Inside The Croft...
Travelling for Dummies
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How to decorate your Uni room
Your new lifestyle pullout from Epigram
pg. 22
Fortnightly 28th September 2018 Issue 328 The University of Bristol’s Independent Student Newspaper
Celebrating 30 years
One in seven students buy their essays online Emily Vernall
Online Features Editor
Imogen Horton
News Editor • A study has found that 15.7 per cent of students have used online ‘essay mills’ • In the UK, essay mill sites are still legal despite widespread opposition
C
onclusions of a new study by the University of Swansea has revealed that between 2014 and 2018 an average of 15.7 per cent of students have admitted to cheating in their University degree through the use of online ‘essay-mills’. The study, led by Professor Phil Newton, director of learning and teaching at Swansea Medical School, looked at information dating back to 1978 and covered 54,514 participants from across the globe. The new findings of the new study show that the issue of paid-for tailor-made essay services, known also as ‘contract cheating’, is significantly on the rise
Bristol Labour Students refuse Brexit debate because Tory society organised the event Ed Southgate co-Editor In Chief
• •
Labour students ‘not comfortable’ with shared drunken debate BUCA called it a ‘sad reflection of the hardening of the political discourse’
B
ristol Labour Students have refused to take part in a “Drunken EU Debate” with the other political societies because they ‘were not comfortable’ participating in joint events with the Bristol University Conservative Association (BUCA).
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Speaking with Epigram, co-Chair of Bristol Labour Students, Ruth Day, said: ‘Tory Society have been asking us to do joint events and lots of our committee weren’t comfortable with that.’ She added: ‘When we heard about the “Drunken EU debate”, we thought it was something they were organising so weren’t keen to get involved’. Last academic year, Bristol Labour Students cohosted a ‘political speed-dating’ event with BUCA. Epigram has been informed that a motion has since been passed by the new Bristol Labour Students committee that all joint-events must be approved by a motion at the committee. BUCA Chairman, Harry Eastley-Jones, said: ‘The
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situation is a sad reflection of the hardening of the political discourse in recent years. Just because you disagree with someone does not make them a bad person. ‘As political societies we should be able to respect each other’s sincerely held beliefs and engage with each other in the free debate of ideas, which is what university is supposed to be all about.’ BUCA, Bristol Liberal Democrat Students and Bristol Green Soc will be debating Brexit in a “Drunken EU Debate” at Basement 45 on October 16, at 8pm. The event will be chaired by Epigram, and is open for all students to wacth. Continued on page 4
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from it historical average of only 3.5% of students. Reflecting upon his findings, Prof. Phil Newton says: ‘These findings underscore the need for legislation to tackle essay-mills, alongside improvements in the way students are assessed and awareness-raising of the fundamentals of academic integrity. We need to utilise assessment methods that promote learning and at the same time reduce the likelihood that contract cheating can happen’. Newton believes that the true number of students cheating in their degrees could be a lot higher, as those who have used essay mills are less likely to take part in research on the subject. For instance, a recent Instagram Poll carried out by Epigram revealed that 99% of the student who participated admitted to never having paid others to write their essays, however, the reliability of such statistics remains undetermined. Talking to Epigram, a former University of Bristol student admitted that they had paid someone to write their essay saying that ‘it was the last piece of work I needed to submit and I was just fed up’. Continued on page 3
Welcome back to a new-look Epigram! For the 2018/19 Academic Year: New-look pullout More pages of news than ever Now in our 30th Year
epigram 28.09.2018
Editorial
co-Editors in Chief: Ed Southgate & Cameron Scheijde editor@epigram.org.uk Deputy Editor: Nikki Peach
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A note from Ed and Cameron... Welcome to - or back to - Bristol! We are your new co-Editorsin-Chief of Epigram, Ed and Cameron, writing this editorial just 30 minutes before our print deadline - hence our fairly miserable and stressed expressions in the above photo, which has also just been taken. We promise we are usually a lot happier! We hope you will like the new design of the newspaper, brand new this year. We’ve decdied to modernise the general look of the paper and bring it more into the 21st cewntury as our previous layout had been used unchanged for over 10 years! It’s taken a lot of work from us and our dedicated editorial team but we’re really proud of trhe new look and hope you enjoy reading our new(s) paper. We’ve also decided to bring the news closer to you by expanding our news coverage from three pages to five. In doing so, we cover more stories and bring more news directly to you, our readers, Bristol students. Whilst some say print is a dying format, we think and firmly believe that there is nothing more satisfying than holding a physical newspaper, especially when you have put what feels like several hundred hours into making sure everything is perfect! Epigram is the most prestigious student newspaper in Bristol, now celebrating its 30th year after being founded by James Landale - the current Diplomatic Correspondent for BBC News - in 1988. Other notable alumni for us to boast about include Susanna Reid from Good Morning Britain, and the current CEO of Dow Jones, William Lewis, who broke the story of the MPs expenses scandal whilst he was the youngest ever Editor of The Daily Telegraph. Our new editorial team were fortunate enough to have Lewis return to Epigram to speak for them during our training week, in which he described how the backlash of MPs against him for breaking the expenses story lead to him having to hang up on a pretty angry Prime Minister, Gordon Brown - pretty exciting stuff! You can also turn to page nine in this issue to read an exclusive interview with him, in which he discusses with us issues regarding free speech on campus, Brexit and whether referendums are damaging to political structures. We also had the Branch Director of Bristol Samaritans speak to our team, which was both very intense and equally eye-opening for the importance of a responsible media in covering issues of suicide. Last year our university community was shaken by the tragic news that a series of students had taken their own life. As upset, anger and solidarity emerged throughout the student body, leading to a March for Mental Health in May this year, it was encouraging to hear that Bernie, who has been working closely with the wellbeing services here at Bristol, believes that the University has been putting in a lot of effort to ensure that both students and staff have the support that they require. Epigram will be closely scrutinising the wellbeing services and new Halls of Residence model, which caused a plentiful amount of controversy last year due to the axing of Wardens and Deputy Wardens. The new model promises to provide 24/7 immediate care, and we want to make sure that it does. Throughout our next issues, you will find interviews introducing the new wellbeing staff that those in halls can turn to should they require it and we will be reporting on the progress of this new system. On this point, we should also draw your attention to our dedicated Wellbeing section, which you can find in our new lifestyle pull-out The Croft. On page 18, you will find a ‘cut out keep it’ list of all the wellbeing services that you can contact should you feel that you are struggling with settling into, or back into, uni. We all struggle with our mental health from time to time and, as cliche as it may sound, it really is a sign of strength to reach out for help.
Ed Southgate & Cameron Scheijde, co-Editors in Chief
Epigram News 2018-19 Epigram Features Contributors 2018/19 Epigram Comment 2018-19 Epigram Science and Tech 2018-19 Epigram Letters 2018/19 Epigram Living 2018-19 Epigram Wellbeing Writers’ Group 2018/19 Epigram Food Writers (18/19) Epigram Travel Section 2018/19 Epigram Style Contributors 2018-19 Epigram Film & TV 2018-19 Writers Epigram Arts 2018-19 Epigram Music Writers 2018/19 Epigram Sport Writers 2018/2019
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Online Editor: Hannah Worthington Deputy Online Editors: Kate Hutchison & Oliver Cohen
Chief Proofreader Ethan Luc Sub-editors: Nina Bryant (News), Eleanor Holmes (Features), Phoebe Chase (Comment), Rebecca Scott (Science), Hendrike Rahtz (Living), Anna Hart (Wellbeing), Erin Lawler (Food), Eloisa Griffiths (Travel), Laura Mallinson (Style), Eleanor Gunn (Film & TV), Eleanor Tarr (Arts), Guy Marcham (Music), Michael Sherridan-Warburton (Sport) Managing Director Frankie McNab Director of Communications Tara Lidstone Director of Finance Ben Woods Head of Ads and Sales Joshua Varghese Head of Marketing Emily Lowes
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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News
Editor: Imogen Horton Online Editor: James Cleaver Deputy Editor: Lucy Downer Investigations Editor: Louise Cripps Uni Management Correspondent: Laura Reid Student Life Correspondent: Victoria Dyer SU Correspondent: Zoe Crowther
epigram 28.09.2018
Got a story for the News tean? Email: news@epigram.org.uk
Mental health prioritised as Uni takes steps to improve provisions • •
Residential life adivsors introduced this year Minister of State for Universities supports Mental Health Charter
Zoë Crowther SU Correspondent
F
rom the start of this academic year, residential life advisors shall be available to provide 24/7 support to students living in university accommodation. Three residential villages have been established as locations where students can go for help with concerns ranging from academia to mental health. Vice Chancellor Professor Hugh Brady has said: ‘We share the passion and concern our students and staff feel about mental health and wellbeing. ‘It is fast emerging as the single
biggest public health issue affecting young people today, both here in the UK and globally. The number of students across the HE sector declaring a mental health challenge has quadrupled over the last decade.’ Following a cluster of student deaths, the University has continued to face criticism since over 400 people marched in May to demand improvements to the quality and availability of mental health resources. Last year, the University spent £1m on hiring well-being advisors who were embedded into academic departments. The latest developments represent an effort to make student well-being a central component to the accommodation services. The Minister of State for Universities, Sam Gyimah, has joined the call for immediate action to be taken. Gyimah wrote to Vice Chancellors across the country, referring to mental health as an ‘immediate’ challenge in the sector. He has advised that ‘Universities
“We share the passion and concern our students and staff feel about mental health”
should see themselves as ‘in loco parentis’ – not infantilising students, but making sure support is available where required.’ After a student mental health summit held in Bristol in June this year, the government announced the University Mental Health Charter. This is to be led by Student Minds, a prominent student mental health charity. Gyimah has given his support of the Charter, stating ‘It is not good enough to suggest that university is about the training of the mind and nothing else, as it is too easy for students to fall between the cracks and to feel overwhelmed and unknown in their new surroundings.’ With the development phase beginning in Autumn 2018, CEO of Student Minds, Rosie Tressler, has announced: ‘Student Minds are delighted to have the support of the UPP Foundation and our partners to co-create the University Mental Health Charter with students, and university
and health communities. ‘This programme will stretch and reward universities that commit to the improvement required, providing tools and support to help them get there.’ The Charter also has the involvement of other leading charities, NUS and Higher Education bodies. UUK has also published guidance for universities on how to prevent student suicides and contribute towards a safer learning environment. Vice Chancellor Hugh Brady has stated that ‘here in Bristol we are taking every step we can, to work with our students to help them build the life-skills and resilience to cope with the pressures they face, and to identify vulnerable students as early as possible so we can support them with their mental health issues.’
You can access mental health support by calling Samaritans for free at 116 123, or by emailing jo@samaritans.org
Study finds student use of ‘essay mills’ is on the rise Imogen Horton News Editor
Emily Vernall
Online Features Editor Continued from front page The ability for students to use essay-mill sites without detection and repercussion exposes the critical problem that these sites pose to legitimacy and credibility of degree marks. If the problem continues, the high standards of universities are called into question as the misconduct creates an unlevel playing field for honest students. The use of essay-mills is not illegal in the UK, despite clamp downs in New
Zealand and America to criminalise companies that provide and advertise the services. This has made the subject one of controversy in higher education debates and policy. A petition lobbying Parliament to act against contract cheating websites stands at 4,427 signatures and is an example of the growing resistance to essay mill profiteers. The petition states that ‘there are over 100 essay mills websites currently in operation’. The petition targets the misleading nature of sites that ‘claim the essays are provided simply for study purposes, but simultaneously advertise “guaranteed grades”, “never resold” and “plagiarism free”’. It continues: ‘we call for the UK Government to pass a similar law to stamp out this unacceptable practice.’ One of the main ways that the essay mill companies avoid the wrath of the law is by advertising the essays as ‘advirsory’, thus avoiding any legal responsibility for cheating or plagairism. In January 2017 Lords and academics urged for the practice of contract cheating through the use of third party essay writing to be made illegal, as it was reported that more than 20,000 students were paying for their essays and dissertations. Despite the resistance, the issue and proposals to tackle essay mills have failed to make it into the Higher Education and Research Act this year.
Analysis / The prevalence and problem of ‘essay mills’ in UK universities Emily Vernall
Online Features Editor
P
aving the way to success or paying for success? What is being done to rectify the rising issue of contract cheating in UK higher education and further afield? A major review into the issue of essay mills, published by The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) on August 18, brought to the forefront new statistics that online essays can be purchased for as little as £15, and produced and returned within the short time space of a day. Other figures revealed that one site offers to provide an entire 100,000-word PhD thesis in English literature within a week, for a fee of £6,750. Yet currently, Essay mills are not illegal in the UK. Consequently, the UK appears to lag behind other countries’ Higher Education policy. In recent years, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and America have introduced varying degrees of proposals, amendments and laws to formally and legally tackle the essay mills. However, development is occurring in the UK surrounding the compelling case to criminalise the ability to advertise contract cheating services. Crucially, this would involve the UK following Ireland’s recent example, which some believe could provide a ‘model’ for the UK law. The Irish bill is set to provide the foundation for prosecuting the essay mill companies, particularly
by making it illegal to advertise contract cheating services, which it is believed will affect advertising giants Facebook and Google. What difference would such a law make? Experts believe that new legislation by the Advertising Standards Authority will eradicate the misleading nature of the essay mill advertising techniques. Within recent years, advertisement has often taken public and explicit forms. In 2016, one company was seen to be actively advertising their services in London Underground stations, close to major universities. These paid-for advertisements gave messages of assurance to struggling students such as ‘Need help with essay?’ before claiming to be ‘trusted by 10,000+ students’. New national standards would likely prevent such occurrences which mislead the student and ignore or minimise the serious academic repercussion that plagiarism can have. Wonkhe, a prominent Higher Education thinktank, described this development in Ireland as ‘a small victory against the essay mill profiteers.’ The ‘small victory’ highlights that although slow progress is being made there is still a long way to go to achieve the standards of accountability and academic integrity required by Higher Education institutions and The QAA. The direction of future action appears to be focused on tackling the contract cheating services themselves and their ability to advertise. It is hoped that tackling the cause of the problem will have a direct impact on curbing students’ decisions to engage in the rising essay mill epidemic.
epigram 28.09.2018
4 News
University to invest in gender-neutral toilets for staff and students across campus • • • •
New changes to cost the University of Bristol £3.4 million Announcement heralded as ‘exciting’ by SU officer Sally Patterson The update has been estimated to take four years Plans have faced opposition with concerns over cost-effectiveness
Victoria Dyer
Student Life Correspondent
T
he University of Bristol has announced plans to refurbish toilet facilities across campus with a planned spend of around £3.4 million. Plans include setting aside a portion of the budget to be invested into the provision of a greater number of gender-neutral facilities into ‘new buildings where capacity allows’. This will see a refurbishment of the facilities in around 30 buildings across the university campus. The University expects the upgrades to take place over the next four years. The planned investment was announced via Twitter earlier this month by the University’s Equality, Liberation and Access officer, Sally Patterson, who stated that the availability of safe access toilets was a ‘basic human right’. The investment comes as a result of SU campaigns for the provision of genderneutral facilities on campus. As it currently
stands, there are only a limited number of gender-neutral facilities available across campus and the monetary commitment seeks to further the availability of such facilities. It also comes following a statement made by the University last year outlining the institution’s commitment to providing a working and learning environment ‘inclusive’ to all staff and students. The institution’s announcement acknowledged the potential of certain groups being uncomfortable with genderneutral facilities due to religious and cultural reasons. The initial statement therefore indicated that steps would be taken in order to ‘ensure that both gendered and genderneutral toilets’ would be accessible for students and staff across campus. However, such commitment to inclusivity and the provision of gender-neutral facilities shows the University moving in a similar direction to institutions such as the Home Office and the BBC. The announcement has not been made without facing confrontation and concerns over the Institution’s budget and monetary spend. On Twitter, Patterson’s statement was confronted with questions of spendinefficiency. It was suggested that such plans could be undertaken more cost-effectively. Furthermore in lieu of recent issues the University have experienced with regards to mental health, it was questioned whether some of the funds could be more wisely invested in counselling services for non-binary and/or those individuals not
identifying as either male or female. However, the University of Bristol is investing an annual spend of £1 million into mental health services, and when spread across the planned four year bathroomredevelopment period, the two areas of investment will see a similar amount invested in their respective areas. The announcement made by the University over the summer has provoked much discussion in the wider national community. PhD candidate, Natalie Jester, commented that the announcement was
“Students and staff will have access to toilets where they feel comfortable”
Gender neutral toilets around campus (Epigram/ Victoria Dyer and Imogen Horton)
Uni gym redevelopment to be unveiled next month • •
Opening ceremony will reveal the £4.9m redevelopment Gym capacity to be increased by 30%
Victoria Dyer
Student Life Correspondent
The University’s Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health has undergone a makeover throughout the summer months. The facility has had a £4.9 million redevelopment. The refurbishment is part of a larger university-wide initiative to create a more
New U2 Unibus service to launch in Welcome Week
welcoming campus, with Tyndall Avenue at its heart. Refurbishment work began in March of this year and was completed earlier this month. The building has been reconfigured with the main gym now downstairs, whilst gym capacity has been increased by 30%, enabling the service to more effectively meet the demands of students and staff. A formal opening of the Centre will take place next month with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hugh Brady set to host an Opening Ceremony in the afternoon, by invitation only. A number of free activities for both members and non-members to attend will also take place on the same day, including a workshop on mental health.
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The service will run between the Clifton and Langford campuses Students, staff and the public will have access to the service
Lucy Downer
Deputy News Editor
I
“A huge difference to our staff and students” Dr Tom Podesta, Bristol The new gym (Epigram/ Victoria Dyer)
‘great news’. Alternatively, radio programme Badass Women’s Hour, held a discussion in which issues such as safety and cleanliness were commented on and addressed. Epigram approached transgender advocate and Gender Specialist, Helen Webberley, to get her views on the investment. Webberley positively stated that every individual has ‘the same right to go to the toilet in privacy and to feel safe and clean.’ Further to this, Webberley added that each individual has not only a need but also a ‘right to privacy.’
Vetinary School Manager
n order to improve travel accessibility options for Vetinary students, the buses will connect Langford to the Clifton Campus. On 24 September the brand new U2 Unibus service will make its first journey, connecting students at the Bristol Veterinary School in Langford to the Clifton Campus. The U2 will be open to students, staff and members of the public, and was developed in response to feedback from staff and students at the Veterinary School. The service will be operated by First Bus and will be free for Veterinary students. Second Year Veterinary student, Isobel Corp, said: ‘It’s a great idea and solves a lot of problems with having regular teaching on a campus so far away from the city centre.’ ‘It will definitely save time - last year we
just had a set time for buses to pick us up in Bristol/Langford, and if you miss them you miss the whole day.’ This new service joins the already established U1 Unibus which has been running successfully for a year, connecting the Stoke Bishop Transport Hub to the Clifton Campus. Bristol Veterinary School Manager, Dr Tom Podesta stated: ‘We are delighted to see the launch of this new service. ‘Not only will it make a huge difference to our staff and students but will also ease transport pressure for the local community by providing a direct link to Bristol and back.’ The hope is that the buses will not only help connect veterinary students with the rest of the Bristol campus, but will also provide a much-needed transport link for the local community and reduce the pressure of parking in Bristol. Bristol vet students have previously had to make their own way to the Langford Campus or use the provided shuttle buses. By expanding the service, more students will be able to use the service and the links between Bristol’s main campuses will be significantly improved.
28.09.2018 epigram
News 5
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SU survey finds nearly a third of female students feel unsafe on campus • •
Report recommends a sexual health awareness campaign The need for reforms to the trauma support highlighted
Imogen Horton News Editor
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ristol SU’s 2018 ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ survey has found that only 70 per cent of female students feel safe on campus compared to 97 per cent of men. The 2018 survey covered a range of topics relating to sex and relationship education, consent, sexual health and student experiences of harassment and assault. Of particular note were statistics relating to the safety of students in Bristol. While 90 per cent of male students said they felt safe walking home at night this dropped to 40 per cent for women. However even fewer women felt safe in Bristol city centre, where a number of Bristol University halls are located, with only 34 per cent of female students saying they felt safe. The UK government this year has sought to bring about changes to sex and relationship education with the announcement of new consultations occurring in July. For many university students, however, this is too little too late as only 23 per cent agreed that their sex and relationship education had prepared them for healthy relationships. While 38 per cent of students reported to have had education on when someone can give consent, only 35 per cent agreed that their sex and relationship education had given them a comprehensive understanding
66%
of female students do not feel safe in Bristol city centre
of consent. This lack of adequate sex education was not limited to home students, with nearly a quarter of international and EU students having had no sex education whatsoever. Further, over half of all students had experienced sexual harassment and nearly a fifth of female students had experienced sexual assault or rape whilst at university.
co-Editor-in-Chief Continued from front page Day confirmed that Bristol Labour Students will be hosting their own events later this year to internally discuss ‘what the progressive approach to Brexit should be’. BUCA have since released a statement on Facebook, in which they criticise what they view as ‘the sheer pettiness and hilarity of this decision’. The statement reads: ‘Bristol University’s Labour Society was not just invited to this event but was invited to a range of cross-party political events in the future. Labour refused. We thank Labour for telling us now that it is because they were ‘not comfortable’ attending events organised by Bristol University Conservative Association. A society which represents on campus the party that fielded over 13 million votes. Over one million more than the Labour Party. At the time we were also informed that our statements on Labour’s refusal to adopt the IHRA definition on antiSemitism had not helped.’ It continues: ‘In recent years political discourse in the UK has hardened. Alternating views are seen not just as markers of policy difference but markers of morality. We totally and unreservedly reject this belief. Indeed, it is this rejection that led to the initiative of organising events for a range of Bristol political parties. We don’t believe
number of recommendations for the Bristol University and the SU, from introducing trauma support in the counselling service to improving university-wide consent education. There were also calls to reform extenuating circumstances to better include experiences of harassment, assault and rape, experiences of pregnancy and of relationship break-up.
35%
agree that their sex education gave them a comprehensive understanding of consent Flickr / Andrew Gustar
Labour Students turn down debate invite Ed Southgate
It was also found that nearly half of sexually active students had never been STI or STD tested, as although 90 per cent of students were not celibate, 41 per cent had never been tested for an STI or STD. The report consequently recommended that the University and Bristol SU launch a campaign to promote sexual health testing and lobby the council to provide funding to reintroduce full sexual health screenings at the Student Health Service. The results prompted a
holding different politics makes you a bad person. It is clear Labour thinks differently. ‘Labour at Bristol used to be a progressive and welcoming society. Its willingness to engage and organise events with other parties spoke volumes about their own tolerance. Not anymore. The cult of Jeremy Corbyn reigns supreme. A cult which rejects simply having a drink and a laugh with mates who you disagree with.’ BUCA added that they will continue to invite Bristol Labour Students to their events. Former Chair of Bristol Labour Students 201617, Ben Duncan-Duggle, contacted Epigram to ‘fully back the co-Chair’s decision’. During his time on the committee, he participated in a pub quiz with BUCA which, despite describing it as a civil event, he now believes to have been a mistake. He said that this is ‘about whether or not we legitimate views that are not legitimate’, and placed emphasis on rejecting the Conservatives as an institution. The Bristol graduate refuted suggestions that not debating them it is against Labour’s interests to prove their views as legitimate, as he insisted that individuals can still debate individuals with Conservative views, just not when they are part of the ‘Conservative institution’. He upheld that the refusal to participate in events with the Tories is still about their views, however. Asked if he believes the current committee should openly defend their decision as he has, DuncanDuggle said: ‘it is a matter for them’.
Analysis / Labour’s PR problem and the increasing polarisation of student politics Cameron Scheijde co-Editor-in-Chief
It would appear that another student society has fallen foul to the age old ‘free speech on campus’ debacle by refusing an invite from the Conservative society, simply because they are conservative. I think it is important to note the differences in the socalled ‘free speech’ debates and which one this new Labour folly falls in to. Firstly, there are the free speech crusaders, who would stop at nothing and no-one to ensure that every single view, even those completely unpalatable by the vast majority of people, are heard. Secondly, there are those that seek to quell views that might vary from the mainstream of student political discourse but within national political identity are widespread, even popular. This could include antiimmigration sentiments, being in favour of the UK leaving the EU, promoting conservative fiscal policies such as low taxes or being apprehensive to wide-scale societal changes. None of these are popular amongst the student body, mainly due to the fast pace of change both politically and culturally. For example, refusing to take part in events with the Conservatives is to state clearly that
the society does not want to appear next to supposedly ‘extremist’ and disagreeable views. Whilst this does appear to be a new thing on campus, it does seem to point to a greater trend that I have noticed and that is treating conservative views as extremeist in and of themselves. When Jacob Rees Mogg appeared in Bristol, for example, talk of no-platforming spread vociferously in a way that might have once been reserved for fringe extremeists and fruitcakes rather than an elected MP. Whilst it remains unclear how much of this is down to the general polarisation of politics rather than a more censorious student body, it is nevertheless an interesting trend. However, this debacle was not just a simple freedom of speech issue, but it raised the question as to how much, and to what extent, has conservatism become something reserved to fringe extremes in student politics. It is clear that Labour thought they had nothing to lose and everything to gain from refusing the invite from the Tory society, and I’m not sure any of their members feel particularly disaffected by this move. Indeed, I would be more worried if I were a member of BUCA, seeing the ideology I beleive in being dismissed as an extremist view not worth debating and a fight not worth having.
epigram 28.09.2018
6 News
Resentment amongst Modern Languages students, as modules cut last minute
Increasing strain on homeless support services • • •
Closure of two support centres has stretched resources Numbers of homeless people fed by Feed the Homeless Bristol has trebled Seasonal changes in rent suggested as contributing factor
James Cleaver • • •
The loss of staff members has lead to units being replaced Students dissatisfied with the replacement units Language Department argues its response was appropriate
Louise Cripps
Investigations Editor
S
tudents of the School of Modern Languages were informed in late August that their originally allocated options for the 2018-2019 academic year have been removed, following the loss of a number of staff. The department responded by appointing new faculty staff who provided different modules for students to select. A number of students however, have criticised these replacement units, deeming them unequal substitutes for their original choices. One French and German student objected ‘the worst thing was that the ones lost were good ones’ while another argued, ‘they just weren’t as interesting as my original options’. There have also been complaints of subpar departmental handling of the process. ‘They dealt with it very badly,’ a second year French and Italian student claimed. Whilst another, a joint-honours French and German student, described a process of having to
“Students come to Bristol because of the great range of reasearch-led modules”
‘scramble for modules left over’. There was also criticism over how the department handled complaints, with one second year arguing that ‘responses were trying to distance the faculty from responsibility’. Nevertheless, the Head of Modern Languages defended the department in a statement to Epigram. He argued that the faculty responded promptly and effectively, employing new staff ‘who could offer stimulating teaching in similar fields’ and communicating changes ‘as early as possible’ to students. The School is now in fact offering more undergraduate optional modules for 2018-2019 than it previously was in the spring. The Faculty does, however, admit some fault with regards to the six French or Italian students, who have not yet been placed in new units. The head of the School described this number as ‘six too many’, adding that he would be happy to talk to these students individually to come to resolutions. These staff absences come as a number of staff are promoted to other institutions, and others receive research grants which will remove them from teaching for a number of years. The School argues that these departures demonstrate the success of the department’s staff. ‘Students come to Modern Languages at Bristol because of the great range of research-led modules taught by academics at the cutting edge of their field’.
Online News Editor
Zoë Crowther
SU Correspondent
T
he temporary closure of two support centres has caused a spike in the number of people being fed by Feed the Homeless Bristol. Naseem Talukdar, founder of Feed the Homeless Bristol, wrote an open letter to the city’s mayor, Marvin Rees, describing the increase in meals given out to those in need. The 197 fed on Friday 14 September and 180 on Sunday 16 September represent a rise of almost treble previous numbers, a figure that ‘is increasing’ according to Mr Talukdar. With fewer places and organisations to turn to, rough sleepers and the homeless are more exposed to violence, falling temperatures and dangerously addictive substances such as Spice. In his letter, Mr Talukdar urged the mayor to ‘take immediate action and find temporary emergency shelter as soon as possible until these services are resumed. ‘I am fearful that unless action is taken to address the situation and provide safety and security these vulnerable people will fall victim to abuse and be at grave risk of danger.’ The reason for this change is the
temporary closure of two support centres in the city centre; The Wild Goose and The Julian Centre. Their shutdown has placed more pressure on Feed the Homeless Bristol, which is entirely dependent on volunteers. The Julian Centre is is undergoing refurbishment and expects to re-open in mid-October, while The Wild Goose has recently cut back its services as a result of too few volunteers. Bristol City Council cabinet’s lead for housing Councillor Paul Smith responded by saying: ‘We understand that this is not ideal for the vulnerable people who rely on these services, and hope that they will be able to access these again soon. We’ve also been working hard to bring more empty properties back in to use to support rough sleepers.’ There has been speculation that seasonal changes in rent availability have also had an impact, particularly as a result of the large student population which is largely absent between June and September. One commentator has theorised that during the summer, landlords look for short-lets and then move people out in September for when the students return. In regard to this potential explanation, Councillor Smith said ‘It could be an increase in evictions as students come back, but I honestly don’t know. It has not tripled though and the numbers have been building throughout the summer.’ Bristol’s position as one of the major urban hubs of the South West is also largely recognised as a factor. The city can provide better support services and cheaper accommodation than surrounding rural areas, attracting many of those who are most in need of resources. The increasing pressure of the situation has caused Councillor Paul Smith to describe dealing with the housing crisis as ‘like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket.’
University practice and funding lacks diversity, says new study • •
Recommendations include greater BME representation in academic staff Inequalities assessed using 19 case studies
Zoë Crowther
Students’ Union Correspondent
T
he report was based on 19 case studies which analysed the partnerships built by UK universities and their impact on diversity and intercommunity collaboration. It highlights that ‘Research partnerships tend to emerge from existing social and institutional networks which exclude communities without strong social and cultural links into or paths to access individuals within universities.’ Carried out by the Universities of Bristol and Liverpool, the Centre for Research in Race and Rights at the University of Nottingham, the Runnymede Trust and Xtend, the report identifies ‘The perception and reality of universities as white majority institutions lacking openness to ideas and
expertise from outside the institution.’ The University of Bristol released its current inclusivity strategy in 2016, which declares that ‘Significant progress has been made in recent years; Bristol’s widening participation activities, and the research that underpins them, are recognised as sector-leading.’ Keri Facer, Professor of Educational and Social Futures at Bristol and Leadership Fellow for the AHRC/RCUK Connected Communities Programme, carries out research on the relationships between educational institutions and wider society. She said ‘The arts and humanities are vital to understanding our society. It is important that arts and humanities research reflects the rich contribution made through the varied interests, histories, cultures and experiences of all in society. However, this research does not yet embrace the full diversity.’ Recommendations from the report include making active attempts to recruit staff from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and long term research and funding partnerships with BME organisations.
Infogram/ Zoe Crowther
It also suggests that the location of campuses and the location of BME cultural and community organisations should be considered carefully in order to meaningfully incorporate diversity into the university structure. Common Cause Networks will be set up in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and Nottingham. Each network will offer peer support, expert speakers, case study presentations, and a safe space for BME people to discuss collaborative ideas and take action for change.
epigram 28.09.2018
News 7
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Support for a ‘People’s Vote’ on Brexit grows in Bristol, new poll finds Recent polling by YouGov has shown that support for a so-called ‘People’s Vote’ on the final terms of the • •
Brexit deal is growing
Support for a People’s Vote in the South West has increased to 47% Research suggests Bristol would be 1.3% worse off under a soft Brexit
are split on the issue. Thangam Debbonaire, the MP for Bristol West, has stated that she is not in favour of a second referendum, whereas Darren Jones, MP for Bristol North West, has come out in favour of a People’s Vote.
James Cleaver
Online News Editor
T
he poll of South West voters puts support for a People’s Vote at 42 per cent, with opposition at 35 per cent. Support for a second referendum rises in the face of a no deal Brexit to 47 per cent. While the South West as a region voted to leave the European Union in 2016, it has followed the gradual national trend of increasing support for remain, with YouGov’s poll putting support for remain up by 2 points at 51-49. Bristol itself voted to remain, with young people and students breaking that way overwhelmingly. Now 86 per cent of young people in the South West would vote to remain, according to YouGov, with students’ participation in popular programmes such as Erasmus+ not guaranteed post-Brexit. Economic analysis by researchers at the LSE, cited by the People’s Vote campaign, has estimated that Bristol would be 1.3 per cent worse off than the status quo over the next 10 years under a soft Brexit, and 2.6 per cent worse off under a hard Brexit. Bristol has found itself at the centre of calls for a People’s Vote. Last month a
Epigram / James Cleaver
rally for a People’s Vote was held at Colston Hall, with politicians from across the political spectrum, including the South West MEP Molly Scott Cato, coming together to stress that Brexit is ‘not a done deal.’ Sally Patterson, the SU’s Liberation, Equality and Access Officer, who spoke at the rally, said: ‘I support a People’s Vote because Brexit will be catastrophic for students and young people. Brexit will weaken the diversity of our universities, threaten our rights as workers and curtail our opportunity to live and contribute abroad. We’re heading towards a scenario in which ‘no deal’ will almost definitely hit our generation hardest.
“Brexit will weaken the diversity of our universities”
Bristol grads amongst the world’s most employable, according to new rankings • •
Ranked 47th out of 660 universities analysed worldwide Graduate employment rate of 94% after six months
Lucy Downer
Deputy News Editor
A
new league table, published on September 11, has revealed that the University of Bristol stands as one of the best institutions in the world for employability. Out of 660 universities analysed worldwide, QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019 have ranked Bristol as 47th in the world and 6th in the UK. The findings are based not only on the employment rates after graduation, but also on the opinions of over 40,000 employers. Nearly 200,000 work placement partnerships were also evaluated in the study. Director of the Careers Service at Bristol, Stuart Johnson, stated: ‘It’s gratifying to see our sustained efforts reflected in this ranking. We have worked hard to build
“Bristol attracts some of the best students and produces some of the most employable graduates”
This is not what Leave voters voted for, and we deserve better.’ In response, Harry Eastley-Jones, Chairman of the Bristol University Conservative Association, argued: ‘We have already had a ‘People’s Vote’, it was on the 23rd June 2016 and the people voted to leave the European Union. I understand some are upset with this result but that is the nature of democracy. ‘We must focus now on the future and how to make a success out of Brexit rather than looking back and refighting the arguments of the referendum.’ Like students, the Labour MPs for the area encompassing Bristol University students
and develop relationships with all kinds of employers, with the goal of creating excellent opportunities for our students – both while they’re at university and once they’ve graduated.’ ‘Bristol attracts some of the best students and produces some of the most employable graduates, something that as an institution and as a careers service we are tremendously proud of.’ The university is renowned for its work on the employability of its graduates. It scored most highly for its reputation with employers in the rankings. Some of its best work in this area includes a graduate employment rate of 94 per cent after six months and the development of 139 internship partnerships. The university has also proved its successful links with external companies, having had 336 companies actively present on campus in the last year and research collaborations with 55 leading companies. These latest results follow the Graduate Market in 2018 study, which named Bristol graduates as the 4th most-targeted by Britain’s top 100 employers, surpassing those with degrees from either of the Oxbridge universities.
Bristol SU first in UK to boycott companies running migrant detention centres • •
Boycott proposed by People and Planet Serious mental health problems suffered by 49% of residents in one detention centre
Nina Bryant News Sub-editor
T
he University of Bristol Students’ Union has been the first to comply with a proposed motion to boycott companies involved in running detention centres in the UK. The boycott was proposed by student campaign group People and Planet, a network which runs across the UK, as part of their Undoing Borders campaign. The University of Bristol SU agreed to the motion on the 5 June 2018. The Undoing Borders campaign aims for universities to cut links with companies such as Capita, Mitie and Serco, which run migrant detention centres. The detention centres are hostile living environments, and have been reported as having high rates
People and Planet Committee
People and Planet
of mental illness, whilst residents receive low wages and are forced to work in a poor working environment. Specifically, an HMIC report on Yarl’s Wood, a detention centre run by Serco, revealed that 49 per cent of residents had depression or suicidal thinking. The SU’s compliance with the boycott will mean that they will not be able to renew a sponsorship deal with Capita, a company who have previously donated money towards refurbishing one of their buildings. Further, following the agreement the SU will be expected to support student campaigns for the University to cut ties with the aforementioned companies.
Features
Editor: Ollie Smith Deputy Editor: Tom Taylor Online Editor: Emily Vernall Deputy Online Editor: Niamh Rowe
epigram 28.09.2018
A student’s guide to private renting
Our practical guide to the cofusing world of private renting
Tom Taylor
Deputy Features Editor
T
he start of a new academic year, for many students, means entering the world of private renting. It can be confusing and at times, daunting, for young people at university to leave the bubble of home or halls and come face to face with bills, landlords and legal jargon. To help Bristol students navigate the private rented sector, Epigram have created this handy guide. Who should I live with? Vikki Hanley, the Branch Manager of Bristol SU Lettings, believes that ‘choosing
“Choosing your housemates is the most important part”
Epigram / Ayo Okojie
your housemates’ is the most important part of entering private renting. Vikki emphasises the importance of not rushing into signing for a new house with people you have just met as ‘the chances are you will know these people long after uni’. You and your housemates are embarking on a journey together which will often be fun and exciting, but it will also sometimes be difficult. Can you rely on your housemates to keep the property safe and secure? Will they pay their rent and bills on time? How well do you actually know the people your about to share a property with for a year? Sitting down with your prospective housemates and having these conversations sooner rather than later is key to avoiding more serious problems further down the line. Where should I live? The most common student destinations in Bristol are Clifton, Redland, Cotham and Kingsdown. These districts are all in walking distance of the University and because of this rents can be quite pricey. Leafy and suburban, these areas are full of students, coffee shops and green spaces. Some students venture further afield to Gloucester Road and even Southville in search of arts and culture, cheaper rents and Bristol’s most popular clubs Seeking distance from the University may seem attractive from a financial perspective, but you will be kicking yourself later as you trek to Tyndall Avenue for an early morning lecture. No matter where you end up, try and involve yourself in the local community and say hello to your new neighbours.
Paying bills When you are looking for somewhere to rent, you will notice that some properties include utilities such as gas, electricity, water and sometimes WIFI in the price of the rent whilst others do not. If bills aren’t included in the rent then you will need to have a discussion with your flatmates about how you are going to pay your bills. You will probably have around four or five bills to pay and you should allocate each housemate a bill to be responsible for. This way the burden does not just fall on one person and stops bills becoming overwhelming. No matter what your landlord tells you, do not set up a joint current account to pay the bills from. Your bank will advise you not to do this because it means that if one housemate can’t pay their part of the bill then everyone’s credit rating will be affected. Instead, each responsible housemate should set up a free savings account with their bank and your housemates should pay into these accounts monthly. When a bill comes in, the relevant housemate can transfer the money from the savings account to their current account and pay the bill. Where possible, try and avoid direct debits as they can be damaging to your credit rating if you do not have enough funds in your account. Students do not have to pay council tax and you can apply for exemption online. Landlords and Contracts When you have decided who to live with and whereabouts your property will be, the next step is start viewing potential
accommodation. If the person showing you around the property is not the landlord or an agent then alarm bells should be ringing, especially if the current tenant is showing you round. Ask questions and if you see damage or uncleanliness then flag it up with the landlord. The landlord or agent will give you a tenancy agreement to sign which you should read very carefully. Look out for hidden costs such as check in and check out fees as well as excessive admin and management fees. Take it to SU Lettings for an extra pair of eyes. Most landlords will be helpful but there are an unfortunate few who care more about your money than your wellbeing. Vikki thinks there is an ‘unfair perception that students won’t take care of a property’ when in reality the SU Lettings service sees ‘a very small percentage of problems each year.’ Make sure to take dated photographs of your whole property and log any issues which arise. Know your rights Tenants have a number of rights protected by UK law. You have the right to live in a property that is safe and in a good state of repair, meaning that your landlord must respond promptly to maintenance requests. Your landlord should protect your deposit in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme and you have a legal right to know who your landlord is. You also have the right to live in the property undisturbed, meaning your landlord must give twenty-four hours notice before visiting. You can find the full list of tenant rights on the UK Government website and help and support is available through the housing charity Shelter.
Do the costs of social media outweigh the benefits? I examine how social media is affecting the lives of students
Ellie Holmes Features Sub-Editor
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e rarely leave the house without our phones in our back pocket, and in a generation brought up on these devices, we feel a piece short without them. Keeping in step with the world is now easier than ever, and there is no excuse for being out of touch with current affairs and trends. Yet, alongside such benefits, there have been increasing concerns about the pressures presented to young people and the impact it has on mental health in the context of the pressures of student life. It is worth exploring how in a world so connected, many feel more alone than ever. At university, social media is almost essential for interacting and getting involved. Organisation of societies is mostly done through Facebook, and freshers can communicate with soon-to-be flat and course-mates before term has even started. Facebook continues to be a vital tool once lectures have begun, as a place for students to seek collaboration and information, but
also ease the pain of long-distance friendships during the holidays. Aside from being part of our social lives, social media has become an effective way of networking. Twitter in particular, when it is not just used to keep tabs on celebrity gossip, is favoured by the next generation of politicians, business people and journalists. Its 280-character limit makes it a micro-blogging site, where you create your own personal brand and you can choose who you listen to by following people’s feeds. Crucial is its realtime communication ability, which makes it fast-paced, accessible and easy – and has proved an effective way to make connections in any industry. The advantages of social media are clear. Their use enables tune-in with the world, be that via the constantly updating stream of breaking news, interacting with people in far-away countries, or opening our minds to diverse ideas. Some argue, however, that most content to which young people are exposed does not deal with global issues or politics. Wave after wave of ‘new outfit’ pics, holiday memories, and shaky snaps from sweaty nights out flood our timelines. This feed of information allows us to keep up with distant friends in distant places at our convenience; yet, some feel this often presents a sugar-coated and filtered representation of life. For some people, it
“It is important we recognise that we live in a connected age and are mindful of the content we create and the content we expose ourselves to”
encourages a shallow, and moreover harmful, mind-set which places us in a position of self-doubt; we feel that we don’t look the right way, that we aren’t living the right way and that we aren’t doing the right things. A study by the Royal Society found photosharing perpetuate false perceptions of beauty which can leave us feeling inadequate and anxious. The study asked 1500 young people, aged between 11-25, to track their moods while using social media platforms. Dr Daria Kuss and Mark Griffiths, both professors in the field of psychology, linked social media usage with mental health problems including anxiety, depression and ADHD. There is therefore a concern among some that with hours in front of a screen, exposed to these ideals, we are left experiencing an uneasy, unpleasant sense of being left to the side and falling behind.
The pressure of student life leaves us with limited free time on our hands and studies suggest social media serves as a constant distraction and hinders our productivity levels. A 2011 study commissioned by Phil Smith, the UK CEO of Cisco, found that 90 percent of us use a platform at least once an hour; British students are the worst for it. The pressures of life make it particularly difficult to opt-out; whether we like it or not, social media has become an integral part of our lives for both business and leisure. If the studies are accurate then social media can be unhealthy and requires change. It is important we recognise that we live in a connected age and are mindful of the content we create and the content we expose ourselves to. Collectively over time, perhaps we will rethink our relationship with social media and make full use of its advantages.
Unsplash / rawpixel
28.09.2018 epigram
Features
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William Lewis: ‘It is really an exciting time in the news industry’ Epigram alumnus and former Editor of The Daily Telegraph speaks to us about student media, freedom of speech and Brexit
Ed Southgate Co-Editor in Chief
Ollie Smith Features Editor
A
s a former editor of The Daily Telegraph and now CEO of Dow Jones, William Lewis is one of Epigram’s most successful alumni and so as part of our training week we invited him to give a talk. Afterwards he sat down with us to give some insights into his personal experiences of journalism and his views on current politics. After wishing us a happy 30th birthday he tells us a bit about his time here: ‘I started I think in Epigram’s first year and walked into an office that looked a bit like this … and met someone called James Landale who was the editor and felt very worried because everyone looked like they knew what they were doing and I literally did not know what I was doing. But I said I think I want to be a journalist and can I help and bit by bit I began to get involved … bit by bit I did some sports reporting in particular which was fun and began to cut my teeth in journalism and began to realise this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.’ What does he think the importance of student media is and why should people get involved? ‘One, it is really important that we find a way for the next generation to come through to ensure that the public is served up with the information it requires. So we need people to learn journalistic skills and that starts even before university but definitely at university so it is critical what you are doing and the skills you are learning that you can then take on to work elsewhere after university. ‘Secondly, there are fantastically important stories at university. Every university has its own challenges, issues that need exploring and dealing with and this is an incredibly important platform to do that on.’ What would his advice be for young people trying to break into journalism? ‘It is really an exciting time in the news industry.’ ‘It has never been a more exciting time story wise whether it is President Trump, whether it is Brexit, whether it is the changing environment. These are incredibly important stories for people to report on and to publish ... but also now people are realising the importance of real news, of accurate news and this is a really great thing.’ ‘My main message is for anyone thinking about journalism is it has never been a better time to be thinking about getting into that industry and also it is an industry for everyone. It is an industry for men, for women, for people of different ethnic
backgrounds, for people with different opinions. It is not a profession it is a trade and we welcome everyone into that because the important thing is we serve up the right information for the reader.’ What are his views on no-platforming within universities? ‘I think it is really really vital that people can come to a place of learning like this, and say things that you don’t agree with, and that you are able to say I do not agree with you but we can have a debate about it. I think it is incredibly sad that people are not allowed to say things either because laws have changed or because they are seen as being unacceptable. If we cannot do it at university we cannot do it anywhere else in life. You need to have these debates here so I am all in favour of the ability for people to come onto campus to say things that people find difficult and disagree with so we can have that free speech.’ ‘It is vital that people who have inappropriate opinions that are inaccurate are heard and that they are not bottled up but exposed to daylight. The most important way to stop people believing in things that are wrong is to expose those ideas for what they are. People are able to develop these things in private and they never get exposed then they have real damage so we have to for all sorts of different reasons insist on free speech.’ What does he think led to Brexit and Trump? Are they related? ‘I am not sure if they are related. There may be underlying issues that are similar and it is very very complicated so I do not want to sound trite about this. If you were to pin-point one thing that lies behind quite surprising electoral decisions, let us put it that way, whether it is in the US or UK or elsewhere it is because there has been such disruption in both societies in both the USA and the UK that did not have a political voice.’ ‘If you take the UK, for example, certainly if you take the immigration debate for years and years it was clear to ordinary folk that there was an influx of immigration coming to our country … amongst the political establishment this wasn’t discussed and it was seen as being difficult conversation to be had but back in the real world people really concerned about it and they were concerned about the lack of preparation that had gone into people’s communities being changed, the pressures on schooling, on hospitals, on housing and so lo and behold when the moment came for those people to teach the politicians a lesson they voted for Brexit.’ ‘Similarly in the US for many many years people have been, deep into America, concerned about economic growth, about the lack of jobs, about regulation being increased, about the political establishment focusing on things they thought were important … so when the moment came for ordinary people to teach the establishment a lesson, as recognised or seen in Hilary Clinton, they did that.’ ‘If you asked me to say what is one thing you take out of it, it is that if you don’t listen to ordinary people’s concerns it will cause you damage.’ Would a second EU Referendum be counter-intuitive and damaging?
Epigram / Cameron Scheijde
“It is vital that people who have inappropriate opinions that are inaccurate are heard and that they are not bottled up but exposed to daylight”
‘It is really tricky … Because there was a clear margin of victory for Brexit and the debate was aired and lies were told on both sides yet here we are and obviously the negotiations appear to have been handled in a shockingly bad way.’ ‘My own belief at this stage is that people will find it very difficult to understand why there is going to be another vote that in a way is seen to stymie what the public really wanted so the public really do want there to be greater controls at the borders, it is a clear majority view. The people really do want politicians to get back and concentrate on what they see as being important which is, for example, the health service and education. The people are concerned that Brussels is bureaucratic, that it doesn’t care about what happens in the UK. I think it could be really quite destructive if there’s then a second checking vote that goes ahead but let’s see. The trouble is with this referendum stuff is once you go down that route the genie is out of the bottle. But I do think millions of people up and down the country will see it as an establishment plot to stop Brexit happening.’ Does he think referendums are fundamentally a good idea or damaging? ‘In the context of the current broken political system they are really quite dangerous so I think there is a lot that is wrong with our
“It is an industry for men, for women, for people of different ethnic backgrounds, for people with different opinions”
political system. I would ask you what the House of Lords exists for and the fact that there are unelected people who pontificate on their behalf or our behalf and get the chance to affect laws just seems a bit odd to me. I would question the first party post electoral system that seems to cause governments to be elected even though they haven’t won a majority of the votes.’ ‘The political parties themselves are not fit for purpose. There is an anti-Semite running the Labour Party which is completely shocking. There is a seemingly hopeless person running the Conservative Party who happens to also be the Prime Minister and Vince Cable, I think, wants you to have his job and you do not even need to join the Lib-Dems to get that so political parties themselves are now broken as well. If into this sort of mess you then chuck a referendum about whether we should leave the EU or not what were you expecting?’ ‘I think the whole system needs radically looking at and fundamentally, and it cannot just be me who feels this, we need a written constitution. I do not trust these people any more, I do not trust the establishment any more to do the right thing on behalf of ordinary people, I have lost my trust in them. I want it all written down so these people cannot continue to ruin our country and I think fundamentally that is what is required here.’
On these days... 28 September: 1066 - William the Conqueror invades England 551BC - Birth of Chinese philosopher Confucius 1 October: 1957 - Birth of UK Prime Minister Theresa May 2 October: 1869 - Birth of Indian activist Gandhi 7 October: 1952 - Birth of Russian President Vladamir Putin
epigram 28 09.2018
Features 10
The fleeting shelf life of Bristol’s favourite clubs Here today, gone tomorrow: Epigram Features explores why so many students’ beloved clubs have gone under significant re-branding in the last five years Hannah Worthington Online Editor
Emily Vernall
Online Features Editor
F
rom Lizard Lounge to Bunker, nightclubs in The Triangle and beyond continually shift in management, name, and branding despite their sustained popularity among students. September 20 signalled the revival of Lizard Lounge, a club renowned among the student population for it’s cheesey music and cheap entry. Last January, Lizard Lounge was a hot topic among students as it announced a sudden rebranding to The Lounge, Clifton in an effort to appear a more upmarket establishment. However, the subsequent art deco interior and new name proved to be a short-lived experiment. As of Thursday, Lizard Lounge is back in action. This raises the question as to why so many Bristol club venues renovate and reinvent themselves when students continue to hold on to their old legacy. Many third-year students and above continue to call the club perched on the corner of Queen’s Road ‘Bunker’, despite the fact it rebranded nearly three years ago. Known as The
Bunker since 2009, the club has since undergone two name-changing transformations: the shortstinted Analog and what is now currently Gravity. As each management has taken over, the club has pulled in more famous faces. The 2017 venue opening of Gravity attracted Made in Chelsea stars Jamie Laing and Alex Mytton, suggestive that re-branding does provide greater publicity. In a similar strategic move, Lizard Lounge transformed into The Lounge, Clifton, with a desire in mind for premium service. Yet there is a difference in opinion among year groups. Last year’s Freshers do generally, according to News Editor Imogen Horton, call the nightclub by its new name: ‘I only knew it as Bunker due to my History family system. The older students referred to Bunker Mondays whereas many now-second
“As of Thursday, Lizard Lounge is back in action”
Epigram / Hannah Worthington
“The older students referred to ‘Bunker Mondays’ whereas, many now-second years think of it as ‘BED at Gravity’”
years think of it as BED at Gravity.’ Will Bunker soon disappear as new students start referring the club by its official name? Those who joined Bristol in the class of 2014/15, may remember SWX as Syndicate on Nelson Street. Syndicate, after nine years in operation, shut its doors following a final closing party in August 2015. Although the club successfully revamped itself as SWX, many fear that the monopoly of closures and subsequent take-overs is part of a larger nationwide trend. Figures from BBC Newsbeat show that
the number of clubs in the UK has almost halved since 2005. From data taken in 2015, there were 1,733 venues compared to 3,144 ten years prior. This would suggest millennials are beginning to abandon the once indispensable night club scene. Despite closures across Bristol, Motion, situated behind Temple Meads, retains its status as the 16th best night club in the world. Yet five years ago, the popular venue was simply a skate park. Is Lizard Lounge here to stay? What is the future for Bristol clubs?
Histories of Bristol: Our University As part of a regular series on the past of our city, I provide some interesting facts surrounding the history of the University Ollie Smith Features Editor
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ith the new academic year now upon us it seems an excellent opportunity to provide freshers and returning students with a deeper insight into the history of the place many will call home for three or more years. It is worth pointing out, however, that an entire book could be written on this subject and that to try and do it justice in a few hundred words, successes, failures and famous figures, is near impossible. No doubt some will question why certain facts have been omitted but this is merely a small selection. The University officially granted its Royal Charter on 24 May 1909, putting it in the era of the UK’s so-called redbricks. Its origins, however, actually go back further to 1876 to the founding of University College, Bristol which, with the exception of medicine, catered to men and women on an equal basis; the first UK University to do so. Many of the names you see dotted around Bristol and the University were influential
“The University was officially granted its Royal Charter on 24 May 1909”
Epigram / Ollie Smith
in its founding. One such person was Henry Overton Wills who gave huge donations to contribute to the University’s growth in the early years. These contributions saw H. O. Wills become the University’s first Chancellor. Upon Wills’ death, the Memorial Building was commissioned in his honour by his two sons and was opened in 1925 by King George V and Queen Mary. Parts of Wills Memorial Building and The Great Hall had to be rebuild after it was bombed in 1940, also destroying books inside that had been evacuated from Kings College London. Names like Wills have often been the subject of controversy in recent times due to their links to slavery. The University itself recently acknowledged that as much as 85 per
cent of the money that went into its creation was linked to slavery through such families. Buildings around the university such as the castle-looking physics building and the temple-like Victoria Rooms were also gifted by the Wills family. When they were first acquired the Victoria Rooms served as the Students’ Union but expanding numbers as the century progressed necessitated the need for a larger home in 1965, the Richmond building which we still use today. If you are interested a history of the Union can be found as a timeline when ascending the SU south stairs. Throughout its history Bristol has come to be associated with many significant figures. One of these was Winston Churchill who
served as Chancellor from 1925-1965. Churchill is one of 13 winners of the Nobel Prize who were associated with the university, either as graduates or holders of office. The current Chancellor, Paul Nurse, is another Bristol associated Nobel laureate. Over the years Bristol has come to contribute to the expansion of academia across the country by being the first to introduce new courses which we would consider commonplace today; one example being the UK’s first drama department which opened in 1946. Drama has continued to grow at Bristol with Harold Pinter putting on his first production here in 1957. In 1970, Bristol broke further ground by appointing Nobel Prize winning Chemist Dorothy Hodgkin as Chancellor; the first female appointment for the role. Given its dedication to research the University has made no shortage of scientific discoveries over the years. The creation of Ribena in 1933, for example, can be partly attributed to the University scientist Dr Vernon Charley. In the modern day the University continues to expand with plans for a brand new £300m campus in Temple Quarter progressing in development. You all now have a chance to make your own history here. Perhaps as a researcher about to make a major breakthrough. You may go on to be famous, or maybe you will do something completely different and become the latest in a long line of Bristol alumni who have led extraordinary lives.
Comment
epigram 28.09.2018 Editor: Will Charley @willcharley1 Online Editor: Ffion Clarke @ffionclarke5 Email: comment@epigram.org.uk Deputy Online: Maia Miller-Lewis Twitter and Instagram: @epigramcomment @maiamillerlewis
Bristol students need to check their privilege Freshers need to acknowledge their privilege both as a student and as a new citizen of Bristol
Maia Miller-Lewis
Deputy Online Comment Editor
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lattered by choice, 21st century students no longer believe that going to university is a prize earned through hard-work and dedication. More and more, ascendance to higher education is framed as an inalienable right, something we are entitled to by virtue of western birth. But we must not underestimate what a privileged position we are in. According to UCAS, if you are eighteen, you are one of only 27.9 per cent of your age group in the UK that will start university this September. Coming up trumps, you will spend at least the next three years of your life dedicated to a subject you hopefully enjoy. If not, you will spend three years titillating over a teenage fancy. Ordinarily, £27,750 would seem a
lot to spend on a whim. Yet a countless number of students are pouring money into studying a subject in which they have no real interest or intent to use in the future. But why? Simple. University grants you a unique kind of freedom, the kind that allows you to move away from home, play house and make new relationships, all funded by the government! It is a pretty good deal. As a result, your perspective on what you can do, career or otherwise, will be coloured by privilege. Although not inevitable, more than likely your time at university will give you the confidence to go out into the world with the belief that you are deserving of respect and a good job. In fact, in the world of work, an undergraduate degree will earn you on average £10,000 more per year than non-graduates. Arguments can be made to support the legitimacy of this income difference, but we should not underestimate the effect university has on our personal development in relation to work. Having a degree does not guarantee that you are any more intelligent than someone who has not got one. It just means you have had longer to think about what you want in life without having the pressure of
“Your perspective on what you can do, career or otherwise will be coloured by privilege”
earning a living wage. Immersion within day to day student life ultimately distances you from the social reality of modern society, which is becomingly increasingly polarised by austerity and individualism. Indeed, with Bristol being one of the worst offending institutions for state school representation, even your exposure to different social circumstances and upbringings is muted. Certainly, when you first move into halls, it is unlikely you will meet people whose experience is that far removed from your own, with only 16.1 per cent of people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds being accepted this year into UK universities. This may make you feel at home within your new environment, but it does nothing to challenge the social disparity between the most and least affluent groups in society or inspire a true discourse around privilege. With the majority of students coming from middle class backgrounds, reactions and opinions towards university accommodation can epitomise unacknowledged privilege. Naturally, there are legitimate complaints about your living arrangements. However, contextualised beyond the student community, most quibbles are relatively facile. With over 11,500 families on the
social housing waiting list, the size of your room is not really an issue. Unhappy that you have to share a bathroom with three other people? Take a step back and consider the 128 per cent rise in homelessness in Bristol in the past three years. It is not surprising that most students swaddled within the Stoke Bishop/ Clifton bubble are ignorant of the fact that Bristol is not just a playground for the elite. 73,400 people in Bristol live in one of the 10 percent most deprived areas in England. That is 16 per cent of the population. Face to face meeting with this level of poverty is easily missed, being concentrated in areas such as Lawrence Hill, an area most Bristol student will never have even heard of. But it does not mean it is not there. None of this is meant to come across as a personal indictment of your character. We are all guilty of turning a blind eye and getting stuck in our own heads. Privilege is unavoidable- you do not need to apologise for it. Just be aware of it. Part of becoming an adult is understanding that the world is not black and white, and that your experience is not universal. University is a positive privilege. Use this time wisely and never take it for granted.
Student political power is being misused University of Bristol students passionately fight for social issues, just as long as it is on trend with those around them.
Ffion Clarke
Online Comment Editor
S
(Epigram/ Cameron Scheijde)
tudent activism sets the bar for the broader population. Where society often fails to extend democracy further than the occasional vote, student culture has popularised protests, encouraging accountability upon the government. However, as social media normalises surface-level measurements of self-worth among our generation, many bandwagon onto protests just to post about it later and portray themselves in a positive light. Social media certainly has a role to play in protests, with its capacity for organisation and awareness. But posting is regularly just done for the sake of it and without a genuine understanding of the issues. Often, this is substituted with less effective and shallow engagements with too wide an array of issues. For example, while many expressed their anger regarding recent changes to the University’s pastoral care and the effects this may have on student mental health, the same individuals rarely engaged in wider attempts to normalise mental health and improve the University’s services before it became
“Until people take the time to engage more deeply with the issues they are protesting, the effects of protests will be limited”
popular. In fact, many still colloquially use ‘depressing’ and ‘bipolar’ to describe things in their daily lives because this is still normal. Activism is incredibly important for political change, and the University’s students have consistently proven themselves to be passionate and influential. Growing up in the chaotic post-9/11 era, we have been bombarded with negative news. So, it is easy for our generation to become overwhelmed and wish to attempt to help with all the issues presented to us , while also wanting to avoid in engaging too deeply because we have been desensitized by so many pessimistic reports. However, it is important that activism is meaningful. Until people take the time to engage more deeply with the issues they are protesting and the solutions surrounding them, the effects of protests will be limited. If you are interested in inciting political change, it is important to decide what it is that you truly care about. One must attempt to deeply understand that, before taking action. Engaging in one issue more than another does not mean that you should be seen as a less caring or socially aware person. In fact, it means that you are more likely to have a true impact. Alternatively, surfacelevel engagement with a wide array of issues will either limit your engagement in all issues or stretch you too thin. At this rate, such surface level engagement will only incite superficial responses and solutions.
Comment 13
28.09.2018 epigram
Female students prove that media culture must change Bristol University journalists are paving the way in gender equalityand the media needs to listen
Will Charley Comment Editor
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ristol student media continues to lead the way in gender equality this year, with three major publications having a strong female presence. This stands in the face of the professional media, which continues to be dominated by men, especially in the most senior positions. Epigram’s editorial team is composed of a majority of female journalists, whilst The Tab Bristol’s editor is a third-year English student, Charlotte Bailey. As well as this, the University’s female-orientated magazine, Her Campus Bristol is a leading example of the work of female journalists. At Bristol, the number of female journalists is high, their roles are important and their influence is huge. But this is in stark contrast to the gender imbalance in the professional press. According to studies, women are statistically more likely to be hired to present segments on the weather and culture, rather than hard-hitting headlines. Female journalists are also much less likely to be commissioned to write a story than their male counterparts. An example is the Daily Mirror, where 90 per cent of their stories were written by men between June and July 2017. But the Mirror is not alone, with the Evening Standard and The Sun’s stories being written by men 85 per cent of the time in the same period.
According to the thinktank Women in Journalism, just 25 per cent of frontpage headlines were written by women in the print press, between June and July 2017. That is woefully low and it needs to change. Some may argue that women are more interested in discussing fashion than politics, and that segments on culture and arts lean more towards female interests. It has been said that women prefer other careers to journalism, whereas men are often keen to become part of the media elite. But this is clearly not the case when you examine Bristol’s own student media. Epigram’s News Editor, Deputy News Editor and Investigations Editor are all women. Some of the positions that cover the grittiest and most political topics have been avidly fought for by female students. Similarly, both the Online Comment Editor and her deputy, are both female students studying politics at Bristol. The myth that there are fewer female journalists covering the nitty-gritty issues in life because they have less interest is exactly that: a myth. This suggests that women are disadvantaged in the professional industry, whether that is through direct discrimination or through more subtle means. A view held by some female writers at Epigram is that fewer women are able to break into the industry because of the confident, masculine, bullish personality needed to enter a maledominated career. Professional journalism is a man’s world because many men are naturally confident, often due to their upbringing, and this is something women can find hard to compete with. Entering this competitive industry, the culture often calls on journalists to be arrogant, aggressive and self-promoting - qualities that can be unnatural to some female journalists. Whereas some men can
“Professional journalism is a man’s world”
be relaxed and are able to banter with their colleagues, female journalist can find this environment strange and even intimidating. The culture in the professional media needs to take a long hard look at itself. By looking at the student media in Bristol, it is clear that there is no shortage of female journalists but, a shortage of women succeeding in the industry. Christina Lamb, the Chief Foreign Correspondent at The Sunday Times had this to say when approached by Epigram: ‘It’s heartening to see young women coming into journalism as British newspapers are still incredibly dominated by white middle-aged middle-class men, mostly Oxbridge. Only the Guardian has a female editor. ‘In my own case in 30 years of being a foreign correspondent, I have only ever had male foreign editors and male editors [and] so will probably retire never having worked for a woman. I think this matters, not only to be more representative of the societies we cover, but also as men and women look at stories very differently.’ There is clearly reform needed to be made up and down the industry, and these changes are already being advocated by both professionals and student journalists. But a new generation of female journalists has flourished at Bristol and it is high time change comes now. Of course, the irony of a male editor writing about the qualms of his two female deputy editors is not lost on me. The term ‘mansplaining’ comes to mind. But in a paper in which there are just 21 male editors alongside 50 female editors, Epigram and the wider Bristol student media are not the source or cause of this gender inequality. The problem with the mainstream media is the male culture, and it is that which needs to change.
(Flickr/Enric Borras)
(Epigram/ Alex Boulton)
(Epigram/ Maia Miller-Lewis)
Getting a first class degree is no longer top priority In 2018, having an undergraduate degree no longer makes you stand out from the masses.
Maia Miller-Lewis
even bribing students to come to their institutions. For example, Portsmouth University offered a £1,000 scholarship as a ‘carrot’, to encourage students to take up unconditional places. After all, if the option is there, why would you not take it? But what are we actually getting out
Deputy Online Comment Editor
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aying £9,250 a year just in fees, a university education has become a commodity. No longer is it about academic endeavour or the chance to fully devote yourself to a subject you have a burning passion for. Now, it is just a piece of paper that is simultaneously insignificant and imperative to your future success. Approaching a prospective employer, if you do not have a degree, it is more than likely that their first question will be why? With the university industry so saturated by choice, it can seem pointless not to take the opportunity to come and study, even if you are not really sure what you want to read or why you are doing a degree at all. The recent spate of universities dolling out unconditional offers encapsulate this mind-set, with the number rising from 2,985 to 67,915 between 2013 and 2018. Some are
(Epigram/ Cameron Scheijde)
of our time here? The unfortunate truth is that an undergraduate degree, unless it is in medicine, no longer counts for much. You are not distinguished by your 2:1 in English because there are hundreds, if not thousands of other candidates with the same badge all scrabbling for the same opportunities. Naturally, an argument could be made to say that attending one of the prestigious Russell Group institutes does give you a certain edge. The reality is that you are still competing with candidates not only from your own school, but from 35 others. 18,005 Bristol undergraduates are going head to head with 27,900 at Manchester, 21,700 at Birmingham- it goes on. Increasingly, students are having to look for alternative ways to mark themselves out from the crowd. Many are going onto study masters’ degrees to further specialise; the more affluent ones taking up unpaid internships. The sad truth of all of this is that university is becoming less and less about what you study within an exciting, intellectually driven environment. More than ever, it is about engineering your time to manufacture a list of achievements enabling you to present the best possible personal image and highlight your aptitude for juggling.
“The purpose of university needs to be stripped back, reorientated towards the love of learning, not the aim of earning”
Of course, none of this is to say that a first-class honours degree is not a great achievement that deserves recognition and respect. But within modern university culture, is it more important than the fact that you wrote for the newspaper, played rugby, set up a charitable society and was involved with the students’ union? What connections did you make, how did you network? Was all the work worth it if the person who got a low 2:1 is going straight into an entry level position at Goldman Sacks while you are moving back in with your parents, all because he was a member of every possible banking society and you were devoted to understanding command economics. It seems like there is a constant scramble to appear as though you are actively involved in as many things as possible, have your hand in an impossible number of pies. I am not necessarily saying this is a bad thing. If you are doing a film degree, being involved with the IN: Film society is certainly a benefit. But it should not take precedence over your studies- they should be your priority. The purpose of university needs to be stripped back to basics, re-orientated towards the love of learning, not the aim of earning.
epigram 28.09.2018
14 Comment
State school freshers: feeling out of place is okay While state school students often outperform their private school peers, it is possible to become disheartened when suddenly surrounded by confident private school students if disparities continually fail to be addressed
Ffion Clarke
Online Comment Editor
A
s a state school student, coming to the University of Bristol can be daunting. With 35.5 per cent of students coming from private school in 2016/7 , ex-state school students’ freshers experiences include an introduction to new privileged circles and the reality
of class disparities in the professional world. Being put off by this is understandable. As nice as the ex-private school students around you may be, and as little as they actively try to make you feel out of place, as long as these disparities are ignored it is easy for this environment to make you feel a little bit inferior. Even worse, with limited discussion it is easy for others to deny the existence of this issue and blame some ‘state-school kid victim complex’ or the adaptability of private school students. Of course the issue is unnoticeable if you are the one benefitting from the pseudo-boarding school environment of Stoke Bishop which does not require any adaptation from you. Ex-private school students may be angered by the suggestion that your schooling should impact how others view you, and blame state school student sensitivities for any groupings formed at
“Of course the issue is unnoticeable if you are the one benefitting from the pseudoboarding school environment of Stoke Bishop”
the University. However, it is time for these people to get over themselves and recognise that state school students have long been coming against similar biases which assume our inherent inferiority. They need to accept that these biases are understandable and make an effort to disprove them as opposed to getting angry that, for once, their privilege is not present. State school students do not automatically dislike you because of your schooling, they are justifiably made uncomfortable by your privilege. It is difficult to find solutions for this disparity within admissions regulations - outreach programmes and contextual offers are already present. It seems the disparity is largely because of the University’s reputation as a popular university for private school students and Oxbridge rejects. But, it is important that the state school experience at the University of Bristol is
Apps for students seem to be all the rage. But there is a hidden cost to commercialising student spaces and universalising our experiences.
Cameron Scheijde co-Editor-in-Chief
T
he well-spoken NUS Vice-President, Ali Milani, recently quipped ‘I’m really excited to be able to share this with you’ as he unveiled ‘Totum’, the replacement to the NUS’ discount card NUS Extra. The new card, he promised, would come with hundreds of cost-saving discounts and an all-new app with links to campus events, societies and your SU. The NUS is far from the first to come up with an app exclusively aimed at students. Apps like Campus Society, Native and now Totum are busting onto the student scene. Campus Society promises to link you with other new students on your course or in your halls, while Native promises to ‘end shit nights out’ and are even running a competition to win a body double who will attend all your first week of lectures. These apps might seem to be all a bit of fun, but there is a more malicious undercurrent to these organisations pouncing on the vulnerability of young people moving to new surroundings. Were an A-level student to post on twitter their success in gaining a place at Bristol, for example, they would be inundated with congratulations; not just from the Uni itself, but from countless other organisations keenly desiring their custom. These ranged from the aforementioned lecture-bunking app to a certain clickbased tabloid media organisation desperate
“‘Greeting new Undergraduates in the post this year is a significant bundle of marketing materials’”
(Facebook/Ffion Clarke)
Oxbridge said no? Well, say hello
‘Totum’ and the scourge of apps that rule our student life for readers. The aggressive marketing did not stop at Twitter. Greeting new Undergraduates in the post this year - in an official UCAS letter - is a significant bundle of marketing materials from Barclays, GiffGaff, Amazon Prime, Endsleigh, NUS and Campus Society. It is hard to deny now, with increasing tuition fees, arbitrary ranking and everstranger schemes to fill university courses, that every one of us is a customer. It seems sad that these companies seek to win our custom as soon as we flee the safety of our parent-controlled homes and pounce during that very vulnerable stage of our lives. These apps and services also degrade the individuality of our Universities. Whether I go to Bristol, Leeds, Manchester or Durham I will be bombarded by the same apps controlled by the same corporations wanting the same thing: my custom. I could even live in the same halls, with companies such as Unite Students and the Student Housing Company developing ever-moreswanky apartment blocks. There is a case for these apps, and I must admit to having saved a fair few pounds at the Co-op with my NUS card. However, with market becoming more and more saturated, Uni may stop becoming a primarily academic experience. It may become a commercial one, where companies compete to win us the best deals, the best nights out or the best double-bedensuite-with-an-amazing-toaster. That essay doesn’t really matter any more if we our phones are telling us which events we’re definitely missing out on tonight. Whilst I welcome anything that saves us students money, these ever-changing schemes such as Totum should come with a warning. University campuses are home to life-changing, brilliant experiences; don’t let them become yet another marketplace for corporate greed.
increasingly addressed to highlight that you are not alone in this experience and it is in no way a sign of weakness. At the end of the day, you have made it here of your own volition and your place here is just as valid as any of those around you. In fact, state school students often have a better grasp of real world experiences, and often do better at University because of our ability to selfteach and self-motivate.
Why being rejected from Oxbridge was the best event of my life- and will be yours too
Will Charley Comment Editor
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o, you are an Oxbridge reject: welcome to Bristol. If you are joining the University of Bristol this week, there is a fair chance that you are an Oxbridge reject. But, whether you are still licking your wounds from a missed grade or putting that failed interview behind you, wear that rejection letter with pride. As you will learn, if you are an Oxbridge reject, you have found your home. Many, many students at the University of Bristol are. Welcome to the club.
(Flickr/Chuca Cimas)
But, more importantly, here comes the news that we have all been waiting for: You may have lost Oxbridge, but you have gained a healthy, sustainable social life. As a fresher, many of whom have come straight from school, you will come to appreciate the freedom and independence that courses at Bristol give you. Whether that is half a dozen teaching hours for some arts students, or the simple absence of work that ruins a weekend, the University of Bristol allows you to join societies, make friends and go out - or stay in, if that is your thing. Oxbridge may have meant something to your Careers Advisor last year, but what it translates to is an intense, punishing amount of work that makes it difficult to make friends outside of your course and even more difficult to be a part of societies, clubs and wider activities, the likes of which can be found in Bristol. Even more, studying at Bristol encourages independent living that being a student at Oxford simply does not. At Bristol you will live with your friends in houses after first year, and whilst you can do this in Oxbridge, it is not the done thing. Living in a house with friends, independent of the university or scoutsthose are cleaners to you and me- teaches students a resillience and responsibility that cannot be gained at Oxbridge. Most importantly, not living in colleges for three years means freedom to party, cook and relax whenever you want. Going to Oxbridge is not everything it seems. You may have lost an obnoxious word on your CV, but you have gained years of fun, friendship and opportunities that would have otherwise been missed. Welcome home. Welcome to Bristol.
Science & Tech
epigram 28.09.2018
Editor: Bethany Harris Deputy Editor: Vilhelmiina Haavisto Email: science@epigram.org.uk
Dragon eggs to monitor volcanic activity? Cutting edge technology from the University of Bristol reduces the need for human intervention in dangerous volcanic environments
Alannah Tail
Third Year, Neuroscience
T
he faculties of Science and Engineering at the University of Bristol have recently developed innovative new volcanic monitoring devices, which provide updates on multiple measures of volcanic activity in real time. Known as ‘dragon eggs’, these sensor pods transmit data remotely, and can be used for more accurate and dynamic hazard assessments of volcanoes. As remote, selfactivating probes, ‘dragon eggs’ circumvent many of the great difficulties that come with recording from volcanoes, given the deadly dangers of entering their vicinity. Their fantastic name is derived not only from their fiery destination, but also from their ability to ‘hatch’- i.e. self activate as required. This cutting edge feature is designed to conserve power during standby periods. The sensor can be activated by vibrations as miniscule as five picojoules - that’s about one million millionth of a single calorie. Subsequently, the sensor driven detectors do not even need to use stored battery power to stay in operation but are able to rely on the energy from the volcanic vibrations themselves. The devices therefore have the lowest standby power consumption in the world. This reduces the need for dangerous human interventions to replace or recharge them as they can remain in place on the slope of the volcano for many months. Further, the eggs work together as a
(Unsplash / Pierre-Yves Burgi)
“Sensors can be activated by vibrations as miniscule as five picojoules!”
cooperative network, arranged in a star topology. This arrangement means that the integrity of the network is not disrupted by the loss of individual units. Therefore, if several eggs were to be destroyed by the extreme conditions of the volcano, the network could still record and transmit data, further reducing the need for intervention. The eggs use a powerful wireless transmitter, sending data to a base station up to 10 kilometers away from the active volcano. Thus, signals can be processed and interpreted at a safe distance from the hazardous, volcanic environments. Research Associate in the School of Physics, Dr Yannick Verbelen commented: ‘It is the first time an autonomous system using zero-power listening technology has been deployed in this kind of hostile environment. We are pushing the limits of the sensor driven low-power monitoring in this application, but that’s what
research is all about.’ The eggs are positioned by flying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), removing the risk for human pilots of flying into dangerous volcanic vents. Even with UAVs, the danger zone is high risk, because of the highly corrosive nature of gases given off by the volcano. Therefore, the UAV’s time spent in the danger zone is kept to a minimum by using a small, highly agile drone with a fast drop-off mechanism. These specialised sensors can detect temperature, humidity, vibrations and a number of toxic gases. This range of functions gives the ‘dragon eggs’ the potential to be applied to the monitoring of glaciers, faultlines, nuclear waste sites and more. They have been licensed to the technology startup company Sensor Driven Ltd, for further expansion and development. Field tests on the eggs have already been carried out in
Italy at Stromboli volcano. The research at the faculties of Science and Engineering is funded by two UK Research and Innovation grants, received from ASPIRE and from the National Centre for Nuclear Robotics. It has also received additional funding from the Cabot Institute Innovation Fund more recently. These devices are a remarkable advancement in the sophistication of extreme environment monitoring. They are expected to bring greater accuracy to predictions of threat, and greater safety at many stages of the data collection process. Many features, from the cooperative network, to the deployment by UAVs, to the groundbreaking optimization of power use, conspire to make these eggs a very safe way to obtain data in real time. Ironically, it is the hatching of the dragon eggs that will allow us to best safely contain the dragon.
Scicomm! What is it good for? Science communication platforms are important for shared knowledge, but are they easily accessible?
Vilhelmiina Haavisto Deputy Science Editor
A
s topics such as genetic engineering, climate change, and renewable energy continue to dominate conversations about our planet’s future, there is increasing pressure on young adults to have an understanding of such issues and their implications. However, the ways in which we access and consume science news vary in efficiency and accuracy. Pew Research Centre recently reported that just a third of American adults actively seek out science news, while over a third come across it at least weekly without seeking it out. However, just over one in six are ‘active science news consumers’ and do both. While most likely to get their science news from general news outlets, those polled believe that specialist outlets including science magazines and documentaries are more likely to be factually accurate. Though over half believe that general news outlets also report
“Over two-thirds of 16-24year-olds use the internet, including social media, as their primary source of news”
science well, more than four in ten Americans have concerns about media practices involved in science coverage. Similar trends seem to hold in the UK. In 2016, communications regulator Ofcom found that over two-thirds of 16-24 year olds use the internet, including social media, as their primary source of news, and are much less inclined to get news from radio, print, or TV than older age groups. Social media is by far the most important online news sources for young adults; Facebook is the most popular platform, followed by the BBC website or app and Youtube. These platforms are where they will likely read science news, so it is worth looking into their reporting quality on science topics. The importance of science communication can hardly be overstated. Reading raw scientific papers can sometimes be onerous, due in part to academic language and expert knowledge without which the content makes little sense. For example, a revising student without a scientific background wanting to read up on the latest findings about the effects of certain foods on brain function might find literature on the subject somewhat laborious to read. Thorough, for sure, but cryptic, unless they devote a sizeable chunk of time to rereading and cross-referencing. What’s more, while students with university
logins can easily access most scientific publications, many are not fully open to those without such identification. This makes publications even more inaccessible to members of the general public, and for this reason, among many others, science communication is so important. It bridges the gap between scientific publications and those who cannot access it for any reason, by communicating essential findings and their wider implications. Social media is one way of reaching audiences that is clearly gaining traction as a source of news, both scientific and not. Of course, in an online climate where attention-grabbing headlines are a must, scientific facts may become oversimplified and deeper implications and particularities can be lost. While trying to simplify a complex procedure or explanation, it is easy to overdo it and strip findings of their nuances and context. Pew Research Centre conducted an analysis of over a dozen science-themed Facebook pages, followed by millions of people, and found that posts with the most reactions, comments, and shares did not always contain scientific facts. Furthermore, established science outlet pages such as NASA and National Geographic fared better in communicating facts than those not affiliated with external organizations, known
as “Facebook-primary” pages. However, such pages, including IFLScience and ScienceDump, get almost three times higher rates of reactions, comments and shares than established outlet pages. Visuals and video are key to high engagement, though these were sometimes ads or practical applications of science, rather than explanations of new discoveries. Clearly, communicating science in an interesting and accessible way while keeping it factually accurate and contextual is a balancing act, and one of the central challenges that all science writers, including us at Epigram, face. Crucially, because social media feeds can be tailored to show you exactly what you want to see, science news will likely only be present if you choose to put it there. So, if you want to read, watch, and listen to more science and tech content this year, here are a few good places to start! @BristolBioSci and @UniBrisPhysics (Twitter) spotlight faculty research, give regular updates on events such as guest lectures, and retweet discipline-specific news stories. Crash Course (Youtube) was created as a studying tool, but is also an easy and engaging way to learn about engineering, ecology, or computer science, to name just a few topics they have covered.
28.09.2018 epigram
Science and Tech
16
The Impossible Garden: A visual phenomena The Impossible Garden: an exhibition to challenge your visual senses
Frankie Langeland
Third Year, Psychology
T
he University of Bristol’s enchanting Botanic Garden houses 4,500 species of plant and, until November, is also home to artist Luke Jerram’s latest exhibition: ‘The Impossible Garden’. The exhibition explores many visual phenomena along with the power of optical illusions with the hope of providing the general public with a greater understanding of vision. The artist created this work in collaboration with The Bristol Vision Institute (BVI), the home of vision research at University of Bristol. Whilst our ability to ‘see’ feels effortless and is perhaps something we often take for granted, there are many complex sensory processes that take place before ‘sight’ can be achieved. Prior knowledge and the environment all play a role in visual experiences. It is such complexity surrounding the eyes and vision that makes ‘seeing’ so difficult to replicate, resulting in many previous attempts at artificially creating vision being unsuccessful. To allow for more complex understanding and wider vision research, the BVI established itself as a collaborative group. Today, 180 researchers from science, engineering, art and medicine work together for a common goal. Indeed, the BVI has had many successes, including developments in visual biometrics. Their research means endangered species can now be monitored remotely. Computer vision can accurately identify subtle differences in each animal, such as dents in the dorsal fins of sharks. As well as saving time, these developments in visual technology mean that invasive ‘capture and tag’ techniques
can now be abandoned. Whilst the BVI is a remarkable example of interdisciplinary parties working together there is one group missing from this partnership, the public. Engaging ordinary people in research is elusive even to research groups with an exciting subject. However, with the opening of the Impossible Garden it is clear that Luke Jerram knows how to engage people! Also known for turning Bristol’s Park Street into a giant water slide and for his popular sculpture ‘Museum of the Moon’ - displayed in Wills Memorial Building last year – Luke’s art is not only exciting but inclusive and accessible for the general public. Luke has a diverse history of partnership work including joint projects with the UN, UK Space Agency and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Creating ‘The Impossible Garden’ began after his residency at the Bristol Eye Hospital, where he met BVI member consultant Cathy Williams. Twelve sculptures are now on display at the Bristol Botanical Gardens each highlighting a process of vision. Professor David Bull, Director of Bristol Vision Institute commented: ‘The collaboration with Luke is a fantastic opportunity for us to explore the power of visual illusions. Understanding how they work can tell us a lot about the properties and limitations of our visual system.’ A common theme throughout the exhibition is the idea that our visual world is constructed by our brains from the sensory information provided by our eyes. Shortcuts from what we already know about our world are used in this process. One sculpture ‘Upon Reflection’ uses reflection to display the word ‘decide’. However, no word is there at all, our mind is filling in the gaps and making the best guess. Visual illusions work by exploiting such shortcuts and trick the brain into ‘seeing’ something that is not physically there. The sculpture ‘threshold’ literally reflects this again by using mirrors, but this time, showing a world through a door that does not exist.
Attracting people appears to have been a success. Certainly, when I visited on a Wednesday afternoon the gardens were busy. Cunningly, a map required to find the hidden sculptures also explains the science of the art and brilliantly I heard several groups discussing this. Moreover, the crowd was more diverse than you would find at a public lecture: parents with their children, work colleagues on a lunch break and adults with support workers. Although, the diversity was perhaps still limited, each sculpture is moveable so there is potential to widen the audience beyond Stoke Bishop. Not that I’m complaining about its current home at the University’s botanical gardens. Indeed, it’s another collaboration I’m very happy with. After living in Bristol for 10 years the display finally pushed me to visit the gardens. They are stunning and the perfect
“The collaboration with Luke is a fantastic opportunity for us to explore the power of visual illusions. Understanding how they work can tell us a lot about the properties and limitations of our visual system.”
5
(Instagram / @lukejerramartist) setting to celebrate vision. The Impossible Garden is on display until 25th November and is free to all UoB staff and students. Luke Jerram is also giving this year’s Richard Gregory memorial lecture on 16th November. Tickets are available via the BVI website.
(Instagram / @hannahbella_nel)
Under the microscope: Space station sabotage and penguin mummies…
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Vilhelmiina Haavisto... discusses the unsolved mystery damage to the International Space Station.
(Flickr / Christopher Michel)
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Bethany Harris... reports on the discovery of hundreds of mummified penguin carcasses.
Living Wellbeing Food Style Travel Issue 1 / 28th September 2018
Don’t hate it: Rate it
Epigram Style’s guide to wavy garms Food// The best independent coffee shops in Bristol Wellbeing // The importance of doing your own thing Living // What I wished I knew when I arrived at Uni
Epigram / Evy Tang
Welcome to The Croft: a new lifestyle pullout from Epigram
Editor Jasmine Burke
28.09.2018 epigram / The Croft
Online Editor Marina Afzal-Khan
Deputy-Editor Luke Unger
@EpigramWB
W
@epigramwellbeing
Epigram Wellbeing
Welcome to Epigram Wellbeing 2018/19!
Marina - Online Editor
Want to get involved? We want this to be an inclusive section, involving as many people as possible, so please get involved in any way you can! If you want to write for us, join our writers’ group on Facebook by searching ‘Epigram Wellbeing Writers’ Group 2018/19’, or message any of us personally with an idea/your interest. If writing is not your thing but you simply want to support us, follow our social media! We have an Instagram, Facebook page and Twitter. As I said, mental health affects everybody, whether that is positively or negatively and it is important to talk about and discuss as a student body. We hope to help this year in any way that we can and hope that you join us to see what we get up to.
(Epigram / Luke Unger)
elcome to the Epigram Wellbeing section 2018-19! Unfortunately , but fortunately for them I suppose, Chloe and Leila graduated, so this year we have a new team run by Jasmine, Marina and Luke. We hope to provide you with a year of advice, interviews and personal stories that help you feel like you are not alone when it comes to managing your mental health and wellbeing. Wellbeing is essential to your life at university. We are out in the world alone - most of us for the first time – trying to figure out how to cope while having all these new experiences thrown our way. It makes sense that sometimes our mental health suffers, whether we have preexisting mental health conditions or not. Mental health and wellbeing affects absolutely everyone and there are always things you can do to help yourself feel a little bit better. That is what we aim to do with this section.
Jasmine Burke Wellbeing Editor
Jasmine - Editor
Luke - Deputy Editor
Heyyy everyone, I’m Marina, a third year law student (eeekk, it’s going to be pretty stressful!). I am the new Online Editor of Wellbeing and I’m so excited to get started! I decided to take on this role because of my own mental health struggles (depression/borderline personality disorder) and reading Wellbeing last year personally helped me so much that I want to give back and continue raising wellbeing and mental health awareness myself. I’m part of an amazing team and hope to create a positive space for students just like me so that no one feels alone. Feel free to get in touch with me at any time!
Hi! I’m Jasmine, an English Literature and Philosophy student going into my final year. You may remember me from this section last year as I was the Deputy Editor. However, now that Chloe and Leila have graduated, I’m the Editor of the section. Last year I had an amazing time as part of the editorial team and so I’m hoping that this year will be no different! I’m looking forward to introducing new and different things and hopefully fighting the stigma surrounding mental health even more than we did last year. We try and keep our team as approachable as possible, so if you have any ideas for articles feel free to message me on Facebook – we want as many voices as we can!
Hello! My name is Luke Unger! This year I’m hoping to carry on with Chloe and Leila’s amazing work for the Wellbeing Section as your new Deputy Editor! I decided to take on this role after one of my close friends sadly took her life at the end of the last academic year. I feel the need to increase awareness of mental health issues at Bristol and facilitate people opening up about their own struggles or successes. I can’t wait to get started and be your Deputy Editor and, as Jasmine said, feel free to approach any of us through our Writer’s Group on Facebook or personally!
Photo: Epigram / Jasmine Burke
Photo: Epigram / Jasmine Burke
Photo: Epigram / Jasmine Burke
Cut it out and keep it handy - once you are done with reading the paper, of course!
Who you gonna call?
It’s hard knowing who to contact sometimes. Here’s a list of many available services:
Mental health services Bristol Independent Mental Health Network bimhn.org.uk/help-support/ MindLine (Weds-Sun, 8pm-12am) – 0808 808 0330 Samaritans (24 hours) – 0117 983 1000 (local call charges apply) /116 123 (free to call) Papyrus HOPELine (Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm & 7-10pm & Weekends, 2-5pm) – 0800 068 4141 YoungMinds – parents’ helpline (Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4pm) – 0808 802 5544 Mindline Trans+ (Mondays & Fridays from 8pm-12am) – 0300 330 5468 UOB: Booking an appointment with your GP - 0117 3302720
Disability services UOB - bristol.ac.uk/disability-services/, +44 (0)117 331 0444
BRISTOL SU LGBT+ NETWORK - https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/ groups/bristol-su-lgbt-network BRISTOL SU TRANS STUDENTS’ NETWORK - bristolsu.org.uk/ groups/bristol-su-trans-students-network
Bristol Gov. - bristol.gov.uk/social-carehealth/disability Disability Information Advice Service - The Vassall Centre Gill Avenue, Bristol · 0117 983 2828 Pearce Brothers Mobility - 1st Floor, Gardiner Haskins Building, Straight St, Bristol · 0117 925 5072
LGBT services LGBT Bristol - 1-2 Perry Road, Bristol BS1 5BQ, 0117 922 6747
Peace of Mind Society - bristolsu.org.uk/groups/peace-of-mind
Out Bristol - outbristol.co.uk
Wellbeing Network - bristol.ac.uk/students/wellbeing
Well Aware - wellaware.org.uk/organisation/lgbt-bristol
BME services Bristol BME Voice - 01179099949, bristolbmevoice. org.uk The BME Collective - meetup.com BRISTOL SU BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC NETWORK - bristolsu.org.uk/ groups/bristol-su-black-and-minorityethnic-network THE THIRD CULTURE KID SOCIETY bristolsu.org.uk/groups/the-third-culturekid-society
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epigram / The Croft 28.09.2018
New year mental health checklist
In the wake of the new academic year, Wellbeing Editor Jasmine Burke provides a list of actions to take to look after your mental health this year
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General tips for everyone
Tips for those with pre-existing conditions Email your personal tutors
Pre-prepare some meals while you have some time The term tends to get hectic before you have time to fully register that it has started. Try preparing and freezing some meals at the beginning of the year while you have a little more free time. This turns out to be quite inexpensive, as you can buy cheap temporary containers from Poundland or Wilko and it is cheaper to make a larger meal and separate it into portions. You do not have to make loads of meals to last everyday, but preparing a few in advance means that you are covered if you are having a particularly stressful or lethargic day.
If you have a mental illness that you are worried will impact your academic performance, it is best to let your personal tutor know. Not only can they pass on this information to your various course leaders and seminar tutors, but will now know to check up on you with regards to your condition. Furthermore, you can seek comfort in the fact that somebody now knows what you are going through and is there for you to email about it. If you have not yet received the name and email of your personal tutor, you should soon. Research extenuating circumstances Bristol allows extenuating circumstances for a multitude of conditions. These can include extra time in exams, extended deadlines for essays,
Summertime sadness
A
s the summer reaches an end and we all head back to university for another year, many worries may arise.
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Living with people - be that previous friends or complete strangers - is bound to be overwhelming sometimes. Research some places that you can go to reflect and calm down alone. This could be as simple as locking yourself away in your bedroom, or you could get some fresh air and explore some calming places around Bristol. Check out areas such as the Bristol University Botanic Garden, the library or a museum. Get creative!
Most Importantly... Try and have some fun! The beginning of the year may be a stressful time but it can also be an amazing one, so try and enjoy it. Everybody’s conditions are personal so all of these steps may not apply to you. However, if you can tick off at least a couple of things from this checklist, it can help to ensure a smoother year. Jasmine Burke
Wellbeing Editor
third year, you may have to start thinking about grad jobs and making multiple applications to secure your dream job after deciding what that is. Take some time to reflect on the summer that has gone and what you want from a new university year. • • • • •
Epigram / Jasmine Burke
Take some time to reflect on the summer that has gone and what you want from a new university year
What if I do not get on with my new flatmates? What if I cannot adjust to a new routine?
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If you are going into second year, you may have to start handling your own bills. You also get hit with the realization that your degree now ‘counts for something’ and modules affect your final grade. If you are going into
Set attainable goals. Create a new routine. Get in touch with friends at university. Join societies. Book an appointment with the GP in Bristol to set up mental health support at the university. Speak to someone close about it.
•
Epigram / Marina Afzal-Khan
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As summer began, I was so excited. I finished second year Law in a stable place, hoping to get decent grades and have a fun summer. I spent my summer in London and Manchester visiting family and finally became comfortable in my new surroundings. With university starting again, I worry how I will cope ‘on my own’ again and if I will be able to handle the pressure that comes from societal obligations, my degree and friendships whilst maintaining my wellbeing. What I need to believe is that I am not ‘on my own’. There is support in place for me to adjust back into my final year of university. Epigram / Marina Afzal-Khan
Look for spaces for alone time
Summer is long and so much can change. Many of us return ‘home home’, start reconnecting with our home friends, adjust to living with our parents again, get a summer job or even travel the world. Whatever we have done, we are all heading back to Bristol to prepare for a hectic year filled with societies, socials and, of course, making sure we do the best we can in our degrees. Not feeling ready for the transition is pretty normal and many of us may feel it.
”
The SU set up various activities to do with wellbeing and mindfulness. Check out their website and explore what’s on offer. This not only provides you with an avenue to explore how you are feeling, but a chance to meet and make friends in similar positions to you. You can find the list of everything offered by the SU during Welcome Week on the SU website.
Am I ready yet? What if I do not settle in again?
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Epigram / Jasmine Burke
Registering for the student health services and ensuring that you have a doctor in Bristol is vital for both your mental and physical health
Bristol allows extenuating circumstances for a multitude of conditions. These include extra time in exams, extended deadlines and more
Sign up to some wellbeing activities
Taking action now can give you a head start. However, I think there is no need to set high expectations. As long as your priorities are straight, everything will fall into place and you can have a good year. There is no shame in not settling in; university life is, and should be, challenging.
”
”
I’ve split this list into general tips for everyone, and one more specific to those with conditions.
Registering for the student health services and ensuring that you have a doctor in Bristol is vital for both your mental and physical health. You can register any time, but it will probably be easier for you to do it at the beginning of the year while it is fresh in your mind.
”
Living with people - be that previous friends or complete strangers - is bound to be overwhelming sometimes
Register for student health services
Epigram / Jasmine Burke
T
he first few weeks of University can be extremely overwhelming. There are Freshers’ activities, (new) friends to meet, and classes to prepare for. With so much going on, we often forget to care for our mental health as well. In fact, when I started first year I had absolutely no idea where to start when it came to the mental side of things. Therefore, here is a list of steps that you can take at the beginning of the year to ensure that you are caring for your mental health.
a separate room to take your exams in and so forth. Explore the extenuating circumstances information here to see if you are elligible. It could provide you with some reassurance going into the academic year.
Taking action now can give you a head start. However, I think there is no need to set and reach high expectations
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I strongly highlight that the Student Health Service and the Student Counselling Service is available as soon as you require. Please make sure you are prepared for the transition from any summer mental health support elsewhere back into the university services. The end of summer does not need to be a daunting time. Sufficient preparation and support will help us gear up for the upcoming year!
Marina Afzal-Khan Online Wellbeing Editor
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28.09.2018 epigram / The Croft
Deputy Online Editor, Kate Hutchison, discusses the importance of branching out and doing your own thing at university
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may not have had a journey of self-discovery in South East Asia but, during my time at Bristol, I have experienced an alternative version. It has been challenging, lonely at times, but crucial; it has helped me to grasp the importance of doing your own thing, despite the way it can make you feel.
about my situation were binding, some definitely were not. I could better my position if I wanted. So, at the beginning of second year, I applied to edit Epigram, signed myself up for volunteering and moved to a job that interested me more. It was a massive undertaking and probably a stupid one. The carefree attitude of first year dissolved. I felt exhausted, unsociable and isolated from friends. And the rest of the year was a slog, too; I changed jobs a few times, ran from responsibility to responsibility and, in the end, began cutting myself off. This was made more difficult by the fact I was torn; I enjoyed aspects of this change, such as being clearer about career stuff, but missed socialising and the people I did that with. The two extremes felt incompatible: they were incompatible. As I wallowed, everyone carried on as usual and not many seemed to go through the same thing as me, if at all. Maybe they did not need to, or did not care; whatever it was, I felt alienated. It was hard to balance everything and even harder to communicate why. There were explicit and uncomfortable shifts in my relationships, but unsaid and misunderstood reasons as to why. I felt different to everyone else; clouded by frustration, confusion and a constant need to sleep.
Y
ou are sitting in a lecture theatre and not understanding what is being taught. Suddenly you begin to feel a bit hot, very hot actually, your pulse is racing and you are starting to become a little light-headed. You are getting a bit detached from your surroundings and all you can experience in the moment is the cesspool of wrongness churning inside of you. Finally, when you cannot take it anymore, you just have to get up and leave. What you have just experienced is an anxiety attack and it is unbelievably common amongst university students. 1 in 4 students will experience severe anxiety during their time at university, so the most important message to take from this article is you are not alone. There are thousands of students in the same situation as you all over the country and, more importantly, there are ways in which you can control your anxiety rather than letting it control you. 1.
3.
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This attitude was fine while the distractions were fresh and unfamiliar. I had zero foresight and I didn’t care much; I didn’t necessarily need to. But as I settled in, my priorities began to shift. That lifestyle, I realised, certainly was not the one I wanted to live out, or one I could afford to either.
I am a worrier: I love knowing what is next. I probably need a nap or five more than a lot of people. These characteristics worsened my experience undoubtedly. And it continues to be a complicated learning process, but I am now conscious of its value. These changes have helped me understand important things about myself, others, and the stuff in between. Though a problematic year, social withdrawal, mental shifts and adjusted schedules, have given me a chance to revaluate my personality, support systems and ambitions. University is an expensive and an elitist opportunity but I am here (!), and I have got a loan and an abundance of free time; I want to use these things while I have them. I have reaffirmed my ambition to exit with a degree as well as experience and skills. Self-focused periods have allowed me to start doing this in a way I can manage. And while it might be possible to socialise a lot, work more, and still feel good, I’ve found this just is not the case for me - despite some initial resentment of this fact. As I begin third year, I am more self-assured. I have a better idea of what I’d like to do after Bristol and I’ve got some experience to help me get there. Alone time has given me a renewed voice, as well as essential insight on personal thresholds, self-sufficiency and the preparation that goes into life after study. I have started figuring out my interests, and how they fit around existing schedules, relationships, finances and my personality: a reality that felt impossible beforehand.
I had worked my arse off to be at Bristol, and I knew I needed to keep trying to graduate comfortably. I soon realised that some things were not going to come as easily to me as they would to some of my peers. To level out, I needed to lift the denial of responsibility and make active changes – quickly. And this was - and still is - true for me. What I want to do is competitive. It requires experience, a portfolio, references and the rest of it. Besides this, I do not live in an epicentre of opportunity, have the funds to support unpaid internships, or have endless contacts. But while I knew some facts
You are a priority. If you believe that a certain situation may make you anxious, you are at liberty to avoid it
Prioritise
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You are a priority. If you believe that a certain situation may make you anxious, you are at liberty to avoid it. Now this is not just an excuse to skip your exams because they make you nervous, but if you feel like certain social situations make you feel uneasy, like being in a club, you can always find alternatives that may be more comfortable for you. If it is something that can be avoided, then avoid it. If it cannot be avoided, then rationalize it and break it down into doable steps.
Since then, things have changed a bit. I go out less, I’ve lost a few friendships and that same A-Level stress has re-entered my life, but in a much harsher form. Though my love for Bristol has not altered, what I do with my time here definitely has.
I stopped trying during first year. This was not a deliberate choice, but it happened anyway. My part-time job was uninteresting and tiring, I ignored my course and I did not do much for me. Instead, I pissed about in the comfort of a new friendship group.
Rationalise
Rational thinking is not just a word used in your unit handbooks. By rationalising your thoughts, you will be able to overcome your symptoms. Firstly, when experiencing an anxiety attack, you must acknowledge it. This can be as simple as saying to yourself: ‘I am feeling very anxious right now.’ Once you have admitted your feelings you can start looking for ways to reduce what is causing them. If it is the stress of a lecture, remember that you are not being tested right now. You will have weeks if not months before any of these topics will be tested so you will have time to study.
2.
In first year, I had a good social life. I maintained hometown friendships, made new ones here in Bristol and reaffirmed why the A-Level slog was worth it. I had got to where I wanted to be and discovered a city I loved. I finally relaxed.
I may not have had a journey of self-discovery in South East Asia but, during my time at Bristol, I have experienced an alternative version
Managing anxiety at uni
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Doing your own thing: its importance and its difficulty
Though forging a bittersweet withdrawal from social circles, I have had a serious – and probably healthy - evaluation of my place within them. And I am still working on things. I am trying to strike a better balance continually. But I have learned that my time here is not just a few lecture slides and a hangover. I have found that being more self-reliant is fine, if not necessary. I have learned that readjusting how I socialise is fine, and lacking in ‘edge’ at the expense of doing things I enjoy is more than fine. Crucially, I have learned that doing my own thing is okay, and though hard, it is really important.
Kate Hutchison Deputy Online Editor
Improvise
Improvisation is usually perceived as anxiety’s worst enemy, but hear me out. The core meaning of the word ‘to improvise’ means to make better. Anxiety is an unreliable illness because you never know what can set it off, so you must prepare yourself to thwart the symptoms when they appear. Feeling breathless? Practice deep breathing. Feeling detached from your surroundings? Focus on one small aspect, study it well and then start taking in more of it. Heart racing? Reassure yourself that this is your anxiety and nothing fatal. You are completely in control. 4.
Overcome
Overcoming is the hardest part of managing anxiety but when you believe you can do it – go for it. Sometimes facing your fears is horrifying but closing up to anything can hinder your experience at university. When you feel confident enough that you can handle your symptoms, try dipping a toe in first. If you are uncomfortable with going to a club but all your friends admit to always having an amazing time, try going to a bar first, or maybe go to a club when it is not too full. I know this does not sound like much fun but it will prepare you for what to expect the next time you go so you will not be too overwhelmed. If you feel too claustrophobic during lectures, sit at the back so you can leave easily, or sit at the very front so you can discount those sitting behind you and focus purely on what you are learning. Eventually you can overcome your anxiety. I will be honest, this is a very general overview on how to combat your anxiety. However, if you felt any of these symptoms before or identified yourself in any of these situations then maybe it will inspire you to get some help or practice the ways in which you can improve. My final words to you are: understand that you are not alone. Hundreds of other students are in the exact same situation as you are. Reach out to someone you know, for example a friend or your personal tutor, and they can help you navigate scenarios you find difficult. Do not try to suppress your anxiety, accept that you are anxious right now and try to find what is making you this way and try to reduce or eliminate it.
Rainha Passi 3rd Year Cellular and Molecular Medicine
epigram / The Croft 28.09.2018
Editor Hope Riley
Deputy Editor Imogen Rogers
Online Editor Josie Roberts
Epigram Living Section 2018-19
Advice to my former self: what I wish I had known when I started Bristol Online Living Editor Josie Roberts shares her personal experience as a third year at Bristol, and the advice she wishes she could give herself as a first year
If you did not receive your first choice of halls, do not worry! There are thousands of students at university, and if you are concerned that those in your hall are not your ‘type’ of person, then you will meet hundreds more elsewhere! As cliché as it sounds, everyone is in the same boat. Do not worry if the first people you meet are not your best friends, you have time!
Epigram / Josie Roberts
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1) Keep calm!
When I was placed in Favell House I was confused as it was the furthest thing from what I had wanted. Yet, when I moved in, I had the nicest student room I could have asked for, lovely flat mates and a great location. But if you find your halls – or your flat- dreadful, do not hesitate to change. It is not something to be embarrassed by!
If you find your halls dreadful, do not hesitate to change. It is not something to be embarrassed by! 2) Take some time to yourself
Epigram / Josie Roberts
T
his time two years ago, I was incredibly nervous to leave behind everything I had known and come to Bristol. My time here has been tumultuous to say the least, but as I enter my final year I would like to offer a few simple tips that I wish I had known when I first started.
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Some say the reality of Freshers is quite a lonely one. Indeed, there were times in my first and second year where I felt isolated, especially amidst looming essay deadlines and what felt like never ending strikes. At other times, you will feel as if you have not been alone for months, and that you need some space. Take it. Go to your room, have a movie night or take a walk. Spending time by yourself, away from the pressures of work or friends, is so worth it. 3) Get a diary I got into the habit of using diaries during school and I recommend that everyone gets one. Teaching blocks and week numbers often get confusing so noting them down in a diary is useful. For those that have few contact hours, rather than waste my days, I like to schedule times to do things. Whether that is going for a coffee with a friend or going to the gym, writing
everything down is a cathartic experience, and you feel proactive even with few contact hours. Also, do not be ashamed of scheduling a few duvet days every now and then! 4) Have fun! University is not just about your degree. It offers you a chance to get involved in all sorts of activities, from learning a new sport or competing in one you already love, to acquiring new skills such as pottery and baking. Outside the university, the city of Bristol boasts hundreds of opportunities so make the most of it and explore! Make your time here unforgettable.
Josie Roberts Online Living Editor
Bristol on a budget
ith an interminable four-month summer behind us, first term is looming and it is time to get back on top of budgeting for the new academic year.
Whether you are a returning student, or brand new to Bristol, its essential to monitor your spending so that you do not find yourself knee-deep in your overdraft come Christmas. While clichés about students having to live on beans on toast five times a week are a bit dated, it is certainly true that overspending can lead to serious guilt and self-reproach – so to help you I have compiled a list of some of Bristol’s hottest money-saving offers for students! I think its important to factor a few treats into your weekly budget – this is university, not bootcamp! Food and Drink For loads of the latest food and drink offers in the city, download the app ‘wriggle’ or head to their website at www.getawriggleon. com and select Bristol as your location. The £5.90 lunchtime deal for a burger and a side at the Burger Joint is a personal favourite. Beerd on St Michael’s Hill also runs a lunchtime deal - £4.95 for a pizza with 2 toppings, any day of the week! Another way to save money is by getting your hands on a ‘keepcup’ – using a reusable coffee cup is not only eco-friendly, but it also means you get 50p (!) off all coffees in Pret A Manger, and a humble 20p off coffee in Source cafes. A clear conscience all round. Shopping Being a student does not have to mean that you’re forbidden from buying yourself new things for the next three years. Lots of highstreet shops offer sizeable student discounts around this time of year – Urban Outfitters has announced 20 per cent off for students
in September, and The Body Shop are doing 30 per cent off until the 14th October. If you are an Arts student and find that your reading list seems never-ending, and that the right books are never available in the ASS when you need them, then the Oxfam bookshop on Cotham Hill has a great selection that are usually around the £1.50 mark. For groceries, avoid the Coop (unless it’s a kitchen emergency) as most of their everyday items are priced at a premium. The big Sainsburys at Clifton Down is reasonably priced and conveniently located for many students in private accommodation in the Redland area, but if you have a free afternoon why not hop on the train to Lidl in Lawrence Hill – the return fare (from Redland/ Clifton Down) is just £1.35 for students and almost all of their food is a fraction of the prices you will find in the more mainstream supermarkets. Hair and Beauty When I was a fresher, I often found myself feeling totally overwhelmed by the combined pressures of making new friends and staying on top of my uni work. Getting a haircut or a wax can make you feel like yourself again, and a couple of hours in the salon can be a sanctuary from the sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere on campus and in halls. Equinox on Whiteladies Road offer £10 off all hair treatments for students - £20 off for treatments over £65. If you are feeling extra indulgent, head down to Nail Xpressions, the small independent nail salon opposite Schnafel on Whiteladies Road. Walk-in Shellac appointments are just £15 for students Monday-Friday!
Hope Riley Living Editor
Dissertation planning got you down? Or is one of your flatmates grinding your gears? Aunt Aggie is BACK to answer all your problems, however big or small. Get in touch with us at livingteam.epigram@gmail.com, or send us a message on our Facebook group: Epigram Living Section 2018-19. All submissions will be published anonymously.
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28.09.2018 epigram / The Croft
Moving into private accommodation
Deputy Living Editor Imogen Rogers provides her top tips for second and third years moving into rented accommodation
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oving into private accommodation is an exciting yet daunting prospect. Ahead of you lies a year spent living with your best mates but it is also the start of dealing with landlords, bills and cleaning your own kitchen. Here are a few of my top tips when it comes to moving into and living in private accommodation.
Bills! For many of us students, moving into private accommodation is the first time we have had to deal with utility bills. It takes time, patience and requires everyone’s participation. If you are the first to move in, take photos of the gas, electricity and water metre readings. Contact the utility providers to inform them you are the new occupants, they often try to charge you for the previous tenants’ usage. Establish if you are paying monthly or quarterly and whether it will be a flat or metered rate. And do not forget to apply for council tax exemption to avoid fines later down the line via the bristol.gov.uk website.
Epigram / Laila Freeman
Photos! Hopefully when you move into your house or flat everything is in one piece. Yet, this is student accommodation, so it is likely there will be a few imperfections. To be able to reclaim your full deposit ensure you take photos of everything! Therefore, if your landlord attempts to charge you for a pre-existing fault you have proof otherwise. With that in mind, when decorating your bedroom be aware of using adhesives such as blue tac on your walls - tape or pins work just as well! Throughout your tenancy keep an eye out for problems such as damp or faulty appliances and notify your landlord as soon as possible. Wi-Fi! Wi-Fi is going to be a necessity for all student accommodations, so aim to sort it earlier rather than later! Check out websites such as savethestudent.org or moneysupermarket.com to compare student broadband packages. Consider how many people are living in your accommodation, what course you study – whether that requires a faster internet – and how much you are willing to spend. Virgin Media is a student favourite, and many broadband providers offer incentives such as restaurant vouchers.
Rules! Disagreements are inevitable. They may appear straight away or surface a few months down the line but establishing ground rules will minimise their impact. One of the most common and contentious issues surrounds guests and how often they stay. Be honest about how often your guests will be staying, and how this will work. Smaller things such as who takes out the bins, cleans the bathrooms, or buys the milk should also be organised. In fact, creating a kitty to pay for essential items such as toilet rolls, cleaning products and tea is a good solution for this.
Imogen Rogers Deputy Living Editor
A helpful guide to never having a night in
Living’s sub-editor Hendrike Rahtz gives us a weekly run-down of Bristol’s nightlife scene
Monday – BED Mondays at Gravity Say hello to themed nights ranging from Louis Theroux to Gordon Ramsey with pop music and classic bangers. Is there another way to celebrate the end of the week’s worst day? Bristol doesn’t seem to think so – tickets often sell out, so grab them quick. 78 Queens Rd, Bristol BS8 1QU Tuesday – Clique at Lola Lo’s OR SlamJam at Blue Mountain Tuesday is a day of choice – Lola Lo’s is more your house/RnB guilty pleasure with a Hawaiian theme, whereas Blue Mountain offers a night of liquid drum and bass in cool Stokes Croft. It’s your call! 67 Queens Rd, Bristol, BS8 1QL and 2 Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3PR
Friday – Farfetched at SWX If you have picky friends and cannot decide on a Friday night venue, try SWX. You will find, on various floors, ABBA classics, RnB tunes, and pop club remixes, which can hopefully satisfy the majority of the group. With reasonable drink prices and the variety of music, it almost always guarantees an entertaining night. 15 Nelson Street, Bristol, BS1 2JY
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ristol’s nightlife never sleeps - whether you fancy a cheesy pop night, or a messy drum ‘n’ bass gig, Bristol’s got it. Scheduling your home friends’ visits has never been easier! The list below offers cheap and consistent events that, without fail, give you a motive for any night of the week.
You will find, on various floors, ABBA classics, RnB tunes, and pop club remixes, which can hopefully satisfy the majority
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Saturday – In:Motion at Motion A slightly more expensive option for a Saturday night, but Motion is an experience in itself. A massive warehouse blasting out drum and bass/techno/etc. can be fun, even when you do not really have any idea what is going on and who is playing! 74-78 Avon St, Bristol BS2 0PX Sunday – Reggae Sunday at Cosie’s Cheap and chill – a perfect event to round off the (hopefully not too) expensive and crazy week. As a small venue, it does get crowded – so maybe the earlier, the better. To get out of the city bustle, head to St Paul’s for a relaxed Sunday adventure. 34 Portland Square, Bristol, BS2 8RG
Hendrike Rahtz Living Sub-Editor
Wednesday – O-M-G O-M-G is arguably Bristol’s biggest gay club which plays pop classics with interventions of musical hits. It’s grown extremely popular recently as it was voted best club in Bristol – see for yourself on Wednesdays, when drinks start from £1 and free entry all night! 1-2 Frog Lane, Bristol, BS1 5UX Epigram / Laila Freeman
Thursday – Pressure at Thekla Perhaps at Thekla you can enjoy a mid-week shift in music style, as Thursday is a big indie and alternative night for Bristol’s famous club-boat. Other well-known clubs may sometimes forget these genres, so if you want a ‘throwback’ or just want to go somewhere where they ‘understand’ your music preferences, then it’s the place to go. The Grove, East Mud Dock, Bristol BS1 4RB
Editor Laila Freeman @lunchingwithlaila
Online Editor
Olivia Critoph
Nicole Abou-Abdallah
Epigram Food 2018-19
Ready, steady, cook: going it alone Food Editor,LailaFreeman,providesacomprehensiveguideonwhatto thinkaboutbeforeyoustartcooking
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hether you are a Fresher moving into self catered accommodation, a Second Year moving into a student house for the first time or anyone else that wants to refresh after a summer of having your mum make your dinner, this guide is for you.
Budgeting / Money
@epigram_food
Not getting poisoned: a dummy’s guide Online Food EditorNicoleAAshares her top tipstoensure your food is fresh 1. Unsure if your egg is still good? Fill a bowl with cold water and place the suspicious egg in it. If it sinks it is good to eat.
Food Shopping Some people prefer to do many little shops throughout the week, but I have found that I benefit more from doing a weekly shop; it certainly ends up being cheaper because I only end up being tempted by various treats once rather than everyday. It also saves a lot of time and helps build a routine, so you never find yourself with empty cupboards. Monday is a good day to do this, or on the weekend, and it really helps to take the time to make a shopping list as you go along. In terms of the actual shop, ‘express’ supermarkets tend to be more expensive than bigger ones, so get yourself down to Clifton Down Sainsbury’s. Equipment and organising your kitchen Once you have set a budget and have bought your food for the week thoughts turn to the actual cooking. First and foremost, do not clutter your kitchen with too much equipment! Each person in a shared house does not need their own blender, nor do you need six tin openers, eight spiralizers or five egg poachers; discuss with your house what you are all bringing to ensure you do not end up with loads of clutter. Another tip is to organise your cupboards to place all your equipment together, which makes it much easier to find certain pots and pans, cutlery and crockery. My house had a cupboard for vegetarian only pans and a cupboard for pans that could have meat in them and this system worked really well for us. Staying healthy
3. How fresh is your pineapple? Pluck a leaf from the top and if there is not much resistance then the pineapple is ready to eat. 4. Hold your watermelon to your ear and tap it with your hand. The hollower it sounds, the sweeter the fruit. 5. Peel back the stem of your avocado. If it coms off quite easily and is green underneath, you have got a great compaion for your toast. 6. Keep your salad leaves fresher for longer by placing a folded piece of kitchen paper inside your open packet of leaves. This will absorb the moisture and prevent soggy leaves from developing. 7. Squeeze lemon juice onto meal prepped fruit such as apples and pears, to stop them from going brown. 8. Berries always going mouldy? Avoid washing any types of berries up until the point before eating. Moisture on the berries promotes the growth of mould.
Laila Freeman
Epigram / Laila Freeman
Epigram / Laila Freeman
Making sure to stay healthy at university is so important and unhealthy eating is a very easy trap to fall into. Not only is it bad for you, but it is also more expensive, with ready meals and eating out costing much more than home cooked meals. To make sure that you stay healthy and eat balanced meals, it helps to take some time, maybe at the start of the week or even the night before, to plan out your upcoming meals. BBC Good Food is a great resource, as are Buzzfeed Tasty videos. Planning your meals can also help you plan what to buy, to make sure you are not redundantly spending money on food that is not going to incorporate well into a meal. However it is a good idea to buy fruit and vegetables fresh every couple of days, both so that they stay fresh and so that you can choose what you fancy on the day. Whether or not you decide to meal prep, bringing your lunch saves an extortionate amount of money even compared to the best meal deals and is usually healthier too.
2. Check your chicken is cooked by piercing all the way down with a sharp clean knife. Draw out the knife and press gently near the hole - the juices should run clear with no colour.
Nicole Abou-Abdallah
Online Food Editor
Food Editor
Recipe: Autumnal lentil and sweet potato soup Nadeen Jawad sharesherrecipeforaonepotsoup,whichmakesfortheperfectdinnerasautumnsetsin. Soup is the ultimate comfort food - and it is so easy to makew. This soup is the perfect combination of super warming and super filling and is ideal for cold nights in. Ingredients:
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Method: Place the curry powder into a large pot, and stir it over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add olive oil and mix together. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, coriander stalks and stir for five minutes until cooked. Add the sweet potato, onions, lentils, vegetable stock, milk and season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave to simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils and sweet potatoes are soft. Blend until smooth using a hand blender and add the lime juice. Serve in a bowl with chopped coriander leaves and your choice of bread.
Epigram / Laila Freeman
- 3 tsp curry powder - 3 tbsp olive oil - 2 onions - finely chopped - 3 crushed garlic cloves - 1 tsp grated ginger - Bunch of coriander stalks - 3 sweet potatoes - chopped into cubes - 150g red lentils - 1 litre vegetable stock- 200 ml semi skimmed milk - Juice of 1/2 lime - Chopped coriander leaves
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Epigram / Jane Cowie
First things first - set a budget and stick to it. Obviously how much you spend a week is going to depend on your diet, with vegetarian diets being considerably less expensive. Anything from around £20 - for a vegetarian - and up to £40 a week is realistic. In addition, do factor in that you will occasionally eat out or order in, I typically budget one meal out with friends and one takeaway with my housemates a week. Your budget should not deter you from eating good food or making plans, but should act as a good indication of how much you should roughly spend a week, to allow you to allocate your money well. It is also a good idea to make some ingredients - and household items - communal between housemates - think milk, teabags, flour. Setting up a ‘kitty’ where you all put a set amount of money in each term means that you don’t end up with 6 bottles of milk a week when you probably only need one.
epigram / The Croft 28.09.18
Deputy Editor
Nadeen Jawad
Fourth year, Dentistry
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28.09.18 epigram / The Croft
B is for Bristol... and brunch Food Editor, Laila Freeman, sharesherfivefavouriteindependentcafesinBristol
Primrose Cafe Tucked away in Clifton Village, Primrose Cafe is a lovely place to have lunch on a weekend, or on a day with few lectures. Set in the heart of the village, Primrose Cafe sets the perfect brunch scene before you have even entered, overlooking the quaint shops, with a little greengrocers opposite it. The food certainly does not disappoint either. Whilst it does, of course, feature all the classic brunch items, the menu is no way limited to such, with many exciting items such as vegan Cauliflower and Onion Bhaji wrap and Lamb Shawarma.
Therecouldnotbealistofbrunchplaces inBristol withoutashoutouttogoodold BostonTeaParty
Epigram / Laila Freeman
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Bakesmiths Bakesmiths is Whiteladies Road’s answer to brunch, located about halfway down - an ideal stop off on that trek back to Stoke Bishop. There is a lovely range of food available in this cafe / bakery open until 5pm Monday-Saturday and until 4pm on Sunday, mostly incorporating the delicious freshly made sourdough bread. Bakesmith’s cakes are their real star though, with an amazing three cakes for £5 offer running on Fridays.
Epigram / Laila Freeman
Pinkmans Bakery First on the list is Pinkman’s Bakery located on Park Street. Not only does Pinkman’s Bakery do an amazing selection of cakes and pastries - most notably their famous Sour Doughnuts, which they bake with a different flavour each month - but they also serve delicious hot food. Their pizzas are massive and very cheaply priced at only £7 for a Margherita and they also have a range of other dishes including lasagne and tagines. Pinkman’s really is the perfect place for a delicious and cheap lunch near campus, or even for a nice dinner. Plus they cater superbly for dietary requirements, with many gluten free options and several vegan dishes.
Beets and Roots Beets and Roots is located near the top of Cotham Hill, which already makes it an ideal contender for lunch near uni, however it is the amazing menu that really makes it the perfect choice. The food is much ‘healthier’ than most cafes, serving items such as açai and smoothie bowls, as well as more traditional brunch items like avocado toast. The buddha bowls are by far the best thing on the menu at Beets and Roots though, full of so many contrasting yet complimentary flavours.
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ood Editor, Laila Freeman, shares her list of top 5 independent lunch spots in Bristol. Perfect for catching up with friends after the summer or for forming new friendships.
Boston Tea Party And, of course, there could not be a list of brunch places in Bristol without a shoutout to good old Boston Tea Party, or BTP for short. Although it is not technically an independent cafe - rather a South West mini chain - for the masses of students flocking into Bristol from London and the Home Counties (myself included) it is as good as one. There are several BTP’s in Bristol, with the biggest being located on Park Street, each boasting the same bright decor and undeniably good food! I am yet to hear a single bad word about BTP and that is because it quite simply never disappoints.
Laila Freeman
Food Editor
A freshers’ guide to Bristol’s night out food Not sure where to end your night? Food Sub-Editor, Erin Lawler, hasgotyoucovered
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ondering which fast food restaurant to visit for your first post night out food experience in Bristol? Have no fear, here is a guide to Bristol’s best but sometimes just most convenient late-night food spots.
The majority of your night out food experiences as a Bristol student will be dictated by proximity to a fast food or kebab restaurant however, if you do fancy hunting down or adventuring to somewhere a little off the beaten track it can definitely be worth it. In this guide I will be detailing which fast food places are around which student accommodations but also which are that special they deserve a visit no matter where they are.
restaurants will be your post night out food heaven. Snappy’s Pizza is available for those with a hankering for cakey pizza bases with the all-important stringy melted cheese. For some it was a favourite but it could never beat my personal favourite: Baldwin Kebab House. Their chips are crispy and salty, their garlic mayo strong and creamy and their fried chicken has a super satisfying crunchy coating. My lasting memory of this late-night food nirvana has to be their pizzas which are conveniently available in 7” and 9” sizes. You can either scoff it all down whilst watching Brooklyn 99 before falling asleep or have a couple of pieces leftover for the headache filled morning.
Now, I cannot write an article about fast food restaurants in Bristol without mentioning the classics a.k.a M&M and Diamond Kebabs. Dotted about around Bristol, you can see these crowd favourites on Park Street and Whiteladies Road serving up the traditional menu items such as cheesy chips, your classic kebab, fried chicken and pizza. They are generally reliable haunts but if you do happen to be a garlic mayo fan - like me - then you may be slightly disappointed when your chips are accompanied by normal mayo with bits of black pepper thrown in.
For those living in city centre accommodation like Favell, Waverley or the Rackhay, as I did, then Baldwin Street’s plethora of fast food
Epigram / Ed Southgate
If you happen to be living by the harbourside or traversing up Park Street on those special nights you visit SWX then the place to be is Quigley’s. Whilst very busy late at night / in the early hours of the morning I have to admit that the chicken burger is worth it. And, if you happen to be a fan of Ady Suleiman then you can follow in his footsteps by ordering some tasty greasy food here.
However, if you happen to be living in Stoke Bishop these city centre food haunts are no use to you. Stoke Bishop student residents get ready to become very familiar with the legendary Jason Donervan – and no I did not misspell Jason Donovan, that is the brilliantly punny name of this infamous fast food truck. Situated near the U1 bus stop by Pam Pam’s it is the most convenient place for these commuters to get a late-night bite. I will now turn my attention to those few night out fast food stops worthy of going off road for. The first that I have to mention is Taka Taka with restaurants located on the Triangle and in Broadmead on Bridewell Street. As well as being a sit-down restaurant and deli it is open as a takeaway until 1am-5am depending on the day. If you cannot decide on whether to get a kebab or chips then this is the place for you as their pitta wraps are filled with hummus, salad, hot skin on chips and your choice of either souvlaki meat or gyros (which is my favourite for the flavour). The pièce de résistance of Bristol’s late-night fast food restaurants however has to be Cedars Express on Park Row. I lived near here in my second year at university and I am so grateful that I got to taste their heavenly delicacies such as their thin crust pizza with a multitude of toppings available such as Margherita, pepperoni or Hawaiian - which is controversial enough without my friend dipping it in mint sauce. But the best thing on the menu has to be their chicken shawarma served either in a wrap chock full of salad, slaw, sauce and pickles or in a box with chips. Make sure to ask for salad and slaw on top if you get the shawarma box but if you value your taste buds do not ask for the chilli sauce because that stuff is spicy.
Erin Lawler
Food Sub-Editor
Epigram / The Croft 28.09.18
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Eat more, spend less DeputyLivingEditor ImogenRogers shares herfivetops foreatinghealthywithoutspendingtoomuch 3. Bulk buy. Buying in bulk is often cheaper but is dictated by the amount of kitchen storage you possess. By cooking large quantities of foods such as curry or chilli however you can then freeze it, helping you to free up space and have prepared meals ready to go. Invest in reusable containers to help with this. Glass mason jars are a great alternative to plastic Tupperware as they do not stain as easily and last longer. An even cheaper alternative is to wash out and reuse your unwanted glass jars to store dried foods such as rice or lentils.
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1. Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great alternative to buying fresh produce. They supply the same number of vitamins and nutrients, are more affordable and save on food waste. Branch out from rudimentary frozen items such as peas or sweetcorn and try products such as spinach, green beans and even mango. Similarly, dried herbs are a smart way to create flavoursome meals for less.
Food of the fortnight
items.
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Porridge with frozen berries and peach slices Laila Freeman, Third Year History
Epigram / Laila Freeman @lunchingwithlaila
4. Do not fear sell-by-dates. When you are at the supermarket look out for the reduction section, these cheaply priced items can either be eaten on the day or frozen for later. When at home, acknowledge the difference between sell-by and use-by dates to avoid throwing away perfectly good food. Reduce your waste by recognising that even if a vegetable is slightly brown or wilted, you can still eat it. For example, brown bananas are perfect for smoothies or making into banana bread and sprouting potatoes can be popped in a soup! 5. Make your meals from scratch. Although it is tempting to reach for a ready meal or frozen pizza, by making your food from scratch you can eat healthy and cheaply. The less processed the food you purchase is, the less expensive it will be. Rather than just drooling over food blogs on Instagram, why not use their recipes to create some of your own? This may not be a sustainable habit for everyone- especially amongst pressing essay deadlines or busy working days- but by aiming to cook a meal from scratch a few days a week will really help you to save some money!
Imogen Rogers
Epigram / Jane Cowie
2. Sign up for loyalty cards. They are a fantastic way to save money as the points often become money off vouchers. All the major supermarkets offer them – either online or instore- with my personal favourite being the Sainsbury’s nectar card which produces personalised discounts based on your frequently purchased
Branch out from rudimentary frozen items such as peas or sweetcorn and try products such as spinach, green beans and even mango
Epigram / Jane Cowie
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he stereotypical student diet is seen as one consisting primarily of takeaways, pot noodles and alcohol. Yet, recent consumer trends towards healthier eating habits are also reflected within student living. For many a concern remains that this can be expensive, but if you follow these tips and are willing to spend a little longer in the kitchen- healthy eating on a student budget can be economical.
Courgetti with red pepper pesto Imogen Rogers, Third Year History
Want your meal to be featured on Food of the Fortnight? Email us your photos food@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Living Editor Epigram / Jane Cowie
Recipe: Hearty Spanish Paella
Missing mum’s cooking already?Online Food Editor, NicoleAA,sharesherrecipeforSpanish paella This easy, one-pot recipe will have you dancing the Flamenco after your first bite! Minimal washing up and a filling dish is a match made in heaven. Time to cook: 50 mins Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large paella pan or a medium pot 2. Dice the onion, garlic, carrot, and peppers and add to the pan to fry for 7 minutes 3. Cut the chicken into strips and add to the pan. Allow to white on the outside for a few minutes 4. Slice the chorizo then cut into semi-circles and add to the pan. 5. Here, the dish should start to become fragrant as the chorizo oozes oil 6. Finely dice the parsley (stems included) and add to the pan 7. Add paprika and salt to taste 8. Add the paella rice and allow a couple of minutes for the rice to soak up all the flavoursome juices 9. Add the tomato puree 10. Boil 900ml of water in a kettle and add to the rice. Bring heat down to a simmer for 20 mins. 11.Ensure that you stir regularly to prevent burning of rice at the base of the pot
Flickr: rpavich
Epigram / Nicole Abou Abdallah
2 table spoons olive oil 1 large onion 3 garlic cloves 30g fresh flat leaf parsley Half a lemon 2 peppers (1 red and 1 orange) 200g frozen peas 1 carrot 2 chicken breasts 1 ring of chorizo 1 table spoon tomato puree 1 vegetable stock cube 300g paella rice Teaspoon of smoked paprika
Nicole Abou-Abdallah
Online Food Editor
Editor India Harrison-Peppe
Deputy Editor Jemima Carr-Jones
Online Editor Ruby Gleeson
@epigramstyle
@e2style
epigram / The Croft 28.09.18
Epigram Style 2018/19
Don’t hate it, rate it: why we all secretly adore the Bristol cliché
Style Editor India Harrison Peppe applauds Bristol’s fashion trends and explains why it’s sometimes best to follow the crowd
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reshers’ week is coming up: roll on the endless diatribes against Bristol style. It’s a time for the crusades against the Etonian streetwear fanatic, the campaigns against the black flared trousers that every Badock girl will inevitably own, the eye rolls over the massive gold hoops that in year 10 you dismissed as ‘tacky’ but now catch yourself eyeing up when walking down Whiteladies Road. It’s undeniable that there is a Bristol ‘aesthetic’. Yes, we might look like clones of the girls and boys modelling the Urban Outfitter’s Vintage section or at a push a resurrection of the 1990s Britpop scene - we wish -, but we look good for it. Starting university is a time for new beginnings, new friendships and most importantly, a new wardrobe. Ditch your North Face Puffer jacket that you thought was cool in sixth form and opt for a brand spanking new wardrobe at BS8, comprising of
Starting university is a time for new beginnings, new friendships and most importantly a new wardbrobe
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Bristol uniform check
Style sub-Editor Laura Mallinson gives us the lowdown on the staple items at the heart of Bristol fashion
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mongst all the patterned shirts and fishnet tights, here are a few Bristol style staples to start you off with a bang this Freshers’. It’s true that the cover doesn’t always tell the story, but when it comes to outerwear, it’s the perfect place to start in identifying a Bristolite. For both guys and girls, vintage sports shells are the go-to cover-up. They’re perfect for glitter filled nights out and often counteract hyperthermia when paired with a frilly brallete, but ultimately, they make any look bulletproof. But when the reality of the cruel Bristol wind kicks in, you’ll soon find students swap to oversized trench coats big enough to house a family of four. It’s all about the layers - fill your best vintage coat with classic Reebok or Fila sweaters and patterned grandad jumpers for a Bristol style stamp of approval, sealed with a statement earing kiss, to finalise the comfortable but chic look we all aim for when
walking down Woodland Road. Add into the mix some fiercely feminine looks, with winter floral maxi skirts balanced out with chunky boots for a look which demands a power walk; or, bring back the 70s flare to pair with statement Ts and loud prints to join our love for modern day reworks. Now’s the time to get inventive. When it comes to the guys on campus, oversized shirts and huge denim jackets are a real hit, accentuate this look with a turned-up beanie or retro cap for a charming addition to the expected style. Ultimately, don’t just turn up to lectures in joggers – you’ll do yourself a lot of favours. For the extra dapper gentlemen amongst you, the sharp look of off-white denim and the rusty chord is making its mark amongst the average black skinny jeans, so don’t be afraid to explore the brighter side of life this term. These items might well fall into the cliché edge of Bristol, but let’s face it, we the students are the ones who have curated this lookbook of second-hand, so let’s own it.
Laura Mallinson Style Sub-Editor
a lot of other people’s second-hand clothing- it makes sense, we promise. You will peruse the ‘Starter Packs’ popping up on Instagram and self-consciously laugh about the fact that it is just so accurate, everyone at University is so typically Bristol. But why resist? In time, you will come to accept the fact that you will probably own miscellaneous items of sportswear and you will almost definitely wear more jewellery than is deemed practical - you will invariably pair them with a faux fur coat and maybe a cutting-edge crop top from IamGia which you proudly found before everyone else bought it. There is a reason that every other university is so bitter about the fact that we all look the same, and it is because we all look so damn good. Group mentality exists for a reason! So, we say conform to the masses, download Depop and unleash your inner materialistic mentality, your bank account might not be thriving, but your new image certainly will.
India Harrison Peppe Style Editor
Interested in writing for Epigram Style? Get in touch via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
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28.09.18 epigram / The Croft
London Fashion Week: Is interning really worth the graft?
Online Style Editor Ruby Gleeson goes behind the scenes as a stylist assistant, offering an insider’s perspective into the elusive world of the fashion industry
I spent the week leading up to the show in an East London studio. The first task was of paramount importance- I was sent on a mission to find retractable pencils. Yes, this might seem like one of those throwaway tasks designed to make interns needlessly busy, but it quickly became clear that even the smallest jobs in the team were crucial to the coming together of the show. I was equally sceptical about my role as designated model-dresser (‘can’t these people dress themselves?’). However, it soon came to my attention that the finely hand-stitched garments required two or even three people to prevent any rips, tears, or telltale orange makeup stains from emerging. The models must remain statuesque- any bending over to tie up laces is wholly forbidden, just in case the clothing creases. So, as the dresser, it was our job to facilitate their every movement, tying up laces and squeezing feet into heels. Do not underestimate the pace of the model, they are superhumanly fast, and their rapid changes between each of the thirty-two runway looks meant that they needed help to put at least four pieces of clothing on in twenty seconds. Other interns were tasked with repainting pairs of patent leather shoes, steaming and pressing the outfits, while also shooting off on impromptu emergency trips to buy nude lingerie- it seems that a black thong under a white dress is a big no-no on the catwalk. After many late and paint-fumed nights of deliberation, the outfits were finally confirmed by the stylist and designer, and so began the arduous task of stapling model cards and outfit photographs onto giant cardboard mood boards and lookbooks. Each of the thirtytwo looks was photographed with an image of the model combined with strict dressing instructions that were subsequently attached to the individual clothing rail assigned to each model. We were also given tickets to send to different people and locations, including the most expensive hotels in London to give out to guests- who probably wouldn’t care as much as the hosts of wide-eyed fashion students outside, desperate to catch a glimpse of the runway.
Once we had confirmed the final thirty-two outfits, I created a lookbook with photographs and dressing instructions for each one, which had to be immaculately produced in case they were in the background of any official shots. On the night before the show we stayed late at the studio to add finishing touches to the lookbook, and after getting home at 11.30pm, I woke up the next morning at 5 am. Designers working at London Fashion Week run a tight ship, and each model is allocated a militant procession of artists who work against the clock in an organised system of chaos to create a glossy, finished end-product with dashes of silver glimmer. The outcome was outstanding. The SS19 womenswear and menswear collection focused on exquisite structured tailoring paired with delicate detailing; asymmetrical ruching and sheer plastic shoulder cover layered over houndstooth overcoats. Colour blocking graced the runway through shades of red, yellow and iridescent slip dresses.
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nterning for LFW can seem like the most glamorous experience in the world. Having interned as a stylist assistant for London Fashion Week, working for Korean designer Jackie J.S Lee, who showcased her Spring/ Summer 2019 collection on the runway, I was exposed pretty quickly to the reality of it all. The days leading up to the show were intense – early mornings and very late nights.
A black thong under a white dress is a big nono on the catwalk
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Although the photography rules were strict, in the heat of the show I noticed that some of the backstage dressers were Instagram livestreaming the looks before they headed onto the runway. I felt slightly torn about this, and whether universal, real-time accessibility through social media is a positive or negative force. After experiencing the hard graft of the show lead-up, I must admit that this felt a bit cheap to me. Although I think fashion should be for all and not just the select few that sit in the front row, it seems to undermine the sleepless nights and hard work we all went through with the intent of a dramatic reveal. Rather than the collection gracing the catwalk first, it was dished out to anyone mindlessly scrolling through Instagram before the models had even got the chance to step out. So would I say its worth it? The hours are long, the labour’s unpaid, the pressure is on, and the invoices are often left ignored. However, if playing a part in an industry that can transform a small idea in a sketchbook into a real-life, moving body of work is a path that appeals to you, then yes, I would say it’s definitely worth it.
Ruby Gleeson Style Online Editor
Editors’ picks The style editors offer their fashion favourites of the fortnight This week Style Editor India has been loving Topshop’s Zebra Print shoulder bag for the new uni year. Can’t afford the iconic Dior saddle bag that seems to be making a furious comeback? This will do just as well. Topshop is selling an affordable accessory that is in keeping with this seasons animal print trend. Forget the branded bumbag and cart this around Motion instead- no bouncer is going to search you when you wear something as fierce as this. (Topshop, £25) Instagram / @iamgia
Style Sub-Editor Laura recommends The ugliest and chunkiest dad trainers for clomping into the new term . Gone are the school days of the dreaded PE lost and found box with thick laced Puma’s in garish colours; these kicks are now spilling out onto the catwalk and our highstreets – note the gorgeous Balenciaga Triple S which are more than my rent! Thankfully, these wicked shoes can be found at a much nicer price point perfect for topshop.com traipsing around campus and making
Online Editor Ruby Gleeson says News just in- Queens Road’s Waitrose have officially banned paper cups. ‘But how can I get my free morning cappuccino?’ Panic not! Plastic cups are out, silicone beakers are in. Join the fight to save the planet and get your hands on a Stojo cup. It’s collapsible, it’s expandable and it comes in nine different colours. Invest in one from Vinegar Hill for £14.99 and start saving on your morning almond milk latte- soon it will pay for itself. (Stojo, £14.99)
Stojo
Editor Deputy Editor Amelia Edgell-Cole Rachel Evans travel@epigram.org.uk
@EpigramTravel
Online Editor epigram / The Croft 28.09.2018 Amelia Shoebridge
@epigram_travel
Meet this year’s Editors Amelia Shoebridge Online Editor
Amelia Edgell-Cole Editor
Rachel Evans Deputy Editor
Hi, my name is Amelia and I am on the Online Travel Editor this year! Travelling, international politics and news are my passions. I love immersing myself in different cultures, eating exotic food and meeting people from across the globe. My two favourite places in the world are Spain and Nepal, both of which I visited last summer on my gap year. If I could go anywhere next it would be New Zealand and Peru.
Hi, I am Rachel, your Deputy Travel Editor for this year! I’m a third year History of Art student, so wherever I travel I always find time to go to a gallery at some point. I have travelled across much of Asia and Europe, and have spent this past summer doing an internship in Beijing. I’m so excited to engage with you all, and I’m hoping to both inspire and be inspired. I always love seeing photos of these amazing places, so I look forward to seeing your #epitravels photos.
Hello! My name’s Amelia, I am a third year English student and I am this year’s Travel Editor. After travelling solo around Australia on my #gapyah, I discovered a love of adventuring to new places and have ambitions to travel around South America once I graduate. I am incredibly excited to work with the fabulous Travel team this year to share all your amazing globetrotting stories and inspire Bristol students to explore the world - even (and especially) when deadlines are looming!
If only I’d known... The expectations vs realities of a year abroad Abbie Jessop discusses the highs and lows of her first month studying at Boston College
I have now been in Boston a full month, three weeks of which I spent at Boston College. I spent the first two weeks of the month settling in, whilst the second two have been near-euphoric! Sometimes it feels like I’ve just arrived, other days I can’t believe it’s only been three weeks of term time.
You may think Bristol’s bad but $4.50 for coffee here means I always have my keep-cup close by!
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No doubt, there have been a few low points. From being in The Bank of America for three hours munching on cereal bars, feeling extremely jet lagged as a South Korean student chatted away to me about how I reminded him of his old English teacher, to uploading medical forms onto the Boston College website and feeling as if I was completing an intense IQ test, the trip has not been without its difficulties. There was also the moment I realised I had paid $2.56 for three apples at Star Market, and the time I stayed up for an hour waiting for the two cats to leave my room before I could go to bed, having realised I am allergic to them.
Epigram / Evy Tang
Other things have shocked me about Boston and the US generally. The inefficiency of public transport in Boston is strange for a major city: students can race the T-line tram system and win. The length of the streets is mind boggling as well, because something can be on the same street address two hours away. I am also struggling with the mindless consumption of products and lack of recycling, but have joined an Eco-Pledge with other students to try and move Boston College forward. As for campus food prices, you may think Bristol is bad, but $4.50 for coffee here means I always have my keep-cup close by!
But when people ask ‘how’s it going?’, I can’t help but say that at the moment, things are A-OK! I might have two assignments due this week, before I even get started on class reading and revision for a mini test, but I feel extremely motivated to make the most of the learning opportunities. Epigram / Abbie Jessop
I have a whole new appreciation for being an international
student - and I don’t even have another language to deal with, although I am having to learn American slang and phrases. As an international student not only do you have all the study pressures but there’s also the risk of being kicked out of the country if you do not ensure you meet all the immigration requirements. I’m an alien - literally! My favourite part of the experience so far is certainly being part of the international student community. For example, I’ve met someone from New Zealand who knows one of my best friends, who I met in halls in first year, while she was a Bristol exchange student. Now that is a small world!
”
I was, and still am, so incredibly excited. The newness of being in America has not worn off yet, and I’m still getting used to the singing of the cicadas at night, the intense New England climate (reaching 90 degrees), drivers on the right-hand side of the road, the lack of streetlights and the differences in language I didn’t anticipate.
I’m already exhausted and ready for another holiday; although the last 72 hours exploring New York was a little escapist break, I didn’t take a pause to catch my breath and relax!
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W
ith the Mamma Mia II soundtrack playing in my head, and an image of myself as the carefree traveller, both as beautiful as Lily James and as determined as Donna, I stepped off the plane, planting my feet on US soil for the very first time…(Well - onto the carpeted aircraft tunnel surrounded by sterile airport white walls, but work with me here!)
Another main difference I’ve noticed is the societies system.
I have a whole new appreciation for being an international student
”
The ‘Activities Fair’ was similar to the ‘Welcome Fair’ at home: I had the same problem I’ve had in Bristol of making eye contact and then being unable to say no, signing up for everything from Taiwanese cultural club to African American church newsletters. However, here, registering interest is only the start. You then need to attend the first meeting, potentially go to auditions, send in application forms and resumes and promise to commit to that society over other groups, like a highly competitive job market! And the most challenging experience so far? Doing an American accent in front of a room of Americans at a callback for Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. I must confess, that offended both my sense and sensibility. But, as Jane Austen said: ‘If adventures will not befall a lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad’.
Abbie Jessop Third Year, Liberal Arts
28.09.2018 epigram / The Croft
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Travelling for dummies: 101
Travel post-Brexit?
Ella Jones tells us what not to do the next time you head abroad
Amelia Edgell-Cole investigates
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A
ravelling can be an amazing experience, creating memories that stay with you forever. I expected my gap year to be a picture-perfect Kardashian style getaway, however, like many naive and overconfident teens, my gap year was full of rookie errors. I hope these anecdotes provide you with a little more awareness on your next excursion.
lmost 6 months to this day, on 29 March 2019, our country will be faced with potentially the most significant political decision of our generation’s lifetime: Brexit. Since the outcome of the 2016 referendum, countless questions have been rasied as to how the outcome would affect us both individually and nationally. How, for example, would Brexit affect travel?
1. Learn about the history to avoid looking like a mug
The considerable grazing across pretty much my whole body left me in immense pain
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2. Renting Peds? Wear appropriate clothing
3. Look after your wounds properly The day after the accident my friend and I decided to go to the natural hot spring to help the healing process. Thinking it was going to be a tranquil and untouched experience that somehow only we had managed to discover, we were somewhat unsettled when we got there and realised it was situated on the side of a motorway. Walking through the turnstile, we were confronted with what looked like a run-down children’s lido, filled with lukewarm water tinged a concerningly yellow hue, giving off a vague stench of urine. Trying to relax whilst sheltering our faces from the splashes of diving
ERASMUS Education Scheme
Epigram / Ella Jones
children, it was only after this assault has stopped that we lifted our heads to see a bloated half-eaten sandwich float by. We decided to leave. The next day I went to the doctor’s - the shared bath was doing my wounds no favours. 4. Never trust children
We were confronted with what looked like a run down children’s lido filled with lukewarm water
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On a bus in Peru, my friend and I were sitting next to a mother and her two children. The two girls began chatting to us; it was endearing as one plaited our hair while the other crawled along the floor of the bus. Both of us wondered if their mum was going to suggest they sat down, but she looked utterly uninterested as we chatted and played with them for the rest of the journey. It was only when we got off the bus and reached for our wallets that we realized what had happened. My friend’s passport had been taken, along with all of our money and cards. “Where is it?” pleaded my friend in total panic. “Did you leave it in the hostel?” I asked. “No!” she cried. It hit us both like a tonne of bricks: not only had we been robbed, but we had been robbed by two five and seven-year-old children.
Ella Jones Second Year, Sociology & Social Policy
Established in 1987, the Erasmus Programme is a renowned EU exchange programme which facilitates the exchange of students between 4000 participating European universities, allowing students to be immersed in a new culture and learn a new language. So what would a ‘no deal’ Brexit mean for this programme? Essentially, Erasmus is an EU programme, so, if no other agreements are made, leaving the EU will also mean abandoning ship, along with any funding students may receive to study abroad. What’s more, by limiting the amount of European students coming to study at our universities, and taking home with them an understanding of our culture, the UK risks becoming an even more isolated and disconnected place. It should be noted, however, that the government has made clear that Britain values its international exchanges and thus we would continue to take part in the Erasmus+ programme until 2020. Beyond this point, however, participation is uncertain.
Flickr / romanboed
Ease of travel As things stand, it seems unlikely that UK citizens will need visas to visit EU countries, but that doesn’t mean a ‘no deal’ Brexit would be without its complications. For example, breezing through passport control in a matter of mere minutes could be a thing of the past, as it’s likely we’ll be consigned to the queue for non-EU citizens. In terms of the cost of travel, things don’t look too bright either. As the pound drops in value against the euro you’ll get less for your sterling, making travel more expensive. What’s more, with doubts over the future of the ‘Open Skies Agreement’, which allows EU member airlines to operate in each other’s countries, it’s very possible that the budget airlines we rely on so heavily will not be as affordable as we’re used to, if they’re even allowed to operate at all. European Health card If you’re packing for a European holiday, the likelihood is that your EHIC card is up there along with your passport and boarding pass as one of the vital things to remember. Currently, the EHIC - which has been issued to 27 million of us - entitles UK citizens to state-provided emergency medical treatment within any EU country, however, a House of Lords report warned that in the case of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, the entitlentments we recieve as a result of EHIC ‘will cease’.
Epigram / Ella Jones
Amelia Edgell-Cole Travel Editor
Epigram / Vihang Jumle
Like many people on their gap year, I rented a moped. Although I had seen the disfiguring burns caused by riding on the back of motorbikes, I assumed those people were terrible drivers. I, on the other hand, decided (like many novices) that I was going to be great at it. I knew that we were going to be taking lots of photos, so I put on shorts with a crop top and sandals to look my best. After riding round the hills for about an hour we turned a sharp corner littered with gravel; I fell to the ground, skidding a meter along the floor. The considerable grazing across pretty much my whole body left me in immense pain, my toes bearing the brunt of it as bits of skin dangled from them and my Birkenstocks progressively filled with blood. It turns out shorts and sandals probably wasn’t a good choice.
Having grown up in a social and political environment that allows for free movement around Europe, we’ve spent our lives thinking nothing of last-minute European city breaks and receiving free healthcare should anything go wrong once we’re there. But, for how long? Presuming we have a ‘No Deal’ Brexit, and no formal agreements are reached by 29 March, how will the future of travel look for students?
”
Halfway through my trip, I arrived in Colombia. I was excited as I felt I really knew its complex culture and history - downloading Duolingo and watching two seasons of Narcos was about to pay off. But do not be like me and watch a Netflix series, or talk to one local, and decide that that makes you an expert of the area. This was something I learned in Guatapé, the site of Pablo Escobar’s former holiday home, where tourists can pay to play paintball and reenact the Narcos drug wars 30 years prior. At the time, I didn’t take part due to a lack in funds, but was glad as I later realised the insensitivity of tourists making a game out of a violent history that still leaves painful marks on the locals today.
Film & TV
epigram 28.09.2018
Patrick Sullivan Editor Luke Silverman Deputy Editor
James Turnbull Online Editor Miles Jackson Deputy Online Editor
There is plenty of opportunity in film & TV in UoB
( UBTV / Sally Patterson )
The University of Bristol has many societies for getting involved in film. Here are a few highlights. Jecca Powell President, UBTV
UBTV is Bristol’s leading student TV station, producing regular high-quality videos across a range of genres. With categories including News & Current Affairs, Features, Music, Nightlife and Entertainment, there’s a wide range of options to choose from. UBTV gives you access to professional equipment and software, and helps you to develop your knowledge of the industry. You will have the opportunity to pitch your own video ideas, get involved in ongoing projects, and try your hand at directing, producing, filming, presenting and editing. If you’re interested in a career in TV or film, this is the society for you. Anyone is welcome to drop into UBTV’s regular society meetings, held on Monday afternoons in the Richmond Building, where you can chat to our committee members and find out more. Don’t forget to come to our taster session on Monday 1st October at 5pm in the SU’s Odlum Room!
( BSS / Rory Hosty )
( InFilm / Clement Jochem )
Rory Hosty President, BSS There’s a lot happening in Bristol Screenwriter’s Society this term— our ‘Intro To Screenwriting workshop’ is designed to take beginners from their first FADE IN: all the way through to having a finished blueprint for their own short film. There’ll also be more casual sessions, where we’ll be creating spaces for writers to drink, socialise, and bounce ideas off one another. For ideas a little too ambitious for student budgets, we’ll be hosting table read evenings around Bristol. For these we’ll collaborate with drama socs, to see the scripts we’re unable to film read aloud on stage. Finally, we’ll be running screenwriting competitions throughout the year, with the best scripts getting produced to a high standard. Additionally, for students struggling with the entry fees to national screenwriting competitions, we’ll look into funding your entry to ensure you get the opportunities you deserve. Finally ready to get that story you’ve been daydreaming about down on paper? Come write our way.
Alex Troman President, InFilm
“We look forward to seeing you on set!”
“Hardcore cinephiles and curious newcomers alike are welcome to experience the magic of cinema.”
As UoB’s best and only filmmaking society, InFilm is looking for anyone with a passion for film or interested in learning new skills in a friendly, low pressure environment. With a host of professional filmmaking equipment and a dedicated production team, InFilm prides itself on providing creative freedom to our members for short films, YouTube videos, entertainment series or anything else that excites those creative muscles! Even if you’ve never worked on a set before, InFilm will be hosting a series of workshops to help members learn how to handle lighting, cameras, and action, taking you through every part of the filmmaking process so you can be confident in your abilities. InFilm will also be screening curated masterclasses featuring advice from luminaries such as Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard and Spike Lee. Members can take part in our First Time Directors’ challenge, InFilm’s very own Project Elephant (the university’s first all female filmmaking initiative) or maybe earn money filming events for one of our fellow societies through our paid Videography scheme. Oh and the best part? Membership is only £4 a year. We look forward to seeing you on set!
( Unsplash / Alex Litvin )
James Turnbull Secretary, FilmSoc Each week, the University of Bristol Film Society hosts a film screening at the Students’ Union, where hardcore cinephiles and curious newcomers alike are welcome to experience the magic of cinema for just a little while. FilmSoc is a place where you can meet people who share your passion for the silver screen, and where you can experience the best that cinema has to offer. We will leave no genre unturned and no era of film history unexplored in our quest to leave you mesmerised after each FilmSoc screening. From Tarkovsky to Tarantino, Bigelow to Bergman – nothing is off limits. As well as our regular screenings, we also have a few extra special events in the works this year, like pub quizzes, bar crawls, all-day movie marathons and even local cinema trips on the horizon for 2018/19. In previous years we have journeyed to Watershed on Bristol’s Harbourside and The Cube Cinema, an eclectic microplex that everyone needs to visit at least once. For a tiny membership fee of £3, all of this could be yours – so what are you waiting for? Our first proper screening of the year is October 5; we will be showing the 1989 Spike Lee classic ‘Do The Right Thing’.
28.09.2018
epigram
Film & TV 35
Crazy Rich Asians: can representation bridge the divide between local and international students? Southeast Asian students discuss their experiences in Bristol after watching the film. Maddie Bowers 3rd Year Theatre & Performance
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ansions, helicopters, in-depth cultural commentary and washboard abs - Crazy Rich Asians was the first Hollywood movie to feature an all Asian cast in 25 years and surpassed all industry expectations, topping the US box office for three consecutive weekends. The plot follows Chinese-American Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she travels to Singapore to meet the family of her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding). She soon discovers that they are unbelievably wealthy and, due to her lower-class status, must fight for their approval. As tear inducing as it was to see the sister city of my adolescent home, Hong Kong, depicted on a western screen, it is clear that this film is far more poignant for the people it represents. So, I sat down with a few of my peers to get their opinion on the highgrossing multinational rom-com, and its relation to their own university experience as ethnic southeast Asians. The often unspoken divide between local and international students is a contentious topic in itself which cannot be covered in a single article. However, Hong Kong native and Bristol University Theatre and Film alumni Candace Tim Lo believes that a film
“Communication is a two way thing. Local student have to want to engage with international and vice versa”
like Crazy Rich Asians can offer a possible bridge between the two groups. ‘I feel like it’s a really good conversation starter, for example someone like me who tries to explain what it’s like to live in a culture that’s completely different. ‘It’s so much easier to say to your friends, “Hey, do you wanna watch this film with me?” And then from that go forward and be like, “This is what it was like for me growing up in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.”’ Justin Kwik, a Singaporean international student ambassador studying law, is concerned that media representation is not enough to fill the gap. ‘Some [international students] don’t care about making local friends, they’re here to study, to get their degree and get out straight away and go home. It can be quite difficult for a local person to get to know you if you don’t make the effort to adapt to that situation. ‘On the other hand, I see a lot of my [international] friends adapt to local culture. And they find it frustrating because they want to get to know English people, but they find them a bit unapproachable and they don’t think English people make the effort to get to know them. But at the same time, they have their own lives to lead and their own interests and that doesn’t include Asian culture.” Lo, however, sees the separation between local and international students as not necessarily intentional. ‘Even local students struggle leaving home, so imagine how daunting it must be for an international kid to come all the way here. There’s kind of a tendency to gravitate subconsciously towards people that look like you that
(Youtube / Warner Bros, UK )
speak the same language as you. I see that a lot with Chinese students for example, they tend to band together because it makes the experience of being in such a foreign place much easier to deal with. ‘I do feel that there is a need from the local side to take that extra step because they’re the ones that know how it works around here and, as an international kid, we really appreciate that extra step even if it’s something really small.’ In contrast, third-year medicine student Kelly Cheng suggests that there is responsibility on both sides. ‘Communication is a two-way thing,’ she says. ‘Local students have to want to engage with international students and vice versa.’ As a British-born Chinese (BBC), Cheng recognises that her UK upbringing has influenced her social outreach. ‘Living in Orchard Heights in first year, a lot of the
students who live there are mainland Chinese. And it’s interesting to realise that, in hindsight, I didn’t actually make one international Chinese friend. ‘[Crazy Rich Asians] explores the idea that there are different types of Asians [in reference to the leading multinational romantic relationship]. I think it’s important to show the diversity in culture within the Asian community, that we’re not all the same.’ The film’s contribution of much-needed Asian representation and the discussion it spawns is hopefully just the tip of the iceberg for what is to come. Even so, Kwik is still appreciative of the exposure Crazy Rich Asians has leant his home culture ‘It could just be a phase, and nothing could happen from it, but I think if you’re going to start walking, what’s important is that you take your first step.’
Editors’ Picks
This week’s theme is all about university lifestyle as we welcome our freshers
( Photo by Trimark (1995) )
( Youtube / Universal Pictures )
( Photo by BBC Films )
( Yourube / Moviefone )
Patrick Sullivan
Luke Silverman
James Turnbull
Miles Jackson
Editor
Deputy Editor
Online Editor
Deputy Online Editor
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
The Riot Club (2014)
Starter for 10 (2006)
Raw (2016)
The fact that you get to witness James McAvoy headbutting Benedict Cumberbatch in the face ought to be enough to recommend Starter For 10, but thankfully there’s plenty more to enjoy in this wonderful coming-of-age dramedy beyond actoron-actor pugilism. Starring the aforementioned McAvoy as a fish-out-of-water fresher who wins a place on the University of Bristol’s University Challenge team, the film brilliantly charts the highs and lows one could expect to experience in higher education. Romance, parties and fierce rivalries are the order of the day, and terrific performances from the main cast give the film undeniable charm and authenticity.
Few films have depicted the terror of freshers’ week quite like Raw, a French horror film following Justine - a vegetarian forced by an older student to eat meat in a brutal college hazing ceremony who then develops a craving for human flesh. By turns shocking, surreal and cynically funny, Julia Ducournau’s directorial debut is a fiercely feminist portrayal of universal adolescent anxieties such as virginity, familial expectation and the overbearing pressure to conform. Its depiction of halls as grey expanses of concrete feels far more familiar than the charming frat houses of freshers’ films set in the United States. A truly twisted tale of higher education, Raw’s grisly blend of carnivorous and carnal provides a singularly dreamlike portrait of how intense freshers’ week can be.
Despite the main characters having graduated If you ever wanted to know what not to do when you college, Baumbach’s existential film perfectly nails came to university, this film is perfect for you. Based the realities of higher education. Grover, Otis, Max on the play Posh by Laura Wade, the film follows and Skippy spend their graduate lives in their college two first-year students at Oxford University as they town as if they were still there, going to the college make their way into the mysterious titular Riot Club. bar, drinking the same old pitcher of beer, and The club, whilst often compared to the real-life spending countless hours with each other round the Bullingdon Club, is supposedly fictitious, although Alicia Wakeling house having pointless conversations. At the centre after reports about a certain prime minister’s Second Film Television of the barely existent plot is Grover’s decision to Year, activities it is&hard to believe. The film is a glimpse stay rather than move to Prague with his girlfriend. into the dark side of privilege and is certainly an Believe me, after two to three years of university, enjoyable, if a little disturbing, tale of a group of you may also want to turn down life-changing boys pretending to be men. opportunities to continue mulling around with your mates in Bristol.
epigram 28.09.2018
Film & TV 36
Encounters Festival is the alternative freshers’ activity Watershed hosts an array of international short film events from 25-30 September Patrick Sullivan Film & TV Editor
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very night during Freshers’ Week, there are wildly overhyped club nights or parties in the supposed cool flat. That may fill some of you with dread and others with excitement. However, all of you will face the same question: how do I spend my first days in Bristol? Bristol can be a city of simple enjoyments. Walk around and admire the beauty, explore your new favourite charity shop, and try the endless coffee shops to find your perfect Peruvian brew. However, Bristol is a city of international culture. In particular, the street art, music and film within the city will introduce you to fresh ideas from around the world. Within a year, your schoolfriends at Durham University will call you edgy while they spend their Thursday mornings sipping on chardonnay and dressed in black tie attire. Don’t wait to get involved in the film scene. Between the September 25 and 30, Tuesday and Sunday of Freshers’ Week, the annual Encounters Film Festival occurs in the Harbourside of the city. The event is a plethora of independent British and International cinema - mainly short films, animation, and, this year, virtual reality. The most accessible event of the festival is ‘Perpetual Cinema’. It is an endless loop of 16 short animated tales shown on a big, public screen in Millenium Square, 9am till midnight from Tuesday to Sunday. Each film is less than 10 minutes and by directors from countries including Ireland, Luxembourg, and Latvia. It is free to attend so the usual lack of funds excuse does not apply - check it out! The weekend schedule is jam packed at Watershed - your new favourite, independent cinema as you’ll go on to name it - 9am till 11pm on Saturday and 10.30am till 5pm on Sunday. Culminating the week’s short film and an animation competitions is an awards ceremony showing the winning entries, first at 9.30pm Saturday and then repeated three times on Sunday. Elsewhere, the highlight of the weekend is ‘Deaf Shorts: Sister Act’, 1.30pm Saturday, with all the featured films led by deaf women. The virtual reality programme is led by Bristol-based company Limina Immersive, who have collaborated with the famed Bristolian company, Aardman. There are multiple showings of each Limina event from Wednesday to Sunday, including a two minute visualisation of the brain’s inner workings. Each of the events listed above and the rest of the schedule, apart from Perpetual Cinema, is £6 per ticket or a festival pass is £35 per day. Tickets, more information, and the full schedule of events is available at encounters-festival.org.uk.
“The event is a plethora of independent British and International cinema - mainly short films, animation, and, this year, virtual reality.”
A guide to Bristol’s best cinemas We recommend the finest screens in Bristol, from cheap and cheerful to cool and classy. Miles Jackson Film & TV Deputy Online Editor
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ecently hailed as a UNESCO City of Film, it’s no wonder that Bristol offers a veritable treasure trove of cinemas. There’s no better way to get away from the overwhelming chaos of freshers’ week than by settling into a dark room and losing yourself to the big screen. Regardless of whether you lean towards the cheap and cheerful, the cool and classy or the wild and wacky, Bristol caters to all audiences and with our list you should easily find a place suited to your tastes.
Watershed, Harbourside
‘Ghana Animation’, Azumah (2013) / dir. Indigine Bros.
Arguably one of the most important independent cinemas in the UK, Watershed is a charming three-screen cinema located just by the harbour, slap-bang in Bristol’s city centre. The immediate selling point is the pricing; Watershed offers cinema tickets to anyone aged under 25 for just £5. Beyond the bargains, a wide selection of foreign films, otherwwise hard-to-see indies and acclaimed prestige pictures ensure that Watershed is an invaluable destination for any Bristolian cinephiles. Though its screens are fairly rudimentary - the sound is particularly poor - Watershed more than makes up for it with its eclectic programming and fantastic special events, which have recently included regular Q&As with acclaimed directors such as Spike Lee
and retrospective seasons dedicated to cinematic masters such as Ingmar Bergman and Paul Thomas Anderson. It’s a must for any strapped-for-cash student.
Showcase Cinema De Lux, Cabot Circus Easily Bristol’s biggest cinema complex, Showcase Cinema De Lux is nestled in the urban jungle of Cabot Circus Shopping Centre. Crammed with 13 screens of varying sizes, Showcase still manages to provide a far more pleasant experience than your average Vue or Odeon multiplex might. It’s decently priced, with student tickets costing around £8.30. With recently renovated screens which are crisp and sharp, and comfortable seating, it provides the perfect environment to enjoy the latest blockbuster.
The Cube, Stokes Croft Tucked away just off the artsy Stokes Croft is The Cube, one of Bristol’s hidden gems. Showcasing a range of prestige and indie cinema from Academy Award heavyhitters to obscure foreign films that often don’t get a release anywhere else, a visit to The Cube always feels special. It’s the home of Bristol’s ever-growing repertory scene, with local film clubs such as 20th Century Cube and Hellfire Video Club often screening older films that would test the knowledge of even the most avid of cinephiles. Often I’ve taken a chance on a film I’ve literally never heard of and been immensely rewarded. Despite being somewhat hard to find, The Cube is well worth seeking out.
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Everyman Cinema, Whiteladies Rd Those looking for a real treat will find true comfort in Bristol’s Everyman on Whiteladies Road. Housed in one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Bristol, a stunning 1920s movie palace that anticipated Art Deco, the cinema is pure luxury. Set in a gorgeous auditorium with plush, comfy seating, tickets are pricey £11 for students - but for special occasions there’s no place better.
(Epigram / Miles Jackson )
The Caves, Redcliffe Finally, keep an eye out for screenings held in the Redcliffe Caves. Truly one of the most bizarre concepts for a novelty cinema location out there, one can sometimes dip into the subterranean to enjoy repertory screenings of old classics. Occasionally, the films screened there aren’t quite appropriate for the setting - does anyone really want to see Do The Right Thing in a cave? But their next series, entitled ‘Horror in the Caves’, sounds like a perfect fit; a selection of some of the best horror films ever made, including Alien, The Fly and The Witch, screened in a spine-chilling setting. The season starts on October 27th - don’t miss it.
Nothing is simple in A Simple Favour Epigram reviews Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively’s latest thriller. Leah Martindale 3rd Year Film Hi Moms! This is how not to get away with murder. I’ll keep this as spoiler-free as possible as I want everyone to see A Simple Favor in cinema with the same suspense, shock, and pleasant surprises I was captivated by. I undertook this article with the distinct expectation of an incoming disappointment. In that respect, I suppose I was let down. There were only two features of the film that I knew previewing: first, it starred Anna Kendrick - a woman who has left me consistently underwhelmed and managed, in a film featuring Rebel Wilson high-kicking a trained agent in the face, to be the least convincing character. Secondly, Blake Lively co-stars - only known to me peripherally from her role in the perpetually perplexing, ever-popular Gossip Girl (2007), in which I can only assume she played the titular girl of
( Lionsgate UK )
“The film sharply turns into unfamiliar territories when you are yet again left unsure who to sympathise with, and worst, who to trust.”
gossip. I am not usually a fan of thrillers for two reasons: I’m a big baby and a cynic. But, A Simple Favour managed to balance these elements with an occasional levity, reasonably plausible plot and frankly stunning visuals. The shock comes not only from the central narrative, which twists like the Nile, but also the supplementing flashbacks, which are spectacles played in fantastic, breath-taking technicolour. Stephanie (Kendrick) is the mother to end all mothers. Perpetually happy, ever the volunteer, mommy vlogger supreme, she harbours a troubled past and smothers it in icing sugar and sprinkles. Emily (Lively) is a sequence of mysteries and misery wrapped up neatly in a mindboggling fallen angel in a suit. Her suave, sexy nonchalance is equal parts enticing and intimidating. You’d never dare say anything to her face, but my god you’d say a lot behind her back. Their unlikely friendship, reminiscent of the viral video of a lion and dachshund duo, is the epicentre to this whirlwind of a story. While eventually aligning with Stephanie, you would be hard pushed to find a character more devilishly beguiling than Emily.
The film does, at times, fall into my petpeeve of the genre - overegging the spooky pudding so much that the thrills become stifling and the whodunnits become whodidn’ts. But, at these moments, the film sharply turns into unfamiliar territories when you are yet again left unsure who to sympathise with, and worst, who to trust. The far-fetchedness of the plot becomes wearying by the end though, and while I could suspend my disbelief for jump-scares like a walk-in-wardrobe’s worth of clothes magically re-appearing, the further on it got the less my disbelief was suspended and the more it was tight-rope walking. Spoiler: the thought that the criminal mastermind that is Emily would jeopardise things by making constant contact with her son just to send bitchy cryptic notes to her ‘best friend’ rests somewhere between the illogical and genuine fantasy. The Legally Blonde style comedic recap ending took me out of the moment somewhat, but it was a nice moment of gaiety to end on, instead of the sombre bittersweetness of the penultimate scene. However, despite any former criticisms, the film is stellar, and while illogical at times, is still a wholly enjoyable experience. This is, quite literally, one to watch.
Arts
epigram 28.09.2018
arts@apigram.org.uk
Editor: Alina Young Online Editor: Avital Carno Deputy Editors: Anna Trafford & Gabi Spiro
@epigramarts @epigramarts
Get onboard with all the city has to offer Creative? There’s a society for that
The Arts Editors select six superb societies to join this year Fine Art Society
The Fine Art Society are looking for all creative folk, whether you are a seasoned Picasso or completely new to the art cosmos. Last year they ran weekly Life Drawing sessions, regular socials and two art courses for students – 8x8 and Art School. This year they will continue these events, with more socials and an arty trip to Berlin in January with the German Society. The Fine Art society are relaxed and happy for students to come along to one Life Drawing session without a wider committment, so pop along to check our what they’re doing.
Poetry and Creative Writing Society Society The Poetry and Creative Writing Society may be small, but they make up for it in enthusiasm. They have sessions every other Friday for non-paying members, and meet at a secret time and location for those who have membership. This term they are planning to write a novel together. In member’s sessions, they critique and edit each other’s work. The main aim of this group is to improve writing skills, but it is also an opportunity to meet writers from all over the University.
The Revunions
Falstaff Society The Falstaff Society is Bristol’s student society for English students and literature lovers alike. Named after Shakespeare’s infamous ‘good time guy’, they host a variety of social events throughout the year – expect formals, brunches, club nights and adoptive student parents. Catering to creative students, the society organises fortnightly creative writing meetings and commissions original student writing for one of Falstaff’s termly theatrical productions. This year, they also plan to create a journal to showcase the best writing from across the University.
The Bristol Revunions are a sketch comedy society who would love to have some new enthusiastic faces! They hold weekly workshops on Wednesdays 8-10pm in SU’s Gromit Room. No experience is required, rather they host a place for like-minded comedy folk to hang out and try new sketch ideas. They put on six main shows a year and monthly scratch nights, so there will always be a chance to perform. If you are interested in seeing what the Bristol Revunions are about, catch their Edinburgh Fringe highlights show, ParaHoops, at 8pm on the 3rd of October, at the Winston Theatre.
Pottery Society
Whether you are discovering Bristol for the first time, or are a haggard third year attempting to get more involved with what our wonderful city has to offer, the Arts Editors have compiled a handy map to get to know the Bristol arts’ scene. Street art has always screamed rebellion; both in its rejection of traditional artistic styles and its constant battle with the law. The art form itself originated when slogans of protest and political commentary were scrawled onto public walls, and so it is no surprise that defiant, political, angry Bristol loves graffiti. Bristol owes much of its graffiti fame to Banksy, celebrated globally for his satirical murals, distinctive stencilling technique and political activism. He starting working around Bristol in the early 90s as part of an underground graffiti scene. In his early career, Banksy created works like The Mild Mild West and A Well Hung Lover (depicted below) in Bristol, and though his acclaim has
grown, this mysterious artist often returns to his home city, with his biggest ever exhibition in the Bristol City Museum in 2009, The Girl with a Pierced Ear Drum (depicted opposite) painted in 2014, and Dismaland in nearby Weston-super-Mare in 2015. The art on Nelson Street (also depicted below) forms a collection called ‘See No Evil’. In 2011, 72 street artists from across the globe swarmed to the Nelson Street area in a council lead project to brighten up the otherwise dreary 1960s concrete jungle. The project was so successful that it was run again in 2012. Bedminster deserves a mention as another famously graffitied area in Bristol, closely rivalling Stokes Croft in reputation. Each summer, it hosts Upfest – the world’s largest street art and graffiti festival. There is also the Upfest Gallery in Bedminster – Bristol’s longest running urban art gallery – with regular exhibitions and specialist books.
OLD TOWN
Spotlights
Theatre Societies
Where Quay St. meets Nelson St.
Next to St. Lawrence House, Broad St.
Nelson St. next to Nelson & Drake halls
(Instagram / errequadroph)
(Instagram / street_guide_vienna)
With countless theatrical societies around, every student can find their place within Bristol’s drama scene on stage and backstage. Dramsoc, UoB’s largest and longest running society, has large scale shows throughout the year - if you are keen on directing or producing, they have prestigious slots for which you can propose your ideas. Their sister society, Spotlights, focuses on new and experimental writing, and is a great opportunity to be a part of something fresh. If comedy is your thing, the Bristol Improv society are the Uni’s only improvised comedy troupe and perform fortnightly. For the musically gifted among you, the Bristol Operatic Society (BOpS) produce two major operas a year, and Musical Theatre Bristol (MTB) has got you covered from classic broadway hits to student-written triumphs. Pantosoc is a lighthearted addition to the theatre scene, and pantos are entirely devised and rollicking fun. Want to be a techie? The Student Technician Association (STA) will give you all the skills you need to make Bristol’s shows match up to professional standards.
(Instagram / emilysprougle92)
Spotlights is one of UOB’s performing arts societies. They bring together student writers, actors, directors and producers with a love for innovative and original theatre. Last year they produced The Laramie Project, the New Writing Festival, and a 5* Edinburgh Fringe show Elise. In addition to shows, they also host weekly workshops. From physical theatre masterclasses to new writing clinics, creators can improve their craft and network amongst this creative community.
(Instagram / carmenelena71)
University of Bristol Pottery Society is a laid back, welcoming society with their own pottery room in the SU, complete with a kiln and wheel. The pottery room is open to anyone with membership, and classes are held for beginners. Whether you are interested in hand building, sculpture, throwing or just want some nice new mugs, get involved with the Pottery Society. Join at the beginning of the year with classes included, or pay for TB2 only to combat summer stress.
Introducing: Bristol street art
Where Quay St. meets Nelson St.
PARK STREET
(Instagram / stanes_cu_ewbo_tk)
(Instagram / paulh121) Next to La Tomatina, Park St. - Banksy
Above Vincenzo’s restaurant, Park St.
28.09.2018 epigram
Arts 39
From campus to the Croft, a cohesive guide to Bristol’s culture STOKES CROFT AND GLOUCESTER RD Bristol is the street art capital of the UK, and the Stokes Croft area is at the heart of the city’s love affair with the art form. Stretching from the Bear Pit - one of the Bristol’s legal graffiti platforms - to Stokes Croft, Cheltenham Road and Gloucester Road, you are guaranteed to see world-class murals wherever you go. Look out for works by Banksy, Inkie, and the collective People’s Republic of Stokes Croft among countless talented artists. The area is also the home of Bristol’s urban culture, with quirky independent shops and cafés, galleries, and bars to explore. (Instagram / paul121)
Turbo Island, Stokes Croft
(Instagram / notanotherskinnybitch)
(Epigram / Alina Young)
SPIKE ISLAND
Below clock tower, Hanover Place - Bansky
CITY CENTRE
Side of Three Side Tuns pubs, Partition St.
RWA
The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) brings visual art from around the world to Bristol. Free entrance with U-Card.
Spike Island
Home to exhibitions, artists’ studios and a lovely cafe, Spike Island is Bristol’s leading contemporary art gallery.
4
Tobacco Factory Theatre
TFT hosts a range of productions, both experimental and traditional. They have recently expanded to a second studio space.
5 Hamilton House
This arts centre and studio collective is home to over 200 Bristolian creatives.
6 EBC
East Bristol Contemporary (EBC) provides a space for emerging artistic talent. Exhibitions are on the first weekend of each month and are always free.
Hamilton House, Stokes Croft
Old Vic 7 Bristol This esteemed theatre has
a programme ranging from more traditional pieces to performances from the BOV theatre school.
(Instagram / ana_lonbali)
3
This intimate theatre is above The White Bear pub, right next to campus. They host a range of student productions.
(Epigram / Gabi Spiro)
2
The Room Above
(Instagram / liz_ks)
1
Where Woodland Rd meets Park Row
(Instagram / takemetotheballgame)
(Instagram / paulh121)
KEY
Hamilton House, Stokes Croft - Banksy
UNIVERSITY
8 Arnolfini This contemporary
visual arts gallery holds various talks and events as well as visting exhibitions.
Wardrobe Theatre 9 This fringe theatre works closely
with Bristolian theatre-makers and shows theatre, comedy, cabaret, poetry, dance and more.
Where Hillgrove St. meets Jamaica St.
28.09.2018 epigram
Arts
40
Bristol students take on the Fringe
The director and lead behind Fringe hit FREAK tell Epigram about the joys and stresses of taking a show to Edinburgh
D
(Facebook / Bullet Theatre)
in March with so many women telling us after how much they related to the stories told in the play, and how much they took from watching it, this completely solidified our decision. GS: Why is FREAK so important to your company and its ethos? KL: FREAK crudely and unapologetically discusses taboos of female sexuality such as shaving, waxing, masturbating, or having sexual relations with someone of the same gender. We wanted to spread the message that these are completely normal things. While a lot of FREAK is humorous and touching, there are also some very dark moments. It’s important to show the horrific experiences that often come as part and package of female sexuality. GS: What were the challenges/benefits of taking a show to the Fringe, compared to creating the show in Bristol? Thomasin Lawson: For me, the best thing about taking the show to Fringe was performing to audiences of a completely different demographic. The responses and atmosphere during the show varied hugely; the older audiences found Georgie much funnier than younger audiences who tended to feel more sympathy towards her from the start of the show. So, it was incredibly interesting to see how the show affected different people. Plus, feedback from people you have no relation to that is just as positive as the feedback from your friends is such a boost and really solidifies how proud you feel of what you’ve created. KL: In Bristol, everything is less rushed and intense. Being at the Fringe as a director means frantically trying to do everything at once - run rehearsals, flyer, organise marketing through social media, stage manage – but this intensity is also what makes it so fun. It was amazing to be surrounded by this hub of amazing theatre, especially bold, fierce, female-led work, which made me feel so inspired and motivated. GS: Was FREAK adapted and developed between preview performances and it’s run
at the Fringe? Were you happy with the GS: What do you think is the biggest outcome? lesson you learn at the Fringe, either as an TL: We tweaked some bits and bobs artist or as a person/worker? along the way in rehearsals for the Fringe. TL: I learnt that you’ve got to look after The ensemble became more prominent, yourself above anything else. It’s such a which was great and the feedback on the stressful environment: who’s flyering when, energy they created was fantastic. In terms how many tickets have we sold, peoples’ of my character, I let myself become more voices are going, someone’s been stung connected to my emotions for the Fringe, by a wasp and is potentially quite allergic which I was definitely quite scared to do in (guilty). But, at the end of the day – if you’re Bristol. I reckon this is because I’ve never not looking after yourself, you’re not going played a character who is quite so close to to be able to give your all. myself, and I felt crazy exposed. But pushing You forget that taking a break and having it at Fringe felt amazing. I’d be looking at an a rest can be the best thing you can do, not audience member and they’d be crying, and only for yourself but for the whole team. I’d be crying, just be thinking “Wow, twhis is Yes, people are relying on you, but if some heavy duty stuff”, which just wouldn’t you’re not feeling on form then take some have happened in Bristol. time to get back up there so you can bring KL: We added more movement all that energy and love and care to the show throughout, collaboratively workshopping and the rest of the team. Also, don’t forget to ways to make powerful and raw physical pack a rain coat. KL: I learnt not to be scared to tell your depictions of how the characters are feeling. We also spent a lot of time doing physical story, whatever it is. I saw so much bold, exercises to help the girls feel more confident daring theatre about such important and and empowered on stage, because the more often deeply personal issues like mental they do, the more the audience will feel and health, sexuality, and race. believe it too. There are always people who can relate to GS: What was your best Fringe experience your story or struggle – theatre helps us to and why? empathise with one another and realise we TL: There are a fair few experiences that are not alone. were just so phenomenal up in Edinburgh: the cast and crew really gelled, which made us and the show so much stronger, I met some hilarious and amazingly interesting people, but I’d say our opening night was probably the most rewarding experience. A sell out show, an audience engaged like no other, and then, come the curtain call, I blink and the whole audience is on their feet, Heritage applauding and cheering. I admit I did burst into tears; I just realised how proud I was of everyone. I’d been so scared of what people were going to think, it was such a release. (Bullet Theatre / Katherine Latimer) KL: Mine was also the first night of the show. As the cast came on to bow at the end, the audience immediately stood up to give a standing ovation, and I’ve never felt more proud and emotional that the production had moved people emotionally and that my work could have such an effect on people.
r
eputy Arts Editor Gabi Spiro chats with Bullet Theatre, an emerging theatre company from University of Bristol who took their show FREAK to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. Following their hugely successful show, slickly delivered and powerfully written, we wanted to learn a little more about Bullet Theatre’s personal experience of the largest arts festival in the world. We chat to Thomasin Lawson, who played one of the leads Georgie, and director Katherine Latimer about their summer at the Fringe. Gabi Spiro: Please give us a brief introduction to the themes and premise of FREAK, why you chose this narrative and your decision to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Katherine Latimer: FREAK explores female sexuality, self-image, and sexual exploitation, by following the sex lives of two women: Leah who is 15, and Georgie who is 30. They are both embarking on very different experiences, yet we see that the same societal ideals and pressures influence their every decision. Our production combined Anna Jordan’s writing with fierce, innovative choreography. We always knew taking it to the Fringe was a possibility, but after a sell-out run in Bristol
“I learnt not to be scared to tell your story, whatever it is. I saw so much bold, daring theatre about such important and often deeply personal issues”
Unmissable events for your busy back-to-term diary No fear, Epigram’s here. Look no further for a culture fix to start the year Exhibition
Dance & Circus
Thebes by Benoît Maire Spike Island 6 September - 9 December Contemporary art and design centre Spike Island will play host to an autumn exhibition from French conceptual artist and visual philosopher Benoît Maire. Through paintings, sculpture and furniture, Maire meditates on how meaning can exist without language. Inspired by sociology and mythology, he questions how humankind relates to their objects.
The Enormous Room by Stopgap Dance Company, Circomedia 5-6 October In which a father and daughter navigate mourning and the loss of Jackie – their wife and mother. It combines movement with text and design in a thoughtful and uplifting performance. Stopgap Dance Company are committed to integrating disabled and non-disabled dancers.
(Spike Island)
(Bristol Old Vic)
Theatre Touching the Void Bristol Old Vic 8 September - 6 October This stage adaptation of Joe Simpson’s 1988 memoir portrays his struggle for survival on the perilous Sinula Grande mountain. Central to the story is the dilemma faced by his partner, Simon, as they perch on an unstable snow-cliff. Touching the Void has recieved 5 stars from The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times.
(Youtube / Stopgapdanceco)
(Kalie Piero) Stopgapdanceco)
Spoken Word Spotlight poetry - Birdspeed & Open Mic Hosted by RTB & Milk Poetry at The Crofters Rights 9 October Spotlight poetry night, run by Raise the Bar and Milk Poetry, shines a spotlight on emerging talent from Bristol. This month returns with Birdspeed, who uses social commentary and auto-biographical tales to explore themes of cultural integrity and marginality, Afrofuturism and Caribbean folklore and feminism. There is also a relaxed open-mic.
Music
28.09.2018
epigram
Editor: Alexia Kirov Deputy: Joe Gorecki Online Editor: Bethany Marris
Better call Saul: in conversation with James’ multiinstrumentalist Saul Davies I never thought the crime series title would ever also become top of my to-do list in relation to my favourite band...
Alexia Kirov Music Editor
“We’ve made this amazing sound, but it’s almost an impossible sound to recreate live without having 10 percussionists, which you can’t do.”
Ian Cheek Press / James
J
ust days before the release of their fifteenth album, Living in Extraordinary Times, James guitarist, violinist, and percussionist Saul Davies speaks to me from a house in the Yorkshire Dales, where the band are already working on material for its follow up. The most notable sonic development on this LP - of which Davies has just finished signing 4000 copies (‘I’m not joking – I’ve got cramp in my hand!’, he laughs) - is the increased prominence of percussion, on the likes of ‘Hank’, a tirade against the current American political climate, or the similarly political ‘Heads’. ‘I think there’s a bit of a different rhythmical thing going on for us [on this record]’, says Davies. ‘We wanted a little bit of clattery stuff on this record... I think, by and large, it’s been quite successful, that approach, really’. As successful as the final product has been, that’s not to say that this approach hasn’t created any problems for the band. ‘You listen to a song like ‘Heads’, and think, ‘how does a band perform this?’ We’ve got limited resources in terms of people who can play things. Initially, it was really difficult – like, ‘fuck, how are we gonna do this?’. We’ve made this amazing sound, but it’s almost an impossible sound to recreate live without having 10 percussionists, which you can’t do. The stages aren’t big enough, we couldn’t afford it… it would be mad.’ For May’s Better Than That tour, and the subsequent festival dates, James have recruited Debbie Knox-Hewson (who has also played with the likes of Charli XCX and Doe Paoro) to their live line-up, to bring in some of that extra percussion. They have also combatted the problem through the use of loops of the recorded material and replacing the recorded sound with different parts. ‘We’ve reached a compromise somewhere between using the prerecorded elements and live elements together, to try and get that power and the clatter of it all. I think we’re getting there’, says Davies. The prominence of ‘clattery stuff’ on the LP was something that was intentional from the outset. ‘We were quite insistent on looking for rhythmical ideas that were a little bit different. We wanted somebody to interfere a little bit rhythmically with us’, he says. “So we encouraged a slightly different approach” when working with producers Charlie Andrew and Beni Giles. ‘I think Beni’s going to be a real name in the world of production’ - he had an integral role in crafting the album. “He came along and initially started helping us with some of the
jams that we were doing, [and] helped form them into demos really.’ Davies is no stranger to the production side of things himself, having worked on Unkle Bob’s debut album, Sugar & Spite, in 2006. Whilst he has no plans to get involved with any more production work for now, (‘at the moment, my concerns are trying to help make what we’re doing work as well as possible… defying the odds a little bit!’, he says), but Davies does make time for some extra-curricular activities beyond James. Recently, he’s been writing music with his son and daughter, and they’re beginning to think that they’ve ‘maybe got enough now to make something coherent.’ Although his daughter is ‘only 11’, he says, ‘she’s very good at jamming, improvising along with stuff’, owing to ‘the culture she was brought up in really, with us’. James’ music spawns from improvised jamming sessions; their 1994 experimental album, Wah Wah, captures these on record, having been mixed by producer Brian Eno. Davies says, ‘At home, we quite like to sit around with instruments and do the same thing. It’s part of the way that we communicate with each other. But if we could make something distinct, like an EP, or even a little album, I think it would be great. We’ve got some very beautiful music; now we just need time to do it. Anyway, let’s see. If we do that, I’ll get back in touch with you!’ As for work that has already been released - James’ last album, 2016’s Girl at the End of the World, narrowly missed knocking Adele’s 25 off the top spot. In fact, it was the fourth time the band had had an album peak at number two – along with 1991’s Gold Mother re-release, 1992’s Seven, and 1999’s Millionaires. That’s not to mention the incident - infamous amongst James fans - of their best-known single, ‘Sit Down’, being beaten to number one by Chesney Hawkes’ ‘The One and Only’. Whilst all this time spent at number two might be testament to the playground rhyme ‘First the worst, second the best’, did the more recent success of Girl put any pressure on the band for what its follow up would bring? ‘No’, he says, emphatically, “because we know that our record’s coming out the same week as the Mamma Mia [soundtrack], so there’s absolutely no chance… not that it really matters.’ But James have had a number one: 1998’s The Best of compilation. ‘That was a weird one’, says Davies. ‘We kept the Titanic soundtrack off number one - a massive movie and a massive soundtrack.’ The Best of went triple platinum, selling over 900,000 copies. ‘It just sounds like it’s from another era. The idea that anybody could sell 900,000 copies of an album now – apart from… Adele, actually - would be impossible, pretty much. I’ll be talking to you from a gold-plated phone if we sell 900,000 albums!’, he laughs - then pauses, before assuring me that, even in the best of circumstances, he would never indulge in such extravagance: ‘I don’t want you to think that I would be
so covetous.’ Gold-plated phones are not the only thing that Davies eschews; he also stays away from social media. ‘I don’t buy that it is a good thing – I buy that it is a bad thing, despite the fact that people say, ‘but it allows me to connect with my family who are in Australia’, or, ‘my fridge tells me when it’s run out of cucumbers.’ Brilliant, good for the fridge – good for the cucumber! It has ushered in an era of ignorance; it’s self-sustaining and it’s self-perpetuating’. Whilst he concedes that things like Facebook and Twitter might have their uses, he believes ‘Alongside that, unfortunately, is this huge, black morass of subterfuge and the pedalling of ignorance that goes on. I fight it in my own way by saying, ‘no – I won’t get involved in that’. James recently headlined Latitude’s BBC Music stage; Davies wore a t-shirt that read ‘Fuck Brexit’. ‘I know that it caused a little bit of a furore recently because I wore my ‘Fuck Brexit’ t-shirt’, he says. ‘I make no apologies for that.’ He feels that ‘If people don’t stand up and tell each other how they feel about certain issues, from an informed position, then I think our cultural, political and social life is diminished. If we engage with each other in intelligent, but perhaps confrontational ways, then things will change, and consensus could be reached a little bit. But there’s no point in hiding away from some of the things that are going on, in my view.’ He’s not dogmatic about things: ‘My view is as valid as anyone else’s, and anyone else’s view is as valid as mine.” But at the same time, he believes that “There is a prevailing culture of lying and ignorance and the peddling of ignorance through lies in our political life – which is where Brexit comes from. Then it is beholden upon all of us to say things. Anybody who feels strongly about anything should say it.’ By his own admission, Davies says that as a musician on stage, ‘the balance of power is in my favour. I’m on the stage, they’re looking at me, and I’m looking at everybody. But it’s a sea of faces, it’s not an individual I’ve got looking at me. I know that puts me in a position of ‘power’, in inverted commas, but nevertheless, it’s
a position which I have been given, have taken, and I’ll take.’ There’s also an important distinction to make, he believes: ‘When I wear my ‘Fuck Brexit’ t-shirt, I’m not a musician at that point - I’m a person. You can say, ‘oh, that guy in that band, he did a thing I don’t like’, but is it the music that’s doing that, or is it just the guy in the band?’ he questions. ‘Well, I’m the guy in the band, there with my jacket open, pointing at my chest, pointing at ‘Fuck Brexit’; I’m making a statement. I’m given the opportunity to make the statement on the stage because I am a musician, but at that point, that exists outside of me being a musician, I’m not standing there playing – there’s a difference.’ Whilst the new album title, Living in Extraordinary Times, refers to the political events that have unfolded since the release of its predecessor in 2016, i.e., the rise of Donald Trump and Brexit, it’s not all political commentary. Davies adds that it is ‘also an allusion to some of the amazing things that are going on’, citing developments in science and medicine. ‘People are becoming ever more aware and more able to deal with ecological issues. Suddenly in the last twelve months, it looks like we’re gonna, in one way or another, deal with plastics in the ocean. Even a year ago, it looked like we were just gonna die in a sea of plastic shit; now, it looks like people are wanting to sort this out.’ Davies joined James in 1989, having been scouted by then guitarist Larry Gott at a Manchester improv night. So, after almost 30 years, what have been his most extraordinary times with the band? Supporting Neil Young in America in 1992, he says, ‘When he had his album, Harvest Moon. We were playing songs from what became Laid and I don’t think I’ll ever experience anything like that again in my life.’ ‘Being close to him as well, seeing him play every night - he was always one of my heroes, and then I got to be sharing a fucking stage with him and it was just… wow... I was pinching myself going, ‘I’m at Red Rocks [in Denver]; I’ve just played on the same stage as Neil Young!’ - just incredible.’
Music 43
epigram 28.09.2018
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Twenty years of Miseducation: How Lauryn Hill’s debut still reverberates throughout hip-hop “The Miseducation risked seeming messy and disjointed, yet ultimately Hill has weaved a beautifully cohesive, genre-transcending, sonic experience.”
Bethany Marris Online Music Editor
In recent years, Lauryn Hill has conjured a reputation for abiding only by her own watch. Turning up to countless shows several hours late and showing little regard towards her loyal fan-base. However, despite enduring backlash through a plethora of enraged tweets and journalistic condemnation, Hill’s world-wide tour dates quickly reached a 95% sell out back in spring this year. Unfortunately for thousands, history appears to have repeated itself, and on July 25th, Hill either cancelled or re-scheduled all shows until October 13th, supposedly due to ‘production issues’. Disappointed? Yes. Dispirited? Not quite. The tour marks the twentieth anniversary of the Ex- Fugees star’s unfading debut solo release, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and perhaps this alone is an adequate explanation as to why her followers maintain optimism in the face of uncertainty. Succeeding the messy dissolution of The Fugees, and following the birth of her first child, The Miseducation was conceived between the autumn of 1997, and the summer of 1998. In its initial weeks, the album topped the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks, only to be rivalled by the ‘hard-knock’ drop of Jay-Z’s third studio album. During this time, the record sold 687,000 copies, hitting one million sales in the United states alone in its first month. In December 2001, The Miseducation was certified 8x platinum by the RIAA, and by the following spring had been consumed by over 12 million listeners. Whilst we cannot
Editors’ picks: summer releases The new Epigram Music team share the new albums they’ve enjoyed over the summer and why they struck a chord
Joe Gorecki,
Deputy Music Editor,
Bethany Marris Online Music Editor
Bethany’s pick Negro Swan Blood Orange (Domino)
Released on August 24, Negro Swan is the fourth studio album from Blood Orange, the moniker assumed by British singer, songwriter, and producer Devonte Hynes. Hynes’ previous record, Freetown Sound,
use statistics to determine how ‘good’ a body of work really is, it quickly became clear that for one reason or another, Hill’s debut record was objectively special. The Fugees’ sophomore album exposed Hill’s raspy, angelic vocal ability to be on par with her fierce witty raps. The trio were inherently hip-hop, yet their success may be attributed to lyrical wizardry and innovative sample-grabbing; infusing boom-bap beats with the funk of Cymande and the warmth of Roberta Flack. Working alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras instilled within Hill the ability to draw upon Jazz, Motown and Reggae, as well as heavily tapping into trendy 90’s Neo-Soul influences. With such an array of sounds, The Miseducation risked seeming messy and disjointed, yet ultimately Hill has weaved a beautifully cohesive, genre-transcending, sonic experience. In a cosy 2001 MTV session, Hill expressed that ‘fantasy is what people want, but reality is what they need’. It takes little analysis to realise that such sentiment is deeply ingrained in The Miseducation’s thematic DNA. The heavy, dizzying beat of ‘Ex-Factor’ conveys an almost tangible exhaustion. The hopeless refrain, ‘you said you’d die for me … why won’t you live for me?’, serves to amplify this, as Hill subsumes the listener into her heartbreak. The song concludes with the confused cry, ‘where were you, when I needed you?’. ‘Ex-Factor’ is a blisteringly personal insight into the psyche of the artist in the midst of a failing, turbulent relationship. Following this, ‘To Zion’ guides the listener upon Hill’s spiritual journey in the face of the ‘crazy circumstance’ that is young, unplanned pregnancy. Switching between smoky vocals and raspy spoken word, Hill, with overwhelming maturity, defies those who encouraged her to ‘use her head’ against motherhood, proclaiming ‘instead I chose to use my heart’. Other tracks on the record carrying such sentimental fervour include, ‘When it Hurts so Bad’, ‘Tell Him’ and ‘Nothing Even Matters’, featuring neo-soul royalty, D’Angelo. Through these
‘‘Whilst we cannot use statistics to determine how ‘good’ a body of work really is, it quickly became clear that for one reason or another, Hill’s debut record was objectively special.”
was an erratic, intimate chronicle of racial and sexual marginalisation. Thematically, Negro Swan doesn’t particularly divert from its predecessor, yet delves deeper into acknowledging the importance of self-truth and self-worth. Powerful Interludes from presenter and trans activist Janet Mock, sensitive bars lent from Puff Daddy and soothing vocals from Tei Shi contribute to the eclectic, hand-picked list of featuring voices. On ‘Charcoal Baby’, Hynes cries the truth that ‘no one wants to be the odd one out at times’, pursuing this narrative in the outro of ‘Dagenham Dream’, recognizing the sore truth that ‘part of survival is…being able to fit in’. However dispiriting this may be, throughout the album, Hynes ultimately celebrates conventional ‘difference’, and provides an empathetic space for the listener. Instrumentally, Negro Swan is multifaceted. With woeful beat shifts, heavy grooves and bopping rhythms, it is an LP appropriately resistant to categorisation. Free from commercial formula, Hynes has produced a compelling, sensitively curated body of work.
seamlessly integrated ballads, Hill paints notions of vulnerability and hopelessness as intrinsically human; a lionhearted move in an overwhelmingly emasculated and misogynistic rap game. Simultaneously, Hill uses the record’s classically hip-hop tracks to elevate the tempo throughout. While we are presented with moments of pure emotional fragility, her prowess as an MC contradicts even the slightest indications of weakness. Opening the album with crisp enunciation, ‘Lost ones’ uses hindsight to conclude that ‘wisdom is better than silver and gold’, firing the unequivocal hook; ‘you might win some, but you just lost one’, in the direction of ex-flame Wyclef. Hill’s upbeat breakout track ‘Doo-Wop (That Thing)’ strikes as light hearted on the surface, yet underneath deals with deeper questions of integrity, self- respect and loyalty, humbling her audience through the line ‘don’t be a hard
rock when you really are a gem’. Hill contextualised the album’s title during an interview in 2000, stating that her ‘miseducation’ stands ‘contrary to what the world says’, as it is ‘the education that comes from life experience, not academia’. For someone barely in her ‘adulting’ years, Hill had experienced profound life changes. Through narratives of hardship, overcoming and empowerment, we understand how these changes catalysed the artist’s transition from girl to woman, as she chronicles her coming of age in a way we may all find space to resonate with. Inevitably and evidently, following the success of her debut, Hill was still left with a great deal to learn, yet we cannot let her shortfalls dampen the youthful wisdom that the album exuberates. The Miseducation is timeless, and as Hill herself articulated, it holds a unique capacity to ‘mean something more’ with every play.
Joe’s pick I’m All Ears Let’s Eat Grandma (Transgressive)
“Negro Swan is multifaceted. With woeful beat shifts, heavy grooves and bopping rhythms, it is an LP appropriately resistant to categorisation.”
Who could have imagined that the expansive soundscapes of prog rock would be revived in 2018 by two teenagers from Norwich? Let’s Eat Grandma’s I’m All Ears is far more than a rehashed ‘70s throwback though. Building on the success of their 2016 debut I, Gemini, the duo have given their quirky brand of synth pop an epic quality creating a solid momentum starting from the opening instrumental track through the album before a solid crescendo in ‘Calm and Collected’. Before the final track however, the understated ballad ‘Ava’ reduces the pair to just the basics, allowing their song writing unadorned to really stand out. The eclecticism and, combined with their maturation as songwriters, has managed to produce one of what will surely be 2018’s most interesting pop albums.
Contribute to the music section The music team are always looking for new writers and photographers to contribute to the section. If there’s an album you fancy reviewing, an upcoming gig that you’d be interested in covering or a muscial opinion that you want to share, don’t hesitate to get in touch! First Meeting: Tuesday, October 2 at the Bristol SU’s Balloon Bar. These meetings will be fortnightly and all details will be found on our Facebook page.
Puzzles
epigram
Editor: Ruby Rosenthal
28.09.2018
puzzles@epigram.org.uk If you need any help, contact the editor by email or through social media
Word ladder
Sudoku
Can you get from top to bottom, changing only one letter from one rung to the next?
Fill the empty squares with numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and 3x3 box.
PINK
BOOK
SALT
GAME
SEAT
PORT
Word wheel
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.
Quick crossword
V Down 1. Landmark designed by Brunel (10, 6)
E
4. Long Road in Stoke’s Croft filled with vintageshops and cafes (10, 4)
R T E
R
I
G
N 19= Average 20 = Good 43= Excellent
5. Venue in which Bingo Lingo is hosted (6) 6. Famous brand of blackcurrant juice created in Long Ashton (6) 8. British Prime Minister who was the Chancellor of Bristol University from 1929-1965 (9) 9. Film set in Bristol city about University students (7, 3, 3) 14. Vegan junk Bedminster (2, 7)
food
cafe
in
15. Bristol is the world’s biggest manufacturers of _____ (8) 17. Broadcasting company which has a base on Whiteladies Road (3)
Across: 2. 8% Cider sold at The Apple (3, 11) 3. Bristol University’s current chanceller (4, 5) 7. Long road running down hill towards university campus (11, 4) 10. Famous magician who studied at Bristol Uni (6, 5) 11. Ship designed by Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company’s transatlantic service between Bristol and New York (2, 5, 7) 12. Operator of most buses in the city (5) 13. George Alfred Wills, founder of Wills Hall and Wills Memorial Building, was the president of which tobacco company (8) 16. Venetian navigator, explorer and slaveowner who settled in Bristol when moving to England (4, 5) 17. Gravity’s monday night club event (3) 18. Shopping district in the centre (5, 6) 19. Large sports stadium which hosts football, rugby and music events (6, 4)
Solutions will be posted online at: epigram.org.uk/tag/puzzles facebook.com/epigrampaper @epigrampuzzles
Dot to dot!
If you would like to join the Puzzle Team email puzzles@epigram.org.uk
46 Sport
epigram 28.09.2018
Team Europe in search of Ryder Cup upset Golf’s greatest tournament sees the European underdogs take on the mighty USA Luke Sansom Fourth Year, Politics & French
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n what promises to be an enthralling match-up, Team USA and Team Europe are set to clash at Le Golf National, Paris, for the 42nd edition of The Ryder Cup, from 28-30 September 2018. Despite not having won in Europe since 1993, USA will come into the weekend as the defending champion and the bookmakers’ favourite. A closer look at Team Europe: Despite a crushing 17-11 defeat at Hazeltine in 2016, Europe has emerged victorious in the past five meetings on European soil and will rightly go into The Ryder Cup with optimism. Captain Thomas Bjorn has wisely opted for experience in selecting Casey, Garcia, Poulter and Stenson as his captain’s picks, with the 4 having already played in 20 Ryder Cups between them. Among the eight direct qualifiers, Hatton, Fleetwood, Rahm, Noren and Olesen will all be playing in their first Ryder Cup and will rely upon senior European figures in the fiercely competitive tournament. Justin Rose’s remarkable ascent to the top of the world rankings and unwavering consistency will most certainly encourage Team Europe in Paris, where his strong Ryder Cup record and recent form should establish
him as a leading figure. Although he has struggled for form in the past year, 2017 Masters champion, the talismanic Sergio Garcia, will bring both experience and a fine match-play record to Team Europe in his 9th Ryder Cup. Englishman Ian Poulter also boasts a terrific Ryder Cup record, having won 12 of his 18 matches across five previous appearances. Francesco Molinari will enter The Ryder Cup in fine form after enjoying a superb season in which he lifted his first Major championship at The Open, as well as the BMW PGA Championship. After only turning professional in 2016, Jon Rahm has excelled, winning twice on the PGA Tour with a further three victories on the European Tour. Following a meteoric rise to second in the world rankings, Rahm will be determined to impress in Paris. Four-time major winner, Rory McIlroy, may not have enjoyed his most prolific year on tour but has shown recent signs of coming into form at just the right time. Rookies Fleetwood, Hatton, Olesen and Noren have also displayed fine recent form, and Team Europe possesses an enticing combination of experience and young prospects to match a fine home record. A closer look at Team USA: The star-studded team will arrive in Paris brimming with confidence, having thrashed Europe in 2016. With Americans triumphing at all but two of the last eight majors, Team USA look a formidable lineup. USA’s biggest story ahead of The Ryder Cup has been that of Tiger Woods, the 14-
“On paper, the formidable USA line-up certainly seems stronger”
time major winner who has flourished on a remarkable return to the game. Woods’ superb form earned him one of Jim Furyk’s captain’s picks, alongside fellow veteran and multiplemajor champion Phil Mickelson, who will be making a record-breaking 12th Ryder Cup appearance at Le Golf National. Koepka has excelled in 2018, defending his U.S. Open title in June before lifting the PGA Championship last month. The controversial Patrick Reed, who performed magnificently in 2016, also tasted success in a Major championship this year, prevailing at Augusta, and will be raring for the big occasion. Spieth, one of golf’s biggest names, played a prominent role in the 2016 victory, but has struggled for form in a winless 2018. However, Team Europe will be all too aware that Spieth will pose them huge problems if he finds his form in Paris. Huge-hitting Major champions Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson have both enjoyed extremely prolific seasons, while fellow automatic picks Fowler and Simpson have consistently performed, reflecting USA’s abundance in strength in depth. The three rookies in Thomas, Dechambeau and Finau will be looking to make their mark and have all enjoyed success in 2018. Predictions: On paper, the formidable USA line-up certainly seems stronger than Europe, and they are being backed as clear favourites to retain the prestigious trophy. The mesmerising unpredictability of The Ryder Cup, however, is bound to affect and heighten the drama, with the not-too-distant memories of the Miracle at Medinah 2012 are sure to encourage Europe as they seek to defy the odds.
Flickr / Omar Rawlings
Liverpool v PSG: Football as a ‘weak-link game’ Upgrading or refining your worst players is far more important than collecting a bunch of stars Henry Edwards Sport Editor
I
n the words of the late, great Johan Cruyff: ‘Football is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins.’ This sentiment, to many, may paint an all too pessimistic picture of the beautiful game. We’d like to believe that football is decided by moments of magic from the star names: Ryan Gigg’s mazy run and finish against Arsenal; Iniesta’s lastgasp winner versus Holland; Aguerooooo. But football is as much – if not more – a game decided by errors, blunders or lapses in judgment as it is by transcendent skill. Chris Anderson and David Sally illustrate this concept in their book The Numbers Game: ‘Football is a weak-link game. Like the space shuttle, one small, malfunctioning part can cause a multimillion-pound disaster.’ For anyone who watches pundits speak, this point may seem obvious. Seen through a certain defensively minded perspective, all goals are scored due to some kind of mistake from the opposition. And yet football clubs, managers and fans alike seemingly continue to ignore the idea that upgrading your worst player is far more valuable than adding another superstar into the mix.
Last week we saw Liverpool triumph over big-spenders PSG in the Champions League. The match itself was a blatant showcase of one side that is clued up on this notion, and one side that is not. In their quest to win Europe’s biggest prize, PSG have splashed their cash around in the wrong places. A dazzling front three of Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani may help you batter a few sides in the French league, but good sides like Liverpool demonstrate that weaknesses around the field will be found out and exploited. PSG were forced to play centre-back Marquinhos in midfield, merely due to a lack of options in their squad. Inevitably, Klopp’s team dominated in that area. Liverpool, contrastingly, have realised that upgrading or improving the weaklink is just as vital as throwing cash at a flashy forward. In the early stages of last year, the hapless defensive pairing of Lovren and Klavan leaked goals. Klopp brought in Van Dijk and Liverpool have conceded just twice in the five opening league games. Two costly Karius blunders handed Real Madrid the Champions League on a plate. Klopp brought in Brazilian number one Allison, a significant upgrade despite his inconsequential error versus Leicester. Anfield had not seen a half-decent left-back for around a decade before Klopp polished the diamond that is Andy Robertson. Football’s transfer history is littered with examples of managers and owners getting blinded by the bright lights emitted from a superstar and ignoring the problem positions in their teams. Think of Manchester United’s purchase of Alexis
Sanchez last season. Signed because of his famous name, the move has stunted the development of both Rashford and Martial, while making United no more entertaining. Think of Real Madrid’s Galacticos era of the 2000s, in which they threw cash at heavyweights like Beckham, Figo and Ronaldo. Despite some very early success, no Champions League was forthcoming between 2002 and 2014. Our eyes are all too readily drawn to beauty as opposed to ugliness. But anyone interested in football, or any team sport for that matter,
“Football is as much a game decided by errors, blunders of lapses in judgement as it is by transcendent skill”
(Flickr / Antoine Dellenbach)
who cannot see that the worst player on the pitch may be even more important than the best player in deciding the outcome of a match, is living in a rose-tinted fantasy. As we’re all returning to or joining University, and once more taking part in the many team sports on offer here, remind yourself that you are playing in a ‘weak-link’ game. Make the new members and the rookies of your squads feel welcome and comfortable, for a player at ease will make far fewer mistakes. Mistakes matter more than the odd magic moment.
Sport 47
28.09.2018 epigram
Bears roar to life in Premiership return Fresh from promotion, the Bristol rugby side are ready for life in England’s top flight James Hall Third Year, Law
P
at Lam believes a ‘Champions Cup attitude’ is at the heart of a newly christened Bristol Bears looking to stake a claim as a top six side. Doubtless such an ethos will be evident to any one of the record-breaking home crowd that watched the club defeat local rivals Bath last month, but so far it has proven to be the exception, not the rule. Two defeats have followed, both on the road, to Saracens and Gloucester. Though ordinarily these might be dismissed as mere teething problems against better sides, they are all the more frustrating for supporters who were told that foregoing 130 years of tradition to adopt the Bears’ name was a small price to pay for continental success. Fans would be forgiven; it would seem, for harboring some skepticism. But time is on Lam’s side. Though memories of last season’s successful promotion campaign looms large in the memory, there is still much of the season to go, and with every game comes a chance to reward supporter patience. The club
has reiterated that the rebrand, adopted in June, is part of a continuing plan to attract ‘a whole new generation of supporters’ to Ashton Gate, both locally and further afield. If nothing else, Bristol will hope to stem the flow of players and fans to highachieving rivals, an issue that has cost the club success previously, and long caused owner Stephen Lansdown sleepless nights. In his view, the key to success lies in promoting a ‘more accessible’ organization, a feat made easier by the international investment the Bears seek to achieve through the club’s new identity: ‘Premiership Rugby is fast becoming a global game, with the US and Asia markets rapidly expanding and opening up exciting new opportunities in media and sponsorship. We recognize the potential of this new platform and how it can accelerate our ambition to be a Champions Cup winning organisation.’ Community too will play its part in the new-look side. The establishment of the ‘Clubhouse’ at Ashton Gate , a designated supporter –player interaction area is a tangible step in the right direction if the club’s vision – ‘To Inspire Our Community Through Rugby Success’- is anything to go by. As far as things are concerned on the field, it would appear to be no coincidence that the Bristol academy has this year seen its largest intake of players, the product of a much-lauded community foundation.
It is clear that the future is bright for the Bears, but they must avoid looking to it too readily. Last season’s successes will have no
“The future is bright for the Bears, but they must avoid looking to it too readily”
doubt boosted the squad, but they cannot allow complacency to creep in; they must remain the hunters, not the hunted.
(Unsplash / Edgar Pimenta)
New intramural season kicks off in early October The Bristol University intramural league provides a great way to engage in sport Freddie Keighley Online Sport Editor
T
he dawn of a new academic year signals the start of another exciting season of intramural sport for Bristol University students. The semi-competitive weekly fixtures that are available in men’s football, badminton, mixed hockey, basketball and mixed netball are a fantastic way to keep active and meet new people from your course and halls of residence.
(Flickr / Rob Brewer)
I sat down with Owen Folland, vice captain of intramural football side Past & Move FC - who represent the History Society - to find out how he first participated in the intramural programme in the 16/17 season. ‘I first got involved in intramural during my first few weeks at university. I have always liked playing sport and thought it was a great way to meet new people during a difficult settling in period in Bristol. ‘The History Society advertised vacancies in the team and I went the following week. What struck me when I first arrived was the openness of it all. Everyone was very welcoming and it didn’t matter where you were in your degree - everyone was part of a team. ‘Since then I have gone every week and help organise a lot within my team. I can’t stress enough how much I enjoy playing
intramural. As well as the actual enjoyment of playing football, I have loved the social aspect and have made some of my best friends at university through playing with them on cold wet Wednesday afternoons on the Downs.’ By now you’re probably wondering when intramural activities take place so you can get stuck in. Football fixtures kick off at 2pm each Wednesday on The Downs, with the season starting on 10 October. Mixed hockey occurs at 3pm on Sundays, commencing from 7 October. Badminton games occur twice a week for teams of four to eight people, starting on Saturday 6 October. The basketball season starts at 10 am on 6 October for teams of six to ten players. Finally, the mixed netball season starts at Coombe Dingle on 7 October, with the first matches taking place at 10 am. For more information, check the intramural area of the Bristol Student Union website, or get in touch with Tom
“A fantastic way to keep active and meet new people from your course and halls of residence”
(Flickr / Pilar Chiang)
Wallis, Student Development Coordinator for Sport and Physical Activity. Intramural costs very little to be involved with and is often already paid for by clubs, societies and halls of residence. To get involved with the intramural programme with your halls of residence this year, find out more from your JCR. It’s not a problem if you sign up later in the term! To get involved with society teams, contact committee members or course reps. Don’t forget that you can also set up your own intramural teams with your friends, just visit the intramural website. Follow Epigram Sport online throughout this year for the unveiling of an exciting new area of the website dedicated to covering intramural sports, including tables, results, fixtures and performances of the week updated regularly. The upcoming 18/19 season will be a great time to get involved with intramural, even for those who aren’t freshers and haven’t participated before - get stuck in!
Sport
epigram 28.09.2018
Editor: Henry Edwards Online Editor: Freddie Keighley Email: sport@epigram.org.uk
Pioneering Nike take a stand with Kaepernick Kaepernick and Nike deserve praise for championing equality in an unequal world Paddy Sidwell Third Year, English
I
n the aftermath of Nike’s release of their powerful ‘Dream Crazy’ campaign featuring ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, many have taken to social media to vent their opposition by burning clothes manufactured by the company. Until President Trump can gather up his AirMaxes for a bonfire, he has unsurprisingly resorted to Twitter. Two days after the campaign was launched he posted ‘What was Nike thinking?’ Well, I’m glad he asked. On a cynical level, Nike may have seen this primarily as a financial move. Their stock is currently at an all-time high, a statistic that will only further anger the President, if he accepts it as being true that is. Nike know their target audience, with two thirds of the company’s shoe consumers under the age of 35. According to CNN, 44% of those aged 18-35 agree with Nike’s choice to include Kaepernick in the campaign, with 32% opposing it. But on a more profound note, Nike are trying to be a part of something much bigger, and not for the first time: •In 1988, the ‘Just Do It’ tagline was launched, tackling ageism through the inclusion of 80-year-old Walter Stack – a man who ran around 62,000 miles in his lifetime. •A year later, Paralympian Craig Blanchette featured in a Nike commercial, with the company supporting disabled
(Unsplash / George Pagan III)
athletes. •In 1995, the openly gay, HIV positive runner Ric Munoz, was the face of ‘Just Do It’. •In the same year, Nike launched its ‘If You Let Me Play’ advert, advocating equal sporting opportunities for women. •Their 2017 campaign ‘Equality’ tackled issues of race and alluded to the parallels between racial discrimination in sport and in the real world, featuring athletes such as Serena Williams and LeBron James. This is not the first time Nike have caused a rift with their advertising, and I hope that it is not the last. This is a multinational company using its platform to reach billions across the globe in the pursuit of a more equal world. Nike is standing by those fighting for change in a world that so desperately needs it. This includes Kaepernick, the spearhead of this movement. Whilst still an NFL player, Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem. He cited police brutality against African Americans as his reason for doing so. He is now unemployed.
“This is not the first time Nike have caused a rift with their advertising, and I hope that it is not the last”
An ode to 2018’s summer of sport Tears, cheers and a whole bunch of memories - it has been quite an eventful past few months Henry Edwards Sports Editor
Ben Stokes ruled not guilty of affray, Enter footballer Usian Bolt. Asher-Smith blew us all away, United’s struggles were Mourinho’s fault. N’golo Kante, despite being short, Helps the World Cup return to France. Djokovic triumphed on centre-court, Anderson barely stood a chance.
Thomas in yellow brought pride to Wales, As Trumpites lost faith in Nike. Mbappe made the Argentines look like snails, And Yates won in Spain on his bike.
England cricket bid farewell to Alistair, Ronaldo moved to Italy. England v Colombia was a tasty affair, But at least we won on penalties!
In Cricket, England beat India 4-1, A losing Serena had a moan. No military service for Heung-Min Son, In Russia, it nearly came home.
Summer 2018 sport had it all, As we bathed in the red-hot sun. All of us were both enticed and enthralled By the stories and abundant fun.
At the US Open, Koepka wins, As Hamilton extends lead over Vettel. Cipriani is found guilty for his sins, In the Giro, Froome shows his metal
(Flickr / s.yuki)
However, it is important to realise that in the UK, we do not see the Union Jack in the same way as the Stars and Stripes are seen in the US. For Americans, the flag represents those who have fought and died for their freedom, and represents all those who continue to risk their lives for their country on a daily basis. The flag flies proudly outside their homes, with the national anthem sung before every professional game of sport. This is why people oppose Kaepernick’s movement; they see his actions as disrespectful. However, when Muhammad Ali refused to join the US Army in Vietnam in 1967, his actions, too, were seen as disrespectful. He was stripped of his boxing titles and was unable to acquire a boxing license for over 3 years. Ali cited his religious beliefs as his reason for rejecting military service, but is famously quoted for alluding to the racial discrimination present in the US as well. He asked: ‘Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand
miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?’ Four years later, his suspended prison sentence was lifted, and Ali was pardoned. He went on to regain the world heavyweight titles of which he was stripped and is now arguably seen as the greatest athlete ever. Like Ali before him, Kaepernick is putting his integrity before everything else. Like Ali before him, he is sacrificing his livelihood in the pursuit of justice. And I hope, like Ali before him, Kaepernick gets the chance to compete at the highest level again. This script deserves a fairy-tale ending, and this campaign is Nike helping to write it. To those who don’t like this movement, I say this: avert your eyes, because it is not going away. Taking away Kaepernick’s job is only going to add fuel to his fire. He will keep standing up – or should I say kneel down? – for what he believes in.