Epigram Issue 345

CBD mania Inside...

Team review

Brady talks

Whiteladies café Mary Jane’s discusses the misconceptions

An end of term check-in on the progress of UoB’s sports clubs

The VC on the uncertainty of tuition fees and Brexit

The Croft page 4

page 31-32

page 9

epigram

Fortnightly December 9 2019

est. 1988

Issue 345

The University of Bristol’s Independent Student Newspaper

Staff strike back A full report of the eight day UCU staff strikes which affected Bristol students pages 4-5 www.epigram.org.uk

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@EpigramPaper

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Editorial Strikes and election sees politics dominate

I

am writing this editorial on the final day of an eight day striking period, and eight days before the crucial general election vote.

It’s fair to say current times at Bristol University are as political as they have ever been.

Many third year students – or those who have been here for longer – will remember the University and College Union (UCU) strikes of 2018 which persisted for months as Universities UK (UUK) failed to meet the demands of staff on issues of pensions and pay. Then freshers enjoying the extra break from lectures, now final years sweating on deadlines, impending exams and dissertation submissions.

Students continue to recognise and support their lecturers and staff in the fight for a resolution to the same, previous issues as well as the wider issues of gender and race pay gap, casualisation, and workload. An impressive amount of on-the-ground support has been provided by the Student-Staff Solidarity Group, taking a high-profile status on the picket line and organising support mechanisms such as teach-outs. The large majority of students, however, have flooded the libraries to crack on with their coursework and the past week has been a busy time for independent study spaces in the absence of many lectures. Many of those I’ve personally spoken to on the issue have expressed their agreement with staff striking, but, especially towards the end of their degrees, admit they cannot afford to neglect their studies and boycott Uni facilities. A little discussed aspect in the debate is that STEM students with less financial support from family rely on the computers, software and materials beyond the picket line – I certainly fall in this category and submitted a 56 page group report on the fifth day

of strikes.

While on my year in industry in Newport, I watched from afar as the 2018 strikes affected the graduating year of many of my fellow 2015 starters. They suffered through months of uncertainty knowing it was worth it for the University to recognise the severity of the pension changes – supposedly knocking £240,000 off their value to staff. The level of disruption this time around has been far reduced, limited to eight days and three demonstrations, but the specific issues affecting Bristol staff have come to light. I had a long interview with Vice-Chancellor Professor Hugh Brady – see our website for his strike comments and page nine for wider political comments – and he stressed how the University of Bristol have been willing to match the full staff demands on pensions and pay in the period between the two strikes. The issue therefore lies with the less financially secure universities among the 60 at the national negotiating table. The key issue to emerge for UoB staff this time around has been casualisation. Many teaching staff are stuck on hourly rates or nine month contracts, with pay for preparation, marking, or during the summer holidays. All the issues need more concrete resolution, but striking a balance between flexibility and financial uncertainty for these staff seems most pressing.

Beyond universities, there is the small matter of the general election. Not satisfied in just being your bog-standard election, this one is the first in December for 96 years and is crucial in the Brexit outcome. Students flocking home for winter break could be facing Christmas cracker households like mine – one Remainer parent, one Brexiteer – splitting and snapping as often as our polarised country. I hope everyone has registered to vote so we can have a say in the resolution and make sure the average voter age recognises our politically engaged and vocal generation. Oh, and remember to vote with climate change in mind.

Besides the political minefield, I wish everyone a happy holiday and good luck in coursework or exams.

Our next issue will be in the first February of a new decade; I hope you don’t miss us too much.

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

epigram 09.12.2019

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

From the archives: ‘Who wins: you decide!’

Issue 170, released 18 April 2005, looked ahead to a very different election to the 2019 one

O

n 5 May, you could decide who moves into Number Ten. Forget those who say that one person’s vote doesn’t matter – because in Bristol West every vote will count. Bristol West is a three-way marginal, which gets Peter Snow’s swingometer very excited indeed. The seat includes Bristol University and parts of UWE, and the highly contrasting areas of Clifton and St Pauls. Although it’s currently held by Labour’s Valerie Davey, she’s defending a majority of just 4,426 votes and only 40 votes split the Liberal Democrats and the Conservativesm neabubg all three major parties have a realistic chance of winning the seat. Last year only 32 per cent of 18-24 year olds voted in the European elections. With

1.9m students in the country, the influence the student vote could have is huge. In fact, the student vote here is probably more important than in any other consistuency. Bristol West has one of the highest student populations in Britain and that’s why all parties are eager to get students into the polling booths.

At the time of going to press, they were four candidates (Labour, LibDems, Conservative, Green) and independent local councillor Roy Tallis, who was previously a Liberal Democrat. Recent nominations include Bernard Kennedy for the Socialist Labour Party and Simon Muir for UKIP. What happens on Thursday 5 May depends entirely on whether people go out and vote.

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Bristol University spends £2.5 million designing new library

Investigations Correspondent

T

he University of Bristol has spent £2.5 million on the design of the new library on the existing Hawthorns area that is yet to recieve planning approval.

The new library space, due to be completed in 2023 - 2024, and yet to be named, will house an Art and Social Sciences library, among other subjects.

A planned 2,000 new study spaces will be created and the building will house approximately 420,000 books and 70,000 journals.

Philip Kent, Director of Library Services at the University of Bristol, said: ‘We are aiming to create a worldclass University Library and Centre

“

We have been working closely with Bristol City Council to make sure the building works well in its environment

‘We held a public consultation on the initial designs in October, with positive feedback from over 200 students, and have been working

University of Bristol

Isaac Haigh

for Cultural Collections at the heart of the campus and have appointed award-winning architects Hawkins Brown and Schmidt Hammer Lassen to design a building which reflects our ambition.’

Hawkins Brown and Schmidt Hammer Lassen were chosen after a competition in October 2017.

The design process commenced in January 2018 and the final design was announced in November 2018.

‘We have worked closely with students and staff in developing the plans to date and have put wellbeing at the heart of the design, with an emphasis on natural light and materials.

“

• The new Library has so far cost £2.5 million in the design process alone • Bristol University have defended the cost and praised the design • The old Hawthorns complex will be completely torn down

closely with Bristol City Council to make sure the building works well in its environment.’

The existing Hawthorns building, which contains 116 accommodation spaces, 225 twenty four-hour study spaces and the Hawthorns cafe, will be demolished.

The building of the new library is a part of the ‘Campus Heart’ program

to ‘encompasses a wide range of ambitions’.

A garden cafe has already been opened outside the Hawthorns alongside the £4.9 million refurbishments to the Indoor Sports Centre on Tyndal road. The lower floors of Senate House are currently under refurbishment, due to reopen in 2020.

‘Careful planning has been done to mitigate the closure of the Hawthorns. Study space and catering services will be provided within the newly refurbished Senate House, while reallocation of accommodation will be looked at as part of a wider review of university accommodation.’

The whole project is projected to cost £80 million.

Bristol Uni adopts IHRA antisemitism definition following protest by Jewish groups Epigram / Sabrina Miller

• University of Bristol has adopted in full the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism • The announcement follows protests by Jewish groups • Bristol Jewish Society is ‘delighted’ with the decision

Benjamin Salmon Deputy News Editor

T

he University of Bristol has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition for antisemitism in full.

The move comes after the Bristol University Jewish Society (JSoc) staged a protest outside the Wills Hall Conference Centre on the 28 November, where senior University representatives, including Vice-

Chancellor Hugh Brady, were holding a Senate meeting on the definition’s adoption.

The definition – which had already been taken up by Bristol SU, the NUS, the Government as well as all the main British political parties – will be used to adjudicate cases of antisemitism within the University.

Jewish groups, including Bristol JSoc, argue that adopting the definition protects Jews from discrimination on an institutional level by citing examples of where anti-Jewish racism manifests itself.

A University of Bristol spokesperson said: ‘The University of Bristol has adopted in full the International

Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

‘We will also start to consult on the adoption of additional definitions relating to other minority groups that may also feel vulnerable to discrimination and hatred.

‘All such definitions will be applied by the University in a manner which is consistent with our legally-binding commitments to freedom of speech and to the rights of all students and staff to discuss difficult and sensitive topics, provided that this right is exercised responsibly, within the law, and with respect for others who may have differing views.

Responding to the announcement, the President of Bristol JSoc, Nina Freedman, praised the University: ‘Bristol JSoc is delighted to hear

that the University is planning on adopting the IHRA definition in full.

‘It is such an important step and we are glad to see that the University is taking antisemitism seriously.

‘Jewish students finally feel like we have a voice in this University and hope that this will lead to greater Jewish representation on campus.

‘We hope that this sets a national precedent and other universities will follow in Bristol’s footsteps in order to safeguard Jewish students across the country.’

There has been concern from some that the definition delegitimised the Palestinian cause, which was one of the reasons why the University had thus far not adopted it.

However, Jewish groups dispute this, arguing it safeguards against anti-Jewish discrimination.

epigram 09.12.2019

4 News

Hourly-Paid Teacher

Lecturer One

Lecturer Three

‘The main reason I’m on strike is because I’ve experienced many years now of casual contracts, and while that felt reasonable when I was doing my PhD, now I’ve got my PhD I’ve seen just how endemic the culture of meeting immediate demands to teach quite complex topics is in higher education.

‘We’ll be asked to just at the drop of a hat teach on topics that we’ve never done before.

‘And we’ll be given things like two hours preparation or one hour preparation, which is sometimes less than the students get to prepare, in order to get ourselves ready to go in front of a class and teach – or at least be responsive if we’re seminar tutors.

We need better support in terms of pay.

‘We often get the sense that we’re disenfranchised cogs in the system.

‘Our contracts are often wrong, a lot of the onus is up to us to kind of work out how we’re supposed to work.’

‘Between my PhD and getting a permanent lectureship, I think I was on casualised contracts for about four years.

‘I remember supervising someone’s dissertation and working about two days for a one-hour tutorial, for which I was paid, I don’t know, about 35 quid or something.

‘There’s more of that now. It’s almost becoming a norm.’

‘We rely too much on people whose terms of employment don’t let them plan for the future, they’re living from hand to mouth.

‘Workload is a health and safety issue, the workload is making people sick.

‘This is even true of myself – my workload has only been looked after properly since I was off work due to stress-related health problems.’

Lecturer Two

Lecturer Four

‘There seems to be more in higher education of the stick than the carrot. We’re being pushed into doing increasingly difficult jobs, for longer hours. Everything around us is becoming more difficult.

‘Students are being affected by the decreasing morale among staff; they’re affected by staff having to work 12 to 14 hour days who are exhausted are maybe not able to build the same kind of teaching relationships as they would like to.’

‘You end up in the situation where the University normalises people donating their labour, and then you’ve got a huge staff mental health crisis...workload issues and security of contracts are two big contributors.

‘I know people talk a lot about the student mental health crisis which is a huge problem, and a desperate problem, but there’s also a staff mental health crisis. And that’s something that we urgently need to be solving.’

Casualised staff share open letter with list of demands • Academics on casual contracts call for wider change in higher education employment culture • Job security, employment rights, and mental health support among key demands • A meeting on 3 December with Hugh Brady brought no clear resolution to demands

Ellie Brown News Subeditor

A

n open letter from casualised staff taking part in the UCU strike has called on the University to take casualisation concerns seriously.

The open letter has so far received 92 signatures with the majority of these are from staff in the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law. Signatories include both permanent and temporary staff in solidarity with those on casualised contracts.

The demands have been made on behalf of ‘hourly paid teachers, teachers on fractional contracts and other casual staff’ at the University.’

In the letter, staff set out their concerns: ‘many of us underpaid, under-protected and overworked.

Improving the conditions, rights and

security of University teachers will improve teachers’ ability to fully support students.’

‘We hope that, in accordance with recent commitments to address casualisation you (the University) will respond to the following calls.’

Key demands include more time for teaching preparation, paid office hours, fixed-term contracts for hourly paid teachers, and support for maternity and paternity leave.

Ending 10-month contacts, more support for the mental and physical wellbeing of teachers, and equal treatment of language tutors are also part of the letter’s ‘calls for change.’

The statement concluded by expressing support for ‘colleagues in departments across the University who are writing to their Heads of School and Faculty Deans to raise their specific needs.’

‘We make these calls for change in solidarity with casual staff across the Higher Education sector and with casual workers elsewhere.’

Lydia Medland, the University of Bristol UCU Branch Representative, said: ‘this letter is a call for change and is an effort to illustrate the problems that hourly paid teachers and other casual staff experience. It is signed by casual staff and those in

support and solidarity with them.’

‘We will be collecting signatures and we will send the letter to the VC (Vice-Chancellor) in advance of the meeting that we hope to have with him.’

She also said that ‘many of us have been making these points for years.’

The group met with Vice-Chancellor Hugh Brady on 3 December and, while there was sympathy, senior management could not ‘say yes or no’ to the demands at this stage.

In an earlier interview with Epigram co-Editor in Chief, Patrick Sullivan, Vice-Chancellor Hugh Brady said: ‘On casualisation, I think we’re like-minded with our local UCU branch that we want to put as many contracts as possible on a more stable footing. We have a precarious contracts working party, which is a joint initiative between the University and UCU to figure out ways that we can do that.’ ‘[Another] issue that we know is really important for staff is workload.

Staff have been working incredibly hard over the last number of years – both to further increase our academic reputation, but also to strengthen our balance sheet.’

The University have been contacted for comment.

Strikers asked to remove ‘intimidating’ bunting • People reported to security services feeling ‘intimidated’ by bunting • A joke Twitter account set up to make fun of the decision

Isaac Haigh

Investigations Editor

O

n the third day of the UCU strikes, Wednesday 27 November, strikers were told to remove intimidating ‘bunting’

by University security services.

According to a lecturer in the History Department, a member of the security team spoke to picketers outside the Modern Languages building due to reports that people had felt ‘intimidated.’

Will Pooley said that he’d been on Woodland Road all week and

‘the atmosphere has been generally friendly and we have seen very few people actually going into the Arts Complex building from the front entrances, so this strikes me as pretty unlikely. Is bunting really that intimidating?’

A joke twitter account has now been set up with the name ‘Intimidating Bunting is here to scare you.’

A spokesperson for the University of Bristol said: ‘Security staff did not describe the bunting itself as intimidating.

‘However, it was blocking the entrance to 15 Woodland Road, contravening the government’s Code of Practice on Picketing so striking staff were politely asked to move it.

‘We respect the right of our staff to take action, with or without colourful bunting or witty placards.’

Flickr / Jonathan van Smit

Epigram / Ellie Brown

‘We’ve got people putting off their lives’: academics tell Epigram why they’re striking

09.12.2019 epigram

News 5 From teach-outs to tea and coffee: how students are showing solidarity Ellie Brown News Subeditor

Molly Pipe

First Year Social Policy and Politics

M

embers of the Bristol Student-Solidarity Group (BSSSG) have been supporting striking staff since industrial action began on Monday 25 November.

The group is run by students and has been a visible presence around picket lines on campus and at demonstrations.

These include the rally on Wednesday 27 November, where a representative of the group announced that they would be running ‘teach-outs’ for six days of the strikes.

Teach-out activities range from banner making to creative writing, and include several talks by striking staff on topics such as ‘Capitalism and Mental Health’ and ‘Medieval Penis Trees.’

11 events have been planned so far,

and are due to take place in Bristol churches and community centres, as well as the SU’s own Stacy Room.

‘It’s just a form of alternative learning’ says Ruth Day, a member of the group. ‘While students hopefully won’t be going into their lectures, and lecturers won’t be teaching for the University, we’ll have a space where we can all learn together as an academic community, rather than as this divided group between students and staff.’

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Activities range from banner-making to creative writing

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• The Bristol Student-Staff Solidarity group has grown in size with the latest strikes

Additionally, the group has been meeting at 7.30am outside Senate House each day of the strike, bringing ‘energy, food, tea, coffee and endless solidarity’ to lecturers on the picket lines.

According to Day, membership of the group has been growing throughout the strike action. ‘We started off with about five or six of us, and we’ve got a group chat of people supporting the strike

with about 75 people in it now, just through building support through stalls on campus.’ The group’s core membership is made up of 20 students.

‘A lot of students find that they support the strike when they know what [it’s] about.’

Student support has been welcomed by striking academics.

‘Staff really appreciate seeing so many of us on the picket lines with them in the morning, handing out tea and coffee,’ said Day. One anonymous lecturer told us they were ‘really pleased to see students rally together and work with us. If we build that movement together, we have much more capacity to make changes together as we go forward.’

To students who are unsure about whether to support the strikes, they commented we need better support in terms of pay, ‘this movement is part of a wider movement in the disintegration of workers rights. Our pensions are their pensions. It’s as much their fight as it is our fight in whatever job they want to go into.’

News Subeditor

Molly Pipe

First Year Social Policy and Politics

Siavash Minoukadeh Entertainment Subeditor

G

endered and racialized pay gaps, impossible workloads, and casualization were some of the topics covered by speakers at the rally, which took place at 10am on Wednesday 27 November outside the Victoria Rooms.

Speakers included UCU VicePresident and Widening Participation Officer at the University of Leeds Vicki Blake, who has been ‘travelling around picket lines across the UK’ for the duration of the strike. At the Bristol rally, she said: ‘Casualisation is not just something that happens to a few people, and even if it was something that happened to a few people, it is unacceptable to be forced to live your life on insecure contracts.’

‘It is just horrific that it is only now that we are just starting to have really constructive conversations about what casualisation even is.

“

Our action together brought UUK to the table

“

Ellie Brown

[UCU have] explained that it isn’t only certain types of hourly paid contracts.’ For them, casualisation also includes those who are on zero hours, fixed term contracts and agency workers.

She told the crowd that the union has ‘expressed great dismay’ that ‘despite decades of data on the gender pay gap, we still have a huge one’. as well as ‘absolutely unacceptable racialised pay gaps.

‘Pay gaps intersect with each other’ she continued. ‘If you’re a woman of colour you’re going to be even worse off. If you’re a disabled worker you’re probably more likely to be on a casualised contract for a start and your pay is going to be lower.

‘This is disgusting. We’ve had enough.’

Blake reported that strike negotiations were going well.

‘Yesterday, we had a meeting [and] they appear to be listening. It was progress from where we’ve been, where they didn’t want to talk in a great amount of detail about some of these issues.

‘What they’re going to do is go back to their members,’ she said of the outcome of the meeting. ‘That’s 147 universities across the UK who they’re going to consult with. We’re expecting a written response next week.’

However, she continued with a call for the crowd to ‘strike even harder, even louder, and with even more resolve as our action together brought them [UUK] to the table.’ She urged protestors to make it clear to the ‘senior so-called leaders of our sector that this is not something that they can wave a few nice words at and then leave to carry on the same.’

She finished her speech by thanking attendees for ‘being here in the rain,’ encouraging them to ‘bring friends tomorrow and keep going.’

Blake then led the crowd in a

rendition of Dolly Parton’s song ‘9 to 5’ - adjusted to ‘9 to 9’ to fit with the message of the strikes.

Other speakers included many senior lecturers at the University across schools and faculties. One recalled how when she started working in higher education 11 years ago, she went through a period of ‘[chasing] every three months contract after contract.’

‘Rather than doing your work and this is what many of you are experiencing - you’re actually trying to find your next job.’

She also blasted the University’s continual assessment of lecturers.

‘We have emails that ask us about our module evaluations halfway through, then later on in the year we’re asked about what are our measures of esteem. [...] It’s constant, it’s never-

ending.’

She finished with ‘a message to UUK and to our employers’ which underlined the disconnect between senior managers and students: ‘We’re constantly told that students want this, students want that - I don’t hear this, and actually, we speak to students every day.

‘We’re being told from the top down that students want something else, some imaginary unicorn, or what I like to call “Pizza Party Pedagogy.”

‘We undermine them [students], we infantilize them, this isn’t what people want.’

‘So get to the table, give us our

“

It is only now we are just starting to have conversations about what casualisation even is

“

• Three demonstrations at Bristol University took place over the eight day period • Negotiating lecturers reported some progress

Epigram / Siavash Minoukadeh

UCU Vice President addresses Bristol rally

conditions, our pay and our pensions, and let’s get back to the jobs that we love, and that actually, we are really collectively good at.’

A member of the Bristol StudentStaff Solidarity group rounded off the speeches by informing the crowd of the group’s newly released teachout schedule. Demonstrators then marched down Queen’s Road and Park Street, with the protest ending at College Green.

epigram 09.12.2019

6 News: In Pictures

Climate protestors joined

by UCU strikers

Benjamin Salmon Deputy News Editor

Epigram / Bethany Marris

Epigram / Bethany Marris

O

n Friday 29 November hundreds of climate protestors of all ages were joined by University staff taking part in the UCU strike.

With signs that read ‘Our Planet, Our Future’, ‘Our Lives and Make Love, Not CO2’, protestors marched from College Green around the city and were joined by those taking part in the UCU academic strike.

The protest, one part of the ‘Youth Strike For Climate’ which takes place in cities all over the world, was in support of tougher climate regulation and argued for governments to take tougher measures on climate policy.

In Bristol West – the parliamentary constituency of the University of Bristol – the Green Party, an environmentalist party, have strong support. However, Labour, which is committing to a net carbon neutral target by 2030, has a large chance of retaining the seat.

Bristol was the first city in the UK to declare a Climate Emergency in November 2018 while the University took on the same moniker earlier in 2019.

‘Reclaim the Night’: Hundreds take to the streets to demand gender equality Maggie Sawant

Students’ Union Correspondent

Epigram / Immy Howse

Epigram / Immy Howse

H

undreds of protesters blocked traffic on the evening of Sunday 24 November to stand in solidarity against gender-based violence and to demand gender equality.

The ‘Reclaim the Night’ march, now in its thirtieth year, seeks to highlight the vulnerability of women as they walk the streets alone at night. The protesters marched from Queen’s Square and up Park Street, holding banners and chanting ‘Reclaim the night, reclaim the streets.’

The marchers then congregated outside the Victoria Rooms, to hear speakers from organisations such as the Bristol Intersectional Feminist Society and the Student Union’s Women’s Network.

09.12.2019 epigram

News 7

Beacon House Bristol Uni urged to protect evacuated after false international students’ freedom to strike alarm from Pam Pam

Isaac Haigh

Investigations Correspondent

A

Epigram / Laura Mallinson

t approximately 2 pm on 27 November, Beacon House was evacuated and a fire engine could be seen outside.

Ventilation testing at the nightclub Pam Pam was the cause of the false alarm inside Beacon House.

Students were gathered around outside Beacon House waiting for confirmation that it was safe to go back inside.

Laura Mallinson, Epigram’s Digital Style Editor, was at the scene: ‘It became apparent that it was evacuation, and not a drill, when a in few moments a fire engine and University security turned up.

‘The crowd of students were pretty restless and complaining of being cold, and no one really knew what was going on.

‘The fire crew were there for about 30 minutes and then left before the students were allowed back in.’

Ellie Brown News Subeditor

U

niversity society People and Planet Bristol wrote to senior members of staff out of concern for international students’ political rights, due to Home Office regulations. On Wednesday 27 November, the group’s president, Hannah Syed, wrote to Vice-Chancellor Hugh Brady and Pro Vice-Chancellor Sarah Purdy with ‘an urgent request to uphold migrant students’ rights at the University.’

The group argued that the right of these students to support the strike is undermined by University courses taking attendance during the strikes, which ‘puts incredible pressure on international/migrant students whose visas depend on their attendance to cross the picket line.’

As a consequence, they are

demanding that ‘attendance-taking be cancelled for the course of the strike’ and that the University releases ‘a statement [...] assuring international students that [they] will uphold their right to support the strike.’

The email continued: ‘It is vital that our University states clearly that it supports all students’ freedom of association.

‘These are rights protected by human rights law, and are an absolute moral imperative for any academic institution. Visa precarity must not be used against students to pressure them into breaking the picket line and undermining the strike.’

People and Planet Bristol, who have been vocal in their support for the strikes so far, attending protests and making their presence on the picket line known, said to Epigram: ‘People and Planet operates within the framework of collective liberation. This means that we believe no one is free until we all are.’

‘Education, and especially free, accessible education that interrogate the roots of current oppressive social dynamics is a step towards collective

liberation. We stand in solidarity with the striking lecturers, support their demands and commend the student-staff collaboration that made these teach-outs possible.’

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Visa precarity must not be used against students to pressure them into breaking the picket line

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• Fire alarm set off at Beacon House prompts Fire Service to be called • It was a false alarm caused by testing of the ventilation system at Pam Pam

• People and Planet Bristol have demanded that Bristol Uni stop recording attendance during the strikes, • The group claims that this prevents migrant students from showing solidarity

A spokesperson for the University of Bristol, said: ‘As the University is a sponsor of students who are studying in the UK on a Tier 4 visa, we have a number of legal duties, including monitoring attendance.

‘The Home Office has confirmed to UK universities that if any classes, seminars, lectures or meetings with tutors or supervisors are cancelled as a result of industrial action, this should not have an impact on a student’s attendance record for Tier 4 immigration purposes.

‘We ask students to please continue make every effort to attend any academic activities which have not been affected by industrial action.’

Sparks fly between Bristol West Election candidates at SU hustings • Green and Labour candidates for the Bristol West constituency debate at SU hustings • Topics argued over included Brexit, the climate crisis and drug policy

Benjamin Salmon Deputy News Editor

Bristol Green Party

T

wo contenders to be the Bristol West Member of Parliament traded blows at an eventful hustings hosted by Bristol SU on Thursday 28 November.

On an evening full of cheering and jeering, heckling and applause, it was unclear who won over the room with both Green Party and Labour support flooding an audience which included former Green Party leader, and member of the House of Lords, Natalie Bennett.

Conservative Party and Brexit Party candidates for Bristol West – Suria Aujla and Neil Hipkiss – declined to take part in the event.

The Liberal Democrat candidate, James Cox, stood down in the constituency in October after the

Greens and Liberal Democrats struck a deal to stand down candidates in certain seats - known as the ‘Unite to Remain’ alliance.

Green Party challenger, Carla Denyer, accused Labour of playing hard to get by not signing up to the ‘Unite to Remain’ alliance while Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour incumbent, accused the Greens of having no answer to what would be

on the ballot paper in a second Brexit referendum.

On Brexit, Ms Debbonaire defended her record in Parliament since the referendum, arguing she had ‘literally helped stop Brexit three times’, to big cheers from the audience.

Ms Denyer retorted, saying that a vote for Ms Debbonaire, and therefore for Labour, was ‘not a vote for a Remain party’ - in reference

to the mysterious Brexit position of Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Bristol West is estimated to have voted 79.3 per cent in favour of Remain at the 2016 referendum.

Climate change is an area both candidates have a pedigree.

Ms Denyer preached a ‘Yes to Europe, no to climate chaos’ mantra while Ms Debbonaire argued that Labour’s carbon-neutral target date

of ‘the 2030s’ was both realistic and radical.

As a Green councillor for Clifton Down, Ms Denyer was also keen to make it known how it was she who proposed the first motion in the country to declare a Climate Emergency.

Both Labour and the Greens also share common ground on drugs policy.

Ms Denyer said the Greens would focus efforts on support, not criminalisation while Ms Debbonaire highlighted her Labour Campaign for Drugs Policy Reform.

Labour won this seat in 2015 with Ms Debbonaire defeating the Liberal Democrat incumbent, Stephen Williams, with a majority of 5,673 votes.

At the 2017 General Election, Ms Debbonaire extended her majority to a lofty 37,336, making Bristol West one of the safest seats in the country.

The Greens came third by a long way two years ago, but their chances appear fairly high with Bristol West being their number one target seat at this election.

8 News

epigram 09.12.2019

SU Living Room celebrates first birthday • The SU Living Room celebrated its first birthday last week • SU Officer said the success ‘brings a lot of tears to my eyes’

Isaac Haigh

Investigations Correspondent

Epigram / Patrick Sullivan

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‘So to have something during the day where we can come integrate, play some Mario Kart, make a cup of tea and meet people who you’d never see on a day-to-day basis, I think brings a lot of tears to my eyes and a lot of happiness.’

Students were also encouraged to give feedback at the event, writing about their experiences of the Living

Room in birthday cards.

Rosie Hudson, a fourth-year engineering design student said it ‘seemed obvious that there should be more of them around University. It’s strange there’s only one really like it when you think staff have these kinds of rooms. Why are students any different?’

The Living Room is part of an

international movement of Public Living Rooms, created by the group ‘Camerados’.

Aimimg to provide a space to ‘combat isolation and facilitate positive wellbeing’ to just ‘be’, there are now 70 of these ‘Living Rooms’ across the UK, USA and Australia.

The founder of Camerados, Maff Potts, also attended the celebration,

commenting that he felt ‘emotional’ seeing the popularity of the SU Living Room at Bristol University.

‘I always knew that there were two things that seemed to change people’s lives, and in all the work I’d done, they were very rarely present. Those two things were friends and purpose [...] so it was a lightning bolt that I had to do something about that.’

New Ocado robotic warehouse in Bristol

Bristol City Council halts £6m upgrade to vehicles due to diesel ban

New Clifton Down bridge plans rejected

News in Brief ‘Sleep Pods’ to be introduced for rough sleepers in Bristol Molly Pipe undreds of ‘sleep pods’ are to be given away in the SouthWest, with money for the pods raised by a sold-out music festival.

The portable shelters will help rough sleepers to stay warm and dry at night. They are rainproof and

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St Mark’s Road named best street in UK Isaac Haigh t Mark’s Road in Easton, Bristol has been named the best street in Britain.

The road was voted the greatest street at the 2020 Urbanism Awards. Earlier this year the street was cited as the ‘reason Easton was suddenly cool.’ It was

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Student returns to study after 35 foot fall Isaac Haigh om Biggart, a University of Bristol student has returned to the University to finish his degree and hopefully graduate next year. Whilst on a night out in December 2017 Mr Buggart fell asleep on the Zero Degrees rooftop bar and feel 35 feet to

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windproof, and can be constructed with only 30 seconds’ work.

Charity Sleep Pod was founded in 2018, and has since built 793 pods for people all over the UK. This follows a rise in rough sleeping of 165% since 2010.

It costs £10,000 for 400 sleep pods.

Ian Ashby said: ‘It has to be really easy to pack down and carry, very simple to use, very lightweight to use, and it’s just to keep you warm at night, like a cross between a sleeping bag and a tent. You get in when you’re ready to go to bed or just before.’ described by judges as ‘diverse, popular and full of delight’. As a direct response to the terror attack in Manchester the Iftar meal has been eaten as a communal event in the street every year since.

The Academy of Urbanism said the street demonstrated the ‘power of good urbanism to bring people together” and had “many lessons across the world for multicultural urban street life’. It has also been named, Time Out as the 35th coolest neighbourhood in the world. the street below. Mr Biggart suffered devastating leg and head injuries, a passerby alerted the emergency services and he was rushed to Southmead Hospital for life-saving surgery. He was in a coma for seven weeks and spent the next four months in rehab learning simple tasks again. Mr Biggart told Bristol Live he felt ‘incredibly lucky’. Following his fall Tom and his friends raised £14,000 for Southmead Hospital. You can read Tom’s inspiring journey at lukciestmanalive.com.

Patrick Sullivan nline supermarket Ocado have announced they will be building a high-tech distribution hub in Bristol by late 2020 or early 2021. The first ‘ mini customer fulfilment centre’ (mini-CFC) at a 150,000 sq ft site in Avonmouth will mean Bristol residents can order their shopping for same day delivery via the website. Despite the heavy reliance on newly developed robotics, Ocado claim the development will support 815 jobs in the local area. The deployment time of 13 months is half that of a typical, larger warehouse. Tim Steiner, Ocado Chief Executive, said: ‘Our mission is to deliver the future of online shopping today and we believe we are succeeding.’

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Isaac Haigh ristol City Council has halted a £6m upgrade of its van fleet as it conflicts with new plans to ban diesel vehicles in the city centre. The council has already spent £2.7m this year on 135 new vans, 64 of them being diesel.

18 more diesel vans are being delivered to the council because they have already been ordered. The ban will be between 0700 and 1500 and will only apply to private vehicles so the council vehicles are exempt. Matt Griffith, director of policy for Business West, said the move added to ‘widespread confusion about the scheme among the public and business’.

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Patrick Sullivan A planning inspector has rejected the plan for a new stone bridge across the Clifton Downs, despite being approved

by Bristol City Council. Supposedly the first stone arch bridge to be built in Europe for 100 years, the idea was first proposed in 2013, but now seems unlikely after Inspector Helen Slade said the benefits to the public were ‘minimal’ compared to ‘the permanent, adverse impact it would have on the open landscape of the common’. Robert Lake, chairman of the Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge, however, said it was a ‘deplorable decision which ignores the danger faced by tens of thousands of people every month as they cross this busy road’.

Pinkmans and Friska evacuated Georgiana Scott n Sunday, December 1st café ‘Friska’, was evacuated around 1 o’clock because of a suspected gas leak. Everyone inside the cafe and neighbouring coffee shop ‘Pinkmans’ was left outside in the cold, whilst a fire truck and gas repair van attended to the scene. Students had to wait over 30 minutes to collect their belongings inside. ‘Pinkmans’ took over an hour to reopen, while ‘Friska’ remained closed for the rest of the day.

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Epigram / Georgiana Scott

fter opening its doors in December 2018 students can still be seen in the SU Living Room vying for a space to sit.

Celebrating its a year since its opening, a selection of canopes and baked goods were provided for students at a first brithday event last week.

At the event, Julio, Union Affairs Officer for Bristol SU told Epigram: ‘I feel like it’s the only space in the heart of campus that allows students from different backgrounds to integrate easily.

‘Before this, we never had a platform that brought students together besides the welcome fair, or maybe varsity nights and sports nights.

Features

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

Twitter: @EpigramFeatures

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hen I first started studying at the University of Bristol in 2015, UK universities were in peak development as the Government lifted limits on student intake three years after the rise of tuition fees to £9,000 per year.

Also moving to Bristol that September was Professor Hugh Brady, formerly of University College Dublin and Melbourne University, taking up his role as Vice-Chancellor. In the four years since, as Bristol continued – and continues – to grow both in size and reputation, students and staff at the University have seen a number of complex issues develop too.

Since my second year started in 2016, there have been several student suicides and the University have had to review and further fund mental health services to try to meet the greater demand. In early 2018, there were months of staff strikes as University and College Union (UCU) members reacted to changes to pension policies and their view that universities have failed to improve staff pay and conditions. 18 months later, and UCU are striking again from 25 November to 4 December citing the same reasons.

Programme on 12 November recorded in Wills Memorial Building, announcing ‘if [Labour] get into power on December 13, we will abolish tuition fees, no ifs, no buts’. On the same show, Brady advised that policy may not be the best course of action.

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We need the funding level to be appropriate to be up there with the very best in the world

‘Our response has been to really focus on what’s within our control at the University. [That has been] very significant investment in the student experience in terms of the curriculum, wider support, mental health, and our physical infrastructure. And similarly, [we have invested] on the research side, particularly reacting to the challenge and opportunity set by the government’s industrial strategy.

‘Having said that, we’re doing everything we can outside of the institution to ensure that there is a good outcome to all of the other external factors. In terms of Brexit, we have been advocating that if Brexit does happen, we should have as full an association as possible with the EU. [The University would benefit from this because], for example, students can continue to have access to the Erasmus Plus program, staff can continue to be able to play their full part in Horizon Europe, and we can still be full partners in the European Research Council, which is so important as a source of funding for our

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If Brexit does happen, we should have as full an association as possible with the EU

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Co-Editor-in-Chief

‘The theme since I’ve been Vice Chancellor has been uncertainty, particularly in the external world,’ Professor Brady says. ‘Uncertainty around Brexit: will it happen and what type of deal if any will be done; uncertainty around immigration policy; uncertainty around the financing of higher education; and it goes on and on.’

Brady speaks to me on the morning of Thursday 21 November 2019, four days before the planned UCU strikes started. I am here to get Brady’s view on not only the crucial strikes, but the turbulent December ahead. With an upcoming general election affecting the University so greatly, how do they plan to provide high quality education and research for years to come?

‘If we are to compete with the very best universities in the world, we have to be able to offer a comparable package and have certainty around the amount of money that’s available per student. First and foremost, we need the funding level to be appropriate to be up there with the very best in the world so we can offer our students an equivalent experience to the very best universities in the world.’

Brady himself recognises there is only so much the University can influence. University funding is seen as a ‘political decision’ as the Labour Party and Conservatives take two opposite standpoints ahead of the national vote on 12 December.

Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Angela Raynor, phoned in to a special episode of the Radio 4 Today

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The University of Bristol Vice-Chancellor touches on Brexit and the general election, the week before staff strikes affected teaching Patrick Sullivan

top researchers.

‘I’ve been encouraged that the government have reacted positively to our appeals to restore the two year post-study work entitlement for international students. That’s really important. In a recent recruitment trip we took to India, it was very helpful to be able to say that the restoration of that particular element was on the cards.’

The Vice-Chancellor has been individually subjected to wide, heartfelt student criticism as the community here at Bristol continues to support each other on the campus issues of mental health and staff strikes. On many social media, Hugh Brady is a name found in several Bristruths and playful memes, most deploring the University’s attitude towards its students and service. Yet, sitting at a boardroom style table in his Beacon House office, Brady is quietly spoken and not desperate for the limelight, reflective of the heavy involvement of his team of Deputy and Pro-Vice-Chancellors in the operation of a university catering to more than 20,000 students.

The latest UCU strikes are the issue of the moment. Hourly paid staff have since written an open letter of demands to reduce the impact of casualisation on their working lives, and there have been marches and pickets across campus and central Bristol. Hugh Brady himself could be seen on the picket line on the first day of action. When we speak, however, he urges ‘students to continue their studies as they normally would’ and says they ‘should feel comfortable passing the picket line’.

I ask him what he would do if staff had similar strikes while he was a student at University College Dublin.

‘Between 1976 and 1982, I don’t think we had one strike at the University. Now, that might be a judgment on our activism or lack thereof but we didn’t so I’ve got no experience really to call upon.’

His answer, while clearly trying to remain partisan, is a reminder of the extraordinary circumstances that

have led to a second set of strikes in less than two years. Universities across the country are swelling with students. Students accepted at UK universities rose from 390,890 in 2006 to 532,265 in 2015, when Brady started his post, and has risen yet again to 541,240 in 2019 despite the number of applications being lower now than four years ago.

However, while a no-deal Brexit and the abolition of tuition fees would cause issues, financially, Bristol is one of the more stable universities in the UK. Brady describes the University as

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Hugh Brady himself could be seen on the picket line on the first day of action

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Epigram/ Isaac Haigh

Professor Hugh Brady: ‘The theme since I’ve been VC has been uncertainty’

‘among the best in class’ at looking after staff. With regards to the issues of pay and pensions which have led to the strikes, he says they offered to meet staff demands 18 months ago and implied the reluctance of some of the other 59 universities involved in the negotiations has prevented a clear resolution.

‘Most of our staff will be aware that we’re part of a national collective bargaining process. We argued for a higher increment of University pension contribution than has been implemented nationally. We have advocated that there should be a multi-annual deal where pay increases are linked to inflation. We think that’s fair, and that gives staff a certainty.

‘I certainly hope [the strikes won’t become regular]. And I think coming out of the last strike, Bristol was seen as one of the contributors to the resolution of the strike. We hope that when the joint expert panel completes their report, which will probably be in the first quarter of 2020, it gives us a roadmap through which to develop a sustainable plan for the future so this doesn’t keep happening year on year.’

For now, it is difficult to predict the future of universities. Regardless of how they resolve wider staff issues of pay equality, casualisation, and workload, they continue to operate in the face of the current political chaos and growing student numbers.

The idea of the ‘student experience’ is one which is very much subject to change.

10 Features

epigram 09.12.2019

An examination of the graveyard of political campaigns Molly Pipe First Year, Social Policy & Politics

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ucked away in an innocuous corner of the Arts and Social Sciences Library is the largest collection of election material in the UK. It dates back to the mid1800s, has thousands of pieces of literature and is a favourite haunt for journalists wanting to dig up juicy details on politicians’ pasts.

Ian Coates, an academic and librarian who has worked for the University for nearly 30 years, knows the archive better than anyone else.

‘This is what election addresses

used to be like,’ he tells me, showing me the tightly-packed text of a series of cuttings from 1900. ‘They were often delivered as lectures, and the reporter would write every word down and put it all in the paper.’

It’s a far cry from today’s memes and Twitter campaigns. This is one of the things that the collection captures perfectly: the changing styles from wordy blocks of text to more slick, colourful flyers of 2019. Coates notes with amusement the awkwardness of some campaigners in putting together their leaflets. ‘The Lib Dems hadn’t quite got it yet,’ he says, nodding towards a picture of 2017 candidate Ben Nutland posing stiffly in front of a dispiriting urban backdrop.

The use of colour and font aren’t the

only things that have changed. The leaflets illustrate some of the most important political events of the last century, including the end of the Second World War – there are military-uniformed candidates pictured from the 1945 election – and the vast progression made in women’s rights.

‘The 1918 election is very interesting,’ Coates notes. ‘Because it’s the first election where women were able to stand as candidates.’ There are several leaflets from this year, showing a surprisingly large number of women who ran. ‘I think there were about 13 or 14 women candidates in that election,’ Coates says. But ‘the only woman candidate who was actually elected was a Sinn Fein candidate in Ireland, so of course she didn’t take her seat.’

For a politics fan like myself, the archive is full of surprising and enjoyable discoveries. Take the flyers of young Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, for example, in their first successful electoral bids. Corbyn’s leaflet has a picture of him with a full head of brown hair, and a caption that starts ‘Jeremy Corbyn is 34 and an organiser for NUPE’. Johnson’s includes a pledge to ‘improve rural bus

services.’ A 25-year-old Jo Swinson can also be found smiling alongside Charles Kennedy - past and present Lib Dem leaders fortuitously pictured together. But there are pieces of forgotten history in there too. I’m particularly interested by the anti-EU Referendum Party leaflet of 1997.

With a slogan reading ‘Let the people decide’; it could be mistaken for something by the People’s Vote campaign from 2019 – yet it comes from the opposing side of the argument.

There’s also a vintage Green Party leaflet, only it was called the Ecology

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There are just two people collecting the material for this election, meaning the pressure ‘really is mad’

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Epigram / Molly Pipe

Bristol’s election archive: baby-faced leaders and spoof campaigns

Party back then, and just ‘PEOPLE’ before that.

For those waiting for the inevitable British humour, the archive does not disappoint. Monster Raving Loony candidate ‘The Incredible Flying Brick’ sports a very fetching ‘loony’ lanyard in his photo; whilst ‘Lord Buckethead’ promises ‘Strong,

not entirely stable, leadership’ in his 2017 bid to win Maidenhead off Theresa May. My personal favourite among the whole collection is a ‘Let’s Dress Jeremy Corbyn’ cut-out book, where you can make the Labour leader a unicorn-herder, a drain spotter, or Batman - depending on how you think of him.

The archive is undoubtedly a rich resource for historians and the public alike, but keeping it alive isn’t such an easy task. There are just two people collecting the material for this election, and as Coates tells me, the pressure ‘really is mad.’

I can’t disagree with him. There are 650 constituencies in the UK, and each has roughly five candidates.

That’s about 3,250 overall that Coates and his single assistant have to email - and these days it’s far from certain that many of them will respond.

That’s why he’s been stepping up his attempts to get the public to send him the flyers they receive, putting up call-outs on social media, on library notice boards and in study spaces.

His message is simple: ‘Contact your friends and relatives all around the country – and encourage them to send us leaflets.’

UoB Amnesty International Society

Climate Change’s impact on human

Looking at the future infringement on human rights by changes to the climate Laurence Thompson First Year, Politics and IR

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growing awareness of the climate crisis has ensured that the issue is increasingly at the forefront of student, national and international politics.

Indeed, net zero targets for carbon emissions for the University of Bristol are a key focus of the University’s internal debates.

Much of this debate surrounding the climate crisis often justifiably focuses on the biodiversity crisis and

damage to our natural planet. However, the climate crisis is also a human rights issue, particularly undermining the rights of those people in developing nations who will be worst affected by climate change. This threat to human rights is a pressing reason to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and this argument is at the forefront of a current campaign by the University of Bristol’s Amnesty International Society.

So, why is it that the developing world is most at risk from climate change? Firstly, most of these countries are close to the equator and so already have higher temperatures than the average in the developed nations. This is significant because

it will lead to further desertification, exacerbating issues of access to water which already exist in some countries. This will undermine the human rights to access to water and sanitation. Indeed, Amnesty International estimates that one billion people will face issues of water shortages as a result of climate change.

A second key element underpinning why climate change will worst affect the developing world is that the economies of these countries often rely primarily on agriculture. Agriculture will be severely affected by rises in global temperatures because heat causes soil to dry up, reducing the soil’s capacity to absorb moisture.

This absorption is vital to ensuring

temperatures remain stable and low.

As a result of climate change, there will be severe swings and variations in temperatures in developing countries such as Brazil, leading to further wildfires and weather events.

Agriculture will also be affected by increased flooding which will lead to lower food productivity – indeed, twenty million people are at risk of displacement due to flooding in Bangladesh. As such, the fundamental human rights to stable livelihoods, to food and to life are clearly at risk.

The economic implications of climate change for the developing world are also severe because of their lower levels of GDP and growth. Adaptation initiatives are costly, and reducing the effects of climate change will require huge amounts of investment, but developing nations have less ability and money to adapt to the worst effects of climate change. Why is this an issue?

Because developed nations are able to invest in flood barriers and coastal protection in a way in which already impoverished nations simply cannot.

The worst effects of climate change will be left largely unmitigated in developing nations - and the threat to life, particularly in coastal communities and cities, is severe.

Of course, the world’s poorest countries are developing nations and already face human rights abuses

and widespread poverty. UN research in 2018 details that the debt crisis these countries face will only be made worse as the cost of capital increases due to the climate emergency.

The pre-existing poverty which undermine human rights within these countries will only be made worse by the effects of climate change.

So, it is self-evident that the populations of developing nations will be left vulnerable to climate chaos and that this poses a significant and long-term threat to human rights.

But what can be done about this?

The University’s Amnesty International Society are running a 5-week campaign to publicise the effects of climate change on human rights, particularly in relation to race, conflict zones, gender and the developing world. The campaign has taken part in the climate strike on the 29 November and will culminate in direct action in December to raise awareness of the cost of climate change.

Human rights charities such as Amnesty are at the forefront of raising awareness of the way in which developing nations will be affected by climate change. However, the success of the wider environmental movement in successfully causing a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding these threats to human rights in developing nations is as yet unclear.

Features 11

09.12.2019 epigram

How students are supporting the strikes

Many students have joined lecturers on the picket lines Siavash Minoukadeh Entertainment Subeditor

Epigram / Ellie Brown

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ver an hour before the first students of the day were making their way along Woodland Road for lectures on Wednesday, a small group of them gathered outside Senate House. With a megaphone, banners and flasks of tea and coffee, they weren’t here to try and hurriedly finish some work before a deadline: these students were part of the Bristol Student-Staff Solidarity Group, here to join members of the UCU who are on strike.

‘We know that whilst students are not striking, student staff is incredibly important because the University have created this idea that it’s the staff against the students. In reality, staff are striking against management and if [students] have any issues this is all happening because of management and UUK,’ According to Fi, a Human Rights Law LLM student and a member of the group, ‘the more the University is disrupted, the more pressure is placed on the Vice-Chan-

cellor and the more pressure he has on him to go to UUK and say ‘get back round the negotiating table’.

It isn’t the first time that students have been on the picket lines. When the UCU previously went on strike in the winter of 2018, they were also joined by students. While many of the same students who are out on the picket line now did the same last time, the group has grown a lot since.

Ruth, a third year Philosophy and Maths student was a founding member: ‘we just put a callout in various groups around the University … about an open meeting for us to plan strike

support and I think about ten people came to that meeting and from there we set up a Whatsapp group … It was just five, six, seven of us baking flapjacks, leafleting around the University every day.’

The group then changed direction to focus on student housing last year, with members playing a role in the Cut the Rent campaign, growing their reach and gaining experience. Now that another round of strikes have begun, they’re back supporting staff and in bigger numbers than before.

‘We’ve currently got a Whatsapp Group of 70 people who come out

and picket, bake things and make leaflets. When you reach out to students it does really make a difference and it does build the student-staff solidarity movement,’ Ruth adds.

Their efforts are certainly appreciated by the staff who are on the picket line. ‘Something as small as a biscuit or a muffin - it’s hard to overestimate what that can actually do on a picket line; that can make you willing to stand in the rain for another four hours. Those gestures really make big differences, even if they might be small,’ says Dr. Michael Malay, a lecturer in English and Environmental Humanities.

‘Going on strike can make you quite anxious, even when you’re sure that it’s the right thing to do, you’re conscious that you’re disrupting not just your own future, but your colleagues who aren’t able to strike and your students and so seeing that there are students who are sacrificing their time in order to support it is really helpful in staving off that anxiety,’ thinks Dr. John McTague, a lecturer in English.

It isn’t all about hot drinks and cookies though, BSSSG’s plans for the strike period are much more am-

bitious than that. They’ve organised an alternative timetable of events for students, featuring teach-outs, workshops on a range of topics from going on the climate strike to learning about medieval penis trees to make sure that students can still learn without having to cross the picket line.

And what about students who feel like they have to go to classes? They understand that some students will have to go into class at some points, for an assessment or because they are on Tier 4 student visas where attendance is compulsory for a number of other reasons.

Ruth suggests, ‘Give all the extra time you have that you aren’t having to go into class to come and support the lecturers, because they really appreciate it, it’s all about us doing what we can … If you have to go in, we won’t judge you, but we’d love to see you with us in other ways’.

Despite the best efforts of both the students and the staff to bring about change, it doesn’t look as though there’s a quick resolution in sight.

BSSSG are prepared to keep fighting for as long as they have to support staff. As Fi says, ‘every strike, every time we’ll be on the picket line’.

Examining the postcolonial narratives and race relations of the climate crisis

Miranda Shute

Second Year, English and Classics

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he climate crisis has been the focus of increasingly radical forms of activism in recent years and the environmental movement has gathered considerable momentum. The demand for climate justice has become urgent and the number of people who have participated in strikes across the UK shows the growing societal concern.’

Yet, climate discourse tends to focus on the ecological effects of climate change. While these are real, more focus must be given to the human effects, and to their disproportionate nature – particularly in

regards to race.

The University of Bristol Amnesty International Society campaign, ‘Climate Change is a Human Rights Issue’, is committed to raising awareness to the varied human effects of the climate crisis. On Monday 25 November, a workshop was held about how the issue of climate justice intersects with race and indigenous people. The discussion was led by three speakers: Safia Cissoko, Equality Officer of the People and Planet Society at University of Bristol; Paul Merchant, Hispanic Studies Lecturer; and Hussein Said, Human Rights Lawyer and Consultant for Asylum Justice.

All stressed the fact that this is not an issue of the future. Amnesty International observes, climate change ‘can and is exacerbating inequalities between different ethnicities’.

Racialized inequalities caused by climate change are rife within individual countries and Said discussed this in reference to the United Kingdom. Black British communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and are 20 per cent more likely to experience health implications due to air pollution than other ethnic groups. But there are also disparities between the Global West and the Global South, where the effects of climate change are felt most acutely by indigenous tribes who inhabit the areas affected by the crisis.

Despite being one of the biggest historic contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly during the Industrial Revolution and due to the scale of its oil and gas industries, the UK is largely distanced from its global effects. We are largely detached from the environmental crises that occur in the Global South, such as the rapid desertification of vast areas of Latin America – the horror of which we can only easily quantify through news outlets.

The importance of contextualising the climate crisis through its relationship with colonialism and its impact on post-colonialist societies was discussed by all three speakers. Cissoko described it as the crisis of a ‘capitalist system’ which has ‘expanded for five hundred years since the appropriation of American lands by European forces’. She highlighted the importance of decolonising the narrative surrounding climate change in order to eradicate the damaging colonial nature of activist discourse.

When colonial narratives intersect with westernised views of indigenous people, cross-cultural divides are widened. A disturbing Eurocentric attitude surrounding the climate crisis can arise, which only further distances the UK from the immediate effects of the climate crisis in the Global South and can cause racialized attitudes towards the issue.

Cissoko described how these can be seen in language which seeks to deflect responsibility away from Europe and towards African communities, who have been criticised for having ‘too many children’ – when in fact Africa is responsible for just 1 per cent of global climate change.

The ecological effects of climate change exacerbate the racial tensions that exist where they are experienced by human populations and can lead to conflicts. Merchant explained how this can be seen in Chile, a country built on postcolonial economic models. Its natural resources were exploited for profit by its government; complex ecosystems of the indigenous forests were replaced by homogenous plantations which required masses of water and became susceptible to fires. Indigenous communities, such as the Mapuche people, suffered water shortages and forest fires.

However, indigenous protests led to the development of non-human rights given to the natural resources in Chile, an example of indigenous knowledge providing a legal framework for environmental activism.

When respected and listened to, rather than ignored and exploited, indigenous communities are central to our wider understanding of the climate crisis. So, how can environmental activists help address the climate crisis and the ways it intersects so closely

Unsplash / Markus Spiske

Unsplash / Markus Spiske

rights and developing countries

with race? The answer lies in our attitude towards the people at the heart of the issue: in the importance of listening to the voices of indigenous populations.

We must resist the tendency to be science-focused in our activism and appreciate and attempt to understand the unique knowledge of indigenous tribes achieved through their relationship to the planet. The importance of spreading knowledge, alongside continued efforts to decolonise the narratives that are conveyed by activist movements, was agreed upon by all three speakers.

Only by putting the people who are most vulnerable to climate change at the forefront of environmental activism can we attempt to address the racialized nature of environmental movements and of the climate crisis itself.

epigram 09.12.2019

12 Features

Animal rights at Bristol: has progress been made? ing materials to encourage natural behaviours’ and kept ‘in groups to allow for normal social interaction.’

Yet the Society also ‘represent the opinion that animals are not here for us to use as a commodity.’ Because of this, they ‘demand that the University is constantly challenging the numbers of animals they use’ and keep track of ‘the real scientific progress these experiments are actually

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The University has made some changes, which include the introduction of Meat-Free Mondays

UoB VegSoc

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nimal rights awareness and activism seems to be growing on campus. Of the respondents to the SU’s 2018 ‘Food for Thought’ survey, 22 per cent were vegetarian and 11 per cent are vegan – much higher than rates in the wider UK population. And the University’s Vegetarian and Vegan Society (VegSoc) remains popular, with 160 members and an eight-strong committee in the 2019/2020 Academic year so far. ‘Membership levels are definitely increasing all the time’ says the society’s president, Cordelia Hughes, and their discussion group which takes place on Tuesdays at 0800 in the Student Living room is ‘growing weekly’ and currently has ‘20ish regulars.’

Perhaps more striking is the number of students who are part of the society’s activism group, which has 42 members on Facebook. This requires more involvement from members, who take part in ‘different forms of protest’ around Bristol, including ‘the cube of truth’ in Broadmead. Cordelia describes this as ‘a peaceful street protest where footage of UK farming is shown to the public,’ where protestors ‘engage with those who stop and ask questions about what we are showing.’ Another ‘powerful’ form of activism for the group ‘is to travel out to slaughterhouses around Bristol.’

Here, members ‘bear witness to the animals heading to slaughter,’ ‘take

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VegSoc ‘represent the opinion that animals are not here for us to use as a commodity’

meat decreases, fewer animals will be raised in cramped farm conditions and have to endure the pain and terror of being sent to the slaughter.

Other recent improvements include increasing vegan options in food outlets around campus, a new vegan and vegetarian Source café and the introduction of the hedgehog-friendly campus scheme. Whether these changes have come about as a result of increasing concern for animals or for sustainability, marketing and student satisfaction reasons is hard to tell. In my view, the benefits resulting from these changes seem to matter more than the reasoning behind them.

One area that remains contentious is the use of animals in scien-

tific research. In 2018 alone 28,308 scientific procedures using animals in research were carried out at the University. According to the website

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In 2018, 28,308 scientific research procedures using animals were done at the University

Understanding Animal Testing, ten Universities accounted for half of all animal research in 2018, though the University of Bristol was not one of these. Though the University seems to be committed to reducing the use of animals in its research, holding its first Animal Welfare and Research 3Rs symposium in April 2017, high-impact studies using animals are well-publicised and described as ‘vital to continued progress in medical, veterinary and scientific knowledge in a wide range of areas’ on the University website.

On the use of animals in research, VegSoc is ambivalent saying it is ‘really difficult to judge without strong scientific understanding.’ From a recent talk with a University professor they learned that ‘animal testing here has changed a huge amount over the last 20 years – a lot of progress has been made’ including ‘[reduced] levels of suffering’ both ‘in conditions animals are kept’ and ‘before they are killed.’ Indeed, Dr Nicola Watts, Director of the University’s Animal Services Unit (ASU) states that the animals used by the University in research are ‘normally housed in cages or pens filled with bedding and nest-

UoB VegSoc

News and Features Subeditor

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Ellie Brown

footage of the animals’ and ‘personally connect to the victims [they] are fighting for.’ The group also works to increase awareness of veganism on campus via outreach projects, such as handing out beyond burgers at Hiatt Baker Hall and hosting a ‘ditch dairy’ event with ‘free samples of non-dairy milk, cookies, and leaflets.’

Whether or not as a result of the group’s activities, the University has already made some positive changes. These include the introduction of Meat-Free Mondays to catered halls and the Balloon Bar, which vegans and vegetarians argue will reduce animal suffering; as demand for

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An investigation into the change and continuity of animal treatment at the University

making…by constantly questioning this we can drive down the number of animals suffering at our hands.’

However, extent to which activism can do this is questionable. According to Dr Watts, though alternatives to animal testing have been developed, ‘currently, it is unlikely that these will achieve a wide-scale replacement of the current numbers of animals used in research.’ This is because ‘many aspects of human biology cannot be reproduced in com-

puter models’ and ‘studies in human volunteers also must consider ethical issues and the feasibility of using appropriate non-invasive methods to achieve the scientific objectives.’ Like other universities, Bristol’s ‘scientists and technicians who work with animals are committed to the 3Rs’ – replacement, reduction and refining of animal research techniques. These are in UK and EU law and ensure that animals are used only ‘when absolutely necessary [...] to advance our understanding of health and disease.’

Perhaps this is why VegSoc’s activism tends to focus on food and farming, rather than research. If stopping research using animals is unrealistic – and the best that can be hoped for is better laws preventing unnecessary harm or cruelty – then converting students to plant-based diets seems to be a more logical and achievable goal. Thanks to the climate crisis and concerns over the emissions involved in food production, this may not be as ambitious as it seems. For Cordelia, ‘if we can agree that hedgehogs should be looked after and that dogs should be loved, we as a society should logically choose to take every type of animal off our plate and learn to thrive on a plant based diet.’

Opinion

Editor Digital Editor Deputy Editor

Sabrina Miller Kofo Ajala Elisha Mans

Beef and lamb ban: EpiCartoon #6 more than meats the eye

D

Epigram / Patrick Sullivan

uring Student Council, a motion was put forward to ban beef and lamb on campus. The motion ultimately failed, with a very close margin. As someone who doesn’t eat meat due to my existential fear of the climate crisis, what was disappointing about this wasn’t the fact that the motion was voted down; I was thinking of speaking against the motion myself, for reasons I’ll elaborate on. What was disappointing about it was the debate in Student Council. I’ve already made enemies from vegans and non-vegans alike, just because I believe that it isn’t the right time to ban beef and lamb on campus.

Yet. I didn’t get the chance to say this at Student Council, but there was a discussion to be had about provisions for people with dietary requirements, eating disorders and disabilities. When I went vegetarian three years ago, my energy levels dipped terribly despite supplements and protein-rich food. I’m anemic and I have virtually no energy without iron supplements anyway, but going vegetarian exacerbated that. Annoyingly, the suggested protein for anemics is – you guessed it – beef. My problem with the motion to ban beef and lamb on campus is that there are unanswered questions on accessibility. I’ve now managed to find a vegan diet that ensures I don’t faint in the middle of a lecture, but before I achieved

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Not everyone is ready for a beef and lamb ban

based diets more accessible to all these people, we didn’t go into that discussion at all in Student Council.

Instead, we went into a discussion on why a beef and lamb ban would infringe on students’ freedom of choice with one student suggesting that banning meat on campus would lead to a beef black market.

Here’s the thing: I don’t believe ‘I love the taste of meat!’ is equal to ‘I can’t immediately change my diet due to accessibility issues’, at least in the context of a climate crisis.

Essentially, I think the discussion should’ve been about accessibility rather than choice. We’re fortunate to be in a city university, where there are options on Park Street, St Michael’s Hill or Queen’s Road that are cheaper (and nicer) than campus cafes. I have yet to find someone who ranks Source Café as their favourite lunch spot – in fact, if Source is your favourite café,

contact me for café suggestions. If we were worried about first years in halls, speakers against the motion could’ve introduced a friendly amendment to give exceptions to hall catering, just because first years probably do depend on catered food more than cafés. Other than those in catered halls, we’re spoilt for choice.

But the choices aren’t necessarily accessible. Even now, with the motion failing, vegan food in Source Cafés is more expensive than a beef sandwich. There are not enough vegan options in Source Café that don’t contain soya and gluten – and by ‘not enough’, I mean that there are none. How can we structurally combat the climate emergency if the choices that are – somewhat – better for the environment are also choices that aren’t accessible to everyone? Surely, to convince people to stop eating beef and lamb, we’ll have to convince them the alternative choices are better. This ties back to my first point: we’re not ready for a beef and lamb ban yet.

We need to make food that’s better for the environment, but also better

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Surely, to convince people to stop eating beef and lamb, we’ll have to convince them the alternative choices are better

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Third Year, Aerospace Engineering

this, I was plant-based with a meat cheat day a month – to the anger of many vegan friends. But the fact is, not everyone will be this lucky.

There are people close to me with eating disorders who would go vegetarian if they could. There are people with allergies who choose non-veggie options because that is what is most accessible. There are people with disabilities who can’t immediately cut out beef and lamb.

While there are ways to make plant-

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Accessibility issues are an obstacle for plantbased diets Syriah Ami

for everyone. We need to convince people that vegan and veggie foods are not only environmentally safer, but also more accessible. We might as well also make veggie food tastier than meat – just for those who say, ‘I love the taste of meat!’.

I don’t think we can just whack a beef and lamb ban in there. I do see plant-based food going in a good direction. Restaurants like Suncraft have a menu that’s both plant-based and gluten-free. Many cafés have started charging less for non-meat options. Some vegan options are better than their meat alternatives, even in terms of protein (see the Gregg’s sausage roll). But this isn’t the case in campus cafés. Before we stop people from eating beef and lamb, we need to make sure everyone can access alternatives. I may be ready for a beef and lamb ban, but not everyone is. Yet.

Fancy yourself as a budding cartoonist?

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

This week’s EpiCartoon depicts the potential risks of a meat ban on campus George Riley Third Year, Physics

14 Opinion

epigram 09.12.2019

UCU strikes: don’t be afraid to cross the picket lines

Sci-Tech and Sport Sub-Editor

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hen this year’s UCU Strikes were called, the student reaction was varied. Some students were angry or anxious about the contact hours they would be losing out on, whilst others were eager to get involved and show their solidarity for the University staff. Many, of course, were just relieved that they would get a few more lie-ins this week. No matter how people have reacted to the strikes, something that seems to be a common source of confusion are picket lines, and whether or not we should cross them. Many of the students taking part in the strikes, actively standing in solidarity with the University’s staff, have been telling others that they should ‘never cross a picket line’. Their support for the strikes is inspiring, and it is so exciting to see this staff-student solidarity. The two communities

coming together in a way that most of us have never seen before.

However, the message ‘never cross a picket line’ can create an atmosphere whereby students feel guilty for going into to university; this is a form of peer pressure. Some students don’t have much choice about whether they can miss a whole week of university; many staff members are not part of the union, so a good number of lectures and classes are still on. For a lot of students, especially those in their final year, missing an entire week of contact hours could be hugely detrimental to their studies. These people should not be made to feel guilty for their decision to focus on their work.

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Members of staff may actually want us to cross the picket lines

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The strikes are not meant to harm students Alice Proctor

The idea of the picket line seems to be hugely divisive amongst students, with those who cross them being

made to feel guilty by those who do not. It is interesting, then, that according to any tutor and even the leaflet handed to me as I walked past a picket line the other day, university staff themselves do not seem to mind us crossing the picket lines. In fact, one of my tutors – who is currently on strike – even encouraged us to do so. It’s almost as if the only people who are strongly opposed to students crossing picket lines, are the students themselves. The issues at the heart of the strikes are so important. It is genuinely upsetting to hear stories from the university staff about the financial instability, anxiety and stress that the University has caused them. I even heard one say that they wished they’d never got involved with academia, despite their passion for both teaching and research.

To hear more stories and personal accounts of why staff are striking, go to the picket lines and chat to them!

They are more than happy to talk to students about these issues, and it is very insightful to hear personal accounts of why different individuals are striking. The situation that many

academics face is really unpleasant; this is why it is so important that we support the strikes. However, not crossing picket lines is not the way to go about it. In some ways, not crossing the picket lines could actually be undermining the strikes, and the feelings of the University staff. Something that came through from the various accounts I’ve heard from university staff is that the last thing they want is to prevent us from receiving our education, and that we should not feel guilty or uncomfortable about using university facilities, or attending classes that are still running. This suggests that members of staff may actually want us to cross the picket lines. The strikes are a last resort, and, as I keep hearing from members of staff, their intention is not to disrupt our education. Many are resentful, and even angry, that the strikes have impacted the students in this way.

If you want to support the strikes, there are lots of ways you can.

According to a UCU flyer that is being handed out on the picket lines, the best ways to support the strikes

Epigram / Patrick Sullivan

are to visit the picket lines to express support, voice support on social media, donate to the UCU fighting fund or, perhaps most importantly, email the vice-chancellor to ask for negotiations. Another way to help, as I was told by one of my tutors, is actually to attend university as normal, and then email the deans to complain about cancelled classes or lectures.

Supporting the strikes in one of these ways means that, not only can you attend lectures guilt-free, but you will be helping the University staff more than you would by simply avoiding the picket lines.

Now, more than ever, women must ‘Reclaim the Night’ Second Year, English , 4, 6, 8, Stop the Violence, Stop the Rape!’

These words rang in my ears as I marched up Park Street alongside hundreds of other women.

Cars and people parted for us as we made our defiant march through the city centre. Only a week earlier, I had sprinted back from Spoons at 10pm because none of my male friends were around to walk me home. Only yesterday, I changed my route home because I was convinced someone was following me. Every day I still

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from all different backgrounds unite. I believe that this shows the importance of the continuation of this march. As long as sexual violence and gender inequality permeate our society, this march remains vital.

If women cannot feel comfortable walking alone at night time then how can we say our job as feminists is done?

In a post #MeToo era, issues of sexual violence are very much in the public consciousness. While this is a great thing, it does little to prevent the despicable rape culture that permeates our society. Young boys are still mimicking the same disgusting behaviour and speech of older men and cases of rape are still grossly underreported. This march

Epigram / Immy Howse

Nina Freedman

implore my friends to text me when they get home so my fears for their safety can be alleviated.

Walking in solidarity with countless other women felt so far removed from these fear-filled experiences.

For once, people were actually scared of us.

We had power and influence over all the roads and we were, quite literally, traffic stoppers.

As feminist discourse has evolved and developed, so too the conversations around Reclaim have transformed. Whereas 40 years ago, at the start of the march, women were worried about the Yorkshire ripper, our conversations turned to intersectionality and the UCU strikes.

It was wonderful to hear feminists

was a fat middle finger to this rape culture and to the misogyny still entrenched within our society.

Not only was it a great opportunity for women to come together and share their experiences, but it was a demonstration of discontent and a call for things in society to change.

The people who attended the march weren’t just there to make a point, we were angry and we wanted our voices to be heard. The terms ‘sisterhood’ and ‘girl power’ have been appropriated and thrown

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This march was a fat middle finger to rape culture and misogyny

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The Reclaim the Night march was an important showcase of sisterhood

around a lot in contemporary culture but it was only through this march that I experienced them properly.

During and after the march, we were presented with a variety of speeches and performances which reflected experiences surrounding sexual violence and misogyny.

Though some of them were jarring or potentially triggering, it was amazing to see the lived experiences of so many different women represented. From

discussions of intersectionality and transgender issues to poignant spoken word pieces and pole dancing, the event was a celebration of what it means for all of us to be women.

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Women’s Network for organising this march and all those involved in marshalling or performing.

You all helped contribute to an amazing atmosphere that allowed us to feel empowered and liberated in a safe environment.

I only hope that someday women will be able to feel equally safe and empowered in all aspects of their lives. It is a sad reality that it takes hundreds of other women for me to feel comfortable walking at nighttime.

One day, when sexual violence and prejudice against women has ended, I hope to feel that comfortable in my own right and then we can say that we have truly reclaimed the night.

Opinion 15

09.12.2019 epigram

Why Bristol University is right to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism Bristol University must show solidarity against antisemitism Thomas Lee Third Year, Economics and Politics

Uns

Epigram/ Sabrina Miller

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Vi

Jerusalem, to the Polish ghetto’s and the Holocaust. We always vow to remember and learn from the past, yet the cycle continues until the next wave of antisemitism hits.

Today, the cancer that is antisemitism is spreading again and it is now infecting the institutions which claim to represent us. Our bodies react to an infection by fighting it, now society must react and fight back against discrimination!

We must kill this cancer one step at a time, and the first step is for the University of Bristol to set an example for universities around the

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country; educate the public on the real meaning of antisemitism and follow the governments lead by adopting the IHRA definition. This definition states that ‘Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.’ To avoid any ambiguity, there are also applications of the definition included, such as dehumanizing, stereotypical allegations about Jews or the power of Jews as a collective, in particular, the conspiracy of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions and holding Jews

collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel.

Our government agrees this is antisemitic so why doesn’t the University? Our University did respond; it responded by telling us that there is no evidence to suggest that Jewish students feel unsafe here at Bristol. However over 50 students

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Society must react and fight back against discrimination

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/ sh pla

ff the top of my head I can think of three major incidences of anti-semitism at universities up and down this country this year alone. These incidences of anti-Jewish racism have taken place in SUs, by elected officers and by lecturers hired as employees by your universities. These instances have been condemned up and down the country by Jews and non-Jews alike, however these three instances went unpunished by their respective universities.

These episodes reflect the current state of our society. During an inspirational speech to the House of Lords, Lord Jonathan Sacks warned us of the dangers we faced allowing antisemitism to resurface amongst our institutions; he warned us of the dangers we faced if antisemitism becomes accepted; he warned us of the dangers we faced if we allowed history to repeat itself. From the destruction of the temple in

decided to wake up at 7:30 in the morning and fight back. They stood outside of Wills to tell the University Vice Chancellor that Jews do not feel safe at this university, and they will continue to feel unwelcome unless the University adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

This protest isn’t to encourage retribution, but education. We don’t want people to just be punished for acts of antisemitism, we want people to be educated so that they understand what antisemitism is, and we can prevent these events from occurring in the future. The protest that took place last week is as much about fear as it is about hope. I fear that we have reached the point of our existence where hate yet again becomes the norm. I fear that students don’t feel safe sitting in their own lectures. I fear that history will repeat itself once more with the persecution of the Jewish people. It’s time for those who understand the dangers of discrimination to stand up and stand in solidarity with the Jewish students at the University of Bristol, and permanently end institutional discrimination in our great country.

We need to rethink our approach if we're going to tackle the climate crisis We need to change the framework of the climate debate Ewan Thomas-Colquhoun Fourth Year, German and Russian

Epigram/ Sabrina Miller do not see it as their priority to change things now, or even doubt the science altogether. How can these people be influenced to change their actions, if they doubt the climate message itself? The answer may be simple: change the message. At the moment, when reading reports in the media or watching televised TV debates, it’s easy to become demoralised about the situation. The language of ‘disaster’, ‘emergency’ and even ‘war’, as used by the most recent UN report, naturally feed negative associations towards the climate crisis. This is, of course, deliberate and important.

This emotive language helps people frame the scale and importance of the challenged faced by us all. But this language also leaves many cold. It’s easier to switch off the TV and ignore

the part you play in climate change, rather than face up to your own culpability and begin to significantly change your actions. If it’s possible to accept that it is this environment of fear and negativity that is putting people off, then perhaps the opposite is required to bring people on board.

Perhaps, we need a positive climate message. Whilst the dangers of a climate catastrophe cannot be ignored, a new narrative could frame the changes needed in society as an opportunity to make the world a much better place. Rather than telling people to stop driving, they should be helped to understand how driving electric cars or using public transport can help create a city in which the air in their children’s lungs is as pure as it would be in the

countryside. What’s more, a country run entirely on renewable power is completely un-reliant on outside exports of oil and gas, a message that surely must resonate with the

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A positive climate debate is more inclusive

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e are in a climate emergency. As scientists have shown, emissions need to be cut now to prevent a run-away climate catastrophe becoming the defining feature of the 21st century. This is all common knowledge. And yet, in a year which has seen millions of people around the world go on climate strike, 65 nations commit to net-zero carbon emissions before 2050, and a 16-year-old Swedish girl sail halfway around the world to tell Trump to give children back their future, greenhouse gas emissions have increased once again.

Put simply, the efforts of climate activists around the world have so far failed to produce real action. Clearly something needs to change, and fast.

Perhaps the hardest part of this challenge, however, is reshaping the opinions of sceptics: those people who

Brexiteers among us – even the ones who refuse to publicly debate climate change. The message does not even need to promise a utopia.

For millions of people around the country, lower energy costs, helped by producing power from abundant resources such as wind – especially

plentiful here in Bristol – could be enough to produce a change in behaviour. And kick starting this change is a matter of language. If all the students who marched through Bristol on Friday had carried placards proclaiming the opportunity of a brighter future, rather than ‘the death of your children’, it would’ve begun to build positive associations, rather than scaring people into inaction.

These positive associations would, in turn, be a catalyst for producing constructive change – people acting through hope rather than fear or guilt.

A positive climate debate is more inclusive. It lays aside the casting of blame and instead offers everyone the opportunity to help create a better future – an opportunity that it is essential we take.

WHAT'S ON Refreshers Fair!

Sunday 26 January 2020, Bristol SU

Save the Date! Refreshers week is coming and you're all invited. The Refreshers Fair will start off our Refreshers Week - so come along to find out more about different events, and free society Give it a Go sessions that you can get involved with.

Kick start 2020 with a second opportunity to sign up to sports clubs and societies, and get involved in lots of different initiatives. www.bristolsu.org.uk/events SCORE Vol.2: Christmas, Wednesday 11 December, 10pm, SWX It's time for one final sports night before heading home for the holidays. Join your fellow sports club members as we flood SWX for a night of festive fun! All money raised will go back to clubs and towards the annual Sports Awards.

BDEF: The Disabled People's Movement, Thursday 12 December, 2pm, Hannah More Room Bristol Disability Equality Forum is an organisation run by and for disabled people. Come along to hear the Forum Manager Laura Welti talk about the work that BDEF does, the legacy of the disabled people's movement, and its current threats.

General Election All Nighter, Thursday 12 December, 10pm, Balloon Bar Come and see democracy in action throughout the night as we wait for the results of the General Election in the Balloon Bar. Bring your polling card for 10% off food and drink throughout the night. Buckle up folks, it's gonna be a long one.

Disability History Month Finale: Cabaret Night, Sunday 15 December, 6:30pm, Anson Rooms Bar

BBC Radio Bristol Christmas Celebration, Tuesday 17 December, 7pm, Anson Rooms

It's the finale of Disability History Month 2019 - the Cabaret Night! Let's get together for ambient live performances, getting to know each other, and wholesome festive fun.

BBC Radio Bristol’s Emma Britton hosts a magical night of festive entertainment in aid of ‘BBC Children in Need’. The evening will include seasonal readings and special performances from a whole host of musicians and choirs.

RAG Craftmas, Thursday 12 December, 3pm, Balloon Bar Come along to our RAG Craftmas to write some Christmas cards for elderly care homes and decorate cookies!! Great for a destress before Christmas and to wind down from first term.

Sustainable Decorations and Gifts, Friday 13 December, 12-3pm, Balloon Bar Get into the Festive spirit and come along to the Balloon Bar to make sustainable decorations and gifts. Bring a friend and share the festive cheer!

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

our 2019 highlights!

Well hasn’t that gone quickly!? It seems like just yesterday that we were squelching through the mud at Welcome Fair and now it’s December. Hasn’t it been quite the year?! Have a look below to see what we got up to in 2019, and be inspired for what 2020 has to offer.

January

February

March

2019 kicked off with Refreshers Week!

We also held lots of wellbeing events in the newly opened SU Living Room.

February was a bumper month of campaigns and events from LGBT+ History Month, Sustainability Month, Interfaith Week and more!

The 2019/20 officer team was elected by you, including the brand new International Students Officer, along with a load of course reps, faculty reps and Chairs of Networks.

April

May

June

Chaos - Bristol Physics Society won Society of the Year at the National Society Awards.

Over 800 staff and students took part in the Varsity wave of the Bristol 10k. And we launched our Tran Allies campaign.

As 2018/19 closed, our amazing sports clubs saw us hold 8th place in the National BUCS League, and we enjoyed the Society, Sports and SU Awards.

September

October

November

Our new year kicked off in style, with Welcome Week bringing thousands of students to over 100 diverse events, club nights and Give it a Go sessions!

Straight after Welcome Week came Black History Month, and a record voter turnout for Term 1 elections.

We campaigned, lots. This Girl Can, Reclaim the Night... It's been a busy month. You also made Student Council the best attended it's been!

DECEMBER It might have been the end of the year, but it wasn't quite time to wrap up for Christmas. My Rent My Rights has continued to help you with housing advice, and we celebrated the SU Living Room's First Birthday.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful term, and 2019, and we’re looking forward to supporting you even more throughout 2020.

Love, Your Bristol SU Officer Team xx

SciTech

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

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor

Vilhelmiina Haavisto Isobel O’Loughlin Topaz Maitland

Brainy books for the winter break Looking to learn something new over the festive season?

Isobel O’Loughlin

Isabel Bromfield

Translated from Italian last year, The Order of Time is a wonderfully poetic exploration into the physics and philosophy of time. Rovelli – a theoretical physicist – guides the reader through general relativity and quantum theory in a way that is not only accessible, but beautiful. He draws on centuries of science, art and philosophy to show us how far our perception of time is from the reality.

Overall, a very thought-provoking read.

Published posthumously, Brief Answers to the Big Questions is a collection of essays drawn from Hawking’s personal archives that attempts to answer some of humanity’s most pressing questions such as ‘Is there a God?’ and ‘How do we shape the future?’.

More relaxed and less cerebral than Hawking’s famous A Brief History of Time, this book lends a heart and a humour to otherwise intimidating subject matter and leaves the reader with a feeling of hope.

Second Year, Mathematics

SciTech Deputy Editor

Here is Epigram’s guide to the best science reads for the upcoming holidays and new year, that scientists and non-scientists alike can enjoy!

Vilhelmiina Haavisto

Annie La Vespa Third Year, Biology

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is a classic, which explores how individuals are merely vessels helping to facilitate a gene’s quest for eternity.

Dawkins uses many examples to illustrate how genes have the power to control our future which may seem initially unsettling to some readers. However, the book does go onto describe how mankind has the capacity to reclaim this power back through conscious rebellion. This exciting read powerfully articulates fundamental ideas of Neo-Darwinism to a wide audience and has prompted extensive further research in the biology community.

Esme Hedley

SciTech & Sport Subeditor

SciTech Editor

ways in which around the world most importantly, Factfulness is a something to teach

This is one of my favourite nonfiction books, and one that got me interested in global health.

Known to many from his 'bubble' graphics explaining international development, the late Hans Rosling was a dedicated champion of 'factfulness'; avoiding making assumptions without factual basis.

The book covers our perspectives of development are distorted by many aspects, and how we can correct ourselves. wonderfully uplifting read, and has everyone about the world we live in.

This book is a comprehensive account of the history, science, and implications of our understanding of genes.

For example, Mukherjee highlights how efforts to produce homogeneity in humans, seen in the eugenics movement, runs counter to evolution and natural selection.

This book will appeal to all those who want a richer understanding of one of the fundamental concepts of science and how it has affected not only scientific and medical advances, but social policy as well.

Although Mukherjee makes us realise the true power of our genes, he is careful to direct the reader away from any simplistic notion that our identities are determined solely by our genes.

Would you donate data for academic research?

Second Year, Biology

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n the modern world, data collection and handling are prevalent as ever. There are different reasons as to why data is collected; commercial data is easily collected by organisations and companies, and used for marketing purposes or within medical research.

However, it is not easy to obtain this form of electronic information for broader academic research. The purpose of the study, led by Dr Anya Skatova from the School of Psychological Science, was to see if the public were willing to donate their data and spur discussion around consent in data collection.

The study used

reputation. The final factor examined was of purpose; curiosity about the donation process and what is done with collected data.

The researchers found that the strongest contributing factor to donation was of social duty and the wish to benefit society. Considering the significant need for personal data to fuel academic research across various disciplines, donating it could

Epigram / Patrick Sullivan

Annie Wilson

a questionnaire exploring not only who out of their 1,300-person study cohort would donate, but for what reasons. The researchers were able to identify three key factors influencing willingness to donate data. Social duty was a factor describing people who were willing to donate in order to benefit society. Another factor was self-interest, where individuals were willing to donate if it benefitted their

be highly beneficial for society and thus fulfil this common donor wish.

The results suggest that the strongest factor influencing someone’s choice not to donate data was the need to gain personal benefits from the process. It is important to understand the

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The researchers were able to identify three key factors influencing willingness to donate data

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To donate, or not to donate personal data for research? That is the question, recently answered by a Bristolled study

factors that discourage people from providing data, in order to shape donation campaigns in the future.

Interestingly, the researchers also found that understanding why the data was needed influenced attitudes; if people did not know what their data was contributing to, they were less likely to contribute at all.

Future research will clearly need to consider the quality of their

communications when considering favours such as data donation from the public.

Although this study appears to be definitive surrounding the topic, it is unknown how willing the public are to donate in real life. In a nonhypothetical scenario, people might only be willing to donate once they understand the purpose and whether it justifies the means.

In the future, understanding public motivation for donating commercial data could be used to personalise campaigns. Gathering more intel using further surveys could assist with how we ask the public in the future. Regardless of opinions regarding commercial data, it is here to stay. Therefore, understanding public attitudes can help to shape how this information is obtained.

Soon, it may be more beneficial for all industries to require the public’s consent to donate; this way, academia can be included in the benefits that commercial-scale data collection has to offer.

09.12.2019 epigram

SciTech 19

A decade of science and technology comes to a close Epigram SciTech takes a look back at what made this decade great for science and technology Isabel Bromfield Second Year, Mathematics

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he Higgs Boson In 2012, the media was flooded with stories of the discovery of the ‘God Particle’, a particle whose existence has been theorised since 1964. The Higgs Boson and its corresponding field helps describe what the mass of a particle is. When it was first theorised, no technology existed that could detect it. It was only after decades of research and four years of experiments at CERN that its detection was announced. The Higgs Boson has been hailed as one of the greatest discoveries of particle physics ever made.

Artificial intelligence and virtual assistants Artificial intelligence (AI) has soared in popularity over the last decade. Perhaps most notable is the rise of intelligent assistants such as Siri and Alexa. Integrated into iPhones by 2011, Siri was recognised as the first digital modern assistant

and represented a step forward of the integration of AI into our dayto-day lives. A complex mixture of natural language processing, pattern recognition and neural networks, Google Assistant now leads the competition. A 2018 presentation

by Google Duplex has led some to speculate that the Turing Test – a test of human-like thinking – has been passed in part by this ‘AI’ in appointments it can make over the phone to human business owners.

Stem cell explosion Cloning and stem cell research has moved a long way away from the birth of Dolly the Sheep in 1997: the success of a method for creating human stem cells from skin cells was announced in 2013. In 2014 the discovery of the potential to ‘rewind’ any cell into a stem cell using therapeutic cloning was announced.

In theory, these stem cells could become almost any cell in the human body, opening up the possibility of treating diseases such as diabetes by harnessing the body’s own cells.

Gravitational waves Gravitational waves were first predicted by Albert Einstein and,

like the Higgs Boson, they had been theorised long before technology could detect them. Physical contact with these ‘ripples in spacetime’ occurred in 2015, when LIGO detected waves created by colliding black holes 1.3 billion light-years away. Their detection opens a completely new area in astronomy, which previously relied on electromagnetic radiation for its observations.

They are expected to bring light to many wonders of the universe that have until now been undetectable.

Male hormonal contraceptive Nearly 60 years since the first female contraceptive pill was approved, a trial of a hormonal contraceptive for men shows promising signs: the new method delivers a mixture of progestin and testosterone into the body using a gel and shows no significant side effects thus far. Though they have been in development since the 1970s, no male hormonal contraceptives have been made publicly available. Male

contraceptives give men the chance to take control of their reproductive life and could have significant effects in reducing unplanned pregnancies and overpopulation.

Genome editing Genome editing has become a subject of much controversy in the last ten years. Its catalyst was CRISPR – a branch of DNA sequences with special properties that can be used to ‘edit’ genes within biological organisms. Discovered in bacteria 1987, it was not until 2012 that scientists reported the landmark discovery that CRISPR could be used to edit any piece of DNA. This has many potential uses in medical, conservational and agricultural areas: scientists could now ‘delete’ genes that cause disease, or add new ones that give special properties. Editing in humans has already begun, as controversial claims surfaced in 2018 that a pair of twins in China have been engineered to be immune to HIV. Quantum computing Almost 80 years since Alan Turing birthed the first computer, humanity stands on the precipice of another technological revolution: quantum

computing. These computers use quantum ‘qubits’ in place of regular bits to solve certain problems exponentially faster than classical computers. It has innumerable applications, from developing new pharmaceutical drugs to breaking encryptions that protect online transactions.

Earlier this year, Google announced it had gained ‘quantum supremacy’ by completing a problem on a 54-qubit quantum computer in 200 seconds that would take a supercomputer 10,000 years. Though the technology is still a long way from being commercially viable, the surge of investment and progress made in the 2010s means this is an area to watch.

Commercialisation of space The so-called ‘billionaire’ space race has exploded in recent years, fuelling some of the greatest engineering breakthroughs of the decade.

Companies like SpaceX have dominated; SpaceX became the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and safely return it to Earth in 2010, and in 2017 made headlines with the first reuse of an orbital rocket. Elsewhere, Virgin Galactic have been trialling suborbital space flights in the new field of ‘space tourism’.

In the lab at UoB Brighter future for cystic fibrosis patients

Flickr / Stock Catalog

Isaac Haig

An investment of up to £1.1 million has been put into University of Bristol research on particle physics. This research is part of the international DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) project, in which the world’s most advanced neutrino observatory will be built in the USA. Here, neutrinos will be fired 1300km underground and particle interactions observed.

It is thought that this will lead to discoveries regarding the origin of matter and the unification of forces.

Flickr / Yale Rosen

A new synthetic treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF) could be on the horizon. CF affects 75,000-100,000 people worldwide and is caused by a lack of the protein CFTR. CFTR allows negatively charged species, anions, across the cell membrane.

When absent, anions cannot be transported, the cell dehydrates, and mucus becomes thick and sticky.

Most treatments reduce symptoms rather than treat the overall condition; but now, researchers were able to restore anion transport using synthetic molecules on CF cells.

A study has highlighted a significant link between the prescription of benzodiazepines to opioid addicts and drug related deaths. Benzodiazepines are often prescribed to addicts – despite medical guidance advising against this practice – to reduce anxiety and increase compliance with treatment.

Despite increased compliance, researchers found that co-prescription of benzodiazepines is linked with a three-fold increase in risk of overdose death. Similar studies may help curb the increase of drug-related deaths.

Matt Huggett

Particle physics research given major investment

Isobel O’Loughlin

Flickr / Ars Electronica

Should benzodiazepines be prescribed to opioid addicts?

Film & TV

epigram 09.12.2019

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor Deputy Digital Editor

Leah Martindale Louie Bell Laura Aish Tom Goulde

Third Year, Geography

W

ith the Christmas avalanche descending on the worlds of music, retail and general life you’d be forgiven in thinking that people rightly suffer with overload.

The festive season is completely inescapable and so how is it that we crave even more feelings of festivity through films? Films to me are one of the best distractions and forms of escapism from everyday mundane life and so why do we keep revisiting the same festive films with love every year?

The answer may be as simple as simplicity. Most Christmas films are designed for families and so can tell a heart-warming story without intricate plots or overly long runtimes. The nostalgia within us of watching a film with our families

in the Christmas holidays is strong and as the end of term and deadlines loom, a Christmas film can act as a comfort blanket and remind us that festivities are just around the corner.

With constant retail deals bombarding us to spend hard earned cash, the General Election churning out multiple headlines daily and other distractions, one reason why I particularly love Christmas films is that they are designed to remind us of what is most important. Whether it’s the Grinch’s anger at the material desires of the Whoville residents or Kevin McAllister wishing for his family to return home, Christmas films tap into our love for family and friends, and remind us they are all we really need at the festive season.

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Why do we keep revisiting the same festive films with love every year?

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A good Christmas film is as synonymous with the festive season as satsumas in stockings or Lynx Africa gift sets George Mellowship

It is important to remember though that Christmas can be a difficult time for some. Money is tight and family stresses may be amplified, but

it is also a time for relaxation and so watching a Christmas film with friends or family can provide a lighthearted way of embracing the season with minimal effort.

Everyone has a particular favourite that holds a special place in their heart. Being one of the one per cent of the population that hasn’t seen Love, Actually (2003), I can’t comment on it as a film, but the horror on the faces of others on hearing this fact is one of the highlights of my Christmas.

We seem to all have one Christmas film for which it is an insult for someone to have not seen: for me it’s Elf (2003) starring Will Ferrell. It triggers memories of spending time with my brother and so it provides a motivation of looking forward to time with him and my family over the holidays, making the Christmas overkill bearable.

There are lots of brilliant Christmas films to watch over the season and escape from Netflix’s deluge of trashy offerings - look no further than The Knight Before Christmas (2019). From the classics of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and

IMDb / Twemtieth Century Fox

Why we love Christmas films

White Christmas (1954), to the highly underrated such as The Santa Clause trilogy (1994-2006) from Disney and Arthur Christmas (2011), and cult favourites like The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), the genre is wide.

I started this article with the statement that the reason that Christmas films are loved was as simple as simplicity. We love these films because they are watched at one time of year and so their annual recurrence feels like a treat.

This perhaps makes them unique amongst regular films as they only feel special for the final months

of the year. Whilst I’m sure there will be some readers that try to satisfy their Christmas addiction by watching a Christmas film in September, I challenge anyone guilty of this to argue that there is the same Christmas magic and excitement when watching these films earlier in the year.

I love Christmas films as they reignite a spark of that excitement.

So put your feet up with a blanket and hot chocolate and make time to watch a festive film with your flat/ housemates. At the time of writing it’s only 27 sleeps until the big day: Christmas is coming and fast so you may as well enjoy it!

Battle of the Christmas films Second Year, Mathematics with French

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ike a fort from whose crenellations the arrows of the proceeding argument are shot - the divide between the classicfilm-rewatchers and the feel-goodmade-this-century-lovers emerges.

Each camp leafs through a few titles; the barraging of nominations begins. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) unites the classic clan while Nativity!

(2009) is the hero for the modern mob. Let the battle commence.

Surely everyone agrees that It’s a Wonderful Life has a beautiful sentiment and message reminding us to appreciate life? And nobody could hate spending just over 2 hours with small property business owner, the compassionate and selfless George Bailey (James Stewart)?

This endearing protagonist is stuck in a life where he never got to ‘shake the dust of this crummy little

town off [his] feet and see the world’.

George has sacrificed his ambitions to protect his small town from the wrath of unsympathetic Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore): major business owner threatening to take over the Bailey Building and Loan, and with it the town of Bedford Falls.

Where else could you find such a beautifully heart-breaking character whose dreams were never allowed to come true?

But doesn’t that sound a lot like one Mr Maddens (Martin Freeman) who we meet at the beginning of Nativity! at a lonely dead end? He also did not pursue his dreams of a career in performing arts, turning instead to teaching at St Bernadette’s Primary School in Coventry.

At this stage in life, Mr Maddens has run out of any passion for life he once had. But thanks to being made director of this year’s nativity, and seeing how excited his students are about it, we watch him rediscover his once dismissed love of Christmas.

You can’t possibly be trying to compare the redemption of George Bailey’s love of life to a man who lies about his nativity becoming a Hollywood film just to one-up an old school rival? One is an icon of

the entire festive season, referenced in countless films and books, and a symbol of altruism.

The other protagonist is a grinch to his students for years all because he got dumped at Christmas by a girl he didn’t even work to get back. She came back because of the kids’ video asking her to - what kind of message does that send about relationships?

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The divide between the classicfilm-rewatchers and the feel-goodmade-this-centurylovers emerges

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‘Let’s watch a Christmas film!’: it’s a dangerous suggestion to make in the midst of an extended family Lorna McGregorSmith

She chose to return and chose to stay, she just needed a reminder of how much she loved him. Regardless, bringing up controversial plot details is a dangerous game to play when defending a film made in 1946.

Many elements of It’s a Wonderful Life are less than family friendly yet are given a blind eye because of delusional nostalgia.

Surprisingly, in this bickering spout, the modern Christmas film gets the religious vote as Nativity! actually addresses and plays out

elements of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. It seemingly sets out to remind us that Christmas is a religious holiday and engages children with those aspects of it.

That being said, it is a shambles of a nativity production from a religious standpoint. There are four wise men following a singing north star and the angel Gabriel descends unto Mary on a death slide. So maybe neither film gets the religious vote in this debate.

Nevertheless, it can’t be taken away from Nativity! that it is an outlandish concept executed hilariously and this is the crux of this side’s argument. There is a wonderful dynamic throughout between the children, Mr Maddens, and teaching assistant Mr Poppy (Marc Wooton), which starts with comical tension and resolves through their trust and teamwork in the final performance.

From the talent show-style auditions in which Mr Poppy screams ‘you’re through to the… Hollywood round!’ to the boys dressed as ‘Barbarella’ as the chorus of angels, this film is packed with both dry and slapstick humour which makes it a delightful film for the whole family.

As the big guns are coming out, It’s a Wonderful Life’s squad throws

a big blow: reminding the room how bittersweet the ending of their film of choice is and how we could all do with a good cry.

At this point in this exhaustingly pointless debate, half of each camp has been convinced by the other and you are no closer to reaching a consensus than when you started.

It takes an alpha figure, usually a stern uncle who wasn’t even in the room for most of it to take a stand and choose a film nobody wants to watch, like Christmas with the Kranks (2004).

So when in a hot debate between a timeless classic and a modern marvel this Christmas, remind the room of your fate if you go undecided for too long and say the magic words ‘Let’s just watch Love, Actually (2003)’.

IMDb / Universal Pictures

09.12.2019

epigram

Film & TV 21

Film moments of the year

Leah Martindale Film & TV Editor

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hoosing just one moment from a year that has provided so much is a mammoth task.

From the genre-defying beauty of the horror Midsommar (2019) to Jason Statham, Idris Elba, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson coming together in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) and making all my bald eye-candy dreams come true… 2019 has been a treasure-trove. Nothing, however, could top witnessing Renee Zellweger finally accept her fate as this century’s whispering queen in the show-stopping Judy (2019).

For once her dithering pauses and wilted stares were appropriate, and I was honoured to see her actually excel in a role for the first time in a shockingly long career.

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I was honoured to see her actually excel in a role for the first time

Louie Bell

Deputy Film & TV Editor There are moments in many films I’ve seen this year that could’ve made it into this list, perhaps the striking sunrises in Monos (2019), the harmonic chimes of Nicholas Britell’s score in If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Brad Pitt’s devastating tears in Ad Astra (2019). However, none of them come close to the wonder of seeing Marvel fans go on an absolute gamer rage after Martin Scorsese’s declaration that their beloved cinematic universe is ‘not cinema’. Whilst I also love that they are prepared to defend their blend of movie choice to the absolute death, I grabbed the popcorn for an explosion of outrage from Marvel nuts when a comment provoking a genuine debate was taken as a personal attack on Fat Thor, Thicc Thanos and that other Big Green Bulky Boy.

Laura Aish

Digital Film & TV Editor It’s been a busy year in film.

For my pick, I’ve chosen The Lion King (2019). When this film was announced, I was unsure about what to think. I remember the original nineties animation vividly from my childhood and it seemed too soon to remake it. So I went to the cinema

with complicated expectations.

However, after seeing it, the remake is actually good. It doesn’t really build on the story, as it is essentially the same storyline, but it was impressive to see the characters presented so realistically. The effects are undeniably strong and they drastically change the central feeling of the film a great deal. It’s definitely worth a watch.

Tom Goulde

Deputy Digital Film & TV Editor 2019 has been my favourite year for movies since 2014; whether that be Avengers: Endgame (2019), the epic finale to Phase 1 of the MCU or the outstanding individual performance of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019). However this film year has stood out the most to me because of its comedy. My favourite comedy film of all time Superbad (2007) was an inspiration for both Booksmart (2019) and my personal highlight of the year Good Boys (2019). Both these films are hilarious in their own way and both put a unique spin on the typical ‘Superbad’ structure. They contain breakout performances from actors we will see for some time and have moments that I cannot stop speaking about. 2019 has been the year of the comedy.

IMDb / Disney

As 2019 draws to a close, some of the Film & TV team decided to look back on our favourite film moments of the year

Siavash Minoukadeh Entertainment Subeditor

I was tempted to put one of Timothee Chalamet’s iconic red carpet looks down as my film moment of 2019. Or perhaps him wrestling in the mud in The King (2019). But no.

Those moments have nothing to do with 2019, they’re timeless. I hate to say it, I hope I don’t sound ridiculous, but the film moment which sums up this year perfectly is from Hustlers (2019). Not the film itself, but from a

promotional interview. Keke Palmer, a lie detector, a photo of a man. Need I say more? The ‘sorry to this man’ video which soon became a meme, had it all: comedy, drama, political commentary. Palmer trying and failing to identify Dick Cheney had all the absurdity of a Beckett play.

And coming in at a compact ten seconds, it’s three and a half hours shorter than The Irishman (2019).

Sorry to Martin Scorsese and CGIyoung Robert De Niro.

Editors’ Picks IMDb / Touchstone

IMDb / Hammerstone

IMDb / Film4

IMDb / Netflix

IMDb / Disney

For our final issue of 2019, we look ahead to pick our most anticipated film and TV of 2020

Leah Martindale Editor

Louie Bell Deputy Editor

Laura Aish Digital Editor

Tom Goulde Deputy Digital Editor

Daisy Game Entertainment Sub-Editor

Bojack Horseman Season 7 (2020)

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020)

Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020)

Soul (2020)

The French Dispatch (2020)

Bojack Horseman (2014-2020) has been a staple since I first discovered it in Freshers’ Week. Perfect for binging, I took down the first half of its sixth season in an afternoon.

While an adult cartoon about a horse and his friends of assorted species may not seem as highbrow as some of my fellow editors’ picks, within that misconception lies Bojack’s beauty. The adventures of this alcoholic horse have enthralled me for my whole time in Bristol, and I can only hope that its finale has the same heartbreaking, bittersweet beauty of the past six seasons.

Dickens? Iannucci? A diverse and all star British cast? Count me in. A quirky comedic adaptation of the classic novel from one of Britain’s national treasures, with Dev Patel in the title role, it’s received rave reviews from previews at film festivals and is one of the most anticipated British releases of next year. Starring Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw and frequent Iannucci collaborator Peter Capaldi, I’m expecting big things. However, unless Iannucci spins a rather unique take on Dickens, I sadly also expect that there’ll be considerably fewer expletives than we may be used to.

Apparently Bill and Ted are returning to the big screen next year and I am pretty excited about it. Bill and Ted Face the Music will be the third instalment to the much loved classic comedy films with Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, the internet’s favourite guy. The film’s release marks nearly 30 years since the last and looks to be a lot of fun.

Supposedly, it will explore a middleaged Bill and Ted who have to create a song to save the universe. That premise looks to recapture the magic of the first two, and I have faith it will be a great ride.

Next year, the greatest animators in the business are back with their first ever black lead. Soul is the story of a school music teacher who dreams of playing at the biggest jazz club in the world. The recent trailer gives us a hint of what to expect, an Inside Out (2015) story with some of the movie set in a fantasy ‘soul’ land. What excites me most about the film is the music; my favourite Pixar film, Coco (2017), has some of the most brilliant music in recent cinema and I am looking forward to hearing some jazz in Soul. It has all the makings of an instant classic.

Symmetry, Paris, and Timothee Chalamet: the gloriously aesthetic world of Wes Aderson is winging its way back to the big screen. Whilst Anderson might be keeping it cryptic in terms of detail - it’s about journalism, full stop - what we do know is that it will boast the cast of dreams. I’m talking not only the usual suspects - Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Frances Mcdormand etc.

- but also a whole host of glorious newbies - Kate Winslet, Willem Defoe and *gasp* dream team Chalamet & Saoirse Ronan. Bring on our rendezvous with Anderson.

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epigram 09.12.2019

Film & TV

Entertainment Subeditor

L

ook at any list of influential filmmakers and you’ll be bound to see a few French names on there: Truffaut, Godard and, of course, Varda. Compared to its European neighbours, French cinema has had a far larger impact so what is it that has made France such a standout, from the Nouvelle Vague through to the films being screened this week as part of the French Film Festival such as Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)? One aspect is the wider cultural background in which these films were made, especially the New Wave of the 1960s.

At the same time, France was undergoing a much broader period of upheaval, with art and literature also being pushed in new directions.

While Agnes Varda and Jean-Luc Godard were getting behind the camera for the first time, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone

de Beavuoir were all publishing groundbreaking, philosophical books.

And alongside all of this, Paris in the 1960s was a time when young artists had very little holding them back. The student strikes of 1968 and the brutal response of the French government to Algerian uprisings created a highly politicised environment in which films were made, thus provid a wealth of subject material for young filmmakers to capture, as in Godard’s Le Petit Soldat [The Little Soldier] (1960). However, the challenge to the conservative French establishment also went further: enabling topics like sexuality to be discussed frankly in a way that still feels remarkably fresh.

So how has France managed to keep the radical developments of the 1960s going to create a tradition of cinema? Unlike here in the UK, where the government has been reluctant to support investment in culture, the French government has ensured that there is an extensive network of cinemas, studios and grants available to make film as accessible as possible.

Paris has the highest density of cinemas per inhabitant of anywhere

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f you’re like me and never made it past year 9 French, then the beauty of the French language is a mystery never to be understood beyond ‘Je voudrais un glace chocolat’. That doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the exquisite and groundbreaking new films that France has graced us with over the past, say, century or so.

Ever since the Lumiere brothers revealed their brand spanking new ‘cinematographe’ to a paying audience in 1895 featuring a train passing slowly towards the camera - which, legend has it, frightened the audience so much that some jumped out of their seats - French cinema has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression and the cinematic art form as a whole. It’s a particular brand of stylised, passionate filmmaking that I’ll be looking out for at this year’s French Film Festival, with releases such as A Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) looking to stand out after excelling at Cannes. On se voit là-bas!

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Paris has the highest density of cinemas per inhabitant of anywhere in the world

In terms of production, the French government works very closely with film studios and TV stations to fund projects and has passed laws to protect studios and cinemas, such as one which bans films from being released to DVD any earlier than four months after its cinema premiere. All this has created a culture where the French public are exposed to a much wider range of cinema while also providing studios with the resources to continue experimenting and

pushing the boundaries of cinema and television.

Why bother discussing all of this? Not only does understanding the context of great French films give us a better understanding of them, looking at the way in which France has nurtured independent and experimental cinema can provide a model for the UK to follow to hopefully provide an equally strong support structure for British filmmakers in the future.

Your picks of the best of French cinema

One to watch Deputy Editor Louie Bell previews Watershed Bristol’s upcoming French Film Festival running from 12-15 December

in the world and ‘niche’ films, whether foreign films or independent productions, are screened in many of them, rather than being relegated to boutique or arthouse cinemas as tends to be the case here.

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With a cinematic history as rich as a gateau, why do French films still have that je ne sais quoi?

Siavash Minoukadeh

IMDb / Cine Tamaris

What is it about French cinema?

Sara Espinosa Rastoll

First Year, English Literature & Philosophy

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Jean-Luc Godard

t feels like contemporary cinema has accustomed us to such thrilling plots and visuals that, when faced with classics of the big screen we dismiss them. This standardisation of cinema is partly responsible for the tragic decline of the silver screen. Delving into foreign or past art is vital in restoring our love for it: Godard is the ideal start.

As one of the founders of La Nouvelle Vague, he diverged from the cinematic traditions which preceded him. Godard’s films are dynamic and still humorous and melancholic; watching them becomes a personal experience, instigating reflection rather than passivity.

Most enchanting is how the dialogue becomes an almost secondary element of the film, with the aesthetic being central. Godard’s cinema develops into a philosophical quest, a search for one’s own thoughts and beliefs and, ultimately, a cry for freedom.

Cinema is but a reflection of our lives: if it fails to illustrate our emotions, how are we to embrace them? Godard teaches us to think freely in art, and we need this to think freely in life.

Ellie Fernyhough Third Year, Psychology

Faces Places (2017) dir. Agnes Varda

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gnes Varda’s documentary about rural communities was my introduction to the New Wave pioneer. While it isn’t a departure from her famous work, there is a nostalgic note of a woman at the end of her career. It is endearing to watch Varda step in front of the camera for once, delighting in the energy of her co-star, JR, and the stories of the people they meet on their sunsoaked trip through France.

It makes sense for photographyloving Varda to collaborate with JR, whose work involves pasting massive photos on buildings. As they traverse the country, they meet the people often forgotten in representations of France: farmers, dock-workers and ex-miners. Rather than narrating their stories, Varda and JR let them speak frankly for themselves. Then, they commemorate them with huge murals, a heartwarming labour of love. Varda speaks beautifully of her own mortality, which cuts deeply after her recent death from cancer.

This film, which made Varda the oldest Oscar nominee, is an endearing window into the wonderfully normal lives which she demonstrates the beauty in.

Daisy Lacey

MA, Comparative Literature

Irréversible (2002) dir. Gaspar Noé

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t this year’s Venice Film Festival, provocative director Gaspar Noé screened his Irréversible (2002), in reverse. This sounds nonsensical but have you ever watched a film where the thrilling aspects come at the beginning? Originally debuted at Cannes, Irréversible follows the story of two men around Paris to avenge a brutally raped girlfriend. The film boasts a stellar cast with my favourite acting couple Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel: Noé pulled out all the stops. This film divided critics and caused much controversy even down to its genre. It has been classed as New French Extremity with cinéma du corps themes. And yet, it has also been deemed unwatchable. It is rumoured that Bellucci insisted that Cassel left the set whilst the rape scene was filmed.

If you fancy watching a classic French film brimming with gratuitous violence, questioning of morals and a soundtrack by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk, then give this film a chance. Like most French films, this will leave you pensive about life and make you question Noé’s claim that ‘time reveals all’.

Eve Crocker

Second Year, English Literature

Au Revoir les Enfants (1987) dir. Louis Malle

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u Revoir les Enfants (1987), was my first introduction to French cinema, and more specifically responses to the cultural guilt surrounding the Nazi Occupation of the 1940s. An autobiographical film for Malle and born from a powerful memory, he creates a movie which is specific and moving, yet not sentimental in its portrayal of one of France’s darkest moments. The plot is concerned with the friendship between 12 year olds Julien and Jean. Julien, spoilt and neglected, quickly becomes fascinated with Jean, the new boy in a Catholic boarding school, who is soon revealed to be Jewish and in the protection of a kind priest.

Malle does not deal with absolutes here, but instead grapples with the trespass of evil upon ordinary lives - the Germans are presented sympathetically at points, and Julien is not left blameless.

If you want a film that explores childhood innocence and guilt, or if you just want to cry, then give Au Revoir les Enfants a watch.

Read the full articles on the Epigram website!

Arts

epigram 09.12.2019

@epigramarts

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor Deputy Digital Editor

Livi Player Imogen Howse Will Maddrell Serafina Lee

Epigram Arts’ Christmas gift guide

Livi Player Arts Editor

Imogen Howse Deputy Arts Editor

Theatre Tickets A Christmas Carol / Bristol Old Vic Tom Morris’ truly enchanting adaptation of Charles Dickens’ timeless tale will definitely get you in the Christmas spirit. No Scrooges here please!

The Nutcracker / London Coliseum Get ready for a magical evening with the English National Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker this December - it’s the perfect way to start your Christmas celebrations.

Journals

You can never have too many notepads. They make the perfect present for any aspiring writer! Not to mention - if they ever become famous, you can say you’re the one who gave them the tools to pursue their talents. Sort of.

Christmas season - everyone loves clean sheet night so why not make someone’s room extra festive this winter with a reindeer duvet!

by taking one picture a day for all of 2020!

Watercolour Pens

Handmade decorations from St Nick's Market

Do you want to help your artistic friend expand their creative repertoire? Consider watercolour pens this festive season - with less mess than watercolour paint and somewhat easier to use, they make a lovely gift - and a unique one too!

Calligraphy set For anyone looking for a really artistic and creative gift this Christmas, a calligraphy set is a fabulous choice! The set includes paper to practice on, a step-by-step guide on how to write letters, sentences and more in calligraphy, as well as your very own

New Skills As great as material gifts are, sometimes it's nice to show someone you really know them by giving them the opportunity to try something they've always

Looking for something handmade to give to your grandma or maybe your aunt this year? Take a look around St Nick's Market for inspiration! From cactus shops, to vintage books, to jewellery and handmade room decorations, there’s so much to choose from.

Flowering Tea This gift is perfect for any tea enthusiast, be that a friend or family member. These beautiful blooming and flowering teas are great fun to watch as well as tasty to drink. They magically bloom in your glass - just add hot water!

Books Books always make the perfect stocking fillers. If you’re looking for a fun gift, consider Sophie Kinsella’s Christmas Shopaholic; for something motivational, check out Greta Thunberg’s No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference. If you want to show off your book-buying skills, Etaf Rum’s A Woman Is No Man has been labelled one of this year’s most anticipated reads!

Posters/Artwork

Comedy Show

Any creative person will love a poster or two to liven up their room.

Try finding your sister’s favourite album cover or your best friend’s film idol as a thoughtful and personalised present.

‘Tis the season to be jolly! A comedy show is a great experience to share with someone. Maybe take a relative who you haven’t seen in a while, and - hopefully - the two of you will be laughing all night! Jimmy Carr is coming to the Hippodrome in January if you're looking for inspiration.

Colouring Books

Polaroid Camera Christmas bedding Nothing is better than snuggling up under a festive duvet with a mug of steaming hot chocolate during the

Reasonably cheap but also wonderfully cute, a mini polaroid is a wonderful gift to start someone’s year off right. Maybe inspire them to capture their memories this year

wanted to! Maybe your dad has always wanted to give pottery a go, or your sister has been talking about taking dancing up again find a local course and book them in for it! Better yet - join them in their new lessons! It could be a fun bonding opportunity.

Yankee Candle

calligraphy pen and a beautiful, oldfashioned ink pot - how very Harry Potter of us!

Adult colouring books were all the rage a few years ago - why not bring them back this Christmas? They're an easy way to be creative and a great way to relax - perfect for any student, whether they're artsy or not!

Both therapeutic and aesthetic, they make a great gift.

frostier evenings!

Christmas Candles The Christmas range at Yankee Candles is always the best bet for festive scents. Their Frosty Gingerbread or Red Apple Wreath candles are bound to make any room warm and welcoming - exactly what you need now we're heading into

Mugs You can never go wrong with mugs - especially if you're looking for a gift for a fellow tea enthusiast student! Add a more personal touch by decorating the mug yourself - just head down to Paint A Pot opposite the Brass Pig!

Christmas Socks They're a classic for a reason.

Fairy lights A staple for any student room this could be the perfect for your flat Secret Santa. Hey, they might even put them up in your kitchen so you can all benefit! They are a great way to add a cheeky little ambience this Christmastime without breaking the bank.

24 Arts

epigram 09.12.2019

The rise of the multi-million pound Christmas ad

M

aybe it’s because I’m a secret Bastille fan, or perhaps because Edgar’s scarf wrapped snout is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, but this year I was completely taken by John Lewis and Partners’ Christmas ad.

Since 2007, the retail giant has poured millions into its annual festive offering and, for some, their adverts have come to signal the beginning of the Christmas period.

A rather podge baby dragon and his human friend were the stars of the company’s 2019 advert, the first to include John Lewis’ sister chain, Waitrose.

Set in medieval-hamlet-comeVictorian-village, the advert follows ‘Excitable Edgar’, a dragon, in his attempts to contribute to various festive preparations without setting fire to everything. At the end of the ad, in what genuinely brought a solitary tear to my eye, he finally discovers his Christmas calling: lighting the alcohol soaked figgy pudding.

“

Personally, I would rather influential companies spend time and effort into creating a wellpolished short film

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As inevitable as the advert’s arrival, is the criticism which accompanies efforts to profit from festive cheer and, most importantly, the tradition of present giving. Some argue that the true meaning of Christmas, a celebration of the birth of Jesus

range of crisps.

This is not just rich companies splashing cash and seeing how it goes. Last year was tough financially for John Lewis and Partners, who reported their first ever half-year loss. It’s not a secret that department stores are struggling as highlighted by the collapse of Toys ‘R’ Us and House of Fraser.

John Lewis believe it is a risk worth taking. Speaking to the BBC, a spokeswoman said, ‘Our ads always deliver an excellent return on investment at a time of

“

Personally, I would rather influential companies spend time and effort into creating a wellpolished short film

“

Digital Editor

Christ, is lost when focus is shifted to materialistic consumerism. For those who celebrate religious and non-religious festivals in the winter period, such as Hanukkah, Pancha Ganapati or the Winter Solstice, the commercialisation of the festive period can be seen as a distraction from their celebration.

Whilst this criticism is valid, the reality of late capitalism in the UK

is that advertising companies have a great deal of influence in our daily lives. This is unlikely to end anytime soon. Personally, I would rather influential companies spend time and effort into creating a well-polished short film, with much artistic merit, than subject me to loud, clunky ads.

Or maybe I’m just trying to justify in my own mind why I enjoyed the advert so much. Regardless of whether this particular Bristol Uni student approves or not, companies will spend around £6.8bn on adverts during the ‘golden period’ leading up to 25 December. The big players, John Lewis, Sainsburys and M&S included, compete to grab the attention of consumers on TV, billboards and online.

W h i l s t

commentators dispute how beneficial Christmas ads actually are to a company’s sales, there is seemingly a culture of corporate FOMO. This translates to huge investment and lucrative deals with advertising agencies such as Adam & Eve / DDB who have produced the John Lewis ads since 2009.

Walkers reportedly paid £9m to Mariah Carey to promote their limitededition

year that is critical for us, generally delivering 20 times the return on our original spend.’

Not only driving general sales, adverts can also create opportunities for merchandising such as a £15 plush Edgar and a fluffy version of Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot which was hugely popular with consumers.

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This is not just rich companies splashing cash and seeing how it goes

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The infamous Christmas John Lewis advert is back Tom Taylor

It is disconcerting when brands try to appear as our friend or tug on heartstrings.

The phenomenon of social media influencers who befriend impressionable teenagers and exploit low self-esteem to sell dubious products is particularly disturbing.

So, I can have more respect of a branded short film, like Edgar, than more devious advertising practices.

Advertising is almost everywhere, and although I would rather it was not shoved in my face, I would rather it be high-quality than cheaply exploitative.

Illustration by Harry Sullivan

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2019 Livi Player Arts Editor

T

he beauty and fragility of life on earth is beautifully presented in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, produced and developed by the Natural History Museum London, which opened at Bristol’s own MShed on Saturday 23 November.

Showcasing 100 new dramatic and

thought provoking images from beautiful environments to animal behaviours and endangered habitats - this incredible exhibition is a must see this year.

The exhibit beautifully captures some of the most spectacular images of our natural world; with some images meant to shock, some meant to sadden and others to enlighten and inspire.

Each image has its own story based on its photographer, where it was taken and how, during a time of such

environmental crisis.

The stories were utterly moving and deeply thought provoking - for anyone who loves David Attenborough’s documentaries, I couldn’t recommend this exhibit more.

With free entry for students on Wednesdays when you show a valid form of student ID, it’s not an opportunity to miss out on!

The exhibition is in Bristol’s MShed from 23 November - 4 May 2020.

Jason Bantle / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

London's Natural History Museum's exhibition comes to MShed

Arts 25

09.12.2019 epigram

Back to the Roaring Twenties: watch out Gatsby

W

ith less than one month until News Year's Eve, we’re approaching the marking of 100 years since The Roaring Twenties - and the start of what some might call The Roaring Twenties 2.0. So, it’s no wonder I’m asking the question - do you think 2020 will shape up to be another Roaring Twenties decade? How long until we see the Gatsby-esque wild parties, blaring jazz music, bathtub gin and flapper fashion on the streets of Bristol?

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It's not necessary to party every single night - even if it's in the hope that your Bumble date or ASSL crush rocks up

exam. Gatsby spent the majority of his life chasing a dream that wasn’t really there - so remember to take

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Be more Gatsby.

Don't be a Daisy this Roaring Twenties

a step back every now and then to remember what makes you happy.

Fitzgerald’s novel reminded me that it’s okay not to take part in every social event and be the BNOC you feel you should be. It’s okay to sit at home and watch The Apprentice in bed with a hot chocolate and not worry about what people are thinking about you all the time. It didn’t do much for Gatsby after all.

The Great Gatsby reminded me that money isn’t totally everything. Gatsby shows that his lavish home, extravagant parties, luxury swimming pools, excessive champagne and expensive race cars can’t always buy you love. You really can’t buy happiness - something I need to try and remember next time I’m scrolling through ASOS drooling over their 25% student discount offers.

At the end of the day, your happiness is your top priority. Be happy. And try to make others happy.

Be more Gatsby. Don’t be a Daisy this Roaring Twenties.

Hoping to host the perfect Gatsby-esque New Years Eve party? Here are our top tips: 1. Show off your inner flapper fashion 2. Whack out the Charleston it’s got to be done!

3. Don’t forget the jazz music 4. Makeup: bold red lipstick, extra eyeliner and beauty spots!

5. Gold glitter and an Art Deco theme 6. Feathers and headbands galore!

IMDb

Arts Editor

Reflect. Give yourself time to reflect on what you want from life and the things around you, whether that be something as simple as that cake from Parsons, or a 2:1 in that

Epigram / Siavash Minoukadeh

Livi Player

So what can we learn from Gatsby anyway? Not to trust Daisy for a start - spoiler sorry! Perhaps we can learn it’s not necessary to party every single night - even if it’s in the hope that your Bumble date or your ASSL crush rocks up. Nevertheless, I admire Gatsby's optimism. Putting aside my massive crush on Leo, Gatsby taught me some valuable life lessons which I plan on taking into my own Roaring Twenties.

“

With 2020 fast approaching, what can we learn from the first Roaring Twenties?

Cheers to that!

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Book Corner

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

Imogen Howse Deputy Arts Editor

S

ome stories are classics for a reason. A Visit From St Nicholas, or, as it's more commonly known, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, is the perfect example. Captivating, homely and incredibly nostalgic, Clement Clarke Moore's lyrical poem will get you in the festive mood in no time at all.

Gathering around on Christmas Eve to read this as a family - and often as an extended family - is a tradition for many. If you haven't done so already, it's about time you give this endearing story a go. I promise you'll soon understand why it's beloved by so many.

Livi Player Arts Editor

A

dam Kay is back with this fantastic sequel to his bestselling debut This is Going to Hurt. This short but festive themed book is the perfect stocking filler for anyone this Christmas, looking into the depths of the NHS frontline at Christmastime, and removing baubles from places they shouldn’t be. His dark humoured anecdotes and hilarious remarks, along with his infamous footnotes and medical explanations, will no doubt bring a smile to your face.

Alongside the comedy, Kay is back to celebrate the hard work of all NHS employees around this festive period.

Sofia Al-Hussaini First Year English

N

orthern Lights is the best place to seek refuge from the cold this Christmastime.

Pullman should be commended for the dexterity with which his text balances fantasy and philosophy. He weaves descriptions of orphan Lyra Belacqua's daring rescue mission through a world of armoured bears and anthropomorphised souls with an exploration of free will and original sin that both charms and challenges his readers. There is little more to desire in terms of comfort reading, and when placed against a snowy backdrop, the narrative becomes the perfect winter read.

Ellie Brown News Sub-Editor

T

his Christmas, if you’re finding the usual film offerings a bit dull, treat yourself to one of Christie’s finest and most festive whodunnits. A cracker from start to finish, we begin with our favourite Belgian detective flummoxed by the mystery of a family patriarch murdered behind a locked door. Enter a cast of colourful characters, each one with a motive for the murder, and the game is on!

Poirot’s use of facts and psychology to find the solution is a masterclass in deductive reasoning – but Christie’s skill is in making the journey just as interesting as its conclusion.

Imogen Howse Deputy Arts Editor

A

ny of the instalments in J.K. Rowling's bestselling series would make a wonderful read at this time of year - but the enchanting and nostalgic ambience of the first book makes it the perfect pick for a Christmassy tale.

With mouth-watering descriptions of winter feasts, the stunning festive aesthetic of the Great Hall and the snowy Christmas season we all can't help but wish for, it's your best bet for some healthy wish-fulfilment at this time of year. What better way to start your Christmas celebrations than by delving into the magical adventures of the Boy Who Lived?

Music

epigram 09.12.2019

@EpigramMusic epigram_music

Editor Deputy Editor Digital Editor Deputy Digital Editor

Francesca Frankis Guy Marcham Joe Boyd Will Snelling

Epigram Music’s top 10 albums of 2019

1 Little Simz - Grey Area

By Jessica Li, Second Year Economics and Politics

3 FKA twigs- Magdalene

Earlier this year, FKA Twigs broke her silence with the release of Cellophane. A desperate depiction of vulnerability and sheer confusion, the track arrived in complete juxtaposition to it’s exquisite music video in which Twigs effortlessly commands the pole with peak athleticism. Where the artist’s debut was characterised by warped vocals and choppy electronic production, Cellophane garnered anticipation for Twig’s sophomore project to be a far more organic, conceptual exploration of her artistic capacity.

Indeed, in many ways, that’s exactly what Magdalene is. However, despite Twigs’ experimental artistry, it would be wrong to look for abstract meaning in an album that so blatantly contemplates deeply ordinary, humane issues. In a recent

By Bethany Marris, Deputy Digital Editor

interview, the artist explained that writing from ‘an honest place when

you’ve had a real glimpse at adulthood differs from writing from an honest place at 22’. Through Magdalene, Twigs grapples with unre-

quited heartbreak. In this, she details the process of ‘unmeshing’; the process of re—structuring routine when your agenda is no longer intwined with someone else’s.

More intimately, she delves into the emotional burden of recovering from a physical set-back, not only when your body is so intrinsic to your craft, but when you feel ‘alone’. Such loneliness quite literally echoes throughout the album, with the instrumentation on tracks such as ‘thousand eyes’ and ‘home with you’ ceasing where Twigs’ soprano kicks in. Nodding heavily to the work of Kate Bush, weaving classical piano with electronica, and immersing the listener within a very dark period of Twigs’ life, Magdalene is a testament to the artist’s lyrical, rhythmic and creative dexterity.

A unique voice flying the flag not just for women in rap but the genre itself

Prize nomination – something well and truly deserved. GREY Area is also a vibrant and diverse album, which darts from R&B influenced grooves (‘Selfish’) to driving and ominous hardcore beats (‘Venom’). A powerful and emboldened record by an artist at the top of their game. So, here’s to Little Simz, here’s to GREY Area – an expectational record.

By Daisy Lacey, Fourth Year Comparative Literatures and Cultures

Fans of Michael Kiwanuka had been left anticipating new material since the artist’s 2016 record ‘Love and Hate’.

With the release of K I WA N U K A , Michael presents himself at his most confident. Infused with the sonic zeitgeist of the 1960s, K I WA N U K A carefully employs dramatic Motown horns and psychedelic, Hendrix-esque guitar riffs without stray ing too far from his original, folky sound.

“

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Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA

KIWANUKA celebrates the intricacies of life and heartbreak whilst navigating what it means to be an individual

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2

itself. No wonder Simz has gone on to have a remarkable year, in which she received an esteemed Mercury

“

As album opener ‘Offence’ pulses into action, Little Simz declares: ‘I said it with my chest and I don’t care who I offend, uh-huh!’

It’s clear the North London rapper means business. What follows is a fearless and powerful album that’s nothing short of phenomenal.

From the murder of a dear friend to the gritty social decay of North London council estates –GREY Area at its heart is an album engulfed in darkness and uphill struggle. Yet, with a concoction of funk-jazz arrangements and surging lyrical prowess – Simz manages to defiantly overcome her personal demons and produce a beautifully poignant record of intent. Simz’s musical dexterity and idiosyncratic approach is unmatched by anyone else in 2019 – a unique voice flying the flag not just for women in rap but the genre

Where the album’s decadent opener, ‘You Ain’t the Problem’, is an exercise in in personal acceptance and an affirmation of independence, ‘Hard to Say Goodbye’, reminds us that emotions can be simultaneously temporary and lingering.

K I WAN U K A celebrates the intricacies of life and heartbreak whilst navigating what it means to be an individual; universal themes of which are bound to impact upon us all. Released in the close of 2019, the artist’s third studio album since 2012 cements his position as a decade-defining voice.

Music 27

09.12.2019 epigram

4

6

Dave Psychodrama

By Lucas Arthur, First Year Geography To summarise Psychodrama in under 200 words is a disservice. As both a pianist and a rap artist, Dave released a series of chart-topping singles, remixes and collabs from 2016 onward, culminating in winning the 2019 Mercury Award for this album.

‘Psycho’ sets the mood, with a monologue by his supposed psychotherapist introducing the central themes: Depression, insecurity and loss, explored with deft intelligence and self-awareness, perhaps best showcased on the 11-minute epic ‘Lesley’ amid sombre strings and a brooding instrumental. There’s some respite: ‘Purple Heart’ offers cutesy wordplay and ‘Location’ brings in a Drake-esque beat, but there’s no doubt that the album shines brightest on the darker tracks. On ‘Black’, a blunt, biting assessment of institutionalised racism, not a single word is wasted (‘A kid dies, the blacker the killer the sweeter the noose’). ‘Environment’ deals with public perceptions

8

Kate Tempest - The Book of Traps

By Guy Marcham, Deputy Music and Lessons Editor

This just might be Kate Tempest’s magnum opus - a timeless masterpiece for our jaded and disenfranchised generation. On The Book of Traps and Lessons, Tempest takes a microscopic knife to the human body and sense of self, carving out stark and deep seated feelings of isolation, anxiety and dread. From the resonating repetition of ‘7.3 billion humans’ to

the subtle portrayal of life’s intimacies – Tempest speaks for all. Yet to find beauty in amongst life’s thankless pitfalls and crushing relentlessness is what makes Tempest’s album something especially pertinent.

Poetry that catches the heat of 2019’s ferocious dystopian ‘firesmoke’ but rather get burnt, huddles together and shelters for warmth.

By Jessica Li, Second Year Economics and Politics An American indie and earthbound rock band ‘Big Thief’ released two beautiful new albums this year that have similar undertones, yet they tell two completely different stories within the same chapter.

The melodic lyrics of both are harmoniously matched to their instruments, whilst Two Hands has a harsh-

7

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!

By Bethany Marris, Deputy Digital

in rap over a fireside piano score and ghostly background vocals.

‘Drama’ is sullen and raw: Dave struggles with the incarceration of his brother, conceding ‘I

thank God for the pain because it made me this’. The project is ambitious and emotionally draining at times, but perfectly executed.

A true hallmark of UK rap.

Fontaines DC- Dogrel

By Jasmin Robinson, Third Year History

Dublin City based punk four-piece Fontaines DC show their teeth with Dogrel.

Filtered with a gritty Irish poetry achieved through pub nights scribbling Joycean style verse, the album shouts and snarls with a tender romanticism. The album boldly begins, ‘Dublin in the rain is mine / A pregnant city with a Catholic mind’, and sullenly ends ‘We trip along disaster in the whirlwind of the free’. ‘Dogrel’ is much more than a ramshackle white-knuckle punk record – its clever lyricism marks it as the band’s rally round the flag, and its musical vivacity partners up to create a force to be reckoned with. Dogrel wrestles with Dublin City life; ‘Liberty Belle’ harnesses the ‘ready-steady violence’, and ‘Boys in the Better Land’ wrestles with Anglophobia. The record finishes off with the closing-time bar-singalong ‘Dublin City Sky’, wherein singer

5

Big Thief U.F.O.F/Two Hands

Grian Chatten welcomes a beautiful, intimate, and poetic depiction of the early hours of Chinatown. On this record, Fontaines DC really tap into a post-punk that is unlike the rest of their cohort.

Its precocity is understated, but it’s what makes the album one of the best of the year.

Snarling, punchy, and intimate – it is an excellent work depicting the influences of Irish literature, and Irish culture.

9

Angel OlsenAll Mirrors

By Francesca Frankis, Music Editor Angel Olsen didn’t disappoint this year with the release of her fifth studio album All Mirrors. It bore well the mark of Olsen’s evolution from folky singer-songwriter to punchy rock’n roll maestro. Whilst her musical sound may have found new horizons, this album proved she is still at the top of her game for providing cathar-

In the height of Summer, Lana Del Rey confessed locking her sights on ‘writing the next best American record’. Her fifth, and longest project so far arrived with everything expected of an LDR project.

Infused with the essence of MidCentury America, fleshed out with indulgent piano chords and written through a dusty lens of nostalgia, NFR! is utterly on brand.

Fleeting between moments of dominance, heartbreak and frustration, NFR! is an exercise

10 tic, emotionally charged anthems for vanquished souls. Gliding over epic orchestral string arrangements All Mirrors carves out the importance of self worth in relationships with others, and yourself, ultimately revealing ‘we’re just at the mercy of how we feel’. Change and evolution run heavy as themes throughout; the discovery of loss on leading track ‘Lark’, to revelations of self-conviction on ‘Spring’ and ‘Summer’. Olsen doesn’t hold back from unearthing the real experience of loss. The entirety of All Mirrors is wrapped up nicely with the final track ‘Chance’, it’s devastatingly realistic but ends with a flavour for hope and in Olsen’s truly poetic style, the final lines are repeated; ‘Forever’s just so far why don’t you say you’re with me now, with all of your heart?’

er and much more certain foreboding compared to U.F.O.F. In U.F.O.F there is a tender masterpiece that manages to interlink the ascendance of an underlying ‘grunge-rock’ with the celestial voice of lead Adrianne Lenker; constructing a beautiful imagery whereby the instruments are played to accompany rather than overbear the singers voice. Two Hands in comparison is a down-to-earth grind that builds upon their previous works, the album clearly has deep-cut roots, which is shown by the pure honesty in the lyrics and slight mumbles that highlight the raw emotions that have been absorbed into this album.

This bare-boned stripped album certainly grows upon the younger U.F.O.F. By listening to these two albums, as they are consequentially presented, you are transported from 30 miles outside El Paso, where Big Thief was born, to Washington State where these albums were created, in a cabin in the woods.

in vulnerability. With the clarity of hindsight, Lana’s position in her all-American narrative shifts between the adored and the adorer; the chaser and the subject.

Although rich in romantic lyricism, the album’s devastating undertone flows through the way in which the kind of love painted in NFR! Is never completely r e q u i t e d .

Offering fourteen tracks is certainly ambitious, yet not once does NFR! compromise on quality.

An album that feels ultra-relevant yet instantly classic, Lana seamlessly navigates lust, longing, gluttony, and the mundane to present one of 2019’s most intimate and timeless releases.

Slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain

By Lucas Arthur, First Year Geography Few debut albums are as incendiary as this. Slowthai rose quickly through the UK hip-hop scene throughout 2018, releasing a string of acclaimed singles and building up a following from punk and grime fans alike. In his distinctive snarl, he recalls the struggles of a working-class upbringing through a cynical lens, littering tracks with cultural references: From T N Biscuits to Trainspotting and Peter Kay, Slowthai’s work revolves around the British identity. Fitting, then, that the album should feature some of the biggest British artists: Mura Masa nails production on the mosh-inducing ‘Doorman’, while Jaekae and Skepta lay down verses on ‘Grow Up’ and ‘Inglorious’. Grow-

ing up is another recurrent theme, alongside mental health and masculinity - as Slowthai demonstrates on tracks like ‘Northampton’s Child’, closely related. Despite Slowthai’s disdain for the current state of the nation (particularly it’s leader), this album shows that there’s plenty more to look forward to from UK artists.

As he says in the title track, ‘Hand on my heart, I’m proud to be British’.

epigram 09.12.2019

28 Music

It’s clear their lifelong friendship is central to their cohesion: In conversation with Palace Indie outfit Palace speak to Epigram Music about growth, creative process and friendship, ahead of their headline Bristol date at The Anson Rooms Leonardo Proaño

P

alace have been ascending in the UK indie scene since the release of their 2014 EP Lost in the Night. Having recently parted ways with bassist Will Dorey (better known as Skinshape), the band embarked on their first headlining tour as a trio, a followup to their sophomore LP, Life After.

The record is an exposition of the band’s songwriting at its best, and a testament to their growth since bursting onto the indie scene.

Palace/ Facebook

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Catharsis is essential to their creative process, each song recounting emotive density and overcoming it in grandiose ways

catharsis is essential to their creative process, each song recounting emotive density and overcoming it in grandiose ways. Their live performance was a manifestation of the record’s intent, and true evidence of their maturity since their ascension to indie stardom.

Drummer, Matt Hodges, didn’t miss a beat, and as big as the recordings sounded, his bold performance made each track feel like it was without

a doubt intended to be heard live.

Rupert Turner’s guitar likewise felt momentous; each riff accenting Leo’s vocal performance while remaining standout on their own.

Wyndham’s presence was magnificent and without b e i n g ostentatious, his calm demeanor reflected in his performance, taking centrestage under the spotlight while playing off his bandmates.

It was clear that their life long friendship was instrumental to their cohesion, something which

Wyndham and Hodges made note of in our conversation before the show, ‘We’ve known each other for a really long time…it’s sometimes hard to tell how much it helps, because it’s all we’ve ever known. But it definitely is easier when you go back such a long way.’

The comfort and connection that comes with being friends for so long, from building a project like Palace together, was evident in the way they interacted off the stage and in live performance.

It’s not surprising the band has come

so far with their talent and vision at the forefront of their pursuit. The Anson Rooms is not a small venue by any means, the elevated stage and moat-like barrier between it and the crowd can make it a challenge to keep a show intimate. Yet Palace rose to that challenge and made the packed auditorium feel like a sonic hearth.

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Palace... made the packed auditorium feel like a sonic hearth

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Speaking to frontman Leo Wyndham before their headline show at the Anson Rooms, he expressed that the record was driven by a desire to beef up the production of each track, dress them in more epic instrumentals and ‘just write better songs’, without losing the intimacy in content-matter that made their previous cuts so compelling.

Wyndham revealed that, similarly to their previous album, So Long Forever, themes of heartbreak, loss and the discovery of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ within struggle, run heavy throughout Life After’s narrative too. Standout tracks like ‘Berlin’ and ‘Heaven Up There’ captured these contrasting themes well for the band, exploring the ideas through bittersweet swells and a mellowed-out grittiness. Adding to this, Wyndham maintains that

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It was clear that their life long friendship was instrumental in their cohesion

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“

At the end of the show, to the crowd’s delight, Palace relinquished the need for ‘one more song’ chants, staying on for two more songs than planned, which I’ll take as an indicator they enjoyed the show as much as we did.

Puzzles Christmas Cryptic Crossword Credit: Conor Cullen, Fourth year Engineering Mathematics Credit: Conor Cullen, Fourth year Engineering Mathematics

Editor Subeditor

Kezi James Fergus Ustianowski

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

1.

4.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

13.

15.

16.

Across

Celebrity rodents making a comeback (4).

North Pole native, Anthony, recruited by Soviet Army (5).

Spiritual being sticks substance on half of Anne (5).

Sweet coming from cold Andrew with horrible acne (5,4).

Incense smoked by wise men at shoddy Fern Cakes Inn (12).

Carol buried in albino elm (4).

Hanging plant is only for the fanciful most elite (9).

Cockney eyes sound like herbs and Greek letters (5,4).

Going by sled is murder to the listener (6).

Geordie animal has nee rider replacement (8).

It’s Christmas time: we hear you’ll alter diet (8).

Down 2. Large bird country (6).

3. Sapling found in burnt reed (4).

5. Story about bizarre archaic arm slots (1,9,5).

6. Coming for pie and vet (6).

12. Weather owns frosty winter (4).

14. Ring of whiskey and damaged earth (6).

17. Drink to a good game inside departed retreat (6).

18. Sprite with small self endings (3).

Film Anagrams

Rearrange the letters below to find the Christmas films. (If you need a hint, check the Film & TV article on ‘Why we love Christmas films’)

Countdown Number Use the 6 numbers to create the specified target number using the normal mathematical operators: add, subtract, multiply and divide. Each number can only be used one. Extra difficulty: use every number to make the target number.

Credit: Laura Stock-Caldwell, Fourth year Engineering Mathematics

5 1 9 8 11 98 Target: 501 Credit: Mike Talbot, Fourth year Engineering Mathematics

3 7 8 9 75 22 Target: 631 Credit: Tom Bucklet, Fourth year Engineering Mathematics

2 6 7 3 25 50 Target: 784

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

Credit: Fergus Ustianowski, Puzzles Subeditor

Using the answer from last week, what is the famous street in this city that shares its name with a type of spirit?

ACTUAL VOLLEY

(4,8)

ALLOW INTERDIFFUSE’

(3,1,9,4)

CHEMIST WRAITHS

(5, 9)

LEF

(3)

AFTERSHOCK BENIGHT HERMIT

(3,6,5,9)

Sudoku

Fill the empty squares with the numbers 1-9 so that each number appears once in each row, column and box.

Credit: Laura Stock-Caldwell, Fourth year Engineering Mathematics

9 73 85 4 1 59 2 18 2 73 96 5 7 2 5 7 7 3 96 8 5 6 17 6 39 8 2 3 98 5 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

30 Sport

epigram 09.12.2019

Accessible activities to try next term

SciTech and Sports Subeditor

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Whether you are a keen gym goer or an adamant outdoors person, there’s something everyone will like

next session.

Try and rope in a friend or flatmate to go with. For activities that need a partner this can make it a bit less awkward, and if you both end up really enjoying it, you can motivate each other to go when one of you is grumpy or hungover and refusing to go. There are also women only team

Social Badminton

The sport everyone loves in a friendly, chilled setting with abilities ranging from beginner to intermediate. Mondays, Tuesdays, 1530-1700, 1700-1830, Sports Hall

Box HITT

This is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with a twist. Its strength training – using weights – coupled with cardio boxing that burns fat quickly. It’s a full body work out that is great for those that don’t have BUCS matches on Wednesday afternoons, but want to use the free time to do some exercise.

Wednesdays, 1300-1400, Carpenter Room (SU)

Social Korfball

The hybrid sport you’ve probably never heard of; this is one for those looking for something new. It’s a

Dutch sport that combines basketball, handball and netball into one. It’s mixed, with four girls and four boys on each team. If you’ve got a big enough student house, then you could probably make a team between yourselves! Thursdays, 1630–1800 PM, Sports Hall

University of Bristol

ave you heard of B:Active Campus? It’s a programme of sessions that the University puts on for students. And it does what it says on the tin; it gives you the opportunity to be active within the sports centre, swimming pool and the SU. Its surprisingly cheap and accessible, and not enough people know about it. Sessions are £2, or completely free with a WeAreBristol membership. Chances are if you are part of any University sports team, you’ll already have one of these.

We’ve compiled a short list of some sessions to try. Whether you

and individual sports and exercise classes, including Social Netball, Muay Thai and Abs Attack.

The best thing about B:Active campus is that it is one of the cheapest options out there for students. Check out our suggestions below but be mindful that the autumn timetable might change after Christmas.

Bristol SU

Esme Hedley

are a keen gym goer or an adamant outdoors person, there’s something everyone will like. Find the timetable, print it out and pin up in your room, so you know what’s on and how to schedule the sessions into your timetable. Start small; don’t sign up to five a week and then feel bad about yourself when you can’t make them all. Try one or two classes and if you like them enough, continue with them. Just don’t feel bad if you miss one. It doesn’t take away from all the progress you’ve made, and you won’t be miles behind everyone else at the

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With Christmas and the feasting period upon us, the uni gym and its array of classes can be part of your New Years’ fitness resolutions, or, simply be a chance to try something different

Salsacise A super fun combination of dance and exercise that doesn’t feel like a chore. If you like Zumba, you’ll like this. Check out Dance Fit and Carnival Fitness for a similar vibe.

Fridays, 1700-1800, Studio 3, Indoor Sports Centre

LGBTQ+ swim

A safe space for those that identify as LGBTQ+ to enjoy the University pool. Open to everyone and to those of all abilities. Saturdays, 1200-1300, SU Swimming Pool So, if you’re looking for a fun way to relax with your friends or a chance to get fit, then avoid the ridiculously priced gym memberships and use the university gym and cheap classes that are right on your doorstep!

Third year going on fresher: joining a sports club as a final year student

History, Third Year

T

hird year, for many of us, is that last, manic, hectic and nostalgic year of University.

The time when you have hopefully made your friends for life, joined the gym, figured out where Senate living room is and where the best place on

campus is to get free cakes. Third year deadlines come around quick, your hangovers get worse and the job applications and the following rejections come in thick and fast.

Amidst all these things, third year is not often a time to join a new society. The anxiety of going to your first taster session is a distant first year memory when your small talk was underdeveloped, and you spent an hour trying to talk to strangers as you kicked a ball around or tried a new yoga move. For many students, joining a society or a sports team is nerve racking especially turning up to training alone. Therefore it is not something many third years want to

repeat. However, I decided that third year was the exact moment in which I wanted to start rugby.

Speaking from experience here, joining a sports team in third year

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The anxiety of going to your first taster session or trials is a distant first year memory

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Joining societies and sports clubs is often assocciated with freshers, but for some, it is as late as their third year when they disover their passion for sport Katie Pritchard

is definitely one of the best things I have done at Bristol. It seems that every year I have had to endure the anxious first taster session, doing volleyball in first year and cycling

in second year. I am not saying these weren’t great societies, they just weren’t for me. I met my housemate at volleyball and after becoming best friends we decided that we didn’t actually want to carry on batting a ball half-heartedly over the net.

After two years of dipping into sports teams, I found myself at a Women’s Rugby taster session in freshers week, aged about three years older than most of the freshers, hungover from the night before.

After that, I seemed to find myself going every week, playing my first match, meeting new people and going to the sports night in Gravity.

From someone who couldn’t throw a

rugby ball (an arguably still can’t), I have tackled girls twice my size, sustained some pathetic bruises and had a lot of fun; and I guess that is the key bit.

I have realised during my time at Bristol that you may love an activity, but if the people involved don’t excite you and make you laugh, you’ll find that you aren’t motivated to attend.

Rugby luckily has all the components of a great club which means I now give up precious relaxing time to trek down to Coombe Dingle until 10pm on a freezing Monday. I would say it is worth it though and it has most definitely enhanced my third year and university experience.

Sport 31

09.12.2019 epigram

India Gay Sports Editor

...Continued from the back page On the football scene, it is not only the women who are performing.

The Men’s 1s have been ‘making a real statement’ in the league as they currently sit top of the table’. Their five other teams are looking in good shape and are working towards cementing their place in the leagues after promotions in the previous years.

Club Captain, Joe Williams, stated that if the teams continue the performance they have showcased so far this year, there is undoubtedly a possibility for some more silverware.

Men’s Lacrosse Vice Captain, James Clemetson, stated that the club is ‘excited to round off 2019 with a high’ as they begin to look to the cup in the spring. They too experienced a large influx of talented freshers with some already making their way to the 2s.

Their success is evident in the 1s

UoB Ultimate Frisbee

remaining undefeated and the 2s contesting for the lead in the league.’

Their victories continue with their mixed performance who have won both of their fixtures.

Similarly, Ultimate Frisbee have experienced the high level of talent that has come through this year in the form of freshers, allowing them to place second and third at two different beginner tournaments.

President, Luke Anniss, stated they have ‘had an excellent start to the year with the Men’s, Women’s and Mixed teams all qualifying for indoor Nationals.’

Finally, Men’s Rugby are no exception when it comes to Bristol thriving at sports this term. Their 1s XV, who have been calling up a lot of 2s players, are sitting in 3rd place ‘having beaten Bath 2s both home and away’, for the first time in three years! Furthermore the 2s and 3s have continued to showcase strength and teamwork with improved performances, but it is the 4s who are sitting top of their league. The fresher influx this year was so great that the club opened up a second freshers development squad to provide the resources and time for all those interested in playing. Club Captain, Will Sharp, highlights their success off the pitchas well. They

SmifSports Photography

A sports term to remember

have ‘hosted 2 successful Wednesday Night Lights events and are preparing for their biggest one yet on the 11 December.’ Furthermore they have raised an astonishing £8,000 for the Movember cause, which was an enormous increase from previous years.

Overall, Bristol has had a hugely successful term and start to the

Does asthma control who can participate in sport?

Sports Editor

F

or some, the idea of exercise or playing sport is daunting and for some it is a scapegoat for a new years resolution, that will be slowly forgotten over the first months of the year. Although many people dread exercise and sport, for much of the population it is a time to relax and enjoy ones self. However, what if you were restricted in your favourite activity – not being able to run as fast as you would like, to play a full game or to even complete simple exercises at the gym? This can be the reality for people with asthma, sports-induced or not.

Asthma UK claim that 5.4 million people suffer from asthma, constituting around 8% of the UK. While it is not particularly common, it can be life threatening and debilitating for those that have to endure it. As with anything, the activities in life that better our health can sometimes be the hardest to engage within and asthma is no exception. People with asthma may notice specific health benefits when they exercise, such as improving lung function, weight loss, an improved immune system and reduced levels of stress; all these contribute to reducing the likelihood of asthma attacks.

It can be particularly hard for people who struggle with asthma, to get stuck into a sport or exercise, particularly at university when being a fresher can be frightening enough, without the added worry of wheezing and spluttering during sports team trials. Footballer, Laura Barrett, stated that ‘taking a puff of my inhaler before the game and at half time mostly regulates it for

me and knowing the inhaler is in my reach, if I need it, controls my concerns of not being able to breathe whilst playing’. As with many 1st team players, who compete in the highest university leagues, Laura has found that she has had to

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It can be life threatening and debilitating for those that have to endure it

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Panting and spluttering during a Wednesday game does not sound too appealing, but does asthma really have that much affect on sportspersons?

India Gay

consciously think about managing her condition during training three times a week and at matches. Whilst she states that it does not drastically affect her performance, she is weary of the sports-induced problem and therefore is more cautious. It is therefore evident that sport can be played, to a considerably high level, even with a condition that affects something like breathing so much.

Furthermore she allays fears that it can affect your overall performance and ability, stating that she found it

was ‘pretty common among people engaged in sports as my team mates are often asking for a puff when they’ve forgotten theirs’. It appears, there is no such stigma or negative connotations surrounding ability attached to asthma and other similar conditions.

Furthermore, many professional sports men and women, such as David Beckham and Paula Radcliffe, suffer some asthma yet have played to extreme levels. They act as a beacon of hope for people who are worried about the affects of their asthma or how it may restrict them when participating in a competitive fashion. The University also offers pre-booked gym classes, such as yoga, which have been proven to be beneficial in helping to control asthma. Although a barrier to exercise, people who suffer with this should attempt to continue in their sporting desires with careful regulation, particularly at university where mental and physical relaxation and relief is key.

season. These teams only showcase a snippet of what the sporting societies have achieved thus far as there are many others battling each week for wins, goals and points.

It appears all teams are raring for the next term and are likely to end the year with a collection of league titles, cup trophies and large and diverse societies.

Team of the week: Ladies Hockey 4s The University of Bristol Ladies Hockey fourth team are our team of the week after winning 5-2 against then tabletoppers Southampton.

Captain Amelia Paine said ‘After a few problems faced in the first few weeks I can only thank the girls and our new coach Riley for an amazing performance on Wednesday. It just shows that training hard with a good team vibe is all you need. I am endlessly proud of what we achieved and I can’t express how excited I am to start the second half of the season after Christmas.

Sport

Editor Digital Editor Student Sport Correspondent

India Gay Tymoteusz Suszczyński Edward McAteer

The season so far: TB1 The season so far: in review

UoB Lacrosse

Smifsports Photography

TB1 review

Term 1 is drawing to a close and the University of Bristol clubs have already showcased their sporting ability via success in leagues and cups, in all sports and at all levels India Gay Sports Editor

W

ith the days getting shorter and the temperatures getting lower, Christmas is just around the

corner and the first term of 2019/20 is nearly over. The freshers have settled in, the squads have been decided and the teams have been battling with other universities up and down the country.

All clubs have welcomed an impressive number of players this year; Men’s Football are having to hold a second set of trials to cope with the intake and Women’s Rugby have now become the biggest women’s rugby university club in the country, with over 100 members. As always, Bristol sports teams has been

successful this season, securing the top spots in their leagues and scoring numerous goals.

Multiple committee members provided Epigram with an insight into their seasons so far this academic year. Basketball President, Sammy Cobbold was delighted with the level of talent they experienced at trials and with the number of those who were determined to play competitively.

Not only have they gained plenty of fresh faces but have also increased the number of spectators at home

games. Both of the Spartans 1st teams have had a great season so far, ‘finishing the term with positive win records’. Furthermore the ‘Men’s 2nd team have advanced to the 3rd round of the cup and the Women’s 2nd team are battling for first place in their league and the opportunity for promotion.’

Likewise Women’s Football have had an equally successful start with a huge number of freshers joining all four squads. Whilst the 2s and the 3s are only three points below the top spot and development are

playing weekly matches, ‘the 1s sit three points clear at the top with only one league game left’ which is better than Club Captain, Phoebe Tate, could ever imagine considering it is their first year in the Southern Prem. evelopment squad, which has been growing at a constant rate since it began three years ago, has played both nine and 11-a-side games, making this term development’s busiest to date. Phoebe is proud of the club’s growth and more importantly its dedication to raising the name of Women’s Football.

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