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dominate our society this must change’
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Should you be cutting down on alcohol? Wellbeing pg. 19
epigram
est. 1988
The University of Bristol’s Independent Student Newspaper
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Fortnightly 5th November 2018 Issue 331 Celebrating 30 years
‘Men don’t face discrimination for being men’
Bristol SU reject idea for ‘Men’s Officer’ Zoë Crowther
Students’ Union Correspondent
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UWE SU spark debate after canidate for ‘men’s officer’ steps down NUS said the controversy was a ‘vile, undemocratic shambles
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Bristol launches BME powerlist Grad Chanté Joseph & SU exec Samantha Budd Story inside pg. 4
ristol SU Officers have told Epigram that they would ‘oppose’ the role of a Men’s Officer, after UWE Students’ Union attempted to intoduce the position. Stanford, Bristol’s Union Affairs Officer and Sally Patterson, Liberation, Equality and Access Officer, both strongly disagree with the role, and ‘would oppose something equivalent at Bristol.’ Stanford did, however, suggest that ‘that’s a conversation for our students to have if they feel it is necessary.’ Bristol SU has networks for under-represented
student demographics, including women, members of the LGBT+ and trans communities, BME students and those from low income backgrounds. According to Stanford, comparisons should not be made between men’s struggles and the problems faced by these groups: ‘I don’t believe men are a liberation group. And I do not believe that men face discrimination for being men. ‘Men are seriously well represented, if not overrepresented, in leadership roles from the top to the bottom of our institution. Liberation is about historic and institutionalised forms of oppression such as that faced by women and LGBT+ communities. Men are not historically oppressed, and thus not a liberation group.’ UWE Students’ Union introduced three part-time officer positions in this October’s by-elections, including a Men’s Officer, Women’s Officer and Transgender Officer. Continued on page 3
BeMankind wins Bristol’s Health Campaign of the Year Olivia Duggan Third Year, Theology
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Bristol student’s campaign, focused on male mental health, wins regional award Campaign aims to encourage men to speak openly about their mental health Huxtable: ‘it is vital we keep encouraging people to be open’
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ristol student Olivia Huxtable’s Be Mankind campaign has been awarded the ‘Health campaign of the year’ at the 2018 Bristol and Bath Health and Care Awards. The campaign’s aim has been to start a conversation and destroy the stigma surrounding men’s mental health. The campaign consisted of two parts. In 2017, Huxtable interviewed over 35 males from Bristol University, including students, staff and alumni, about both their mental health experiences. Huxtable uploaded photos of the men mid-conversation,
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concentrating on their body language, with the intention of encouraging other men to communicate their thoughts. For the second part, in 2018, Huxtable interviewed over 100 men, questioning how mental health has directly impacted their lives. Huxtable told Epigram: ‘In these interviews, participants talked openly about suicide attempts, self-harm and the stresses of university.’ She added: ‘It’s vital we keep encouraging people of all ages and gender to be open and to talk about how they’re truly feeling.’
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The campaign believes that physical activities encourage a positive well-being by giving men a sense of belonging, and aims to provide a community that gives men not a cure but an escape. One participant, a kickboxer, spoke openly about trying to take his own life. In his interview, he emphasised how important it is to speak out about the stigma surrounding male mental health. The Bristol and Bath Health and Care awards was created to recognise organisations and people who help others in the community.