Issue 12S 路Wednesday, May 2, 2001
STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
FREE by CHARLOTTE RONALDS, Assistant News Editor
A UEA student was left fighting for his life after contracting a potentially fatal strain of meningitis during the Easter break. Austyn Allison (SOC3) was rushed to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on Saturday March 31 after being discovered suffering from the brain bug at his Golden Triangle home . The 23-year-old was found by his friend Gavin Murphy (HIS 3) - who phoned three NAM students, Elaine Clarl<, Sam Miller and Ali Turner to help him. He was hospitalised for ten days after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis B with meningococcal septacaemia - but he claims he was ill for a while before. "I'd been feeling like I had flu for a few days and I had to leave work early when I started shivering the night before. Early next morning I was throwing up, and that was on my 23rd birthday," explained Austyn.
Rash "I still thought I had flu , I was a bit gormless really as it took me a while to realise that I didn't have it, but the nurses found the meningitis rash on my ankles and took me to casualty." "The septacaemia was so bad that at one point that doctors were worried as to whether I would have any feet at the end of it," he added.
Meningitis near miss
"I originally weighed 10 stone 13 and when I was discharged I weighed under nine stone, but I weigh just over 10 stone now so I'm fine ." Dr Coathup, UEA's Medical Officer, insists it is not uncommon for students to get meningitis and anyone who fears they have the illness should get it checked out.
Significant "There are a splattering of students who had meningitis and we'd rather have students come and see us with what they fear is meningococcal disease rather than assume it isn't anything of any significance and have their friends find them dead," he said. But Union Welfare Officer, Pally Morgan, also urged students not to over-react to the latest case, and keep the dangers in perspective. "The University has a meningitis awareness and response team. All those in close contact with the students are offered either a vaccine or antibiotics," she explained.
Lucky escape: Austyn Allison came one hour from death with meningitis
MOTIO HARASSMENT ROW by KA TIE HIND, News Editor
POET laureate Andrew Motion is embroiled in a row with a student on UEA's prestigious creative writing MA over allegations of harassment. The EAS prof ha 路 been accused of sending u p to 40 "ex pl ici t" c ma il s to postgrad student Laura Fish. 37. a nd kiss ing her on a visi t to her campus room. Miss Fish. who has a five year-old son, claims she was
bombarded with emaiJ<, from the poet - her academic advis-
er - over a six week period.
Distress ''Thi ngs happened which are unacceptable. The point here i that I have paid to come here to do this course and I ha\e had a huge amount of harassment and diMress ... said Miss Fish.
FREE DRINK FOR EVERY READER -
But Prof Motion, 48. claims that he is the victim of harassment, and has complained to the Univers ity that Miss Fish has spread rumours about him to her class mates and the national press. According to his wife. Financial Times booJ..s editor. Jan Dalley. M is'> Fish called
their home "at all times of the day and night . and accused Andrew of all sorts of inappropriate behaviour:路
Formal In a statemen t on the dispute. Prof Motion said: " I have reluctantly been obliged to ma~e a fonnal complaint to
the university au thorities about a matu re student on the creative writing MA cour~. in which I have accused her of harassing me. and some of her fellow students and of slandering me to the Press and elsewhere." Now the University - which
continued on page 6
SEE EVENT BACK PAGE