Fortnightly 30th April 2018 Issue 327 Winner of Best Publication and Best Use of Digital Media 2017
University of Bristol’s Independent Student Newspaper
Bristol ranked third most unequal university in country for intake of rich and poor students Ed Southgate Comment Editor
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Arts
Epigram / Alexia Kirov
The University of Bristol has been ranked the third worst university to admit an equal balance of rich and poor students, a new report by the Higher Education Policy Institute has found. The report, ‘Benchmarking widening participation: how should we measure and report progress?’ by Anglia Ruskin University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Martin, found that the University of Cambridge was the worstperforming whilst the University of Hull was the most equal. Ranking third worst, the University of Bristol fell below universities such as Oxford, Durham, and UCL. Bristol sat around many Russell Group universities, which overwhelmingly were the worst performing for economic equality. Cameron Scheijde, Online Comment Editor at Epigram and Second Year Politics & International Relations student, said: ‘It’s a damning indictement for Bristol’s accessibility policies but the figures reflect badly on the Russell group as a whole, rather than just Bristol itself. ‘The fact that hardly any Russel group institutions sat near the top demonstrates how ingrained a lot of wealth inequality continues to be in the country - as long as the majority of students in Russell Group institutions come from private schools, the inequality stats will continue to look bad for the UK’s top Universities!. The analysis uses the POLAR system, which divides areas into five groups (quintiles) based on the number of young people going to university. Professor Martin concluded: ‘Why does this matter? If innate talent and capability were distributed evenly across the population then, consequently, in an ideal world students from all areas would be distributed evenly across institutions with different characteristics. ‘If this premise is true, and I would argue that it is, then all universities should be drawing equally from each POLAR quintile. Indeed, you would not need POLAR quintiles at all as they would all be identical in terms of higher education participation.’
Accommodation rent to rise by 4% next year Rent for those living in University of Bristol halls of residence will increase by 4% next year, ‘in line with inflation’, according to the University’s website. The cost of accommodation in Bristol will increase once again with inflation for the 2018/19 academic year.
At Wills Hall, an en-suite room will set you back £8215.62 per year - or £195.61 per week. This year, the rent was £184.98 per week. An ensuite in Badock will set you back even more at £8424.36 a year. The most expensive is Chuchill Hall where the top priced en-suite room in The Holmes is £8605.38 per year - or £204.89 per week. This year these rooms were £197.01 per week, which means this the first time standard hall of residence rooms (exluding studio appartments) have crossed the £200 per week threshold.
Science & Tech
Features
Cameron Scheijde Online Comment Editor
The cheapest rooms on campus are also increasing in price - a shared self-catered room on St. Michael’s Park or Woodland Road is going up to £90.45 per week, an increase from last year’s £86.94 per week. The University of Bristol residence team said ‘In line with inflation (RPI), rents for University residences will be rising by four per cent on average for 2018/19.’ Continued on page 3...
Living
Evy Tang’s experience with
A reason to be cheerful: Ollie
Emily Hayman’s
wavy world of
women’s coding iniative
Smith interviews Ed Miliband
fierce festival
hallucinogenic art
CodeFirst
before his podcast
guide
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Epigram / Emily Hayman
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Epigram | 30.04.2018
Editorial
A (final) note from Alex and Noa It’s that time of the year when we have to say goodbye to what has become pretty much the focus of our lives at University. It feels like just yesterday that we were struggling to send our first issue off to print (the word ‘struggling’ here is a light term for desperately trying to revive a suite of computers to lay the paper up at all). It feels just as recent that each of us even began Epigram in the first place, reading through the welcome guide and trying to choose between Epigram, Helicon, or Intermission (but never, ever, the Tab). Despite a few mistakes, the most notable being the miscalculation of our own 30th anniversary (we hope you all enjoy the celebrations next year!), we are extremely proud of our achievements this year. We are officially the Best Student Publication in the South of England and were highly commended for our use of digital media in the national awards. One of our editors, Oliver Cohen, was also highly commended for his interview with Jonathan Evans, former head of MI5. In addition to all these, we were nominated for seven different awards at the national Student Publication Awards in Cardiff in early April. Our achievements are not just limited to formal recognition; this year has also seen the unveiling of our new website, the publication of hard-hitting investigations, and constant improvements to the design of the paper. We have always kept our content Bristol and student-relevant and give all-year training to our incredibly talented team of editors. It has been an almost apocalyptic year, what with strikes, pastoral reviews, and even earthquakes, snow and fire, but Epigram has been there to cover it all. As Ben Parr said in his final editorial last year we have a small readership but a big impact, and as such Epigram has been instrumental in facilitating discussion about the major events of the year. We hope Epigram will continue discussions around mental health, diversity and equality, the increasing commodification of higher education, sustainability and student satisfaction, and that the University’s Senior Management will take on the concerns of students to make Bristol the best, most inclusive university it can be. Thanks to all of the people, past and present, editorial team business team, writers, illustrators and Barry who have made Epigram what it is. Thank you for the friendships, for the support and all of your great work this year. Thank you to the rest of the Senior Team who have made our jobs a lot easier. Georgia, Lucy, Joe, and the Webmasters have smashed the creation of our new website, while we couldn’t have coped without the help of Edie and Mary in sending the paper off to print every two weeks. Epigram is not just a paper but a society, a network of friendships that wouldn’t have developed otherwise. Numerous socials, balls, layup sessions and editorial meetings later, we know just how much Epigram means to our writers and editors. Our Epigram journeys are both at an end - despite being on the verge of a spontaneous Masters’ in order to stay on. We are pleased to announce that we have selected and begun handing over to our new team. Given the affectionate and efficient (and sometimes competitive) nature of our own partnership, we decided to continue the Co-Editor structure by choosing Ed Southgate and Cameron Scheijde to take our places - familiar names to all our readers we’re sure as they have already worked on this year’s Comment Team together. Their Deputy will be current News Editor Nikki Peach who is more than capable in continuing Epigram’s reputation for hard-hitting investigations and stories. Taking over the online side is Hannah Worthington, current Online Style Editor, and the Online Deputies will be Music’s Kate Hutchison and Oliver Cohen from Science & Tech. We are extremely happy with our selection which pulls in individuals with a variety of skills and backgrounds, and are confident they will continue to enhance Epigram’s already impressive legacy. Good luck team, we hope you enjoy your next year as much as we have. With that, we say goodbye to Epigram, sitting in the stifling, airless room that is the SU media suite with a glass of prosecco in hand. Thank you for reading and engaging with Epigram this year, as ultimately the paper wouldn’t be what it is without Bristol students.
Alex Boulton and Noa Leach, Co-Editors in Chief
2 Co-Editors in Chief: Alex Boulton and Noa Leach
Online Editor: Georgia Marsh
editor@epigram.org.uk
georgia.marsh@epigram.org.uk
Deputy: Edie Essex Barrett
Online Deputy: Lucy Thompson
Editorial Assistant: Mary Richardson
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From the archives... 2017/18 in front pages
In September, Epigram kicked off our freshers’ issue with a front page on the University’s decision to replace consent classes with an e-induction. Big shout out to Harry Coke for our amazing illustrations throughout the year! Our October issue saw the news that Uni is investing £1million into mental health services, epi-alumni Hannah Price’s sexual assault campaign, the Grecian Kebab House fire and protests at the ex- Israeli diplomatic talk.
The whole of November was Reclaim month, also the month where Bristol SU’s vetting policies came under fire when journalist Michela Wrong declined to speak due to the sentiment behind the policies. The last issue before Christmas revealed that the University are planning on demolishing the Hawthorns and 92% of students are dissatisfied with the quality of their private rented accommodation. As reflected by its first front page, TB2 was dominated by the pastoral review and strikes.
The pastoral review generated a lot of backlash, most notably with a protest in February. We launched our ‘Epigreen’ issue at the end of February, a week-long campaign aimed at rising awareness of sustainability at the University of Bristol. The issue after documented the events of industrial action, while our penultimate issue centred on the news that the University is planning to completely divest from fossil fuels and an investigation into study spaces. All in all, it has been a great year for Epigram! Epigram is the independent student newspaper of the University of Bristol. The views expressed in this publication are not those of the University or the Students’ Union. The design, text and photographs are copyright of Epigram and its individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission.
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Chief Proofreader Lucy Moor Sub-editors on this issue Izi Miller, Max Lewthwaite, Willow Smith, Gianina Dwek, Anna Hart, Cecily Donohue-Hall, Samuel Wong, Nadia Hassan, Imogen Benson Managing Director Calli Keane Director of Communications Joe Jones Director of Finance Josh Moloney Deputy Finance Jeremy Mei Head of Ads and Sales Aravin Skantha Ads and Sales Assistants Grace Rose, Frances McNab, Cameron Hooley Head of Marketing Lowri Daniels Marketing Assistants Kate Nissen, Tara Lidstone
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Epigram 30.04.2018
News
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@epigramnews Editor: Nikki Peach news@epigram.org.uk
Report on the balance of rich and poor students released Article continued from front page... Director of HEPI, Nick Hillman, added: ‘This analysis reveals which universities ref lect our society best and those which have further to travel. ‘The best way to deliver fairer access to selective institutions is to provide more places.’ The University of Bristol has previously been praised by the Sutton Trust for the work it does on widening participation, whilst an investigation by Epigram earlier this academic year found that students at the University from poorer-performing state schools are achieving as well their peers. A University of Bristol spokesperson said: ‘Widening participation is high on the agenda for us. As a result we’ve introduced various measures including our sector-leading Bristol Scholars programme which facilitates increased recruitment from high-potential local school students, a new contextual offer system (extended to include applicants living in neighbourhoods where they would be least likely to attend university) and a review of all curricula to ensure that they are inclusive in scope and delivery. ‘The steps we’ve taken as a University are already having a positive effect and we’ve seen a significant increase in applications from the most disadvantaged groups (POLAR quintile 1 and 2). Widening participation continues to be a priority which will be closely monitored as we strive towards our goal of inclusivity and diversity. ‘It’s important to note that there have been some questions raised on the use of the POLAR measurement and the need for income, access to education and socioeconomic background to be factored.’
Students take part in ‘Bristol Protest March: Stop bombing Syria’ Nikki Peach News Editor
Online Editor: Jecca Powell
Accommodation costs to increase by 4% next year Cameron Scheijde Online Comment Editor Article continued from front page... ‘We appreciate that financial management can be difficult for all students, and that accommodation is one of the most significant costs that must be met. ‘To help with this, we are increasing the number of accommodation bursaries on offer, with £200,000 available for the 2018/19 year (from £120,000 in 2017/18) in addition to the range of financial packages available to support students from low-income households. There are also 400 rooms which are capped at a lower level ‘value’ rent. ‘We ask students about the size of their budget when they apply for accommodation and last year 95 per cent of people were offered places within these budget limits.’ English lecturer John McTague commented on twitter “Bristol University increases student accommodation costs by 4% ‘in line with RPI’, which happens to be the highest measure of inflation available. Confusingly, RPI is also not 4%: currently 3.3%, mean over last twelve months=3.75%. ‘It has been 4% or higher for only three months in last 5 years. Joint pay offer for university staff is currently 1.7%, in line with, umm, a line that someone drew that goes downwards’. In response to this news, Lucky Dube Student Living Officer at Bristol SU said: ‘The University is set to raise rents for halls of residence for next year by 4%. This is against RPI at 3.3%, that means the cost of living in a university residence is increasing at a greater rate than goods and services. Rents charged by the university are already
unaffordable and now they are set to become even more unaffordable. ‘These increases have been agreed in an environment where students face high fees, and want to get the most out of their education as a result, and in many cases have loans that don’t cover their living costs. Some students spend hours working, hours in which they could studying or getting the most out of the student experience, in order to meet the shortfall between their rent and loan. The financial pressure will undoubtedly add to the many worries that students have. ‘Unaffordable accommodation also makes the university less accessible to students from lower socioeconomic-economic backgrounds, who will be put off by the high cost of accommodation in comparison to other Russell Group universities. The university may have accommodation bursaries for these students, but there aren’t enough available to make a meaningful impact for students from low and middle income families. For middle income students that have limited access to funding, expensive accommodation limits their choices and means they will have to work many hours to make ends meet. ‘For current students that have heard about controversial changes to pastoral support in halls and will no doubt have been affected by strikes, the university will have taken actions that will have confused and disappointed them. Rents increasing above the rate of inflation is something that cannot be justified, and that will add to their disappointment. The university should be seen to be doing more to about the issue of unaffordable rents.’ These increases come after a report discovered that The University of Bristol is the third worst university to admit an equal balance of rich and poor students.
Deputy Online Editors: Emily Vernall, Will Charley
Bristol student holds “colonial themed” party Cameron Scheijde Online Comment Editor Accusations of racism have been leveled at a Bristol student’s 21st birthday party themed “A Night at the Maharaja’s Palace” The event, hosted by Politics and Social Policy student Jack Prosser on the 14th April 2018, was themed around the former colonial rulers of India, the Maharajas. The Facebook event had the description ‘A Night at the Maharaja’s Palace - dress to impress moi - ‘Indian glamour meets colonial chic (quote from my father). A luxurious yet debauch throwback to the glory days of the early twentieth century, where Britain and India lived side by side.’ Mr Prosser said he changed the event description within 24 hours of posting the original, changing the theme from ‘Indian Glamour meets colonial chic’ to ‘Indian Glamour’. Photos from the event posted on Facebook show attendees dressed bindis, Turbans and Saris. Many have questioned the appropriateness of this colonial ‘glorification’, and accused guests of cultural appropriation. Bristol SU BME Network told Epigram: “We are deeply deeply saddened and disappointed in this students’ actions. Considering the long and painful history of colonisation and how its legacy still impacts the lives of many individuals today, putting on this event is seen as a blatant disrespect. Behaviour of this kind is not condoned by the Black and Minority Ethnic students network. We are here to support students affected by this event.” In response, Jack Prosser told Epigram that ‘it was NOT colonial themed, it was ‘Indian Glamour’- the press calling it ‘colonial themed’ is simply WRONG’.
Bristol’s charity ‘Big Give’ returns Nikki Peach News Editor Bristol Big Give 2018 has returned! Students moving out of accommodation can donate their unwanted items to the British Heart Foundation and other charities as part of a citywide initiative to divert waste from landfill and help support local charities. Every summer, thousands of students move out of accommodation. This means clearing out and inevitably there will be things you don’t want to take with you. And so Bristol Big Give and British Heart Foundation donation points have been set up both in halls of residence and across the city this month, and you can donate your unwanted items from 23rd April until the end of July.
They will accept a whole range of items, from clothing, shoes, bags, books and stationery to kitchen and electrical items, homeware and sports equipment. Last year the Bristol Big Give prevented over 144 tonnes from going
to landfill, raising up to £250,000 for local and national charities. The Big Give’s success last year wouldn’t have been possible without the help of student volunteers, and the campaign is currently seeking volunteers to build on this success this year! Organisers are planning a number of pop-up events to promote the Big Give including clothes-swaps, pop-up shops and information stands. They are also seeking help sorting donations that will go to local charities. One of the event organisers, Hollie Armstrong spoke about the initiative. ‘I’m so excited to be part of a project that diverts reusable things from unnecessarily
going to landfill. By donating your unwanted items you are playing your part in tackling waste and climate change, whilst also raising money for some amazing and worthy charities. With the help of students and their donations, it’s well within our reach to beat last year’s total and make this year’s campaign the biggest yet.’ If you have an idea for your own pop-up event, message the Big Give Facebook page directly or email Hollie Armstrong, Project Support Officer, at ha17761@bristol.ac.uk. Bristol Big Give is a partnership between University of Bristol, Bristol SU, UWE, UWE SU, Bristol Waste Company and British Heart Foundation.
RAG / Bryan Wong
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Bristol Big Give and British Heart Foundation donation points have been set up in halls
Students can donate items at their Halls of Residence
University of Bristol Triathlon Club Bristol Big Give 2018
Hundreds of people gathered by the fountains next to Watershed to protest against the UK’s involvement in airstrikes on Syria. It is reported that nearly 1,000 people came out across the evening of Monday 16th. A range of speakers addressed the crowds including Labour councillor Hibaq Jama, Green Party councillor Martin Fodor, the President of the UWE SU and Bristol University students from Bristol Momentum Youth. Protestors then marched from 6pm around the city centre with banners, megaphones and f lyers to hand out to the public. Event organisers from Bristol Stop the War Coalition commented. ‘Trump has launched airstrikes on Syria with the backing of Theresa May and France’s President Macron in an illegal international act of aggression that could disastrously escalate the war in Syria and fuel further conf lict and suffering.’ ‘Parliament has been undemocratically bypassed and may well be denied a vote on the issue when it returns on Monday - a further disgrace to the credibility of this government and its foreign policy.’ On Friday 13th in London, Stop the War handed a letter to 10 Downing Street signed by MPs, trade unionists, celebrities and activists. The letter can be read online.
Deputy Editor: Hannah Wakefield, Lucy Downer
Epigram 30.04.2018
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New figures reveal sciences at Bristol Engineers awarded the highest are nearly four times better funded percentage of firsts at the than arts subjects University of Bristol Jecca Powell Online Editor The Faculties of Health and Biomedical Sciences receive around four times more funding per student than the Faculties of Arts and of Social Sciences & Law, according to new figures obtained by Epigram. The news comes in the midst of a national debate over tuition fees, following the government’s launch of an independent tuition review, in which the idea of variable fees was introduced. Over the last two academic years, the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences was found to have received the highest amount of funding per student, at an average of £23,896. The Faculty of Health Sciences received the second highest amount, at £23,186 per student. By contrast, an average of £5,063 was spent per student in the Faculty of Arts, and £6,036 per student in the Faculty of Social Sciences & Law. The Faculty of Engineering received an average of £13,964 per student, while the Faculty of Science received £14,794. These figures were affected by government subsidies, which are weighted heavily in favour of science subjects. The Faculty of Health Sciences, for example, receives £26.4m per year from the government, averaged from over the last two years, while the Faculty of Arts receives only £3.9m. Even excluding these subsidies, however, the University was found to have spent an average of £15,068 per Health Sciences student each year, compared with only £4,219 per Arts student. Professor Guy Orpen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said: ‘There are many factors which contribute to the cost of educating an individual student, and it’s natural for some subjects to cost more to teach than others. ‘For example, teaching Science requires more specialist equipment and laboratories than teaching History. We receive additional funding from HEFCE for each UK student, weighted depending on the resource needs of the subject.
‘That doesn’t mean that the quality and standard of teaching is any different. We aim to cater for the needs of all students and clearly cannot put an individual price on each student’s degree.’ During the government’s tuition review launch in February of this year, Education Secretary Damian Hinds hinted at the introduction of a system in which university fees would differ depending on the course. Luke Magar, Geography student at the University of Bristol Faculty of Science, agreed with Hinds that universities ‘could do more to address the issue’, and suggested changes such as the introduction of free books for Arts students. However, he felt that the difference in expenditure was understandable. ‘I think there are bound to be notable differences in funding between subjects like English and Medicine, because they have very different teaching requirements.’ Matt Dominey, Politics student - Faculty of Social Sciences and Law - strongly disagreed with the concept of variable fees. He told Epigram: ‘While I understand the frustration of some students at the discrepancies in university expenditure on different courses, I do not think that there is a fair argument for the introduction of variable fees. ‘In doing this we would only reinforce the already pervasive barriers that prevent those at the bottom of society from reaching the top.’ ‘With a system where almost all institutions are charging the same price for courses – when some clearly cost more than others and some have higher returns to the student than others – it is right that we ask questions about choice and value for money.’ Alice See, Law student at the University of Bristol Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, told Epigram that she was ‘shocked by the difference in funding’, and felt that ‘it would make sense that if a course costs less to run then they should charge less.’ However, she said: ‘if fees were varied some subjects might become less accessible to certain people. You don’t want people to be put off sciences, for example, because of a lack of funds.’
Flickr / Agencia ID
Bristol Life Sciences building.
Students launch smartphone app ‘RESIST’ for revision period Nikki Peach News Editor Students have a tendency to spend hours at a time on their phone. In time for the revision period, three Bristol students have developed an app that helps you regain the discipline required to stay away from your phone. According to a recent ComScore report, we students now spend around 20% of our day on our smartphones - and more and more studies are revealing us to be at the mercy of an ever-increasing addiction to our handheld devices. Students are constantly reminded of the revision-ruining effects of constant notifications, emails, reminders but shutting off your phone becomes increasingly difficult. RESIST is a productivity app designed to provide an incentive to stay away from your phone. You first specify the amount of time you want to stave off the distractions and then put a chosen amount of money on the
line which you consent to which will be taken from you and sent to charity should you check your phone. The charity you pick is up to you – the app currently has a choice of four, but is open to suggestions and will soon be expanding its options. The app is entirely non-profit, and 100% of your self-chosen forfeit goes to the selected charity. Alex Robinson, a 3rd Year Computer Science student at UoB and member of the Resist team, explains the motive behind the app: ‘We actually made this app for ourselves and friends – exams are getting close and none of the other productivity apps were effective at actually keeping us away from our phones, so we decided to make something that upped the stakes slightly and made it worth staying away. Need a bit of help ditching the digital distractions and staying focused on your studies? Go to www.resistapp.co.uk or search ‘Resist App Productivity’ on the Google Play store to download the app for free.
Hannah Worthington Online Style Editor Following a recent Freedom of Information request administered by Epigram to the University, figures show that Engineers and Scientists reap the most first-class honours degrees, whereas an overwhelming proportion of Arts students are awarded 2:1s. University statistics reveal that Engineering students, in both the summer of 2015/16 and 2016/17, were awarded with the highest percentage of Hons I classifications out of any department at Bristol. 44.6% of Engineers received a first in 2016/17, and 44% received a 2:1. Those who studied Biomedical sciences came at a close second, with 35.4% of students receiving a first last July. Comparatively, Social Sciences and Law, as well as the Arts, witness a smaller percentage of first-class qualification awards, with the majority of students receiving a 2:1. In 2015/16, 18.2% of Social Science and Law students received a first, which slightly increased to 21.2% in 2016/17. This percentage increase still remains far from the 44.6% in Engineering. Likewise, only 27.3% of Arts students received Hons I, with 68.5% receiving a 2:1 last year, and 4.2% received a 2:2. Jenna Coetzee, a second year Law student agrees, and says she ‘has found a first very hard to achieve’. ‘It is more likely you can do well in one module, but even then, anything above a 72 is very rare’. Oliver Cohen, Deputy Science Editor at Epigram also comments on the difference between Arts and Science classification awards. He can understand that there ‘would be a difference between humanities and numerical degrees as the answers are less open to interpretation.’ But he was ‘quite surprised’ by the 10% difference between Science and Engineering. Oliver wonders whether this 10% margin is due to the people studying and their
work ethic, or the difference in the courses themselves. Also of note is that 0.0% of Arts students in the 2016/17 academic year received a third. 2.6% of Engineering students were awarded with this qualification, 0.9% in Biomedical sciences and 1.8% in Sciences. Whilst the lack of third-class degrees in the Arts is positive, there is also frustration for students studying degrees in the Humanities sector, as Second year History Student and Deputy Online News Editor Emily Vernall agrees. ‘The Arts are very subjective degrees, which I think is ref lected in the disparity between the percentage of top grades awarded to Arts students and those in Engineering or Science.’ She believes that these results ‘can be quite disillusioning for Arts students who feel they are putting the effort in, but do not see the results’. Whilst those receiving a First across the whole University increases by nearly 3% from 2015/16 to 2016/17, the Upper Division sector seems to remain consistent in the 5354% mark, and students obtaining Hons III decreases. A 2:1 is thus the dominant degree classification that students are awarded with from the University of Bristol. This does, however, clearly vary from Arts to the Sciences.
Strikes end as UCU accept proposal Ed Southgate Comment Editor The second wave of strike action at Universities across the UK has been suspended, following UCU members’ decision to accept the new propsal with UUK. The ballot opened on Wednesday 4 April and had a record national turnout of 63.5 per cent and saw 64 per cent of union members vote in favour of the new propsal. Only 36 per cent voted against. Epigram was told by UCU that employers have now made a clear commitment to defined benefits, and have agreed to discuss a wide range of issues raised by UCU including inter-generational fairness, comparisons with the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and the role of government in providing support for USS. UCU and UUK will now jointly present the plans to the USS Board and the Pensions Regulator. The union said it expected the agreement between the fund’s two key stakeholders to be welcomed. However there are reports that, while strike action has been suspended, until this has process taken place UCU will keep its strike mandate live as a precaution. Not all lecturers will stop working to contract following the accepted proposal,
however. One lecturer said on their Twitter that they will continue working to contract because ‘that is what [they are] paid to do’. UCU general secretary Sally Hunt spoke about the decision: ‘Members have participated in record numbers in the consultation, with a clear majority voting to accept the proposals. The union has come a very long way since January when it seemed that the employers’ proposals for a defined contribution pension were to be imposed. ‘Now we have agreement to move forward jointly, looking again at the USS valuation alongside a commitment from the employers to a guaranteed, defined benefit scheme. USS, the regulator and government now need to ensure that UCU and UUK have the space to implement the agreement effectively. Vice-Chancellor Professor Hugh Brady spoke to Epigram: ‘We welcome the news that UCU members have voted to accept UUK’s proposal. While much remains to be done and discussed, we’re pleased there won’t be any further uncertainty for students as they prepare for their exams.’ ‘We are very aware that the first round of strike action caused anxiety and disruption for all concerned, and we’re putting the final touches to a programme of extra support for students in the run-up to the exam season.’
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More applicants are declining offers from Bristol Working Well because they ‘have more choice’, says Uni campaign
‘Application numbers have remianed largely the same but planned growth means making more offers’
Kerry O’Shea, Head of Admissions at the University of Bristol, said: ‘The fact that university applicants are now
She added: ‘We continuously monitor accept and decline rates in the context of the current climate and demographic, while also looking at applicants’ reasons for making their choices.’
In 2014 the government lifted the cap on student numbers
In 2014, the government lifted the cap on student numbers which allowed universities to offer as many places as they deemed fit. Since then, more students have been attending Higher Education institutions. In 2017, however, UCAS reported a 5 per cent decrease in UK students attending university, and a 7 per cent decrease in EU students.
University to join the Alan Turing Institute Lucy Downer Deputy News Editor
The University of Bristol are set to join The Alan Turing Institute, an organization which hopes to make great leaps in data science research in order to change the world for the better.
‘we are delighted to join the Alan Turing Institute’
Together with the University of Southampton, Bristol is the latest to join a growing network of university partners, including Birmingham, Exeter, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Queen Mary University of London as well as the
five founder members Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, Warwick and UCL who were selected at the institute’s creation in 2015. ‘Together, the Turing’s university network represents a powerful coalition of research excellence in data science and artificial intelligence in the UK. It is with real pleasure that we welcome Bristol and Southampton into the Turing network, adding their substantial expertise to the Institute’s already formidable network of academic talent,’ said Sir Alan Wilson, CEO of The Alan Turing Institute. Working alongside the institute’s industry, government and third sector partners, researchers from the 13 universities will pave the way in cutting-edge research which will be applied to real-world problems. The goal of the organisation is to create lasting effects for science, society and the world we live in. In joining the institute, Bristol and Southampton’s addition marks the end of the first phase of expansion for the Turing Insitute, with the organization focusing on how to best integrate the new universities into its community over the next coming months. Through introducing new partners, the
institute aims to broaden its scope and generate ambitious collaborative research programmes. Professor Nishan Canagarajah, Pro ViceChancellor for Research at the University of Bristol, commented. ‘We are delighted to join The Alan Turing Institute and look forward to working with other leading UK universities. The University continues to make significant investment in data science and our most recent announcement about the University’s £300 million new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will support research and innovation to address the major challenges of our emerging digital society.’ The university’s admission into the Turing network, marks a recognition of the excellence of its research and its alignment with the institute’s research interests. Access to the organization is based on a university’s ability to bring new expertise and opportunities which add to the core strengths of the Institute. Bristol will also be contributing financially to the institute, a requirement of joining the network. It is anticipated that Bristol will begin work with the institute from summer 2018.
wins national award
Hannah Wakefield Deputy News Editor Working Well is a campaign that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the University’s staff, targeting over 500 staff in the Estates department. The campaign has won the ‘Impact Initiative of the Year’ award from the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE). The award recognises an initiative that has a significant positive impact.
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‘we are thrilled and delighted that our initiative...has been recognised’ Epigram / Nikki Peach
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The rise in declined Bristol offers is because applicants have more to choose from, the University has said following an investigation by Epigram that found a seven per cent increase in rejected offers.
increasingly likely to receive five offers contributes towards the increased proportion of declined offers being seen across the sector: applicants have more choice yet can only make one firm and one insurance choice. UCAS data shows that this is a national trend, reflecting changes to the application process’. Epigram’s investigation also found that, whilst the number of applications to the University has remained much the same - 40,817 in 2011/12 and 43,155 in 2017/18 - the number of offers has significantly increased from 14,245 for the 2011/12 academic year to 28,863 for the 2017/18 academic year. Ms O’Shea further said: ‘The increased number of offers being made reflects the growth of the university, among other things. ‘Application numbers have remained largely the same but planned growth means making more offers from that applicant pool. ‘Many factors are at play, including growth plans at other universities and a decline in the studentage population which is expected to last until 2021.’ Infogram
The campaign began by trying to engage the University’s estates staff in new ways to manage health and wellbeing, which would hopefully result in a reduced sickness absence. The campaign exceeded all expectations. With the help of the University’s Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health activities such as pedometer challenges, discounted physio sessions, ‘taster’ gym passes, and resource cards on stress and healthy eating were introduced. Common health concerns among Estates staff were also targeted. Scrubber-drier machines have been introduced to replace mopping, reducing the risk of back and wrist pain, and Security Officers’ body armour was reviewed, and now weighs 30kg less than before. ‘We are thrilled and delighted that our initiative to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase wellbeing in the workplace has been recognised,’ the Deputy Director of Estates, Paul Smith, said. ‘Engagement from staff has been phenomenal and some great ideas came in, such as selfsponsored walking lunches. Yoga and running groups have been set up, and a University team has now completed both the Bristol 10k and the Bristol Half Marathon.’
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Ed Southgate Comment Editor
‘We’d encourage other universities to learn what they can from the Bristol approach’
Epigram’s outgoing class of 2017/18
David Tonkin, the Head of Facilities Management Soft Services, is enthusiastic. ‘In just four weeks’ time, the new running group I’m part of will be taking on the Bristol 10k for the second time. There are 22 of us from the University, including many who have never run before. The Working Well campaign gets the credit for this, and we’ve become a really inspired and enthusiastic group of colleagues and friends.’ ‘Bristol have grasped a thorny issue in an admirable manner,’ said Jane White, the Executive Director of AUDE. ‘Working Well is replicable across the higher education sector in so many ways and we’d encourage other universities to learn what they can from the Bristol approach.’
Epigram
Features
30.04.2018
@epigramfeatures
Editor: Ellen Jones
Deputy Editor: Dani Bass
Online Editor: Ollie Smith
features@epigram.org.uk
Further allegations of racial offence at Bristol University: student reactions Sunday 22nd April marked twenty years since the death of Stephen Lawrence and the birth of what was to become one of the biggest investigations into institutional racism in British history. As I read through various articles discussing the ‘legacy’ of the Stephen Lawrence case, my eyes fell upon another striking headline: ‘Bristol student holds ‘colonial themed’ party’.
If our generation aren’t making the change, who will?
As I read the Epigram news piece about the third year student’s ‘colonial chic’ twenty-first birthday party, all I could do was sigh. Two decades to-date since such a monumental incident of racism, and the catastrophic police failings which followed, and still, our generation don’t quite seem to pay sufficient respect to those of other races and cultures. Whilst cultural appropriation continues to be a contested issue
amongst students (is it acceptable to wear the traditional dress of other cultures, for instance?), if this student was glamorising colonialism, that seems one step too far. Some of my friends disagreed. One noted that people of all races and ethnicities should be able to celebrate global cultures and fashions. Another suggested that in the twenty-first century, people saw saris and salwar kamiz less as a marker or difference, and more as ‘beautiful outfits’. Evidently, others agreed, as numerous third-year Bristol students were pictured sporting bindis and Indian clothes at the ‘Night at the Maharaja’s Palace’. However, the host’s apparent glorification of imperialism, through an event description which called for a ‘throwback to the glory days of the early 20th century’, was indisputably offensive. A third-year Civil Engineering student told Epigram, ‘As a British Indian student, I find the theme of the party deeply offensive. Whilst I’m sure that most of the guests were not intending to cause offence, the fact that twenty-somethings don’t think twice about the consequences of incidents like this does worry me. If our generation aren’t making the change, who will?. ‘It would have been very easy for the host to make his event a more overt celebration of culture. Instead, by mixing Indian tradition with ‘colonialism’, its clear that was not his intention’. So, what needs to be done? A second-year English student suggests, ‘people just need to be more mindful about what they publicise online.
Flikr/ Kunal Shah
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Anonymous
The host was the ‘Maharaja’ of his ‘Indian glamour’ party We’re young, and everyone makes mistakes when they haven’t been properly informed. But think, if this could be hurtful – should I be putting it out on Facebook?’. The ramifications of this event are yet to be seen. In the past, the University has stepped in
to condemn such actions. In the meantime, as students, and student media in particular, it is important to keep this conversation going to ensure that in the future, fewer mistakes like this are made – whether intenttionally offensive or not.
Bristol Tamil Society goes to Mega Maalai Aarabi Mahendran, the Secretary of Bristol Tamil Society, reccounts the experiences of the group and performing at The O2
For the first time in history, Bristol Tamil Society has had the opportunity to perform gaana at one of Imperial College London’s most prestigious events, Mega Maalai XVIII. Organised by the Imperial Tamil Society, this event marks 25 years since its establishment and Bristol Tamil Society is proud to say that we were a part of it. Gaana is an authentic form of dance, originating from Tamil-speaking regions in South India and boasting a huge following worldwide. Gaana is a type of powerful street dance; it is fast, upbeat and energetic. It gives me great pleasure as the Secretary of Britsol TSoc to share my experience this year with the rest of the University.
From auditioning dancers, to choosing the right songs and most importantly, to choreographing the dancing, many months of hard work have been put into the whole ordeal. Head Choreographer Hasan KJ and President and Choreographer Julia Christy faced many challenges and adapted their choreographies to the abilities and requests of the dancers, whilst still challenging the participants to test their limits.
Even finding space to rehearse was a struggle for our Social Secretary Vaisaalii Indralingam, with the University’s other dance groups needing rooms at the SU for the numerous other events that were taking place around the same time. For TSoc, this involved Aashiyana Spring Ball 2018, an event we co-hosted with Bristol Asian Society, UoB Bollywood Dance Society and Bristol Punjabi Society, for which a number of our Mega Maalai dancers also performed a similar routine merely a week before taking the big stage at indigo at The O2.
clear to see that TSoc has had a crazy month of events and shows and it is enlightening to see so many dancers stick it through to the end! Without a doubt, this experience would have been impossible without the financial aid we received from the Alumni Foundation which was co-organised by our Treasurer Sargithan Senthilselvan and myself. The Alumni Foundation’s donation provided us with the right funds to order bespoke, tailor-made costumes from India, which helped make our performance stand out from the other acts. Our costumes were among the most unique of all the other dancing
acts and the vibrant colours, matched with the traditional style, gave our performance a really authentic touch. We could not have achieved all this if it were not for the Alumni Foundation and the many months of correspondence and time given by our Gaana Admin, Anisha Shanmugham. In all honesty, this has been a rollercoaster ride, for both the TSoc Committee and its members. I personally have enjoyed making some great friends and meeting amazing dancers in my final year here at Bristol and wish the society every success for its next steps in the upcoming year!
This has been a rollercoaster ride, for both the TSoc Committee and its members
Following that performance, as a team we discussed and agreed upon several changes to song choice, the routine, and dance style. It is an understatement to say that we felt very unprepared for the big show. However, the 16 performers really pulled together and focused on perfecting our six-minute dance to the best of our abilities. I am very proud of my team for being flexible in both their time and their dance styles and for getting through several intense weeks of daily rehearsals. For many of the dancers, gaana rehearsals did not stop after this performance, as we took the stage in the Anson Rooms, just a fortnight later, with a completely different routine for Hindu Society’s musical, East Meets West. It is
Kavinayan Mahendran
“ I am very proud of my team for being flexible in both their time and their dance styles
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Aarabi Mahendran Third Year, Maths
Bristol Tamil performed gaana at Imperial College London’s prestigious event
Epigram
30.04.2018
7
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The house always wins: perils of student gambling Liam Curran undertakes a study on the dangers of gambling among the student
Gambling is a prominent feature in nearly every society throughout the world. Even in times and places where the practice is strictly prohibited people still find a way to speculate profit, but most often lose. Why? Well, because the pride of winning usually isn’t enough. Or because a fivefold accumulator simply makes Huddersfield vs Stoke a more interesting game. Gambling, or risk-taking in general, is a trait in fashion. It underpins the neo-liberal order we exist in, even if the house always wins. But, without question, the ability to put it all on-theline has forever been an attractive characteristic. ‘He who dares wins’.
“ Gambling can be an intensely destructive force
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the thrill of gambling releases dopamine to the brain and over time people become less receptive of and dependent on it. Gambling ‘Literally takes their brain into a zone’, a place where one can escape commitment, troubled relationships and the varying strains of life. The trouble lies in realising when this behaviour can become severely damaging for all those involved. Issues with Gambling start young, as young as 13, and could involve harmless arcade games or a visit to the Grand National. There have also been recent developments which indicate gambling addictions may only increase in severity for the future. In particular Rebecca highlights the growth of online gaming as a cause for concern as young adults and children find themselves handling and losing ever greater sums of money. There are even those willing to spend as much as £5,000 in a single sitting on FIFA Ultimate Team packs. There are also a plethora of websites which allow gamers to bet and buy in-game components such as inventories for Counter Strike Global Offensive.
plain sight. You don’t have to go to the toilet to get this fix and hundreds of pounds can be lost in an instant on a phone whilst being surrounded by a group of friends.
There are also a plethora of websites which allow gamers to bet and buy in-game components
The telltale signs to look out for may be as inconspicuous as bragging about winnings. For the vast majority, the house does always win; although someone is proud of a particular bet there may be a deeper, underlying issue. Analysing your distance to the people around you and being honest about the situation appears to be the toughest but surest way of coming face-
Flikr/ Jon Candy
Students are indeed at a heightened risk of developing a gambling addiction
What Rebecca confirmed for me was that students are indeed at a heightened risk of developing a gambling addiction. A care-free attitude, or alternatively, feelings of depression and suicidal thoughts can cause some students to put their money on-the-line obsessively. ‘It is not entirely uncommon’ she tells me, for students to try and ‘double their money’ when their student loan comes in. Overdrafts, student finance, payday loans, all the elements present in Anon1’s story, were regular features in ARA’s support network. Worryingly, Rebecca informed me that the suicide rate is highest amongst problem gamblers than with any other kind of addiction. While still being tethered to reality, addicts can see their lives fall beneath their feet in a way that substance abusers don’t always fully realise. Similar to Anon1’s experience is Rebecca’s description of what a gambling addiction exactly entails. It is, she describes, a process of chasing feelings or escapism. Like any other substance
Krissa Cruz/ Unsplash
For all the glamour and glory, however, gambling can be an intensely destructive force that sees people lose their money, their homes and even their loved ones. We have always known that for some, gambling evolves into an addiction more life-rupturing than any substance. The Gambling Commission last year reported that there were some two million people who had developed a problem with gambling or were at severe risk or doing so. The Commission also reported that this plight has helped amass a £13.8 billion profit for the industry. Although for most of my life I was entirely oblivious, it turned out that my grandfather had a complicated relationship with gambling. Of course, you never discover the full extent until after they pass away. Beyond that I am constantly being told by friends about the ridiculous winnings or losses they have managed to conjure up. I can hardly get through a game of football without seeing Ray Winstone at least six separate times. The concept of betting has never greatly appealed to me. I think I lack the temperament. Going to the casino after a night out, or sitting with a friend at the bookies always felt uncomfortable. Often you’d be surrounded by older people who would be on their own, expressionless, pouring money away I’m not sure they could really afford. The flashing lights and hyper-electronic sounds piercing into you the whole time all feels very dystopian. For this reason I wanted to explore and understand how the allure of a quick trivial profit can for some turn into a debilitating illness. There is never a clear path to addiction, but like many it starts from a surprisingly young age. As I discovered, students who are renowned for their volatile existence are incredibly at risk. Reaching out to a number of students who anonymously agreed to share some of their stories revealed experiences which at first felt completely dumbfounding: Anon1: ‘Before I went to uni I was given £2,000 in a savings account. The first day I went to the Casino and lost £1,700. In my mind I just thought to myself it’s time to go home and win it all back tomorrow. I was certain, it wasn’t even a question, I was going to win it back. The next day I went in with £300 and an hour and half later I was sat on the street with no money.’ That was the kind of behaviour I struggled to comprehend but was simply a part of what Anon1 called ‘sensation seeking’. For him the
actual amount of money was irrelevant; ‘I wasn’t looking for a target, I just wanted a win, again and again. You go to a casino and no one is smiling. It’s pure stress, even if you’re winning your face stays the same because you know you’re going to lose it all anyway. It’s all about finding that feeling.’ For Anon1 this bizarre and extreme relationship with sensation had a profound impact on his studies when he got to uni: ‘If I didn’t blow all my money away I might not have had to get a job while studying, I could have gone into lectures properly and actually got a degree. While I was at uni I opened three separate bank accounts and maxed out the overdrafts. Completely illegal. I took out a £300 Wonga loan, credit cards...’ This irrationality was entirely alien to me and yet it was more common than I had initially suspected. Anon2 was another young adult who demonstrated once again just how far an almost pathological desire for risk can take someone. Spending around ‘£500 a week’ habitually at the bookies he put £1 on a 6 fold football accumulator with odds of 15,000/1. It came through. After spending £5,000 on a car Anon 2 further diluted his winnings but, constantly harassed by a difficult relationship with gambling, declared bankruptcy only six months after his big win. ‘Looking back on it’, he reflects ‘I think I probably was addicted, as much as I never wanted to admit at the time.’ Anon1 and Anon2 both cite a certain youthful sense of freedom coupled with an ostensible distance from responsibility as determining factors in the development of these dramatic habits. Anon1 however still holds that he never actually had an addiction and the sensation of gambling could easily be replaced with others such as drugs, sex or even going to the gym. In trying to more fundamentally discern the actual nature of addiction and its intersection with a care-free youthful sentiment, I reached out to Rebecca Vials, a youth outreach officer and counselor from the Addiction Recovery Agency. In our conversation she shed light on the nature of problem gambling in relation to young people and illuminated the sign posts to look out for in the development of a more acute addiction.
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Liam Curran Third Year, History
Gambling is becoming a huge problem with students Beyond this, new slot machines, such as FOBTs are being dubbed the ‘crack cocaine of gambling.’ Whereas arcade games, which young people have grown up on, may take a maximum £2 for a game, these machines take up to £200 a spin and can suck £18,000 from a card within an hour without any money being touched at all.
Betting seems to be the ‘most secretive addiction’
Unfortunately, betting seems to be the ‘most secretive addiction’ - secretive because it hides in
to-face with a potential addiction. Whilst speaking with people who express problems with gambling, one thing that has become increasingly apparent is that how someone reflects and characterises their experience depends largely on how they perceive themselves. Addiction and risk-taking are both edges of a blade that cut through the heart of the humanpsyche. The journey of coming to terms with our impulses is one that undoubtedly leads to enlightenment but often leaves a path of destruction. If you, or someone you know, is experiencing a problem with gambling then do not hesitate to get in contact with the Addiction Recovery Agency based here in Bristol. They can provide free counseling both face-to-face and over-thephone.
Epigram
30.04.2018
8
Reasons to be cheerful: an interview with Ed Miliband
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Ollie Smith interviewed the former leader of the Labour Party before his podcast ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ came live to Bristol On Friday 13th April, Ed Miliband and his cohost Geoff Lloyd brought their award winning podcast ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ to the Anson Rooms. The podcast began in 2017 and is done on a non-profit basis with the purpose of spreading big ideas. Prior to his visit I caught up with Ed Miliband to learn more about the podcast and his views on other current issues. When we begin Miliband is very interested in Epigram and congratulates us on our past SPA award successes while I return the compliment, his podcast having won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award. We go on to talk a little about my study of Labour in 1970s Britain and he even recommends a good book on the subject. I start by asking how his podcast came to be; he says it was originally Geoff Lloyd’s idea after they ‘both felt that people in the context of Brexit, Trump were feeling pretty down, were thinking, probably gloomy about … the state of the world but there must be positive, optimistic ideas out there to make the country better’. Miliband explains that ‘I’ve thought ever since the 2015 General Election when I stood down as leader I want to find a way of promoting … big ideas that can change the country and, you know, maybe in days gone by someone like me would have set up a think tank, but this is a sort of more modern version of that but hopefully we present the ideas in an accessible way as well and get them to a wider audience’. Past Labour leaders like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have chosen to set up their own organisations but given Ed Miliband is still an MP the podcasts seem a far better way for him to manage his workload and promote ideas. The reason for touring the country is to spread these ideas and Miliband was particularly excited about visiting Bristol; ‘we both love Bristol, we think it’s a fantastic place, we love the vibe about Bristol, it’s got … really interesting cultural and other assets to it and so we’re delighted to be coming and really looking forward to it’. He explains to me that they’ll take a subject that people are concerned about and offer some solutions. He gives me some examples: ‘in Liverpool we talked about regeneration, we had somebody from a part of Liverpool that had been really run down, how they’d regenerated it, we had Matthew Brown who’s a guy from Preston about how Preston was doing regeneration, we had a comedian on as well … we tend to mix sort of serious subjects with a bit of humour as well.’
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He also says ‘I don’t think it’s been properly thought through, I don’t think that the evidence is properly there, I think the kind of race to the bottom in final salary pensions is something we should all be concerned about and I think that the cause is a very just cause’.
Miliband considers his answers very carefully
Miliband is a man who considers his answers very carefully and doesn’t want to give me uninformed responses without having all the facts; given he is a former leader he knows his responses carry weight. When asked if students are right to demand financial compensation for hours missed during strikes he apologises saying he hasn’t looked at the issue enough in terms of the balance of hours missed and so can’t really offer a view. I next ask about Brexit and how he sees it playing out. He first summarises his experience of it: ‘on Brexit my basic view is we had the referendum, I campaigned for Remain strongly, I wasn’t actually in favour of having a referendum if I’d won the election in 2015 ... Unfortunately from my point of view it went narrowly for Leave, my constituency actually voted rather significantly for Leave. I think what we’ve got to do now is get the best possible deal we can. ‘I think the only way to bring the country together really is to respect the result but have a solution that keeps us as close as possible to the European Union, so for example what Labour said on the customs union is I think correct, not just economically … but also strategically I think … it’s better to be close to Europe. ‘I think partly what our podcast is trying to do is to say, look Brexit really matters and is incredibly consequential for the future, but we’ve also got to work out what else we do to meet what I would call a mandate for Brexit… I think lots of people who voted for Brexit were voting for change; they wanted the country to be different
and also people who voted for Remain want the country to be different’. He also talks about ‘the fog of Brexit’ that can obscure other issues and that ‘part of what we’re trying to do in the podcast is to say look we’ve also got to talk about the big ideas which aren’t about Brexit which are going to make the country better and deal with the underlying issues, some of which led to Brexit’. Miliband supports Parliament having a vote on the final Brexit deal but ‘not for a second referendum’. I move on to the ongoing international dispute regarding the Russian spy poisoning which has seen 23 Russian diplomats expelled from the UK and multiple countries follow suit. I ask Miliband how he sees the dispute: ‘it’s a very serious issue what Russia did; I support the actions that the government have taken, I think Jeremy Corbyn was right to say you’ve got to deal with this in a calm and measured way but I support the actions the government has taken as does he.’
“ He disgarees that Brexit has changed politics from left to right
Given the title of his podcast I also ask Miliband what his main reasons to be cheerful in politics currently are. Miliband says ‘I think the major reasons to be cheerful are about the fact that there are big ideas out there that can make the country better. Think of any issue that feels at the moment insoluble, whether it’s homelessness or the lack of affordable housing or criminal justice reform or how you reform the welfare state or wealth inequality - there are good ideas out there … politics needs to embrace them’. ‘I’m obviously coming from the left but we have people who are Tories who write in and are listeners’. He says that ‘big radical ideas to make the country better don’t need to be the preserve of one part of the political spectrum; we want people right across the political spectrum to embrace them and I’m quite conscious when I’m doing
the podcast that this is about politics obviously, and political ideas, but it’s not party politics, it’s about how you make the country better and I think the more that you know tackling inequality and all those things becomes the kind of concern of the right as well as the left the better from my point of view.’ I’m curious if he buys into the argument that Brexit has changed politics from left and right to outward and inward looking; he disagrees. ‘I think it’s currently the case that there are some people who are more internationalist in outlook than others but I still think left and right sort of matter … there’s issues about inequality and other things which tended to be more of a focus of the left and the concerns and the solutions, the belief in the role of free market, so tends to be a big difference between right and left’.
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Ollie Smith Online Features Editor
Miliband makes very clear his desire to do good in politics
Trying my luck with a question about future ambition, I ask how long he intends to remain in politics. Miliband laughs, replying ‘I’m carrying on; I’ve got no plans to leave’. I try again and ask if he’d like to return to the frontline someday. Miliband says he’s happy as a backbench MP and that ‘I said when I resigned as leader … you can contribute to putting forward ideas whether you’re a leader or not a leader and I think my best way of supporting Jeremy Corbyn and supporting the front bench is to try and help generate and put forward some of these ideas’. Miliband sees this as a good way of helping the Labour cause and the podcast is clearly part of that. I found the podcasts genuinely engaging and they offered some really interesting solutions and ideas. Miliband makes very clear his desire to do good in politics and I’ll be very interested to see what he does next.
‘I am very supportive of academic staff who have been poorly treated by Universities UK’
Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd co-host a podcast to discuss ‘bid ideas’
Epigram / Noa Leach Twitter/ @GeoffLloyd
Epigram / Sally Patterson
I tell him a little about ‘The Epigram Show’ which I co-host, which includes interviewing our writers and giving our own positives for the week. Miliband says that the advantage of the podcast is that ‘it’s like a conversation in the front room’ - indeed, his is recorded in Geoff’s house. He explains ‘we get longer to talk about some of the issues that we would on the mainstream radio programmes so it’s kind of more in depth but hopefully more engaging’. I move on to political issues and ask his opinion on the university strikes; he gives a clear and honest answer: ‘I’m very supportive of the academic staff who I must say I think have been pretty poorly treated by Universities UK’.
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Epigram 30.04.2018
Comment
@epigramcomment Editor: Ed Southgate
Deputy Editor: Jake Porter
Online Editor: Cameron Scheijde
@ed_southgate comment@epigram.org.uk
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Epigram Comment is the home of the student voice. The opinions expressed here are from individual students with an individual perspective. As an independent newspaper, we do not affiliate or associate ourselves with any one view, but aim to publish all views of the student body as and when they come to us. If you would like to respond with an opposing point of view in a subsequent issue, please contact the Editors.
Bing! I hear, as my device lights up. My heartbeat quickens. ‘MARKS AND FEEDBACK NOW AVAILABLE ON BLACKBOARD’, it screams at me. A single bead of sweat begins to trickle down my forehead as I press my fingerprint to the home button. Blackboard takes forever to load, and I go through the essay I’d submitted many weeks before. I felt confident. It was a good essay, I spent a week in the library on it. You got this Cameron. 60. The number flashes before my eyes and I take in the horror of what sits before me. There must have been some horrible mistake, I cry, for I simply replicated my winning essay formula that had me reaping the rewards of high sixties and early seventies - what had gone wrong? It later transpired, once the cries of desperation and tears of sadness had faded away, that one minuscule error had tanked my essay and, evidently, left my argument devoid of credibility. Science students may claim their subjects contain more work but at least when you get a maths question wrong, you can move on in the paper without risking everything. It is therefore no surprise that Engineers and Scientists get more firsts than anyone else - to get a First in an essay is agonisingly difficult and terrifyingly subjective to who’s marking. Universalise our mark schemes, dammit!
What the #editors are saying...
Firsts should not come at the cost of our mental health Luke Unger argues that the pressure to get top marks is too high and negatively impacting students’ mental health Luke Unger Multimedia Editor As we approach exam season, Bristol’s libraries reach capacity, exuding an ooze of claustrophobic pressure, as many students attempt to achieve a first class degree. However, for a worryingly large number of students, this has become an unhealthy addiction. I have seen it first hand, knowing friends and peers obsess over it, literally locking themselves away in their rooms for days on end, not uttering a single word, working to the point where they literally forget to eat.
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Pressure on students has never been greater
I understand that as students we all feel some sort of pressure at one point or another during our time at university, and this can be a positive thing. We may even feel like we’re going a bit ‘mad’ during exam season or coming up to a deadline. However, a distinction must be made between that sort of pressure, and the pressure that causes and propagates long term mental illness. I remember seeing my friend finally, after a period of two or three days where she had not come out of her room. She was beginning an essay, months in advance. When she finally opened the door, so I could give her a cup of tea, she was crying, holding the essay in her hand, repeating that it was not good enough. Sadly, I fear this is not an uncommon scenario for many at Bristol University. Indeed, the pressure has never been greater on students. The global marketplace has changed dramatically, tuition fees have tripled within the last few years and what is expected of students has only increased. For many, getting a First seems like the only way of securing a job.
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A cry from Cameron...
be dealing with on their own. Universities must reconsider their pastoral role, now more than ever, in the light of global changes within the past few years, to safeguard their students from succumbing to these pressures. As stated, a huge amount of personal development occurs during one’s time at university. Universities should not consider themselves exclusively academic institutions but jointly a place where for many, we grow up and develop as people. If students go through three years focused on their academic work at the cost of their mental health, I can only imagine how this will affect them in later life. Universities across the country now have an even bigger responsibility to pick up the pieces left after the academic strikes. These strikes have only seemed to increase the pressure felt by students within this exam period. Talking to people around campus, there has been reported an increase in the level of stress students are feeling to achieve the grades they need, when they’ve been supported less. There a number of ways that I would suggest universities consider dealing with this problem: University health services need to work more with personal tutors to highlight at-risk individuals, contacting the students before they’ve contacted tutors. For many suffering with mental health problems, reaching out to people for help is one of the hardest steps to make. It is not sustainable to wait until an individual is in crisis in order to rectify their mental toll. If anything, it seems counter intuitive. Moreover, the student counselling service needs to have more funding. Counselling can offer a vital lifeline with the advice given to students on how to cope with academic pressure. I understand that as of last year the university has increased its funding
to these services. However, the waiting time to receive this counselling can still be months after submitting an application. These months can make all the difference to a student who is in a bad place. Perhaps universities would consider drafting in more professionals to help students during the exam periods of Christmas and Summer, making drop-in sessions more frequent and available to students.
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We should not have to enter a trade off between a first and our mental health
Lastly, I feel like there are little things that the university can do to make its working environment less stressful - things such as altering the ASS library lights, likened by many students to waiting in A&E or getting a dental check-up. Or perhaps, increasing the amount of greenery around campus, or possibly even planting more benches or creating a social space near the libraries of Woodland Road and Wills for students to decompress after a 10-hour library session. These little things can make all the difference. We should not have to enter a trade off between a first-class degree and our mental health. Our university needs to be doing more. And, for anyone who is in a position where they feel inundated by work to the point where they are having issues, talk to someone - a friend, a relative, a tutor - it can make all the difference.
Universities must reconsider their pastoral role, now more than ever
Instagram / University of Bristol
However, working towards getting a First should not have to affect your mental health. Getting a First does not define who you are, and it should not define your university experience. Whilst we do study our chosen subjects, whether it be Medicine or Music, the knowledge we gain from university should be so much more. This patter may sound a little cliché but, for most students, university is where they develop and hone their personality, interests and experiences. To view university with such a narrow mindset is incredibly limiting and potentially dangerous. Furthermore, it must be noted that getting a First will not be the only variable for your future career. Sure, it certainly helps, but there are countless other factors that employers look for when choosing applicants. However, many students still feel an incredible amount of pressure, one which they should not
Doorway to success? Are students under too much pressure to get top marks?
Epigram 30.04.2018
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World politics: The UK conducted a volley of controversial missile strikes against Syria UK politics: Labour promise to bring in free bus passes for young people Student politics: Bristol student accused of racism over holding colonial-themed party The round-up is from the time of writing; developments in these events may have since occurred
Free bus passes are a victory for Labour James Cleaver argues Labour’s bus pass promise is a huge political win
James Cleaver Second Year, History Labour announced on 11th April that it would provide free bus travel to all people under the age of 25. In a speech made at this policy’s launch, Jeremy Corbyn correctly identified that young people have been among the hardest hit since the 2008 recession. Higher house prices, stagnant wages, less secure work and the rising costs of travel were all cited, problems that all students can identify with. Typically following the launch of any policy, the Conservatives and Labour clashed on its costing and effectiveness. Labour’s estimates put the cost at £1.4bn per year at the end of a five-year Parliament, drawn from the £6.7bn collected in road tax. The Conservatives claimed it would cost £13bn pa to implement such a policy, although Labour has pointed out that those sums assume every single person under 25 in the UK would use the bus ten times a week. While the actual cost will probably be somewhere in between these two figures, whatever is spent on this policy isn’t going to turn this country into Stalinist Russia or trigger a recession, as appears to be the reaction of some members of the Conservative Party to any increase in public spending. In terms of effectiveness, it’s quite a sensible proposal. Only local authorities who bring bus services back into public ownership, or tender franchises, would be
able to offer free bus travel. The deregulation of bus services hasn’t proved a success; 70 million fewer journeys were made in March 2016 – March 2017, compared to March 2015 – March 2016, ticket prices are rising, and the taxpayer still subsidises 42% of the costs of local bus services. Given the enormous cost of train travel, buses are increasingly popular ways to travel between cities, and give greater coverage of local areas than trains could ever hope to. It’s not inconceivable that a more effective bus service, aided by Labour’s £250bn National Transformation Fund to pay for road building, could revitalise bus travel and actually generate profits.
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Political round-up
A response to the round-up...
This policy has excellent political implications for Labour
Attracting the youth vote has proved fertile political ground for Labour under Corbyn, whose promise to abolish tuition fees proved popular among young voters at the 2017 General Election. Although the British Election Survey calculated that there wasn’t a massive increase in 18 to 24-year olds voting in the last General Election, of the young who did vote, around three times as many votes were cast for Labour than the Conservatives. However, the true genius of this policy
is that it puts the Tories in a difficult position. Politics is all about optics and the Conservatives’ opposition to this policy helps feed the narrative that they don’t care about young people as much as the Labour Party. It’s a similar story with tuition fees - they just can’t beat Labour’s offers to young people. How many under-25s, who are politically motivated by tuition fees, are going to switch their votes to the Conservatives if they promise to cut tuition fees (they’ve actually frozen them at a maximum of £9,250 pa for now), when Labour’s promised to abolish them entirely? The Tory MP for Braintree, James Cleverly, a man who disproves the existence of nominative determinism, was quick to fire back, tweeting: ‘And remember, kids, when it comes to elections Labour think you’re an adult at 16, when it comes to bus travel you’re not an adult until 25.’ Quite why he thought this would be an intelligent thing to tweet when the Tories recently announced a railcard for 26 to 30-year olds (a tacit admission of the problems of expensive public transport for the young) and oversee a system in which the minimum wage is lower for under-25s than it is for ‘adult’ over25s is anyone’s guess. Either way, this policy has relatively promising practical implications, and excellent political ones for Labour. With the Tories constantly reacting against Labour policies rather than proactively putting forward their own arguments, they risk falling behind in the policy debate.
A response to the news...
Support students’ financial needs and fund our courses fairly
With the disparity in funding between arts and science subjects, Nina Bryant argues we need to reassess how we finance individual courses Nina Bryant Second Year, Psychology New figures have been released about the amount of money spent on different faculties, raising concerns about whether it be split more equally. Is the vast disparity based on greater necessity or due to science subjects being considered more important? Should fees be based on actual cost of courses rather than the standard £9,000? Should we be focusing on the education system as a whole or catering to individual needs?
Although on the surface it may seem unfair that arts students are paying for medics’ degrees, adjusting fees does not seem like a viable option. Making students pay the full cost of a Pharmacology or Veterinary degree would ultimately discourage students who are less well off from doing certain degrees, reducing their scope of choice when choosing what to study at university. Making such degrees, which often give students a better chance of earning a greater income, more inaccessible to students who are less well off will widen the disparity of wealth and increase
Moreover, students with more reading required as part of their course are expected to spend money on reading materials out of their own pocket. Law students for example, are required to spend around £200 a year on their essential reading materials. When your contact hours are already so much lower than your peers and you are paying £9,000 a year essentially to educate yourself, it does seem slightly unfair to then tell students that they have to pay for their required reading as well. This is definitely an issue that should be addressed. In addition, it is arguably necessary not just to look at each faculty, but to make sure that the needs of each individual course within the faculty are being catered to, without making too many sacrifices for the sake of others’ learning. For instance, even within the science faculty the difference between the resources and contact hours provided to a Chemistry student are at least double what is provided to a student of Experimental Psychology. With regards to this issue, the underlying question is whether we should be focusing on our education system as a whole, or focusing on the individual, and making sure each student is given enough opportunity to have the best education possible (within the realms of possibility). Arguably, although a focus on our education system as a whole is important, it is necessary to pay more attention to specific spending on each individual course. Read the original news story on page 4
Epigram / Ed Southgate
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It is necessary to make sure that the needs of each individual course within the faculty are being catered to
the already unfair level of opportunity in our education system. Furthermore, the loan system provided by Student Finance ensures that those whose courses cost more - and will inevitably have a better chance of making more money coming straight out of university - will be paying more of their loan back given their higher income, making the system fairer for arts students who might find it harder to find a high-paying job when finishing their degree. That being said, there is an argument to be made for re-evaluating whether having such a huge difference in the amount invested in each faculty is necessary - the average spent on each student in the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences is £23,896 compared with the £5,063 spent on the average Arts student. There is definitely a justification for spending more on certain courses which require more lab work and expensive equipment, such as Biochemistry, Medicine or Pharmacology. However, such subjects are meant to be less reading based and self-taught than subjects within the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law (those with the lowest average spending per student). Why is it then that every discipline has their own library, except for Arts and Social Sciences (excluding the Will’s Memorial Library)? How can the Arts and Social Sciences library aim to provide enough resources and study spaces for all those doing courses which in theory should require the most reading and individual study time?
Epigram 30.04.2018
12
Epigram / Cameron Scheijde Flickr / Tom Page
Regulated erotic venues could make exploring sexuality more accessible Bryony Chellew underlines the benefits of having a regulated sex industry in Bristol
Bristol City Council recently put forward a questionnaire to collect public opinion on the placement and potential continuation of sexual venues - including sex shops, strip clubs and swingers clubs - in Bristol, following the decision to review its 2012 policy of control and regulation. Covered on Bristol Live, it is stated that ‘Licences for the venues are renewed annually, so if Bristol decide to follow the example of some other councils in the country and stop handing out licences, Bristol may no longer have erotic venues by 2020.’ The original article then goes on to report that ‘several groups have urged the council to reject the application’ on the grounds of inappropriateness and the promotion of ‘harmful attitudes to women’. Thus, the more implicit debate at hand is not whether the current sex venues in Bristol should have their licenses renewed, but more whether or not Bristol is still a city which welcomes this kind of industry and practice. This poses two questions. One: is there still a place for such things as strip clubs, and erotic cinemas? Is there still a demand for them and, more importantly, do they hold a place within current society? Given the thriving nature of websites such as seekingarrangement. com, which currently holds over ten million members - including a substantial portion of university students - it is evident that sexual relations in a more transactional setting are still very much in high demand. With this in mind, the second question is perhaps more culturally sensitive: should there be an effort to preserve, or even expand this industry? In Bristol alone, there are two active swingers clubs, at least four exotic dance venues and an expansive underground sex industry; Bristol also holds an active - although elusive - Facebook group for swinger couples, and in 2017 Bristol Live released an article revealing twenty-nine of the most popular dogging spots. Included in this list were both Clifton Downs
and Redland Station, the latter apparently being a ‘great place for gay dogging late at night’. Clearly, there is still a current and relatively thriving sex industry in Bristol. If this remains the case, it seems a natural progression that this industry should be seen as as valid a space as any other. The abolition of sex venues will not stop the sexual activities they promote, it will only hinder people from engaging with their sexuality in a safe environment. Venues have regulations such as age restrictions and security, which are put in place to ensure that consent and enjoyment are the main objectives of participation. This allows practicing parties the knowledge that they are not endangering themselves by indulging their desires something that everyone, in theory, should be entitled to, provided they remain within the parameters of legality.
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Bryony Chellew Second Year, English
The abolition of sex venues will not stop the sexual activities they promote
A night club or a bar should not be found next to a school; it goes without saying that the placement of sex clubs, like all venues of adult entertainment, should be away from areas populated by minors or people of religious practice. But in much the same way that people who are morally opposed to drinking or clubbing culture cannot use their personal beliefs as grounds for banning bars or clubs - be it due to age, religion or just personal preference - the potential for offence to be taken cannot be held as legitimate grounds for the blanket abolishment of these places. The expansion and continuation of the sex industry should not only be normalised, but perhaps even encouraged. If regulated, venues dedicated to the promotion of consensual sexual activities can grant a wider accessibility for the exploration of one’s sexuality.
Epigram / Harry Coke
‘The abolition of sex venues will not stop the sexual activities they promote, it will only hinder people from engaging with their sexuality in a safe environment.’
Do businesses bottle it when it comes to doing their fair share for the environment?
Plastic waste is not our individual responsibility Sophie Preston contends that responsibility for plastic waste lies with businesses rather than consumers Sophie Preston Third Year, Geography The politics of plastic use is a prevalent issue on campus and in the media, with the dominant discussion centring on one main question: what can individuals do to reduce their plastic consumption and waste? Around the University, students can enjoy a discount in a number of Source Cafés if they bring their own reusable cup. Studentfavourite watering holes, the W.G. Grace and The Berkeley have ditched the plastic straws in favour of paper. The Hungry Caterpillar Food Co-op every Wednesday in the Multifaith Chaplaincy encourages students to shop for their staple groceries sans plastique. The 5p carrier bag charge introduced in 2015 has meant that Bristol student houses are bursting at the seams with Sainsbury’s carrier bags, ready to reuse on the next shopping trip.
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Consumers simply aren’t powerful enough to reduce plastic use from the bottom up
However these small, individual steps are not nearly enough to radically reduce plastic waste. First of all, this approach assumes all consumers are educated about plastic waste and have the means to change their lifestyle. Secondly, cutting out plastic completely is unrealistic, especially living in urban areas such as Bristol. Using a reusable coffee cup for your takeaway coffee does not change the fact that the milk was poured from a plastic container, or that the syrup was pumped from a plastic bottle and the coffee was most likely stored in a non-recyclable plastic bag. We live in a plastic world, and it is nearly impossible to avoid unless you move to a hippy commune in California - although, with deadlines looming this option is deeply tempting. So what is the solution? Should students make a commitment to going as plastic free as possible? We need to face facts: ending our love affair with the plastic is difficult, if not impossible in the 21st century. It would be incredibly inconvenient to fit a plasticfree lifestyle into Bristol city and university life. Imagine taking your KeepCup into Lizard Lounge, or making it all the way to the tills before realising you left your hessian shopping bag at home. Realistically,
individual action against plastic use simply is not enough. Under current neoliberal green politics, the responsibility for plastic waste reduction is unfairly burdened upon the consumer, often inducing additional investments to enable a transition from plastic-based products to suitable alternatives. For example, a Lunette menstrual cup retails at £22.50 – more than the cost of a weekly food shop for many students. Additionally, it is a high risk investment considering many struggle getting used to using menstrual cups; it may well be a wasted purchase. Whilst many argue for the long term cost saving of using a menstrual cup, this does not change the fact that the initial investment is high for cashstrapped students. This is just one example of why expecting consumers to alter their lifestyles will not be effective in radically changing the culture of waste. Something needs to change, and fast, but it needs to come from big corporations and our government – consumers simply aren’t powerful enough to reduce plastic use from the bottom up. At the end of the day, neoliberalism and environmental responsibility just doesn’t mix. It is high time the government stepped in, to control the behaviour of big business in the UK. This has proven to be successful in the past – since the introduction of the carrier bag charge, first in Wales in 2011 then followed by England in 2015, single use carrier bag use has declined by 83%. However, while this approach reflects government engagement with plastic waste concerns, the consumer still bears the cost of the plastic bag levy. This type of legislation has been taken even further with suggestions of introducing a 25p charge for disposable coffee cups – a punitive measure, rather than the rewards system currently offered by some cafes has depressingly been deemed more effective. On the other hand, part of this proposal calls for businesses to pay more for the disposal of takeaway cups, and a full ban by 2023. Regardless of consumer costs, current measures are addressing highly specific items and disproportionately focusing on individual behaviour rather than our disposable plastic culture. The government should endeavour to make big changes to the amount of plastic on supermarket shelves by controlling the amount that corporations can produce – introducing taxes and levies that will change business behaviour from the top, not squeezing consumers.
Epigram
30.04.2018
Science & Tech
@EpigramSciTech Editor: Emma Isle Online Editor: Bethany Harris
Deputy Editor: Oliver Cohen scienceandtech.epigram@gmail.com
What does Facebook know about you?
In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal Luke Unger examines the data they hold Luke Unger Multimedia Editor
Flickr / Book Catalog
viewed by potential employers as the children of the ‘technology age’ grow up. What I find most worrying is the fact Facebook has a data profile of my face, using it to quickly tag me in photos. It does not specify whether this data is also sold. However, with the development of simulated speech, this data could potentially be used to mimic my face, allowing programmers to make that image say or do whatever they desired. Scary stuff. Now, all of this data may appear innocuous. You might be asking yourself, ‘Why should I really care?’, ‘It’s not going to affect me?’, and for the most part, you would be correct. However, I fear it is this attitude which, as we have already seen, led to huge amounts of data be used for malicious purposes, allowing companies like Cambridge Analytica to have such a profound effect on democracy during both the 2016 US elections and Brexit. What concerns me most is the lack of control that Facebook itself has over this data and the absence of laws regulating that data’s uses. Saying all this, I do feel like Facebook should not be viewed as an irreparably corrupt application. During his hearing
Epigram / Oliver Cohen
In the light of Mark Zuckerberg’s recent interview on Capitol Hill concerning Facebook’s role in the 2016 elections and their more than cryptic data policies, new research into how Facebook collects and uses their data is emerging, dredging out worrying finds. Finds such as the fact Facebook track you, even after you log out of the application, using the ‘Like’ button to track which websites you were viewing despite not being on the site itself. When asked about this by Senator Roger Wickers, Zuckerberg replied ‘it’ll probably be better to have my team follow up with you on this’, clearly avoiding the question. So, in light of this, I was curious (and a little bit terrified) to see how much data Facebook actually had on me. Googling ‘How to find out how much data Facebook has on you’ comes up with a very simple way to access said data. Simply click on your settings and scroll down to the bottom, click on the link which says, ‘Download a copy of your Facebook Data’. After clicking on this and then clicking on ‘Download archive’, you should get a notification with your
data ready to download. Simple. Scrolling through more than a Gigabyte of data, it was clear that I had clearly underestimated the Global Cooperation. Facebook has sold my information to over 160 different companies across the world, to countries including China and Australia (I have not visited either). This data has been sold to advertisers such as Yahoo and Amazon. Apparently, Burger joints are really targeting me with information sold to 5 different companies... In fact, most of the companies were either restaurants or food-related companies…? I felt a little insulted. The website also has my IP address and location every single time I have logged on to Facebook. For people logged into the app on their phone or tablet, this is constant. Facebook has every single message I have sent stored away in a memory bank somewhere. I got Facebook when I was about 13 and let me just clarify: moody, crass and generally unpleasant are all words with which one could describe 13year-old Luke. Translating this fact into the context of Facebook…well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want to bring 13-yearold me to a job interview. However, with these messages, undoubtedly Facebook messages and statuses are going to be
Technology protrudes further into our lives with ever more knowledge about us
at Capitol Hill Mark Zuckerberg reminded the Senate that the main focus of Facebook as a company was to ‘bring people together’, an aim I think he has certainly achieved. Facebook is
such a valuable tool for so many people globally. However, both the Facebook team and lawmakers must review current legislation in order for the site to remain safe and transparent.
Virtual reality, real world medicine Matt Price and Caitlin Black talk about the new medical and psychiatric uses for Virtual reality you a dose of virtual reality as a first-line pain treatment. Another application for VR is as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of phobia. By simulating an aversive environment, an individual can begin to confront their fear at whatever increments the therapist chooses. While maintaining a substantial degree of ecological realism, the patient can begin to deconstruct whichever irrational beliefs and fears they may hold towards the object of their phobia. The value of this cannot be understated when it is considered in the context of phobias which are hard to replicate inside a clinician’s office. For those with arachnophobia, we can quite easily simulate a spider on the arm of a nearby chair, but for those with a fear of flying,
physically re-creating the inside of an aeroplane complete with cabin crew, oxygen masks and screaming children might be too much of an ask. As such, virtual reality offers an alternative (and more sensible) approach to manufacturing a setting geared towards behavioural therapy. Generally speaking, the evidence base for the efficacy of VR in behavioural therapy is both compelling and optimistic. One account from a Spanish clinic details a woman who came to them with a destabilising fear of enclosed spaces, who needed to have a CT scan to identify a lesion in her spinal column. Unfortunately, she found the concept of being even slightly enclosed so terrifying that this procedure simply wasn’t a
with technological advances, virtual reality might be a new player in the pain-relief game
Perhaps then, there is the possibility that one day your doctor may prescribe
possibility. The fact that she was able to go through with the scan following only 8 VRET sessions is a testament to the efficacy of this technology. The environments may be virtual, but the results are very real. Virtual reality is undoubtedly a unique clinical intervention, a novel, immersive and valuable means of addressing difficulties we may experience physiologically and psychologically. The clinical significance of the results cannot be ignored. However, at this stage it is apparent VR works best as a supplement, be it within behavioural or medicinal contexts. The flexibility and fluidity of VR is mesmerising, and as a clinical instrument it is surely the beginning of a brave new virtual world.
Epigram / Imogen Robertson
Traditionally, VR technology has resided in the mainstream for its entertainment value. Its use within science however has been somewhat limited: predominantly used within research laboratories, it has served as a useful exploratory tool in academia, particularly within neuroscience. With the development of reasonably priced headsets, this technology has now filtered through into healthcare settings, and VR has now been successfully applied in a number of clinical domains including pain management and psychiatric disorders. Everyone has experienced pain, whether it be from the mundane niggling headache, the constant discomfort of a bad back or the agonising pain of a traumatic injury. Pain, simply put, is our body’s way of telling us that something is wrong. Its function is invaluable imagine putting your hand on a hot stove, and not experiencing the searing pain that triggers the reflex action that makes you pull your hand away. Most people are familiar with and have used the readily available and numerous sources of cheap pain-killer medication. Now with technological advances, virtual reality might be a new player in the painrelief game. As a means to reduce pain by acting as a non-pharmacological form of analgesia, VR draws an individual’s attention away from ‘real world” stimuli and into the “virtual world”. As such, the demand VR places on our conscious attention makes
for an effective pain reduction method, showing increasing promise in pain management for patients recovering from illness and surgery. A good example is AppliedVR, a start-up company that has been building a “pharmacy” of virtual reality content that can be used to relieve pain and anxiety before, during, and after medical procedures. A randomised control trial of paediatric VR found that in comparison to standard care, VR significantly reduced pain and anxiety when administered to those in outpatient phlebotomy. Results suggested that patients who experienced more severe physiological symptoms in response to the phlebotomy procedure benefitted more from the VR interventions. Furthermore, numerous studies support the effectiveness of VR in burn units, where patients often undergo wound care that causes excruciating pain. In one study, patients played a specifically designed VR game called SnowWorld while on a course of painkillers; participants reported a 20% reduction in pain and a 37% reduction in time thinking about the pain.
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Matt Price, Caitlin Black 4th Year Neuroscience
Could VR be a standard tool in the arsenal of future healthcare providers?
Epigram 30.04.2018
15
Girls CodeFirst
Evy Tang talks about her experience with women’s coding initiative CodeFirst Hello, World! Hello, Women! For far too long, public perceptions of computer programmers and software engineers have been confined to one gender. But things are changing, finally. Even now, in 2018, women who code are viewed as a rare specimen of the female sex, a computer goddess, an ambassador for the female gender within the world of technology. I think too many people have yet to realise how important programming skills are and the opportunities that open up to you even if you have the most basic programming skills. As a history student, most would think that my degree would
never require or need any software skills. In second year, I did a unit called ‘Digital Humanities’ and it quite literally changed my whole outlook on the utility of tech within my own subject discipline and career interests. From then on, my curiosity in how technology can enhance and advance how humanities are studied dramatically increased and by September 2017, I was convinced that the next step for me was to apply for a masters in Digital Humanities. At the same time, I again saw the advertisements of CodeFirst: Girls, a not for profit social enterprise that I had applied to the previous year and been rejected from. CodeFirst offers free community courses for women in education and at a professional level. The organisation aims to help and encourage
women to get into tech by providing support for tech start-ups, teach basic programming skills and provide free coding courses for female university students. I applied once more to the programme and was successful this time round in getting a place! From October to December, I followed the beginner’s course which introduced participants to HTML, CSS, Git and a brief introduction to JavaScript and jQuery. What I found most rewarding about the course was how formulaic it was. It was so satisfying when everything worked. In history essays, there is no right or wrong answer, there is no finite answer at all and though it allows for creativity, it can become frustrating at times as your argument can always develop further. With programming, either it works or it doesn’t, and once you find and fix any bugs, you move on to the next bit. I found this really satisfying - it’s why I took A-Level maths back in the day.
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Evy Tang Deputy-Travel Editor
Instead of applying for a masters in Digital Humanities, I hope to get a place on a Computer Science conversion course
Flickr / Iwan Gabovitch
Events which aim to get women into coding are becoming more popular
My plans for next year have changed and instead of applying for a masters in Digital Humanities, I hope to get a place on a Computer Science conversion course (fingers crossed). The course by CodeFirst gave me the confidence and enthusiasm to seriously consider building the
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skills to get into this rapidly expanding industry. It doesn’t matter what degree background you have, anyone can learn a programming language. Whatever you end up doing career-wise, even a basic understanding of coding will only enhance your prospects.
A basic understanding of coding will only enhance your prospects
This brings me onto the controversy of companies ‘favouring’ non-male job applicants. I often hear from male friends of mine who study Computer Science that if I were to gain more sophisticated programming skills and put myself forward for the same jobs as them (despite having a BA in history), there is a high chance that I would be offered a job over them because of my gender. I am sceptical about the extent to which this stands firm, but it did get me thinking. Given the poor lack of gender diversity within tech and at degree level, is ‘social engineering’ and favouring female candidates over men ethical recruitment practice? Last year, Google software engineer James Damore claimed that the reason only 20% of Google’s engineers are women owes to “biological differences” between the sexes and that women tend to have “stronger interests in people” which makes them less suited to programming. The controversial claims lead to Damore being fired from
Google, and rightly so. Women ought to be encouraged to join the industry, not be put off. From a young age, girls ought to also be inspired to pursue any interest in computers and technology. The proportion of women in the west who go on to study computer science at university level has steadily declined in the past decade despite initiatives such as CodeFirst. Taking this all into consideration, I do think there is a case for a bias for women in the current job market because, from a young age, the majority of girls are put off from pursuing an interest in computers. For the time being, favouring women gives us a boost in confidence to apply for jobs in tech and for more girls to consider taking a STEM subject at university. Though our male counterparts may deem this unjustified and “outrageously unfair”, we ought to bear in mind that throughout history women have so often been discriminated against, rendering the current bias for women somewhat justified. This isn’t to say it’s okay, but hopefully, in years to come, there will be no need for a company to feel the need to prioritise female candidates over male ones because naturally, the cohort of applicants will be split more evenly. Until then, I can appreciate the annoyance at the recruitment system but I can reason with why it exists. Let’s hope children aren’t guided into gender roles so early on and that girls aren’t made to feel they can’t play with computers and participate in “boys’ games” and maybe, just maybe, a meritocracy will be in place with a natural gender balance in the industry.
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Oliver Cohen... discusses the spread of fake news via Twitter.
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Oliver Cohen... examines the research suggesting that trees may have heartbeats
Emma Isle... talks about the gender gap in STEM subjects
Flickr / thellr
30.04.2018
Letters
@EpigramLetters
Editors: Nicola Hamer and Lily Hammond letters@epigram.org.uk
Dear Bristolians
Daisy Goodall Second Year, Politics and International Relations
of cluster bombs. Since the start of the war in Yemen in 2014, Britain has sold over £3bn of weapons to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition’s tactics of destroying public infrastructure - including hospitals - and targeting densely populated civilian areas are against international law. In light of this, British citizens must acknowledge the accountability of our government for alleged war crimes in the Middle East.
The Syria crisis encapsulates every frustration of the world-weary, peacemongering Bristolian: the shorttermism of the solutions provided by Western leaders from the safety of the witness box; the static inefficiency of the Security Council; the collective desensitisation to relentless violence inflicted upon a population who have been reduced to statistics. Facebook / Bristol Stop The War
“ We must take our cue from the Syrian people themselves
Stop the War Coalition’s Stop Bombing Syria protest
Surprisingly for those of us who while away our days discussing the merits of pacifism from the sanctuary of the ASS café, a portion of Syrians have expressed approval of the strikes, even calling for an increase in their scope. Anas, 30, from Douma, insists: ‘We’re sitting on the roofs, watching and are happy’. Concerns have been raised by local human rights activists that the Western focus on chemical attacks belies the destruction and deaths attributed to other forms of weaponry used by Assad’s regime and his principal ally, Russia. Crucially, these strikes by Western powers demonstrate
the possibility of bypassing Russia’s inevitable veto on any action to protect Syrian civilians in the Security Council. The call by a spokesperson from the Stop the War Coalition, which organised the protest in Bristol on Monday, urged an end to foreign intervention in wartorn Syria, along with a ceasefire on all sides. This is a result we all hope for, but it glosses over the incredible complexities of this proxy war. Of course, those who oppose the airstrikes are often not ruling out action altogether. It is essential to demand that these airstrikes form part of a wider strategy, with May currently evading questions
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However, as we form our views on the violence and take to the streets to protest May’s airstrikes, we must take our cue from the Syrian people themselves. The New York Times has compiled audio recordings sent in by Syrians in which they voice their opinions on the recent airstrikes by Washington, London and Paris. The testimony of Roua, 20, from Damascus, sounds familiar: ‘I think this is just new political theatre’. The recordings impart the Syrian people’s collective frustration at the futility of the strikes in the face of the overwhelming crisis. There is a consensus among most that a redoubled effort at political mediation from the West would be welcomed, as opposed to sporadic military muscleflexing.
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Epigram
on follow up measures. US economic sanctions on Russia have caused ripples in the country’s currency and stock market: a route that could be pursued. The airstrikes are just a fraction of a much wider issue. Our representatives are complicit in war crimes; official government figures highlight that Britain is the second biggest arms dealer in the world, with the majority of these weapons fanning conflict in the Middle East. British-made cluster bombs have been found in Yemen, thereby undermining our signature on the international convention which prohibits the manufacture and sale
Bristol suffered its own tragedy with the loss of Anna Campbell
Closer to home, Bristol suffered its own tragedy with the loss of Anna Campbell last month in Syria. The former Cafe Kino employee and Stokes Croft dweller found an outlet for her feminist, anti-capitalist and anti-fascist sympathies as a soldier for the YPJ all-female faction of the Kurdish Army. Her death during an offensive by Turkey’s military, which has been linked to jihadi forces, casts shame on our government for arming the country which killed a UK citizen. Anna’s quest to create a better world must be aligned with the realities of daily life for those living under murderous regimes. Before consolidating our stance on the airstrikes by consulting with our peers, we must invite Syrians into the conversation. It is in these moments that we question whether to follow a route of pragmatism or whether to
Dear lecturers, do not give up Samar Khan Third year, Physics and Philosophy
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In a society where lies enable leaders to drop bombs, it’s not farfetched to accuse the UUK of lying to achieve much less sinister objectives. Within 24 hours of your agreement to the deal, they published a pamphlet in bright
Epigram / Samar Khan
Management have already mistreated your professional services
Students banged pans at the protest!
Students have already suffered. Our libraries are cramped and sanity is
eroded by rigid assessments dispensed by overworked teachers with no other option. We have to choose our futures based on whether or not we can afford to enrol on the course. We’re forced to traverse a tightrope by a society that leaves no room for error and views compassion as inefficient.
I worry that the curiosity of students... will be replaced with passivity
I worry that the curiosity of students, which peaked when hundreds of people assembled to form picket lines and march through the city, will be replaced with passivity when they learn of the concessions that were made. The generation that is supposed to turn things around may graduate having no idea what a bit of effective organising can really achieve. I am by no means playing down the sacrifices you have already made. I simply urge you to continue to fight alongside the students and staff that stand with you in resolute solidarity. This structure has been manipulated to
Facebook / Anonymous
I’m writing this letter to ask that you finish what you began. You took us through four weeks of powerful strike action. You brought the injustices of the Higher Education sector to the attention of the public. You sought and found solidarity in colleagues across the nation, and as far as West Virginia and Delhi. But you also accepted a deal that makes no clear commitment to what you, or Higher Education, really needs. Maintaining the status quo for one year to wait for a panel of ‘experts’ to decide your future is not a good deal: it is appeasement.
‘student-pleasing’ colours to announce that you would reschedule your lectures. Management have already mistreated your professional services by moving you onto anxiety-inducing, casualised contracts. They have also stripped you of your offices and communal rooms, and told you to ‘hot-desk’, pretending that we’re running out of space, when in reality they choose to enrol increasing numbers of students.
There were 14 working days of UCU industrial action.
induce anxieties that keep us compliant, making it easy to hesitate when it’s obvious that flames of injustice have engulfed our cathedrals of human enquiry. Together, we must reclaim the space that you have worked so hard to enter and whose maintenance serves all of society. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Speak to students about your concerns and
include us in the conversation of which we are already a part. Remember the gains of the student occupiers who grilled our Vice Chancellor, emboldened by the cacophony of human voices scaling the walls of Senate House. Our vision is clear and must not be tarnished by the goals of a detached few. The future of Higher Education is being decided now.
Living Wellbeing Food Style Travel
Epigram / Cameron Scheijde
Goodbye Bristol!
Editor Jordan Barker
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Online Editor Josie Roberts
Deputy Editor
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Emily Hayman
living@epigram.org.uk
@e2living
Epigram Living Section 2017/18
Festivals in 2018: let’s ‘ave it! Deputy Editor Emily Hayman provides a fierce festival guide You’re sitting in the library, contemplating why you even chose university, as your dissertation is slowly but surely dragging you down into the darkest depths of despair, away from the light. But fear not, June is fast approaching…. and we all know what that means. Let festival season begin. I’m going to give a brief run down of some of the greatest festivals going on this summer, which would be worth a look at before you cause some serious damage to your student loan! If artists such as Hozier, James Bay, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Oh Wonder and Jack Garrett are all over your Spotify, then I’d recommend Barn on the Farm. One of the smallest festivals, with only 1000 or so people, everyone is ridiculously friendly and down with the country vibe. Let the name speak for itself, with tractors, bunting, haystacks and even ostriches (lol), this is not one to miss.
Everyone is ridiculously friendly and down with the country vibe
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Outlook Festival / outlookfestival
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If you’re young at heart, then head over to Reading for a hyped rendition of Feed ‘Em to the Lions. The UK’s version of Burning Man, but it’s your tents which are sure to be fiery by the end. If you’re feeling rogue and brave enough to venture north side of the wall (i.e. anything beyond Bristol), then check out Reading’s rival, Leeds, for the exact same line up but most definitely a cheaper cheesy-chips at the end of the night. If you like the comfort of falling into your bed at the end of the madness, rather than a commitment to four or so days in a stuffy tent, then day festivals are probably more your thing, and Parklife takes the lead in this area. With 90,000 people, this ginormous festival isn’t for the faint-hearted, but some truly inspirational artists have embraced at least one of the epic stages over the crazy weekend in the past: Frank Ocean, Anderson Paak and his squad, Chase and Status, and Kaytranada are some of many. Are you a die-hard DNB fan, but are sick and tired of the dark dungeons filled with nitty roadmen? Outlook has got you covered. Lounge around by the turquoise waters all day in 30 degrees, before raving to the filth all night with your feet in the sand and head in the clouds. Don’t do what I did and book a 30-hour coach thinking the flights will be inaccessible, when if you do it right, they are actually only 30 quid more and will save you over that days’ worth of travel. Also, don’t bring a black tent!
If you’re wanting to try out something new and relatively niche, then Houghton could be the place for you. With the team behind Gottwood helming the production, this festival is said to have been impressively good: its beautiful location in the middle of Norfolk, with a serene lake, allows you to feel detached from the outside world, as if in a spellbinding utopia where the music never stops until that final blowout at 9am on Monday morning, leaving you to go home in high spirits and energy pumping through your veins. There is a huge, eclectic range of DJs, many of whom play multiple sets across the weekend, covering everything from tech house to dubby jazz. Definitely one to consider.
You feel detached from the outside world, as if in a spellbinding utopia
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Emily Hayman Deputy Editor
Epigram / Emily Hayman
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Epigram / Emily Hayman
If you’re that person who genuinely loves ‘every kind of genre’, then Bestival is the groovy glitter fest calling your name <3 there are plenty of things going on such as toboggan rides, yoga classes and tea tasting, as well as sweeeet deals on lunches when you have a wander round. If you’re ready to get lost in endless different worlds, each with a little bit of something special (psychedelic Tribe of Frog style forest, Chinatown and the Lion’s Den, an amphitheatre which resonates reggae all day long), then BOOMTOWN is da one for you. Immerse yourself in the all-inclusive story line: you can get a job, visit the post office and find a mini rave in a tiny room by crawling through a hole in the wall, literally! Pick up a copy of the daily newspaper to find out what’s going on in the fully functioning town, where unique posters are everywhere you look, and the people are the craziest people about. It’s Chapter 10 this year, so get ready and I hope to see you there! And finally, wouldn’t it just be rude not to mention Glastonbury.
With its very own legacy, this festival is the most renowned and visited every time - every year that it runs - and all for good reason. Taking away numerous award wins, including International Music Festival of the Year for five years running, this festival really blows it out of the park. I, along with others, are desperately in the waiting line having signed up to order tickets, and fingers crossed we will get them this year, as the popularity and demand for these tickets never ceases, meaning it is a frenzy to get them when the time comes around. With the first festival held in 1970, every year never fails to impress, where last year Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters and Radiohead were some of countless artists to deliver superb sets amongst the razzle and dazzle of the whole life going on here at Glasto. Join the FB page now and get ready to buy tickets for June 2019!
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Moving out: 5 TOP TIPS! Josie Roberts offers advice for moving out of rented accommodation and keeping your deposit Moving out of your student house may be a very sad prospect. You’ve lived there for a year with your best mates. You’ve had amazing memories with people that may be going on a year abroad or may even be graduating. I want to make sure that it’s only a sad prospect and not a stressful one by giving you five useful tips for when you move out so that you don’t lose any money.
Clean clean clean!
Make sure that you call your electricity and gas company and let them know you’ve moved out
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A splash of paint!
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White walls? If the walls of your room have suffered some wear and tear from our banned old pal blutac, get yourself to Wilko and get a tester pot of white paint. You can use it to quickly paint over those little marks on the wall. This is a much cheaper way of ensuring that your walls look as good as your landlord expects them to be. They may charge you your entire deposit to get the walls repainted for one little dot. Just make sure that you get the right shade of white.
Snappy Snap!
Photo time! Before you leave the house take lots of photos of how you’ve left it. This includes anything that you’ve reported over
Flickr / The Original Muddog
When you moved in the house was most likely clean. They expect you to leave the house as you found it, so make sure you give it a hoover, wipe and polish everywhere to make it look like you would want it to look when you move in. If you have a shared house, giving a few hours of your time together would accomplish this and would avoid you having to pay extra (and lose some of your deposit) for cleaners.
the year to have broken. If then the landlord or anybody was to query and charge you for something that you do not think you were responsible for, you have proof!
Bills, bills, bills, you just can’t say no! Meters! The last person to leave the house must take a photo of your electricity and gas meter. That way, you can be sure that you are only paying for what you need. Make sure that you call your electricity and gas company and let them know you’ve moved out, that this is the final meter reading and your new address so that if there are any queries they will be able to contact you. Then if they try to claim that you have not paid a bill, you will know and it won’t
Are you a Peterson or a Zizek? Take this quiz to find out! This quiz will tell you whether you’re a Marxist troll or an alt-right Andy!
You see a girl you fancy in a bar. How do you approach her? a) I would ask her politely whether I could buy her a drink. After engaging in some small talk, I’d ask her whether she’d like to try the lobster. b) “[Sniff] It was Nietzsche who said ‘When thou goest to woman, take thy whip.’ I always bring my own, but I insist that she does the whipping!”
The Simpsons or Family Guy? a) “Both are full of liberal lies. But I admire Nelson Muntz. Without Nelson, King of the Bullies, the school would soon be overrun by resentful, touchy Milhouses, narcissistic, intellectual Martin Princes, soft, chocolate-gorging German children, and infantile Ralph Wiggums. Muntz is a corrective, a tough, selfsufficient kid who…” b) “I do not have a television any longer.”
Your daughter comes home from school You win the lottery. What do you spend one day and says that she’s a feminist. How the money on? do you respond? a) “I’d start a charity that cures men and women of a) “I would sit her down and – choosing my words very carefully – ask her if she’d like to live in a gulag.” b) “My daughter and I have not spoken in four years.”
3. You see an advert for Coke containing a group of young women in bikinis. How do you react? a) b)
“...” “What is this ideology?”
You have thirty minutes of free time. What do you do? a) b)
“Tidy my room.” “Give a Lacanian critique of my room.”
feminism.” b) “Bug spray.”
On a Friday night, you can be found… a) b)
“Deconstructing cultural marxist logic on 4chan.” “Organising my doilies.”
If you got mostly a), you’re a Peterson! Congratulations! You’re an essentialist scumbag! If you got mostly b), you’re a Zizek! Wowee! Keep those radical opinions to yourself, mind, especially all that stuff about the gulags. Sophie Hunter
Third Year, History
be November next year that you suddenly get hit by creditors.
Get keyed! Check those keys! Remember to hand in all the keys you were given at the start of the tenancy. Get in contact with your landlord or letting agent to check how they want you to give keys in. Some may be happy for you to post the keys through the letterbox in an envelope, others may want you to give them directly back to them. It’s important to check! Either way you don’t want to be charged for key cutting so make sure to count those keys! Good luck moving out!
Josie Roberts Online Editor
The Queen is Dead, boys! Agatha Carmichael, known for her semi-regular Agony Aunt column in Epigram, has died. It’s unknown how old Aunt Aggie was – but let me tell you, she was bloody old. Carmichael was born in Farnborough, a town in the south of England that’s renowned for its kebabs and unusually high rates of cannibalism. ‘My mother bit someone’s ear off in a chip shop once,’ Carmichael wrote in her autobiography. ‘A feisty woman with a pair of ferocious gnashers on her.’ After leaving school at 14, Carmichael travelled to Paris to seek ‘a life of drunken debauchery’. According to rumour, she became very familiar with Charles Baudelaire, claiming that all of ‘his saucy poems about lesbians’ were inspired by her. ‘Baudelaire is not unlike the Modern Man. Totally homophobic, but loves nothing more than penning poems about gay women. A lovely bloke, but a complete creep.’ Little is known about this period of her life, but she claimed to have written over a thousand sonnets to Adèle Dubois, a French anarchist and Aggie’s on-and-off lover. She went on to write many acclaimed crime novels, most notably ‘Murder Most Vowel’, in which former Countdown presenter, Richard Whiteley, goes on a killing spree. In the last year of her life, Aggie was hired by Epigram to write for the Agony Aunt section. Though her advice has faced harsh criticism from psychotherapists, she always believed she was doing right by Bristol students. Aunt Aggie, you will be missed. Another star is shining in heaven tonight. Rest in peace.
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Editor Chloe Payne-Cook
Deputy-Editor Jasmine Burke
Online Editor Leila Mitwally
@EpigramWB
If you ever need to talk, check out www.otrbristol.org.uk @epigramwellbeing
Epigram Wellbeing
Goodbye from Epigram Wellbeing After a year of editing this section, it’s time for the current Epigram Wellbeing team to say goodbye! Here are our final words to you...
I actually cannot believe I’m writing this goodbye. Call me out for being cliché, but it feels like about two months has elapsed since our opening issue went out in September 2017! Editing Epigram Wellbeing has honestly changed my university experience so much more than I thought was possible – the people I’ve met and the opportunities I’ve been given through this newspaper have made my final year at Bristol undoubtedly the best so far. Despite dealing with my own mental health problems prior to and during my time at Bristol, before taking up this position I sincerely underestimated the true extent of the crisis we’re experiencing – but, at the same time, I had no idea how many unbelievably brilliant people were doing incredible things for mental health awareness at this university.
I went into this year with no idea of what being part of the Wellbeing editorial team would consist of, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Not only did I end up with two amazing girls to run the section with, but we were able to hear and share the stories of so many other amazing people who wrote for us. I didn’t know how to be an editor – I’m not quite sure I still fully believe in myself as an editor – but this year in Epigram has brought out so much more confidence in myself and our section and I’m incredibly happy I applied last year. Bristol has such a bad reputation for mental health, and yet being able to meet so many students that are working to make change is unbelievable. Epigram Wellbeing has opened up so many opportunities… I’ve spoken in a panel, interviewed some great people in the Bristol community, worked closely with the Wellbeing Society at the SU and been part of this great newspaper team. The senior team have worked so hard to make this year a brilliant one for everybody and honestly, we’ve appreciated it so much. I don’t want this to sound overly cheesy because I’m cringing as I write this, but it seems to be the only way to convey how much this year has meant to me. I couldn’t have done this without Leila and Chloe and watching them leave at the end of this year was heartbreaking, but they’re going to go on to do amazing things and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. If you’re even slightly thinking of applying next year, I could not recommend it more. I applied on a whim one night because I didn’t feel like I had really done anything within the University, and now I couldn’t feel more involved.
Jake Porter Epigram Deputy Comment Editor
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It is thankful that our generation is both increasingly aware of and ready to talk about mental health issues, but it is of course a shame that this awareness has in part come from how our generation is increasingly struggling mentally. Having a Wellbeing section has an important role in addressing these issues, because being aware does not negate the importance of providing a space in which that awareness can contribute to the conversations that still need to be had. Having written about my struggles for this section last year when it was first introduced, the section not only provides help, support and awareness but has helped those who suffer or have suffered to share those experiences in a way that can even be therapeutic for them. Ed Southgate Epigram Comment Editor
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Wellbeing is such an important section for student media, and has proven its value tenfold across the year. With the current spotlight on student mental health, it’s vital that we maintain a platform where students can both share and learn mental health experiences. The team this year have done such a wonderful job; writing for them was a pleasure.
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I loved writing for this section this year. It’s so refreshing to be writing and reading articles which promote positivity and bring to light issues which don’t usually get the spotlight. I can’t wait to hopefully write more next year!
Epigram / Mary Richardson
Epigram /Holly Penhale
Leila Mitwally Epigram Online Editor
Jasmine Burke Epigram Deputy Wellbeing Editor
As students we are more susceptible to vulnerability, feeling overwhelmed and suffering with our mental health. One thing that has made me indisputably happy, is reading all of the amazing, inspirational pieces which we’ve been lucky enough to share with the University. Not only have they inspired me on a personal level, and often helped me with my own mental health struggles, I know that they have been of immeasurable use to other students who are finding things hard. That is honestly the most amazing thing in the world; being able to share people’s writing so that it reaches other students who need to hear that they are not alone and not isolated in their experiences. Obviously, I think mental health is the most important part of university life (not biased at all). Yes yes, studying and a degree is a pretty big part of uni living. But it’s never ever as important as your personal wellbeing. I am so touched to have read every one of the submissions we have received this year and I am overcome with pride at how open, honest and brave students at UoB have been in sharing their very personal experiences. Mental health doesn’t have to be stigmatised and I am thrilled to have been able to combat some of the pre-existing stigma, by putting student’s articles into the WORLD. Mental health is incredibly subjective and there is a huge spectrum of opinions on this topic, but I know that every single one of the articles we have printed have helped at least one other student and that is phenomenal. I am also so, so honoured to have been able to share this experience with two amazing women! Being in a strong female team is beyond the best. Thank you to my beautiful team, Jas and Leila, for being fearlessly brave and talented in so many ways. AND finally (I feel like I am doing an Oscars speech!) thank you to Noa and Alex, who have allowed us to share our open experiences through this paper. I am still completely overwhelmed with how much incredible journalistic talent UoB has, especially when it comes to a topic as sensitive as mental health.
Luke Unger Epigram Multimedia Editor
Epigram /Mary Richardson
Epigram / Chloe Payne-Cook
Epigram / Mary Richardson
Epigram / Chloe Payne-Cook
Chloe Payne-Cook Epigram Wellbeing Editor
Of course – as we don’t shy away from acknowledging in this section – we still have a long way to go until the wellbeing support available is satisfactory at Bristol, but the interest and passion for this cause that we’ve seen consistently throughout this year has shown me how attainable that end goal really is. Not only has being involved with this section introduced me to some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met (in the form of my co-editors, Chloe and Jasmine, and the incredibly brave and eloquent writers we’ve been fortunate enough to have contribute this year) but it’s also improved my personal confidence: if you’d told me this time last year that I’d be comfortable interacting with people I’ve never met before on a regular basis or talking in public or on the news about my mental health issues I’d have laughed in your face! There will never be enough space here to say all that I’d like to about my experience with this section, so I’ll leave it with a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed, participated in campaigns, spoken up, come to meetings or been involved in any way over the year, as none of it would have any meaning without you!
To create an open and empowering space within a university newspaper that is read by hundreds of students, is a difficult feat to accomplish. Epigram, however, has actualised this perfectly and given aspiring writers, like myself, a platform to express insights on a multitude of topics with a large, like-minded readership. It is this freedom and flexibility within Epigram that makes it a truly fabulous publication to read and to write for.
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Mia Jaccarini First Year, English and Philosophy
I had the fantastic opportunity of writing for the Wellbeing section of Epigram this year. The best part about writing for the section is the fact that you’re continuously learning new things about the world around you and about yourself. Realizing real life issues that affect people and the world is both rewarding and important. Writing for Epigram Wellbeing is a one in a lifetime experience that changes your perception of the world. Matthew Lu First Year, Law
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WANT TO BE INVOLVED NEXT YEAR? This may be the last issue of the year, but if you want to get involved next year, join our writers group now, so that you are alerted the second we start looking for submissions again! Also, if you think that you could be a good candidate for the editorial team next year, look out for advertisements on the main Epigram Facebook page for the editorial roles, as those will be coming soon!
Mind your head: an active campaign necessarily mean exercising. First and foremost, find something you can enjoy doing, to celebrate your body and mind. Perhaps an informal game of French cricket on the downs or a bike ride around Bristol. Maybe ask your flatmates/coursemates if they fancy a walk and picnic afternoon in Royal Fort on 9th May? (See Wellbeing Network events lists).
Take Notice Mondays Take Notice is about engaging with your surroundings, both human or environmental. It’s about grounding yourself in the world around you, while being aware of your own presence in it. Perhaps go for a stroll in Ashton Court, do some art, get your camera out for a photography session, write poetry or simply stand at the bus stop without getting your phone out.
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The campaign is focused around the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ as a model to assist us in putting together this toolkit
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Keep Learning Tuesdays Keep Learning does not mean hitting the library for an intensive study session. It’s about focusing on more holistic learning that engages with an interest you didn’t realise you had or had forgotten. For a bit of escapism perhaps read a fiction book or watch a documentary on a subject that interests you. Have stimulating conversations about ideas, not people, or try a skills swap with a friend (e.g. origami for guitar playing!) Be Active Wednesdays Be Active is a call for action. As we know, physical activity has huge benefits on mental health. There is a whole range of fitness activities offered by the University, and the BeActive Campus timetable and swimming pool are now FREE! However, ‘being active’ doesn’t
The most important point to take away from these Mind Your Head weeks is to know that taking time to look after your wellbeing is important and necessary
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Give Fridays Sometimes it can feel like you’re giving and aren’t getting anything back. But being appreciative of your own ability to give can help you feel empowered by the positive impact you’re having on others. Give a friend some time in your week to chat, give a meaningful compliment to someone who needs to hear it, give a listening ear to a friend going through a hard time, give some essay-writing snacks to someone in the midst of deadline madness; the possibilities for give are endless. But don’t forget to give time to yourself to do something you love or celebrate your strengths. This is what Mind Your Head is all about: giving yourself permission to put your wellbeing first.
However small a connection may seem, no connections are meaningless and one helpful response from you could make a day’s/week’s/month’s difference to another
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The most important point to take away from these Mind Your Head weeks is to know that taking time to look after your wellbeing is important and necessary. It’s only right that we take time to recharge and reconnect with ourselves and our wellbeing. Everything in society now seems to be quantified, with numbers dictating our worth. There can be this constant feeling of not being good enough in all the different aspects of our lives because of the focus on what we do rather than who we are. But we are absolutely good enough! So, abandon that self-doubt and that niggling guilt, and celebrate your strengths, your connections and what it is to be you!
Abbie Jessop Wellbeing SU Chair
The term mental health has had a surge in its appearance in the media in recent years, enough that people may think that the issue has been addressed. It’s tiring; writers writing about mental health awareness have become a stuck record. But as someone suffering from mental health issues I can say for sure that the issue has not been addressed, and just because we may hear about it once or twice or three times does not mean that the stigma has been silenced. There are still people who think depression is laziness; still people who think you can always see eating disorders, still people who think that anxiety disorders are a neurotic phase for people who are just a bit straight-edge. And then there are the people (myself included) who know that these beliefs are so wrong but have had them so strongly ingrained in their psyche that their instinct is to think that people with mental illness can help it, can make it stop, can control it.
Just because we may hear about it once or twice or three times does not mean that the stigma has been silenced
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Besides the social stigma aspect, unless you know someone or you yourself suffer from a mental health condition, you will not be exposed to the stigma received from people whose job it is to help people get better. To give an example I have had a clinical psychologist at the BRI respond to my telling her I had a diagnosis of an eating disorder with, ‘you know what, you’re female’. Not only did this belittle my own struggles, but I hate to think what she would have said faced with a male patient with an eating disorder. Understanding from medical professionals is particularly important because having a mental illness affects the very organ that will control the process of getting better: the brain. Imagine having a broken leg meant your leg telling you this was how it was meant to be, this was how it had always been, and you didn’t deserve to get better. Mental illnesses are different from physical illnesses, in that mental illness can often involve a distortion of reality, thoughts that maybe this pain is normal, and maybe your life will be worse without it.
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The campaign is focused around the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ as a model to assist us in putting together this toolkit, finding activities that can be effective as a means of building awareness of our own wellbeing. Throughout this two-week campaign, we will be exploring how each of the five ways can help us actively care for our mental health and encourage you to think about what works best for you. Some ways will be more effective than others, some might be a challenge.
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The ‘Mind Your Head’ campaign is just that. A reminder to think about our mental health in a proactive way, as something we should take note of and actively care about
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This is not to oversimplify mental health. Mental health and wellbeing is hugely complicated and very personal. There is no silver bullet approach; no ‘one-size fits all’ method. Life can be full of open cupboard doors, low ceilings, and falls that threaten our mental health. ‘Mind Your Head’ aims to empower you to create a personalised wellbeing toolkit that works for you.
‘Being active’ doesn’t necessarily mean exercising. First and foremost, find something you can enjoy doing, to celebrate your body and mind
Connect Thursdays This world is full of connections, making the world seem smaller every day. But the social media links or business connections, although useful, may not be mindful or improve wellbeing. Take time to reevaluate the connections you have, and appreciate the people close to you. Re-connect with a friend you haven’t seen in a while or invite a coursemate over for a joint revision session. And make new connections! Help someone work out bus routes at the bus stop or have a chat with the local shopkeeper. However small a connection may seem, no connections are meaningless and one helpful response from you could make a day’s/ week’s/month’s difference to another.
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The ‘Mind Your Head’ campaign is just that. A reminder to think about our mental health in a proactive way, as something we should take note of and actively care about.
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‘Mind Your Head’. The sign on the wall of an old winding staircase. The words of warning called out when stepping into a low-ceilinged room. Words you mutter when dodging the open cupboard door above you. It’s a ‘look-out!’, calling for an active response to minimise chances of getting hurt.
Why writing about mental health is still important in 2018 Epigram / Chloe Payne-Cook
All article images: Imogen Robertson
SU Wellbeing Chair, Abbie Jessop, talks us through all the activities that are taking place for the next few weeks to aid with mental wellbeing!
I have had a clinical psychologist at the BRI respond to my telling her I had a diagnosis of an eating disorder with, ‘you know what, you’re female’
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It will take more than one article to change people’s opinions about mental health. Taking mental illness seriously needs to be a natural instinct (a skill which I have yet to master myself) so that next time I or anyone else tells someone they have a severe mental illness people react in the way you would to hearing about someone suffering from a seriously debilitating physical illness. Until this is the case, writing about mental health will still be vitally important.
Nina Bryant Second Year, Psychology
30.04.2018
22
Some wise words for the end of the year...
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6. Don’t feel ashamed Please, don’t feel bad or ashamed if your anxiety or panic attacks play up whilst you’re away. Just remember as horrible as it is, you’ve survived 100% of them in the past, you’ll be okay. Try remembering any breathing techniques or exercises that help you get through them. You may also think it’s embarrassing or that people will think you’re a right weirdo, but if they do, so what! You’re probably never going to see them again and those who really matter won’t mind.
4. Remember your medication Make sure you remember any medications you may need, whether this be for your anxiety or for anything else. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a foreign country and forgetting your meds. I was prescribed Valium for my latest holiday and though there is a massive stigma against these medications, it was 100% a lifesaver in certain situations - there is no shame in needing medication. I’ve also found Bach rescue remedy to be a great help whilst travelling.
7. Don’t let it stop you Lastly, don’t let panic attacks stop you doing awesome stuff on holiday! It may not feel like it, but the best thing to do when you’re anxious about it is actually doing it, this has 100% worked for me in the past.
Gail El-Halaby First year, Psychology
5. Download apps and enternainment Download a meditation app and make sure you have plenty of
Dealing with the end of University Recently I have never felt so ambivalent towards my time at university coming to an end. Equivocally I have felt torn between feelings of excitement towards the future but also a sense of ambiguity stemming from happiness that my degree is coming to an end but also sadness at the thought of not seeing the amazing friends I’ve made here every single day. Plainly and simply for me, I will be moving back home after I graduate this summer. Again this is something I have felt highly conflicted o n - losing some of my independence by moving back to my small town in Derbyshire with my parents, but also desperately looking forward to having home comforts, earning some money, travelling and working out what job I really want to do.
I think the word that epitomises my feelings of fear towards the end of university is uncertainty
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I think the word that epitomises my feelings of fear towards the end of university is uncertainty. For once in our lives, at least some of us will be falling out of the rigid routine of education and embarking on the real world. In particular, I felt the specific fear and stigma attached to not having a job secured immediately after uni. Yet upon reflection, I have come to realise that the highly competitive rates of applications and intellectual standards of students means that not everyone will be able to get the job best suited to them straight away. Also, I am unsure about which direction I want to take in life, and this time out for me will be crucial for me whereby I can dedicate time to researching the millions of jobs out there that I didn’t even know existed. A great way to deal with leaving university is accepting that things will always work out and that knowing that you don’t always need to have a set plan in life. If you remain open to opportunities and work hard for the job you want, things will go your way. You’ll also most likely
find that so many people feel the same way, as just like when we all moved to university, everyone was in the same boat. Yes, it might feel unnerving hearing that some people did internships in the summer of second year and subsequently have a graduate scheme awaiting them, but that most certainty wouldn’t make me happy in the mind-set that I’m in right now. I have always been someone who works really hard, loves being busy and always has a goal to meet – and this won’t stop just because I’m leaving uni and don’t have a graduate job lined up.
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1. Tell a friend Tell the person you’re travelling with - this has without a doubt been one of the best things. It’s incredibly comforting to know that there is someone you can go to if you do begin feeling anxious or panicked. If they’re not already familiar with your symptoms, explain beforehand and tell them how they can help you out if you got yourself in a pickle. If they care they won’t mind or judge you!
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Just remember as horrible as it is, you’ve survived 100% of them in the past, you’ll be okay
The highly competitive rates of applications and intellectual standards of students means that not everyone will be able to get the job best suited to them straight away
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Realistically, if someone told me I had to do a masters or go straight into work I would be devastated; I can’t wait to hand in my dissertation and complete my final exams. I am completely ready for a break from studying and commitments – when will I ever get a whole year to dedicate to myself again? As my dad always says, when you hop on the work treadmill, you never get off. It is becoming increasingly common for new graduates to move home, save money and take time to properly apply for jobs and that is completely okay. Epigram /Chloe Payne-Cook
I decided I couldn’t fully stop my mental illness from letting me do something I had so passionately been wanting to do for years
Though there is a massive stigma against these medications, it was 100% a lifesaver in certain situations - there is no shame in needing medicationcare about
Epigram /Chloe Payne-Cook
Epigram /Chloe Payne-Cook
I love travelling, and although for a long time my anxiety stopped me from doing so, a couple of years ago I decided I couldn’t fully stop my mental illness from letting me do something I had so passionately been wanting to do for years. I’m not going to lie, it’s hard, but through my short (and really not that experienced) experience of travelling, I gathered up a small few tips that I’ve found have helped me cope with anxiety and panic attacks whilst away. Once again, these won’t work for everyone and everyone deals with their anxieties differently, but it’s all about experimenting and finding out what works for you. Even today, I’m still working on that and will be doing so until I manage to find a way to attempt to halt my attacks of panic altogether. But there are some things you can do that can help:
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Sweating, dizziness, overwhelming nausea, the crippling stomach pain, the urge to run and the familiar feeling of dread, going crazy and the inability to cope. It’s important to state that panic attacks are different for everyone and present themselves with different symptoms. Contrary to what many people seem to assume a panic attack might be, I personally rarely hyperventilate. I tend to recluse and go incredibly quiet and build a wall around myself that no one can get through. They affect everyone differently. But there I was lying on that sunbed in Jordan, my thoughts uncontrollably running away with me and now a lurking feeling that I was going to poop myself. Sounds great, right? Sure, a lot of the time you know what the trigger is but this particular time I just couldn’t identify it, but hey, I survived.
3. Eat, drink and sleep Sounds logical but make sure you eat, drink and sleep properly on the days prior and also during your holiday. Dehydration, lack of sleep and lack of nutrition can all exacerbate symptoms. Carrying a bottle of water and some snacks is great if you’re out for the day and don’t have a plan for food. And if you are going on a bit of a party holiday, try to be sensible and know your own limits - it’s not a competition.
entertainment with you. Being able to take time out to meditate when you’re feeling particularly stressed or in the mornings or evenings can be a great way to help yourself. I’ve found music to really help me too, so if you’re the same, make sure you carry round an iPod or something you can listen to music on.
Epigram / Jasmine Burke
When you suffer from panic attacks or severe anxiety, the situation doesn’t always matter
Epigram / Jasmine Burke
Here I am sitting in a sunbed, overlooking the Mediterranean Dead Sea. It’s 30 degrees. I have a cocktail in hand, my music and a good book to sink my teeth into. One of my best friends is sitting next to me on his phone and I’m watching over my little sister as she swims in the blissful infinity pool a few metres in front of me. How much more chilled out can you get? When you suffer from panic attacks or severe anxiety, the situation doesn’t always matter. I’ve had panic attacks in lectures, in the middle of a desert, on a mountain, in my bedroom, in a nightclub. I’ve even had a panic attack whilst watching the Northern Lights in Iceland! And in that moment sitting by the beach I felt a familiar sensation creeping on me once more.
2. Take herbal calming tablets If flying is also an issue for you, try a tip from a friend of mine who took herbal calming tablets for 48 hours before the flight. Also tell the flight attendant if you’re on your own and feel particularly bad! They’re trained to deal with all sorts of stuff.
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Travelling with anxiety
I am trying to perceive the next stage in my life as the stage where I have the most control. I can utilise my year off to work towards my ambition of living and working in London, to go travelling and to spend time with my family before I move out permanently. When I put things in the bigger picture, I am tremendously lucky to have a home to go back to when I need it, which I must be appreciative of. Ultimately what will be will be, and only I can influence that.
Molly Gorman Third Year, History
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30.04.18
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Editor Jane Cowie
Deputy Editor Holly Penhale
Online Editor Sarah Roller
food@epigram.org.uk
@epigramfood
Epigram Food 2017- 18
Al fresco dining: making the most of the summer sun Celebrating the glorious heatwave, Jane Cowie compiles a list of her best picks of where to enjoy good grub in the glorious sunshine I recommend opting for a cocktail (make the most of happy hour), and get a variety of tapas dishes so you can chop and change, having a taste of it all- from lamb koftas to crunch falafel balls!
Considering how infrequently we get the sun, I urge you to make the most of it. Yes, go to the library and smash out some work, but make sure you take yourself to the great outdoors. It really will give you the burst of life you need. For me, there is nothing better than eating outside, with a g&t in hand, soaking up those glorious rays. That’s why I have compiled a list of some of the best al fresco cafes in Bristol, where you can enjoy good food, refreshing drinks and some well-earned (and needed) vitamin D.
This little, hidden gem allows you to get away from the overly busy feel of Bristol, allowing you to sit back at relax
The best bit, without doubt, is the beer garden/ rooftop terrace. Allowing you to peer over the sights of Clifton, on long tables which can fit a large group, this is the place to go
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Folk House Located at the bottom of Park Street, the Folk House boasts a quaint courtyard that is perfect for catching the sun midday. Not only do they provide a wealth of artistic courses, from painting to pottery to languages, but they also have a café that offers local, organic, sustainable and delicious food. There is always an option for a soup dish which is less than £5, however if you want to go for something a little more substantial, there is a choice of quiches and tarts that are served with salad and slaw for a reasonable £7.50. What is more, they’ve got you covered if you are a vegetarian or vegan, constantly reviving their choices for these. Whether you are after a quick pint, a nutritious wholesome soup, or a moist, homemade cupcake, the Folk House will be able to provide, and you can rest assured all the ingredients are ethical and sustainable. This little, hidden gem allows you to get away from the overly busy feel of Bristol, allowing you to sit back and relax in a charming, picturesque garden.
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Whether it be for a library break midday, where you can grab a quick bite to eat, or somewhere to go early evening, catching the final rays of the day, I hope I have provided you with some inspiration for where to go in this sensational weather:
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Boston Tea Party It almost goes without saying, however, if you are yet to try the hidden tiered garden at the back of BTP’s flagship café on Park Street, wait no longer. Now is the time. BTP offers a selection of alcoholic drinks (so you can grab a craft beer if your studies are a real struggle), fresh juices, milkshakes, smoothies and coffees – allowing you to pick and choose as per your heart’s desire. One thing is consistent, though. They’ll do it well. For the sake of not repeating myself, I’ll just let you know a few of their new additions to the menu: • Pork Belly Grain Bowl (inspired by the Aussie brunch) • Smoked Mackerel Grain Bowl • Cheddar & Jalapeno Cornbread with a fried egg, smashed avo, salsa, yoghurt and tabasco maple syrup • Smashed Avocado on Sourdough with poached eggs, chipotle and chilli • Rye Bread Porridge with sultanas, caramelised apple compote and cinnamon One word of warning: BTP is a top spot, however, it certainly is no secret. This place gets very packed, very quickly. If you end up not getting a seat in the outdoor garden, no worries. Just ask for a take away cup, and walk 5 minutes around the corner where you will find yourself in the beautiful Brandon Hill Park. Win win.
The White Rabbit The White Rabbit is another more recent addition to the Bristol culinary scene, opening in May 2016 with its incredibly successful ‘Opening Pizza Party’ which saw 1500 people flocking. Apparently, people love pizza. Tucked behind the Students Union Building, the local haunt for all the students living in Clifton. The White Rabbit has become known as the place (alongside Bosco) to get your pizzas. However, unlike Bosco, it offers a stupendously good deal: 2 for 1 pizzas on Monday. The interior is a suitable balance between comfortable and upbeat. On the left of the building you can sit on the plush red sofas next to a warming fireplace, whilst on the right of the building there is live music, television screens (with sky sports) and ping pong tables to keep you entertained when the gust outside picks up.
Epigram / Holly Penhale
They have an all-day dining menu, with a variety of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods, all freshly prepared daily, and cooked in their wood fired oven, charcoal robata grill or charcoal rotisserie for additional flavour. They won the ‘Best Mediterranean’ in the 2018
Epigram / Jane Cowie
Epigram / Jane Cowie
Bambalan If you journey down towards city centre, right by Colston Tower, a mere 10-minute walk from University, you will stumble upon Bambalan. Bambalan opened in May 2016 and is undeniably one of the most beautiful al fresco dining places you will find in the city. Kitted out with a rooftop terrace looking over the centre, and numerous ping pong tables, Bamabalan exudes a chilled out, relaxing atmosphere.
This is a top spot, however, it certainly is no secret. This place gets very packed, very quickly
Epigram / Holly Penhale
Many of us have not been able to make the most of it. We have been reluctantly dragging ourselves into the stuffy, overcrowded library to, miserably, try to get somewhere with our final assessments of the year. We sit, resentfully looking at the beautiful summer sunshine out the window, aching to go outside and enjoy it.
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Epigram / Holly Penhale
The heatwave has arrived. The temperature has soared to the dazzling heights of 23 degrees and the whole of England has got their kit off, only to reveal their pasty skin (which in just one day will be a fluorescent shade of red) and their insatiable desire to get some tinnies and lie in the park with friends. Oh yes, it really feels that summer has begun.
Deals you should know about: Happy Hour runs Monday to Saturday 4-9pm, allowing you to get 2 cocktails for only £10. • Students get 10% off their food bill when they show their NUS card. • A chicken or falafel bab is just £6 (Monday – Friday 12 – 2). •
The best bit, without a doubt, is the beer garden/ rooftop terrace. Allowing you to peer over the sights of Clifton, on long tables which can fit a large group, this is the place to go after your study session in the SU. Here, enjoy the amazing variety of local beers and ciders (they are keen supporters of local breweries), and their delectable stone baked pizzas which range from £6.50 (your modest margherita) to £11.45 (if you are a salami and Parma ham lover).
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Bristol Good Food Awards, and for good reason.
Jane Cowie
Food Editor
30.04.18
25 Review: Asado - best burger in town?
Holly Penhale reviews one of the best places you can find burgers in Bristol
After agonising over the menu choices, three of us went for the Pollo Libre, a buttermilk-fried Chicken Burger with homemade guac, chipotle mayo and lettuce served in a toasted challah-bun. Epigram / Holly Penhale
As we waited for our food, the tables started to fill up proving the immense popularity of the small venue, located away from the hum of central Bristol just opposite the BRI. Phone orders were also being taken as the Saturday night peak kept the staff on their toes. But when our long-awaited food arrived, it did not disappoint. It was clear that this was the kind of burger that needed to be tacked one of two ways: A) Both hands, plenty of napkins, and an acceptance that some of the contents will end up in your lap. B) Admit defeat and enlist the knife and fork.
Epigram / Freddie Keighley
Up until Saturday I thought I had a fairly good idea of where to find the best burgers Bristol has to offer. In my three years here, I’ve sampled a fairly wide range from local delights at the likes of The Burger Joint and Grillstock to your nationwide classics at Byron and GBK. All in all I’d say Bristol is above average in terms of burgers but it wasn’t until I experienced my first Asado that I realised this place was in a league of its own. I’d seen their Instagram posts and the snaps of toasted sesameseed buns filled with mountains of meaty, cheesy deliciousness had piqued my interest. Returning to Uni after the Easter break I finally managed to convince my housemates to accompany me there after lengthy delay whilst one of them dabbled with Veganism for Lent.
Keeping it simple, we all went for the rosemary salt chips to accompany our burgers, and my now-veggie housemate ordered the Señor Veggie, the one and only veggie burger on the menu, a smoked red pepper burger stuffed with mozzarella, served with pesto mayo, lettuce and tomato.
I went for option B as napkins were scarce and cutting into the crispy buttermilk coating and discovering a succulent and juicy chicken fillet was a delight. The fresh guac was the perfect addition, clearly made on site, the chunky avocado was generously heaped
onto the chicken and was the ideal antidote to the fiery chipotle mayo. The rosemary chips were served skin on, and perfectly cooked, neither greasy nor hard in the middle.
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When we arrived, we were quickly seated, just a couple of other tables were filled in the small, quirkily decorated restaurant. Convinced by the promise of a £5 discount for every two cocktails ordered, we ended up with four, very strong beverages, not quite the fruity and refreshing drinks we were after but nice enough.
The pollo libre received rave-reviews from all three meat-eaters and I am assured that the Señor Veggie which oozed with stringy mozzerella when cut in half, was just divine
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My only criticism, if you can call it one, was that the burgers and sides are served on separate plates, which made it easy to forget the chips when tackling the mammoth main event. The Pollo Libre received rave-reviews from all three meat-eaters and I am assured that the Señor Veggie which oozed with stringy mozzarella when cut in half, was just as divine. Struggling to get through the generous portions, we had the chips put in take-away box, a testament their tastiness. Without being hyperbolic, this was one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. I am sad that my days in Bristol are numbered and opportunities to eat there again are quickly diminishing. Nonetheless, I am determined to dine there at least once more before the end of the academic year and whole-heartedly recommend that you do too.
Holly Penhale
Deputy Food Editor
Graduation: where are you going to celebrate? Sarah Roller gives us the low-down on where to go to celebrate your graduation The dates have been announced, the agonising question of who to bring has surfaced, the gowns are starting to be ordered, and of course, the all-important graduation meal spot has to be chosen. Given how insanely fast restaurants in Bristol book up during graduation week (13th-20th July if for some reason this has all passed you by), we thought we’d give a round-up of some of our favourite spots to celebrate 3/4/5+ years of hard work….
Bulrush One for the real foodies: Bulrush offers 3 courses for £20 on weekdays, and a seriously snazzy tasting menu - the food really is to die for (although not one for the fussy eaters). Hidden in a corner of Cotham, and nothing to look at from the outside, it makes up for its simple exterior with mind-blowing, fancy food. If your top priority is really really really good food, head here. You won’t be disappointed.
local ingredients – it changes almost daily. Also worth noting that NMG is only open for lunch Friday – Sunday, and for dinner Wednesday – Saturday. The Ivy, Clifton Located in classy Clifton, lunch at The Ivy is a classic. Housed in an old bank, the art deco interior and smart-looking staff make it feel pretty special: perfect for graduation. The Ivy is also great if you have a slightly larger party for lunch: there’s plenty of room in here. The food is classic British and plentiful – make sure you leave room for the famous Chocolate Bombe though…
Epigram / Jane Cowie
Pasta Loco Conveniently located on Cotham Hill, Pasta Loco is arguably one of Bristol’s best kept secrets from its student population. Notoriously difficult to get a table, but absolutely worth trying. Unsurprisingly, their main focus is pasta – with a range of meat and fish dishes at dinner – and it’s absolutely divine. It’s not big inside, and the kitchen is open, so one for people looking for a relatively small table.
Epigram / Sarah Roller
The Lido Just a short walk from both the SU and Wills Memorial, The Lido is tucked away off St Paul’s Road, and provides a lush lunch spot. The glass walls means the whole restaurant feels light and airy,
No Man’s Grace One of Bristol’s Michelin Guide recommended restaurants, you’d be forgiven for thinking No Man’s Grace was simply a Redland pub from the outside. Inside, however, the food is top notch (and if you’ve got a sweet tooth, it’s worth leaving room for dessert). Admittedly the menu isn’t huge, but it is well-chosen, with fresh
Epigram / Jane Cowie
Browns Vintage Bristol graduation meal spot. Situated right next to Wills Memorial, the location certainly couldn’t be more convenient. The terrace bar is perfect for a drink, or head inside and order brunch / lunch / afternoon tea / dinner, depending on what you fancy. The menu covers all the standard British classics (think chicken & ham pie, steak and fish & chips), as well as some more continental options. An absolutely safe bet.
and combined with the Spanish / Mediterranean influenced menu, and the swimmers powering up and down the pool, the whole setup is perfect for a summer’s day. The set menu (3 courses for £20 at lunch and early evening) certainly won’t break the bank, but will definitely tick the box for a special meal.
Sarah Roller
Online Food Editor
26
Editor Nancy Serle style@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Editor Lottie Moore
@e2style
30.04.2018
Online Editor Hannah Worthington
@epigramstyle
Epigram Style 2017/18
Waxing down south
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Tired of duff razors and sore redness from shaving? Online Style Editor Hannah Worthington shares her honest opinion on this taboo topic, and the best salons to visit in Bristol We’ve all been there. ‘Today is the day I am going to go for it and wax the lady bits’ we utter, but somehow that day never arrives and we always end up adding the cheapest pack of reusable razors into our weekly Sainsbury’s shop. After frustration at quick re-growth and coarse hairs, I finally took the plunge and booked myself the daunting appointment: a Hollywood wax.
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I finally took the plunge and booked myself the daunting appointment: A Hollywood wax
It has been said that starting with a bikiniline wax is better and most advisable if you have never waxed down south. Having waxed my legs for years, I decided my pain threshold could handle it. Maybe this was a little ambitious, but
on reflection, I would still say just go for it all; you’ll only be dissatisfied feeling the smooth against bristles. First off - ensure the salon you visit has Lycon wax. It is an absolute no no to have a Hollywood via strip wax. Lycon is made from pure Australian Beeswax, and my beautician informed me that not only does this wax set quicker, but it is also up to 50% less painful - and this is pretty imperative if your lady forest has never met with wax before. Lying on the salon bed, with spa-like acoustics trying their best to settle me, I was nervous, and so was my vagina. We start with the bikini line. Lycon wax was applied in a thick layer using a spatula, left to dry for a minute, and subsequently ripped off. This area was fairly painful - comparative to treading on a lego brick (twice). Then, we moved to the top area of hair that always seems to peep out of our knickers if we let it get too long. Every time, my beautician used a new spatula to apply the wax - make sure no double dipping is going on and that your beautician is wearing gloves, because the amount of ‘vajayjay’ bacteria (Oprah Winfrey inspired) that will have
been dipped back in will be teeming. The front was again painful, perhaps less so than the bikini. I’d say think of the top as like ripping off a plaster, very fast.
I never normally yelp or scream, and I did
The most painful area was thus the lips and labia. I normally never yelp or scream, and I did. If you’ve only ever shaved, the hair accumulates and gets very coarse. The pain was similar to 1000’s of pin needles pricking you at once, or a minor burn. Fair to say, ouch. Would I do it again? Oh yes. As they say, the first time is always the worst, and having been blissfully left with no hair for over a week now, its well worth chucking out those rubbish shavers and dealing with 30 minutes of pain. Ensure you
are going to a salon which is conveniently placed in Bristol, one that has good sanitation practices, and preferably one with student discount. Try The Treatment Rooms on Park Row, just 2 minutes away from Wills Memorial, Serenity Beauty and Hair in Clifton which has £10 off on the use of code, ‘SALON10’, or Beauty Box on Whiteladies Road which has 20% student discount on Mondays and Tuesdays. After around 10 applications of wax down below, you will be out and walking the streets of Bristol with a twinkle that is certainly twinkling.
Best local salons: The Treatment Rooms BS1 5LJ £12 Serenity Hair & Beauty BS8 1JT £15 Beauty Box BS8 2PN £12 Hannah Worthington Online Style Editor
ASOS takes further steps towards inclusivity
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Oluwaseun Matiluko explores the motives behind the latest fashion technology Some of us will know the feeling. Dreading going into your favourite high-street store and wondering if they’ll have any cute clothes in your size. Even worse is when they do have it in your size, but when you try it on it looks nothing like it did on the mannequin, but makes you look pregnant and exposes your worst sides instead of bringing out your beauty.
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The dread of going into your highstreet store and wondering if they’ll have the right size
This fear is compounded when shopping online, as there is no way to squeeze yourself into your desired items in a cramped changing room at Topshop. Instead, you just have to click checkout and hope for the best! At least, that’s the way things were. Now ASOS have provided a way for people over a size 10 to feel confident in their purchase from any section
this will change the game for people whose body type isn’t the ‘norm’ presented by models on fashion websites. Although brands like Missguided have taken steps towards embracing body positivity by not airbrushing their photos ASOS’ latest initiative will take this up a notch - showing that you don’t have to be a particular size or shape in order to rock their pieces. You won’t have to trawl though the plus size section, tall or petite section to find what you want, no long will you be othered or feel as though you are not the ‘norm’. However, it seems that people who don’t identify as female will have to wait a bit longer. ASOS recently commented on Twitter that they’re not ‘able to say if this (feature) will be available for menswear just yet’. This is a shame as it has been widely documented how the body issues that other groups face are often overlooked. Just recently a group of male plus sized models recreated a Calvin Klein advert to subvert male beauty standards, in response to many who commented that they’d ‘never seen a plus male model’. Moreover, non-binary folks have often spoken out about how they are not included in
discussions about fashion and body inclusivity. It would be great if ASOS were able to embrace them and others who feel left out of this movement.
You just have to click checkout and hope for the best!
Regardless, I am excited about the great leaps forward that fashion brands are taking towards being inclusive and accessible to everyone. I can’t wait to see the full launch of ASOS’ latest endeavour, and I hope that other brands catered to young people, such as Pretty Little Thing, Missguided and Urban Outfitters take heed of this.
Oluwaseun Matiluko Third Year Law
ASOS
ASOS If you would like to write for Epigram Style, contact us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or by email!
30.04.2018
27
Podcasts to student procrastinate
Femininity for spring
Second year History of Art Miranda Smith shares her view that Style editor Nancy femininity and florals go hand in hand Serle shares stylish podcasts perfect for a this spring short study break
On a budget:
Instagram/ @alexandermqueen
The High Low Fashion writers Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton’s collaborative podcasts deliver topics from style and social media to pop culture and politics.
Girlboss Radio Nasty Gal founder and inspiration for Netflix’s Girlboss, Sophia Amoruso, interviews the industry’s influential women. Expect humour and honesty.
Instagram / @rodarte
Florals for spring is always a given (definitely not a ground-breaking affair), but when you mix that with flirtatious frills and lace detailing you know that femininity is back in full swing. In my eyes, androgyny is done - for the moment anyway - and women are being told that they should be proud of their gender and the traditional image that engulfs us. Some brands have mixed in a little bit of edge to the their looks, but the overall idea is of feminine splendour and tulle galore. One only has to look at the collection from McQueen SS18 to understand what I am talking about. The incredible floral tulle dresses worn with chunky darker necklaces are simply incredible, I just do not know how else to describe it. The collection is girl meets grunge but in an exquisite way, with not too much Victorian-esque additions - the dresses are truly the modern feminine essential. Also, the details of the pieces is minute: flowers are sewn in random looking exactness; ruffles or extra lace are precisely placed; the tiny black belts cinch in the waist of the already tiny models, giving them more of an hourglass figure, something typically believed to be ladylike and womanly. Rodarte’s show also epitomised this idea for me. The models appeared in a garden setting in their lace, and with floral garlands around their heads. They were visions of ultimate femininity. Zimmermann is yet another brand to introduce sheer girliness to the coming season. Balloon sleeves, fine detailing in baby pastels or bolder floral designs in bright yellows, and ruffly edges were seen in many of the looks. Simone Rocha flirts with the idea, more implicitly than explicitly is the collection something that can celebrate femininity. The colours of the pieces, mostly black and white it must be said, don’t allow the viewer to immediately class the collection as something feminine, but the detailing of the floral prints and the materials chosen for the collection do. Dolce & Gabbana do similar, except that their florals are much bolder and more like pop art than fine art.
Instagram / @simonerocha_
Pop Fashion Kaarin Vembar and Lisa Rowan, a stylist and former vintage-shop owner respectively, discuss the business side of fashion on thier top-rated show.
Nancy Serle Style Editor
Two female students have teamed up to showcase the University’s entrepreneurial talents. Sarina Saddiq runs SmartSquid, a sustainable fashion label raising awareness about ecological issues. Roo Bannister owns an educational jewellery studio, creating collections inspired by ancient world histories and running hands-on workshops. They’ve formed a network of student businesses called B.SB and will be hosting their debut Makers Market with a major takeover of the Balloon Bar. They’ll be transforming the space into a hub of Bristol brands, from fashion and homeware through to tech start-ups. You’ll be able to meet the makers, win goodie bags, and take some home something completely unique whilst supporting student business and also local charities. The Makers Market will be on Sunday 3rd June. Doors open at 11am and will be open until 4; grab a drink and have a wander. Keep up to date and meet the brands on our Instagram, @b_sb_____
ZARA £29.99
Topshop £29.00
H&M £12.99
Miranda Smith Second Year, History of Art
A few stalls are still available, so if you’re a maker or know one, please get in touch with Roo and Sarina at: bristol.student.businesses@gmail.com.
30.04.2018
28 It’s time to talk about... ASIA
Epigram / Becky Burke Instagram: @birdqueeen
There is a reason why Bali is on everyone’s bucket list!! Miriam Klampferer brings the colours and culture of Bali to Bristol
Epigram / Miriam Klampferer
Even funeral ceremonies are colourful celebrations in Balinese culture because the Balinese believe in reincarnation and celebrate the wonderful new life of their deceased. In the funeral procession the body is carried to the crematorium in a multi-level tower made of bamboo, paper, silk and flowers. It represents the Hindu universe and is carried on the shoulders of a group of men. The number of tiers varies with the caste of the deceased. Only the rich members of higher castes can afford to pay for taller towers. In Ubud, a town in the heart of Bali, I was incredibly lucky to experience such a ceremony first hand. Several major roads were shut down in the course of the procession and the tower was accompanied by family members and friends singing and playing traditional music. A trip to Bali would not be complete without visiting some of the
Epigram / Miriam Klampferer
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Religion and dancing are inseparably intertwined, and since Balinese people are so friendly and proud of their culture, they are happy to show it to visitors. I watched two of the most special Balinese dance performances, the “Legong dance” and the “Kecak fire dance”, both involving incredibly colourful costumes and makeup for the dancers as well as unique animal-masks.
A trip to Bali would not be complete without visiting some of the island’s estimated 10,000 temples
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What made my trip to Bali so memorable and wonderful was undoubtedly the people. I found the Balinese to be generous and genuinely welcoming. Despite the majority working in agriculture or fishing and being very poor, they were always so friendly and kind to us. It was beautiful to encounter such a colourful and overwhelmingly positive culture.
Epigram / Miriam Klampferer
Balinese people are so friendly and proud of their culture
island’s estimated 10,000 temples. Amongst others, I went to the most important Balinese temple “Besakih”, or so-called “mothertemple”, which arises in the midst of a fascinating volcanolandscape. I also visited “Pura Tana Lot”, the “seaside temple”, which can only be accessed at low-tide without getting wet feet, and I experienced “Klungkung”, which is a major washing ritual of hundreds of people.
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Epigram / Miriam Klampferer
The Indonesian island Bali and the whole country in general are definitely worth a visit despite the long flight! Located in the Indian Ocean, north west of Australia, Bali has a population of 4 million people. It is one of the smallest Indonesian islands but one of the richest in terms of breath-taking landscapes and culture. Although Bali is multi-religious with Christian, Buddhist and Muslim minorities, Hinduism is the predominant religion and almost everything there has spiritual meaning. Flower-petal offerings are placed next to almost every building, just as they are placed on statues of Hindu gods. Even as a tourist, it was possible to experience some Hindu customs and ceremonies.
Miriam Klampferer Fouth Year, Erasmus Exchange Student from Austria
Why do I know nothing about the Central Asian states? peers study the Middle East or the French Revolution, few take modules in “Central Asian security challenges” or “Culture in the Caucasus”. None have gone off on a year abroad to Ashgabat.
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What do I know about the Central Asian states? A friend of mine went to Kazakhstan last year, shared with me some memorable stories and bought me a book about Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Kazakhstani President. I’ve watched Gennady Golovkin Nazarbayev’s fellow countryman - box, ferociously, on TV. I’ve met students from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, and had some interesting discussions. I even learnt some of the Central Asian capitals when I was young; Tashkent and Astana ring a bell. Here’s the short answer: I know next to nothing about the Central Asian states. I’m yet to read a page of my friend’s book, I still struggle to spell the first half of the “stans”, let alone chart them on a map, and, despite having travelled to some wonderful countries, I haven’t set foot in any of these nations. Why? First off, I don’t think I’m the only one. Many of my friends travel to Brazil or Vietnam, few visit Yerevan or Almaty. While lots of my
I still struggle to spell the first half of the “stans”, let alone chart them on a map
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Shocked by this, I want to know where these countries are, explore their histories, understand how they are governed, and discover what makes their people tick.
I’m reading a fascinating book by Tim Marshall, titled ‘Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags’. While I recognise most of the flags at the top of your page, kindly drawn by Becky Burke - give @birdqueeen a follow on IG! - I’m less familiar with the flags of Central Asia. It turns out they brim with symbolism: I never knew that the five stars in Turkmenistan’s flag represent its five main regions, that the forty rays in Kyrgyzstan’s flag corresponds to the number of Kyrgyz tribes, or that the twelve stars in Uzbekistan’s flag represent the twelve constellations (the Uzbeks were pioneers in astronomical knowledge). Amazing, huh? Why is this region, long under the shadow of the Soviet Union, not afforded the same attention as others? I’m not sure, but once exams are over, I’m going to read my friend’s book!
Nick Bloom Travel Editor
30.04.2018
29 It’s time to talk about... ASIA
Epigram / Becky Burke Instagram: @birdqueeen
Climate change and coffee: central to Vietnam’s government policy
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Ever thought about where coffee comes from? Amelia Shoebridge urges you to be grateful for your morning fix
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few realise that Vietnam is the second largest exporter of the heavily-worshipped coffee bean
the government has created the ‘Sustainable Coffee Plan’ until 2020
” Epigram / Amelia Shoebridge
today, only 10% live below the poverty line, compared to 60% in 1994
The rapid expansion of this sector has helped lift millions of Vietnamese out of poverty; today, only 10% live below the poverty line, compared to 60% in 1994. Vietnam is proud to have the fastestgrowing middle class of South East Asia, a remarkable feat. Yet as the West knows so well, material prosperity often comes hand in hand with detrimental environmental implications. Due to the accelerating speed at which farmers are clearing forest areas to cultivate coffee, the land is unable to produce at the rate is has been. This, coupled with increasing droughts and higher temperatures as a result of climate change, means that farmers need to adapt quickly.
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As you take a sip of your morning caffeine fix, you may believe your coffee comes from Italy or Colombia. However, few realise that Vietnam is the second largest exporter of the heavily-worshipped coffee bean. As lovers of instant, not-too-fussy coffee drinkers, Vietnam supplies the UK’s growing demand for cheap coffee, helping so many of us wake up each morning. Vietnam’s coffee industry is growing rapidly. It exploded in 1986 when the Communist Party decided to revert its attention from agriculture to coffee. In the 1990s the coffee industry grew 20-30% every year, and employment figures rose to 2.6 million, as highlighted in a 2014 BBC report.
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Epigram / Amelia Shoebridge
In response to this, the government has created the ‘Sustainable Coffee Plan’ until 2020, in the hope that if the sector can be carefully controlled - keeping exporting earnings high and production stable - then a financial crisis in Vietnam can be avoided. On a micro level, some investors are looking into producing ‘Chon’ coffee beans which can be sold at a higher price due to their premium status within the sector and their specialist growing conditions, decreasing the quantity that would have been needed for the Robusta variety to create equal profit. But Vietnam is known for being a producer of quantity not quality; they pour coffee for the ‘everyday’ person, not the artisan gurus of the caffeine world, so reverting that image and selling it to the foreign market could be difficult.
As climate change alters the landscape, Vietnam must be prepared for increasing agricultural challenges if it wants to carry on flourishing. I would suggest savouring your next instant morning coffee - we may have to become a nation of tea drinkers once again.
Amelia Shoebridge First Year, Sociology
Malaysia’s food hub: Passion for Penang Ellie Caulfield reveals the BEST 36 hours of her life
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So Penang may not be quite this great, but as one of Malaysia’s top destinations, Penang is one of my favourite places I’ve been to. Malaysia is a melting pot of different religions and ethnicities and in Penang these come together wonderfully. Unlike Kuala Lumpur, the state isn’t westernised and doesn’t have sky-scrapers visible from every window. Instead, Penang feels authentic and traditional, with far more markets and stalls than five-storey shopping malls.
Food is a big part of Malaysian culture; families congregate to spend a two-hour lunch together. They take pride in the preparation and enjoy the conversation at table. Food is also Penang’s biggest selling point - fancy chicken fried rice for lunch and a traditional Malay curry for dinner? With Mamak stalls dotted around everywhere, the selection is insane, and the prices mean you can try a bit of everything. Looking back, I was spoilt for choice.
Epigram / Ellie Caulfield
it feels authentic and traditional, with far more markets and stalls than five-storey shopping malls
I may have only been with you for 36 hours Penang, but oh wow, they were the BEST 36 hours of my life. You are forever in my heart and forever in my dreams. For eternity. Your admirer, Ellie.
Epigram / Ellie Caulfield
Oh Penang, as much as I still don’t think I am able to stomach your famous Nasi Lemak, you have my heart. Your temperatures may be soaring, and your drivers may be deadly, but your blazing blue skies and your sun-kissed seas have left me enchanted since our first encounter, and now I fear I may never be able to love anyone as much as I love you, oh Penang.
Ellie Caulfield Online Travel Editor
30.04.2018
30 So where are you going this summer?
From Chicago to China (via the Quidditch World Cup), Bristol students have some awesome summer plans!
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Going to Florence to compete for Hong Kong in the Quidditch World Cup!!!! Didn’t see that one coming did ya... then off to wherever Ryanair offers cheap tickets!!
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Enjoying the summer months in Bristol, polishing off my bucket list and graduating!!!
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Mexico City and exploring the coast and islands around Cancun! Then a more pragmatic trip to France and Germany to suss out my year abroad...
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Epigram / Evy Tang
Nick Bloom Travel Editor
I’ve had so much fun being part of the editorial team and would urge everyone to apply! I’m sad the era is coming to an end but looking forward to summer; I’m going to Florence to compete in the Quidditch World Cup representing team Hong Kong. I also plan on going to Portugal and visiting friends in the south of Germany so travel this summer is confined to Europe! Nick and Ellie have been an absolute pleasure to work with and I’m so proud of the whole Epigram team for doing so well in the SPA awards! Evy Tang Deputy Travel Editor
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Antwerp, Amsterdam, Prague, Krakow, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Split, Dubrovnik, Lindos, Padua, Venice
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After a fantastic year, it’s time to say goodbye... What a wonderful experience. I was hoping to make the most of this opportunity in my final year, and Epigram has exceeded all expectations. The amount of work that goes into every issue - a senior team providing guidance and oversight, a business team focusing on logistics and communications, section teams producing and commissioning content, subeditors checking over, and many more - has really surprised me. It’s great to be a small part of a massive operation and meet such engaging people, and I’ve loved reading so many insightful travel articles from Bristol students, whether they’re exploring Bristol or hiking up mountains in Mongolia. Fuelled by your stories, I have travel plans of my own - off volunteering in Lebanon this summer and moving to Paris next year. Can’t wait. So thank you all, especially my partners in crime, Evy and Ellie, and good luck to next year’s Travel team!
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Off to Colombia to learn to salsa, brush up on my Spanish and catch some rays!!
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Epigram / Evy Tang
Chicago, Morocco, St Lucia and Edinburgh!
Volunteering on an eco-farm in Lebanon, back to Bristol to graduate then off to Paris for a Master’s!
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Teaching in China (for the bloody third time), travelling Vietnam and then moving to The Netherlands for a year!
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Back to Croatia after going last year and loving it!
I’m going to France, Wales, and India!
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I can’t believe another year has gone by, it’s actually scary how second year is almost over and I’m going to have to start looking for jobs soon. By far one of my highlights for this year has been Epigram. Exploring new places and cultures is one of my favourite things to do and it has been so great to read so many interesting articles from you guys (admittedly, it has made me a little envious, too!) The online team has had a busy, but exciting year with our brand-new sparkling website (if you haven’t checked it out yet, DO) and getting an SPA award just reflects how far it has come. Next year, I am moving to the Netherlands for my year abroad (typical Epigram Travel Editor, I know) and this summer I am going back to China to teach, then travelling Vietnam afterwards (could I be anymore cliché?). I am hoping to write lots for Epigram whilst I’m away as I will definitely be getting withdrawals. But for now, so long Epigram, I’ve had a blast! Ellie Caulfield Online Travel Editor
MIND YOUR HEAD
5 WAYS TO WELLBEING BRISTOL SU AWARDS
NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS
bristolsu.org.uk
varsity DAY
ELL B E I N G W O T F I V E W AY S
FROM 30 APRIL – 11 MAY, WE’LL BE DRAWING ATTENTION TO STUDENT'S MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH THE WELLBEING NETWORK’S MIND YOUR HEAD CAMPAIGN. This year the campaign focuses on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing as a way for each of us to create a personalised wellbeing toolkit. Throughout the Mind Your Head campaign the Wellbeing Network will host a series of workshops and events connected to the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, providing you with a great opportunity for some revision breaks! Here’s what’s taking place:
Monday 30 April
Tuesday 1 May
Wednesday 2 May
Thursday 3 May
Friday 4 May
Deadline for entries for the Art & Photography Exhibition
#keeplearning Campus Takeover
Be Active Day in the Anson Rooms
Coffee Cup Campaign
Feel Good RAGaoke
Tuesday 8 May
Tuesday 8 May
Wednesday 9 May
Thursday 10 May
Friday 11 May
Art & Photography Exhibition
Meditation Class
Teddy Bear’s Picnic, Royal Fort Gardens
Community Crafternoon in The Balloon
Help the Homeless
If you need more support at any time, remember that you are not on your own and there is somebody to talk to. Visit bristol.ac.uk/students/wellbeing for additional support and contact details
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WELLBEING :H·UH FDUU\LQJ RXW D VXUYH\ ZLWK WKH XQLYHUVLW\ WR ÀQG RXW PRUH DERXW \RXU mental health and wellbeing, and which support services you are using. Complete the survey now at: bristolsu.org.uk/wellbeing
VARSITY DAY photo highlights
SU Award Nominations Open The Bristol SU awards night celebrates amazing student and staff achievement that's happened this year.
Here are the categories:
If you think someone (an individual or a group) has done an awesome job and deserves recognition for it, you can nominate them for a Bristol SU award. Nominations can be made by students, Bristol SU and University staff and you can make as many nominations as you like.
â&#x20AC;˘ Volunteering Award
Do you know someone incredible? Nominate them now at bristolsu.org.uk/suawards
â&#x20AC;˘ Sports Club Award â&#x20AC;˘ Society Award â&#x20AC;˘ Student Leader Award â&#x20AC;˘ Education Award â&#x20AC;˘ Campaigns Award â&#x20AC;˘ Equality and Diversity Award â&#x20AC;˘ Contribution to Student Media â&#x20AC;˘ Sustainability Award â&#x20AC;˘ Collaboration Award â&#x20AC;˘ University of Bristol Staff Member â&#x20AC;˘ Bristol SU Staff Member â&#x20AC;˘ The Bristol Plus Employability Award
The best way to end the year! The man, the myth, the legend, Big Narstie and friends are JRLQJ WR Ă&#x20AC;QLVK \RXU \HDU RII LQ VW\OH ZLWK D YHU\ VSHFLDO Summer day into night party at Motion's outdoor club! Bristol SU are partnering with Motion to host this very special End of Term show, running from 3pm-3am on Friday 1st June. Celebrate the end of the year with exclusive drink deals, cocktails, festival food, live music, games and more. The list of headliners has now been released!
FOR TICKETS AND MORE GO TO:
bristolsu.org.uk/summerevent
WHAT'S ON ALL BRISTOL STUDENT FORUM Thursday 3 May, 5 - 7:30pm, Anson Rooms
Calling all University of Bristol students! Help shape your Uni by taking part in the next All Bristol Student Forum. Bring your experience and creativity to staff/student-led discussions that will help deliver our ambitious strategy. The themes for debate are (1) assessment and (2) wellbeing, autonomy and independence. Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided. Your feedback will be used by those leading on key projects to ensure the University develops in ways you value. Register online.
Mind Your Head: Teddy Bearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Picnic Wednesday 9 May, Royal Fort Gardens. Take a break from revision and get some fresh air by joining in with the Teddy Bearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Picnic in the Royal Fort Gardens. Bring some food and your friends.
Jinkx Monsoon Saturday 9 June, 6pm, Anson Rooms. Jinkx Monsoon weaves a tale of her many failed romantic endeavors through comedy and song. What is romantic life like for a gendernonconforming world-renowned drag queen? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CURSED.
Richmond Lectures: Nick Lane Thursday 3 May, 6pm, Winston Theatre. Why is life the way it is? Nick Lane will H[SORUH WKH LPSRUWDQFH RI HQHUJ\ Ă RZ in shaping life from its very origins to the Ă DPER\DQW FRPSOH[LW\ DURXQG XV DQG DVN ZKHWKHU HQHUJ\ Ă RZ ZRXOG GLUHFW evolution down a similar path on other planets.
Richmond Lectures: Roma Agrawal Friday 4 May, 6pm, Anson Rooms. Nature v Structures: The quest to make structures stand strong against the immense forces of gravity, gales, Ă&#x20AC;UH DQG H[SORVLRQ 7KH FRUH MRE RI D structural engineer is to understand and anticipate the many strong forces that will constantly attack and test their designs.
Eurovision Party. Saturday 12 May, 8pm, Balloon Bar. Join us for a Eurovision Party to remember in the Balloon Bar featuring special cocktails and ÂŁ1 cheesy chips. Fancy dress encouraged! Get there early to take part in the sweepstake.
Student Council. Sunday 5 June, Anson Rooms. Student reps can vote on motions at this meeting. All students can bring forward motions and speak for or against motions.
Bristol Pride 2018, Saturday 14 July, Harbourside. The 2018 Pride Festival runs from 2-15 July. Pride Day festival areas include: Main Stage Arena | Cabaret Stage | Performance & Dance Stage | Markets | Youth Area | Family Area | Community Area Entry to Pride Day is by donation, suggested donation is ÂŁ3.
For more information on all upcoming events see bristolsu.org.uk/events
Epigram
filmandtv@epigram.org.uk
@epigramfilm
epigram_film
Editor: Charlie Gearon Deputy Editor: Gabi Spiro Online: Tim Bustin Deputy Online: AshleyYonga @GearonCharlie
@GabiSpiro
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@ashyonga
30.04.2018
Film & TV
Netflix and the second renaissance of cinema Spielberg is wrong - Patrick Sullivan argues in favour of streaming services as an alternative to cinema
ButlerMedia / Paramount Pictures BBC / Rachel Netflix
Patrick Sullivan
Third Year, Engineering and Design During an ITV interview on 20th March 2018, Steven Spielberg kickstarted the whole Netflix debate. Not the debate we all have with ourselves at the end of an episode on whether to watch another, but the one surrounding awards recognition. Should films produced or distributed on Netflix be considered at film festivals, such as the iconic events in Cannes and Venice, or awards ceremonies, such as the Golden Globes or the Oscars? According to Spielberg, they categorically should not. ‘Once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie,’ he claims. ‘You, certainly, if it’s a good show, deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar.’ The influence of the veteran director’s comments cannot be underestimated. Spielberg was largely responsible for saving cinema from being defeated by colour television in the 1970s and 80s with a run of big blockbusters: Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982). Since then, he has become the most marketable name in movie history and his works have raked in over $4bn at the box office alone. The success of Netflix and Amazon Prime in developing their on-demand TV subscription services, and their subsequent intrusion on the exclusive club of international film production and distribution, is supposedly the second mooted apocalypse to traditional cinema. Spielberg’s mastery was what enticed the general public from the comfort of their living rooms forty years ago, and he shuns the new market players with his belief in the rearguard that is the traditional cinematic experience. The state of big budget cinema, however, is as such: superhero movies (Marvel or DC), live remakes of Disney classics, and other safe investments including Spielberg himself and the product placement goldmine that is his latest work, Ready Player One (2018). As the man himself puts it, ‘the studios would rather make a guaranteed box office hit than take a chance on smaller films and those smaller films are now going to Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix.’ In the top twenty worldwide box office films of 2017, the
only non-franchise films were Dunkirk and The Boss Baby, languishing in 18th and 19th place. Traditional cinema has already been lost to the mire of indistinguishable, familiar formulas. There is no doubt that, hidden from the public eye, more cutting edge films are being made than ever, and aspiring, independent filmmakers are able to realise their visions with the increased accessibility of equipment - even iPhones are being used to shoot breakout works such as Tangerine (2015) and Unsane (2018). Many film festivals globally are offering a platform and financial reward for risk-taking artists. At Sundance in January 2017, Netflix uncovered their first diamond ignored by traditional distributors: Mudbound (2017). Dee Rees’ film received rapturous applause from all its audiences at Sundance, only to receive pitifully small bids in the coming days due to concern following the relative failure of the previous year’s acclaimed race drama, The Birth of a Nation (2016).
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An appeasing solution for all could be the limited release of streaming films in cinemas.
Without Netflix, an impactful film, showcasing the high skill levels of a diverse cast crew, may have been listed as an undistributed masterpiece, never to see screens (small or large) across the world. The natural criticism of Netflix, Amazon, and the like - and that of Spielberg’s - is that they deprive audiences of the big screen, cinematic experience. However, when the Hollywood elite are depriving us of all but their monotonous, soulless, regurgitated blockbusters, I’m just happy to watch Baumbach’s latest screwball dramedy The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), produced by Netflix - or Mudbound, even if it is at home. An appeasing solution for all could be the limited release of streaming films in cinemas. However, while limited releases are usually restricted to a handful of cinemas, why not limit the releases in time and still have the films
available nationwide for a week prior to landing on streaming services? That way, us uber-keen, up-to-date, cinephiles can catch it on the big screen, and then Netflix still profits from good word-of-mouth with others flocking to watch it on their streaming services. For many, the quality of home audio-visual equipment is improving with a decreasing hit to your wallet, and while the cinema has always been my second home, the industry has to concede that outreach comes first and foremost, and the income can come from many different avenues. Currently, the investors in the film industry are driven purely by box office income. Their fear of financial failure is a factor in the lack of diversity, leading producers to only green light a project when it is associated with a historically successful name, usually older, white men such as Spielberg. Film captures the essence of generations and moments in time, and, currently, there is a blockage that is keeping cinema stuck in an age of nostalgia for the days of the original Star Wars (1977) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), not only noticeable in remakes, but also in the excessive referencing of 20th century pop culture in Ready Player One (2018). The streaming giants, Netflix and Amazon, have a clear disregard for box office because, obviously, their financial income comes from a loyal customer base paying monthly to watch quality content, including original TV and film, as well as a back catalogue of previously released films and boxsets. Therefore, once a project has been financed, the filmmaking crew are tasked with producing high quality art, rather than safe, mass-appealing moneymakers. Annihilation (2018) unfortunately never graced cinemas outside of North America and China because of a creative argument between the filmmakers and financiers. Early test screenings in summer 2017 produced mixed feedback about the film, with audience members claiming the film was ‘too intellectual’ and ‘complicated’, and that Natalie Portman’s lead character, Lena, was ‘too unsympathetic’. Producer and co-financier, David Ellison advised changes based on the reviews in order to have a wider appeal. However, the development of the film was left at an impasse when director and writer Alex Garland and executive producer Scott Rudin refused to
change the final cut. Crucially, Rudin had the final sign-off on the film’s content in the contract, and Paramount subsequently sold the international rights to Netflix for around $55million. Over a month after release, Annihilation has a fresh rating of 87% on review website Rotten Tomatoes, and a metascore of 79% on IMDB. It brings to light the conflict of interest that is contemporary filmmaking at the highest level: box office takings versus artistic integrity. With Annihilation, Rudin and Garland were forced into an unwanted compromise by sacrificing the worldwide reception the film deserved. The vivid production design and daring directorial choices would have been a striking spectacle in the sensory bubble of a cinema screen, however it could prove to be a pioneering victory for artistry and the streaming services which support them. The legacy of Annihilation is protected and the version of the film Garland so strongly defended remains there to be watched, and that is all down to the existence of Netflix and their willingness to back risky, ambitious, and challenging material. With regards to awards such as the Globes and the Oscars, Annihilation will certainly be a contender for Production Design, Visual Effects, and could earn nominations for Garland and Portman in the writing or acting categories. While Cannes have set up measures to discount streaming movies by only including films shown in French cinemas, as long as a movie meets the requirements of a category and is directly comparable to more traditional releases then it needs to be considered for awards to remain relevant within the industry. Netflix, therefore, has a more concrete reason to show their best films in theatres for at least a limited run to ensure its support for aspiring filmmakers. Spielberg’s early blockbusters in the 1970s and 80s were seen as the first renaissance of cinema, when it overcame colour television with bold, unmissable, action packed crowd pleasers on the big screen. The second renaissance for cinema may require a new economic outlook to protect the big screen from succumbing to a corporate void. Hopefully Netflix or Amazon can step up by continuing to fund upcoming filmmakers while considering giving their loyal customers the chance to see their latest releases at local theatres.
Epigram 30.04.2018
36
Have I Got News For You? Sexism in the BBC Isabel Kilborn fights back against Ian Hislop’s comments about BBC quiz show’s male-dominant clientele Isabel Kilborn
Third year, English
BBC / Hat Trick / Richard Kendal
Have I Got News for You is known for digesting and satirising the news. However, earlier this month, the show actually made the news after Ian Hislop put his foot in it while promoting the new series. Many comedians, actors and presenters have hosted the show, but in twenty-eight years only eleven have been politicians. Only one of those has been a woman: former Conservative politician, Anne Widdecombe. Commenting on this, Hislop argued that despite the efforts of the producers to recruit female politicians as hosts, they have been ‘too modest’ to say yes. Unsurprisingly, this comment provoked an enormous backlash. Hislop’s undeniable position of privilege, both as a successful man in entertainment, and as a long-standing team captain whose unofficial duty is to mock and undermine the guest hosts, only added to the collective indignant response. As an established regular who definitely isn’t sitting in the production office ringing MPs on a dreary November afternoon, it’s easy for him to throw stones and offer his own explanation for any complaints voiced by HIGNFY-viewing civilians. Similarly, his position as a satirist who makes his living critiquing politics means he’s less well-versed in offering solutions than mocking solutions other people have come up with. But that’s no excuse for being ignorant. To start with, as Natalie Hynes pointed out in her Guardian article responding to the furore, being ‘too modest’ hasn’t stopped female politicians embarrassing themselves in front of the viewing public, from I’m a Celebrity to Strictly Come Dancing. Anne Widdecombe herself appeared in the latter, and was the subject of an episode of Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends: both proved undoubtedly that inhibition due to modesty was clearly not an issue for her. But Widdecombe is just one female politician whose personal brand – somewhat unusually – seeped into fascination with her personality and idiosyncrasies: a fact she enjoyed taking advantage of. The difference is that, however one may come across sitting in camo in a clearing in Australia, on these shows the celebrities are not required to take charge and drive the show. As much as is possible on television, they themselves can determine more or less how they come across, rather than having to coordinate the action themselves. Commenting as former guest panellists, MPs Nadine Dorries and Dianne Abbott argued last week that in any case, the tough environment of Westminster requires considerable resilience and self-possession, and as such modesty would not be a factor in female
politicians rejecting hosting offers. It’s easy to conflate this with the issue of the comedy scene’s diversity being reflected on television, a problem particularly pertinent to HIGNFY, given that’s it’s a flagship BBC production and that two of the five positions are automatically filled by men. It’s painfully effortless for those such as Hislop – who had to overcome no wealth, gender or racial barriers to achieve success – to blame the show’s lack of diversity on a problem inherent in the women who are asked, rather than those asking them. Many female politicians arguably have completely understandable reasons for refusing the offer of hosting the show. Appearing as a politician on a satirical show like HIGNFY means you are volunteering yourself as bait in an environment mostly based around the comedy of mocking your decisions and those of your peers. Hosts have the additional duty of guiding the show, keeping the contestants in line, and trying to remain good-humoured while being undercut at every opportunity. Jeremy Paxman took his turn in the first episode of the newest series; he took the approach of shouting a lot, lazily mocking youth culture, and patronising
Steph McGovern to such an extent that she took him to task. Not that this was taken seriously – in fact, it became a running joke – and even the debacle itself of women politicians hosting was minimised to a throwaway gag in Paxman’s introduction. This in itself is emblematic of the issue at hand. Yes, female politicians might not want to host the show. They might not feel established enough in politics to feel comfortable as the target of the panellists. They might consider that there are more important things they could be doing with their time. They could feel – rightly – as Emine Saner wrote in The Guardian, that as women in politics they are likely to be judged more harshly if they are considered to have done a poor job, so they’d rather not risk doing something which is not what they signed up for and could backfire. In the world of comedy, as with politics, being white and being male are huge advantages when it comes to achieving renown. The former is regularly reflected in the line-up of HIGNFY, but also in many other popular comedy panel shows like Mock The Week and even the less combative QI. As a member and now President of the University’s sketch comedy society, I have watched hundreds
of sketches and stand-up sets since I joined four years ago. The standard comedy figure, who can stand onstage with no excessive analysis of their demeanour or appearance, is a straight white man. They will never be made to feel that they have let down others of their gender, sexuality or race in a show if their performance goes poorly. Their privilege in the eyes of society, and those of audiences, is undeniable. This is the issue with Hislop’s comment that female politicians are ‘too modest’ to host Have I Got News for You. He is not responsible for solving issues endemic in society. But he is one of the faces of a show which is long-running, popular, and achieves huge viewership. He is also a satirist of a British political environment in which women are still incredibly poorly represented. As such, simply sitting back in an interview and critiquing women themselves for HIGNFY’s faults makes him seem lazy and smug. It is his duty as a longstanding team host on such a well-established show to use his position to elevate others to succeed, and to make the environment in which he is so comfortable habitable for all genders. Otherwise, this supposed jewel in the BBC’s crown looks self-satisfied, stale and irrelevant.
This week in cinema history 30 april, 1941: ‘I always gagged on the silver spoon’ - Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane premieres
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At this point, nearly 80 years after its release, it’s almost unnecessary to wax poetic about how fundamentally important Orson Welles’s debut film is. In a hair under 2 hours, Citizen Kane single-handedly changed the course of modern cinema, and set the gold-standard for what a film could be. The story follows the rise and fall of newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane. The film begins with the image of Kane dying, whispering the word ‘Rosebud’ as his life fades from him. An investigative reporter is tasked with finding out the meaning of Kane’s enigmatic final words, sparking a mystery which propells the film’s plot forward.
The story is told almost entirely through flashbacks, following Kane through his entire life from his early adoption to his deathbed. Not a single element of Citizen Kane is lacking. The frame narrative develops slowly and purposefully, gradually unveiling the film’s mysteries piece by piece, never showing its hand until the very last moment, forcing unbridled attention from the viewer. The cinematography, masterminded by Gregg Toland, popularised deep focus with a wide lens, giving a sense of depth and space to the sets designed by Perry Ferguson. This allowed Welles to make the most of his immaculate staging, which he had a keen eye for thanks to his time in the theatre.
And that’s without mentioning the man himself, Charlie Kane, undoubtedly one of cinema’s most memorable, most challenging leading roles. He is, quite possibly, Hollywood’s first anti-hero, and in creating him, Welles created an archetype which would become a favourite of film and television directors for generations to come. Simply put, Citizen Kane is a pure masterpiece. It is everything a work of cinema can and should be, and its legacy will not soon be forgotten. It’s still screened at cinemas fairly often, so if you get the chance, you owe it to yourself to see it
Charlie Gearon Film & TV Editor
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‘The chaos of a custody hearing’ - Custody review David Thirkeld explores Xavier Legrande’s convention defying, thoroughly unnerving debut drama David Thirkeld
Second Year, History
Twitter / ClaphamPC
Xavier Legrande’s first feature length film turns the screw from the very beginning. But it is only during the climax that we witness the true intensity and hell that Antoine (Denis Minochet) inflicts on his ex-wife Miriam (Lea Drucker) and her son Julien (Thomas Gioria.) Custody (Jusqu’à la garde) is a French drama adapted from, and extending on, Legrande’s 2013 project Just Before Losing Everything (Avant que de tout perdre) featuring the same cast. Beginning amidst the chaos of a custody hearing, it seems natural to assume that the film will build on the ambiguities that it establishes from the offset. In the first scene Antoine calmly contests Miriam in what seems like a “he said, she said” legal battle that will force us to take sides. Yet, it becomes increasingly clear that Minochet’s character is not only an inadequate father, but a brutish force who threatens the livelihood of those supposedly dearest to him. In the first few scenes we are provided with feelings of unease that are certainly palpable, but the suspense is masterfully crafted into an incremental progression towards chaos which goes wholly unnoticed by the audience. It is to Legandre’s credit that he manages to build this tension by transforming an assortment of seemingly mundane scenes into nail-biting occasions. During a mealtime with his parents and Julien, the elephant in the room rears its ugly head. Antoine is attentive to every word pertaining to the relocation of his family. He relentlessly presses Julien after a passing comment from his grandmother puts him on the scent. In doing so the delicate layer of civility previously created by Antoine’s parents’ table talk is shattered.
Later in the film this is topped when Julien’s elder sister Joséphine (Mathilde Auneveux) receives a text message that makes her face blanch. Once again Antoine’s actions disturb the momentary calm. His daughter’s 18th birthday party is no longer joyous but marred by her restless glances around the room in fear of his intrusion. This all builds to a scintillating crescendo which alters the conventions we would expect from a drama. The darkness and silence of Miriam’s dingy apartment at night creates an intense claustrophobia heightened by the jarring sounds that follow. First a doorbell rings incessantly, then we hear the discomforting thudding of footsteps coming closer. Whilst the finale predictably utilises the gun that we were
introduced to earlier, it is nonetheless jarring when Antoine resolves to fire it. What ensues is high strung and decidedly more horrific than anticipated; we can certainly see Legrande’s inspiration from The Shining (1980) here. The time-frame of this relatively short film could be criticised for restricting the depth of character development. From early on we see little to redeem Antoine, he is too far gone by the middle of the film to even be redeemed by an sudden outpouring of emotion. As his burly figure envelops Miriam he repeats: “I have changed” to little reaction other than deference as his exwife focuses on removing him from the house. Even so, this doesn’t seem to be what Legrande is aiming for, and perhaps the alternative would
have made for a far less enthralling film. We know that Antoine is a menace, yet we still don’t expect him to plunge to the depths that he does in the end. It is difficult to see Custody having the same effect if it were not for the brilliant performances of its leading members. First time actor Gioria revels in the social realist style that’s favoured by the director. Despite his youth he shows a clear control over the intricacies of his character’s progression from fear, to pure dread, then to trauma as he and Drucker are reduced to a tearful wreck at the close. Of course, this doesn’t detract from what it an impressive debut and should see Legrande replicate his award-winning exploits in the near future.
Editors’ Picks
In this, the year’s final issue, the Epigram film team give you cinema’s saddest goodbyes Youtube / Movieclips Trailers
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Charlie Gearon
Gabi Spiro
Tim Bustin
Ashley Yonga
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Cast Away (2000)
Logan (2017)
The Descendants (2011)
Hugh Jackman’s final portrayal after 17 years as the Wolverine ends in a tender goodbye between a redeemed father and his daughter, sacrificing himself to save her from a life of anger and violence. The long road to connection between the two characters is set across a harsh and dusty world, that kills all the natural and free elements of life: cybernetic arms; gambling cities; genetic control; or the adamantium skeleton that’s been slowly killing Logan all his life. It’s a brutal journey, like Logan’s entire life. Yet, after long bouts of silence between them, shared battle sequences, and only brief scenes of respite, when Laura sobs over her dying, but finally peaceful father, in a forest filled with natural light and all their enemies and demons finally gone, its hard for the audience not to also shed a tear.
This 2011 drama stars George Clooney as a man whose wife is in a coma as a result of a boating accident and from the onset of the film you know she’s not going to make it. Thus ensues a series of goodbyes from each of the characters as they all come to terms with the situation. Clooney’s character is selfless in his own goodbye to his wife by involving everyone in her life; from her parents, her friends to even the man she was having an affair with. As its entire premise is this family saying goodbye to their mother and wife, this film has some of the most devastating goodbyes. Their goodbyes are made complicated by feelings of anger, betrayal and guilt, just like all incredibly sad goodbyes are.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Alicia Wakeling
There are a lot of reasons to love Lost in This heart-wrenching goodbye is like no other. Second Year, Filmof&isolation Television Translation. Bill Murray’s lugubrious humour, After months as a castaway, Chuck Scarlett Johansson’s tender performance, the (Tom Hanks) finds solace in Wilson the volley ball, cold blue colour grading pierced by a neverhis debate partner, companion and confidant. ending stream of neon lights, and the stellar Hanks learns to love Wilson, who becomes the soundtrack, featuring My Bloody Valentine’s saviour of his sanity. A sad and desperate film, ‘Sometimes’ in what is possibly the best use of a Cast Away is made tender by the sensitive nonoriginal song in a film this century. But aside friendship between man and volley ball. But it from all that, there’s generally one thing that comes to an end, in a woeful scene when, in an people remember about this film. It’s ending. It is attempt at escape, Chuck falls asleep on his raft. tragic, hopeful and stubbornly un-sentimental all Wilson floats away, and when Chuck notices, he at once. We never hear what Murray’s character is out of reach. Chuck cries and shouts “Sorry whispers to Johansson’s character before he Wilson!” as his best friend and the last inch of his walks away, and we don’t need to. It’s a perfect hope for survival wash away into the waves. example of an enigmatic ending, and solidifies Lost in Translation as one of the greatest romance stories in cinema history.
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Arts
@EpigramArts
Editor: Alina Young Deputy Editor: Anna Trafford
Online Editor: Helena Raymond-Hayling Deputy Online Editor: Avital Carno
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Sun, sex and sizzling reads Leave your textbooks at home and fall back in love with reading. Here are our top picks for every type of travel you may find yourself on this summer A book to read on the beach | Like Water for Chocolate - Laura Esquivel
As an incredibly pale girl who fights a daily battle with the sun every summer, going to the beach is an activity only tolerable with a good book and a very large beach umbrella. A beach book needs to be, both literally and figuratively, light reading – you don’t want to be lugging around any of the Games of Thrones books on a thirty-degree day. For me, it also needs to be incredibly entertaining, fairly easy to read and,
more often than not, about romance. My beach book will always be Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, which I stumbled across whilst actually reading another book - although NOT on the beach this time. It is the story of Tita; forbidden to marry, and forced to care for her mother until she dies, she has to watch her older sister marry the man she loves. Tita’s love and affinity for traditional Mexican food is combined with magic to create fantastical moments, particularly when she accidentally cries into the cake she makes for her true love
and sister’s wedding, which poisons all the guests, and when she makes a rich chocolate and rose petal sauce infused with lust that makes her second sister run away with a man on horseback. My favourite little thing about the book is how each chapter starts with a traditional Mexican recipe, including all the ingredients and how to make it. Like Water for Chocolate is the perfect beach book because, like being at the beach, it takes you far, far away from ordinary life, and if you’re lucky enough to be sitting on the beach in Mexico, you’ll want to try every single dish
Instagram / browngirlsreadtoo
Ellie Madeleine Rowe First Year, English
A book to read on a city break | Everything I Know About Love - Dolly Alderton Imogen Trinder
Comparative Literatures and Cultures, MA Instagram / kerrie_carter
Oozing with punchy pizazz, Alderton taps into the heart and mind of everyone who has struggled getting to grips with this thing we call ‘adulthood.’ Hilariously relatable and witty, Alderton walks you through her life growing up as a suburban teenager with a taste for booze, boys and bad situations. Perfect for any twenty-something year old student, the book covers friendships,
university, drugs, sex and emerging into the world of work. Alderton creates a narrative that is intimate and frank from the very first page. Almost as good as sitting down with the author herself and hearing the account first hand, it is a sneak-peak into the very fabric of modern life. It is everything you wish you had done, and everything you wish you hadn’t! The autobiographical, and almost confessional, tale is full of honesty, which makes it both authentic and compelling. Alderton’s honeyed
prose makes the 329-page novel a real page turner and easily readable (and re-readable) in as little as 24 hours, perfect for that city break. Tuck this little red book into your luggage for an easy yet thought-provoking read; ideal for both the plane and those sunny, post-exploration evenings in an Airbnb or hotel room alike. Expect hums of amusement, nods of agreement and a warm and reassuring feeling that you are not the only one who still thinks of that mistake you made in 2010.
A book to read whilst interrailing | The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a tale of two sorcerers, bound together in a deadly game by their guardians. The contest takes place in a travelling circus, where nothing is quite what it seems. The circus is enchanted, and all those who travel with it are changed in some way by the invisible game they are unwittingly involved in. The circus, which only opens when the hours
the sun goes down, entrances all those who enter it. It inspires a cult following who track its movements, relying on the kindness of strangers to help them pursue it. It is a beautifully written book, with descriptions so vivid you may feel like you’re truly there, particularly helpful if your hostel turns out to be not quite like the pictures. The intrepid travellers who follow the circus may remind you of yourself, as you chase the sun into unknown cities, on little sleep, aided by often not-so-helpful strangers. It is a story about love, adventure, loss and
Instagram /authorjenniferlkelleylytorstream
Nora Gunn Second Year, English
believing despite the odds. Think Willy Wonker’s chocolate factory mixed with Jay Gatsby’s parties, it is a sensory overload which will make you believe in magic, and the power of true love. Every interrailing trip needs a little bit of wonder, and this paperback is sure to provide that. It may even inspire you to try things you never expected and show you that even seemingly insignificant moments can change your whole life. Plus, it’ll fit in your backpack.
A book to read when experiencing a new culture| White Teeth - Zadie Smith Instagram /thejazzybookworm-
Anna Trafford Deputy Arts Editor I’m about 18 years late to the party with this one, but if you too happen to have passed this one by, I’d recommend White Teeth by Zadie Smith. It’s a hefty 550 pages but don’t be intimidated by the size – it’s well worth the extra luggage weight. The sprawling, multi-stranded narrative loosely follows the family lives of the Bangladeshi Iqbals and the English-Jamaican Jones, both residents of North West London.
Smith deals with issues of ethnic identity, cultural conflict, and racism with humour and profound insight. In Britain we are so used to the gravity and emotion attached to immigration rhetoric. Smith’s novel is refreshing in its treatment of prejudice and racism; there is no heavy-handed indictment or political agenda. Instead, she simply shows racism to be ridiculous and thoroughly undermines it. This is a story composed of the real-life fabric of cosmopolitan London, and the shrewd observations underlying the characterisations are all the more impressive for the fact that Smith
was only 24 years old at the time of writing. And you’ll feel even more inadequate when you learn that she wrote it during breaks in her revision for her finals at Cambridge University. That depressing thought aside, this is a cracking read and a powerful reminder of the fact that, as MP Jo Cox said in a speech to Parliament in 2015, ‘we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us’ - something that we can all bear in mind not only on our travels this summer, but also in our daily lives.
A book to read on a cultural excursion | The Secret History - Donna Tartt Bryony Chellew Second Year, English
us with him as he continues to discover the niches of his new environments, and so as readers we experience everything for the first time along with the protagonist, establishing an organic and intimate reader-narrator relationship. Full of quotes and a focus on beauty, Tartt entwines the classic campus novel with a rich and idiosyncratic preoccupation with Dionysian values, creating what is arguably a timeless and both specialised and yet universally accessible novel, perfect for any holiday where you have an exposure to classical history or art; Rome, Athens, even San Francisco.
Instagram / br.enda
Set against the backdrop of an exclusive American college, the novel is heavily imbued with an appreciation for Ancient Greek culture and classicism, whilst being carried by the contrastingly contemporary murder plot. The novel is highly sophisticated yet remains accessible, even when explicitly academic, and is told in a finely tuned and poetic prose. Donna
Tartt combines all the gems of popular genres - the debauchery and hedonism of the classics, the thrill of the murder mystery and the relatable and intriguing figure of the troubled youth from the coming-of-age. The Secret History provides an intense and thought-provoking observation of the complexities of the human condition, whilst maintaining a backdrop of consistently pleasing aestheticism and intellect. We observe the narrator, Richard Papen, as he enters an environment of eccentric professors and reclusive students - Richard carries
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Psychedelicious scribbles Hannah Green takes us on a trip into the wavy world of art inspired by hallucinogenic drugs
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Does one need to be on drugs to experience it? Or even to create? Instagram / alexgreycosm
Alex Grey, ‘Godself’, 2012
Hannah Green First Year, English
The term ‘psychedelic’ was first coined by doctors in 1956 to describe hallucinatory experiences, but it was the use of drugs by bands
The ‘discovery’ of LSD and other psychedelics influenced many others outside of the music industry, bound up as it was within the radical counterculture movement that developed in Britain and America throughout the 1960s and 70s. In many people’s minds this is where it ends - psychedelic art is either very much a social product of its time, to be considered within its context, or as a genre only ‘understood’ by those who like to experiment with hallucinogens themselves. However, psychdelic art can be seen as much more than a simple reaction of the discontented youth searching for something higher and purer during the Summer of Love- in fact, its influence changed the direction of popular culture and created the creative landscape we see today. For example, LSD has been cited as a major part of the Beatles’ change in artistic direction around this period, as well as that of Bob Dylan. Consider the music world without albums such as Revolver (1966), and literature without Burroughs and Ginsberg. A life on the margins
A 1968 collector’s edition of ‘The Naked Lunch’
time. Does one need to be on drugs to experience it? Or even to create? Attempting to paint on acid has been described as trying to paint whilst falling down a flight of stairs, and many artists have indicated that rather than drawing directly from the visuals,
Alex Grey, ‘Empowerment’, 1985
they are inspired by changes of perceptions of reality afforded by the experience. Alex Grey is an artist still creating psychedelic art for our times. His art is intended to be enjoyed whilst tripping, which, while opening up new avenues for exploring art, also closes off the full experience for those not willing to take drugs. Psychedelic art has never really been accepted as highbrow ‘art’ in the truest sense- perhaps because of its relation to music scene, the cultural moment that it defined, and of course the illegality of its influences, and the resulting unwillingness of galleries and dealers to endorse it. To many perhaps these works seem unsetting, if not inaccessible. However, the beauty of psychedelic art, from paintings to poetry, is not that it makes sense, that it is there to be interpreted and understood - rather, it captures a mood, a perception, an experience, a musical movement and a time of cultural change.
It is with a heavy heart that we conclude our final issue of the year and say goodbye to you all for the summer! We’ve had such fun as your editors and hope to see you all next year, and to welcome new contributors. We’d like to thank each and every writer and illustrator that has worked so hard this year to make our section so fabulous. Alina, Anna, Helana and Avital x
Epigram / Ritu Patel
Instagram / ag1690
Jimi Hendrix album cover
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There’s barely a medium that has remained untouched by the... use of psychedelic substances
Epigram / Bryony Chellew
On the 19th of April 1943, Dr Albert Hoffman took LSD internally for the first time. On his bike ride home from work, he first experienced the effects of the psychedelic substance, sparking a whole new wave of possibilities and controversies surrounding the use of the drug. In light of this year’s ‘Bicycle Day’, as it has come to be known, Epigram looks back on the effects that this discovery has had on artists and creators of all kinds over the intervening decades. Think psychedelic art and what might immediately spring to mind is the trippy artwork and New Age sounds associated with the West Coast music scene of the 1960s. However, there’s much more to this stereotyped and much misunderstood genre than meets the eye, and there’s barely a medium that has remained untouched by the revolutionary and subversive use of psychedelic substances. The impact of drugs on art goes back millennia, but combining radical, illicit substances and art’s power to speak to and for the masses has led to a cocktail of expression, repression and debate in the past 60 years.
such as Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and their tangible presence in the music, artwork and live show production that really brought the concept to a wider public. These pioneers of psych-rock included heavily suggestive lyrics (in the case of ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane), and album art featuring bright colours and distorted patterns and lettering, now stereotypes of the genre (Think the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Byrds). There was very much the idea that music and visuals should go hand in hand, with multisensory immersive experiences created at gigs and concerts through the use of coloured light displays, lulling the audience into an magical, trance-like state inextricably connected to the music.
Isaac Abrams is a great example of a pioneer of psychedelic art, having been very open in interviews, and indeed on his website, about the extent to which drug use influenced his art. His strange, intricate patterns seems to move on their own, whilst striking colours pull the viewer in. They are beautiful and otherworldly, whether or not you’ve ever had a hallucinogenic trip. Returning to the question touched upon before - as a part of the counterculture, psychedelic art is seen by many as peculiarly in and of its
Instagram / alexgreycosm
of society and heavy drug use were deeply embedded aspects of the Beat generation’s lifestyle in the 50’s and 60s that fed into these later counter-culture movements of later decades. Drugs such as marijuana, benedine and LSD were used with abandon and in some senses glorified in the works of writers such as Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and, most pertinently for this article, William Burroughs. While Junkie (1953) delved into the experience of heroin addiction (something Burroughs himself was familiar with), Naked Lunch (1959) moved into a non-linear style that was intended to be as immersive, bizarre and nonsensical as an extended trip.
Student illustrator Ritu Patel does her interpretation of psychedelic art
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@EpigramArts
Bristol talent at Edinburgh Fringe Saving you the trouble, Epigram Arts is giving you a rundown of all the Bristol productions at the festival this August // A Cappella // Love Aca-tually - Bristol Suspensions 13th - 25th, Space Triplex
// Musical Theatre // 89 Nights - Troubadour Stageworks 2nd-27th, C too Main Theatre on Johnston Terrace Alice, our British protagonist, arrives fresh out of school in New York City full of naïve hope and imagination of what the next 89 Nights (the length of her ESTA visa) will bring. Away for the first time in her life, from home, from family, and everything that made her who she is, we explore her coming of age story. Through humour, song, and wit we are looking for the answer to that pessimistic question, ‘If you know when it’s going to end, what’s the point in starting?’. Preview: Bristol late May, Other Palace Theatre in London on 25th July
An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious stories from their home lives, the kids spell their way through a series of increasingly ridiculous words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. In comical, touching, and catchy songs, the spellers reveal their struggles and hopes as they make their way through the twists and turns of the competition, guided by three eccentric adult hosts.
// Theatre // <3_Error 404_<3 - StudioSpace 13-18th, Olive Studio, Greenside A like, a swipe, a retweet. We live in a world of instant communication but how often do we assess the presence of technology in our relationships? This new verbatim play brings to life the power of social media, exploring everything from the humorous pitfalls of online dating to the need to create the perfect selfie. Through a combination of text and physical theatre our all female ensemble reveals the highs and lows of living with technology.
present a brand new piece of writing commemorating and celebrating the life and untimely suicide of Elise Cowen. Elise explores the hedonistic drug-fuelled culture of the Beatnik’s and how this society marginalised and damaged the women who chose to partake. The play hinges on events following her suicide, drawing together interviews and extracts from the eighty-three poems left unburnt by her parents, piecing together the true story of a woman shrouded in Ginsberg’s shadow, set to a thrilling soundtrack of recordings, jive music and raucous jazz. “There were [female beat poets], they were there, I knew them, their families put them in institutions, they were given electric shock.In the ‘50s if you were male you could be a rebel, but if you were female your families had you locked up. There were cases, I knew them, someday someone will write about them.” -Gregory Corso
Preview 1: 23-24th May, The Alma Tavern & Theatre, Bristol. (Tickets £8/10 (£7 students)) Run time: 50 mins.
Instagram / edfringe
Roses are red, violets are blue, the Bristol Suspensions have a show to do – but what happens when Cupid shoots his arrow into the rehearsal room? Fresh from their American tour, join the 2016 UK champions to see what goes on behind the scenes of a cappella. Let these vocal valentines serenade you with delicious harmonies, award-winning arrangements, and a wit that’ll have you in stitches - from Foo Fighters, to Stevie Wonder, this show has something for everyone!
// Musical Theatre // // Theatre // The 25th Annual Putnam County Elise - Dixie Fried Theatre Spelling Bee - MTB 1st - 27th, Bunker 2, Pleasance Theatre 16th - 19th, TheSpace Niddry Lower Dixie Fried Theatre with Bristol Spotlights 20th - 25th - TheSpace Triplex Big
// Theatre // Marmite - Limerence Productions 4th - 27th, Attic at the Gilded Rose Theatre Dylan and Eddie have just moved in together. It’s great. The apartment is great. Everything is great. They’re both really happy. Except Dylan isn’t. It’s all a bit rushed. A bit much. A bit too soon. He’s only just left uni, for Christ’s sake. Between sex parties and roast dinners, Marmite explores the difficulties of gay monogamy with honesty and warmth. Hot off the back of their internationally touring Fringe 2017 sell-out Ginger Beer, Limerence Productions is back and better than ever. ‘An honest, brash, and balls-out comedy experience’ - The Huffington Post, ‘Funny, enthralling, witty and wise’ - The Scotsman. Previews: 1st - 3rd August
// Theatre // Isle of Muck - DramSoc 4th - 18th, Jade Theatre, Greenside Venues
Epigram / Luke Unger
Basil abandons university to join his Uncle January, an ageing party boy, on the sparsely populated Isle of Muck. He finds that his uncle, motivated by an irrational distrust for technology and the financial pressure of his castle’s upkeep, has set up a rehabilitation centre for internet addicts. Together they succeed in running a dysfunctional place of refuge that awkwardly combines January’s decadence with Basil’s meagre understanding of- but colossal admiration for -New Age spiritualism. That is, until the arrival of Maisie; a confusing patient who inadvertently throws everything into disarray.”
Staying in Bristol over the summer? We’ve got your culture fix sorted Three Sisters
Tobacco Factory Theatres 12th - 16th June From £12 The Bristol theatrical authorities appear to be having a real Chekhov moment right now, with a run of ‘Cherry Orchard’ having finished only recently. ‘Three Sisters’ is another classic Russian play and this RashDash rendition promises ‘a period drama with surprises’.
Birdsong
Bristol Old Vic 10th - 14th July From £12.50 Coinciding with the centenary of the end of the First World War, this play brings to the stage the critically-acclaimed novel by Sebastian Faulkes. It’s a story love, courage, heartbreak and the horrors of war. Bring tissues.
Nina Beier
Spike Island 21st July - 16th September Free entry Danish artist, Nina Beier, presents a series of sculptures that explore the function and social histories of various objects. Her work has previously been shown in galleries all over Europe. We would highly recommend a visit to the Spike Island cafe while you’re there.
Nine Couples who Transformed Modern British Art RWA : 16th June - 9th September Free entry with student card
The title says it all really - this diverse exhibition showcases the work of some iconic romantic couplings and shows how these partnerships inspired experimentation that altered each artist’s creative output. Not to be missed!
Music
Epigram
30.04.2018
@epigrammusic Editor: Alexia Kirov
Deputy Editor: Kate Hutchison
Online Editor: Joe Samrai
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music@epigram.org.uk
Revived: The Bristol Recorder returns to print
After a 40-year hiatus, Bristol-based vinyl/music mag The Bristol Recorder has returned to print. Deputy Music Editor Kate Hutchison chats with new co-editor and third year English student Syd Bird before its release earlier this month Kate Hutchison Deputy Editor At the beginning of the ‘80s, The Bristol Recorder ceased printing. The three-part vinyl/ Bristol-based music mag took a backseat as the then-student founders took to a new endeavour: namely, establishing WOMAD festival. But after nearly fourty years, The Bristol Recorder is returning with a limited run of 500 copies thanks to new co-editor Syd Bird, a third-year English student. We met up to chat about the mag’s imminent revival. ‘At the time, it did very well. It sold thousands of units…’ Syd tells me. But with NME’s recent demise, I couldn’t help but ask why the hell they wanted to start up a print-based release again. Syd, however, attributes the opportune revival to the very resurgence of vinyl itself: ‘Pop music is now released on vinyl. It’s more commercial, it’s more accessible and people are tapping into that. It’s nice to have the physicality of something. You put it on, and your attention span is with it. It’s the whole ceremony of it, I think. It’s the perfect time to reboot it – we like vinyl in Bristol.’
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something you enjoy.’ The Recorder’s launch happened on the 27th April at Rough Trade, but the vinyl was released for £29 on Record Store Day. With fantastic appearances from the vinyl’s artists, Firewood Island, Doctor Meaker and a DJ set from John Stapleton, the manager of Wanted Records, you’d be stupid to miss their next party. Grab yourself this limited musical artifact, a real labour of love and a taste of the city’s current groove.
Issue 4’s front page, featuring Bristol band LICE
This is a complete labour of love for everyone involved.
Syd has worked tirelessly for nearly a year to pull this off, but her efforts have been unpaid. Right now, social media is rife with criticism around free work experience and internships. This is something I couldn’t leave without touching on. Initially, reluctantly, Syd says ‘obviously, everyone should be paid and ideally would be paid.’ But rightly, she points out the unique nature of the project: ‘This is a complete labour of love for everyone involved. I think the issue is - a lot of the time - that people aren’t paid from companies that definitely could afford to pay them – exploiting that need for experience. Whereas all of the money we have, we’ve plugged into the product. We want it to be good, and we want to make something we’re proud of.’ Syd’s final comments really resonated with me. Despite being voluntary, Syd was extremely keen The vinyl is secured within the mag itself, and is transparent
Epigram / Kate Hutchison
Syd got involved with the project after meeting one of the co-founders through a work experience placement at a publishing house. She began working to advertise the revival, and has since taken a centre role in the project: sourcing photography, writing content and commissioning articles, while also co-editing the whole zine. As much as Syd takes credit for this, she’s keen to emphasise the revival’s collaborative nature, between the founders and new contributors: ‘We have a very eclectic mix of people, which gives it a more interesting angle. It’s not just one demographic speaking.’ This distinctive element of the project is not singular. As Syd puts it, the unit is ‘a part of Bristol’s history.’ Like its predecessors, the issue is a snapshot of Bristol’s scene today, and tackles problems facing the city such as homelessness and venue closures, while also chatting about the vinyl’s musicians. Syd talks excitedly about the feminist undertones to the commissions, especially an article written by author and Bristol Recorder contributor, Jill - an individual also linked to the previous issues. Describing the article as the ‘feminist heart’ of the zine, Syd tells me a little bit more about it: ‘It’s called Bristol Girls Make More Noise which is a play on a book she’s written called Bristol Boys Make More Noise. In it, she lets rip. As it has been one hundred years since women got the vote, she asks why women aren’t celebrated in the same way men are. She’s picked out all of these incredible female artists who we should know and who we should celebrate but don’t. It’s pious and angry, very funny and accessible. And the illustrations are incredible. It’s a good one to have a chuckle at, but also get righteously angry.’ The vinyl’s sound is a holistic reflection of Bristol music in 2018, gathered by Syd and the founders through various recommendations, general sound rummaging and, ‘a lot of negotiating.’
to encourage other students interested in similar endeavours: ‘I would say make the most of being a student. We’re getting a loan. And especially if you’re an Arts or Humanities student: you have time to do stuff. And it is the perfect time to do stuff because once you’re out of the uni bubble, you’re going to need to work more because you won’t be getting a loan, and that will eat into your energy and your time. It’s all experience. And it’s really fun. It doesn’t feel like work when you do
Facebook / The Bristol Recorder
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We have a very eclectic mix of people, which gives it a more interesting angle
‘We have indie punk and reggae, but it’s not an indie, punk or reggae album – it’s everything,’ Syd tells me. Circling back to talk of the compilation’s relevance, Syd points out the weakening triballike nature of listeners: ‘it’s not like you’re an indie kid or a metal kid. I think, most people now are happy to go to all kinds of gigs. I personally love it when a support act is different to the main: a mix of genres on one night. Apparently, Bristol is really good for that.’ The vinyl features a range of quality sounds, including upcoming noisy post-punk band LICE, alt-roc outfit Oscar Wilde and d’n’b mixer Doctor Meaker. Touchingly, every track was gifted by the artists free of charge, which also meant that Syd’s dream feature – IDLES – were a contribution ‘they couldn’t quite grab’ for the release. Nevertheless, Syd defended the track-listing as strong and reinterred the up and coming nature of The Recorder. I was disheartened to see Bristol’s unmistaken techno sounds – from the likes of Livity Sound - underrepresented on the track-listing, but I was reassured by Syd’s next comment. Talking about the mix of genres on the album, Syd says ‘the thing is, any [sound] that may be underrepresented in this one, we hope to tackle that in the next.’ Syd’s pretty adamant that The Recorder will make further appearances – at least twice annually. Acknowledging the positive bubble it’s currently in, they’re now waiting for its reception on Record Store Day. I feel very lucky to have been introduced to the revived Recorder before its release: I love it. The presentation is slick and novel; the illustrations are fantastic, and even the paper (yes, the paper) is good quality. But I’m not the only one. When discussing how exactly Syd wants it to be received, she talks humbly about a comment made from LICE’s Alistair: ‘He said you could see intention - and particularly good intention - on every single page. On the ‘Bristol team speaks’ page, we all talk about our favourite gig we’ve been to, but at the end there’s a tiny paragraph talking about how these experiences are only possible due to our local venues, and how we need to support our local venues because that’s how talent is nurtured. Little things like that are peppered throughout, and that’s why it’s a labour of love. It’s great to hear that someone picked up on the heart and thought behind it.’
Epigram
30.04.2018
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@epigrammusic
‘...A slow and aggravating death’: On the fall of NME Josh Peleg laments the decline and death of the print NME and gives his opinion on how a music industry monolith fell to free circulation before folding entirely.
This is also seen in the way NME reports on news and gossip. Full articles about the state of Alex Turner’s facial hair - which happens to make him look like a homeless Dubliner - and one titled, ‘Liam Gallagher wishes Morrissey a ‘miserable Christmas’ make me want to renounce any love of guitar music and begrudgingly pledge my allegiance to Nicki Minaj. In my opinion, a Rock n’ Roll magazine should praise its gods as much as it exorcises demons. Which brings me to another point about favouritism: an opinionated magazine should diss, cuss and chastise that which goes against its ideology. Mindless and superficial pop culture should be demonised and made a villain of the type of music that NME is otherwise presenting. I say this in the interest of increasing circulation numbers. It’s a well known fact that Rock n’ Roll and Punk has always flourished by presenting itself as an antidote to a popular illness. Be it the establishment, politics or top knots, there has always been a force that Rock n’ Roll has sought to oppose, and it was in the friction of this hostility that NME used to flourish. During the 1970s, NME held its highest circulation numbers, and as voted by NME users, eight of their favourite covers were in this period. These included the likes of The Clash, The Sex Pistols
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NME was a cool older brother: the one who smoked without mum knowing, snuck out to go to gigs and only needed mates and a cracked Fender Strat to be happy
A note from the Music Editor...
A vintage NME from the 90s
(twice), John Lennon and Syd Barrett, all of whom were controversial figures. Controversial figures revel in the public eye, but none more so than politicians. Publishing an article about ‘Jeremy Corbyn’s heroic speech’ at Glastonbury 2017 was funny, savvy and in touch with the interest of modern-day festival goers. However, putting Jeremy Corbyn on the front cover of the June 2nd edition is like running into a knife fight with a rubber pink dildo; it is NME entering a political arena with only musical credentials to their name. Being anti-political parties is cool and rebellious, despite us living in a time when it is increasingly respectable to hold political opinions. However, voraciously supporting a single party is a predictable partisan attitude that I am specifically looking to avoid when I pick up a copy of NME.
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The answer is two Cs: counterculture and controversy, elements which the magazine is lacking in the modern age
the classroom windows as I walked towards Blackfriars. It was a right of passage, a pledge of allegiance to what NME represented for me, and thousands of others. NME was a cool older brother: the one who smoked without mum knowing, snuck out to go to gigs and only needed mates and a cracked Fender Strat to be happy. Bunking school to spend my lunch money on seemed the only thing cool enough I could do to impress him.
So… Dear NME, if you’re not gonna give us dreams of being in a band or the balls to tell someone to ‘Fuck Off’, then you may as well make your bed of crumpled old editions under a London Bridge, lie down to sleep and never wake up.
Twitter / @RecordingAcad
NME died a slow and aggravating death. Having gone from a paid publication, to a free print, to no print at all, it’s a sad state of affairs for a magazine which is the wallpaper of so many bedroom walls. But why is this brand, which used to be the highest selling music paper in the 1970s and have the biggest standalone music website in 1996, on such a depressing decline to disappearance? The reasons are many. This is the first time I’ve gone out on a limb to write an article about something I love, because watching NME drown in this gloop of malnourished 21st century pop culture hurts me on a personal level. Spare me five minutes of your time and I’ll take you though a wellreasoned response to this inevitable event of 2018. Contrary to popular to belief, I do not think that the progression of music itself is to blame. The common argument normally takes this kind of form, ‘How can a Rock n’ Roll magazine survive in a rap and pop dominated musical world?’. NME famously has golden boys; these are bands or artists which are always given good reviews, dominate the front pages and can seemingly do no wrong. To name a few, there are The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher, Pete Doherty (solo) and Morrissey. Throughout their good and bad days these artists are repeatedly praised and glorified as if they could do no wrong. This stance from NME devalues its integrity as a publication that should supposedly adopt an un-biased view of its subjects. Many of the reviews feel like they come from salivating fanboys - and girls - who kiss the feet of their idols.
Flickr / BadGreebRecords
Josh Peleg First Year, English
Voraciously supporting a single party is a predictable partisan attitude that I am specifically looking to avoid when I pick up a copy of NME If the magazine wants to demonstrate a personal opinion on the subject, then I believe that they should do it through the focalisation of a band. This is something that they have done, but not enough. For example, the band Slaves, a punk-rock duo with a left political leaning (famous for songs such as ‘The Hunter’ and ‘Cheer Up London’), have violent yet existentially driven songs that chastise the political system
and demand action from their listeners. In their fight against apathetic Londoners, I feel exempt, having already sacrificed a chip of my front tooth for them (there’s a white spec of enamel buried in a field somewhere in Glastonbury if anyone fancies retrieving it for me). By placing Slaves on the cover, which they have done twice now, it advocates a political stance to its readers without ultimately aligning the publication itself with a certain standing point. My final point is probably the most inevitable: it involves tangibility and the internet. Tangibility is underrated; holding a picture of Noel Gallagher (or anyone else) in your hands to either wipe your ass with or pin it up on your wall is a defining element of any teen forming their musical taste. NME has had some absolute bangers on their cover pages, and this ‘in your face’ effect is completely lost on their website. If they intend to survive as a teeth-gnashing defender of ‘the good ol’ days’, or as a baton-wielding crusader of the future then they have to represent that feeling on their website. The worldwide rise of online journalism and decline of paper publications is the most saddening aspect of the future, but also the most inescapable. But allow me to get nostalgic for just a moment. Waking up on a Friday morning, in the final few years of secondary school, I would grab a few coins from my desk drawer and take the tube into the city (London). The hours would swim lazily by, until I could bunk double Spanish just before lunchtime. I would slip out via the front entrance, being sure to duck under
I can’t believe we’re already on the final issue of the year! Since I saw the Epigram elephant at the 2016 Freshers’ Fair, becoming Music Editor was one of my main goals for uni - so thank you so much to the senior team for giving me the opportunity to become one step closer to a professional band fangirl. To hold the position that some of biggest names in contemporary music journalism, Krissi Murrison and Laura Snapes, once held is everything I could have wanted. Thank you also to Kate and Joe (the rest of the Music editorial team) for being endlessly lovely to work with and also to all of our writers for the brilliant #content - we wouldn’t have a paper to edit if it weren’t for you. Out of the many brilliant gigs I’ve had the chance to review this year, Sparks at O2 Academy has to be my favourite. It was a particularly triumphant set in support of their first album as Sparks-proper in almost ten years. Looking back on this year, I’m feeling pretty triumphant too - not just for myself (although I do think I’ve finally nailed how to change text colour on InDesign - if you know, you know) but for all of us and for all we’ve achieved. So it feels fitting to sign off with an extract from my review of that... x What is most thrilling about this tour is the chance to hear the new tracks performed. ‘Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)’, third single from Hippopotamus, feels even more robust live, whilst ‘Missionary Position’ is a quintessentially Sparks track and sees Russell frolicking around the stage. It’s probably a first for the venue to have its crowd eagerly singing along about the finer points of Ikea furniture during ‘Scandinavian Design’, but it goes down remarkably well. As final track ‘Amateur Hour’ draws to a triumphant close, the brothers seem genuinely astounded by the reaction they receive. The applause continues long after they leave the stage as if their fans are willing them to continue for years and years to come – luckily, right now, Sparks show no sign of slowing down.
Epigram 30.04.2018
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Ist Ist: Spinning Rooms EP
Layla Link First Year, English
Skull: Thoughts of Others
Quick fire questions with Tom Grennan Daisy Hall quizzes the swiftly rising singer-songwriter about a few of his favourite things.
Tom Grennan is a Bedfordshire bred singersongwriter who was discovered after being a guest vocalist on Chase and Status’ track ‘When It All Goes Wrong’. Since then, he’s gained aclaim with his hugely successful EP, Something in the Water, and is heading on an eight-day UK tour to support his upcoming debut album Lighting Matches.
most immediately striking lyrics, ‘The room I’m in / It would spin / As if I was the sun’, and is presumably where the EP’s title comes from. While it’s underpinned by a pointed bassline, the guitars float to the forefront during the midsection, before reaching a multi-layered and wonderfully balanced instrumental break.
Skull, a four-piece from Leeds, have just released their debut album Thoughts of the Others. I’m not usually one for heavy metal, and when I took on this review, I was a little worried that I’d have trouble writing it - and in fact, I did, this is the second try. I do feel that there are a lack of melodies and catchy songs - and those that are there don’t stand out until the second or third listen. However, Thoughts of the Others really surprised me; it’s definitely not a classic, common, album. Yes, it is dense and rocky, but it is also full of exciting sounds and snippets of narration that I wasn’t expecting; the track listing of this album is ingenious. The more I listened, the more I really got into it. To me, it is less of an album and more of a drama, especially seen in the creative ‘Rumours’ and ‘Masks’ - more like a piece of art than a traditional album. Yet these interruptions between songs don’t feel like they are interrupting at all, they fit right in, giving the album a real, raw vibe. This is further explored in ‘Colours’ - ‘Why do you go away, only to come back?’ says Jonny in the
almost creepily quiet break, his recurring cough throughout adding to the atmosphere. ‘Midnight Oil’ is a jarring first track, with Jonny speaking over clashing chords; the words ‘Do I hide, or seek beyond this rebuke?’ follow before immediately leading into the very relevant second track ‘Hide and Seek.’ I really love the build-up in the first twenty seconds of this one, before we hear a brief stripped down riff and then get back into it.
What’s your favourite... ...movie?
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As Spinning Rooms shows, they are evolving and fine-tuning the definition of what it means to be Ist Ist The prominent bass, deep vocals and often introspective lyrics coupled with the fact that they are a Manchester band means it would be easy, but slightly lazy, to make Joy Division comparisons. It’s not as if such a comparison wouldn’t be high praise – but this band are doing important work themselves – they are not derivatively dour. As Spinning Rooms shows, they are evolving and fine-tuning the definition of what it means to be Ist Ist. The 54 second instrumental ‘An Interlude’ isn’t something you’d necessarily put in a playlist
‘Whispers’ has a creepier kind of sound but is my favourite track. Defintely more melodic and slightly lighter than the others... ‘Whispers’ has a creepier kind of sound but is my favourite track. Definitely more melodic and slightly lighter than the others, the dirty guitars and edgy vocals really work well together. I particularly like the guitar solo in the last minute of the song. My favourite use of the instruments is in ‘A
...colour? Dark green
and listen to standalone, but in the context of the EP, it makes sense; it offers a change of pace and helps sculpt the arc of the tracklist. But its title makes it pretty clear that that is its job and it does it well. The following song, ‘Emily’, seems an obvious candidate for the band’s next single, with a guitar riff that reigns it in from being too dark and a playful bassline in the chorus. But if ‘Emily’ is the band at their most radio-friendly on Spinning Rooms, then ‘Diversion’ is them at their most idiosyncratic. The second half of this song is one of the standout moments of the EP. Just when you think it has come to a close, it has an almighty resurrection and is reborn into something even better: a ferocious, energetic closing salvo, powered by Joel Kay’s urgent drums, that leaves you wanting to listen to the whole EP over again. Ist Ist have already garnered a strong fanbase in Manchester and beyond – they’re bringing their Spinning Rooms tour up and down the country from the end of next week. It’s a real shame they’re not coming to Bristol just yet, but as they go from strength to strength, it’s only a matter of time before they make it down to the
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Whole,’ a super intense track, both in vocals and endless guitars. I found my head bobbing, feet tapping, and the itch to get up and dance. One of the things I enjoy most about this album is that I can still dance to it, despite its heavy sound. However, I do feel that there are a lack of melodies and catchy songs - and those that are there don’t stand out until the second or third listen. One exception to this is ‘Lightswitch’, one of their two colossal singles, the other being ‘RPM.’ ‘RPM’ features a strong beat from Mark on drums before leading into a heavy, powerful mosh of guitars and vocals, while ‘Lightswitch’ has a very different feel to it - much more Arctic Monkeyslike. It opens with Jonny’s strong, powerful vocals and goes on to a slow, heavy beat that carries on throughout. One of the last tracks of the album, ‘Paean’, really reels you back in if you’ve been drifting off a little (not that it’s easy to drift off to this album at all). It has a more bluesy laid back feel, with a very catchy repeated guitar riff running underneath the vocals.
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Is there anyone that you would love to collaborate with? Adele
...animal?
What was the best gig you’ve been to?
...city?
Dog
Kasabian
London
...song (at the moment)?
Forrest Gump
...drink?
My own song, ‘Sober’! ...pizza topping?
Brandy and Coke
Ham and sweetcorn
...room in the house?
Do you prefer watching or playing sport?
Living room
Playing football - I’m a Man United supporter
...season? Summer - my birthday’s in June
If you could have written any song what would it be? ‘Back to Black’ by Amy Winehouse
Flickr / @markheybo
Daisy Hall Second Year, Psychology
Manchester three-piece Ist Ist have released a string of singles over the last two years, and, in a bold and courageous move, a DIY live album recorded in the audience. Just as striking and self-assured is their debut EP and first offering on vinyl, Spinning Rooms. ‘Preacher’s Warning’ is Spinning Rooms’ first and lead track, and will already be familiar to those who have seen its intriguing black and white video released at the beginning of last month. ‘This is a preacher’s warning / All those who come here… die’ are singer Adam Houghton’s apocalyptic opening lyrics. Had Spinning Rooms been disappointing, such an opening could have become an unfortunate, ironic statement of intent. But from the first to final track, it delivers on all fronts. It’s clear from the outset, with the deft, ominous electronics woven around ‘Preacher’s Warning’, and throughout the entire EP, that despite a slightly cleaner, more understated sound than the overdriven rumble of earlier singles, like ‘Night’s Arm’ or ‘Silence’, they have not lost any of the raw spirit that makes their sound so compelling. The next track is ‘I’m Not Here’, and possibly the strongest of the lot. It contains one of the band’s
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Alexia Kirov Music Editor
Epigram
Puzzles
30.04.2018
@EpigramPuzzles
Editor: Joselyn Joanes puzzles@epigram.org.uk
Solutions will be posted online at www.epigram.org.uk and on social media.
The Omnipuzzle AIM: Obtain a word from the clues 1. Split the clues into groups based on a clue’s title 2. Use the groups to decide which clues are solvable 3. You need to be able to travel from the start arrow to the end arrow using clue boxes which are solvable 4. Each clue will give you a letter or letters
Word ladder
Sudoku Fill the empty squares with numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and 3x3 box.
Can you get from top to bottom, changing only one letter from one rung to the next?
If you need any help, contact the editor by email or through social media
Word grid Word links
Just a phrase
How many words can you find including the middle letter, with at least four letters per word? There is at least one nine-letter word.
Find the word which can come before each of the three or four words given, in each case giving a common two-word phrase. E.g. LIFE line, LIFE time, LIFE less.
18= Average 24 = Good 30= Excellent
Find the two. three, four or five letters that can suffix the word on the left or prefix the word on the right, in each case giving a real word. E.g. HE-AR-MY.
LORD ANY SUN GUNS BULLS
YARD ABOUT LIGHT SPOT SHOT
1. Body, How, Thing 2. Our, Pit, Chair 3. Stead, Rock, Spread 4. Sort, Stable, Strict 5. Crafy, Field, Borne
Killer sudoku Sudoku rules apply and all the numbers in a cage must add to the number in the top left corner of the cage.
Quick crossword ACROSS 1. STEM Subject (12) 8. A type of radiation (2) 9. Tin (3) 10. European Country (9) 11. Vegetable (3) 12. A type of Address (2) 13. Weapons (4) 14. Sound (5) 17. Drink (3) 19. Girl’s Name (3) 20. A Star (3) 22. Reference to yourself (2) 24. Foxy (3) 26. Letter Shorthand (2) 28. Artificial Intelligence (2) 29. Mother (2) 31. Lots of young sheep (5) 33. Error (6) 35. Boy’s Name (4) 36. Exclamation of Surprise (4) 37. Beverage (3) 41. Close a person’s eyes (4) 43. Protect (4) 44. Alien (7) 45. Shorthand for Los Angeles 47. Converse (2)
DOWN 1. Skin Cancer (8) 2. Russian Tile Game (6) 3. Economic Union (3) 4. Martial Arts sport (3) 5. Taiwan’s Capital (6) 6. Brushes (6) 7. Human Back End Opening (4) 11. Bites (4) 15. Japanese Food (5) 16. Snake-Like Fish (3) 18. Lots of clapping (8) 21. Rain Protector (8) 23. 1 divided by 8 (7) 25. Welfare Charity (4) 27. Everyone’s Uncle (3) 30. Unassigned twocharacter country code (2) 32. A very small amount (4) 39. Consumed (3) 40. Boat Controls (3) 42. Et Cetera (3) 46. Preposition (2)
Follow us on Twtter @EpigramPuzzles If you would like to join the Puzzle Team email puzzles@epigram.org.uk
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30.04.2018
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Epigram
Why the Prem was right to reject VAR Danny Shaw First Year, English Both sets of players from Freiburg and Mainz were already back in their respective changing rooms at the midway point of this Bundesliga clash, when referee Guido Winkman summoned them back on to the field of play, awarding a retrospective penalty to Mainz. In unprecedented scenes, De Blasis then became the first player to score a goal during the half-time period, all thanks to the assistance of VAR.
The topic of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is shrouded in controversy. Whilst it has already been introduced by the USA and Germany, in a recent vote, the Premier League decided it wasn’t ready for this innovation. But what exactly is VAR? In the 2017/18 season VAR has been tested across English football. The new refereeing assistant sits in the Premier League’s match centre near Heathrow. If contentious moments arise, such as whether or not to award goals, red cards and cases of mistaken identity, the referee can consult the VAR. The impact of this on fixtures is huge, and at first glance, purely positive. So why have the Premier League decided not to introduce what seems like something that could only enhance the beautiful game?
Even VAR would require the same human interpretation employed by the referee in the first instance
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger commented in annoyance at the decision against the immediate introduction of VAR saying, ‘Every big game this season has been decided by mistakes that could have been avoided with VAR, especially in the Champions League with Manchester City and Liverpool.’ If we consider this particular game, the two legs finishing 5-1 to Liverpool, it is clear that VAR would have dramatically affected the result. Over both legs, City had three goals wrongfully disallowed, and Liverpool had one goal wrongfully allowed. Not only this but these goals came at pivotal moments during the fixture, having the potential to swing the momentum of the tie. City were subsequently lambasted by pundits and the press about a fixture that they could have hypothetically won, had refereeing decisions been correct. If it has the effect of improving the fairness of the outcome of football matches and
guaranteeing that the best team wins, the case for VAR seems irrefutable. Unfortunately, this new refereeing technique wouldn’t guarantee anything, instead complicating refereeing decisions rather than simplifying them. Due to the ambiguities of the game, such as the difference between ‘ball-tohand’ and a deliberate handball or the question over whether not a player is affecting play and is therefore offside, even VAR would require the same human interpretation employed by the referee in the first instance. There is no guarantee, therefore, that objectively correct decisions would come from VAR. Furthermore, constant referrals
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to the new refereeing assistant would break up play and detrimentally affect the speed of such a fast-paced game. But more importantly, VAR erodes the human element of football, central to its appeal.
De Blasis then became the first player to score a goal during the half-time period
Attempts to introduce VAR signify a movement to chip away at football’s capacity to impassion and enrage.
Football is essentially a pantomime played out in 21st century colosseums with diving, dissent, two footers, fans destroying the team bus, woeful refereeing and injustice, all of which have the power to turn grey-suited office workers into red-faced tornados of fury. These aspects of the game, these imperfections and Wenger’s ‘mistakes’, should be accepted and embraced as they are part of what makes football so internationally loved, elevating it above many other sports. Football is entertainment, appealing to human sensibilities, and therefore should be treated as such and not as a science striving towards mechanical perfection.
Twitter / BBC Sport
“ Football is essentially a pantomime played out in 21st Century Colosseums
Firstly it has not been entirely rejected but instead suspended in an extended period of refinement to ensure that events such as those of the Freiburg/Mainz fixture do not repeat themselves. It will not be used during the 2018/19 EPL season, although ‘advanced testing’ will be ongoing as well as extensive use in both the FA and Carabao cups.
VAR is time consuming, with fans in the stadium often unaware of what is happening. Is this a fair price to pay for more accuracy?
Scenery and speed: Bristol 10k preview Felix Rusby Deputy Editor Following the recent Varsity 10k, which, although open to the public, is more widely regarded as a university specific event, it’s now time to get excited for the city of Bristol’s major official 10-kilometre race, The Great Bristol 10K. Beginning on Anchor Road near Millennium Square and Bristol Cathedral, the route runs parallel to the historic Bristol Harbour. It then continues along Avon Gorge, taking in the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge, before taking athletes past Spike Island and the Cumberland Basin and then running by the Gothic St Mary Redcliffe with a grand finish on Anchor Road near to the race start line.
The race village opens at 07:30 on Sunday the 13th of May, with athletes heading off in waves beginning with the orange wave at 09:30 and then the white, green and pink waves following at 09:34, 09:56 and 10:07 in that order.
Flickr / Matt Neale
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The Great Bristol 10k is known to be a reasonably fast route
Depending on how quickly runners want to run the race, they can choose which wave they start in, with the quickest runners going first and the slower runners following later. This year as with previous years, Bristol University’s running club UBACCC is lending their services to the race. Volunteers from the University will be helping to marshal round the course making sure that all the athletes know exactly where they are going. With the continued support of volunteers such as these, this really helps to make the race the fun and successful event that it is. As a course, the Great Bristol 10k is known to be a reasonably fast route, with some runners finishing in times well below 40 minutes. In last years race, the finishing time was a rapid 30 minutes 43 seconds, while the fastest woman ran the race in just 33 minutes 29 seconds. However, despite the quality of some of the runners competing in the event, this is still very much a race for everyone. Whatever your ability, the Great Bristol 10K is a brilliant event and with the recent spell of warm weather, this year it should be at its best. Whether you run or spectate, get yourself out on the 13th of May to enjoy what is set to be another fantastic Bristol event. You can sign up to run it at greatrun. org/great-Bristol-10k
The route of the 10k goes around the harbour with some scenic routes, especially in the sunshine
Epigram
UBRFC player makes England Students debut against France Ben McCall-Myers Online Editor
47 Congratulations to our cyclists! UOBCC had a highly successful time at the BUCS 3-up TTT, sending four teams to compete. Kate Mactear, Meg Dickerson and Lottie Mallin Martin produced brilliant rides to claim gold. Meanwhile the other women’s team of Hester Stembridge, Hollie Hindley and Bekah Nash finished well in 5th place. Both men’s teams finished in the middle of the pack, with the team of Hugh Bradshaw, Freddy Carlton and Ted Cross unlucky not to do better. Further congratulations to Matthew Skeats and Will Hawkins who travelled to Wales to compete in the 2018 Battle on the Beach, the UK’s biggest off-road cycling race.
The overall Fantasy Football league scores as they stand: Twitter / UBRFC
UBRFC stalwart and fourth-year Medicine student, Max Cresswell, made his debut for England Students in a tantalising 25-24 loss to France. He was part of a 26 man squad, representing nine universities from across the country, who competed with French universities on the 15th and 20th April. The New Zealand born forward, who moved to Wiltshire aged 3, was selected as cover for second and back row. However, he got out onto the field in the opening fixture which took place in the mid-afternoon sun of Chambéry, an alpine-town in south-east France home to the Stade Municipal. Reflecting on the experience, Max said it was ‘pretty awesome to run out in an England shirt’. Despite the defeat, he remained positive about England’s chances in the Friday fixture and was pleased to have been reselected on the bench. His impact in the second half, as England fought back from 19-10 down, evidently impressed head coach Aaron James. When Max started playing for UBRFC he was, in his words, ‘still a skinny school boy’. Coming to university he had never really expected to be in contention to represent his country, but since hearing about England Students admitted it motivated him to improve.
30.04.2018
In action for UBRFC against local rivals the University of the West of England
This demonstrates the remarkably high standard of sportsmen and women here at the university - to have come so far since starting his student rugby career is a remarkable achievement. As a first taste of international rugby,
the amicable medic was thrilled to have fulfilled every young English sportsperson’s dream of playing for England. This is an apt reward for his four years with the club, earning himself the endearing nickname of
‘Grandad’. Whether Max is doing lifesaving work as a doctor or plying his trade as a professional rugby union player in years to come, there are certainly exciting things to come for this Bristol student.
B:Active classes now free for all Tim Godfrey Twiss Deputy Editor
Facebook / Active Campus
As much as B:Active looks like it was designed by a Year 11 student rushing to finish their Graphics GCSE, the B:Active scheme is actually one of the best ways to get involved at sport at Bristol University. The classes are consistent, well organised and run by excellent staff. However, the prospect of paying for something, before you know what is going to be like is one of the scheme’s major drawbacks, and one of the biggest obstacles stopping people getting into sport. Another big issue for involvement in sport is the courage it requires to attend a class or club without knowing anybody there. But Bristol University has made a radical decision to make all B:Active classes free for this semester, thus remedying the scheme’s two major drawbacks. The decision was made to allocate this funding as a response to the recent strikes in an attempt to ‘compensate for the disruption caused’. The University will also be funding other studentfocused projects. You can now go try a class for free and if you love it, great, if not who cares (not me, personally). Not only this but you can also drag your unwilling friends to classes as well, something I enjoy doing immensely. This step by the sport team at Bristol University is drastic considering the cost of facilities and their maintenance, and there is nothing more to really say than this is a fantastic turn of events. The timing of the free classes is also excellent, helpfully coinciding with the
end of BUCS and more importantly, the start of exams. Every year the exam season rolls around, just as the weather improves and grass changes from its perma-bog to actual grass, but students remained trapped inside. This is depressing, very depressing. It’s hard to be trapped inside, knowing you could be frolicking in fields or smacking a rounders ball into an unreachable bush. B:Active classes are a great way to escape the prison that is the library, and a fantastic way to break up any daunting nine hour revision day. B:Active classes offer a large range of activities at varying times - I’d suggest that you personally seek out the timetable found on Bristol University’s website but I will quickly go over some of the highlights. Spinning, which will come as a shock for anyone who has tried spinning…because spinning is hard, very hard. However, the fact that it is hard is why it is so good, the buzz of serotonin after the class is easily enough to get you through three hours of calculus (I do English, and have no idea what maths students actually do… there are letters or something, I dunno). Another great class is Body Balance - this is good for those who want to keep in top shape in the off-season of their sport. It focuses on strengthening muscles people do not usually work in the gym, the type of muscles that allow you to do one legged squats etc. The final class that may take your fancy is Body Combat – it does what is says on the tin. All in all I’d like to congratulate the sport team on making this decision and advise all students to go give a class a go, after all, it’s free.
With all classes now free until the end of term, why not take the opportunity to try something new with your friends?
Epigram
30.04.2018
Sport
@epigramsport Editor: Nicky Withers
Online Editor: Ben McCall-Myers
Deputy Editors: Tim Godfrey Twiss & Felix Rusby
sport@epigram.org.uk
Roses return with gold medals from Gold Coast: an interview with Eboni Beckford-Chambers Thank you from the Sport Editor:
Twitter / England Netball
As this is the final issue of the year, I would just like to say thank you to the editorial team and every writer who has contributed to the paper. It’s been a pleasure following and reporting on the University’s sporting success and working with you all. Shout out to all of our sports clubs on their continued hard work in BUCS, Varsity and other competitions. We are the mighty maroon! Keep up to date with what’s happening on Twitter at @epigramsport
A nail biting finish: Beckford-Chambers celebrating as the Roses confirmed their place in the Commonwealth Final for the first time in their history
Nicky Withers Sport Editor
city. I love its diversity and the fact that it has a wealth of multicultural communities. NW: What were the expectations going into the tournament? EBC: We had high expectations heading into the Commonwealth Games given our recent success at the January Quad Series where we placed second. An England team had never made the final at a major Championship, so this was the initial goal for the team and the basis upon which we would begin to measure our success. NW: What was the training schedule like? EBC: The training schedule was pretty gruelling at first! We had a preparation camp in Sydney for two weeks where Tracey (England coach) put us through our paces. We played a variety of Australia based netball teams to assist with building combinations and confidence. We also completed a number of ‘Blow Out’ sessions. As the name suggests, these sessions were
extremely physically, emotionally and mentally challenging. However, it is this that I believed prepared us for the championship itself. We had already done the hard work, it was about enjoying the journey and sticking to the game plan and processes game by game. NW: It was nerve-wracking watching the game, were you aware how tight the scoreline was in the final quarter? EBC: My nerves were all over the place. Yes, I was aware how tight the scoreline was going into the last quarter. However, I could sense that Australia were nervous too. We are so used to Australia transitioning the ball from one end of the court to the other in as little as four to five passes. During this game, we had slowed them down significantly whereby it was taking them eight to nine passes to score one goal. It was the early application of pressure that I believe swung in our favour towards the end of the game. The team knew in the last quarter that
we had the resolve to push on. It was now or never! The relief when Helen sunk that last goal was unfathomable. NW: How did to feel to take gold? EBC: The feeling is truly indescribable. It was just pure joy to know that all your hard work from over the years has finally been rewarded with a gold medal. The medal was not only for me but my mum, family and support team - a true recognition of all of their hard work too. NW: Where do the Roses go from here? EBC: The World Cup is in 2019 in Liverpool. That is the next major Championship in the four-year cycle. Hopefully we will be able to secure the double. If you’ve been inspired to give netball a go, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Head to the England Netball website and use their session finder tool to discover ways to play near you!
Twitter / England Netball
History was made on the Australian Gold Coast as the England netball team powered their way to a historic first Commonwealth Games gold medal. The Roses started the tournament strongly, demonstrating strength and composure to go unbeaten in the preliminary rounds, comfortably beating world number two New Zealand 54-45. Full of confidence, the Roses progressed to the semi-final where they took on a very strong Jamaica side who claimed bronze in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It was a very difficult match and nervewracking for those on the sidelines as England trailed for the majority of the game. The final quarter saw both sides give everything they had, with the Roses overturning the four goal deficit to make it 54-54 with only a minute and a half to go. The pace of play stayed high and Harten held her nerve for England to sink the winning shot to make it 56-55 and claim their place in the final. Facing Australia on their home soil was never going to be easy; the world number ones were living up to the expectations of their home crowd and beat New Zealand with their biggest ever Commonwealth victory over their rivals. The match was exhilarating, end to end netball of the highest quality and an incredible advertisement for the sport, but more importantly it showed England meant business and Australia looked under serious pressure for the first time in the tournament. Each player left everything on the court, with standout performances from goal keeper Geva Mentor, goal defence Eboni Beckford-Chambers and the feisty center Serena Guthrie. As
time ran out in the nail-biting final quarter both Wood and Harten missed shots for Australia and England respectively, unusually feeling the pressure of the game. In the dying seconds Housby converted a penalty to make it 5251 to the Roses and claim a historic first gold medal for England. I caught up with Bristol alumnus and England legend Eboni BeckfordChambers after the Games. NW: What was your experience like in the performance squad at the University of Bristol? EBC: I have very fond memories of my time at Bristol University. It was an honour to be a part of the High Performance Squad and I am eternally grateful for the support that they provided. It allowed me to continue my academic studies but to also remain competing at the highest level. The High Performance Programme ably assisted me in achieving balance and ensuring that I was able to fulfil my potential and excel in both arenas. NW: How did you balance your degree and playing such high level netball? EBC: Lack of sleep! I have to admit that it was extremely challenging. It was definitely during my time at university where I learnt the true meaning of being resilient, organised and an efficient time manager. I absolutely loved reading Law at Bristol and I am incredibly passionate about netball – I think that when you love and enjoy something, you become very much solution-focused to ensure that you make it work. NW: What was your favourite thing about living in Bristol? EBC: Bristol has a very special place in my heart. I ended up staying an extra year to complete my Masters as I fell in love with the
Tears of joy: the team celebrate their historic Commonwealth Games gold medal on Australian soil