SABB ELECTIONS SPECIAL: P 19-26
Exeposé
Monday February 7 2011 Issue 575 www.exepose.com
Photo: Henry White
Free
Uni Halls price cuts
Andrew Waller Editor
Election campaigns underway
Students begin their week of campaigning for Sabbatical positions in the Students’ Guild for the next academic year.
Hannah Sweet Senior Reporter
ON Friday February 4 campaigning began on campus for the Guild Sabbatical Elections. However, before voting opened, two rules had already been breached. In an email to all of the candidates, Gary McLachlan, Guild Senior Election Officer, explained the incident, stating, “An email was sent promoting an individual candidate and asking for votes. It was sent by mistake (without thought) by the candidate’s campaign manager.
The recipients were close friends including former house-mates. It broke two rules: The email rule itself. It was also pre-campaigning, being Active campaigning before the polls are open for voting.” Following these violations, the Campaign Manager has been removed from the campaign and banned from canvassing for the candidate; the candidate has been barred from campaign activity for one day and will be delayed in receiving any print materials, and the candidate has also been barred from the Elections Lemmy night on Saturday February 12.
These breaches come despite the fact that this year the campaign rules have been relaxed. Alex Bordoli, current VP Participation and Campuses, said, “This year there are no limits on internet-based campaigning (except for the University email system). Passive campaigning rules have been relaxed, for example, election T-shirts can be worn wherever and posters are allowed to be displayed in windows. We’re encouraging students to be creative in their campaigns.” The candidates were announced on Monday Jaunuary 31. There is a combined total of 39 students standing for
the five positions, significantly more than the 27 candidates who stood in last year’s election. Although campaigning started at 9am on Friday morning, campaign literature was not available to everyone until approximately midday. Bordoli said, “I am immensely impressed with the dedication and hard work that the candidates have already put in. This year is set to be a really interesting election, there is such a vast and varied selection of candidates to choose from, which is excellent news for the students of Exeter.”
UNIVERSITY accommodation will fall in price next year. With the latest figures for inflation at 4.8 per cent, a below inflation price increase will mean accommodation fees are effectively cut. Last year accommodation at Birks Grange increased by 10 percent despite extensive building works. The changes in accommodation price followed lobbying from the Guild. In a year marked by student protest, Jonnie Beddall, Guild President, argued that “this shows we can direct the nature of change.” Currently only seven per cent of University accommodation is affordable with a basic student maintenance loan raising concerns that Exeter’s high costs put students from low-income backgrounds off applying to the University. “We are pricing out students most able to learn but not to pay,” said Beddall, “this is the best deal for students given the University’s determination to charge students far above that of the universities we compare ourselves with.” The largest cuts come with Studio rents that will increase at 3.75 per cent. Noting the increasing cost of food and utilities, the University has said that it is, “seeking to keep the rents as low as possible within a difficult economic environment.” A notable exception to the cuts is a 10 per cent increase in the cost of the “most desirable” rooms at Holland Hall. With demand for Holland consistently high, plans had originally been to increase all rooms by 10 per cent. However, following a letter from the Guild to Campus Services, this has been limited to rooms with balconies. The University has also decided to scrap the free laundry service in catered halls over concerns of its “environmental impact.” A pay-as-you-go system is being implemented to encourage more efficient energy use with any profits going towards “green initiatives.”
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Exeposé
The Exeter student newspaper
Exeposé, Cornwall House, St German’s Rd, Exeter, Devon, EX4 6TG (01392) 263513
Lifestyle
P 16-18
Lifestyle writers expose tales of one night stands and sexual encounters in a special SEX-ONTHE-EXE feature and Kate Gray makes 8 useful suggestions for a Valentine’s day with a difference.
Books
P 34-35
Sarah Byrne takes a look at James Franco’s forray into short story writing next to reviews of Tarr, So Much for That and the third instalment of Gibson’s trilogy Zero History.
Arts
P 36-37
Ellie Steafel, Arts Editor, talks with The Times arts critic, Libby Purves about the state of the modern art scene, along with a review of Footlights’ latest production A Chorus Line.
Sport
P 41-44 Golf correspondents cover a gallant week for EUGC and Thomas Read asks why the Grand Slam victory evades Andy Murray. Editors Tristan Barclay & Andrew Waller editors@exepose.com
Deputy Editors Rachel Bayne & Jennifer Seymour depeds@exepose.com
News Editors Ellie Busby & Charlie Marchant news@exepose.com
Features Editors Columba Achilleos-Sarll & Anna-Marie Linnell features@exepose.com
Lifestyle Editors Laura Le Brocq & Clare Mullins lifestyle@exepose.com
Music Editors Ellie Bothwell & Ben Murphie music@exepose.com
Books Editors James Henderson & Jacob Moffatt books@exepose.com
Screen Editors Calum Baker & David Brake screen@exepose.com
Arts Editors Rosie Scudder & Ellie Steafel arts@exepose.com
Video Games Editors Stephen O’Nion & Alice Scoble-Rees games@exepose.com
Sports Editors Alexander Cook & Andy Williams sport@exepose.com
Photography Editor Henry White photography@exepose.com
Advertising Stuart Smith S.C.G.Smith@exeter.ac.uk (01392) 722432 The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.
february 7 2011
News
Exeposé
Aaron Porter fights for students
Ellie Busby & Charlie Marchant - news@exepose.com
SSB makes record profit
Photo: Henry White
Hannah Brewer Senior Reporter
EXETER University’s Safer Sex Ball takings reached a record high this academic year with a total net profit of £40,435.20. The annual RAG Safer Sex Ball, which took place on December 8 2010 at Westpoint Arena, is now the biggest World AIDs Day event in the United Kingdom. In total 4,000 tickets were sold and RAG will be donating £20,000 to the Eddystone Trust. Ruth Andrew, SSB committee member, commented, “Although it was a lot of hard work and required a lot of planning, it was truly amazing to see the venue on the night. The majority of students appeared to be having a great time and all the performers, who performed on and off stage, provided great entertainment.” The committee decided to relocate the SSB from its location of previous years, Devonshire House and the Great Hall on campus, to Westpoint Arena, which has a much greater capacity and allowed for the achievement of higher profits.
The Safer Sex Ball organised by RAG has raised a record-breaking amount for charity.
Mass exodus to Birks? Website bullies students Ellie Busby & Charlie Marchant News Editors THE UNIVERSITY has offered to move four blocks of students from Lafrowda to the new Birks accommodation after a formal complaint from a student concerning the building works. A first year student issued a complaint to the University after a builder saw her changing through her fourth floor window in Lafrowda. In response to her complaint, Duncan Sandes, Communications Officer, wrote in an email, “I am in the position, however, to offer you and your friends and colleagues in your block the opportunity of alternative accomodation in the newly completed blocks at Birks Grange, at no extra cost.” The student told Exeposé, “I emailed back saying we would rather have a discount on our rent. If they are prepared to acknowledge a problem and prepared to lose money by moving us at no extra rental cost to a new building, then we would
rather stay where we are with our friends and pay less.” Following this email, the university sent letters to blocks N, P, Q and R, on Monday January 31, informing the residents that they were able to move to Birks village if they wished. At time of press it was still unclear about the details of the move. The student remarked, “They’ve let us have viewings the weekend of February 5-6, and apparently they’re sending a form round on Wednesday 8 and starting the move with vans that weekend, right through until the end of that week. However, they haven’t directly said any of this to me or anyone I know, it’s all word of mouth.” A University Spokesperson said, “The University has offered to relocate some students from Lafrowda to the latest new block at Birks Grange. “This was done as a goodwill gesture and would allow students to move with their current housemates to the new accommodation block. There was absolutely no obligation for the students to move.”
Amelia Greenwood STUDENTS in Exeter could be subject to internet bullying. A website which allows anonymous users to post personal information or comments about students online, which other students can then confirm whether they are true or false, has caused cyber-bullying. The website contains hundreds of posts with content ranging from details of students’ sex lives to personal appearance and hygiene. It is not possible to trace who wrote the comments on the website, so the users cannot be identified or held accountable for their remarks. The site was recently brought into question by a parent of a student of Exeter College, which resulted in the head teacher ensuring that the college was removed. However several other local institutions are still on the website, including the University of Exeter. The controversial issue of cyber-bullying is becoming increasingly problem-
atic across the country, with extreme cases leading to young students committing suicide. Chris Hardy, VP Welfare and Community, commented, “Bullying of any kind is despicable and cowardly, and cyber-bullying even more so. Whilst I can’t speak for the website in question, any forum that is utilised to make others feel hurt or upset is absolutely sickening.” He added, “If any student at the University does experience bullying or harassment, then I would encourage them to make use of the harassment advisors that exist within the University and Guild.” The University has officially stated that, “We have looked at the website in question and completely agree that some of the comments are very personal and unpleasant. We will be asking the owners of the site to remove the University from it.” Any students experiencing bulling of any kind can find help online by visiting http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/equality/harassment.
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Exeposé Week sixteen
UniSport Online
Uni demands A* A-Levels
Joshua Hughes
Charlie Marchant News Editor
THE website UniSportOnline, which was co-founded by an Exeter student, is expanding in light of its recent success. The website was co-founded by Exeter student Tom Carrington Smith in November last year. The sports orientated website, which was established to allow students to share their sporting experiences online and making University sport a more connected place. It has recently expanded to cover not only Exeter but also 17 other universities, with this number set to rise. Next month, for the first time in the website’s history, the co-founders will provide press coverage for the England Students vs France Universities rugby union match on February 25, kicking off at 7:30pm. They will provide postmatch analysis and they also hope to stream live pitch-side updates during the match. This match will involve Exeter students, Chris Reakes and Tom Sargent, who are involved with the England Students’ squad whilst Exeposé will cover the match.
EXETER UNIVERSITY’S Business School has introduced the first A* grade requirement. Conditional offers can now ask for maximum A-Level grades of one A* and two As for BA Business Economics and combined Economics degrees.
47% of Exeter University applicants to Economics had been predicted at least one A* last year The department’s decision to raise the maximum grade requirement comes in light of the fact that 47% of Exeter University applicants to Economics had been predicted at least one A* last year. Many of the top ranking universities have introduced A* grade entry requirements, meaning straight As are no longer sufficient to secure a university place.
The A* was introduced in 2010 as a means of distinguishing between students who achieve A grades across the board. To acquire an A* students must achieve 90 per cent or above in each of their A2 level exams. The decision has caused concerns that private school pupils will have an added advantage. Last summer, 17.9 per cent of pupils in private schools achieved an A*, compared to only 5.8 per cent from comprehensive schools. Ian Blenkharn, Exeter University’s Head of Admissions, said its decision to ask for A*s “reflects the exceptionally high quality of applicants” and “considerable competition for places.” Bertie Archer, VP Academic Affairs, said, “If the University can demonstrate that the A* is necessary for a particular course then it’s desirable. However if it is being used as marketing ploy then it’s not in the students’ interest.” In January, statistics showed a record 335,795 people were chasing university places this year, before fees rise in 2012.
Commentary Andrew Waller Editor The latest news from the Business School only confirms the accelerating process of professionalisation in the education system. Setting such high standards for potential applicants is simply piling more pressure on young people to perform highly at an early age and barring those who may flourish later on. It will also inevitably put those from state schools off applying to Exeter’s Economics programmes. There is a worry that this move is about making courses look more prestigious rather than reflecting their academic rigour. Having spent three years studying Economics at Exeter University I can safely say that an A* is by no means a necessary requirement to pass your degree. If the Business School is serious about attracting the top students let’s hope it ups the standards of its courses. Photo: Henry White
News
MyExeter is down
A WEBSITE has been created to help students access MyExeter when the system is down. The website has links to key Exeter websites, including the Exeter e-mail, BART cover sheets and ELE Online Learning, and has all the main resources Exeter students need available. David Brake, second year student, commented, “I found the link on a Facebook page; it was really useful and solved my life problems.” The website can be accessed at: http://myexeterisdown.com
Exeter shops close FOPP, the music store, and Freespirit, the outdoor clothing retailer have confirmed store closures. Fopp closes after only 18 months of trade. It is hoped some staff can be relocated within the HMV Group, which includes the Waterstone’s bookshop, however seven staff face losing their jobs completely. Freespirit will be replaced by partner group store Blacks, which will relocate from Sidwell Street. A closingdown sale is taking place, although it remains unclear when the shop will cease trading. John Harvey, Exeter’s city centre manager, said, “Every store closure is disheartening, but it is a sign of the times we live in. Every job loss is unwelcome and unfortunate.” He added: “The city is moving in the right direction. We’ve got major investment going into the city, with stores like John Lewis coming to Exeter, and we expect further investment.”
Man assaults horse
The valley is so good, the cows want it back
Cows returned to Hoopern Valley last week, and promptly escaped, blocking pathways for students heading to morning lectures. Students struggled through the herd as it munched its way through the hedgerows. Is this just another example of the Cowalition Government limiting access to education?
AN Exeter man was caught performing a sex act on a horse in a Devon stable. Derek Woods was caught on an infrared camera after setting off alarms in the stables. The alarms had been set up by the police following concerns from the horse’s owner. Woods was found asleep in a barn back in December 2009. Fake CCTV cameras and a loud alarm were installed in an attempt to keep him away but they were unsuccessful and the owner noticed injuries to the horse in February 2010. Woods, 26, originally from Glasgow, admitted charges of animal cruelty and one of committing a sex act on a horse. Woods, of Alphington Road, Exeter, was caught in August 2010 when he activated the alarm and camera. Nigel Wraith, Defence counsellor, said, “Woods feels complete and utter shame at the position he finds himself in and is embarrassed beyond words.” His barrister described him as an “isolated” man with a drinking problem. He has therefore been ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol dependency, as well as a 24-month supervision order. He was also banned from going within a one-mile radius of the horse owner’s stables and fields.
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FEBRUARY 7 2011
News
Exeposé
Photo: Fiona Lally
Exeter students enjoy the events on offer during Diversity Week.
Diversity Week 2011 hits Exeter University Tristan Barclay Editor STUDENTS celebrated cultural diversity on campus as Diversity Week came to Exeter in Week 14. The week saw hundreds of students attend a series of events showcasing the heritage of the various nationalities at the University. The first of its kind in Exeter, the initiative follows the success of international events such as 2010’s Chinese New Year celebrations in its attempts to improve cultural
awareness on campus. Monday January 24 saw an International Lemmy Night, with the inaugral Diversity Fashion Show and international dance workshops. Clothes from all over the world were paraded on the catwalk and the stand-out dance performance came from student group TNS. Other events included international food tasting and an international workshop night, where students were treated to Henna tattoos, dance sessions and calligraphy demonstrations.
The week was organised by the International Students’ Council (ISC), in conjunction with various international societies representing Exeter students from all over the world. Yasmin Ismail, ISC President, said, “One of the aims of ISC this year was to find some way of promoting and raising awareness of the diverse student population and cultures that existed on campus. “Overall it was a success, thanks to all those students that attended but also due to the hard work of the ISC
Photo: Fiona Lally
Photo: Hannah Walker
Photo: Fiona Lally
committee and different International societies that contributed to so many of the events.” James Crouch, second year Politics student, said, “Diversity week was a fantastic initiative. It was great to meet so many different people on campus.” The University has over 17,000 students, with nearly 3,000 of them from overseas. Exeter students come from as far afield as New Zealand to Mexico, and from Chile to Kazakhstan.
Ismail added, “In the future, I would hope that Exeter Diversity Week is organised collaboratively by the ISC, Equality and Diversity groups within the Guild and University and various societies so that it covers a much wider range of equality issues that impact our University experience. “This will be one way that we actually begin opening up dialogue between various groups and start appreciating the variety of students, cultures and experiences we have on all our campuses.” Photo: Hannah Walker
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Exeposé Week sixteen
Buildings open in Phase One handover Photo: Henry White
News
National Student News NUS President targeted
Construction work continues around the new Duryard Kay building as part of the £275 million investment programme on the University’s Streatham Campus.
Harriet Cotton EXETER UNIVERSITY is moving towards the completion phase of the £275 million investment programme on Streatham Campus. This month sees the completion and subsequent openings of three of the major building projects on campus; the new INTO academic centre is now open and ready for student use. The facility includes flexible teaching spaces, a lecture theatre and
a learning resource centre, bringing more space and new technology to campus. Alongside this the completion of the new Business School, totalling £18 million, is being marked with the celebration of Chinese New Year on February 5. The celebrations will include local Chinese chef, Li Tain Yu, preparing traditional food to sample, as well as the customary Chinese dragon and lion parade. Richard Lamming, Dean of the Business School, said, “We are
New city student flats Ben Tyson EXETER COUNCIL’S planning committee has recently approved the building of more student accommodation. Despite significant resistance to the plans from residents in the area, the building work will take place on Sidwell Street. The plans include the demolition of the frontage of Stoneman & Bowker, the family-owned furniture store, to make way for a six-storey residence with the capacity to house 96 students. The residence will provide high quality accommodation to students, in an extremely convenient location for both campus and the city centre. Amie Cripps, a current student, said, “Because of the difficulties with finding accommodation in Exeter, and the excellent location on Sidwell Street, this development is not only bound to
be popular with future students, but is a necessity for the University to keep growing.” However, despite the street face being limited to four-storeys to meet conservation requirements, and the shop moving to new premises elsewhere in Exeter, the plans have still attracted significant resistance from local residents. A resident of the St James’s area said, “I am full of consternation at the way in which developers are being allowed to shoehorn new student accommodation of all types and sizes into St James’ Ward, regardless of its impact on the community, its character, its amenities, and townscape.” Given the current redevelopment of Birks Grange, Lafrowda and Duryard it seems that the University is intent on further rapid growth, particularly in providing new, high quality accommodation options for students.
delighted to be able to mark the completion of our splendid new building with an event that reflects our international outlook and the diversity that we enjoy in the School.” The Business School will be formally opened in the spring but it is hoped that teaching will begin in the building by the end of the month. Adding to the list of completed building works is the new world-class music facility at Duryard, which is due to open on February 9. The opening will be celebrated
with an invitation only event, a recital by the world-famous pianist, Imogen Cooper, an Honorary Graduate. A University Spokesperson said, “The new music building is an extremely exciting addition to the university and provides students with a orchestra rehearsal space, a cabaret space, recording facilities, studio theatre space and can act as a stand up comedy venue.” These three newly opened buildings are the just start of Exeter University’s developments.
Winter 2011 Graduations Sam Lambert OVER 800 Exeter students celebrated Winter Graduation with two days of ceremonies at the Northcott Theatre. The Graduation, which took place on January 22 and 23, saw a record number of postgraduate awards. Due to the Great Hall’s continued closure, the University scheduled extra ceremonies so they could be accommodated by the smaller venue. The move had caused some worry for students but the substituted setting proved popular. Michelle Cockell compared the ceremony directly to her undergraduate graduation in the Great Hall and said that it, “led to an overall better atmosphere for graduates and their guests.” She further added, “It kept people away from the building site and was ideal for photos.” Hannah Maher, who received a
Master’s in Middle East Politics, commented that, “During my three years as an undergraduate student I saw the postgraduate community at Exeter grow and flourish. The record number of postgraduates graduating this winter highlighted just how much Exeter values its postgraduate students, and how much those students valued their time at Exeter.” Sir Peter Lampl and Harriet Lamb CBE received honorary degrees, while The Blavatsky Trust was admitted into The College of Benefactors. The Chancellor of the University, Floella Benjamin OBE, presided over proceedings. The Northcott Theatre also looks set to host Summer Graduation this year, despite original plans for the Great Hall to be open by April 2011 after a hiatus due to the Forum Project construction work.
AARON PORTER, NUS President, had to be escorted away by police at the student protests in Manchester on Saturday January 29. The protests against a rise in tuition fees and cuts were attended by thousands of students. They began peacefully until around 150 demonstrators broke off from the agreed route and headed towards the city centre, where they targeted Aaron Porter. A group of angry students targeted the NUS President on his way to offices in Manchester. A small number of demonstrators directed chants at Porter, including anti-semitic remarks such as “Tory Jew.” Aaron Porter decided to withdraw from his plans to address the rally after advice from the police. Porter said, “It’s very disappointing not to have had the opportunity to talk about the real issue of the Government’s cuts to the next generation’s future.” Students also targeted Shane Cowen, NUS Vice-President, when they threw eggs and oranges at him when he tried to address the crowd. Some students have called for the resignation of Porter, claiming he has failed to represent students’ concerns. However Porter has indicated he would like to stand as president for a second year. Elections are due in the next couple of months. Aaron Porter recently visited Exeter University when he participated in a debate with Steve Smith, ViceChancellor, about the future of Higher Education.
Increased demand for uni places
UCAS figures have shown a 5.1% increase in applications and a record demand for university places. This comes in light of the government decision to triple the tuition fee cap in 2012. Aaron Porter, NUS President, said, “Prospective students in their thousands are applying to university now rather than later, seeking to escape the Government’s tripling of the cap on tuition fees next year. But for the third year running a cap on student numbers looks set to leave tens, if not hundreds of thousands of well-qualified applicants without a place and forced to contemplate both a long process of reapplying next year and facing huge increase in fees.” He added, “Ministers are at risk of letting down a generation who have had opportunities taken away from them and must urgently provide opportunities and funding for our future.”
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Comment Tristan Barclay & Andrew Waller - editors@exepose.com
Exeposé
The Exeter Student Newspaper
Student politics comes to campus
Thank you for picking up this bumper edition of Exeposé – there is certainly plenty to talk about in a busy couple of weeks for Exeter students. Campus is full of Sabb candidates hassling (or canvassing) you on your way to lectures. Inside you will find our eight page pull-out giving you the run down on all the candidates and their manifestos. Do take a look and think hard about you vote. As we have seen with this year’s protests, student politics matters and Sabbs really can make a difference. On the subject of Sabb power, the news that accommodation fees will fall next year is very welcome indeed. Credit must go to Jonnie Beddall for lobbying the University on this subject. Whilst the cut itself is barely noticeable the important point is that it stops the year on year rises that have become a feature of Exeter student news. Prices are still high in comparison to other universities and there is certainly no respite when students move out to the vastly over-priced student houses in the City.
Sabb candidates take note: accommodation is a huge issue that affects us all at Exeter and we must continue to fight to get a fairer deal for students. Exeposé has been particularly impressed with the standard of candidates for the VP Academic Affairs portfolio. All year we have been highlighting the importance of education for education’s sake and there are some genuinely exciting ideas in this field that focus on the academic experience of university life. The Guild’s website carries the slogan ‘It’s time for a change’ in its election promotions. There can be no denying that Exeter is changing you can see it across all parts of the Streatham Campus. Next year’s Sabbs might find they are forced to limit the damage done by this creative destruction, but with a strong mandate the University will listen to what they have to say. If you’re part of the 64 per cent of the student population that didn’t vote last year, have a read through these pages and make a choice.
Lafrowda breakout The news that some first year students are being given the option of moving from the building site that is Lafrowda to the building site that is the new Birks village came as a bit of a surprise to Exeposé. We have long reported the travails of Birks students, but a quick look out the door of our office shows that Lafrowda students have also been cut a raw deal. That the University is prepared to address this problem is a welcome development and shows that the management has not forgotten students after taking their money. The fact that these Lafrowda escapees are only to be charged what they currently pay
is great news for them, but may not go down so well with current Birks inmates. The logistics of such a move will have to be thought through properly, particularly as there is a threat of some students wishing to move, and some wishing to stay. Such a situation would create something of a ghost-hall, leaving a handful of first years to wander the echoing corridors. Residents of Exeter take note: the University seems to be setting a precedent in appeasing students with Birks compensation last year, and now Lafrowda. If you have a problem, make sure your voice is heard.
Thanks to all those who helped proof this issue: Fiona Lally, Imogen Blake, Sara Price, James Crouch, Josh Irwandi, Eddie Brock, Cyan Turan, Zöe Dickens, Hannah Sweet, Ellen Baker, Tori Brazier & members of the Exeposé editorial team.
February 7 2011 Exeposé
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Elections in the Bubble Jonnie Beddall Guild President
For all that makes studying at Exeter unique, at times life here feels like you’re stuck in the bubble. Last term felt like it would never end, the Christmas break never needed more. Other than a few stand-out Exeter events – Ottery, Bonfire Night at the Double Locks, SSB and the Varsities to name but a few – this small cathedral city we call home comes into its own in Spring and Summer. I forced myself up for an uncharacteristic early-morning gym sesh the other day. Stumbling up the hill en route to an hour of unnecessary pain, the morning sun surged up over the horizon setting the surrounding hills alight. Ok, so literary pretentions aside, this probably happens most days, more often than not left unseen by a guilty drunken stupor. Whilst spring may not be in the air quite yet, it’s not far off. We know its coming and, with it, Exeter is the only place you would ever want to be.
With this time of year, it’s time to decide which few students will fight for the ‘Exeter Experience’ next year. Sabbatical Election week can seem long, it can seem frustrating and it can seem as if it doesn’t matter. But it does matter. As Sabbs, Alex, Chris, Bertie and I have secured £400,000 to refurbish the RAM, successfully opposed above-inflationary pricerises in University accommodation, held the first REFRESH week, beaten the Council’s plans to restrict more student housing in key student areas and launched a new Education Campaign to secure the better quality and higher number of contact hours we need, with more besides.
“I couldn’t have agreed more with Exeposé we need to focus on the bread and butter issues” I couldn’t have agreed more with the editorial opinion in the last edition of Exeposé – as a student body we need to refocus on the bread and butter issues which effect our
experience here, in Exeter. Elected last year on these issues and, halfway through the job, I’ve never been more sure on the need to get the quality of service and experience our fees and raw ambition demand. If you don’t want to talk to canvassers whilst rushing to a seminar, keep your phone close and headphones even closer. Speak to the hordes of canvassers and candidates if you want, don’t if you don’t want to. But please, please vote in order of preference for the person and people you think can deliver for us all. I’d like to finish with a plea. Talking of Exeter experiences, our turnout in Sabbatical Elections is the highest in the country; I’d be loathed for us to fall behind Loughborough or Bristol this year. Our turnout makes the University listen to us where elsewhere they don’t. In first year I’m ashamed to say I voted for the girls I fancied. I probably won’t do that this year. What I’m trying to say is, I don’t care why you vote or who you vote for, that’s for you to decide, just take part in one of those things that makes Exeter special, a cut above the rest.
Student democracy: Zoo or Circus? Gary McLachlan Senior Elections Officer
of analogies – working out which bits work and which ones are nonsense. On those terms, I’d say that student democracy; and the Sabbatical Elections in particular, can stand as a mixture of both zoo and circus – the
Student democracy is often referred to as a circus; although I’ve also heard the zoo analogy used over the years I’ve been involved with student politics – and I frequently ask myself why I do this, and why (given the opportunity is there not to be involved) do I get involved? I should point out that I’m writing this instead of working on the urgent, vitally important PhD presentation that I’m supposed to give tomorrow morning that is a part of the overall progression mechanism for my degree – I think that fact carries it’s own story. Back to the question then – zoo or circus? Well, that’s the hard part
“Why, given the opportunity not to be involved, do I still get involved?” competitive attempt at dominance in campaigns and the motley stunts and canvassing on campus have elements of both. So why do I get involved, why am I (for example) writing this article rather than doing my degree; why am I running an election when there’s a dozen other things that could (and probably should) occupy my time?
The answer I guess is that it does matter – individually it matters to each and every one of those candidates that you consider them first when casting a vote; collectively it matters to the Guild operationally to show that we’re among the leading lights of student democracy in England and Wales; and again, it matters to the Guild (and the AU) strategically that they are well managed – and all of that comes from the decisions made by those people who vote in the Sabbatical Elections. You note I say ‘those people who vote’ there... If you’re one of the 60% (more or less) who did not vote last time around or wasn’t intending to vote this time around then I’d ask you to reconsider – voting takes less than 15 minutes in total once you’ve actually decided which candidate(s) you prefer; isn’t it better to take that 15 minutes for democracy than leave the future to random chance?
Exeposé Week Sixteen
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Comment
Is the Guild’s Democracy Hub really working? Maxim Edwards Guild Councillor With the Middle East very much on the mind at the moment ‘Rethinking Democracy’ sounds like the title of Mubarak’s first manifesto, but regardless I feel the phrase needs to be liberally applied on a smaller and admittedly less dramatic scale to our Guild here in Exeter. We should be pleased that we have one of the highest rated Guilds in the country and a correspondingly high rate of student participation in it to match, but it seems these reassuring facts have blinded the Guild to uncomfortable realities as of late. Sabbatical
elections last year had an impressive turnout for which all involved should be congratulated but when put into perspective, taking into account the vast majority of students who for some reason decided not to vote, the ‘high rate of student participation’ loses most if not all of its impression. The Democracy Hub was a fantastic idea but like so many others I fear the vocal support for it was generally due to people feeling they ‘ought’ to do so rather than actually ‘would’ (probably more of a reflection on the popularity of the word ‘Democracy’ rather than the Hub itself) and you needn’t be a languages student to understand the crucial difference between those two words. Far be it for me to be opposed to direct democracy of any sort but I am beginning
to fear that no small fortune in printer credits for advertising could ever get an impressively high rate of participation in the Hub. Sabbatical and Forum Officer elections have the distinction to students of being something personal, something which can be sociable, in contrast to the Democracy Hub, about which all students have heard but few will ever use. I’m sure someone will call this viewpoint pessimistic, but I’d call it realistic. This truly is an issue on which I’d love to be proven wrong, and will keep a close eye on the Hub in the near future with the express hope that someone will do so. Crunch time in seeing how well the Hub really represents students starts right now, seeing the gears of the primary policy making body in the Guild have reluctantly creaked into motion.
and at first I was surprised as to how many were out there. However whilst flicking through I realised that these websites only seemed to be advertising law firms, auditors and insurance companies, without any alternative in sight. This is great if you do law, but what about the rest of us? Do we really have to settle for companies like KPMG and Deloitte? They claim that “promising interns could be offered a graduate position at the end of their third year.” That’s
firms advertising on these sites, they need the constant influx of naïve students to replace the hundreds of graduates that they lose each year. It seems that if students want to find a summer internship that sees them doing more than simply becoming part of the corporate machine, they need to approach companies directly and hope for the best. On a majority of company websites the ‘careers’ link is screaming out for students to click it, and these are companies that don’t need to advertise all over the place how great they are. I found that many charities are looking for creative and enthusiastic students to help with marketing and events organisation over summer, and this is a great way to gain experience whilst giving back to those in need. So with this summer apparently being the hottest on record I ask myself do I really want to be stuck behind a corporate desk next to an old guy who smells like stale BO? I think I’ll pass…
As much as I wish this were not the case I remain to be convinced of the case for the ever blank slate of the Democracy Hub being fruitful in any way to engaged and informed decision making. The fact that the policy making powers of Guild Council had been removed was something which as a prospective Councillor I was not aware; nor would I have been without explanation given their length and complexity to those of us who are not law students. It was ridiculous to expect incoming Councillors to vote on Bye-Laws which fundamentally altered their own powers and responsibilities without due explanation or clarification, as well as the lack of debate within the student body (or at least the part of it concerned with such issues) surrounding whether the Guild should have adopted an online
system of debate and voting or not. It has recently been observed that the policies passed by last year’s Guild were petty and inconsequential. Whilst I haven’t the knowledge about them to dispute that statement the current issues with a lack of student participation boil down to one question- would you rather have a Guild you can fully call democratic whose policy making is completely non-existent, or a form of more indirect democracy which actually can pass policy, regardless of whether those policies are ‘petty’ or not. If one has a vested interest in PR, the answer is without a doubt the former. However in this particular issue the choice is between realist and idealist, and I would remind the Guild that democracy which is actually used is infinitely preferable.
The great internship race Positive publicity Paul Middleton
Temperatures this summer are set to be the hottest on record, and many Exeter students will undoubtedly be ditching their wellies to take a trip to some of Britain’s best beaches. The entirety of summer will no doubt be spent getting drunk with friends, lazing about and generally doing what university life has taught us to do. But for a large proportion of students, summer provides the perfect opportunity to sacrifice the sun and sand and gain an internship with some of the largest corporations in the world. This is obviously a necessary evil, but it is one which many students have found to be frustrating and stressful to organise. I’ve spent the past month or so looking for internships for summer,
“Summer provides the perfect opportunity to sacrificice the sun and sand and gain internships with some of the largest corporations in the world” great! Does the noose come with that as well? I mean seriously, there’s a reason there are so many of these
Matt Bevan
Anyone noticed this new addition to MyExeter? It’s Student Guild Election time again, and this little fellow is a handy link to the Guild’s, rather bold, sabbatical elections web page. Last year I found that the only times that I cast a vote or was aware of an election was when a friend had been promoting themselves, and it might be said that their success hinged upon their ability to recruit their friends to back them. This year publicity for the elections has taken a step forward in raising awareness and trying to induce a larger voting turnout, two very positive things. Lily Tomkins, Guild counsellor, was kind enough to provide some information about the elections: “This year has been a record breaker for the nomination of candidates. With this many nominations
the Guild is attempting to raise voter turnout which currently stands at around 40%. The sabbatical elections are how the student body is reflected and with a higher turnout, more of the students’ views are being represented.” So, a step forward for the Guild elections, can it become a giant leap of progression in the way we use MyExeter? One of my first thoughts after clicking through the VOTE 2011 banner was: this is a useful way to access the Guild website. To my surprise, perhaps due to my own ignorance, I discovered the Guild has a link in the ‘Favourites’ box, an area I only enter for BART cover sheets, and the elections are advertised in the ‘Latest’ section also. Perhaps this will prompt a redesign of the way events and information that students may take an interest in, are communicated to us through MyExeter. I for one would like to know more about guest lecturers or theatre productions on campus, but lost in the endless blizzard of emails, the means to finding out about what’s going is open to improvement.
Are students about to be priced out of halls? Emma Milton Whilst students hoping to come to the University of Exeter this September are narrowly avoiding the hike in tuition fees, they will find themselves less fortunate when faced with the dilemma of choosing accommodation. Although the prices
for accommodation in the next academic year have yet to be officially published, potential students attending the post-offer open days are being told of a foru per cent increase in the price of staying in halls since last academic year, when accommodation here is already statistically the most expensive for students outside of London. All students entering catered, en-suite accommodation will now be required to pay £186 per week, and while the price has increased by the same percentage as
from 2009/10 to 2010/11, students will now have to provide all of their own bed linen, will no longer have their study rooms and bathrooms cleaned weekly and will have to pay to do their laundry. On top of this, students wishing to stay in Holland Hall will have to pay an extra ten pounds per week if they are after a ‘room with a view’. Since Holland is always oversubscribed, prospective students wanting to improve their chance of securing this accommodation will be compelled to pay this extra amount, on
the supposition that, for financial reasons, competition will be less tough. Unfortunately, the only outcome of the increase in price and the surplus charge will be to create a bigger division between halls of residence. As a student who lived in Holland during my first year I have experienced the derogatory looks and comments that greet a student who mentions that they are from Holland, all of which are derived from the generalisation that everyone living there is a ‘rich kid’. Up until this year this sweeping
statement has been unfounded as Holland’s accommodation fees have always equalled those of other catered, en-suite halls, such as Pennsylvania Court, Ransom Pickard and certain halls on St. Luke’s campus. However, the fact that students will be able to pay more in order to secure the best possible room will just serve to fuel rivalry and give more reason for Lafrowda freshers to chant: ‘because Daddy pays’.
February 7 2011 Exeposé
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Comment
Exeter’s Protestors are letting students down latest Business Building Tom Murray
Simon Dewhurst
As a first year Accounting and Finance student, I have been looking forward to the opening of the new £18 million Business School. Last week I had the opportunity to have a tour round the new building and was immediately impressed. Situated in-between the Xfi and Streatham Court buildings, the new development has a striking glass frontage which is lit up at night. It is also pleasing to see that the area outside the building has been renovated with benches and greenery which will allow students to socialise and study in the summer.
“I like the high-tech and spacious aspects of the new Business School building” The building has four levels with the bottom floor being dominated by the reception and a café with a large seating area. Although this provides a pleasant social space, I am slightly bemused that another eatery is required with the one in XFi only a thirty second walk away. There are a total of seven teaching rooms and two Harvard style lecture theatres on the upper floors, all equipped with the latest technology. There are also a number of discussion rooms which can be booked on a computer screen outside. This will help students to work on group assignments but I can see many of them being unused. The building also has an environmentally friendly feel about it with energy-saving lighting and solar panels on the roof. One personal criticism would be the bright colour scheme inside the building which is based on the different colours of bank notes. Similar to the vivid orange interior in the refurbished library, this is likely to receive mixed feedback from students. Overall, I like the high-tech and spacious aspects of the new Business School and look forward to it opening in early March.
It’s that time of year again. Having happily exhausted their violent urges on Call of Duty: Black Ops over Christmas, the student protesters were out in force for a re-sit, complete with enthusiasm, poor puns and those hats with the flaps on the sides. Mark Bergfeld, a “protest organiser”, concisely described their peaceful day out to the BBC: “Students alone cannot change the world, they cannot stop the cuts,” he said, adding that they needed the support of an organised trade union body and “strength and militancy” to “break the Coalition in
two,” which didn’t sound particularly peaceful. Nor did he suggest what he might replace the Government with, but no-one expected that from someone wearing a fluorescent jacket. The most lucid criticism actually came from an incongruous pensioner objecting to carte blanche given to tax evading corporations. Unfortunately this was followed by a woman concerned that the Government had “moved the national debt” onto her child – a hyperbolic but fair concern, negated somewhat by the fact she was wearing a V For Vendetta Guy Falkes mask. So many of these people are so self-important and deluded that they’re convinced they’re bringing down a Fascist Etonian Reich, and so require sinister anonymity. Either that or they’re smashing things and don’t want their Mum to recognise them.
Bored after failing to mount another assault on Millbank Tower (increasingly resembling the Coalition’s Helm’s Deep), and still wanting to shout at buildings, they went on to join their vaguely Palestinian peers outside the Egyptian embassy. In doing so, they managed to demonstrate how politically ignorant they really were, earlier calling for Cameron to “leave us kids alone” then essentially agreeing with his message to Mubarak. An oversight perhaps, but this was the closest they were going to get to a proper revolution before they went home for dinner. The BBC’s tone towards this has always been one of light derision. Now they don’t even have to try. Their journalistically appalling treatment of Jody McIntyre aside, you can see their point. The sight of a braying mob somehow believing that they can change a
now-passed Parliamentary Bill is past parody. If the activist ranks had spent less time last year in Topman and more actually bothering to read the Browne report or coming up with good ideas of how to tackle the structural deficit, then perhaps we might all have been taken seriously when it mattered. As often happens when it comes to socio-political matters, Facebook had the last word. A protester had been proudly tagged in a photo in which he and other masked marauders were holding a banner reading, “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINING” [sic]. Regardless of politics, if this minority of misspelling miscreants are the ones representing our generation, then we should give up all hope and just go back to Call of Duty. I hear fire extinguishers and kettles are a new killstreak.
darkness! Though the plans to switch off Exeter’s streetlights between the hours of 12.30am and 5.30am were rejected by the County Council, they are a mere ‘consultee’ and in effect have no real say in the matter. Despite thousands of complaints from residents, and concerns raised by councillors and even police officers, the Country Council could just ignore them all. The switch off has just been approved across Dorset so
it is only a matter of time before it is ‘lights out’ in Exeter as well. The plan is meant to be a money saving exercise, because switching to more sustainable solar powered or energy saving lighting will be ‘too expensive’. In the long run surely this would be the better option? Apparently not, the easier option is obviously to put the residents of Exeter at risk and force them to somehow feel their way home. The fact that most,
if not all, of the nightclubs do not close until at least 1.30am should be enough to suggest that this might not be the most ingenious of ideas. But it is not just students that will be at risk. What about those who work late shifts? Those who work early shifts? Anyone who wants to be out of their house after midnight will just have to remember to pack the battery operated torch that will guide them home.
Lights out in the streets of Exeter Rebecca Lodder Surely it’s already hard enough for students to stumble their way home from a night out? Not hard enough according to the government, let’s make them do it in complete
Lafrowda to Birks: a smart move? Amy Dicketts
Rarely has being caught in my underwear had such a big effect on so many people. On this occasion it so happened that the person who saw me was a builder from the new Lafrowda site, whose scaffolding had given him a prime viewing spot through my window. It seems, then, that in planning for the lives of the future students, the powers that be have not taken into consideration the lives of those already here. In response to my email complaining about the event, I was told that we
had in fact been warned of the building works. It is interesting that an email sent after we had booked our accommodation stating “[there will be] building of the new student residences on the area surrounding Lafrowda” is considered sufficient warning of building works that are not just “surrounding” Lafrowda but directly opposite and inescapably close to Lafrowda. However, the significant part of their response was an offer to move my whole flat to the brand new accommodation in Birks Grange, which seemed unappealing given all our friends were Lafrowdians, until a few weeks later when letters were slipped under the doors of blocks N,P,Q and R inviting us all to move to Birks at no extra cost. The question for us now is how strong will our halls’ pride stand in the face of
ensuites and leather sofas? The answer: not very. The actual move has not been fully thought through by those who offered it to us – a friend in my flat, when calling up to see how exactly us girls would manage to get our mountains of belongings up cardiac hill, was originally met with an uncertain response. Whispers of TVs and double beds and most excitingly free loo-roll are only serving to heighten the excitement of the movers and question the choice of the stayers. Some people are even suggesting the possibility of mattresses that aren’t plastic-coated, although most Lafrowdians aren’t letting themselves dare to dream of this luxury. In all the excitement of climbing the social ladder, those who have chosen to stay have been forgotten, both by the students and the staff. No one seems to
have considered the impact of an exodus of students on those left behind. They face the reality of living in a ghost-flat where only a few staunch souls remain. For most people who didn’t originally want to move, it now seems like a better option than staying in a half-inhabited block. Perhaps if the issues surrounding the building works had been considered before people were able to apply for accommodation and the impact had been outlined more clearly on the accommodation page, they wouldn’t be dealing with the situation now, halfway through the year. Personally, I thought myself a true “Lafrowda, sh***y and Prouda” girl, but I am also one who knows how to spot a good offer and a social movement to more comfortable surroundings. Looks like we’ll need to find ourselves a new slogan.
study space please’, Exeposé, January 24 2011). There will be a total of 90 silent study seats in the Library, plus 151 quiet study seats. There will be 120 group study seats (often the most popular space we provide), and 115 pcs. Adding in the increase of seats
across all floors, the Library’s study provision will grow to over 700 post-Forum (rising to over 850 when seasonal space is opened up for quiet study during exams). The refurbishment of Level +1 will be complete in July 2011, and Level -1 will be fully completed with
over 40 per cent more space opening on this floor in September 2011. We are confident there will be a good mix of quiet, silent and group study to suit all when the Forum opens in January 2012. Stephen Mossop Head of Library Customer Services
Letters to the Editors - Send your letters to letters@exepose.com
Response to ‘Silent study space please’
Exeposé I just wanted to take this opportunity to let students know about the increase in both quiet and silent study space coming via the Forum project (‘Silent
Exeposé Week Sixteen
Photo Competition
Exeposé’s Photographic Competition ran from October to December 2010. The three categories: “Autumn/Winter in Exeter”, “Student Life”, and “What Exeter Means To Me” recieved a wide range of entires portraying a diverse range of photographic styles and techniques, as well as a variety of different interpretations and ideas. Entrants were competeing for the chance to spend a day’s photo-workshop with Bangwallop Photography (www.
bangwallop.co.uk) based in Salcombe. From the wide range of entires it is obvious that Exeter is a prime location for photography and there is a thriving amateur community of photographers at the Univerisy of Exeter. After a very tough judging process by the Exeposé Editorial Team, a shortlist of ten was drawn up and from there an anonymous vote revelaed the winner and two runners up. Congratulations go to Joshua Irwandi, Jessica Leung and to the
overall winner, Melanie Smith. All three images inspired the judges and are highly commended. Melanie’s image pipped the others to the post with it humorous take on the category “What Exeter Means To Me”. The two runners up, and the overall winner are below, with commentary from each photographer and the judges’ opinions. Exeposé would like to thank all those that entered and to offer commiserations to those that weren’t shortlisted.
Runner up: Josh Irwandi
Right: Jessica Leung. Runner Up, Student Life Category. “I got my first camera aged four and as a curious child I had fun photographing anything around me. Nothing has changed now as I continue to shoot everything, resulting in photos that are often random and sometimes odd, but all aiming to capture the moments in my life.” Judges: “This captures that moment when you run out of clothes, it is a typical student image, one seen everyday around the country.”
Left: Joshua Irwandi. Runner Up, Autmn/Winter In Exeter Category. “The two major climates in England are warm and cold. The fact the image shows trees covered with frost and a tree still in its autumn state, reveals there is always something for anyone who favours warm or cold weather. The University of Exeter possesses these characteristics, and thus attracts different students from different parts of the world.” Judges: “Simply Stunning!”
Winner: Melanie Smith Right: Melanie Smith. Winner. What Exeter Means To Me Category. “I have always loved photography and eventually got my own SLR as a present for my 18th birthday, haven’t stopped since! I named it after David Bailey, my favourite fashion photographer. A lot of my inspiration comes from National Geographic Magazine, the travel and wildlife photography features are amazing.” The Judges’ Verdict: “Melanie’s picture is full of humour and fun. The moment is captured perfectly, with all the elements of Exeter subtly portrayed, from the cathedral spires to Princesshay rooftops and the mix of weather. The lighting and composition is intriguing and appealing and the expression on the Seagull creates a dynamic and unique photograph.” Melanie wins a day’s photographic workshop with Bandwallop Photography.
Runner up: Jessica Leung
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Features
FEBRUARY 7 2011 Exeposé
Columba Achilleos-Sarll & Anna-Marie Linnell - features@exepose.com
Plenty more fish in the sea?
As the world dolphin population suffers, Joseph Treddenick reflects on what - if anything - can be done. PROTECTED from commercial fishing, the 400 square kilometre stretch of the Gulf of Amvrakikos on the west coast of Greece is home to 150 Bottlenose dolphins that are the subjects of an ongoing research project conducted by Tethys research institute, which I was lucky to be a part of for two months last year. Despite resembling a stereotypical image of the romantic Mediterranean with its awe-inspiring natural beauty, something is missing from Kalamos. Every week it was mine and the instructor’s job to transport a group of enthusiastic volunteers 40 minutes south on our research boat, for a two-day survey of a sheltered stretch of the Ionian called Kalamos. Volunteers were often perplexed when we told them that they were unlikely to see anything resembling a dolphin. There is a sobering rationale behind patrolling this stretch of water. Until 1995, Kalamos had been considered rich in marine life. It was the site of Tethys research institute’s original field base in the region and supported a resident population of 150 common and Bottlenose dolphins. Between 1995 and 2010, this population crashed due to uncontrolled over-fishing. Only 15-30 animals are now thought to be left in the area. Unfortunately, this situation is becoming more common throughout the Mediterranean and the world at large. A 2010 marine status report shows the plight of some of our most beloved ma-
rine mammals. Not only dolphins, but Sperm and Fin whales are now listed as either endangered or vulnerable in the Mediterranean, a primary threat being their interaction with fisheries. You may question that, if we cannot save a charismatic set of species such as dolphins and whales, what hope do the other marine species have? Human history has so far conditioned us to believe that our seas and oceans are an inexhaustible and renewable resource. Yet this is simply not the case. Scientists predict that there will no longer be any edible fish in the ocean by 2048, which presumably also applies to fish-eating marine mammals such as dolphins. To set such an end-date inevitably receives criticism, but the point being made is not a doomsday prophecy. Such predictions will come true unless radical changes are made in the way that we perceive our seas and oceans, and the relationship we have with them. This seems particularly urgent when you reflect that over 60% of the world’s population relies on fish as their principle source of protein. The extent to which the old perception of the sea as limitless persists in the 21st century has been reflected in a recent EU Fisheries meeting in Luxembourg. After scientists recommended a catch total of 15,000 tonnes of Blue Fin tuna in the Mediterranean to avoid population collapse, the EU passed a quota of 29,500 tonnes. Of course, it’s superflu-
ous to point the finger, seeing as during the same year fisheries simply ignored both the scientific advice and the quota and caught 61,000 tonnes of tuna anyway (four times the amount that would prevent collapse). I use the word ‘our’ to describe the seas and oceans because they’re not the exclusive property of commercial fish-
eries, or multi national corporations. They’re the property of all mankind and it is down to us to protect them. Simple actions taken in our day to day lives will influence the situation. Even what we buy when we go to the supermarket has a direct impact on marine diversity: only certain brands of fish bear the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label, which
certify their sustainability. During my last two weeks on Kalamos, we encountered a group of 11 Common dolphins and a playful three-monthold newborn on a routine patrol. This was the first sighting of common dolphins in the area for over four years and is surely a sign that nature does have the potential to bounce back, if we give it a chance.
For Cod’s sake
The recent Channel 4 documentary series, Fish Fight, seems to have got everyone talking about how to keep fish swimming in our seas. Sarah Briggs gives her suggestions to Exeposé. HADDOCK and chips please. There are around 32,000 known species of fish in the world, but 74% of fish sold in the UK comes from just ten of these species. I was brought up eating cod, salmon and tuna, three of the species most affected by overfishing in the last few decades. Can you name more than three species of fish you’ve eaten in the last month? It would actually be remarkably easy to broaden this repartee: just to order haddock and chips next time we go to the chippy could help take pressure off cod stocks. More often than not you will get your haddock fresh from the freezer, not lurking at the top with the rest of the cod, and you can enjoy your fish guiltfree. Or another way to bite a chunk off pressure on fish stocks would be to eat Pollock fish fingers. The name’s on the tin. People are often shocked at the size of a tuna. One southern blue fin tuna, a species commonly used in tins in the 1980s and now
classified as endangered, can weigh in at 400kg. But one might also be surprised at the size of the nets used to catch them: some fishing vessels use long nets approximately one mile in length. These nets are closed off with a drawstring effect to encircle the fish. The process of then scooping up the catch is known as pulse seining and the average haul can include dolphins, turtles and sharks. This is the most economical way to supply the huge demands of the UK market, but it is also an incredibly detrimental method of fishing for other species. Can we really justify the loss of a dolphin or turtle for our tuna mayo sandwich this lunchtime? The good news is: there is another option. Pole and line fishing is a traditional and more selective method which has less impact on the marine environment. Some retailers have moved to provide this sustainable and responsibly sourced tuna and it’s not necessarily hard to find: 100% of Sainsbury’s own brand
products are caught by this method, including the Sainsburys Basics range, ideal for students. Shop locally: In Exeter we are lucky enough to live about 12 miles away from the sea and 50 minutes from Brixham fish market, arguably one of the best fish markets in the UK. It might be fantastic to make the most of supermarket trends which supply exotic fish from all over the world, but is it really logical to eat Alaskan Salmon in the Southwest? There is plenty of locally sourced fish fresh and available and some retailers, like Gibson’s Plaice on Magdalen Road, offer special deals for students. Of course, our efforts will only ever be part of a much wider picture and there are many different issues surrounding fish protection. In the documentary, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall showed some emotional scenes of struggles faced by long-established fishermen in the UK. Quotas are allocated to restrict
“Is it really logical to eat Alaskan salmon in the South West?” the number of fish they can take from the oceans to protect fish stocks. When a fisherman reaches his quota for one species, he may continue to fish for other species instead. Fish which are caught beyond the quota then need to be discarded, with ‘over-quota’ discards estimated to account for around 22% of English and Welsh discards. Some 54% of these discards are tossed overboard because of weak or absent markets – our narrow choice of fish types limits what fishermen attempt to catch. Considering current food insecurity and hunger across the world, such wastage is criminal, and it is hoped that reform of the common fisheries policy in 2012 will stop this. The government is doing its bit. The
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has introduced projects to improve the state of the fisheries. For example, Project 50% was started in 2009 to see scientists and fishermen working together to reduce discards in the Brixham trawl fleet by 52%. The Fishing for the Markets project is a new initiative, which seeks to encourage the consumption of under-utilised, sustainable species that are often discarded in the markets. When one billion people in the world rely on fish as their only source of protein, it’s hugely important that Britain as a developed and educated country takes responsibility for the impact we have on marine species. The efforts we make as students may just be part of a wider picture, but this does not make them less important: there are simple ways to protect our oceans from its most dangerous threats today.
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Exeposé week sixteen
Features
The right to study
The latest from the Middle East
This House believes that the abolition of post study work visas helps no one. Hannah Metcalfe attends the latest DebSoc Debate. Fred Corkett takes a look at the events in Egypt ON Friday Janurary 28, Exeter Uni- the higher education budget from £7.1 portance of the UK being at the centre,
versity Debating Society hosted their weekly debate, which this week was: This house believes the abolition of post-study work visas helps noone. This debate focused on how students from outside the European Union will now be forced to go home after completing their degrees under a new plan made by the coalition government, which scraps visas which previously allowed students to seek work. Home Secretary Theresa May, who announced the cap in November 2010, has argued that this proposal is part of a crackdown on abuses of the student visa system. Both sides of the debate presented persuasive reasons for their arguments. However, the general feeling emerged that the Government is putting the UK’s world-class universities at risk with their plans to make such extensive cuts to the number of visas awarded to overseas students. While those that support the cuts argue many students enrol with the intention of staying in the UK permanently, the more sobering reality is that these proposals could threaten the survival of particular institutions. This is supported by figures presented by i-graduate, who state 80% of international students come to the UK for higher education because of the twoyear work experience along with their studies. It is feared that if the number of international students fall, universities will once again be badly hit by the coalition governments’ damaging cuts. It seems remarkable that the current UK government would risk the annual £12.5 bn that international students contribute to the economy, when they are already taking away 40% of universities’ teaching budget, with the Government’s spending review planning to cut
bn to £4.2bn by 2014. The current position of higher education in the UK seems to be in a period of significant change, but it is also a time of uncertainty for many UK universities. Chief executive of English UK, says that international student fees often “keep courses and sometimes whole departments open...they are in some cases vital to the survival of the institutions.”
“The only outcome of these restrictive measures will be to create the impression that the UK is not welcoming to overseas students” While it may appear that these caps on non-eu student visas are in a bid to aid UK graduates in the world of work after their studies, in reality international students are not necessarily here to compete for UK jobs. The only outcome of these restrictive measures, therefore, will be to create the impression that the UK is not welcoming to overseas students. It is not necessarily just international students that will be affected by these caps on visas. 20% of university staff are non–eu workers and are recruited through the current post-study visa system, which also raises the question as to the quality of staff that will remain in the UK universities and ultimately how this will affect teaching. It is becoming apparent that as the Government boasts of the world class status of UK universities, it continues to introduce more measures that only seem to be putting this status at risk. What’s more, we hear time and time again of the global market and the im-
but how do ensure this if we restrict the amount of individuals that can aid with the language and cultural knowledge which make global business deals possible? Many business groups have raised concerns that the caps could cause severe skill shortages in the UK. It may seem that these caps on international students are only in their first stage and have not yet started to have an impact on students and UK universities. However, reports are emerging of countries already actively advising their students against coming to Britain. Damian Green, the immigration minister, does not seem to hold these concerns. Instead he argues that while attracting talented students from abroad is vital, the UK has to be more selective about who comes here and how long they stay. There is also an understanding that international students themselves were not benefitting, as they were employed in low-paid jobs that did not require a degree under the Tier 1 system. The consequences discussed in the debate held on Friday have caused much concern for international students in Exeter, as they will severely limit options after graduation. An international student at Exeter has voiced their concern: “You can’t change the rules of the game while it’s being played. I don’t think it’s very beneficial to the economy and it is going to be incredibly worrying for international students not just here in Exeter but across the UK as a whole, as their options are now severely restricted.” Ultimately, this is a matter that universities will have to quickly act upon if they are to maintain their prestigious status within the global league tables.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
A SURGE of revolutionist uprising in pursuit of regime change has resulted in significant power shifts in the Middle East. Discontent over domestic economic conditions caused by the fallout of the global financial downturn, in combination with the continued persistence of authoritarian rule, has resulted in protests against Tunisian, Yemeni, Jordanian and Egyptian politics. These mobilisations are led by a disenchanted youth who yearn for democratic reform. In Egypt hundreds of thousands of people descended upon Liberation Square, Cairo, to demand that President Hosni Mubarak step down from his previously unchallenged incumbency. Thirty years of Mubarak’s rule has left generations of Egyptian peoples without fair democratic representation. The ironically named National Democratic Party has successfully retained power in Egypt since its conception by former President Anwar El Sadat in 1978. The world’s gaze has become fixated on the political outcome in Egypt, as the country holds a key geographic and politically strategic position. The threat of temporary closure to the Suez Canal has raised the price of oil to over
$100 dollars a barrel. Political uncertainty also holds wider ramifications for the stability of the broader Middle East region. Egyptian relations with Israel have been peaceful since the US incentivised the Oslo Accords signed on September 13 1993. However an Egyptian government with democratic representation may not possess such an appetite for warm relations. The Muslim Brotherhood hold wide support in Egyptian society. Free and fair elections would undoubtedly raise their prominence and political influence. It is unclear whether the United States, as a fierce proponent of Middle Eastern states’ transition to democracy, would support an Egyptian government that consists of the previously banned Islamist movement. This is the vital question for all states in the Middle East moving towards democratic reform. Political mobilisation across the region marks a vitally important stage in both regional and global politics. With the future stability of this key area of international relations in questions, the situation in the Middle East will continue to grip the world’s attention and dominate the media.
The hunt for the murderer of Bristol Landscape architect, Jo Yeates gripped the British press over Christmas. Emily May discusses the subsequent media storm.
DURING the Christmas holidays I’m sure you too were affected by the tragic story of Jo Yeates. Jo was 25, in the prime of her life and a successful landscape architect who was mysteriously and brutally strangled after meeting friends and buying a pizza. As a Bristolian, and knowing that the area where she lived in upmarket Clifton is hardly a crime hotspot, her disappearance was particularly shocking for me. The city was shaken and then silenced. In a flurry, her face appeared on missing posters everywhere, and at night Bristol felt like a ghost town. On Christmas Day, the festive mood certainly dipped when her body was discovered near my brother’s school sport field. However, my lasting memory of this tragic news will be the media’s reaction and the unjust character assignation of Chris Jefferies.
In the days that followed, as police changed their investigation from a suspected abduction to a murder inquiry, it became a media frenzy of speculation. This intensified on January, 30 after her landlord, 65 year old Chris Jefferies, was arrested. Although he was eventually released on bail and never actually charged, he became vilified by the press. After establishing that he was an eccentric, blue wispy haired ex-public school teacher he became dubbed, “the strange Mr Jefferies.” His photo was printed again and again with disparaging cap-
tions such as The Sun’s “weird, posh, lewd and creepy.” They interviewed his ex-pupils who claimed he was “an oddball,” “obsessed with death” and “assumed to be gay.” These remarks belong in the playground, not a newspaper. On January 20, 32 year old Dutchman Vincent Tabak was arrested and charged with Jo’s murder. Mr. Jefferies, however, will always be associated with Jo Yeates’ death. Although entirely innocent, Mr. Jeffries is unable to walk down the street in his local community without being pointed out for being a suspect. Of course, there is the argument that keeping the Jo Yeates
story in the headlines was essential to keep it in the spotlight and encourage the public to give more information. However, if this means using mere speculation and rumour, unreliable witnesses and personal attacks, it turns into something far more sinister. This can influence a jury. It is not news, in fact, it is illegal. Under the Contempt of Court Act 1981, one cannot publish anything which risks impairing the course of justice. The clause is supposed to prevent the media from producing material that is too extreme or sensationalist about a criminal case until the trial is over and the jury has given its verdict. But the question remains, why does the media always get away with it? On January 31, the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve issued this warning: “Newspapers are under a legal
obligation, indeed all media is under a legal obligation ... to observe the principles of the Contempt of Court Act ... I would simply ask them to reflect carefully on how they can provide proper coverage on a matter of public importance ... whilst at the same time, they can also ensure that a trial process will not be prejudiced.” Unfortunately, it remains to be seen whether any action will be taken against the tabloids for this storyline and whether Mr Jefferies will get any compensation. That is, if he can afford to sue. I believe the police shouldn’t name suspects to the press unless they are charged, which is already a law in several countries. In the case of Jo Yeates, more than one innocent life has been destroyed proving the increasingly cruel and blasé attitude of some journalists today.
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FEBRUARY 7 2011
Features
Exeposé
A social state?
Amelia Ebdon questions whether social mobility is realistic in the modern political scene.
Nicholas Clegg went to Westminster School and Cambridge; David Cameron went to Eton and Oxford. It seems rather romantic that the two key politicians currently running this country were destined for one another and, more importantly, destined for the top. Andrew Neil’s provocative documentary ‘Posh and Posher: Why Public School Boys Run Britain’, which aired on January 26 on BBC 2, highlights the key issue of the social mobility in our country. It appears old chaps, that British politics once again resembles an Old Boy’s club.
“69% of the cabinet attended public schools, 23 are millionaires and 65% attended Oxbridge.” 69% of the cabinet attended public schools, 23 are millionaires and 65% attended Oxbridge. It seems that the chances of people with an ordinary background reaching political success are decreasing. There appears to be a predictable route in life for budding politicians. They come from a privileged background with an inherent sense of entitlement, move to social networking and then, with the benefit of a secure financial cushion, work for
next to nothing as special parliamentary advisers while they wait to get elevated into a safe seat at a later date. The alternative route into politics provided by Trade Unions has declined, along with their popularity. Instead of the very poorest sectors of society competing with both the middle class and the upper class to gain jobs and an education, there now seems to be a case of “Everyone Else” competing against “The Elite”. The way I see it we have two choices. Either we fall back into a pre1950s state of elitism or we give the Etonians a bit of competition. All three major parties are currently against a potential return to the grammar school system of the 1960s. However, as Neil points out, the comprehensive system we have today is not working and is not providing high achieving pupils with the equal opportunity to rise up in politics. Neil would not go as far as to say that a return to the two-tier system is necessary or desirable in his BBC 2 documentary, but we do need an education system which takes achievement, both academically and vocationally, into account. We need a distinction so that those who have potential, but not a £30,000 cheque from their parents to cover school fees every year, receive the education that they deserve. The absences in Neil’s documentary were the most revealing. He was left to interview sidelined and outdated Conservatives like David Davis and the usual suspect, camera seeking Peter Mandelson. Surely the presence of such
candidates tells us that this subject choice is not only one of controversy, but one that high-ranking politicians would rather not discuss. Their silences, more than anything, solidify the truth in what Neil’s documentary was saying and should convince us even further that there needs to be a change made to our
Suffragettes and soccer
current educational situation. If things do not change and we ignore the problem then we will have a government that does not know what it is like to struggle for money. They will have no idea how the cuts they make will impact the everyday worker and their family. How can Britain be an effective
democracy when the opportunity to vote for a working-class candidate is fading? We need to avoid a situation where we either vote ‘toff’ or surrender our vote. At least Andrew Neil made a start and decided to speak up. His documentary raises the key issues of debate and is well worth a watch.
Sian Massey had in fact been selected for promotion prior to the game in question and is earmarked by the FA as a potential game official for some of the biggest forth coming matches. She is one of 853 female referees in England and that number is ever increasing. So who says that a woman can’t understand football? Fortunately for those angered by the remarks made by Gray and Keys, Sky acted in Massey’s defence. Gray’s contract at Sky has been terminated, which has provoked a resignation from Keys. It is encouraging to see that even this pair, who have enjoyed long and established careers within sport which stretch back as far as 20 years and reap salaries of up to $2.7 million a year, have still been held accountable for their prehistoric comments. Equally encouraging is that influential figures such as Rio Ferdinand have condemned their narrow-mindedness. Perhaps in an attempt to gain some moral standing, Gray and Keys have labelled The Mail’s article as an invasion of privacy. They claim that comments made in their private conversation have
been taken out of context. Admittedly it’s not unknown for the media to twist the truth, but Gray and Keys were hardly in a private place. Had they wanted to be more discrete about their feelings towards women and the offside rule, they might have actually made such comments outside the workplace and not into their microphones, even if they were off-air. Hardly the smartest of moves. Regardless of the context of their conversation, its content was unprofessional and insulting, not only to Massey as a professional female referee, but for every female involved in the game which is such a huge part of our national identity. Undoubtedly this incident does not provide a general reflection of male beliefs in regard to women playing football. However it does go to show that some prejudices remain just as old and unfounded as they were decades ago, when women were expected to wear long dresses, cook and clean. At least one thing is for sure: Andy Gray and Richard Keys won’t be making any more sexist comments on Sky, or any other sports channel, in the near future.
Camilla Goodwin takes a look at sexism in sport.
Gone are the days when Suffragettes would chain themselves to the railings: we like to think of ourselves as relatively progressive and open-minded in the UK. These days you have to keep your eyes peeled if you wish to catch a glimpse of the diminished breed known as ‘the housewife.’ Yet an otherwise typical football game between Liverpool and the Wo l v e r h a m p t o n Wanderers has brought the narrowminded views of a select few to the forefront of public attention. It appears that while the modern day woman can vote, have a career and divorce their husband, at least one age-old stereotype persists: women can’t understand, let alone play, football. A public outcry has
been raised after The Mail on Sunday published an off-air conversation between the established Sky Sports football commentators, Andy Gray and Richard Keys. The latter’s prejudices against women in football became evident when he stated that lineswoman Sian Massey, despite being an extremely talented 25-yearold approved by the FA, probably didn’t understand the offside rule. Apparently to be accredited as an official FA linesperson isn’t enough to earn respect within this male orientated sport. Some describe the conversation between Gray and Keys as nothing more than “tongue in cheek banter”, but the remarks didn’t stop there and others have been
infuriated at the comments exchanged. As well as making suggestive comments about Massey, the pair went on to criticise West Ham executive Karen Brady’s article in The Sun that morning, which discussed the role sexism still plays in football. “See charming Karen Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Yeah. Do me a favour love,” they commented. Clearly Brady’s article was more appropriate than first thought. To add insult to injury, while Keys made a public apology to Massey in the form of a phone call, Gray has made no attempt to apologise for his backward way of thinking with regards to football. So is it true? Do men really still hold that age old belief that women simply have a genetic inability to understand or play football? Although football may be portrayed as the beautiful game, its basic principles are the same as any other: abide by the rules to display technique, skill and competition. If women can play netball, hockey, and rounders free from criticism, there is no reason why they should be unable to competently compete in basketball, rugby and football.
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Exeposé week sixteen
All disquiet on the Eastern Front
Features
As an Exeter student who is studying in the Middle East, Craig Browne discusses the political ramifications of the transition in the Lebanese Government. THE change of government in Lebanon was surprisingly swift and calm. But, despite being one of many newsworthy events from the Middle East in the past few weeks, from a revolution in Tunisia, revolting in Egypt, and the separation of Sudan, this political transfer has the unnerving potential to ignite a war that could affect the entire region. In 2005, in the capital Beirut, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was murdered. Following this event, it was decided that the UN would conduct a special enquiry into the murder, which killed 21 others, to bring those responsible to justice. After a long, drawn-out and at times controversial investigation it became clear that highranking members of Hezbollah, ‘The party of Allah’, would be indicted. Each year Hezbollah receives millions of pounds from the Iranian government, as well as widespread support from neighbouring Syria. This is the same Hezbollah that fought Israel in 2006, and ever since this brief war ended Israel has kept a close eye on the ever-burgeoning military might of Hezbollah, seen as a threat to Israeli national security. On January 12, the previous Lebanese government collapsed after the Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned from their posts. This meant the national unity cabinet of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of Rafik, no longer had enough support to govern. Although it has not been announced,
the ministers resigned in protest against the indictment of Hezbollah members by the tribunal, calling it a US-Israeli conspiracy. Hezbollah have also warned that there will be serious consequences if they are blamed for the attack. Fortunately, a new government was formed relatively quickly leading to the instalment of Najib Mikati as the new Prime Minister. This was only possible with the support of Hezbollah and its allies, and now means that the party has a lot more say on how the country is run. Hezbollah is seen by many nations as an Iranian proxy which causes a deep unease for the Israelis. The increased power, both political and military, of Hezbollah is seen as a threat to Israeli national security that may only be removed by force. The divided support within Lebanon is a worry as a recurrence of the civil war that tore the nation apart in the 1980s is, not far from reality. Then you have support from Iran and Syria for Hezbollah and American support for Israel. Despite these eventualities, military involvement from Iran would only add to its economic problems and provide another reason for civil unrest. On the other hand, Israeli military intervention does not. It seems that tension will remain high in Lebanon until the results of the tribunal are announced, and when they are things could become unpleasant. It is interesting that all of this is hap-
pening in one of the only proclaimed democracies in the region.
This act of self-immolation has been repeated in Egypt and Saudi Arabia
“The increased power, both politically and militarily, of Hezbollah is seen as a threat to Israeli national security that may only be removed by force” The Tunisian government was overthrown after a young graduate, Bouazizi Mohamed, set himself on fire in protest against the Government prompting rioting across the nation.
among other countries with huge demonstrations taking place in the centre of Cairo, while similar mass protests have taken place in Yemen, Jordan and Algeria.
In the past, the government in Egypt has always been extremely efficient in stamping down on protests, but the seemingly contagious search for democracy in the Middle East seems to be having quite an impact in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. This is a very interesting time for many Arab nations as the next few months could bring them closer to the democracies of the West or concurrently could drag the region deeper into political turmoil.
A Slip of the Tongue
Sometimes the best gaffes come from the most serious speakers. Sophie Duncan discusses the art of the unexpected one liner.
A RECENT slip of the tongue by French President Nicolas Sarkozy was received with limited sympathy. Addressing a group of farmers in the French border region of Alsace, Sarkozy asserted that he was in “Allemagne” (Germany). Immediately realising his mistake, he added, “I
am in Alsace” and raised his hand in an attempt to nullify the error. At first the crowd reacted by laughing – then they began to boo. From the 17th century onwards, the Alsace region has belonged to both France and Germany a number of times. Possession of the region switched after the Franco-Prussian war and both World Wars, although Alsace currently belongs to France. Arguably, Sarkozy’s blunder was somewhat understandable, given the clear similarity between the words ‘Alsace’ and ‘Allemagne’, but his insensitivity was heightened by the fact that geography remains a sensitive issue in Alsace. The crowd’s stony response demonstrates that people expected much better of their president. Indeed, while it is commonplace to look towards modern day leaders with high expectations, it has also become expected that they may put their foot in it – given other previous examples. The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is not one to adhere to the decorum supposedly associated with politicians. In April 2009, two days after Italy’s biggest earthquake for 30
years had left 17,000 people homeless, Berlusconi toured some of the tent sites around the L’Aquila. He informed German N-TV that: “Of course their current lodgings are a bit temporary, but they should see it like a weekend of camping.” Such a comment might be expected from the crass comedian of a satirical panel show, not from a leading politician. There seems to be quite a career to be had for Berlusconi in controversial mockery: in 2008 he referred to the then President-elect Barack Obama as: “handsome, young and also suntanned.” Although as Brits we view the extensive blooper reels of Sarkozy and Berlusconi as having notable comic value, we can by no means deride our European counterparts and forget those not-so occasional gaffes of those in and around number 10. Take pretty boy David Cameron who, unaware that he was already on camera, took a moment to check his hair in its lens when interviewed by SkyNews. On a more insolent note, Gordon Brown’s pre-election vis-it to Rochdale was tarnished by him being recorded calling a woman “bigoted.”
“At a farming fair in 2008 a man refused to shake Sarkczy’s hand. The French President replied: “Get lost then you bloody idiot, just get lost” To call someone a bigot is simply rash and reflects a callousness of character that will forever rest on Brown’s image. However it would be naïve to imagine that politicians, for all their involvement in diplomatic affairs, are not as foul mouthed in private as the rest of us. From questionable respect to questionable intellect, we arrive at the figurehead of political nonsense: George W. Bush. With enough possible quotations to form a prequel to his more serious autobiography, one statement in particular puts Sarkozy’s faux pas into perspective: “Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.” Right about the disease, George, but let us not forget that Africa is a continent - not a nation. Even the most heralded of twenty first century orators, Barack Obama, has been known to slip up. Speaking of the lengthy campaign for Presidential election, he said, “Over the last 15 months, we’ve travelled to every corner of the
United States. I’ve now been in…57 states? I think one left to go.” The job of a politician involves constant public attention, hence an ongoing need to watch what you say. At a farming fair in 2008 a man refused to shake Sarkozy’s hand. The French President replied, “Get lost then you bloody idiot, just get lost.” Perhaps it is unsurprising that his advisors have instructed him to act in a more ‘presidential’ manner in order to help his chances of re-election next spring. After all, it is not too much to ask that those whose role it is to lead by example learn how to control their anger. The odd spoonerism does have the ability to make a politician seem more human in the eyes of the public; humour is to be valued in politics. Nevertheless, in a society in which world leaders unthinkingly voice insults such as “bigot” and “bloody idiot,” there remains a lot to be said for political correctness.
16
february 7 2011
Lifestyle
Exeposé
Laura Le Brocq & Clare Mullins - lifestyle@exepose.com
SEX-ON-THE-EXE: Great Sexpectations
Chloe Reynolds ponders whether she is missing out by being in a long term relationship, whilst two anonymous students discuss the perils of one night stands and losing your virginity.
THE INBETWEENERS once told us university is “where posh birds go to set their gash free.” Although I would not put it quite so crudely myself, the incomparable Jay does have a point: university is often conceived as the place where, finally free of parental restraint, you can indulge in frequent and guilt-free sexual (mis)adventures with as many partners as you choose, or so fictional portrayals and certain liberated friends of mine would have me believe. However, I began my first year already in a relationship and as I now approach the end of my third and final year I am still in that relationship. So have I blown my only chance to enjoy unbridled passion and varied experience without fear of judgement? Should you enjoy all the sex you can get while you’re young and carefree? Have I missed out? Now, I’m not saying that the sex with my long term boyfriend isn’t great - that discussion is for another time and place. Yet, when I hear friend’s tales of lusting after boys and then finally making their conquest, or of memorable one-off encounters with some guy from Arena, I can’t help but feel a little jealous. “SUCKER love is Heaven sent, you pucker up our passion’s spent.” I once had this masterpiece of a song played to me post-coital by a lover after a one morning stand. Everything about the whole affair was sordid. I knew exactly what I was doing, I was leaving the country in eight hours and would likely never see him again, so I had no qualms about padding through foreign student accommodation with little more on than my pyjamas. We both knew what was going on. He answered the door in his dressing gown and boxers, and we got under the covers immediately under the pretext of it being “a bit chilly” in his room. It was late May, and later in the day it was so hot that I got heat rash. I talked about something mindless while he casually stroked my thigh in the same way he had last night in the middle of a cosy but dimly lit party that turned into an all night film marathon. After a short while, we started kissing. It was a wet, teenage kiss with lazy tongues still heavy from a night of drinking. There was music on in the background. I don’t recall what it was, but I do recall that it was on shuffle, and that it wasn’t good. The kissing became more lazily intense, and then we got naked. Here, I had a shock. “Oh, you’re shaved!” I exclaimed in surprise. No wonder he thought it so chilly in his room. “Yep. You’re not”, he replied, quite simply. And that was all that was said, apart from an inevitable “Do you have a condom?” The sex was fairly average,
These girls go out for the night making sure they look their best, even in areas unseen by the general public, prepared for any eventuality; I just think, what’s the point? My boyfriend is at another university, and therefore rarely accompanies me to sample the delights of Exeter night life, so why should I bother with all that fuss when I know I will end up in bed alone? And, to be honest, even when I’m with him, after nearly four years together we’ve moved beyond all that sexy underwear business, and I’d much rather wear comfy pjs and not bother to shave my legs. The sort of intimacy (the hairy leg kind) that we now enjoy is wonderful, but I do envy the idea of every night holding potential and dressing to impress with excitement to see just how much of my efforts may be revealed, and what sort of appreciation they will inspire. Is my jealousy justified? Yes, I hear thrilling tales of anonymous sex, of Skins style parties abounding with attractive and promiscuous young people, and of girls who change boyfriends with every trip to the Lemmy, so life is never dull. But this is the idealised side of coin: I also hear tales of more sordid, regrettable
the condom was strawberry flavoured but I was quite relieved not to have to sample this culinary delight. Afterwards, we lay there for a few seconds, then he got up, shrugged on his blue towelling dressing gown that all boys seem to have stashed somewhere in their rooms, and very carefully selected Placebo’s “Every me Every you” on his laptop. Now, I was extremely aware of how apt this song was, and how generally cringeworthy the whole situation felt, especially with such a soundtrack. I would have been amused, laughed even, if I had known this person at all. But I didn’t. I, from what little of him I did know, was fairly sure that this was not his sense of humour coming into play. So I simply said: “Interesting song choice” to which he responded, “it sprang to mind.”
encounters, and the awkward conversations of the dreaded morning after, when it becomes apparent last night’s beauty is this morning’s beast. There were a few months when the pressures of a long distance relationship became too much and I found myself single, but in that time I never slept with anyone else, just had one or two regrettable kisses which were enough to make me rejoice in renouncing my singledom once more. My boyfriend amd I realised that together and far apart was infinitely better than not together at all. So, perhaps the truth is, I might miss out on the excitement of anticipating sex, but when it comes to the reality, maybe it’s not worth the risk; maybe I am much better off knowing that I am going to wake up after a night of one too many Sambuca shots with the safe knowledge of my happy relationship or, even better, with my boyfriend. I think I’ll just have to stick to living vicariously when it comes to the sexual adventures of the young, free and single student. Photos: Alexandros Mastroyiannis
Brilliant. I know I may have just done something that my Granny would hardly be proud of, but I don’t really need to be reminded of it in such a stark manner. This titbit of interaction was closely followed by the advice, “if I had ever wanted to take up smoking, now would be, like, a really cool time to do it.” I decided to leave. But the embarrassment was not over yet. Taking a drag on his cigarette, he simply said by way of goodbye that I should “give him a call the next time I was in town.” Needless to say, I haven’t, a one night stand should bloody well be a one night stand, whatever state of sobriety or time of the night it occurs. I sloped back downstairs in shame, wishing I was at least wearing knickers, or in fact, shoes.
I WAS trying to think of a good way to open this. At one point, I was going to go with, “Now, the story of a gawky teenager who lost his virginity, and the one bed he just wanted to keep together” – but this is: a) an obscure reference and b) the bed thing won’t make sense until later. But let’s face it: it’s as simple as How I Popped the Cherry. I’m a great believer in giving articles a point, though, so take this as a simple didactic tale with some subtexts of general sexual advice. Because there was a hell of a lot that could have been avoided. I was 16; she was 15 (only 363 days younger than me though). At that time, though, she was a whole lot more promiscuous than plenty of people I know now. The first pack of cigarettes I bought was for her. Another girlfriend shortly after got me hooked, but that’s a minor thing. Anyway, there we were: in my bedroom, July 2007. I’d just finished GCSEs. We’d been hanging out all day and she asked if I wanted to “cross swords”. I just stammered a lot. That wasn’t how it happened. A fortnight later, she asked me out. A day after that, she said she wanted to wait to have sex – then kneeled in front of me and performed a mild contradiction of the above statement. A fortnight after that, the wait was over. We ended up in my house after a bit of drinking, careful not to have a repeat of an incident two days previously whereby the same thing had happened; then, we’d each had enough vodka and gin to exhume our stomach linings just before going to the hairdressers’ where I’d been booked in. I’ve cut my own hair ever since. My mum used to say if she got pissed in our house and passed out or something there was going to be some pretty big trouble, largely because of her age. Luckily, when she called me up a week later asking if I wanted to have some fun, I told her I was already out somewhere and would have to catch her later. Hours later I found out she’d OD’d on whisky
and codeine in her own house – her location being the ‘lucky’ part. Anyway, we were in the house, in my bedroom, alone. She put the TV on to preclude any family members entering the house and hearing us – she found it less distracting than music, so I dutifully went with the first thing that came on: Downfall. I tried to switch it (Godzilla was also on), but she said she didn’t care and I was eager to start anyway.
“At one point I felt this tremendous creaking and the entire earth seemed to move. Upon finishing, I realised the bed had collapsed.” Several minutes later, after some foreplay and an awkward issue with the duvet, we were in the middle of things. Obviously, I couldn’t complain – hell, at one point I felt this tremendous creaking and the entire earth seemed to move. Upon finishing, I realised the bed had collapsed. I inwardly cursed her for deciding to get on top (though she was only about seven stone…), but chose instead to say “that was great.” I hope it goes without saying that sexual encounters this haphazard are rarely the best. She laughed while I looked up and realised what was still on TV. I muted it immediately and tried to look casual in light of what had just happened. Then I closed the curtains and we got dressed. I tried to tell her how ambivalent I felt about my first time degenerating into some weird sexual farce, but decided instead to stay quiet and just try to make every time after that a lot better. Hitler had just started yelling at some insubordinate. We drank some more vodka and tried to put the bed back together.
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Exeposé week sixteen
Wouldn’t it be great if...
“Everybody was as loved up as you?” Cyan Turan, Lifestyle’s columnist, on inappropriate lovey-doveyness.
THIS might come as quite a shock, but I unabashedly adore Valentine’s Day. Loved up (currently) or single, it provides either the perfect opportunity to devote time to your significant other or an entire day where one can bemoan love in a Germaine Greer-style torrent of feminist abuse, aided by all your single friends. If all of your friends are coupled up, then Bridget, Ben and Jerry will happily step in. I reject any notions of “Valentine’sDay-is-a-pointless-waste-of-time-because-if-you-really-loved-eachother-then-you-wouldn’t-needa-day-to-show-it” because, like Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day, it is rare that we are able to show our appreciation to the extent that we would like to every day of the year. Putting one day aside is useful and convenient and, whether you’re single or involved, is a good reminder to value what you’ve got. But, and there was always going to be one, there is always one couple who takes it too far. Nobody wants to see Facebook photos of you kissing under the Eiffel Tower and, hate to break it to you, but we all know he only bought you flowers because he’s scared of your reaction if he didn’t. For some reason, such people feel like the world should share in their happiness. Note to them: sharing is never caring when it involves your life going stupendously, superficially well. It’s these couples, the ones that feel the need to proclaim their love to the world, who should be forcibly restrained from buying Me to You bears
Campus Style OUR roving photographer and Lifestyle team bring you the best style on campus! Whilst initially thinking that scarves were the order of the day, we then came across this unlikely crew. Exeter style, ever diverse. [Centre] [Left] Name: Name: Selected members of Studying: EUMHC, en route to Topsham for What a farmyard she’s wearing: themed pub crawl. [Centre] Name: George Connor Studying: English, 2nd year. [Right] Name: Marion Osieyo Studying: Classical Studies, 2nd year.
and icing messages on Thornton’s chocolate hearts. They’re the ones who received Valentine’s cards from the age of seven, and who ate Love Heart sweets thinking that every message was a snippet of Aristotelian genius. Then they found each other, and your newsfeed will inform you (in a far less aggravated manner than I can) of the professions of undying love that inevitably followed. It would seem that sooner or later, one tires of one’s friend’s increasingly arduous love story, the fruits of which seem to divulge themselves in spectacular fashion on Valentine’s Day. And, rest assured, it won’t just be you whose heart sinks when you see the photos of the two of them at the restaurant (booked two months in advance). However in love you may be, let alone if you’re single, nobody wants to be subjected to a tirade of tasteless, romantic paraphernalia. I was once the lucky recipient of an A1 sized Valentine’s card. And, flattering as it was, to this day I have no idea what to do with the bloody thing, let alone the envelope. You don’t realise quite how intrusive a folded piece of A0.5 card is until the 15th, or maybe the 16th, of February. I thought about throwing it away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, not least because I’m still with the
guy but because it made my younger self secretly chuffed. I loved it. But we grow up, we realise that there is (or should be) more to a relationship than gaudy gifts that reek of tack. My point is this: huge tokens of love are fun, but we fail to remember that the extent of a lover’s devotion and the dimensions of the gift are not always proportional. Fortunately for the rest of us, the brash and overwhelmingly underwhelming couples who still believe that we wish to partake in their rose-tinted sham are normally such exhibitionists because their relationship is very, very tenuous. So tenuous in fact, that they’re the ones who end up in an embarrassing game of “surreptitiously edit the Relationship Status” a few months down the line. It’s not all fun and games when the rose petals have wilted and the human-sized teddy bear is the only thing keeping the other side of the bed warm. Nobody’s convinced that pink sequins and champagne sustain your love story. Ostentatious immodesty does not an infallible pairing make. More often that not, the best ways to spend Valentine’s Day are clichéfree and downplayed. Think mutually enjoyable, unconventional and personal. Something somebody somewhere should really tell the ‘it’ couple. This is one of those times where less is unquestionably more. So singles, bask in your freedom and twosomes, be subtle. It’s the only way to ensure that harmony prevails.
Lifestyle
For your Valentine...
Kate Gray casts a cynical eye over Exeter’s romantic entertainment options for your lucky lady this Valentine’s day. 1. Go to On the Waterfront.
Share loving glances under the dim light of the chandeliers and severed boat, blow kisses over a pizza the size of the clock face on Big Ben, drink too much and go for an unplanned skinny dip in the canal. Lovely.
2. Go for a bike ride.
Nothing says ‘romance’ like a sweaty red face while attempting to climb Cardiac Hill on a mode of transport most unsuited to steep inclines. Get a tandem for twice the fun and twice the risk of death-by-D-bus!
3. Serenade her at Mama Stone’s.
She’ll be so stunned by the price of cocktails and lulled to sleep by the soft lighting that she won’t even register that your singing is akin to that of a pregnant beached whale.
4. Go shopping together.
This way you can’t go wrong by buying her the wrong shade of pink pashmina or cooking her something she’s allergic to and spending the rest of V Day trying to kiss a puffy red face in the waiting room of A&E. Plus, the time you spend stuck behind Exeter’s very own Guinness Book of World Records holder for ‘slowest land speed’ at the till is time spent enjoying each other’s company!
5. Snuggle up at Old Firehouse.
When you’ve managed to squeeze in between a gaggle of freshers drinking ‘whatever’s cheapest’ and a group of wizened, cynical third years downing cider like there’s a bout of scurvy going round, you can share the delights of eating pizza from a searing
hot metal tray with nothing but your hands and your creativity. (Last time I made an origami fork from a napkin.)
6. Take her to the Cathedral.
Nothing sets the scene for love more than a big ol’Church and hundreds of dead people. Walk hand-inhand through the tombs of long-dead Exonians and ponder lovingly on fun subjects like mortality and memorable things to write on your epitaph.
7. Buy her a new date.
If your romantic advances aren’t going down well, why not buy your amour a new model. Unicef is running a Valentine’s Auction on Saturday 12 where you can purchase her the man (or woman) of her dreams.
8. Do the sex thing.
Sometimes it’s better to keep things simple. Cook a nice meal, light a few candles, whack on some soul and take her to the bedroom for some good old-fashioned fun, Exeter-style.
FEBRUARY 7 2011 Exeposé
18
Lifestyle
What ‘shoe talking about?
Ben Murphie, Music Editor discusses the changing trends in footwear fashion.
THEY say that you can tell a man’s personality by his shoes. If this is true then it appears that most men are scuffed around the edges and in need of a good polish... suspiciously accurate. Yet despite their lack of care for footwear, men have never before had such a large choice of shoes. A browse of popular high-street options for men will show the updated deck shoe, a fast emerging indie favourite, as well as the mid-calf boot, worn unlaced for extra je ne sais quoi and even the traditional brogue, which can now be seen at www.topman.com, has a more streamlined and sporty form for the hipster on the go. Yet with such an array of shoes on the market, the question that us men must beg of ourselves is, which side of our personalities do we wish to show off? The deck shoe can be seen everywhere from the ash seared steps beside happening hipster dens such as The Cavern, to the Alternative Stages of music festivals, yet it is traditionally worn by men on yachts. Two years ago the boat shoe said one knew their way around port and stern, whilst today the wearers are much more likely to be able to deftly set sail upon a Dubstep remix. Similarly, the unlaced mid-calf boot speaks of afternoons spent trekking through treacherous terrains such as mountain passes or hazardous sand dunes. However, the most treacherous trek they will see a gentleman make for himself these days is a swift stride over the gravel that besmirches the way to the Queen’s Building. The point here seems to be that the male shoe in no way reflects the purpose for which it was designed, and the wearing of one will constitute a brave and bold step into that world of which most men know nothing. Far from the world of women, it is the world of fashion. Whilst most male fingers will be tearing to turn the page at this point, they might be
better advised to type www.theurbangent.com into their search engines. For a comprehensive breakdown of the very latest fashion, grooming and style tips, one could certainly do much worse than to bookmark this handy wardrobe atlas. Aside from handy links to chic shopping websites, there is some fine photography of illustrious clothes horses such as Brad Pitt and Kid Cudi that paves the way for men daring to dress boldly. Whilst some may not see the point of prodding and poking ourselves in a manner similar to our female counterparts, it seems a more worthwhile pursuit in a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult for a gentleman to distinguish himself in areas from the interview room to the dance floor of Arena. It makes sense that we would give ourselves an edge if it meant that we could stand out from the crowd. Fashion for men has developed into something that can no longer be ignored by the mainstream male psyche. As the director, designer and all around style guru, Tom Ford says, “things are changing with globalisation. You never used to see a Frenchman wearing tennis shoes at night.” If fashion is our plumage, then the modern gentleman can certainly start from the bottom. www.swear-london.com is a worthy place to begin looking for a comprehensive and exciting introduction into the male shoe scene as it is in London. Our lives are trampled onto the soles of our shoes. Whether they be doused in a mixture of tequila and stomach acid from the pavement outside Timepiece, begrimed by the mosh pit or mud spattered by the rugby field, they can be a reflection of who we are. However, now that we are increasingly encouraged to believe what we see, fashion is becoming much more competitive amongst men and it is our place to dive in. Feet first.
Winning winter warmers
A fish supper with infinite varieties, from Sarah Briggs.
SOME people might turn their nose up at the thought of a fish pie supper but this one is a fish pie with a difference. It’s a light, flavoursome and healthy option that’s great for feeding the whole flat on a winter’s night. The most important part of this recipe is sourcing your fish and I suggest getting down to Gibson’s Plaice on Magdalen road where you can get around 500g of fish pie mix for £4 (with a further 10% off for students). The great thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to follow it at all. If you don’t have one or more of the ingredients then it doesn’t matter because you can use whatever’s in the fridge. Be
adventurous and improvise. If you have a bit more cash one week why not add some goats cheese or bacon to the fish mix? You can make it as posh or as cheap as you like. Makes 4-6 portions 30 mins cooking time, 15 mins prep. 500g of any fish of your choice. Smoked haddock, gurnard or pollock all work well. 800g potatoes 1 carrot Celery or onion (whatever you have) Chilli (fresh or ground) 4 tomatoes (or alternatively use a cou-
ple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes for a sweeter flavour.) Couple of pinches of parsley Half a bag of spinach A lemon 100g Cheddar cheese Salt Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas Mark 6. Peel and chop the potatoes (or leave the skins on) and put them in a pan of boilinh water, they should take around 10 - 13 mins to cook. Poke to see if they are cooked and then drain them with a colander. Grate the cheese, carrots, celery (chop onion if you’re using it). Put the fish into a casserole dish with the grated vegetables and add all the remaining ingredients. Add as little or as much chilli as you can handle. Give it a good mix with your hands. Add salt to the potatoes (this is really important to give the dish some flavour) and then mash them. Place a good layer of mash over the mix in the casserole dish and fluff it all up with a fork.
Get Piggy with it!
Put the dish into the oven for about 30 mins until the mash is lovely and golden brown.
Clare Mullins, Lifestyle Editor, spends the evening at the Fat Pig. IF you’re an Exeter pub aficionado, you will no doubt have spent considerable research hours in the Rusty Bike. But have you had the chance to visit its slightly classier, older sister: the Fat Pig? Tucked away from the High Street, easy to miss on the way down to the Quay, this pub is one of the most elegant, relaxed pubs that you’ve yet to find in Exeter. We headed down on a Thursday evening to test out the pub’s small but perfectly formed menu and its well priced drinks. Ordering at the bar and grabbing a seat amongst the cosy tables, the Fat Pig didn’t disappoint. We were promptly given homemade bread and, with unnecessary speed, our various meals arrived piled high and piping hot. In such a pretty place, more time to spend soaking it up wouldn’t be much resented. Scrawled on a blackboard opposite the bar, the menu is select and its speciality is, not surprisingly, pig. The pub has its own farm in the Exeter countryside which supplies a great line in Rare Breed pork with sausages, ham and crackling all proudly served up. The rest of the menu is filled with classic dishes such as mussels and
duck and even provides a few options for vegetarian diners. The food is beautifully presented, served rustically on chopping boards with generous portions and a mouthwatering smell. No one had any complaints which, whilst making for quite a dull critique, is exactly what you want from a meal out. It’s a good sign when the heaviest criticism you can level is the absence of a bowl to wash your hands in after eating mussels. The food prices at the Fat Pig are slightly more than you might expect to pay at a standard student pub, but that is something the Fat Pig is emphatically not. The average price of a main is about £12 so if you’re on a budget it might not be your regular, but for a treat it’s one of the best places to head for. If you’re looking for somewhere a little off the beaten track for Valentine’s Day, somewhere distinctive but not too formal, drop some heavy hints and head down. If it’s just a drink you fancy, one of the Fat Pig’s main assets is its bar. Walking into the pub your attention is immediately grabbed by an entire wall of bottles: the Fat Pig prides itself on its impressive selection of gins, whiskeys and rums.
It’s also very well stocked with local ales and ciders. There was even a home made cider, which I recommend, that they make using apples from their own orchard. From previous experience, I’d recommend coming in the evening as the weather warms up and taking a seat out in the courtyard surrounded by vintage mirrors and fairy-lights. The old Firehouse might have the monopoly on atmosphere in Exeter but the Fat Pig presents a challenger.
19
Exeposé Week Sixteen
Sabb Elections 2011
Exeposé’s guide to the future of your Guild
The campaign busses are rolling into Exeter. Packs of journalists gather, eyeing-up the vulnerable.White-toothed candidates grin from every billboard. OK, so it’s not quite Obama ’08, but no-one can ignore Exeter’s Sabbatical election week. If you want to get to your lectures on time it might be worth setting off ten minutes early. Exeter has a history of enthusiastic Sabbatical elections when the usual apathy of student politics dissolves into record turnouts. This year should be no exception as tuition fees have put student issues right at the top of the
national agenda. The Government’s cuts to Higher Education are the biggest news in education for years so expect ‘value for money’ to be a recurring phrase of this year’s campaigns – if someone doesn’t mention it, they probably don’t know anything about student issues. Exeposé has read all the candidates’ manifestos and gives its opinion on them below. We should stress that full manifestos can be found online, and that it is from these documents that our evaluations have been made. What the candidates have submitted to Exeposé
are mere snippets of their proposals. There are some really excellent suggestions below but also some more vacuous rhetoric. VP Academic Affairs is shaping up to be an exciting race with some really strong candidates and we really feel it’s a shame there can only be one winner in this category. With a record number of candidates running in these elections, attention to detail is all the more important, so we urge you to read the manifestos, go along to the debates and have a chat with the candidates when they stop you outside Amory.
Guild President Vashisht Bhatt
Josh Cleall
Greg Church
Tuition fees are going up; you need more value for your money. I’ll enhance your ‘Exeter Experience’: • More contact hours and less crowded tutorial rooms • Lobby for all libraries to be open 24/7. • Increase outdoor seating on campus • Improve the quality of food on campus. • Fight increase in accommodation prices above inflation. Make house contracts through ExeLets more flexible.
Make your Experience truly international; ensure there’s at least one event that celebrates Diversity every month; I’ll work with the language exchange programme, societies and the International Students’ Council to achieve this.
Hi there, it’s right here that I hope to show you what my aims are to best represent you if you were to vote for me.
To make your life easier, I’ll: • Ensure all Guild outlets accept Credit and Debit cards until I can bring in a system where you pay for everything on campus with your Uni card.
Exeposé editors Jennifer Seymour, Andrew Waller, Alexander Cook, Rachel Bayne and Tristan Barclay take a look at the candidates. Guild President is ultimately responsible for the leadership and direction of the Students’ Guild, through their role as chair of the Guild Management Committee, Student Forum and the Trustee Board. The President provides the face of Exeter students on a national level. • Get more water fountains on campus. • Publish all Guild account statements online. Regarding your future, I’ll invite employers to hold interviews and assessment centres on campus, saving you time and stress. To prepare you, there’ll be more seminars and employability events.
We expected to see the usual allencompassing proposals. Candidates needed to remember that they represent all students: Postgrad, undergrad, home and international. Given the big news in higher education at the moment, it was crucial that candidates addressed the tuition fee issue.
Exeposé Comment Vashisht gets straight to the point with tuition fees assuring us he will seek value for money. He also hits the mark encouraging a focus on the international nature of our University. No mention of PGs though. Exeposé couldn’t agree more with the water fountains.
I breathe, eat, sleep, drink, the University of Exeter and the Students’ Guild.
Your Campaign in a Few Words
place for study, relaxation and living. 7. I wouldn’t forget St Lukes; I’d work to improve its links with Streatham. I have worked for the Guild as Bar Supervisor for the past two years which has given me the knowledge and insight to make these changes work. Exeter is an amazing place and gives me the drive and inspiration to take on the role.
Exeposé Comment
1. Put pressure on the University to mitigate the impacts that the government led cuts would have on the student body. 2. Stop the slide and make sure that the Students’ Guild is doing all that’s in its power to protect our University ranking.
3. Improve links with industry leaders in order to facilitate opportunities for graduates to find jobs. 4. Take the jargon out of the Guild, making it more transparent, meaning you can tell where your money is going. 5. Lobby against Council changes to local accommodation law – including creating a housing supplement for Exeposé. 6. Keep supporting those clubs and societies which make Exeter a great
There’s no university quite like Exeter – and this year we have the chance to make our student experience that much better. As your Guild President this is what I’ll do: 1.No Blank Cheque. • The decision has been made on fees – I’ll shine a light on how our money gets spent, arguing for transparent financial information. • Eradicating hidden course costs and better access to course materials = more value for money from your
degree. • I’ll create a budget control group so the Guild has oversight of how the University spends our money. • We’re writing a fat cheque to the University – let’s make sure it’s not a blank one. 2. Bright Ideas. I’ll create: • A University-funded Society credit scheme, for students to spend on joining Guild societies, media and sports. • A student car sharing scheme –
getting home will be cheap, safe and green. 3. Forum? For Us. • My top priority: keep disruption minimal in the final stages of construction. • Better quality online access – it keeps crashing! • Student experience central when the Forum opens. 4. Beating Grad Gridlock. • More effective (not necessarily more!) employability communication.
Vote Value. Vote Vash
Josh has an important focus on fighting the impact of Government cuts and a nice idea to ‘de-jargon’ the Guild. However, the promise in his online manifesto to include a housing supplement in Exeposé is misleading as Josh failed to contact us to see whether this was feasible. Your Campaign in a Few Words Cleall Or No Cleall
Exeposé Comment Greg makes good, relevant points on tuition fees that show he knows the issues that matter most. There are also some more unusual nuggets such as the car-sharing scheme which sound interesting. Once again no mention of PGs or International Students. Your Campaign in a Few Words Invest in your Student Exeperience
20
Sabbatical Election 2011
Nick Davis
February 7 2011 Exeposé
My policies are to: Lower Accommodation Costs • I will insist upon further revenue being put towards increased staffing for Exelets to positively influence accommodation prices as well as acquire more properties. • Create a combined accommodation database, to provide students with an informative, easy and, most importantly, reliable way to find off campus accommodation. Re-invent our student bars and lower drinks prices
• I intend to give our Guild bars menus a makeover. To do this I will strive to lower selected drinks prices and offer the option to tailor menus to specific student led events. • I will also access the option of creating the ‘LEMON CARD’; a club card for Guild bars, which provides its holders with reduced price entry and potentially drinks offers. To redistribute student fees to students • Steve Smith has promised to redistribute approximately £26
million, made through the increase in student fees, back to students. I intend to find out exactly where students want this money to go; a great point to start would be to… • Address IT issues across the network • Assess system crashes around essay deadlines.
I am currently head of the International Society on campus and on the Exeter University Women’s Basketball team. Through my three years of being actively involved in Guild activities, and now running such a large society and representing the entire international student body, I have acquired a unique set of skills applicable for this position.
overcrowding especially during exam time. • Our very own UNIVERSITY COACHES for Sport Clubs and Societies. • IMPROVE the Guild Website. This would mean actively encouraging students to use this online service as much as possible, where they are up to date with Guild events and activities, and ultimately utilize it as one of the many ways they can voice their concerns. • More BINS around campus.
• An on-campus safety unit run by students (and sponsored by clubs in town) that will offer services to take fellow students requiring assistance late at night. • Amendment of the BART system to make it fairer. • A massive annual Sporting Event that will bring together International and Home students through competitive sport. • Encouraging projects that promote internationalisation on campus like “Culture Flash” and “Biege”. • A new FREE ATM by the Lemmy. • Further Compensation for the building works. • A clamp down on Lemmy Bouncers. • Wednesdays truly free for sport. • Free buses for outer halls and their further inclusion into University life. • The promise that any problem you have, I shall fix, personally.
My manifesto has been constructed to better key aspects of student life, financially, socially and practically.
Julia Ho
Your vote will mean: • Better facilities at the LIBRARY. More space and PC clusters to overcome
short, I am not someone who will put up with, or let other people put up with being messed around by the University, Landlords, or anyone else for that matter.
Damian Jeffries
As Moberly President last year I secured just over £30,000 in compensation for the unannounced building works which plagued us, combined with the 10% increase in fees. I also stopped the University from controversially charging everyone with blu-tac on their walls up to £420 per person for the redecoration of their rooms. This year, I have assumed the role of Guild Trustee and have received the relevant financial training. In Get Curious about your Guild! I’m a loud, passionate and determined person. I can argue my corner when I want to and shut up and listen when I need to. If elected, my concerns are your views, your needs, and your voice. Accommodation Improve Exelets • More reasonably priced • Liaise with the council – who are considering limiting student housing • Mitigate any legislation that might
negatively affect students’ choices. • Early issuing of the approved list of landlords Academic Needs • Lobby the University for increased Guild funding • By law from 2012 the University needs to be reinvesting in students if they want to increase fees – why not start now? • Improved IT services • Ensure ELE and emails are always accessible
• Hiring of a second Guild IT technician to support societies • The appointment of Student IT admins/trustees Campus Life • Promote campus events • Ensure new space is made available to students including office spaces • Improve the Print Shop • Discount, or funding for compulsory course packs. • Improve student participation in extra-curricular activities.
Hi, I’m Vinay and I’m running for Guild President. Over my three years here I’ve been a senior on “Welcome Team”, I’m logistical coordinator for Powderham Ball 2011 and I have been on RAG committee for the past two years organising the Safer Sex Ball 2009 and “Exeter’s Got Talent 2011”. Aims: • Return hall bars to promote unity among the residential students.
• Create more opportunities for students to become involved in the community, expanding the Works and the prospects for students to help out in the city. • Increase students’ employability prospects by getting the works to post more information about graduate jobs and internships. • I aim to make sure that PostGraduate students continue to be well represented by the Guild
• Campaign for infrastructure to prevent further MyExeter crashes • More “Green” schemes to increase student awareness about the guild’s policies and how they can help. • Work with the council to change plans to limit student housing to find an alternative. • Develop Cross-Keys to give St Lukes student more facilities • Improve assessment feedback from schools.
I’ll be your Wingman! Vote for me and I will do everything I can to change what you want changing, say what you want saying and do what you want doing.
post match dinners for all sports teams
3. Academic buildings • Every academic building will have a space for you to chill out, socialise and work • Each one will be fitted with wi-fi, food and drink facilities and work areas
George Mason
Vinay Patel
Jo Wing
1. Refresh the RAM • Increase student numbers, decrease prices • More pool tables, a stage for entertainment and better deals on drinks • Deals for societies on socials and
Some of my policies include: • A crackdown on rogue landlords. • A ski lift up Stocker road and a ban on people commenting on the fact that I look like James Milner. •Overhauling the disciplinary process.
2. Reclaim the Lemmy • First of all, a cash point that doesn’t charge you to take money out • Refurbish the Lemmy to bring students back; a less ridiculous entry price and better drinks promotions • Put an end to it simply being a thoroughfare; redecorate and redesign the floor space to allow for more bars and stages for bands and DJs to perform
Exeposé Comment Exeposé admires Nick’s concern for student fees but the focus must really be on getting value for money as the university will certainly raise tuition fees. We also like the idea of ‘LEMON CARD’. A mention of PGs and international students would benefit the manifesto. Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote For a Fairer University
Exeposé Comment Julia has experience with a leading society role. It is also refreshing to see someone with an international perspective and she has some interesting ideas on BART submissions. However there is no mention of tuition fees or postgrads. Your Campaign in a Few Words
Promising Progress, Passion and Pleasure
Exeposé Comment Damian is no shrinking violet and his record is certainly impressive. But he will have great difficulty using his authority as Guild President to sack members of the University and tame the Lemmy Bouncers. The compensation success is something to think about. Your Campaign in a Few Words
Compensation, Crackdown and No Nonsense
Three years in RAG has given me an invaluable insight into what you want as students. Vote for me and I guarantee these needs will be met.
Exeposé Comment George undoubtedly has some good ideas that would not be too difficult to implement but some of this is lost in rhetoric on representation. This is the essence of the job, not an aspiration. PGs and International Students get no mention. Your Campaign in a Few Words Get curious about your Guild
Exeposé Comment Vinay brings a welcome mention for the somewhat neglected PGs. With a campaign centered on the social side of Exeter life his experience with various projects will come in handy. A mention of tuition fees would enhance his credentials. Your Campaign in a Few Words Community. Employability. Lukes. Housing. Green
Exeposé Comment Jo seems very focused on the social side of Exeter life with a welcome mention of the RAM and the Lemmy. However Exeposé is opposed to more group space in the Library and worries over the academic benefits of beanbags. No mention of tuition fees. Your Campaign in a Few Words Claim Campus Back
21
Exeposé week sixteen
Vice President Academic Affairs Nathan Dilliway
Andrew Dimmock
James Eales
Tinashe Manika
Alex Ratcliffe
Sabbatical Election 2011
VP Academic Affairs represents the student body in its education needs and progression, supporting academic representatives and acting for improvement with regard to learning and teaching. The role involves close links with the Postgraduate Student Union.
Exeposé was keen to see candidates who understood that as tuition fees increase, a focus has to be on value for money in education. We found that manifestos for this position were particularly strong, and it was nice to see those who realised education as an end in itself, rather than simply a means to a high-earning career.
Exeposé Comment
Whether you are an Undergrad, Postgrad, Home or International student, a vote for me is a vote for: 1. Getting what you pay for • No hidden course costs – How compulsory are compulsory textbooks? • More reliable MyExeter and Smartphone App. • Library resources – more core texts, computers, Wi-Fi, silent and group workspace. • Better timetabling, Wednesday afternoons free for sport. • Ensure Forum Project works for students.
2. More Communication & Transparency • Access to MACE results when choosing modules. • Publicise year abroad students feedback. • Information on lecturers’ research especially for postgrads seeking supervision. 3. Better Academic Support • Feedback on exam scripts available for everyone. • Consistency of marking systems across subjects and clarity on conversions for Erasmus students.
• Introduce mentor system. • International students – essay support, encourage integration and learning English, through the Tandem Learning Exchange. 4. Your future • Contact alumni in careers you want through the Exepert scheme. • Universal opportunity to study abroad and/or 30 credits outside your subject. Most importantly, I will listen, working together with course reps and subject chairs. With my experience as co-subject chair and working for the Guild, I will hit the ground running.
Through being a Subject Chair for Politics, a student ambassador and a ‘Change agent’ I believe I am the ideal candidate. I have spoken to senior University staff and underrepresented student groups to identify realistic aims: • Blind dates – Term dates are still being reviewed. I want to settle on what students want and stick to it. • Assessment for term one – modules finishing in term one should be assessed in January.
• Higher fees – Make sure they are used to improve our academic experience. • Quality vs. quantity – Review the number of contact hours you receive. • Exam feedback – I want all students to know when and where to get exam feedback and improve the quality. • Employability – More relevant to more students. • Forum – We need to know what is available and where to go.
• Wi-fi – We need reliable internet across learning and social spaces. • Space for PGs – Both study and social, this has been a battle for many years but I will maintain this as a priority. • International student support – Work with ISC reps to ensure effective academic support within colleges. • Wednesday afternoons free – Just as important for societies, volunteering and academia as it is for sport.
Hi, I’m James and I would love to be your VP Academic Affairs. Here are a few things I want for you:
days to ensure an even distribution each term. • The University to invest in its inadequate IT infrastructure. No more IT failures. • I will extend ‘sport and society’ Wednesday’s to all students. Postgraduates count. • I will support the introduction of video links from Streatham campus for St Lukes students. Fair study.
experience as the Guild’s campaigns officer; organising protests in London, campaigning for better student housing and taking a lead of student representation. I sit on the College of Humanities SSLC, ensuring that concerns are addressed and providing academic oversight. Having studied at both undergraduate level and Masters level at this University I understand the challenges students face. Now I want to tackle them.
• The creation of an online book store so students can easily sell and buy course books. • Fewer core modules for second and third years. Your degree, your choice. • An end to Summer exams for modules completed in December. Fair assessment. • College coordination of deadline
Over the last year I’ve had a wealth of
Hi, my name is Tinashe Manika. I have enjoyed my time at this University and look forward to improving the academic experience of present and future students. The main points from my manifesto are below. Student Staff Liaison Committees play a vital function in academic representation. Issues faced by students should be addressed and resolved here. I will standardise these committees to increase their efficiency. There will be
a minimum of two meetings a term and elections for Subject Chairs will be held in every college. To increase accountability, academic representatives will introduce themselves to students in key lectures and send a termly communication detailing how concerns are being addressed. With the increase in fees and our status as a top University, a standard of excellence should be set by students
and fought for. Issues regarding poor internet connections and broken chairs should be dealt with in a timely manner. I will co-ordinate campaigns investigating these issues and ensure that the University gives us a response. What do YOU expect for the fees you are paying? Let us work together to make this a reality. Thank you for considering me for this role. Vote Tinashe for VP Academic Affairs.
We are all at university for a heck of a long time, whether it be for three, four or seven years. At the core of our experience we are here to learn and to achieve the highest possible degree that we can. I believe that I can help you achieve this though: Bolstering our online infrastructure and spreading BART submissions over a longer period of time. Enhancing the presentation and quality of exam comments with oneto-one feedback.
Accountable student subject reps. Research-led learning for all and coherent funding information for MA students. Subjects should actively provide and promote open lectures in new research, which any interested student can attend. We should be offered the opportunity to learn about as many diverse and unrelated topics as possible for enjoyment, not just examination. Let me help you gain the skills and knowledge that you need in your bid for securing future employment
or achieving further funding. Let me push for printers that actually print PDF documents, let me push for a public speaking module, let me wrestle your BEAR. Vote Alex.
Nathan straight away sets out his concern for Undergrads, PGs, Home and International Students. He has a strong agenda focused on value for money and proposals to allow more ‘outside’ modules and increased information on lecturers’ research will suit the academic affairs remit. Your Campaign in a Few Words Reliability, Fairness, Consistency, Support, Future
Exeposé Comment Andrew has experience as a Subject Chair and ticks all the boxes in terms of what he mentions: tuition fees, term dates, PGs and International Students. But a few stronger opinions and a greater depth in proposals would certainly enhance his campaign. Your Campaign in a Few Words Tirelessly representing, supporting and improving
Exeposé Comment James has clearly thought about his campaign and his ideas on fewer core modules, tuition fees and the online bookstore are excellent. But, with such an impressive record on campaigns and mobilizing students, shouldn’t he actually be running for President? Your Campaign in a Few Words Electrify your degree, choose James!
Exeposé Comment Tinashe shows that she wants this job for the right reasons and certainly has relevant experience with work for the SSLC. However this abundance of enthusiasm is not fully translated to concrete policy. She asks the right question but can she give the right answers? Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote Tinashe for VP Academic Affairs!
Exeposé Comment Alex sets out clear proposals with a strong academic flavour and welcome involvement of the PG community. Particularly attractive are his ideas on open lectures for latest research. Silent study space is always welcome, the only thing lacking is a mention of tuition fees. Your Campaign in a Few Words The BEAR needs taking down
22
Sabbatical Election 2011
Ashley Whitworth
My name is Ashley Whitworth and I am a second year undergraduate student studying History. My time at Exeter so far has shown me that the most important change needed to the academic sphere at this University is to make studying simpler. The work we do isn’t designed to be easy - we all understand that; but the means by which we achieve it should be. We shouldn’t struggle to obtain a book from the library, hand in a project or get specific guidance about
February 7 2011 Exeposé
internships and careers. My manifesto shows the ways in which I intend to make this theory become a reality: firstly, through the increased reliability of MyExeter, BART and ELE systems, secondly by increasing student awareness of representation institutions so that any problems are resolved quickly. My third aim is to create closer links with companies offering internships and provide subject specific advice on this from careers officers. My fourth
Dani Brown
• Better Communication. I want to make an events calender, similar to that of Welcome Week, accessible via MyExeter and as a smart phone app Hello! I’m Emma-Grace (EG) and I am asking for your vote as VP Participation and Campuses this year. My 3 years in Exeter have been incredible and I would LOVE the opportunity to make sure everyone has the same great experiences that I have been able to enjoy from ‘getting involved!’
Emma-Grace Bowler
• As part Jif, part Lukie, I can see that a stronger Guild presence is needed on St. Lukes campus, meaning the students have everything they need from the I am Seb Descrettes and I am running for the position of VP Participation on Campuses. I would love to win the election; I am currently on RAG core committee and I am the Guild’s Societies Officer. I am confident that I have the necessary skills and knowledge base to succeed in the role. Here is my manifesto in a nutshell:
Seb Descrettes
Joshua Flower
• Introduce a Student Entertainments Committee to improve Lemmy Nights, the Bop, as well as the What can I tell you that the other candidates have not already droned on about? Yes I offer a fresh perspective, of course I want to facilitate real change, I definitely think that participation in more than academia is what makes Uni so valuable, and yes I think that there are current problems with underrepresentation at St. Lukes and Cornwall campuses! But if I didn’t why would I be running!?! Don’t get me wrong; I am not belittling these issues I just want you to understand that a vote for me is
Exeposé Comment One cannot doubt Ashley’s commitment to education given her history. A focus on improving Exeter’s unreliable IT services is a good starting point and increasing e-resources will always win votes. However, there is no mention of getting value for money from increased tuition fees. Your Campaign in a Few Words Simplifying study: life’s commplicated enough
VP Participation & Campuses represents students in matters relating to involvement within the Guild’s volunteering, activities and representation structures, whilst ensuring that the specific needs of students studying on the satellite campuses of St Luke’s and Cornwall are addressed.
Exeposé wanted to see candidates who were focused on engaging the whole student body in activities and events. In the past, Exeter has been accused of being a divided university, with little ‘integration’ between students from different backgrounds and areas. A broad outlook is needed for this role.
to get people involved with society events. • Re-fresh Week. This year, Re-fresh has been a great success, one I aim to continue next year. All students, including international, part-time and mature students, should feel involved with campus life. • Hello Lukes. St Lukes campus is perfect for large scale events, but is currently not used enough. Streatham campus students should have a reason to visit St. Lukes! • Radio Gaga. We are lucky to have
such a fantastic media team at Exeter and I really want to maximise media opportunities. Let’s get Xpression FM heard across campus. • Friendly competition. More interHall competitions will engage new students into activities they may have never tried before. It will also encourage students to socialise outside of their halls bubble.
Exeposé Comment
Guild at their fingertips.
number of Lukes students ‘getting involved’ .
Vice President Participation & Campuses Exeter is amazing. However, many students never realise quite how amazing it actually is. Until I fell headfirst into volunteering in my second year, I certainly didn’t! Now I’m completely converted and fueled with enthusiasm to engage as many people with university life as possible, with:
is to extend availability of electronic resources, such as e-books, on ELE to avoid unavailability of key texts and the cost of compulsory course textbooks. As a creative, credible and capable person, I will work towards making study simple, because life is complicated enough.
• Better communication is needed between the Guild and YOU, the students. Television sets in the Ram and Lemmy can be used to publicise news and events. A Student Guild app for your smart phone would be a brilliant way of connecting straight to students. • A Volunteering office based on St. Lukes in X-Keys for RAG, CA and Voice would be able to increase the Fresher’s and Summer Balls; this will improve campus life and boost student participation in Guild entertainments. • Improve student representation: Advertise who the student reps are, what they can do for you and to give them more authority to implement change.
Dani Brown for VP Participation and Campuses!
• I would like to make it possible that Xpression FM gets played in the Ram, our thriving student bar, daily. • With the new Forum Project development there is more space for a core Guild Activities hub. The release of space in the Lemmy can be made into a Media hub, meaning all four parts of X-Media will be under one roof. more to be done and promoting greater participation. • More free cash machines on campus: Thus Improving Campus life and potentially increasing sales in guild outlets. Vote Seb 4 Sabb: Vote Seb 4 VP Participation & Campuses
Objectives: • To review and improve the guilds current systems of representation on all campuses! & encourage full transparency. • Do all I can to get the student body
Your Campaign in a Few Words Never Too Late To Participate!
Exeposé Comment Emma has commendable intentions for the development of both campuses, including more volunteering opportunities and a Luke’s Activities/ Societies rep. An X-Media hub in the Lemmy is unworkable however; the medias are currently distributed across campus according to their needs. Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote responsibly! EG your Guild!
Exeposé Comment Seb’s valuable past experience would serve him well in this role, as would his open-minded and honest approach. He suggests practical changes for campus that would benefit students and the running of societies. Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote Seb 4 VP Participation & Campuses
• Increase funding for Societies & Volunteering: Therefore allowing a vote for something different. I am not afraid to have opinions of my own, I’m not afraid to stand up to the university if needs be, I’m not afraid to address local and national political issues, and I’m not afraid to represent you!
Dani is realistic about the current needs of students, proposing improved communication opportunities and media developments. She needs to outline her practical ideas on how she intends to further involve all students during Re-fresh week or attract Streatham students to St Luke’s.
more engaged and better informed in the local and national political realms •Safeguard the provision of affordable student accommodation. • Encourage society cooperation; • Increase the diversity of participation with RAG & Community action. • Encourage new societies. • Finally I wish to reduce the everyday cost of attending this university. Vote Flower for real student power!
Exeposé Comment Joshua suggests student opinion needs to be at the centre of Guild decisions and is passionate about change on campus. He needs to outline the specific changes he envisions. His intentions to reduce the everyday cost of university life, particularly student accommodation, seem beyond the duties of this role. Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote Flower for real student power!
23
Exeposé week sixteen
In three years at Exeter I have worked for the Activities Department, volunteered and worked with RAG, been a Welcome Team Senior, performed with Footlights and EUTCo, and been a DJ with XpressionFM. If elected, I endeavour to:
James Fox
Oliver Keogh
Angela Law
Tom Sayer
Giovanni Sforza
• Make SOCIETIES more accessible and safeguard their interests; bringing them online and lobbying the University to ensure that the student experience doesn’t get left behind as student fees rise.
• Develop and encourage VOLUNTEERING opportunities available to students; ensuring Welcome Team’s funding and working with RAG, CA and VOICE to provide a wide variety of inclusive volunteering opportunities on campus and in the wider community. • Promote the use of GUILD FACILITIES and the talents on offer by EXETER STUDENTS by increasing the selection of events in Guild venues. Encouraging the University to use
Sabbatical Election 2011
student media to produce projects such as viral videos, podcasts and audio tours. Increasing exposure of Xmedia throughout the Forum. • Improve Guild presence on ST LUKES, aiming to provide a greater Guild presence, as well as working closely with the Information Point.
James has extensive past Guild experience which should serve him well in this role. His focuses are on volunteering opportunities and the development of societies, particularly the medias, suggesting practical ways of achieving these aims.
So that I can ensure your unique Exeter student experience is every bit as good as mine was, For Fox sake VOTE FOX.
Your Campaign in a Few Words
Exeposé Comment
I’m Oliver Keogh, 5ft 6’’ wonder. I’m a third year drama student and a student DJ for ‘Beats and Bass Society’ and ‘Witchcraft Promotions’. Here’s what I would work towards with the Guild if I get voted your new VP of participation & campuses: Establishing stronger bonds between Community Action and Raising And Giving. I would encourage RAG to raise funds for CA to launch new volunteering opportunities pinpointed at students and their areas of study or interest. In return,
CA would do more to encourage their volunteers to get involved with RAG through promotion at their events and Guild e-mail. Develop new nights at the Lemon Grove. This would be to appeal to a more diverse range of student tastes; I intend on working with the university’s art, media and music societies in particular to perform and headline the nights. Create a media capital in the Forum Project. I would invest in large screens
to display volunteering opportunities and event listings, play XTV and Xpression throughout the day, as well as doing the same in the INTO building to aid the integration of international students. Stronger Guild presence on St Luke’s Campus. Create a strong student guild presence on St Luke’s Campus through bringing more events to their campus, as well as researching new ways of appealing to St Luke’s students through the Guild.
Being a Lukie, and being heavily involved in activities on Streatham gives me a perfect balance for the role!
2. Creating a Guild “Hub” on St Luke’s: • The takeover of Crosskeys by the Guild would enable an expansion of Guild presence on St Luke’s. Refurbishments could occur, unused meeting rooms could be converted into a Guild Activities base, leading to an “Activities Fair” during Welcome Week. 3. Inclusion and Integration of all types of students into Guild Activities: • Ensure no student-groups misses out e.g. PGU, ISC. Strengthen links
between these groups and other societies by running joint events. • Ensuring smooth introduction of the Forum Project on its completion. A smooth transition for Guild Activities being relocated to the Forum is imperative to reduce disruption to the student experience. The Forum will also provide more facilities and space to develop Refresh Week. •Increasing Accessibility to the Exeter Award. More sessions available, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to complete it before graduation.
Hi, my name’s Tom Sayer and I’m a 3 rd year Law student running for the Sabbatical position of Vice President Participation and Campuses. Essentially, I get involved in as much as I can at uni and because of this I’ve come to love being at Exeter. The more I’ve become involved, the more I’ve enjoyed University life. I want to ensure there’s as much as possible available
and accessible for all students to participate in and enjoy. I want to see clearer information and publication on what’s on offer from the whole range of societies and volunteering groups. I think it’s vital to build an environment where any one of us from any part of the student body feels welcome and able to contribute to any group. I am committed to representing
all students in bringing real changes to our campuses (including and beyond those highlighted in my manifesto). As examples: I want to see bigger and more diverse acts at big events when the Great Hall is reopened; to meet the needs that really matter on St. Luke’s; and not wait for the Forum to be completed just to put a coffee machine back in the Library!
Exeter is not just about your degree. No matter how hard you study, once you leave University, it is the whole Exeter experience that you will remember. Incidentally, this is also what employers are looking for: experience gained while engaging in extra-curricular activities that helped you develop a set of skills. Exeter is among the top 15 Universities in the UK, but Exeter students’ are some of the most engaged in extra-curricular activities in the country. This is what I call the Exeter
Advantage. As VP Participation & Campuses, I want to make this advantage even more significant and open to all. Here are a few of the points I plan to pursue: • Work together with The Works and the University’s Employability office, to draw up a comprehensive survey of most sought after skills for every field of work relevant to all degrees studied at Exeter’s three Campuses. Ensure such experiences are available through
the Guild. • Integration through events celebrating International and British cultures (No student should leave Britain without understanding Monty Python’s humour). • Implement an online forum where are all Guild policies can be openly discussed among all the students.
1. Revolutionising interface between students and societies: • Creating an “Activities Forum”, allowing students more input into factors e.g. funding distribution, room bookings/allocations. • Introducing a MyExeter “Activities Calendar” so students can see what’s happening without being bombarded by emails.
Exeposé Comment
Helping you make the best of it – Giovanni Sforza
Participation, Opportunity, Volunteering, Events, Medias
A good focus on the integration of international students, particularly on improving their involvement in the media. Oliver’s enthusiasm and experience regarding night events is appealing but is perhaps given too high a priority. Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote Small, Think Big
Exeposé Comment Angela is obviously well-experienced for this role. Her intentions for change on both campuses include minority student groups and X-Media, and she expresses an acute awareness of the current state of campus as The Forum Project comes to completion. Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote for Change: Vote LAW!
Exeposé Comment
Tom has good intentions to introduce practical changes to both campuses; changes which will make a difference to everyday campus life. He is vague about any past experience which could help him in this role. Your Campaign in a Few Words Your Problems Solved…You Involved
Exeposé Comment Giovanni’s intentions are supported by credible facts, which strengthen his proposals. He has a good focus on international students and the PGU and an awareness of the students’ need for improved graduate job prospects. He is determined to respond to the student voice in this role. Your Campaign in a Few Words Helping you make the best of it
Follow the election live with Xmedia: on air, on screen and online
24
February 7 2011 Exeposé
Sabbatical Election 2011
Vice President Welfare & Community
Russell Endean
Caitlin Hayward-Tapp
outside of term time, to help students who stay over holiday periods (such as international and postgraduate students). Thanks for reading, and please Vote Russell for VP Welfare and Community.
Students have shown that they are not apathetic. Now we need a Guild with activism to match. I want to lead that change by fighting for students’ welfare and improving our relations with the community. As a seasoned campaigner and a representative for students on many committees, I have the experience needed to do so. I will:
campus. 2. Hold the University to Account on Spending - I will ensure there is genuine dialogue between Exeter students and University management on how our money is spent.
4. Support Student Contribution in the Community – I will create a grant fund to support current community projects, and to fund future ones.
1. Keep Rent Affordable – I will fight the council’s decision to limit student housing in Exeter, and address the issue of privatisation on
I will: - Prepare students and the University for the rise in tuition fees and cost of living by setting up support services for all students. Lobby to keep funding/bursaries. - Promote Exe-Lets as the number one Hi! I’m Ollie and I’m running for VP Welfare and Community because I want to make your time at Exeter quite literally the time of your life. These are just a brief overview of things I would like to achieve if elected:
Emma Payne
Exeposé Comment
and understanding of bursaries. My policies will also help ensure a better experience whilst studying here in Exeter, with close supervision of the new student services, accommodation and refurbished bars, including more competitive student prices. I will also introduce a new form of official recognition for students who work hard and benefit the local community, in the form of a new “Exeter Community Award.” Additionally I hope to provide greater access to campus facilities
As VP Welfare and Community I will ensure that the relationship between Guild and students is developed to suit each and every one of us as individuals and as a community.
Ollie Mulcock
Exeposé was looking for candidates who were prepared to engage the problem of the high cost of accommodation in the City, the increasing tensions between the student and local populations and the disruption caused to students by the Streatham campus-wide building works.
Simply put I want to make the student experience as brilliant as possible for everyone that studies here in Exeter and as your new VP Welfare and Community Officer I think I can truly get the best for students. I’m experienced working in the Guild, in the community, with the University, and strongly believe my policies will go a long way towards what is needed to achieve that goal. My policies aim to make it easier for students wanting to go to university, with easier access
Put the ELF back in wELFare.
Lara Klinpikuln
VP Welfare and Community ensures that students have adequate support for any issues that they encounter at university, proactively represents students’ rights on and off campus, and is the key link between students and local residents in Exeter.
• Improve Student Housing situation with better accreditation and a roadshow helping people to understand and get the best deals. • Better community integration and involvement taking student talent into Hi, I’m Emma, a 3rd year student and I hope to be your VP Welfare and Community next year. If elected, I would like to make the residential community more receptive of students, by changing the simplest of things. For example, lobbying the council to change back to a weekly collection of rubbish bins in the most heavily populated student areas, and to expose more of the good work students do to try and remove the ‘irresponsible’ label that students have been unfairly given.
3. Make the Forum Project Work for You - I will hold the University to account on construction deadlines, demanding compensation for students when their welfare is adversely affected.
Russell has experience working with the County Council and the Welcome Team. His manifesto has some good points about maximising the availability of campus services and cutting accommodation costs, but he doesn’t address key student housing issues and lacks concrete plans. Your Campaign in a Few Words Keep Calm and Vote Russell
I will dedicate myself to these promises, and to any concerns brought to me by students. This Guild is YOUR Guild, and we work for YOU. I will listen to you, I will hear you and I will *act*.
letting agency for students but keep competition fair. External letting agencies should be invited to the Housing Roadshows which should be expanded and must be better publicised. - Support and encourage Hall Committees. A scheme in which the previous year’s committee trains the new committee can be set up to take demands off the Guild without compromising on results. - Fight for better funding for Guildrun student services and outlets. I will endeavour to set up new outlets,
specifically a Pharmacy in order to aid students’ physical welfare on campus. - Make sure the newly opened Forum Project delivers everything it promised: ensuring students are content and that its benefits to our community are substantial
the wider community. • More involvement and integration for International students including more cultural events • Increased pastoral care outside of university residences and role development of Resident Tutors and Student Mentors • Making student support more readily available and accessible to students all year round including outside of term-time.
Through my time at Exeter I have been very involved extra-curricularly, primarily with Music but also in other Guild Societies. With the completion of the Forum Project this is an exciting time to be a Sabb, making sure that student needs are protected and their views represented and acted upon to the highest level. I want every student to enjoy Exeter just as much as I have. Come and see me on campus this week to find out more!
I would like to increase the support network given to students; this could be achieved by having Welcome Week volunteers in halls after the first week so new students still have that friendly face to rely on in the scary first few weeks of lectures. Bringing in a new ‘Welfare Week’ would also draw attention to all the different types of support that can be offered. I will also endeavour to look at the housing issue in Exeter by exposing new areas to students and
their advantages; have you ever considered living in St Davids, with a main station on the doorstep and a walk along the river into town? Using the landlord accreditation scheme will also give students a better guide on who to rely on when looking for houses and will make them make an informed decision of when to sign that dotted line! Vote for me, and I will make your student life at Exeter as happy and lovely as mine has been, and remember: No Payne, No Gain!
My passion for the University, the Students’ Guild and for the student body is obvious. I have so many ideas and I want to make them happen!
Exeposé Comment Caitlin has a lot of experience in representing students through her work in student politics and her manifesto shows a forceful dedication to student issues. However, what it lacks is concrete ideas or plans for how she will make student housing affordable or deal with the Forum Project. Your Campaign in a Few Words Ceaselessly campaigning for your rights
Exeposé Comment Lara’s manifesto has a strong focus on student finance and has practical aims on how to solve these issues through the instigation of help meetings to lobbying on a national level. She has good experience, but seems to focus on the improvement of current Guild projects, rather than setting up new ones. Your Campaign in a Few Words
Listening to individuals to benefit our community
Exeposé Comment Ollie is detailed and shows an understanding of the main welfare issues affecting students. His scheme involving a landlord feedback scheme is simple and could prove effective. Some of his points seem to be aspirations rather than achievable aims. Your Campaign in a Few Words Exeter: Time of your life
Exeposé Comment Emma’s manifesto definitely shows enthusiasm for the role and outlines some interesting ideas, such as a new International Events Committee that can involve a larger range of students. Her list of aims may be difficult to achieve in only one year. Your Campaign in a Few Words Payne, making Exeter students happy
25
Exeposé week sixteen
I’m Hannah and I want to be your VP Welfare and Community because I know I can make a difference! My policies include:
Hannah Porter
Charles Rey
Hannah Stacey
Patrick Taylor
rewards students for getting a sexual health check-up. • Lobbying for more work-space for and quiet-study areas for postgraduates.
• Establish an ‘Academic Family’: A scheme introducing new students to one another and to 2nd/3rd year ‘parents’, providing continued support after Welcome Week. • Housing advice: Presentations for first-year students providing information on finding housing and integrating with the local community. • Promotion of more non-alcoholic
focused socials: Working with societies to offer more alternative socials. Introducing ‘mocktails’ to Guild outlets. • Expanding Support Services: Ensure Voice’s Skype and email facilities are advertised and accessible, particularly for Erasmus and international students. Raising awareness of the support soon to be offered by the new Advice Centre. • More support for societies promoting mental and physical well-being. • Improving ‘Sexual Health Awareness Week’: Establishing a campaign which
My name is Charles Rey and I am a third year mechanical engineering student. I have been a very active participant in many societies and events at the University of Exeter. Through these activities and events I have made many friends and had some truly amazing experiences, none of which compare to the Welcome Team. That is why I would love to
dedicate the first 13 months of my professional life to help, support, guide and pamper existing and new students of the University of Exeter in their quest to maximize this “once in a lifetime” enjoyment/experience which they will cherish for the rest of their lives. As a Vice President (Welfare & Community), I will keep an open mind, pay attention to detail and seek
to “Put Students First” at all times. The main points that I have chosen to promote in my campaign are those of improving Guild restaurants and bars, Sexual Health awareness and prevention, health and safety issues arising due to building works and improving and raising awareness in accommodation facilities.
Hi, Iʼm Hannah. My election campaign is all about making a noise. Not an annoying, disruptive noise - Iʼm talking about the type of noise that raises awareness and brings important student issues into the limelight. I want to make realistic and achievable changes on issues that affect us all as students. • Housing - Improving the quality of student accommodation by promoting the Student Housing Accreditation in Exeter scheme.
• Raising awareness of the Guild-run letting agency Exelets, and other advisory services that the guild offers. • Dispelling anxiety about finding off-campus accommodation by releasing a housing guide aimed at first years giving sensible advice to avoid the pre-christmas housing rush. Stress • Itʼs very easy to feel swamped by the amount of work demanded by our courses - I want to build professional
advice about dealing with stress into every course program. • Raising awareness of the range of services that the Guild has to offer, which give free advice on academic, housing and financial issues. • Safety - Fighting for student interests to be represented in community matters, such as the scheme to turn street lights off after 12.30am - Running a campaign to raise awareness of student safety at night.
‘Manic rush for student houses’ – this was the Exeposé headline that greeted Exeter students upon our return last month. This will be my top priority as Vice President for Welfare & Community; to stabilise the volatile student housing market. I will ensure First Year students are equipped with all the necessary information to confidently enter the housing scrum through holding forums with students and prospective landlords and by better publicising the Advice Unit’s contract scrutiny service. I shall also work to extend the availability of the Time & Stress
management courses available to deal with the demands of student life. Similarly, with delays to the Mood Disorders Centre, it is essential that services such as Voice and Religious Services receive greater backing and support to help the most vulnerable. Additionally I aim to make extensive efforts to tackle issues associated with the Exeter community. Internally, I shall provide greater finance and support to Diversity Week, with greater societal involvement. Whilst externally, I will hold regular free and open meetings between students and local residents
to ensure a harmonious relationship for both parties suited to better tackle the increasing number of students descending on Exeter. If you would like to know more about my policies on sexual health, alcohol & drug abuse, the environment or even why I think I’m qualified for this position then please check my manifesto online, come to Candidates Question Time or just email me at pwgt201@ex.ac. uk. Thanks for reading and remember I’m Patrick, Taylor Made for Your Welfare.
My name’s Harry Wingfield and I’d be honoured if you would vote for me to be your VP Welfare and Community. My campaign is founded upon providing the means to solve your individual welfare concerns, and addressing the potential challenges to our community.
1. Forge clearer informational pathways between students, the Guild, the University, and City Councillors
to address frictional policy making before it occurs - ‘Prevention is better than cure’. 2. Press Exeter City Council to change their HMO policy so that students aren’t forced to live miles away from campus. 3. Establish regularised face-to-face contact hours between myself and Hall Committees to discuss current and potential concerns. 4. Establish timetabled drop-in hours so that any and all students can potentially see me confidentially
about concerns they have. 5. Tackle poor landlords by promoting the significance of the SHARE (landlord accreditation) scheme. 7. Regularly attend resident association meetings to represent the student point of view, in order to foster understanding with otherwise potentially disgruntled locals. 8. Lend my full backing to the NUS in their opposition to all attempts to marketise the funding of Higher Education. Ability to learn, not ability to pay.
Single Transferable Voting is a preferential vote system where candidates are ranked by number rather than ticked or checked with a cross. Votes are initially allocated to an elector’s most preferred candidate and
then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or unused votes are transferred according to the voters’ stated preferences. The system is a form of proportional representation and is designed to minimise the number of wasted votes.
Last year’s story
If elected, I will:
Harry Wingfield
The voting system
Sabbatical Election 2011
My active involvement in many welfare-related roles (Voice, Welcome Team, Student Community Wardens) and my experiences in other Guild societies (Community Action, Choc Soc, Classics) have nurtured my passion and the essential skills that I need to support your views. Just remember - vote Porter!
Exeposé Comment
Hannah’s work as a Community Warden shows good experience and she sets out workable policies such as non-alcoholic focused socials. However, some of her ideas stray into other Sabbatical remits or do not focus on the majority of students’ interests. Your Campaign in a Few Words Magic you can believe in
Exeposé Comment Charles has clear plans for how to raise awareness of sexual health issues and plans to work closely with volunteering societies. Apart from this, his manifesto, although having heart, seems to be more about presentation and he fails to cover key political issues. Your Campaign in a Few Words Vote for the Rey of Hope
Exeposé Comment Hannah is aware of student issues with landlords, but her first point, which encourages letting agencies to work together, is already an accredited scheme. Her points on promoting safety are well made, but unfortunately her manifesto does not deal with current problems involving student housing. Your Campaign in a Few Words Making a racket about welfare
Exeposé Comment Patrick has a clear format for his manifesto and shows a strong focus on international issues with his mentor program and progression of Diversity Week. However, many of his points regarding first years are already in place. Your Campaign in a Few Words Taylor Made for Your Welfare
Exeposé Comment Harry shows good experience for the role through his position as Birks President and is aware that students have a role to play in the local community. His manifesto, however is very conversational and fails to show concrete ideas for the role or any changes in legislation. Your Campaign in a Few Words Providing You With The Means
Last year’s Sabbatical election saw a turnout of 36.4 per cent, a record both in Exeter and nationally. The number of Sabbatical positions was cut from six to five, with three new Vice President positions being created.
26
February 7 2011 Exeposé
Sabbatical Election 2011
Athletic Union President Christian Brown
Phil Cuming
Oliver Deasy
Beth Hampson
Hamish Martin
AU President is responsible for ensuring that the sporting needs of Exeter students are met and that the Athletic Union is improving the student experience at Exeter. The AU President also ensures that the AU offers opportunities to elite and social sports-people alike.
Exeposé wanted to see candidates with a real understanding that the role caters for both 1st team players and casual players. The costs involved in playing sport in Exeter can seem prohibitive so a good understanding of what students actually want was imperative.
Scheme - awareness and links to schools • Enhance facilities - maintain improvement on and off campuses • Support all clubs • Increase budgets • Improve relations with students and societies I offer enthusiasm, commitment and support to all union members. As AU president I would demonstrate the benefits and enjoyment that sport can give, and invite all students to be a part of this.
Exeposé Comment
Sport has played a vital role in my Exeter life. It has provided many highlights and I want others to experience this too. I have been Club Captain of the Golf Club for the past two years. I have also played intramural sport, taken part in training camps and been on a ski trip. My emphasis is improving sport for students and increasing the number of students involved. I have increased membership of the Golf Club and entered a third team into BUCS this year. This position has
provided challenges and illustrated the importance of effective leadership. As president I would:
Sports lovers! My name is Phil Cuming, a 3rd year Business and Management student, and I am running for AU president. I’m interested in many sports and I am currently captain of my hockey team. I would make an excellent AU president because I’m organised and pay acute attention to detail. I feel this would make me efficient at co-ordinating BUCS duties and arranging big events such as varsity matches. If elected, these are some of the key issues I would like to address:
Improved PR for AU clubs: • BUCS photos - akin to what we see in nightclubs, where a photographer would make albums of players and supporters at Wednesday home matches, to share with AU members online. • I would also like more teams submitting match reports to Exeposé and www.unisportonline.co.uk. • Introduce a regular ‘What’s on’ bulletin email to all students, so more of us are aware of the Green Army’s big fixtures!
• Introduce a big varsity event in a ladies’ sport. Address the budget surrounding travel to away matches, look to give drivers a better deal and see if money can be saved. • Increase the amount of international participation in BUCS teams.
I chose and love Exeter because of its reputation in SPORT. I want more people to enjoy the fruits of sport and the positive EXPERIENCES it can offer. Have I got the ZEST to be the BEST?
values of Intra-mural sport. I am heavily involved and believe everyone can enjoy it.
I can tell what you are thinking….
• As St Lukes representative of the AU Executive Committee, I have acquired the knowledge and experiences to develop Exeter sport. • As 1st XI hockey captain I need to be organised and communicate effectively. • I understand the potential and
• Increase events and make them more inclusive • Improve BUCS performance in the final league table • Support relevant Guild societies in attaining AU status • Increase participation across the university • Promote intra-mural sport • Develop the Sports Volunteering
What will I achieve? • Performance- Quench your thirst for BUCS gold medals. • Mass Participation- Providing sport for all. • Varsities- To put your sport in the lime light. • Sponsorship- Increased funding at all levels.
The clarity of Christian’s bulletpointed manifesto is admirable and his prior involvement with Exeter sport at a recreational, intra-mural and university level is evident. Yet his pledges of ‘improvement’ and offers of ‘support’ seem abstract and intangible and thus quite difficult to grasp. Your Campaign in a Few Words Developing A Better Sporting Experience
Exeposé Comment Phil outlines in great detail the need to increase participation from international students in sport at university and his proposal for a Ladies’ Varsity match is refreshing. However, a constant focus on his own abilities and inclusion of empty statements such as ‘I am an excellent candidate’ are off-putting. Your Campaign in a Few Words More media, more medals
• Will I be able to enter an intra mural sports team? • Can I get involved in the Sports Volunteering Scheme? • Will the AU support my club more? The Answer: YES! As your AU president I will not leave a bitter taste. My committed, enthusiastic, approachable and passionate attitude will improve Exeter sport for YOU!
Sport dominates my University life, from BUCS Athletics, Netball Club Social Secretary, Intra-mural and supporting varsities. I’ve also worked on many sports camps including disabled sailing, cheerleading, rowing and hockey. I propose to: -Initiate more VARSITY MATCHES, give more support and publicity to existing varsities. -Organise more CHARITY MATCHES channelling proceeds to set AU and club approved charities. -Extend INTRA-MURAL, introducing
more sports and end of season tournaments. -Minimise training during unsociable hours. -Develop activities that give you MORE FOR YOUR MONEY such as ‘Healthy Living Week’ and free circuit sessions using the new equipment on the outdoor courts. -Expand events like socials and the AU Olympics, UNITING AU clubs, the Guild, international societies and postgraduates. -Increase PUBLICITY surrounding
teams, through Exeposé, Facebook, club and Guild websites and ‘Unisport’. -Advance the STUDENT SURVEY making it online, distributed quarterly to all students. For my aims on BUCS and NON-BUCS, Support, Developments, Timepiece, and Alumni Scheme, see my detailed manifesto. I’ll be organised, enthusiastic and encourage all students to get more involved and make it your AU. VOTE Beth Hampson and together we’ll make it great!
Hi, I’m Hamish Martin and I’m running (not literally) to be your Athletic Union President. At Exeter, we are extremely passionate about sport. I’m a sporty chap and have enjoyed experiencing sport at Exeter across all levels, represented students at committee level, and want to help you get the most from sport. I love sport, and as your AU President some of my main objectives will include: -Increased participation – the more
people having fun and playing sport the better. Promoting the availability of sport will bring Exeter students together by playing the sports they love. -Increased sport budgets – with university tuition fees rising in 2012, I want sport to benefit from this increased capital, enabling improved facilities and lower gym/club memberships for students. -Varsity – I want and will assist clubs to stage more varsity events.
Electing me, Hamish Martin, as your AU President will ensure you, the students of Exeter, will be represented by a sportsman whose passion and dedication for improving all aspects of your sport at your university is second to none. So, whether you’re sporty or not, play ping-pong or polo, tennis or trampolining, vote HAMISH MARTIN for your AU President. He’s got the balls for it!
Exeposé Comment Oliver’s experience working for the ‘AU Exec’ and consequent knowledge of the AU office would undoubtedly serve him well as AU President. His tricolon manifesto built around ‘Performance, Volunteering and Participation’ is concise, punchy and easy to comprehend. A bit more attention to detail in his manifesto would have been welcomed. Your Campaign in a Few Words It’s Easy Vote Deasy
Exeposé Comment
Beth’s involvement in and commitment to the sporting scene of Exeter life is unquestionable. She has some innovative suggestions regarding the use of newly erected equipment on the outdoor courts for free student circuit sessions and also the development of the university’s premises at Duckes Meadows. Her rotational Timepiece wristband system does seem a little impractical. Your Campaign in a Few Words Because you deserve the BEST
Exeposé Comment Hamish clearly understands the finances behind implementing his policies, which lends credence to the viability of his ideas. Furthermore, his mention of international students is important to highlight and Hamish does well to focus on the issues, rather than on himself. Your Campaign in a Few Words
Plucky, Dedicated, Dynamic, Fun, Success
27
Exeposé week sixteen
Music
Ellie Bothwell & Ben Murphie - music@exepose.com
Upcoming 7/2 – Rosie Erangey, Mama Stone’s
8/2 – Little Comets with The Big Sleep + the Beacons – Cavern Club 9/2 – Celine Dos Santos and Friends, Mama Stone’s 9/2 - White Lies, Bristol O2 Academy 11/2 – Andy Mckee, Exeter Phoenix
12/2 – Deep End, Exeter Phoenix 14/2 – Murderdolls with Black Veil brides + The Defiles, Lemon Grove 15/2 - Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2011 Everything Everything, Crystal Castles, The Vaccines and Magnetic Man, Bristol O2 Academy 19/2 – Ryan Francesconi, Exeter Phoenix 19/2 – Beatz & Bobz, Exeter Phoenix 20/2 – Frank Turner, Lemon Grove
Book Now 25/2 - The Correspondents, Cavern Club 1/3 – Reel Big Fish, Lemon Grove 4/3 Jaguar Skills and Mista Jam, Lemon Grove 2/5 – Skindred, Lemon Grove 5/5 - Peter Doherty, Bristol O2 Academy
LIVE REVIEWS
Arcade Fire Cardiff International Arena, December 9
There are few bands that I would travel to a different country to see, but Arcade Fire happens to be one of them. So off to Wales I went, on the night of the student riots and perishing temperatures, accompanied with an equally ecstatic friend and about 30 different layers of clothing. Once inside, coats and scarves littered the floor of the sold out Cardiff International Arena and the buzzing excitement filled each corner. On they came, dressed in an odd mixture of military and sequins and started off fittingly with ‘Ready to Start’, followed by ‘Keep the Car Running’ and then ‘Neighborhood (Laika)’. Each song being from a different critically acclaimed album, their opening showcased the quality of their achievements so far. Although only recently released to great critical aclaim, the crowd sang along to every word of the title track from their latest platinum-selling album, The Suburbs, which proved to be just as
popular as Neon Bible (2007) and Funeral (2004), from which the uplifting ‘Wake Up’ first brought them into the spotlight. Brash ‘Rococo’ got everyone dancing and the atmosphere was fantastic, one of the best I have ever experienced, with people of all ages and walks of life captivated by their quirky, multilayered sound. Their presence on stage was chaotic, with instruments and band members constantly interchanging, yet the sound was still as perfectly balanced and clear as the recordings. The Suburbs explores the claustrophobia of suburban life and this was mirrored in the show’s staging: floodlights, the urban backdrop, and a scoreboard-style video screen. Short film loops of sky, motorways and two women in a swimming pool were juxtaposed with live black-and-white images. It was oddly mesmerising. My personal highlights were the encore songs ‘Neighbourhood (Tunnels)’ and ‘Rebellion (Lies)’: the former is about tunnelling through the snow, which was fitting considering the circumstances, and in the latter the line “Come on hide your lovers, underneath the covers” resonates even more poignantly live. I hope the fire keeps burning. EMILY MAY
I Am Kloot
Lemon Grove, Exeter, Januray 30
Our trusty Lemon Grove had the great privilege of playing host venue to I Am Kloot last weekend. For those who are unfamiliar with their music, they are an ‘indie’ band hailing from Manchester, akin to the better known Elbow with whom they work intimately alongside. John Bramwell, vocals and guitar, Andrew Hargreaves, drums, and Peter Jobson, bass, came together in 1999 and since then have produced many albums and won much critical acclaim. I should probably admit that, whilst I have a keen interest in music, I am no seasoned gig-goer and this was my first experience of a concert at the Lemmy. I was very impressed by the transformation made from school-disco-esque ‘club’ to which I am accustomed, to the really quite cool, atmospheric and mellow live music venue where I seemed to find myself. The mainly middle-aged crowd actually enhanced the smooth vibe and certainly contributed to the mild shock felt when I happily glided into the toilets and realised in the suddenly bright lights that I was back in the realm of student Saturday-night carnage. The band themselves performed
outstandingly. Johnny’s voice especially was incredibly moving in its honest Manchester rawness. He is distinctive without seeming to try; exhibiting a naturalness that I imagine comes with maturity, since it is often that which younger singers lack. The group as a whole were very likeable as individuals; Johnny showed off his dry sense of humour whilst his rather mesmerising drummer and bizarre but talented bassist were pleasingly authentic with their tired eyes and unwashed, bearded appearance that well matched their trance-like way of playing. The other guest musicians, who featured in certain songs which required a flute or a saxophone, for example, were also impressive. The fact that I only knew the songs from their current album (the Mercury prize nominated Sky at Night) made no difference to my enjoyment. The sometimes more upbeat and ‘less Elbow-like’ older music was perfect for the drinkholder’s bop/sway which was pretty popular with the audience in general and easily transported the listener to an intimate and smoky Manchester club. As I was able to tell from the average age of the audience, most students missed out on I am Kloot’s visit to Exeter, so I highly recommend that you make it a priority to see them when they play at festivals over the summer. GENEVIEVE HINCHLIFF
28
Music
february 7 2011
Exeposé
CLASSIC ALBUM REVIEW His ‘n’ Hers Pulp Released on Island Records 18 April 1994
And so, another year has passed. Musically, at least, we leave behind a forgettable year. Rolling Stone’s ‘record of the year’ turned out to be Kanye West’s Mediocre Contrived Twisted Fantasy, Gary Barlow decided three fat dancers weren’t enough to make a band so called in Robbie Williams as cavalry, and Tinie Tempah and his autotune are well placed to sweep the Brits. I do have, however, a slightly more positive outlook for 2011. In the midst of releases from Gaga, Spears, Timberland/Timberlake collective (and the obviously cash-strapped Blink-182) we might just get a gem from Radiohead. Newly reformed No Doubt ought to be one to watch and a fourth effort from The Strokes will hopefully follow the lead of the previous three. The real show of 2011, however, ought to be right at the heart of festival season: Glastonbury. Tickets seem to sell faster and sooner every year, and the headliner rumours get more and more unlikely. The biggest of the big names this year: Pulp. The third member of that infallible Britpop trio (just behind Oasis and Blur), Jarvis Cocker’s Pulp always re-
mained a little more alternative and a little more angular than their musical contemporaries. Pulp became the voice of a nation and a Glastonbury favourite after that iconic rendition of ‘Common People’ in 1995 and Different Class will, rightfully, define Pulp’s wash of sound. But to many it’s the lesser known His ‘n’ Hers that really speaks about what Pulp could do. Released on Island in 1994, His ‘n’ Hers was beaten to a Mercury Prize only by Elegant Slumming from M People (who?) and is as brimming with melodic verve and bitter innuendo as Different Class. If you were not accustomed to the writings of Jarvis Cocker, the opener ‘Joyriders’ might not be an ideal place to start but deserves credit alone for rhyming “vandals” and “Jesus sandals”. ‘Lipgloss’, the first single, is a cutting caricature of social stereotype: “it’s no wonder that you’re looking thin / when all that you live on is lip-gloss and cigarettes”, and it builds up beautifully to that signature Pulp chorus, uplifting and anthemic. There are elements of over-production in the bulk of the album (‘David’s Last Summer’ sounds like a bad Pet Shop Boys cover) but as soon as you begin to lose interest, Jarvis slips in another crushing witticism or Candida Doyle (keyboards) engineers some harmonic surprise. The album builds and drops with all the verve of Britpop’s
long lost dance roots to ‘Razzmatazz’. Sure, it’s another shining example of Jarvis’s wit but it also demonstrates the true musicianship of the band. The layers of organs and guitars create a sound that moves and swirls but at the same time drives the song forward. The chord changes never quite go where they ought to, always nostalgically surprising. Pulp created a sound that even in 1994 sounded dated and retro but still maintains an air of freshness; it’s still something we’ve never heard before. This is perhaps the finest attribute of His ‘n’ Hers: even today it sounds innovative and creative. It tries new sounds and pushes lyrical boundaries (Nick Banks is credited in the album sleeve with playing ‘fire extinguisher’) but it always retains its musical core. All things said and done, Jarvis and the band have put together a belting pop album, three exceptional singles and created a sound of their own which continues to inspire and influence a new generation of artists. So if you’ve got His ‘n’ Hers gathering dust in some god-forsaken playlist, then give it another listen. It might be old and sound dated in places, but His ‘n’ Hers is up there with the very best albums of our musical generation.
1994 IN MUSIC February 1 – Green Day release Dookie March 1 - Whitney Houston wins three awards at the Grammys. April 5 – Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, commits suicide April 25 – Blur release Parklife
TOM GOODSIR
July 20 – Suede guitarist Bernard Butler leaves the band following arguments during recording August 23 – Jeff Buckley releases Grace August 30 – Oasis release their debut album, Definitely Maybe October 24 - Radiohead release single ‘My Iron Lung’
ALBUM REVIEWs Live In London Regina Spektor
The Russian-born American anti-folk singer-songwriter and pianist Regina Spektor has provided her ever expanding audience with a double disc CD and DVD from her performance at the Hammersmith Apollo, London. Listening to the CD and watching the DVD, one is able to grasp Spektor’s monumental ability to galvanise her fervent crowd with powerful vocals, meaningful, witty lyrics and dark yet enthralling piano playing. Despite appearing to have a rather awkward and uncomfortable stage presence, the deafening cheers between each of her songs signals the appreciation and gratitude of the English public towards the charmingly endearing singer. Spektor appropriately begins proceedings with the popular, upbeat ‘On the Radio’ where she seems to provide a breathless narrative of youth, life and love. To fit such broad subject areas into
a three minute dialogue might be difficult for some singers, but not for this talented artist who successfully manages to encapsulate the listener. Next up is the strangely named ‘Eet’ where Spektor comments on the difficulties involved in losing and disconnecting from something which was once special. This is demonstrated by the despair that comes with the incredulity of ‘forgetting the words to your favourite song’. As the performance smoothly progresses, Spektor comes into her own with the authoritative ‘Apres Moi’, where she tells the entrapped audience to “be afraid of the lame, the old and the cold”, before singing in her native Russian. Now, Spektor’s lyrics can be difficult to decipher at the best of times, but it proves almost impossible to understand verses which are quoted from a Boris Pasternak (author of Dr Zhivago) poem. Leaving aside my grasp of Russian linguistics, however, I can admire how Spektor successfully throws aside her sweet exterior and singing voice with ‘Bobbing for Apples’. As the gig reaches its climax, Spektor plays the atmospheric, universally popular ‘Us’ to a delighted crowd. The song builds up beautifully, just as the performance itself, and finishes with the Soviet born artist repeatedly singing “it’s contagious.” It certainly seems that Spektor’s complex songwriting, enchanting singing, and masterful instrument-playing are contagious for her engrossed listeners. ALEC KOTAKIS
I’m Having Fun Now Jenny and Johnny The worst thing one should expect from Jenny and Johnny’s debut album is the sixth album from Jenny’s Lewis’ former band, Rilo Kiley. The Rilo Kiley expectation can lead to much disappointment. This was a problem I faced when writing this review, such that it could be called, ‘How I learned to stop waiting for Blake Sennett’s vocals and accept Johnathan Rice’. Jenny Lewis and present beau Johnathan Rice are quite the pair. Their catchy and at times anthemic tunes are engaging from the outset as the album launches into the opening track, ‘Scissor Runner’. The album’s title really begins to ring true in the second track ‘My Pet Snakes’, a contradictorily upbeat song about a failed relationship. With each verse Lewis gleefully
sings to a past love with such lines as, “And if you don’t believe in chemistry, Then what were we doing?” preceded by Rice’s laudatory, “God it makes me queasy when you smile”. For the most part Lewis and Rice’s vocals are complementary of one another, with Lewis’ melodies contrasting with Rice’s drawl. But what at first seems complementary later appears to be a one-sided dependence. ‘Animal’ takes the primary focus from Lewis to Rice. Brought to the forefront is Rice’s voice which seems to lack enough substance to carry the song, something that is made more apparent when Lewis is introduced during the chorus. The ominous Au Revoir Simone-esque, ‘While men are dreaming’ signals a change to something more dreamlike with Rice lulling in the background. As the album progresses it loses much of the enthusiasm and catchiness present in many of the opening songs.
To refer to the album’s title, they don’t seem to be having as much fun. This could be construed as a cool-down period, but many of the later tracks run the risk of being the forgettable songs amidst what are primarily very strong tracks. ‘Just Like Zeus’, although returning to the upbeat tone of the beginning of the album, fails to match their appeal. The same could be said of the succeeding songs, ‘New Yorker Cartoon’, ‘Straight Edge of the Blade’ and ‘Slavedriver’. The album goes out with a bang, grabbing the listener once again with ‘Committed’, the opening of which surprisingly invokes ‘Prince Charming’ by Adam & The Ants. I’m Having Fun Now is an album filled with strong tracks, but it unfortunately loses its momentum as it reaches the halfway point with songs that pale in comparison to what preceded. SAPPHIRE MASON-BROWN
Exeposé week sixteen
29
The Lady Killer Cee-Lo Green In the late ‘90s, hip-hop outfit Goodie Mob were collaborating with the likes of Outkast and making appearances in movies such as Mystery Men. Their debut single ‘Cell Therapy’ topped the US Rap charts, a success they never quite came to replicate. By their 2004 album, however, fans were feeling something was missing. That something was key member Cee-Lo Green. He released two solo albums after leaving the band, subsequently being dropped by the label due to low sales. The accidental leakage of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, however, led to a record-breaking success. The song was the first in UK history to become #1 by download sales alone, remaining as the top download for 11 weeks. In the end, the band and their label withdrew it from the charts, so that fans would “remember the song fondly and not get sick of it.” When ‘Forget You’ (and its uncensored counterpart) burst into the charts last summer, I wondered if the unrivalled soul voice that had made ‘Crazy’ into a classic had returned. Gnarls Barkley had gone on to disappoint their fans with successive singles ‘Smiley Faces’ and ‘Run’, and one-hit wonder status seemed inevitable. But ‘Forget You’ seemed a return to form, beyond the long-forgotten pop output Gnarls Barkley had churned out since their hit.
21 Adele It is rather difficult to ignore Adele at the moment. Her version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ has been floating in the Top 40 for months thanks to just about every contestant on The X Factor singing it on the latest series. Rather than capitalise on this with more middle-of-the-road ballads, Adele has instead progressed from the simple yet beautiful tunes of her debut with a stunning mix of stomping country-tinged tracks mixed with tear-inducing ballads.
“Adele has progressed from the simple yet beautiful tunes of her debut with a stunning mix of stomping countrytinged songs mixed with tear-inducing ballads”
Although 21 undoubtedly shows development, it still centres on themes of heartbreak, the difference being that this album conveys a more mature take on the subject rather than the sometimes naïve views shown on 19. The first track and first single ‘Rolling in the Deep’ immediately shows the growth in Adele’s sound in the last two years with a bluesy, soulful sound, lyrics full of anger on
Rolling Blackouts The Go! Team
I certainly wasn’t disappointed by their album The Lady Killer that followed in 2010. The classic soul style, that wouldn’t look far out of place in the ‘60s and ‘70s’ golden age, is still in plain sight. While shrouded in digital effects, ‘Wildflower’ surges on a wave of brass chords and smooth strings and, while ‘Bright Lights Bigger City’ relies heavily on synthesisers in what could be quite a big club number, tracks like ‘Satisfied’ seem a trip back to that time. Being The Lady Killer, the album draws heavily on the James Bond series as inspiration. Lyrics like “the man / the man in the mirror” seem to play on 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun, while the title track claims Green has “a license to kill” when it comes to women, and the very chord sequence of ‘Please’ seems to draw on Bond’s lines such as “think of me, in the depths of your despair” with Adele herself describing the song as “word vomiting.” his sassy sound continues with the first of the Ryan Tedder (famous for penning ‘Bleeding Love’) songs ‘Rumour Has It’, which sees Adele laughing off rumours made about her by her own friends. Just when 21 seems to be turning into a completely countrified soul album the ballads start to arrive. ‘Turning Tables’, a more typical Ryan Tedder ballad, is lifted to another level by Adele’s stunning voice whilst the surprising and thunderous ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ raises hairs on the back of my neck. It is after these first five tracks that the album loses some of its focus with a string of similar songs, but none are duds, and they showcase Adele’s voice much more than the heavy start; ‘One and Only’ especially is an immersive track in which Adele’s vocals shine. Just as ‘Hometown Glory’ proved the highlight of 19, it is the ballad that finishes this album that will become its classic track. ‘Someone Like You’ features the best lyrics of the entire album in the verse, “I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited / But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it / I’d hoped you’d see my face / And that you’d be reminded that, for me, it isn’t over”, which then bursts into the angst-filled chorus which has endless repeatability. If nothing else, this is the track that certifies Adele’s growth and talent and will potentially cement her recent popularity. I know it’s only January, but 21 might just be the album of 2011.
MATT EUSTACE
famous theme. Green’s alleged chivalry is evident throughout, with songs like ‘Old-Fashioned’ discussing his traditional methods of dating success. In that respect it remains a very selfcongratulatory work, almost on par with Isaac Hayes’ 1971 double album Black Moses. Despite being reminiscent of Hayes’ hilarious love-machine number ‘Good Love’, ‘Old-Fashioned’ does tell us something about Cee-Lo Green. His music reflects the brass-driven funksoul of nearly half a century passed. This compilation of Barry White-esque love anthems carries the strength of ‘Forget You’ to a high standard album.
ROB STURGEON
SINGLE REVIEW You’ve Seen The Butcher Deftones Following the car crash which left bassist Chi Cheng in a coma in 2008, Californian rockers Deftones came back last year with the new album Diamond Eyes, choosing to put their work-in-progress, Eros, on the back burner for the time being as Cheng remained hospitalised. Haunting and intense, Cheng’s absence is felt in every song from the album. The most recent release ‘You’ve Seen
Odds are you won’t have heard of The Go! Team unless you caught them on an obscure stage at Glastonbury in 2005 or heard their highest selling single when it reached #26 in the UK charts four years ago. And to be honest, it’s relatively easy to see why. This English sextet likes to experiment in a way I’ve never heard before. No track on Rolling Blackouts is the same as the one before and admittedly this originality is quite refreshing, but it does prevent the listener from ever forming a definite opinion. One minute you might think you’ve pinned the genre as mid-nineties hip-hop, and the next you’re listening to a mellowed-out instrumental that could easily be background music to The Sims. One might argue this is inevitable given the huge array of instruments at their disposal, numbering close to twenty and including a banjo and a glockenspiel. The talents of this band’s individual members are nothing short of incredible and the combination of these instruments makes them fascinating to listen to. Unfortunately, it does also make them difficult to get in to. The key vocalist, a charmingly voiced young woman called Ninja, adds an ease to songs which otherwise might sound messy or complicated because of the instruments. She particularly shines
The Butcher’ is no exception. For Deftones fans, the new single ticks all of the band’s trademark boxes and delivers the distorted bass riffs, eerie vocals and sinister lyrics which we have come to expect. From the weird and wonderful mind of vocalist Chino Moreno, the lyrical imagery of the song is apocalyptic and, in true Deftones’ style, downright disturbing at times. Although less aggressive than the first single of the same album, ‘Rocketskates,’ the new track will still hook newcomers to Deftones’ unique brand of alternative metal from the first disjointed
Music
in ‘Secretary Song’ (my favourite on the album), which has such a light-hearted nature to it that it is bound to de-stress you. Similarly, ‘Buy Nothing Day’ – the band’s latest single – sees Ninja and guest singer Bethany Consentino combining vocals to produce the catchiest song of the album.
“You’re not going to love every song, but there will be the odd one or two that will stick in your head”
The songs that stand out most on this LP, though, are the instrumentals. ‘BustOut Brigade’ has a smooth, underlying groove that would be perfect in a bank heist film, whilst ‘Super Triangle’ acts as a chilled-out interlude not even reaching the two minute mark. Overall, initial impressions of Rolling Blackouts are not fantastic, but the originality and diversity of every track on the album is the real selling point. You’re not going to love every song, but there will be the odd one or two that will stick in your head and, if you’re tired of the conventional music styles, then go and check out this band. MATT KNIGHT
riff. The relentless sound of the track is reminiscent of the band’s first album Adrenaline; however, Deftones’ impressive track record of studio albums has seen the band’s sound develop, refining the raw edges of their earlier work but without losing their signature intensity. As ‘You’ve Seen The Butcher’ is the last single to be released from the current album, we are now left wondering what they will come up with next.
SOPHIE PIROUET
30
Screen
february 7 2011
Exeposé
Calum Baker & David Brake - screen@exepose.com
NEWSREEL
FIRST and foremost, the Oscar nominations are out with The King’s Speech and True Grit leading the way with the former ahead with 14 nominations. However, there are annoying omissions for Andrew Garfield, Christopher Nolan and Daft Punk. The awards are on February 27. For student TV fans, XTV’s multiaward-winning Finals, produced in 2008 by Adam Mason, Laurie Blake and Pip Sprake, has been reshot in HD, extended and given six extra episodes - all by the original team, now graduates. A perfect example of what students can do. It will be airing on littlehousetv.com every Monday at 6pm. The fact that it is watchable only on a uni network may prove problematic, but it’s worth taking some headphones down to the library and having a watch. Episode two screens tonight; the series will conclude on April 4. Also, it’s time to look to the skies in hope as Henry Savill has been cast as Clark Kent/Superman in Zack Snyder’s latest version of the Man of Steel. An obscure choice with his previous work only involving The Tudors, but it should be interesting to see the Brit don the classic red and blue suit. In other news, for all of you who wanted to see an Elton John biopic, your wait is over! The script is currently being formed in collaboration with the piano man, and this section waits in great expectation... for its cancellation.
COMPETITIONS SOME people forget about one of our best cinemas: the Picturehouse, on Bartholomew St. West. With a newly-refurbished bar and incredibly comfy seats, it’s the perfect time for YOU to enter our Valentine’s competition for THREE PAIRS of free tickets to any screening, any time. Email us with ‘I LOVE PICTUREHOUSES’ for a chance at winning.
And, as always, don’t forget our ODEON competition. Same deal, THREE PAIRS of tickets for any screening. To get your hands on these, email us with ‘I LOVE BUSINESS COMPETITION’.
Deadline’s Saturday February 12. And, yes, you can enter both. Our address is: screen@exepose.com
Official: Exeter better than Hollywood Calum Baker and David Brake, Screen Editors, chat with actor and fight co-ordinator Kim Carrell.
THE life of a jobbing actor is a funny one. Most try to simply ‘make it’, moving to Hollywood, auditioning for Superman and realising that a life of pornos & prostitution is an easier living. Not Kim Carrell, who has balanced the odd bit of screen work with a steady career in stage and fight choreography. We chatted to the Drama Postgrad about his work on The Fighter - a film you may have noticed has been nominated for several Oscars. Kim’s story is an interesting example of the surreal mundanities that keep you going in talkies. Before The Fighter, his biggest project was the FX Channel’s Oil Storm: “a really stupid thing where they discover the world’s oil reserves have run out... chaos ensues.” Despite convincingly “pulling a guy to the ground and kicking the crap out of him”, Kim says it was sheer courtesy that got him more work: “I sent [the casting director] a thank you note.” It did the trick as the casting director, shocked by this rare note of thanks, called him back in June 2009 with mention of The Fighter. At the time he was “stuck in Montana directing a musical” but with further encouragement, Carrell went to audition for the role of a boxing manager and reached the final two. Carrell saw a “pretty strong resemblance” with the character’s thinning hair but he lost out on the authenticity of accent. Nevertheless, Kim found himself on set in August 2009 as “the day
The Fighter
Dir: David O Russell Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo (15) 115mins FOR all the advertising hyperbole trumpeting it as the best boxing flick since Rocky, casually ignoring both Raging Bull and Million Dollar Baby, The Fighter triumphantly rises above the underdog story it might be expected to imitate. The result is a boxing film that ties the sport and Mark Wahlberg’s encapsulation of ‘Irish’ Micky Ward together as the foundation to bring about a supremely entertaining film.
before I went on set they emailed me the script, and I had one line.” Sounds like your usual extra’s work? Well, Kim continues: “things got surreal,” as the security guard announced, “Mr. Carell is on set, Mr. Carrell is on set” and a P.A. said “Mr. Carrell, so glad to see you. Let me take you to your trailer.” Kim’s reaction: “what, are they gonna arrest me?” Thus his fascinating experience began, as he casually sat among the likes of Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg and David O. Russell as they began a full read-through. Through Kim’s tales, a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere becomes apparent as the original read-through was “much more of a theatrical process.” He notes there was “a very easygoing collaborative dynamic.” Russell was “concerned with what told the story – and he would never be pushy about it.”
Considering the highly-profiled tempers of Bale and Russell, the calm atmosphere is a small shock. Kim notes how during the first readthrough of his scene, Russell stopped proceedings and said “this conversation starts on the second beat... ask another question first.” Carrell admitted his shock, amazed by the level of faith Russell had in him. Furthermore, Russell ensured a great community spirit, casting local Bostonians as extras: “near my trailer was the guy who directed the production of Troilus & Cressida I’d done fights for three years ago!” Nevertheless, the biggest surprise arrives from his stories about the notoriously volatile Bale. Kim dispels the image, saying “I have never been on set with an A-list actor of his calibre where I felt a mutual respect between him and me.” Indeed, the jovial image of the A-lister continues as Kim kindly described: “his trick was singing the old Bee Gees song ‘I Started a Joke’ in a thick Boston accent.” On the subject of ‘Marky’ Mark, we jest about his previous films such as
Planet of the Apes: “there was a black hole on screen where there should’ve been a character.” He acknowledges Wahlberg’s talent though, and notes how this film was the perfect platform for Wahlberg to perform. He notes how Wahlberg and Bale’s characters, Micky Ward and Dicky Ecklund, were both present forces on set and says, “it’s like watching different versions of the same person... and you’d see Bale start to mirror the gestures back at him when he said something.” Interestingly, despite acclaimed performances, Kim believes “there was no Oscar buzz on set.” As we reached the conclusion of our absorbing interview, we ask what it’ll be like seeing himself on the big screen to which he replies, “I’m gonna need a couple of pints before and after!” However, our final question proposes the idea that if offered the chance to do another film again with all these big names, would he? He replies “no”; unless it could happen between academic terms stating, “there is nothing in the United States that approaches this MFA Staging Shakespeare programme”, exclaiming “I’ve had enough of this Concept Shakespeare: just tell the goddamn story!” So, Exeter is better than Hollywood it seems; however, he did admit the offer of Marvel’s Dr. Strange could persuade him back once more...
Telling the story of a down on his luck pugilist regarded as little more than a ‘stepping stone’ for other boxers, The Fighter has the hallmark of the triumph-over-adversity tale that is so easily the genre’s staple. Add to this the overbearing shadow of Ward’s crack-addict brother and trainer Dicky ‘the Pride of Lowell’ Eklund (Bale), himself a former boxer, and the domineering mother who so favours him (Leo), and Ward’s life is in a similar state to the crumbling city of Lowell around him. Yet when faced with the prospect of a relationship with immediately endearing barmaid Charlene (Amy Adams), and an evaluation of his prospects, Ward begins to tentatively straddle the tightrope between hope and failure. Tellingly, Wahlberg’s will and determination within the film is mir-
rored outside of it, having spent four years training for the role to ensure he could jump right into filming. Fortunately this development limbo saw David O. Russell take up the reins of direction and a reunion that previously saw the successful collaboration on Three Kings. Accordingly, Wahlberg’s solid turn as Ward is accompanied by an outstanding ensemble cast, each slipping seamlessly into believable, realised characters. Adams offers an emotional counterpoint to Wahlberg’s enforced stoicism, Bale’s all but confirmed Oscar-winning role as Eklund never dips into parody, whilst Leo’s overbearing matriarch compounds the pressures upon Ward and gives necessary context to proceedings. Perhaps the greatest success of The Fighter comes in its appeal
though. Russell ensures that the film remains well-paced and thoughtful throughout, not once appearing as a film aimed squarely at awards season. The fights are not the choreographed slugfests of similar offerings, but instead visceral and hard-hitting, with Russell going so far as to shoot them on the same cameras of the period. Though there may be a few directorial missteps on a couple of occasions, with a cold turkey scene in particular standing out as rather heavy handed, the film is an extremely polished entry into the boxing canon, punctuated with a realism that lifts it above so many similar contenders.
STEPHEN O’NION VIDEOGAMES EDITOR
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Exeposé week sixteen
The Brits are (finally) coming! Dan Orton re-evaluates the British film industry following the demise of the UK Film Council. LAST year I wrote an article for this paper about the crisis facing the British film industry and how we must stay strong and support our little Island and fight them on the beaches and so on. Now, in light of recent (cough *Colin Firth* cough) events, I feel the issue needs readdressing. My main worry back in October was that thanks to the dissolution of the UK Film Council, we would see a tragic decline in quality British films and fine actors like Alan Rickman would have to revert back to playing baddies (Snape is a goodie, it doesn’t count). And not just Rickman, but up and coming talent who have so much more to offer the world of film than “Alright Bond, I’ll tell you my evil plan but then I will definitely kill you!” In reality, it hasn’t been as bad as I prophesised; yes the UKFC is still being abolished but Lottery funding for films will instead come from the BFI (maybe because it has fewer letters?) and the agency certainly went out with a bang.
Back in June 2009, they awarded £1 million to a little project called The King’s Speech and gosh didn’t that do well! Now I must warn you, what follows is essentially going to be a very boring list of stats. The King’s Speech was nominated for seven Golden Globes (winning one for Best Actor), nine awards at the British Independent Film Awards (won six), eleven Critic’s Choice Awards (won two; Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay) and (at the time of writing) has been nominated for a whopping fourteen BAFTAs and twelve Oscars (both including Best Actor). Indeed, I must be careful that this article does not become an ode to Colin Firth. The phenomenal success of this film highlights what a shame it really is that the UKFC was abolished; they really did get it spot on when they forked out that one million. Another film generating some hype is Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours (or “five and a bit Days”, but I suppose that doesn’t have the same effect) which was nominated for three Golden Globes and is up for eight BAFTAs and six Oscars. This is wonderful for British cinema; Danny Boyle is one our best directors (or most overrated, depending on your point of view) and the film is not only up for Best
Director but also Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. 127 Hours was written, photographed and edited by Brits. But what about after the excitement fuelled by these gems of our United Kingdom’s film industry ebbs away? Never fear, Britain’s reputation is in good hands. In my last feature on this subject I highlighted such names as Tom Hardy and Carey Mulligan as ones to watch and, well, I think I deserve some kind of pat on the back…No. Fine then. Hardy obviously has Inception (directed by home grown hero Christopher Nolan) to thank for catapulting him to international stardom as he has now landed himself a role in Nolan’s next Batman flick The Dark Knight Rises. Mulligan, meanwhile, has a lot to look forward to in
the inevitable success of Never Let Me Go as well as a whopping six films due over the next two years, including an adaptation of The Great Gatsby and an Emma Thompson penned remake of My Fair Lady (which frankly couldn’t go wrong if it tried). We can also rely on the excellent talents of Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Andrea Riseborough (Made in Dagenham) and Rosamund Pike (An Educa-
tion), to name a few, who will be starring in some cracking films being released in 2011 and beyond. So what should we be looking forward to? Never Let Me Go has already been mentioned and is a shoe in for some kind of recognition at next year’s awards. A feast for any fan of British cinema will be served up first by Brighton Rock starring legends Helen Mirren and John Hurt but also up and coming talent Andrea Riseborough and Sam Riley. Following that tempting starter is an altogether far too filling main course from director Tomas Alfredson in the form of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy starring a veritable who’s-who of British talent: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Roger Lloyd-Pack, the list goes on. Seriously, Google it. Not only that but there’s the last instalment of the Potter franchise over the summer and in October, the Brit-fest that is Tintin will hit the screens. The UKFC might be dead and buried but the British film industry is showing that it didn’t really need it anyway. Crisis averted. We still have fantastic actors, we still have brilliant filmmakers and together they are creating some glorious films. The British are here, they are staying. Hollywood, you might as well just leave.
films including 95 world premieres, Sundance has certainly grown from its 1978 small-scale beginnings. The four main categories are: U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition and World Cinema Documentary Competition, as well as the Shorts Competition and Alfred P. Sloane Award, with names such as America Ferrera and Matt Groening appearing on the jury panel. It was Drake Doremus’ love story Like Crazy which took this year’s U.S. Dramatic Prize: the tale of a British and American student (Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin) who, after a summer of passion, fall into a cross-continental relation-
ship constrained by an expired visa and divided by over five thousand miles. This could well be Felicity Jones’ big breakthrough judging from the hugely positive response; exciting news for the world of British acting.
Nim. Peter Richardson’s film looks at the emotive and controversial practise of euthanasia in the state of Oregon performed since its legalisation in 1994. In the World Cinema section the winners were: Hell and Back Again and Happy Happy. The first, Danfung Dennis’ documentary, follows the human cost of the Afghanistan war from on the ground to a returning wounded Sergeant, Nathan Harris, facing the challenges of injury and readjusting to civilian life. The second is a Norwegian comedy and drama set in winter about an affair between a lonely housewife and her new married neighbour with its consequences on their families. Martha Marcy May Marlene also de-
serves a mention and features, it is said, an impressive performance from the youngest Olsen sister, as a woman who stays with her sister after spending two years in a cult. Then there’s Terri, a comedy about an overweight pupil and headmaster and the aforementioned Project Nim recounting the experiment which saw scientists try to teach sign language to a chimpanzee, nurturing him like a child. What’s more, those are just a handful of the exciting short and feature-length independent films which ran. Now begins the wait for these films to arrive on our screens. If Sundance is any guide to go by, it looks to be an extremely promising year for cinema.
Rogen, voice of the titular Paul, and bumbling agent duo Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio. The duo steals every scene and are great to watch. What’s the story? Two nerds Graeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost) are on a road trip of the UFO sites of America, where they run into the little grey alien Paul, who is on the run from a shadowy secret organisation. Comedy ensues. It’s a satire of movies like E.T. and Escape to Witch Mountain. The character of Paul is interesting; if you take your stereotypical friendly alien and turn all those tropes upside down, apparently you end up with a swearing, drinking, weed smoking fratboy of an alien buddy. This film ain’t for kids. The CGI for Paul is good, but the character is bland as Rogen literally plays himself. The problem of blandness seeps into the other characters. The defining characteristic of our lead protagonists is they are geeky nerds. That’s it. To differentiate the characters; one is quiet
around girls and the othe r … i s n ’t ? Literally that’s pretty much all the personality they have. When you think of the more complex, layered
tioned, the comedy isn’t great. The start of the film has way too many jokes about alien penises and ass probing and this is the third film by Pegg and Frost about their underlying homosexual urges and guy love for one another. Just get a room guys! Films about aliens include questions of religion because the presence of alien life could contradict such beliefs. These films usually either side step such questions or indicate that a greater being could exist. Not Paul. Paul attacks religion like Darren Aronofsky attacks your sense of happiness and well being. Religious believers are represented as oppressed or oppressive and ignorant. One religious character, Ruth, is literally re-educated to show how foolish she is and to get her to shut up. There is also a trend of anti-intellectualism in the movie. Paul, the most intelligent being on the planet, likes to just sit around, smoke weed and be a rude bastard, while Ruth, having been
“re-educated” about life, the universe and everything, decides to get rid of her morals, swear like a sailor and become a promiscuous skank. Lovely. A lot of the film just doesn’t work. I’m pretty sure scenes were cut that explained what the hell is going on and certain jokes seem to have no context. One character is called “Lorenzo Zoil.” As in Lorenzo’s Oil? Okay, but why is that funny? As a reference to some old movie or to Paul’s healing powers? I don’t get it. I do like how it’s filmed, with lots of subtle visual references to other sci-fi flicks, including a few fun cameos. The film refreshingly doesn’t try to moralise or have any deeper meaning. During the denouement, jokes are made about how the characters haven’t really learned anything. The only thing we really learn: Two boobs good, three boobs better, but four boobs? That’s just sick…
Sundance Round-Up Sammy Brook reviews the Sundance Film Festival and looks to a promising year for cinema. EVERYONE’S heads are turning to the glitz and glamour of the Oscars but the most recent event in the film critics’ calendar was something altogether a little less Hollywood: the Sundance Film Festival. Running from January 20-30 in Park City, Utah, it has gained a prominent reputation for fostering independent film and helping new acting and directive talent break into the field. With 10,279 short and featurelength submissions, and showcasing 199
Paul
Dir: Greg Mottola Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (15) 104mins
WHAT do you get when you cross Spaced, Superbad and E.T.? An average sci-fi/buddy/road trip movie! With the generic title, Paul! Not much of a punchline? Well Paul is thin on them too. I don’t mean that in a bad way, the films humour comes from the situation and characters rather than gags, but through the whole film I didn’t laugh as much as I wanted to or as loud as I wanted to, which is a shame considering the talent behind this movie. Saying that, I came out of the screen having enjoyed the ride provided by the writers/ stars Pegg and Frost and the director of Superbad, Mottola. The style of the film feels a lot like a Judd Apatow feature and includes some of the cast from those films, including
Screen
“It has gained a prominent reputation for fostering independent film” Sundance is especially renowned for the documentaries that it showcases, How to Die in Oregon won beating tough competition from the likes of the tipped Project
characters from Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead, these two pale in comparison. Think of their names. Clive and Graeme? Forgettable compared to Nick Angel and Danny Butterman. As men-
LUKE GRAHAM
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Screen
The Mechanic
Dir: Simon West Cast: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland (15) 92mins
ALL you really need to know is that this is a Jason Statham film. It has explosions, it has Jason looking moody and manly, it has everything you could want in a Jason Statham film. It also stars the underrated Foster and the positively ancient, yet legendary, Sutherland. The Mechanic tells the story of master assassin Arthur Bishop (Statham) teaching his skills to the young Steve McKenna (Foster) at the request of Steve’s father Harry (Sutherland). It is your regular tale of betrayal, double and triple crossing, great fight scenes, awesome spectacles (my favourite was Bishop and McKenna scaling a building on the outside with no ropes) and a healthy smattering of moments that make you go “OMG! The threatening phone call is coming from inside the building where the baddies are!” or something to that effect… It’s not an ideal first date movie,
february 7 2011 but it’s definitely one to watch with some friends (or a particularly understanding girlfriend if you promise to go and see Black Swan with her) so you can walk out of the cinema, ready to head-butt a mercenary in the face with your shiny bald head, whilst bullets ricochet off your pecs. Jason Statham, we love you and salute you in the manliest way possible!
Barney’s Version Dir: Richard J. Lewis Cast: Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike (15) 132mins
WHEN you think of potential candidates for a ‘romantic lead,’ Giamatti is probably the last name that springs to mind. Revered as support in films
HUGH BLACKSTAFFE
such as Cinderella Man and The Illusionist, this latest outing sees him assume the role of Jewish TV producer Barney Panofsky. On the surface we observe the transgressions of an obnoxious degenerate, the type of character Giamatti thrives on, but when accused of murder, things change. Consequently, our protagonist elucidates Barney’s Version – a total account of where his life, and marriages, went so very wrong. Starting in ‘70s Italy, we observe a tale of self-destruction fuelled by Panofsky’s glorious subservience to temptation. Giamatti’s performance is solemn, well crafted, and hilarious at times, finally proving that he is much more than just an excellent foil: deservedly winning Best Actor – Musical or Comedy at this year’s Golden
Exeposé
Globes, he displays real underlying warmth from a character that would otherwise be disregarded within moments. The simple fact we sympathise with him is testament to the quality of this performance. The principal love interest of the film is Pike - only knowing that she was an extremely forgettable Bond Girl didn’t inspire much confidence, but my lingering doubts were completely misplaced. Pike delivers a truly class act that makes Giamatti’s uncontrollable love for her, and the extraordinary lengths he goes to pursue it, seem so very reasonable. It would be cruel to ignore Hoffman who marks a blistering return to form as Barney’s unsophisticated father Izzy; with the exception of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech, this is perhaps the year’s most touching ‘bromance.’ Version offers a fresh perspective on the act of catharsis. Heartfelt, genuine and rewarding throughout, this won’t be dominating the box-office any time soon, but it’s well worth the price of a ticket. NICHOLAS GILBERT
Classic Films #13: Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Dir: Sergio Leone Cast: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Joe Pesci (18) 229mins
WHAT makes a classic? Have Oscars and BAFTAs come to define what we, the audience, perceive to be a “classic” film? The answer: no (see Dances With Wolves for proof). If I were to say Goodfellas, the majority of cinema lovers would respond with the simple but effective word: “classic”. Why then was Martin Scorsese’s masterclass in filmmaking beaten to the mighty Oscar by Kevin Costner, a poor script and a pack of wolves? Goodfellas is not the first, or last, classic film to be cheated of an Oscar. 2002 saw the savagely beautiful City Of God, fail to receive so much as a nomi-
nation for best foreign language film. Saving Private Ryan did not fare much better, losing out on the Oscar to the overdramatic Shakespeare In Love. The original King Kong failed to receive a single nomination (even in the “best giant monkey” category), highlighting an unsavoury trend in mainstream award shows, which seem at times to be rewarding popularity rather than achievement, innovation and originality. Films such as Pulp Fiction and Apocalypse Now, despite missing out on the all-elusive Oscar, have managed to solidify their place in film history. However, there appear to be some greats which people (if not time) have forgotten. This brings me to the emotionally driven, superbly acted and exquisitely directed Once Upon a Time In America. Standing at an intimidating 229 minutes long, it is a true cinematic experience
to behold. Originally released in 1984 to critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, Once was later drastically edited against the wishes of director Leone. The American Cut drastically changed the feel and tone of the entire film, switching from the superb non-linear structure, o a bland and nonsensical chronological order. The cut ensured the loss of not only key scenes, but the film’s emotional depth and complexity as well.
“Why go on living when we can bury you for $49.50?”
Leone’s film is an unflinching and daring story of organised crime, love, lust, greed and redemption. The gritty, realistic and close to perfection cinematography adds the prefect backdrop to the film (adapted from Harry Grey’s novel
The Hoods). The film charters the lives of five Jewish boys as they make their dangerous rise to New York City mobsters in a bleak 1930s America. De Niro effortlessly and magnificently leads the film, playing David “Noodles” Aaronson, careful not to fall into the trappings of the stereotypical mobster. All the characters (played by a distinguished cast: Woods, Pesci, and Burt Young) retain a strong sense of individuality and originality. These characters are not merely monsters or mobsters, they are humans, deeply affected by their pasts. The Director’s Cut of Once is one of the truly great classic films of our time. Although it is not recognised by institutions or academies, it is truly loved and appreciated by those who are fortunate enough to have seen it.
FRANCES RILEY
Classic Films #14: Requiem for a Dream (2000) Dir: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, Jennifer Connelly (18) 102mins
IT seems fitting that a film with such a lyrically pleasing title is actually quite a chilling affair. Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s book contains almost classical conditioning in warning viewers of the dangers of drugs. A tour-de-force of stylistic cinematography from Aronofsky and regular collaborator Matthew Libatique initially makes the film an enjoyable experience. There is even some dark humour to be found from the escapades of the addicts: Tyrone (Wayans), his best friend Harry (Leto), and
Harry’s girlfriend Marion (Connelly). The constant pawning by Harry of his mother’s television set (which she subsequently repurchases) to fund his addiction appears harmless and amusing, though morally deplorable. Even Tyrone and Harry’s venture into dealing is relatively easy, with there being enough left over for themselves to enjoy. However, Tyrone’s presence at a gang assassination signals a complete change in tone for Requiem for a Dream. There is a sudden transformation into a rollercoaster of despair and fast-cutting montages. Accompanying this shift, the brilliantly dramatic string ensemble soundtrack gets increasingly erratic and ominous, as it begins to resemble something heard only in the horror genre. As you would expect from three addicts driven by the next hit, the
aforementioned characters have few endearing aspects to them. However, their humanity is still there to see in the loving relationships between them, and when things go awry, it’s still painful to watch. Ellen Burstyn’s captivating portrayal of Sara leads to her being probably the most sympathetic victim of drugs; as a retired widow and mother of addict Harry, she is desperate to regain her former youth through some unsavoury diet pills. A phone call informing her of her selection for a television audience gives her life purpose and she becomes fixated on fitting back into her finest red dress. Her fridge taunts her though, groaning and shifting as she remains hungry. The surrealism in this drug-ubiquitous world co-exists with the mundane, as Sara’s television blares out repetitive spiel in the form
of weight-loss infomercials. In contrast to the humanity of these characters, the institutions that surround the addicts: the doctors, media and police are inhuman and uncaring figures who deliver mechanical utterances.
“Purple in the morning, blue in the afternoon, orange in the evening.” The low-budget Requiem for a Dream earns its classification as a ‘classic’ because of its fantastic acting, striking music and innovative camera shots. Unfortunately, it is a much under-appreciated film that will likely remain so given that an iron stomach is needed to endure its entirety.
LAURENCE MILNER
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february 7 2011
Books
Exeposé
James Henderson & Jacob Moffatt - books@exepose.com
REVIEW
Franco’s move from the silver screen to the page
Sarah Byrne takes a look at the actor-turned-author’s successful foray into short-story writing.
Review Gulliver’s Travels: Book of the Film
Jonathan Swift and Sarah Willson ISBN: 0141337265
With the new amputated cinematic version of Swift’s novel coming out over Christmas, it was clear that a review on the original, noticeably different, text was called for. Gulliver’s Travels is well known for its fantastical landscapes and hyperbolic characterisation. Yet, as it is encapsulated by the film starring Jack Black, the greatest satire of this famously satirical work lies in its relegation to children’s literature. Swift’s original text carries such a richness of historical, philosophical and contextual connotations that it cannot be denied that half its meaning must be
lost among young readers. For instance, the warring Lilliputians and Blefuscu are often veiled of their true significance by their exciting, adventurous framework which hypnotises innocent minds. However, Swift’s intention is to make a criticism of society, and to bring focus to the human imperfection over estimating ourselves and our abilities. The use of unrealistic fiction is therefore a technique intended to simplify the intricate qualities that made modern society dysfunctional in Swift’s eyes. This could not be fully and accurately perceived by inexperienced children, therefore the 2010 adaptation of this text, which is targeted at children 12 and under, is an evidence of the corruption the original words can undergo, and how easily Swift’s masterpiece can be undone. Moreover, the author’s creativity seeps from the pages as strongly as the satire. In his creation of a parody of modern life, Swift also creates an escape. It is often argued that the success of literature is due to its ability to allow the reader a form
of escapism. Indeed, Swift is admirable in his moulding of Gulliver’s Travels as he manages to transport us to a parallel world where we can laugh and cry, judge and pity, without bringing it to our daily lives thanks to the barrier of fantasy. The most admirable stroke arrives at the end, however, when he lets the real world tumble into his work, through the clash between Gulliver, the idealistic Houynhnhnms and the real world that can’t but conclude the protagonist of the tale must have given in to insanity. Gulliver’s Travels is an entertaining, readable book, with a captivating plot-line and a text that has reverberated throughout centuries because of its examination of society. A highly recommendable read, especially in times such as these, when the film industry is threatening to steal its most treasured qualities.
Esmeralda Castrillo
In our celebrity-saturated world we are used to seeing actors attempting to cross the border into another creative field, be it music, directing, or producing, often with little success. Whilst we are inundated with their never-ending autobiographies, rarely are we offered a fictional work by a Hollywood A-Lister. Due to the attention poured upon his major project of the last 12 months, 127 Hours, James Franco’s other project slipped under the radar when it entered the literary sphere in late 2010. Palo Alto is Franco’s first literary offering: as a series of short stories it deals with the day-to-day jaunts of teenagers growing up in the San-Franciscan suburb of the same name, Palo Alto, Franco’s own hometown. In 12 chapters, Franco literally navigates the streets of Palo Alto offering the reader first-hand accounts of hit-and-run accidents, sexual exploitation, assaults, consequential community service, and the obligatory drug-taking that accompanies all of the above. The frankness with which Franco’s intertwining characters narrate their various exploits gives their stories a sense of blunt realism that can only be captured through literature. Where Franco deals with issues raised in countless teen TV dramas set in similar middle-class suburban areas, such as The O.C. or One Tree Hill, he is afforded the luxury of not having to cushion the blow. Consequently, we don’t get any of the sugary sweet resolutions we have come accustomed to through television
shows of the same nature. Franco is clearly not afraid to address topics some big-name stars would be keen to avoid – one of the most interesting chapters, ‘American History’, acts as a social commentary addressing the tentative issue of discussing racism in the American classroom. Another, ‘Jack-O’, deals with one teenager’s fascination with suicide, all delivered with a distinct lack of emotion. The characters’ deadpan delivery creates a sense that these American teenagers are bored, that they take a disaffected attitude towards life, that they are headed in one bad direction and that they couldn’t care less. It is exactly this detached attitude, and sense of reckless abandon, which the characters take towards their actions which makes Franco’s seemingly easy narratives such a compelling read. Stylistically, Franco does not yet write as well as he acts. A progression in his writing is clearly evident in the text; the last chapter reads significantly better than the first, and allows us a more comprehensive picture of the character’s psyche. This progression can also be marked structurally as part two of the book seems to have a greater air of confidence to it. Whilst this collection of short stories may never appear on an all-time bestsellers list, it is certainly a breath of fresh air from an unlikely source. The edgy narratives that are halted before any revelatory resolution is given make for an exciting, if not a little frustrating read, demonstrating that this year’s Oscar host is more than just a pretty face.
Review
world. A host of minor characters enrich the comedy. There is Skullion, the moribund Head Porter who is in the vanguard of the resistance and Zipser, a befuddled research graduate whose sexual frustration leads him to lust after his cleaner, Mrs Biggs. This in turn leads to a grotesquely funny incident involving hundreds of gasfilled condoms stuffed up a chimney.
Porterhouse Blue Tom Sharpe ISBN: 0099435462
Porterhouse Blue is a comic novel about university life. Its framework is the age-old conflict between traditionalists and reformers. The story is set in the fictional Cambridge college of Porterhouse. The year is 1973 and the Master of the college has just died of a stroke, known as a “Porterhouse Blue” to the college inmates. Unfortunately, he failed to name a successor before his untimely demise. Appointed in his stead is the prosperous politician and erstwhile Porterhouse graduate, Sir Godber Evans. The story recounts the new Master’s hilarious efforts to overcome the belligerent resistance of the Fellows as he tries to drag the college kicking and screaming into the modern
“Its barbed humour is aimed at an easy target and it hits home with unerring accuracy” Porterhouse Blue is witty and funny. Its barbed humour is aimed at an easy target and it hits home with unerring accuracy. The fact that some of the stereotypes it lampoons can still be found lurking in the groves of academe means it is as amusing and relevant today as when it first appeared. Fiona Lally
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Exeposé week sixteen
Review
A World of Difference: An Anthology of Short Stories from Five Continents Lynda Prescott ISBN: 023020208X
A World of Difference is a superb anthology of 15 short stories written by distinguished modern writers. As the title indicates, the stories revolve around
Calum Baker, Screen Editor, rediscovers Tarr, Wyndham Lewis’ political and certainly controversial novel. I STILL can’t remember how I came across this book, written in 1909 and published in 1918. It’s not on ‘GreatestEver’ lists next to Ulysses and Catch-22, or even recognized as a major player in early Modernist fiction. The happy accident of buying it, though, has turned out to be – well, pretty happy. A damn good, damn odd, and frequently downright goddamn disagreeable novel, this ironical satire about artists in 1900s Paris is effectively a platform for Lewis’ pre-Fascist Vorticism (the watered-down British version of Mussolinian Futurism). His title character keeps going on about the need for Man to divest itself of emotion, whilst ranting verbosely – and difficultly – on the subject of art vs. sex. To some, Tarr – the young Englishman in Paris – is somewhere between a hilarious parody and a disturbing conduit for Lewis’ own views. Whatever your opinion (I prefer the former but find the latter unnervingly likely), it’s only upon the entry of the more central character Kreisler that the novel gets going. Dropping the pretentious spiels, Lewis paints the middle-aged failed artist – a destitute German in Paris – as an hilariously angry presence amongst the ‘Bourgeois-Bohemian’ society that provides the two protagonists with a pair of love interests to battle over. Kreisler seduces Tarr’s fiancé, whilst Tarr entices his rival’s beau – all without ever hav-
Sara Price takes a look at Zero History, the third component of a trilogy by William Gibson.
William Gibson’s latest novel Zero History is an entertaining read which perhaps claims to have more depth than it delivers. However, if you can see past Gibson’s occasional gnomic moments, it does provide an inter-
Books
the loose theme of cultural ‘difference’ and showcase a rich palette of characters, most of whom have been in some way dislocated from their homelands. The short story is a form of literary expression which is often side-lined in favour of more ‘substantial’ bestselling novels. Often confined to the pages of specialist literary journals or little known ‘e-zines’, they rarely find their voice in the mainstream. It’s a shame, because A World of Difference confirms that short stories are best defined as a marriage of acute, hard-hitting personal and artistic expression. This leaves no room for the kind of filler material and superfluous subplots that dominate much contemporary mainstream fiction. No, the narratives of each of the stories in this an-
thology are as varied in tone as they are in geographical setting. They can pummel along with relentless, often uneasy, intensity, as in Naomi Goddard’s ‘The Ultimate Safari’. Or, as in Zadie Smith’s outstanding ‘Martha, Martha’, can incite a vast spectrum of psychological and emotional implications, irrespective of the taunt compactness of the short story form. Having finished all the stories in A World of Difference, I was compelled to think of the anthology as ‘one’, that is to say, as a cumulative result of the strikingly similar, yet refreshingly varied, narratives on offer. Just like a music album is coloured by variations in pace, tone and mood, this anthology will work for any reader, whether they approach the
story in sequence or ‘dip in’ more or less randomly. Subtle links and oppositions colour the stories – Raymond Carver’s ‘What Do You Do in San Francisco?’ depicts vast gulfs of understanding and communication on a chillingly acute scale, showing how even native incomers from a Californian city feel the same intense sense of alienation as their colonial equivalents. And yet Roxana Robinson’s ‘Mr Sumarsono’ conveys the same sense of alienation on a much larger geographical scale, whilst also showing a move toward rather than away from understanding, awareness and assimilation of cultures. Stories like this can often be touching in their portrayal of seamless blends between cultures, defying the sense of depressing self-indulgence
which has often grossly manifested itself in reader’s impressions of ‘multi-cultural’ stories (no thanks to AQA’s GCSE English Anthology...) A World of Difference is a fantastic collection wherein techniques of literary realism absorb the reader into a variety of different cultures, allowing them to make a connection between the world of the story and the world we live in. It is also an important set of works that excites the mind by raising psychological and sociological issues. And yet they also serve to embody our hearts, acquiring a wide spectrum of shapes, textures and rhythms, faintly heard beneath the surface façade of the everyday ‘narrative’.
ing met. As we move towards an absurd duel, Lewis’ dark satire on artsy society and nationality is bolstered along by playful setpieces and some nifty – for 1909 – plays with language and form. Everything about the book should scream ‘Classic’, and yet it remained out of print till a few months ago; possibly because of Lewis’ political stance which, like more famed contemporary Ezra Pound, started off in favour of certain contentious views and steadily got more proNazi as the century wore on. I’d say it’s worth forgetting this, as so many seem to have done with Pound’s early work. Sure, Lewis revels in describing people as pieces of machinery, moving fluidly through the world like a swarm of Fascist soldiers – but it’s both academically interesting and, though arguably less so, a bit of a laugh for anyone who enjoys hating hipsters. It may have been 1909, but the artists of Lewis’ Paris still thought ‘their first album was better than their first album’.
Lucy Johnson discusses So Much For That, a novel by Lionel Shriver.
gripping because of her rare ability to act against the status quo and moral norms, qualities that are demonstrated in every word of So Much for That. The protagonist in So Much for That is Shep Knacker, a man who has worked all his life for ‘The Afterlife’: his dream existence in a quiet, unknown country far away from New York. However, when he finally summons the courage to leave, his wife reveals she is terminally ill with cancer and needs his health insurance, thus requiring his money previously intended for ‘The Afterlife.’ The way Shriver steers this novel away from becoming another story about the final days a dying woman spends with her husband is by centring the plot, and each subplot, on money. Each chapter begins with a summary of Shep’s Merrill Lynch bank account and net portfolio
value, which we see rapidly decrease as the novel progresses. This choice does not make Shriver insensitive or immoral. Rather, one should regard her as amoral and brave; she chooses to focus upon issues that the majority would never dare utter in the face of a terminal illness, yet she also covers issues which would occupy the forefront of their minds. The blurb rightly states that So Much for That posits the uncomfortable question: “how much is one life worth?” Yet whilst it is an uncomfortable and morally challenging question, Shriver yet again succeeds in voicing what many dare to think but do not dare to say. Furthermore, she successfully produces an entertaining novel that appeals to the majority of the population through providing access to so many areas without necessarily catering to stereotypical popular demand.
take itself too seriously and imaginative characters, such as the boss who sadly doesn’t realise he isn’t real and is married to a spreadsheet, keep the tone upbeat enough to make for a fun read. That is, if you don’t think about it too much. Reading this book either requires you to keep a pen and paper handy to jot down who’s where in time, or a decision to ignore everything that doesn’t quite make sense and enjoy the story for what it is. The confusion, especially toward the end of the book, does somewhat remove the pleasure of what is otherwise a surprisingly easy read and the plot does seem to lose its way a bit. Perhaps I was just being silly but I’m still not sure whether the ending was supposed to be ambiguous and, if not, what I was supposed to be getting from it. The begin-
ning of the book, however, is brilliant. Yu sets up his take on science fiction in a new way and the majority of the storyline is great and somehow very real, despite the unusual world it seems to be set in. It’s probably unfair that Yu only ever seems to be compared to Douglas Adams in reviews of his recent book, but this is a compliment in itself and Yu’s light-hearted approach to a subject that is often overly debated and taken a little too seriously, definitely has something of a Hitchiker’s Guide vibe about it. Overall, I think this book is a great and comfortable read. If you suspend your imagination far enough and ignore your doubts, it definitely deserves the impressing hype surrounding it, even if it doesn’t end as brilliantly as it begins.
ever, Gibson has a more annoying trait which gets wearing pretty quickly – he is constantly sending his reader to the dictionary. I don’t mind improving my vocabulary a bit, but too many obscure words that don’t add enough interest looks a lot like showing off. Some of his characters are insufferably clever as well and Gibson relies a little too heavily in including seeming savants to drive the plot and explain what is going on.
are great characters, from the ballsy punkish Heidi to the inexplicable oddness of advertising magnate Hubertus Bigend (you see what I mean about cheap jokes). Besides this though, the use of brand names (mainly Apple but with plenty of Twitter, the darling of the present moment, thrown in) could get on some reader’s nerves. Gibson does a good job really, though, of presenting how people talk about technology and their name-dropping tendencies. Enjoyable, if a late developer, Zero History had me feeling paranoid about almost everything, in the book and beyond. It’s a incisive look at the present, or as close as a writer can get given publishing time constraints. Gibson makes you look again at the futuristic nature of the technology that we still take for granted.
“Everything about the book should scream ‘Classic’, and yet it remained out of print until a few months ago”
Lionel Shriver is best known for her international bestseller and winner of the 2005 Orange Prize We Need to Talk About Kevin. Its ingenious plot and numerous unpredictable twists made her initially stand out, yet her best known work also displays some of her unique traits that become more dominant in her later novels. The most obvious of these traits is her desire to be different. So Much for That is a prime example of the way Shriver manages to engage her audience without creating obviously likeable characters, such as Kevin’s mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin. Shriver’s novels are so
Review
How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe Charles Yu
ISBN: 1590170180
While a frequently difficult read, and occasionally something that inspires such political-philosophical contempt as to physically enrage the reader, Tarr is a lost, near-completely overlooked slice of literary history and ultimately a brilliant book. Don’t let me be the only one; someone else rediscover this.
Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe is a fresh approach to the well-worn theme of time travel. The novel comfortably takes its place in the genre of science fiction whilst mocking the conventions of this genre. Despite its serious and poignant central story of a lost boy looking for his vanished father, the book doesn’t
esting insight into the world of advertising and brands. Zero History follows the investigations of Milgrim and Hollis Henry into a secret fashion label, Gabriel Hounds, which appears to use its lack of advertising and publicity as an advantage. Milgrim, a recovering drug addict, and Hollis, a former rock star, have already popped up in the earlier two novels in the trilogy but frankly you don’t need to read the earlier books to enjoy Zero History. The plot, once it gets going, is quirky and exciting, building to a thriller-style ending. Unfortunately, it takes far too long to get going and if you already know the characters this is even worse. But by the end this is a distant memory that rewards perseverance. The deep statements are ultimately balanced out by well-timed comic mo-
ments – are those really flying penguins? Could they be real? Whether or not, they’ll make you laugh. In fact, there are some slightly cheap jokes which balance out the serious discussion of global systems or the contemporary capitalist structure, and prevents Zero History feeling too sluggish. It’s also full of the utterly weird, from the most bizarre hotel decorations (including a totemic ferret) to some unbelievable technology. One of the best features of Zero History is how often you have to put it down to rush and Google something to check whether it’s Gibson’s imagination running away from him or whether the real world is that futuristic, but mostly Gibson turns out to be realistic. If this sounds like an awful imposition onto your quiet reading time then this may not be the book for you. How-
“Enjoyable, if a late developer” Gibson gives in to the urge to round everything and everyone off neatly at the end of Zero History, which seems a shame because it detracts from the complex characters and the way in which the plot explores the complexity of modern global systems. And there
Tom Payne
Francesca Morosini
36
february 7 2011 Exeposé
Arts
Rosie Scudder & Ellie Steafel - arts@exepose.com
Libby Purves on the Arts arts interview
Ellie Steafel, Arts Editor, talks to journalist Libby Purves about all things Arts.
LIBBY PURVES is a successful radio presenter, author, editor, and columnist with numerous accolades, including an OBE, to her name. A self-proclaimed theatre fanatic, Libby’s latest professional venture as The Times theatre critic combines her first love, writing, with a wonderful excuse to spend a lot of time in theatres up and down the country. We spoke to her about the position of theatre in society amid the continuing Arts cuts. Unsurprisingly, Libby concurs with our belief that theatre plays an important role in education and is an essential route into the Arts. A firm believer that “performance, play and shared experience are fundamental to human nature”, she acknowledges that “the trick of it is making theatre accessible, and attractive, in some form or another to everyone”. When asked whether there is anything she has particularly enjoyed recently, she reels off an impressive list of shows with characteristic enthusiasm: “Jacobi’s Lear at the Donmar was tremendous. Among the new plays: Clybourne Park, the marvelous new musical Matilda, and the Ayckbourn Seasons Greetings, then in smaller venues an astonishing Pasolini in the new Print Room. I loved Bill Ni-
“Performance, play and shared experience are fundamental to human nature.” cholson’s play about the banking crisis; Crash at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, and the Swallows and Amazons at Bristol... oh and two cracking experiences under Waterloo station in the old tunnels: the immersive dark ride of Cart Macabre and the verbatim Iraq play Aftermath.” Libby’s extensive list of genres and ven-
commentary Jennifer Seymour Deputy Editor
IT is the ardour of such Arts lovers as Libby Purves which gives hope to the uncertain
ues serves to emphasise the “diversity of genre and scale” on offer, which allows us in Britain to experience live drama regardless of our age or interests: “one just hopes to be surprised, often by things you thought you wouldn’t fancy!” Libby’s passion for the live Arts is evident, as she firmly believes that “things happen to your heart in theatres as well as your mind.” In this time of cuts, it would seem that the government does not place the Arts in such high esteem, as Arts and Humanities departments in universities such as our own face a disproportionate cut to their budgets. With the coming rise in tuition fees, there is an argument that young people could be inclined to opt for vocational or sciencebased degrees due to their employability benefits, rather than choosing an intellectually stimulating Arts or Humanities course. Libby’s take on Arts funding is straightforward: “It’s a no-brainer. The Arts generate more profit, export and employment than they ever get in subsidy. And if you damage the roots […] you risk the future.”
“Things happen to your heart in theatres as well as your mind.” Talking to Libby reaffirmed our faith in the cultural necessity of the Arts. She feels it is important that “submissions and ideas are robust, doable, likely to draw audiences, and not vague and selfindulgent”. We are lucky in Exeter to be surrounded by artistic venues showcasing original and stimulating material from professionals to our own drama students. In Libby’s first six months as The Times critic, she has been up and down the country, “not yet Exeter but give it time!” The Times may not have sampled all that Exeter has to offer, but you can. With so many great venues and exciting productions both on and off campus, 2011 is set to be a great year for our local Arts scene. future of Arts within education. As Libby proves, however, we need more than just a passion for all things Artsy to safeguard the Arts – we need an intelligent understanding of their central role within society. And just as passion goes hand in hand with an intelligent, rational approach in protecting the Arts, so the Arts generate benefits both
creatively and intellectually; personally and collectively. As Libby suggests, the Arts contribute to personal well-being and intellectual education; their benefits extend to society’s financial welfare, a territory in which the Arts have been seen as lacking in influence. Libby’s assertions are welcomed by Exeposé, where we dedicate much
paper-space to artistic reviews. Exeter campuses show the strengths of the Arts, with the successful rescue of the Northcott Theatre. Theatre culture is flourishing: we are blessed with outstanding performances from the University’s own alongside an accomplished city Arts scene – the BikeShed Theatre has received a refurbishment
which promises only the progression of Exeter dramatics. When we are privileged to perceive a practical optimism and faith in the Arts scene as Libby communicates it, we should be aware of our own responsibility to connect our passion with a rational approach to preserving the Arts. And we can start in Exeter.
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Exeposé week sixteen
sculpture review New Sculptures @ Exeter Campuses, January 2011
2011 has seen the arrival of some beautiful art across Exeter University’s campuses, with each new arrival paying specific tribute to the splendour of its natural environment. On the Streatham Campus, there is a new sculpture outside the Northcott Theatre called ‘Flayed Stone II’, a stone piece by Peter Randall-Page. There is also a striking creative bench, which has been carved from a tree felled during the clearance required for the Forum Project. This can be seen from the footpath leading to the Queen’s Building and the Prince of Wales Road. Down on the Cornwall Campus, we can now enjoy ‘The Cornish Trembling Sea Mat’, a gift from the West Country artist Kurt Jackson. These creative pieces are exciting arrivals to the University’s ever-growing
theatre review Swallows and Amazons @ Bristol Old Vic, January 5
AT first sight, this new setting (directed by Tom Morris) of Arthur R a n s o m e ’s 1920s children’s classic might not seem like the kind of thing worth paying £15 to go and see. In today’s - to use that most depressing and worn-out phrase - ‘tough economic climate’, you could easily be forgiven for spending your ever-dwindling cash on a Shakespeare, Ibsen or something cuttingedge and shocking. But this production is so worthy of attention, so life-affirming and vibrant, that it would be an enormous shame if that were the case. Set in the rural Britain of 1929, the story shows us the adventures of the children of a middle-class family on holiday. John, Susan, Roger and Titty use their beloved boat – the Swallow – to reach an uninhabited island and decide to camp there, conjuring all sorts of exotic imaginary jollity as they do. Roger (the youngest child at age eight) is the chief source of comedy, being played in a brilliantly ridiculous fashion by Stewart Wright, who for the record is about 6’ 4’’, built like a rugby player and has a massive beard. The arrival of the Amazons (Celia Adams and Amy Booth-Steel), gives a welcome injection of energy into proceedings which begin to drag a bit; there’s
art collection and provide a fresh, creative burst on campus. Peter Randall-Page’s stone is made from Finnish glacial granite boulder, a lump of rock fallen from the sky, or perhaps unearthed from the bottom of the ocean. Covered in ripples, it is metamorphous, challenging the eye in a visual display of lines in motion. Randall-Page has explained this bond between a solid stone and the carvings he has printed into the surface as “implying a sense of potential energy and life within the inanimate. Working the surface of the stone to imply physical qualities held within”. The piece is certainly full of energy and a nice addition to the lawn outside the Northcott. If you would like the chance to hear Peter Randall-Page speaking on his new piece, the artist himself is coming to Exeter on March 30 and will be speaking in Queen’s LT2 from 12.4513.45. The talk is a rare chance to get to hear an artist talking about their work in an intimate setting, and a brilliant chance only so much defunct ’20s dialogue like “duffers” and “spiffing” you can take. By itself, the plot is boring. It might be a nostalgic look back at the countryside idyll enjoyed by children of yesteryear, but linguistically and in terms of message, it is obsolete. The songs (written by Neil Hannon) are generally pleasing, the singing very impressive most of the time, but occasionally sour in harmonic sections, with the Amazons’ brilliant introductory number a shining and uproarious favourite. The direction is what makes Swallows and Amazons so impressive. The set is fantastically mobile, moved around not by stagehands but by a second cast of blue-overalled figures who also provide all of the music and any additional characters that might be needed. These
to pose questions to someone who knows the industry well.
“Amidst all the rubble, drilling and cranes, something creative and calm has emerged.” Another beautiful addition to the Streatham Campus is the carved bench, created from a felled lime tree. Nigel Ross is a Scottish artist specialising in chainsaws and wood. He has created an aesthetically pleasing and practical seat and table for students to use on campus, which can be found at the back of Queen’s on the grass. The trees and bushes, which were removed as part of the Forum Project, have been used to make 33 beautifully turned bowls by local wood turner Dave Regester, together with a selection of walking sticks which will be ready sometime this year. It is nice to know that amidst all the multi-instrumentalists are arguably the stars of the show – seeing one figure go from flapping a parrot puppet across the stage to chiming in with a few words of wisdom as the children’s absent father, before whipping out a trombone and impeccably supporting the next song, is simply a joy to behold. This is the crux of why Swallows and Amazons is so entertaining: Tom Morris has captured the vibrant, dazzling world of the child’s imagination in his direction. Some of the props are not even remotely con-
rubble, drilling and cranes, something creative and calm has emerged, and will endure once the building works have ceased to continue. Moving west to the Cornwall campus, there is no shortage of artistic inspiration. The newest arrival to the stunning location is a piece named ‘The Cornish Trembling Sea Mat’. It has been described by the artist as representing “the materials from which the economy, culture, heritage and fabric of Cornwall was made. These four massive cubes, balanced higgledy-piggledy like a child’s stack of bricks, show the elements of chance and change with time and history.” Although the two campuses may be 100 miles apart, both share a steady and important connection to the creative arts. These new additions will certainly help upkeep the tradition. Be sure to seek out these recent acquisitions when up on campus, and check out the Peter RandallPage lecture on March 30. ZOE BULAITIS vincing but that’s the point - a stick isn’t convincing as a sword but that doesn’t hold the children back. The laughs come thick and fast as the crowd waits delightedly to see what the director will come up with next, a section with the children looking through a telescope is a particular joy. The result is a breathtaking kaleidoscope of colour, imagination and fun, utterly worth seeing.
WHEN a musical is set in theatre rehearsals, the audience experiences the best of both worlds. As they sit back and enjoy the musical numbers, they are also invited to experience the grit that lies under the glamour. There is, perhaps, no better example of this than A Chorus Line. The latest in a long line of successful Footlights productions, this show had a lot to live up to. As 17 dancers battle it out to impress the work-obsessed director Zach (Nick Kenchington) in a bid to seal a part in a Broadway musical, the audience see each individual expose the darker sides of their lives. We experience the struggle of growing up and discovering you are gay, as well as the constant knock backs that occur in the highly competitive industry in which all these individuals find themselves. Despite this, the storyline of A Chorus Line is at times lacking; the static format of one person after another telling their story whilst others wait their turn leaves very little opportunity for plot progression. This aside, the cast of this year’s Footlights production outsold themselves, from the beautifully
Editors’ Top 10 1. A Kiss from
the Last Red Squirrel
Solo Performance February 8 The Phoenix Centre
2. Kes
Play by EUTCO February 8-12 Northcott Theatre
3. The Attic
Play February 14-15 BikeShed Theatre
4. Spelt’s Chap-
Book
Play February 14, 17 & 19 BikeShed Theatre
5. Juliet’s Balcony One Person Show February 15 BikeShed Theatre
ANDY HENLEY
theatre review A Chorus Line @ Northcott Theatre, January 25-29
Arts
performed ‘At the Ballet’ to the crowdpleasing finale. Notably, this year’s company had a strong male cast that could keep up with the astounding talent of the females who sang flawlessly throughout. While characters like Greg Gardner (Tom Carpenter) successfully kept the audience entertained, Paul San Marco (Andrew Stylianou) pulled at our heart strings as he tragically explains the struggle of being disowned by your family after they discover your choice of career. It is evident that a lot of hard work has been put into this show. The opening night was a deserved success and I have no doubt that the following shows were of the same calibre. While the songs were perhaps not the most memorable, they were fantastically delivered not only by the cast but also by the band that performed effortlessly throughout. Richard Mathews, this year’s director, has delivered a remarkably impressive musical. Footlights’ A Chorus Line is slick, tight and has a wonderful cast, many of whom would be right at home performing the show in the West End. In fact, the whole production was of a professional, West End standard. HANNAH METCALFE
6. Skye
Play February 16 BikeShed Theatre
7. Richard Alston
Dance Co.
February 16-17 Northcott Theatre
8. His Spread Legs One Person Show February 18-19 BikeShed Theatre
9.
Portmanteau
One Person Show February 18-19 BikeShed Theatre
10. Chris Packham
“A Wild Life Exposed”
Photography February 19 Northcott Theatre
38
Video Games
february 7 2011
Exeposé
Stephen O’Nion & Alice Scoble-Rees - games@exepose.com
Kate Gray rubs her thumbs together and prepares her eyes for the Nintendo 3DS.
Nothing drives me more than something to save for. This is even truer at university, when money is tight as leggings on a fatty anyway, so when something comes up that you really, really want, it takes true dedication and determination to reach that goal. So this term, I will be that gremlin in the corner of the dining room, waiting to pounce upon your scraps of food when you’re gone, with dreadlocks from lack of washing, a bag of dirty floorpennies in one hand and a bottle for collecting rain water in the other. Like I said, dedication. But what is this item that I am saving for? Can it really be worth all that? You may disagree, but what I’m waiting for… is the Nintendo 3DS. I’ve always been a Nintendo fan-girl. In the same way that a rabid, pimpleridden teenage girl will scream that she is ‘Team Edward’ or ‘Team Jacob’, I am ‘Team N64.’ Although I don’t go drooling over its rippling… buttons, or its toned… cartridges, I will, in the same way, defend it unflinchingly from anyone who points out its flaws and the fact that it sparkles. Ok, so the metaphor isn’t wholly accurate. Some say the Nintendo franchise has a tendency to be gimmicky, with its touch-screens, its motion controls, and now its 3D…ness, but more often than not, the others will follow suit, trying desperately to be different but instead coming up with an arm-flailing motion sensor and a rather phallic-looking glowing thing. So with the advent of autostere-
oscopic handheld gaming (or, to put it in so-simple-a-child-wants-to-buy-it-speak, 3D WITHOUT GLASSES OMG), are Nintendo possibly pushing it too far? I say no. But then again, I would. The idea behind all this innovation is to explore new realms of gaming: would we have the excellent yet competitive
gameplay of Mario Kart Wii without the motion-controlled Wii Wheel? Would Phoenix Wright have been as immersive if we didn’t have a microphone in which to yell ‘OBJECTION!’? Exactly. But it’s not just the 3D autostereo-whatever that gets me excited enough to live off moss for a month; the new DS offers backwards compatibility (always nice), the ability to play 3D films (which could be a let-down of PSP proportions), a camera feature (as seen in the DSi, only this time it’s 3D!) and, possibly best of all, a Virtual Console service that allows the purchase of games from as far back as the Gameboy. Having seen this on the Wii and approved greatly, I can only imagine this to be a mini-revival for the Nintendo games of old. Although it’s quite easy to find the games on the internet, nothing beats the feeling of beating Bowser with your thumbs. Another thing is the games. Oh, the games. If you’re a Nintendo fan, you can’t go far without bumping into a Zelda game, and the 3DS boasts the best Zelda game of all time, if not the best game ever: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. If that doesn’t get you shaking in your Iron Boots, I don’t know what will. Two Professor Layton games have been announced, the most exciting of which will be a crossover between Professor Layton and Shouty McObjectionPants, or Phoenix Wright, the success of which will be interesting to see. For kids and
the kind of people who hide fish in their halls of residence just because they shouldn’t, there’s Nintendogs AND Cats, and for the farmer types among you, you can now harvest lifelike veg in Harvest Moon 3D – one of the more questionable entries, especially as there’s not a whole lot you can do on a farm that needs to be 3D, but Nintendo do have a tendency to milk successful franchises (pun most definitely intended). This isn’t to say that it doesn’t have its downsides. Most obviously, the price: at £230 it comes at about the price you’d expect for a full console, rather than a handheld system. However, my rabid fan-girl side would like to say that perhaps Nintendo’s focus of late on the DS reflects how society is more on the move nowadays, and handheld consoles are therefore experiencing more popularity than the sedentary consoles. Another thing is the gimmicky and as yet not hugely popular 3D capability itself – the system ominously allows for the 3D to be ‘turned down’ in a similar way to volume, citing headaches and nausea as some possible problems. I guess you have to make sacrifices for 3D WITHOUT GLASSES OMG. Another issue is Nintendo’s recent lack of attention span; less than a year after the DSi came out, the DSiXL was announced, making the DSi rather redundant and almost beating FFVIII to the title of ‘Most Letters in a Name’. It is a bit of a worry that, after shelling out my hard-earned £230, Nintendo will pull a Steve Jobs on me and announce a new, better model while decreasing the price of the 3DS to £25. Please don’t. I don’t think I’ll see many other moneysaving gremlins like me in the run-up to the 25th March. In fact, I can’t imagine I’ll see anyone over the age of 13 in the queue to pre-order. But I don’t care. I want it. I will have it. When you’re finding it difficult to jump over a low fence or a rock on your Gameboys, I will be enjoying myself and perusing the circumference of whatever I feel like.
Retro
The Simpsons Hit & Run: Radical, Vivendi; PS2/Gamecube/Xbox/ PC October 2003
Within my life, The Simpsons has been a great influence upon my humour and general mannerisms, and during my impressionable years the desire to allow The Simpsons to take over my life was paramount. Thus the need for a game that would permit me to satisfy this desire was desperate, but The Simpsons Skateboarding and The Simpsons Wrestling both disappointed. However, salvation arrived in the form of The Simpsons: Hit & Run. As a child with strict parents, the Grand Theft Auto series was no more than a wet dream, so the prospect of a Simpsons version without the blood, violence and gross negligence in society satisfied both parties. Hit & Run was a success as it finally contained the humour of the TV show mixed with graphics that actually tested the
“The game plays like a longer episode of the show yet never drags and remains fun throughout” PS2’s capabilities. With the original voice cast and script writers involved, the game plays like a longer episode of the show yet never drags and remains fun throughout. The variety within levels entertains though one must admit the repetition of the four catchphrases each character holds irritates. Within levels, the standard missions are available such as driving from A to B, collecting X amounts of something by time limit and talking to several characters for no apparent reason. Nevertheless each level holds several gems which genuinely excite, hitting the level of GTA and Crazy Taxi but with cel-shaded graphics. Indeed, in the context of the gaming market, the average review for this game was a solid eight out of ten; although nostalgia will have influenced several of the reviews. However, nostalgia is one of the main reasons to play this game and Hit & Run suffices as it allows gamers to play out their favourite TV show properly - without the suffering of terrible designs and graphics. Besides, GTA never let you drive a plowmobile.
David Brake
Screen Editor
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Exeposé week sixteen
Dead Space 2: Visceral Games, EA; PC/360/ PS3 January 28 2011
Dead Space 2 expands on the first game in almost every capacity; the controls are tighter, the set pieces are bigger and the graphics and animations have been refined. This is survival horror at its very best with quite an emphasis on action. Inspiration has been taken from games like Resident Evil 4 and films like Alien, The Thing and Event Horizon, but the developers have combined them to make a unique experience. Dead Space 2 plays as an over the shoulder shooter, there is no heads up display; all the relevant information is shown on the player’s back or gun. Conversations and the inventory are done through holograms projected in front of the player. All this keeps you immersed in the game, especially as you can’t pause to look at the inventory. Set two years after the events on the USG Ishimura players are once again in control of the unlikely hero Isaac Clarke: an unfortunate engineer tasked with stopping a zombie-like infestation of necromorphs. Necromorphs are dead humans hideously mutated in a variety of ways for different purposes. The game starts with Isaac waking up in an asylum without any memories. Over the course of the game Isaac learns what happened to him through dialogue and data logs left throughout the city. Restricted in a straightjacket you must attempt to escape to safety. Not only are you fighting against the necromorphs but also the sprawl’s security forces and your own dementia; manifesting as visions and hallucinations of Nicole from the first game. It’s not until halfway through the first chapter that you get your first weapon, the trusty plasma cutter; which fans of the original will remember well. The first game was criticised for having a lot of backtracking; thankfully this is now gone, with players following a very linear path. For a lot of games a linear path would be a bad thing, but in Dead Space 2 this allows for a more enjoyable experience, with excellent scripting for a cohesive campaign. Tactical dismemberment is back with shooting off limbs still the fastest was to kill enemies. As before each weapon has an alternate function and working out what to use against different enemies is great. To add variety a few new types of necromorph have been added to the game. The stalker hunts in a pack, hiding behind cover until the player is most vulnerable. The pack is a collection of undead youths who are individually weak but attack in great numbers. The puker uses ranged attacks whilst other necromorphs harass with melee. All the new enemies are a great addition requiring the player to use new strategies for each, whilst different bosses have been added to the game - but unfortunately they are often reused and mostly consist of shooting yellow sacks to dismember limbs, whilst avoiding charges. Additional weapons help tackle the new range of enemies. The defensive
Little Big Planet 2: Media Molecule, Sony; PS3 January 21 2011
mine laser is great for crowd control, the javelin gun can pin targets and its secondary function is an area of effect electric shock and, lastly, the seeker sniper rifle is great for large enemies, doing even more damage when the alternate function is used. The music in this game is phenomenal and the atmosphere this helps create is palpable. In conjunction with the dynamic lighting the music helps oppress the player so that the slightest movement causes an involuntary jump. Whilst not as scary as the first, this game is still chilling even whilst being more action oriented. For the first time multiplayer has been added to the Dead Space series. Playing a lot like Left4Dead, with four humans versus four necromorphs, the multiplayer is an enjoyable diversion from the single player campaign, though most of the modes feel very similar. As the campaign wasn’t sacrificed to allow for a multiplayer section it is a nice addition to the franchise which will hopefully get expanded on in DLC or future games. Overall, Dead Space is a great addition to the series, building on the firstgame with new units, new weapons and a more character orientated campaign. Whilst the narrative is still lacking, Isaac is now fully voiced and shows his face more often, adding personality to the single player. Dead Space 2 is gripping from start to finish with its gory, graphic and ultimately satisfying single player.
The return of Sony’s fabled ‘son’, Sackboy, offers gamers everywhere the chance to let their imaginations run riot all over again. Though you are Sackboy, that’s pretty much all you share with others playing the game; there’s literally customisation from head to toe, allowing you to bedeck yourself in anything from wooden armour to hula skirts as you set out across Craftworld. Little Big Planet never dispenses with the charm of the original and its larger scope ensures both new and returning players are in for a treat. The story’s not exactly ambitious, with Craftworld under attack from the Negativitron (an evil robot vacuum), requiring you to run, jump, grapple and swing your way to heroism. Yet whilst it can be completed in no more than an easy weekend, it’s merely an amuse-bouche for the levels that you’re soon able to explore online. Over 3 million of them. Yes, Little Big Planet 2 makes available all of the original’s levels, designed by other players on the Playstation network, as well as ramping
Magicka: Arrowhead Studios, Paradox Interactive; PC January 25 2011
this level of support, I guess the sky is the limit for these birds and they’ll soon be flying high in the (aforementioned) sky! Continuing adaptation-watch, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is coming to gamers, according to Ain’t It Cool News. This could be the Stephen King game we’ve all been waiting for. Or it could be along the lines of the game adaptation to Misery which I’ve just made up, where you talk to Kathy Bates in real time for three days. Fingers crossed! Unfortunately, the industry may have imploded by then, as
the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment has estimated the levels of piracy in the video games market. UKIE believes that for every full price game sold, gamers have obtained four pirated versions. Somebody should probably tell Nintendo this though, as their UK Marketing Manager has just announced he believes the ‘heyday of piracy’ is soon to end. Personally I don’t think the 1.47 million illegal downloads of Mario Galaxy 2 and 1.22 million Wii Party copies are just an anomaly. Statistics for Samurai Warriors 3 aren’t available, but downloads could run into the dozens!
9/10
WAS the attack on Moscow’s Domodedovo airport inspired by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Russia Today thinks it might be - noting the similarities between a run and gun optional mission and a suicide bomber attack. With any luck this will lead to the game being pulled off the shelves along with copies of Die Hard 2! For those using a similar excuse to cover up their violence against flightbased creatures, 20th Century Fox has plans to release a major film to tie in with the popular Angry Birds franchise. With
level design you’ll find in a game this year. LBP2 makes it easier than ever to jump into any of the offerings posted, and the longer this game is out, the more there are going to be. Similarly beneficial is the refined creation system, with helpful tutorials courtesy of Stephen Fry’s soothing tones. Little Big Planet 2 may first appear daunting, but for those prepared to put the effort in, it promises to be hugely rewarding. Such is the scale of this game, it’s nigh on impossible to describe it all. There’s PSMove support, local and network multiplayer and hundreds of stickers, items and pins to collect that One of Steam’s greatest assets is its constantly growing library of high quality, cheap, indie titles, and last year was no exception, with Torchlight, Recettear and Super Meat Boy all joining the collection. This year the charge is being led by Magicka, a top down action game from Arrowhead Studios. The game’s unique twist is its magic system, which involves mixing various elements to create spells. For example, mixing rock and fire will give you a fire ball, whilst mixing shield and water will summon a rain cloud. The game incentivises you to be creative and experiment with the elements at your disposal. Using the arcane element gives you a moderately powerful beam attack, but add in fire, water and lightning and you’ve pretty much got yourself a death ray. Even better there’s no pesky mana to get in the way of the fun so the speed of your spell casting is limited only by how fast you can move your fingers. With this power at your disposal you are sent off on your quest to save the land from goblins and orcs. The plot parodies the fantasy genre very well and
Athanasios Skarlatos
NEwsBYTES
up the creative options for the new game. And therein lies LBP2’s appeal; you can go from leaping around a lava world filled with jump pads, aping the finest side-scrollers of yore – to riding a mouse around a maze at high speed. Indeed, a quick search of Youtube turns up remakes of Legend of Zelda, Pacman and Space Invaders, as well as some of the most imaginative
Video Games
wholly make the experience your own. Really, your enjoyment of LBP2 will depend upon how much you put into it. The creation may intimidate some, and occasionally infuriate many when it doesn’t do exactly as you want, but this is a small niggle. The millions of levels make sure I’ll be coming back; I can’t wait to scratch the surface of 9/10 what’s on offer. Stephen O’Nion Video Games Editor
its quirky characters and countless pop culture references are sure to provide many a laugh (especially for those of us who love Monty Python). Even with such a diverse range of spells in your arsenal, combat could have become tedious if it wasn’t for the game’s great enemy variety. I only wish that the same variety had been applied to the level design as I find the lack of puzzles to be a big missed opportunity, which would have offered a nice change of pace from combat but the magic system has huge potential for that kind of game play. The ability to save your game mid -level would also have been a welcome feature. Aside from the single player the game also offers a multiplayer mode for up to four players. You can choose to either go through the campaign in co-op or enter an arena to stave off waves of enemies. Unfortunately the online portion of the game is a mess. Currently it is extremely difficult to get a game running, and even if you do it is likely to be laggy and crash not long after being set up. It’s such a shame because when it does work the multiplayer is incredibly fun and chaotic. It just takes far too much time and hassle to set a game up. To be fair to Arrowhead, they have been releasing daily patches to try and fix all the problems, but they are not quite there yet. I certainly believe that given time the online portion of the game will eventually run smoothly. However, it would be wrong to judge the game on its possible condition in the future, rather than the state it is in now. Potential buyers may want to delay their purchase until all issues are fixed, but once they are I would certainly recommend Magicka as a game to add to your Steam collection.
7.5/10
Adam Koziol
KEEP CALM AND
DRINK BEER The RAM Bar • Devonshire House • www.exeterguild.com/ram
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Exeposé week sixteen
The wait goes on... Tennis
Thomas Read After 75 years of British hopes for a successor to Fred Perry as the last British man to win a Grand Slam title, it was hoped that Andy Murray would finally put all of the years of hurt to bed when he took on Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the Serb stepped up to the plate with a dominant display to triumph in straight sets 6-4 6-2 6-3, leaving the British number one with the scraps of comfort that maybe his dream of claiming one of tennis’ four major crowns will come another day. Maybe. The statistic that in three Grand Slam finals Murray has failed to win
even a set is the one that seems most likely to haunt the Briton the most, at least until he reaches another final. And this is where things become worrying, as the harsh reality is that throughout the final Murray never looked close to his best for long enough. His most assured period of play came towards the end of the second set, yet by this point he was already 5-0 down and the damage had been done. One of the reasons behind Murray’s failure to produce the best when it matters is his tendency to beat himself up before beating his opponent when things aren’t going right. There were signs of this during the semi-final against Ferrer, and we saw it again in the final. He smashed his hand against his racquet, got into an argument with the umpire, gave looks of disdain towards
A word from your AU President...
his support team and generally showed anyone who cared that he was not happy. Fair enough, I’m sure most of us would be pretty down if our dream were slipping away, but showing this so explicitly just gives an extra boost to the opposition. But it is not just Murray’s mood that needs to get better; areas of his game also need to improve in the key matches. Last Sunday, his serving let him down (winning just 31% of points on his second serve) and his movement looked to be hindered by his long battle with Ferrer in the previous round. So, will Murray ever win a Grand Slam? Possibly. But he needs to rise to the occasion when it matters most, be at peace with himself, and not let the pressure cast by Fred Perry’s long shadow get in his way.
Lambert heads Saints to victory Exeter City
Rachel Bayne Deputy Editor
Exeter’s winning start against promotion contenders Southampton was dashed to pieces in the last 20 minutes by two strong headers from Rickie Lambert, as the Saints powered through to a 2-1 victory at St James Park. Fresh from their FA Cup defeat, Southampton looked lively throughout the match and have now beaten Exeter twice this season in the space of 2 months. Exeter City started the game well and thanks to Southampton’s bad luck in front of goal came away from the 1st half a goal ahead. Nardiello scored for the Grecians in the 39th minute after a bad move from Southampton left their defence wide open. The Grecians managed to push the ball over the top
of the goalkeeper, after which Nardiello capitalised on the extra space with a smooth, easy strike into the bottom corner. The Grecians were lucky to enter half time ahead after mounting pressure from the Saints. Southampton had lots of chances in the first half to lead, but always seemed to fall at the last hurdle. In one fast-paced attacking move towards the beginning of the match, N’Guessan and Barnard worked well and were in plenty of space, but then both players’ strikes bounced off the crossbar, leaving them more likely to win a half time challenge than the football match. The second half saw attacking play from both teams and started off with end to end football. Exeter had the first corner of the match early on, but did not achieve well in their set pieces. Southampton were far more clinical
Sport
when it came to their corners and their luck swiftly changed in front of goal. Lambert’s first goal came in the 70th minute off a cross from N’Guessan, which prompted a powerful header into the top corner. Lambert’s second goal was also a header and came right on the stroke of injury time. The Saints pushed a corner wide to Captain Dean Hammond who struck a smart cross into Lambert, who headed the ball confidently into the bottom left hand corner of the goal. Exeter’s defence could have dealt more cleanly with the corner, but in the end, it was a smart move by a Southampton team that now sits comfortably in 4th place. Paul Tisdale, Exeter City’s manager, commented to BBC after the match: “I feel the same way as we did here against Brighton, where at one point we think we have got the game for three points.”
As always it has been an exciting few weeks for all those involved in Sport. The BUCS matches are well under way in 2011 with some big results last Wednesday. Out of 30 fixtures Exeter came away with 21 wins. Two outstanding results came in the knock out stages of the cup. The Men’s Rugby Union first XV took apart a strong Hartpury side on their own patch winning 23-13. A few brave souls went to support the guys on what was a bitterly cold afternoon, and Exeter made the perfect start getting the first score to lead 7-0. After a break in the game, where Luke Robinson received some serious treatment for concussion, which subsequently saw him taken to hospital, it has been confirmed that Luke is fit and healthy again. Hartpury went in at half time 10-7 up and after a quick break they were back out ready for the second half. The boys put in a superb 40 minutes of defence, only conceding one penalty. 16 points on the board came from the boot of Mike Pope who also scored a late try to seal a well-deserved victory. Bring on UWIC in the semis with sights firmly set on a return to Twickenham. The Womens Rugby Union XV trounced Chichester 99-0 with the referee blowing up early to put the travelling team out of their misery, before Exeter hit 100 points to progress to the Semis of their knock out competition. Well done girls. Congratulations to the Men’s and Women’s Hockey 1’s, and Netball
1’s, who wrapped up their respective league titles in style: fingers crossed they can repeat their success in the knock outs. A quick note to pass on to you from our friendly giant gym instructor Chris Williams who reminded me that he is the strongest person at the university, dead lifting 255kg for fun, well done Chris. Don’t forget this week is the Sabbatical Elections, your chance to choose who will replace me in the AU President’s hot seat for 2011-12. There are five great candidates so please take your time to look at their manifestos, come along to the question time on Monday evening in Parker Room, Amory or take a couple of minutes to stop and talk to the candidates around campus; they are there to represent you. As always keep up to date with what’s going on in the sporting world at Exeter on our facebook page “Exeter University Athletic Union”!
Simon Dewhurst gives a FRESH perspective on last week’s transfer day mayhem BRITISH football clubs spent a staggering £135 million last Monday as the transfer window slammed shut with a wave of activity. Chelsea and Liverpool were involved in the four biggest transfers of the day. Chelsea finally won their battle to bring Fernando Torres to Stamford Bridge, splashing out £50 million in the process. They also provided a late shock by spending over £20 million on Benfica defender David Luiz on the same day that they announced pre-tax losses of £70 million. Meanwhile, Liverpool used the money gained from Torres’ sale on strikers Andy Carroll and Luis Suárez, costing a combined value of £60 million. The day was made even more astonishing by the fact that none of the Premier League’s top three teams were involved in any deadline day deals. The next day’s headlines were dominated by Torres and Carroll. Torres experienced a mixed three years at Liverpool, leaving with a great goalscoring record at Anfield but a disappointing away return, prompting many to question his £50 million price tag.
Andy Carroll has only played half a season in the Premier League for Newcastle but with a transfer fee of £35 million, he has became the sixth most expensive player in history. There is no doubt that he is a great prospect but many would argue that he does not yet have the experience and mindset to be worth more than David Villa and Robinho. On the other hand, Kenny Dalglish would argue that Liverpool now possess a strike force in Carroll and Suárez that will be feared by Premier League defences. With over £200 million being spent in the January transfer w i n d o w, Premier League clubs h a v e o n c e a g a i n proven that the economic crisis has not affected their spending power.
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February 7 2011
Sport
Also in the news... Tough draw for Exeter’s ladies Tennis
Hannah Lunn EUTC The women’s Tennis 3 rds had a close encounter with Southampton 1 sts. After a long journey, the team finally arrived in a somewhat drizzly and windy Southampton ready to compete. First off the singles got underway. Congratulations to Caroline Davoust who in her debut match competing for the University, swiftly saw off her opponent in the singles 6-3, 6-3. Unfortunately, Hannah Lunn struggled to contend with her opposition losing in straight sets. With the light levels already beginning to drop, floodlights flicked on, and the other two singles matches heated up.
Ellie Muir battled away, going to three sets, unfortunately losing in the decider, even though there were some impressive long rallies and net play. Similarly, Nicola Maddox had a long and brutal match against her opponent, but played some fantastic tennis and eventually was victorious. With the score at 4-4 the doubles was to be the decider. Maddox/Davoust went all guns blazing with some remarkable skill at the net but lost despite a very close second set. All rested on Muir/Lunn to fight for a draw. They doubled up and fought their way to victory under the moonlight in a tense two setter. Despite being a break down they overcame their nerves and won the match in the second set tie break, leaving the final score at 6-6.
Exeposé
EUGC make a positive putting effort Golf
Tom Thornhill EUGC A CRISP, winter morning was the setting for a habitual win against Plymouth for the soon-to-be worldrenowned EUGC. After a flawless first season, including an away victory over Bournemouth, a positive start was crucial in order to set the standard high for the term. With a high amount of support, including EUGC’s social secretary and team photographer James Wallace, the pressure was intense. The pack was led by Jersey’s national team player, Chris Young. A quality performance throughout the day meant that he dominated the match from start to finish. Three birdies on the head, starting at the 14th, put the young gun dormie one up heading down the last. However, a call from N Power asking for their gasman meant that the match finished all square – still a vital half a point for the squad. It was the golfer of the year, Laurie
Potter to follow Young’s lead. Yet more quality golf against a tough opponent led to a nail biting match. A nervous start from the fresher meant that he was trailing by one hole after the front nine. Nonetheless, as the pressure increased, so too did the quality of his golf. Backto-back birdies on the 11th and 12th helped turn the match around, and a routine par on the 17th helped finish the Plymothian off. Third out was Emma Hargreaves. She had planned well, bringing a professional caddy, which helped her reach two up through nine holes after a great start. Nonetheless, a strong last nine holes from her rather eccentric opponent meant that Emma’s lead was lost, and the game came to an end on the par three 16th. Emma stated, “I played really well for the first nine holes, but on the back nine I couldn’t play golf!” Yorkshire boy, Tom Thornhill, played a consistent game at t’ Warren, showing a decent long game, with a characteristically horrendous short game. The win looked less likely after his opponent “saw the light”, possibly
from his hair, and made a string of birdies in the latter stages of the round. However, the match was won on the 17th, with a rare birdie. Out fifth was team veteran Phil Steen, sporting his usual golfing attire. A typically solid performance through the round led to a close match, and a routine birdie on the 8th helped put the big-hitter one up after the front nine. A chip-in from his opponent on the 16th, however, meant that Steeno was two down on the 17th, where a huge drive provided an impossible stance against the fairway mounds, proving to be the nail in the proverbial coffin. The final player was captain, Christiano Brown. A sublime putt from 40 yards on the 14th, combined with a string of enormous drives helped keep Brown 2up through fifteen holes. With the team scores then standing at 2.52.5, the pressure was on. A slightly long approach into the 17th presented a tricky two-putt and, after a downhill first putt, Brown had a five foot knee-trembler for the victory. This was holed easily. Another great result for the team.
Fencers foil opposition Fencing
John Pryor EUFC
BUCS individuals 2011 held in Gloucester saw not only Exeter University Fencing Club’s largest ever participation, but also their best results to date. The championships offered the Exeter fencers, many of whom were making their debuts at BUCs, a chance to test their skills against some of the best in the country. The competition consisted of a round of poules during which fencers were divided into groups of six or seven. Each fencer then fought everybody in their poule to five hits. Following this, fencers were seeded depending on how well they did in their respective poule. The next stage of the competition was direct elimination. Each round of direct elimination sees the number of fencers halved. Competitors were paired together depending on their ranking, those seeding highest fencing those seeding lowest. The winners of each bout proceeded through to the next round while those who lost were knocked out of the competition. The competition continued in this fashion until the quarters, semis and eventually the final were reached. The competition began on the Friday with Men’s epee and Women’s sabre. Following some tough poule fights, the lady sabreurs, Helen Whyman, Alice Whitlow and Nell Bond, fell in the first round of direct elimination. Men’s Epee also proved to be a testing competition; despite this, having seeded relatively low following the poules, debutant Jonathon Webb defied the odds to beat the number fifteen seed in round one of direct elimination. Unfortunately Webb fell in the second round but finished a
respectable 64th out of 122 entrants. After a solid poule in the epee, Men’s Captain John Pryor was seeded 28th. He went on to win four direct elimination rounds, defeating the fifth seed along the way. His run came to an end in the quarter finals in a nail-bitingly close match losing 15-13. This resulted in Pryor narrowly missing out on a medal with an eighth place finish. On the Saturday, Men’s foil got off to a decent start with Pryor and Australian import Oliver LuckhurstSmith performing well in their poules. Luckhurst-Smith was unlucky to fall in the first round, placing 96th overall out of 116 competitors. Pryor continued his Friday form to make it through the first two rounds of direct elimination, but struggled against a more seasoned German opponent in the third round, placing 21st overall. After two good days of fencing the team decided to experience the culture of Gloucester; which they regretted the following day. Standout performances on the Sunday have to go to Viachslav Slavinskiy and Oliver Luckhurst-Smith in the men’s sabre. Both men took up sabre after joining the university club and not only did they both have successful poules but beat their round one opponents to reach the last sixtyfour of the competition. This is a credit both to the hard work that they have put in and to the efforts of the club as a whole. The results from this competition have been a huge boost to team moral and have reflected the way that the fencing club has progressed in recent years. For anybody interested in Fencing, sessions are in studio one on Mondays from 6-8pm and Fridays 5-7pm.
EUMHC head to the knockouts Hockey
Tim Fuller AU Publicity Officer WEDNESDAY proved to be a very successful day for the EUMHC as both the 1sts and 2nds won their leagues, thus progressing to the knockout stages in style. In the earlier start, the 1sts showed why they were reigning champions, defeating Bristol UWE 13 (or 14 or 15) – 0 in a resoundingly comprehensive display. This ensured they remained top of the group and maintained their 100% winning record, averaging a remarkable six goals a game. Following the first XI’s dismantling of UWE, it was up to the 2nds. Knowing that a win would ensure 1st place in the league, the team also realised that Gloucester 1sts were not going to be a walkover. After a good start, Exeter continued to pile on the pressure, with the opening goal seeming just a matter of time. Although all the pressure was on the visitors, it was they who scored first, converting a scrappy break-away to really put pressure on the greens. Exeter
replied instantly with Nick Hamilton scoring a well worked short corner. Again Exeter piled forward looking to break through the fragile Gloucester defence and were rewarded with another short-corner, which was expertly dispatched low into the bottom right corner by Charlie Rookes. The sides went in 2-1 at the break, with the emphasis of the team talk on making sure that chances are converted. Optimistic that they could kick-on and put the game beyond Gloucester, Exeter started the half with great intensity. Unfortunately, Exeter proceeded to miss another hat full of good chances, clearly not learning the lessonsof the first half. With Exeter having all the play once again, it was a matter of time before they scored, with Joss Goulding putting the ball beyond the desperately lunging keeper. At 3-1 up the game seemed in the bag, which meant that Exeter could simply enjoy playing out the last 15 minutes. However this was not the case as all the pressure on the opposition meant the Exeter defence switched off, allowing Gloucester to win a short corner that they slammed home. This
meant that the score was 3-2 with 10 minutes to play. The class of the team shined through and Exeter were able to confidently play out the remainder of the game, missing yet more chances on the way. The team were relieved, that after all the missed chances, they were able to get the three points and win the game. The 1sts and 2nds are not the only EUMHC sides to be doing well this season either. The 3rds sit in third in the same league as the 2nds and look good to cement their place in the knock-outs as well. On Wednesday the 4ths also won, thrashing Bristol 4ths 6-0 in the 3rd round of their cup knock-out, creating a quarter final fixture with Bristol 2nds. As well as this, the 5ths who are new to BUCS this year currently sit on top of their league too. Finally, the 6ths who are the only team not competing in BUCS are top of their weekend league, unbeaten and loving being above the 5ths who are in second. So with the business end of the season fast approaching there is all to play for in the EUMHC. The 5ths are playing the 6ths this Saturday in a top of the table battle with a hell of a lot more than three points up for grabs, pride and bragging rights are too.
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Exeposé week sixteen
Gallant EUGC play the greens
Crossword
Laurie Potter and Nick Hector look back at the action from Wednesday February 2 Golf
Laurie Potter EUGC ON a grey, windy, February morning Exeter 1sts hosted Newport University in what was sure to be a tough game. Game one got off to a slow start for Chris Young, where he found himself down early on after a couple of errors and some good shots from his Newport opposition. He battled on, but with consistent play from his opponent he fell to a 4&3 loss, giving Newport an early point on the board. Game two saw fresher Laurie Potter square the game at one game all. He played solid golf throughout the round and after firing five birdies through 14 holes, had done enough and so, he took the game with a comfortable 5&4 victory. Game three saw fresher Danny Vallis build on his debut victory from last week with another strong win. The Wiltshire found himself all square through nine holes, but after digging deep on the
Golf
Nick Hector EUGC IT was a slightly warmer day on the Exe estuary, but with strong winds blowing, the Warren proved tough, with the finishing holes playing straight into the breeze. After a great win at Bath the previous week, Exeter 2nd team were feeling confident about the game against Gloucestershire University 1st team. James Lamburn lead the Exeter 2nd team with a well struck five wood to the front edge of the 1st green. His opponent had to eagle the 7th to edge ahead, but with some fantastic short game efforts he stayed in contention. With four birdies on the back nine, he finished his match winning 2&1.
back nine took the game with a comfortable 3&2 victory, which briefly gave Exeter the lead. Game four saw Exeter’s favourite northerner Tom Thornhill suffer an unfortunate loss one down. He played consistent golf against a good opponent, but could never manage to bring it back to square in time, giving Newport a vital point squaring the match score at two apiece.
“Newport were worthy winners, giving Exeter a much needed wake up call” In game five club Captain Christian Brown also suffered an unfortunate loss on the last hole. After being evenly matched most of the way round, the golfing god’s favoured the Welshman late on and Newport took the lead three points to two. With all hope of a half now in the hands of postgrad Phil Steen there Nick Hector was second to tee off. He made a solid start with four straight pars but was down through the first nine holes. Back to back birdies at 11 and 12 gave him some momentum into the final holes but he could not match his opponent’s consistent play, eventually losing 4&3. Emma Hargreaves also had a tough match finding some of the holes into wind tricky (but outdrove her opponent on 17). A combination of good ball striking and decent putting helped her to force the game down the last to win 1up. Jamie (Jimbo) Richards started well but couldn’t quite find the quality he has shown over the past few weeks to nudge ahead of his opponent. He continued to persevere until losing on the 16th 3&2. In the penultimate match, Reece Miller found himself in a close game. He had a fantastic up and down on 16 from the hazard to remain 1up but his
seemed to be a pattern occurring with yet another match being lost on the last hole. Steen who squared the match through 17 holes could not repeat the heroics of the Bournemouth game earlier in the season, finding trouble with his approach into the 18th, which opened the gates for the Newport girl to drive through and take the game one up, and the overall match 4-2 in favour of the visitors. Overall the day was a disappointing one all round with the Exeter 1st Team suffering their first loss of the season so far. The team did not perform well enough on the day and Newport were worthy winners. The match was summed up perfectly by Captain Christian Brown who took a positive from the day, commenting that it was a much needed wake up call for the team. Exeter 1st Team remain positive with their heads held high, but know that they must up there game if they are to go on and win the league. However, this is still a very much achievable goal with a bit of hard work and graft. opponent proved stubborn. With the game all square down the last, Reece was unlucky to finish 1down.
“A combination of good ball striking and decent putting helped her to force the game down the last to win 1up” Out last was James Wallace who had a typically ‘dreadful’ start and was three down through six holes. His back nine however was another story with some consistent play and a stunning shot to 3ft on 16 to close out the match 4&2.
Across
1. Woman’s name (5) 4. Elusive female poet associated with the island of Lesbos (6) 7. School exam board (3) 8. Drug used to treat anxiety (5) 9. Either, __ (2) 10. Newspaper, spectator (8) 12. Energy company (3) 13. ‘And when I am formulated, sprawling on a ___’, T. S. Eliot, Prufrock (3) 14. Large musical composition (8) 15. Total (3) 16. Latin for hopeful (3) 17. Nocturnal bird (3) 20. Type of lettuce; because (3) 21. ←This is the title of her recently released second album (5) 23. Capital of the Maldives (4) 24. Italian name for Roland (7)
Sudoku
Sport
No. 17 by Alexander Cook
Down
1. Place next to each other (9) 2. Gobbledegook (8) 3. The practice and science of classification (8) 4. French for ‘without’ (4) 5. Misinterpret; distort; corrupt (7) 6.Rulers during the Anglo-Saxon period (9) 9. See 9 Across (2) 11. Erode (3, 4) 18. Prefix used to indicate a concept that is an abstraction from another concept (4) 19. Ward off (4) 20. Group of people united by kinship or descent (4) 22. Move; travel; attend (2) No 16 Solution: Across 1. Carabiner; 5. Oc; 7. Bomber; 8. Alabama; 10. Mom; 11. Bagpipes; 14. Smile; 15. O-Pro; 16. Sass; 19. Rbk; 20. Alive; 21. Got; 23. Pupil (5) Down 1. Chiasmus; 2. Royal Mail; 3. Brian Blessed; 4. Rimini; 6. Carp; 7. Baggins; 9. Re; 12. Paper; 13. Snorkel; 17. Slop; 18. Ale; 22. Tu
Easy
Easy
Medium
Hard
EUNC clinch victory Netball
Kerry Lewis
Driving towards Bath on January, 26, the omens for Exeter’s Netball 4ths were not looking good; the rain was pouring and a few (unintentional) detours meant that the team was running late.
“As they walked on court, the 4ths were
psyched and primed for another win”
Add to that the weariness that comes with two and a half hours of sitting in a car and the 4ths should have had themselves a recipe for low spirits and motivation. However, as they walked on court, the 4ths were psyched and primed for another win, (which had nothing to do with hearing that there were England Rugby players in the gym next door...) the 4ths were ready for battle. The first quarter saw Exeter almost entirely in possession of the ball; they were fast paced and made a couple of great interceptions, but, unforced errors meant that by the end of the first quarter Exeter was only four goals ahead. The second quarter saw the 4ths unable to get into a rhythm and the lead
that they had tirelessly won in the first quarter shrank to nothing. At half time it was a draw, a draw that would also be the result of a frantic third quarter in which the ball seemed to travel from one end of the court to the other. Each team pushed their advantage, only to lose it once again. At the close of the third quarter, Exeter’s 4ths and Bath’s 5ths were at 25-25: the pressure was on. The final quarter saw both teams desperate to clinch the victory. In the end, however, it was Exeter’s superior fitness that won the day, ending the match 34-29. The atmosphere of relief when the girls won was tangible and the elation they felt could not even be dampened by the rain on the way home.
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February 7 2011
Sport
Alexander Cook & Andy Williams - sport@exepose.com
Exeposé
Exeter Volleyball - BUCS champions already
Exeter’s win against Glamorgan secures the team’s promotion to Division 1
Volleyball
Stuart Nombluez Volleyball Correspondent Exeter University Mens 1st Volleyball Team remains undefeated in their BUCS league. They sit proudly at the top of the BUCS table fifteen points clear. This guarantees their promotion to the Premier division of the Western Conference. Their fate was sealed following a victory against Gloucester last weekend at a tournament in Glamorgan. This is the second time that the team has won in Wales this season, and Exeter’s first visit heralded a strong start to the league with an initial victory against Bristol and again in a tight game against the host team, Glamorgan. Despite a tally of successes however, the games have been somewhat inconsistent due to both the strength of the opposition
and minor dispute amongst team members. This has often led to a characteristically slow start during the first set of most games, but the team hopes to train harder and benefit from an influx of newer players to help overcome these issues in its advancement to the first division in the coming year. As the team photo above
University 1. Exeter 2. UWE 3. Gloucestershire 4. Glamorgan 5. Aberystwyth 6. College of St Mark & St John
illustrates, the team have put their bodies on the line this season. They sport the classic knee injuries of this physically demanding game, having thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the matches and around the courts. Commensurate commitment will be essential if the team are to succeed so emphatically next year.
Played 4 4 2 2 0 0
Points 21 6 3 3 -3 -12