Epigram 341

Plant Power Inside...

Let’s-a-go!

Change is now

The top five plants for a healthier bedroom

The ins and outs of the Extinction Rebellion movement

We test the new Mario Kart Tour for smart devices

pages 10-11

page 17

The Croft page 8

epigram

Fortnightly October 14 2019

est. 1988

Issue 341

‘Campus Heart’: Plans for the University’s new library and ‘cultural space’ have been revealed, page 6

University of Bristol

The University of Bristol’s Independent Student Newspaper

University plans major overhaul of ‘Fitness to Study’ policy Isaac Haigh

Investigations Correspondent

T

he University has announced it is altering its previously controversial ‘Fitness to Study’ policy following a campaign launched by Support Our Services, a student mental health advocacy group.

The original policy, which is aimed at helping students considered to be at risk of hurting themselves or others, had come under fire from students who had claimed it was unfair.

Activists from the Support Our Services campaign argued that the policy had led to students

www.epigram.org.uk

‘being kicked out of their halls [...], prevented from going into any University buildings’ and ‘subjected to an overly formal panel [...] to see what support the student needed to return to University’ as a result of the policy.

In a recent Facebook post, campaigners announced that,

EpigramPaper

following a meeting with Alison Golden-Wright, the University’s Deputy Director of Student Services, the University had committed to sending some ‘positive’ changes to add to the implementation of its policy. These included students being given their suspension letter in person by a senior member of the

@EpigramPaper

Student Services team, supported by that student’s Wellbeing Advisor or NHS Care Worker.

Students can now also appeal their emergency suspension straight away.

Currently students have to wait four weeks until they could appeal the suspension.

Continued on page 3...

@epigrampaper_

Editorial

epigram 14.10.2019

Co-Editor-in-Chief Co-Editor-in-Chief Deputy Editor

Imogen Horton Patrick Sullivan Will Charley

Digital Editor Tom Taylor Deputy Digital Editor Bethany Marris epionlineeditor@gmail.com

Getting over the third week blues

W

eek Three hits you like a wrecking ball. After the influx of exciting opportunities that come at the start of a new academic year - and new you, right? - what you’re left with is an inbox bursting at the seams, a grating cough, a bunged-up nose, and the overwhelming feeling that you’ve got far far far too much to do. Oh, and don’t forget the emergence of assignments.

First week is an embodiment of energy, motivation, and the excitement of being reunited with your uni friends. If anyone is still feeling like this now in third week, I am immensely jealous having had it all drained from my body in the form of snot and exhaustion. Chances are, however, the majority of us are suffering from the same, contagious post-Freshers’ blues.

First year? Your laundry pile is your entire underwear collection and the cost of Circuit has dawned on you - it doesn’t help that you’ve blown your first maintenance loan drop on overpriced Freshers’ nights out. As the flu peaks, so does the existential crisis that, while first year doesn’t count, you came here with the expectation of maintaining your subject pride and becoming the epitome of ‘cool’ rather than falling into bad habits and succumbing to the temptations of The Triangle.

Second years - where to begin?

The hardest year of most courses, especially for STEM subjects, you’ll be experiencing a steep, exponential incline in difficulty with a sense of dread. While more comfortable in the university environment, second year

is a particular struggle around October and November as the true scale of the whole degree shebang seems an insurmountable challenge.

The nights out and lie-ins have to be less frequent to have any success, and soon you’ll realise why there’s a queue outside of Beacon at 8am.

And final years? You could be rolling in for the third year of your BA or, like me, the fifth of an MEng with a year in industry, but the feelings are still the same. A mature air of settlement, an uncontrollable magnet for unwanted society responsibility, and, of course, the weird vibe at socials of being a 90 year old shark among a sea of post-millennial babies. A fun game to add a meta element to the oncoming finish line is to acknowledge the amount of ‘lasts’ that start from here. Last Freshers’ Fair, last introductory lecture, last lab, last crappy agency rental, last Halloween house party, last Spoons booklet, and the last time ever ever ever you’ll play ‘odds on’ and end up drinking bin juice.

Student life is full of quirks unthinkable in normal adult life - do not kid yourself that any of this is normal. What will get you out of this rut is exactly that. The opportunities and community at our disposal while in this weird fantasy bubble is a oneoff to cherish. You may attend one of the Careers Fairs organised by the University this month and look forward to what your career may bring.

I can tell you, having spent a year in industry, that working life is far healthier for your routine, mental wellbeing, and wallet. It lacks, however, the zaniness and unpredictability of the campus. It’s the little things which give you a lift: bumping into people outside Wills and catching up, finding a new activity you love, breaking through a mental coursework block, or being able to take a personal tea break with your bestie at any time of day. It’s so important to remember what you love about being here and these little lights of life - it’ll help you plough through even the worst of Freshers’ Flus.

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.

Printed by: Iliffe Print Cambridge Ltd. Winship Road, Milton Cambridge, CB24 6PP

Managing Director Emily Lowes

Subediting Team

Olivia Tapper

Chief Proofreader

Director of Comms Head of Finance Edward Fraser

Caitlin Price

Head of Ad & Sales

News, Opinion & Features

SciTech & Sport

Head of Marketing

Ellie Brown Euan Merrilees

Alice Proctor Esme Hedley

Entertainment

The Croft

Siavash Minoukadeh Daisy Game Gail El-Halaby

Rosa Stevens Claudia Dupé Imogen Elliott

Ben Bridgway Rory Hosty

Business Assistants

Ethan Luc Charlotte Jones May Garland Maduka Karunatilaka Tom Stone

News

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor Investigations Correspondent SU Correspondent

Maddy Russell Benjamin Salmon Olivia Beatson Isaac Haigh Maggie Sawant

Got a story for the newsteam? Email newsteam.epigram@gmail.com

Fitness to Study policy ‘only enacted as a last resort’ Isaac Haigh

Investigations Correspondent Continued page...

from

the

front

Any students brought in front of a panel will now meet four studentfacing staff, including a Residential Life Advisor and their Senior Tutor.

Currently the panel consists of seven senior members of staff.

All students on suspension now receive a wellbeing advisor and are allowed to enter the student health centre.

Students subject to the policy will also no longer be forced to leave their halls, an area of the policy branded as ‘one of the most distressing’ by campaigners.

“

We are committed to working closely with students to review and continuously improve our arrangements

“

• Numerous changes are planned for those suffering at uni • Students will now be offered the chance to appeal the decision immediately

Under the new procedures, if a student is thought to be negatively impacting other residents in their halls, then they will be moved halls to a more supportive accommodation

if home is not the best place for them.

In response to the changes a university spokesperson said: ‘We understand that the circumstances surrounding the need to enact the policy are often very difficult and sensitive, and we are committed to working closely with students to review and continuously improve our arrangements.’

The University also emphasised that the policy ‘is only enacted as a last resort when we have genuine and serious concerns for a student’s welfare and our ability to keep them safe.’

Ruth Day, President of Support Our Services told Epigram that she was ‘extremely proud’ that, ‘after months of campaigning on this issue, the Fitness to Study Policy is being reformed by the University.’

Twitter / XRebellionUK

• Retired lecturer Phil Kingston was arrested as part of XR stunt outside the Treasury • Kingston has become a key figure in the movement and has been pictured alongside Greta Thunberg

Georgiana Scott Investigations Editor

R

etired University of Bristol professor, Phil Kingston has been arrested after participating in an Extinction Rebellion publicity stunt last Wednesday 4th October.

Using a decommissioned fire engine bought off eBay, the 83-yearold environmental activist amongst fellow climate campaigners, blasted 400 gallons of dyed red liquid at the Treasury building with a power hose.

The demonstration was aimed to bring attention to the discrepancy in the UK’s claim that it is a world leader in fighting climate change but continues to support fossil fuel

energy exploration. However, the protest went wrong after protesters lost control of the hose.

The activists, all doused in a coat of red liquid along with the media they invited and any unfortunate bypassers, tried to regain control of it but were knocked to the ground by

“

I fight with all my being for my four grandchildren in this situation of existential danger

“

Twitter / XRebellionUK

Ex Bristol lecturer arrested for Extinction Rebellion fake blood stunt

the power of the spray. Eventually, the hose was turned off, leaving a puddle of fake blood surrounding the entrance to the government building.

The group proceeded to hold a banner directed at the British government to ‘stop funding climate death’.

Following the arrival of 30 police officers, Kingston and 8 other activists were arrested at the scene on the grounds of criminal damage.

Escorted off the top of the fire engine

and into the police van Kingston reportedly shouted the Treasury was doing ‘dreadful things.’

The ex-professor who has become a key figure within Extinction Rebellion and Christian Climate Action Affinity Group, and who once appearing on stage with Greta Thunberg, was unphased by a trip to the police station having been arrested over 12 times previously for similar unlawful, but peaceful protests. In a statement from Extinction Rebellion, Kingston said: ‘I fight with all my being for my four grandchildren in this situation of existential danger.’

Kingston also claimed in a recent blog posts that ‘we in the UK are currently using the Earth as though we have 3 planets’ and is also thought to have been involved with other stunts including graffitiing London trains, blocking roads and chaining/gluing himself to various objects and monuments such as a pink bathtub that was at the centre of this summer’s series of London climate protests.

epigram 14.10.2019

4 News

University wellbeing support reformed into single system Investigations Correspondent

F

ollowing an ‘extensive review’ of the support offered to students, the University has brought in a new central point for students to get the support they need.

This service aims to help students who are unsure know where to get help. Students can find support by filling in an online form, emailing wellbeing-access@bristol.ac.uk or phoning, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, +44 (0)117 456 9860.

The service is free and open to all students.

“

Students can find support by filling in an online form, emailing wellbeing-access@ bristol.ac.uk or phoning 0117 456 9860 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

“

Isaac Haigh

Alison Golden-Wright, Deputy Director of Student Services, said: ‘Following an extensive review of the support offered to students, we have introduced Wellbeing Access - a single point of contact for students seeking help. This is staffed by a team of Student Services staff who

are contactable by form, email and telephone. We hope it will help

students access the right support quickly and easily.’

Facing pressure surrounding mental health waiting times, with the average wait for counselling totalling 52 days, the University state that ‘advisers will respond to you within three working days’. If the University thinks the student could benefit from immediate support they will contact them sooner.

‘This change will also benefit staff who support students, providing a simple way for them to contact the support team on behalf of a student they may be concerned about. Additionally, students who are concerned about a friend can make contact on their behalf.’ Staff have also seen an increase in mental health referrals with a 142 per cent increase.

This large rise is ‘endemic’ of mental health problems according to the Higher Education Policy Institute.

Wellbeing advisers were introduced

in the 2018/19 academic year with the intention of being ‘open to all students’ and offering ‘professional help and guidance if you are

“

We hope it will help students access the right support quickly and easily

“

• Wellbeing services will now be accessible via a single point of contact • The changes are part of wider reforms to the University’s support services

experiencing challenges, or want some extra support.’ They have been praised by some for ‘filling a vital role within the University’s support network’.

‘This is just one improvement we’ve made for 2019/20 based on direct feedback from students and staff.

Further improvements are planned for 2020/21, including the opening of a new student support hub in Senate House.’

More police patrols planned for noisy neighbourhoods after successful trial

Deputy News Editor

A

von & Somerset Police and the University of Bristol have announced they will be continuing University-funded police patrols in student-heavy areas

police and students were civil with no further action take. However, police reported that a small minority resulted in fines.

In a statement, a University spokesperson praised the pilot, saying: ‘The patrols attended a number of student properties each night.

‘Most issues were resolved easily with a request to turn music down, a reminder to close doors and windows and for people to go inside.

‘There were no large-scale house parties, and, in a few cases, the Police found no evidence of noise

disturbance at the addresses they’d been called to attend. Police reported that students responded politely and apologetically when approached.’

The University had previously come under fire from some local residents over a perceived lack of action on student noise-related issues, seen through the website ‘The Noise Pages’.

The continued scheme will also move into new localities, including Ashgrove Road in Redland, Highbury Villas in Cotham and the Eaton Crescent and Arlington Villas areas of Clifton.

Epigram / Benjamin Salmon

Benjamin Salmon

following a successful pilot scheme in June.

The new patrols, which form part of so-called ‘Operation Beech’, aim to clamp down on excessive nighttime noise and will take place over 26 nights until the Christmas break, starting this coming Friday.

The pilot scheme, which took place in June, cost the university £4,600 and saw police attend 26 properties occupied by Bristol students during the two-week trial – meaning each call-out cost the University an average of £176.92.

Most of the encounters between

Bristol SU

• ‘Operation Beech’ is being extended until at least the new year • 26 more nights of patrols • Pilot scheme in June saw each call-out cost an average of £176.92

New Bristol slang course provides hope for understanding locals on nights out • Students can now take part in a Quizlet course aimed at helping them learn local dialect • Other courses offered include Scouse, Brummy and Geordie • The Course was developed by a PhD researcher at the University • 44% of students ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ socialise with locals

Benjamin Salmon Deputy News Editor

L

anguage experts are offering an online dialect course for University students in Bristol, as well as in other areas of the country, in an effort get outof-towners to understand the local lingo.

Quizlet, an online learning platform, is offering the course on their website to help students get into the spirit of their adopted home.

The online learning platform is offering Scouse, Brummie, Geordie and Glasgow Patter classes, among others, for students attending university in other cities.

The classes are designed to help students assimilate within communities when they may feel intimidated by the ‘language barrier’.

It is hoped the lessons will allow Bristol students the chance to know their ‘Alright me babber?’ (Hello, how are you?’) from their ‘gert lush’ (‘really good’).

On hearing the news, a thirdyear politics student sounded their excitement: ‘At last! I can converse with the locals in Mbargo’s on a Saturday!’

The Bristol course was designed by Katiuska Ferrer Portillo, a philosophy PhD researcher at the University of Bristol.

The courses were launched to coincide with the release of new data from Quizlet which showed that 11 per cent of students had never visited their university town before moving in. The data also showed that 44 per cent of students said they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ socialised with local people in their university city.

14.10.2019 epigram

News 5

The Wave Bristol

The Wave Bristol

Britain’s first inland surfing lake to open in Bristol • Students will be able to surf in Bristol all year round • ‘Inspiring’ members of the public will be the first to try it

Benjamin Salmon Deputy News Editor

T

he country’s first-ever inland surfing lake is opening near Bristol in November and they are looking for inspiring members of the public to be among the first to try it out.

The Wave, which is launching in Easter Compton next month, is offering the first opportunity to try out the artificial wave to ‘ordinary people who have done extraordinary things.’

Founder of the project, Nick Hounsfield said: ‘I’m often asked who is going to ride the first waves and people assume it will be me. I’ve always said that I don’t want it to be about me, and that there are many more deserving people.

‘We’re asking for nominations for inspiring people to ride our first public

waves. We’re looking for ordinary people that have done extraordinary things, everyday heroes that have overcome big problems or individuals who’ve achieved something amazing.’

No previous surfing experience is necessary to take part.

Speaking to Epigram, The Wave stressed their keenness to involve students in the project, saying: ‘we would love students to be nominated if they have done something inspiring.’

Students can nominate someone by posting a video on social media explaining who they are proposing and why, tagging the @thewave and using the hashtags #FindYourWave and #Giveawave.

Otherwise, nominations can also be made via the Wave website. Winners will be selected at the end of October.

Due to open in November, The Wave is a brand-new concept that recreates the conditions of waves at sea, allowing both seasoned surfers and total novices the chance to enjoy surfing in all weather conditions.

‘It shouldn’t happen’: SU Officer slams University for housing Freshers in Newport SU Correspondent

T

he University has come under fresh criticism for its accommodation shortage after a panel discussion on mental health quickly descended into a critique of the failure to house over 200 Freshers in Bristol.

The condemnation comes after the University was forced to find accommodation for a large number of students in places as far away as Newport in Wales.

George Bemrose, Bristol SU’s Student Living Officer, argued that the University should be putting students’ mental health first when it comes to housing and that living in Newport ‘should never be an option for first years.’

English student Pascal van Liempt,

“

We don’t want to turn away students – we don’t want to say, ‘we’ve run out of rooms: therefore, we are rejecting you’

There are currently six students still living in Newport, of whom all but one have been offered alternative accommodation. Many students have also been housed in Langford, a 30-minute drive from the University.

Alison Golden, the University’s Deputy Director of Student Services,

Support Our Services

Maggie Sawant

also criticised the plan, emphasising that accommodation is ‘meant to give you a sense of cohesion. Living away from Bristol would massively affect how you fit in the University community. It would be an incredibly isolating experience.

‘The University accepting more and more freshers, without the accommodation to house them, shows a lack of care for wellbeing.’

“

• SU Living Officer makes damning comments at a panel on mental health • Representatives from the Uni and Cut The Rent also spoke

hit back at the claims, saying: ‘it is really difficult to juggle admissions.

There’s often a last-minute group of people coming through clearing.

It is not unusual to not guarantee accommodation to those who come through clearing.’

‘We don’t want to turn away students – we don’t want to say, “we’ve run out of rooms: therefore, we are rejecting you.”’

Golden also asserted that ‘anyone who was really struggling and who had a mental health issue would be prioritised’ when accommodation

was allocated.

When asked whether the University is prioritising tuition fees over student wellbeing, Golden disagreed.

‘I really don’t agree [with the sentiment that] the University is prioritising tuition fees over student wellbeing. It is a challenging economic environment, where higher education is much more of a marketplace than many of us would want it to be – universities are more and more needing to operate like businesses.’

Golden also referred to the

University’s £6.5 million investment in mental health services last year, stating that £1.1 million was invested in counselling services, £4 million in the Residential Life (Resilife) programme, £800,000 in disability services, and £600,000 in the Student Health Service, which is funded by the NHS but is supported

by University investment.

She also referenced the University’s plan to develop a Students’ Information Service by 2020, which will clearly set out the support available to students.

epigram 14.10.2019

6 News: In Pictures

Fry building rises from the ashes Isaac Haigh Investigations Correspondent

Epigram / Isaac Haigh Epigram / Isaac Haigh

Epigram / Isaac Haigh

Epigram / Jamie Fendt

Epigram / Isaac Haigh

T

he new Mathematics building is now open since catching fire in January 2018. Despite sending plumes of smoke across the city centre much of the original building has remained intact.

The University has invested £33m into transforming the Grade II listed building, which is home to a number of new lecture theatres and teaching rooms, as well as a variety of other quiet sudy spaces.

New additions to the original building will also include a new atrium and a 140 seat lecture theatre underneath a roof garden.

The building also incorporates public art in the form of a Voronoi pattern.

Futuristic library plans revealed

University of Bristol

University of Bristol

Digital News Editor

O

n September 18 the University of Bristol revealed architectural designs for a ‘landmark’ new library to be built on the current site of the Hawthorns.

After feedback on the initial plans for a new University library from staff, students and local residents, the newest pre-planning proposals for the building are now open for public consultation.

The newest designs feature a three to seven storey building that will house not only a million books but also the University’s Special Collections.

The library, depending on planning permission, will be situated in a pedestrianised area, with the University and the architects at Hawkins Brown planning a new road layout and civic square.

Professor Judith Squires, deputy vice-chancellor and provost at the

University of Bristol, said: ‘We are excited to be developing a flagship new university library at the heart of our campus.

“

It will not only provide an outstanding new space for students... but also a new cultural space

“

Olivia Beatson

‘It will not only provide an outstanding new space for our students and staff to research and learn but will also create a new cultural space for all the citizens of Bristol, by opening up our Theatre Collection and our Special Collections and offering a year-round programme of exhibitions and activities.’

The newest plans are available to view in The Hawthorns and Beacon House reception from October 1 to the 21.

14.10.2019 epigram

News 7

Bristol Uni library acquire Vegetarian and vegan Source landmark copy of Lady cafe opens on campus Chatterley’s Lover Benjamin Salmon Deputy News Editor

The annotated copy in question was used by the judge, Mr Justice Byrne, at the trial and was acquired by the university in part thanks to a campaign by the writers’ association, English PEN, to keep the copy in the UK. The copy was previously owned by a private individual in the United States.

The campaign, which found support among literary greats such as Stephen Fry and Amanda Palmer, was launched to find a UK buyer that could match the auction price as well as provide use of the copy for researchers and the public.

President of English PEN, Philippe Sands QC, said: ‘We are thrilled that our crowdfunding campaign for this

A

University of Bristol

copy of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover used in a historic 1960 obscenity trial has been acquired by the Special Collections archive in the University of Bristol Library.

The book, which depicts an intensely sexual love story between an upper-class woman and a working-class man, was banned for obscenity and was the subject of a landmark trial fought between its publisher, Penguin, and the Government in 1960.

The trial vindicated Penguin, D.H. Lawrence, and, ultimately, the literary world when a ‘not guilty’ verdict was given, resulting in a widespread liberalisation of explicit material in public life.

historic work by D.H. Lawrence, an active member of English PEN and a central figure in the annals of English literary history, has been a success.

‘The trial involving Lady Chatterley’s Lover was a seminal moment in the continuing struggle for freedom of expression, and the judge’s copy belongs here in the UK, a singular reminder of the road travelled and remaining.’

Alongside the copy, the acquisition also includes notes and correspondence related to the case, a transcript of the trial, original photographs and press cuttings from the time.

Bristol’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Judith Squires, praised the acquisition, saying: ‘This special book will be a source of inspiration, teaching and research for our staff, students and visitors, supporting the University’s creative, scholarly and social outcomes for years to come.

‘It will be a focal point in our new University library, which is planned to open in 2023/4, providing specialist research facilities, galleries and public event spaces.’

David Attenborough will return to Bristol for live screening of new series • Tickets are free to apply for • Preview will include a Q&A with the presenter

Maddy Russell News Editor

BBC NHU/Alex Board

T

he BBC have revealed that Sir David Attenborough will be coming to Bristol for an exclusive screening of BBC Studios’ new natural history documentary series: Seven Worlds, One Planet (2019-).

The screening, which will take place on 23 October at the Showcase de Lux cinema in Cabot Circus, is free for members of the public to apply for.

The one-off preview will include a

live Q&A with David Attenborough and the series' production team and claims to provide a unique insight into how BBC wildlife documentaries are made.

The new Seven Worlds, One Planet series has been produced by the BBC

in Bristol at Studio’s Natural History Unit.

The unit has been based in the city for 60 years and is home to a number of popular natural history shows including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Dynasties.

Members of the public were able to apply for tickets to the screening of the new series on the BBC Shows and Tours Website, but this expired on Thursday 10 October. The 300 available public tickets were allocated randomly.

Ellie Brown News Subeditor

T

he University’s first meatfree Source Café is now open.

Located on the Third Floor of Senate House, the café operates on weekdays from 8am to 5.30pm. It only sells vegetarian and vegan products.

The café launched on Thursday 3 October, featuring a stall run by Oumph!, a Swedish food company specialising in soy-based products.

Additionally, members of staff were given free samples of Phat vegan pastries.

The opening comes as part of a wider push by the University to make Source cafés more sustainable.

“

As well as sustainability reasons, there was a clear market for it – hopefully this will satisfy that demand

“

• Judge’s copy from historic trial • Book will be focal point of new library • Acquisition comes following crowdfunding campaign

Sandwiches in the ‘Source V’ café are wrapped in a special biodegradable plastic, and the outlet also sells vegan favourites such as Alpro chocolate dessert pots.

Daniel Cook, supervisor of the Hawthorns bar and café, was one of the coordinators in charge of setting up the new outlet. He said: ‘The idea for a Source café selling vegetarian and vegan only products has been in the works for some time.

As well as sustainability reasons, there was a clear market for it – hopefully this will satisfy that demand.’

Other changes aimed at increasing sustainability include a discount of 30p on hot drinks for customers with a reusable cup – up from 20p last year; an end to single-use plastic sachets and bottled water; and the addition of Huskcups to Source’s range of drinkware.

Source outlets will also no longer be selling sandwiches containing beef, though according to research done by the café these only made up 3 per cent of their existing range.

8 News

epigram 14.10.2019

Epigram / Claudia Dupe

Balloon Bar announces new plans to fight food waste

Maddy Russell News Editor

U

nsold food from Bristol SU’s Balloon Bar will now be available to order via the app Too Good To Go. The University has announced its new partnership with food waste company Too Good To Go as part of plans to minimise food waste at Balloon Bar. The partnership will mean that a selection of the day’s unsold food will now be available to order via the Too Good To Go app.

This follows the launch of the Source’s new menu, which aims to focus on providing more fresh, local and homemade products, with a greater focus on vegan options.

Using the Too Good To Go app, students will now be able to purchase ‘Magic Bags’ of surplus food, for reduced prices, and collect them from store.

Alongside its partnership with Too Good To Go, the Balloon Bar has launched a number of other sustainable initiatives, including removing the sale of plastic water bottles, introducing vegware for takeaway containers and encouraging the use of keep cups.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Bristol SU said: ‘Sustainability is one of our core values, so it’s great that the Balloon Bar has teamed up with Too Good To Go to reduce food waste. We’ll be looking for more ways throughout the year to decrease our waste and make sure the bar is running more sustainably.’

STUDENT CHRISTMAS PARTIES FROM £22pp For three courses & half a bottle of wine

Come to The Square and enjoy a Christmas feast from our award-winning restaurant.

Once you’ve eaten, head downstairs to our Lower Deck cocktail bar to dance the night away!

BOOK NOW FOR DECEMBER w w w.t h e s q u a r e c l u b . c o m / s t u d e n t s

0117 921 0455

Ellie Brown News Subeditor

T

he Faculty of Engineering have unveiled a £2.7 million ‘state-of-the-art’ computer lab in the Merchant Venturers Building.

The building is home to the School of Computing, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Engineering Maths (SCEEM), and features a new 200-seat teaching lab and a smaller 76-capacity ‘collaborative’ lab designed for communal working. According to the Faculty, ‘flexibility, accessibility and usability are the core principles behind

the design.’ Facilities include heightadjustable desks and lecture podiums meant to give students the opportunity to stand while working. There are also desks fitted with fold-away computers, and a triple loop system designed for deaf users. Desks in the lab are arranged to foster collaborative working.

Teaching labs have TV screens, allowing students a better view of visual content in lectures. Students can also work on individual projects in both labs.

The Merchant Ventures Building is on Woodland Road and open from 8am to 9.45pm on weekdays in term time.

University of Bristol

Brand-new £2.7 million computer lab opens in Engineering

Features

Editor: Robin Connolly @robinnlcc Deputy Editor: Jack Charters Digital Editor: Oliver Cohen Investigations Editor: Georgiana Scott @GeorgianaScott7

Twitter: @EpigramFeatures

Bristol SU / Vanessa Wilson

‘Creative career paths must be open for everyone’

Opinion Digital Editor

W

ith graduation steadily making its way around the corner, my prospects and future career find themselves at the forefront of my mind. Placements, gap years and further studies all at once coming to a head and leaving me tight chested. For History students like myself, the corporate reality of life seems almost always thrown into my face. My choice of study appears to be ‘brave’ to my family, friends and even peers. ‘Sure, she’s doing History now, but she’ll probably convert to Law later’ is a mantra I often hear.

For many of us this often becomes the case, or we find ourselves at the very least second-guessing our own personal drivers and passions.

As a black woman wanting to find her way into the creative industries, the pressure and fear

ing with Vanessa. We spoke about the process of getting the event off the ground and precisely what it meant to her.

When discussing what motivated her to pitch ‘Getting into the Creative Industry’, Wilson said her inspiration came from ‘being a black woman in the creative industries.’

The event was organised with the BME network and was a massive hit with students. She felt ‘like there was a need to create an event which

“

The creative industry, just like many other industries, looks like an intimidatingly white place

“

Kofo Sodiq-Ajala

around achieving my own personal goals feels two-fold. Not only would a more conventionally ‘professional’ job feel like a more safe and financially stable route, but also, how often do I find myself creatively inspired by those who look like me?

Unfortunately, the answer is hardly ever. The creative industry, just like many other industries, looks like an intimidatingly white place.

Be it through making spaces of our own or being integrated into already established industries, seeing ourselves, and not only being inspired but welcomed to take part, is a necessity for diversifying the industry. This was something that, now a graduate of the University, Vanessa Wilson understood so well.

As a creative herself, she knew that there is power in the stories that we tell and the platforms we use to tell them. Last year, I went to an event that was pitched and hosted by Vanessa. ‘Getting into the Creative Industry’ was a panel discussion with BME students in mind. With black creatives such as Michael Jenkins, Deanna Rodger and the University’s very own Chante Joseph, I found myself feeling inspired, with a duty to have more faith in myself and what I could create.

I had the pleasure of correspond-

was focused on creatives of colour.’

The latest statistics from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport reveal that the creative industries are still 90 per cent white and 60 per cent male. ‘It’s crucial that we organise events to try to change these statistics.’

As a black student, I felt inspired and as though this was an event that was tailored so well to my needs. For Wilson, the BME aspect

of the event ‘was crucial.’ ‘It’s incredibly difficult to enter the creative industries as a person of colour so it was really important to me that the event was centred around this.’

When discussing the amount of support she received from the Students’ Union (SU), Wilson explained that she was surprised to find a lot of pushback. ‘I was told that no one would come, there would be no interest, it’s a financial risk etc. In fact, halfway through planning the event I was told to cancel it.’ Fortunately, this was not the case and the show went on. ‘I had too much pride to cancel the event and I was determined to make it a success - if my dad told me anything it’s that you should never, ever, ever give up.’ She ended up selling over 460 tickets, selling out three times. ‘It was a huge success - in fact, I still get messages on Facebook about it to this day.’

As an audience member, what stood out to me the most was the diversity of the panellists. From their backgrounds right down to their professional vocations, no two were the same. ‘I learned about all the amazing people doing bits for the community,’ Wilson said. ‘I wish I could have had a panel of 100 as it was hard to select speakers. If mon-

ey were no object, I would have run an event every week!’

Inclusion within the creative industry can mean a plethora of things. For Wilson, when she thinks about creative diversity a quote from Angela Davis always comes to mind: ‘There’s a model of diversity as the difference that makes no difference, the change that brings about no change.’

“

As a black student I felt [...] as though this was an event that was tailored so well to my needs

“

As part of Black History Month, we spoke to former Student Living Officer, Vanessa Wilson, about her experiences planning an event focusing on ‘creatives of colour’

‘For diversity and inclusion to work, people from different backgrounds need to be valued and they need to feel respected.’

For myself, Wilson, and many others, creative inclusion looks like people being welcomed in. ‘They should be able to thrive, and they should be allowed to contribute to their industry. Creative career paths must be open for everyone,’ she proclaims. ‘Fundamentally, people from different backgrounds should be able to progress to senior roles to help the next generation of aspiring creatives.’

10 Features

epigram 14.10.2019

Epigram / Elaura Lacey

Bristol’s history of green protests

“

Scientists have estimated that almost 200 species are going extinct every 24 hours because of climate change and deforestation

“

Such forms of protest demonstrate the lengths that advocates of environmental change will go to spread awareness and demand action

Imogen Phillips, Christelle Blunden, Timothy Miller and Elliot Cuciurean performed a disruptive yet striking display of protest by tying themselves to a pink bathtub near the M32 just outside Bristol. The protest went on for eight hours before the

police’s ‘Specialist Protest Removal Team’ separated them and charged them each with a twelve-month conditional discharge and the covering of court costs between £180 and £250. Such forms of both peaceful and disruptive protest demonstrate the lengths that advocates of environmental change will go to spread awareness and demand action. The passion, support and dedication to the cause demonstrated by the people of Bristol is inspiring and commendable. Taking part in a movement that is rapidly increasing in importance is incredibly important to making the political changes needed to prevent further damage done to our planet.

Notable actions include marching with signs and banners on College Green earlier this summer and a student strike on September 20 when hundreds marched in the city centre.

The latter was part of a worldwide strike inspired by the Fridays for Future group and lasted the whole day, starting at 10.45 AM on College Green and ending in the city centre. Many of those who took part were members of local protest groups, such as the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate, which currently has a following of 886 people and regularly organises student strikes in the area.

These weren’t the only form of eco-based protest Bristol has seen this year. Back in July, Bristol city centre witnessed strange sights as

Epigram / Elaura Lacey

F

or the past thirty years, climate change and global warming have been debated at various international levels but, as of recently, these conversations have taken a more urgent turn, with people like 16-year-old Greta Thunberg pressing for more action to be taken against environmental threat.

We are awakening to the problems not only affecting us, but the entire globe. Young people are the forefront of these conversations by challenging those who continue to damage the planet. Students, from primary age to University, are taking to the streets to demand change and to draw attention to rising carbon emissions, mass extinctions and the destruction of ecosystems. Bristol students have not shied away from making their voices heard on the subject and have adopted creative and innovative methods of protest; joining the worldwide campaign.

Before we consider Bristol, we need to understand the context of the international protests. Greta Thunberg is a key figure because her powerful words have inspired whole movements and organisations to lobby against perpetrators of climate change. Her speech at the UN Summit has become viral, sparking massive interest in the cause. Other individuals, like Harrison Ford, have

Extinction Rebellion activists wearing red robes and white painted faces performed an artistic piece. The group called themselves The Red Brigade and explained that their red costumes represented both the species that have gone extinct because of climate change, and all of those on the brink of extinction for the same reason. The aim was to spread awareness of the danger to life by informing people that UN scientists have estimated that almost 200 species are going extinct every 24 hours because of climate change and deforestation.

Students aren’t the only ones organizing innovative forms of protest. On the 17 July four protestors,

“

Second Year, History

stepped forward and spoken about the necessity for action, using memorable phrases such as ‘our house is on fire’ and ‘unite behind the science’.

Greta became known for her activism back in 2018 when she went on regular strike outside the Swedish parliament, calling for more action on global warming by holding up a sign saying: ‘School Strike for Climate’.

Now it’s grown to an international movement with hundreds of thousands of participants.

Bristolians have repeatedly shown support and passion for the cause.

“

Bristolians have long shown support for the environment through both innovative and creative means of protest Elaura Lacey

Features 11

14.10.2019 epigram

Epigram / Robin Connolly

T

he protest movement Extinction Rebellion has been the driving force behind recent climate demonstrations in Bristol, but what are their aims and what have they achieved so far?

An analysis of the Extinction Rebellion manifesto shows it to be more than just a ramshackle protest movement; it contains a range of detailed policy recommendations for the future.

Their proposal of a ‘Citizens’ Assembly,’ for example, where a randomly selected group of citizens would make recommendations on climate change policy to parliament, is just one of many political changes the movement is attempting to encourage.

The manifesto also contains some ambitious targets for the government, with the

mate breakdown.’

Increasing publicity and media coverage of issues surrounding climate change has been the most apparent achievement of Extinction Rebellion.

While it can be debated whether this coverage has been generally positive or negative, it has undoubtedly brought attention to the issue of climate change.

For instance, four protestors in Bristol received BBC coverage after chaining themselves to a pink bathtub on the M32. All four were tried at Bristol Magistrates Court and found guilty of obstructing a highway. Furthermore, interviews were held with protestors in Bristol during the summer uprisings on the BBC Daily Politics programme.

This kind of media coverage putting Extinction Rebellion in the limelight certainly has the potential to influence politicians in policy-making.

Marvin Rees, the current Mayor of Bristol, has directly stated the influence of Extinction Rebellion, writing in The Bristol Post that ‘Extinction Rebellion have played an important role by putting climate change high up on the political agenda. I will be one of many city leaders who welcome this.’

Since this comment, Rees has announced £50,000 of funding for coun-

“

Stopping the expansion of Bristol airport has been a key target of the recent summer uprisings

“

Second Year, History

most well-known being a reduction of carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.

That is not to say that the primary function of Extinction Rebellion is to provide suggestions to the government on policy. It is, after all, a ‘rebellion’.

In Bristol, the group has aimed to influence the City Council and Mayor Marvin Rees’s climate policy through civil disobedience and non-violent resistance. These tactics aim to increase public awareness on climate issues, send a message to local politicians, and highlight potentially contentious policies in the Bristol area.

For example, stopping the expansion of Bristol Airport has been a key target of the recent summer uprisings, and more recently in September protests have been held at the airport to bring attention to the issue.

The rebellion in Bristol does not look like it will be slowing down either, with a recent London protest on 7 October and it is advertised on their website as encouraging people to ‘use flyposting, art, music, performances and other displays to tell the truth about the cli-

cillors on climate issues and has set up an Advisory Committee on Climate Change to advise the city boards. Furthermore, early attempts have been

“

Such forms of both peaceful and disruptive protest demonstrate the lengths that advocates of environmental change will go to spread awareness and demand action

“

Extinction Rebellion have received national attention for their protest tactics having emerged from Bristol Guy Taylor

Unsplash / Marcus Spiske

The movement behind the protests: Extinction Rebellion’s aims and achievements

made to implement ideas similar to a Citizens’ Assembly, with a People’s Assembly being held featuring members of Avon and Somerset Police in September.

However, it is worth noting that Bristol Airport is still due to experience expansion.

Overall, there is a clear surge of momentum behind the protestors, but it remains to be seen what influence they will have on climate policy in the long term.

Recap: Bristol’s climate change declarations so far • October 2018 – We the Curious commissioned their climate change mural • November 2018 – City Council and Mayor declared a Climate Emergency • April 2019 – University of Bristol declared a Climate Emergency • May 2019 – UK government approved a motion to declare a Climate Emergency • June 2019 – We the Curious declared a Climate Emergency • October 2019 – Colston Hall declared they would be carbon neutral by 2030

S

ome clarity: what does the phrase ‘Climate Emergency’ actually mean?

The word ‘emergency’ suggests something unexpected, dangerous, problematic, urgent. When we put the word ‘climate’ in front, the UN’s declaration that we only have ‘11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage from Climate Change’ makes sense.

In April 2018, 500 University of Bristol students and 100 academics signed a petition, delivered to Vice Chancellor Hugh Brady, asking the University to declare a Climate Emergency.

The University went on to become the first in the country to do so. We hear this phrase on a regular basis at the moment, but what does it mean in practice?

The definition of ‘climate emergency’ is not wholly clear to anyone, and what will be achieved by declaring one is a potentially foggy area. In terms of national government, a climate emergency motion was passed this summer, but there was no change to legislation – meaning it is not legally binding.

However, as highlighted by Guy Taylor - see article above - the Extinction Rebellion movement have demanded a legally binding commitment from the government to ‘halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.’ Their manifesto is very clear on this: ‘Act Now’.

In Bristol, the City Council has pledged to ‘make the city of Bristol carbon neutral by 2030, taking

into account both production and consumption emissions,’ and to ‘continue to work with partners across the city and region to deliver this new goal through all relevant strategies and plans.’

In the Mayor’s response to the Council in July 2019, he outlined a five-part Action Plan, including creating ‘low carbon jobs and businesses,’ building and retrofitting homes to ‘make them energy efficient and affordable,’ providing ‘clean and sustainable travel,’ generating ‘clean, renewable energy in the city,’ and ‘reducing the carbon footprint of our consumption.’

Robin Connolly Features Editor

epigram 14.10.2019

12 Features

Investigations Correspondent

A

fter 22 years of my life struggling with spelling and reading fast or out loud, I was diagnosed with dyslexia.

Now, a year later, aged 23, I can confidently tell people that I require extra time for a task, not because I lack the required intelligence, but because I am dyslexic. Finding out that I was dyslexic after years of struggling at certain tasks, despite excelling at others, was incredibly liberating. Dyslexia is more than just a

label - it is a different way of thinking.

Only by acknowledging and accepting this was I able to accept myself.

But what is dyslexia? Are our often-preconceived ideas of what dyslexia is correct?

In 2009, Sir Jim Rose’s report ‘Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties’ gave a comprehensive definition of dyslexia that is widely accepted within the UK and by the British Dyslexia Association. Rose stated that dyslexia ‘occurs across the range of intellectual abilities,’ meaning it is independent of intelligence and IQ. ‘Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate

“

The complex nature of dyslexia makes the experience of every dyslexic person different

“

After Dyslexia Awareness Week, October 3-7, a dyslexic student writes about diagnosis and the help the University offers Isaac Haigh

and fluent word reading and spelling.

Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory, and verbal processing speed. It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points.’

In essence, dyslexia is a way of processing language and information that is outside the norm. In reality, this is incredibly difficult to summarise or explain easily to someone. Dyslexia is incredibly complex. One of the ‘symptoms’ I have is that I have great difficulty telling similar words apart when reading quickly - for example

‘virtually’ and ‘visually’. Due to the complex nature of dyslexia every dyslexic person is different and what one person struggles with, another may not, despite both of them having dyslexia.

A good way of assessing whether someone is dyslexic is to assess verbal and visual ability compared to reading and spelling ability. My score showed a large difference between verbal and visual abilities compared with reading and spelling, which gave me

a ‘dyslexic profile’. There is of course debate about how big this difference has to be before someone is dyslexic and these assessments are not an exact science.

What can be done to help those with dyslexia?

If you are concerned that you might have dyslexia, I would encourage you to reach out to the University disability services. They can’t diagnose you, but will be able to advise you as to whether you should be tested and what the next steps are. Unfortunately, being tested as an adult is expensive and can cost hundreds of pounds.

Fortunately, the University helped me by providing the money through the ‘Financial Assistance Fund’. This fund aims to help students by allowing them to ‘meet costs that are not met from other sources of support’.

I was able to pay for my assessment through the Fund and this enabled me to have a range of support, including extra time. Due to the fact that I study Chemistry, a degree that relies on drawing complex molecular structures or using maths to answer exam questions, I have never needed any extra support.

If I were studying something else, I would definitely need it and this

is where the disability services can really help people out, by determining what support is needed. So if you do feel you need more support, don’t be afraid to reach out.

“

Dyslexia is more than just a label - it is a different way of thinking

“

Epigram / Jane Connolly

Dyslexia Awareness Week: do you really know what the condition is?

The University have stated that they offer a ‘range’ of support to students with dyslexia. ‘Once a student is diagnosed and registered with the team, we work with them to draw up recommendations to support them in their studies – for example, allowing them extra time, and being able to use a computer in exams. The team can also help with applications for Disabled Students’ Allowances. which can open up more funding for them, including one-toone mentoring sessions and specialist equipment.

The team also hold regular workshops and meetings to provide support and information to students who might be seeking a diagnosis or have questions about our services and processes.’

Histories of Bristol: From trains to planes via weather vanes The Bristol Aerospace Company was at the forefront of flight development for four decades from the 1910s Jack Charters Deputy Features Editor

Flickr / Alan Wilson

I

n the years following the Wright brothers’ famous 1903 flight, the global aviation industry was in a fledgling state, and research and development projects were amateurish. That was until train baron George White, Chairman of the highly successful Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, met one half of the famous flying duo: Wilbur Wright. Having been impressed by the profitability of flight, White set up the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company at Filton, Bristol.

Owing to the company’s

professional nature, plans for the first plane were made in just seven days.

The Bristol Boxkite was a complex and ungainly jumble of fabric, beams, and wires that looked more like a Da Vinci weather vane design than a plane. Yet, contrary to its appearance, it could indeed fly - and flew it did.

Temporary hangars were erected on Durdham Downs for demonstration

flights over the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Redland, and Westbury, drawing a huge audience. So successful was this biplane that 78 were made between 1910 and 1914, with four bought by the War Office.

Yet it was the World Wars that cemented the company’s reputation for aircraft design. Large orders of aircraft were made by the War Office

during the First World War, and there was also greater funding for the development of improved aircraft in an attempt to gain aerial superiority.

This led to the creation of the second generation of biplane, the Bristol F2 Fighter (pictured), of which 5,300 were built for the Royal Flying Corps.

In 1920 the Company was reformed into the now recognisable Bristol Aeroplane Company, taking onboard the aero division of rival business Cosmos Engineering Company in Fishponds. In the Interwar years, the company grew so that the Filton site became the world’s largest aircraft production facility.

During World War Two, the company produced twin engine bombers, such as the Beaufighter, and Blenheim that contributed significantly to Britain’s bombing campaigns. In 1949 Lord Brabazon released a report on future requirements for large Transatlantic

airliners. Consequently, the company began drafting the prototype for the Bristol Brabazon. Known colloquially as the ‘white elephant,’ the Brabazon was the largest aircraft at the time, fitting 96 people, bars, and a cinema.

With a hangar of seven and a half acres, and the entire town of Charlton needing to be levelled for its runway, the plane’s facilities were just as huge.

However there was little interest, which led to the project’s demise.

In addition, the Aeroplane Plastics Division helped create Glassfibre Reinforced Plastic, which came to be known as Fibreglass.

The beginning of the end came in 1956 when the company was split into Bristol Aircraft Limited and Bristol Aero Engines. The Bristol Aircraft Limited company was taken over by the British Aircraft Corp in 1960, marking the end of over 50 years of Bristolian aeronautical prestige.

Opinion

Editor Digital Editor Deputy Editor

Sabrina Miller Kofo Ajala Elisha Mans

EpiCartoon: The curse of Freshers' emails

Our second cartoon of the year looks at how different societies encourage students to participate in loads of activities

Alice Proctor SciTech and Sport Subeditor

Fancy yourself as a budding cartoonist?

Send in your submissions or ideas via email to opinion.epigram@ gmail.com

Entertainment Subeditor

B

lack History Month (BHM) is a celebration of the contributions black people have made to society and a recognition of the hardships they have faced and continue to face.

I am not Rachel Dolezal or Stacey Dash - my ethnicity has never been under question. Therefore, it should probably follow that, despite the fact that I am from a minority ethnic background, I should not be included in BHM narratives.

This all seems blindingly obvious.

And yet, apparently I need to remind people of this. From councils to the Army, more and more institutions are rebranding BHM to ‘Diversity Month’ or ‘BME History Month’.

To understand the issue with this, take a minute to unpack what the term BME means: it includes anybody who is not part of the ethnic majority

racism in some form.

Essentially, using the term BME, or having a BME history month is embedded in ideas of white normativism. Everyone else is only identified against whiteness, rather than having their own background recognised. A BME history month might seem inclusive, but it would become so broad that it would fail to adequately challenge the everyday racism that black people in the UK still face.

Not to mention that not every non-black person of colour is an ally for black people. In fact, the ‘model minority’ myth - where certain people of colour, often those from a Middle Eastern or South/East Asian background, are seen as the ‘good

ones’ - helps perpetuate racism by allowing those who are anti-black to falsely claim that their hatred is not rooted in racism.

Even worse, many non-black people of colour internalise this fiction and adopt anti-blackness themselves, using black people as a foil to boost their own position in society in a move that is both racist and also class-based, forgetting that freedom is merely privilege extended unless enjoyed by all.

To include all people of colour in BHM would therefore not only be so broad as to be meaningless, it would also overlook the fact that anti-black racism is not the same as other forms

“

Telling black people that their experience is no different to that of people of colour in general is a mass simplicfication

“

Siavash Minoukadeh

in the UK - anyone who is not white.

That’s 70% of the global population.

A month dedicated to the history of this group of the world may as well be just called history month, there’s just such a broad range .

To suggest that a person with a Middle Eastern background, such as myself, has enough in common with someone with a, for example, Caribbean background is absurd: our range of cultures, histories and experiences are so varied. The only common thread is that neither person is white and that both experience

of racism, and that anti-blackness can be, and is, a view held by many other people of colour.

In fact, telling black-people that their experience is no different to that of people of colour in general is

a mass simplification that overlooks the very specific forms of racism that are manifested in anti-blackness.

Whilst I have experienced racism, my parents were not invited to this country only to then be threatened

“

What I experience is nothing like what black people have faced at the hands of this country over centuries

“

Black History Month (BHM) is a celebration of black people - I'm BME but I should not be included

Bristol SU

Black History Month is not BME month

with deportation. Despite being a young person of colour living in London, I would never see people of my age and ethnicity splashed on tabloids above an article on gang violence.

I have faced, and continue to face, racism - especially in a place as overwhelmingly white as this university - but what I experience is nothing like what black people have faced at the hands of this country over centuries. To call these experiences the same would be a reductive and destructive move.

14 Opinion

epigram 14.10.2019

Debate: Can we ‘meat’ in the middle on ‘Meat Free Mondays’?

The illusory perfect flat Fallen out with your First Year flatmates? Don't worry, it's completely normal.

Fiorenza Dell'Anna

Natalie Beddows Second Year, English

I

n 2009, Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney launched the campaign ‘Meat Free Monday’.

Its aims were to draw attention to the harmful effects of meat consumption and production. Vegetarianism and veganism have become part of our culture and everyday lives, and the number of vegans and vegetarians is only growing.

Earlier this year, the University of Bristol declared a climate emergency and, as a result, introduced their first ‘Meat Free Monday’ within catered halls and the Balloon Bar at the SU. As an alternative to meat, students will be served a variety of vegan and vegetarian meat substitutes including tofu and jackfruit. ‘Meat Free Mondays’ offer many opportunities to discover and try new vegetarian and vegan foods, instead of eating the typical plate of meat, potatoes and gravy. For one day a week, students are forced to challenge themselves and diversify their diets. This has given students an opportunity to try new foods, such

“

Vegan and veggie meals have a lower carbon footprint

“

as the delectable seitan burger, - and who knows, maybe they’ll end up preferring this innovative, crueltyfree, environmentally friendly option, to the real thing.

Not only do ‘Meat Free Mondays’ encourage people to explore new foods, but a vegetarian diet offers many surprising health benefits. It is well known that red meats can increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, and so, not eating meat for one day a week could decrease a

person’s risk of this.

On top of this, including more plant-based and vegetarian foods within a diet provides fibre and many nutrients and minerals that are not usually available in meat products.

Of course, not eating meat doesn’t just benefit our health, but ‘Meat Free Mondays’ also have a wider positive impact on the planet. Meat-free meals are generally lower cost partly due to the cost of the production of meat.

This benefits students on a budget as plant-based foods are more widely available and cheaper to produce.

Vegan and vegetarian meals additionally have a lower carbon footprint than those containing meat as meat production increases greenhouse gases, harming the environment. By cutting meat out of your diet for one day of the week you can hugely impact the planet positively by minimising your carbon footprint and reducing pollution, as well as conserving the environment.

By amplifying the message about ‘Meat Free Mondays’, we can raise awareness about the health, cost and environmental benefits of eating meat-free for at least one day a week. And now that meat-free meals are more widely available in the University’s catered halls, this message can be spread even further, helping students to reduce their intake of meat to help benefit the planet.

More drastic action must be taken for students to have a greater environmental impact

Shoshana Cohen

Second Year, English s of last week, 'Meat Free Mondays' have now hit the University of Bristol, with catered accommodation and the SU Balloon Bar not serving any meat on Mondays. This development comes soon after the University declared a climate emergency and reflects the concerns of students and the wider population of the impact of the meat industry on the environment.

As the damage human beings have been doing to the environment becomes less sustainable and more dangerous and with the rise of figures such as Greta Thunberg and movements including Extinction Rebellion, it has become clear that we are indeed facing a climate emergency. And so environmental vegetarianism and veganism has become more popular, with the rise of campaigns such as 'Veganuary' (however you pronounce that). A concept such as 'Meat Free Monday' aims to encourage individuals to make a small change and contribute something in order to help save our planet.

However, the idea that not eating meat is better for the environment is not universally accepted in the scientific world. Some plants and

A

Epigram / Alice Proctor

Meat Free Mondays prove that the University really cares about the environment

No wish to cause beef, but this does little to fight climate change meat-alternatives have higher carbon emissions in terms of production and transportation than some types of meat. Importing fruits typically grown in faraway countries with warmer climates, such as banana blossoms and jackfruits, is not better for the environment than local and sustainably produced meat.

Furthermore, catered halls only serve two meals on Mondays: breakfast and dinner. Not serving meat at two meals a week, to a relatively small proportion of the student population is not going to have the impact needed in the face

“

Most students won't feel the effects of this policy at all

“

Meat Free Mondays are a step in the right direction

Unsplash / Erik Odiin

Unsplash / Anna Pelzer

First Year (of Bristol), English and Spanish

of climate change. Most university students do not live in catered halls; most students won’t feel the effects of this policy at all.

This is definitely a step in the right direction – given that the foods on the meat-free menus do have a smaller carbon footprint than the meat they are replacing.

However, it appears to be quite a small step. Of course, the university cannot impose environmental vegetarianism on all of its students, but a lot more needs to be done to stop the damage we are doing to the environment. Goldsmiths University, for example, has completely banned beef – which has a dangerously high carbon footprint - from being sold on its campus. An action like that is necessary if the University of Bristol wants to fulfil its pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2030.

Climate change is, as the university has recognised, an emergency. More than 'Meat-Free Monday' is needed to avert it.

O

ne phrase I'm sick of is 'you'll make friends for life at university'. I heard it so often that it became an expectation I projected onto the first people I met here: my flatmates. While you undeniably will meet great friends at university, it won't always be your first-year flatmates. There are a myriad of reasons for which you may deem your flatmates offputting, from messy shared areas, to the lack of shared interests, or exclusive behaviours. Guilty of gullibility, I bought into the utopian promise and was at first disappointed. I know exactly how frustrating it can be when talking to others who 'got so lucky' and are 'best friends' with their whole flat during Freshers' Week. Allow me to guarantee that even in such cases, it can merely be the honeymoon phase of a flat who will have the odd squabble. I spent the majority of my first term desperately trying to be the glue that kept my flat together - with little success. Like many others, I was driven by the rhetoric that became something of a daunting obligation to have a fulfilling uni experience. I remember halfway through the year complaining to one flatmate that I didn’t have anything in common with any of the others. After a long pause, she said, ‘I don’t know why you expected everyone in the flat to be best friends, it’s completely normal that we aren’t’. Having reasonable expectations of others is essential.

That moment made me realise that unrealistic expectations had been forced upon us all. That is not to say one must suffer in silence, but reasonable expectations is needed for comfortable living. As someone who waited idly for serendipitous changes of circumstances, I must stress you will be disappointed if you do. Join a society to keep yourself sane both in terms of your course and your, perhaps disagreeable, flatmates. While it takes an immense dose of courage and disregard for the awkwardness of small talk with hundreds of people, it is definitely worthwhile.

The same goes for trying to make friends on your course, something which I would highly recommend.

As Virgil states ‘someday, perhaps, remembering even this will be a pleasure.’ Personally, I look back on the oddities of my first year flat and remember it fondly.

Opinion 15

14.10.2019 epigram

Anonymity fundamental in Bristruths posting student views Ellie Brown Opinion Subeditor

T

here is a certain type of Bristruth that is guaranteed to get a response. Though only a minority of comments amongst the jokes, complaints and stories voice polarising opinions, there is usually a correlation between ‘popular’ posts and ‘sensitive’ issues. Examples of these slightly touchier topics include a defence of the Warwick ‘lads’ who set up the misogynistic ‘rape group chat’ and, more recently, one branding the Feminists for Pro-Life society at the Freshers’ Fair ‘disgusting.’

For some, the presence of these

views on the page is evidence that Bristruths has gone too far. They argue that it must do more to ban potentially upsetting or offensive views from its page. In a similar vein, others think that a page with such importance in student culture should not be moderated by anonymous admins as such power becomes unaccountable. Though I have sympathy with some of these views, I disagree with them.

Whilst it's certainly true that sometimes online debates can and do become toxic descending quickly into shouting matches and personal attacks, this doesnt happen too often. Discussions can and have been productive; people share personal stories, they battle it out over statistics and often finish with an invitation to DM me, or come to my

society to learn more.

There will always be exceptions to this rule, but the page’s admins always have the option to report or delete comments. Knowing when to do this is another question – and given that the page’s admins are anonymous, it's hard to know whether the views of admins interfere with the page’s content .

However, in my opinion, it doesn’t matter that Bristruth's admins

“

It doesn’t matter that the admins are anonymous, because they are accountable in many other ways

“

The submissions page is an honest reflection of the opinions and conversations of Bristol students

are anonymous, because they are accountable in so many other ways.

The page still has to abide by laws against hate speech, even if Facebook has been a bit lax at enforcing this in the past. More importantly, the admins are accountable to their readers, and are only going to remain popular and authentic if they share the content that students want to read.

Posts which are controversial may get more traffic and reactions, but they are also likely to anger people.

The Bristruths page can always be unfollowed, and complaints can always be sent in.

Anonymity, in my opinion, is a fundamental part of Bristruths.

It protects the admins from abusive messages and their anonymous submission form does the same with those who post controversial views.

This gives students the confidence to be honest about what they think, without fear of consequence or ostracisation.

Free speech exists for a reason, people can and do disagree with each other, so it is fair for a message board representing students in all their diversity to reflect this to an extent.

However, there are boundaries.

Bullying and attacks on named individuals is forbidden.

Bristruths doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a conversation between students, so nothing there is more controversial than that which

may b e overheard at a party or down the pub. In fact, it might be better for students to know these views are out there, so they can combat them – either by talking to others in the comments section or joining a wider political campaign.

Bristruths is not perfect, and I accept that. The pressures of gaining internet traffic and keeping as many students as interested and engaged as possible means that it is likely to represent an exaggerated version of student life. But most students know this, and there is no more controversy here than in any other corner of the internet. Why should Bristruths – an online community run by students, for students – be any different?

N

ominations to become a National Union of Students' delegate are now open. I know what you’re thinking.

You’re obviously incredibly excited to involve yourself in this invaluable organisation. I’m well aware that you’re chomping at the bit to either run in the election or to cast your vote for the candidate that best represents you and your interests. That’s definitely what’s going through your mind right now. Oh wait.

When I ran to become an NUS delegate more people asked me ‘what’s the NUS?’ than ‘what are your policies?’. Most of my votes were ‘earned’ by politely asking my friends, not because people thought me to be a particularly good or able candidate. I was supposedly elected to represent 30,000 students at Bristol university; I was elected with

“

The NUS is out of touch and largely unrepresentative

“

Opinion Editor

170 votes.

What does this mean? It means that a large majority of students have no interest in or understanding of the NUS or what it actually does.

The NUS is out of touch and largely unrepresentative. It has a limited understanding of what most students care about. That is why official NUS policy includes abolishing the monarchy, banning clapping at conference and boycotting Israel.

Obviously, all the key priorities of students up and down this country.

No wonder students have no interest in participating in the NUS. Policies passed by this organisation don't really ever impact the lives of

most students. If the NUS continues to act in this way it will continue to lose relevancy.

Nationally, the NUS has lost its

legitimacy. In 2017 it was branded as ‘broken’ by The Telegraph. In 2016 The Guardian asked, ‘Is the NUS beyond repair?’, and at its most recent conference the NUS almost went bankrupt. Frustratingly this means that when the NUS tries to talk about something important, like liberation groups, or student housing, they often get ignored or overlooked.

I went and I tried to engage with this organisation. What was incredibly ironic was that whilst at NUS I was terrified to share my political opinion. A space that has been branded as ‘safe’ by so many, was, for me, incredibly hostile.

Opinion was viciously polarised, and everything felt passive aggressive

and personal. I literally chewed my nails to the stub from utter stress.

I felt sly. I was whipped like a horse on almost every single one of my votes. I was voting for policy I didn’t understand, and people I didn’t really support. It all felt incredibly deceitful and I was incredibly uncomfortable the whole time. I'm incredibly sorry and frustrated that I allowed myself to be manipulated like a puppet whilst I was a delegate. NUS isn’t about voting for what you believe in, it is about playing a game of politics, like something from House of Cards.

Again it's no wonder that students have no faith in delegates, who vote with factions rather than fact.

I’m not here to criticise the NUS for

no reason. I did actually have quite an enjoyable time at conference, mainly because of the really interesting and passionate delegates I went with, but there are some deep flaws in the way this organisation runs. The NUS has so much potential. It could and should become an organisation that unites students, and represents their needs on a national level.

It can, however, only do that if it

“

A space that was branded as ‘safe’ was actually incredibly hostile

“

Our Opinion Editor shares her experiences of the NUS Sabrina Miller

NUS

Student politics: a hotbed of hostility and virtue signalling

focuses on issues that students on the ground really genuinely care about and looks past these divisive and unhelpful factions.

Housing costs. Mental health.

Tuition fees. Liberation groups. This is what our NUS should focus on; not international politics.

Please engage and please vote, but vote for candidates that will make NUS relevant to you.

Postgraduate open day Discover the benefits of postgraduate study at Bristol.

Explore our excellent facilities, outstanding student support and buzzing city campus at our open day.

Book your place today at: bristol.ac.uk/ep-pg-openday

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor

IIIIIIdylka

SciTech

Want to write for SciTech? Join our writers’ group!

Vilhelmiina Haavisto Isobel O’Loughlin Topaz Maitland

Synthetic vaccines developed using cloud computing

“

Our vaccine candidate is easy to manufacture, extremely stable and elicits a powerful immune response

most successful cases such as smallpox being completely eradicated due to vaccination. One of the problems with many current vaccines is that they require constant refrigeration to remain stable. This is especially

Flickr / Chris Potter

Flickr / AJC1

A

new type of vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus Chikungunya was synthesised by a collaboration of researchers from the University of Bristol and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), with help from tech giant Oracle. The article, published in Science Advances on September 25th, revealed a promising Chikungunya vaccine candidate engineered using a synthetic protein scaffold which could revolutionise the way vaccines are made.

Chikungunya is a virus transmitted through the bite of mosquitos carrying the disease. It is similar to Zika and Dengue fever, causing crippling headache, vomiting, swelling of limbs and sometimes death. Chikungunya causes 3 million infections a year and although historically it was confined to Africa, deforestation and climate change have allowed the host mosquitoes to spread worldwide, with outbreaks reported in over a quarter of all

problematic in developing countries, where most outbreaks occur, as they do not have the infrastructure for transporting refrigerated vaccines en masse. However, this is not the case for ADDomer. ‘Viruses are waiting to strike, and we need to have the tools ready to tackle this global threat. Our vaccine candidate is easy to manufacture, extremely stable and elicits a powerful immune response,’ said Imre Berger, adding that ‘it can be stored and transported without refrigeration to countries and patients where it is most needed.

Intriguingly, we can now rapidly engineer similar vaccines to combat many other infectious diseases just as well.’

ADDomer’s structure was determined using a powerful new technique called cryo-electron microscopy, recently installed at Bristol’s state-of-the-art microscopy facility. Cryo-EM produces very large datasets from which the structure of a molecule can be determined in near-atomic resolution, requiring massive computing power. Using Oracle’s high-performance cloud infrastructure, an accurate 3D model of the synthetic vaccine was created in record time and at a minimal cost.

Phil Bates, leading cloud architect at Oracle, commented that ‘researchers have had a long tradition of building and installing their own

supercomputers on-premises, but cloud computing is allowing them to run large data sets in record time, with fast connectivity and low latency.

This is helping them crunch data and make scientific breakthroughs much faster.’

A Bristol biotech start-up, Imophoron Ltd., is developing new vaccines derived from the present work. The founder, Fred Garzoni, added that ‘many challenges in the industry require innovative solutions, to bring powerful new vaccines to patients. Matching cutting-edge synthetic biology with cloud computing turned out to be a winner.’ Cloud computing has become increasingly important in many areas of science. Any

research which generates large amounts of raw data can benefit from using it as a cheaper, quicker alternative to custom-building a supercomputer. Cloud computing has recently been used in seismology research to process data collected from a continent-scale survey of seismic signatures. According to Jonathan MacCarthy of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, ‘using a traditional workflow…this work would’ve taken more than 40 days to do. Using the cloud service, it took just under 7 hours.’ Cloud computing is also being used in theoretical physics and mathematical research, and has great potential for future work in all these fields.

ccPixs.com

Fourth year, Chemistry

“

Tom Farnell

countries so far.

The inspiration for the research was explained by Imre Berger, Director of the Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, who said that the team ‘figured that we could insert small, harmless bits of Chikungunya to generate a viruslike mimic we could potentially use as a vaccine’. This was done using a scaffold named ADDomer to build up the vaccine molecule, which looks like the Chikungunya virus on the outside and prompts the immune system to create antibodies to remove it. However, unlike the actual virus, ADDomer contains no genetic information so will not infect human cells and self-replicate.

Vaccination is an extremely powerful tool for preventing the spread of infectious diseases, with the

Unsplash / George Pagan III

Cloud computing is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for Bristol researchers working in vaccine development.

Let’s-a-go! The Mario Kart app arrives

Digital Film & Television Editor

“

Mario Kart Tour is simple to use and the gameplay is quick, convenient and enjoyable

screen in the direction you would like them to go – there is a large arrow extending from your character to help you with this.

As you drive you can collect different items to help you as you race, including banana skins to stop players behind you, objects for stopping players ahead of you and a variety of other items to help increase

Flickr / AJC1 Images courtesy of University of Bristol Press Office

M

ario Kart Tour is the latest spin-off from Nintendo’s popular game Mario Kart and the company’s most recent venture into mobile gaming.

It was released on September 19th 2019 for Android and iOS. As a PC and console gamer who loves racing games, I was excited to give this new Mario Kart a test drive on my mobile!

Firstly, to play the game you will need to sign up with a Nintendo account or link your game to a previously created one. Initially, I had some difficulty linking my account, but was eventually able to connect it after switching to the

your speed for a short period of time. Each race consists of eight real players and as you complete different races new themed ones will gradually become unlocked. Harder difficulties that increase the speed of the race also become available as you progress. In the beginning you start off with one character and more become unlocked as you complete races and earn more points. Levelling up specific items or characters in your inventory increase the amount of points you earn from each race.

The game itself is free to play and there are optional in-app purchases available if you wish to fill your inventory more quickly.

Overall, Mario Kart Tour is simple to use and the gameplay is quick, convenient and enjoyable. As I mostly play on PC and console, I found that it was remarkably easy to use and to adapt to the controls. The graphics are good for a mobile game and the aesthetic is bright and fun.

As you can currently play the game for free, it is definitely worth taking it out for a spin yourself!

Epigram / Vihlelmiina Haavisto

Laura Aish

default browser on my phone for the linking up process.

Once you access the game, the menu is a little overwhelming and full of buttons and options. The racing style itself is simple and, with a bit of practice, easy to use. To guide your character whilst driving you must move your finger across the

“

Mamma mia, start your engines! Epigram reviews Mario Kart Tour for smart devices, which brings all the old fun to the current mobile gaming landscape.

18 SciTech

epigram 14.10.2019

Genevieve Clapp Second Year, Medicine

article published on The Startup provides a comprehensive guide to digital minimalism, starting with interventions such as choosing a clean desktop wallpaper that won’t distract you and hiding apps that you use to procrastinate.

For many people, a ‘digital detox’ can be useful. This is a period of time when you refrain from using social media, or from using your devices entirely. This can show you how reliant on technology you usually are and the higher value activities you can be doing instead.

If this is not possible, there are other things you can try to build healthier digital habits. One example is blocking all notifications aside from phone calls and texts. Another is to try restricting the times of the day that you check your phone; either check it at a few set points in the day or put your phone on Do Not Disturb after a certain point in the evening.

“

Allowing ourselves to become distracted and our minds to wander is a sign of a healthy mind

Technology can also be used to your advantage, with apps that increase your productivity. Student favourites include apps like Forest,

which prevent you from accessing your device entirely. On Forest, your phone plants a virtual tree that dies if you come off the app, so it uses negative re-enforcement to stop you from scrolling endlessly.

Another suggestion is Flipd, which allows you to block specific apps.

Therefore, you can access the apps you need whilst blocking those that divert your attention. This can also be done on some phones through builtin settings. The equivalent for laptops would be chrome extensions such as StayFocusd, where you can blacklist certain websites. Blocking your

access to distractions can help you to regain control over your time online and build a healthier relationship with technology.

Many of us now use our phones as a method to not look lonely when we’re alone in public. Ironically, if we all stepped away from technology for a few hours per day, we could probably meet a lot more people.

Although it has been proven that we get a rush of dopamine after seeing that a friend has liked a post, forging a bond with another person will almost definitely result in a higher dose.

SciTech at UoB

by Isobel O’Loughlin

New civic innovation partnership established

The £33 million renovation of the Fry building has been completed, two years after the initial goal date. It now houses the School of Mathematics. New facilities include lecture theatres, study spaces, teaching rooms, a roof garden, and a Voronoi patterned brise-soleil to shade the atrium. Professor Noah Linden called the new facilities an ‘outstanding home’ for ‘a worldleading mathematics department.’

by Vilhelmiina Haavisto

Both the University and the City of Bristol have joined the Metrolab network, an international collaborative focused on civic innovation. Both parties have a strong precedent of civic projects, such as smart tourism and the 5GUK test network. Ges Rosenberg, Research Fellow at the University, said that the network will create ‘an opportunity to collaborate and convene with universities and local governments internationally.’

Epigram / Isaac Haigh

Eating with family and friends leads to up to 48 per cent greater food consumption compared to eating alone, a new review paper shows. This was collaborative research between the Universities of Bristol, Birmingham and New South Wales. The social facilitation effect uncovered is believed to be a hard-wired strategy inherited from our hunter-gatherer ancestors that would have ensured food security and promoted social cohesion.

Refurbished Fry building open to students and staff

by Vilhelmiina Haavisto

Flickr / Charlie Marshall

Social eating increases food intake

Unslpash / Doyoun Seo

T

he average person in the UK spends 24 hours per week online, according to a 2018 Ofcom report. This is a staggering figure considering that it was only 12 hours per week just a decade ago.

Combined with articles suggesting that technology has reduced the human attention span to less than that of a goldfish, it is apparent that excessive usage is a problem for many people. But in a culture centred around the internet, is trying to limit our time online a good idea?

After all, ignoring rapid-fire messages and emails could lead to missing deadlines or meetings with friends. Take Freshers’ Week for example; most of the information regarding what events were on was delivered through email and Facebook, so not using technology to its advantage could have led to social isolation. What’s more, the first contact we have with course mates is quite often via social media group chats.

A significant number of studies also suggest that allowing ourselves

to become distracted and our minds to wander is a sign of a healthy mind and helps to foster creativity.

However, there is a difference between getting lost in thought and falling into the black hole of the internet. When the mind wanders naturally, we notice things around us and draw inspiration from them; online, we are restricted by what an RSS feed is showing us.

Apart from possible limits to our creativity, increased technology use has also been associated with several health problems. Many of these we would expect, such as increased risk of obesity and depression, but a 2019 article in the British Medical Journal also suggested that there was some evidence for increased hyperactivity, inattention and poor cognitive development.

An increasingly popular solution to these problems is digital minimalism, a concept popularised by computer science professor and author Cal Newport. It follows the same principle of the minimalist movement; you examine whether a digital tool adds value to your life, and if it doesn’t, you delete it. The end goal isn’t to cut out all technology, but rather to cut down and use it more intentionally.

So how do you implement digital minimalism into your life? A good place to start is by checking your screen-time via your phone settings.

This may push you to make changes in how you spend your time. An

“

In our technology-obsessed culture, should we be limiting our screen-time?

Digital minimalism is one way to do just that.

Unsplash / Ben Kolde

Digital minimalism: should we detox from our devices?

14.10.2019 epigram

SciTech 19

SciTech Editor

H

Unsplash / David Clode

annah Rose and Elspeth Taylor, two 4th year veterinary medicine students, spent their time at the Welcome Fair enthusiastically engaging with students about their campaigning group Bristol on Ecosia. Their goal is to convince the University of Bristol (UoB) to switch all of its computers’ default search engines to Ecosia, which uses searches to plant trees. Elspeth notes that ‘many students use it already, but may not be aware of our campaign.’

It has been a busy year for Bristol on Ecosia. Hannah and Elspeth delivered a speech at last term’s Bristol SU Annual Members Meeting (AMM), where they called for the University to switch to Ecosia to become ‘more sustainable’ and highlight how small changes can make a big difference.

They also stressed the positive impacts of Ecosia-funded projects around the world, from CO2 removal from the atmosphere to ‘providing employment and an income’ to the communities where these projects are implemented. The motion passed, which was a key achievement for the campaign. ‘[The AMM pass] shows

a press release when this target is reached – Henderson stresses that this would be ‘great publicity’ for all the Universities involved, as it shows a clear ‘commitment to sustainability and climate action.’

The pioneering declaration of a climate emergency in April 2019 and the commitment made to become carbon-neutral by 2030 show that UoB is serious about sustainability.

Bristol on Ecosia has been in contact with Martin Wiles, Head

“

as Extinction Rebellion and Roots Community Gardening, he expressed an interest in ‘investigating whether [Ecosia]…might help reduce [the University’s] carbon emissions…and what its benefits would be’, especially considering the climate emergency declaration.

At the time of writing, over 8 million Ecosia users around the world have planted almost 70 million trees with their searches. Ecosia calls itself a ‘carbon negative’ search engine,

as each search ‘removes 1kg of CO2 from the air’ through tree-planting and use of renewable energies. ‘It’s a much greener alternative,’ Elspeth points out.

Signatures are steadily filling the pledge to commit to using Ecosia by the early afternoon, and it is obvious that students have many reasons to care about the campaign. To those still on the fence, Hannah emphasises the ‘massive social and environmental impacts’ of the community-based projects that Ecosia funds in countries such as Ghana, Indonesia, and Nicaragua. Elspeth ‘personally doesn’t notice the difference’ between Google and Ecosia – ‘[internet searches] are something you do every day’, she says, ‘and switching the engine you do them on to Ecosia is a small, easy change to make.’

You can start using Ecosia to search the internet and add your tree count to UoB’s total at https://ecosia.co/ bristoluniversity, and find the ‘Bristol on Ecosia’ campaign on Facebook.

Ecosia on Campus’s target is to plant 100,000 trees by the end of 2019

Epigram/Bristol on Ecosia

Vilhelmiina Haavisto

that the students back our cause’, Hannah says, citing student support as major leverage for talks with senior University staff. Hannah and Elspeth believe that the three years for which the SU guarantees to support passed AMM motions is ‘plenty of time’ to achieve their goal.

The Europe-wide initiative Ecosia on Campus has already seen success at several universities across the UK, including the Universities of Swansea and Sussex. Fred Henderson, a Sussex graduate and co-founder of Ecosia on Campus, was also present at the Welcome Fair stall. Since the successful Sussex campaign, Henderson has worked with institutes such as the Sorbonne in Paris and The Hague University in the Netherlands.

He has witnessed the immediate effects of a campus-wide switch to Ecosia firsthand. Henderson tells Epigram that ‘since switching to Ecosia, Sussex Uni have facilitated the planting of over 13,000 trees.’

There are currently over 20 Ecosia campaigns across UK campuses, with Leeds, Sunderland, UCL and Imperial College London all showing great promise according to Henderson.

“UoB’s is one of the biggest,” he says.

At the time of writing, Bristol users have planted over 240 trees with their 36,000 searches.

Ecosia on Campus’s target is to plant 100,000 trees by the end of 2019. Henderson admits - not without optimism - that ‘40,000 trees have been planted so far across all participating campuses, so there’s still work to be done’.

Ecosia on Campus plan to put out

“

Epigram interviews students campaigning for the University to embrace a greener search engine.

Epigram / Vilhelmiina Haavisto

The Bristol on Ecosia campaign continues

of Sustainability at UoB, who told Epigram that he is ‘keen to support a range of Student Sustainability Projects by providing resources, support, or connecting the students with the right people.’ Having already worked with groups such

Isobel O’Loughlin Deputy SciTech Editor

“

There is currently too little information for women to make well-informed decisions

Out of the women in the study, 43 per cent had taken it during mid-pregnancy (between 18 and 32 weeks). It was found to have had adverse effects on their children until

at least the end of primary school.

These children were found to have a greater likelihood of attention and hyperactivity problems, as well as behavioural issues otherwise unaccounted for. Interestingly, boys’ behaviour was found to be more impacted than that of girls.

Two other European studies have explored a similar question, using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study and the Danish National Birth Cohort. These have also found a link between paracetamol usage during pregnancy and an increased risk of ADHD diagnosis.

The Bristol research adds to this existing evidence of paracetamol’s adverse effects.

Despite this growing evidence, much more work needs to be done on the topic. The nature of this research is such that only an association can been found, so these findings bring up more questions: why would

Flickr / AJC1

D

ata from 14,000 children were examined as part of the ‘Children of the 90s’ project, a long-term study by the University. It has been conducted on pregnant women, their children and now their grandchildren since it began in 1991.

Previous research on the use of the drug during pregnancy has uncovered a link with the development of asthma. However, this particular study focused on childhood behaviour and neurocognitive problems, building on suggestions

from smaller scale studies that these factors may be affected.

To determine whether there was a link, researchers used records of the children’s IQ and memory tests up to the age of 17 and details of their behaviour up to the age of 11. These datasets were compared between children whose mothers had taken paracetamol during pregnancy and those whose mothers had not.

“

Paracetamol is commonly used for pain relief during pregnancy, but new Bristol research suggests that it may not be as safe to take as previously thought.

paracetamol usage have these effects? Do these behavioural issues continue into adult life?

The study raises the wider issue of pregnant women taking medication which has not been extensively researched. Drugs such as paracetamol can have potentially adverse effects on their child’s

Epigram / Vilhelmiina Haavisto

Safety of paracetamol use during pregnancy questioned

development, but there is currently too little information for women to make well-informed decisions on what is safe to take.

NHS guidelines currently state that paracetamol is safe to use during pregnancy. However, research such as this suggests that these guidelines should be reviewed.

Our top 9 welcome week moments

Tropic Like It's Hot Our opening night kicked off Welcome Week with some high energy in SWX.

International Food Festival It was great to see so many of our cultural societies together. Plus the building smelled amazing – so much good food…

Karaoke The Balloon Bar was full, the singing was enthusiastic and the atmoshpere was buzzing. Possibly the event of the week.

Board Game Cafe

The Rave Forest

You filled the Anson Rooms for a large scale pub quiz. The gift that kept on quizzing.

We filled the Bristol SU Living Room with board games and you all came to play, with no monopoly induced stress.

Incredible. Our biggest night of the week. If you were one of the thousands there, you’ll know how great it was.

Plant Potting

Welcome Fair

LUSH Labs

Over 500 plants were potted over two different events - you all love your plants!

Despite the rain over 12000 of you joined us on the Downs for our biggest event of the year.

The Big Fat Bristol RAG Pub Quiz

Starting term the right way – making bath bombs so you can enjoy a bit of self-care later on.

Film & TV

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor Deputy Digital Editor

Leah Martindale Louie Bell Laura Aish Tom Goulde

Spotlight On... Black History Month

Ava DuVernay Siavash Minoukadeh Entertainment Sub-Editor

A

s a female AfricanAmerican filmmaker, Ava DuVernay’s career has been an inspiration for many.

Nneka Udoh’s sentiment that “hearing her speak, it gives me a lot of confidence to do just what she does” is one shared by many, from Oprah to Anita Hall.

Her films have gone down in history and given her multiple ‘firsts’: first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe for direction, first black woman-directed film to be nominated for an Academy Award, first black woman to direct a film with a budget of over $100m.

Frankly, her success should not be this exceptional, but due to the continued presence of racism and sexism in the film industry, DuVernay’s blockbuster success is a major achievement.

What is even more impressive about DuVernay’s career is how she has managed to make history herself telling the stories of AfricanAmericans who did the same before her. Her breakthrough feature Selma (2014) captured Martin Luther King Jr.’s organisation of the iconic civil rights march in Alabama in the summer of 1965.

This story and its central figure are familiar for most audiences, but DuVernay’s emphasis on the march itself, and the tensions that came before it, set Selma apart from other historical biopics. The impact is instead placed on the history of the march, and the impact that MLK’s radical beliefs have had.

DuVernay also tackled another key moment in recent African-American history in her Netflix miniseries When They See Us (2019) which told

the story of the Exonerated Five - five young black and latinx men who in 1989 were wrongly accused of raping a woman.

Not content with how we see black history, DuVernay has also attempted to broaden how audiences perceive the future. Her debut sci-fi film A Wrinkle in Time (2018) took the popular novel of the same name and boldly adapted it for not only the screen, but for diverse contemporary audiences.

A Wrinkle in Time displayed DuVernay’s vision to expand the prominence of African-Americans in fictional futures, providing

“

She has built her

activist ethos into

every aspect of her filmaking career

“

This Black History Month, our writers shine a spotlight on their favourite black filmmakers and actors

an inspiration for black children growing up today.

This is what sets DuVernay apart from her peers: she has built her activist ethos into every aspect of her filmmaking career.

She has not settled for being a history-making filmmaker herself, and is instead trying to make sure that although she was a ‘first’, she won’t be the only one.

In a cinema landscape where so many films are trying to capture the spirit of grassroots outrage felt by so many of us, few filmmakers have managed to create a career that is as comprehensively impactful on African-American history and communities as DuVernay’s has been.

Born in Chicago in 1971, the beginning of Robinson’s career was unassuming. Following his stints at Illinois State University and Saint Xavier University in 1994, he became an elementary school music teacher like his mother. However, this was not to last.

Concurrent with his academic pursuits, Robinson took improvisation classes and did open mic sessions and comedy circuits in not just his hometown of Chicago, but also Los Angeles and New York. This garnered attention from casting executives, who cast him as bit parts in Arrested Development (2003-), Friends (19942004), and Pineapple Express (2008).

However, his big break came at the relatively late age of 34 with his introduction in the first series of the American version of The Office in 2005, where he took on the role as no nonsense warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin. His discreet mocking of bumbling office manager Michael Scott (Carell) contributed significantly to the awkward yet humorous dynamic between warehouse and office staff, quickly turning his character into a fan favourite.

Consequently, he was promoted to a starring role in the series in 2014, appearing in 120 episodes. For this he received many award nominations, including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series 2011-13, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 20092013.

Not one to limit himself, Robinson also performs with his band ‘The Nasty Delicious’ alongside his brother Chris Rob. The band, although not commercially successful, became a comedy hit, featuring on the soundtrack of Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), in which Robinson starred.

Robinson is one half of the comedy duo L. Witherspoon & Chucky, who

IMDb / Brooklyn Nine-Nine

IMDb / Selma

Deputy Features Editor

Oscar Michaeux Leah Martindale Film & TV Editor

that infiltrated his neighbours, police officers, law-makers, and peers alike is impossible to comprehend in today’s society. With Jim Crow era lynchings declining in frequency mere months before the film’s release, Within Our Gates was not just a political statement, it was a matter of life-or-death.

“

Michaeux’s films were by black filmakers for black audiences

As the fifth of thirteen children born to a freed slave in Illinois, Oscar Micheaux was dealt a difficult card when he was born in 1884. Despite this, he managed to make history as the first African-American producer of a feature film as shockingly early as 1919.

As a writer, performer, director, and producer, Micheaux was a trailblazer in the black filmmaking milieu and the history of film more broadly.

Michaeux’s death of heart disease in

Micheaux’s life is an example of the lost history of black and AfricanAmerican cinema. With an estimated over 400 films lost to history, technology, and undoubtedly racism, his longevity as an artist is a testimony to his pieces’ exceptionally wide reach, interest, and historical importance.

Micheaux’s legacy has only grown posthumously. As well as receiving awards from organisations ranging from the Hollywood Walk of Fame to

1951 preceded the American Civil Rights Movement by approximately three years, by which time he had managed to amass 39 writing, 42 directoral, and 38 producing credits. At just 17, he moved cross-country, and within a few years became a homeowner in South Dakota, where his ‘blue collar’ white neighbours inspired his early screenplays.

His novel Homesteader inspired his 1919 feature The Homesteader. After raising the money to produce the film by selling stock to white businesspeople, the film was put into production, forever changing the landscape of cinema.

As a forerunner of the ‘race film’ genre, Micheaux’s films were by black filmmakers for black audiences, a rarity in early cinema. ‘Race films’ gave light to actors otherwise sidelined by racist cinema, many of whom are unfortunately still sidelined today.

Micheaux notoriously produced Within Our Gates (1920), a film acting in response to the 1915 cinematic glorification of the Ku Klux Klan, The Birth of a Nation. The bravery it took to openly criticise the racist structures

the Directors Guild of America, the Micheaux award has been created by the Producers’ Guild Hall of Fame, and he has film festivals curated in his name. Postal stamps bearing his image, positionings on lists of the 100 Greatest African Americans, and even a documentary on his life have been created: while Micheaux described his films as ‘narrow at times’, history has remembered them as anything but.

Micheaux’s extensive career and life-and-death dedication to his craft affords him a position in all of our Black History Month remembrances. The pioneers of our wonderful craft faced issues with technology, distribution, and development - add in racial discrimination as a factor and the feat he acheieved seems near impossible.

And yet, Micheaux persevered - and for this, he can be called nothing other than an icon.

Library of Congress / Michaeux Book and Film Company

Jack Charters

have performed for HBO on Jimmy Kimmel Live (2003-) and on Comedy Central. He is also a prolific voice actor, featuring in Sausage Party (2016), Shrek Forever After (2010), and American Dad! (2005-). Robinson stands out to me due to his powerful screen presence, which radiates an impression of cool collectedness whilst he delivers the funniest of performances.

“

Craig Robinson

Read these ‘Spotlight On...’ articles in full on the Epigram website!

Film & TV

2019. Warner Bros

‘Is it me, or is it getting crazier out there’ are Arthur Fleck’s (Joaquin Phoenix) first words in Joker (2019), Todd Phillips’ controversial origin story of Batman’s most famous villain.

Strangely, my own thoughts echoed this at the finale of this bizarre, uncomfortable, but ultimately enjoyable film.

The streets of grimy Gotham city get wilder, with rats chewing on garbage left out in the street the first of many nods to Scorsese - and anti-rich riots about to ignite. Fleck is slowly subjected to endless emotional

abrasion, the loss of multiple clown-jobs, and the failure of his stand-up career.

His life made even harder by the presence of a condition that produces uncontrollable, hacking laughter during anxious or painful situations. After attacking three rich city-boys, Arthur’s clown mask becomes the emblem of the anti-rich sentiment worming through Gotham and for the first time in his sad life, people begin to see him.

Blending extreme violence, darkness, and horror with poignant emotional development and, fittingly enough - comedy, Joker explores the collapsing mental state of a man who is utterly unable to engage with the rest of the world. Phoenix’s portrayal of Fleck is an outrageous performance; the physicality of his warped, skeletal frame embodying the mental trauma of his character - without a doubt the standout aspect of the film.

Lawrence Sher’s creeping cinematography switches between removed wide shots as we follow Arthur in his wanderings around Gotham, to uncomfortably-close explorations of his pained face, contorted into a terrifying screech - laughter has never looked so painful.

Joker is as warped as its main character, shifting strangely from dreadful violence to slapstick, and strange beauty in moments, but the sound filling the cinema as the credits rolled summed it all up completely - the sound of laughter.

Joker is in cinemas now

Encounters Film Festival Our writers pick the standout short films from this year’s festival held at Watershed Bristol Louie Bell Deputy Film & TV Editor

Encounters Film Festival is the UK’s leading short film festival, held at the Watershed Cinema at the harbourside in Bristol. Spanning from the 24th-29th September 2019, the days are packed with screenings, compilations and awards for diverse films from all over the world. This year produced films of some of the highest calibre yet, exploring animation, projection and VR. It would be easy to take for granted the range, variety and quality of the festivals we have here in Bristol, but for film fans it is vital we take a moment to appreciate the diverse, exciting and groundbreaking content brought to us in this wonderful city we call home.

This year some of our writers have seen a plethora of thoughtprovoking short films which they’ve reviewed for us below, but Encounters also featured a variety of feature-length favourites such as Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) and My Neighbour Totoro (1988). I was lucky enough to see Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar (2002), a Watershed favourite retrieved from the BFI archives and screened in glorious 35mm. Ramsay’s two shorts Gasman (1998) and Kill the Day (2000) both played at Encounters, before going on to worldwide acclaim including prizes at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, an example of the quality that arrives at our very doorstep here in Bristol. Thinking about the festival’s links with some of the most creative and fascinating filmmakers working today, it’s important to appreciate the often underappreciated format celebrated at Encounters, and to keep one eye on what’s coming next.

Entre Sombras (2018) Milly Randall

Second Year, English Monica Santos and Alice Guimaraes instantly captivate us in their exhilarating world of magical realism, which flourishes with intricate, ornate moments of charming stop motion.

Ribcages become chests of drawers bearing hearts unlocked by personalised swallowed keys; petals on a flower are spelled into

cigarettes and shadows can seep under doors and shoot bullets. Every moment of the film is unexpected and innovative. The collective imagination of its creators could be considered absurdly childlike if it wasn’t for its elegantly sensual plot of crime and revenge.

This romantic entanglement and disentanglement is perfectly embodied in the bedroom scene, where the metaphor is yet again proven to be superior; the mode of stop motion reaches its denouement, we see only the crumpling of bed sheets - a single hand outstretched - and empty clothes entwined as the couple sink below and above the bed moment by moment. The idea of a ‘bank of hearts’ in which our heroine works is also, wholeheartedly developed and realised. Every movement in this film is thought about and re-invented: its inhabitants glide over steps engulfed in ball gowns.

Gleeful in and of itself: the style is utterly individualistic, and distinctive in the swathes of slow realism of which we see so much.

Ultimately the sybaritic, brassy mid 20th century era, timeless black and white, and welcome complex female character (immune to the swooning mistress trope we may expect), mean Entre Sombras can only succeed in seducing the imagination.

Blue Zoo

Yasmin Inkersole Third Year, English

Unique, surprising and beautiful: this selection of award-winning animated short films, made by the company Blue Zoo, showcases the talent and hard work of many artists.

Beginning with Lynx & Birds (2018), a story of an adorable baby bird falling from its nest into t h e path of a

lynx, the storyline and character design were expertly handled and very entertaining. Following each film was a video where the creators themselves discussed the difficulties and joys of making their animations.

In the case of Lynx & Birds, a particularly interesting challenge for the animators was the design of the lynx how to make the creature appear threatening, but with soft fur and features to match the design of the rest of the film. The final product is impressive: a big purple cat with hair that looks like you could reach out and touch it.

Another mesmerising short film Mamoon (2018) centred on the bond between a mother and her child. A beautiful animation, Mamoon was also the first film of its kind: created by projecting the characters with lights onto a set of polystyrene blocks (which in the perspective of the film become apartments, staircases and towers). A fascinating watch, Mamoon captivates with the interplay between dark, light, and finally the colour red, creating a binary world in which the characters find themselves trapped.

The soundtrack makes use of minimalist m u s i c , u s i n g repeated looping sequences w h i c h m i m i c the story of darkness closing in upon the brightness of the world.

Izzy Burton’s Via (2018), the bittersweet story of one man’s life, takes place against backdrops of beautiful scenery created by Burton herself. Finally, More Stuff (2015), Blue Zoo’s hilarious Christmas Animation featuring- you guessed it, naked elves - rounded off the selection on a high note.

Each one of these animated shorts showcases unique storytelling abilities, but what shines through every piece is the immense artistic talent of its creators. Now in their 18th year, Blue Zoo has proven itself to be a leading animation studio

making use of cutting-edge systems and the talented artistic storytellers in their team.

Places we call home Lara Kelly

Third Year, English Places We Call Home, a compilation of live-action short films screened at Encounters Film Festival at Watershed last week, offered a diverse collection of work all united by a single theme: home.

Among them was Dios Nunca Muere (2018), a story about a woman called Paula and her children searching for a stable home. They are living in a cramped farm workers’ camp when a freshly kitted-out mobile home arrives, and Paula lets herself and her children make-believe for a little while that it is theirs. Director Barbara Cigarroa shows how strong the desire can be for one’s own space - in one of the film’s most memorable moments, Paula lies in the bath of the trailer with her clothes on, feeling the relief of being alone for a few moments.

Bellmouth (2018) told the story of Amy, a teenager on a camping trip with her dad and brother. As the film progresses it is made clear that the family does not have a home to return to. Similarly to Paula’s dream of a permanent home, the ‘camping holiday’ as a temporary state is a wish-fulfilment. Director Joseph Roberts stated that he was interested in the idea that some people camp for fun and some because they have nowhere else to live.

Idyllic pastoral cinematography and happier moments with Amy playing with her younger brother are placed into stark contrast with her going into the village to ask for food.

The uplifting moments make these short films all the more powerful; homes are places to which we are bonded by love, but this can make the character’s difficulties all the more painful. In Parched Return (2019), a woman returns to her childhood home as an outsider. As she photographs the landscape, flashbacks come alive before her. She remembers her father developing photographs in a dark room, and photography becomes a way of excavating the past. These short films all provide thoughtful ways of looking at the right to shelter, as well as home as a space with emotional ties.

IMDb / Channel 4

Deputy Editor Louie Bell reviews Todd Phillips’ Joker, one of the most anticipated films of the year

IMDb / Blue Zoo

One to watch

IMDb / Animais AVPL

22

epigram 14.10.2019

14.10.2019

epigram

Film & TV 23

Digital Opinion Editor

I

n 2019 Janet Mock made history by being the first openly trans director/screenwriter to secure a Netflix deal. It is not only her story as a black transgender woman, but the stories that she brings to the small screen that has made her more than deserving of every possible accolade.

Mock’s Netflix deal came after she co-wrote an episode of the erashaping TV drama Pose (2018-).

In a world where the stories of the marginalised have time and time again fallen to the wayside of public history, art and fiction find a way to bring these stories to light.

Pose, an FX production, is based in 1980’s New York and focuses on the lives of trans women of colour.

This period drama not only explores the disco-fuelled Wall Street world of the ‘80s as we understand it, but also New York’s ballroom underbelly that acted as a safe haven for so many black and Latinx queer people.

It follows the story of a family estranged by those that would not accept them for who they are.

Topics in the show include the AIDS epidemic, and the intersectionality

of an overtly divided LGBTQ+ community. When society uses so many excuses to push your stories into its fringes, it is no surprise that history may not always have the means to remember their impact.

Historical fiction is often branded as romanticised, frivolous and sensationalised. In reality, fiction often has the power to tell the stories that history cannot or will not say.

For Mock, stories of trans people of colour were not just of personal interest, but of national necessity.

Mock explains: ‘I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act.’ This is why using her experiences to add to the rich world of Pose was something so important.

“

Through the work of Mock, the world of trans people of colour is seen in much broader and fuller light

“

When history refuses to tell true stories, fiction is forced to step in Kofo Ajala

Mock uses her own personal experiences to add even more legitimacy to the already rich cultural background of the show. Every detail, from the music to the slang and the style of clothing is steeped in research and authenticity.

IMDb / FX

Spotlight On... Janet Mock

In an interview for KCBX radio, Mock said: ‘I watch the monitors sometimes […] with tears in my eyes, realising that these were the sort of stories that I was craving as a young person.’

The particular episode Mock cowrote, titled “Love is the Message” features deeper probes into the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the lives of the LGBTQ community. We see Pray Telly (Billy Porter) lose his partner to AIDS. The audience is left helpless as we watch one of the pillar characters spiral downwards.

The scenes are overwhelming and overpowering. The sorrow and grief are intensely palpable. It focuses a lot on what it means to ‘pass’ as a woman and the implications of trying

to have your identity understood on brash and binary terms.

Through the work of Mock and the whole team of Pose, the world of trans people of colour is seen in much broader and fuller light.

Renowned actor and LGBTQ activist, Billy Porter, reminisces on his life as an openly gay black man in the ‘80s.

He said: ‘As a gay man who came out in 1985, the “T” in “LGBTQ” was mostly absent from my queer knowledge, and I was just so moved by [Mock].’

At this years Emmy Awards, Pose set the pace for history once again, with Porter being the first openly gay black man to win the Leading Actor Award. When discussing his success, he states ‘I remember looking [Mock]

in the face and seeing her eyes. I just said, “Baby, I got you. We’re going to turn this sh*t out.” We took a breath together, and we took a hug together.

And that’s why I won an Emmy.

‘For real. That episode is why I won the Emmy. The world is a better place because we have somebody like Janet at the helm, telling the stories that would not otherwise be said or get told.’ As Janet Mock moves onto her next endeavours, I am beyond excited to see what the future holds and what stories she has to tell.

Film and TV’s ‘Spotlight On...’ series is running all Black History Month, available on the Epigram website!

Editors’ Picks Annapurna Pictures

2018 Getty Images

IMDb / Channel 4

2019 Getty Images

IMDb/ Significant Productions

This Black History Month, editors choose their favourite related films and TV shows

Leah Martindale Editor

Louie Bell Deputy Editor

Laura Aish Digital Editor

Tom Goulde Deputy Digital Editor

Daisy Game Entertainment Sub-Editor

Desmond’s (1989-1994)

Us (2019)

Dope (2015)

Black Panther (2018)

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

With barbershop regulars, Peckham socialites, family drama, and plenty of laughs, Desmond’s soon became a household name. The show still holds the record for the Channel 4 sitcom with the most episodes, and is a premiere piece of black-British workplace comedy.

Featuring my aunt Carmen Munroe, OBE - name drop much? - as Shirley, and a predominantly British-Guyanese cast, the show is a rare sliver of popular exposure to my motherland’s humour.

Desmond’s showcased far more than the black tropes still inundating our screens decades later.

Jordan Peele has affected me more than any other director in recent years, redefining horror in a way that twists and subverts classic horror tropes. With the almost insurmountable task of following Get Out (2017), I believe Peele reached an even higher peak with Us, toying with society’s fear of the ‘Other’, in which an African-American family are haunted by menacing versions of themselves. Startlingly funny and poignant alongside moments of pure terror, the film tackles big questions about society, and turns them back on us - or is it ‘U.S’?

Dope is a coming of age dramedy by Rick Famuyiwa. The film, narrated by Forest Whitaker and featuring music from Pharrell Williams, follows a group of self-proclaimed high school geeks brilliantly played by Shameik Moore, Kiersey Clemons and Tony Revolori.

The group, who are obsessed with the 90s and have their own band, get mixed up in an unusual sequence of events after attending a party. I really like the unique editing and the soundtrack is great. I completely recommend it if you’re looking for something smart and original.

There can be no better way to celebrate Black History Month than to enjoy the first black Marvel superhero film. Black Panther was a milestone for a number of reasons; it broke box office records, it celebrated pan-African culture, and was the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. If these achievements alone do not entice you to watch it, the film itself is really entertaining, and wonderful performances help cement this film’s place in history. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is a worthy addition to the MCU.

‘These are our children – and we’ve got to set them free’. Carrying the child of a man locked behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, Tish Rivers must fight for her future. James Laxton’s cinematography showcases a sublime level of skill, whilst Barry Jenkins’ direction shapes performances of epically romantic, Oscar-awardwinning success. Interwoven with the pitch perfect harmonies of Nicholas Britell’s sweeping score, If Beale Street Could Talk is a glorious ode to love, family, and the fates we must all strive to shape.

Arts

epigram 14.10.2019

@epigramarts

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor Deputy Digital Editor

Livi Player Imogen Howse Will Maddrell Serafina Lee

Down With Gilead: Atwood's sequel takes the literary world by storm Following the release of Margaret Atwood's longawaited The Testaments, Ruth Jones considers the series' dramatic conclusion and discusses the alarming prescience of the first novel.

Warning - minor spoilers below in the novel, when the vindictive Aunt Vidala is sucker punched in the heart by Daisy - a fist-pump-the-air moment of joy.

However, Atwood does not stray far from her greatest strength; her descriptions of grotesque abuses of power. Agnes’ examination by the paedophilic dentist Dr. Grove and his horrendous assault on her is repulsive in its details: Atwood notes for example that he lays his hand on her breast like a ‘large hot crab.’

The introduction and subsequent death of the Handmaid Ofkyle, who

Ruth Jones

Third Year English Trigger warning: this article contains references to sexual assault

T

/S era fina

Atwood has finally given us the story of the fall of Gilead

“ Illustration courtesy of Harry Sullivan

both in 1985 and in its most recent years - its sales increased by two hundred percent after the 2016 presidential election.

Atwood's irresistibly compelling ability to blur together the fiction of Gilead with our political history, current political climate, and everyday lives is what makes The Handmaid's Tale such a queasy read.

The Testaments, however, is radically different to the original. While the first book appeared as a cautionary tale amidst our bleak contemporary reality, Atwood instead produces a tale of hope in her sequel. She has finally given us the story of the fall of Gilead.

As an alternative to the original single perspective of Offred, we now follow tales from three women's perspectives.

We follow the misdeeds and plotting of Aunt Lydia, a young girl named Agnes who is living in the Gilead society, and a third girl, originally born in Gilead, who was then smuggled out of the state and

“

The Handmaid's outfit has become fashion shorthand for 'get your hands off my rights'

“

“

Epigram/Livi Player

am igr Ep

“

A testament to her kindness and bravery, it is the most beautifully moving moment of the novel

brought up as ‘Daisy’ by two Mayday operatives in Canada.

While in The Handmaid’s Tale Gilead derives its power from its abstract nature, terrifyingly seeming to have risen out of nowhere, in The Testaments, Atwood examines the hatred and fear which gave rise to such a state. She shines a torchlight on the monster she created years ago, a monster which has lurked under the beds of her female readers for years, and interestingly, uses Aunt Lydia’s account of its creation to reduce it through revelation. The Gilead state is therefore not what it once was, but the reduction of its horrifying power does not reduce the impact of The Testaments in any way. Instead of the power of the state, Atwood now examines the power of women, something which beautifully manifests at one of the most frivolous moments

is described as ‘blank, like a gloved thumbprint,’ is equally appalling.

Moreover, the little girls who are not allowed to play on swingsets for fear that the wind may cause their skirts to rise above their ankles, a far cry from modern culture's evocation of Marilyn-esque sexuality, powerfully communicates Gilead’s warped paranoia.

Of the three narratives in the novel, it is Agnes’ which is perhaps executed the most successfully. Its powerful instances of oppression and emotionally complicated narrative, which is a mixture of both instinctive repulsion towards the repeated acts of violence against women and an exploration of Agnes' complicated loyalty towards Gilead, her home, creates soaring catharsis.

The presence of her friend Becka is of particular poignance and importance: the image of her statue, erected as a testament to her kindness and bravery

by Agnes and Daisy, is the most beautifully moving moment of the novel.

“

The Gilead state is not what it once was, but the reduction in its terrifying power does not reduce that of The Testaments

“

Lee

Warning - major spoilers below

“

he Handmaids of Margaret Atwood’s fiction now walk among us. They have left the pages of her novels and are strolling within our reality, becoming a common sight at protests all over the world. The Handmaid’s outfit has become fashion shorthand for “get your hands off my rights,” something which is hardly surprising in our current world.

It was a perfect storm in 2017 when the surge in governments hell-bent on female persecution - looking at you, Trump - played out on our television screens alongside the Hulu adaptation of Atwood's novel. Indeed, the stories which populated our news feeds uncannily echoed the stories which Atwood had told in her fiction a few decades earlier. These are the stories of women such as Evelyn Beatriz Henández Cruz from El Salvador, who was initially sentenced to thirty years in prison for aggravated homicide after suffering a stillbirth - a result of being raped during her first year in college.

Our reality had begun to eerily mirror the events of The Handmaid’s Tale.

It is the original novel’s enduring prescience which made it so remarkable,

Ultimately, The Testaments is a wonderfully powerful account of the love of sisterhood and provides an emotive and striking conclusion to Margaret Atwood's dystopian nightmare.

14.10.2019 epigram

Arts 25

Bristol Old Vic presents: Reasons to Stay Alive

I

n a skilful and clever adaptation of Reasons to Stay Alive, English Touring Theatre and Sheffield Theatres truly bring Matt Haig’s bestselling self-help book to life. The dramatisation of Haig’s mental health memoir attempts to break down the stigma attached to depression by showing Haig’s personal experiences of mental health.

Seeing the words brought to theatre was truly enthralling; from Matt’s stories of his past all the way to the pain of his present. Younger Matt, played by Mike Noble, spectacularly demonstrates the sudden shifts from life before his illness to his life now, with the lack of a linear, straightforward narrative showing his great distress and the physically demanding and complex emotions he experiences.

Two actors embody Younger Matt

“

“

Haig's mental health memoir attempts to break down the stigma attached to depression

The performance brilliantly captures the conversations inside Matt’s head, including Haig’s love of lists which are humorously read on stage by the whole cast. One particularly beautiful moment was Matt’s rediscovery of the power of books. The cast cleverly fasten the books of the performance to the spikes of the set as reminders of

good things in Matt’s life, which functioned as a kind of therapy for Haig. The performance and the book are certainly informative, but Haig’s

“

The performance brilliantly captures the conversations inside Matt's head

personal experiences remain at the heart of the story.

Closely aligning with the book, including Tweets, chapter titles, and Haig’s love of lists, it is a remarkable piece of theatre that wonderfully complements the literary piece, even if it doesn’t quite reach the point of becoming a substitute for the book itself.

Photo courtesy of Johan Perrson

Arts Editor

and Older Matt, with the central idea being that Older Matt eases Younger Matt through his first crippling pain of depression by being there for his younger self, reassuring him that things will get better in conversations across time: ‘it may be a dark cloud passing across the sky but - if that is the metaphor - you are the sky. You were there before it. And the cloud can't exist without the sky, but the sky can exist without the cloud.’

The simplicity of the set design adds character to the performance, contrasting with the complexity of the unique mind. Consisting of three movable climbing frames, closely resembling a brain, the set cleverly symbolises the fragmentation of Matt’s mind. Watching the cast effortlessly rotate, separate and bring together the different parts of the set throughout the performance was particularly impressive to see.

Reasons to Stay Alive undoubtedly shows the power of love and the importance of the unwavering support from Matt’s family and girlfriend throughout his illness.

Director Jonathan Watkins captures the importance of love in the words of the performance itself: ‘tough love doesn’t work. Turns out that just good old “love” is enough.’ It is truly a heartwarming and heartbreaking performance all at once.

“

Livi Player

Book Corner

Sanjana Idnani First Year English

R

eleased earlier this year, Cavanagh’s unpredictable and gripping Twisted challenges every notion of a ‘solved’ crime novel. True to its title, Cavanagh engages the reader with astounding and unsettling twists that are both cleverly timed and successfully balance the story's realism and shock factor to keep his readers on edge. Adding to the intrigue are the characters themselves: we get insights from the criminal, detective and civilian characters, an addition which distinguishes Twisted from a traditional detective novel. Make sure you clear your schedule because you are not going to want to put this one down!

Leonardo Proaño

Third Year Sociology & Philosopy

F

rom every allegation against a man in a position of power who has conducted some repugnant act of misogyny, to the more subtle, everyday acts of sexism, women have countless reasons to be angry. Soraya Chemaly’s Rage Becomes Her explores how women are socially conditioned to suppress this anger in favour of more palatable, 'feminine' emotions, and the steps that must be taken for women to reclaim this anger as a tool against personal and political oppression.

Chemaly’s passion on the topic is palpable: the text feels like a true battle cry against sexism. This is a must-read in today's ever-expanding catalogue of feminist literature.

Rosie Kelly

Third Year History

A

lthough I love the fantasy genre, it lets me down a lot - too often ripe with tropes and clichés. Jemisin's The Fifth Season however is by far the most impressive exception to this trend: it is unlike anything I have ever read and blew me away with its intricate world building. The story takes place in a world devastated by a fifth season and follows the 'Orogenes,' an oppressed people with a magical connection to the earth, through their survival, suppression, and subsequent retaliation. Jemisin subtly yet powerfully addresses issues of race, gender, climate change, and sexuality. Get ready to enter a world steeped in enchantment.

Photo courtesy of Waterstones

Photo courtesy of Waterstones

Photo courtesy of Waterstones

Photo courtesy of Waterstones

Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Epigram Arts’ regular feature: your go-to for our top book recommendations

Daisy Lacey

Klairi Daniolou

MA Comparative Literatures & Cultures

Second Year Electrical & Electronic Engineering

I

’ve always assumed graphic novels were a cop-out, but when I received Clowes' Ghost World as a present this summer, I decided to give the genre a go. It’s safe to say this story changed my mind! The novel follows two teenage girls, Enid and Becky, through their experiences of social exclusion and their attempts at the challenging transition into the real world - also known as ‘adulting.’

I fell in love with this book as I felt a real connection with Enid, the grumpier and more ‘realistic’ of the two eccentric protagonists, and found the novel to be an ideal read for those of us struggling to cope with major life changes. Give it a go if you can relate!

S

alinger gives the reader a brilliant insight into the inner, existentialist thoughts of his protagonists in this collection comprised of the short story 'Franny' and novella 'Zooey'. I discovered it in Atlantis Books, Santorini, with a note attached that read, 'last year I read 109 books. This was the best.'

This book exceeded my expectations and introduced me to my favourite fictional family: the Glasses. Contrary to other philosophical fiction, the author’s thought processes are easy to follow and Salinger has the reader hanging onto his every word. Two years after reading the book, I still have a bittersweet, melancholic, yet awe-inspiring aftertaste.

epigram 14.10.2019

Music

@EpigramMusic epigram_music

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor Deputy Digital Editor

Francesca Frankis Guy Marcham Joe Boyd Will Snelling

‘We know we’re not a punk band at all’: In conversation with The Murder Capital Deputy Music Editor

‘I

just think that there is always something more interesting if you go for darker sounds’, declares drummer Diarmuid Brennan.

When it comes to The Murder Capital – it’s certainly hard to disagree.

From the cut-throat driving punk riffs of ‘More is Less’ to the hauntingly poignant Nick Cave inspired ‘How The Streets Adore Me Now’, Dublin based post-punk outfit The Murder Capital have just released one of the finest albums of 2019. A raw, uncaged and ruthless record that bursts with stark intensity. The album, When I Have Fears, has been winning plaudits ever since its release in August, helping the independent band soar to astonishing new heights, including a five-star Guardian review and a spot in the UK Top 20 charts.

Yet, for all their commercial and critical success, the band don’t seem to be getting too ahead of themselves. ‘We didn’t really overthink it (getting in the top 20) at all. We were just concentrating on making our first record something which we really really love.’

The band instead found the personal interactions with fans during their in-store live performances much more fulfilling: ‘It gives us the bigger buzz … better feeling than managing to get a number in the charts.’

These are fitting words from a band who pride themselves on their emotional integrity and brutal sense of honesty. The band speak openly about their own self-doubt and vulnerability in a world so engulfed in fatalities.

Life’s harrowing and dark undercurrents are etched into every corner of the album, mainly influenced by a friend of the band’s recent suicide.

Yet, for all their more urgent and aggressive offerings, a subtle glimmer of hope still shines through the release: a binding sense of unity that makes their work more fulfilling. ‘There’s a lot of hope in between. That’s something we always wanted to strive for. We want

“

I think people just

like being able to put things in boxes

ble music out of the Irish capital of Dublin. It’s especially easy to see why such a buzz is being created around the city with devoted music listeners casting the happening city as a mecca for no holds barred and sweat inducing post punk throttle.

However, Diarmuid and the band aren’t so quick to get drawn into conversation surrounding Dublin’s new title as ‘the home of punk’ and its apparent ‘sudden’ new role as an exciting host of burgeoning indie talent.

Album review/ The Murder Capital:When I Have Fears .

Image: Gavin Ovoca

Guy Marcham

to have light and the darkness’.

There’s a side to the band best illustrated by their screeching yet brutally tender ‘Love, Love, Love’. It’s a song to confide in during the darkness life throws at you, as lead singer James McGovern euphorically offers to ‘wrap myself around your cold shoulder’. It’s this – the band’s more tender moments - that have gone unnoticed during their recent surge in popularity. The band are often described as punk, yet their use of poetic prose and atmospheric violins paint a different and more complex picture. ‘We know we’re not a punk band at all.’

‘We know that some of our songs are under that umbrella – post punk.

But that’s probably the broadest post punk can go (…) You can tell if someone just slaps punk on us then they’ve only listened to ‘More Is Less’ maybe.’

The band have been forever linked with a new explosion in ferocious post punk fuelled abandon. The Irish quintet are often spoken of in the same breath as fellow Dublin rockers Fontaines D.C and Bristol’s punk unifiers, IDLES. A link that the band are quick to expel. ‘I think people just like being able to put things in boxes which make sense even though they may be somewhat skipping a step. It’s out of your control what people say about you.’

The band also hail from a city that is currently brimming with musical creativity and growing excitement.

The likes of Fontaines D.C, Girl Band, Just Mustard and now The Murder Capital are all releasing impecca-

“

Epigram Music speak to the band fresh from an explosive festival season and now resting at home in the Irish capital of Dublin

‘The way it is in Dublin is that there have always been really great bands.

That’s the reason why I thought I’d love to be in a band. It’s not that I saw someone further afield, it was always a band from Dublin or from Ireland.

‘Definitely the microscope is now fixed on the Irish music scene at the moment which stems from all those great bands. But, I think there is some amount of coincidence involved. It’s nice when you hear “there are a lot of great bands coming out of Dublin now” but there always have been you know. I don’t know if the UK have only just started paying attention.’

For now, however, the band are certainly enjoying life with the microscope firmly on them. Diarmuid speaks excitedly of a totally sold out UK tour on the horizon and the raucous scenes to expect. ‘Already a lot of the dates are sold out. In our minds that is absolutely wild. It will probably get raucous alright! I wouldn’t be happy if I come off stage bone dry’. Their emotional tenacity and razor-sharp ruthlessness are sure to fire up audiences into a frenzy inside packed out sweatboxes. ‘If people are

interested and giving us their energy… it literally is the lifeblood of the show.’

For all the excitement of their upcoming tour of the UK including a night at Bristol’s The Exchange – the band are by no means straying from their distinct Irish heritage and patriotism. When asked whether they could see themselves leaving Dublin anytime soon and perhaps suffering from James Joyce’s sense of emotional and physical paralysis experienced in Dubliners – the idea is firmly shot down. ‘For now, it is definitely Dublin.

Dublin is home.’ With their own rehearsal space in the city fans can certainly look forward to further deeply rooted Irish indebted post punk.

The band aren’t getting too distracted by future plans just yet. The quintet are still thriving off When We Have Fears and bringing their surging jagged guitars and Irish poetry to new audiences. ‘You can’t look at the mountain… you’ve got to look at what is ahead of you. I feel like the album just being released was our new beginning, so I feel like we are only at the start of what the band are going to do.’

An impeccable debut album from Dublin’s purveryors of darkness - The Murder Capital.

As the pulsating discordant glare of ‘For Everything’ screeches into action, a barrage of drums and guitars rattle with explosive energy.

The Murder Capital are certainly raging to be heard. Yet behind the band’s cacophony of pummelling angular riffs a tender honesty glistens.

The album is an emotionally visceral exploration into life’s fatalities covering pain, grief and vulnerability with a poetic flourish.

As it unfurls the initial punk rock edges grow softer.

While not maintaining the same untrammelled musical fury, McGovern’s lyrics still strike a menacingly dark shadow over the album.

‘On Twisted Ground’ and ‘How the Streets Adore Me Now’ make for enchanting listens with a sense of honest beauty etched into McGovern’s vulnerable vocal.

The album ends with an optimistic ring: a unifying post punk belter in the form of ‘Love, Love, Love’.

A rallying glimmer of hope reaching out from the scorching and intense bolt of guitars.

A Euphoric end to one of the albums of the year, journeying through muddied ground and atmospheric shadows.

14.10.2019 epigram

Music 27

Mental health & music : My journey through depression Aaron Wilkinson Third year, History

Image: Flat 7 Photography

W

ith World Mental Health day upon us, I think it an appropriate time to discuss the benefits that music can play in dealing with mental health issues. While for many years the belief that forms of music often caused depression persisted, thankfully this attitude is fading and the benefits of music both as a form of therapy and as a form of catharsis are becoming increasingly clear.

I’ve struggled with depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety for years.

When I was in my early teens they defined me as a person; in how I interacted with people, the world in general, and how I lived my life.

This is a common struggle, but many people have come before me to tell of these issues and no doubt many will continue to voice these issues.

What I want to talk about is how music helped me through the dark times and how I, and others, can use it.

I’ve always believed that music is a universal language in and of itself, that regardless of someone’s ability to either play an instrument or to convey the way they understand and appreciate it, it is a defining part of the human experience.

Most importantly there’s something for everyone with the vast number of genres and styles out there; this, to me, is the key to it’s benefits.

It is not an exclusive thing to only one given demographic and importantly, it is relatable and personable while remaining faceless.

You can take solace in a song and relate to its message without ever fearing judgement.

The one thing I feared when I first began to strug-

gle with my mental state was that those I spoke to would judge me or worse, I would become a burden to them.

I first started to struggle badly with these issues at the tail end of my GCSEs, I had set grades to achieve to head to sixth form and on a personal level I was struggling with friends and family alike. During these dark periods with my mental state, I found that two things played a big role in my recovering from any holes.

The first was the open ears and arms of my friends, but the second was my favourite music. Having picked up the guitar at the start of my GCSEs, when I began to struggle I started to find solace in the instrument during my time at home.

Listening or playing along, I found that it of-

fered a distraction to sitting with my own thoughts. While the help of those around us is crucial to the recovery of anyone dealing with mental health problems, the defining impact that music made on my own personal recovery was that it helped shift my world view.

Instead of stewing within my mind with my own problems, I had to listen to other points of view without dealing with the face-toface judgement of speaking to another person. While talking to my close friends had helped, it had always been a double-edged sword.

The relief of getting issues off my chest and giving myself mental breathing room was immense but then there would be a creeping concern that I was a burden, a tiresome weight to those I spoke to. With music I found the perfect solution.

While previously I might’ve struggled to find even the enthusiasm to smile around friends and family alike, the positive impact of the music I listened to encouraged me to re-evaluate my mindset. While this didn’t prove to be an immediate cure, the impact upon my state of mind was profound.

What truly astonished me was when I began to focus upon actually

playing and writing music. I consider the benefits of this akin to methods such as writing a letter full of all you wish to say, even if you burn it.

By taking the thoughts I was struggling with and putting them to song, I found I was able to expunge them from my immediate thought process.

Once again, this was not an immediate remedy, these thoughts were still problematic, but by using music as both a distraction and a cathartic release I was able to give my mind the breathing room it needed to deal with the issues.

I feel it is important to note here that the music in question is not always positive. I found solace through both the upbeat britpop of Oasis but through the melancholy of Radiohead, Eels and Joy Division as well. Indeed, a French study carried out in 2009 for the Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry journal found that fans of metal music typically had normal or less than average levels of anxiety and depression.

The music I write myself varies, but it certainly isn’t always bright, upbeat and positive, and if it was it would be disingenuous to myself as a person.

I’m proud of the songs that I sing of my own struggles and the fact I find myself in a much better position than when I first started writing them.

Just like the music that I listened to to deal with my troubles, the songs I have written still define me, but not as a mark of my problems. Rather, they stand as a testament to dealing with these issues and getting through them.

“

The songs I have

written still define

6 albums to hear this month

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Ghosteen (Out on 3rd October via Ghosteen Ltd)

Blood Orange - Fields (out on 11th October via Cedille)

Big Thief - Two Hands (out on 11th October via 4AD)

Foals - Everthing Not Saved Will Be Lost Part II (Out on 18th October via Warner Records)

me, but not as a mark of my problems

“

With World Mental Health day upon us, we look towards opening our eyes and ears to the problems of those around us.

This is important, but so to are the benefits that music can offer.

Editor’s pick:

It’s important for me to say that I know not everyone will find what I found in music, the terrible nature of mental health is that everyone is different. Some may not find the solace I have in music, nor will some want to express their issues, but if you yourself are struggling, I whole-heartedly recommend picking up some of your favourite music.

I found the upbeat nature of The Beatles and Oasis helped me the most. As Liam Gallagher once sang, ‘Its Getting Better Man!’

FKA Twigs - MAGDALENE (out on 25th October via Young Turks)

Rex Orange County - Pony (Out on 25th October via Sony records)

epigram 14.10.2019

28 Music

‘No person on the planet wants to feel like they’ve failed, right?’: In conversation with Amber Run Joshua ‘Joe’ Keogh, delves into how the band ditched university for their music, their difficult period between albums one and two, and how they rediscovered their sense of fun for their third release, Philophobia.

Patrick Sullivan Co-Editor-in-Chief

Amber Run/Sonic PR

D

their original bandmates, Will Jones and Felix Archer, left the project.

Joe deflates at remembering what was clearly harder times, but he displays a refreshing honesty on the subject of their emotional state during the period.

‘We were just in a funny old spot, man. It was a toughie. There were quite a few hangovers, we didn’t have any money, and we felt the responsibility you have to yourself, your friends and family to feel like you’re being a success. No person on the planetwants to feel like they’ve failed, right?

‘Nobody talked about [mental health in 2014] like they do now. I think that it wasn’t just the music, but in our personal lives as well that’s where we were. Like early 20s is a really difficult and interesting time especially for the millennial generation. There’s this huge amount

We upped the ante and changed the

game for ourselves again

“

“

of expectation that we put on ourselves and this want to reach the absolute pinnacle of what we want.

It comes at the cost of contentedness and you should just be pleased with what you have and be yourself.

‘But then you know, for me it feels even more dramatic and even more

beautiful when you get to the moment when you’re like: “Yo, I want to write and record a third record, let’s fucking go and tour it, let’s do a world tour this time.” We upped the ante and changed the game for ourselves again.’

Their third album is the culmination of their revival and an indication of their resilience to stay in a precarious, competitive music scene. Joe believes this is ‘an album to be listened to live’ despite sounding ‘pretty good on record as well’.

With streaming services such as Spotify diluting the revenue streams of album releases, there is a further emphasis that a good live show is what sustains careers and Joe wants more support from gig-goers.

‘Amber Run primarily dedicate ourselves to our live show.

Live music is unbelievable and I’m seeing less people turning up to shows in general. People should come down to witness and experience it; there’s nothing like it.’

We’ve given [the world tour] a go because it was inspiring for us to do it. I can’t promise it’ll be like this forever, but it’s a lot of fun. Fundamentally, it’s something we think is really important about being a band, dedicating yourself to something. If you’re having a terrible time like we were during the second record, you don’t want to be doing that again because the whole thing becomes a chore.’

On the differences between recording For A Moment I Was Lost and Philophobia, Joe describes a ‘free flowing and super collaborative’ process, speaking of the ease of conver-

sation between bandmates Tom Sperring, Henry Wyeth, and himself, and the fact he can now ‘breathe again’.

Philophobia itself means ‘the fear

“

Live music is un-

believable and I’m seeing less people

“

uring our phonecall, Joshua ‘Joe’ Keogh rides on a train in Brussels while on the central European leg of Amber Run’s tour to promote their latest release, Philophobia. The previous night, they played a show in Amsterdam and Joe speaks - in traditional rock ‘n’ roll fashion - of being ‘a bit hungover and a bit tired’. Despite the hangover, or potentially due to it, he earnestly reflects on his up-anddown journey with the band ever since they rose to acclaim in 2013.

Amber Run’s music falls into the broad category of indie rock juggling mainstream, lighter appeal with the potential to unleash in live shows.

I personally became a fully fledged fan after hearing their second ever single ‘Heaven’ over five years ago and the subsequent release of their sophomore EP, Spark. It wasn’t long before those releases that the then quintet were all studying degrees in Humanities at the University of Nottingham. After a big leap of faith led to their formation, they were thrusted into the limelight at Reading 2013 on the BBC Introducing stage.

‘It feels like a lifetime ago, man.

We’re really grateful to BBC Introducing for giving us that opportunity early on,’ Joe says.

‘The nod of approval gives a young group a lot of confidence and good music is normally bred from that.

There has been a lot of hard work that goes into being a touring band, but I don’t feel any differently about how much we can improve than I did when we first started the band.’

Amber Run have certainly refined their music in the past half-decade, especially when it comes to their live performances. Philophobia further focuses on ramping up the guitar parts and power vocals - an area of success on second album, For A Moment, I Was Lost, especially on big hitter tracks such as ‘Stranger’. After the success of their first album, 5AM, however, they were dropped by their record label and two of

turning up to shows

of falling or being in love’ and it’s an apt title for a collection of cagey songs. The chicken-egg question of every cohesive album such as this is the same: did the theme come first or did the songs inspire the theme?

‘I’m a big believer that the subconscious throws out some really very accurate infestations of how you actually feel. I don’t actively try and change things until five or six songs in and you notice this really clear train of thought running through the whole thing. We are really lucky with this one that the theme was very evident as the want and desperation in respect of affectionate and compassionate relationships.’

One of the methods Amber Run use for portraying their themes throughout their three major releases is non-lyrical interludes between tracks. It leads to a weaving pathway through their albums and Joe emphasises the importance of listeners

being in the ‘right frame of mind’ for certain songs. They’re not just for the listeners though; Joe describes their recording process as being ‘freeing’ because it’s ‘not chained to the slavic structure of lyrics or a main melody’.

The joy which the trio are now finding in the music industry after such a difficult period is indicative of the rewards of such a career. Joe still loves his music and seems fulfilled by his and the band’s decision to ditch their degrees. There’s certainly a few among us who have sat in lectures dreaming of giving it all up to pursue their talents, and Joe has a few tips for those seriously considering it.

‘In the early years, if you believe you’ve got the talent then I would say it’s commitment, the hours you spend putting into it, getting out of the lecture. Either leave and put all of the time you can into making music or commit fully to your studies while just enjoying it.’

Another major piece of advice from Amber Run’s journey is that you won’t make it on your own. Working with other types of artists is what Joe feels is ‘one of the most beautiful things’ about being a musician.

‘We love giving opportunities for Amber Run be a vehicle for other really talented people to showcase what they’re good at as well.

I don’t have a fucking clue how to film a music video or take pictures or record music and we want to shout about the people that do these things for us and give them a platform to make part of our project.’

After all the career troubles they’ve suffered, the selflessness and desire to get everyone involved is part of what makes Joe - and Amber Run as a band - so endearing. Unfortunately, their up-and-down journey of uncertainty is all too common in the music industry, but for them to come back and produce a barnstorming third album with a world tour is the inspiration we all need to keep plugging away if we believe in something.

Listen to Philophobia now!

Puzzles 2.

5.

Editor Subeditor

Keziah James Fergus Ustianowski

epigram.puzzles@gmail.com If you need any help, contact the editor by email or through social media

Cryptic Crossword

4.

Credit: Conor Cullen, 4th year Engineering Mathematics

1.

3.

Across

13.

1. Breed a tame mule for good luck charm. Can’t get by without ‘em (6) 3. Couples dance in French capital (5) 6. Alienate a malformed sergeant (8) 7. Unitiated parson sets church on fire (5) 9. Harmful window glass, by the sound of it (4) 11. Grotesque haunter to dig up grave (7) 14. Golf played by Romeo produces sounds of unhappiness (6) 16. Confused monarch caught in downpour (5) 17. Taxi diverted from route by troubled cab raider (9)

7.

10.

8.

6.

9.

15.

14.

12.

11.

18.

2.

4.

5.

8.

10.

12.

13.

15.

18.

17.

16.

Down

Bachelor’s instrument sounds a bit behind (4) Split open a piece of cheese before you exit (6) Lithium crystals dissolved for sterling afterwards (6) Metal concealed in guillotine (3) Fusing on charged particle makes one cry (5) Money obtained from expensive wool (4) Run away from insect, so we hear (4) An agitated liar sees, given an epiphany (8) Go near fresh fruit (6)

Square wordsearch

Kenken

Find all the words below in the wordsearch below. Each word is four letters long, is in a square and spelled clockwise.

As in Sudoku, the goal is to fill a grid with digits, 1 through 6, so that no digit appears more than once in any row or any column but numbers can apear twice in a box.

Credit: Laura Stock-Caldwell, 4th year Engineering Mathematics E

T

J

M

C

A

R

R

O

T

H

A

H

R

M

E

L

U

G

Y

K

I

R

M

F

L

E

L

A

A

Y

D

L

I

W

E

F

O

O

X

G

X

S

S

K

E

M

G

E

K

R

L

U

S

J

Y

E

A

S

B

O

B

Y

E

G

W

P

Q

M

P

R

N

O

W

R

T

D

M

G

M

G

U

L

J

A

B

L

E

D

F

N

N

E

W

B

F

B

I

C

Q

W

O

O

K

S

P

A

W

L

P

X

Y

L

O

C

E

D

R

N

Z

K

D

D

A

O

C

N

E

B

R

P

T

N

B

A

E

E

A

E

M

B

R

R

D

T

V

I

Z

R

K

P

I

W

V

T

S

C

K

A

B

I

U

D

K

L

U

K

R

Q

U

E

L

E

D

E

R

J

E

C

B

S

P

E

A

K

E

T

C

I

I

J

A

B

E

I

L

O

A

E

B

P

H

G

A

T

F

E

T

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

LEEK PLUM OKRA CORN KIWI LIME PEAR BEET KALE PEAS DATE COOK FOOD BEEF BEAN BEER WINE RICE MEAL STEW BOWL FORK

Credit: Fergus Ustianowski, 2nd year Physics +7

x2

÷2

-1

-2

+5

+6

Continuing puzzle This will be a running puzzle where every week the previous weeks answer will help you solve this puzzle. Every weeks puzzle shall be put up online if a week is missed.

Credit: Fergus Ustianowski, 2nd year Physics

An IT related anagram of the campus road describing forests.

Solutions will be posted online at: epigram.org.uk/tag/puzzles facebook.com/epigrampaper

If you would like to submit ideas for Puzzles, email epigram.puzzles@gmail.com

WHAT'S ON Black History Month Throughout October

Join the Bristol SU BME Network and BME Success Programme for a series of Black History Month events throughout October.

Come along to a poetry evening with Tjawangwa Dema and Vanessa Kisuule, screening of Rafiki, Pan-African Festival and more. www.bristolsu.org.uk/blackhistorymonth

Political Parties: Give it a Go, Tuesday 15th October, 8pm, White Bear Get ready for a spirited discussion and couple of light hearted debates. Join the Liberal Democrats, Conservative Association, Labour Students and GreenSoc for a night of drinking and chatting.

Play: Bristol SU Sport's Night, Wednesday 16th October, 10pm, Gravity Get to Gravity for another classic Sports Night! Come as a team or meet your mates there for another unforgettable Wednesday night.

A Celebration of Black Art at the University: Open Mic Night, Thursday 24th October, 7pm, Anson Rooms Bar From drama, spoken word and stand up, to singing, dancing and instrumental performance, we're welcoming Black students to perform original work, and anyone who wishes to perform art of Black origin.

Turnover, Friday 25th October, 7:30pm, Chromatics, Saturday 26th October, Anson Rooms 7pm, Anson Rooms American pop-punk rockers Turnover return to the stage ahead of the release of the 4th studio album Altogether.

Expect to see the band move away from their hardcore roots to a more indie-rock sound.

Chromatics is hitting the road for the first time in over five years. The group is bringing label mates Desire and Double Mixte for the DOUBLE EXPOSURE TOUR.

The Big Fat RAG Pub Quiz, Monday 21st October, 8pm, Balloon Bar Every Monday during term time Bristol RAG takes over the Balloon Bar with The Big Fat Bristol RAG Pub Quiz.

Expect obscure facts, near-impossible challenges, general hilarity and extremely cheap beer. By far the best thing to do with your Monday evening!

Untold Stories: From Oxford’s first Black graduate to Bristol’s Black students today, Friday 25th October, 7pm, M Shed An evening of performance, presentation and panel discussion exploring the experiences of Christian Cole, the first Black scholar at the University of Oxford 1873, and the contemporary relevance for today’s Black students in Bristol.

For more information on all upcoming events see bristolsu.org.uk/events

Sport 31

14.10.2019 epigram

Exciting plans to grow Uni Squash

A complementary activity can give your training a boost

UoB Squash Club

Digital Sport Editor

“

We’ve made a huge hiring in the summer, bringing in one of the most forward-thinking coaches in the country

So, if you’ve always wanted to give it a try, there really is no better time than now to join a University squash club

year, whilst continuing to run social squash on Sundays with high levels of enthusiasm.

With a solid coaching structure in place and exciting plans to develop competitive and social squash, the future is looking bright for the club. So, if you’ve always wanted to give it a go, there really is no better time than now to join the University squash club.

Epigram/B:Active Residences

Continued from back page...

But the continued push for progress and the hard work of the committee has left club President Ben Schlossman feeling optimistic about the future.

“

“

Not only does it boost your flexibility, core strength and cardio capabilities, it’s also as much head game as it is anything else

“

SciTech & Sport Subeditor

‘We’ve definitely found ourselves issued with a challenge from SEH with the awarding of Parachute status,’ said Ben. ‘Luckily, we’ve had a huge hiring in the summer, bringing in one of the most forward-thinking coaches in the country, Mark Toseland. He’s already made a massive impact with his modern and developed coaching methods, and returners who attended preseason are already reaping the benefits of his contemporary approach’.

To keep up with the new influx of players, the student-led coaching has been restructured to cater for every level of squash player in more constructive, competitive and inclusive sessions.

The club also hopes to maintain the successes of its teams from last

“

Esme Hedley

P

erhaps your training is starting to feel a little stale, or maybe you’d just like to get involved in something new. Whatever it may be, there are plenty of reasons for taking up a new activity, and if it lets you train and get stronger in way which complements what you already do, that makes it even better. That said, you are in luck, as there is a lot you can do right outside your doorstep.

One of the most transferable skills I can think of has got to be flexibility.

From martial arts to dancing, flexibility plays a key role in keeping you able to perform well, as well as helping you avoid injury. Therefore, the first activity I would recommend is yoga. The benefits of yoga are as much mental as they are physical, as not only does it boost your flexibility, core strength and cardio capabilities, it’s also as much head game as it is anything else. Working

your way through and sustaining difficult positions can seem painful at times, and will require a good deal of mental endurance and willpower to get through. Luckily for us Bristol students, there’s plenty of free yoga to go around.

North, East, and West villages all have regular free yoga sessions at least once a week through the B:Active residences programme.

The next suggestion you’ve probably heard of everywhere else, and you’ll hear it here too: it’s the gym. While to some it may be a dull grind, there’s no doubting its incredible versatility in what and how you can train, making it suitable to complement just about any sport out there. From cardio training, to flexibility, to creating a body-building hypertrophy machine, you’ll likely find room for it at a decently equipped gym.

While the University’s Indoor Sports

Centre might seem like the obvious choice for going to the gym, residents of the North Village might want to consider the Hiatt Baker gym, which is free, and should be enough to suit most people’s needs.

Another key attribute of a number of sports is endurance, which can benefit greatly from your cardiovascular fitness.

Running is great for this, combining both mental and physical endurance, but there are lots of other alternatives, which could be more appropriate for what you’re trying to achieve. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is, in my opinion, one of the best activities for training endurance. Repetitive bursts of high intensity exercises are bound to get your heart racing in no time, and the ability to easily personalise the routine by selecting exercises which work on the muscles you want to train, make it great for training endurance

“

The fact that it could be easily integrated into a home routine makes it a great activity to do alongside any sport

“

Whatever your sport, the skills you need will overlap with another - why not train doing something a little bit different?

Tymoteusz Suszczyński

for a wide selection of sports. Coupled with the fact that it could be easily integrated into a home routine, makes it a great activity to do alongside any sport. With regular HIIT sessions at the Richmond Building, as well the West village residences through the B:Active Campus and Residences programmes, the opportunity to get involved is certainly there.

Simply due to its easy accessibility, it would be difficult not to mention calisthenics – a branch of exercises focusing primarily on using one’s own bodyweight. Provided with a simple setup of a few pullup bars, such as those found at Branon Hill park right by the University, and a creative mindset, there’s very little you cannot do – especially if you throw a few weights or resistance bands into the mix. This style of training is especially convenient for sports requiring a lot of upper body strength, such as gymnastics, climbing or rowing.

Exploring the overlap between these sports, it’s clear that there can be more to training than just the regular exercises you might’ve grown used to. So go ahead, give your training a taste of fresh air by trying something different and still getting the training done.

“

Sport

Editor Digital Editor Student Sport Correspondent

India Gay Tymoteusz Suszcyński Edward McAteer

Epigram/UoB Squash Club

Record turnout for Uni Squash club ‘Give it a Go’ sessions

SciTech & Sport Subeditor

M

any people have never heard of the sport before coming to university, but this has never stopped the University squash club roping in countless new members to its eight teams every year. This year has been no different and has seen record numbers attend the ‘Give it a Go’ sessions. These free sessions are designed to give attendees a taste of a new sport, or to allow those familiar with the

game to pick up a racket after some years away, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. This September, it was thought over 250 keen squash players attended the first taster sessions, and this momentum carried through to a busy weekend of team trials for both the men and women’s teams.

With all teams engaging with preseason, it was set to be a good year even before the new term brought in a new cohort of players. The club is

“

The club is starting the season off the back of one of its most successful ever, earning 214.5 BUCS points and seeing some great results at BUCS Individuals

“

Excitement builds for the new season as the University of Bristol Squash Club sees a big rise in members after a successful Freshers’ Fair and intense team trials Esme Hedley

starting the season off the back of one of its most successful ever, earning 214.5 BUCS points and seeing some great results at BUCS Individuals.

This is not to say all will be smooth sailing; the surprise awarding of Parachute status means there is an expectation for the club to perform to the same, if not better, standard as last year with fewer resources.

Continued on Page 31...