concre e UEA's INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
IssuE 17
SABBATICAL ELECTIONS
ave you got a message from your loved one? Sl.·c the \ ·akntincs
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FEBRUARY
17, 1993
EXCLUSIVE
Jo Brand INTERVIEWED 12
Waterfront update By Steve Howard
get on with my academic work, but I would defmitely consider another Executive job in the future." Richard Hewison, Communications Officer, told Concrete that he was sad to see Liz go, "I wish her well and appreciate her reasons for going. It's a shame that Liz felt that she had to resign, but it's a crap job in my opinion. I don't believe that the post of Publicity Officer works in the way it should." Jim Hickman, in contrast, has left UEA altogether, having taking up a place at Birmingham School of Drama. Richard Hewison commented that," I will missJim very much indeed;
Student Union trading company managers and Union officers last week visited closed city venue the Waterfront, at the invitation ofthe city council, as part of their possible plan to operate the venue. Meanwhile the previous operators, 'The Waterfront Trading Company' has now been wound up officially by the government appointed receivers KPMG Peat Marwick. An official report on the venues closure is still to be completed, and is understood to be several weeks away. Next week however, the assets of the company will be sold off at auction. These arc believed to be little more than some lighting and office equipment, certainly not anywhere near the Waterfront Trading Company's debt, now believed to be more than the £360,000 originally estimated. Meanwhile, a large number of groups, both local and national, have approached the city council with a view to operating or buying the venue. Parties others than the Student Union known to be interested include the 'Waterfront Staff Group', headed by ex-Waterfront publicity manager Simon Del( whose brother Jason was one of the executive directors who resigned when it was revealed that incorrect information concerning finances was presented to other directors and to the council. Local opinion, as expressed in local papers, has appeared to be mainly against the venue, suggesting that money should have been spent elsewhere "such as the elderly, the disabled", with one Evening News correspondent "interested in the question of payments to fringe organisations". The whole matter is now being enthusiastically referred to as 'Sillcttgatc', withcallsbeingmadc for Labour City Council leader Janet Sillctt to resign. Along with other Labour council members, Ms Sillctt has been keen to point out that the money spent on the venue represents a subsidy ofless "per user" than other council leisure facilities such as the St. Augustincs swimming pool or the Duke Street recreation ~ntrc . Furthermore the vast majority of the money spent on the project
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... and Environment Week 'could have been better' IBy Craig Eason
UEA STUDENTS have branded last weeks Rag Week and Environmental Week events a failure, with many claiming that they didn't even know that anything was going on.
Rag week has in previous years raiscdasmuchas£2,000withcvents including' gunging' ofstudents, discos and Valentine roses. The Rag Bal~ scheduled to take place last Saturday at Hotel Norwich, was cancelled at the last minute after less than a third of the one hundred tickets available were sold. The Blind Date competition at Peppermint Park: was also cancelled
through lack: of interest, as was a "milk tray man" gag which attracted only one participant. The annual Rag magazine has also been cancelled. The main problem appears to have been a lack ofpublicity for any of the events, despite Rag having paid secretarial support this year in the form of a 'Rag/ Student Community Action' officer. Unlike previous years there were no leaflets or posters distributed to residences or schools ofstudy. Concrete was only told about the events after our last issue had gone to press. Publicity for the week was limited to posters
on the Union House doors, a banner hanging from the Rag window and the Ball advertised only from the Union House foyer. Concrete asked Rag about the situation, but many of the organisers were reluctant to say anything specific, but did blame somcofthcir problems on student apathy in general. Kcvin Barn et, Rags Ents Officer, did state "The problem we do have is that Rag posters disappear when they arc put up and we decided that door drops would be ineffective as students just don't read them." Rag will also make a loss on the cancelled Rag Ball, since they still
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1WO PART time members of the Union Executive resigned last week (Week 5), but the Union have been quick to play these latest setbacks down. Liz Rice, Publicity Officer, announced that she was stepping down at WeekS's UGM, when she presented her resignation letter to the Union Executive. Three days later, LGB Officer Jim Hickman resigned during Week S'sLGBmeeting. Four part-time members of the Executive have resigned so far this year; the latest departures come at a time when the Union are busy organising their Sabbatical Elections. When interviewed just after her resignation, Liz Rice commented, "Ididn'tfmd the position worthwhile but I enjoyed being involved in the Union nevertheless. But most of my time has been spent on the computer, which is not what I'm suited to. I was just a dogsbody really." She added that, "I have enjoyed it though; it was more fim than 'The Brady Bunch' lll!.d I didn't score on the Exec Snog Board which I'm proud of. I'm leaving on good terms just to
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