Concrete issue 024 13 10 1993

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WATERFRONT Boom to bust ... and what now? Essential into.

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NUS SPEAKER Visitor outlines plans a nd polic ies

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UP IN ARMS Sports clubs in dispute with UEA over polic ies.

FEATURE n

INSIDE: • NEWS • FEATURE S • ENTERTAI NMENT • SPORT • LETTE RS • CLASSIFI EDS • LOCAL NEWS • WORLDWIDE • DIARY •

• 'The number of incidents has accelerated' says UEA's Security Superintendent

OVERWHELMING VOTE TO OPEN WATERFRONT

By Niall Hampton A RECENT series of incidents on campus bas undermined the fact that UEA is the only UK university whose crime rate decreased last year. Last Monday, a student on the ground floor of Wolfson Close was woken by an intruder in his room, who punched him in the face before running off. It is thought the man gained access through a window that was left slightly open. In a separate incident on Waveney Terrace last week, two men were found attempting to gain access to a room, but ran off when challenged by its occupier. But Maurice Morson, Superintendent ofUEA' s Portering and Security Services, is keen that students do not think there is a crime wave at UEA. "From October 27, crime has accelerated sharply on campus since students have returned. The number of incidents of suspicious persons or circumstances has also accelerated. "Freshers Week is a little bit more vunerable than any other time simply because there are so

many people not knowing each other", he said. "Although we've got crime down this year, October has not started very well ." Mr Morson encouraged students to be vigilant, but to be aware that the University is a public campus, "Whilst they' re here, students can' t enjoy total security and seclusion from the outside world, although the University does have 24 hour security patrols, both man and vehicle." He added, "Weenjoyalowcrime rate, and at the national conference of University Chief Security Officers, we were the only one that reported a 15 per cent decrease, but that's no reason for us to be complacen~ because any crime is too much." • The Bluebell Road Gate, at the end ofOrwell and Wolfson Close, is to be shut every night from 11 pm to 6am starting from October 18. Speaking about the decision behind the move, Mr Morson regretted the inconvenience to students, but said, "One or two incidents reflect the fact that I think we should do it."

Clearly delighted: Members of The Executive

THE CAMPAIGN to re-open defunct City music venue, the Waterfront, gained further momentum last week after students overwhelmingly endorsed the Union's involvement in the project. Atan Emergency General Meeting in the Hive last Thursday, the Union presented a motion to open the building "for an initial six month trial period and if viable to continue the operation permanently," which was overwhelmingly voted

UEA·s Independent Student Newspaper

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in. It is planned that the venue would open for four days a week starting from December. The Executive were clearly delighted with the result. Said Communications Officer J acqui Mackay, "Wearethrilledthatthere was such a positive response and so much interest concerning the Union' s negotiation with Norwich City Council and that the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of the UnionopeningtheWaterfront." However, not everyone shared

PHOTO: Keith Whitmore the Union's up-beat mood . Dominic McAieenan, a student who raised questions at the meeting, toldConcrete afterwards that attempting to re-open the Waterfront could prove to be a financial gamble, suggesting that the initial £5,000outlay by the Union could well have to be supplemented. He also thought that certain Executive members were "floating their own boat" and acting out of self-interest in their efforts to reopen the venue for students, and

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pointed to the fact that clubs in the City attract changeable levels of interest throughout the term, hinting that interest in the Waterfront, should it re-open, could easily wear off. Jacqui Mackay said that the Union will now carry on discussions with their trustees and with the council. The aim is a written contract between the two parties outlining mutual responsibilities and the finer points of working towards the planned opening in December.

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ConcretiiiOii hit out over esidences

By Niall Hampton

THE UNION have formally complained to the University concerning the state of new campus residences Nelson Court and Constable Terrace. A letter sent by Shelley W right, Union Welfare Officer, to Roger Lloyd, Director of UEA's Accommodation and Catering Services, outlined extensive problems with houses 27, 28 and 29 of Constable Terrace and felt that the students concerned should be given "some degree of compensation." Roger Lloyd's reply acknowledged that there were teething troubles in the residences concerned, but stressed that the rooms had only been handed over to UEA by the contractors two weeks previously.

"In the rush to furnish the last remaining rooms final checks were not carried out as thoroughly as they should have been, and some items of furniture were omitted. Licensees should have been advised of this, but they were not, and I apologise for the lack of consideration." Shelley Wright however, felt that the whole issue could have been managed better by the University . "I' m pleased that the University has apologised to these students, but feel that it was unnecessarily late; an apology should have been waiting for them when they arrived", she said. The Union has also complained to the University regarding the specifications of the accommodation in the new residences. AI-

UEA is in the middle of a housing crisis "in reverse", according to Union Welfare Officer, Shelley Wright. The Union have estimated that there are as many as 177 bed spaces unfilled both on Fifers Lane and campus, which could have a detrimental effect on next year's rent levels. Said Shelley Wright, "If those rooms are left

unfurnished then a huge loss will take place on the residences account. It is essential that the Accommodation Office fills those rooms as soon as possible." She also stated that UEA will actively be encouraging third years and possibly students from City College in an attempt to fill the empty beds on campus. Roger Lloyd, the director of

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though they were marketed as having en-suite bathrooms, some students arrived to find themselves sharing washing and showering facilities . Said Shelley Wright, "We want rent reductions for students in Nelson Court and Constable Terrace who were misled by the University and told that they would have ensuite shower and washing facilities. Nelson 27 A, 278, 17 A and 178 have cubbyhole kitchens and no common rooms, and the students are extremely disappointed." However, the University is offering to relocate the students, but are not offering lower rents. A further letter to Mr Lloyd from Shelley objected to the blanket rents policy operated on the new residences, which the Union

However, he was keen to play down the issue being considered a crisis. "If we get however a considerable increase in rooms available because students finally decide not to turn up, then that would begin to approach a crisis in that the University doesn't

She said, "If they're made aware, students they can look for quality housing and will be able to dictate the market", adding that students could avoid paying rent over the summer and signing 52 week contracts with letting agents. Shelley did stress though that it has to be a "collected concerted thing", and students would have to act together.

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want a large number of empty rooms." Mr Lloyd added that a more realistic assessment of the situation could be made at the end of this week. • Shelley Wright claims that students have a "brilliant opportunity" , as owners of property in Norwich are literally "crying out" for student tenants due to the Council Tax concessions.

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UEA in housing crisis? UEA's Accommodation and Catering Services agreed with the Union' s observations, but said that there was no official estimate as to the number of empty beds, and claimed that the problem was due to returning students not signing their licences.

complaint, Roger Lloyd said, "The student union have made the point that they don ' t think they [the shared facilities] are of equal value to the rooms in the 10 person houses. He added, ''The University is considering the point that they made and they have also asked for a differential [in rents] to be considered."

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find "wholly unnaceptable. This does not take into account students with en suite facilities compared with students sharing washing facilities or with varying standards of kitchen and eating facilities", it said, adding that, "It is our intention to press for rent reductions for such students." When asked about the Union's

Lawlan. Difficulties range from the serious to the ridiculous. The lift serving Constable Terrace will not be completed for another three weeks, meaning that access to the building for disabled students is impossible . Security poses another hazard delays in fitting outside locks which can be opened with room keys has meant that certain doors are left open 24 hours a day, leaving sections of the buildings vulnerable to intruders. Oversensitive smoke alarms can be triggered by an overdone piece of toast, making twice-weekly evacuations from the residences (usually late at night and in the pouring rain) an annoying fact of life for students, porters and the fire brigade. Some students are still awaiting the arrival of desks and wardrobes. The plumbing is causing some concern too - a student reported a suspicious liquid issuing from her shower drain (complete with pieces of toilet paper) every time the toilet was flushed.

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OTWO WEEKS into the Autumn Semester, problems with new residences Constable Terrace and Nelson Court have yet to be resolved, writes Rachel

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~~ uu CAMBRIDGE University's Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Williams, has recently spoken out against the Government's current policies on higher education and proposals for student unions. He called for top-up fees to be "strongly resisted" and expressed "growing sadness" at the "constant erosion of the student grant." He added that the possible introduction of a graduate tax would have "immense problems of fairness and administration."

rapped by banks Report by Bob Scott THE LATEST demonstration in the Lloyds and Midland Boycott (LAMB) campaign has prompted a curt response from one of the banks concerned. Customers attempting to enter the campus branches of the banks on Wednesday Week I were informed by members of the Society for Environmental Action as to the role of Lloyds and Midland in third world debt, and as a result, queues were obstructed. The society claim that the bank's involvement is responsible for the deaths of half a million children a year, the destruction of the rain forests, and the proliferation of war in third world countries. Alan Gelder, Midland Bank's Norwich area manager, stated that those concerned had a right to take whatever action they wished but added that "looking at their leaflet I have to question some of the information." "Do the people concerned realise that certain other banks in the UK managed to reduce their exposure to the third world by simply selling their debt on to another bank?" he asked, before referring to the fact that Midland Bank increased their exposure to third world debt when they purcha ed Crocker, an American bank, in the 1980s.

BIRMINGHAM University students are being invited to enter for the 'worst dressed Birmingham University Student 1993'. Those judged to be the worstdressed female and male students will win two pairs of free tickets to the Beeb's 'Clothes Show Live', which once featured UEA' sown Selina Scott. All contestants will be photographed and pictured in the campus magazine, Redbrick. SOCIETIES members from Manchester University's student union last week released l,OOOblueballoonsontheday that John Patten was speaking at the Conservative Party conference. Each balloon was from one individual society who, under the Government's proposed student union 'reforms' ,could well cease to exist. JOHN W ALSH, president of Durham University's student union, has launched an alcohol abuse campaign to beightenstudent'sawarenessoftheevilsof drink. All this came as a big surprise to all concerned, for when he was president of his own hall last year, John frequently took his members out for drinking marathons. THE BURSAR of Oxford University'sExeterCollegehas recently had a gender realignment operation. Following his effective emasculation, Commander Simon Stone, RN, is now known as Ms Susan Marshal!. MANCHESTER University have scored an own goal by demolishingoneoftheirsports fields, Harris Stadium, to construct 500 new student residences. The stadium was a venue of some repute, once being a world class cycling track. It also hosted the FA Cup finals in 1893and 1945.

News sources: Universal Post, Redbrick, Cherwe/1, Mancunian

A statement issued by Lloyds Bank charges the environmentalists with misquoting their source, the charity UNICEF, whilst claiming to be providing debt relief to countries with rain-forests. "l do not think it will urprise you to learn that we do not accept the LAMB argument, as we believe our response to the situation has been the correct one for all concerned", it says. The LAMB action has received "wholehearted support" from the Students' Union who have received a mandate from their members to "sever all links with Lloyds and Midland Bank ." This explained the absence of both banks from last weeks' Soc Mart. Dave Alien, a spokesman for the Society for Environmental Action, said that their ultimate aim was "to remove both Lloyds and Midland from campus and to replace them with more ethical banks." He added that, "It's the start of the campaign and hopefully we have made students aware of the issues. We will be doing more in the coming weeks and months." • Lloyds Bank lost 40 per cent of student accounts in Manchester during last year's Fresher's Week, allegedly as a result of the LAMB campaign, which is endorsed by more than 20 student unions throughout the UK.

UEA grads lie mid-table Careers events for finalists duced figures showing UEA as being 46th five years ago and is "very pleased indeed" with the success of the Careers Service at the university. Other figures indicated that last year, 72 per cent of all graduates used the resources provided by the Careers Centre. Of these, BIO students showed the most interest, with 89 per cent seeking advice from the Centre, compared to only 58 per cent of EAS students. Mr McGilvray stated that these figures indicate "one of the highest uses of a Careers Service in the country."

UEA LIES mid-table in new figures produced by Vice-Chancellors and the Universities Funding Council, showing how graduate unemployment affected different universities between 1990 and 1992, writes Bob Scon. According to the figures, which lan McGilvray, the Director of the Careers Centre, describes as "the best there are", UEA graduates finding first-time employment are 0.2 per cent below the national norm, making UEA's position 25th out of the 53 'old' universities. However, Mr McGilvray pro-

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By lames Melville-Ross THE CAREERS Centre has organised a comprehensive programme of events for this year's finalists. Talks will be given throughout the semester by outside speakers and graduates, and employer presentations and information fairs between weeks 4 and 9 will aid students with the unenviable task of job-hunting. Sessions are also offered to help with application and interview techniques as well as aptitude test training. In addition, advice is read-

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ily available to mature and TEFL students. Group visits to local organisations are arranged for early in the semester and interviews with employers on the 'rnilkround' are also set up. Further information is readily available at the Careers Centre, which is open from 9 am until 8 pm from Monday to Thursday and on a Friday between 9 am and 5 pm. The Centre's staff give invaluable advice to finalists and stress that now is the time to act. Thinking ahead now could prevent many problems next summer.

Race week

By Anthony Cartwright THE UNION are currently holding the Race Awareness Week, whose programme of events has attracted interest from the BBC. Throughout this week (between October 11 and 15), stalls will be on display in Union House, offering people a chance to experience various ethnic cultures, from a presentation of Irish literature to a tasting of Asian cuisine. A range of discussions and meetings have been organised, including addresses from representatives of, amongst others, the ANC, the NUS, the Black Lawyers Society and the Conservative Party, who will debate the growth of racism and fascism on Tuesday in the Bill Wilson Room (I pm). Sports columnist and former footballer Garth Crooks will be speaking in an Institutionalised Racism meetingon Wednesday, which also features the Legal Director of the Commission for Racial Equality and representatives of the Asian Lawyers Society. An International Culture Day takes place on Thursday, and 'The Buried History', an exhibition of neglected historical facts and figures, is held throughout Friday. A showing of the Spike Lee biopic 'Malcolm X' at8.30pm completes the programme of events. Union Anti-Racism Officer, Jaz Ihenacho, who organised the event, decided not to hold it in Week 6 of last term because of exam pressures throughout the university. She wanted to go for "more impact" this semester, and is keen to advertise the positive strategy behind Race A wareness Week. "It's a promotion ofcultural diversity and is not a negative campaign", she said, adding that the Week is intended as a celebration of cultural differences - the theory being that acknowledgement and education will bring understanding.

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EVERYONE at Concrete would like to send their congratulations to one of our 'top readers', Toni Morrison (pictured), on her winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. Ms Morrison visited UEA last year to speak in a lecture series.


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Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

Freshers' week a stonker!

LIVEWIRE SCOOPS AWARD

THISYEAR'SFresher'sWeek was described as "incredibly successful" by the Student Union, who have since been complemented by the University for their efforts, writes Peter Snowman. The programme of events for ' Undergraduation '93' was organised by the Union and despite having a record number of students to cater for, new arrivals day was run very effectively, culminating in well attended 'icebreaker' receptions. The Union kept a high profile throughout the week, providing information and welcome packs, three nights of free entertainment, as well as organising Soc Mart.

UEAis current! y the largest ever. Figures released from the Registry number the total amount of students as 7,364, of which 6,799 are home students, 565 international students, and 535 part time students. A record 1,902 students were welcomed to UEA during Fresher' s Week, all part of the university' s target to accommodate 8,000 students by the year 2000.

Horrendous hotels?

AUDmONS for this year's Student Fashion Show will be held in the LCR on Wednesday October 20 at 8 pm, after a meeting at

By Paul Wray

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Matt Pells celebrates with Jacqui Mackay, Comms Officer

Trine Ramlyng, one of the organisers, is keen to emphasise that the event will be a similar formula to last year's successful show , and that everybody was welcome to attend the audilions.

LIVEWIRE 945, UEA's campus radio station, has won the NUS Guardian Media Award for its news programme 'Evening Extra', writes Caroline Adlem. Billed by the NUS as "the mostadvancedstudentstation in the country", Livewire has picked up more top national awards for its programmes than any other college radio

RADIOTHREEarecoming totbeCromeGalleriesatthe Castle Museum to record a debate on October 14, from 6 to 7 pm, as part of a national 'Arts Forum' progranure. Under the title "Culture who is it?" the talk will be attended by the controller of Radio 3, Nicholas

Kenyon. 10 tickets are available from the Concrete office (upstairs in Union House) for those who would like to attend.

IF DURING your summer excursions you found the hotel in Haiti horrendous or the bus from Burma broken down then fear not for next year. Bath-based travel publishers Trade & Travel have recently released the 1994 editions of their award winning travel handbooks. Trade & Travel has been in existence since the appearance of a South American handbook 70 years ago. Since then their handbookrangehasexpandedtoseven guides with practical travel advice covering 106 countries. Areas as diverse as South-East Asia, India and the Caribbean are covered, as well as Libya and Mauritania courtesy of new arrival the North African Handbook.

station since its launch in

1990. Matt Pells, Livewire's Station Manager, told Concrete that the award reflected the qualityoftheserviceprovided and the hard work and commitmentofall those involved. The station's 'Evening Extra' is a nightly news magazine which can be heard from 6to7pmMondaytoFriday,on 945kHz medium wave.

T ravel-logs largest student and youth travel specialist), contains useful information on travel products, discounts and destinations. So if you want to get away, obtain a copy from any branch of Campus Travel or from Campus Travel, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SWIW OAG and start planning now!

ADVENTUROUS travel freaks can now ftnd out about activities as diverse as treldcing in Nepal, bungee jumping in New Zealand and exploring the Grand Canyon, all from one handy guide, writes Clare Ollerenshaw. 'The Rough Guide to Student Travel', produced in conjunction with Campus Travel (Britain' s

AIVIERICAN

THERAPY? the festivals-hit of the summer, have postponed their exclusive December dates. The band ,who were due to play

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UEA'S newly formed Debating Society packed the Bill Wilson room last Wednesday to debate its flTSt motion, 'This house believes that marriage is the key to a stable society." The long awaited society has attracted interest from the BBC and the Oxford Union, who have both expressed great interest in its activities. A statement from the society's committee invites participation from all areas ofUEA. "All students and staff, novices or experts, are most welcome to join. Please contact us through the Debating Society pigeonhole upstairs in Union House", it said. •Brian Butcher, Chief Supt of Norfolk Constabulary and exUEA student is the speaker at the flTSt talk of the new Politics Society, writes I..isa Bushrod. Taking place in the SOC General Common Room on Thursday October 14 from 7pm, the talk on the Sheehey Report on the police is the flTSt in a series of events that includes speakers such as Teresa Gorman MP, Austin Mitchell MP and Vincent Hanna of Channel Four's 'A Week In Politics'.

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UEA's LCR on December 3, are rescheduling the tour for some time in March 1994. Said a spokesperson for the Union ofUEA Students: "Ticket sales have been suspended until a final date is settled. We should know exact details in midNovember." Anyone with a ticket should hold on until all the information is confirmed, according to the Union.

When asked if she thought that the success of Undergraduation was " all down to women", Communications Officer Jacqui Mackay pointed instead to the teamwork of the whole Union Executive. 'The Executive worked very hard as a team to organise undergraduation. We hope that new students got a lot out of their first week and found it to be a good introduction to the work of their Union", she said.

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The books are speciftcally designed for the independent traveller whatever their age or budget and are continually updated by Trade & Travel's 30 UK based travel writers. Said a company spokesman, "Guidebooks are essential and trusted pieces of kit. Travellers rely on them to sort through the multitude of potential experiences in strange places and it's our responsibility to provide accurate, up-to-date information." Their handbooks seem to be achieving just that with the various recommendations and Thomas Cook awards which the company has gained. •The Trade & Travel handbook range is priced between £ 11.95 to £21.95 and are available from most reliable bookshops.

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Their staff wore specially made T -shirts and name badges to make them easily known to new students and visitors. Integration of students from all backgrounds was emphasised this year during Fresher's Week, and accordingly, special receptions were held for women, mature and international students. Welfare Officer Shelley Wright explained the aim behind the international students reception as being "to dispel the myth of the homogenous student body."

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By Steven Unsworth FATHER Neil Craydon has arrived as UEA's new Catholic priest at the Chaplaincy. Father Neil is also the new parish priest at the Holy Apos-

ties Church, West Earlham, having recently arrived from Cambridge, and is eager to meet students of all denominations.


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Saturday October 9 sees the launch of The Daily

All fmalists wishing to make a holiday of it may

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If you're a young writer under 25 and can string a sentence or two together (about 500 words on a real or imaginary journey), you could be one of the six fmalists flying off to Hong Kong and China on a press visit.

Travel Editor of the Telegraph. Write to the address below for an entry form, and stop day dreaming. Closing date for entries is December 4, 1993.

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6 Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

By ]oanna Stubbington NORFOLK Police yesterday promised a radical improvement in their service, and are keen to involve the local community. Their initiative is a part a target to establish a Policing Charter for Norfolk, which is due to be published early in the new year to set their standards for 1994.

HIGH STREETretailerTop Shop have recently launched their Autumn 1993 collection but have thankfully neglected to compile a what's in/ what's out guide as they did for their Summer 93 collection. Under the banner of the 'Autumn/Winter 93 Trend Report', it's time for the young and fashion conscious to turn their attentions from fading suntans to winter warmth and, according to Top Shop and Top Man, grunge is still the way to go. Despite pre-summer speculation that it was nothing more than a fad, the heavily layered look, the 1970s, Kate Moss and midriffs are still very much in. For women, Top Shop are putting the emphasis on the hippy chick look and the brighter and bolder the better. Metallics in satins are mixed with anything from denim to ethnic paisley prints and loose-weave jackets. Apron-dresses too play a key role this winter worn over chunky knitwear, and the oriental jacket adds an eastern slant to winter fashion. As for men, Top Man's autumn collection layers oversize workwear on top of grandad and

OLYMPI C athlete Kriss Akabusi visited two schools in the Norwich area last Thursday in an attempt to promote a fitness message to children. Using rhetoric such as "get up, jump around and work out", he put hundreds of pupils through their paces in a routine of squat thrusts, press-ups and sit-ups. His visited coincided with a report which concluded that teenagers were adopting a drink and drugs lifestyle, 9 out of I 0 being drinkers w.ho could average four pints a session. A REFUGE for prostitutes is to be set up at a secret location in Norwich, according to a report in the 'Evening News'. Vice girls will be able to receive confidential help on combating drug and violence problems, and will also have somewhere to escape to if they are threatened. Norwich's red light district is centred on King Street in an area close to defunct music venue the Waterfront.

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NAVS launch Christmas look ANIMAL RIGHTS groups the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NA VS) and Animal Defenders have launched their new-look 1993 Christmas catalogue, featuring a wide range of goods for everyone. An extensive range of items is displayed, from non-leather Doctor Marten's boots and quality winterclothingtotropical cruelty-free bodycare treats. Christmas cards, jewellery and a wide range of T shirt designs are also included in the catalogue's 20 pages . Each item has been designed exclusively, with everyone in

PATIENTS and staff parking their cars at Norwich's hospitals could well be about to pay for the privilege if new proposals are approved. The move has been tabled by health managers who are desperate to counter the parking problems facing the largest hospital, the Norfolk and Norwich. Each day, over 3,000 cars are parked there, but space is provided for only 400 vehicles. Special considerations will be given for certain groups who need to park their cars at the hospital. STAFF from Norwich Council's parks division worked frantically 10 collect the ammunition for the annual City conker contest held last Sunday. Parkland Rangers apparently hoarded the autumn harvest to ensure that all conkers are 'genuine' and were not been made tougher by familiar tricks such as soaking in vinegar. CANARIES fans are savouring the prospect of being able to watch Norwich City 's UEFA Cup tie away to Bayern Munich on October 19. Many were bitterly disappointed that the BBC were unable to show the match live, but little known German satellite TV station Sat I is virtually certain to broadcast the fixture . City pubs and clubs equipped with satellite could well be heaving.

zip-up shirts, as well as featuring black velvet skinny-rib tops worn with brightly coloured jeans or cords. So how do UEA students rate Top Shop's 'Trend Report'? David McLoughlin (EUR2) said that he really liked the knitwear but reserved his judgement on velvet jackets, saying that they could always be made into curtains later! Top Man jeans get a definite thumbs up for style and value at an affordable £19.99 per pair. EUR student Hazel Swallow liked the grungy look but

mind and all profits will go towards helping animals. Says Jan Creamer, Director ofNAVS , "Ournew-lookcatalogue is part of o ur aim to expand and upgrade our merchandising operations so that we can do even more, which will help both people and animals." "We plan to use the funds raised from this catalogue to expand our education programmes to save animals from the horrors of the vivisection laboratory." Copies of the catalogue are available from : NAYS, 261 Goldhawk Road, London W 12 9PE.

Students offered financial advice A GUIDE designed to offer studentsadviceinfmancial survival has recently been publishedbyiFAPromotion Ud The guide, entitled 'In For APenny',hasbeencompiled with the aim of offering stu·h h h. d ents hI e p wtt sue t mgs as budgeting, borrowing, insuring and finding vacation employment. IFA (Independent Financial Adviser) Promotion area body established in 1989 to increases awareness of the

value and accessibility of independent financial advice amongstconsumers. Their free guide offers advice on effective money management during the time spent in Higher Education. Including a 'Fund ManagementTable'tohelpinbudget-

students looking for sound advice on student finances . JamesHindle,ChiefExecutiveOfficerofiFAPromotion, comments on the background tohiscompany 's guide, "ColJegeusedtobeallaboutindependence, the great social life, thefirsttasteoffreedom.

ing, a step by step guide to the Student Loans Scheme and bank borrowing, and advice on how to spot the best insurancedeals, ' In For A Penny ' is a sensible, well-informed and invaluable document for those

"Today, the 'experience' is turning sour with more and more students accumulating large debts, often entering the working world with a considerable millstone around their neck", he said.

He added, "Our aim, by aiding effective money management, js to bring the fun back and to ease the worry. "It is vital that all young people consider finance as a serious issue from an early stage, and we believe that our k " thi fi Id 'JJ wor m s te WI pay great dividends." Copies of ' In For a Penny' may be obtained free by writingto:- IFAPromotionatStudio House, Flowers Hill , Brislington, Bristol B54 SJJ, or by calling (071) 8314027.

L----------------------------------------------....1

pointed out that a trip to the local second-hand shops could probably achieve the same effect and, although the gold lame outfit may not be quite the thing for this weeks LCR, all the guys gave it their approval. But then a low-cut top is always bound to be a winner! Top Shop' s Summer 93 what's in/out guide recommended that the saying "wicked" should be supplanted by "That's Rad! " Thankfully, this 'trendy 'expression does not seem to have caught on.

'Liberty holds ~Jin!an ~ghts .,IR v~ trV 'N ®k , '~ 9F

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LffiERTY, the National Council for Civil Liberties, is holding a major conference on civil and human rights in November. Guest speakers include Kader Asmal, an Executive memberoftheANC,andAlan Borovoy of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. Nineteen workshops and open discussions will take place during the proceedings, and the conference will explore different approaches to measuring and enforcing human rights. Liberty have organised the event as part of a major new initiative, the Human Rights Convention. Over the next two years, Liberty will be working with other groups to measure hu-

ma~ ri~hts ~b~ses i~ .the ~ stan~:r::~a IOna y

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AndrewPuddephatt,Liberty's General Secretary, expressed his hopes for the conference. "By working together we can promote public awareness ofthecommongroundshared by different campaigns for rights. The conference aims tobuildmomentumforchange andsupportforrightsinBritain", he said. The conference takes place on Saturday November 13 at TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street, London Wl.


Beered Up

Norwich

• miSses Circus Madness

By Mark Smith THE NORWICH Beer Festival returns for the 16th time later this month, offering the largest regional beer festival in the country. It is expected that I 0,000 people will indulge, some coming from as far away as Austria and America They are likely to consume over40,000 pints from a selection of over l 00 brews. The beverages, many of which have been supplied by local breweries, range from the strong to the very strong, goi ng under such attractive names as Skullsplitter and the Old Knuck:ler. Somehavegone on to win major brewing awards. Organised by the Norwich and Norfolk branch of the Campaign

for Real Ale, the festival aims to ensure the survival of real ale, the Great British Pint and independent breweries. Expect a lot more hustle and bustle than chilling out with a pint, but for those who want to taste some superior ale with the interesting sounds of assorted local bands wafting faintly in the air, then this is the fe ti val for you. The Norwich Beer Festival will be running from October 2.5 to October 30 at St An drew's Hall. Admission prices range from 40 pence to £3.50. •Information and tickets can be obtained from Beer Fe tival Ticket Office, 5 Hill Street, Norwich, NR2 2DT. Telephone 661440.

Work for 'charidee' FOR THOSE interested in working for a charity or thinking of spending a year off, then a visit to Charity Fair 1994 could well be an option, writes Hwee Hwee Tan. The Volunteering and Employment Forum scheduled for the afternoons of the fair provides information on how to work for a charity and it is possible to get help with writing your CV, to pick up information on interview techniques and gap year opportunities. Nearly 200 organizations and over 100 eminent professionals from the charity world will be at Charity Fair 1994, making it the

'' ••

largest event on the charity calendar. Visitors will be able to find out the latest charity news, and be first to hear about new launches and campaigns. The programme covers the whole spectrum of voluntary work, including workshops, talks, seminars, conferences, advice shops and debates on the subject. • Charity Fair 1994 takes place between March 9 to 11 1994 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London Nl. The entry fee is £1.50 for students. Further information is available from: Charityfair '94, 169 Queen's Crescent, London NW5 4DS.

Plug-in for protection HAVE YOU ever been troubled by the indie-kid whose sole purpose in life is to impress hi musical tastes on you from the other end of the corridor? If so, then Cabot Safety Ltd may have a solution for you . They have created a revolutionary new earplug which they claim can be adjusted to fit virtually

By Kester Hynds any size of ear canal. The 'Earfit', as it is known, is designed to cut out disturbing background noise and provide a peaceful working atmosphere. Although most would cringe at the thought of a piece of soft vinyl sweating in their ear lugs,

A scents of humour? A NEW range of scents has been launched by Yardley which will not only make you smell nice, but will also make you feel better, writes Peter Snowman. The range, called Esprit Vital, has been tested by the stress research centre at the University of London's Royal Holloway

College and has been found to have effects on the wearer's mood. The scents are made from natural plant extracts which are known to have stimulating properties and more than half of the fragrance ingredients are from herbs, flowers, fruit and spices;

the plugs could prove valuable when practising meditative yoga or trying to complete that allimportant assignment. The soft vinyl Earfits can be washed and re-used, and are available from all good chemists at about £1.25 for two pairs of plugs. the proportion in most perfumes would be less than a quarter. They work by "literally changing the atmosphere the person is in by adding a fragrance which evokes a positive mood." Women taking part in the test said they felt "happy and contented with life, tingly and excited or playful." Yardley even suggest that they could help to combat stress- watch out for them around fmals time!

A NATIONWIDE campaign to stop animals being used in circuses starts a six-month tour this month. 'Circus Madness' , organised by animal rights group Animals Defenders, is stopping off in its bus at over 80 towns and cities in the UK, but is not coming to Norwich. It will be calling instead at Bury St Edmunds (October 8th) and Peterborough (November 20). The campaign aims to explain why circus life is entirely unsuited to animals, "something 180 UK councils have already recognised by banning circuses with animals from their land", according to a recent statement from the group. Visitors to the Circus Madness bus, described as a "walk-on information concept suitable for all the family", will encounter colour di play with posters, information and a film which includes footage of wild animals. In addition, a national petition requesting legislation to prohibit the use of performing animals in circuses will be available for signature before being presented to MPs in the Commons next year. • Further information on the Circus Madness Campaign is available by call ing Daphne Kasriel on (081) 846 9777.

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CONCRETE 'S NEW DIARY PAGE , TAI<ING AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF CAMPUS LIFE

• [JSTUDENTS who attended last week' s open meeting about Student Union reform were led to believe that the President of the NUS, Loma Fitzsimons, was going to speak. However, Ms Fitzsimons found something better to do, namely to attend the Conservative Party Conference, so NUS

Fitzsimons: a figment?! Executive member Dermot Kehoe attended instead. This has important connotations for UEA students, being the second time within a year that Loma has neglected to venture to Norwich. Does she actually exist? Is she a figment of someone's imagination? A hologram perhaps? Who knows, but one thing is for certain: she didn ' t prevent that nice man John Patten getting his way in front of the Tory faithful...

OMALCOLM Bradbury, arguably UEA' s most feted academic turned novelist and screen writer (plus most-published media critic), has had some finedescriptions ofthe University to make in his recent novel, 'Docto r Criminale'. His book charts the progress of little-knownhackFrancisJay, who after clodhopping through Europe on the pretence of tracking down an elusive but perverted philosopher, comes to UEA (where else?) to attend a literary convention. Take a look at Jay's descriptionofourbelovedcarnpus, "Not so long ago, in a lush river valley, some pre-postrnodernist architect had started pouring concrete; great staggered residence blocks, teaching towers, rose from the grass ... "Maybe it was home for some; it was not to me." He continues, " It was already history, thewhitecement slowly pitting and greying with age -just like the hundreds of professors of English whom I found at the opening reception." What a beautiful, prosaic description of UEA, probably the first (and last) that will ever appear in modem fi ction ...

[JANYONE who has read the

Student Union's guide, "Just Shopping" wiU have noticed that on page 16 is a invitation for students to cultivate their own allotments, stating that "an allotment is an ideal way to supplement your grant by providing you with a source of fresh fruit and veg."

tJOPPING

Whilst this may be an innocent, innocuous attempt to encourage students in becoming self-sufficient, it is of little value to campus studes, who may have to dig up the Plain or Fifers to grow their own spuds and carrots. Students living out, however, may be able to purloin the use of someone's greenhouse, but then they'd only be growing their own herbs, man...

"An allotment is an ideal way to supplement your grant by providing you with a source offresh fruit and veg... "

Fiferians! •A new series of reports from Concrete's own correspondent at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

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HEPATIT IS PLAGUES COLLEGE CAMPUSES An epidemic of Hepati tis B, a potentially fatal disease transmit ted through sexua l intercourse , is currently plaguing colleg e campuses . Its rap id spread across the States has prompted the America n College Health Association to call fo r the vaccina tion of all students . But health experts fear that the cal l will go largely unheard , because the ser i es of necessary immunisation shots, which cost between $150 and $2 50 , are too expen sive. Katy Fleming , co ordinator of the Wardenburg Campus Health Centre's sex education programme a t the University of Colorado at

Boulder, explains . • we can say , 'well, this is eventua l ly going to kill you , and unlike HIV, we have a vaccination for it'. Bu t many st u den t s are not willing , or canno t afford , to spend money on the i n oculation. • Out of approximately 300 , 000 n e w cases each year, ninety p ercent of those afflicted with Hepatitis B fall between the ages of 18 and 25 . Many will never know they have t h e disease, as nine out of ten people who acquire the virus fully recover from the flu - like symptoms. One out of those ten, however, will go on to develop chronic symptoms , such as liver cancer , jaundice and severe cirrhosis , resulting in liver failure, and, eventually , death. It takes between two and ten years for these symptoms to develop, during which

time those afflicted can unknowingly pass on the virus to their sexual partners . Hepatitis B is not the only STD prev alent on college campuses. Ch l amydi a affects almost fifteen percent of the student population , wh ich, if l eft untrea t ed , can result in steril ity in bot h men and wome n. AIDS is also affecting an increasing n umber of college students, with the fastest-gro wing infected group in the country consisting of teenagers. Students across the US are now being wa rned to either practice abstinence or safe sex , or face the possibility of contracting Hepatitis B, or any of the other sexual l y-transmitted diseases which are currently plag uing the nat ion ' s campus e s.


Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

t e·atures

Buying a computer: Avoiding the pitfalls WITH THE GRANT CHEQUE STILL BURNING A HOLE IN YOU R POCKET, MANY STUDENTS DECIDE THAT AN ESSAY WRITING COMPUTER IS AS ESSENTIAL AS THE STEREO WHEN IT COMES TO THE OVERDRAFT BUILDING PRIORITIES. PETER HALL INVESTIGATES ...

No bargain Amstrads here, but they will explain it all to you

When you open your freshers packs or travel the local high street you will be overwhelmed with hundreds of offers of the best deaJ ever. Whilst at the start of term money may seem to be no object, by Christmas the piles of bank statements next to the pile of computer manuals may not seem to be what you first imagined.

have a handy portable TV. The real computers cost a lot more, and by the time you have got the computer itself, the programs and a printer, there won't be much change from £700 or so. When look ing at prices though, check that they include VAT. Since these machines are most often sold to businesses, many shop window prices are

The first thing you need to consider is what you will be using your shiny new machine for. It you are in SYS and need a machine for computer coursework then you probably know more about what you need than we could possibly explain here, so we will confine this to what most people need: Something to bash in the odd essay.

Second-hand computers: Breaking the law One "knock on" effect of the 1,200 companies going out of business each week is that there are a lot of second hand computers for sale, many with software already on them. However, buyers should beware. Buying second band software can land both the purchaser and the vendor on the wrong side of the law. As second band computer sales have rocketed, computers for sale have appeared in small ads in newspapers, at auctions and even at car boot sales. Companies offering them for sale have been trying to boost the price by copying extra software on to them. This is illegal and a number of company liquidators have already been taken tocourtfordoing this. Purely and simply it is piracy. Software is coverea by copyright law and the purchasers only ever buy a licence to use it. They do not own it and therefore cannot seiJ it on. Last year FAST, the Fed.eration Against Software Theft, was involved in legal actions against more than 200companies for software copying. All of them were successful. Copying is not only illegal in terms of infringing copyright laws, a civil offence which can lead to unlimited damages and court costs, unauthorised sale or distribution is also a criminal offence. Ifa business is caught using unlawfully copied software, the company directors can face up to two years in prison and unlimited fines. Mr. Bob Hay, chief executive of FAST, says software piracy is a serious problem. It costs the comput~r software industry some £300 million a year in the United Kingdom alone. FAST, the computer industry's' copyright watchdog, works with the country's 1,600 trading standards

offic.ers to dismantle emerging software crime rings. The organisation is empowered, under the copyright laws, to investigate any business premises where it suspects that illegal software may be in use. PAST can also raid sales. Undercover private detectives working with FAST investigators last year raided a Glasgow market and seized pirated softwarevaluedatmorethan£400,000. Similar raids take place most weekends. FA$T offers a confidential advice service to computer users and warns that pirated software is up to 80 per cent more likely to contain a virus than original licensed software. Mr. Hay, a former chief superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, says; " The increase in computer software piracy is giving us a real cause for concern. Only weeks ago, we seized more than 6,000 illegal business and leisure programs in one country alone. Two years ago, we rarely had complaints about market sales, nowadays we get around ten a week." He warns: " Anyone not buying their software from a reputable outlet should check their package carefully. If the program is corrupted or fails to work they have no comeback and could easily introduce viruses which would cripple their computer." FAST has devised a four-point plan to guard against pirated products when buying software: Check you have a licence and read the small print. Check you have all the manuals for the software on the computer. Check you have the original computer disks. Ask to see the software running up so you can examine the copyright screen. FAST can be reached on 0628660377.

The choice is narrowed down to three things: A machine that is purely a word processor, a home or games computer that can run a word processing program, or a fuiJ office ' PC'. A word processor, or the Amstrad breed, is the cheapest option all in, at around £400 for a system that includes the necessary screen and printer. What's more, you can even buy

one on campus from the Post Office! The next stage up is some~ thing like one of the new breed of 'home computers'. One Step Beyond, a computer specialist in the city, offers a Commodore Amiga from about £180, but to this you will need to add the cost of a printer (about £120 upwards), and some sort of screen if you don't

17.5% lower than they should be. Before you rush out and spend any money however, do consider other options, such as renting a computer (again the UEA post office can help, fro a few pounds per day), or even using the computers provided in the Computing Centre on campus, or by many of the schools and departments. Happy typing!

Computers that can read your writing

Apple's Newton can read your handwriting Not so long ago, computers filled rooms and needed scientists to operate them. Now tbey are taking the decisions people used to, not just for firing cruise m issiles and controlling powerstations, but io deciding wbetber you get tbat job you applied for... A computer software program has been developed which can enable any standard PC to read handwriting- aU handwriting and without having previously seen any individuals style. This means for example, job application forms filled in by hand can be transferred directly into a computer system without having anyone to type in the information. The system can be used in any context where information handwritten on forms needs to be transferred onto a computer. For major international corn-

panies s uch as ICI and Beecham, which receive job applications annually from anything up to 12,000 graduates for 200 places, this development could save thousands of hours in typing. The program, called OSCAR, (optical scanning and character recognition) has been produced by the Oxford based company, Pear Computing Systems which has taken a year to develop it. Mr. Anthony Dignum, chairman of Pear, says one initial difficulty was "teaching" a computer to distinguish between characters which could look similar when handwritten. For example, the capitals 'L' and ' I' and the figure one differ little in shape. However, they do differ in use and the software understands this. The letters are not used in numbers and the number would not

occur in the middle of a word. Software which can 'read' typed material has been around for some time. Most companies have an optical character reader which recognises a library of type faces and fronts. The latest of these machines can cope with previously unseen fronts if an operator presses a key when the OCR gets stuck. From then on the new front is added into its memory. But the OCR likes clean copy. Sometimes it will not read the type if someone has writte n on the paper because it sees characters it does not recognise and gets confused'. Even the latest 'pen-based' computer systems, such as those brought out by Apple a nd Ams trad, have to be ' taught' an individuals handwriting so they can recognise it. What is remarkable about OSCAR is that it can recognise anyone's handwriting, an impre ssive fe at since many humans have difficulty reading our own. The OSCAR system, which costs upwards of £9,000 is currently being installed at SrnithKline, Beecham and ICI. Pear Computing Systems says the program will have paid for itself within a few months because of the time saved in typing. Pear Computing Systems is one of the field leaders in special computer software packages in personnel. OSCAR could be used, for example, for processing sick

notes, updating personnel records, logging overtime claims and expenses, processing staff opinion polls - any instance where a form is used. Pear Software Systems for personnel are commonly used to make short-lists out of job applications. The program gives the applicants points on previously decided criteria. (For example, the grades achieved at 'A' Level.) These systems are used by the majority of graduate recruiters. It may be disconcerting for some applicants to realise that their failed application may have been processed by an unimpressed computer. However with job applications on the huge scales now received by international companies this is now standard. Among Pears' customers are high street names including Boots, Tesco and Woolworths. Their general recruitment system, SAM, (Selection and Matching) is used by half the Times too hundred companie-s including ffiM, ICI, BP and Bell. It was the surge in the number of job applications being received by their clients which prompted Pear to first investigate and then decide to develop a system which could 'read' and store handwritten data from application forms. As the forms are scanned, recognition and conversion takes about 20 seconds per page! When you finally apply for a job when you leave UEA, just think who or what will be looking at your CV.


10 Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

I I

Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

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11

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A meeting in The.Hive last week should now ensure that Norwich venue 'The Waterfront' will be open again by Christmas, this time under Union control. Steve Howard looks at the history of one of Britain's best music venues, an~ what we might expect of the future. The Waterfront started out as an idea in 1985 when a group of young people got together to form The Norwich Venue Campaign'. This voluntary group was concerned at the lack oflocal facilities for young people in areas like music and drama. It took five yearS of campaigning and fund-raising before the city council were persuaded to donate the use of an old brewery building they owned on the banks of the river Wensum, on King Street. The venue that was to become known as The Waterfront was borne, and a million pounds, much of it in the form of local sponsorship and donations, was spent on converting the

building into a safe usable venue. Sponsors in these early days included the University, with a donation of £90,000. This was not all just for goodwill; there was a promise of drama rehearsal space attached, which was badly needed at the time as the old drama theatre in University village had closed, and the drama centre opened this year was still a twinlcling in a construction company accountants eye. The launch publicity brochure speaks proudly of "an exciting venue brimming with creative opportunities". It contains a 700 capacity

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main auditorium filling the ground floor (along with baiS and entrance/ ticket office), aswellasasmaller200capacity studio auditorium upstairs. Alongside this upstairs is a cafe bar with views over the river, as well as rehearsal rooms for bands, dressing rooms and offices. The conversion work was carried out by local companies, and even the digger used in construction work was sponsored - a donation from British Telecom. The design was by Ben Kelly Design, previously noted for The Hacienda in Manchester. Quoting from

Oh! Brad yo~ did~'t b~Ay it from

One StepBeyond

the publicity "Modern industrial elements such as concrete, brick. wood and plaster have been integrated with the buildings original structure". What actually resulted was what could be described as a minimalist industrial look, with exposed cabling and air ducts in the main auditorium which looks q uite nice, but does cause the odd expletive from anyone trying to work in the venue. When the venue opened in October 1990 it was an instant success, hailed by public, press and industry alike as quite unlike anywhere else. Bands large and small flocked to play there, with gigs from

The Fall, Shonen Knife, Therapy and hundreds of others playing to packed capacity audiences. Money troubl es pursued the venue from the early days, and the council were forced to commit extra funds to keep the doors open. A reprieve came in a major way though when Radio One chose Norwich as the location for its first Sound City Week, held in April 1992. This guaranteed the Waterfront sell out attendances for a week long series of events, although when it came to it, the press and crew did seem to outnumber the paying punters.

What could not be questio~ed was the atmosphere of the venue, which always seemed a lot friendlier than others around the city, possibly due to the people it attracted (those genuinely interested in the music) and perhaps just the attitude of the staff - the whole thing seemed as if it were a club, not in the nightclub sense. but more like something where you went with your friends when you where young, possibly attached to a church. What was there in atmosphere though seemed to be lacking in business sense, and in early February the venue closed

Radio One ·sound C I•tY 1992 1

One of the biggest accolades the W aterfroot ever receivedwasthebeingchosenasthevenueforRadio Ones's flfStever "SoundCity Music Festiva1" in 1992. This was a week long festival ofmusical based events, lectures, and performances, from both local and national bands. The nightly gigs were broadcast live on Radio One- direct from the Waterfront Before the event NMEdescribed Norwich as being "in the heart of village idiot land". The week of the festival they changed their minds just slightly, producing an eight page pull-outdedicated to the event. Bands appearing included The Shamen, Prodigy, The Quireboys, and Norwich heartthrob Cathy Dennis (who apparently had to ask members of the crew whether she was singing in tune during the soundcheck).

Theweekitselfranrelatively smoothly, with even Cathy herself saying "fm really excited about playing The Waterfront". Well, yes. Other people happy to goon record to praise tbeeventincludedRadioOoeDJMarcGoodier, who presented the evening programmes from the venue. He said "the setup is pretty compacable to the kind of gear that was needed to do LiveAid.... we've never put on five bands in one evening before". One of the Waterfront's unique attractions was used to the full throughout the week. To quote the publicity blurb it is "two venues in one". In practise this meant bands performing alternately in the larger downstairs hall, and then the "much more intimate" upstairs area. Continual music with no annoying set changes was pure heaven. Pity about Cathy Dennis though.

Artistes at Sound City: Carter USM (left) and Desree

1

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Photos: (L to R) The original promotional brochure, success at Sound City, how Concrete broke the closure news, and last weeks meeting giving hope for the future. when it was revealed that the company set up to run the venue was in debt to the tune of £360,000. Controversy surrounded the circumstances of the closure, and the closure of the venue was soon followed by the hasty resignation of two of the directors. It was never suggested that the money owed had actually been misappropriated, rather that the reporting of the financial facts to the rest of the directors, and to the council was rather inaccurate. City Council Leader Janet Silett said that the venue had become "totally inviable", and that "absolutely no situation, no proposals, nothing" would be acceptable as part of a reprieve.

The Waterfront Trading Company went into liquidation shortly afterwards and the venue has stayed closed ever sense. When the venue ftrst closed the local press was full of letters from local residents moaning about how huge amounts of public money had been wasted, and how other priorities should be met . John Peel from radio One was a regular visitor to the waterfront, both when helping to promote the venue, and as a paying customer. After the closure he told Concrete "It would be sad indeed if the effort and goodwill that has gone into building up the reputation of the Waterfront had

gone to waste.... My underlying wish is that the Waterfront should continue, regardless of who was running it." It soon became clear that the council opening the venue itself could not happen. When the venue had closed most of the ftxtures and fittings were removed by creditors, and so money will be required up-front to reopen the venue An almost indecent rush followed the closure as 'interested parties' made approaches to the council (who still owned the building) to manage the venue. These included local publicans (one, called Gary Fox, saw the future in fringe theatre and afternoon tea dances), as well as commercial

Frontline FM: Waterfront Hosts special Radio station The Waterfront was always intended to be more than j ust a venue for live music. Their launch brochure talked about 'a fresh approach to culture and young people' and this was borne out by many unusual projects at the venue. One of the most successful of these was 'Frontline FM', a special event radio station run from The Waterfront for a month in October 1992 to mark the venues second birthday. I The station was staffed by volunteers, and had a number of student presenters from

UEA. Music styles varied according to the presenter, but was mainly Indie. The station was the brainchild of local music enthusiast John Cargill. At the time he said be was running the station "out of a recognition that existing broadcasters aren't able to program the kind of music and features that we think a lot of people would like". Music styles were varied, but indie music was the main order of the day. There was news and features as well, as well as features (a discussion on drugs

concerns (Nottingham's Rock City venue), as well as UEA's student union. The council were keen not to rush things this time, and a report leaked to Concrete showed that council looked at a number of the proposals in detail, including rejecting one form another venue after doubts over 'sexist elements' in its publicity.

The proposal that the Union is now pursuing with the council involves the council investing around £70,000 in new equipment for the venue (as reported in Event last week). This will allow the venue to reopen , and by investing in a sound system now, it will lower the running costs in the longer term. The Union now have the

backing of the members to take necessary steps to set up a separate trading company to administer the Waterfronts trading. The venue wilJ hopefully open in December; in order to catch the traditionally busy period in the run-up to Christmas. All that remains to be seen now is whether the old spirit can be recaptured.

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with local people), and recording of local bands. It proved to cynics that the venue oould be a lot more than just another nightclub or music venue, but actually part of the community. The station broadcast for up to ten miles, and unofficial listenership figures were "encouragingly high". The station also boasted Radio O ne DJ John Peel amongst its interviewees - he dropped in and told Frootline "I'm your Radio 1 personality... a kind of Neal James of the 1970's"

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12 Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

Featurf;)s NIALL HAMPTON ASKS LAST WEEK'S VISITING NUS SPEAKER, DERMOT KEHOE , ABOUT THE NUS' OPPOSITION TO THE GOVERNMENT'S STUDENT UNION 'REFORMS'

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DUCATION Secretary John Patten gave no indi cation at last week's Conservative Party conference that he would be backing down over his proposals to reform Student Unions. Speaking last Wednedsay, he was adamant that Government plans would go ahead, and as a result, precise legislation could be drawn up in the near future. His speech came two days after the Student Union held their first open meeting of the semester in the Bill Wilson Room, billed as an opportunity for students to increase their awareness of the reform issue. Chaired by Jacqui Mackay, Union Communications Officer. and guest speaker Dermot Kehoe, the NUS's Vice President for Education, the meeting discussed the Govemmen~'s proposals and how

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the NUS was going to react against them. When interviewed afterwards, Dermot told Concrete that, "It was a very interesting meeting, and there were a lot of people there who

were very enthusiastic and very interested." The Government's proposals intend to split student union funding into 'core' and 'non-core' sections. Non core funding would be

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lost, and voluntary membership of campus unions and the NUS would be established. Accordi ng to Dermot Kehoe, the NUS will strongly resist the proposals but on a more conciliatory platform than seen previously. "The NUS is as strong in opposition to these proposals as we have ever been, on issues that are direct attacks on student rights. NUS is now a much more effective lobbying and campaigning organisation than it certainly was in the past decade, so we are using the most important campaign techniques as and when appropriate." So would these techniques include active campaigning by the NUS on behalf of its members? "Yes, the student movement is about campaigning, is about having national demos when we see fit, but it's also about services, welfare and representation, about a whole range of things which improves a student's life, so it's important at the moment that NUS promotes the whole breadth and diversity of the student movement", he added. When asked what the strategy for opposing the Government would involve, Dermot emphasised two points. "The vast majority of students on any campus use their student union, their clubs and societies and entertainments. Quite often they

Dermot Kehoe about this, and this is a direct threat He added, 'These proposals will to the rights and advice of students. damage student services and, as "Once we go to the Parliamen- they stand, they are unworkable tary arena, there are a whole host the result of a compromise, a mishof mechanisms that can be used [by mash of an attempt to weld an ideothe Government], and we have in- logical obsession with practical refluence in Parliament to try and ality." avoid those. However, Dermot also warned "lt's difficult to speculate as to of a potential political timebomb for what tactics the Government will the Government if they continue to use, but they would find it difficult alienate students, especially by atto force this through very quickly tacking their funding, their fman-

.. A number of changes in higher and compulsory education have recently been rushed through without proper consultation. Hopefully John Patten won't make the same mistake, because students now will come home to roost in a few years time, and the Government will pay for it politically... - Dermot Kehoe use their welfare advice, and they benefit from the representation that their union gives. It's important that we promote all these aspects." ''What we need to do is to make sure that they're aware of these benefits, and aware that these benefits and services are under threat. That's the first task, but another is to convince the Government to back down on their proposals." However, this could prove quite problematic, as the Government are waging war on student unions from an ideological platform, suggesting that they will be additionally determined to see any legislation passed. Did the NUS appreciate the fact that the Government could use a few tricks to secure a quick passage for their proposals through Parliament? "Last year NUS and the student unions promoted their cause very effectively. This year we need students to be saying the same message to their MPs, to get across to those in Parliament that have the power to make the decisions that a number of people are concerned

given the strong levels of support we have in the House of Lords. because University Vice-Chancellors and principals are on our side. 'They have a lot of influence in the Lords, and they're prepared to use it to help us. The Government would have a lot of difficulty forcing this legislation through without proper scrutiny, at least by the Lords." Initial indications of the Government's proposals suggest that they are ill-founded and ill-researched, and likely to contribute more to the detriment of students. In pursuit of their cherished value 'choice', the Tories' proposals are certain not to be of any benefit to students at all. Dermot agreed, pointing out that, "It has always been the view of the NUS that if there is nothing broken, then why try to fix it? The motivation for these proposals has not come from students, has not come from student unions, from universities, colleges, or the local communities - the motivation for this has come from the Conservative Party."

cial support, and now the whole student experience, which is under threat from John Patten and his

party. Faced with this, those graduating in the next few years may decide to repay the compliment by never supporting the Conservatives in the future, whatever their circumstances, and this could explain the current political caution behind considering a 'graduate tax' similar to the Australian model. Dermot emphasised the need for suitable representation for students in discussing their own future, something that the Government are keen to undermine with their attacks on campus unions and the NUS. "A number of changes in higher and compulsory education have recently been rushed through without proper consultation", he said. "Hopefully John Patten won't make the same mistake, because students now will come borne to roost in a few years time, and the Government will pay for it politi-

cally."


Move over, Fifers ane! T

he pictures on this page show the construction of the replacement residences for Fifer's Lane. Built on the site of the old University Village opposite Earlham Park, which was UEA's home before it moved to the Plain in the late 1960s, the new residences will provide accommodation for approximately 720 students, some of them disabled. The development features the construction of residential blocks, each of which will house between 30-40 students. Parking for 130 cars is also expected to be created. The University had been planning the construction of the new project for several years, but planning permission was only granted by Norwich City Council late in June. Construction started during the summer vacation and the new accommodation is due to be handed over to UEA next August. According to Roger Lloyd, Director of UEA's Accommodation Services, the programme is going "exactly according to plan" for the start of the Autumn Semester 1994.

UEA students DISCOVER skills FIONA ANDERSON PICKS UP SOME INVALUABLE SKILLS ... THANKS TO THE UEA CAREERS CENTRE EFORE the start of the se mester, a band of nearly 70 students embarked on the DISCOVER 3-day intensive course aimed at developing management skills. We all arrived with very different expectations, some of us enthusiastic, others apprehensive, to immerse ourselves in role play and management situations.

B

'have a go' regardless of the outcome. As one student out it, DIS COVER was the perfect opportunity to "mess up, without losing face in situations that don' t jeopardise your career." Even the most nervous and selfconscious of us were soon eager to join in the seemingly ' silly' teambuilding games and the enterpris-

(some UEA graduates) from widely differing professions joined us to speak directly from their own experiences. I found this to be particularly valuable as they were all willing to give tips on successful job applications and interview techniques. I felt that the course had given me a unique opportunity to experience managerial situations in a safe, non-judgemental environ-

The bossy learned to listen and the meek learned to shout! No one was left to struggle on their own, and there was always plenty of constructive advice and information at hand ... From the start, we were all very encouraged to really participate by doing, instead of just watching, until every one of us felt confident I enough to try our hands at skills involving anything from Personnel to Marketing to Finance and Production. It was the friendly, informal atmosphere created which made the course such a success. I truly felt that though the schedule was tight and the pressure kept on at all times, this was the time to

ing exercises of negotiation and production. The idea of team spirit was held highly, helping us to learn when and how to cooperate with each other on an equal footing, and when it needed someone to take control. The bossy learned to listen and the meek learned to shout! No one was left to struggle on their own, and there was always plenty of constructive advice and information at hand. A number of ' Young Managers'

ment, and that or £30 (including all tuition, meals and liquid refreshment) it was extremely good value for money. There were no specific requirements needed to join the course, yet everyone who took part benefitted greatly. All you had to be was enthusiastic, energetic, and willing to have fun. • The UEA Careers Centre organises a DISCOVER course every September. Don't miss the next one.

Developed by Team Services PLC, who claim to have had ample experience in designing student residences, the rooms have en-suite bathrooms and showers like new campus residences Constable Terrace and Nelson Court, and feature modem gimmicks such as data cabling sockets to link up computers. However, when the plans for the development were announced by the University in May, the then Union Welfare Officer, Colin Browning, said that the rooms would be like "living on a ship", after seeing a full size mock-up, referring to the fact that the rooms looked rather like a ship's cabin in size and layout. The exact cost of the development is unclear, the University's line being that they will be "self-financing", whatever that means. In addition, it is expected that the rent structures will be "more differential" than on campus. Said Deputy ViceChancellor Dr John Tarrant, ''We are trying to provide an alternative to Fifer's Lane, and we have an exciting scheme enabling us to vacate to an attractive site right next door to the University."

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' 14 Concrete. Wednesday, October 13, 1993

Features

11 Seth Levine poses the question:

in politically correct late 20th Century Britain, surely nowhere is as concentratedly 'right on' as the university campus?

T

BINDING

hese breeding grounds for intellectual liberalness deal with every is ue that comes under the increasingly broad PC banner- from racial discrimination to third world debt. Whilst no self respecting liberal could dispute the well intentioned nature of this phenomenon, many people tend to overlook the pos ibility that political correctness could be having a detrimental effect, fuelling the very fires it is attempting to extinguish. There is no doubt that people are beginning to

from a serious issue . Jacqui Mackay, Communications Officer for the Student Union, makes the point that the Union is mandated to sever all links with these banks. She personally feels that it is preferable to demonstrate "the devastating effect of third world debt, rather than to encourage students to bank with the companies involved." It would be unfair, however, to place the blame for the increasing unattractiveness of political correctness on well intentioned organisers of such campaigns. Po-

is ...") they are merely demeaning the whole issue and the work done by those who bring matters to the fore. These people, who in a different political climate would undoubtedly flow with the prevailing mood, are responsible for making the whole concept of political correctness seem insincere. Jacqui Mackay feels however, that this view is too negative. 'The policies implemented by the Union are positive, not politically correct The University lacks a discrimination policy which the Union has to corn-

Apart from the normal trend of the intellectual and academic world to rebel against popular thought, political correctness has taken on an extra social dimension. The term itself is bounded about so casually that it has lost any positive impact

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develop an immunity to politically correct causes. The country is not so much becoming politically incorrect, but just bored of political correctness. It is easy to see why people may refrain from jumping on the PC bandwagon. Those who pursue politically correct causes tend to do so with such single minded vigour that it may intimidate less confident people who may otherwise sympathise. Confronting freshers with an aggressive campaign to boycott certain banks is a case in point. As a first year trying to establish an identity in an alien environment, this sort of overbearing approach is liable to make people side tep the issue. This sort of tack, coupled with the patronizing u e of gimmicks such as cardboard tombstones, is liable to tuin people away

litical correctness is, to a certain extent, becoming a victim of its own success. Apart from the normal trend of the intellectual and academic world to rebel against popular thought, political correctness has taken on an extra social dimension. The term itself is bounded about so casually that it has lost any positive impact. The same may be said for many of the causes that are attached to it. The pressure created by so-called politically correct people has led to a situation, particularly on campus, whereby you feel obliged to apologize for being a white, meat-eating heterosexual. The type of people who contribute to this pressure are not adding anything positive to the cause of minority groups. By turning political correctness into a social appendage ("my best friend

pensate for. I believe it would be far more intimidating for ftrSt years to be confronted by an environment of discrimination." Whilst this is an undoubtedly valid point, it is still a fact of human nature that people tend to rebel against anything that is pushed too aggressively. lt would be flippant and irresponsible to dismiss the current climate of political correctness as a passing social pretension. In view of the British National Party's recent electoral victory and the horrendous spate of racial attacks around the country, the message behind the phenomenon seems more important then ever. It would be a shame, therefore, to allow the momentum to fade due to a rebellion against over-aggressive campaigning and an overloaded bandwagon.


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15

A tricky Action, drama, project romance, great music, and sex ...

Metamorphosis: UEA Drama Studio

Review by Simon Mann Transforming a s u rrea l piece of writing into an effective piece of drama must always be a tricky project. When that piece of writing is KafKa 's famous tale of Gregor Sa msa, t he young tra ve llin g salesma n w ho awakes one morning: "to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect", then the adaptation is truly a challenge. Berkoff's play is probably as good an attempt as you could expect to find, but whether it really works is another matter. Performed by the semiprofessional Seventh Seal Company as the inaugural production at the new UEA Drama Studio, the action was certainly energetic and powerful. The bare studio had only one prop to distract the audience from the actors and the action; a structure of scaffolding simulating Gregor's room, and designed to su ggest the giant dung-beetle he had become. Using a careful combination of lighting, live music and non-natu ralistic acting, Seventh Seal sought to produce an intense atmosphere which would: "inspire and embrace the audience", as their somewhat pretentious a nd didactic introduction put it. Altho u gh dy n am ic a nd visually impressive, the earn est ness of Seventh Sea l's (and, to be fair, Berkoff's) attempt to produce: "a communion b etween t he perfo rmer and h is aud ience" (that bloody programme introduction again), interfered with the subtlety a nd complexity of Kafka 's or iginal work. Ha ving said t h at, C or n elius Boot h was outstand ing in t h e role of Gregor, especially in the rem a rkable wa y he imitated the giant dung beetle; a fine piece of physi cal acting, combined with a portrayal which gave a convincing insight into the surreal state of being a man-turned-insect. All in all, it was a good even in g's enterta inme nt , and an indication of the expressed determination of the Drama Studio 's ma nagement to feature new and challenging works.

UNION FILMS FOR TH E NEXT FORTNIGHT f

Our picture shows the cast of Christie ln Love, the Ho ward Brenton play being performed in the brand new UEA studio on Friday, October IS and Saturday, October 16 at 9pm. It is the first student production in the £ I million studio, which is still undergoing completion. The performance, by Love Me Tender Productions, i a black comedy about Britain's most infamous serial killer. Admission is £3 or £2 concessions.

Madonna and Willem Dafoe star in 'Body of Evidence'

In what has been calle d a hypercharged erotic thriller, Madonna stars as a woman who has the tendency to destroy all men who get too close to her. Accused of murdering her millionaire lover by indulging him in over active sex, her problems intensify when she gets involved with her lawyer, Will em Dafoe, in a relationship which crosses the lines of professionalism. Directed by Uli Edel , (Last Exit to Brooklyn and Christiane F.), " Body of Evidence" has attracted controversy in the States because of its provocative sex scenes. The public perception of Madonna, her image, has also given the fi lm a little boost. You can judge for yourself, knowing Madonna ... Oscar nom inated Den ze l Washington stars in the long awaited Spike Lee film about the life of the black civil rights leader "Malcom X" . Starting off as a criminal in a ghetto, Spike Lee describes how Malc om "sees the light" in prison and ends up communicating hi s mess age of black separatism to the masses. Unfortunately, what starts as a very 'Spike Lee' fi lm, full of movement, music and colour, eventually turns into a lecture like documentary. Despite the interesting subject, I would seriously think of another way of spending 201 minutes of my time. Highly acc laimed at the Cannes festival , Car! Franklin directs an action thriller that has

apparently already attained a cult following. The possibility of making " One False Move" after a brutal robbery by the trio Pax to n-Will ia ms-T horto n, keeps the tension throughout the fi lm. Al most two action-packed hours guaranteed. Goodies and baddies meet in "Passenger 57", yet another action thriller which, striving for the spectacular, just seems to end up as a parody of other films of the same genre like "Die Hard". Wesley Snipes, (Jungle Fever and White Man can' t Jump), stars as an ex-anti-terrorist expert who is unfortunate enough to share a flight with Rane (Bruce Payne), yet another of those "unfriendly" terrorists. Lots of acti on, nothing new though. There is also room for tears in the coming fortnight with the drama "Lorenzo's Oil", which is based on a true story. Lorenzo is a boy suffering from a fatal genetic disorder, whose parents struggle against the odds to find a cure. They find some hope, eventually. But then, can anything help little Lorenzo ... Good acting, a moving tale, don't forget your hankies ... And last, but certainly not least, the unforgettable " Blues Brothers". The formidable characters of Jake and Edwood, who are "on a mission from God", promise entertainment with good music and plenty of action. and over and over .. .

DTHE FISH TANK is a brand new night starting at Manhattans Nightclub in Norwich. Every once in a while the Dove Street venue (it's near Tescos if you still haven't found it yet) will play host to the night of Trance, Progressive, Acid and Go-Go Girls ... It begins on Wednesday, October 20, and is designed to have "an atmosphere without attitude", according to Jerry, a UEA student and one of the night's organisers. Three DJs tak2 to the decks on the night: J ezzaroona, Jon D and Danny... and it's all local talent! Tickets are £3 on the door, and it runs from 9pm-2am.

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c:e

The latest news from your student union. Issue Two, Semester One, 1 993

Race Awareness Campaign -Week 3

Good People with the reluctance of Europe to step in and help smash Hitler before he developed ills stranglehold in Nazi Germany and eventually much of Europe. It is valid interpretation of society's attitude even today, after all, how often have I heard people say "Black people ought to be more grateful" or "I just don't see all tills racism people are always going on about, you have a chip on your shouler." If you are apathetic to the problem then you deny the problem exists.

myth that we live in a egalitariar.. society. I do not carry a chip on my shoulder about a race thing, on the contrary, I carry a boulder , and it is not a race thlng, it's a universal problem. If you are not part of the solution, perhaps you are part of the cause. The ethnic minorities are not being represented in the professions. Can it all be due to our own laziness? That is somethlng I cannot accept. To believe that would be to classify all minorities in one

to the derogatory stereotype. Is it then down to the inherently prejudice society in which we operate? It is a fact that many minority groups (including women who are definitely not a minority, numerically) do feel they have to work twice as hard as their counterparts to succeed Should this stop us from trying? African Americans are now holding top jobs throughout society. They are judges, chiefs of police and politicians. Granted, their society is far from perfect (Rodney King) but

The Womens' Action Committee The Women's Action Committee is well and truly off the ground this semester. There was a great deal of interest in the W.A.C. stall at Soc Mart which was followed by the first W.A.C. meeting on Wednesday night. Speakers at the meeting included

Siobhan Endean, NUS Women's Officer and Sarah Holmes, one of the coordinators of the Norwich Women's Centre. Matters discussed included the importance of the international women+s campaign, forthcoming campaigns at UEA and ideas for future activities for future activities at

W.A.C. meetings. Currently, the major campaign is the Birth Control Campaign against government proposals to remove the most expensive and, therefore, most effective contraception pills from the NHS. Suggestions for future W.A.C. activities include national speakers, a walk of .

niether is ours (the recent election results in the Isle of Dogs). There is apathy on both sides, too many people believe the problem does not exist, and too many people traditionally affected by racism believe the problem is too hard to tackle. As the saying goes, "Good people are doing nothing". As long as you believe in equality of wo(man) kind then do something to promote it. Believeing is no longer enough, it comes dangerously close to apathy. The Race Awareness campaign (Wk 3) is not primarily concerned with anti fascist/ racist action. Its main aim is the promotion of our multi cultural society and the education of society in general. It is open to ALL races including the overseas students who upon reaching England may find themselves in the alarming position of being in the minority now. The week will hopefully create a general awareness of the cultures existing in UEA. Furthl·r dl·tail' ahout thl·lnion ·, "ork. or dl'lail' of Ran· ..\"an·lll'" \\ l'l'k Gill hl' ohtainl'd from .fat lhl'nadw. till' lnion\ Ran· :\\\ an·nl'" ( >flirl'r

cainpus at night to locate potential hazards and dark areas, assertion and selfdefence training. All in all the meeting was very positive, looking at the achievements of and issues affecting women on a national, local and university scale. Any women students wishing to know more about the women+s campaign at UEA or being involved in W.A.C. should contact

GRANT STRETCHER Your Union is Serving You thi s semester with a wide r a nge of price fr eezes and reductions in our outlets and b a r s. Student debt is huge problem for alot of people at UEA and your Union is aiming to help your money go further with -Grant Stretcher+ prices . Draught beers and hot drinks prices have been frozen in all of our bars for the whole of this academic year.On Thursday nights not only will beer prices be the same as last year but so is the entrance charge for the LCR Disco . The Sports Shop,Papershop,Supermarket and Post Office are all sell ing a number of basic and popular items at last years+ prices or even lower.So whether you want to buy sports wear,recycled paper,a pint or milk and loaf of bread or send a fax make Union shops your first stop! Sophle Reading, Women's Officer through the Union pigeon holes upstairs in U.H. Any ideas regarding the women+s campaign are most welcome. We hope to see more women students than ever before at the next W.A.C. meeting on Wednesday 20th October at 5pm. in room 1:28 upstairs in U.H.

WHERE WILL YOU BE ON MONDAY NIGHT ? The first Union General Meeting of this academic year is being held on MONDAY 18TH OCTOBER at 7.30pm in the LCR,Union House. It is the highest body of authority in the Union to which both Executive and Forum are account abl e to.UGM's are your opportunity to discuss and vote upon policy that can then be adopted and implemented by your Union. The age nda is set by yo u - the members.Putting a mo tio n on the

UPDATE ... Womens' Beeline Taxi Cards are available from the Stewards at reception in Union House - Women stranded without money at night can use their NUS I Registration card to get home and pay the Union for their

agenda is fairly straightfoward and goes as follows.The agenda is kept in the Information Office upstairs in UH and a copy of a model motion is also available there so that you know how your motion needs to be stuctured .The agenda closes three working days before the advertised meeting and by midday you need to hand in a full copy of yo ur motion to the Communications Officer (Jacqui Mackay).The motions will then be avai lable on the following day and will be discussed at the cab fare the next day.Attack Alarms are also avai lable from the Stewards at a cost of one pound - thi s price is heavily subsidised for your by your Union. WATERFRONT -the Emergency General Meeting held last Thursday was attended by over 300 students

meeting.If you don't manage to meet these deadlines you can take an emergency motion to the UGM and the membership will vote on whether or not to accept it for discussion. This all probably sounds dull and bureaucratic but standing orders such as these must be foll owed so that any motions passed are valid.UGM's are great fo rums for debate and your best opportunity to have a democratic say in how your Union is run. The meeting is open to everyone so we hope to see you there!

who overwhelmingly voted in favour of the Union opening the Waterfront for an initial six month trial period and if viable to continue the operation permanently.Thanks to all those who attended - we wi ll keep everyone informed of further developments.

'Cement' is written and compiled entirely by the Students Union. lt appears here by commercial arrangement with Concrete

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YOUR GRANT HERE IS JUST A SELECTION OF THE OFFERS AVAILABLE IN THE UNION sHoPs ANT) BARs TOTJAY. LET YouR UNION SERVE YOU- IT MAKES MORE SENSE THAN EVER.

FREE PlUG WHEN YOU BUY ANY ElECTRICAl APPLIANCE FREE BATTERY WHEN -you BUY AN AlARM ClOCK MOST SHOP PRICES FROZEN AT 1992 lEVElS

UEA JOGGERS SPECIAl OFFER £8.95 UEA T-SHIRTS FROM £5.95 UEA SWEATSHIRTS FROM £10.95 COITON TRADERS RUGBY SHIRTS £5 OFF. SCARVES, TIES AND MOST OTHER ITEMS SAME PR/ AS lAST YEAR

BRITISH RAIL CARDS £f6 NATIONAL EXPRESS CARDS £7

MOST UEA COURSE BOOKS STOCKED

SPECIAl STUDENT FliGHTS

BOOKS AlWAYS WANTED

PLEASE BOOK BEFORE END OF OCTOBER FOR CHRISTMAS

WE PAY THE BEST PRICES

All DRAUGHT PRICES THE SAME AS lAST YEAR! COFFEE 6 TEA PRICES STill THE SAME COMPARE OUR PRICES WITH PUBS AND ClUBS IN THE CITY! BITTER AND lAGER FROM £1.32

£10 DEPOSIT SECURES SEAT.

THURSDAY DISCOS STill ONLY £2

FILMS: SEMESTER PASS £15 All YEAR PASS £26 GUEST TICKET £2


18

Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

Letters & C/assifieds

concrete 0603 250558 University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ Publisher: Stephen Howard Editor: Peter Hart Deputy Editor: Niall Hampton Picture Editor: Phil Vickers Advertising Manager: Simon Mann Photographers: Kate Bailey, Keith Whitmore, Phil Vickers Editorial Contributors: Georgina King, Carolina Jenkinson, Stephen Hawkes, Steve Unsworth, Pete Snowman, Caroline Adlem, Bob Scott, Paul Wray, Hwee Hwee Tan, Mark Smith, Kester Hynds, Anthony Cartwright, Seth Levine, Saskia, Rachel Lawlan, James Melville-Ross, Clare Ollerenshaw, Jo Stubbington, Fiona Anderson, Dazza Fisher, Simon Mann, Lisa Bushrod DTP: Paul Coslett, Miles Treacher, Sam Webster Typists: Joanna Stubbington, Andrea Bird, Jo Phillips, Martin Plant Proofreader: John, Alistair Cushion

Many thanks to Technical Advisor: Neil Bamden Special thanks to: Union House Stewards & Mogwai Thanks to everyone at ECN for putting up with our 'flexible' deadlines

Concrete is published independently at UEA. Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the publisher or Editor. (C)1993 Printed by Eastern Counties Newspapers, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich

Concrete welcomes your letters on any subject. Whether it is something we've written about and you want to take issue with, or you simply want to make a point, we want to hear from you. So why not drop us a line? The address is simply 'Concrete', UEA, Norwich. Anonymity will be respected but you must include your name and address in the first instance.

Right to write worldwide This is a desperate appeal to Concrete readers who wo uld like to correspond wi th other students worldwide. Connections is a non-profi t making correspondence organi ation with members (mainly students) in

Last term a number of visi ts were made by a firm called Airpic which was recrui ting students for direct sales work in the United States and the UK over the summer vacation. The Careers Centre would be very interested to hear fro m any student who took pan in this recruitment exercise or who actuall y worked for Airpic this summer and if you could perhaps bri ng thi letter to the attention of your readers, I wou ld be very grateful.

Ros Ashcroft Careers Centre Co-ordinator

FOR SALE BROTHER AX - 110 TYPE WRITER . BARELY USED. £60 OR NEAR OFFER. CONTACT L DODD (EUR2)

WANTED WANTED ! AUDIENCE FOR MALAYSIAN CULTURAL SHOW/ DINNER/ DISCO ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13. TICKETS £2 .50 AND £3 .50 WILL BE ON SALE SOON . JOIN US!

all continents. Membership is free. We have had many requests for UK student pen-friends from countries such as Laos, Croatia, Benin, China, Maldives, Brazi l as well as Australia, US, Canada etc. but we

do not have enough UK members to cope wit h the demand! Connections members have joined for various rea ons; some like to have contacts in countries they intend to travel to; other enjoy sharing opinions on global

Cla~~ified

issues. If any Concrete readers can help and would like details. simply send a SAE to Connections, PO Box 3555. London El 8 ISH.

Thank You, Neil Fraser

ad fur-m

Your message:

·:·:·

Ad SectiQn:

riCk for box number

D

Your Name/

School/ Year

m<*•"

If you want your name and address to appea pat ot the message. If howevw you do not wbh your name Of address to appea you may use a rr. . box nunmer. Your ad w11 be dlocated a number by ua and replies wll be lorwCI'ded to you 10 days after publcallon ot the paper (any fUrther replies wll be lorwCI'ded a~ they Cl'e receiVed). To reply to a box number adVetttlement address your reply to the box number and send "to 'Box Numbers, Concrete, UEA', Norwich' Oft<*•"tolhe Unlwnlfy

, poat room, Of the Concrete otnce In Union House.

A CLASSIFIED AD IN CONCRETE WORKS ! (YOU WOULDN 'T BE READING THIS NOW IF THEY DIDN'T) LOADS OF PEOPLE HAVE BENEFITIED FROM SELLING/ ADVERTISING IN THE PAPER. .. SO WHY NOT GIVE IT A GO .... SIMPLY FILL IN THE CLASSIFIED FORM ABOVE AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.

PERSONAL BABE REQUIRED FOR 'MATURE' STUDENT... I'M OLD AND SLOW. STILL INTERESTED? REPLY TO BOX 241 . MAN REQUIRED FOR CONSTABLE TERRACE LASS. CHIPPENDALE TYPE PRE FERRED. MUST HAVE BATH . REPLY TO BOX 242

MATURE LADY REQUIRED FOR OLD TIMER . MUST HAVE WATER ON HER WINDOWSILL (THE RIGHT WOMAN WILL KNOW WHAT I MEAN). BODYWORK A BIT RUSTY... BUT STILL A GOOD LITILE RUNNER . REPLY TO BOX 243 IF YOU DARE. HELP, I'VE BEEN SQUEEZED IN . REPLY TO BOX 244. BYE!

City's Euro opponents Stephen Hawkes looks at Bayern Munich, Norwich City's next challenge in the UEFA Cup

Z

NEXT WEEK'S MEETING IS AT 1.15PM ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, UPSTAIRS IN UNION HOUSE (THEN BACK TO MONDAYS USUAL)

I E CHT de n B aye rn d ie Lede rh ose n a us (ro ug hl y tra n la ted as " take a ll yo ur Lederh osen Baye rn"), is a c h an t th at reve rb era tes a ro un d m any a 'stad io n ' ta unti ng the team everyone loves to hate in Germany. They are , coincidenta ll y, orwich's next opponents in the UEFA Cup, Bayern Mu nich. It i this mighty team that

th e Ca naries o f No r w ic h, fr es h fro m dis p a tc hin g Vitesse Arnhem 3-0 on agg rega te in the firs t ro und, must confront overtwo legs; a team who in the past, dominated both the German natio nal ga me a nd E uro pean foo tball. As we ll as being runne rsup twice in the European Cup in 1982 and 1987, Bayern's most dominant period came continued on next page


Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

Bayern cont. from previous page in the 1970's, when they collected all three European Cups in successive years from 1974. Despite winning the World Club Championships in 1976 the Bavarian club have curiously enough never won the UEFA Cup. This match would normal! y be considered somewhat of a mismatch, yet Bayem have suffered somewhat of a decline in recent years. Their last German Championship came in 1990 and the 1991/92 season saw their worst performance in over a decade. Last season saw a reshuffle as several new players came in under manager Erich Rubbech with one time national boss, Vli Uceness (in a Terry Venables like role), as general manager. The addition of Lothar Matthaus several games into last season led to a much improved record, and popular opinion thought that the quality of their football deserved the title which was won controversially by Werder Bremen on the last day of the season. The close season saw a failure to sign Dutch star Ruud Gullit, but Bayern 's side is

still littered with internationals, including Johrginio from Brazil, Jan Waters from Holland and £2 million Columbian star Adolfo Vallencia. There is also upand-coming German talent in Christian Zieye, Markus Schupp and Mehmet Scholl coupled with the ample experience of Matthaus, Thomas Helmer, OlafThan and keeper Raimond Aumann. Early season form has suggested that the squad have been finding it hard to gel together. A 3-3 draw at home to lowly Watterscheld and a 4-0 crushing of Hamburg have led to a moderate start in their domestic competition, with the result that Bayem are sixth after ten games. However, they

do have a few worries about Norwich City, as the Bayem representatives at the match against Coventry testified . Manager Rubbech said that it will be a "hammer of a tie" and Vli Uceness stressed that, "Wt:-'ve been very unlucky with the draw -Norwich are the hardest of the four teams in our group." Fittingly, the game will possibly be the biggest ever in the Canaries' history, and demand for tickets will be high. Details of the away trip on the 20th October and tickets for the home leg on 3rd November are as yet undecided, but one can try either the Carrow Road box office on 761661 or the Canaries newsline on 0891 121514 later this week.

ar va.r s UEA 50: THORP~ 36 return Under the direction of Stavros Ioannou the UEA men's basketball team has 'won ttie tU:St game of the season against Thorpe 1 by

so·to 36.

Although the team lacked in inside playing at the beginning, the Aardvarks' score soon went off with Ellinos' outside shooting and Buure's guiding. Good team work and an outstanding performance by new-

corner Fairijeld, who was the top scorer with 12 points. Despite this being the first time the team played together, all players are enthusiastic about their perforrnanee in this S'eason. As coach Ioannou commented, "We played weU. The team is not a~ good as last year's yet, but we are going to give them a bard ~e."

Fell and Cave Caroline Jenkinson looks at a society giving people the chance to 11 do different 11 IF YOU want to join one of the UEA's sporting societies, but want to do something different to tennis or football, then take heart, because there are alternatives to the more conventional sports on offer. Fell and Cave is one such society, giving its members the chance to go caving, walking, or both. "But there are hardly any caves or fells in Norfolk!" I hear you cry. That may be true, but the society gets round this by venturing further afield.

According to Fell and Cave's Vicky West, they organise "at least 3 weekends a term" for felling and caving, at a cost of around £25 per weekend. There are several locations for these weekends, ranging from, to use Vicky's words, "anywhere in Wales", to the Peak and Lake Districts and a trip to Scotland at Christmas. The society provide all the necessary equipment for caving, but walkers are expected to have a

good pair of walking boots and the correct clothing. Though the Fell and Cave club is essentially about felling and caving, it isn't solely on these trips that the society members get together. They usually meet once a week, and there are training events to get you prepared in between the weekends out. There are also numerous social events organised throughout the year, with a party at the beginning of the year to welcome the new members. So if you feel like disappearing down holes, or enjoy walking all over the great British countryside, or even want to have a go at both (but probably not at the same time), then drop a note into their pigeonhole in Union House.

Bully at UEA! Lakenham & District Darts League UEA 4 vs Ferry Boat Inn 3 THE NEWLY formed UEA Darts team played their first ever league match against The Ferry Boat Inn on Monday Week2. Playing in The Pub, UEA made a good start and won the fJrSt two doubles matches. However, opponents The Ferry Boat Inn came back strongly in the next two to square the match. The foursomes were sptit and

with the match standing at 3 v 3, the result depended on the eights. UEA stormed away with this and the fmal shot ofthe match and winning double was appropriately thrown by Carol Dade (who was instrumental in setting up the club) with The Ferry Boat Inn still requiring over 300 points. The club's official practice night is Sunday and league

matches are on Mondays at 8.30. Being newcomers to the Lakenham and District League, the team is in Division 6 and the standard of play is fairly 'sociable'. • New players are still required, so if anyone fancies themselves as a budding Jocky Wilson or Maureen Flowers come along and throw a few arrows.

includillg.... ~ Body of.Evidence MalcolmX Lorenzo's Oil Groundhog Day 1

Peter sFriends

A £15 semester film pass admits you to the remaining 39 films this season. Or for even better value a year pass is 8! films for £!6. Buy yours today from the Union Finance Office. ~ I

19

Alive Indecent Proposal Somersby Cliffhanger Jurassic Par~ Last Action Hero

...

_.


20

Concrete, Wednesday, October 13, 1993

--

concrete sport UEA'S Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Club are currently involved in a dispute with the University's Sports Centre about the availability of facilities for them to use, writes Nia/1 Hampton. They are particularly upset that the amount of time that they have been allocated to use the climbing wall in the Sports Centre has been cut this year, and that one slot clashes with academic timetables, fueJiing the need for a regular evening slot The club, which claims to be one of the fastest growing in the University, attracted many new members at Soc Mart, but Committee members feel that having so little time to train new climbers could have a detrimental effect on their training programme. Their present allocation is two and a half hours per week, but they say that this is scarcely enough given the time it takes to set up and

FIVE STAR TAXIS NORWICH

sssss~~:m NO EXTRA CHARGE Af'TER MIDNIGHT

e

e

o ICies dismantle their equipment. Stuart Cory, a spokesman for the club, feels bitter about the Sports Centre's policy. "I just think we're being treated like a minority sport despite there being a great demand for climbing", he said. The Climbing Club have over 90 members and have made considerable headway, including winning a local competition in Wymondham. They frequently go on climbs in areas such as the Peak District and Scotland, but their safety training, essential to gain a climbing certill-

cate, has to be done in the Sports Centre, hence their reliance on its • facilities. However, Keith Nicholls, Director of the Sports Centre, claimed that he could not satisfy everybody, when asked about the slots allocated to the Climbing Club this year. He told Concrete that, "The Climbing Club can go somewhere else, but badminton, basketball and volleyball can't go anywhere else. They must accept this. "We have to accommodate unmovable sports first" Mr Nicholls thought that with

almost two and a half hours per week, the Climbing club had a "pretty good allocation." He added, 'There is no possibility of spare funds in the next year. We have to accommodate all the people with a decreasing budget", and stated that UEA had a "single sports hall catering for more student sports than others." The club now intend to take the matter up with the Student's Union. Said Stuart Cory, "We've got the potential to get some high calibre climbers if we're treated with respect."

Up the creek? THE STUDENTS' LANDLORD

c a- D... ,.. ..,,... _____ D

""'

THE Canoe Club have been offered storage fo.r their equipment on Suffolk Terrace, but only until next Easter or possibly the summer. A letter from the Vice-Chancellor's Office said that the University would be perf~tly willing for canoes to be stored in Suffolk Terrace, but only on the understanding that the space could be claimed back at "fairly short notice." This could create continuing problem for the Canoe Club, who at the end of last term, abruptly lost their storage facility on Norfolk Terraco. They had to move all their equipment to a store in Ber Street, Nor-

wich, which one member described as being little more than a "lock-up garage." UEA's recent move may be an adequate solution for the present, bu~ does not solve the problem of finding a long-~rm facility where the club's ÂŁ10,000 worth of equipment can be safely and properly stored. The club pointed out that a previous dedicated storage facility in University Vulage burnt down five years ago, and that despite being able to re-equip with the proceeds of the insurance, no replacement shed was ever built They accused the University of absorbing the funds that should

have been allocated for this. Since then, they have been forced to use temporary storage, and fear that not having a purposebuilt base will adversely affect their training programme. The club are unable to train their new members because of the prohibitive time taken to move all their equipment to and from the City. Said Will Grace, a spokesman for the club, "We're trying to run a club with our hands tied behind our backs. You have to have a shed near a river, and not a lock-up in town, which is completely impractical and unworkable."

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