a feature of my life. Autistic people are stereotyped as having “no empathy”, or as being weird, obsessive or hyperintelligent. Anxious people are told to stop getting so worried – as if it were that easy – and to calm down. People with depression are told they’re not really depressed, and that they’re not depressed unless they’re sad all of the time. Even more generally,

“Overt discrimination and stereotypes aren’t reinforced by overt hatred” people with mental health issues of all kinds are stereotyped as being dangerous, lonely, scary, violent and even murderous.

But the overt discrimination and the stereotypes aren’t reinforced merely by overt hatred. It’s reinforced by the constant, everyday use of mental health terms, mental illnesses and disabilities to refer to everyday situations – and specifically, to refer to bad ones. People will joke about being bipolar, or “OCD”, or depressed, or autistic – what they really mean is they are having mood swings, or like cleaning, or feel sad, or were direct or rude. They’ll call things “crazy” or “insane” when they mean unusual, strange and weird.

People seem to think doing these things are harmless, but they’re not.

In the first instance, when people take a mental health issue and use it to refer to an everyday, inane feeling, they trivialise its importance and make it harder for someone to seek treatment. Constantly associating the word “depression” with “feeling a bit sad” means that people who have depression will try and convince themselves they don’t have it. Constantly associating autism with a lack of

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alking about mental illness is a thorny subject. It affects a lot of people on a very intimate level. Mental illness affects a person’s personality, thoughts, mind-set and behaviour. With this in mind, people often brand an individual on the basis of their mental health and state: “you are bi-polar” instead of “you have bi-polar”.

Whilst a mental illness affects so many areas of an individual’s life it is important to remember that they never ‘are’ their mental illness. Stating that someone ”is depressed”, “is bi-polar” or “is schizophrenic” means that you are defining them by an illness, something that is out of their control. Having bi-polar disorder is not a lifestyle choice.

When talking about mental illness it is incredibly harmful to define a person by their mental health. They are not “bi-polar”; rather they are currently suffering with bipolar disorder. They are not “psycho” but are instead experiencing symptoms of psychosis.

People are much more than their illness.

In defining someone as “psycho” or “bi-polar” you are suggesting that they are nothing more than an illness. A person’s mental health is only one facet of their personality and experiences.

Defining someone solely on the state of their mental health is reductive in that it fails to consider all the other facets and dimensions of an individual’s beliefs and experiences that they may prefer to be defined as. We should not define someone as “bi-polar” in the same way as they may define themselves as a

empathy, or with being nasty, leads logically to media outlets automatically describing bigoted and hateful mass murderers as “autistic” in an attempt to mark the killers out as not like “ordinary” people. Using such language over and over again, making these associations, just reinforces harmful stereotypes that make it hard for mental illnesses to be taken seriously. It also makes society afraid of people like me.

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n the second instance, people constantly using “crazy” and “insane” to describe things they think are unusual, strange, weird or bizarre just means that society continues to associate “mental illness” with “weird”. It means that being mentally ill comes to be associated in people’s minds with being strange or weird, making it harder for mentally ill people to seek treatment and support from the people around them. It makes it harder for people to accept that they are mentally ill, because they don’t want to be associated with such stereotypes. It reminds mentally ill people that those who use such

“Being mentally ill comes to be associated in people’s minds with being strange or weird” terms think our existence is a joke. That’s not a pleasant thing to be reminded of.

So please. We need to stop using “crazy” when we mean strange or unusual. We need to stop using “insane” when we mean excited or emotional. People must stop using mine and others’ illnesses and disabilities as toss-away phrases to describe quirks of their personality. They may think it has no consequence, but it does, and it impacts on us. The words we use have power; they always have and they always will. So please use them responsibly, and don’t reinforce ableism.

The pressure of academia Students often ignore syptoms of mental illness, and commonly put their emotions down to the cycle of their education. This needs to be addressed, says Chris Donaldson.

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umans routinely take themselves to the edge. We indulge in drink, drugs, extreme sports, frequently in copious quantities, but more often than not it’s work that stresses us out. Students are no exception.

Anyone who visits the library observes the constant ebb and flow of stressed students.

In the winter and summer months the library overflows with people at their wits’ end or high on caffeine; going through states of quiet sobbing and manic laughter at the stupidity of it all.

We’ve all been there. If you haven’t I congratulate you on your ability to work effectively and control your neuroses. You are a robot. Yet that spaced out feeling you can only get when it’s nearing three in the morning and you’ve eaten nothing other than M&Ms since dinner, is one most of us can relate to.

While many of us promise ourselves that we will never self-inflict such torture again, it is very hard to actually break out of such a cycle when caught in the midst of deadline season.

The passing thought of why I was doing this to myself was brief. Maybe it’s different for you. Why do you act like you do? Are you anxious about your grades? Or your intellect compared to your friends? Are you overworked and trying to juggle too many things at once? Or has the hub just screwed up and put all your deadlines on the same day? It’s different for everyone but the result is the same; more and more students finally say enough is enough. Either they take a break and try to relax; many people I know do this through drink or drugs, few, if any, go to counselling. More and more people are being affected by mental health issues at university, often fuelled by the pressure to succeed academically while feeling isolated and alone.

I was diagnosed as being clinically depressed shortly before my 21st birthday. To be honest it was a relief. Now I had a name to describe these unfamiliar feelings of lethargy

and hopelessness. However I soon realised that the word depression had a certain weight associated with it. The brief feelings of relief faded, overcome by worry and confusion.

Friends and family suddenly had worried looks on their faces. I felt the same, was there something on my face?

The word depression is weighed down by stigma like many other mental illnesses; bulimia, schizophrenia, sexual addiction.

These words fill some people with fear of the unknown fuelled by their own ignorance. I can admit that I knew very little, if anything, about depression before I experienced it first hand. I knew it made people feel sad, and in extreme cases take their own life, but I knew little else.

Particularly that those who experience mental health issues are often misunderstood. They don’t want to be tiptoed around or seen as weak and unable to cope with the trials of life;

“This time around the decision is not how we wish to start, but one of how we wish to continue” they just want a bit of support, a break and the feeling of being loved. Don’t we all want that?

I was open about my experience and a peculiar thing happens when you are; people open up. Suddenly all your friends and family knock on your door and confess their mental health issues. You think about opening a clinic. They tell their own stories of mental distress and manic behaviour, and how they suffered in silence. Something they have kept locked up for fear of looking weak is finally OK to be said, out in the open. This is a state of openness that we need to achieve in all areas of society, not just in our living rooms, if we can hope to extinguish the stigma around mental health and the people who suffer from it.

We need to stop defining people by their illness Jodie Snow examines the negative impact of the way in which language is used around mental health. “pacifist” or a “conservative”.

Viewing mental health as a choice is where many people go wrong. No-one wakes up and decides that they will have bulimia or schizophrenia in the same way as no-one wakes up and decides they will have measles or the flu. The understanding of mental health as within an individual’s control is damaging.

It perpetuates ideas that people who suffer from depression can simply “snap out of it” and “try harder”. Mental illness is not an active choice and a person cannot snap out of depression in the same way that they cannot snap out of cancer. There needs to be a stronger understanding of the way in which mental illness is indeed an illness.

In a society where all we seem to do is talk about what is right, or politically correct, to say and what is not, how we talk about mental illness is the last frontier and should still be

considered as important and not ‘political correctness gone mad’. It is this statement alone that proves why how we talk and view mental illness should be a concern. Why is “mad” necessarily a bad thing? What even does it mean for something to be “mad”?

Mental illness has long been ostracised and other-ed to the point where people still call patients in a mental institution “inmates” and describe them as being “released” instead of “discharged”. We should not talk about how things “go mad” and are “crazy” as it dehumanises the people that suffer from a mental illness and underplays the seriousness of a mental illness.

Only through teaching and calling people out on using these terms will they, and the culture of ignorance they create, end. It is important to remind ourselves that people are so much more than their mental health.

Image: Wikimedia, van Gogh

Comment

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espite growing awareness about mental health, as a topic it generally remains taboo. Verbalisation of destructive thoughts is avoided; it interferes with the façade of a society in which the modern lifestyle surely equates to contentment. It is viewed as weakness, or melodrama. Mental illness is surely absurd in a well-off society with people starving on the other side of the planet. And yet, with a quarter of British people experiencing mental health problems each year, such attitudes are not only incorrect, they are toxic in their subsequent shaming and censorship.

I have had my share of mental health problems. Depression, anxiety and anorexia nervosa left me reeling at the end of A-Levels, unable to complete the first year of a degree at Queen Mary UL, and struggling with ongoing physical and psychological symptoms. I am still not comfortable with discussing these issues openly. Nonetheless I reached out to my family, and then to doctors and therapists.

Not everyone is so lucky in their support networks.

The fact of the matter is that you cannot piece your mind back together until you accept that it is your responsibility – and entirely within your ability – to do so. This is not the same as self-blame, which is dangerous and counter-productive in perpetuating the conditions a mental illness thrives in.

Accepting responsibility is acknowledging that there are aspects of yourself which only you can change. It is tempting to view mental illness as being innate to your character, inescapable and unchangeable. However it is a physical illness just as an infection is, and can be managed on several levels such as medication, meditation, and cognitive behavioural therapy to name a few.

One essential aspect of recovery is the ability to reach out, to voice your problems.

to external help. Therapy is an education, working similarly to seminars in that there must be input from both the teacher and pupil if substantial progress is to be made.

Each mental illness sufferer follows their own journey of recovery. I relied solely on therapy for three years, afraid to turn to medication because of the potential side effects. Eventually the help of friends talking openly about their own experiences, combined with worsened anxiety symptoms, led me to try medication. It was in fact one of the best decisions I have made; another string to my bow rather than the life-altering hindrance I feared.

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It’s okay to ask for help Ellen Musgrove reflects on why the best course of action when suffering is to seek the help of support services, friends and family, but that the first step comes when you admit that you can help yourself.

This is not easy when mental illness is taboo, nor when a disorder itself thrives in secrecy. It took several years of therapy and familial support to allow me to stop feeling like I was a victim of my own unchangeable characteristics, that I was innately broken and

warped. Initially I felt as though it was the job of my therapist to fix me, but eventually realised that I can direct my own thoughts. I can decide whether a situation is going to be a positive experience, and that is something every individual can learn by opening up

should stress again that I have been extremely lucky. UEA provides excellent support systems, and in particular I have benefited from weekly sessions with an amazing mentor through the Dean of Students office. I still have moments when I resent needing help in maintaining my mental health, but nobody benefits from the role of fundamentally broken lone wolf. It might look glamorous on-screen to be a fucked-up artist or off-the-rails anorexic, but the reality is lonely, ugly, and saturated with despair.

Students are extremely vulnerable, living without their families probably for the first time. First year can be extremely fun, but also extremely lonely. There is pressure to put on a brave face, to prove it’s all good, you’re having the best time and can keep up with everyone else. It’s okay to be exhausted, lonely and homesick. If things become hard to bear, there are resources such as Nightline, the medical centre and the DOS. There’s nothing to gain by going it alone. In fact - and trust me on this one - reaching out could make the difference between getting through your degree or not. There’s all that and more to lose in suffering silently.

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An extra pair of eagle eyes is always welcome!

Get in touch with Helena and Frances on concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk

union news to receive this as an email direct into your inbox every week, or to read the digital version of this, register at www.ueastudent.com

Never OK Sexual harassment campaign

As part of the Unions ongoing work on creating an environment free from sexual harassment for all UEA students, we are launching our new Never OK campaign.

Never OK aims to challenge misconceptions around sexual harassment, and provide support and guidance on where to seek help. This campaign is in partnership with UEA Dean of Students, and Sexual Assault Awareness Campaign student society. We have trained all our bar staff, shop staff, and security staff in how to effectively deal with incident reporting of sexual harassment on campus, to ensure that every student can feel safe and assured we will deal with complaints seriously.

How can you get involved? Today we are officially be launching the campaign on www.ueastudent.com/neverok. We want as many students to share the campaign video, take part in the survey, and help create a campus free from sexual harassment.

The time to take part in the SU Survey is now! With this survey, we hope to learn more about what the Union’s members, all UEA students, think about their Union. We’ll use the information collected to transform into what you want us to be. To say thank you for completing the survey, we are offering you the opportunity to enter a prize draw. There are 5 prizes to be won: 1 x £100 and 4 x £50. Scan the code to take part.

LIVE! HIGHLIGHTS > MONDAY Pub night @barSU > TUESDAY Foolish Fashion @LCR > WEDNESDAY The Social Karaoke @Blue Bar > THURSDAY Wildfire - EDM Club Party @LCR > FRIDAY Club Retro @LCR > SATURDAY Meltdown @WF A List @LCR > SUNDAY Big Pub Quiz @LCR Hayseed Dixie @WF FREE FILMS Tuesday Films of Culture and Liberation: The Lunchbox starting 7pm, LT3 Sunday Box Sets DOG DAY starting 12 noon, LT2 POSTGRAD EVENTS THIS WEEK > MONDAY Football > WEDNESDAY Tea & Coffee social > THURSDAY Badminton

Transforming Teaching Awards 2015

This year we are launching our very first Transforming Teaching Awards! These awards celebrate the most outstanding student support by teaching and support staff. It’s your chance to say thank you to the people who are transforming you teaching. Nominating is quick and easy, and the winners will be chosen by students. Head to ueastudent.com/ transformingteaching to nominate today.

Features

2014

Susannah Smith runs through the new years’s resolution you’ll wish you’d made Page 13

Photo: Wikimedia, CDC Global

The good, the bad and the ugly

Alice Mortimer takes a look back over some of the most influential, heart-breaking and down right disturbing moments that happened over the past year.

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nd here ends another year 2014 you’ve been thoroughly satisfactory. Whether you’ve had a good, bad or ugly year yourself (spending time in the LCR has definitely contributed to the ugly), it’s a chance to look back at a year of popular culture, politics and news, and reflect on what 2014 has kindly, or in many cases not so kindly bought us.

Let’s start with the good: Gay marriage legislation After the legislation to allow same-sex marriage in England and Wales was passed back in 2013, in March of 2014, it finally came into force, and in December took effect in Scotland. There is still a long way to go regarding equality but this seems to be a huge stepping stone in making same-sex love equal.

Emma Watson and feminism Harry Potter actress turned fashion icon Emma Watson signed up as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, and in September delivered a speech at the launch of the HeForShe Campaign in New York. Here she talked of the need for men to play just as much of a role in ending gender inequality as women, stating that it is a human rights

issue, not simply a woman’s issue. Since the speech, over 26.5 thousand men in the United Kingdom alone have taken the pledge online to “take action against all forms of violence and discrimination faced by women and girls.” Hogwarts must be proud to have her as alumni.

Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad: Ebola epidemic in western Africa After many controlled outbreaks in the past, 2014 saw the first epidemic of the Ebola virus, with over 8,000 deaths across West Africa. A delay in action by the World Health Organisation, extreme poverty, poor healthcare systems and mistrust of government, have all been blamed for the lack of control of the disease. As well as in West Africa, there have also been cases in the United States and in Spain, but these have not spread. Recently there has also been an isolated case here in the United Kingdom. We wish for better health in 2015.

Death of Robin Williams In August, we heard the heart-breaking news that American actor and comedian Robin Williams had died. Remembered and loved for his role as Mrs. Doubtfire, the voice of the Genie in Aladdin and many other childhood favourites, Williams reportedly hanged himself as a result of his mental health issues. He will always be remembered as a comedy genius and childhood hero, his death reinforcing the fact that it is often those who give so much joy to others, who struggle the most themselves.

And then there’s the ugly: The year of the butt We like big butts and we cannot lie. This year saw celebrities embracing their big behinds in raunchy music videos (my anaconda don’t) and balancing champagne glasses on their

bums (do not try this at home, trust). Kim Kardashian attempted to ‘break the internet’ through posing completely naked, and most famously with her widely-discussed and widely-sized butt in full view. Meghan Trainor was ‘all about that bass’, but got criticised for the lyric ‘skinny bitches’ which contradicted the song which should have been about the celebration of all body shapes and sizes. Can’t deny that the tune’s catchy though, right?

Katie Hopkins was still there After being exceptionally irritating on many This Morning interviews throughout 2013, ‘columnist’ turned tedious television personality, Katie Hopkins, was still milling about ready and waiting for something to get her trending. This year she starred in her own documentary whereby she purposely put on nearly four stone (there is a scene of her crying at the thought of having to eat donuts, nutter), so she could lose it, thus to supposedly prove how easy it was to not be ‘fat and lazy’.

As if her ‘obesity experiment’ wasn’t idiotic and controversial enough, Katie then wanted to be part of the Ebola discussion.

After hearing about the diagnosed nurse in Scotland, Katie used twitter to pick on “little sweaty jocks”, adding that “sending us Ebola bombs in the form of sweaty Glaswegians just isn’t cricket”, charming!

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here were many more good, bad and (especially) ugly things that occurred in 2014. I hope in 2015 we can expect further efforts in finally conquering the many inequalities still present in our society; we can have good health, helping those in bad health; and… I’m not even going to pretend that Katie Hopkins will stop being a twit – some things in life we just have to accept will stay the same year upon year!

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ey, wake up. Don’t you remember?

It’s 2015! Can you believe it? A new year means a new you, right? So, after you’ve separated your face from the sticky carpet, scraped your aching bones into an upright position, popped a few paracetamols, and quietly stepped over the sleeping bodies of whichever house you might’ve found yourself in, you’re inevitably going to sit down and consider making a resolution.

You might choose to go to the gym.

Perhaps you’ll decide to save more money.

Most likely, you’ll vow never to touch alcohol again. In any case, the New Year’s Resolution is an age-old tradition that a surprising amount of people seem to abide by; but, according to the NHS, 90% of us won’t be able to stick to our promises.

This failure on a national scale seems to suggest that making a resolution is a little bit pointless. Why should we bother making them if we’re not going to stick to them? In theory, they’re an opportunity for self-reflection, a chance to view your life from the perspective of a fresh start, to tidy up the loose ends and generally better oneself. But, in practice, they tend to last for about a day, or maybe a week if you’re really committed. Why do we seem unable to change?

Well, let’s begin by looking at some of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions. Coming in at number one, there’s lose weight. Then, it’s getting organised. In third, we’ve got spend less, save more. And, in fourth: enjoy life to the fullest. Now, these rankings come from statisticsbrain.com, which uses data collected from Americans, and not Brits – but I think it’s safe to say that these types of resolutions sound familiar, right?

But then, in reading those top four, it becomes obvious as to why nobody fulfils their resolutions – they’re almost painfully wish-washy. Who could possibly live up to the promise of getting organised? What does that even mean? Same goes for living life to the fullest – have I spent all these years living life at half-capacity?

Even the more realistic resolutions like

Feat

New year, new you Luke Brett on the reality of the new year’s resolution.

Illustration: Ana Dukakis

A

t the start of every year we ritualistically make promises to ourselves, usually little things to make us ‘better human beings’. Personally, my New Year’s resolution every year is to stop biting my nails, but within the first few weeks (days) of January my nails have been gnawed back down.

New year’s resolutions are always in this same style; some of the top ten resolutions according to twitter were: “work out”, “be happy”, “lose weight”, and “love myself”.

These vague, mundane promises are such a boring way to start your year. This year I want to spice up your resolutions, so here are some amazing and bizarre New Year’s resolutions.

Let’s start the year with a sense of adventure and not with depressed obligations you know you will break.

Susannah Smith takes a look at...

Become a mermaid Take a trip to Sirenas Mediterranean Academy in Tarragona, Spain, where anyone can become a mythical sea creature. It’s a fantasy many have had since Daryl Hannah sexily stepped onto Liberty Island and this year you could resolve to leave your legs behind and learn how to be a proper mermaid, tail and all.

Becoming part of that world is now easy for anyone of any age or gender.

The New Years resolutions you’ll wish you’d made

Prepare for the zombie apocalypse Many holiday companies offer courses and experiences based around getting you ready for the dawn of the dead. Fight the spread of a new zombie virus or take a combat course to teach you to fight the zombies and test if you would survive WWZ. This year could be the year the zombie finally limps out of fiction and onto our streets, so why not prepare yourself now?

Photo: Wikimedia, flydime

Win a worm charming competition

That is correct, the Cheshire town of Willaston has held the annual Worm Charming competition since 1980. Governed by the International Federation of Charming Worms and Allied Pastimes, competitors can only ‘charm’ the worms from the ground through music and vibrations, not by digging them up. Costing just a pound to enter, why not join this bizarre competition? You may discover a new talent.

Take part in the world’s biggest food fight New Year’s resolutions should be brag worthy and participating in La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain, is an event you’ll never forget. Held at the end of August, La Tomatina is part of the festival of Buñol and involves a crowded square being showered with tomatoes. Messy and manic this event will be a highlight of your year.

Contribute to a museum – and help heal from a bad relationship Of course only put this on your list of resolutions if it applies to you, but the Croatian Museum of Broken Relationships could help you start afresh this New Year. A museum dedicated to failed relationships and how to recover positively from them, it’s a heart-warming and fascinating project.

Become a wizard If you’re a Harry Potter fan you can now take your fantasising to the next level and attend Czocha College of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Image: pixabay Poland. Travel to

losing weight and spend less aren’t concrete enough to abide by. How much weight should I lose? Does spending a pound less on lunch mean I’ve succeeded and can go back to buying gold-plated toilet seats? Of course not – which is why, on their website, the NHS advise some degree of specificity.

They recommend that you avoid waiting until New Year’s Eve to make your resolution and that you should break your goal into a series of steps. However, this then raises another important question: does anybody actually care about resolutions that much?

It’s entirely possible that the insincerity of new year’s resolutions is a well-known secret, with a veil of enthusiasm kept up only for tradition’s sake. Let’s be honest: who’s going to put that much thought and dedication into their resolutions? Well, you may say, maybe I to use the new year to turn over a new leaf and get things on track, and that’s great, go for it – a new year is a great time to implement some necessary drastic lifestyle change.

But, if there’s nothing glaringly obvious that needs sorting, why should we put ourselves under the pressure of living up to these empty promises? In fact, I completely forgot about resolutions until someone asked me what mine were – and even then, I hardly thought twice about it. I think I pledged to write more or travel places, then promptly forgot about resolutions all over again until this article came up for writing. This proves (in my mind, at least) the total fluff that resolutions have become.

The solution, then, is a change of focus. As commitment is the obvious issue, we should all lower our standards and choose something that can be achieved in the short-term. This year, my resolution is to go to the shop and buy a packet of biscuits, or this year, I promise to take a nap and try to get rid of this awful headache. It could be a whole new style of self-improvement. That way, we’ll all be satisfied, we’ll live up to the NHS guidelines, and 1st January will suddenly become the most productive day in history. It’ll be a resolution revolution. the incredible castle and study to become an Auror, Curse Breaker, Healer, Magizoologist or The Unspeakables. Students are sorted into houses, attend classes, eat in a great hall and are provided with robes.

Have a blind meal Take a trip to Dans Le Noir? a restaurant in London where food is served in complete darkness and where all the waiters are blind.

Embark on a “sensory journey helping us to re-evaluate our perception of taste and smell” and choose from a surprise menu of either seafood, meat, vegetarian or the chief’s choice. Not only will you come away with a better understanding of the blind but with a new appreciation for food.

Travel back in time Perhaps dressing up and role play have become more popular recently, but reenactment societies appear not to have benefited, despite being in need of young, new talent. Norwich has its own re-enactment society specialising in the 14th Century Edwardian campaign against the French. This could be an odd new hobby for the New Year.

See your face on the big screen If this year you want to challenge yourself and perhaps gain a little bit of stardust, why not sign up to UniversalEXTRAS. You could mingle in the crowd while famous actors sip coffee or walk down a street. New Year’s resolutions should be fun and exciting and acting in a proper movie probably tops the bill.

tures

13

Oh so quotable

Making the most of your final semester at university

2014 was a year of many memorable moments. And with memorable moments come memorable quotes. Indeed, the funniest, most ridiculous and most inspirational quotes originated from the most iconic moments of 2014 – and some are just too funny not to include! So, in no particular order, are the very best quotes of 2014.

“Is it called bread or toast when it’s not toasted?” Tamara Ecclestone A classic query from professional daughterof-rich-person Tamara Ecclestone. Putting aside the clue provided by “toasted”, Ecclestone has raised a valid point regarding semantics… Actually, no, she hasn’t.

“I have realised that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. This has to stop” Emma Watson It seemed inappropriate not to touch on the more iconic, inspirational turns of phrase from the past year. Watson’s speech at the UN this year put a new lease of life into the campaign promoting gender equality. The threats about releasing private photos of Watson only made her voice stronger, and the campaign all the more important.

“Where’s north London?” Amy Childs A classic here from professional celebrity Amy Childs, and a legitimate question if you can’t find any geographical clues in the name “north London”.

“We did a whole lot of things right, but we tortured some folks” Barack Obama True, President Obama, very true. Sure, we illegally tortured terrorism suspects to gain information which the torturers themselves questioned the reliability of, but hey no one’s going to jail for it. We cool.

“He won’t be able to watch Sky or X Factor” Katie Price on the imprisonment of Rolf Harris Very true Jordan. That is what jail is like, that’s almost certainly the first thing everyone notices on arrival. And he’ll miss season 12 of Being Katie as well. God forbid.

“The world is literally about to blow up!”

Lindsay Graham, Republican Senator for South Carolina.

Literally.

“This attitude of churlish indifference seems like nerdish deference contrasted with the belligerent antipathy of the indigenous farm folk, who regard the hippie-dippie interlopers, the denizens of the shimmering tit temples, as one fey step away from transvestites” Russell Brand I looked up every single word in the dictionary and I am none the wiser. What are “shimmering tit temples”? Answers on a postcard. Thanks.

“I feel much stronger after the attack that I endured, because I know no one can stop me, or stop us, because now we are millions, standing up together” Malala Yousafzai accepting her Nobel Peace Prize Yousafzai is an icon in the fight against terrorism. Her words beautifully sum up what the rest of us think. If she survive an attack such as the one she did, then nothing can stop her from achieving what she’s set out to do. Of all the quotes, this is the most powerful.

Compiled by Sam McKinty

Photo: Flickr, Thompson Rivers

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very September, thousands of innocent, wide-eyed freshers arrive at UEA ready to embark on a new stage of life. For most of us, living away from home allows us to gradually learn skills that will be useful for life: money management, time management and how to use a washing machine. But coming to university is about more than just learning how to live off pasta and value tins of beans. It’s about discovering new places, meeting new people, and gaining the qualifications that will, hopefully, help you to climb the career ladder after graduation.

Unfortunately, three years really isn’t as long as it seems when you turn up in freshers’ week. Before you know it, you’ve reached your final semester and it really doesn’t seem like five minutes since you started. But what if you do only have 12 weeks between you and the real world? Here are five tips to help you make the most of university before you head off to pastures new.

1

Spend time with your friends. No doubt you’ve met countless new people at UEA, from your flatmates in first year to your course friends to those random people you got talking to in the LCR queue. Sadly, even if you’re planning on staying in Norwich next year, chances are many of your new best friends won’t be. This means that now is the time to pack in as much socialising as you can and make plans for how you’ll keep in touch after graduation. Skype, Facebook and a 1625 railcard mean that meeting up with friends, even those in other parts of the country, is easier than ever.

2

Speaking of socialising, one perk of student life that we will all surely miss is that valuable student discount. We all know how satisfying it is to get 10% off a new pair of jeans, or a free cheeseburger at McDonalds. Unfortunately, unless you are planning on staying in education, you’ll soon have to say goodbye to that glorious discount,

Romy Higgins on doing what really matters during your final semester at university. so make the most of it now (though avoid your overdraft; that’ll soon be disappearing too).

3

Although UEA is a campus university, you’ve likely become very familiar with Norwich over the past few years, and since it is a bit of a trek for most of us to get to, it’s possible that you might not visit again once you’re living elsewhere. So now’s the time to explore this great city, with its castle, cathedrals, shopping and proximity to some of Norfolk’s best beaches.

4

UEA is one of the best universities in the UK in terms of student satisfaction, and this is partly down to the numerous facilities that provide support to its students.

If you haven’t already, now might be the best time to pop down to Career Central to get some tips on your CV and job hunting. The Dean of Students office is also available for advice on stress and work management as exam period looms nearer, and can also give you tips on budgeting and money matters, which will be vital once you start working.

Photo: Will Cockram

5

Finally, and most importantly, don’t let all this socialising and exploring get in the way of your course. You came to UEA to work hard and gain a degree, so make time to attend all of your classes, complete assignments and meet with your lecturers and advisers if you need help. Their help can be valuable not only for passing your modules, but also for finding opportunities after university.

Whether you can’t wait to leave university, or you’re in denial about having to move on, follow these tips to make the most of your time left at UEA, and come graduation you’ll be glad you did.

Photo: Wikimedia, Mark Oakden

14

Science&Environment

Many cancers caused by bad luck Caroline Little Science&Environment writer Everyone has heard of the risk factors associated with a higher chance of developing cancer – tobacco, alcohol, hair dye, the contraceptive pill, obesity and UV radiation from the sun to name just a few. However, a recent study from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has found that nearly two thirds of cancers could be attributed to just “bad luck”. By this they mean that random mutations accumulated in the cell by chance occur in genes that can drive cell growth, leading to cancers.

Even the remaining third of cancers which are attributed to random mutation are not necessarily linked with lifestyle choices.

Other causes can be viruses, which inject their DNA into our cells. This foreign DNA inserts itself randomly into our genome. If this happens to be in a gene that suppresses a cells ability to become cancerous, it can switch this gene off, leading to cancer. There is also the heredity element – genes passed down through the family which make an individual more susceptible to some cancers (heredity in breast cancer is a well known example of this).

None of this means that we should throw caution to the wind and ignore the risk factors. Lifestyle choices like not smoking, not drinking and keeping a healthy weight do not guarantee you a cancer free life, but they do stack the odds in your favour. These risk factors do also help explain why some cancers are more common than others. For example, in the UK there were roughly 44,000 patients diagnosed with lung cancer and 41,000 with bowel cancer, opposed to the 9,000 with kidney cancer and 9,000 with brain cancer within the last year. The lungs and bowel are exposed to many more toxins and hence cells are more likely to become cancerous. Brain and kidney cancer are still in the ten highest incidence, so there are many more cancers with even less cases than this.

There is another reason why lung and bowel cancer could be among the highest incidence, and that is again down to ‘bad luck’. These tissues are rapidly dividing tissues, as the lining of the lung and the bowel is replaced constantly to repair any damage caused. The greater number of dividing cells

COMMENT Andrew Charlwood asks whether drug prohibition really saves lives.

O

ver the winter break, four men died from taking what they thought were ecstasy pills; three of the men were from Suffolk. Recent information on these pink, so-called “Superman” pills has confirmed the presence of the toxic chemical PMMA (para-methoxy-N-methylamphetamine), instead of the recreational drug MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine).

Antibiotic dry spell may be over Jacob Beebe Science&Environment editor

A scanning electron micrograph of apoptotic HeLa cancer cells Photo: Wiki: NIH means that errors and mutations that occur during cell division are much more likely.

While the risk factors associated with cancer may not be the primary cause attributed to cancer development, they

still play a hefty role in your likelihood of developing cancer throughout your lifetime.

Just being alive means we are rolling the dice with this disease, and there is no reason to play with loaded dice.

PMMA has been known to be lethal at doses as low as 50mg, whereas the pills recently found in East Anglia are reported to contain 173mg, resulting in very dangerous, lethal pills.

According to the Concrete Drug and Alcohol Survey 2014 (available at issuu.com/ concreteuea), nearly 30% of all students who took the survey had taken MDMA. This makes it the second most popular drug at UEA, only beaten by cannabis. With these statistics in mind, it is worrying that there is not more information available on this particular drug in order to reduce harm.

Deaths linked to PMA (para-methoxyamphetamine, or its lesser-known sibling PMMA in this case, through ingestion of ecstasy pills happen throughout the year. Luckily, it’s relatively uncommon, with government statistics showing that during the time that 425,000 people aged 16–59 took ecstasy, there were only 20 deaths linked to PMA/PMMA in the UK. PMMA acts in a similar fashion to MDMA, but is ten times more toxic, and effects are felt far later than would be with MDMA. The implication of this is that people may think that the pills they are taking contain a low dose of MDMA, and take more. If the pills are filled with PMMA, this can quickly lead to a toxic overdose.

But why are these chemicals found with ecstasy? As you can imagine most drug dealers don’t see a benefit in killing customers: that’s just a bad business model. PMMA and PMA are produced by performing the same steps used to create MDMA, but on a different starting material.

MDMA is produced with safrole, a chemical that was restricted by the UN in 1988, causing illegal drug manufactures to try

“Maybe it’s time we look into the drug policies in the UK” legal alternatives. Anethole, derived from aniseed, seemed like a possible substitute.

Using the normal MDMA synthesis on this chemical produces the deadly chemicals PMA and PMMA. The real danger for users lies in the fact that home testing kits cannot detect PMMA when present with MDMA. This means that a positive result for MDMA does not provide the user with any information regarding the presence of the toxic chemicals. In the case of the pink “Superman” pills, no MDMA was present. Had the users used an ecstasy test kit, they would have seen the pills did not contain MDMA, and may have avoided

Researchers have discovered 25 new antibiotics after developing a new technique for growing bacteria. Bacteria are abundant in soil – most of the bacteria currently used to make antibiotics are from the soil – but previously only a very small number could be grown in the laboratory. However, using this new method, it is thought that scientists will be able to grow nearly half of all soil bacteria.

This new method involves a device with many “rooms”; each for a single bacterium, which when placed in the soil allows the permeation of unique soil chemical conditions whilst limiting the bacterial motility. These microbes then produce chemicals that can be analysed for their antimicrobial promise.

These newly discovered antibiotics are the first to come to light since 1987, highlighting how significant the drought has been for new drugs to tackle infection. One antibiotic in particular that has shown great promise- is teixobactin. Tests have shown it is toxic to gram-positive bacteria with no mammalian tissue damage. It is also effective enough to clear MRSA from test mice. It works by targeting cell wall fats in the bacteria with a slim chance of resistance and it is soon to enter human trials.

Dr James Mason from King’s College London said: “It’s impressive what they’ve done. From one soil sample they’ve found one new antibiotic, and their approach opens up a new route to a huge number of potential products. One of the most exciting aspects is that a vast array of new bacteria can be screened”.

Prof Mark Woolhouse from the University of Edinburgh said: “What most excites me is the tantalising prospect that this discovery is just the tip of the iceberg.”

This is a very significant step forward because with microbial resistance becoming more prevalent, we are running out of effective drugs to combat them. This could lead to many previously treatable infections becoming impossible to cure. It is therefore vital for research such as this to be one of our foremost concerns moving forward in medical science. taking them. The only way that PMMA can be confirmed when in combination with MDMA is through analytical machines.

But how can we prevent harm from a chemical if the average user can’t easily detect it? One option popular in the Netherlands is the availability of services where drugs can be tested without fear of prosecution. In the UK, The Warehouse Project in Manchester offer in-house drug testing aiming to provide information to the public about potentially dangerous pills. A more radical approach to providing safe drugs could be the legalisation and regulation of MDMA, promoting education about safe use, with pills sold with exact doses.

The drug war has been ongoing worldwide for decades, but since records began in 1996, there has been little change in the number of people aged between 16 and 59 using any class of drug. Furthermore, in the US the proportion of drug addicts has remained largely unchanged since 1970, yet the ‘War on Drugs’ has cost the US Government an estimated $1.5 tn in the past 40 years.

Maybe it’s time we look into the drug policies in the UK, and decide if they are actually beneficial to our society, or if it’s just an ongoing failure.

Science&Environment ‘Jumping Genes’ may explain Schizophrenia Abigail Gallagher Science&Environment writer Schizophrenia is a lifelong mental health condition affecting 460,000 people in the UK. With the exact cause unknown, the finger has long been pointed at genetic predisposition interposed with environmental risk factors such as prenatal infection, obstetric complications and marijuana abuse. However, how these environmental factors interact with the human genome remains to be seen. A Japanese study has proposed a new mechanism for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia that has the potential to solve this scientific mystery.

The team led by Dr Kazuya Iwamoto from the University of Tokyo and Dr Tadafumi Kato from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have

460000

The number of people in the UK who are affected by Schizophrenia

postulated that retrotransposons, stretches of DNA with the ability to travel around the genome, may modify the expression of genes related to schizophrenia.

As the most common cause of psychosis worldwide, schizophrenia can affect the lives, careers and relationships of its sufferers. Schizophrenics typically experience hallucinations, which manifest primarily as the hearing of voices especially echoing thoughts

or the presence of a constant third person commentary on daily actions.

Additionally the condition can cause delusional perceptions; for example schizophrenics may equate normal everyday events with wildly elevated significance.

Hallmarks of chronic schizophrenia include under activity, low motivation, social withdrawal and self-neglect.

Known colloquially as the ‘jumping genes’ retrotransposons are DNA sequences that have the ability to change position within the genome, occasionally creating or reversing genetic mutations. One class of retrotransposon, LINE-1, makes up approximately 17% of the human genome and is believed to play a role in the development of many diseases, including cancers.

The human brain has been shown to harbour a greater concentration of LINE-1 retrotransposons than any other region of the adult body; indicating involvement in brain activity. The study aimed to investigate LINE-1’s role in the context of schizophrenia.

The researchers demonstrated that LINE-1 copies are elevated in the post-mortem brains of patients with schizophrenia. Increased LINE-1 levels were also found in pluripotent stem cells taken from schizophrenic patients.

Furthermore, animal models indicated that environmental factors disturbing early neurodevelopment, such as infection and inflammation, increase LINE-1 concentration in the brain.

Finally whole genome sequencing revealed that in schizophrenics, LINE-1 DNA within the brain is more likely to insert itself into or near genes related to synaptic function and neuropsychiatric diseases.

These findings suggest increased movement of LINE-1 retrotranposons within the brain’s DNA, triggered by both genetic and environmental factors, could be responsible for schizophrenia.

15 What’s new in science?

Scientists in Canada have create a computer program never makes a mistake when playing poker.

Monkeys can learn to see themselves in the mirror.

Functional tissue-engineered intestine has been grown from human cells.

Scientists have confirmed that the common cold virus prefers cold noses.

Astronauts on the International Space Station have a 3D printer to make a wrench from instructions emailed from earth.

The lowering of the ocean’s pH is making it harder for corals to grow their skeletons making them vulnerable to bioeroding organisms.

Scientists have create precursors to human egg and sperm cells.

A new drug design enhances brain signaling by a factor of 1,000.

Some children are more sensitive to their environments, and the reason may lie in their genes.

Modern genetics has confirmed the ancient relationship between fins and hands.

Astronomers have discovered the precise location of Saturn - to within one mile.

The most recent imaging search by the Rosetta “mothership” can find no trace of the comet probe.

Astronomers have proved that they can deduce the age of a star from how fast it is spinning.

Photo: Flickr: KAZ Vorpal

Photo: wiki: Bradhays89

Come and see us in the Hive on Wednesday the 14th January from 11-4pm for Clubs & Societies Fair 2015

16

Travel

C U B A

A Caribbean dream Photo: Agência Brasil

Myles Earle Travel writer Apart from the countless negative references made by the media, the Caribbean island of Cuba is a lot more than just the exaggerated drug lords you may see on television. This beautiful country, saturated in culture, brings out a joie de vivre to everyone that steps on to its ground.

Bordering the Southern-East shore of Cuba, the azure blue of the ocean adorns the cream beaches of Guardalavaca that make your feet feel like you’re walking on icing sugar. For the casual tourist, Cuba offers some of the most exciting and picturesque places to stay. A fairly short drive to capital, Holguin, would bring you to some of the finest architecture that almost takes you back in time.

The influence of the Spanish colonisation can be seen to this day, specifically in the traditional

narrow terraced houses, with conventionally colourful faces, fenced balconies and windows. It is the colour of these houses that brings out your inner explorer; the brightness of this province, being the third most populated in Cuba, makes you feel as if you’re in a fantasy land.

This becomes even more accentuated with the occasional ‘yank tank’ or ‘manquia’, referring to the American cars of the 1950’s.

With the 1962 United States embargo of any trade with Cuba, it is almost as if they have been suspended in time, and with it the novelty of the 1957 Chevvy can be seen driving down the crowded streets of the province. There is most definitely a breath-taking moment in seeing the past so beautifully maintained and active in our day and age. To top off such an alluring capital, it is also home to the famous Loma De La Cruz, or the Hill of the Cross.

To stand here, overlooking the province, and seeing the hundreds of buildings under the protection

Photo: Gorupdebesanez

of the Cross, is truly a spiritual and awe inspiring feeling. There is warmth that comes from the natural beauty of Holguin.

Of course, to visit Cuba and not visit Havana would be a major travel sin. And, to answer the question that may have cropped up in your head, it is most definitely worth it. A true image of urban living and coastal excellence, Havana is a hub of artistic and aesthetic brilliance. The city breathes a life into the people, making you feel more than just a tourist. Known to be like three cities in one, Havana is home t o the prominent Morro Castle, withstanding over 500 years of passing time. The fortress, which is a must-see in Havana, produces an indescribable feeling of history.

Surrounded by walls that have experienced wars, acquisitions and raids makes you feel even smaller within this vast stone structure. Havana is also home to the internationallyknown cabaret and club, Tropicana. Celebrating its 75th year in 2014, Tropicana is a place to let go.

With a Romeo & Juliet ( a well-known Cuban cigar) in one hand and a Cuba Libre in the other, you would most definitely experience one the greatest nights of your life. Havana is

a dream city.

Talking to the locals, in which some were also employees of the hotels in the area of Guardalavaca, said that the tourism industry is one of the biggest industries in Cuba, moving on from the difficulty that came with the illegalisation of interaction between Cuban natives and visiting foreigners in 1992 to 1997.

However, there is a lot more that meets the rosey-eye whilst in Cuba. Still a Communist state, many of the inhabitants are cut off from the rest of the world. Some of the people who work for these grand hotels find it much bigger than it may seem to us. Being able to watch international television and interacting with tourists mean sthat they are not solely subjected to the state run media outlets, exploring more of the world within the tourism industry.

With discussions and talks between America and Cuba about developing a better relationship, there are high hopes that Cuba’s prosperity will endeavour to increase.

Photo: TraeMikal

Travel

17

Photo: Alex Vanderstuyf

Discover workaway: by working away Dahlia Al-Abdullah Travel writer

Photo: Iijjccoo

As students, many of us find difficulty in scraping up the money to get away. Sure, discount flight companies like RyanAir and EasyJet make it easier to get around the destinations closer to home, but lets not forget hostel costs, food and drink, getting your hands on some beautiful Moroccan pillowcases…the list goes on. Even to volunteer, you can end up spending literally thousands. So is there a solution, and what is it?

This is where I’d like to introduce you to workaway.info, a travel website that is based around volunteers and hosts connecting directly to each other, without all the extra guys stealing your money in between (sorry, it’s true!) In signing up, the company charges you a small fee of £18, which is truly a tiny amount for the experiences you will discover.

This is truly the essence of workaway, giving people experiences and connecting you to

cultures by involving you in them. No longer do you feel like a spectating tourist in another culture, instead you are placed right in to it and get to experience life with locals, like locals.

You begin by identifying yourself as a workawayer, or as a host, the difference being that whilst a workawayer is the one to travel to other people’s homes, as a host you would be welcoming people in to your home. Through signing up I wanted to go out to hosts as a volunteer, and work in a range of different and exciting jobs in their cultures, so I signed up as a workawayer. This meant that I could search through the website and find hosts that suited me. Normally, in their biography (which is available to view on the site, even before you sign up) hosts will mention what is included in their terms of exchange. The majority of hosts I have found on workaway ask for around 5 hours of work a day, in exchange for accommodation and at least two meals per day. Though it may seem like a lot of work, the beauty of the exchange is that not

only do you feel like you are earning your stay, but you can work in jobs that are wonderfully unique in themselves. With no exaggeration involved whatsoever, you can find jobs as diverse as working with a chocolatier in a remote Peruvian town, and teaching guitar in downtown Tokyo. There are hundreds of hosts advertising for volunteers to help them build sustainable, eco-friendly homes, and even more asking for volunteers to assist with English language skills. You don’t even have to sign up until you want to contact hosts, you could log on right now and just have a browse through the website checking out the different jobs. There are a million different experiences on there, which only require a skype exchange and the price of a return flight to reach.

The workaway community is a friendly community, where people from across the world aren’t only looking for someone to help out in their hostel, but the opportunity to learn about cultures from across the world. With a small price to pay and a huge amount to gain, it is totally worth it!

clubs & societies fair 2015 Find out more about the union clubs & societies

Union House

Wednesday 14th January 10am - 4pm For more infomation visit:

ueastudent.com/opportunities opportunities

Lifestyle

To start the new year off in the healthiest way possible, turn to Page 20

Supporting people with their mental health them feel like they are to blame and you don’t want to see them. This doesn’t mean you should wrap a person in cotton wool, but making yourself more aware of how your actions may affect certain people differently can make situations a lot easier for someone with a mental health issue.

However, it may also be helpful to encourage this person to overcome small, manageable obstacles. If they’re worried about meeting new people, offer to join a society with them to lend support, rather than

Bronia McGregor Lifestyle writer Research suggests that one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health issue each year. The symptoms and causes of these issues vary from person to person, however there are a number of things that you can do to make it a bit easier for someone if you think they may be affected by a mental health problems.

If someone confides in you about symptoms they’re having that may be troubling for them, know that it has probably taken that person a lot of effort to come and speak to you. Even if you don’t know what to say, just making sure that your friend knows that you’re there for them to come and talk to when you’re needed can reassure someone suffering from a disorder and is a big step in making them feel that they don’t have to go through it alone. Let the person know that you’re there for them if you’re needed and that they’re not being a burden.

Try to recognise that things that may not seem like an issue for you can be a massive source of stress for someone with a mental health issue. Therefore, having an awareness of things that may increase these feelings is helpful. For example, if someone has anxiety, commenting on the fact that they are a picky eater can make someone feel even more insecure about it. If you know someone who is prone to low moods, suddenly cancelling plans without giving a reason might make

“It may be helpful to encourage someone to overcome small, manageable obstacles”

Photo: Flickr, Josep Ma.Rosell

them facing it alone. If they’re scared about going to a doctor, maybe suggest that you go with them and stay in the waiting room so it seems less daunting. Make sure your friend knows that you’re there to support them.

Most importantly, if you think you know someone who may have a mental health issue and it is negatively impacting their life, encourage them to seek help. There are a number of different methods and treatments medical practitioners can recommend to attempt to make mental health problems easier to live with and the sooner a person seeks help, the sooner they will experience the positive effects.

D

id you know that by the 17th January, most people will have given up on their New Year’s Resolutions? It seems the usual plans to eat properly, exercise more and spend less are doomed to fail. Is this because they are not realistic or sustainable? Or is it because it is the worst time of the year to be considering change?

When we make them we are full of good intentions because after Christmas we feel we have indulged enough to last us a lifetime.

When a New Year beckons we feel we should better ourselves in some way. Everyone is talking or writing about changing, improving, doing more of the right things and less of the wrong. So why by the middle of January have most of us given up?

January is undoubtedly a hard time of year.

Everything can seem sad once the twinkling lights, tinsel and Christmas paraphernalia have disappeared. By the middle of the month we have left the comfort of home and returned to our student houses and accommodation.

We have come back to a world of essays, formative and summative tasks, assessments and stress. Is it any surprise that we fail in our resolutions?

This year I propose that you do not set up resolutions where you will fall at the first hurdle. Instead, have one resolution: to take an attitude of gratitude. Every day, reflect on what you have to be grateful for. It is incredibly easy to keep a journal to note all of your positive thoughts and happy moments in a day.

Many of us choose to focus on things that have gone wrong and do not appreciate the kind words or actions of others. Every day contains good, even if it is something small like the bus driver waiting for you when you were running late or making a point you were proud of in a seminar. As you learn to look for the good in your life and celebrate it, it seems to grow.

It is easy to think of negative things when

Photo: Flickr, Chrisphoto

An attitude of gratitude in 2015 Alice Short suggests a adopting more positive approach to New Years’ Resolutions

you’re tired and stressed, and this is when the attitude of gratitude journal is most useful. By spending no longer than 10 minutes at the end of a day taking note of all the things that you are grateful for, you will sleep better and cheer yourself up. It can be things that have happened to your family or friends too, as what is important is that you are focussing on the positive.

Acknowledging and appreciating what is right in your life is so much better than looking for ways to change yourself. So pick up your journal from a place like ‘The Works’ for as little as £1.99 and start jotting down the things that you have to be thankful for. Let your resolution for 2015 be a new Attitude of Gratitude!

20

Sick of being sick in January?

The best ways to spend your New Year’s Eve

Alice Short Lifestyle writer

Photo: Flickr, Sean MacEntee

The online world of mental health Rebecca Bemment Lifestyle editor Young people can’t really escape the world of social media these days. It’s become an integral part of life to tell everyone how you’re feeling on your status, but does this have an effect on our mental health?

In the old days, if we felt a certain way, then we’d probably call a particular person or write to a friend, but now we open ourselves up to a whole host of people online, from close friends, to complete strangers. So how might displaying our most personal issues to everyone impact on our well-being? The online world literally puts us on the line, and can expose us to the world of bullying which can increase any anxiety we may already be feeling. Perhaps it’s because we’ve become so reliant on the internet that we’re turning less to mental health care professionals and family to help us through whatever issue we may be facing.

Because we mostly want comfort and reassurance from people when we’re at our lowest, how might social media help or hinder us. Of course, our 475 ‘Facebook friends’ are not all going to be our most caring friends, so telling our most personal problem is risky, but as we can tune in and out of the social world of being online, is it less daunting than talking to a professional?

Similarly, blogging sites have become widely popular with people suffering for mental health difficulties. For example, sites like Tumblr makes it easier for people

to share personal experiences in the hope that others may also come forward to share their own issues. This is positive in that it is helping young people to talk about their problems, but also reflects that people find it much easier to admit and confide in the anonymity of the internet. For that reason, we’re probably more likely to share in more detail how we’re feeling and what we’ve done, being more personal in an impersonal space. This suggests that as more and more young people are turning to blogging sites to display issues and to seek help, these sites have become like an unofficial mental health information page.

In one sense, this is incredibly positive, because it gives people the chance to offload their feelings and understand how people in a similar situation are coping. It becomes a shared experience. On the negative side, if the person seeking help is only getting help from reading others’ accounts, these accounts may be distorted as everyone see’s things differently. More than this, the internet can glorify some aspects of mental health like self-harm and eating disorders, making it detrimental to sufferers. It is vital, therefore, that people are provided with official support systems both online and off.

As the internet is ingrained in our day to day life, and google is a comforting source of information to many mental health sufferers, it’s crucial that these needs are met by providing the online generation with supportive and correct information, but that it must not become a substitute for specialised support.

Strawberry and banana smoothie Rebecca Bemment Lifestyle editor

Photo: Flickr, I believe I can Fry

It’s time to get healthy as we come back to the reality of dissertations and exams!

January has always been known as prime time for us students to catch colds and pick up bugs, as we return from our warm homes with wellstocked fridges. Have you already come down with something when we’ve only been back ten minutes? Have you got a sore, red nose from the cheap tissues you’ve been blowing it on? A violent cough that won’t shift? No one wants to be the person coughing and sneezing through lectures and it doesn’t have to be you.

Find out how to stop picking things up around campus and keep fighting fit this January!

Lifestyle soup for dinner? Tesco do a simple Vegetable Soup Mix for £1.25 which makes two pints of soup and all you have to do is add water and a stock cube!

2

Keep your distance!

This may sound like an obvious tip, but if you’re sat next to someone in the library who is spluttering over their work, move away!

If they’re coughing and not covering their mouths, don’t just sit there and let it surround you- move seats. If you do come into contact with someone who is full of a cold, be sure to wash your hands. You can buy Carex’s ‘Moisture Plus Hand Gel’ which kills 99.9% of bacteria and you can take it with you when you’re on the go. At £1 per bottle, it is a small price to pay to ensure you keep well.

3

Get your eight hours…

Getting eight hours sleep can be hard as a student, whether you’re making up for lost time in the LCR after the Christmas break or working hard in the library until late at night. However, the healthiest people around campus will no doubt be reaching (or exceeding) the eight hour goal. Sleep is vital if you want to avoid catching the dreaded bugs and colds going around- so make some time for it!

Hopefully, armed with these set of tips and some determination, we can all have a happy and healthy spring semester!

1

Boost your diet!

Don’t fall into the luring trap of Domino’s ‘Two for Tuesday’ because you can’t be bothered to prepare your dinner. Also, try to avoid indulging in the copious amounts of chocolate and biscuits floating around postChristmas. Treats like these may seem like a good idea at the time but ultimately leave you feeling sluggish and with lower immunity.

Eating healthily can help protect your immune system and put you in a better position to fight off infections. Why not try a warm vegetable

Photo: © Tomas Castelazo www.tomascastelazo.com

Minestrone soup Rebecca Bemment Lifestyle editor Soup is a cheap meal during the cold days of Winter and is a good way to achieve some of your five-a-day! This recipe serves quite a bit, so you can put it in the fridge or freezer for another day.

Smoothies are perfect for breakfast, and you can make lots to save in the fridge so you don’t have to make breakfast when you get up in the morning! It’s the get up and go you’ll need for those busy days on campus.

Ingredients 100g spaghetti, broken up into small pieces 350g mixed frozen vegetables, or fresh vegetables 400g tin of chopped tomatoes 1 vegetable stock cube, made to instructions 4 tbsp of pesto Olive oil Grated cheese to serve

Ingredients 6 frozen strawberries ½ cup of orange juice 1 banana 1 cup of plain low-fat yoghurt Method In a blender, combine all the ingredients for around 20 seconds, give it a mix and then blend for a further 15 seconds.

Photo: Flickr, I Believe I Can Fry

Method First, bring the stock and the tomatoes to the boil. Next, put in the spaghetti and cook for around 6 minutes or until almost cooked. Then add the veg and bring back to the boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes until everything is cooked. Add to a bowl that is drizzled with olive oil and pesto and sprinkle over the grated cheese!

Photo: Flickr, Fimb

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22

Sport

James Newbold Sport editor

W

as Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton a deserving winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award? Whoever you ask, a different response is proffered. Many favoured runner-up Rory McIlroy, having won both the Open and PGA titles, as well as playing a crucial role in helping Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup, while Jo Pavey’s 10,000m gold at the European Championships, aged 40, less than a year after giving birth, also attracted high praise.

The debate could go on forever, but to argue that Hamilton was an unworthy choice to succeed the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Andy Murray because he drove the fastest car, or as self-styled football philosopher Joey Barton claimed, because he is a tax exile, is frankly ridiculous.

In any case, having the fastest car is no guarantee of glory; just ask Hamilton circa 2007, when he conspired to throw away a 17-point advantage in the final two races with a pitlane blunder in Shanghai. He had to rely on a healthy slice of luck to deprive Felipe Massa of the title in 2008, but no such accusations could be levied at him in 2014, as Hamilton found another gear in the second half of the season to win five races on the trot.

That the title would fall into his lap in Abu Dhabi when his closest rival Nico Rosberg hit problems is largely academic in the grand scheme of things; Hamilton had already won the psychological battle following their high profile clash at Spa, which saw the German openly pilloried by Mercedes bosses.

Rosberg was a worthy adversary, becoming the first team-mate of Hamilton’s career to outqualify him over the course of the season with ten poles to Hamilton’s seven. But Sunday is where the points are

“Hamilton found another gear in the second half of the season” decided and it was here that Hamilton’s superior racecraft shone through; he had no right to keep Rosberg at bay in Bahrain and in Hungary, but did so with aplomb on both occasions.

Hamilton was furious with Rosberg’s qualifying faux pas in Monaco which perversely prevented him from challenging for pole, but channelled his frustration in a positive direction where the temperamental Hamilton of a few seasons ago perhaps might not have. By and large, Austria and Brazil apart, the mistakes we have become accustomed to seeing from him were few and far between in 2014; rather it was the usually unflappable Rosberg who allowed wins to slip through his fingers in Italy, Japan and the USA. Having finished runner-up in both 2007 and 2008 to boxer Joe Calzaghe and cycling legend Chris Hoy, this was truly the year that Hamilton transcended to greatness as he became the first British double-champion since Jackie Stewart.

McIlroy’s day will surely come, but for now, let Lewis enjoy his moment.

Photo: Flickr, Manu Foissotte

Thierry Henry retires: a tribute Will Hunter Sport writer When running through a list of the greatest foreign imports to grace English football, a few names automatically spring to mind.

Cristiano Ronaldo deserves immense recognition as the only Premiership-based player to be named FIFA World Player of the Year, whilst Eric Cantona was the catalyst for Manchester United’s dominance for the past 20 years. Yet Thierry Henry, who announced the closure of a glittering career in December, has legitimate claims to be declared the greatest player the English game has ever seen.

Henry’s retirement is an announcement that has been greeted with much weeping and gnashing of teeth across North London.

For all his immense achievements in football (a treble winner with Barcelona, World Cup and European Championship medals with France and his country’s all time record goal-scorer), his name will forever be associated with Arsenal.

Yet his success at Highbury had initially been far from guaranteed, having arrived in 1999 under a cloud after an unhappy spell at Juventus and appearing ill-equipped to fill the considerable void left by Nicolas Anelka’s departure to Real Madrid. When he failed to score in his first eight games for his new club, Arsene Wenger’s gamble

to convert the winger into a centre forward appeared to be doomed to failure. Then he netted a scorcher against Southampton and never looked back.

Henry’s statistics, achieved in the most competitive league in football, make for astonishing reading; seldom has a player in the English game maintained such impossible standards for such a length of time. On four out of five occasions between 2001-2002 and 2005-2006, he won the Premiership Golden Boot and became the first player to retain the PFA Player of the Year Award, yet such impressive statistics utterly fail to capture the majesty of Henry in full flight.

He was a primal force of nature, an astonishing combination of speed, power, close control, intelligence, movement and lethal finishing from varied distances and angles, equally capable of scoring a scruffy tap in as he was a screamer from outside the box. His tendency to drift out onto the left wing and link up with Robert Pires was one that caused right-backs across the land to psychologically keel over. As his compatriot Lilian Thuram said, “no defender in the world can keep up with him”.

Critics of Henry tend to dismiss him as a flat-track bully. It is true that his legs had an unfortunate tendency to turn to jelly in cup finals (his miss in the 69th minute in the 2006 Champions League Final still induces physical pain). Yet it is also notable how

many of his finest moments came against high-calibre opponents. The volley against Manchester United in 2000; the hat trick against Roma in 2002 and the solo effort at the Bernabeau in 2006 all roll nicely off the tongue.

However, the game against Liverpool on a sunny Good Friday 2004 perhaps provides the finest demonstration of Henry at the peak of his powers. With Arsenal knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the same week and losing 2-1 to the men from Anfield, the league season also looked like floundering. Step forward the king. He demolished Liverpool with a breath taking hat trick, the second goal of which makes for sublime viewing in slow motion as the Frenchman weaves his way through the massed ranks of Liverpool defenders who collapse like dominoes before him. Arsenal would go on to the win the game, record a unique unbeaten league campaign and achieve immortality.

He would eventually depart for Barcelona and then New York Red Bulls, although he would pull on the red and white one last time during a loan spell in which he would famously come off the bench to net the winner against Leeds in the FA Cup in 2012. Normally a self-possessed individual, even Monsieur Va-Va Voom couldn’t contain himself as he wheeled away to celebrate with those who welcomed the return of the prodigal son. Long live the king.

Freestyle season brings new opportunities for GB snow sport Joe Fitzsimmons Gaming&Tech editor As January rolls around, it can mean only one thing; snow season is here. With this brings the biggest event in freestyle ski and snowboarding, the Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships. Held this year in Krienschberg, Austria, 2015 marks the first year where competitions of freestyle ski and snowboard will be run alongside each other.

Freestyle, which features the events of slope-style, halfpipe, moguls and cross among others, encompasses contests ranging from speed, big air to trick techniques. The World Championship marks the most prestigious contests in the sport, and the calibre of competitors look to be higher than ever, with competitors from over 45 nations, as well

as over 21 medal winners of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Big names to keep an eye on include mogul skier gold medalist Justine Dufour-Lapointe, a young Canadian who, along with her sisters, dominated the moguls event in Sochi, and Finnish star snowboarder Roope Tonteri, who will be defending the titles for both slope-style and big arms snowboarding which he won in Stoneham in 2013.

As usual, the championship roster looks set to be dominated by the winter sport nations of Canada, Finland, Switzerland and the United States. Nevertheless, Team GB will pin their hopes on Aimee Fuller and Billy Morgan as they look to build on GB’s success in snowboard slope-style in Sochi. The championship also marks the first major competition for 17-year old Molly Summerhayes, a halfpipe skier.

This year, the FIS (Federation International

de Ski) have attempted to take coverage of the championship to a truly global scale. All events of the competition will be available to stream live from their respective YouTube channels to connect with a much wider viewership than offered by a conventional television package.

This is resoundingly good news for British winter sports, as ski and snowboard sports in the UK have a history of being sidelined.

The BBC’s long-running Ski Sunday show aside, winter sports are typically restricted to obscure sports channels listed only in the premium subscription services of Sky and Virgin Media, making it difficult for a mass audience to engage. However, through changing viewer demographics and the rise of the Internet, the FIS has the potential to tap into a new market of curious parties who may not yet have the commitment to pay a premium television fee and hopefully generate greater interest in the sport.

Sport

23

What will be the biggest stories of 2015?

James Newbold and Kat Lucas gaze into the Concrete crystal ball to find out what lies ahead in a momentous year for sport

Flickr: Sum_of_Marc

1

Steven Gerrard Liverpool fans have long known it was coming, but had hoped it never would. So great has been their reliance on Steven Gerrard over the years, the local lad-turned talismanic club-captain, that saying goodbye and drawing a line in the sand after 17 years of loyal service was never going to be easy,. This is particularly the case when he is still capable of the kind of match-winning performances that last week prevented Liverpool from being the subject of an embarrassing FA Cup Third Round upset to enterprising League Two side AFC Wimbledon.

At 34, Gerrard may no longer be the swashbuckling box-to-box midfielder of a decade ago, but his presence on and off the pitch is no less vital. His range of passing and set pieces remain exemplary, while as an ambassador for Liverpool and a link to the past – the sole remaining member both of the 2000/2001 treble winning squad and the miracle of Istanbul in 2005 – his departure will be sorely felt. Gerrard has surely earned the right to continue playing in the MLS, where like Beckham and Henry before him, his class will be self-evident. But will Liverpool be able to cope without their beating heart?

2

Women’s Football World Cup England’s Women will face their first major tournament without Hope Powell in almost 17 years after the popular coach was sacked 18 months ago. Her replacement, the conspicuously male Mark Sampson, is already

under pressure to outdo her, not least because of the controversy courted by his appointment.

Despite claims that Sampson’s presence undermines the values of the women’s game, there are plenty more concerning areas on the pitch that require focus. Everton keeper Rachel Brown-Finnis has called time on her international career, while Arsenal striker Kelly Smith has been in and out of the side due to injury. A 3-0 defeat to Germany last time out will have knocked their confidence somewhat, though that should not overshadow a fantastic achievement in their 100% record in qualifying for the World Cup. The result will no doubt serve as a harsh reminder of the standards they must reach when up against the big sides, especially after suffering heartache in 2013, when they were knocked out of the Euros without winning a match.

3

Rugby World Cup comes to England England will look to the class of 2003 for inspiration as Stuart Lancaster’s young team play host to the Rugby World Cup in the autumn. After a disappointing test series to close 2014, which was ravaged by injuries to key players, February’s Six Nations tournament will be a crucial indicator of their prospects in a mouth-watering Pool A, which also features Warren Gatland’s Wales, and an Australian side no doubt eager to avenge Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal in the final minute of extra time on the Wallabies’ home turf.

Wilkinson’s playing days are long since

over, but the tussle between Owen Farrell (Saracens) and George Ford (Bath) to succeed him at fly-half is likely to be one of the key talking points in the build-up. If England can make their home advantage count, they should not be underestimated and stand a good chance of advancing. Just how far is another matter altogether.

4

ICC World Cup England fans have the agony and the ecstasy of a Cricket World Cup to look forward to. For a large section of the Three Lions’ support, there is more hope of the latter in light of Alistair Cook’s removal as ODI captain, paving the way for his replacement, Eoin Morgan, to usher in a new era for the muchmaligned one-day side.

Once again, the England and Wales Cricket Board appear unsure of their favoured starting XI as the clock ticks down to boarding time for Australia and New Zealand. Nottinghamshire’s wicket-keeper batsman James Taylor should be the biggest winner of 2015, having finally earned a recall to the national side. The weight of expectancy hangs similarly heavily on the shoulders of Joe Root, who will presumably be the favourite for the captaincy should Morgan fail.

in fortunes after years of underachievement.

Without a title since 2007, Ferrari’s persistent failure to provide Fernando Alonso with a car worthy of his talents has seen the Spaniard finally lose patience and depart for McLaren, leaving a Vettel-sized hole alongside Kimi Raikkonen for 2015.

The German was outshone by team-mate Daniel Ricciardo more often than not last year, but he’s not a four-time champion for nothing.

If Ferrari can finally put the pieces of the puzzle into place, we could see Vettel back to his dominant best. Flying the Red Bull nest will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge he has faced in his career to date. Can he win over the Tifosi?

6

Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari 19 years on from Michael Schumacher’s arrival amid Ferrari’s longest ever title drought, Sebastien Vettel will hope that he can be the man to bring the Scuderia a similar turnaround

Derby Day No academic year at UEA would be complete without fuelling the bitter rivalry with Essex on Derby Day. With every sports club across the two universities going headto-head, UEA Pool Club’s Josh Edwards was the hero last year as UEA registered their first away win since 2004.

With the benefit of a home advantage, the Yellows will be favourites to retain their crown this year, with the UEA Pirates American football team having already prevailed over the Essex Blades in the league to retain their unbeaten status atop the BUCS East division.

For comprehensive coverage of the highlight of the UEA sporting calendar, make sure to follow the UEA Media Collective @Concrete_ UEA, @Livewire1350 and @UEATV.

to play for one another and their manager.

Under Lambert, Norwich took two years to lose two league games in a row. If they lost, it was swiftly put right.

Contrast that to this season, where Norwich have lost both home and away to Reading. Adams appeared to have lost his way, and in particular the formula which proved so successful during Lambert’s tenure.

Despite their technical deficiencies, Norwich succeeded because they had a manger who instilled them with a fighting spirit and desire to win, a captain in Grant Holt who led by example on the field and inspired belief to all inside Carrow Road, and a squad willing to fight for the shirt. The Championship’s top two, Bournemouth and Ipswich, are model clubs in that sense and perhaps from this the Norwich City board can learn a lesson.

January will be a huge month for the club as it looks to make up for lost time in getting back to the Premier League. The name Alex Neil has divided the Canary camp, with

some fans citing his lack of experience in England’s top leagues. However the young, progressive Neil took Hamilton from Scottish Championship Play-Off winners to third in the Premiership as of last week and, with a success rate of 55% in two years, it’s hard to argue with that record.

As he beds in, the Scot must be able to extract the best from his players and nurture that desire to play against the best.

Furthermore, any arrivals and departures among the playing staff will also be important.

The last thing the club needs are egotistical players whose priorities lie elsewhere.

Wanting to play in the Premier League is of course a desirable attribute in any player, but they must also want to get there and play in that league for their manager and for Norwich City. Irrespective of the desire to play attractive, attacking football, only with the right mindset amongst the whole squad can Norwich stake a viable challenge to reclaim its place among the elite.

5

New year, new Norwich: Adams resigns Ross Perkins Sport writer The Canaries’ festive period has been mixed to say the least. After the home defeat to Reading in November, Norwich seemed to have turned the corner, embarking on a fourgame unbeaten streak scoring 14 goals as they destroyed Huddersfield and Millwall, and rescued an impressive point against Derby County.

However City’s away fixture at Reading brought the same depressing result as before and their misery was compounded as over 1000 of the Yellow Army were forced to watch their team suffer an embarrassing FA Cup exit at League One Preston North End. Two days later, Neil Adams had resigned as manager.

This left Mike Phelan, Alex Ferguson’s former lieutenant, in temporary charge with 33-year old Hamilton Academical manager Alex Neil set to take over the reins.

Where did it all go wrong for Adams?

After a good start saw Norwich top the table in September, recent results simply haven’t been good enough and, in many cases, neither have the performances. Birmingham, Rotherham, Fulham, Leeds, Forest, Brighton, Reading; no, you can’t win them all, but too many times this season Norwich have shipped points from winnable games. As a result the former Premier League side of three years lie three points adrift of the all-important top six.

Everybody knows that the current side has the quality to get back to the Premier League. Indeed, one triumph before a ball had been kicked in anger was retaining the services of their core Premier League squad, including Gary Hooper, Nathan Redmond, Martin Olsson, John Ruddy and Alex Tettey.

However, having the good players is only half the story.

The 2010-11 team that earned promotion under Paul Lambert was not star-studded, but relied upon their resilience, guile, and desire

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Sport

SPORT

Issue 306 13th January 2015

concrete-online.co.uk @Concrete_UEA ConcreteNewspaper

Flickr: LGEPR

Michael Phelps has admitted to having an alcohol problem after his arrest for drink-driving Flickr: Marco Paköeningrat

Phelps: more than just a statistic

Freestyle snow sports Page 22

The swimmer’s arrest for drink-driving points to a wider issue among retired athletes, says Kat Lucas

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f anyone embodied the phrase healthy body, unhealthy mind in 2014, it was US Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. His towering frame lends itself to his projected image of Nietzsche’s ‘Superman’; but as the philosopher predicted, nihilism has overcome the 29-year-old, who pled guilty to drink driving in October.

Fears have grown about the 29-year-old’s mental wellbeing since quitting the sport.

Though he has been falsely accused of using performance enhancing drugs in the past – chiefly along the lines of his achievements being too good to be true – he has now admitted to having an alcohol problem.

A Baltimore court gave the 18-time gold medallist a one year suspended custodial sentence, as well as 18 months of supervised probation.

Admittedly, Phelps – who had a bloodalcohol level of 0.14% when he was stopped – is far from the first high-profile athlete to suffer with demons after their retirement.

Most notably on this side of the water, former England hero Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne has never been far from the limelight during his ongoing battle with drug and alcohol abuse. Despite recent links to the vacant managerial post at Newcastle United, Gazza has now become synonymous with mental illness, rather than being remembered for his achievements on the field, and he is not alone.

Indeed, following a suicide attempt in January 2012, Dean Windass, who plied his trade as a striker with Bradford and Hull – leading the latter to the Premier League – revealed that sportspeople often find it hard to

come to terms with such an early retirement.

It is only a small percentage that manage to carve out a new career in coaching or commentating on their chosen sport. Amongst the rest, depression and other mental illnesses are common. If anything has been achieved by this latest case of unease, it is that Phelps has become another statistic in the everincreasing plethora of evidence that athletes across the spectrum need more support, both during and after their careers.

Phelps has been suspended from his associations with USA Swimming for six

“Sportspeople often find it hard to come to terms with such an early retirement” months, but his road to recovery may be far longer. Having risen to prominence at a relatively young age, Phelps quickly became the most decorated Olympian of all time.

However, it would appear that that level of success has not come naturally to him, and the trappings of fame have evidently taken their toll.

What makes Phelps’ case worse is the fact that he has been seamlessly cut off by the USA Swimming team, though his former team mates are certainly in a difficult position, feeling the need to make a statement through punishing the former idol. In the UK, the likes of Gazza and Windass have been helped tremendously by supporting bodies such as the Professional Footballer’s Association.

Indeed, an array of Gascoigne’s former clubs – and even rival clubs such as Arsenal – have helped him fund his attempts at recovery.

Regardless of his treatment within swimming, Phelps has undoubtedly been shamed by his arrest and charge. What is more, it is not even the first time it has happened. A decade ago, when he was just finding his way in the sport, he was found guilty of driving under the influence. In 2009, he followed that up when a photo of him smoking a water pipe – used for tobacco or marijuana – was published after a party in South Carolina.

He has admitted in the past to letting his country down, but it must be acknowledged that Phelps’ decisions cannot be viewed entirely in the context of logic. The olympian has made the same mistakes again and again, but it is only recently that he has admitted to having a problem with drink. Phelps has therefore made a brave decision to admit to his addiction, and has done so in a scathing public eye.

Only time will tell whether his ongoing issues out of the pool will change the way he has perceived. Arguably, as his sport’s greatest ever athlete and a role-model to thousands of hopefuls, it should not take anything away from his accomplishments.

Sadly, as a result of his retirement, he has little time to redeem himself within the sport.

Yet, that also means he has time to fully focus on reclaiming his health, without the added pressure of preparing for a major competition.

It is a familiar story of a fall from grace, but from more extraordinary heights than most.

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