Student Politics: Join the Party
Meet Our Resident Entrepreneur Campus Fashion
Issue Five - Summer 2015
Rise of the Machines
Rough Justice? The Law of Joint Enterprise
University of the Year
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Welcome
We don’t know if you heard but we’re University of the Year (THE)! Check out Our Beautiful Campus on page 24 to discover just one of the reasons why. We also focus on another reason - our commitment to improving students’ employability while they’re here. Meet our snappily-titled Entrepreneur in Residence, and Students’ Union rep Thomas Hurdsfield talks about career decisions, political campaigning and avoiding the hook as a wannabe stand-up comedian in a guest column. 2015 is a big year for the UK, as well, with a general election. We take a look at the murky world of politics, and why you really need to get involved. Alongside our regular features Professor Mark Anderson takes a look at what technology has in store for us, and our law team guides us through the legal minefield that is the law of joint enterprise. We hope you find this edition of Degree a good read, but we welcome your comments, or suggestions for future content: degree@edgehill.ac.uk. Enjoy.
Contents 01° A University of the Year 05° Join the Party
08° The Questionnaire: Paula Keaveney 09° Rise of the Machines
12° My Life in Music: Carl Hunter 13° Think It? Do It!
15° Student profiles
17° “Where’s that kid with my latte?” 19° Rough Justice
21° My Life in Film: Dr Andrea Wright 22° Life after My Degree: Funny Guy 23° Our Beautiful Campus 24° Campus Fashion
29° My Heroes: Dr Richard Witts
30° Competitive Edge: The Hotshot
Production Team Sam Armstrong Andy Butler Nick Lodge Mark Molloy
Photography Stuart Rayner, Getty
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Welcome to the Times Higher Education
University of the Year
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Times Higher Education
University of the Year When we were named University of the Year we were understandably rather pleased. Equipped with a camera, a few props and our good news, we went out to spread the word amongst the staff and students. And what a fantastic reception we had – with smiles like these, who needs props? So thank you to all our students and staff, this award is recognition that the University is only as good as the people who fill it.
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Join the Party Democracy, eh? Churchill famously remarked that it’s the worst form of government, but it’s our best option.
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n the 2014 referendum on Scottish Independence the more enlightened Scottish politicians put faith in their young and decided to extend the vote to 16 year olds, recognising that they had a right to vote in something that would affect them for years to come. The result: young people actively engaged with the debate, and their votes almost contributed to one of the biggest upsets in UK political history.
Around 3.3 million young people were eligible to vote in this general election for the first time, and they may have radically affected the results in key seats around the UK. Did Westminster politicians realise that young people – the future of the country, no less – were actually quite important after all? Statistics suggested an increasing disinterest in mainstream politics amongst 18-24 year olds, and certain comedians were even encouraging them not to vote because apparently politicians said nothing to them about their lives (then they published a book about it. Yes, Russell Brand, we’re talking about you).
Positively engaging with them may have helped determine the fates of many incumbent MPs, and changed the direction of politics in the UK for at least the next five years. So, post-general election 2015, has the Westminster bubble been burst? Are young people and their issues back on the agenda? And if not, why not? How do young people ensure their voices are heard in the House of Commons?
Paula Keaveney, lecturer in Politics and Public Relations, isn’t sure whether young people are disillusioned, or just uninformed: “We need to get schools doing more around political education. And politicians (sometimes) need to get off their high horses and talk like normal people. It’s very easy to slip into jargon and assume that everyone knows the ins and outs of the ‘toenail clipping committee.”
Rosie Cooper, MP for West Lancashire, “was always interested in politics, [she] just didn’t know it”. Rosie’s parents were both deaf, and she acted as their representative in many situations, including dealing with the council – which was her introduction to the political sphere, aged 14. At that point she decided she wanted ‘to change the world’, but she started with Liverpool and is now working to change West Lancashire for the better.
Rosie chose to be ‘a voice for other people not just my parents’, and became a Liverpool councillor at 21, the youngest councillor in the country at the time, before joining the House of Commons as an MP in 2005.
In one recent poll 17% of 18-24-yearolds said they would vote Green, suggesting that young people are increasingly open to alternatives to what they see as a staid mainstream of career politicians. Rosie Cooper gave her perspective on being politically interested, engaged and even active when younger: “When I was young I had an idealistic view of how the world should be. For young people today I believe they should have the same attitude. They ought to believe they can change the world for the better and they should try to do so. After all, the future belongs to them, and it’s worth fighting for!”
More than examining parliament, the constitution and the role of the Black Rod*, Reader in Sociology and Social Philosophy Paul Reynolds believes politics is “an essential dimension of human thought and action, and becomes apparent whenever we explore power, domination, authority, opposition, conformity and its construction, and how we organise ourselves to propagate our values and achieve our goals in groups, movements and organisations. More than an academic subject, politics is a feature of human life.” Historically, says Paul, universities have been a training ground for those looking to make a real difference in society, a place of idealism and radicalism shorn of the cynicism and self-interest that appears to blight so much of modern political life. Universities have always been a hotbed of political activity – the civil rights movement, anti-war protest (from Vietnam to Iraq), anti-poll tax demonstrations, and LGBT rights.
It’s a proud tradition Paul believes is in danger of being undermined by the pressures on students to knuckle down and focus on how they will eventually pay off their loans:
“Whilst these things are not in themselves bad, they’re not balanced with space to think and experiment with ideas of public service and belonging, exploring life as an experience with alternatives beyond work and salary. At a time when we have never needed political activism more to fight for the forgotten, the vulnerable and the dispossessed, a renewal of student
political activism would be a significant step forward.”
Paul has plenty of opinions on the current political climate, but encourages students to develop their own, and has straightforward advice for the political novice: “Pick one campaign that you’re interested in, and join a group, attend meetings, learn about the issue and about the politics of the issue. Start small and focused.” As a keen student of political communications, Paula Keaveney advises young voters to listen very carefully to what politicians are saying – or maybe what they’re not saying:
“You need to read phrases very carefully. "I want to start a debate about this" usually means "haven't a clue… let's buy some time". My own pet hate is the phrase "hard working families". Politicians censor themselves, or use proxy phrases, because [we live in] a culture in which attention spans are short and people are looking for faults.” Rosie Cooper believes that despite the current image of politicians, you shouldn’t give up on democracy – or your MP:
“Politics is about issues rather than politicians, council chambers or the House of Commons. At the very heart of political debate and our democracy is a passionate belief in values and issues. My parents’ disabilities taught me to help others, and to be aware of disadvantage and unfairness. [As an MP] I always ask myself, is it good enough for my mum and dad? If not, then it’s not good enough for the people I represent.”
But perhaps we should leave the last word to Kayley Wilson, President of the Edge Hill University Students’ Union, who once thought politics “boring”, but now understands the importance of getting involved, even if that’s just to exercise your hard-won right to vote: “Politicians make improvements for the people that vote. People over the age of 65 receive free bus travel, state pension, a free tv licence, free eye tests, winter fuel allowance. [Young people] receive massive cuts in youth services, have the EMA taken away, and tuition fees are tripled. If we don’t vote, how can we expect them to make improvements for us?” °
*Black Rod is responsible for maintaining the buildings, services, and security of the Palace of Westminster.
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With great power... comes great responsibility, but it doesn’t always go to plan. Here’s our list of top political gaffes...
Kayley’s Soapbox For the uninitiated, here are a few insights into the world of politics from Edge Hill Students’ Union President Kayley Wilson.
David Miliband's banana When faced with photographers at the Labour Party Conference in 2008, David Miliband awkwardly brandished a banana at the cameras. It was weird, and didn't help his case for leadership which eventually went to brother Ed.
Politics can be a bit boring, but it’s still important.
George Osborne tweets himself eating a burger In 2013 Chancellor and "man of the people" George Osborne tweeted himself putting “final touches” to a speech, with a strategically placed half-eaten burger at his side. Turns out the burger was from posh diner Byron Burger, and cost almost a tenner, because “McDonald's doesn't deliver.” Austerity indeed.
Politicians tend to work hardest for the people who vote. Make politicians listen to the needs of young people. In 2010, 75% of people over the age of 65 voted and only 44% of 18-24 year olds voted. Subsequent Government policies reflected this. If you don’t vote, you don’t have a say.
Gordon Brown’s 'Bigotgate' During the 2010 general election, Gordon Brown met a woman who expressed concern about the levels of immigration to Britain. While still on microphone Gordon reacted, "They should never have put me with that woman. Whose idea was that? She was just a bigoted woman." Minutes later, the tape was played to the then PM who hadn't realised he was live on TV.
Dick Cheney Shoots a Guy in the Face In 2006, whilst on a hunting trip in Texas, the former US Vice President mistook lawyer Harry Whittington for a quail and shot him in the face. Furthermore he didn’t even apologise. Instead, Mr Whittington released this statement: "My family and I are deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this past week."
Do some research, and choose a party that you feel represents you and what you believe in. There’s loads of info out there, but good places to start are: buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson and voteforpolicies.org.uk For future reference, to vote you have to be registered – it takes five minutes: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Boris Johnson The current Mayor of London is proud owner of a fair few gaffes – from swearing at the BBC, getting stuck on a zip wire, and having to apologise to the people of Liverpool after accusing them of wallowing in ‘victim status’. And that’s only the publishable stuff.
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The Questionnaire Dream Cabinet Adviser?
Lecturer in Public Relations and Politics Paula Keaveney gets into The Thick of It. Best/worst part of your job? The best part is seeing students graduate. The worst is when the rain doesn’t respect my need to walk across campus. Holiday destination of choice and why? The Canadian Rocky Mountains. I went there once for a summer job when I was a student and always wanted to go back. Who, alive or dead, do you most admire? I hugely admire people like Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader in Burma. Culturally, I never miss…? Private Eye magazine. Growing up I dreamt of being…? Prime Minister! If you were leader of the winning political party at a general election, who would you invite to join your dream cabinet? The characters in [BBC tv sitcom] The Thick of It – so we could apply hindsight and get it right this time. What is the worst job you’ve ever done? A temporary job at a Greek kebab house in Edinburgh. No matter what we did, we couldn’t get the smell of kebabs out of our hair and clothes.
Guilty pleasure? Emmerdale and Corrie. How do you relax? Reading crime fiction. What’s in your iPod/CD player at the moment? David Bowie. What book is on your bedside table? I’m reading a new book about the rise of narcissism in society. The argument is quite compelling and sometimes a little close to home! What would be your ideal last supper ? Something with cheese on it. What has been your most embarrassing moment? Not printable sadly!
No matter what we did, we couldn’t get the smell of kebabs out of our hair and clothes.
What do you wish you’d known before starting uni? That those students who seem to know it all, don’t. Professional role model? George Orwell. I've just been re-reading his essay, Politics and the English Language. He believed that language shapes the way we think and that more clarity was needed. As true today as in 1946 when he was writing.
Pet hates? Politically, I dislike the phrase “hard-working families”. If you think about it, how on earth can a family actually be hardworking, unless the children are up the chimney and granny is on piece work? I’m also not keen on “firm but fair immigration”. What does that mean? If the opposite doesn’t work (in this case flabby and unfair immigration) then the phrase carries no concrete meaning. We need a little more of Orwell’s clarity. Finally, tell us a joke…. How many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb. One. But the lightbulb must really want to change.
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e have a love/hate relationship with technology. In one hand we are constantly trawling the internet, demanding access from every corner of the globe, and revel in clever gadgets that make mundane aspects of life interesting. In the other, we are watching films and shows on our tablets which fret about technology’s impact on human existence, creating futuristic dystopias such as Blade Runner, Terminator, and The Walking Dead which play out deep-seated fears about where human ingenuity will lead us.
So, what will the future actually look like? We asked Professor Mark Anderson, our resident computing whizz, about robots, online coffee pots, and how computer science is an art form. So, I facetiously begin, how far are we from being served our morning tea by a pinny-wearing robot? Mark plays it admirably straight:
“Very, very close. The company Active8 Robots have a robot – Romeo – that’s about the size of a human, and that’s a kind of assisted living type device, so it’s supposed to act autonomously, but do those kind of tasks. And Honda have got Asimo, which has really pushed the boundaries of robotics. Actually getting both feet off the ground as it moves, when you think about it in engineering terms, is just an amazing feat. For a device to be able to do that and then be able to pick up and not fall over, it’s just stunning.”
This is an area that has really captured the imagination of Mark’s students, who begin building simple robots in year one to perform a series of tasks, such as negotiating mazes and finding objects, and take part in a robot war at the end of the year. It can get pretty feisty, and appears to bring out a mean streak in ordinarily mild-mannered students: “The students get really competitive, and they’ll buy their own components to try and outdo the other students. We had a tank that could fire pellets last year, to try and knock the opposition out.” By their third year, Mark’s students are focusing on ‘the internet of things’ (Samsung recently announced that 90% of its new products would now be internet-connected): “A ‘thing’ is just a device that has a well-defined purpose – it could be a kettle, a coffee-maker, a fridge, a video recorder, a chair, anything at all. And the internet of things just means it’s
connected to the internet, so it can either send or receive messages. One of my students built a device to tweet his coffee pot so he’d always have fresh coffee when he returned home.”
It’s an increasingly influential cottage industry, perhaps a natural successor to the home computer programming of the 80’s with bedroom programmers bashing out the next Manic Miner, Elite or Chuckie Egg (erm, better ask your dad). With
we want them to bend, break, or even make up their own rules.”
Mark’s computing students often begin with no programming knowledge, something he sees as a positive, and in tune with the flexibility built into the course. Modules generally require students to rise to open-ended practical challenges that demand both technical and creative skills, and naturally lend themselves to inter-disciplinary collaboration. This was the thinking behind the decision to house computing, media, animation, tv, film and music production students under one roof, in the Creative Edge building:
Asimo has targeted you for termination
access to a 3D scanner and printer, his students are already creating marketable devices. Wearable tech and flexible technology, in parallel with app design, are very much in vogue, although we’re talking more performance-monitoring sports vests than sweatshirts with embedded cameras, last seen being laughed out of The Apprentice 2014 boardroom. But identifying and building technology’s Next Big Thing is the holy grail of the computing student, and creativity plays a central part: “At university, our lecturer said computer science is half engineering, and half art form. I always thought that was a great way of capturing it. We want people to think outside the box. We don’t want people to just follow the rules
“Physical computing was designed in America and Sweden to get non-traditional people into programming – artists, musicians, anybody who wouldn’t program a computer, because they’re going to come at it with a whole different mindset.” So is the future so technologically bright, we’ll all be wearing (internetconnected) shades?
Mark’s not sure real artificial intelligence – ‘a learning machine’ – is a realistic goal just yet, but our students are constantly pushing technological barriers, especially in gamification, which can be used to solve problems in areas such as education and business. Within the protective environments of the Edge Hill University Computing department, students are intellectually free to push the boat out without fear of failure – or triggering Armageddon. Check out the running robot at asimo.honda.com/asimotv
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countdown to apocalypse
How to: Survive a Robopocalypse
Die Robot Scum! Don’t fret, Hollywood isn’t rolling over that easy...
If Google ever becomes self aware, all hell is going to break loose. So delete your browser history and follow these tips.
CHAPPIE
Sunblock
If Terminator 2: Judgment Day taught us anything it was that "anyone not wearing 2 million sunblock is gonna have a real bad day." Best stock up on the SPF100.
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Massive Magnets
Giant robots have giant hard drives, fry them with magnetism. Not all magnets are created equal, neodymium magnets are the world's strongest magnets guaranteed to mush even the peskiest of motherboards.
Wolverine shouts in a South African accent about an accidentally artificially intelligent robot on the run from those who want to melt it down, and having hijinks along the way.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tactical Canned Bacon The machines have fought long and hard, but the tide seems to be turning. We will survive this invasion because we were smart enough to stock up on Tac Bac – Tactical Canned Bacon. Yes, it’s a thing. That is why we are strong; that is why we'll win.
Marvel’s group of bickering superheroes battle mechanical maniacal badass, Ultron (James Spader) who, after being created by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), is now hellbent on killing everyone.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Compass
Google maps is now the enemy and your smartphone may well kill you in your sleep. Get yourself some maps and a compass to navigate your way past the hordes of sociopathic toasters and sadistic coffee machines.
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Tom Hardy is Mad Max, a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the apocalyptic aftermath.
Terminator Genisys He’s back, again, for a fifth outing in a sequel slash reboot that will twist and turn through time and the first two pictures. Also starring alongside Arnie, a certain Khaleesi as Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke).
How To Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion
Roboticist Daniel H. Wilson teaches worried humans the keys to quashing a robot mutiny. From treating laser wounds to fooling face and speech recognition software, outwitting robot logic to engaging in hand-to-pincer combat, How to Survive a Robot Uprising covers every possible doomsday scenario facing Earth’s latest endangered species... us.
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Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
How To Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion by Daniel H. Wilson is published by Bloomsbury
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There’s an outside chance R2D2 may enslave the galactic republic. Maybe not apocalyptic, but certainly anticipated.
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My Life in Music: Carl Hunter The first song I can remember hearing? I remember hearing Alone Again Naturally by Gilbert O'Sullivan when my family lived with my grandad. I was very young, always loved the melody. I also associate it with a large metal teapot into which my grandad would deposit large spoonfuls of loose leaf tea. We'd then sup a mug each whilst watching the cricket and munching on a biscuit. The first record I bought? In The City by The Jam. April 1977, bought with birthday money from Woolworths in the Strand Shopping Centre, Bootle. Wasn't the first record I owned though, mum had bought me Brand New Combine Harvester by The Wurzels a few months earlier. The song that reminds me of being a teenager? There's no one song that reminds me of being a teenager. A collection of seven inch squares of cardboard always reminds me of being a teenager, along with backing my school books in adverts from Sounds and NME, such as Into The Valley by The Skids which was wrapped around my maths book. First band obsession? I obsessed over many bands but The Jam was the one I found it easiest to obsess over. I could look like a Jam fan whilst living in Bootle without any bother. If I dressed like The Clash, I'd have to be a good fighter or runner. I was neither. The band that made me want to pick up a bass guitar? The Clash made me want to pick a bass guitar. I played guitar before but after our bass player left to pursue an interest in a girl from Seaforth, I picked up the bass. The band that reminds me of good times? Madness and The Specials always remind me of good times – times spent in a friend’s living room while their mum was at bingo or a social club. The song I can no longer listen to? All Together Now – The Farm! The latest song that gives me faith in the next generation? Tiswas by Sleaford Mods. The song I wish I’d written? I wish I'd written Alone Again Naturally or Complete Control by The Clash. The song I want played at my funeral? Don't want any music at my funeral but a Johnny Cooper Clarke poem would be fitting.
Carl Hunter is Senior Lecturer in Media, Film and Television. He has also been bassist with chart-botherers The Farm since the 1980s, and heads the University’s in-house recording imprint The Label. facebook.com/TheLabelRecordings
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an Scott, Edge Hill University’s newlyinstalled Entrepreneur in Residence has a simple message for our students: if you have an idea for a business, you are a potential entrepreneur. To illustrate, he uses a story of a Nigerian farmer.
The farmer was looking for a plot of land on which to grow potatoes. He found World Merit, a Liverpool-based enterprise programme, using a ‘rickety internet connection’:
“They said ‘what can you do?’, he replied, ‘I can grow potatoes, but I haven’t got any land.’ ‘Well, how much land do you need?’, they asked, ‘6 foot x 6 foot’, came the reply. [Taking their advice] he persuaded someone to give him the land and started to grow potatoes. He’s now got 50 acres and employs about 200 people. What a great story. It’s that aspirational thing when people can go out and do great things.” It’s a far cry from the images the word ‘entrepreneur’ tends to conjure up: Richard Branson, facebook face Mark Zuckerberg, profits hoover James Dyson, or the gimlet-eyed panel on Dragons’ Den, gleefully roasting their latest victim. But once upon a time they too were just starting out. Demystifying the concept is Ian’s first challenge. Talk of viable business models and five-year projections is notable by its absence. “I’m trying to make them think about why enterprise is not a dirty word. You have to design for engagement first, and then build for growth.” First step – getting students to think about what they want to do when they complete their degree. They have four options, Ian suggests: be an academic; finish their degree and do nothing; get a job; or do something different.
“It’s something students don’t think about when they come to university. They just wonder how they’re going to get into a subject, and gain sufficient knowledge to be able to get their degree.
Being employed is a relatively modern concept, Ian says. Go back to pre-industrial Britain and people tended to work for themselves, they had a skill, and they made a living from it. Farmers would hire their corner of the world, grow crops or rear animals, and make money from what they didn’t need themselves. Essentially, they were entrepreneurs, using their assets – their skills – to make a living.
“Every definition of entrepreneurialism all comes back to the same thing – what assets have I got, and how can I deploy them?” The post-industrial age of employment has perhaps been one reason why the urge to self-start has diminished. Ian is determined to encourage students to see entrepreneurialism as an option, exploiting the assets they have often spent years developing. Universities with engineering schools, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), are a fertile breeding ground for enterprise, providing the raw assets for entrepreneurs. Ian insists having a tangible product isn’t a prerequisite for setting up a business, but finds MIT’s motto - Mind and Hand – useful: “think – do, very simple.” And he’s keen to get Edge Hill students to simply think, then do.
Being able to sell your idea, and finding the right kind of person to support you, someone who believes in you as much as your idea, is crucial. A formal ‘business’ education isn’t: “Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, all have done very, very well, but none of them had any real education in being entrepreneurial, it just came out of
MIT’s ‘mind and hand’ thinking, and asking that question, what if I did that?” Ian’s been there himself. He’s sold cattle food to farmers (“Gruesome… farmers are the worst customers, they drive a very hard bargain”), set up a transport business, gaining a HGV1 licence in the process, expanded into brokerage and shipping, before finally selling up for a tidy profit and moving into the financial sector to advise other people setting up businesses. At one point he managed a private bank, and learnt one of entrepreneurialism’s big lessons:
“It’s never, ever the money, it’s always the deal. How good the offer is that you’re putting to investors. Any venture capitalist only wants to see two things – value in the proposition, and whether they’ll get a return on the capital employed if they fund you.” But most wannabe entrepreneurs need direction:
“It’s a lack of confidence, no-one likes to be seen to fail in this country, but if you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried. It’s about being resilient, keeping on chasing your dream, but you’ve also got to know when to let go.”
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Growing the idea
Five steps to becoming a successful entrepreneur Ian cites two Edge Hill students who wanted to start a dance class for five year olds, as their research suggested that obesity often took hold at that age. They were reticent about asking for advice, but had considered selling their idea to the NHS, because of the social return on capital. A great idea, but it took so long to tease the proposition out of them. Ian’s coaching credentials are impeccable, referencing French economist J-B Say, who first defined entrepreneurialism in the early 19th century, and talking knowledgeably about concepts such as gedanken (‘mindgames’), bricolage (‘handyman’), jugaad, and cognitive capital, but he maintains that confidence and good mentoring will take you a long way.
“We’ve introduced a programme called World Merit which encourages people to go out and do something different, particularly if they’re not in a situation where they can be employed. It’s a global organisation, established in Liverpool, and it’s got 200,000 members now, and people who do great things get rewards. You can qualify for a one-year leadership programme, and you get to go to a US University, and meet people like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.” Whether your idea involves ‘a farm, or a cake shop, or the next graphene’, and regardless of financial returns – ‘it could be social return on investment, it could be just for the greater good, as long as it’s adding value’ – his advice remains simple:
“1. Don’t be afraid…but don’t be taken in. When I had the transport business, I was asking my mother something, and she said, ‘I don’t know why you’re asking me, never ask advice from people who’ve never been there.’ “2. There’s real value in collaborative arrangements, together we will do this.” A quick web search of those aforementioned uber-entrepreneurs backs up Ian’s advice. ‘Enjoy failure and learn from it. You can never learn from success,’ says James Dyson. Richard Branson agrees: ‘do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again,’ while Bill Gates believes ‘every…kind of innovation requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people.’ First-time self-starters and globally successful entrepreneurs aren’t so far apart, then, so really, what are you waiting for? Think-do.
Further info can be found at worldmerit.org
Greg Anderton BSc (Hons) Business Studies and gardening entrepreneur
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The Profile The Ad Man
Tom Cleeland BA (Hons) Media (Advertising)
“Industry exposure is paramount to graduating with real job prospects. Gaining insight into how real briefs and agencies work is important and the Edge Hill course offers plenty of opportunities for students to meet industry professionals and work with them directly. But it’s not just all about who you know. It’s about being proactive. You should be developing a body of work that sits alongside your studies that really shows who you are creatively. Anyone has the ability to have an idea – it’s the graduates who show the willingness and tenacity to turn that idea into a reality that get hired. It’s a great time to be involved in digital at an agency like Saatchi & Saatchi. But I’ll continue to heed my own advice, with plans to write and produce a short film alongside other projects this year. After that, who knows? Maybe I’ll finally take a holiday.”
The Work Placement
The Sandwich Year
Callum Stevenson BA (Hons) Film and Television Production
Liam Kinsella BSc (Hons) Business Management
“By studying at Edge Hill I have been given the encouragement and opportunity to experience a number of great things, such as working at the Keswick Film Festival and the University’s own recording imprint ‘The Label’. I’ve also gained experience working as part of Community-I, an initiative between local organisations to improve wellbeing in West Lancashire.
My most memorable student experience has been my year in industry. I worked with Airbus, which employs 6,000 to assemble the wings for all their commercial aircraft.
Most substantial, though, was successfully gaining a place with Liverpool-based company, Agent Marketing on their Agent Academy programme, where I was able to work on real-life marketing campaigns and gain real workplace experience. I gained the confidence to become really hands-on and engaged with projects, such as a social media account for a new bar. Leading on from this, I’m now working on a joint marketing campaign with the University and Agent Marketing.” If you are interested in joining the Agent Academy programme, visit: www.agentacademy.org.uk
“With employers increasingly holding back graduate positions for former interns students need something else to keep ahead of their competition.
I gained a real understanding of business etiquette, the dos and don’ts of the company. The placement was much more hands-on than I was expecting – I learned about cost control, negotiation and project management. I got really involved in the recruitment of our replacements, visiting universities and making presentations, running the assessment centre and holding telephone interviews, which really gave me a good oversight of what recruiters are looking for. After Airbus I had my CV checked by the University careers service, who advised some changes, and I quickly secured work with Robert Bosch-Lufthansa German Airlines in Liverpool.”
INSIDER TRADING... Entrepreneurial tips from the top
Richard Branson
“I never get the accountants in before I start up a business. It's done on gut feeling.”
Mark Zuckerberg
“I started the site when I was 19. I didn't know much about business back then.”
Oprah Winfrey
“I believe that one of life’s greatest risks is never daring to risk.”
Bill Gates
“Everyone needs a coach. It doesn't matter whether you're a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast or a bridge player.”
Martha Lane Fox
“We used to go to the opening of an envelope to promote the business.”
James Dyson
“People will make leaps of faith and get excited by your product if you just get it in front of them.”
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“Where’s that kid with my latte?” Getting your foot in the media industry door.
ow do you make it big in the movies?
You’ve heard the horror stories of unpaid internships, unbridled nepotism, and inappropriate demands, so perhaps the ability ‘to make brilliant tea’ wouldn’t be high up on your list. But in an industry where there have never been so many media graduates chasing so few jobs, anything that makes you stand out is to be grabbed with both hands. Roy Boulter, of independent film producers Hurricane Films, may be being tongue in cheek, breaking the ice, but there’s an element of reality in his remark. At another of our industry-specific employability and careers fairs, Roy, alongside several other industry experts, was speaking to a packed auditorium of students. Finding students with the enthusiasm and passion to work in the media industry is not difficult.
Gaining relevant practical experience is. Roy and the rest of the panel – Ian Bent BBC’s Head of Radio Production in the North; Anita Walsh, Managing Editor, TV and Interactive at BBC Sport; and Edge Hill alumnus Tom Cleeland, now a digital advertising exec with Saatchi & Saatchi – were here to explain the best way to catch the eye of those with the power to change lives, although they would never paint themselves as such. In reality, they were friendly, helpful, sympathetic. They didn’t pull their punches – it’s a tough business – but at the same time they hammered
home the message that dedication, passion, and merit, all allied with a thick skin, will give you the tools to break into the industry, which Roy admitted is a ‘great business to be in’. They willingly shone a light onto the murky world of job applications. Here’s some sage advice from each of them.
Roy: film and tv producers are busy people so keep your CVs brief – one page, and include anything unusual. And learn how to read and assess scripts – it’s a great skill that few people possess.
the time and effort already invested, but because it shows commitment and tenacity. Your time in the University’s media industry-standard Creative Edge complex is the perfect environment to hone your tea-making technique while developing a portfolio of work that will really open eyes – and doors.
Our employability and careers fairs are regular features in the student calendar.
Ian: With 90 thousand applications for BBC work experience alone at their Salford base, get yourself noticed. Use your initiative – “journalistic instincts are hard to teach”, do stuff proactively, make a feature – and use social media to spread the word. It shows potential bosses you have ‘the right stuff’. Anita: Be flexible – have a goal, but be prepared to do something else if offered to you. And don’t be afraid of moving around from job to job.
Tom: Sitting at a desk is definitely not all there is to work. Inspiration can strike anywhere, at any time – in the shower, down the pub, playing dominoes, anywhere. And if it does, go for it – while at Edge Hill Tom started a blog about things that took his fancy, which eventually led to genuine job opportunities. Most recently, he worked on Saatchi & Saatchi’s new Direct Line campaign, with Harvey Keitel reprising his Pulp Fiction character The Wolf. Everyone agreed that finishing your degree was crucial – not only because of
Ian Bent
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o you like a good argument? Many of us do, but in law developing a logical argument, with solid reasons for supporting an idea or theory, is essential. And swearing is definitely not allowed.
Our law courses recognise this, and mooting, an oral presentation of a legal issue or problem against an opposing counsel and before a judge, is an integral part of the course. We’ve even built our own courtroom, fitted with furniture from Southport’s former Magistrates’ Court, and containing over 600 law books donated by a local firm of solicitors. It’s perhaps the closest court experience a student can have whilst at university… without actually committing a crime. During your first year you will develop the skills to be able to articulate a case, building up to a competition at the end of the year. Rewards for the winner include a short work placement in a barrister’s chambers. And if you acquire a real taste for courtroom jousting you can join a society, while also taking advantage of the attractive social opportunities. A recent University screening of Jimmy McGovern’s BBC drama Common (followed by a Q&A with the writer, director and producer) highlighted an area of law that could typically be the subject of a moot.
Let’s set the scene: 17-year-old Johnjo gives his cousin Tony and his mates Kieran and Colin a last-minute lift in his brother's car. They tell him they're going for pizza, but they're actually going to confront a local loudmouth. As Johnjo waits in the car, Kieran takes offence with an innocent bystander, Thomas Ward, who is fatally stabbed. The question is: who is responsible for the murder?
According to the law it is possible that they are all equally culpable, under the controversial legal principle of joint enterprise, and it is possible that Johnjo will be caught in a legal web spun by a criminal system seeking to secure a conviction at any cost.
Over the past eight years more than 1,800 people have been charged with homicide under joint enterprise, in an attempt to address the perceived rise of gang crime and culture. Is this using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, or is it a valid response to a perceived rise in gang-related violence? Common was inspired in part by the real-life case of Jordan Cunliffe, found guilty of the murder of Garry Newlove in 2007, who died from head injuries received when confronting drunken youths he believed had vandalised his wife’s car. Cunliffe did not deliver the fatal blow, and suffers from an eye condition that makes him technically blind. He would have been unable to clearly see what was actually taking place. Five youths were convicted, including Jordan Cunliffe who was jailed for twelve years. “How you can put a 15-year-old child in prison for murder, knowing he hasn’t murdered anyone? It just doesn’t make any sense,” says Jan Cunliffe, mother of Jordan. McGovern is equally uneasy: “However tangential your involvement, if you’re involved in murder you do life and that can’t be right.”
Melanie McFadyean, an author of a report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, says: “Gang violence and gun and knife crime are real problems, which result in tragedy and inspire fear in the public. Those responsible for law and order have to do something. Joint enterprise provides a rough, ready and powerful solution.”
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Common highlights the legal, social and moral questions that arise from the law of joint enterprise.
Peter Langford, senior lecturer in criminal law at Edge Hill University, says the law is relatively clear in its definition of criminal responsibility where the individual commits the crime alone. It becomes problematic in more complex cases, where the offence involves the question of the participation of a number of people in the commission of a criminal offence. Here, criminal liability for the participants, in particular their knowledge and intention, become the subject of difficult questions of interpretation.
“The central questions commence on the basis of whether the principal [the person who physically commits the offence] committed a crime. Following this, the CPS would have to be convinced that others not directly involved [referred to as secondary parties or accomplices], assisted or encouraged the principal, and had foresight of the type of crime that the principal went on to commit, that is, that the offence was within the range of criminal activity that could be foreseen as the outcome of the principal’s actions. It is this process of interpretation that is also referred to as ‘joint enterprise’; and it becomes particularly problematic when the principal commits an offence which appears more serious than the initial situation which had developed between the participants and the victim(s).”
Common puts this legal framework into a human context, so we get the perspectives of the families, the police, and, ultimately, the judge and jury. The audience is faced with the devastating complexities of such cases, and the drama packs a powerful emotional punch. It is designed to raise the profile of a legal issue that can, and does, have devastating consequences for real families.
The murderers of Stephen Lawrence were eventually brought to justice using the 300-year-old law of joint enterprise, but campaigners for a reform of the law, including senior legal figures Lord Phillips, former president of the supreme court, and Professor David Ormerod, head of the Law Commission, and Labour MP Diane Abbott, cite other cases where innocent parties have been caught in the net.
Prior to the Stephen Lawrence case probably the most famous use of joint enterprise saw the conviction of Derek Bentley for the killing of a police officer in 1952 despite not firing the gun. He was said to have uttered the ambiguous phrase ‘Let him have it’, and this was interpreted by the courts as an incitement to murder, rather than an appeal to the killer, Christopher Craig, then 16 and not old enough to be given a death sentence, to give up his weapon. Despite having an IQ of just 77, 20-year -old Bentley was hanged a year later. In 1998 he was given an official pardon. Common – Courtesy of LA Productions/BBC
So there’s your foundation material, while some questions to consider while preparing your argument might be:
• Was Johnjo part of a gang? • Did Johnjo have foresight? Could he have foreseen this crime happening? • In your opinion, is Johnjo criminally responsible for the death of Thomas Ward? • Is prosecuting Johnjo in the interests of society, or are other agendas being followed? • Will pursuing prosecution using the law of joint enterprise act as a deterrent to future crimes?
Find out more about the benefits of studying law at Edge Hill University, including mooting, the mock courtroom, and the recently-opened law clinic:
edgehill.ac.uk/law
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My Life in Film: Dr Andrea Wright The first film I can remember seeing? That’s a tough one. Maybe Mary Poppins? I certainly saw a lot of the Disney films of the 60s and 70s on tv as a child. The first film I fell in love with The Lost Boys, without a doubt. It is a film that I watched over and over again as a teenager. I loved the style, the super-cool vampire lifestyle, the soundtrack and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland. The first film I went to see at the cinema Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Obviously (I hope) not back in 1937, but one of the many Disney reissues. A bit of a Disney theme emerging here, I think. The last film I went to see at the cinema This may sound a little odd coming from someone who teaches film studies, but I actually don’t go to the cinema very often. I try to catch up on all my viewing at home. The last film I saw at the cinema, though, was The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, in 3D in the high frame rate, which was a very odd experience and I hope that it doesn’t catch on. I’ve found The Hobbit films hugely disappointing after The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The first film that made me think, ‘there’s more to this than meets the eye.’ When I first went to university, a whole new world of films opened up for me. I loved German Expressionism, for example, and couldn’t believe that all these amazing films existed and that I hadn’t seen them before. I think that the film that first really grabbed me and made me think was Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors. The film that reminds me of growing up I was lucky growing up in the 1980s, as so many of the iconic family and teen movies that are still celebrated today came out at that time. I’m referring to things like ET, Back to The Future, Gremlins, and The Goonies. As I got older, there were the so-called ‘brat pack’ films, such as Pretty in Pink, The Outsiders, The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. The films that had the most impact on me, though, and what led to my PhD much later, are the 1980s fantasy and fairytale films; Legend, Labyrinth, Willow, The Princess Bride, to name just a few. Of those, perhaps The Dark Crystal is the one that really stands out as reminding me of growing up. The films that always make me laugh or cry The films that never fail to make me a bit teary are Watership Down, When the Wind Blows, Schindler’s List, and What Dreams May Come. If I want to smile, my go-to films would be When Harry Met Sally, Only You, Mrs Doubtfire, Muriel’s Wedding, Bride and Prejudice, Blades of Glory, and Shaun of the Dead. A more recent addition to the list, and a film that I’ll be delivering a conference paper on later this year, is the hilarious What We Do in the Shadows. Andrea Wright is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies. Her latest research covers Snow White, and tv representations of shopping in programmes such as The Paradise and Mr Selfridge. Arrrrgh!!! It’s the F, F, F, Fratelli’s!
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funny guy “S ince the age of fourteen I’ve been performing stand-up comedy, entering talent competitions with my ill-timed mother-in-law jokes and dubious magic tricks. At eighteen, I started playing comedy clubs and nights across the country and decided to drop the rabbit from the act due to artistic differences. Around this time, the question was brought up at the family dinner table as to what I was going to do with my life. As far as I was concerned, I was going to be a comedian, on the road, eating pasties and enjoying the trappings of relative obscurity. My esteemed Mother remarked, “yes, Thomas, but you need a back-up plan.” Sadly, Mother is always right, except about the Lost finale, when she was wrong, so very wrong.
“I decided to apply to university, and found myself studying Health and Social Wellbeing. Living at Pontins Holiday Park in Southport, spending my weekends drinking slush puppies and watching fallen pop idols like Bucks Fizz and Chesney Hawkes, confirmed two things: my ambition to perform, and my desire to escape Pontins. “I graduated in 2014 and found myself by fate, misfortune or some kind of higher power intervention, Vice-President for the Faculty of Health and Social Care at Edge Hill Students’ Union. I felt there were things I would’ve liked when I was a student, such as SPEAK, the student-led lecture series I started, where students present their perspectives on the world. This wasn’t a deliberate plan. I made a few balloon animals to win people over, and ended up elected.
Sadly, Mother is always right,
except about the Lost finale, when she was wrong, so very wrong.
“Four years on campus has given me the time to discover what I want to pursue, and I’m now applying for PhD places, proposing to explore mental health issues amongst stand-up comedians. My own stand-up has not become a back-up plan to this, it’s something I want to continue alongside my studies.
“As young people we’re constantly under pressure to perform and meet certain expectations, which can often lead to feelings of failure, whichever direction we take. The key, I think, is to pursue what you would like to do there and then, not what you think you might fancy doing in twenty years’ time. If it doesn’t work out, you still have plenty of time to write a better punchline to your life.”
Thomas Hurdsfield BA (Hons) Health and Social Wellbeing
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You’ve seen the film, now take a sneaky peek behind the scenes: The drones! The window cleaners! The mischievous ducks! It’s all here.
To see the final cut: edgehill.ac.uk/ universityoftheyear
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Campus Fashion spring ’15
We picked out eight students from almost 10,000 full-time undergraduates to show you that whatever your take on fashion, it’ll be a perfect fit here at Edge Hill University.
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Darlon BA (Hons) Film and TV Production Top: Adidas @ JD Sports Jeans: H&M Trainers: Nike Skateboarding T-shirt: Hollister Belt: Primark
Sophie BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) Coat: Zara Pinafore: Misguided T-shirt: ASOS Boots: ASOS Bag: Top Shop Watch: French Connection
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Zara BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Health Coat: M&S Bag: Michael Kors Shoes: Top Shop Necklace: Links of London
Rocky BA (Hons) Dance Snapback: OBEY Coat: Joules Clothing Trainers: New Balance T-shirt and joggers: Matalan
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Shannon BA (Hons) Drama Bag: Accessorize Headphones: Beats by Dre Scarf: gift from dad Shoes: New Look Jacket: Primark
Georgia BA (Hons) English Literature ‘Everything is from M&S! I like comfy clothes.’ Scarf: Borrowed from friend. Shoes: Converse Headband: Market Stall Rings: Forage and Find, Budapest
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Josh BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy Coat: Trainerspotter Trousers: River Island Footwear: Vans Bag: Vans Watch: Fossil
Daniel BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult) Jacket: Primark Shirt: Primark Jeans: Primark Shoes: Primark
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edgehill.ac.uk/music
MY HEROES
Our programme leader for the BA (Hons) in Music studied in Manchester, before walking the walk as a member of early 80s post-punkers The Passage. Since his heady rock ‘n’ roll years he has continued to be a keen student of music, writing three books, including biographies of Nico (1993) and The Velvet Underground (2006). In 2014 he toured the UK with audio-visual project Kraftwerk Uncovered, and is currently working on an ambitious history of British music from 1941 - 2000.
Dr Richard Witts
John Cage (1912-1992) “A class of composer exists – at the highest level – who we think of as pioneers. In the 18th century Haydn was one; the most recent has been John Cage. As a composer friend once said to me, ‘I’ve heard everything that goes in the name of music, absolutely everything. The only artist who makes me shout, “Wow! That’s amazing!” is John Cage.’ Born in California, he was the son of an inventor, and the word ‘inventor’ has stuck with the composer. It’s used by those who are reluctant to call his works based on chance procedures ‘music’, because of their radical nature. His most famous piece consists of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. It exists to persuade us that there’s no such thing as ‘silence’. From the 1950s onwards, Cage was music director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Mildly contagious and I was lucky to bring the company and Cage to Liverpool in 1981. They came to pay respects to their patron John Lennon, after his murder. Cage arrived having developed shingles. He had to wear surgical gloves, and the audience thought they were somehow part of the show, such was his reputation for wackiness.”
Iggy Pop “The best interview I have ever done was the one with James Osterberg, otherwise known as Iggy Pop. His stage persona is one of a wasted rock clown. Offstage he is one of the most clued-up, witty and entertaining artists that I interviewed for my biography of Nico, the German chanteuse who sang with The Velvet Underground. As a young man Iggy met her in the late 1960s. He said of Nico, ’We thought, “Gee! We’ve never had one-o’-these before!”’. He ended up gamboling with her in a cornfield for a dilettante director’s arty film, which Iggy now says he would pay good money to have burned. I saw Iggy’s live set in 1977 at the Life before car insurance Manchester Apollo (filmed by Granada TV). He still has that energy, vigour and élan that shames younger pretenders to the rock throne.” Judith Weir “Some musicians add a ‘d’ to her surname, which is highly unfair. Weir is a brilliant composer who specialises in taut, tidy, dazzling, phrases that are often short in time but say a lot. She’s also slyly witty. I remember spending much time on an Arts Council committee forcing the then misogynist London Sinfonietta to play her ‘Airs from Another Planet’. It was inspired by a news story about Scottish astronauts. She wrote warped Celtic reels as she thought of them sitting on the moon, trying to remember how Scottish music went. The Sinfonietta finally played the piece and it was the hit of the concert. I’m pleased to learn that Judith has just been appointed Master of the Queen’s Music. She will enjoy the irony of that word, ‘Master’.”
Don’t call her weird
Explore our new music facilities at one of our Open days: edgehill.ac.uk/opendays
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Competitive Edge
The Hotshot
W
ith University of the Year status comes great responsibility: to provide world class learning opportunities, to deliver an effective and tailored employability programme, to develop a campus that would have had Monet reaching for his brushes, and to ensure that our students, staff and the wider community have the very best facilities at their disposal. With that in mind, we’ve spent £30 million on brand new sports facilities over the past three years, including a new swimming pool, sports hall, and 100-station fitness suite. We want to compete with the best – and we want you to be able to do so as well. Take BA (Hons) Coach Education student, women’s football international and Everton FC striker Simone Magill, for example; “I started playing football at the age of four, when I used to go and watch my older brother play for a local mini-soccer team in my home town of Magherafelt in Northern Ireland. They let me join in eventually and I never looked back. “I played in the boys’ team at school and was spotted by a talent scout for Cookstown Youth. I was the first girl to try out for the team, so I did get some funny looks but that soon stopped once they saw me play. I went on to play for Mid Ulster Ladies in the Northern Ireland women’s premier league. At 11 I had my first trial for the national team and made my debut senior team appearance at 15. I’ve now been capped 33 times.
“Although my dream is to make a living playing football, going to university had always been at the back of my mind. It’s always good to have a back-up plan and the idea of coaching appealed to me. I’d got a trial for Everton Ladies, so I was looking in the North West and Edge Hill had a really good course and facilities.
“The University has been really supportive with my club training and international commitments. My tutors have tried to make sure deadlines don’t clash with my international fixtures and have given me additional tuition to catch up if I’ve needed it. They really appreciate the honour of playing for your country.”
Open Days 10am – 3pm
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ehu.ac.uk/2q9
Come and take a closer look... Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 4QP T: 01695 575171 edgehill.ac.uk/opendays study@edgehill.ac.uk