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Find our annual sex survey inside: Bigger than you've ever seen it 14th February 2017 Issue 335
The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | concrete-online.co.uk
UEA investigated by watchdog Caitlin Doherty Deputy Editor
UEA has been subject to an intervention by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), following “significant [course] changes”. Changes were made to the second year of the four-year American Literature and Creative Writing undergraduate course. Previously, the second year of this course consisted entirely of optional modules. This was changed when the University introduced two new compulsory modules and limited the optional content. Existing students and offer holders were not informed of the retrospective changes, as the University considered them to be “minor” in line with contract terms. Students would have been told if the changes had been considered “substantial.” Following the investigation, UEA “will treat the addition of a compulsory module to a course as a substantial change” in future. In line with this, the University have also committed to “timely” updates to the website of any substantial course changes to ensure that any prospective applicants can access accurate course information.
Responding to the ruling, the Head of Learning and Teaching Services added: “The University is committed to ensuring that both current and prospective students are fully informed about their course and takes complying with consumer law extremely seriously. We responded immediately to rectify the issues raised by the CMA and are taking steps to ensure that no similar situation occurs in the future.”
"Following the investigation UEA "will treat the addition of a compulsory module to a course as a substantial change" in future" Commenting on the case SU Undergraduate Education Officer Theo Antoniou Phillips said: “When students are sold their course on open days and in prospectuses, they rightly expect the Uni to deliver what’s promised. Students might not be consumers in the traditional sense but we are paying
for a service and have a right to the teaching sold to us on open days, for libraries not to be full in the run up to exams, for computers to work, for optional modules to be available, for assessment to be carried out with care and returned on time, and for labs and equipment that are fit for purpose...We’ve argued for some time that for students, removing optional modules can be a major change to a course so it’s pleasing to see that the CMA has agreed and argued that the Uni’s practice of
calling that a minor change is unfair in law. This case highlights the legal requirement for the University to deliver what it promises so that future changes to courses are consulted on much more carefully, and information is given to students about agreed changes much earlier” Nisha Arora, CMA Senior Director, Consumer said: “For most students, going to university is an expensive, once in a lifetime event and they should enjoy the best possible experience. So it’s
important that prospective students have accurate and up to date information when choosing their course and existing students are given timely information about any substantial changes that are made to their course. And any contract terms which deal with variation for example, to course content, should be fair...The CMA welcomes UEA’s constructive approach and its commitment to revise its terms and conditions and comply with consumer protection law”.
Great Yarmouth, and a beach near Caister, according to the National Crime Agency. It is “extremely unlikely” that the haul was intended for the Norfolk area, but the seizure of the drugs “represent[s] a major blow to the organised criminals involved,” Matthew Rivers, from the NCA's border investigation team, told the BBC. He added: “we are now working
with Border Force, the Coastguard Agency and Norfolk Police to try and establish how the bags ended up where they did.” Officers reportedly continued to search the coastline between the villages of Hopton and Hemsby over the weekend, after a further few packages were located on the beach at Hemsby on Friday. The Hemsby volunteer lifeboat crew were helping police with a
thorough search of the area after the packages were discovered. Crew member Gerard Roadley-Battin described the find, stating that they: “were on the beach and looked like the bricks you see on television, five packages wrapped up in brown masking tape.” The second coxswain said each package was “about 8ins by 6ins, and 3ins deep.” He added that the “police drug enforcement
agency took them away.” The initial discovery was made on Thursday 9th February by Valerie McGee, 70, out walking her Irish setter Rudey. The retired psychotherapist found the first nine bags of the drugs on Hopton beach. A further three bags were later discovered near Caister, after
Norfolk snowfall worth £50m Jessica Frank-Keyes Deputy Editor
Cocaine said to be worth up to £50 million has washed up on two Norfolk beaches, in one of the largest hauls ever found on the British coastline. 360kg (794 lbs) of the Class A substance was discovered on Hopton beach, near
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14th February 2017
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Editorial Emily Mildren
The things I do for Concrete... Jessica Frank-Keyes Deputy Editor
At it like rabbits
Our sex survey is out and campus is feeling the love Megan Baynes Editor-in-Chief
One of the things I love the most about my course is the freedom to study whatever I like. Despite my degree title being ‘American Literature with Creative Writing’ in my time at UEA I have studied American history, literature, journalism and photography. (Okay, that last one was whilst abroad, but it still counts). One of the reasons I chose this course at UEA — aside from the fact it is the best place in the country for American studies — was because it was billed as the Lego of degrees: build it yourself and create what interests you most. I have loved the freedom that has allowed me to pursue my interests and ignore the areas that are unappealing to me. Whilst I have been unaffected by the changes to the course, I know many undergraduates will be disappointed to have some of that freedom taken away. In my second year, I was able to choose six modules that interested me and complemented one another — it was refreshing after the compulsory selections in first year to be able to finally focus on what I wanted to. Yet to add in two compulsory modules cuts this freedom down by a third. When the degree is made up of 18 modules (not including those studied abroad) and with such a wide selection to choose from, adding in two compulsory modules decreases what students are able to get from their degrees and from their time at UEA. I certainly know I would have been disappointed to have two of my module choices taken away from me in second year. What makes this even more disappointing is the lack of
consultation that happened before the decision was made. Students were not informed of the changes as they were considered to be ‘minor’. Unfortunately, had students been informed of the decision UEA would have discovered that these changes are not considered minor by the students themselves. Whilst this decision may have been in the best interests of the course (although with five compulsory modules in first year I am unclear as to why more are needed) students should have been informed properly before making the decision to study at UEA.
"From the cups in Unio to the banners in the Square campus has had a rainbow makeover and it’s certainly brightening up my February. So, however you identify, have a happy LGBT+ history month" This week has been a busy one in the Concrete offices. From our annual sex survey supplement, to our guide to ‘Do Something Different Week’, this issue is completely packed with articles to cheer up those grey February mornings. Adding a splash of colour to our features pages are Lee and Sharmin (LGBT+ SU Officers) with their project, ‘28 days of Pride’. If you haven’t seen this on Facebook (in which case, which rock have you been hiding under?) make sure to check out pages 10 and 11 for
some excerpts. You can read all the stories online (search Facebook for ‘UEA 28 days of Pride’): it certainly is an inspiring and humbling read. One thing is certain, it’s great to see the support everyone who has contributed to the project has received online. It is a testament to how open and inclusive UEA, and Norwich as a whole, is. Linked to this, it is great to see that UEA is flying the pride flag for LGBT+ history month this year (p.3). From the cups in Unio to the banners in the Square, campus has had a rainbow makeover and it’s certainly brightening up my February. So, however you identify, have a happy LGBT+ history month. We also have featured your handy guide to ‘Do Something Different Week’ (p.12-14). If you’ve seen the signs around campus you know that something big is coming, and you definitely don’t want to be left out. We have featured profiles for all the characters involved in the campus wide murder mystery, ‘The Art and Science of Murder’. Make sure to come along to the media meeting on the 21st February to find out more about how you can be a tabloid journalist for week. So have a very happy Valentine’s day from Concrete. We've given the rest of our issue a valentines theme: we've looked at the science of tinder (p.19) and romantic minibreaks (p.21). For the slightly less romantically inclined Nick Ward's 'Lost in Translation' (p.21) will provide a hilarious break from all the tedium of Valentine's Facebook posts. If you haven’t got someone to snuggle tonight, you can cuddle up with our Comment section and read about why it’s really just a load of tosh anyway. Happy V-day you cynical bunch.
New Year’s Day: traditionally intended for hangovers, long walks and the consumption of ridiculous amounts of Christmas holiday leftovers. Whatever you spent your day doing, I can guarantee that it wasn’t quite as bizarre as mine… Concrete’s Sex Survey is known for the ridiculous, the rude, and the downright invasive questions that we put to the whole of campus. So over the Christmas break the editorial team were feeling the pressure to come up with an equally eye-catching and attention-grabbing way to advertise the survey across social media. I’m not quite sure who suggested that we involve our own body parts in this endeavour, but as the only one who happened to be anywhere near a hotel with appropriately sexy white bedsheets in time for us to launch the survey, it fell to me to convince my family to let me drape underwear over their toes and take photos reminiscent of foot fetish porn. It’s testament to the number of stupid things I’ve done over the years for Concrete that none of them actually batted an eyelid. But ensuing comedy aside, all 69 questions of the survey eventually attracted a record-breaking 1000+ respondents, and produced a wealth of insightful, astonishing and occasionally appalling data on just what we all get up to behind (not always) closed doors. I’m not saying it was my toes that swung it, but I’m not saying it wasn’t either…? We hope we’ve managed to be entertaining, informative – only mildly pornographic – and at least slightly original. It can be a tall order to make stats on the popularity of doggy-style generate more than giggles, or to find a fresh angle on the clichés of the ‘Five Ls’, but we’ve done our very best. And at 5.42 (18 minutes and counting before print deadline) I’m just happy to be heading home and leaving the discussion on the finer points of Tinder etiquette to you guys.
concrete-online.co.uk ConcreteUEA
The University of East Anglia’s Independent Student newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 14th February 2017 Issue 335 Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593466 www.concrete-online.co.uk Editor-in-Chief Megan Baynes concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editors Jessica Frank-Keyes Caitlin Doherty concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk Online James Chesson Online Assistant: Gavin O'Donnell concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News Emily Hawkins Senior Reporter: Amanda Ng concrete.news@uea.ac.uk concrete.seniornews@uea.ac.uk Global Sacha Silverstone concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Features Lillie Coles Lydia Lockyer concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Comment Charlie Dwyer concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Science Milly Godfrey concrete.science@uea.ac.uk Travel Jennifer Redfern concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Sport Richard Ewart Nick Murphy concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy-Editors Molly Burgess Emma Slaughter concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Marketing Director Katie Gleeson concrete.marketing@uea.ac.uk Social Media Coordinator Charlotte Spencer concrete.socialmedia@uea.ac.uk Events Manager Sam Naylor Events Assistant: Grace Fothergill concrete.events@uea.ac.uk
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American Studies: Megan Baynes No part of this newspaper may be reproduced by any means without the permission of the Editor-in-Chief, Megan Baynes. Published by the Union of UEA Students on behalf of Concrete. Concrete is a UUEAS society, but retains editorial independence as regards to any content. Opinions expressed herein are those of individual writers, not of Concrete or its editorial team.
News
14th February 2017
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University flies Pride flag History of LGBT History Month
Matthew Nixon News Reporter
In recognition of LGBT+ history month in the UK, UEA is flying the pride rainbow flag on a selection of dates throughout February. In 2017, LGBT history month is focusing on issues surrounding Citizenship; Personal, Social and Health Education and Law; and the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales.
2005
S c h o o l s In the UK
OUT
“We have to remember that even when progress is small it is another great step - especially when it comes to representing minority groups." UEA’s Vice Chancellor David Richardson stated online that staff and students will be able to see the flag raised over Registry Building on the 1st, 6th, 13th, 20th, and 28th of February, to commemorate LGBT+ history and show solidarity with UEA’s LGBT+ community. The university’s decision to fly the pride flag marks a change in the university’s approach. Previously, in January 2013, the university caused controversy among students when it refused to fly the pride flag for LGBT+ history month, and in July 2015, the university did not fly the flag despite ongoing pride celebrations in Norwich. The university flew the flag for the first time during the 2016 Pride celebrations in the city. Continued from front page officers were called to the scene. The pensioner told the Sun newspaper: “Rudey went up to have a sniff and did a little wee on the bags, so he must have thought they were interesting.” She added: “they must have broken loose in the waves and been washed up on the beach.” Images of the haul show a large pile of a dozen brightly coloured sports holdalls, containing the packages of drugs, tied to a number of plastic floats. A spokesman for Norfolk police said the find was likely to be the largest in the UK in recent years. Superintendent Dave Buckley, from Norfolk Constabulary, said: “we are assisting the National Crime Agency with their searches and whilst we believe we have recovered all the packages, should any member of the public find one they are urged to contact Norfolk Constabulary immediately on 101.” Extra police are patrolling the stretch of coastline following the three discoveries.
LGBT+ History Month first took place in February 2005, following the 2003 abolition of Section 28 in schools.
Photo: UEA The university based its previous refusals on the principle that it does not fly flags other than the official UEA flag, unless it is to mark a royal visit. Theo Antoniou-Phillips, UEA SU’s LGBT+ officer at the time, called this policy “offensive”, stating that “being LGBT+ is not equivalent to being a member of club or society.” The current LGBT+ officers say they view the university’s decision to fly the flag as welcome progress. SU LGBT+ Officer (Open Place) Sharmin Hoque said, “Given we’ve been waiting for 50 years for the flag to be flown, this is amazing progress. “We’re really pleased that the VC is working so closely with us and we appreciate the effort that the Officers visited the stretch of beach in the town between Britannia Pier and Wellington Pier, at around 8am on Saturday 11th of February, after reports of “a black bag bobbing around in the sea.” The object floated away upon the arrival of Norfolk Police and Gorleston Coastguard. The public are reported to be on “high alert” following the incidents. Responding to the find, Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Lorne Green, has called for the creation of a metaphorical “ring of steel” to protect the county from drug-dealing. He suggested a tougher approach would “keep out the terrible threats to our safety,” adding that “we have to be mindful of all entry points into the county. ” The largest previous haul of drugs discovered on a stretch of UK coastline was in 2009, when a 20kg haul of cocaine, worth £6 million at the time, was found washed ashore at Frenchman's Bay, in Rye, on the Sussex coast. The amount found in Norfolk last week is worth over eight times as much.
university is making on our behalf,” she added. However, Katy Jonshe Went told Concrete that “until the flag is flown every day of LGBT+ History month, there will still room for improvement.” Katy Jon Went
“Given we’ve been waiting for 50 years for the flag to be flown, this is amazing progress." At the beginning of the month, SU Welfare Community and Diversity Officer Jo Swo tweeted: “It would be nice to have a University who is proud to fly the LGBT+ flag for 28 days as well tho @UEA_VC”
Regarding the wider relationship between UEA’s LGBT+ community and the university’s Vice Chancellor, SU LGBT+ Officer (Trans Place) Lee Brown said “We’re glad to have open communication with the vice chancellor.” He said that it was assuring “to know that the Vice Chancellor is ready and willing to listen, so if LGBT+ students have any issues that they would like taken forward, do let us know!” In response to criticism that not flying the pride flag continually sends the wrong message, Brown said, “We have to remember that even when progress is small it is another great step - especially when it comes to representing minority groups.”
Sponsors
2nd
the month is organised by Schools OUT, an organisation working with LGBT+ schoolchildren and ensuring an emphasis on LGBT+ issues in the curriculum.
Sponsors of the month include the Metropolitan Police Service, Amnesty International and the Crown Prosecution This is the 2nd year that Schools OUT have made a guide to LGBT History Month, which is sent to every secondary school in the UK.
UEA academics boycott US 23 professors have signed an open letter opposing the travel ban
Imogen Barton News Reporter In response to President Trump’s executive order banning immigration from seven Muslimmajority countries, 23 UEA academics signed a petition to boycott US academic conferences. Around 3,000 academics from across the globe have signed the petition, which claims to be “in solidarity with those affected by the ‘Muslim ban'’’. In the brief, it calls into question the intellectual integrity of spaces that “explicitly exclude Muslim colleagues.” Almost two dozen UEA staff were among those who signed the petition which is available as a public Google Docs file. Dr Lorella Viola, an Associate Tutor in the PPL school, said she
signed owing to a “responsibility as academics to send a clear message” of what is at stake. She said, “The recent presidential measures are a threat to democracy as much as the terrorist attacks they are meant to prevent.”
"I do not feel welcome in the post-Trump United States as a Muslim academic" The sentiments of these signatories echo statements made by UEA’s Vice Chancellor David Richardson. Speaking at the Economic Policy Group’s Education Innovation Conference 2017, Richardson said that academics should utilise their networks
to “bring soft power to bear on politicians” and that they are “also actually diplomats." Dr Fahir Karakas, who lectures in Business and Leadership at Norwich Business School, told Concrete: "I do not feel welcome in the post-Trump United States as a Muslim academic.” She said that she had signed the open letter despite many of the most prestigious academic conferences taking place in the US. The ban has currently been temporarily suspended, and attempts by President Trump to reinstate the ban were rejected by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The court said it would not block a ruling by the state of Seattle to suspend the policy. Responding to this, President Trump tweeted: "See you in court."
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News
Student loans sold off James Chesson News Reporter The government has announced it will put more student loans up for sale to the private financial sector. Student loans from between 2002 and 2006 are to be sold, with the remaining pre-2012 loans set to follow. 2012 was the year in which tuition fees were trebled from £3,000 to £9,000. The government aims to raise £12bn from the sale. Jo Johnson, the Universities Minister, said that the sale would have “no impact on people with student loans” and that the government would "only proceed once [they] are satisfied that it represents value for money for the taxpayer.”
"It is outrageous that bankers will profit off the backs of graduates" The government has promised that there will be “no changes to the terms and conditions” for the former students who took out the loans, which means that the repayment
Revealed: how Norwich voted on the EU
rates will remain the same. The interest on the loans will provide income for private companies, but the repayments will still be collected through taxes and by the Student Loans Company. The NUS said that the sale showed “economic illiteracy” and warned that the move would come at the expense of students. Sorana Vieru, Vice-President of the NUS, said: “It is outrageous that bankers will profit off the backs of graduates who took out loans because they had no other option.”
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Tony Allen News Reporter New figures released last week revealed how each ward in the Norwich City Council area voted in the EU referendum. The statistics collected by George Greenwood for the BBC showed that out of the 13 wards, eight voted to Remain whilst the other five saw Leave majorities. The most pro-EU wards were in the city centre, with Nelson seeing a 78 percent vote to Remain and Town Close polling 69 percent in favour of remaining. These two wards recorded the highest total turnouts, with over 6,000 votes counted in each. Crome ward saw the highest percentage of voters backing Brexit, with 60 percent, followed by neighbouring Catton Grove with a 55 percent majority. There were several marginal wards, as Wensum returned a 51 percent majority for Remain, and Mile Cross the same for Leave. University ward, home to UEA, most closely reflected the overall Norwich vote, with 56 percent of the 2,306 voters choosing Remain. Dr Chris Hanretty, a UEA Politics Reader who has carried out research into voting patterns in the referendum described the result in University ward as “surprising”. “56 percent for Remain isn't great if people with lots of educational qualifications tend to vote Remain anyway. We can't know whether the result would have been different in term-time, because we don't know how many students stuck around.” Dr Hanretty reflected further on the impact of the June 23rd referendum date: “Of course, it doesn't really matter to the national result if students went home, as long as they voted in their home constituencies - which I would hope they did.”
how many billions of poumds the government hopes to raise from selling 2002-2006 loans
estimation of how many billions of pounds needed to make up the budget deficit.
David Gauke, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said that the sale was “an important contribution in our work to repair the public finances.” The UK national debt currently stands at £1.8tn or 90 percent of GDP. The budget deficit is estimated to be £68bn.
UK youth among world's unhappiest Olivia Minnock News Reporter A recent international study on the mental wellbeing of young people has ranked Britain as one of the lowest countries for youth happiness. The study looked at wellbeing, rather than mental health, through surveying people in areas such as optimism, confidence and a sense of being loved. A sample of 15-21 year olds was taken across 20 countries. The survey was carried out by the Varkey Foundation, who published a report entitled "What the world’s young people think and feel." The aim of the study, according to Varkey’s chief executive Vikas Potas, was to provide “a detailed overview of wellbeing, hopes and values,” in a generation who “may conceivably live to see the 22nd century.” Globally, 59 percent of young people stated they felt “happy with their life overall." The survey also commented that men were more likely to say they felt happy than women. It was found that just 15 percent of young people across Britain feel they get enough sleep and exercise, with issues of health among the top causes of worry for “around a quarter” of young people across all 20 countries. The study also looked at
optimism for the future, at a time of national and global change. The factor considered most important in thinking about the future was family, according to 47 percent of young people globally. The lowest factor in considering a future career was fame and celebrity status, with just 3 percent of respondents emphasising this.
85
percent of young people in the UK feel they don't get enough sleep and exercise.
Potas said, "Teenagers in Nigeria, New Delhi and New York share many of same priorities, fears, ambitions and opinions.” He added, "There is far more unity among young people than a glance at the headlines would suggest."
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countries were examined in the study, including Nigeria, India, and the UK.
At the moment, UEA offers a variety of services to look after the mental wellbeing of students, including Norwich Nightline, open from 8pm to 8am and Student Support Service, who advise on finance, student conduct and harassment, and study.
Photo: Sophie Elliott
NUS LGBT+ Officer visits UEA Emily Hawkins News Editor One of the National Union of Students’ (NUS) LGBT officers visited UEA’s Labour Students to discuss working with university communities and liberation groups. Melantha Chittenden, the Women’s Place LGBT+ Officer, led a workshop working with marginalised groups on campus on February 8. Speaking to Concrete, she praised the government’s decision to provide PrEP, a treatment for HIV sufferers, on the NHS, and said the NUS is now “focusing on hate crime reporting centres, sex and relationship education, and making sure LGBT societies are open and inclusive to people of colour.” The SRE campaign involves sending Valentine's cards to MPs to advocate inclusion of LGBT+ sex education on the curriculum.
Chittenden said that she thinks there may be SRE inclusive education “within a few months.”
“Standing up for those who are the most marginalised is something we should be doing and we should be proud of it. It's not only the left who use identity politics." Chittenden spoke of the NUS campaign to get universities to register as third party reporting units for hate crimes. Third party reporting centres work with the local police and can make a report on a victim’s behalf, in cases where those affected do not feel comfortable making one
themselves. UEA is not currently a registered third party reporter, but according to UEA SU officers is in the process of becoming one. In response to criticisms that student unions have started catering to a minority, she said: “I would disagree, SUs have become places that are more open for everyone now, and everyone can participate in discussion and events, no matter their background or what group they’re from. I think that’s a good thing.” “Standing up for those who are the most marginalised is something we should be doing and we should be proud of it. It’s not just the left who use identity politics, I think if you look at Donald Trump he uses identity politics but it wasn’t marginalised identities, he used the identity that he was a white man. You can see through his speeches, he speaks about that as if it’s a good thing and that’s identity politics."
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Fall in UCAS applications Jodie Bailey News Reporter For the first time since university tuition fees were initially increased to £9,000 a year in 2012, UCAS applications have fallen. The five percent decrease in the number of UK students applying for university has been primarily caused by a drop in nursing applications. There have also been fewer applications from EU nations.
"Similarly, the anticipated yearly £250 increase in tuition fees is thought to have contributed to fewer applications" However this drop is not unprecedented. In 2012, when the government decided to increase annual tuition fees from £3,290 to £6,000 with an upper limit (that has become the default cost of a degree)
of £9000, there was a drop in the number of students applying to university. Similarly, this year, the anticipated yearly £250 increase in tuition fees is thought to have contributed to fewer applications. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says recent cuts in nursing students’ bursaries and grants have contributed to a 23 per cent fall in applications for the course. The RCN General Secretary Janet Davies said they had warned the government that introducing fees and loans would cause a sharp fall in applications. Davies has described the situation as dire, stating that the “nursing workforce is in crisis." The UK’s decision to leave the EU is also thought to have had an impact on student numbers. There has been a seven percent fall in the number of applications from EU students. Combined with the five percent drop in the number of UK students applying, there has been a total fall in applications of about 564,000. Other student groups have also seen a drop in applications. Mature
students seemed less inclined to apply to university, with nine percent less 19 year olds and 23 percent less 25 year olds applying this year.
23
percent fall in applications to study nursing.
7
percent fall in applications from students in EU countries.
5
percent fall in the number of UK students' applications.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the costs of higher education and Brexit, Universities Minister Jo Johnson said that, "More young people than ever are choosing to go to university, with record application rates for 18-yearolds this year as well as those from disadvantaged backgrounds."
Norwich named second safest city Jack Ashton News Reporter A recent report by Censuswide places Norwich as the second safest city in England with 31 percent of people saying they feel “extremely safe” walking alone at night in the city. The report was commissioned by Censuswide on behalf of the UK’s biggest bar and club operator, the Deltic Group. Approximately 2,500 British adults were asked for information on their late-night spending. Chief Executive of the Deltic Group, Peter Marks said the study had been conducted to “educate people on the importance of the late night economy.” Remarking on the national picture, he said, “Although the number of people who feel safe on a night out has risen, it is still concerning that 28 percent of those surveyed don't feel safe when travelling by themselves on a night out. Of all UK cities, Norwich ranked fourth, beaten by Edinburgh and Glasgow. However, of English cities, only Plymouth residents said they felt more safe than those in Norwich. The report concluded that one way to raise the proportion of people who feel safe on nights out would be to “attract a mixed age group into town centres at night, to promote natural guardianship of the public realm. Marks added: "young people are drinking less alcohol than the older generations, but they're still going out just as much and enjoying themselves in a club, bar or pub." The study also found that the average amount Norwich residents pay for entry fees is £3.74. The only cheaper average spend is £3.34.
News
Parents criticise investigation into death of UEA student Emily Hawkins News Editor The father of a UEA student who died in her first term at the university has criticised investigations into her death in an open letter to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). In December 2012 Averil Hart died after being rushed to the Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital (NNUH) in a critical condition following being found unconscious in her flat by a university cleaner. Parents Nic Hart and Miranda Campbell say that Averil was only seen by the UEA medical centre four times over the course of four months, despite needing weekly appointments as a long-term sufferer of anorexia. Addressing the PHSO Chief Dame Julie Mellor, Mr Hart said that his daughter had “died in the care of the NHS trusts that were entrusted to look after her”. He referred to the family’s dealings with the ombudsman’s services as “years of frustration and heartache” Her family have claimed that Averil experienced a head injury following a fall during her time at the NNUH. They have also said her transfer to the Addenbrooke’s
Hospital in Cambridge, where she died, was delayed. A spokesperson for the PHSO said that they could not comment on the individual case but that in such situations they work with people “to explain how we reached our decisions; this can take time.”
"Averil was only seen by the UEA medical centre four times over the course of four months, despite needing weekly appointments" The letter states that the family feel the investigation into Averil’s death is “far from complete,” despite making a submission to the PHSO almost two and a half years ago. Mr Hart goes on to say that the service are “unable to recognise the additional pain and suffering they are causing” and writes that “they have failed at every juncture of this process.” A UEA spokesperson said that whilst they could not comment on Mr Hart’s concerns, “Averil’s family have our sincere condolences for their loss.”
SU officers criticise Pro Vice Chancellor's TEF statement Amanda Ng News Reporter UEA SU officers have responded to Professor Neil Ward, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs regarding his statement on the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). Professor Ward had said that the university “would rather the TEF was not linked to inflationary fee increases, but we have lost that argument.” In a blog on the student union’s website, UEA SU Undergraduate Education Officer Theo AntoniouPhillips and Postgraduate Officer Maddie Colledge, said: “The government should not cut funding to universities and ask students to cover the deficit.” The SU officers have taken a staunch stance against the government changes and say they are “disappointed” with Prof. Ward’s acceptance of the coming changes. Antoniou-Phillips and Colledge say they are unsatisfied with how the university has responded to higher education reforms, but “acknowledge what a difficult situation this placed universities in.” However, the SU officers believe despite the problems facing universities, the situation “is even shittier for students.” They add, “in
the scrap between the government and universities, students are losing out.” Both the National Union of Students (NUS) and Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) have publicly opposed the changes, arguing the
"The SU officers believe despite the problems facing universities, the situation is "even shittier" for students.” new government criteria is unfair. Antoniou-Phillips has said he believes the introduction of the new criteria is a “huge problem because it may put off students from poorer backgrounds from applying to the supposedly ‘better’ universities." As it is thought that tuition fees will be allowed to be raised dramatically to £12,000 by 2026, campaigners believe the situation will worsen in terms of accessibility to higher education. In the early days of the TEF plans, UEA chiefs argued against its introduction, arguing that the criteria comprised a flawed one. Antoniou-Phillips and College say they are “asking UEA students to send a clear message to Professor Ward by continuing to stand against
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News NSFT criticised by BBC Panorama
14th February 2017
HESA reveals state school admissions Beth Papworth News Reporter New data released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has showed some changes in the universities accepting a disproportionate number of private school students. The figures show that almost 90 percent of full-time undergraduates studying at higher institutions in the UK are state school entrants. Having noted this, the proportion of students coming from areas where higher education attendance is low fell last year from 11.4 per cent to 11.3 per cent.
"Myths persist, but staff and students are breaking through them” According to the most recent statistics, 90.4 percent of students attending the University of East Anglia attended a state school. This makes UEA one of the universities who have taken in a large amount of state school pupils.
Roger Blackwell, Flickr Amanda Ng Senior Reporter The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation (NSFT) has been criticised in an episode of BBC Panorama called Revealed: Britain’s Mental Health Crisis. The BBC followed reporter Sophie Hutchinson’s investigations into the troubled state of mental health services, showing concerns from local staff and patients over funding. In particular, the programme focused on figures revealing an increase in unexpected deaths. The Health Education England
(HEE) funded a program in the NSFT which trains 47 UEA medical students. However, the number was recently reduced to 27 due to a £176,000 reduction in funding. Norwich South MP Clive Lewis issued a statement regarding the trust following the episode’s broadcast on February 6th. Lewis said: “Enough is enough, no more spin, [no more] broken promises." He noted figures showing that the number of people dying under NSFT care has doubled over the course of four years, and the cutting of 130 beds. The NSFT has been accused of staff inexperience and a lack of necessary facilities in recent
years. Lewis said, “Even at their last inspection, the Care Quality Commission gave the Trust the lowest possible rating for being a ‘safe’ service.” The programme comes one month after Prime Minister Theresa May promised to “transform the way we deal with mental health problems right across society.” May’s statement inspired criticisms towards the lack of progress on NHS mental health care made by the government. In 2013/14 there were 100 unexpected deaths per 100,000 service users and by 2015/16 the figure was 150 for every 100,000 patients.
Oxford University has taken in a record amount of state school students, but still have the lowest proportion of state school entrants with 55.7 per cent. The new figures have seen Cambridge increase state school admissions, and now having only the ninth most privately educated intake. The universities of Bristol, Durham, St Andrews and the Royal Academy of Music also have highly privately educated cohorts. Dr Sam Lucy, Cambridge's director of admissions, said that despite ideas suggesting otherwise, the university was accepting and "nothing like the rumours or typical media stories." "Myths persist, but staff and students are breaking through them," she said. The Independent Schools Council estimates the independent sector educates just 6.5 percent of school children in the UK, with 93 percent of all pupils educated in state schools. UEA has also taken in a smaller number of international students in the last intake, with over 80 percent of pupils accepted from the UK
UEA's Norwich Nifflers fly into British Quidditch Cup Hannah Brown News Reporter
UEA’s Norwich Nifflers have progressed to the British Quidditch Cup finals. In mid March, they will compete with 31 other British teams. Quidditch is a variation of the magical game depicted in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. It can be summarised as a genderinclusive contact sport played on broomsticks. The aim is for one of the three ‘Chasers’ to get the ‘Quaffle’ through one of three hoops, the ‘Beaters’ to throw ‘Bludgers’ at the opposing team, the Keeper (who is
pretty self-explanatory) to prevent opposing team’s players scoring, and the Seeker. The Seeker’s role is to capture the Golden Snitch, a tag attached to a neutral player who can run anywhere. Capturing the Snitch ends the game, and often secures a definite win. Emma Jones, Captain of the team, said she was “extremely proud” to have reached the finals. “We have worked hard to get here, and are working even harder to show what we’re really made of. "At the end of the day, if everyone comes off the pitch with a smile on their face, that’s what it’s all about for us,” she said. The finals will take place in Rugeley, Staffordshire.
UEA SU: Light Up Norwich for student safety Emily Young News Reporter UEA’s student union has released a Change.org petition to keep residential street lights on later in Norwich. Currently, Norfolk County Council’s Part Night Lighting scheme turns off 86 percent of Norwich’s street lights between midnight and 5am. The lights-off plan was enacted owing to funding cuts and a desire to limit carbon emissions. However, the SU have claimed
this makes students feel unsafe walking home and argue that, “Norwich residents should be able to walk home at night without being scared, unsafe or uncomfortable.”
"Norwich residents should be able to walk home at night without being scared, unsafe or uncomfortable.”” The SU have said that it is often younger people who have walk home late, “Whether that’s from the library, their work in the City or a
night out” and regular taxis for one start to cut into the limited funds students have quite quickly, leaving them vulnerable. The petition quotes one female UEA student saying: “If I'm walking after a certain time there are very few lights and I fear other people attacking me."The SU states whilst they are aware of no figures indicating a significant increase in crime since the lights-off policy: "we know that street harassment and being followed are often not reported to the police for many reasons."The petition had just over 200 signatures, at the time Concrete went to print, and is aiming for 500.
UEA SU
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lead change
2017 february
friday 24th - nominations open
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thursday 9th - nominations close (midday)
monday 13th - campaigning begins tuesday 14th - voting opens (10am)
tuesday 21st - voting & campagining ends (3pm)
tuesday 21st - election results announced (evening)
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Global “Stop the war on 8
Poland
14th February 2017
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Last year, in response to widespread protests and strikes, a large parliamentary majority rejected plans to outlaw all abortions unless the woman’s life was in danger. The BBC estimated that in October, 100,000 people took to the streets across Poland calling for the bill to be blocked. The prospect of women being imprisoned for obtaining abortions ultimately led Catholic bishops, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and many members of the Catholic ruling party Law and Justice, who had initially backed the proposal, to withdraw their support. Abortions in Poland can only be
carried out legally in cases of rape, incest, where there are serious and permanent deformities to the foetus, or when the mother’s health is at severe risk. Dangerous illegal procedures greatly outnumber legal ones, and some women seek abortions elsewhere. The Catholic influence in Poland has manifested itself in pro-life campaigns and publicity. Government advisor Urszula Dudziak caused controversy in 2016 when parts of a previous speech were uncovered, in which she called using contraception
“The strongly Catholic Poland remains one of the strictest European countries with regard to terminations, alongside Ireland and Malta.”
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in the USA. As it stands, abortion is legal under the Supreme Court act from Roe v. Wade, in 1972. However, there are increasingly more stipulations to aborting a foetus. In 1992, the legality of abortion was changed from being time dependant, to being dependant on foetal viability outside the uterus. In 2003, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act made intact dilation and extraction illegal. In 2016, the US Supreme
Court ruled abortion clinics cannot restrict delivery of abortion services that burden the woman seeking such. In 2017, Trump blocked federal funding for international groups that offer information on abortions. The order became infamous as it was photographed being signed by Trump, with a group of male politicians watching: women’s marches were rife around the country as a consequence of the order and the phrase “Men making decisions about women’s bodies” was repeat-
edly used to describe the act. Yet before this, abortion rights have been infringed through a lengthy process of compulsory counselling, a waiting period of at least 24 hours, requirements of the procedure to be carried out by a licensed physician in some states, and in others for terminations to be performed in a hospital. Even then, the majority of states allow medical institutions to refuse. And an increasing number of states make the woman view and hear their foetus
through ultrasound before being allowed to abort. Trump’s ‘pro-life’ stance worryingly could see the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the ban of abortion completely, but for now this is unlikely, especially as his antiabortion order has already received backlash, with global countries form an alliance to support Netherlands’ governemtnal fundraising initiative, “She Decides”, with a 10 million euro injection to help women access abortion services. SS
In Brazil, abortion is currently illegal except for circumstances when the pregnancy seriously endangers the pregnant woman’s life, or the pregnancy is an outcome of rape. A woman who has an abortion without these exceptional circumstancs can face imprisonment for up to three years. Late last year, the Zika virus spread across the country, affecting pregnant women in particular
as its effects severely damage a foetus. Zika may cause an foetus to develop anencephaly; a disorder that causes abnormally small heads and restricted brain development at birth. Despite the devastating effects the virus have on pregnancy, the anti-abortion laws were not revised. Instead, the Brazilian government’s response was to encourage women to delay or avoid pregnancy, which some argue impede on a woman’s
clear right to reproduce. It is noted that the virus could have been more effectively contained if the government had focused on more practical solutions, such as tackling the inefficiency of the healthcare system. Women’s rights activists state that women have both a right to reproduce as well as to refrain from reproducing, and that the Brazilian government, in its reaction
to the Zika virus, blatantly disregarded both. Furthermore Fatima Palaes, against legalising abortion, was recently appointed the Brazilian head of the Secretariat of Policies for Women, meaning women will have to fight harder to have full legal control over their bodies. BD
In Paraguay, abortion is permitted only in cases where labour is viewed as endangering the life of the woman. Anyone who performs an abortion or consents to one is subject to between fifteen and thirty months imprisonment, and if an abortion is carried out without consent the sentence is increased to two to five years. If an abortion causes the death of the woman the sentence is four to six years if the
woman consented to the procedure, and five to ten years if not. Amnesty reported that “criminalization of abortion contributes to high rates of early pregnancy and unsafe abortions.” Paraguay’s abortion laws received worldwide attention in 2015 when a girl, impregnated by her stepfather at the age of ten, was denied an abortion on the grounds that the girl appeared to
be healthy enough to give birth. Additional to this, the girl’s mother was charged with negligence. The issue sparked a heated debate in Paraguayan political circles as the leftist opposition to the government called for an easing of the country’s abortion laws. However, the government refused to budge on the issue and, upon the girl giving birth, Paraguayan president Horacio
Cartes stated “The mother is alive, and so is the daughter. To those who suggested that the girl abort, two things could have happened: one lost life, for sure. We could have lost two lives… We did what our conscience dictated, what the Constitution commands, and what our religious convictions command.” Cartes continues to stand firmly against decriminalising abortions. GS
USA
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Paraguay
“wicked”. Condoms are the only freely available contraceptives. The morning after pill can now only be obtained with a prescription, and IVF state funding has also been stopped since Law and Justice came to power. The current abortion law dates back to 1993, with regulations having been tightened after the fall of Communist rule. Sex education in schools is weak and patchy at best. Fewer than 2000 legal abortions a year are reported to be peformed in Poland, despite a population of 38 million residents. TA
Tony Al Devakis Loer O’Donn Molina, and Sach explore r rights a w
Flickr, T Bodyshapes Wikipedia, orbakHo pper Wikicommons, BlankMapWorld6
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14th February 2017
men’s bodies” Malta
llen, Beverly shen, Angel ra, Gavin nell, Mireia Griffin Shiel ha Silverstone reproductive around the world
Malta is the only European country where abortions are still banned outright, with the penalty being up to a three-year custodial sentence for women. Despite a number of modernising reforms since 2010 including the legalisation of divorce and measures to support the LGBT+ community, such liberal attitudes have not yet extended to the termination of pregnancy. Any abortion is deemed illegal
except under the principle of the ‘double effect’, which allows a foetus to be terminated only as a necessary part of treatment to save the life of a pregnant woman. The ban means that women who want or need an abortion are forced to travel abroad for the procedure, hoping not to be caught for fear of punishment. In some cases, Maltese women have flown to England for terminations.
The key reason for the continuing outlawing of abortions is Malta’s ingrained Catholicism. The country has been slow to accept the importing and advertising of contraception. Although condoms are now legal and easy to obtain, other preventative methods are less common and the ‘MorningAfter Pill’ remains illegal. A black market of emergency contraception exists and it has been claimed that
some women overdose on oral contraceptives to attempt to create the same effect as the morning after pill.However, movements in the country are campaigning for the wider availability of contraception and the legalisation of abortion. Last year, the Women’s Rights Foundation went to court calling for the morning after pill to be legalised and licensed. TA
Abortion only became legal in Somalia in 2012, yet the right only applies in the case of saving the mother if she is at risk. Many issues still have to be solved to achieve full legal protection for women. For example, the country is not part of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, or the Maputo Protocol. Thirty-six countries are ratified onto the protocol, which guarantees various rights for
women including autonomy in their
issued a petition calling for its prohibition, which received the support of Somali Prime Minsiter, Hassan Mohamud. “If Somalia enacts a full ban law now and follows with massive public education campaigns, it could become the champion to lead the world to zero tolerance”, he championed. Nevertheless, FGM continued to be a social ritual entrenched in Somalian culture, making its eradication difficult. AL
reproductive health decisions and
an end to female genital mutilation (FGM); defined as the alteration or removal of some or all of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. However, legislation does not solve the problem by itself. In the country, on average 98% of the female population from 15 and 49 have suffered FGM, making it the country with the highest prevalence of FGM from 2004-2015. While it was banned by 2012 Constitution, this is not efficiently enforced. In 2016 the NGO Avaaz
China, in some ways, is the world leader in abortions: they first legalised abortion in 1951 and then in 1988 became the world’s first country to legalise the use of mifepristone: the abortion pill. Abortion is a government service and is now provided upon the request of women after abortion laws were liberalised throughout the
1950s and 1960s. However, China’s progressive policy on abortion stems more from its desire to limit population growth than to enrich reproductive rights. The widespread availability of abortions and contraception were integral to the country’s One Child Policy. From 1979 to 2015 China maintained a family planning policy limiting much of the population having only one child, designed to reduce demand on the country’s
water and other natural resources. Whilst certain ethnic groups were exempt from the policy, as well as rural families were granted a second child permit whereupon their first born was a daughter, the policy was brutally enforced on the Han ethnic group (who constitute 90% of the population), and especially in urban areas. Reports detail forced abortions and sterilizations on women who were unable or refused to pay the $6,300
fine for a second child. One side-effect of the One Child Policy, driven by the Chinese cultural preference for sons, is the imbalanced gender ratio in the country: 118 males for every 100 females. Whilst gender-selective abortion is now illegal in the country, the policy is poorly enforced and therefore the practice still persists given the willingness of couples to bribe doctors to reveal the foetus’ gender. GOD
Kenya’s lack of consistent legislation and regulation on women’s reproductive rights and healthcare worsens women’s discrimination in the country. Although Kenya has adopted the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1984, the Sexual Offences Act in 2006 and other two regulations in 2008 that aid towards safety and criminalisation
of sexual abuses, the country still fails to provide enough healthcare and legalisation on women’s sexual rights. Sexual abuse is still not well managed. Although criminalised and punished with life-long sentences, rape is still “extremely permanent” and the Domestic Violence Bill has been pending since 1999, which makes cases of marital rape common and unattended. Cultural practices such as “cleansing” of widows and genital
mutilation are still present in the country as a punishment to the reluctance in following traditional and religious practices. The latter is still widely present, especially in certain ethnic groups. It was estimated in 2009 that 40% of women had been victims of the process, although legally prohibited in underage girls by the Children’s Act in 2001. Futhermore, inefficient sexual and reproductive healthcare is affected by low rates of contraceptive
usage, only available to 53.4% of women, which contribute to the spreading of HIV, affecting 6.9% of women aged 15 to 64. Kenya’s 2010 constitution legalised abortion in extreme cases, but its safety regulations were withdrawn in 2013. The system fails to provide enough natal care lacking skilled doctors in a third of cases, and together with deregulated abortion services, maternal mortality still remains at 560 per 100,000 births. MM
“If Somalia enacts a full ban law now and follows with massive public education campaigns, it could become the champion to lead the world to zero tolerance”
Somalia China
Kenya
Features
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28 DAYS OF PRIDE Lee Brown, LGBT+ Officer (Trans and Non-Binary) and Sharmin Hoque, LGBT+ Officer (Open Place)
This LGBT+ History month at UEA is all about celebration. The national theme for 2017 is citizenship, PSHE and law, marking the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales. As officers we believe that this is something to cheer about, and so this month’s events will be showing and celebrating the diverse LGBT+ culture here at UEA! This includes LGBT+ themed LCR night ‘ Colours’, a night of varied entertainment with theatre company ‘Rant and Rave’, and an evening of music and poetry in co-operation with Live Music Society. At the same time we want to educate students on LGBT+ centred topics, as there is always
so much to learn and equally so much to be done. From a panel centred on women loving women, to discussions surrounding what it means to be LGBT+ and a member of religion or spirituality, our timetable aims to include something for everyone. This month has also seen the launch of the LGBT+ Student Satisfaction Survey As officers we want to make sure that UEASU is doing their best by students, and what better way to be sure than to ask? We are both continuously humbled and proud to be representatives of LGBT+ students, and would like to thank you all for your continued support, for showing your faces at our events, and making UEA such an inclusive university!
I’ve always known I was a bit different from most boys but it wasn’t until about the age of 15 that I realised it was because I was gay. I was really lucky in that when I came out I was surrounded by a supportive family and very understanding friends who made me feel comfortable in myself. However, it wasn’t until coming to UEA have I truly felt happy to be me. I have been able to explore all parts of queer culture from being photographed in my club kid
makeup to making a podcast on coming out at university. I think that this has been heavily due to my amazing flat mates and course friends not blinking an eye when I walk into the kitchen wearing 7 inch heels and crazy face paint. I have done so much since being at UEA but being a part of a close knit LGBT+ community has made the past couple of months a period of time I won’t forget.
Zee Waraich I’m proud because I have the privilege. I’m proud because it’s my responsibility to be unapologetic, living in a time when Trump - the president of my country wants us out, dead and gone. I am proud because those I called family can cut their ties, yet I am strong because those who matter stayed. Whilst you are proud, don’t forget those who can’t be. No one has an easy journey being born into a world where they are “other” – yet some have it
easier. Turn to LGBTQ+ people of colour if ever you need a reminder of what pride is, if you need to see the embodiment of strength and resilience, of sacrifice and survival. I am proud for those who had to die ashamed. I am proud in hopes that no one will have to again.
Milo Caskey
Maëlle Kaboré When I was growing up, every coming out story I ever heard started with something along the lines of “I always knew I was different” but that was never the case for me. I spent a lot of time feeling like I was faking my sexuality or just confused because I was completely clueless until quite late. All of my early teenage years I was having crushes on boys and none of it ever felt wrong
back then, so I thought it meant I couldn’t be a lesbian. It wasn’t until later, when I started exploring my feelings for women, that I realised men never made me feel the same way. I was never repulsed by men, I just had very underwhelming “meh” kind of feelings. And I think it’s very important for young questioning kids, especially girls, to know that they don’t have to understand their orientation straight away, and that sometimes it’s not obvious, so that they don’t grow up feeling like an imposter and constantly doubt themselves.
Charlotte Earney Despite having crushes on other women throughout my teenage years, I didn’t actually realise I was anything other than straight until I was 20. Luckily for me, UEA has been such a friendly and welcoming place to come out in, and I believe that has given me so much more confidence in myself outside of my sexuality as well as within it. However, I know that others are not so lucky to be part of
such a welcoming and diverse community, and this LGBT+ history month I will be thinking of the entire queer collective affected by the negative and destructive changes happening both worldwide and in the UK. Solidarity to my LGBT+ siblings, and I’m thankful for this opportunity to celebrate our progress, but also to look at what we need to change in our world to make things better for all of us.
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uea students’ union is focussing on your academic issues thatLmatter Grace Claydon ee When I started to realise that I liked girls it was pretty scary. I grew up going to church and surrounded by Christian friends and family. But when you become part of a community that causes so much controversy and divide within the Church, you begin to doubt all that. Going back home made me feel so uneasy, I was plagued with doubts: “What if they knew?” “Would they hate me?” All kinds of thoughts that really messed with my perceptions of my home relationships. I stopped going to church because I couldn’t work out how being a Christian and being gay could fit together. I was finally starting to feel comfortable and confident in my identity and I didn’t want the Church to cast doubt on that. I came out to my Aunty and some friends who I met on a trip to Tanzania and they helped me to realise that it was okay. That being a Christian is ultimately about a relationship between me and a God who loves me unconditionally. My girlfriend is a Christian too, and we’re hoping to create a network of LGBT+ Christian girls who can support and share their experiences with each other.
more study space on campus especially in and around the library
improving the quality of feedback on coursework and exam
supporting students to manage their university workload.
It has taken me until my midtwenties to discover who I am – a transgender man, words I can finally say with pride in my voice. I cannot say that this hasn’t come without challenges. I’ve dealt with anxiety all of my life, and for the longest time I never knew what caused it. On reflection scrapping 100% I’ve realised it’s because I never coursework and felt safe to be me, true to what was inside. Asin a child exam pieces a I was scared to do cartwheels for fear of injuring module and securing myself through my lack of balance, right to fail and a tomodule be anything more or less than what society expected of me made me fear equal pain. I became somewhat of a chameleon; tried varying degrees of gender identity and sexuality, trying to find the right shade of me. It wasn’t until joining UEA that I realised all of those shades worked together to create one hell of a complex painting, and that was just fine. It was better than fine. It was bloody brilliant. It was me. Being abstract makes me no less valuable. Self-discovery can be a long process for some, and that’s okay. If you’re struggling, that’s fine too. No matter what society tells you, being true to your heart is the most important thing.
Brown
a proper review of support for students out on placement
fair group work policies in each department
Inspired by the stories featured here? Visit the UEA 28 Days of Pride Facebook page
academic su
All photos: Georgia TomlinsonSpence for 28 Days of Pride
&
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DoSomethingDifferentWeek2017
14th February 2017
The art scienc Lady Malcone
After graduating from the university as a student in Art History, Lady M has made sure to retain her connections to UEA. Having made her fortunes from leasing her private jet, she quickly became a generous benefactor A rabid of the Mustard Centre, and has sponsored various rabbit? archeological exhibitions. Her donations to the latest Mustard Centre exhibit have received criticisms from UEA’s student body, after speculation that Assyrian artifacts from the early Christian period could have been taken from sites looted by IS.
Tom Bland Dr Tom Bland worked at various European universities before deciding to move to Norwich to curate the Mustard Centre’s archaeological archives and exhibitions. Dr Bland is unmarried, a fact that has inspired many rumours about his personal life. Whilst the academic is widely liked by his peers and students, there are many vicious tales surrounding his drinking habits and relationships with certain students.
Clue
Alex Wells
Never one to miss an LCR Damn Good, Alex Wells has consistently maintained the view that his excessive student lifestyle does not negatively affect his studies A VK? and ability to focus on extracurriculars. Alex Wells is desperate to be a BNOC, having gone to unsuccessful extremes to make Concrete headlines as a fresher by various acts of dare-devilery. However, by his final year, Alex’s peers have become fatigued by his myriad of attention-seeking acts, and quietly laugh at his increasing desire to make his campus 15 minutes of fame last until graduation.
Sarah Jane Bishop
Sarah Jane joined Concrete in her first term at UEA, and has been on a mission to uncover scandal ever since. However, lately when she is not writing stories, she is known to spend hours in the Mustard Centre or the library studying archeology. This out of character interest has sparked rumours amongst her classmates and fellow reporters that she may be having a relationship with Dr Bland, who appears to favour her above other student journalists.
#somethingdifferent
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27th Feb — 3rd March
ce of murder How can you get involved?
A mortar board?
eado
A sombrero?
UEA is hosting a campus wide murder mystery. Follow us as we investigate: Who did it, where and how?
The Detectives
After starting and building a career with the police in Manchester, when Lydia Bankhead’s children moved to university she decided to take to Norwich for what she thought would be a slower pace of life. At first Lydia found Norfolk more tedious than quiet, something enhanced by her new partner Detective Jan Munroe’s irritating habits and catchphrases. However, after a few years solving mysteries with Munroe in the fine city, Bankhead has even grown to like her new job. Norfolk born and bred, Munroe cannot understand why anybody would ever wish to leave Norwich and can at times find her colleague’s tales of past cases arrogant. However the two have grown to be a good team and have not yet left a case unsolved.
Undergraduates, there’s still time to get involved with the events during DDW, although places are filling up fast. Book onto Soft Bodies and Hard Evidence, Tuesday 28th Feb at 10.00, where you can follow the story beyond the initial crime scene to explore what a dead body can tell us in a criminal investigation. On Wednesday 1st March, be a fly on the wall at the Police Interviews, when Detectives interview and collect statements from the main suspects and witness. No booking required, just come along to Queens 1.03 at 10.00 to watch these unfold live. On Thursday 2nd March watch the Press conference as it is streamed through social media. On Friday 3rd March, sign up to watch the Trial in the TEC lecture theatre. Watch as our own Law students take on the roles of prosecution and defence, completely unscripted. There will be opportunities to take part interactively during the trial too so you can have your say. The verdict is unknown! Throughout the week follow the story and get involved on twitter: #somethingdifferent @UEAstudents @Concrete_UEA Follow us on twitter as we liveblog, tweet and stream as the week unfolds. Take part in our twitter poll and have your say about who did it. To find out more about getting involved with the media collective throughout the week, come along to a meeting on Tuesday 21st February at 5pm in the media office. To book onto these events and others during the week go to the programme on portal.uea.ac.uk/ dsdw
s ew ent n e inv l th t to l A fi s at’ th
@Concrete_UEA facebook.com/ConcreteNewspaper
UEA’s ‘alternative facts’
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DoSomethingDifferentWeek2017
What else is happening? Megan Baynes, Jessica Frank-Keyes and Caitlin Doherty spoke to some of the team involved in DSDW to find out what else undergraduates can expect: Get Pixelated
UEA’s brand new media suite, tucked away in the music centre (next to the Shop, for the uninitiated) is a labyrinthine nest of corridors and staircases. But it’s well worth navigating the Tardis-like building for access to the rooms of Macs, radio studios and editing equipment. Intended “predominantly for arts and humanities students,” and to enable the “digitisation of the humanities,” the low key atmosphere in the offices is a contrast to the serious money that UEA has clearly invested here. Do Different Week is a chance for the wider university body to make use of the resources, and Tracey Tutt, the media suite manager, couldn’t be more excited for the ‘Get Pixelated’ course.
“Do Different Week is a chance for the wider university community to make use of the resources” She describes alphabet photography as simply “taking photos of objects that make up words,” and hopes that students can “go out and about to look all around UEA’s architecture. It's interesting to look all around the university... and not only ‘do different’ but perhaps ‘see different’.” “We're going to print them out and put them up and there'll be a prize for the best one. We've got a great big creative practice lab, full of Macs and we've got Photoshop on it, so we're going to a couple of sessions so people know what they're doing with their images.” However, you don’t need a f a n c y camera -
y o u r iPhone will be more than enough to take part in the challenge, and the media team will teach you all you need to know to “get creative with vignettes, filters, and cropping.” ‘Get Pixelated,’ however, is an equally Instagram-able photography technique, this time involving the use of people as props to cre-
ate stop-motion style films. Tracey is keen for students to use UEA’s scenery as a background to their animated footage. “We're giving students a chance to go out with our video cameras and they'll be capturing single frames, hopefully in small groups, and getting some footage from around the university...you could have some very interesting stuff.” JFK
Oedipus at Colonus
Rupert Read, a senior member of the philosophy department, is running a play reading of the classic ‘Oedipus at Colonus’ by Sophocles. He said, “this play poses big questions about fate, human action, when something is right and when something is wrong. It examines the way communities scapegoat people and the way that scapegoating can be transformative as Oedipus goes on a journey from being the king of the thieves to being the scapegoat for all the problems of the thieves. “We are interested to think about how that process works and how people use scapegoating processes in a productive way.” This play is often thought to be the most famous and important of the greek tragedies as it deals with Oedipus at the height of his tragedy. Rupert, and fellow professor Catherine Rowett, want to get people who are interested in philosophy, drama, greek tragedy, or any of the issues that present themselves in the world. The evening will feature a short reading of the play, followed by a discussion on the issues presented. Despite being set in 401 BC Rupert believes that this play still has great relevance today: “we live in a time when an enormous amount o f scapegoating is going on.
Take the classic targeting of refugees: what people don’t realise is how deep the desire to scapegoat goes. Are the people who voted leave scapegoated by the people who voted remain? How can we live together without the vicious scapegoating?”
The event takes place on Friday 3rd at 4pm. MB
free, even outside of Do Different Week. CD
Heartstart
The General Theory
Hannah and Danielle will be running HeartStart first aid and resuscitation courses during Do Different Week. They will be offering two hour courses every day, providing CPR and resuscitation training that give the public emergency life saving skills. The sessions will cover a variety of medical scenarios and skills: how to put somebody into the recovery position, how to treat choking or severe bleeds, as well as emergency life support including CPR and how to use a defibrillator.
“30,000 people have an out of hospital cardiac arrest every year. Only one in ten of those survive” The girls believe that these skills are “not only important for students. 30,000 people have an out of hospital cardiac arrest every year, only one in ten of those survive. A lot of those are because CPR was not administered in the first critical minutes, we call them ‘The Golden Five Minutes’. If there is no CPR administered in the first six minutes, there is nothing you can do. It’s really important because currently, the ambulance response time is about 7 minutes for a cardiac arrest. “It’s all about giving confidence. If you called an ambulance, they would tell you how to do CPR over the phone, but some people get scared and refuse. We talk about everybody’s worries that could come up if facing somebody having a cardiac arrest. People are worried about doing it wrong, that they might hurt them more by doing it. They’re scared that they’re going to break ribs. People have to remember that the people they’re performing
CPR o n are
a l ready dead, you’re not going to make it any worse. They are medically dead.” These sessions are funded by the British Heart Foundation and
Fabio Arico is a lecturer in the school of Economics, and he sat down with me to explain his involvement in Do Different Week, and why we should pay more attention to the economic systems that control society. “[During Do Different Week] I am going to do a reading of the The General Theory [of Employment, Interest and Money] by John Maynard Keynes. The idea with Keynes is that reading ‘the Classics’ has come back, it’s trendy after the post-crash in 2008/2009, people have realised that the current economic theories are not working that well. “Keynes was actually the first one who outlined the workings of the financial markets and one of the important things he says - which is still not always accounted these days - is that you see models - there are models for this economic situation, models for that economic situation - but what really happens in a crisis is not that we need a new model, but people lose confidence in the fact that the model works. It’s when you stop believing it that it becomes a problem.”
“[When] people hear things about economics...they think it’s something really complicated” Economics can seem daunting, especially when it is such a dominant force in our news narratives, but Fabio believes that these Keynes readings are a good introduction to economic theory. “As soon as people hear things about economics or financial markets the think that it’s something really complicated and disengage with the whole
thing. At the same time, their decision a b o u t h o w they want to vote for politicians is often based on economics. It’s important to have people a lit-
tle more engaged, and understand the mechanisms around financial markets. We are not assuming that everybody has to become an economist, but having people engaged is important.” CD
Opera
Poppy Damazar, President of UEA’s brand new Opera Society, is hosting an open rehearsal of the society’s production of Dido and Aeneas. She describes the piece, an English Baroque era opera by the composer Henry Purcell, as having: “a very powerful story and very good music.”
“A lot of people won’t have experienced opera so this is a perfect chance to get involved” The production opens the week after Do Different Week, at Norwich’s Garage Theatre, and will be performed on the 10th and 11th of March. But the open rehearsal, held in the Strode Room in UEA’s Music Centre is open to all students. Poppy says the experience of “seeing things in rehearsal” is very different to watching the final production, and encouraged anyone unsure about getting involved to come along. A lot of people probably won’t have experienced opera so this is the perfect chance to get involved with your fellow students. [We’re] very enthusiastic and willing to talk about it. None of us have ever done anything like this before. It’s brand new for all of us, we’re learning on the job.” Poppy adds that producing the performance is her singing teacher, who used to be the principal soprano of the English National Opera. “Hopefully at the rehearsal we’ll have all the people there, so its the perfect thing if
you’ve n e v e r a b o u t fore.” JFK
thought opera be-
14th February 2017
Valentine’s
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Features
Wine and dine this
Features editors Lillie Coles and Lydia Lockyer share their ideas for the perfect Valentine’s Day:
How about a night in? Many supermarkets offer meal deals throughout the year. But, this Valentine’s Day, if you don’t fancy a night at a restaurant, you can often find a cheaper, less pressurefilled meal at your local shop. If you are single, fear not, you could share this meal with a friend, or even treat yourself to the whole thing - we won’t tell anyone if you don’t! Marks and Spencer: For £20, you can get a three course meal, with prosecco or a bottle of wine. With lots of delicious options such as scallops, antipasti, duck, lamb, and not forgetting an endless list of dessert treats. We like the look of the raspberry and prosecco spheres with edible glitter, and the salted caramel rose desserts. This is definitely the most fancy dine-in meal deal, but is definitely one to go for. If you split the cost, it is only £10
per person, a huge saving compared to an expensive Valentines meal out
Two mains, two sides, two desserts and a bottle of wine or chocolates is what you will get for £20 at Tesco. Perhaps not as upmarket as M&S, but the Tesco menu includes a range of classic dishes, from beef wellington to lasagne. Asda: Asda are offering a main meal, side, dessert and drink for the pocket friendly price of £10! If you’re looking to spoil someone without the splurge, this could be the perfect meal deal for you and your date.
(and you can eat it in your pyjamas!). Tesco:
Waitrose: If you live on campus, you can walk to Waitrose in about 20 minutes, and it’s definitely worth it for this meal deal. A three course meal and a bottle of wine or fizz can be yours for £20, and the menu will make your mouth water! Iindulge with the baked vanilla cheesecake heart with strawberry and prosecco compote for dessert! LC & LL
cipe for A quick and easy re kies Valentine’s Day coo
A gift for your valentine or a cheeky bit of festive scoff for yourself, this simple cookie recipe will win everyone’s heart.
Rolling pin Piping bags (optional) Cooling rack
Ingredients: 175g plain flour 100g butter (chilled) 85g icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 egg yolk A selection of decorations Ready made icings Food colouring (optional)
Mix together the flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk until it forms a dough (it might be easier in a food processor if you have one - if not, it’s a good work out). Wrap the dough in clingfilm and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes. Heat the oven at 180 degrees celsius.
Equipment: Baking tray Cookie cutters Cling film Whisk / wooden spoon
Roll out the dough 3-4mm thick and stamp out shapes with a cookie cutter (heart or circle shaped - easy to find on Amazon or Lakeland). Re-roll any leftovers
Method:
and repeat. Slide onto a baking tray and pop into the oven for around 10-12 minutes until just turning golden. Cool on a wire rack. Depending on how you’re feeling or whether you own piping bags, a sieve and food colouring - the whole malarkey - why not buy some ready to go, coloured icing and go to town with decorating and sparkles. If not, a batch of ready to roll icing, mixed with food colouring rolled out to about 3mm thick will stick nicely to your cookies with some water and icing sugar. Use the rest of that mixture to pipe on detail in a contrasting colour. LL
The best date-night spots The Bicycle Shop: Nestled amongst the chic St Benedict’s street bars and restaurants is this gem. I actually went here on my first date with my boyfriend, so it holds lots of lovely memories for me. Share tapas by candlelight and enjoy a wide range of wines, beers and spirits. After your meal, head downstairs to the bar area to relax and chat with your date. The Iron House: A bit of a swanky option but with decent prices, the Iron House can be found in Norwich’s quaint lanes. With a wide range of classic dishes, alongside some hearty innovative meals, the Iron House serves a range of small, medium and large plates. Perfect for sharing, or going solo. The Grosvenor: If you’re looking for a daytime date or a more casual spot, The Grosvenor have recently opened a new seating area in the crypt below the restaurant. It has a cosy atmosphere, with award-winning fish and chips and purse-friendly prices. The cod goujons are a firm favourite- definitely not one to miss! And with the Birdcage just across the street, you couldn’t be in a better spot to carry on the date over cocktails.
The Georgian Townhouse: If Unthank Road is your stomping ground, look no further than The Georgian Townhouse for a delicious date-night meal. The sharing boards are both delicious and romantic, and their wide selection of drinks means any date would be happy! The pub has a delightful seating area, and in the warmer months, the beer garden is a lovely place to enjoy an alfresco date. Turtle Bay: Enjoy a Caribbean twist to your date, with some rum cocktails and spicy treats at Turtle Bay. I reccommend their signature Jerk Chicken, the goat curry, and they have sharing platers, too. The bar has a lovely seating area and they have happy hour deals and a specal lunchtime menu, so any date at any time would be wellsuited to Turtle Bay! Cryptic Escape: If wining and dining isn’t your ideal date, don’t worry! Why not try this escape room game? You can play as a team of two, solving puzzles, find ing clues, and cracking codes to escape the room together. This is the perfect idea for an adrenaline fuelled Valentine’s Day! LC
Comment
14th Feburary 2017
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The day we love to hate? Amy Bonar Comment Writer An estimated one billion Valentine’s Day cards will be sent worldwide this year, making it the second most card-heavy celebration after Christmas. On average, the day even manages to rack in 9.2 billion pounds in retail sales – both rather staggering figures. But year upon year, why exactly do many of us feel the need to pour out our money into the hands of these corporations? Unlike Christmas, or even Easter, we don’t actually seem to be able to explain why we celebrate it. Surely I can’t be the only one whose knowledge of the day and its social significance is skewed? Why February 14th? Historians claim that the day actually has some historical merit. Valentine’s Day is rooted in the Ancient Roman
Festival of Lupercalia, a Pagan fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 14th, which entailed young men stripping naked and using goat or dog-skin whips to spank the backsides of young women in order to improve their fertility. One can only marvel at how the ritualistic origins of this event evolved into our modern day notion of Valentine’s Day – and clearly, the link between the two is tenuous at best. So, February 14th may not be a totally arbitrary day for this celebration of love to occur, but the origins of Valentine’s Day are undoubtedly dubious. Does it not seem a bit odd that many of us seem to take what is an ultimately an artificial holiday so seriously? I distinctly remember my friend being rather distraught one Valentine’s, due to her boyfriend not even managing to send her a measly card. At the time, my
How to treat your single friends this Valentine’s day just wait it out, I’ll find someone. Funnily enough my sole aim in life is not to find someone to share February 14th with. I have been told that I just need to be patient, I can live in the company of couples. but at 18 years old I hardly think I can tolerate the occasional kiss. finding a boyfriend is a pressing But if you can’t keep your hands to matter. I’m not worried. yourselves, I might scream. As the Also, please don’t act like I’m perpetually single friend I’m used the last single person on the planet. to third-wheeling. I have taken on There are quite a few of us. Believe my role with enthusiasm and I love it or not. I’m not an endangered to make couples uncomfortable species and don’t want your while openly mocking their donations once a month. Whether romantic behaviour. I can cope. it is the certain singles who have But where do you draw the line? no romantic attachment, or the How should you treat your single single in unofficial pairings who friend? like to live label free, we don’t need protecting. There are singles that “Funnily enough my are insecure and awkward in the company of couples so show them sole aim in life is not to kindness. All you need to do is find someone to share act like a normal human being. It February 14th with. I isn’t very hard. Surely even people in couples remember how it was have been told that I just before? How it was to be single need to be patient, but at Couple-y behaviour is fine, just not all the time. Because we 18 years old I hardly think must remind ourselves that even a finding a boyfriend is a couple consists of two individuals. pressing matter. I’m not Two separate, unique people who can function by themselves. They worried.” did it before, and they can do it when they hang out with me. Hold What I, and all your other hands for a bit and I can stomach single friends, don’t want is pity. it. But if you can’t keep your hands I hate to brag, but if I wanted a to yourself and your tongues are date I could get one. So I really down each other’s throats when don’t need the sorrowful looks or you come up for air you’ll find me encouragement that one day, if I Office gone. And I won’t be sorry. Photo: Foreign & Commonwealth
Sophie Bunce Comment Writer
initial response was to condemn him – what could possibly possess someone to not want to celebrate Valentine’s, particularly if you are in a committed relationship? Maybe he just genuinely forgot, or maybe he wasn’t really in love with her at all, and this was his way of subtly easing the blow. In retrospect, I would like to believe that he was staunchly anti-capitalist, and believed that Valentines Day represents everything that is wrong with the Establishment. Of course, there’s good reason to be cynical. In 1913, Hallmark produced their first Valentine and ever since it is has evolved into a day which seems to solely manipulate ‘love’: a way for businesses to cash in on one of our most private, intimate emotions. And yet, we have become mindless consumers who seem to buy into it all, splurging our money on roses, soppy cards and
chocolates – all of which, to me, lack any real sentiment or thought. Maybe I’m just a cynic because last year my only Valentine’s was from my Mum: after all, no wonder I’m so bitter. But even if my hypothetical partner and I were to endorse in all the Valentine’s shenanigans, somehow the day still doesn’t scream ‘romance’ to me. Because clearly, the only way a couple can prove their commitment and revel in their devoted love for one another is through buying tacky gifts. You can’t help but admire how Hallmark and the like have succeeded in exploiting a day that doesn’t even really need to exist. But if you, like me, can’t seem to understand the hype around Valentine’s Day, then just remember that you don’t need to conform or succumb to the pressures if you don’t want to, whatever your relationship status.
What is the point: is marriage now falling out of favour? Edward Sudall Comment Writer
Weddings can be fun to attend after all, it’s rare to have such a large party across generations and social groups; it both inspires awe at something larger, and is yet another opportunity to drink and dance. The ritual seems to be at the heart of what makes us human: a promise and belief in a shared life. According to Europeans, marriage came about in Christian Rome and the gender-labour division of the agricultural revolution: husband as farmer and wife as housekeeper. Ultimately, it was like a small business exchange between two families. But, after waves of liberating feminism and industry, it adapted into lovers becoming ‘one’ against the world, as is evident in romantic novels. A modern marriage is part romantic, part business. There is love and lust but there is also rent, working hours and probably picking up the kids. Marriage is a pooling of emotional and material resources, bound in a contract. And you are lucky if your partner agrees on fundamentals: what to eat, watch, listen to, where to live, what to do. Marriage is a contract which is deliberately difficult to exit. This assures our personal investments in each other are protected from our irrational, impulsive selves. Making it difficult to exit means that you are more likely to stay and avoid temptations that, in the longrun, will likely not be good for us or others. I worry that most couples
haven’t thought of the risks getting fat, a dead libido, debt, and boredom. They face 50 per cent chance of divorce, or 80 years of the same person. While I believe you cannot trust your feelings, they counter with “you know Ed. . . it just feels right”. My sister and her boyfriend, who love each other, have not married yet: “not till my career is sorted”. They’ve been married in all but ceremony for nine years now. This got me thinking: all marriage really is, is an incantation, some jewellery, and a piece of paper. What does the research say results in divorce? A lot of petty things, for sure. But largely, it is being over-dependent on the partner for needs, unmet because of cultural pressure placing too much value on marriage (or ‘the one’) and not enough on life-sustaining (or indeed, marriage sustaining) hobbies, work, and friends. After being invited to my friend’s wedding in Luiv, Ukraine, (she’s 26 and he’s 21), I had an array of jokes prepared about visa-marriage to tell my friends. However, I found myself lost for words. I saw for a fact that it is purely out of love that they want to be married: it’s in the light in their eyes. It is further proven by the fact he will live in Ukraine - countering the ethnocentric assumption that she wishes to migrate to Britain. The best relationships of any kind are complementing; the cultural focus should shift from material exchange and the false finality of a happy ending to a more realistic vision of interpersonal development and community, that makes each other better and happier people, which values conscientiousness as the successful trait.
Imogen Barton says working parenthood can never be perfect Mothers often find themselves in the difficult position of balancing their job and home life, most recently exemplified with Norwich MP Chloe Smith taking her baby into Parliament to vote on Brexit. Although some are applauding Parliament’s ‘shift to a familyfriendly environment’ one should also consider the current burden that mothers tackle as they try to ‘have it all’. In this incident, the baby was only present for a short period of time while the MP voted. This is not, as some have suggested, an active shift towards making Parliament a ‘family-friendly’ work environment but a blurring of lines between the work and personal lives, something forced by financial pressure. Accepting the child in the room does not change the overall working environment of politics that makes having a child so impractical. Meanwhile, the more negative responses demonstrate the social judgement heaped onto working mothers as they try to negotiate a balance between working properly and making sure their child is growing up well. These days, women are not only expected to be good mothers to their children but to perform well at their jobs. This doesn’t even take into account the time needed if a mother wants to maintain a social life or work on her personal interests. In a nutshell, the burden to be perfect in more areas than ever has been foisted onto women, neatly packaged as liberation. People expect women to ‘have it all’ at the same time and, as some newspaper commentators show, anyone failing to live up to this standard are awarded with scathing commentaries for when it’s a slow news day. In reality, such comments mean nothing when you consider that very few people can juggle successful careers, good families and hobbies at the same time. Although they are better able to balance a work and personal life, most men cannot ‘have it all’ either. The main reason that they could have successful jobs and families prior to modern times was because women did almost all of the domestic duties. With both parents now working, they must also make sacrifices between work and family. Whether you choose to focus on one aspect over another or try to juggle both, sacrifices will always have to be made and no option will be enough to spare anyone judgement.
postgraduate
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how do you pay for your masters?
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maddie colledge SU postgraduate education officer
>>
As many students will know, being accepted on to your dream master’s course is only one hurdle in beginning postgraduate study. Before you can actually start, you have to decide how to fund it. So, what can you do? I’ve been out and about chatting to master’s students at UEA to see how they’ve managed. Here’s what they told me: University Scholarships UEA offers a small number of scholarships to academically gifted students. These cover both tuition fees and living costs – but they’re extremely competitive. Head to www.uea.ac.uk to find out more. UEA Continuation Scholarships UEA is unique in that it offers a 50% tuition fee reduction to UEA graduates who achieved a first (or starred first) class in their undergraduate degree.
academic
Other Scholarships, Prizes and Bursaries Head to www.uea.ac.uk to find out about school-specific prizes, scholarships and bursaries which you could use to help fund your study. Work Balancing part-time work with fulltime study can be a challenge, but for most, it’s a lifeline. Most of the students I spoke to had a part-time job, but none of them said it was easy. Take time off and work a lot A few students had taken gap years (sometimes 2-4 years) to work and save money to cover their tuition fees. Some said this provided a valuable break from education, but others said their living costs while working (for example, money spent on a car that their job demanded), meant they
couldn’t save as much as they wanted. At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice.
you don’t pay it back until you’re earning over £21,000. Bank Loans
Commute
These might be an option if you’re not eligible for a government loan, or if you want to pay back the loan at a faster rate on fixed conditions. These might be preferable, since the government has been known to retrospectively change the conditions of student loans, but the terms of repayment are pretty iron-clad, regardless of whether or Photo: not you have a job. Pierre Holtz for UNICEF
Some students decide to move back in with their parents and commute in to University. This is easier with courses that have lower contact hours, but it does make it harder to access valuable campus resources, such as the library. Distance learning isn’t for everyone, but it could save you a lot in living costs. Government Loans For those who don’t get scholarships or fee waivers, for those who can’t commute, work, or get help from parents, loans are an attractive option. From August 2016, postgraduates can take out a government loan which allows you to borrow up to £10,000 under similar terms to the undergraduate student finance system, meaning
words provided by your students’ union officers
Is it even worth it? Talking to these students, and listening to how hard they’ve worked to get on to their master’s, then to fund their master’s, all so they can work incredibly hard doing their master’s – I had to ask, is it worth it? ‘Yes’, every single one of them said. ‘Absolutely.’
news
#UEAisunited - more scholarships for refugees
theo antoniou-phillips & malaika jaovisidha SU undergraduate education officer & international student officer
>>
We’re calling on UEA to increase the number of scholarships it offers to refugees. Over the past two weeks, the USA’s travel ban has had a devastating impact on migrants and refugees. It did nothing but foster hate and fear at a time where thousands of people are fleeing war and terror. uea|su stood firmly against the travel ban, and we stand in solidarity with those affected. We were proud that the Vice Chancellor of
UEA spoke out so openly against the travel restrictions ordered by President Trump, and reaffirmed the idea that ‘UEA is United’ against divisions over nationality and religion. Thankfully, the US Courts fought the President’s executive order. However, this dispute made us all reflect on the current state of immigration policy. When the refugee crisis first emerged, UEA set up two scholarships to fund the tuition fees and maintenance costs
of refugees who wanted to study here. We spoke to a few of these students who are at UEA because of these scholarships, and they’ve told us how vital these opportunities are. We want to ask UEA to increase the number of scholarships they’re making available to refugees. Though there are plenty of universities not doing anything, there are others doing a lot more. For example, Sussex is offering 50
English Language Scholarships for Syrian Refugees. The Saïd Foundation has identified the language barrier as the biggest barrier to higher education, and the University of Sussex and the University of Sussex Students’ Union developed these scholarships in response. Each scholarship is worth £10,000 per student, and will give refugees the support they need, and the language skills, to prepare for university study.
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14th February 2017
Science Zebra shark has virgin birth
Photo: Wikimedia, Sigmund
Milly Godfrey Science Editor In a breathtaking transition for sexual to asexual reproduction, Leonie the zebra shark has given birth without a mate. Leonie, homed at the REEF HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, had several litters with a mate before the two were separated in 2012. Having lived apart from males for the past few years, her keepers were shocked to find she had laid eggs that grew to produce three healthy baby sharks in April of 2016. In a quizzical attempt to unfold Leonie’s transition from sexual to seemingly asexual reproduction,
biologists investigated the possibility of her storing sperm to use for later reproduction. However, upon testing the pups they discovered the young sharks only contained traces of Leonie’s cells.
“Asexual reproduction occurs when embryos develop without fertilisation by a male’s sperm” Asexual reproduction, known as parthenogenesis, occurs when embryos develop without
fertilization by a male’s sperm. This case is the first seen within zebra sharks and is more common in plants and invertebrates, however scientists have been documenting an increase in ‘virgin births’ throughout typically sexually reproducing species. These include: komodo dragons, wild pit vipers, blacktip sharks, chickens and turkeys. This, however does not detract from the extraordinary nature of Leonie being one of the rare cases to be known to have given birth by sexual reproduction to then make the switch to asexual reproduction after being without a mate for several years. Scientists working on Leonie’s
case seem to believe that she adapted to her circumstances and made the switch as a result of losing her mate, but are still questioning how such a thing might happen in
“Scientists have been documenting an increase in ‘virgin births’ throughout typically sexually reproducing species” the wild. The zebra shark is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s
Red List of Threatened Species and thus information on how the species could reproduce in the wild despite lack of suitable mate could be crucial to their survival. With an increase in asexual reproduction it is common to see a loss of genetic diversity as the generations span and scientists claim they will be monitoring Leonie’s babies to asses whether they can indeed have their own pups with a male partner. So as it appears, this Valentine’s Day, Leonie has given up on love because she simply has no need for it and will carry on providing life without the need for a box of chocolates or bouquet of roses.
Revenge porn helpline to close Emily Hawkins Science Writer The UK’s revenge porn helpline will close in March, after just over two years of operation. The helpline was set up in February 2015 to provide advice and support to those affected by having explicit images or videos of them shared non-consensually, usually by a former partner. Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham has opposed this cut, stating in the House of Commons: “Some 20% of 13- to 21-year-olds have had unwanted pornographic images sent to them, and 5% of them have had indecent images shared without their consent.” She asked: “why is the government cutting the funding to the revenge porn helpline and how
will you ensure that the victims have access to bespoke support, when you are shutting the only helpline in March?” The government’s only comment was that no announcement on the helpline’s future has yet been made, despite reports from the Guardian that the helpline has “failed to receive any commitment of support” from the government in funding negotiations. The current legislation about revenge porn is relatively recent, but there were 200 prosecutions for the disclosure of private sexual images without the subject’s consent in 2015-16. Legislation concerning revenge porn has been criticised by campaigners who say that it does not go far enough to deal with the digital nuances of the crime. Laura Higgins, who founded the helpline
for victims, said that the current law will mean many incidents “fall through the net”. “Photoshopped images are not covered,” she explained at the time of the legislation’s introduction. “There’s a whole group of victims who won’t be covered,” she claimed. The law was also criticised for not involving any measures to necessitate the removal of nonconsensually disclosed images immediately. Currently even if an individual is facing criminal prosecution for revenge porn they do not have to remove the image in question immediately. Campaigners have thus advocated for legislation which includes an option for victims to file for an injunction against the perpetrator, so that any private images would have to be taken
off the internet. The Crown Prosecution Service state that in these situations “the offence may fall under a number of other areas of legislation, for example the Malicious Communications Act 1988,” however campaigners say that this leaves many victims of revenge porn vulnerable. Nik Noone, CEO of Galop, a London anti-violence organisation for LGBT people, has said that authorities and the legal system have “struggled to keep up with the pace of change and the reality of what people are experiencing. ”This sentiment has been expressed by many activists concerned with the current structures in place to help prosecute perpetrators of revenge porn. “People are in this territory that changes quickly but rules or norms are not evolving at the same pace.”
20
percent of 13-20 year olds. Have received unsolicted sexual images online.
2,500
phonecalls made to the revenge porn helpline in 2016.
200
people have been charged and tried for revenge porn since the law was introduced in April 2015.
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14th February 2017
Women not ‘totally straight’ Millie Capper Science Writer Women, and the world of sexual arousal just got a whole lot more complicated. According to a new study, no woman who identifies as straight, is entirely straight. It is almost certain that as a women appreciate the qualities of their own sex; attractiveness, intelligence, strength, and confidence. A recent study of female sexuality, conducted by Dr Gerulf Rieger at the University of Essex, suggested that straight women are aroused by men and women, whereas gay women tend to only be exclusively aroused by their preferred sex. The study measured the
arousal of women by tracking eye movement. 345 female participants were questioned about their sexual preferences and from their answers the study compared their
“The study suggests that 74 percent of women who identify as straight were significantly aroused by men and women” stated preferences to their arousal levels when exposed to videos of attractive women and men. The study suggests that 74 percent of
women who identify as straight were significantly aroused by videos of both men and women. In comparison to the 68% of gay women who were aroused by their preferred sex. Previous studies had already suggested that straight women were aroused by both sexes, however, research has never been carried out to question whether it was the same for gay women. The study has determined that women who identify as gay are much more aroused by their preferred sex. Dr Rieger commented “even though the majority of women identify as straight, our research clearly demonstrates that when it comes to what turns them on, they are either bisexual or gay, but never
straight.” Meanwhile, the sexual arousal of men accurately mirrors their stated sexual preferences. But, from
“The sexual arousal patterns of gay women are very similar to men” the results, it suggets that the sexual arousal of straight women is very much placed on a spectrum. Furthermore, Dr Reiger believes the sexual arousal of gay women is to do with the amount of testosterone female babies receive in the womb, however he is uncertain as to why gay women are more often only
aroused by their preferred sex. Although it is not proven, Dr Rieger stated that female babies who experienced testosterone in early gestation, also had sexual behaviours of the male sex. He concluded from the research that women who identify as straight are never totally so, because what arouses them suggests that straight women are in fact more bisexual or gay. Dr Rieger emphasises that the study does not suggest that women are repressing their sexual preferences, but in fact the sexual preferences for women are much more complex. The study implies a disconnect between what women state as their sexual preference, and their hormonal reactions.
‘It’s a match’: the science of swiping Bored of superlikes and the endless swiping? Try these Tinder alternatives Bumble “We’re changing the rules to the game” - Bumble offers the first conversation move to the woman. If the female doesn’t send a message within the first 24 hours of matching, the connection is lost. For same sex relationships or just friendships, either partner has the option to send the first message or extend the 24 hour period.
Happn Happn is the dating app with a twist. Match with people based on your location, routine and who you cross paths with on a daily basis. See that cute guy in the bakery everyday? Maybe he’s on Happn and if he is, the app will be able to tell you just how many times you’ve crossed paths with them.
Match.com Anyone old or new to the dating scene, anyone not even on the dating scene will be familiar with the name match.com. The match.com app brings the reliable name to your mobile device and brings your daily curated matches that you can simply send a ‘wink’ to display your interest.
Tastebuds Budding music lover? Tastebuds, unlike other dating apps, takes into keen interest your taste in music, matching you with similar vibey lovers so you cam get down and dirty to some funky tunes.
Gavin O’Donnell Science Writer Valentine’s day is approaching and once again you’ve found yourself without a date. Maybe it’s time to try out a dating app: Tinder, Grindr, PlentyOfFish? Whichever you choose it’s all about making the perfect profile to rake in those matches and now there’s a scientific checklist to ensure that you’re on the right track. Professor Khalid Khan of Queen Mary University, having watched his friend repeatedly fail to find a
girlfriend, has reviewed dozens of research articles on the science of online dating and attraction. His paper, published in the journal Evidence-Based Medicine, draws from sociology, psychology, computer and behavioural science to outline the ways to maximise your chances of getting a date.
The Username: some websites and apps require a user or screen name, you should avoid names that have “undesirable” connotations such as “little” and “bugg”. Names with a playful tone such as “fun2bwith” receive positive reactions amongst both men and women, whilst men are particularly attracted to names emphasising physical attractiveness eg “cutie”, women prefer names indicating intelligence like “Cultured”. Names are often listed alphabetically, so using a name starting with a letter near the top of the alphabet may increase your chances of getting noticed. Profile Picture:
attire and physical features have a powerful influence on response rates. A genuine smile one that “crinkles up your eyes” will help make a positive first impression. The “head tilt” will also increase attractiveness, but don’t tilt too much. Men are also strongly attracted to women Rabbit: Wikimedia, Logo: UEA, Illustration: Dougie Dodds
wearing red in their profile pictures. Keep it simple. People who use language that is easy to understand score higher on perceived intelligence levels because people are drawn to words that are easy to remember and pronounce.
The Photo Gallery: use group photos of you having a good time, this makes you seem popular and sociable. Women are particularly attracted to photos of men in which other women are smiling at them. You should also capitalise on the centre-stage effect, using photos where you are in the middle makes you seem important and therefore more attractive. This can be reinforced by photos where you are touching another person (but stick to the socially acceptable upper arm), the toucher is perceived as having a higher social status than the one being touched. The Description: use the 70:30 ratio. Your description can’t be all about you, but needs to be realistic. Talk about what kind of person you are (70%) and what you are looking for (30%) for example: “genuine, attractive, outgoing, professional female, good sense of humour, into keeping fit, socialising, music and travel, seeks like-minded, good-natured guy to share quality times.” This combination achieves the best results. Women prefer bravery and courage to kindness and altruism in the description whilst men are drawn to physical fitness (with a preference for yoga and aerobics over rugby and weightlifting). So there you have it, the scientifically proven checklist to the perfect dating profile. But when it’s midday on Valentine’s day you might still be better off frantically swiping right on Tinder...
Travel
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14th February 2017
Sarajevo: city of scars Why you shouldn't ignore one of Europe's war-torn capitals
Adam Robertson Charlton Travel Writer It is said of many cities that history lies around every corner. In Sarajevo, what lies around every corner is not yet history. 25 years since the siege that left the city with its wounded skyline and limbless beggars, Sarajevo has not shrugged off the pounding it received during the 1990s. Yet, even with the damage and deprivation, and perhaps in part because of it, this city enthrals the small number of travellers who visit. Although Istanbul is where Europe meets Asia, Sarajevo, with its spindly minarets and ‘Bosnian coffee’, is where west first meets east. Food and drink are two things that don’t often come to mind when one envisages the Balkans, and the image of meat and dumplings, with potatoes considered “salad” is not inaccurate in parts, but Bosnia defies this trend. In particular, the Bosnian coffee, which is served with Turkish delight and ample sugar holds your taste-buds captive long after you leave. Equally, ‘cevapi’, (pronounced chevapi); a meat sausage comprising beef and lamb is particularly good in Sarajevo, revealing the world of pork-free
Wikimedia: BloodSaric sausages to many for the first time. The final third of the Bosnian trifecta of gastronomy is ‘rakia’, and it comes with a warning. Rakia is a brandy that floats around the 40 - 50 percent ABV mark, and tastes a bit like it’s been distilled in a carburettor. Whilst Bosnians insist that it has “medicinal properties”, the taste may leave you wondering whether they meant as an antiseptic. At a hotel, hostel or restaurant, there is always the risk that this drink will arrive unsought in front of you, conceivably at half eight in the morning. Regardless of its venom, the gesture - that of those who don’t have much offering hospitality
to strangers - encapsulates the experience of staying in Sarajevo. On the subject of hospitality, and indeed food, I feel obliged to mention the Balkan Han Hostel. The building itself is large and airy, and provides air-conditioning. For ten euros a night (the preferred currency in many places despite the Bosnian Mark), the hosts are friendly and will endeavour to look after you to the best of their abilities… to give them the benefit of the doubt. I say this because it was at this hostel that both my travelling companions nearly “shat themselves lifeless”, to quote a German backpacker, having contracted salmonella thanks to a
chicken dish Ivan, the hostel owner cooked for us. I was lucky enough to escape poisoning, but was resigned to the role of nurse for several wasted days. Whilst we like to think this was an accident, it did result in us paying for three more days’ accommodation, and therefore, like the Rakia this recommendation comes with a warning. From this hostel, and many others, excellent tours are provided, mostly concerning the siege. Features like the airport tunnel, which was used to bring in everything a city under siege needed below ground, the sniper's nests in the surrounding hills, the
old fort, (whose cannon is fired during Ramadan to signal an end to the fasting), and even the vast sprawling estates of the outer city, where the war lingers as though it only ended yesterday, are all likely to be included. Perhaps most interestingly, they may well drive you to the top of the 1983 Yugoslav Winter-Olympic-bobsledrun, which is now abandoned and you can walk down; tracing the flowing graffiti as you go. Although Sarajevo’s most ubiquitous feature is undeniably bullet holes, and if one wishes to, they can compare black and white pictures of blazing tower blocks with their modern day subject, still scarred by fire, the war’sJack legacy Leik is certainly not all Sarajevo has to offer. The people, the food and the Ottoman Quarter are all thoroughly engaging and will remind you that you’re in an eastern enclave, despite remaining in the west. Well connected by train to Zagreb in Croatia, and by an international airport, the city is no longer an inaccessible fragment of Eastern Europe but a growing, dynamic and inspiring example of how hope and resilience can overcome war and destruction. Oh, and it’s cheap as cevapi.
uea students’ union is focussing on your academic issues that matter Photos: Dan Salliss
more study space on campus especially in and around the library
improving the quality of feedback on coursework and exam
supporting students to manage their university workload.
scrapping 100% coursework and exam pieces in a module and securing right to fail a module
a proper review of support for students out on placement
fair group work policies in each department
academic su
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14th February 2017
Lost in translation Nick Ward Travel Writer
The flagstone cellar of the hostel is abuzz with foreign tongues, no signal here for tweets or status updates, just conversation, chemicals and heavily debated table football. She grabs me by a fray in the waist of my jeans and demands I stand still so she can capture me. I hear a succession of noises that sound like tiny metallic butterflies and then two electric blue irises appear from behind the lens. She introduces herself as Capucine, my brain scrambles for the remnants of a GCSE in French and the resulting venture into the language of love is catastrophic. “Bonjour,” I say, with as much nonchalance as I can strain. “Tu est un chou.” Confusion clouds her face and as she brushes a golden strand of her hair back from her forehead, she smiles. “You er, you 'ave just called me a cabbage.” I give a vague and bumbling apology for being English, silently concluding that I’m more Basil Fawlty than James Bond. “You drink?” she asks. I nod in affirmation and she pours two glasses of Slivovitz. We
drink and she pours another. We play cards; four, five, six times I lose and drink as penalty. She drags me out into the rain to share a cigarette and I want to kiss her but a pudgy, self-entitled cat is mewing at my ankles, watching us with an almost serpentine infatuation. I grin at the thought of it sailing over the terracotta rooves of the city like a feline stinger missile. “What are you smiling at?” Rather than explain I lean in and kiss her, to my great surprise, she kisses back, delicately biting my bottom lip. We look at each other, a few moments pass in silence. “Would you like to go dancing?” I ask, instantly regretting that I sound like a poor pastiche of a Fitzgerald character. But my luck holds. “Of course! Let me just put my camera away.” She replies. The cobbled street shimmers with renewed promise and I fancy kicking the cat in celebration, but it has slipped off to irk some other unfortunate soul. Capucine returns and we stroll hand in hand in the warm August rain, I haven’t a clue where we could go dancing but fortunately she knows a place. We find ourselves in the toilets of a small basement club, Le Chapeau Rouge. We bend forward, practicing our vanishing act in unison, hoover-
ing the white powder from the grey flecked marble. I glance into the grubby mirror just in time to catch my pupils explode. We drink neat rum and get close in the press of the mob on the tiny dancefloor. I’m increasingly conscious of the fact I haven’t showered in two days and I probably smell like a dead fish, the cocaine is not helping matters. She dares me to steal a beer barrel, and I consent. In truth she could ask me to club a baby seal to death and I would. We bounce down the street laughing, it is not long before I lose the barrel on a vicious corner and it bobbles over a low wall into a canal. Thankfully its fall is broken by a passing barge and we leave post haste, giggling, staggering, high on everything. After several wrong turns the hostel emerges at the end of a dimly lit street and we sneak into the now deserted communal area. We talk, and talk, and talk. I lie in her lap and she strokes my hair until I fall asleep. I awake alone, the morning light is cold and unforgiving. My wallet, watch and passport are nowhere to be seen and my mouth tastes like a pharmacy. I can still smell her on my clothes. As I am pulling on my boots the cat sidles by and chooses the wrong moment to smirk. I pull back my leg and take aim.
Anonymous UEA students reveal their most intimate travelling stories "I lost my virginity in a bird watching hide while on holiday in Cornwall." "My romantic minibreak to Rhodes was ruined by my catastrophic diarrhoea from a dodgy curry that I ate before I left. I literally couldn't get off the loo." "I was doing doggy-style under the stars with the wind-surfing instructor of the holiday company in Greece that I was also working at. He saw a comet and immediately lost his boner. To make things worse a car drove past and I can only compare my naked body to a deer in the headlights." "My romantic minibreak to Paris wouldnt't have been complete without my emergency trip to the gynaecologist at 3am." "I had sex in the hostel bathroom in Berlin. We would never have got caught if we hadn't left the condom wrapper out." "I went to visit my boyfriend in Brighton and after consuming a pint of Bulmers, I shat myself... in front of his friends."
Overrated romance Why you should avoid valentines day cliches
Holly Byrne Travel Writer
Edinburgh Castle, Photo: Safron Blaze, Wikipedia
When I think of romantic minibreaks, I immediately think Paris, Italy and New York; the ideal places to find romance lingering in the air. Paris, for example, is the perfect lovers’ cliché. You’ll take photos in front of the Eiffel Tower, share escargots in a dimly lit restaurant on the left–bank with a glass of wine and admire masterpieces in the Musee D’Orsay. Then there’s Italy, where warm days will allow bike rides down pebbled streets. You’ll share a bowl of spaghetti and meet in the middle of a single strand for a gentle kiss. And lastly New York, where you’ll miraculously catch eyes with a stranger across a busy café and experience a love that is both instantaneous and intense. These destinations are so idealised in our minds that we feel like anything less than these levels of perfection are somehow a failure. But they are not. As I wrote this article I came to wonder why we consider these places more romantic than others and I realised that it is because we are taught to. Let’s think about some of our favourite romantic films; The Phantom of The Opera (set in Paris),
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (a classic set in New York), and Romeo and Juliet (the ultimate romantic tragedy, set in Italy). Even movies that we wouldn’t think of, such as Disney’s Anastasia, set in Russia, is partially set in and highly romanticises Paris, having a song named ‘Paris holds the key (to your heart)’. This is not the only Disney film to be set in Paris either: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Aristocat’s, Beauty and the Beast and even Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are also set there, or at least thought to be. Therefore, these places have been ingrained in our minds as settings for romance from a young age, and even throughout our adult lives. However, the reputations that these destinations hold make them risky holiday choices. A make or break situation is created- things are either perfect, or the whole thing is a disappointment. As a result of this, I like to look at ‘romantic holiday destinations’ in a whole different way, and use my own experiences in far less obviously exciting places to show that romance is what you make of it. I believe that the lower your expectations, the more romantic your experiences can be. For example, a simple trip to London including a picnic, peddle boating
and romantic dinners can be perfect without the concern of flights and foreign currency. I spent this New Year’s in Edinburgh, Scotland and although I was concerned about the cold and the small details of accommodation these worries were immediately eradicated upon arrival. Edinburgh celebrates New Year with a ‘Hogmanay’ festival and a Street Party, twentythousand people walking through the streets holding torches is a lot more beautiful than you imagine, especially with Edinburgh castle as a backdrop. We were lucky with the weather over those few days, but honestly rain, snow or hail couldn’t have ruined that trip, because it was about who I was with, and what we made of that holiday that made it special. Essentially, what I am trying to get across to you all, is that romantic breaks are personal and therefore unique to each couple. Don’t worry about not taking your girlfriend to Paris or Venice for Valentine’s Day, as these are not the only places where romance exists. Worry about what works for you: if you’re in love, you’ll be happy whether you are in the Brighton Pavilion, on top of the Eiffel Tower, or staring at the stars from your porch. You make the romance, not the destination.
14th February 2017
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Sport
Patriots comeback seals Superbowl LI win
New England Patriots in action, flickr.com, Keith Allison Nick Murphy Sports Editor The New England Patriots produced a record breaking comeback against the Atlanta Falcons to win Superbowl LI last weekend. The Patriots recovered from 21-0 and 28-3 down in the contest to send the game into the first overtime Superbowl in NFL history. Running back James White scored the winning touchdown 11 minutes into the extra period to give New England a sensational 34-28 victory. The Patriots have now won five Superbowl titles since 2000, with all of those victories coming under the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick who surpasses legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll for the most Superbowl wins. It means that New England star Tom Brady becomes the first quarterback
ever to receive five Superbowl winners’ rings, alongside his fourth Superbowl MVP award, another record. An evening of such joy and delight for Brady, Belichick and Patriots Nation threatened to be one of misery at the start of the night, however, Atlanta rushed to a seemingly unassailable 21-0 lead inside the opening half at Houston’s NRG Stadium. A pointless first quarter saw the Falcons dominate the play but fail to get on the scoreboard, something they rectified in some style after the restart. A lightning strike from the Falcons on the Patriots defence saw Devonta Freeman get on the board first, completing a 71-yard play with a five-yard touchdown before Matt Bryant’s kick was good for a 7-0 Falcons lead. Less than five minutes later, Atlanta doubled the
scoring, Julio Jones the main man receiving twice from Matt Ryan for big yardage to set up a 19-yard completion for Austin Hooper with the Falcons 3rd & 9 in the second quarter. Bryant’s kick was good as the Falcons raced into a 14-0 lead. The Patriots then received the football, but Brady was intercepted with two minutes remaining of the half with Robert Alford returning for 82-yards to make it 21-0. New England responded with a 41-yard field goal by Gostowski for a 21-3 deficit at the half way stage. As the game entered its third quarter, it looked to be over for Brady and co. An 85-yard drive from the Falcons culminated in Tevin Coleman receiving a 6-yard reception from Ryan to make it 283. No side had recovered a 10 point swing in the half century existence of the Superbowl, let alone the Patriots’ 25-point deficit.
The Pats fightback began when James White recorded a five-yard touchdown from Brady’s throw even though Gostowski’s kick was no good. If the third quarter was the aperitif, the fourth was the main for the rejuvenated Patriots. Gostowscki reduced the arrears to 16 points with a field goal before Danny Amendola made it 18-26 after the reception from Brady. The Patriots then converted a fake field goal for an extra two points to move within one score of a level game. With just 57 seconds left on the clock, New England completed the longest drive of the contest featuring a sensational catch by Julian Edelman when the ball appeared to have broken loose. The Pats completed the 91-yard move one-yard from the end zone through James White before Brady and Amendola combined for the extra two points to move the scores
level at 28-28, and the game into overtime. The Patriots won the coin-toss as the Superbowl entered its first ever extra period, and with that, the stage was set for one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history. New England drove forward and when Atlanta’s De’Vondre Campbell was found guilty of a pass interference call, the Pats found themselves firstand-goal on the Falcons two-yard line. From here, there was to be no mistake. James White took the ball and ran central at the Falcons defence, narrowly getting the football over the line to seal a record breaking triumph and an historical 34-28 victory. The only question that remains is whether Brady will be around to defend his title next season, with rumours abounding that the quarterback is set to retire.
Federer claims eighteenth grand-slam win Callum Pinner Sports Writer When Roger Federer lifted the Wimbledon crown in 2012 it was considered a final swansong for the Swiss maestro; a victory the man himself looked like he could scarcely believe. The following four and a half years have seen him continue to show the ability that made him a legend of the sport. A record eighteenth grand slam appeared a step too far however. The tennis world watched with amazement as Federer came through a five-set Australian Open final to defeat his eternal rival Rafael Nadal. The women’s side of the draw
saw a similar story emerge. Serena Williams defeated one of her great adversaries (at least on the court), Venus Williams, in the final, as she herself made her own piece of history, surpassing Steffi Graf’s 22 titles. The Australian Open saw for Federer perhaps a final piece of glory to his legacy, whilst Williams continues to rule the game with no signs of stopping. For both, Melbourne fortified both their cases to be considered the greatest of all time. Federer has always had an unflappable demeanour and mental strength that continues to mystify both experts and his opponents. For a long time now, the sheer ability of Federer has not been questioned,
but rather his ability to defy age and the evolution of tennis over time. Perhaps fortune favoured the player seeded 17 coming into the slam, with a long injury lay-off potentially a blessing in disguise, whilst the top seeds, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, saw themselves stunned in earlier rounds. Yet, to defeat Switzerland’s new number one, Stan Wawrinka, in the semi final, and then Nadal in the final, showed how he has adapted to the trend of powerful big-hitters dominating the game. The fact it was Nadal that Federer beat is fitting considering their history. The two champions have played out some of the most memorable matches in tennis
history. The winning record Nadal has over Federer remained the one true counterpoint to contend the Swiss’ status as the greatest. So it is symbolic that Federer’s greatest achievement came at the expense of the Spaniard during a renaissance of his own. Serena Williams’ victory was not the shock Federer’s was yet it still holds a similar level of significance in tennis. The triumph saw her claim a twenty-third grand slam title, a record in the Open era. Even more impressively, her run in Melbourne saw her claim the crown without dropping a single set throughout the entire competition. Despite already being the oldest woman to claim a grand slam title,
it is widely considered that when Serena Williams brings her top form to a tournament, she sits head and shoulders above the competition. Her mental attitude has frequently seen interrogation; multiple times in her career the diagnosis for her failure has been that she beat herself. Yet the sheer fact that her first Australian Open title came fourteen years before January’s success shows longevity of determination to accompany her superior talent. Few would bet against Williams reaching title number 24 and matching Margaret Court’s all time record, and then even fewer would deny her status as the greatest the women’s game has ever seen.
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Chelsea beat Arsenal but draw at Burnley Stephen Cole Sports Writer In the period before Christmas the top six were seemingly untouchable by the rest of the Premier League. However, the turn of the year has sprung several surprise results, tipping the title race further in Chelsea’s favour. The Blues did drop points away at Burnley on Saturday however. Pedro gave Chelsea the lead in that game, before former Norwich midfielder Robbie Brady equalised with a free kick on his debut. The midweek results across 31st January and 1st February provided a clear demonstration of this. Despite failing to pick up all three points against a faltering Liverpool, including a late penalty miss by Diego Costa, Chelsea emerged nine points clear of second-placed Tottenham now with only thirteen games remaining. Antonio Conte’s fist-pumping celebration at the end of Chelsea’s draw at Anfield clearly represents a mental victory for the Blues, even though they could have come away with all three points. Quite remarkably, Manchester City were the only team in the top six that picked up a win in the midweek fixtures with a convincing 4-0 victory against West Ham. As a result, the race for the Champions League places seems far more competitive than for the title at this moment in time. Meanwhile, Manchester United, following their lacklustre goalless draw at home to Hull City, remain in sixth place. Of the teams that sit
below Chelsea, Tottenham seem the most likely to form a challenge. Mauricio Pochettino’s young side continues to impress and develop, with Dele Alli and Harry Kane the catalysts of their recent form. Spurs have shown a strong level of consistency and flexibility in recent weeks, often changing between a 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-3. On the other side of North London, defeats at home to a struggling Watford side and away against Chelsea means that doubts continue to be raised over Arsenal’s form and prospects for the rest of the season.Meanwhile, despite being seen as Chelsea’s main challengers merely a few weeks ago, Liverpool severely drifted in January, attaining their worst ever points tally for the month in the Premier League era. In turn, the two Manchester clubs’ hopes have risen, with both improving in their results recently. Manchester United continue to be unbeaten in the league since October, though will hope to start turning more draws into wins. Meanwhile, Manchester City have been significantly boosted by the arrival of Gabriel Jesus, match-winner against Swansea, who looks to be a star in the making. At the other end of the Premier League table, the struggle for survival heated up significantly in the January transfer window. It is telling that of the £200m spent in the January transfer window, just £40,000 of that was from a top six club. Swansea’s form has risen massively following Paul Clement’s arrival at the Liberty Stadium, while Sam Allardyce has picked
Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard: flickr.com, Chelsea Debs up his first win as Crystal Palace boss with a win over high-flying Bournemouth. Hull City, following a number of deadline-day signings will also fancy their chances of survival under Marco Silva, who is already impressing in his short time in England. Staggeringly, it is the reigning Champions Leicester City who find themselves in deep trouble near the
foot of the table and in dire form. They will need to start picking results up, and quickly, if they are to avoid the ultimate reversal in fortunes. In terms of the January transfer window, my tip for the best business goes to Burnley who continue to shine under Sean Dyche. Astute deadline day signings of Ashley Westwood from Aston Villa and
Brady from Norwich City adds further strength and depth to their impressive, overwhelmingly home-grown squad. With the best home form in the entire division already, the added Premier League experience of Westwood and Brady will only serve to improve their fortunes away from Turf Moor, and thus secure their survival sooner rather than later.
Ecclestone ousted as F1 moves into new era Andrew Mackenzie Sports Writer Former Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has been removed from his position as the head of the sport following the finalisation of a takeover deal by Liberty Media last month. Ecclestone’s removal comes as part of a major shakeup in the management of F1. Ecclestone was a man who divided opinion throughout his long tenure at the helm of Formula One. One of his greatest traits was his opportunism, from his entrance into the world of Formula One as a team manager in the 1950s, to his success as Brabham Team boss in the late 70s and early 80s. When results began to dwindle, Ecclestone took over the running of the sport, offering to take the pressure off the teams, who at this stage were responsible for the running of the competition. In the mid-1990s he built his powerbase further with the support of former President of the FIA Max Mosley, before eventually mak-
ing his own company the sole commercial rights holder. In 2000 Mosley granted Ecclestone commercial rights to the sport until 2110 and it is through selling these rights that has made Ecclestone his fortune. The 86-year-old from Bungay in Suffolk was a shrewd businessman and his way of pushing for the best deal has also been one of the more contentious issues throughout his reign. Ecclestone has often drawn criticism in his relentless pursuit of money and ignoring considerations for what may be best for the sport. He has undergone frequent scrutiny from race organisers for demanding vast sums of money to stage races at iconic circuits such as Silverstone, Monza and Hockenheim. These are racetracks that have been under threat for many years with Hockenheim and the German Grand Prix in particular suffering continued financial trouble. On the flip side he has been widely praised for securing a vast array of TV rights deals which have allowed F1 to be screened to a wider audience than ever before. However this has drawn fire following a move away
from free-to-air TV to pay-per-view in many countries including the UK. In the long term it could prove to be a dangerous strategy for the sport. Ecclestone has never been far away from controversy and in 2006 was taken to court following a deal which saw the F1 supremo sell his rights to German Company BayernLB, who subsequently sold them back to the Ecclestone owned former rights holders, CVC. In this instance, Ecclestone paid the German court $100m to settle the dispute. He has also drawn criticism for rubbing shoulders with Russian President Vladimir Putin and dealing with countries that have controversial human rights records. One such incident occurred in 2012 when amid civilian protests against the Bahraini Government, Ecclestone censored coverage of the Force India team
from television screens after they had threatened to pull out of the race following a petrol bomb incident. Despite his numerous failings, it is undeniable that Ecclestone built the sport into what it is today, creating revenue to the tune of $1.5bn. But now is the right time to go. The aging Formula One dictator failed to embrace the age of new technology, claiming he saw no way to make money from platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. He reacted to declining audiences by introducing gimmicks such as double points in 2014 and the introduction of a Drag Reduction Syst e m (DRS) in cars which some
argue made the sport artificial. Bernie Ecclestone turned the sport into the powerhouse that continues to captivate so many to this day. Now, however, it is time for change. There is a realisation that his sport does not need him any more and that it is better equipped to flourish without his presence, beginning with the first race of the new season in Australia in March. It is clear that 2017 really will mark the beginning of a new era in F1.
F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, flickr.com, Joel Spencer
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14th February 2017
Sport
Norwich extend unbeaten run to five Isabelle Wilson Sports Writer Norwich City remain outside of the Championship play-off places despite a run which has seen the Canaries go five unbeaten in the league. This included a 5-1 win over 10-man Nottingham Forest. Jonny Howson, Josh Murphy and Wes Hoolahan scored three goals in the opening 18 minutes, before a late double from Alex Pritchard sealed the win. City won three in a row prior to last Tuesday’s game against Wigan where Alex Neil’s side were held to a 2-2 draw. Norwich initially took the lead with a header from Nelson Oliveira in the 40th minute. However, two goals in the 62nd and 68th minutes, both from Omar Bogle, saw Norwich on the back foot. January loanee Mitchell Dijks then headed in the equaliser from a corner in the 73rd minute and both teams went away with a point. Alex Neil described his frustration with the result which would have cemented the Canaries’ impressive run of form since the turn of the year. After a strong start to the campaign where City lost only three of their first 14 games, the Carrow Road side then lost five in a row which saw them drop from second to seventh place in the space of a month, leaving their chances of promotion in the balance. In the transfer window the Canaries lost Sergi Canos to Brentford and Robbie Brady to Burnley for a combined fee of £15.5 million. Brady made 59 appearances for Norwich but after a successful display at the European Championship last year, big names came calling. The Canaries managed to hold on to him through the summer transfer window but the pull of the Premier League was too much to resist for a second time.
Photo: wikimedia.org,ZakNelson1995 Neil sought to rectify those losses with the purchase of winger Yanic Wildschut from Wigan for £7 million, and Ajax left-back Mitchell Dijks on loan with an option to buy the player at the end of his loan spell. Both deals were completed on deadline day and both players started four days later in the league against Cardiff. With those signings it seems that the tables are now turning. Excluding a humiliating loss to bottom-placed Rotherham United, Norwich have enjoyed a positive start to 2017, winning four from six in the league.
Their recent mini-run of victories began with a win against Birmingham at home at the end of January courtesy of two first half goals from Cameron Jerome and Timm Klose. Neil spoke positively after the game saying: “For some time now I have had the feeling that we are moving forward again after a difficult spell.” The Canaries continued their good form in the Welsh capital, Cameron Jerome the scorer in a promising 1-0 victory at the Cardiff City Stadium to make it three wins from three. Neil heaped praise on Dijks’ performance saying: “He was
physically dominant, strong, and totally controlled his side of the pitch.” At 6’4 he certainly is not a player to be messed with. Neil was less enthralled by Wildschut’s display, bluntly stating “He was taken off because I thought he could have done better, so I put somebody else on.” With a successful January transfer window completed ,alongside a promising start to 2017, the Canaries could be well on their way to the play-offs. A lot will depend on how City perform towards the end of February and into March. Neil’s side face a tough
test away at relegation threatened Burton Albion before hosting Ipswich Town on February 28th in the first ‘Old Farm’ derby since the two clubs clashed in the 2014-2015 Championship play-off semi-finals. The Canaries then face a difficult trip to fellow play-off hunters Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. City then have a hattrick of winnable fixtures against sides in the lower-half of the table. If the Carrow Road side can pick up 10 points from the 12 available in these four fixtures, they will be well in the hunt for the play-offs come the crunch April period.
England open Six Nations defence with two wins James Chesson Sports Writer England opened their Six Nations defence with two wins: an unconvincing 19-16 win over France at Twickenham, and a late 21-16 victory over Wales. Against Wales on Saturday evening, England grabbed the win with a late try from Elliot Daly. England took the lead in that game thanks to an early Ben Youngs try, but Wales came back to lead 13-8 at half-time through a try from Liam Williams, converted by Leigh Halfpenny, who also scored two penalties in the first half. Halfpenny added another penalty after the break, while
England’s hopes were kept alive by the boot of Owen Farrell, who scored three penalties. With the score 16-14 in Wales’ favour, Daly broke through to to make it 19-16 and Farrell converted to put the game beyond Wales. The closely fought battle with France produced only two tries, with France prop Rabah Slimani scoring the opener. England looked to be in trouble when they were still four points behind on 70 minutes, but Ben Te’o powered through to turn the match around. England kept the game level at half-time through two penalties from Farrell and an impressive longranger from Daly. Farrell added a further penalty after the break. Daly, playing left wing, thought
he had opened the scoring with a try six minutes into the second half, but replays showed that he was just about dragged into touch as he dived over. The win was England’s 15th victory in a row, setting a new national record in the process. The previous record was 14 consecutive wins, set during the run-up to the 2003 World Cup – a tournament which England won. The all-time record is 17, which was set by New Zealand last year. France are on an awful run, having now lost six successive away matches. Wales beat Italy 33-7 in their opener, with a scoreline which makes the win seem a lot more comfortable than it was.
Italy defended very strongly in the first half, and got the first try through Edoardo Gori. Wales battled back to take the lead at 9-7 thanks to three penalties from Halfpenny. Wales then finally started to show their quality and dominated after their first try opened the floodgates. Jonathan Davies and Williams both scored tries, before George North, who had earlier appeared to be struggling with injury, raced through to score the third try. Halfpenny converted all three. There was some disappointment for Wales at the end as they narrowly missed out on a bonus point, a rule introduced for this year’s tournament which means that teams get an extra point if they manage to score four or more tries.
Williams came very close to earning the tournament’s first ever bonus point, but he lost control of the ball over the line. Scotland beat Ireland 27-22 at Murrayfield, despite a spirited second half comeback. The home side led 21-8 at halftime, thank to two tries from Stuart Hogg and one from Alex Dunbar. Ireland managed a try of their own through Keith Earls, but they went into the break needing a spectacular turnaround. Second half tries from Iain Henderson and Paddy Jackson helped Ireland to lead for the first time in the game at 22-21, before two late penalties from Greig Laidlaw sealed the win for Scotland. Image: commons.wikimedia.org, Diliff