Concrete issue 082 04 02 1998

Issue 82: Wednesday, February 4, 1998

by JAMES GOFFIN

by MATTHEW RAY, News Editor

UEA'S FLAGSHIP summer extravaganza, the Law Ball, Is being forced outside Norwich after City councillors left organisers with no choice.

The decision to abandon the popular Earlham Hall venue was made after unofficial talks between Law Ball organisers and Council chiefs.

The event has been they can help lt, and I dogged In previous years thought that the licence by complaints from local would either be Incredibly residents about no!se strict or even rejected." levels, and organisers of In a ÂŁ25,000 deal, the last year's bash were Law Ball Is now set to be restricted to background held at the posh Lenwade music after 11 pm.

House Hotel, a 19th This year, the history of century country mansion complaints has prompted In Great Wltchlngham, the City Council to nine miles outside threaten prosecution of Norwich. the Law Ball organisers If The classy venue has the curfew Is broken. been exclusively hired Said Law Society out for the event, with all President, Estelle 18 acres of the House Partmouse, "We did not grounds open to have much choice unless revellers. we wanted a Law Ball And managers of the from 9pm to 11 pm." hotel are confident of Estelle decided not to getting a 6am licence for even apply for a licence the traditional all-night for Earlham Hall after bash. seeing the Council's However, the shock hostile attitude to the move will disappoint annual knees-up. students who see the "The councillors traditional Earlham Hall spoke to are adamant venue as an essential that 1t Is not going to be part of the ball. held at Earlham Hall If continued on p11ge 3

CONVICTED drugs smuggler and guest DJ, Howard Marks, hit the Waterfront last week to a row over his use of cannabis.

The well-known former drugs smuggler who "just plays tunes he likes" hosted a one hour set at the Kitchen club night last Friday.

Yet his arrival sparked fury in a local mum who attacked the venue in the local press for promoting the convicted drugs smuggler, claiming be would be a bad influence on young club-goers.

She linked her son's use of cannabis to his later use of heroin and accused the Waterfront of glorifying the drugs trade by inviti ng Howard to DJ. Howard - who is said to have once controlled 10% of the world's cannabis supply - hit back at the allegations, aying that spinning discs i legitimate work "I'm just trying to do a straight job," he said. "One has to rehabilitate somehow and I think people should support that."

He dismissed suggestions that there is a strong link between the use of hard and soft drugs but was sympathetic to problems of heroin

use.

"I certainly did not give him any heroin, and if I was the child's continued on page 2

2 News

Concrete, Wednesda y, February 4, 1998

Howard Marks -

continued from front page

Academic Officer say~ UGMs of "no benefit" THE UNION looks set to scrap Union General Meetings in a radical shake up, writes James Curtis. par~ nl. I \\ould do ITI ) hc> l to slop him." he 'ai d.

T he 'elaan pro-can nah i> cam paigner praised th e rc ne\\cd ca rn paig n to lcga li >c th e drug. r~e~ ntl y take n up hy th e

lll<i<'fienden t

011

Sundav.

" 11 ·, ol1\ iou' l) gain ing a lot of momen tum fro m ma in ,L rea m o., uppon cr>."' he sa id. " 11 i' onl ) the slraighh in the c>tahlish mcnt " ho can ac tu ally c hange the la ".··

The Waterfro nt '> 'e nu e coordi nator. Ste vcn Forste r. a lso rejected the claims tha t the Club is promoting dru g~.

"We have an anti-drugs policy:· he said . ·· P..:oplc arc searc hed as Lh <.:y go in and '-''C si mpl) do not tolerate drugs on the premises ...

I k " a> hac ked up by Uni on Co mrnunr catHlll s Offi ca . And y Watw n. " If we thought th at thi s was rn any " "Y acti vcl) trying to involve peopl e in drugs then we would not wa nt anyth ing to do wit h il.

"A> lon g as can nabis ' Lay> ill egal th en it will he treated as an ill ega l drug.·· Dc,pile the criti cis m. Mr Mark<, ' O\vc d to cont inue with hi '-I new p:"sion for pe rformance . ··r h ~vc got a k \\ more hnokings ." he sai d. "Smrl harnplon Urmersi l) on Saturday. Bri ghton Za p cl uh. and 1\ lanchcstcr la l ~ r in the ) car. " Hut ht: adtkd ... , do n'tt hinl, I Gill com pete "i th rea l Dh. " I don ' t have the talclll ol ml\r ng: I just play tunes I lik e."

Death inquest THE RESULTS of the inquest into the death of John Stearn have revealed that the first year EAS student committed suicide while suffering from depression.

John was found on the morning of November 28 hanging from a belt wh ich was suspended over his Waveney Terrace bedroom door.

Norwich Coroner, William Armstrong , heard how the American and Film Studies student had already slit his wrists and taken two overdoses since starting his course at UEA. The inquest also revealed that John had been prescribed sleeping tablets and anti-depressants.

Mr. Armstrong recorded a verdict of suicide "wh ilst suffering from a depressive illness."

In a pe rw na l memo accompanying the firs t draft o r an ame nded Union con> Lituti n n. Academ ic O ffi ce r. Bcc ka C urra nt , sla ted th at Uni o n G e ne ra l M ee tin g> we re no t be nefic ial and propm.cd the fo ll o win g: "Reg ul ar UG Ms arc aboli >hcd because the) do not benefi t anyone. When the meet ing begi ns all that happen> is th at the >amc old bun ch of peopl e auend and the meeting eve ntuall y ge l> hijacked ."

Sh e co ntinu e;. "SLUdent s Forum beCtllll C> the hi ghes t dcc i>ion mak ing holl y whic h has th e po wer to mak e decisions on anythi ng."

If the proposal is success ful. Genera l Meetin g; will onl y he called al Forum 's d isc reti on.

In an imerview with Concrete. Becka exp lai ned recent dcvc lopme ms. saying that a structural review was underway and that "certai n clau>cs arc ou tdated and need to he addressed ...

But ; he denied that the reforms arc unde mocrati c. ·' ( don't thi nk it is reducin g democracy. it 's refoc uss in g dcmncrac) and taking it into the nex t generati on ... she said .

She added that her view of the be>L way fo rward is to make Students Forum

" the supreme power". hut that >llldenls would be we lcome to c- mail offi cers with ideas and sugges tions.

Ne vertheless. Bcc ka adm iu ed that th e proposed syste m wa; subj ec t to e xploit ati on . and stressed th at the document was only intended as a draft. ·T m not denying th at it would he poss ible lo get a rogue Forum that would Lake dec ision making totall y into their own hands. and ho w we would ge t around that.

I do not yet know.

"11 lot of the sllll'f in thi s proposal is deliberate ly cont ent ious. so that I wi ll get

by SARAH MOORE

Fed up with hunting around for change or saving up those 20p coins for the launderette?

We ll. thank s 10 a C ()/ 11'1'1'11' c ampai g n, a c hange mac hine could he ava ila ble by Ea; te r!

T he good ne ws comes lnll owrng cert ai n! ) ha\ c a change mac hrne 10 comp la in ts fro m studen ts and a let you acLUall y use it." relu>a l bv staff at the Union Fond l lowevcr. \\ hen approac hed on Outlet tn provi de change due to the th e >Ubj cc L. ca mpus Es tates cxcepllonaltkrnand.

Manage r. Mike Sta mfo rd. sard he Sa id LJFO Manager. Mike \\ as wi ll ing to prtl\ide a machine for >lUdcnb.

Ca ll ow. " 11 ' ' irn po>s iblc for U\ to supp ly laund cre ll e use rs " ith "I arn very happ) In talk with the change on j ust our one n nal. AI one Uni on about th e poss ibility of poi lll \\'e \\e re goi ng th nHrglt 000 i n ~ t a llin g a change mac hine in worth of 20p co in ' a day. 'iolcly for Uni on House." he said. laundcrelle use rs."

"The cun unua l 'ec uri ty pre,e nce makes thi > preferable lo in stallin g a Security mach ine in the la undcrellc itself and And he added. "We had to ~eep "i ll he of" ider bcnd'uto studenh ... 'end ing :-tafT off 10 the hank which Service c r~aled more \\or~ and abo posed a sec urity ri> k." li e added that st re....,cd \ludc nl 'i Studc rlls al"' r-c , ea led that there could abo he in tor a treat rf a ha" h~c n a gro" tng prohlc rn .... in cc 'en ice wash faei lr ty is made the £!SO.OOO launderelle opened rh available during exam penotb. doors las t Se pl ern be r.

Uni on Academic Officer. Rcda Currant. we lcomed the plans.

Nightmare " 11 i' an ;d1., olu tel) excellent Said 1\le lanic Bre nl <SOC I ). ~uggc~tio n a~ the cu!Tcnt ~i tu ation in .. :-i ng the lau ndcrclle is a complete the laundcrelle " atrocro u,:· 'he nig htmare a:-. I can 11 1.! \' Cf ge t changt: said. fro m anyv•. here .

She added tha t Lite change "La'l Lrme I ca rne do\\ n h~rc I machine cou ld he put in place 'oon . tU'il had to go home again becau'c I "We will \lan looJ..ing rlllo rl now cou ld not ge l hol d of a n ~ 20p co rn:- . and h) Easter I \\ ou ld like to Lh r n~ " IL is >ucb a waste of Lime. The that posi ti ve prog ress\\ ill have he en made ... laundcrelle rs a 'e rvicc and ' ltould

rcspon>es ... she added .

"Unfortunately the nu mher of responses ha;, been qu ite low."

But Manin l-lut chinson. curTcnl Chair of Studcrll s Forum said that such a sy>tem would mean that Forum members could choose not to consu lt student s at all.

"Forum wou ld he agai ns t anything that takes power awa y from students· control of their nion. " he ; ard . " I think that if the emphas is is to he pl aced on Forum . then the whole way it is run and peopl e arc e lec ted onto it woul d have to change. "

Launderette change machine gets go·ahead from Uni bosses

a change machine

J

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News3

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

[law bal~ continued from front page Said Hannah Coleman (HIS 2), "Removing the Law Ball from the University would be terrible. " Earlham Hall is a beautiful place and is very apt for such a grand ball."

But Estelle believes that the event will be a success and is confident that students will not be put off by the change.

"The Law Ball is the summer ball and no one will be bothered by it moving," she said.

"They will come anyway - it is the only ball worth going to."

And preparations for the allnew event are well under way with a promised entertainments extravaganza.

Said Estelle, "We have already planned the funfair we have got three great big rides, an inflatable obstacle course, bouncy castles, a bun gee run, and a rodeo bull."

Coaches will provide free transport for partygoers to and from the new venue using £10,000 saved in hire costs by using the hotel's own marquee.

However, it remains unclear where funds for the £3000 hotel deposit will come from, with Estelle hoping the Union will stump up the cash.

• Law Ball tickets will be on sale shortly at a cost of £42 for dinner tickets and £32 for after-dinner tickets, with a £2 reduction for Law Society members.

PENNY-CONSCIOUS students are set to cash in following news that a local bus firm has slashed prices in a bid to snatch business from rivals, writes Nick Triggle.

Holt-based company, Sanders Coaches, is offering students a bus trip -half the price of rival Eastern Counties' £1 single ticket.

Sanders Coaches, who set up He said, "We have no intention of their UEA servtce two years ago to reducing our prices as we have sold a record number of our £50 terrnly challenge Eastern Counties, are hoping the move will help them passes that we offer to students.

"We believe the majority of our expand.

They run buses to Unthank Road customers prefer the combination of at 10 past and 20 to the hour. price, frequency and modem Said Publicity Officer Stuart vehicles that we offer."

Reid, "To compensate for the lack And Mr Payne added that he of buses we are chargmg a lower thought the cut in prices was a last fare and if the service is used we ditch attempt by Sanders to save their company. could put a few more buses on."

But Eastern Counties' "We believe Sanders fares are Commercial Director, Mike Payne, unsustainable, and it is an indication is confident that students will stay of desperation on their part to try to drum up some business as opposed loyal to their fum which runs buses every five minutes. to taking the service off," he said.

to the City for the cut price of SOp But Mr Re id hit back by claiming that his lim1 had already reaped the benefits of their venture. "'There are no plans to put these pnces back to £1 and they wtll be sustained for as long as possible," he said. "We have already seen an increase in passengers."

Many students welcomed the scheme.

Said Pippa Nielsen (EUR I!), "50p is a lot cheaper, so in the future I will be using them ."

But Chris Bolt (CHE 11) said, "I have an Eastern Counties pass and their buses are so frequent. I would not change."

Ill

Law School set for health farm?

by James Goffin CITY BOSSES are considering new uses for Earlham Hall. the home of the Law School, when UEA 's lease on the 16th century listed building runs out in 2003.

Although UEA could continue to use the Hall, planners at Norwich City Council are also looking at convertmg the estate into a hotel and conference centre or a health farm. " Developer mterest suggests that Norwich is under-provided for in tenns of health and leisure facilities, especially in quality surroundings," satd Counctl Head of Plannmg.

Mike Loveday The Counctl's planning subcommittee are also looking into the potential of the site for new student accommodation.

However. Untver it} bosses b) the remain unconcerned discussions.

"Our lease on Earlham Hall runs out in the year 2003, and both UEA and the City Council are showmg foresight in looking at all future options." said spokesperson Annic Ogden.

"No decisions have been taken by etthcr the Univcrstty or the Counctl. and we look forward to producttve dtscusstons on the Hall's future ."

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Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

Ghost in the Machine Campaigners are seeking a posthumous pardon tor a wartime 'witch '.

Helen Duncan, from Edinburgh, was convicted as a witch in 1944 when auth orities feared she might betray war secrets from the spirit world.

Cloak and Dagger The Catholic Church have rejected carbon-dating tests on the Turin Shroud as being part of an "overseas Masonic plot."

The tests, which date the Shroud between 1260 and 1390, were carried out by Oxford, Zurich an~ Tuscon universities in 1988 and were released to massive controversy.

Blue VDU Doctors in Manchester and Essex have abandoned Prozac in favour of a new cure tor depression - a CD-ROM. Beating the Blues is being trialed by 20 GPs, who now prescribe patients suffering depression eight one-hour sessions of computer therapy.

On the Wagon

SHOCKED students have found themselves victims of a hit and run attack that left their cars wrecked.

A rogue driver cras hed into six cars parked in a Jay-by on Blue be ll Road on the evening of January 25, just outside the University's Wolfson and Orwe ll residences .

They caused thou , ands of pounds worth of damage to the cars before making a 'wift getaway.

Crash Michelle Foi st (E V I) was she heartbroken when discovered that her M-registered Fiesta was involved in the acc ident. ··1 heard a huge crw,h when I wm, in my room. but did not reali se what had happened ." she said . '"Later. one of Ill) friend s came and told me that there had been a car accident. I just cou ld not believe it when I saw the >talc o f my car. ··11 could be a write-o ff. but if they can fi x it. it will cost a few thou sand pound, .··

Arrest

The Government has announced plans to toughen drinkdriving laws for the first time in 30 years.

Under new plans, there wou ld be two limits, with drivers wh o have drunk over 50mg per 100ml blood (one pint of beer) receiving a tine and drivers who exceed 80mg per 100ml receiving an automatic ban.

Police were called to the scene of the accident and the dri l"cr o f the car was later traced to an address in Norwi ch.

He was arrested and interv iewed by ofliccrs in th e

City.

'The man in question has been released on police bai l pending further enquiri es and as yet has not charged .'' sa id Police been spokesman. Peter Steward.

Action However. Michelle is now urging UEA bosses to take action to preve nt similar accidents happening again .

Her application for a University car-parking licence wa> turned down laq September. ··1 had to resort to parking on Road because the Bluebe ll University would not give me a permit." she said . " If I had a Uni l'ersity parki ng space this would not happened ."'

Complaints And she added. "The residen ts on Bluebell Road complain quite a lot and th ey have left mcs, ages on my wiild'>creen telling me not to park there . "'I do not know what to do in future ."'

Cbdb i fu.; 11

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LOCALS SURVEY

Bar users counted to stop "rowdy" behaviour THE UNION is planning to count the number of locals using campus bars following students' compla ints of violence.

We a lso sell New Pentium and Laptop Systems All Prices include VAT @ 17 .5°/o 1 Years Guarantee on all Systems All Software is fully Licensed Free Installation and Delivery (within 15 mile radius of the UEA) We are in the Hive every Thursday

The most serious concerns were during the England v Jta ly game last And the issue was raised again just before Chlistmas when three students com pl ained about "abusive and rowdy" behaviour of apparent loca ls in the Union Bar. Now the Union plans to monitor the si tuation by calcu lating the ratio of students to non-students at events and in the bars.

Students will be asked to show proof of student stat us for the duration of the survey.

Union Academic Officer. Becka Currant, said. ''We would like to see something done as soon as possible because we need some kind of figures to base future decisions on. "'1 think there has been so me untoward behaviour from a group of

expressed after a fight broke out Oc tober. people who are not students and this has made UEA studen ts uncomfortable."

She added that student s should have pri ority at regular student slots like Live in the Hive and the LCR. "Locals are coming onto campus and taking advantage of the cheap beer."

However, it remains unclear how a survey of the number of student and locals will cut down on disputes.

Union Communications Officer.

Andy Watson, admitted that because the Union has a public licence, there is no way of restricting who drinks in the bars. "We cannot ban certain secti ons of the community because we do not have a members licence.''

he sa id , " and Norwich City Cou ncil only allow us to use the site on the understanding that it remains public."

He questioned the merits of the sc heme, saying. "Ultimately the survey may only be able to be used as a source of information about who is on the premises. " If nothing can be done about restricting people. we are wasting man hours and that is a potential problem."

These sentiments were backed up by a security source who leapt to the defence of th e local communi ty th at uses Union facilities.

They said , "It is of no use at all to us, we know who comes in here and who does not.

"Locals as well as students can cause problems."

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Ne\NS 5

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

II

"HELP ME RAISE CASH

FOR TRIP"

by Katle Westgate Second-year student, Jane Bishop, is appealing for your help In raising £2000 so she can complete a charity walk.

Jane, who read about the charity expedition In Concrete, is hoping to go to Morocco In June to support Guide Dogs for the Blind.

She will climb the second highest peak in the Atlas mountains.

She said, "I have never done anything like this before and If I do not get the £2000 I cannot go!

"I have never been to Morocco and it is for a good cause."

Jane has applied for a UEA travel grant and is hoping to arrange fund raising social on events campus with the of help l!:::l_ _ ...___::...__ __:..::1...1 sponsorshIp from local businesses.

A spokesperson for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association said they hoped the trip would be beneficial.

"We have to make sure that the trip is an adventure, somewhere exciting that they have not been before," she said.

"That is why we chose Morocco. Last year we went to Russia and we are also doing a cycling trip across Cuba in November."

If you would like to help Jane raise her much needed cash, then contact her via e-mail: J.Bishop@uea.ac.uk

Event axed after mess up__by camP-US bosses

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Politics students were left red-faced when bosses ruled that the visit from controversial anti-abortion campaigner Ann Widdccombe should be called off. concerned that there may have been The fiasco came about after the people who did not agree with Ann Union decided to pull the plug on Widdecombe 's stance. the event, claiming there was "They may have wanted to ask inadequate campus security. her questions, with the situation Said Richard Northey of the getting out of hand. " Young Conservatives, "The Politics Society was expecting about 50 if not 100 people to hear Ann speak.

And she added, "Speakers must be given a proper and safe place in which to put their views across."

"I am embarrassed at the very However, Ms Widdecombe was least and it was very humiliating to surprised at the decision to cancel phone her up and cancel on the day her visit before her visit."

"I have never had trouble at Richard was told by Union Academic Officer, Becka Currant universities before. " I have had contentious meetings that ten days notice of the visit was at universities but I' m quite used to needed and Ms Widdecombe's views could spark a banle between that. visitors to the event.

Said Richard, "I was told that we " I know that the particular hould have given ten days notice so student who wrote to me had put a that security arrangements could be lot of work into organi ing this made - but of course I was told this event and was very di appointed. after we had to cancel!"

"I share his disappointment I wanted to come and speak to the Becka defended UEA and Union students."

UEA Dean of Students, Dr Kiff bos cs, saying, "Given that we have Matheson, was unwilling to recently had a referendum on the comment on the matter. issue of abortion, the University was

Surprise

Humiliated

Disappointed

Concern

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LOST CHICKS

by Sarah Moore THE CITY Christmas tree has finally been taken down since the death of the two chicks nesting in it.

The 35ft high tree outside City Hall was kept up beyond Twelfth Night to protect Nesta the blackbird , and her two eggs. lt is an offence to disturb a nesting bird.

The eggs hatched on January 16, but despite being undisturbed the two chicks fell from the nest two days later.

One died instantly but the other survived the fall.

Said a City Hall spokesperson, " After the birds were spotted, we followed advice from the RSPB to keep the surviving young chick warm and to place it back into the nest immediately with its mother. " However, the Monday night was especially cold and by the following morning the chick had died."

And they added, " The parent blackbird had deserted the nest."

The RSPB said that due to its vulnerability, placing the chick back with its mother was its only chance of survival. " The cold weather on Monday was especially unfortunate," they added. " 11 was a miracle though that even one of the chicks survived the initial 20ft tall onto concrete."

by GRAHAM DIGGINES, Assistant News Editor

EAS STUDENTS going to America as part of their degree may soon be quids in, thanks t o a new scheme being run by the School and the Arthur Miller Centre.

A [40.000 ~cholar;,hip fund has been e;,tab li ;,hcd by the Centre which will ge ne rate ten £250 gra nb for ;,tude nt;, ;,tudying in America fo r a year. !:.AS ha;, ag reed to match the ;,dmlar;,hip number. meaning that 20 lot;, of L250 wi ll be avai lab le.

Financial s~ud Prol'c;,;,or Chri ;, Btpb). who ha;, ma;,tcnnin ded th e ;,chemc, .. We arc doing thi ;, bccau;,c the ;,i tu ati on

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financially for siUdent-:· l ie added that 111 o t:150 travd ;,chol ar;,h ip;, would abo be pr01 ided by the fund for postgradu ate;, who arc ll'l>rki ng on American top ic;, and need to comu lt American Ltbrari..::,. :'llata,ha Whitcman (EAS 4). who ;,pe nt la;,t year in Santa Barbe ra.

California. ;,aid . .. [250 i, quite a lot of money in the US. a' food and accommodation i;, quite cheap:·

wi th the top 40'k of ;, tuden t;, digiblc thi;, year. meani ng that 20 ;,tudcnt;, will benefit.

Said Profe"nr Bi g;,by. ··we arc allocating the money in thi ;, way b..:cctu \e 1w arc in no pu;,ition to 'e t up a mea n;, tc;,t in order to find out who earn;, how much money. .. Bc;,i dc,. we be lieve the 'cholar;, hip;, ;,hould be awarded on

the m..:rit of individual ;,tudenh.' .

Profits Ca;,h for the nc\v ;,c hetnc ha;, come from profits on a book and CD ROM whi c h the Arthur Mill..:r C..: ntrc publi;, hed.

Money ha:, abo been gc n..:ratcd at Int ernati onal Literary Fc;, tival;, which haw ho;,t..:d writer;, tncluding Sa lman Ru , hdic . Norman Mailer and Toni Morri son.

Plan;, arc abo und crway for videos and sound recording> from al l Literary Fc:,tivab to be copi ed and placed in the Library for ;,tudcnt u,e.

Great Arthur Mill er. who currently ha;, two play> runnin g in 1\'ew York . said of the :,c holan,hips ... I think it i> a gn.:at idea .

"There i> nothing more important than breaking down th e barrier;, bctii'Cen cou ntric ;,. breaking down th e i;,olation of p..:oplc. .. \ can't think of a better way of using the lim ited funds:·

Achievement .. li ntel> arc abo relatively cheap. ;,o thi ;, mon ey would be rea ll y hdpl ul if you wamcd to travel and 'cc a' much a;, pn"ihk of America dunng the year:· The grant;, wi ll be awarded accord ing to academic achic.: vemc lll.

[!l]~ RESIDENT TUTORSHIPS Applications for Resident Tutorships are now invited from highly motivated, enthusiastic and suitably experienced students and members of staff. Students who will be abroad during 1998/99 should also apply now for appointment in September 1999.

e

Due to unforeseen changes in personal circumstances there are two posts currently available in Constable Terrace until 13 June 1998.

• There will also be vacancies for Resident Tutorships for 1998-99 on the Plain, in the Village and at Mary Chapman Court.

Resident Tutors form the vital base of a pyramid providing for the welfare and good order of students in University residences. Living in residences demands that students take a good deal of responsibility for their lives on a day-to-day basis, but Resident Tutors help to ensure that the rights and interests of both individuals and of the community of which they are a part are protected.

Further particulars are available from the Dean of Students' Office (Room 0.1 08, Ext 2890) The closing date for applications is Monday 16 February, 1998

U< A NORWICH

PROFS TO SAVE AUSSIE SHEEP AN ELITE squad of UEA boffins has been dispatched on a mission to rescue Australian sheep from a vicious weed.

Grass expert, Professor Andrew Watkinson, from the School of Biology is jetting Down Under on the trail of damaging fescue grasses which have run riot through New South Wales.

The grass is wreaking havoc on local sheep herds by sticking in their bodies.

Said Professor Watkinson, " There are a number of problems with the seeds of the fescue grass: they have long horns on them and are rather dart-like and so they lodge into the sheep's eyes and carcass. " When a large number of the seeds contaminate the sheep's wool it is also difficult to clean it, so it cannot be sold."

Professor Watkinson, who has been studying grass for over 20 years, added that last year it was calculated that Australian sheep farmers lost $30-40 million due to the crisis.

Team member, Professor Rob Freckleton , has recently returned from the stricken area and has seen the damage first hand. " From the sheep's point of view the effects of the grass can be quite horrendous," he said.

"The puncture holes are easily visible when the

sheep's skin is taken from the carcass and held up to the light.

Abattoirs in South Australia are refusing to take livestock from farms overrun with the grasses."

Fescue grasses also grow in Norfolk and Suffolk but cause none of the problems encountered overseas.

Added Professor Freckleton ,

" Because of our extensive knowledge of these plants, we have been able to show why vulpia [fescue] has increasingly become a problem and why the control measures they have used so far have not worked.

"The next stage, of course, is to find the best way of controlling it."

NelNs: In depth 7

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

Long-term effects of tuition fees have yet to be calculated, but new figures show that the funding crisis may not be as ·m-ge as we thougM A decade ago, one in eight young people went on to read for a degree after A-levels. Today the figure is nearly one in three - but the cash going to universities from the government has not kept up.

To prevent a crisi , something had to give, and for a Labour government elected on a pledge of low taxation, the answer wa tuition fees.

Fees were announced last summer as part of the Government's implementation of the Dearing Report on Higher Education.

Originally commissioned by the previous government, the report pointed to the brewing crisis in the funding of universities and suggested radical changes to the student grant system.

From this autumn, new student whose family income is more than £23 ,000, will have to pay tuition fees of up to £I ,000, whilst receiving lower grants for living costs. For those starting the following September, grants will be completely withdrawn , and replaced with a new system of income-related student loans.

Ln response, the National Union of Students has declared war on tuition fees. It has been fiercely lobbying MPs and univer ities, held demonstration across the

country, and is now planning a nationwide shutdown of higher education. According to NUS President Douglas Trainer, fees "could kill higher education," and have already resulted in a dramatic drop in applications .

The ftrst real evidence of the effect of tuition fees came with the release of application numbers for entry into higher education next year. The statistics make shocking reading according to the Colleges Universities and Admissions Service (UCAS), applications were down by over 20,000 on the same time last year.

As NUS point out, that's the equivalent of losing four universities.

And according to figure gathered by NUS, some in titutions are being even harder hit than the national 6% drop implies. Before the formal deadline for applications, the University of Plymouth had suffered a 24% fall, and Salford University was 26.5% down on the previous year. Some individual subjects at certain institutions had received barely more than half the number of applications as in I 996 - 45% fewer UCAS forms were sent to Salford to read Environmental Studies than in the last applications round.

But the figure also hide another story which appears to contradict the crisis story fed to us by NUS .

Although applications are markedly down, last year saw an extra 26,000 students apply for university places in order to avoid tuition fees. Many of these were students who had decided to abandon their gap year and get a place whilst the going was cheap.

Some institutions, though , don't seem to be having the same success as our own. De Monlfort University in Leicester is offering places now to students who would otherwise start degree courses in the autumn - all to help students avoid the risk of fees.

And for many potential students, that risk is very real.

Alice Hutt from Gloucestershire

attending a UEA admi sions day last week. .

Both UCAS and UEA believe that the shortfall in application will be met before the next academic year. Although the formal deadline for applications was December I 5, most universities continue to consider applications into the summer, and new applicants can also enter

fig~:e:. res~~1~ the~:

leading up to the closing date.

52,300 forms (16% of the total) were received in the last four days alone," said Tony Higgins, Chief Executive of UCAS .

"There is every pro pect of considerable additional numbers of applications being received. But the important issue, at the end of the day, will not be the number of applicants but the number of

"The reduction in applicants this • not thatyear 0 f f ewer t h an 21 ' 000 IS willaltogether unexpected and might ;~::~;nb~ ~~~:~~c~ in the end be unexceptional" UCA$ A pp •.ICat IOnS •

dismissive of Douglas Trainer' s claims " Fees are killing access, destroy

fees

. htgher

note that "the reduction in applicants this year of fewer than 21 ,000 is not altogether unexpected and end be might in the unexceptional."

That's the attitude that's also being expressed by UEA. "Applications are down - as they are throughout higher education - but we still have many more applicants than we have places to fill," said spokesperson Annie Ogden.

There may even be a good side to the fall in numbers.

"It could be that tho e who have applied are more serious in wanting to come to UEA . There has been a modest rise in ftrm acceptances - 7% more than at this lime last year," she added.

through clearing after A-level results are

is applying to read German at UEA, and although she is not too concerned about fees, for other at her sixth form the ituation is very different.

"One friend is taking a year out to work, and some people aren't going at all because of tuition fees ," she explained.

"They're taking jobs, or going to university clo er to home because its cheaper."

For the students who are determined to get a degree, fees are seen ~s just another burden.

"Students never have any money anyway, it'll just be another problem," said one Environmental Sciences applicant

published.

"A few people at my school have been panicking a bit, because they don't think they ' ll be able to manage the fees, said potential UEA student Leslie Graithead, from Doncaster. "I think there still planning to go to university , because they' ve enquired into it, and they're feeling a bit better about it now," It's a strategy that's reflected in the statistics. According to UCAS, there has been an unusually high number of late applications this year. an "There has been of deluge unprecedented applications in the few days

ad~~tt:d~· n

1

he

added . actual The • effects of tuition fees may not be clear for a few • years, when the present system of grants will have been fully phased out. If applications for this autumn are a guide, few people will be deterred from their initial application , whatever the financial situation they face when they arrive on campus. But for the NUS, the battle against fees goes on.

"The fight is not over, but we winning the war of are propaganda, and the reality is we are beating thi Government at its game, by fighting rhetoric with evidence," said NUS President, Dougla Trainer. · "This is the time for the student movement to unite and over the coming months we must have nothing to regret and no opportunity lost, in our fight to stop fees - once and for all."

,---

1

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- - - - - - - a paid advertisement by your student union-------

SABBATICAL ELECTIO

s

Nominations open at 9am on 5th Feb and close at 2pm on 12th Feb.

INFORMATION SESSIONS INFORMATION So what's really involved in being a Sabbatical or a Non-Sabbatical Officer?

How much time will I need to spend each week?

What support and training will be given?

How will it fit in with my academic studies?

For the answers to these questions and more, come along to the information sessions being held between 12.30 and 1.30pm on the 11th and 18th February 1998 in the Bill Wilson Room (Union House).

For more information, please contact Louise Peel (j.peel@uea) or Becka Currant (su.acad@uea)

QUESTION TIME INFORMATION Monday 2nd to Friday 6th March 12.30 - 1.30pm in the LCR Come along and watch the political bun fight and get a free bun with your coffee !!!

Question time is an event at which each candidate has the opportunity to speak to the electorate (that means you) directly. lt gives you the opportunity to hear the candidates speak about their manifesto and policies, and ask questions about them.

This year, the Union is encouraging light-hearted questions to candidates (as well as traditional ones!) to give a more elaborate psychological insight into the candidates (as well as making them squirm).

What would you really like to ask the candidates?

Who' s their favourite Spice Girl?

Can they tell an amusing joke?

What's their worst chat up line? or maybe Why are they standing?

What will they do for the Union to take it into the next millennium?

What do they see as being the role of a student representative?

The Union is running a competition this year for the most amusing/outrageous/probing question. The prize is a ÂŁ10 UFO voucher, so get those thinking caps on , it could be you! Questions should be written on the form available from the Stewards desk or the Education Unit, and posted in the boxes there by 5pm on the 27th February 1998. Questions can either be directed to all candidates, or to a specific candidate in relation to their manifesto pledges. Elections Committee retains discretion over which questions will be allowed!

ADVANCE VOTING INFORMATION (DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS LESS FORMAL?) Any student who will not be present to register a vote on the day the election may, with the approval of the Returning Officer, register their vote in advance. Advance votes may be registered between 9 am and 5 pm during the five working days which precede the day of the election.

In order to register an advance vote, students must submit a completed request form , accompanied by their UEA registration card, to a designated Union signatory. Unless otherwise stated in election publicity, these signatories will consist of: the Returning Officer, the Deputy Returning Officer and the Academic Officer.

Signed request forms will be retained by the signatory and the member will be provided with a set of the ballot papers (these will be copies of the actual papers that will be used on the day of the election). The member must then complete the papers in the presence of, but not in the sight of, the signatory and place them in an envelope which they should then close and post in a sealed ballot box. Signed request forms will be supplied to the tellers, on the morning of the election, who will then mark the named members, in the student register, as having voted. The ballot box containing the sealed envelopes of advance votes will not be opened until after the close of polling, at which time the ballot slips they contain will be treated in the same way as other registered votes.

UNION o UE

INFORMATION PACKS CAN BE PICKED UP FROM THE .EDUCATION UNIT FROM THE 3RD FE'B .

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Features 9

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

Bill Clinton may be impeached as his private life hits the headlines. James Tapsfield discusses the shockers that have hit political figures of the past... ~ leading American newspaper recently commissioned a single question survey. One thousand women from a variety of states were asked whether they would sleep with President Clinton. The survey was duly conducted, and an astounding 94% of respondents replied, "Never again."

Such jokes have become abundant over the last week or so. The American media has been compleiely obsessed with the Clinton scandal.

Television pictures of the President warmly hugging Monica Lewinsky at rallies, and innumerable leaks from the Grand Jury which is at present assessing the evidence from the many allegations of sexual harassment, have, to a large extent, made a mockery of the presumption of innocence: Clinton is being found guilty in a trial fly media.

While, historically, the President has proved particularly adept at riding out such scandals which have dogged him throughout his political career- it is by no means certain that he will be able to do so again. Pressure is being brought to be11r from virtu1111y every quarter, and one might expect that in a country where hard-line moral groups like the Southern Baptists can gain 14 million members, impeachment would now be a mere formality.

However, if this were the case~ h~w has Clinton lasted so

A

:~~gpe~~~eh!:~:~~:~:':r;h~t

I

his somewhat dubious background when they first elected him. Clinton was the candidate who smoked marijuana but didn't inhale, dodged the draft, and already had a reputation for being something of a womaniser.

One must conclude that Americans pretty much knew what they were getting when they took Clinton on, and they could

not have been too disappointed or else he would not have been elected for a second term.

Even the briefest of ¡ historical surveys demonstrates that Bill Clinton is not the only politician to have had allegations of a sexual nature levelled against him. In fact, one could argue that the President was following in a long tradition of political promiscuity and scandal that can be traced back almost to the beginning of society.

T

here are numerous English kings who have had extremely questionable records: Charles 11 was a renowned philanderer, and Henry VIII, despite famously

indeed they ever did. Hillary Clinton purports to believe that many of the allegations against her husband are the result of a Republican conspiracy to remove him from power.

Whether or not such a conspiracy exists, its effectiveness appears very limited. Against the backdrop of the Whitewater corruption affair which has yet to be satisfactorily . resolved - the President has so far survived embarrassing accusations that he dropped his trousers to Paula Jones. He has also survived the indignity of a court examination of his genitals in order to check for distinguishing marks.

Until now the American people have been more than willing to give Bill Clinton the benefit of the doubt, perhaps regarding his sexual performances as largely irrelevant to his performance as President of the United States. A recent Gallup poll after his State of the Union address found that 78% of

Clinton was the candidate who smoked marijuana but didn't inhale, dodged the draft, and air.eady had a reputation for being something of a womaniser â&#x20AC;˘ having six wives, still found time to father at least two illegitimate children. Even in the Bible we see figures of authority such as King David using his power to have one of his friends put to death so that he can marry his wife.

Moving away from the history books, President Kennedy was rumoured to get a headache if he had to go for more than half an hour without sex.

Sexual misconduct by politically powerful figures is clearly nothing new. it is also not necessarily followed by public disapproval and removal from office, although admittedly the latter does often occur. There are many instances of powerful politicians who have retained their positions with a mixture of political skill, charisma, and a touch of luck, despite damning evidence of sexual misconduct and even corruption.

We only need to look at Franklin Roosevelt.

Widely regarded as one of the most successful Presidents of all time, he had a wife many said was a lesbian, and is alleged to have had several affairs. Similarly, John F. Kennedy, for all his infidelities, is held in extremely high esteem. On this side of the Atlantic, Alan Clarke was able to remain a prominent figure in the Tory party despite admitting affairs witih the wife and two daughters of a South African Justice of the Peace. Apparently Clarke's public agreed with his wife, who said, "I know he's a s**t, but I love him."

The evidence suggests that people today no longer expect their leaders to be paragons of moral virtue, if

Americans were still confident or very confident in the President's ability to carry out his duties, and 49% even believed that he ¡set a good or very good moral example.

Vice President AI Gore has recently been enthusiastically described by one prominent Democrat as "a safe pair of trousers" as opposed to Clinton's "safe pair of hands." However, should Monica Lewinsky decide to take the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify, it is possible that Clinton will survive until the end of his term in spite of opposition. The American public, it seems, has watched far too much Jerry Springer to believe that anyone can be perfect.

Comedies

-

10 Features

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

ToJ'&ss, Roses are Red,

Viotels are stue,

Life meant so litlfe

Until I met ycu.

FfOIIn lule8..

Emma, You tum me on.

Spencer.

Cheshire lhe Catll Remember room ./ID-07 in 6outbampton?i ~oneFA'N.

To the Girt Doe楼 Slaff, The one who has a growing Ul'lm)' love you loads, from the blOke

who lives with ya.

Alley Three down. hopefully many more to

got

You're the best gil1friend I can Imagine!

Stu. Richard Rodda.

Roddela J'OU are the only one...

'Mh akin a$ SO(tas a . . . . . .

You aRt our aro daneingA<klg.

Is ll fNe ~got a 91ndl tt\kljt

HI Rlchle, I hope you're not walking aro\lMin my bill. . agalnH!

Love you Jots.

Ceejay.

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

路 Features11

-- _

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12 Features

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998·

purlease, where exactly would you find a rhino in the wilds of Norwich? Bearing all this in mind, Concrete goes on the hunt for a modem dose of sex appeal, discovwlng the answer, it seems, in a new scented wipe called Xcite! Looking like no more than a baby mop-up cloth, Xcitel promises to bowl 011er the object of your desire by subtly attracting them to you through the smells you give out by wearing the scent.

Xcite! will bring them to you in droves, and boasts: "Pheromones have long been known to be the key influence on sex in the animal kingdom." So, digging up two student specimens willing to give anything a go, we choose four well known student haunts to test the pulling power of Xcitel and add up the scores. ·Before we set off, we congregate in the Concrete office to wipe the stuff over our two specimens. Andrew Pipes, 23, and from New Jersey, America, claims that he has no usual pulling technique: "I wouldn't pull a line, I'd probably.,_.. talk to the person instead of saying, 'Ny, do you want to come back to my place for sex'." Hmm, and what about Debbie Kavanagh, 19, from London? "I'm often totally obiMoue to people who like me; she says wlh a grin.

As both of our little guinea pigs smooth ~ this sachet of lurve over their faces, necks,

raditionally, if you willh to get off with a member of the oppoeltellex, there are a few tried and tested tfltthods.

Take oysters for example. L4\ting one of these slimy flahy things Slide down the throat of your oppoelle number Is supposed to make them so exefted that there's nothing else needed, and before long they'll be under your sheets of passion. Another sure way to hook up with your dream love is to batter them over the head, caveman-style, and drag them back to your lair where roast boar is waiting. Or · what about mashing together some powdered rhino horn to give them, well, the hom? Trouble is, the modern man or woman may not be too happy about being beaten over the head with a rock, and

T

tummies and wrists, we examine Xcitel and note the danger sign printed on the back of the packet: "Warning • must be used responsibly."

Doubt is already surfacing, especially as the office fills with an uncontrollable stench. First impressions? "lt smells like a wet. smelly dog," concludes Debbie, adding with a hint of sarcasm, "I've turned into a raving sex machine • I can't control myself!" Andrew takes lt In hie stride, screwing up his nose but managing a weak smile.

Off to our first Pulling Palace then...

The Library

A

ndrew. barely awake- with a cynical, rigid look on his face hangs I* head as we move into round-Gne In the Library. A

~ us on the first floor scratches his

in"'

nd 6ld p!Ves us a fumy loOk, u

if he's caught building. Ignoring such gestures, we head straiGht for the Photocopying Room to see who's around to pick up 'Id this ungodly hour of 1 Qam. Andrew appropriately lines up in the neat photocopying queue and asks the girl in front !low the machines work, only to be met by an evil stare and a few mumbled words. Before we know it she's marched off to slide her card into the machine, leaving Andrew with his pile of English Lit books.

fleas from our presence

Meanwhile, Debbie has headed for the second floor and is busy searching for hunks of love. lt remains unclear whether people arE! looking at her out of boredom, interest in her broad, confident stride or because they are overcome by desire as she passes. In fact it's sad to say that only a few even notice her presence. Trying to muster points, she sits dow·n opposite a guy sitting alone, forcing him to glance at her three times. But alas, there are few signals that he will clamber over the table unable to control himself and after a couple of minutes he grabs his computer disk and saunters off into the unknown.

Andrew is faring little better as he gives the computer area a go. What better way is there to chat up someone than to Email your best mate and complain about the lack of love in your life? Andrew, still in a foul mood, makes a half· hearted effort by sitting next to somebody he knows and, proceeding to make small talk, .rules out all possibility of romance. We're forced to visit The Lamplit Stage Exhibition next door instead, with its fine array of lace tablecloths, only to discover it uninhabited.

Come to think of it, this is beginning to look like some bizarre love triangle between a pretend joumalist, Andrew, and Concrete's photographer.

"Most people have bed head at this time in the moming; concludes Andrew, who decides to sit and wait for Debbie.

-=···

I

t seems that a paid-for taxi ride to the City has woken Andrew up a little and we enter the store, stopping to pose with trolleys first.

Grinning inanely to himself, Andrew proceeds to push up the first aisle even before the store manager has given us permission to be there.

Debbie waits patiently by the vegetables, and we seize the opportunity to scrutinise the pusers by for any glimmer of sexual attraction. The' IIMQ fails to bring a glint to anybody's eyes.

Meanwhile, Andrew has already stacked the trolley up with minced beef, pasta and a few vegetables and is happily plodding towards the nearest assistant who is clad in her marigolds and

Features 13

Concrete, Wednesday,February 4, 1998

· CONCRE~EINVESTIGATES maybe Andrew shouldn't be terrorising customers in such a way. So, off he goes, having had enough of playing with the customers, to see if the staff on the Deli counter are attracted to him.

After asking what is the biggest sausage they have, Andrew is removed from the store by the Concrete team and made to abandon his trolley.

Enough!

Debbie Andrew

come back later.

Debbie Andrew 3

Contact-. 3 2 Smiles 2 2 .-conversation 2 (l}LOVE POTENTIAL~{?) ~Eye

1 ~Eye Contact_. 4 1

Smiles

o.-conversation~

4

2

@-LOVE POTENTIAL-@

The street

L

o and behold, we've hardly hit the pavement before Andrew and Debs have run off to take the real test: What does the average man in the street think? A groan is released when it is discovered that they've actually headed for an older couple who spend ten minutes sniffing away and concluding that "...::·•.,.~- Xcite! smells like bacon. However, Mrs Rosemary Lee-Bliss from Costessey does give us a boost by saying, "What I can smell is quite nice." because of the scent cloud following closely Disaster strikes however, when the local couple behind. Attempts to engage people in shoot off after discovering that we're not actually conversation also fail as Debb1e seems to scare Anglia TV and they're not actually going to be off every bloke in the vicinity. She doesn't even paid for their services. Still, a result is there ... manage to try the line about which brand of Heading for the market, Debbie tries to toothpaste they prefer, never mind what they like convince a flower seller that she smells so nice to eat for breakfast in the morning. Eventually she that he ought to give her flowers. He replies that approaches a shop assistant and forces him into he has smelled five people conversation. Unfortunately, h1s only response is already and to point her in the general direction of the to asparagus and to continue stacking shelves.

Later on he shows a lady exactly where to find the chocolate biscuits she desires, leaving Debbie to sigh, "I think this smell is scaring people off. I smell like a man.· Meanwhile, Andrew wheels off to see who else he can excite, moving on from the test of subtle attraction to blatant rudeness. Tesco seems to be filled to the rafters with little old ladies buying their eggs and cornflakes, however, spying a young slip of a thing. Andrew rushes up, before stopping slowly so as not to arouse attention. Placing bananas in front of him, he asks her how to tell if they are ripe. The girl, taken back by such a show of suggestiveness, says, "If they're yellow then / they're ripe .. .but these are all green."

Laughing, she turns away and heads for the kiwis, leaving us feeling that

--

Mojo's iguring that Ikon is a bit too obvious a place to go pulling, we decided to take our guineas to funky studenty club, Mojo's, and smear on some more Xcite! The Wednesday night deal at Mojo's is Superf/y, sure to make you bump into someone you know off your course, or, as the case may be, the person who you will be snuggling up to this Valentine's Day. While Debbie heads for the bar, we lose contact with our other specimen as he scoots off to find someone more interesting to talkto.

F

Debbie has trouble attracting the attention of the barman never mind the men sitting around her. After letting the odours waft in their direction she relents and engages one of them in conversation. As they lean forward and natter away intimately, however, somebody comes out with the chat-up line from hell. "I like your gum and your ginger hair- it's really foxy." Debbie, quite sensibly, runs away. She could have pulled, but, as she points out, "I think that if I had three heads, and was covered in acne he would still had talked to me because he wanted to get a legover."

And that's about it really, the top of Andy's head can be seen occasionally for the next few hours, bobbing up and down.

Eventually we get bored and go home with Debbie, leaving Andrew to enjoy the results of the pheremones ... "Did Xcite work for you!?" we ask the morning after.

"Well I did have an image of the Pied Piper in my mind for a wh1le," he says in a non-alcohol Induced way, "but I think eventually it comes down to a

wearing Xcite! adds that special something to a night on the town. "People should get themselves a patch for a laugh," he says, "lt gives the stngles scene a slightly more savory aroma."

Debbie Andrew

~

M IMUM ~ ~ SCORES ~ ACHIEVED IN ALL AREAS! Summing up, it seems that most of us will be destined back to those cauldrons to stir our own love potions. For those who are still hoping.

Xcite! will be in vend1ng machtnes 1n pubs tn Norw1ch for a mere quid a sachet.

WIN!WIN!WIN! To win a sachet of enticing Xcitel simply jot down on a postcard your sauciest chat up line. The best ten will win one of these wipes to wipe their opposite number off their feet.

.•

...

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VALENTINES DAY OFFERS BE A DEVIL! SOFT TOYS NAUGHTY NICK £3.49 LOVE BUG £6.99 DEVIL BEAR £6.99 Valentine cards from £1.10 CD cards £3.50 Or send flowers from here Carnation Express Bouquets from £9.99 or 6 red roses £10 ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE AND •••

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Letters & Co.n.nent 15

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

UGMS·GONEFORGOOD? lt is true that the majority of students aren't particularly interested in the politics of the Union. And why should they be, when meetings go round in circles and nothing ever seems to get decided? Who would really want to sit there whilst motions, quoracy counts, abstentions and constitutions float around like a bad smell, frankly making the whole thing too boring for words?

To solve this problem, the Union is attempting to modernise itself.

For this it can be commanded - yes, get rid of the boring bits and make things brand new. But the Sabbaticals seem to have gone slightly power mad - wishing to remove every single student's democratic right to be heard in an open meeting.

They want to keep the making of decisions behind closed doors and in the hands of Students Forum. Yes, Students Forum is elected to represent students and there are many places available on the body. But Forum hasn't been attended by enough members for far too long, meaning important decisions could now lie in the hands of four Sabbatical officers and a few other individuals. Even this year's Chairman has expressed fears about granting Forum such power.

The Union should be finding ways of better representing students, not hiding in Union House and putting up barricades.

Has the Union even thought about a professional publicity unit?

Has it asked students across campus for their views? lt's alright Sabbaticals saying they have an open door policy - it's about time they stepped outside the door and' got real about what goes on outside.

All in all their answer is pathetic and a cop-out. Look at all the other options open to you Sabbs; look at how you can really represent students.

Don't get rid of UGMs just yet. Wait until you have a viable alternative that does not mean keeping secrets and playing all of our cards close to your chest.

If you have an opinion you wish to air m Concrete, please write us a letter at the address below, marked for the attention of the Editor, Jane Kirby. We reserve the right to edit all letters for length and clarit}'

[(~J;.~a1t~ UEA's Independent Student Newspaper PO Box 410,Norwicfl NR4 7TB Tel: (01603} 250558 Fax: (01603} 506822 E-Mait. su.concrete@uea.ac.uk •Editor: Jane Kirby •Deputy Editor: Nick Triggle •News Editor. Matthew Ray •Assistant News Editor: Graham Diggines •Features Editor: Emma Newbery •Chief Features Writer: Katie Crockett •Sports Editor: Carolina Jeater •Assistant Sports Editor: Mark Edwards •Picture Editor: Sieve Cullingworth • Distribution Manager. Oliver Polhill •Editorial Contributors: Adam Aiken, Sarah Moore, James Goffin, James Tapsfield , Katie Westgate, Luke Miles, Liam Slattery •Photographers: Rob Lutyens, Matt Walsh , Steve Cullingham •Advertising Manager: Amy Kingswell • Ad Designer: Paul Gould •Special Thanks to: UH Stewards, everyone at ECN •Copy Editors: Kay Spragg, James Goffin •Proofreaders: Eloise Markwick, Nadia Elghamry, Wendy Tse, Melania Edmonds •Concrete is published by the Union of UEA Students. Opinions eJ<pressed are those of the Contributor and not necessarily those of the ~ublisher or Editor. Use of the name 'The Event' appears by arrangement with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd. •No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through coughing, sneezing, nose blowing or attacks with killer grass without the prior written consent of the publisher •Printed

by Eastern Counties Newspapers Ltd., Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1RE. © UUEAS, 1998.

f anyone comes to write the history of the Union of UEA Students, no doubt this period will fall under the chapter heading "The Year of the Long Knives" because there is currently a silent but very bloody coup in progress.

Answers to certain questions now need to be forthcoming.

Firstly, the Commercial Services Manager and the Union part company. Other members of staff are having their responsibilities removed

I

from them. In addition, the commercial companies no longer have any trustees sitting on the boards, leaving the directors - the sabbaticals - free to do as they please with the several million pounds of turnover. Understandably, I believe morale amongst staff to be poor. Just what is going on?

Now, it may well be that, following this blood-letting, the Union wit emerge as a better organisation but no-one

outside the inner circle is in a position to judge.

The sabbaticals hide behind the 'it's a confidential staffing matter' blanket whilst they rip the guts out of our Union.

Concrete, 'UEA's Independent Student Newspaper' remains deafeningly silent on the matter.

What pressure is being put upon it and for how much longer can it go under the banner 'independent'?

of await evidence executive accountability and openness from those who asked to be entrusted with running of a Union, which once had an ethos of being a responsible employer.

Colin Browning Welfare Officer 1992/3 SOCPG Editor's note: As the Union is our publisher. Concrete abides

by Union Staff Protocol. intended to protect members of staff.

The Concrete team staunchly defends the paper's editorial independence.

THE RIGHT TO WIDDECOMBE BAR FREE SPEECH T

he recent article in Concrete advocating censorship on the Internet left me feeling outraged. The specific target of the censorship was to be neo-Nazi hate sites, (although that's totally irrelevant.) The writers make statements such as ''the Net is a true bastion of the right to free speech. However, what happens when people use that right to publish views which are deeply offensive to many of us?" This statement virtually crawls with irony, as it is the same logic used by tyrants and censors throughout history.

The purpose of protecting free speech is to give the minority a voice, no matter how distasteful we might find that voice to be.

When we follow up "I support free speech" with "as long as I like it" we have reduced the concept to absolute rubbish . Amazingly, the article criticised the amendment in the American constitution protecting freedom of speech, implying - more ironically than ever - that the climate of censorship in Germany is more desirable. lt even features a highlighted quote "Cyberspace is an opportunity to break the media's monopoly'' with the caption, "The BNP chillingly state their intentions." Wait a second - breaking the monopoly of the media is a chilling thought? Isn't that why the Internet is valuable in the first place?

I think hate groups are completely vile, but I'll never support censorship of any kind. The day that the government - or any government- can decide what I can and can 't think, say, or write is the day that, in our bid to "never forgef', we've forgotten what it was we were protecting in the first place.

Colby Denton Phi/lips

W

e are writing in protest at a Sabbatical Officer's decision to prevent a highly respected Member of Parliament from speaking in Union House last week. The Politics Society and the Conservative Students had organised a visit to UEA by Ann Widdecombe MP, who was going to give a talk in the Bill Wilson Room, before a general political discussion open to everybody. The excuse given was that her views on abortion constituted a security risk which the Union was unable to handle.

We feel that given the Union's constant promotion of the views of pro abortion groups, students at least have the right to hear the opposite side of the argument. If as a Students ' Union they are unable to hold a civilised discussion

with a high profile and widely respected politician like Miss Widdecombe, serious questions need to be asked. This is not about security. lt is about ideology.

When it comes to high profile Conservative politicians, Union rules on freedom of speech, and their constant rhetoric about respecting different beliefs go out of the window.

If only the bone-headed socialists were half as good at serving the needs of the students as they are at banning 'unethical' goods from Union outlets, there wouldn't be a problem.

But the Union remains a self-serving organisation with absolutely no accountability for its decisions.

Tom Bridge (Treasurer, Conservative Students), Matthew Costin (Chairman)

nightline 503504 .Norfolk Terrace C03.1L

Listening Not Lecturing ~ Opening Hours: 8pm - 8am every day for drop-in or phone 503504

(01603) 592505 Monday 8 ·10pm (Term Times) University of East Anglia Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ su.lgb@uea.ac.uk

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16 Letters &

Cornn~ e nt

Concrete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

EDUCATION FOR GOODNESS SAKE

MYSTIC ROD

REVEALS

A

FEBRUARY 4TH FEBRUARY 18TH

..

response to some of Giles Bancroft's misguided opinions (21 / 1). Essentially, Giles is against paying tax to help students whose parents can 't afford university fees. Indeed, Giles is not in favour of any form of direct taxation. Giles is a history of art student. Giles thinks that the "excuses" of ever acting for the common good is a "a poor one."- his examples are Hitler and Stalin. I mean, what?

Reading his arrogant litany of non-sequitus, I was reminded of the description of Leonard Bast, the young city worker in Howard's End, "who had given up the glory of the animal for a tailcoat and set of ideas."

Students shouldn't be cynical , pondering pretentiously on the non-existence of society. And why on earth be obsessed with capitalist individualism? Money doesn't make the world go round. Really, it doesn't. Society exists all right, it enables freedoms: freedoms no individual on a campus could imagine.

A system of corporate sponsorship through university, as pontificated by Mr Bancroft, manufactures only products.

But in a pluralist society, really free education can help to make us singular.

Christopher Thompson (SOC 2)

Would you like Concrete's Mystic Rod to cast his cosmic gaze upon your own personality, and share his findings with the entire population of UEA? Or do you know someone might be amused by a little free publicity? If so, just write your (or your friend's) name, time (if you know it), date, and place of birth on a piece of paper and address it for the attention of Mystic Rod. Please enclose a contact telephone number too, if you can, and a photo of the subject. Drop all this off in Union House, either in the Concrete office upstairs, or in our box next to the Steward's Cabin.

PAY YOUR WAY? ith reference to the right to free education (What do you want? 21/1 ), Giles Ban croft suggests that we should all pay our way and provide for ourselves - " ...if people did not have to pay tax they would have a considerable amount more money to spend as they wish. " Absolutely true, Giles. When I leave college with my individual ideals, I could not possibly take advantage of a socialised welfare state , where people actually have to consider looking out for and educating each other. I would surely look forward to not paying those taxes, and to spending them on my own choice of private education, private health care, private security and emergency services, private waste disposal and so on (I may be worse off, but remember, choice=freedom). When my employer sees fit to 'downsize' me as he takes a 500% pay rise , I will know it is only because, like me, he must struggle for his own well-being and should not have to squander his money on the welfare of others.

What good will educated people (doctors, nurses, teachers, artists, musicians, politicians) do for me? They can pay for it themselves.

With tongue firmly in cheek.

Ben Wheeler (ENV 4)

W

~111~tition

Winners: llue81

The X Files Competition: Sarah Evans, ENV 1 Student Cookbook Competition: Sarah Evans ENV 1 Jasmine Sathiagnanan ENV 3 Sheena Rogers CHE 1 Tom Ruffles EAS/PG

_._

Across 1. Man who carries things (6) 4. Rigid (5) 8. Guitar-strumming implement (8) 10. Join (3) 11. Idealist (7) 13. Mix (4) 16. You (4) 17. Seashore pebbles (7)

6. Certify (6)

21 . Campus shop (3) 22. Running away from reality

7. Shooting _ _ s (4)

(8) 24. Not full (5)

9. Poppycock (5,5} 12. Ingest (3) 14. Cloth (3) 15. Spirit, mind (6) 18. Lend (4) 19. Posture (5) 20. Haze (4) 23. To rest one's behind (3}

25. In residence (2,4)

Down 1. Gathering (5)

2. A range of skills (1 0) 3. Never _ _ (4) 5. Rod Hull's sidekick (3)

Crossword auswers: issue81

Across

Down

1. Repose

1. Royal 2. Prediction 3.Shoe 5. Tri 6. Eraser 7. Door 9. Condescend 12. Rip 14. Era 15. Offend 18. Trip 19. Story 20. Hair 23.0il

4. Stale 8. Economic 10. Aid 11. Arrange 13.Acne 16. Peer 17. Frigate 21. Cot 22. Nominate 24. Drill 25. Friday

Concrete. Wednesday. February 4. 1998

Sports Feature 17

Bronze medalist shows UEA the way ahead

By CAROLINE JEATER, Sports Editor UEA's ROWING club can now boast an internationally decorated rower to help them scale even greater heights In their all conquering season.

Postgraduate, Christian Korb, gained a bronze medal for Germany in the World Championshlps in Glasgow in 1992 and only narrowly mis ed out on gaining a place for the Atlanta Olympics. demand of rowing led Chri tian to said, "I think I will realise after my After taking up the sport over career that it is something to be decide that he could no longer eight years ago, Christian has compete in the top night and achieve proud of." enjoyed an illustrious career which the high standards that he had set "At the moment I don't really has seen him compete in many of himself. rowing 's most prestigious reflect that much on what I have To compete at the different achieved." competitions. disciplines of pairs and coxless The World Championships His chance to row for Germany fours, the dual demands of came after he was approached by proved to be completely different to technique and power are previous national competitions that scouts for the national team. required to beat the best. he had raced in, He said, "I was really pleased to be asked. My club side was one of "In Paris we found the semi finals He added, " I had against Italy relatively easy, but the the mo t successful in Germany, and finals were much tougher." it was after we won the German Junior Rowing championships that l "lt was much more tactical in the got this great opportunity." of power and World Championshlps than anything The chance of competing for that I had experienced before," he unfortunately I Germany meant that Christian was was not added. asked to move to Dortmund, to take powerful enough Sad up a place at the German Centre of to keep my place in the first team."

Excellence.

But despite enjoying this Christian began to feel that he And his ambitions of competing astounding uccess in the World was not going to get the chance to on an international scale were finally row at the top level.

Championships, Christian also had reali ed.

And he was disappointed at the to cope with the heartbreak of "I competed in the pairs and discovering that he was not going to way in which his international career coxless fou!'ll disciplines from the make the Olympic team for Atlanta ended and how the national Centre age of 20 to 24 for Germany, of Excellence worked. in 1996. travelling all over for competitions," He said, "I spoke to the head 'The Centre really concentrated he said. coach of Germany and he said that I on the top I 0 to 12 rowers in wouldn't make the team.

Germany, and if you were in the next Tough "After that I decided that it was 15 to 25 you were not really treated But this punishlng regime meant as well. really over for me.

"I only had a little chance of "And although I enjoyed the Christian had to combine the high level of training required for making the next World experience at the beginning, by the end I wasn't really very happy." international competition with a Championships, so I decided to quit science and business management the sport Relief degree. altogether".

Now at UEA to complete his post He said, "We trained 10 to 12 The grad degree, he has found the desire physical time a week, about three or J,~lllliill"'~; to take up the sport again, and not four hours a day, so it was have the ultra-competitive and very gruelling."

Christian reached the pressurising lifestyle. pinnacle of his successful Christian admitted, "It is nice at career when he clinched UEA to row a four, and there is no competition between the playel'll; we the bronze medal in the have a real team spirit."

World Championshlps in The opportunities facing him here Glasgow 1992. include competing at Henley in the This success was regatta. Christian's ambitions now followed up in the Paris World Championships in rest with pushing the UEA team to further glory.

1994, when the national team "I'm helping with the technical came fourth overall. ide of the sport, and it is good as the Christian team is enthusiastic and really promising for the future. · "It is just good to have the opportunity to row again, and I am enjoying competing for UEA." And rowing club captain, Joerg iewoehner, added, "He is a very good rower who has a lot of experience, and that can only benefit the club."

r-

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18 Sport

Conc rete, Wednesday, February 4, 1998

'' ''Our fortnightly trip to Carrow Road ...

Could it be Magic?

Valencia have discovered a magic potion to improve their game.

A special drink was concocted to combat the a ppa rent lack of iron in thei r diet.

It lll>pears to have been a success: relegation candidates Valencia have won their last three games including a win over Barcelona where th ey were tra iling 3-0 but came back.

Top show Stevenage 's epic FA cup battle with Newcastle United attracted almost ten million viewers, after all the media attention made it the tie of the round.

And that is even more than England 's World Cup qualifier with Italy.

Rock and bowl Queen 's rend ition of Another One Bites the Dust was among a host of songs blasted out at this year 's Wo rld lndoor Bowls Championship.

SAGA - the indoor bowls committee - played the songs as an experiment to see the impact of playing Bowls to music.

Euro spot The winner of this season's Coca Cola Cup will qualify fo r the UEFA cup competition.

The League Cup competition was under threat, after many Premiership clubs threatened to pull out, if the winners were not guaranteed a Europe:m place.

But UEFA have backtracked, and are now assuring a place in Europe for the holders.

Racing away Exeter physio, Mike Chapma n has land ed a d ream j ob that means he will swap his regular visits to places such as Hartl epool for the luxuries of Monte Carlo. Chapman, 40, is the new physio for th e Benetton Gra nd Prix Team.

By ADAM AIKEN , Canaries Correspondent

YET AGAIN, Norwich City's fortnight has been one of mixed fortunes.

Two games were played in fo ur d ays w ith the harde r fi xture bei ng won but the appare ntl y mo re stra ig htforward m a tc h be in g lost.

Th e te rrific win aga in st No ttingham Forest was fo ll owed by a ten day rest. d ue to the lack of Norw ich 's FA C up in terest.

Last Wednesday. however. the Ca naries faced a n even ste mer test whe n S unde rland vis ited Carrow Road on the back o f a 16-ga rne un beaten run in the leag ue.

Once aga in . a g utsy de fe nsive perfo rma nce ke pt the vi s ito rs · chances down to a m inimum .

O nl y a late 20 yard sho t fro m Sunderland skippe r Lee Cl a rk fo und the bac k of the net, and eve n that was fortu nate as the C ity keeper Bry an Gunn le t the hall go th ro ugh him .

By that time. tho ugh. the Ca na ries were alread y in co ntro l tha nk s to a stunning shot fro m -10 yards o ut from Eng land Unde r 2 1 wi nge r Darren Eadie. who punished the S underl and goa lkee per for a poor cleara nce.

One nil up at half time. C it y got a ;eco nd aft er about an hour. whe n E rik Fug les tad 's pull bac k was turned into his own net by Jody C raddoc k.

Apa rt from C lark·, late strike.

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Norwic h h ung on ga me ly for their third consec uti ve ho me w in .

Full o f con fid e nce. a nd wi th the play-offs again be in g me nt io ned , the Ca nari es· good work was undo ne on Sat urday, at Crewe.

M ike Mill igan wa s inju nxl so the re was a reca ll fo r C raig Be ll amy. ava ilable agai n after a two ma tc h suspe nsio n.

In a fa irl y une xc iting ma tc h, Crewe had the uppe r hand a nd C ity rarely threate ned.

After Ade So la hit the post earl y o n, Fug lestad broke the dead lock o n the hour whe n he put the ba ll into hi s own net!

A lth o ug h o rw ic h tri ed to

rl!tricvc som ething from th e.: game. th ey fa iled to ma tc h C re we ·s comm itment. and never looked like eq ualisin g.

So. as Norw ic h's inconsistency con tinues. a mid table posi tion looks like being thi s season's most likely outcome.

Good vic tories arc regu larly fo ll owed by unnecessa ry Lk fca ts. and promotion form ha' yet to be achiewd.

With a litt le di ssati sfacti o n from the fans creep ing in concerni ng the s11.e of De lia S mit h\ sha rcholdi ng. the club has to re medy the situa tion both on and nff the pitch if it is to hold onto the likes of Darrcn Eadic a nd eo.

irt 18

Concrete, Wetinesday, February 4, 1998

he only ay 1s up I

UEA teams aim high as comP-etition gets serious

By MARK EDWARDS, Assistant Sports Editor UEA SPORT returns to BUSA competition today full of confidence that lt can finally establish Itself on the national stage.

After 26 teams qualified for the teams are primed for glory.

As early as last October the ladies hockey first team captain, Jenny Howells, claimed she could lead her team to victory.

And club captain, Alison Roberts, revealed last week that she thought the team was preparing for their best season yet.

'We are confident we will go quite far this year. We've got a very strong team."

Match And her male counterparts, the second team, were equally as impressive as they brushed aside all their competition in their group with ease.

The team that is currently riding high in the local leagues after gaining promotion last season plays host to Exeter.

And captain, Paul Vines, said, "We are all fairly confident This is the strongest second team we have bad in quite a while."

"There is a great team spirit, and

main knockout stages of the competition last year, four of our major all is looking good for another exciting term," he added.

But it is the ladies teams that are once again the big hopes for success this year.

The football side finished second in their P,OOI, qualifying for the championships after a magnificent fight back against arch rivals Cambridge.

Imports Coach, Stephen Noakes said, 'This year we have got an excellent of foreign players, batch particularly Europeans, and they are boosting the side."

"I do not know much about our opposition, but I am confident we are going to do well."

And to complete the string of impressive ladies teams are last year's heroines - the rugby team who battled their way to the semi finals, only to be knocked out by a strong Durham side.

After a patchy start to their

campaign they recovered to qualify for the knockout stages, and are preparing to play one of the strongest rugby sides, Brunei.

But captain, Emily Ryall , remains optimistic about her players' chances.

She said, "This is the best UEA side ever, and even though we lost matches early on we have learned from this experience and have now gelled as a team."

Other sides that are aiming to capitalise on their promising start include the badminton, tennis and football first teams.

Future And with the Lottery sports park under construction, UEA is bracing itself for a sporting boom that Union Sports Officer, Simon Fulbrook, believes is nearly here.

"I wish all the teams luck. If they fulfil their potential they should previous surpass any achievements," he said.

BUSA Fixtures Championship

Wednesday, February 4 Shield

Badminton; Ladies v Marjon (a). Fencing; Men's v Oxford. Football; Ladies v Exeter (a). Hockey; Men's 2 v Exeter (h), Men 's 3 v1mperial (a), Ladies v Brighton (a), Ladies 2 V Brighton. Rugby; Men's m v Exeter (h), Ladies I v Brunei (a), Ladies 2 v Brighton (a). Squash; Men's I v Bournemouth (a).

Men's 2 v Bristol (a), Ladies v Bristol (h) . Table Tennis; Men's v Bristol (h). Volleyball; Ladies v Portsmouth (h). Tennis; Men's v De Montfort, Beds (a), Ladies v Royal Holloway Egham (a).

Badminton; Men's I v UCL (h) . Basketball; Ladies v Roehampton (h). Football; Men's v Imperial (a), Men's 2 v Chicester (a), Men's 3 v Kings College (a), Men's 4 v Southampton (h). Netball; Ladies I v Kingston (h), Ladies 2 v Sussex (a). Volleyball; Men's v De Montfort(h).

Plate Rugby ; Men's I v Kings College (a). Basketball; Men's lv UCH London (a).

Photo ROB LUTYENS

UEA CYCLIST Joanne Tuck Is celebrating after successfully ascending Mount Telde, in Tenerife, a mountain twice the height of Snowdon.

Joanne, who Is an ecology postgrad, was on holiday with former UEA cyclist Andy Tyler.

They found the 7,500 feet climb fairly easy, and were pleased to have managed the ascent.

"I think everyone thought that I was a bit mad.

"The cycle riders in the Tour De France don't even go as high as I did," she said.

Last year she smashed her personal bests at all distances, including an Impressive sub five hour ride over 100 miles.

That was the ride that clinched her the CC Breckland Best AURounder trophy and saw her finish the season ranked 60th nationally.

Joanne added, "lt was all quite an achievement.

"And this success should give me an extra boost for the rest of the season."

Inside this issue

Cash in

.,.

THE LADIES rugby received an unexpected cash boost, with Clive Needle, Labour MEP for Norwich, giving the team 拢300 in sponsorship.

The cash was awarded to the side to give recognition to teams who do not have any regular sources of income.

Mr Needle is going to attend the team's training session on Saturday, February 14 to see how the money has aided the team.

Rugby Publicity Officer, Jane Bishop said, "Our President, Jo Moore, met Mr Needle. And after talking to him about the club he decided to sponsor us."

The money received will be put towards purchasing new kit, and Jane is grateful to the Labour MEP for that. 路 "We are glad to have received recognition for the team, and the money has come when we really needed it," she said.

PIIATBS TOll 01 STYLI TO BBAT SUIIBY

Hide out

NORWICH'S very own WBO boxing heavyweight champion, Herbie Hide, has had the defence of his crown moved from the Norwich Sports VIllage.

Hide had been planning to fight at the complex on February 28, but when the date was pushed back to March 7, the centre discovered it was double booked.

Hide's promoter, Frank Warren, Is now planning to stage the bout at Reading's Rivermead Centre.

And it was also felt that without the choice of the Injured Norwich boxer, Jon Thaxton, the fight could easily be staged elsewhere.

The Sports Village is already hosting the LTA tennis tournament on March 7, and therefore was forced to pull out of hosting the prestlgous title fight.

Photo: STEVE CULLING WORTH

By MARK EDWARDS, Assistant Sports Editor

I

I

UEA 29 Surrey 0 UEA'S AMERICAN football team, the Pirates, rampaged through Surrey Stingers to claim a resounding 26 - 0 victory.

The Pirates' sheer physical presence ran a disheartened Stingers side ragged, on Sunday, January 25.

An early pass from U EA' s the Pirates back for the rest of the quarterback led to a shon run into half and the game was kept very the touchdown zone for Rodney tight.

Edgenon.

UEA could not clear the ball from their own half and the Stingers came close to scoring several times.

This gave the home side an early But the Pirates' defence held lead of seven points, setting them up strong and kept the away side at bay, for a high-scoring victory. with Richard Monirner putting in But the Stingers managed to pin another particularly impressive

Lead

performance.

De pile the demorali sing ftrst half display, the Pirates came back from the break full of aggres ion.

And through a combination of a strong defensive and quick offensive play UEA piled on the pressure relentlessly.

Touchdown Full back, Tim Stone, started the rout in the third quarter, with a five yard run into the end zone.

After that there was no turning back for the UEA side, with half back, Ben Oliver, adding to the score with a spectacular 40 yard run .

By now the Pirates were in

complete control of the game and were producing a sparkling di splay of skill and craft.

But the best was to be saved for last, with a phenomenal touchdown by lan Burtcbett. !an ran 20 yards into the opposition's end zone, after stealing the ball from the opponents offence and making a crucial reversal.

After the match, club president, Andy Laing, was very enthusiastic about the Pirates display.

"It was one of the best second half performances we have ever had. We managed to outclass them on the day ."

"We played a very physical

By CAROLINE JEATER, Sports Editor

IUEA 2

Tuddenham 1j Goalkeeper Lee Grunnell was UEA'S MEN'S football 1st XI narrowly escaped defeat, as left stranded as the ball glanced they hit back with two goals in a minute to secure a 2-1 past him and the defender on the victory over Tuddenham. ' line, and into the back of the net.

And the result, on Saturday, January 24, means that the team extends their unbeaten run to 14 games, and maintains their lO point lead at the top of the league table.

The match started brightly for The first real opportunity fell to UEA with Tirn Bamber and captain, Roger Edrnonds who blasted two Matt Jelley attacking the shots over the bar within the space Tuddenham goal. of minutes.

But despite some good passing UEA kept pushing forward but moves developing in midfield, they were unable to penetrate the were unable to convert any of their Tuddenham defence. chances.

But the game finally turned when

UEA continued to attack the opposition's goal but never posed any real threat, and began to rue their missed chances.

The second half looked to be drifting away from them, as their below par performance continued, with Matt Jelley, Roger Edrnonds and Danny Bennett all having shots blocked by the goalkeeper.

And it was not until the 80th

match, and we knew that eventually they would become worn down and tired," he said.

The Pirates currently stand in econd position in the south eastern division and still stand a good chance of qualifying for the National play-offs, if they can win both of their last two games.

Change Andy added, "Admittedly, this year has not been as good as last season, "But I would say that we have concentrated on developing the team after losing a lot of players from last year."

minute that the team finally took control of the game with two goals in quick succession.

Tirn Bamber smashed the ball in from close range to equalise.

UEA at last looked like getting something from the match, and this was confirmed moments later when Danny Bennett blasted a shot from the edge of the box into the left corner of the goal.

After the match a relieved captain, Matt Jelley, said, "We deserved it.

"We had all of the game, and are pleased to have grabbed the three