Exeposé Issue 649, 1 February 2016

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• Over 3,000 Exeter students set to be affected by maintenance grant cuts

• Exeter Conservative Association Chairman claims loan system will give students “more cash-in-hand” Photo: Edwin Yeung

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VER 3,000 Exeter students are likely to be affected by government plans to cut maintenance grants in favour of loans come September 2016.

According to University data released to Exeposé, 4,540 students at the University currently benefit from government maintenance grants. Of this number, 3,072 are first and second-year students most likely to be affected by the change to the loan system.

Sabb elections: Everything you need to know about this year’s Sabb candidates Pullout

Of the 4,540 students benefiting from a grant, 67 per cent receive the largest amount of £3,387 a year. Under new plans, students will be entitled to more financial support - £8,200 a year – but this will have to be repaid as soon as the graduate is earning at least £21,000 a year.

Under the current system, grants to cover living costs are available to students from families with incomes of £25,000 or less. 83 per cent of students receiving a grant at Exeter were from state school backgrounds while 17 per cent studied at independent schools.

On 19 January, Labour forced a Com-

mons debate on the proposed maintenance grant plans, which were not a part of the Conservative party’s election manifesto. However, Jeremy Corbyn’s party failed to sway Parliamentary opinion on the scrapping of grants, with the motion passed by a small majority of 14. On the same day, a student protest blocked Westminster Bridge for more than an hour and a half.

Despite the hike in money available through the loan system, there are fears that the increased prospective debt will prevent students from lower income backgrounds applying to university.

Features: Is life harder for tall girls & short guys? Heightism discussed Page 12-13

James Beeson Editor

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• Uni Vice-Chancellor and Sabbatical officers condemn government changes

Sarah Gough Editor

Uni spend nearly £6k on biscuits

Abigail Milne, a second-year English and Drama student, currently benefits from a grant and worries the changes will “make Universities more elitist”. Speaking to Exeposé, she said: “If I hadn’t received the grant I get, I would have seriously reconsidered coming to university, especially to Exeter because the cost of living is so much higher in the south.”

Gabrielle, a second-year English student, relies on her grant money to pay her rent and also has two part-time jobs. While she welcomes the increase in money available through the loan, she is...

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Music: Cavern celebrates 25 years of mayhem and music Page 20-21

HE University of Exeter spent almost £6,000 on biscuits in 2015, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

The information revealed exclusively to Exeposé, shows that a grand total of £5,780 worth of funds were spent on providing biscuits for customers at, or attending events at the University last year. The biscuits are not, however, for University staff. Unfortunately the University does not hold record of the exact number of biscuits purchased, meaning a cost-per-biscuit calculation is not possible.

However, an investigation by this reporter revealed that had the biscuits been McVitities Hobnobs and purchased at the Guild Shop (priced at 75p per packet), then this would amount to 7,706 packets of biscuits, or 154,133 biscuits in total. Had the University opted for the slightly pricier Maryland ‘Big & Chunky’ cookies (priced at £1.99 per packet), they would have been able to purchase 2,904 packets, or 22,236 biscuits in total.

A similar request sent by a UCL student revealed that the London University spent £57,196.75 on biscuits between 1 January 2014 and 7 October 2015, making Exeter’s confectionary expenditure seem fairly modest in comparison.

Speaking about University biscuit expenses, a spokesperson said: “Each year, there are thousands of meetings, events and functions involving staff, students and visitors that take place at the University on all campuses. Occasionally, and where appropriate, some small offer of light refreshments may be provided.”

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Email: editors@exepose.com Call: (01392) 723513 Editors Print: James Beeson & Sarah Gough Online: Kayley Gilbert & Harry Shepherd Deputy Editors Eamonn Crowe & Josh Mines depeds@exepose.com News Editors Print: Susannah Keogh & Fiona Potigny Online: Elizabeth Menshikova & Elise Metcalf news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: John Chilvers & Zak Mahinfar Online: Natalie Bartrum & Emily Prescott comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Flora Carr & Katie Jenkins Online: Jessica Stanier & Theodore Stone features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Sabrina Aziz & Jack Wardlaw Online: Laurel Bibby & Harriette Casey lifestyle@exepose.com Music Editors Print: James Atherton & Katie Costello Online: Tristan Gatward & Joe Stewart music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Akash Beri & Ben Londesbrough Online: Emily Harris & Jack Smith screen@exepose.com Arts & Lit Editors Print: Jeremy Brown & Emily Kerr Online: Lisa Rellstab & Valentina Vacchelli artsandlit@exepose.com Science & Tech Editors Print: Catherine Heffner & Lewis Norman Online: Sally-Ann Dunn & Bry Nickson sciandtech@exepose.com Games Print: Jack England & Evan Jones Online: Sam Brewer & Jabez Sherrington games@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Rob Cross & Emmott Leigh Online: Oli Davis & Tommy John sports@exepose.com Photography Edwin Yeung & Natasa Christofidou photography@exepose.com Copy Editors Esther Docherty, Kate Jones, Giorgi Mamuzelos & William Sandbach

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Exeposé News

NEWS EDITORS Susannah Keogh Fiona Potigny

Costume parties cut Graduates actually

by Edinburgh union rejecting jobs University of Edinburgh students have been banned from dressing up as Pocahontas, Mexicans or gangsters, after the Students’ Association took action.

Other costumes banned under the policy include transgender Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and convicted rapist Ched Evans.

The ban follows previous criticism over the university being excessively politically correct, with it being labelled ‘ban-happy’ in the Free Speech University Rankings 2016.

Charlie Peters, a philosophy student at the institution branded the policy as “a bit of a joke”.

“I’m sure their intentions are nice but it takes away the potential to speak freely”, Peters added.

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The employment struggle may not be as real as initially thought, with record numbers of graduates actually turning down top jobs last year.

High Fliers Research found that over 1,000 posts were left unfilled in 2015 after “picky” final-years either rejected or backed out of offers they had accepted before graduating – the highest amount since the annual survey began in 1994.

Although there are “probably twice as many graduates as there are jobs”, finalists at the top end are becoming “increasingly choosy” about their prospective employers, according to Martin Birchall, High Fliers’ Managing Director.

2016 will see employers take on their biggest batch of uni-leavers yet, with the amount of opportunities rising by 7.5 per cent.

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University news from beyond Exeter Stories compiled by: Susannah Keogh and Fiona Potigny

Students forced to imitate sex acts

Personality plays part in degree

Students were forced to perform lewd acts on stage during an event at Harper Adams University.

Organised by the Student Union, the show, which saw students dragged on stage and made to swap clothes and imitate sex positions in return for alcohol, has been blasted by both students and sexual violence group Rape Crisis for being “exploitative” and “degrading”.

Video footage taken from the event is said to show one female student in tears as the audience shout “slags” and the host encourages the audience to “queue up to f***” one of the participants.

The Shropshire-based university is currently investigating the issue.

A Danish psychologist has discovered different degrees courses attract students with specific personality traits.

As part of her research, Anna Vedel gathered research from 13,389 students, measuring five personality groups: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Arts, Humanities, and Science students were found to gravitate more towards openness, with Law and Engineering students branded the opposite.

Those studying business tend to be less neurotic.

Vedel claims by taking into account students’ differing personality traits, “teachers and instructors may be better equipped to structuring the learning environment in a way that engages students and faciliates their learning process”.

£250k withheld in Asian cuisine gets a UCL student rent row UK uni makeover

Prisoners get better US students ask gov’t marks than students to forgive loan debt

A London-based group of students are withholding up to £250,000 in rent fees, following a row over increasing living costs.

150 students from University College London (UCL) have pledged to withhold their accommodation fees until their demands for a 40 per cent rent cut are met.

UCL accommodation fees have risen by over 50 per cent since 2009, with even the cheapest rooms more costly than student loan payments.

Halls affected include Ramsey Hall, whose prices range between £159 and £262, and Max Rayne House, which charges up to £232.

Angus O’Brien, the university’s Student Halls Representative reported one student was seeking a third job in order to cover the high costs, adding that such fees “stop people from less privileged backgrounds from studying at UCL”.

UCL maintains, however, that their rents are competitive.

Durham students have been left red faced after prisoners scored higher marks than them in criminology and justice essays.

As part of the Inside-Out programme, students go into prisons and study alongside the inmates, writing the same essays and discussing and reading the same texts.

Taking place at two local prisons, including high security facility Frankland, the course ran for ten weeks and, following its success, will now be expanded to a third prison.

Inside-Out was inspired by a similar programme run in the US. One prisoner, Jermain James, who has recently been released after serving a thirteen year sentence for attempted murder, said the course “changed everybody”.

A group of UK delegates have made a 5,000-mile trip to China – all with the aim of improving Asian food on campuses at home.

With Chinese students making up 20 per cent of all international students, members of The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) are on a fact-finding mission to address the issue of lacklustre Chinese food, which has seen UK universities continually misrepresent recipes like popular rice porridge dish ‘congee’ and charge for chopsticks, even when some students have had no experience with a knife and fork.

Following the trip, which included a visit to a university serving 47,000 lunches - the equivalent of feeding over half the British army - daily, TUCO Chair, Julie Barker, said: “My perceptions of Chinese food have been blown away. Changing that perception in the UK is going to be challenging.”

Over 7,000 student borrowers have applied to the government for the student loans to be expunged by exploiting an obscure legal loophole.

The students, who owe $164 million, claim they have been defrauded by the promise that a college education would greatly improve their employment prospects.

The Wall Street Journal reports the law forgives the debt if students can prove the school used illegal tactics to recruit them, such as lying about their graduates’ earnings.

So far, students who have utilized the law all attended forprofit institutions, which are run like businesses.

In 2014, among the 25 US colleges where students owed the most debt, fourteen were for-profit colleges, with the amount of debt owed by those students jumping from $39 billion in 2000 to $229 billion.

Uni reaps £350k from parking EXEPOSÉ

James Beeson Editor

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N EXEPOSÉ investigation has revealed that the University received almost £200,000 more in parking charges in 2014/15 than they invest on average per year in alternative sustainable transport schemes.

Data released to Exeposé after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request shows that in 2014/15, the University received a grand total of £349,440.59 in parking charges. This figure includes £192,686.65 in staff permits and £138,045.36 in pay and display charges. £11,447.75 was generated by the sale of parking permits to students, despite the fact that students residing in halls of residence or within the city boundary (postcodes EX1, EX2 and EX4) are not eligible to apply for them, whilst parking fines accounted for £4,664.15 of the money received last year.

Any additional surplus is used for further sustainable initiatives such as additional cycle parking facilities University spokesperson

The University claims that the revenue generated from these parking charges is used to subsidise the sustainable transport alternatives it

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promotes, including a free shuttle bus that runs from St David’s station, discounted bus tickets for staff and students and shower facilities for cyclists and walkers.

However, information on the University website states that on average only £155,000 is invested into these schemes each year. It is not clear where the rest of the money (approximately £195,000) received by the University in parking charges last year went.

Speaking about this discrepancy, a University spokesperson told Exeposé: “A significant amount generated from parking charges are initially allocated each year to a host of sustainability initiatives. These include the patronage of University-subsidised D bus services that had 159,600 passenger journeys originating at the Exeter campuses in 2013-14 – a growth of 29 per cent since 2009. There has also been an 83 per cent increase in membership on the University’s private Car Share Scheme website from 2013-2014, which currently stands at 530 members.

“Any additional surplus is then used for further sustainable initiatives such as installing additional cycle parking facilities, showers and subsidised cycle locks and lights for students.

“Parking charges income is also used for a number of further initiatives, including the financing of minibuses and their drivers, car park improvements, security cameras in car parks and software, purchase of permits, and the permit administrative staff.”

The FOI request also revealed the

amount of money that was collected in parking charges by the University in the current academic year (2015/16) is already almost as high as in the whole of last academic year, currently standing at £318,515.80 (as of 18 January). This means that the University only needs to collect another £30,924.79 in the rest of this year to exceed last year’s earnings from parking.

The amount of money received for student permits and from contractors are already greater than the amount collected last year, standing at £12,704.38 and £3,718.32 respectively.

The University spokesperson added: “Funds associated with parking charges – which include permits, pay and display, contractor parking and fines - at the University of Exeter have been consistent in recent years, and there is nothing to suggest that won’t be the case in 2015/16.

In fact, parking fines have decreased significantly in recent years, while income from student and staff permits remain predominantly the same.”

Pay and display charges apply at the University between 08:00-18:00 Monday-Friday. Full permit charges vary depending on the salary of the staff member and the CO2 emissions of their vehicle, with the most expensive permit costing £246.72 a year.

Parking is enforced on campus by Estate Patrol, and anyone caught parking without having paid or without a valid permit receives two caution notices of zero pounds, before a third penalty charge notice is issued with a £60 fine.

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Photo: University of Exeter

New payments Business School trumps for Sports Park library borrowings Natasa Christofidou Chief Photographer

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HE University of Exeter’s gym will be providing alternative payment methods for student membership, beginning in the academic year 2016-17.

It is now possible to sign up for a Term 2and 3 membership without having to pay for the full year.

Students will now be given the option to pay two thirds of their annual gym membership in September, and the remaining one third at the start of term two, in January. These changes are subject to certain regulations, as they will only apply to platinum and

gold memberships. The initial payment will need to be made online, to allow an automatic transaction of the second payment.

AU President Jack Bristow, who lobbied for the changes, told Exeposé: “It’s great to see the Sports Park listening to student concerns about the cost of the gym. It can be quite a significant cost to pay up front at the start of the year but now students will be able to spread the cost over the year. We have fantastic gym facilities at Exeter and this will help make them more accessible to all students.”

Anyone wishing to take advantage of the new offers can sign up online or visit the Sports Park.

Fiona Potigny News Editor

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FREEDOM of Information request has revealed the library books that most frequently make their way onto student bookshelves – and it’s Business School borrowings out on top.

According to figures, 9 out of 10 of the Forum Library’s most frequently borrowed books were compulsory reading material on Business School modules, with just one – Company Law

by Alan Dignam and John Lowry – taught in the School of Social Sciences. This is a decrease on last year’s list for Social Sciences, which then featured three law-related books compared to seven Business School module reads.

So far this academic year, John Burns’ Management Accounting, which is indicative reading on eight accounting

Photo: Edwin Yeung

modules ranging from beginners to executive level, has crowned the list.

Borrowed 75 times in just 5 months, it nudged 2014/15 winner Crafting and executing strategy off the top spot, which does not appear at all this year.

We’re often left waiting for the books we want Anonymous Business School student

Following closely in second place was Financial Modeling by Simon Benninga with 72 borrows, while Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications

by Terence A. Shrimp and J. Craig Andrews was third with 64.

With Business School students

accounting for nearly one fifth of the Exeter student population, one student described the results as “unsurprising”.

Another cited the high costs of books as a reason why so many Business students are turning to the library.

“With course books so expensive, everyone is keen to get them at the library instead. Unfortunately, even with multiple copies being stocked, that means that there’s loads of competition and we’re often left waiting for the books we want.”

Caroline Gale, Library Liaison Manager assured students: “The Library works with Colleges to ensure that books likely to be in demand are stocked, with a preference for digital formats wherever possible. We constantly monitor heavilyborrowed print material, changing loan periods or ordering extra stock as required.”

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Uni research reveals lizard camo ability David Smeeton News Team

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EW research from the University of Exeter has made an exciting revelation about wildlife camouflage techniques.

According to the findings, Wild Aegean wall lizards found on Greek islands choose rocks that best match the colour of their backs, raising the question of how lizards know what colour their backs are.

Dr Martin Stevens from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation and Kate Marshall from the University of Cambridge’s Zoology department proved that individual lizards are able to choose their resting spot wisely by selecting a rock that will make their backs less conspicuous to avian predators.

Dr Stevens commented: “Our study shows that there is much more to camouflage than just an animal’s appearance. This is something that needs more research in the future.”

According to Marshall, this “is the first result of its kind in wild animals, and in lizards specifically”.

Given that birds perceive colour in a different way, as they are able to perceive UV light, for example, the question remains as to how lizards ‘know’ that their backs are effectively camouflaged.

Our study shows that there is much more to camou�lage than just an animal’s appearance. This is something that needs more research in the future.

Dr Martin Stevens, University of Exeter Centre for Ecology and Conservation

“One theory is that it is under genetic control, while another possibility is that it develops in early life through learning from other lizards and from experience,” Marshall added.

Lizards’ resting site choices that heighten individual camouflage were more evident on islands with higher numbers of predatory bird species, suggesting that this trait in lizards evolves faster in riskier environments.

The research could emphasise the importance of considering broader environmental contexts, such as the risk of predation and perception.

Published in Scientific Reports, an online journal devoted to the pursuit of natural sciences, the article, with its full title ‘Microhabitat choice in island lizards enhances camouflage against avian predators’ is available to view now online.

Exeter fails to hit female professor national average

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COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 14-16 10-13 8-9

Fiona Potigny News Editor

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XETER missed the mark on gender equality in professorial roles last year, according to recent figures.

Statistics released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on 21 January revealed that in 2014/15, female professors accounted for 23 per cent of all professors in UK academia, while the University of Exeter was nearly five percentage points behind, standing at just 18.2 per cent, according to the most recent Equality and Diversity Report, published in July 2015.

HESA’s report also reflected a national improvement of one per cent upon the previous year, whereas the

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University showed an increase of just 0.3 per cent over three years.

Although figures for 2016 are yet to be published, Dorcas Cowan, Equality and Diversity Manager at the University, maintains that the amount of female professors currently stands at 21 per cent, describing the varied actions the University takes to challenge the gap.

She commented: “The low percentage of female professors is a national issue and one which we are working to address at Exeter through our continued engagement with Athena SWAN and other initiatives such as Aurora, a womenonly leadership development initiative.”

The University has held a bronze Athena SWAN award since 2011, recognising its commitment to issues

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of gender equality within an academic setting and efforts to close the gender pay gap.

More could be done to support women in this sphere Professor Gabriella Giannachi, Professor

A male-favoured pay gap of 2.5 per cent persists among professors at Exeter, however, with the male median salary £1,899 more than that of a female.

Nonetheless, such a gap is a far cry from the national figure of 19.1 per cent.

According to Professor Gabriella Giannachi, Professor in Performance and

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EXEPOSÉ

New Media, such figures show that “we all need to roll up our sleeves and make sure that we encourage and support more women in coming forward for promotion and work with colleagues at ensuring that their competences are fully recognised in the process”.

“As a female professor, I can say that balancing life and work is very difficult and that more could be done to support women in this sphere,” she added.

Professor Sarah Gurr, Head of Biosciences and Chair in Food Security, had a more positive view, however: “Exeter recognises excellence and promotes those who merit recognition rapidly and irrespective of gender. I am honoured to be here and to lead Biosciences.”

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Photo: University of Exeter

Gender in academia: The stats - Female professors accounted for 23 per cent of all professors in UK academia in 2014/15 - In Exeter, 18.2 per cent of professors were female, according to the July 2015 Annual Report - The median salary of a male professor at Exeter is £1,899 more than that of a female

New Club Hosts pilot scheme looking at sexual harassment Susannah Keogh News Editor

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XETER researchers have successfully launched the first phase of an innovative new study into students’ experience of sexual harassment in nightclubs.

The Club Hosts pilot scheme, which was commissioned by leading alcohol charity DrinkAware, was carried out by the University of Exeter Psychology applied to Health Research group.

Specialist staff, known as ‘Club Hosts’, are employed in selected Exeter nightclubs to identify and respond to inappropriate sexual behaviour and provide assistance.

1,200 students responded to the survey, which asked students to discuss their experiences of clubbing. Questions included their

attitude to drunkenness in clubs, level of alcohol consumption and their overall awareness of the Club Hosts.

The survey is still ongoing, with these students being asked to take part in two more waves of the survey, and fifty of those respondents rewarded with a fifty pound Amazon voucher.

The aims of the Club Host initiative echo those of our #NeverOk campaign Naomi Armstrong, VP Welfare & Diversity

Naomi Armstrong, VP Welfare and Diversity said: “The Students’ Guild has supported DrinkAware and the Medical School in their research which has led to this scheme.

“The aims of the Club Host initiative echo those of our #NeverOk campaign, and I look forward to hearing the results of the project.”

As well as Exeter, Club Hosts operated across a variety of venues in the South

West, including Plymouth and Torquay.

The initial pilot scheme, run in Nottingham in 2014, indicated the initiative could help reduce the number of young adults experiencing drunken sexual harassment.

Photo: Nik Rahmel

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Students react to grant cuts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ...sceptical about the long-term effects.

She told Exeposé: “If I’d known about it before I applied to university then it would have hugely put me off going as I would be in much more debt.”

Jack Smith, a first-year Politics and International Relations student, comes from a low-income family and describes the cut to grants as “concerning”. He said: “It’s worrying to think that the government believes it’s OK that the poorest students will leave university with the biggest debt. There’s a reason grants exist, and removing them removes one of the very few reassurances poor students have with university finances.”

Many students rely on these grants and have commented that they simply would not have come to university without them Laura-Jane Tiley, Guild President University Vice-Chancellor Sir Steve Smith has long been opposed to the cutting of maintenance grants. Speaking in an interview with Exeposé in May, he said: “What puts poorer kids off going to university isn’t so much the fees, it’s maintenance, and if the government were to put £2.7 billion into the hands of students, we’d rather it go into maintenance to support kids from poorer backgrounds.”

On the recent decision to replace grants with loans from September, Sir Steve added: “I am very concerned by the move from maintenance grants to loans.

Of particular concern is the impact that this change will have on families with a household income of less than £25,000 per annum.

“The key thing now is to ensure that trends in applications and acceptances to higher education institutions are closely monitored, and the policy reviewed urgently if there is any indication that it is having a detrimental impact on access to

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Will grant cuts make Exeter more elitist?

Exeposé ‘s past coverage:

higher education and social mobility.”

The Sabbatical team in the Students’ Guild also resist the changes. Guild President Laura-Jane Tiley said: “As a Sabb team, we oppose the Government’s decision to scrap maintenance grants. Even though loans are set to increase, students will be saddled with even more debt and I worry that students from lower income households will not want to apply to university.

“Many students rely on these grants and have commented that they simply would not have come to university without them.”

Socialist Student president Natasa Christofidou was one of the Exeter students pictured on the front page of The Independent following the London #GrantsNotDebt protest in November.

She said: “Scrapping maintenance grants is a direct attack on the poorest in society. Once again, the Tories have shown how insensitive they are towards disadvantaged students. Punishing these students with even more debt, considering the fact that they’re already financially struggling is completely unjust.

“The government are acting in the least representative way possible, by merely showing concern for the most privileged students in society, whilst turning a blind eye to poverty.”

Will the shift from grant to loans affect you?

Comment Page 8 Speaking to The Telegraph about the cuts, Megan Dunn, NUS national president, said: “The Government has continually denied the scrapping of maintenance grants would negatively affect students, particularly those from poorer backgrounds. This is just not true.

“Students are already facing rising amounts of debt when they graduate, so piling even bigger debts on the shoulders of the poorest students is extremely unfair.”

Despite the resounding condemnation of the government’s decision to scrap grants for loans, Exeter Conservative Association Chairman, Charlie Beaty, is

Student stats:

>>Scenes from the #GrantsNotDebt protests in November. Photo: Natasa Christofidou in favour of the changes. He said: “The changes to the maintenance system gives all students, irrespective of household income, access to more cash-in-hand than has ever been available; this positive step means more students will be able to meet the living costs of a university education while simultaneously ensuring there is a strong and competitive economy for us all to graduate into.”

On Tuesday, all Exeter students received an email detailing support for the Hardship and Retention Fund. A nonrepayable grant is available directly from the University for students experiencing financial hardship. Provision provided by the fund would be equivalent to £174 per week for a single student and £140 per week for a student with dependents or who is unable to work due to disability.

Free, impartial and independent advice about financial matters is available to any concerned students from the Students’ Guild Advice Unit based in the Forum.

The percentage of Exeter students receiving a maintenance grant and in their first or second year

November 2015

November 2014

We cover the #GrantsNotDebt protest in London, attended in force

by Exeter Socialist Students

A Features investigation reveals that out of 322 Exeter students surveyed, 73 per cent believe the University is “economically elitist”

Other students receiving grant

67% first and second year students

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Exe speech not so ‘free’ David Smeeton News Team

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XETER students may not be as free to speak as previously thought, following downgrading in the latest Free Speech University Rankings (FSUR).

The University and Students’ Guild have been downgraded from Green to Amber level in the Spiked Magazine rankings, as they have “chilled free speech through intervention”.

The Exeter report cites the Guild’s backing of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement as one specific action alongside its policy on external speakers, which states that they “should seek to avoid insulting other faiths or groups”.

Bowie legacy celebrated Nia Parry News Team

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RECENT concert celebrating the life and legacy of musical legend David Bowie has raised £100 for Cancer Research UK. A collaboration between Exeposé Music, PearShaped, ExTunes and RAG, the event was held at the Lemon Grove on 21 January and showcased the skills of local singers, bands and DJs. The line-up for the evening included Kathy Giddins, Peacock Affect, The Allergens, Delmer Darion, and Takao.

Exeposé Music Editor, Tristan Gatward, reflected on the evening: “More importantly drinks were drunk, songs were sung and a great life celebrated.”

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N Saturday 13 February, students will find themselves stumbling upon Exeter’s biggest annual Chinese New Year celebration.

Kicking off the Year of the Monkey, a traditional dancing parade is set to wind its way through Exeter’s streets from 1:00pm, while on-campus events include a Chinese Market in the Forum at 3:00pm, with traditional food, performances and martial arts demonstrations.

Weather-dependent, 3:00pm will also mark the start of a Dragon and Lion display on the Great Hall Piazza.

Festivities end at around 6:00pm, with fireworks visible from the XFI building.

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Susannah Keogh News Editor

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UTGOING University of Exeter Chancellor Floella Benjamin has bowed out after almost ten years of service, with students and staff praising the Baroness.

Saturday 23 January marked the final Graduation Ceremony for the outgoing Chancellor.

She made me promise to change the world and lead from the front Becky Howie, BA International Relations

Sir Steve Smith, Vice Chancellor, spoke of Floella’s “dedication” in a speech given at the annual winter graduation: “We want to say a very special thank you to a person who has made our graduation ceremonies a delight for graduates and families over the last ten years. This is the very last ceremony our Chancellor, Baroness Floella Benjamin, will preside over as she steps down from her role this year. Floella has personally graduated over 35,000 students in 175

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ceremonies.

“Floella is always supported by her husband Keith who is as enthusiastic about every ceremony as we are. So thank you Floella and Keith for your hard work, love and support and the words of inspiration you give to each and every student.

“Floella, there is no other Chancellor like you, you are irreplaceable and we will miss you.”

Baroness Benjamin’s role began at the University in 2005, when she was awarded an Honorary doctorate for her influence on British society through her extensive work with children. Her son Aston is an Exeter alumnus.

In her final speech as Chancellor, the ex-children’s television presenter, who was made a life peer of the House of Lords in 2010, told the 800 graduates to “change the world”.

Becky Howie, a graduate in BA International Relations from the ceremony, told Exeposé: “She spoke so well and was really inspiring. Her speech wasn’t just about how good the University is, but about how great we can be which I think is what made the ceremony more special.

She made me promise to change the world and lead from the front. Also not

many people can pull off a sparkly gold dress at 11:45 in the morning but she can!”

the changes will make the Marketplace “smaller, but smarter, providing a range of customer favourites and essentials, and will continue to offer a wide range of products at the best possible price”.

The noisiest works will take place in the late evening and early morning in order to minimise disruption to students.

Though it is currently unknown exactly what outlet will be introduced into the Forum, the University told students that they can expect an “internationally renowned coffee/food brand”, which will “introduce more choice onto campus, improving customer satisfaction”.

While the exact opening date of the new outlet is yet to be revealed, the University hope to release this information once final details about the deal have been confirmed.

Thea Bichard News Team

We speculate on possible new Chancellors Comment Page 9 To graduating students, Floella’s

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

starring role has been taking to the stage and performing at their graduation ball.

VP Education Bethan Jones spoke of her happiness and memories at being able to attend Floella’s final graduation ceremonies: “Everyone remembers their Floella moment and I know that she will be sorely missed.”

Photo: University of Exeter

Forum to welcome Exeter students tie up ‘international’ retailer anxiety and depression Josh Mines Deputy Editor

Chinese New T Year hits Uni Hannah Butler News Team

EXEPOSÉ

Tributes Flo-ella in as Chancellor Jan exam attends final graduation ceremonies

NEWS 1-6

HE Marketplace will be refurbished to make room for a new food and drink outlet in the Forum, information released by the University this week has revealed.

A press release issued on the University website explained that the Marketplace would be closed from 5:00pm on Friday 29 January until today in order to accommodate most of the new repairs.

Planned works will mean that the Marketplace will reopen in a third of its original space, while the new retailer will occupy the remaining space next to the University shop.

The University website said that

Photo: University of Exeter

S

TUDENTS will don neckties this week, as part of an event seeking to promote awareness of student mental health.

Organisers of ‘Tying Up Anxiety and Depression’, which will be held this Tuesday, are calling for students to wear ties to show solidarity with sufferers of mental health issues.

Natasa Christofidou, one of the initiative’s organisers, explained the motivations behind the event: “As university students, many of us suffer from anxiety and/or depression - some to smaller or larger extents than others. The campaign is aimed at the whole student body as a means of raising awareness about mental health issues that are circulating around in society as a whole.”

In 2013, a NUS survey found that one in five students considered themselves to have a mental health problem, with many also reporting wellbeing issues, such as trouble sleeping, or a lack of motivation.

Christofidou added: “The aim is to make students who are anxious or depressed feel more comfortable as these feelings could lead to isolation and a sense of social exclusion, which are definitely undesired outcomes.”

VP Welfare and Diversity Naomi Armstrong said: “Anything that students can do to raise awareness of mental health issues and reduce the stigma attached to them is fantastic.”

The initiatve is supported by mental health awareness society Mind Your Head. Numerous events will take place throughout the day, including a discussion group about Anxiety and Depression.

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COMMENT EXEPOSÉ EDITORIAL

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Cuts, crumbs, campaigns

S

TUDENTS are under the kosh again, as Osborne’s “earn or learn” Budget promises become a reality. Last week, Parliament voted to scrap student maintenance grants in favour of a loan system which will come into effect from September 2016. We lead this issue looking into the implications for Exeter students - over 3000 are in their first or second year benefitting from grants.

While the Tories are quick to claim that loans will provide more cash-in-hand for those hardest up, we’re of the opinion that this move represents yet another attack on poorer students. It is entirely regressive and will further decrease social mobility at what is an already elitist institution, thoughts echoed by our very own Vice-Chancellor. Nearly all of the students we spoke to were concerned about the long-term impacts of such a change.

There is no doubt that people from lowincome backgrounds will be put off from even applying to uni with the prospect of over £50k worth of debt dumped upon them. For a personal perspective, see the Comment piece to the right.

Equally as scandalous (lol jk) in our eyes is the shocking revelation that the University spent a whopping £5,780 last year on BISCUITS. Whilst many students frequently struggle to make ends meet, it appears as though the University have been lavishing guests with everything from custard creams to chocolate chips.

In what could be the biggest scandal since last year’s ‘Puppy-gate’, this frivolous spending really does take the biscuit.

But where do the University get this money from? Well they’re certainly making enough from parking charges. An FOI revealed that the remuneration received from parking in last academic year was just shy of £350,000. It’s claimed that this money is reinvested in sustainable alternatives to car travel, but our inves-

tigation revealed a worrying discrepancy in the amount raked in compared to the amount reinvested on average each year.

For the full facts and figures, see page 3.

News also cover Floella Benjamin’s final stint as Exeter’s Chancellor (page 6). Had we ever heard of her before we came here? Of course not but how will her loveable hugs and inspirational tweets be replaced? To quote Floella on the social media site: “My duty as Chancellor of Exeter Uni was to make a difference to others, felt job done when a graduate told me I brought hope back into his life.” Comment have come up with a few of their own Floella replacements - cast your eye over to page 9 and you, too, will find yourself wanting Emma Bunton (yes, really) congratulating you this year. *** It’s almost that time of year again.

Brace yourselves for a week of cringey campaigns, colourful costumes and crummy cinematography. Sabbatical elections are the pinnacle of the Students’ Guild’s year and an advert for everything great (or dreadful, depending on your perspective) about student democracy. In celebration of this popularity contest (sorry, election) we’ve put together a special 12 page pullout featuring manifestos and interviews with every candidate standing this year. Essential reading for all you Guildies out there.

Elsewhere in the paper, we’ve got highlights in the form of an excellent insight into height discrimination in both its varieties (Features pages 12-13), and a celebration of 25 years of live music at one of Exeter’s best underground venues the Cavern (Music pages 20-21).

Finally, a quick reminder that ahead of Valentine’s Day we’re running a survey into (S)Exeter’s sexual habits - it’s totally anonymous, so head online and tell us your dirty little secrets.

CORRECTIONS Issue 648: In the article ‘Slave social ditched by Classics’ it was said that male society members were bid on by females. This is incorrect, names were pulled out of a hat.

Thanks to those who helped proof this issue: Owain Evans, Emma Farnworth, Emma Hill, Jack Powys Maurice, Sara Giapponi, Lily O’Neill, Nia Parry, Tash Ebbutt, Holly Govey, Olivia Abrams, Tess Boyd, Mark Allison, Vicky Gilmore, the Exeposé Copy Editors and members of the editorial team.

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EDITORS James Beeson Sarah Gough

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DEPUTY EDITORS Eamonn Crowe Josh Mines

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

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COMMENT EDITORS John Chilvers Zak Mahinfar

Bye bye social mobility Marcel Golten Guild Council Chair

A

T the start of the next academic year, maintenance grants will be gone. And with this move, the last scrap of social mobility in the higher education system will be dead. In place of the grants will come loans, which students will be expected to pay off on top of their existing debt. As a result, the huge levels of debt which currently sit at around £40,000 per student – plus interest – will increase to a crippling £53,000.

What this means is that students will pay back more money for a longer time.

For every pound over £21,000 that you earn each year - the income at which you start to pay off the debts - the government will take 15p in student loans repayments.

This is almost as much as they take in income tax, and more than they take in national insurance contributions.

This £21,000 repayment threshold, unlike tuition fees, will not rise with inflation as it has now been frozen. This is barely a subsistence wage and probably a below subsistence wage should you have the audacity to live in London or have

children. That one is expected to start paying such a high price at such a modest income is a disgrace.

What is particularly unjust about the system of debt is that the poor will pay more than the rich. While high earners will be able to repay their debts quickly and before interest builds up, lower earners will spend longer repaying their debts and therefore spend more on interest.

The scrapping of grants therefore, like so many of Tory cuts, is ideological 35 per cent of students say that they would not have been able to attend university without the maintenance grants.

The extent to which the scrapping of the grants will have an effect on access to education is difficult to forecast but what is certain that those poor students who do choose to study after finishing school will be punished for it.

There is something particularly chilling about the process in which this was done being absent from the Tories’ election manifesto, they have no mandate to scrap the grants at all.

The ten MPs who did vote to scrap the grants have never had to face the levels of debt that they are forcing on students, nor will they ever have to. They are from the generation that benefitted from both free education and government grants, and now they are kicking the ladder down from underneath their own feet.

The government says that it is not able to afford the grants, yet each year it spends £85 billion on payouts to large businesses in the form of corporate welfare, loses £119 billion in tax evasion and will spend £167 billion on replacing the trident nuclear weapons system. By contrast, the grants cost £1.3 billion.

The scrapping of the grants therefore, like so many of the Tories’ cuts, is completely ideological. They are committed to cutting spending wherever they can, no matter the effects on the poor. The party dominated by those notorious for trashing restaurants and burning £50 notes in front of the homeless during their time at university would probably like nothing more than to price out the poorer students and make universities every bit as elitist and exclusionist as the public schools that they attended themselves.

New year, same sh*t?

Cartoon: Emily McIndoe

Who will replace Floella?

EXEPOSÉ

COMMENT

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9

Floella Benjamin’s time as Chancellor is up, Exeposé Comment ask who should fill her shoes Sarah Gough Editor

F

AMOUS for her inspirational words and affectionate hugs, Floella is a hard act to follow. We must find an adequate replacement for our beloved Chancellor and the search is on for an equally humorous hugger. Look no further University dons, Emma Bunton is the perfect woman for the job.

Amiable, affectionate, downright delightful Emma Bunton’s hugs might surpass Floella’s If you could choose any of the Spice Girls to hug you, it would be Baby Spice wouldn’t it? Amiable, affectionate, downright delightful – Emma Bunton’s hugs would perhaps even surpass Floella’s. I might go as far to say that Bunton would offer a “song and a squeeze” for every graduate mounting the Great Hall steps.

Jeremy Brown Arts & Lit Editor

T

HERE were three reasons I chose this University. The first was its reputation. The second was its weather (no regrets). And the third was JK Rowling: probably the greatest alumna any uni could ever have. It’s for that reason I’d like to throw her name into the (sorting) hat, for the role of our new Chancellor.

Firstly, she’s an expert on education, having written a series of books on the subject. In fact, all the key Exeter landmarks seem to have connections to Harry Potter, so JK would feel right at home if she returned.

I’d like to throw her name into the (sorting) hat for our new Chancellor Allegedly, she didn’t enjoy her time at uni, so I reckon she’d only agree to be Chancellor on the condition she could make some improvements. As she’s a great advocate for equality — as shown by her work for charities like Lumos — Exeter would benefit from her no-nonsense attitude, and she’d be happy to fight our appalling diversity statistics. She knows there’s more to life than young white men from Surrey.

She’s also a dab hand at speeches,

Her enthusiastic embrace should be reason enough to hire her, but there is another huge plus to Bunton’s instatement: HER GALDEM. Imagine the Grad Ball extravaganza she would offer us mere mortals. Maybe she would draft the girls in and spice up all of our lives. Think of the scenes, girl power in the Great Hall. Viva forever Exeter! If you’re not into the Spice Girls’ repertoire, there’s little to fear. Let’s not forget about Bunton’s smash hit cover of ‘Downtown’ - the ultimate crowd pleaser.

Plus, has she got much else to be doing?

Aside from a pretty drab Radio 2 slot, Bunton has faded away into what some call ‘motherhood’ and what others call ‘obscurity’. This job would do

her a favour; get her back on that stage she has always worked so well.

Hugs, hits and humanity – three persuasive reasons to make Emma Bunton, Baby Spice, Exeter’s new Chancellor.

Rowan Keith

T

HIS weekend was a dark one as Floella stepped down as Chancellor of the University of Exeter. There has been speculation and rumours galore about who will replace her but if we’re being honest, there is

The man was made by Pop Idol. He knows how to celebrate The man was made by Pop Idol. He knows how to celebrate and he knows that the best way to do this is with a hug, and maybe some unnecessary tears, and who wouldn’t want to be embraced by those beautiful arms? This brings me on to my next point.

Will Young is a crowd pleaser if there ever was one. He knows showmanship, he knows drama (partially thanks to Exeter’s very own Footlights) and he has the diva quality that is needed if we are ever going to fill Floella’s shoes.

Last but not least, Will Young is an amazing example. He has taken his fame and used it for good, putting his politics degree from our very own University to good use by fronting campaigns for gay rights and mental health awareness. If that’s not someone to look up to then I don’t know who is. At the end of the day, Will is the living embodiment of Exeter: hot, posh and a little bit out of the spotlight but pretty damn great.

And if you don’t agree, I think you’d better leave right now.

having delivered a glorious commencement address at the Harvard graduation ceremony in 2008. It was a spell-binding mix of humour and genuine advice, and she spoke candidly about the hardships of her early life.

Her dreams of being a successful writer have definitely come to fruition,

and this ‘rags to riches’ story is something we’ll all be glad to remember when faced with the big wide world after graduation.

Finally, being Chancellor is predominantly a ceremonial role, so she’d probably introduce a big end-of-term feast for all graduates, featuring magicallyrefilling plates and bottomless bowls of punch. She’s a nice person too, so she’d probably join us all afterwards for a pint in The Leaky Cauldron - urm... I mean, Firehouse.

(If you want a quote from her Harvard speech: “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”)

only one obvious and realistic choice and that choice is Will Young. There are many reasons for this but let’s start with the most important.

The worst part of losing Floella is the fear of a hugless graduation ceremony.

This is clearly not something we need to worry about with Will.

Kirsty Harrod

T

ONY Robinson received an honorary doctorate from the University in 2005, for his services to archaeology in the hit TV show Time Team. When I say ‘hit’, I mean that it was popular solely amongst the elderly who have nothing else to do on a Sunday night, really keen archeology students, and little six-yearold me.

But Robinson isn’t just famous for his vague interest in Saxon pottery. He came to prominence as Baldrick, the dim-wit-

ted, smelly, but utterly loveable dogsbody to the cynical Edmund Blackadder in the BBC sit-com Blackadder. And given that the son of Rowan Atkinson, who played the title character, just graduated from Exeter, his castmate seems like a fitting candidate.

His political activism and charity work are also commendable Of course, Floella is a hard act to follow. I can’t imagine Robinson donning a

sequined dress and rocking it out on the mainstage at grad ball.

But having Mr S. Baldrick at your graduation is pretty good too.

Aside from his comedic and archaeological ventures, there are plenty of other reasons by Robinson is deserving of the role of Chancellor. He dropped out of school before finishing his A-Levels, and therefore serves as a reminder to the graduate filled with existential dread that everyone can achieve something, no matter how hard you struggled on those essays, no matter how many 2:2s you got.

His political activism and charity work are also commendable, and whilst being slightly more left-wing than the majority of Exeter students, he is clearly an excellent role model for all graduates.

And given that Time Team has been recently cancelled, he has enough time on his hands.

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Exeposé Features

FEATURES EDITORS Flora Carr Katie Jenkins

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@ExeposeFeatures

Channel 5’s crown jewel features@exepose.com

Flora Carr, Features Editor, discusses Prince Harry and the royal media circus with Exeter alumnus Channel 5’s Royal Correspondent Simon Vigar

I

’M sitting next to Channel 5’s Royal Correspondent, Simon Vigar, and we’re watching the Queen try on her crown. “It’s not as easy as it looks,” she says in clipped tones, walking forwards slowly with the crown balanced on her head. Vigar grins.

Although he tells me that his dream interviewee would be the Queen, unfortunately today isn’t the day he’ll see that wish fulfilled. Instead we’re watching the trailer for the new Netflix historical drama The Crown, based on the first years of the Queen’s reign. When I’d brought it up in our interview and Vigar hadn’t heard of it, I whipped out my iPhone.

I don’t think the monarchy is the most important part of the country And now here we are, and I’m watching a programme about the royals with a Royal Correspondent; he stares intently at the screen, occasionally muttering, “Well that’s incorrect”.

Vigar tries to make it clear that he isn’t a traditional Royal Correspondent. When illustrating what a “traditional” correspondent is like, he puts on a slow, Dimbleby-esque voice. “The royal [reporter] rep[utation] had people speaking very slowly, so I didn’t want to become one,” Vigar says, “the Boss made me.”

Vigar became Channel 5’s Royal Correspondent in 2007, following a “connection” going back years between Vigar’s career and the royals. Vigar had covered Princess Diana events even during his first job at Capital Radio, and in 2007 covered the Diana Inquest. Since then he’s travelled across the globe reporting on the royals; from following Prince Harry on his Jubilee tour of the Bahamas and Jamaica, to accompanying William and Kate in the South Pacific.

However, Vigar is still not what you’d expect from a Royal Correspondent. “I don’t think the monarchy is the most important part of the country,” he shrugs.

An Ex-

eter alumnus, Vigar studied Politics; however, the “University Radio was probably more important than the degree” when Vigar applied to Exeter. He jokes about his first-year halls, Mardon, and the terrible catering (“Picture an age before gastropubs and Jamie Oliver, an age of stewed stew…”).

Having worked at Hampshire Radio before university, Vigar became an avid member of the student radio team, who were then based in “literally a broom cupboard in Devonshire House”. Although he admits that the media “can be a shit business; you get kicked in the proverbials”, Vigar was set on a career in broadcasting.

“Going live is the adrenaline buzz, it’s the best drug there is,” he enthuses.

Despite “work[ing] harder at radio than the

degree”, Vigar’s Politics degree still shines through during our interview. He becomes suddenly animated whenever I broach a political topic.

Scottish independence seems inevitable When I discover that his first job was based in Aberdeen, I ask Vigar for his thoughts on Scottish Independence.

“It seems inevitable,” he states, describing the “absolute can of worms that was opened with devolution in 1997”.

“I remember,” he says, “the 1992 election, when the SNP went from five to three seats. Ten years ago Scotland was a one [Labour] party state. The SNP’s progress is insane”.

However, Vigar puts Labour’s annihilation in Scotland last year down to ‘an issue of socialism rather than nationalism’, i.e. the SNP’s success was actually due to their socialist roots rather than their Scottish ones. In that case, could Corbynite Labour bring back Scottish voters? “Perhaps,” Vigar says, before enthusing: “It’s fascinating.”

On the topic of the EU Referendum, Vigar is equally outspoken. “People are sufficiently hacked off with it all,” he says. “My sense is that people have had enough.”

He identifies Scottish Independence, the election and Jeremy Corbyn as earthquakes in the UK’s political land-

scape last year, but also points to the on going “rebellion against the political elite”, typified by the rise of Donald Trump.

Vigar was also Channel 5’s reporter on the ground in the aftermath of both Paris attacks last year. Based “in the suburbs” during his reporting, he describes how people on the street were “astonished” to find that one of the attackers “had been living in plain sight”. Although the experiences were harrowing, Vigar states that “towards the end it was a privilege”. Describing the November attacks, he says that the terrorists “deliberately attacked young people enjoying themselves. That tells you all you need to know about them really”.

Vigar is clearly passionate about the intricacies of political landscapes. So what then made Vigar’s boss single him out as Royal Correspondent material, nearly a decade ago? My hunch is that it was both Vigar’s knack of making contacts, and of establishing a level of trust in that relationship. In a talk held on campus for aspiring student journalists, Vigar stresses the importance of looking around you and building contacts with those among your peers who you’ll think will “make it big”. For example, around Vigar’s time at Exeter, there were a number of future MPs : “Mostly Conservative, of course. It is Exeter.”

Vigar is at once personable and canny – exactly what is needed, you might argue, when dealing with the British Royalty.

He stresses the “loneliness” of royal life, the “constant tussle between private and public”; in particular William and Harry’s mistrust of some sections of the press following the old rumours about the role the paparazzi played in their mother’s death.

Vigar describes an incident from 2012, when the press pack accompanied Prince Harry to Jamaica. Inspecting a shooting range, Harry “joked about putting journalists at the end of it”. However, Vigar believes that Harry and Will do appreciate “the good guys” in the media.

“Media coverage of the royals is split,” Vigar explains, “between those who play by the rules – follow a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ – and those who don’t”.

I ask Vigar about his thoughts on Prince Harry. “He

enjoys the image of being this ‘Hooray Henry”, says Vigar, “but it’s a front. In the exact same way it is with Boris Johnson”. According to Vigar, Harry “is not academic, but he’s clearly not thick. In order to pass those tough helicopter tests, he couldn’t be”. Asked about Harry’s ‘Vegas incident’, Vigar explains that whilst, granted, Harry was “off his head”, his real issue was that “today everyone is a photographer”. “The traditional media is the least of their [the royals’] worries,” he states. Vegas hot tubs aside, “Harry’s a very savvy operator,” Vigar muses.

“Amazing with kids. But then they all are: Harry, William and Kate. And Charles.”

I broach a question about getting into the media. As a man who’s clearly had nothing but broadcasting on his mind since his teens, I ask him to spill the beans on cracking the media industry. “Ultimately, you’ve either got it in you – the ability to get a story, to get an interview – or you haven’t,” he says.

However, he’s willing to impart with three nuggets of wisdom. Firstly, that “the early bird catches the worm”. Secondly, “get off your bloody mobile phone”. “If you’re looking down, you’re reading old stuff,” he explains. “Look up, and get that interview.” And finally, when the opportunity arises, always, always use a public toilet. “Seriously”, Vigar says. “When you’re asked to stand outside a Crown Court or something, you don’t know when you’ll see another one.”

Harry enjoys his ‘Hooray Henry’ front, just like Boris Johnson does Vigar stresses that royal trips aren’t the holidays his colleagues imagine, but real, hard slogs. And being a Royal Correspondent is a “tough job”, says Vigar.

“You’re always going to offend someone.”

However, the role does seem to have its perks. When I ask about any future travel plans, Vigar nonchalantly mentions that he’s off to “Bhutan and India in a couple of months.” Vigar then recalls a football match in Lesotho between Prince Harry and his team and the media. I ask who won, and he laughs.”‘Harry’s team, of course, he always wins. And we’re all fat journalists.”

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The Great Fall of China

Following the devastating Chinese stock market crash, Theodore Stone, Online Features Editor, takes a probing look at its long-term effect on the world economy

C

HINA. A nation which, at least in economic terms, has become synonymous with the idea of eternal growth figures, has not had a brilliant few months on the market. Hubris has awakened, and the allegedly pristine economy, which was once thought to be the poster-child of GDP, has begun to show its cracks. The recent six months have been a dangerous; some might say terrifying, time for China. After unprecedented levels of GDP growth, averaging around ten per cent over the last thirty years, 2015 proved to be its most sluggish since 1990, when the market grew by only 3.0 per cent. In other words, their good fortune appears to be catching up with China.

12 June 2015 marked the first major instalment of this saga, with the popping of a stock market bubble, generated by a series of wild trading sessions, which arrived on the back of investors pouring more and more into the nation’s economy, in spite of the fact that the economy and company profits were relatively weak. The main cause behind this was retail investors, the common buyer (think mum and dad), who remained enthusiastic in their purchasing, thereby creating a classic bubble, a time bomb waiting to go off. When it did, the Shanghai index lost about a third of its value before it was able to rebound.

In response, the Chinese government gave money to brokerages to buy stocks, whilst also ordering company executives to not sell shares. New company listings were halted, and the central bank cut interest to a record low. This strategy appeared to minimise the damage, however, it nevertheless erased China’s early gains.

However, the worst was still to come.

On 24 August, Shanghai’s main share index lost 8.49 per cent of its total value.

Billions of pounds were wiped out on the international stock markets. The following day saw losses of over seven per cent.

Some 2,153 stocks trading in Shanghai and Shenzen fell by the ten per cent daily limit allowed by regulators, according to the Wind Information Co., which effectively meant that two-thirds of the country’s mainland shares were untradeable, causing many to refrain from trading un-

til the market recovered.

Global sell-offs began to emerge, with the main concern arriving from the idea that the Chinese economy was slowing significantly. Two weeks before the Black days, China unexpectedly devalued its currency in an apparent effort to enhance the competitiveness of its exports, instigated alongside several campaigns to rev up growth.

The most recent calamity occurred at the start of 2016 during which the Chinese stock market experienced a sell-off of about seven per cent, which sent stocks tumbling on a global level. From the 4 to the 15 January, the nation’s stock market fell by 18 per cent, whilst the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 8.2 per cent.

During the first fifteen minutes of the first day of trading in the Chinese stock exchange, the stock market fell by five per cent, before leading regulators halted trading. After reopening for around fifteen minutes, stocks fell again and trading was forced to be halted once more.

The blue-chip CSI 300 Index dropped by seven per cent, whilst the Shanghai Composite index fell by 6.9 per cent.

The nation’s stock market fell by 18 per cent An attempted solution to this was the use of a “circuit-breaker”, otherwise known as a trading curb, which is a point at which a stock market will stop trading for a period of time in order to combat substantial drops in value. Unfortunately, this failed to grant any advantage to the Chinese economy; instead, it simply helped to establish the worst New Year start in the 31-year history of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE 100).

China has now entered what is known as “Bear-Market” territory, which is a condition in which prices of securities fall by 20 per cent or more from a recent high.

This is the second time in seven months that this has happened. Nonetheless, the Shanghai Composite Index did enjoy some respite and a two per cent jump a

couple of weeks ago. Coupled with some positive trade data, some fears concerning the capabilities of the economic megalith are beginning to decline. Alongside this, China’s property market has started to pick up again, and urban unemployment remains unchanged at 4.05 per cent, although this figure may not reflect the truth of the matter.

On the other hand, China’s bank lending slowed last month, a factor which arrived around the same time as when the circuit-breaker mechanism was scrapped.

In other words, signals are mixed to negative. Indeed, Central Bank action to temper the depreciation has brought China’s foreign reserves down to around $3.3 trillion, from around $4 trillion in mid-2014.

Part of the overall problem arises from long-harboured doubts concerning China’s growth data. The government has a noted habit of closely matching official forecasts year after year, in spite of both local and global circumstances that would be expected to render said predictions inaccurate.

In a report published by Fortune Magazine last year, it was found that a county in the Liaoning province reported extra fiscal revenue of 847 million yuan (around $131.1 million) in 2013, a figure that was actually 127 per cent higher than the actual figure. The province itself reported a GDP growth figure of 9.5 per cent, which was far above the current figure over the first three quarters, namely 2.7 per cent.

One emerging problem here is China’s debt, which, I’d imagine is safe to say, is probably quite large. Officially it stands at 41 per cent, but, as I’ve hinted previously, it’s probably safe to discredit that number. Some believe it to be around 207 per cent, and many market experts believe that its debt has been growing at twice the rate of its economy over the last five to seven years.

Credit agencies and financial markets have yet to factor in its effect on the price of Chinese financial assets, a factor further computed by the simultaneous government ownership of both the creditors and the borrowers, which concentrates, as opposed to disperses, the credit risks.

This then creates the potential of a systematic collapse – one only needs to look at Greece to see the aftermath of such an event (only much, much worse).

To make matters worse, the government ownership of banks, pension funds and common corporations has created a state wherein both creditor and borrower are branches of the government. These government-owned banks lend money directly to government owned corporations, who are behind the “investment” bubble, a key engine in China’s economy.

Should China continue to falter, and if creditors start to demand money from the borrowers, the lack of information provided about what China actually owes to various companies and nations could yield significant detriments.

The rosy future of 3.4 per cent global growth, as predicted by the IMF, will be as much decided by what happens next in China as it will be by low oil prices.

For such a titan to fall, [this] would throw markets into turmoil Whilst hope remains that things will pick up again, and lead to a renewed period of stability, others are not so sure.

George Soros, the noted financier who famously aided in taking Britain out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by betting against the pound, claimed that a hard landing for China was now “unavoidable”.

Soros stressed that he was not offering a prediction. “I’m observing it”, he claimed. If this is true, then it looks like the global economy will be in for a bumpy ride. In spite of the fact that China’s economy is still largely an internal one, its jolts are felt across the world, and for such a titan to fall would throw markets into turmoil.

Although it is unlikely that we’ll need a canned food store and a bunker, it would nonetheless be advisable to keep your eyes on the markets. We could be in for a rather interesting few months.

11

World Economy 2016 Estimates

India:

The world economy is awaiting India’s rise with baited breath. As the 7th largest economy in the world, the IMF has predicted a striking 7.5 per cent GDP increase.

Japan: GDP increase of

3.1%

Russia:

With a significant decline in oil prices and increasing pressure on the rouble, hopes for Russia are not particularly high with an estimated 1 per cent GDP decrease.

Brazil: GDP decrease of

3.5% Venezuela:

Having already established emergency economic measures, Venezuela seems set to spiral into economic ruin. With estimates of 720 per cent inflation, the IMF has predicted an eight per cent economy contraction.

12

FEATURES

Celebrities who’ve defied convention

Heightism: the long NEWS 1-6

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 14-16 10-13 8-9

MUSIC 18-21

SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

SPORT 42-44

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

EXEPOSÉ

On different ends of the height spectrum, Tessa Boyd and Eamon

T

Musings on Heightism Sigourney Weaver, 5’11” “Being tall has a major impact. It takes courage to be as big as you are - to live up to it and not be intimidated by the graceful, tiny people!”

Dudley Moore, 5’2” “I certainly did feel inferior. Because of class. Because of strength. Because of height. I guess if I’d been able to hit somebody in the nose, I wouldn’t have been a comic.”

Woody Allen, 5’5” “I failed to make the chess team because of my height.”

Elizabeth Berkeley, 5’10” “If you’re tall and feel too tall, the answer is to be taller.”

Greta Gerwig, 5’9.5” “I’m 5’9.5”, and you’re damn right I’m counting that half!”

HE gender height binary is omnipresent in society whether we like it or not. Films, advertisements and the media continue to reinforce the stereotypical assumption that men are tall, taking on the somewhat misogynistic role of ‘protector’, whereas women are shorter and thus need to be protected.

Female empowerment or not, many women have grown up being accustomed to these stereotypes. From a young age it became clear that the natural order of things was for women to look up to men.

Dating is where these binaries most obviously come into play: ‘tall, dark and handsome’ and ‘small, cute and blonde’? We all know the drill. The stock image heterosexual couple are pictured as the taller male, with a strong arm around his shorter companion, her head resting on his shoulder.

Like most parts of our bodies, we’ve all most likely, at one point or another, wished we could change our height. Unlike simply buying hair straighteners or a gym membership though, height is a pretty tricky one to do anything about. With these unavoidable binaries in place therefore, what is it like to live life against the conventional grain, as a taller woman or a shorter man?

The internet is full of horror stories, click bait headlines and personal accounts from both sides. People often send me the links to them; “taller women earn higher salaries” followed the next day by “height linked to increased risk of cancer.”

What is it like to live life against the conventional grain, as a taller woman and a shorter man?

The same goes for men. They suffer on the dating front, especially online: when a 5’4’’ blogger added five inches to his height on his OkCupid profile, his response rate jumped from 16 to 29 per cent. However, shorter men apparently make better boyfriends and husbands, with lower rates of divorce and a longer life expectancy to boot.

However much you buy into these benefits and disadvantages, there’s no doubt that attitudes towards appearance in relation to gender binaries are beginning to change. Conchita won Eurovision and androgynous models have never been more highly acclaimed. The more

this happens, the further we move from a conventional understanding of the power dynamics behind gender, including expectations about height.

While attitudes towards beauty ideals may be slowly changing however, ult imately the f a c t is that height still

matters. No matter what we might like to think, first impressions count, and height definitely accompanies that. To be at odds with the height stereotype for your gender, however , can have a significant fallout. With that in mind, here are two perspectives of a man and woman who are considered to be of abnormal height.

Tessa:

“Most people are surprised when I say that I often forget that I’m tall. As a 6’3’’ 19-year-old, I imagine they assume I’m constantly aware of my towering over female (and male) friends - but it’s the honest truth. I forget that other people can try on clothes in the 99.9 per cent of shops that aren’t Long Tall Sally; I forget that I look, frankly, a little ridiculous standing next to my 5’1’’ housemate; that not everyone has custom heightened kitchen worktops at home to accommodate a household of 6-footers.

But just because I can go days without sparing a second thought for my height doesn’t mean I’m not often reminded.

Noticing the side-eyed second glances is just a part of daily life, as passer-bys try to ascertain whether my Converse have hidden heels. I don’t particularly blame them for double-taking, but there are those who are less subtle. The whispered giggles of a couple standing next to me in line; the creepy guy who stood inches behind me sizing himself up to me on a train platform; the lady in Boots who bizarrely assumed said 5’1’’ housemate was my daughter; the grossly transphobic insults thrown out of car windows by people who assume that as I’m tall, I must have been born biologically male.

Being a tall woman in our society is by no means the worst lot you can have, and I’m well aware of that. With increasing pressure on girls to aspire to the Victoria Secret’s body and young girls looking up to 5’11’’ T-Swift and her incredible legs, combined with the (slowly) growing number of clothing outlets for taller women, some might say now is a better time than ever.

But I would argue there’s a big difference between being ‘model tall’ i.e.

5’8’’-5’10’’ and tipping the 6-foot mark.

Coming from personal experience, reaching ‘unfeminine’ levels of height certainly comes with its own grievances.

I remember when I started secondary school we were assigned a Year 11 Buddy to befriend and look out for us. On meeting my ‘Buddy’ she looked somewhat

crestfallen, and immediately turned to her friend and said: “I wish I’d gotten a cute one.”

It was an offhand comment but it stuck with me, and I went through secondary school assuming that as I was far too tall to be ‘cute’, I was never going to be ‘pretty’ either, and by way of that, ‘attractive’. At a size 14-16 I was too broad to pull the ‘model’ card either. Some shorter women I’m sure will bemoan being labelled ‘cutesy’, but for me the realisation that despite any amount of make-up or style choices I was never going to be able to be conventionally feminine, delicate or petite was a hard truth to swallow.

For me, the realisation that I was never going to be conventionally feminine or petite was hard to swallow Aged 12, I was offered an alternative.

My GP suggested starting on the pill in order to stunt my growth so I might avoid being ‘abnormally’ tall. At the time I panicked; fears of being dwarfed at family gatherings and being labelled the ‘chemically modified’ relative meant I turned it down.

Now I’m grateful I did, and I’m sure my basketball team are too, but throughout adolescence I often returned to considering ‘what if’. If I’d taken the pill perhaps I wouldn’t have been catcalled before I hit puberty, perhaps people wouldn’t have stared at me in the street at a time when I was already acutely selfconscious, or maybe boys wouldn’t have refused to stand next to me when I wore heels.

In reality though, even with the possible impacts of the pill, it’s likely it would have changed little. Growing up as an unusually tall girl however, also taught me life lessons as to how staggeringly rude people can be. I used to cringe when my Mum jumped on the defensive when people commented, trying to plead with her that they meant it as a compliment, or were just innocently curious - but as I’ve gotten older, the less forgiving I’ve become.

Complete strangers interrupting my conversations and asking for the facts and figures (or one time, mortifyingly, for a selfie) are the worst.

You might be curious, might mean it to be flattering, but you would never ask the same of a shorter person, or ask someone their weight, and these conversations usually - if not most of the time-

g and the short of it EXEPOSÉ

www.exepose.com

nn Crowe, Deputy Editor, tell us why size should never matter end up being painfully awkward. No matter your reasoning or innocent intentions, people who abruptly approach me will always remind me of the creeps with a height fetish who ask how long my legs are (10/10 would not recommend as a chat up line).

That being said, adapting to navigate these daily bizarre confrontations has been much easier than I imagine it is for some, as I haven’t done it alone. There was little hope for me to be ‘average’, with a 6’8’’ father and a 6’2’’ mother, and a little brother who is already destined to make our Dad look positively short. In our household, tall is the norm, and as much as it inconveniences us, and gets us stared at or whispered about, we’ve also learnt to embrace it - partly because there’s little else we can do.

So I’ve gotten used to embroiling my height as just another element of my self-deprecating sense of humour, and I’ve learnt the comebacks to the inane questions from strangers (my personal favourite being an overly cheery “well observed mate!” to the drunk dude who approached me in Freshers’). I store up stories about my height to entertain friends; that one time I was stuck next to a 6’10’’ rugby player in the extra leg-room seat of a long-haul flight, or the time my Mum sent me a link to a pair of silver size ten heels from a transvestite clothing site called “Viva la Diva.”

At the end of the day, my height is certainly a big part of who I am, but it is ultimately just another aspect of my appearance. If you come up in the street to pass comment on how ‘on earth I cope with being so tall’ you might find out my shoe size, but you certainly won’t know my story.”

Eamonn:

“To say that height is unimportant in our image-obsessed society would be an incredibly tone-deaf statement. You only have to take a quick look at a fashion runway or a billboard and you will see that tall, muscly men and the slender women on their arms are set as the ultimate aesthetic goals.

To summarise, to be tall is to be masculine and sexy and to be short is to not be a ‘real man’ Commercial fashion models are often a great indicator of what society wants us to look like, so the fact that the average height of a male model is 5’11” speaks

volumes. To summarise, to be tall is to be masculine and sexy and to be short is to not be a ‘real man’. While height may seem like a trivial issue to some, the expectation of men to be tall and strong has undoubtedly had an effect on my life experiences growing up.

Children are known for their propensity to be cruel, and I was definitely teased about my height I do not remember the first time I realised that I was short. However, I do remember the numerous times I’ve been reminded about my small stature throughout my life, both humorously and maliciously.

There have been plenty of instances where people have drawn attention to my height, as if it somehow defines me or determines certain capabilities (other than inhibiting my career as a male model).

Of course, there were some positives to growing up short.

I could always fit into the best spots when playing hide and seek, adults assumed that I was well-behaved and innocent and I managed to get away without having an Oyster card two years longer than the rest of my friends.

However, the downsides of being a short boy were unsurprisingly pretty significant.

For me personally, I was most aware of my height while growing up, especially in school.

Children are known for their propensity to be cruel and I was definitely on the receiving end of teasing about my height during my school years.

Thankfully, this never escalated to bullying, but the same cannot be said for other children whose height is different to most. It is also worrying that a number of adults contributed to this labelling of me as abnormally short, whether intentionally or not.

Naturally, I always had to sit on the floor in school photos and I was often mistaken as being in one of the younger years. Some instances however, were a little harder to stomach. I will never forget when I stood up to ask my teacher a question in Year 7 and she laughed, “wow, I’ve never realised how short you are”.

Another teacher once referred to me in front of our entire class as the truly cringe-worthy “vertically challenged”.

Of course, I do not mean to compare this to the experiences of severely bullied

children, but to say that those words were not damaging and did not have any effect on me, would be a lie. When I was younger, I often included a plea to be taller in my night-time prayers and I remember researching surgeries that claimed to make you taller online.

Looking back, this all seems a touch dramatic. Yet, at such a young and impressionable age, I was very conscious of my height and saw it as hindering my ability to be ‘cool’, attractive, or masculine.

As I have grown older, my height started to matter less to me and when I left school and started university, it definitely fell to the back of my mind.

However, on occasion I do realise that I’m surrounded by strapping sports players and it can be easy to think of myself as the ‘other’. While I am

not particularly bothered about living up to any of those toxic male stereotypes we have forced upon us, I know that my height does and will affect some people’s perception of me. When I go to job interviews, the first thing prospective employers will notice about me is my height.

While they will not necessarily see my height as indicative of my employability, the simple fact is, there are still plenty of people out there who think that being a short man means I cannot be assertive, or an authority figure.

Even worse is the stereotype that any shorter man that shows leadership or is in a position of authority, is suffering from the elusive ‘short-man syndrome’. Just like women’s moods are not dictated by their periods, my desire to be successful or to use the skills I have to lead a team, is not me trying to compensate for my lack of height.

I am yet to see how my height will be interpreted in the workplace, but thankfully, it appears as I get older, to be less of an issue. While I will inevitably have to deal with Ellesse-clad guys in clubs who think they can laugh at my stature and people patronisingly bending down when posing for photos with me, I no longer fear that height will determine my success in life.

FEATURES

13

Size Stats In the UK The average height of a UK man is 5ft 9in (173.5 cm) The average height of a UK woman is 5 ft 3in (161.6 cm)

The World The tallest people in the world are from the Dinaric Alps

Human Height

World Records The tallest man living is Sultan Kösen (b.10 December 1982) who measured 8 ft 3 in on 8 February 2011

At job interviews, the first thing prospective employers notice will be my height The hard truth is that aesthetics are very important in our current society.

However, there is a slow growing resistance to this, which should be celebrated.

In November, Maria Borges became the first black model to wear her natural hair on the Victoria’s Secret runway and this month, Jaden Smith was announced as the new face of Louis Vuitton womenswear.

It is clear that attitudes towards appearance are slowly but surely changing and hopefully presumptions about height will form a part of this change. There’s been an increasing number of actors, models and media personalities thrust into the spotlight, who defy “attractive” height stereotypes. Take, for example, the success of 6 ft 3” actress Gwendoline Christie, who plays Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. The long and the short of it is that my height does not define me and nor should it define anyone else. Who knows, maybe I will end up on the runway after all…

The Model Height The British Association of Model Agents (AMA) says that female models should be between 5 ft 8 in and 5 ft 11 in tall

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LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-6

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 10-13 14-16 8-9

MUSIC 18-21

SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

LIFESTYLE

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

SPORT 42-44

1 FEBRUARY 2016 | Exeposé Lifestyle

LIFESTYLE EDITORS Sabrina Aziz Jack Wardlaw

EXEPOSÉ

@ExeposeLStyle

lifestyle@exepose.com

Photo: watchfit.com

Tweets of the week Lifestyle brings you the round up of this week’s best Tweets from the Exeter Twitterati...

Tweet us @ExeposeLStyle Jeremy @Jeremy_J_Brown Yesterday I was given all of someone’s Quality Street strawberry cremes because THEY DON’T LIKE THEM. Nope, I didn’t understand either Harry @HarryyShepherd That massive whitehead I got before the Acts 3rd year deadline #MyStudySpot Elin @eeeeeeeelin I would give my first born child for a 68 Georgie @geojoe263 When you have to run home cos you need to pee so bad and realise that’s the most stamina you have exhibited in your whole life

Exeter Strikes Yak •

•

I don’t think there’s anything funnier than watching a bunch of Exeter students go from shouting “Fuck the feds” in Mosaic to dancing to S Club 7 five minutes later Does anyone else feel like their friends are all hot and get loads of action and you just... exist... a living potato

•

Alone but eating houmous

•

Walked face first into a tree on the way back from Unit 1, chips went everywhere, not happy

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My life is that awkward walk/ jog you do in front of a car when you’re crossing the street

Beating the winter blues

Laura Grillenzoni gives you some reasons for getting up in the morning

A

FTER the joys of stuffing our stomachs over the holidays, many of us may be feeling a little down with the prospect of deadlines ahead. However, winter doesn’t have to be as gloomy in mind as it is in weather! Here are a few ways you can kick those winter blues: 1. Go for a winter hike A chilly hike across the beautiful areas of Devon can be very refreshing, especially when you have a cold breeze to accompany you. Wait for a crisp blue-sky day and enjoy walking over frost-covered fields with some friends. You could finish the day with a pub dinner and it will feel truly deserved after a long walk.

2. Enjoy some live music nights Exeter has plenty of opportunities to experience live music. Whether it’s jazz, folk, Big Band or anything else you’d like to bop to, you’ll be sure to find something

in places like Firehouse, Monkey Suit, the Sorry Head pub and many more! Make the night a winter warmer with a glass of mulled wine and dance away.

Winter doesn’t have to be as gloomy in mind as it is in weather 3. Cosy cafes There is a vast choice for coffee and tea around the city, and when better to enjoy a warm cuppa than in winter?

Treat yourself to some tasty coffee in the morning to start the day or enjoy a calming tea after a dragging lecture.

Try The Glorious Art House for some delicious slices of cake or Boston Tea Party for some quali-tea! Prices are reasonable

and if you’re lucky you can grab a massive armchair or sofa for superior comfort.

4. A new hobby With all the work and rain awaiting us, a new hobby is a perfect distraction from the inevitable hours you’ll be spending at your desk or in the library. Try a martial art or teach yourself a new language. It’ll be a nice escape from your essays and coursework but it’ll feel more productive than simply lying in bed with Netflix on one side and crisps on the other.

5. Go to the cinema If you’re a film fan, winter season comes with a great choice of films to go watch!

The list is vast, with films like The Danish Girl, Everest, The Revenant, Room and more; the variety will bring something to the table for everyone.

6. Start a prank war If you want to avoid the murky weather,

bring humour to your flat by starting an ultimate prank war with your flatmates.

You can start with the classic ‘cups of water in the corridor’ or go a little more hard-core by cling-filming your flatmates’ entire room.

When better to enjoy a warm cuppa than in Winter?

Warning: A good relationship with your flatmates is generally required before you draw them into a prank war.

Whatever dullness winter is likely to bring, there are always things to do which will add some warmth and joy to the winter. Let’s enjoy it before spring comes along and brings exam revision with it!

The great winter escape Connor McGovern gives us his list of the hottest cities to visit this winter

F

ANCY a break somewhere outside of the rain and drain of Exeter?

Need to unwind after the stress of exam season? Why not take a break and explore somewhere a bit further afield? Here’s a list of hidden gems in and around Europe. They’re only a short plane ride away...

Kraków : Perhaps advantageously out of the Eurozone, Poland’s second city offers culture vultures everything they want in bucketloads: architecture, history and tradition. Its countless and affordable pubs and bars explain its growing reputation as a stag and hen getaway, but the mystifying medieval city of Kraków has plenty more to entertain you than just cheap food and beer.

Dresden: If you’re looking for a slice of high culture, forget Berlin and Munich – Dresden should be at the top of your list. All but obliterated

by WWII bombing, the German Baroque masterpiece on the banks of the Elbe has regained much of its classical charm through years of rebuilding, and its bakeries and boat trips make it a must if you’re going Deutsch this winter.

Strasbourg: The self-proclaimed Capitale de Noël may be closing down its legendary markets for another year, but a visit

to the tempting tangle of the best of French and German cultures and its looming cathedral, winding streets and hearty places to eat and drink might make you think of coming back next Christmas, should you feel your life needs an overdose of twinkly lights and animatronic Santa Clauses.

Dublin: Fly direct from Exeter to the Irish capital, whose legendary hospitality and list of things to do are quickly c e m e n t i n g its status as a major European destination.

Temple Bar’s famous pubs, full of live music and merriment, are probably at their most inviting in the winter and

there’s no language barrier here either, except when conversing with drunk Irishmen.

Fez: Perhaps you’re fed up of leftover mince pies and pretending you’re interested in how other people’s Christmases and New Years went – it’s been a month people - in which case changing cultures might be a welcome escape. Far cooler now than in its blistering summers, the sights, smells and sounds of one of Morocco’s star cities will make a change from the drizzle and damp at home. If you fancy escaping the tourists of Marrakesh, then the cultural wonder that is Fez is the place for you.

Roses are red, violets are blue...

EXEPOSÉ

LIFESTYLE

www.exepose.com

15

Two Exeposé Lifestyle writers have their say on whether Valentine’s Day is a special occasion for people to celebrate their love or a shallow excuse to sell more merchandise

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EGEND tells of Saint Valentine, imprisoned for performing the marriage ceremonies of besotted lovers despite their being verboten by a cruel emperor. We accept this tale, sighing sorrowfully upon hearing of Valentine’s execution and the letter he left for his true love, signed ‘Your Valentine’. However, this story is utter fabrication. In actual fact, Valentine was a bishop in the third century who refused to denounce the name of Christ.

We don’t need to be told when to express our love, and we certainly don’t need a Hallmark card to do it for us In the 14th century Chaucer incorporated the legend of Saint Valentine into one of his poems, and the more mundane (albeit true) version of history was brushed aside in favour of fairy tale.

As we moved into the 20th century it seemed that not even Saint Valentine and his heartbroken lover were satisfying the public’s desire for fantasy. Saint Valentine

was discarded (it’s difficult to market execution, after all), and cherubic Cupid with his bow and arrow took his place as the face of romance. This privileging of the ‘easy sell’ characterises all that makes me cynical about Valentine’s Day. I can accept Chaucer turning a boring story about Romans killing Christians into a tale of love and loss, I mean who wouldn’t rather read about that? But Valentine’s Day’s transformation into an occasion for present-buying, loveconfessing, and obligatory sentimentalism is just a step too far. We don’t need to be told when to express our love, and we certainly don’t need a Hallmark card to do it for us.

“R

OMANCE is dead” - or so they say. My parents’ generation, brought up on the good old fashioned dating etiquette of supervised phone calls and (consequently)

slower-burning relationships, lambast we who worship the Holy Trinity of Tinder, Netflix and Chill. And perhaps they have a point.

In a world where your partner is rarely, if ever, further than a Snapchat away, it’s easy to take romantic relationships for granted. The communication which our parents had to graft for is literally the push of a button (and maybe a nice filter) away nowadays, and sometimes we need a little push to realise how fantastic it is to love someone who loves you back and to be able to do so quite this easily. Why not let Valentine’s Day be that push?

Yes, we all know it’s overcommercialised. Buying your significant other jewellery prepackaged in a bright red box, extravagant bunches of flowers that will wilt and die given half a week, or even a selection box from Thorntons, quite frankly, lacks pizzazz.

Genericisms are hardly an original way to show someone that you care for them, even though some people lap it up.

The original Saint Valentine gave his loved one the gift of restored eyesight.

Now, we’re not all miracle workers, but we can do better than cheesy cards and last-minute-rush-buy gifts. If you love someone, then this Valentine’s Day give them something that costs more than just a bit of money.

In a world where your partner is rarely, if ever, further than a Snapchat away, it’s easy to take relationships for granted Give them your time, your dedication; show that you care about what’s important to them. Offer your help with things that tire, irritate, hurt or worry them. Be closer than a Snapchat away.

Be there.

If a martyr going to his death can take time to leave a love note (and give his lover the facility to read it), you can sure as hell give up a day for a bit of oldfashioned wooing.

One is the happiest number ASHTON WENBORN

EMMA BESSENT

Bea Fones shows us how you can enjoy Valentine’s Day even if you’re a single pringle

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OU’VE heard it before… No date for Valentine’s Day? Ah, better curl up on your sofa in your freezing student house, call up the Domino’s guy because that’s pretty much the only human interaction you’re going to have all day, grab that Ben & Jerry’s and settle in for a long day of loneliness and rubbish Netflix shows. Maybe cry a bit, or post a whiny Yak, you know, just so everyone knows how sad and lonely you are.

Despite what our loved-up friends may lead us to believe, it is perfectly possible to be happy on your own Quite a few of my friends are in relationships or, even worse, “kind of in a thing”. At least when someone is in a happy relationship, they’re often content to just spend time looking into their significant other’s eyes without bothering the rest of us. If the relationship is a bit more complicated, there will inevitably

be hours spent discussing said complications in your friendship group, rehashing texts and racking your brains for suitable advice to give a friend having a relationship drama. If the aforementioned friend gets too mopey, utensils may be thrown.

Trust me. I know.

Relationship talk is so easy to get dragged into, but it doesn’t need to be the be-all and end-all of your existence.

Embrace your single-ness! Being a single pringle isn’t really all that bad, is it? (Why do I keep saying that, Pringles aren’t single at all? Always spooning…) Despite what our loved up friends may lead us to believe, it is perfectly possible to just be happy on your own!

So what can we singletons do on Valentine’s Day? Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you can’t get out there and enjoy the sights and sounds of Exeter all on your tod. Despite the fact that most of us don’t venture further than the stretch of road between Unit 1 and Mosaic, we’re lucky enough to live in a beautiful city surrounded by countryside and things to do! Why not head to one of Exeter’s many

coffee shops, take a book and enjoy the afternoon people-watching or reading, and just enjoy some time to yourself? On the other hand, this could bring you into contact with some icky couples. Perhaps not?

Take Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to spend time with people you care about, or just do something nice for yourself Even in this winter weather, it’s always beneficial to get out of the house.

Grab a few friends and jump on the train to Exmouth, or if you feel like it, just head out on your own. (Note: this is not loserish. I did this last week, and I’m pretty sure none of my fellow beach-goers were pitying me. I hope.) Despite it not exactly being bikini-weather, the beach is a great place for a walk no matter who you’re with. And you’ve got to get that fresh air and Vitamin D wherever you can, right?

And remember to get energised! Get

up, go outside, stretch, take a walk. Optional follow up: get on a plane. Never return. Seriously though, being active can make any situation (even hopeless singledom) feel that little bit better.

Not being in a relationship doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice day. Spend time with the people you care about, or even just to do something nice for yourPhoto: hellogiggles.com

self.

Or, you could do what I’m doing, and go to an event created just for bitter singletons like yourself, aptly named ‘Romance Is Dead Pub Crawl Piss Up’. You all enjoy your dates; I’ll be over here, calling for another shot of tequila and trying to stop my friend from chatting up a chair.

Whatever works for you, I guess.

A bit of food for thought 16

LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-6

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 14-16 10-13 8-9

MUSIC 18-21

SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

SPORT 42-44

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

EXEPOSÉ

Maddie Everington shares her thoughts on the ‘foodography’ craze sweeping the UK

F

ROM time to time, there emerges in the public domain some of those truly ludicrous inventions that make one seriously question the levels of laziness and materialism that we have reached in today’s society. Take the Avocado Saver, for example: a unique plastic device invented to prevent avocado halves from going brown in the fridge (Pack of two available from Lakeland at £5.98).

Or the battery-powered, self-revolving fork for eating spaghetti. Or a health blog devoted to ‘Top Tips’ on how to exercise and lose weight whilst watching TV (switching the damned thing off and getting out of the house was strangely not included).

Just occasionally, one of these phenomenon jumps out and slaps you so violently with its complete and utter uselessness that it makes you want to sit

and weep in a corner over the waste of space, time and energy that we devote to pointless endeavors. Last week there appeared an article in a much loved newspaper of mine, which produced from the very depths of my soul a moan of exasperation. The title was ‘Food Photography’, and it offered tips on how to get the most mouth-watering snaps of your comestible adventures, using only a simple camera phone.

I do the only thing I have been taught to do with food on a plate - I eat it Now I’m not trying to be arrogant here, I should probably follow the article’s advice. The gift of executing effortless gastronomic photography is

one that I was sadly born without, and I don’t profess to know the slightest thing about modelling food on a plate or making sure it’s in the right type of light.

To me it’s just food on a plate.

And I do the only thing I have been taught to do with food on a plate, I eat it.

What I seriously denounce is the fact that someone felt compelled to compile and publish such a list. It’s a sad fact that we’ve progressed

to such an extent of luxury in the West that we are no longer grateful for the food in front of us, unless it’s received sufficient love on our Instagram f e e d .

A n d d o n ’t e v e n try and deny it.

Why else would we take photos of the bloody stuff? How could some budding writer have thought that wasting pages of a newspaper on amateur food photogra-

phy was a worthy employment of time and energy when we live in a world where 795 million of us don’t even have enough to eat?

The gift of executing effortless gastronomic photography is one that I was sadly born without I’m not suggesting that holding back on taking foodie photos is going to solve world hunger or anything, but I just ask that the next time we whip out our smartphone at the table, we take a moment to sit and be thankful that there is food in front of us, rather than agonising over how to capture a pouting lettuce leaf at its best angle.

Written in the stars This week, the Exeposé Lifestyle team rub each other’s crystal balls to see what the stars have in store for us Aquarius (Jan 21 – Feb 19) Lucky you. The stars are suggesting that this month will be the month where all your romantic endeavours succeed, so don’t waste any time.

Go ahead and buy that sexy underwear set from Primark you’ve been eyeing up, and use it to seduce your dream Valentine’s date, or if you’re already part of a couple, maybe buy your SO that set and get to work.

Pisces (Feb 20 – Mar 20) You’ve never really been lucky in love, have you? No, that wasn’t a question. This month is set to be business as usual unfortunately, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

Maybe join a pottery class to take your mind off of things for a while.

You could reenact that scene from Ghost with your teddy bear perhaps?

Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 20) Whatever you do this month, stay away from pistachio nuts if you want a successful Valentine’s Day. The stars are fuzzy as to why, but only fools ignore such specific advice. Use cashews, peanuts or even coconuts if you have to in order to satisfy your nutty needs, but just avoid pistachios. They’re overrated anyway.

Taurus (Apr 21 – May 21) Mercury, the planet of communication, is travelling through your sphere this week, so take a deep breath and relax - it’ll be over before you know it. Mercury brings great opportunities for romantic fulfilment this month, so stock up on Veet, dig out your sexiest apparel and remember that your dream other half could be right around the Lemmy corner.

Gemini (May 22 – Jun 21) You are undoubtedly the master of the Netflix and Chill method of pulling, but this month you’re going to have to step up your game and splash out in order to stand out.

Upgrade your pizza and a fumble on the sofa to a proper meal out follwed by a movie. This is going to impress a potential love interest far more than Orange Is The New Black ever could. Remember, no one ever jumped into bed with someone because they loved how careful they were with their cash.

Cancer (Jun 22 – Jul 22) I think we can agree that your dating history has been, shall we say, checkered at best?

There have been some great ups, and some

awful downs, but isn’t that better than being boring like some other signs? This month could go one of two ways for you: you are either going to meet the love of your life and begin a fairytale romance that would make even Cinderella jealous, or else you are going to end up stuck in a hedge, dressed as Cinderella with an empty bottle of vodka in hand and a turnip stuck in a surprising location. May the odds be ever in your favour.

Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22) As the lion, you have a duty to uphold your reputation as a noble and fierce lover. You’ll need to hone your skills to stay on top (pun intended) so do your research. Go to a class, rent a book of tricks and tips, or even use the internet to gain some insight. I’ve heard there are many sites devoted to offering sexual advice, and some apparently even come with handy video tutorials to

make things even clearer.

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 23) They always say experimentation is healthy, and this is true for you Virgo this coming Valentine’s Day. If you feel stuck in a rut, either with a partner or by yourself, this month it’s all about trying new things. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what these new things are, but rest assured that whatever you try will almost always turn out postively. Unless the thing that you decide to try is downloading Tinder, because we all know there’s only one end to that scenario: disappointment.

Libra (Sep 24 – Oct 23) Mars is going retrogade in your sign this month, and this can only mean one thing. You will be proposed to.

Don’t ask me who, when or where but it will happen and you will be faced with the choice of trying to politely reject them as they stare up at you like a baby deer, or you are going to be so thrilled that you say yes and then live the rest of your life in shock that you ever did something like this. Your call Libra.

Scorpio (Oct 24 – Nov 22) That Tom Jones song, ‘Sex Bomb’, was written for you Scorpio, and we

both know you’ve been living up to that reputation admirably thus far. This month, however, maybe take things a little bit slower than you have been doing and you’ll be suprised how much further you get.

Instead of watching the entire series of The Great British Sewing Bee in one go, maybe just start with two episodes. Likewise, at least get to know someone’s name before climbing them like a tree.

Sagittarius (Nov 23 – Dec 21) Unit 1 is your hunting ground of choice, but maybe branch out this month and explore pastures new in order to shake up your weekly pulling routine. Start prowling around the Holland Hall-infested Mosaic for a change, or head to Cavern for the erotic smell of charity shops mixed with hipster sweat. You may always be a Unit 1-er at heart, but it can’t hurt to explore new places before triumphantly returing to your kingdom once again.

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 20) Shoelaces are your enemy this month. They have the power to completely ruin a romantic moment by causing you to trip and spill your VK all over your beloved. Watch your step Capricorn...

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MUSIC

NEWS 1-6

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 14-16 10-13 8-9

MUSIC Gig Listings

Tuesday 2 February Eliza and the Bear Cavern, Exeter Thursday 4 February Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Great Hall, Exeter Sunday 7 February Kitty, Daisy & Lewis Cavern, Exeter Wednesday 10 February Frank Turner Cavern, Exeter Thursday 11 February Great Cynics Cavern, Exeter Friday 12 February Buzzcocks Phoenix, Exeter BBC Radio 6 Music Festival: Primal Scream, Suede, Daughter Motion and the Marble Factory, Bristol Saturday 13 February Dreadzone Phoenix, Exeter Sunday 14 February BBC Radio 6 Music Festival: Foals, Everything Everything, Kurt Vile Motion and the Marble Factory, Bristol

Exeposé Recommends...

Frank Turner @ Cavern, Exeter Wednesday 10 February The man, the legend Frank Turner is coming to Exeter. Not only are we lucky enough to see him back here for the second time in as many years, but he’s playing one of the smallest venues in town.

Frank Turner is part of the Cavern’s 25th Anniversary celebrations throughout February. Exeposé Music covers it in this issue.

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SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

SPORT 42-44

Exeposé Music

MUSIC EDITORS James Atherton Katie Costello

EXEPOSÉ

@ExeposeMusic

music@exepose.com

The battle begins With the biggest Campus Bands competition in full swing, Katie Costello, Music Editor, chats to some of the bands fighting it out for coveted first place

I

T’S back. Campus Bands are running their annual cross-campus competition. Nearly a year on from the closure of the Music Office, Campus Bands are putting on their most significant event of their year, in a period where Music Societies have faced unprecedented logistical difficulties. Yet despite the issues that budget cuts have brought, student appetite for music is clearly strong, with twelve bands entering themselves for Exeter’s Battle of the Bands.

With last year’s winners, Bloom, sitting this one out, the stage is open for newer bands to really make their mark.

Some are certainly very new creations.

“Our first practice was the day we entered the competition,” admits Helen Payne from the indie rock group Flaws Above, “We’ve all performed separately in different bands before, but this will be our first gig together.” And it’s not a bad place to make your debut. The first heat took place on the 29 January, with six bands competing for approval from the audience and the hand-picked judges.

But the judging is really only one side of Battle of the Bands, with the competition’s main role really being to act as a springboard for less established bands. Former finalists have enjoying greater notoriety and increased gigs, but many of these stand-out acts from previous years are not returning for the 2016 competition. With bands coming directly from the University population, band members inevitably graduate, frequently dissolving the group.

Although, this hasn’t

stopped the rock group Joker’s Gamble, returning this year with an almost entirely new line-up. They are positive about their chances, despite not making it through the first heats last year. “After we lost Battle of the Bands last year, things pretty much turned out quite well for us,” they explain. With gigs in town, the release of a new EP and their track First Love being played on BBC Introducing Devon, the nerves which ruined their chances before are now firmly in the past.

Also doing a Sugababes-style reshuffle are Reckless By Name, returning with just two of their original five man line up. “Having much more original material, we will do much better this year,” they explain, “there’s also a lot of new bands participating this year which will be very exciting to watch.” One of these new bands will be of particular interest to them, as it contains their former bassist. Jumping ship to Lucius and

Milo, Theo Stone describes how the name of his new band is derived from “the characters from the metamorphoses of Apuleius, which St. Augustine referred to as ‘The Golden Ass’. Lucius is the metamorphoses’ protagonist, who stays with Milo at Hypatia,” an explanation worthy of the second year philosophy student.

I’m excited for us to play, whenever, wherever, however - any chance we get to share our sound Similarly channeling their inner depth are the self-styled purveyors of debonaire, The Allergens. Formed of first year English students, the group has quickly established itself in the local scene, playing university gigs as well as support sets in town. Their set focusses on playing their own music which t h e y de-

scribe as “grunge-fringed, new-wave indie-rock, which, cynically underpinned by bubble-gum sensibilities, being both tragic and best-served with iceberg lettuce”. Following their performance at the David Bowie: In Memoriam tribute show, The Allergens are excited for the competition. “I’m excited for us to play, whenever, wherever, however – any chance we get to share our sound, we’ll take it,” bassist Oliver Rose explains.

“If we win or come thirteenth, we don’t mind – we just want to play!”

The list of who they will play against is an interesting read. It’s obvious that some bands have put more thought into it than others. Asking the intriguingly-named Stress Cows where their name came from, I was informed that it came from a stress ball shaped like a cow. Of course it did. Perhaps the most unusual name is Póg Mo Thóin, with the use of Gaelic at serious odds with Exeter’s home counties reputation. “It suits the band’s personality well, because we want to go out and kick ass on stage and play what we love,” the band explain. Whilst they are yet to write their own music, they have their genre worked out. “Our musical style is very much classic rock based at the moment.”

With heats taking place throughout early February in the Lemmy, the competition is just kicking off. Considering the amount of fresh talent involved, it’s anyone’s guess who will win, but with such universal benefits, for once the phrase really is true: it’s not the winning that matters, but the taking part.

EXEPOSÉ

Not all that much of a Gamble

MUSIC

www.exepose.com Photo: goodthingsguy.com

C

HARLES Costa, better known as singer-songwriter King Charles, has rarely done things by the book. The picture of non-conformity, with a tousled mane of hair and a fashion sense that lurches between the elegantly chic and downright absurd, Costa is a difficult man to read. His debut album LoveBlood was released in 2012 and looked set to propel the Londoner to mainstream success alongside friends such as Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling and Noah & The Whale. His repertoire of upbeat quirky love songs struck a chord with the British public and were the soundtrack of many a summer. However, a follow-up album failed to materialise, and despite continuing to play shows Costa started to disappear and was quickly swept away, forgotten in favour of the next big NME heartthrob.

Four years on, and the King is finally

back, and with Gamble For A Rose, it seems that Costa is attempting to address some of his own personal misgivings about LoveBlood. There was a sense that, despite being fairly well - received, the album was not the album he had hoped to make, being too glossy and polished to accurately reflect him as an artist. A move of record label and a change of management were required, with Marcus Mumford coming in to produce the new album.

Despite being fairly well received, the album was not the album he had hoped to make Consequently, Gamble For A Rose is a more stripped back and intimate listen; gone are the shiny synths and cheap sound effects, replaced with slow, sweet melodies and more melancholic, raw lyrical content. In the opening number, ‘Loose Change For The Boatman’, Costa laments that he is “staring at the demons

Guild Election Week is coming, so be prepared for seven days of awkwardly avoiding campaigners on Forum Hill. Exeposé Music has created a playlist to help you through the democratic process.

Hot / Not / Long Shot / Forgot Eamonn Crowe, Deputy Editor, emerged from the ghetto to let us know which songs he thinks are hot, which are not, one which is a long-shot and one which has been forgot(ten).

Hot: ‘Back Up’ - Dej Loaf ft. Big Sean Up and coming rapper Dej Loaf teams up with Big Sean for this catchy track, which features the ridiculous line, “if I f*cking make you cum, don’t be blowing up my phone”.

I think we can all relate.

James Beeson, Editor, reviews King Charles’ long-awaited follow-up to LoveBlood Gamble For A Rose King Charles 22 January 2016

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in the darkest and the deepest”, whilst on ‘Choke’, he asks an unknown girl: “Why did you choke all my love away? Why did you throw it all, throw it all away again?”

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the intervening years may not have been too kind on dear old Charles.

Mumford’s influence on the record is hard to ignore. Bold, anthematic choruses feature throughout, with tracks such as ‘Lady of the River’ and ‘New Orleans’ sounding like they could have been lifted straight off his folk band’s third EP. It’s pleasant enough to listen to, but it’s hard to avoid the fact that it’s fairly formulaic stuff.

Even though there is a slight change of direction, there is a disappointingly familiar feel about large swathes of Gamble For A Rose, which holds little in the way of interesting compositions or lyrical complexity. It is cringe-inducing at times, too, with lines such as “Let me love you, I wanna show you” (‘Animal Desires’) and “If I let you into my heart, I’ll let you into my skin, and I’ll chase you out just like I chased you in” (‘Brightest Thing’) sounding like they could have

been lifted straight from the diary of a heart-broken, angst-ridden teenager, or from LoveBlood, for that matter.

Even though there is a change of direction, there is a disappointingly familiar feel That’s not to say that there aren’t more positive moments. The album’s title track is a triumphantly tender orchestral number that even the hardiest soul would struggle not to be touched by, whilst ‘Coco Chitty’ - a re-release from LoveBlood - is rejuvenated in its new form, showcasing both Costa’s ability to overbend notes and push his vocal chords to the limits. Unfortunately, the majority of this record strays just a little too close to what has been done before

by Costa and by others before him. It’s clear the direction King Charles is trying to take, but on Gamble For A Rose, he doesn’t quite steer sharply enough, and consequently falls a little short.

Sabb campaign songs

Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill- Tristan Gatward Ludacris - Move Bitch (Get Out The Way) - Joe Stewart Queen - (Please) Don’t Stop Me Now Laurel Bibby Fleetwood Mac - I Don’t Wanna Know - Anne England The Automatic - What’s That Coming Over The Hill? Is it a SABB candidate? - James Beeson

Not: ‘Focus’ – Arianna Grande Ariana Grande, she of the Starbucks name and indecipherable lyrics, returns with her latest track that may as well be in Swahili. Despite the reasonably catchy chorus, I just can’t seem to “focus” on Ariana’s dire lyrics and dance moves.

Long Shot: ‘Queen’s Speech 4’ – Lady Leshur This is definitely a Marmite track and it’s far from musical genius.

However, Lady Leshur’s tonguein-cheek lyrics and boundless bravado make this the perfect track to scream in Arena.

Plus it contains important messages about dental hygiene.

Forgot: ‘Numb’ – Cassie ft.

Rick Ross Cassie’s hypnotic voice shines in this underrated track from a few years back. Although Ross’ verses are often hit and miss, he sounds great on this track and his rap works brilliantly and acts as a great accompaniment to Cassie’s seductive tone and the catchy “numb your brain” hook.

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MUSIC

Pippa’s favourite gigs at the Cavern Sleaford Mods - April 2015 “This was our best show of 2015 both in terms of being the most popular band to play the venue and also because they are one of the best bands that are around right now. They were the most authentic thing I have seen for a long time and the most relevant in that they’re not part of a scene like most bands.”

Electrelane - April 2004 “They’re four girls from Brighton and they’re one of my favourite bands. They were unbelievably cool and they did a really great set. I remember watching them and thinking that they were a really top quality, incredible poppy indie band, right up my street. “ mewithoutYou - May 2003 “I’d never heard of them before this show, they were the main support for Norma Jean. I wandered over to watch their set because someone had recommended them and nothing could have prepared me for how good their set was. They were just unbelievably engrossing, spoken word-style, posthardcore and they just did an unbelievable performance.”

Hundred Reasons - July 2007 “Every time they played in Exeter it was always brilliant and really busy. This show in particular was rammed and everyone was going nuts and it was one of the best nights of my life because it was my birthday show. “ Rival Schools - July 2002 “This show was when they were really big. The night before they had played Shepherd’s Bush!

Before the show I’d asked Walter whether he’d like to play a large venue in Exeter and he said he wanted to play a small, sweaty, dingy venue. At the time the Cavern was going through a bad time financially and Walter knew that, and them coming to play gave us such a boost.”

The Cavern celebrat NEWS 1-6

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 14-16 10-13 8-9

MUSIC 18-21

SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

SPORT 42-44

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

EXEPOSÉ

In anticipation of the anniversary of the Cavern, Jim Atherton, Music Editor, speaks to th

“C

OMMUNITY” is the word that Pippa Wragg-Smith and David Goodchild use to describe what they have built at the Cavern. They began putting gigs on at the venue back when it was a wine bar called ‘The Hop and Grapes’ back in 1991, before purchasing it and growing it into one of the best and most celebrated underground venues in the South West. This February the Cavern celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a programme of incredible gigs featuring artists who have played a key part in the history of the club, including Walter Schreiffels, who played the Cavern’s first show with Quicksand on Valentine’s Day 1991, Frank Turner, J. Robbins, The Subways and more.

I’m certainly really antinostalgia, I despise it, so you’re always looking for something authentic Cavern was originally built as a Post Office back in 1890, with the postal shoots in the ceiling of the building serving as visual reminder of the building’s beginnings to this day. It was then bought by Exeter Art College to be one of their school buildings before being converted into a Chinese Restaurant called ‘Chopstix’. After this it became a wine bar called ‘The Hop and Grapes’, which lasted throughout the 1980s before the owner went bankrupt, at which point David bought the lease from the owner and turned it into The Cavern that we know today.

“Back in the 80s and 90s we were all in bands and there was nowhere in Exeter for us to play which specifically catered for punk rock,” David tells me.“We’d been bringing over Dischord Records bands over from America like Fugazi, which we could put on at the Lemon Grove, but we never really had anywhere to put on smaller shows. It was through a stroke of luck that this place became available and we started putting on shows down here, with the first being Quicksand on 14 February 1991.”

Given the fact that many venues don’t last more than a few years, due to either being shut down by city councils or the owners losing interest, I enquire as to what the key to their longevity is on a personal, and practical level. Pippa explains that “one of the biggest keys to

the longevity is what your expectations are of what you want to get out of it.

If you’re a person like me or David who doesn’t mind a lifestyle choice where you basically live, think and breathe the Cavern and you’re happy with that, then it’s fine, and whilst you’re not going to get much out of it materially, you get so much more out of it in other ways.”

I ask if there is any desire in the pair for a ‘normal boring job’, but Pippa is quick to dismiss this lifestyle as not the one for them; “Some people who have boring jobs have to go on holiday to make their lives more interesting whenever they have time off, but one of the things that I’ve valued about being here is that the world comes here every day.

One minute there’s a band from America, then a band from Japan or a band from Scotland.” She also stresses the importance of maintaining an interest in what you’re doing, something which comes naturally to the pair, with Pippa stating that “my music taste hasn’t changed since I was 13, I’ve always been obsessed with indie and punk rock and I know David’s the same, so no amount of it ever gets boring and you just want to see it all the time.”

Frank Turner said “I want to come and do an acoustic show at the Cavern”; it was the best email ever!

Despite many students in Exeter seeing the Cavern as a club, it is first and foremost a live music venue. The importance of continuously giving a platform to the best new bands around is something that David values strongly: “I’m certainly really anti-nostalgia, I despise it, so you’re always looking for something authentic that represents life now, in all art forms. If you take a sports game for example, everyone wants to watch a live game, there’s much less interest watching a game recorded ten years ago. It’s all about now and what’s happening

now, that’s the drama for me. The past is gone, and even though there are elements of it and you realise things are part of a continuum so you value the past, I’m not looking to freeze myself

to when I was 16 and saw a band and then relive it until I die.”

Onto the 25th Anniversary celebrations, I ask how they went about curating the incredible programme of events they have planned this February. Pippa explains that “when we realised the 25th anniversary was coming up, we decided that we’ve got to do loads of good stuff.

When I was in New York this time last year I was talking to Walter Schreiffels about Quicksand coming over to play on the 14 February because it would have been exactly 25 years since they played the first show here. Unfortunately because

they’re so busy in their various bands, that became impossible, but we are really pleased that Walter’s coming back to play a solo Rival Schools set on the

tes its 25th birthday EXEPOSÉ

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he owners of the historic club about their great plans for celebration, history and Frank Turner 8 March, which we’re totally classing as his anniversary show! He was absolutely determined that he would come back and play. From then we approached different bands that have meant something to t h e

Cavern from the past 25 years.”

One of the first artists they managed to book for the celebrations was none other than folk-punk acoustic troubadour Frank Turner, who has played the Cavern seven times in the past, both in his old band Million Dead and solo. When contacted, Turner told Exeposé that “The Exeter Cavern has a special place in my heart - it’s a standard of the underground touring circuit but it’s also still owned and run by some of the best people on the scene. I’ve played there many times over the years and I was touched that they asked me to come back for their 25th birthday celebrations. I’ll be there with bells on!”

Communities always work, and I think what the Cavern has done is create a community Pippa laughs off the idea that Turner will be uncomfortable being back in such a tiny venue, given his massive mainstream success, which has included selling out Wembley, the O2 Arena and countless others, as well as opening the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. “We asked him, do you want to do the Cavern or a bigger venue in Exeter and still include it as part of the anniversary?

He said ‘no, I want to come and do a solo acoustic show at the Cavern’, so we’re absolutely delighted about that, it was the best email ever! He knows it’s a tiny venue and there’s no escaping anyone.

It’ll be great.”

Despite the efforts to bring back some of the best bands from the Cavern’s history, Pippa and David are keen to make sure the anniversary shows celebrate the Cavern’s present and future as much as the past. “I didn’t want it to

be too much of a nostalgia-fest because we are still here, we’re still doing shows and we’ve got a long time left in us yet. We’ve got some real great current new bands playing, including the Xcerts, Eliza & The Bear and Gnarwolves,” Pippa says excitedly.

Alongside the line-up of huge artists on the programme of events are a spread of some of Exeter’s very best local bands, including Great Cynics, The Fairweather Band, Bangers, Shit Present, The Cut-Ups and more. This was something that Pippa and David saw as very important when curating the programme because, according to Pippa, “all of the local bands play such a key role in what we do, and it’s not just because of the bands that they’re in, but because loads of them are promotors here, DJs, bar staff, friends of ours and people who are in Exeter and doing stuff culturally and creatively. We wanted to try and make sure that everyone’s represented who should be being represented in the anniversary at this point in this key moment. I feel like we’ve got a program which has a bit of where we’ve been and where it came from and also right up to date with where we are now and then obviously these bands are still going and so will also be in the future. So hopefully that’s coming across in the things that we’ve created.”

This community that the Cavern has made is one of the key reasons for the large output of great live bands that Exeter has produced, and still produces. David describes his and Pippa’s role as being the “gravity” that pulls everything in to stop it drifting into nothingness, as happens in many small cities in the country with-

out a Cavern equivalent. Alongside giving these bands the platform to play, it also gives provides an opportunity for people to witness incredible live bands constantly, allowing bands to set standards for their own creative endeavours, something that Muse have stated helped them during their time as Cavern regulars. Another important role that the Cavern plays for bands is providing employment which provides a stable way for musicians to make a living, as well as allowing them the flexibility to take time off to tour.

We are still here, we’re still doing shows, and we’ve got a long time left in us yet Throughout the interview, Pippa and David talk gratefully and humbly about the important role that the people involved with the Cavern play. Pippa states that “Cavern wouldn’t survive without them. If we only opened our doors and saw a load of strangers come in every night, no matter how busy you were, we’d be questioning what it’s got to do with us? You want to see regular faces and you want them all to be involved as much as possible.”

Collectives often don’t really work because people form it but it always ends up with a couple of people who are responsible for what’s going on. But communities always work.

And I think what the Cavern has done is create a community”.

February promises to be a very special month for the Cavern indeed. Information for the gigs are on Cavern’s Facebook page, tickets for all of the events are going fast, make sure you don’t miss out as it’ll only turn 25 once!

Cavern in numbers 7 1.5K

The number of times that Frank Turner has played the Cavern The number of shots of vodka that Cavern sells in a week

2K

The number of pints that Cavern sells in a week

8K

The number of pizzas baked at Cavern over the last 25 years

15K

The number of bands that have played the Cavern over the last 25 years

1.3M

The number of people who have visited the Cavern over the last 25 years

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David’s favourite gigs put on by the Cavern Big Top Trip Tour w/ Dodgy, Muse, Catatonia and more Summer 1999 “This was the first time a big outdoor event was done in Exeter with lots of rock bands, and it was a really sunny day. It all happened under a massive circus tent. When we were organising it, the council’s response was pure terror. They were really naive and were setting all sorts of rules and regulations. The day after though they were begging us to put it on every year!”

End of the Century Party w/ Hundred Reasons - New Year’s Eve 2000 “This was a massive party organised between the Phoenix and the Cavern. It was nominated for the ‘Best NYE Party in England’ bands and DJs came from all over the country to be in Exeter, including Matt Bellamy of Muse and Chris Martin from Coldplay.”

Fugazi - Lemon Grove 1989 “We were big fans of Minor Threat and Rites of Spring, and so we got Fugazi to come over to perform at the Lemon Grove.

Ian MacKaye and Dischord Record were one of our main influences on the D.I.Y. scene in Exeter.”

The Evens Royal Albert Memorial Museum - 2006 “It was a great chance to see Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina in Exeter playing at an unusual venue and doing a show that spawned a whole bunch of Exeter bands. It was influential, and when you look through the pictures, you can see so many people in the audience who went on to form great bands.”

Urban Live Exeter Phoenix 1999 “This was a one day festival with punk bands on an outdoor stage and loads of skating outside stage. We wanted to have an all-ages show to stimulate the scene with younger Exeter people. The day incorporated all arts with film, music, art and skateboarding.”

EXEPOSÉ

SABB

ELECTIONS

GUIDE

2016

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YOUR GUIDE

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

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GUILD PRESIDENT

4-5

VP EDUCATION

VP WELFARE & DIVERSITY

6-7

8-9

K E E P U P-T O-DAT E W I T H A L L T H E E L EC T I O N CO V E R AG E

VP ACTIVITIES

10-11

EXEPOSÉ

AU PRESIDENT

12

@Exepose facebook.com/exepose

www.exepose.com

YOUR GUIDE TO THIS YEAR’S ELECTION

W HAT AR E TH E ROLE S?

WHAT ’S NEW THIS Y EAR?

DO I HAVE T O VO T E ?

Guild President Laura-Jane Tiley acts as Chair of the Students’ Guild and sits on a number of senior University boards, ensuring student views are heard at the highest level.

VP Education Bethan Jones’ role is concerned with academic experience.

VP Welfare and Diversity Naomi Armstrong deals with student wellbeing.

VP Activities Katie O’Connor is responsible for all extra curricular activities.

Athletic Union President Jack Bristow is responsible for ensuring student sporting needs are met.

The biggest change this year is the omission of an Athletic’s Union President debate. We’re not sure why the AU President candidates aren’t being scrutinised. Perhaps because the Sunday night debate is always horribly under-attended.

Of course not! Students are by no means obliged to vote in Sabbatical Elections, but are encouraged to exercise their democratic right to do so. This is your chance to choose the people who you feel will best represent the interests of you and your fellow students both to the University and nationally. No pressure, then.

The Guild will only announce the winners on results night this year, rather than providing a rundown of individual vote counts.

As the University prides itself on its eco-friendly nature, flyering was banned back in 2013. Campaign videos will remain the clincher for many of the Sabb hopefuls.

If you’d like to vote, but don’t think any of the candidates would do a very good job, you can select the option to Re-open Nominations (RON). If RON wins the most votes in the election, then nominations will be re-opened for a period of time before a re-election at a later date.

HO W D O I VO T E ?

Students can vote from 9am on 11 February until 5pm on 12 February.

You’ll be able to vote online using computers and mobile devices. The Guild will also be operating voting terminals in the Forum and in various academic buildings on Streatham Campus as well as St Luke’s.

Results will be announced from 7:30pm on Friday 12 February in DH1.

Pullout design by Sarah Gough. Additional design and content by James Beeson, Josh Mines, Eamonn Crowe, Susannah Keogh, Fiona Potigny, Edwin Yeung, Natasa Christofidou, Lewis Norman, Giorgi Mamuzelos, Laurel Bibby, Jeremy Brown, Theo Stone, Kate Jones, Zak Mahinfar, Kathy Giddins, Jack Morgan-Jones, Rebecca Broad and Owain Evans.

THE ELECTION BY NUMBERS

In 2015...

42.16%

There were

23

of the student population voted in the Sabbatical Elections

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The tu er was ov e than th r e h g i h s year previou

Sabb/ AU candi dates

students.

The highest ever number in the Russell Group

VP

Voting Opens

Education

9am, 8 February

8 February VP Education debate

VP Activities 9 February

VP Activities debate

90%

This year...

of candidates prefer curly fries to chips

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Sabbs standing

VP Welfare and Diversity

10 February

VP Welfare and Diversity debate

10%

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2

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of candidates couldn’t name the current Guildbased Sabbatical officers

President

Voting Closes

11 February

5pm, 12 February

President debate

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male non-binary

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7:30pm,12 February Winners announced in DH1

EXEPOSÉ

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

3

A SABB STATE OF AFFAIRS? THE DEBATE Rachael Gillies Guild President 2014-15 IT is natural, and important, that as a Sabbatical Officer and elected leader of a member-led organisation you face scrutiny. As President I took this very seriously.

Students had entrusted me to be the custodian of their student experience and I did not want to let them down. Amongst many other things, as President you lead a £5.2 million charity, act as Chair of the Trustee Board and hold Sir Steve and the University to account. These responsibilities gave me unprecedented opportunities to make change.

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I was often scrutised on my impact

During my tenure I was often scrutinised on the impact I could actually make. This is a common question presented to Sabbatical Officers. For many students the success of a Sabbatical Officer hinges on their ability to precisely deliver their manifesto pledges and within their tenure. It proved to be quite the scandal when the dogs in my promised ‘Puppy Room’ were actually over the age of one, described by some as “Exeter’s version of good old Nick Clegg and tuition fees”. It is easy to underestimate the impact that Sabbatical Officers have be-

hind the scenes: building relationships, fighting for change and representing your voice. As ‘Puppy-gate’ proves, it is often the controversial wins you hear about.

However, I want to encourage you not to overlook the continuous improvements Sabbs are making to your student experience. We are constantly expressing your opinions in committees, gathering evidence on your behalf and securing funding for the things you want to achieve.

The University always impressed me with their passion for the student experience: they want to listen.

Whilst you may not directly attribute it to a Sabb, the change that we make is all around you: DH1 and X-Keys, the availability of the Terrace as activity space, the teaching day mitigations, reduced tutorial sizes in the Business School, capped waiting times for Wellbeing support and the improved voice of the AU, are just a few examples. Additionally, #NeverOK has been recognised nationally and adopted by several other unions, we saved the street lights of Exeter and the Guild introduced a loyalty scheme. These changes have all been driven by the visions and legacies of Sabb teams.

Sabbatical Officers cannot be successful without the support, scrutiny and vision of the students we represent. We exist to facilitate improving your student experience. If you think we aren’t making

change in the right places, do something about it. Cast your vote in the upcoming elections, talk to the current team, post a Student Idea.

As I reflect on my time as a President, I feel an endless amount of pride for the achievements of my team, for our predecessors and our successors. However, change would not have been possible without the passion, drive and ambition of students. Never underestimate what you can achieve, or what the Sabbs can achieve on your behalf. You’ll be amazed the impact you can have by being part of the Students’ Guild, I certainly was.

Campaign or sham-paign?

Unlike politicians, the Sabbs have actually followed through with their promises.

Third year Biology

Sabbs are a bit like Lib Dems - they make great promises but they can’t keep them.

Second year History The Sabbs are just there to take pictures of themselves and inflate their ego - it’s a waste of our tuition fees and money.

Second year Physics

I think the Sabbs are great but I don’t think that one year gives them enough time to do everything they could do.

Second year French I really like the way Sabbs have allowed the Guild to shit on the music department.

Theo Stone Online Features Editor

SABB Week. It’s possible that you might be wondering why many of us view this week with a mild degree of derision. The answer is simple: it’s an overstuffed parade for a meaningless position.

Take a look at how many of the Sabb Officers’ manifesto points have been completed. We have yet to see an easier Lemmy booking system, or really for any other building, no apparent move has been made on affordable fitness, and ELE remains a rather cold and unendearing platform. Perhaps worse than all of that, the Ram is still waiting on those desserts that were promised to us last year.

Out of the approximately 73 policies, about six have been marked as complete, and whilst quite a few of these were lofty ideals, rich with populist rhetoric, many, such as setting up a St. Luke’s committee and lobbying for more vegan options, are still incomplete.

In addition, we encounter the problem: the single term. Whilst the fact of the matter is that you’ll never need to worry about re-election, it also means that any changes you wish to introduce to the Guild will not be able to survive

the long-term, lest they are supported by your successors.

As such, the annual smile-a-thon culminates in little more than providing a basic overview of what students want, and even then, it’s such a broad series of results that it becomes difficult to isolate any major policies. Coming up with thirty manifesto points may be impressive, but will they ever be implemented? How long must we wait before a Sabb officer’s entire run is solely concerned with filling the Ram with Black Forest Gateau?

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www.exepose.com

Out of 73 policies, six are complete

As nice as the idea is in theory, the practicality of Sabbatical Officers, especially when contrasted with the work of the Trustees and Guild Councillors, makes the position feel unnecessary. The aforementioned have roles, which preside around pushing through legislation, whilst remaining a student.

If you want change, then get a longterm campaign going, talk to your fellow students, and challenge in number, instead of a token hierarchy. Individuals are far less effective at petitioning change than a unified bunch of passionate students. We don’t need Sabbatical Officers, we need vocal groups.

“Can the Sabbs actually achieve anything?”

The Sabbs have no capability to do anything. When it comes to the big issues they are unable to really make a difference. Guild Points is seen as the big achievement but it does nothing to actually address the major problems in Exeter.

Third year Politics I think the Sabbs have potential to make real change but they are limited by the University.

Third year English

Third year Geography

Sabbs can achieve stuff. It’s just really hard for them to get the message out.

The reason I don’t have faith in the Sabbs is that the policies they suggest are impossible to achieve in the first place.

Guild Staff

Third year Maths

I have literally no idea who any of them even are - do you know?

Second year Medical Science

I won’t even bother looking at the manifestos or the Sabbs at all as they have never done anything for me.

Second year Law

I think the Sabbs work hard and do a good job.

First year English

1-3

GUILD PRESIDENT

4-5

VP EDUCATION

6-7

Age: 22

8-9

VP ACTIVITIES

10-11

EXEPOSÉ

AU PRESIDENT

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GUILD PR

Each candidate’s manifesto plus

TOBY GLADWIN

VP WELFARE & DIVERSITY

Subject: Classics Societies: Societies Officer, Classics, Real Ale, Game of Thrones, Poker, Bake Soc

HUGH BENDOR-SAMUEL Age: 21

Subject: PPE Societies: Ballroom, Breakdancing, Dance, ECU, NOOMA, Labour

1

I’M running for Guild President because I believe I can improve students’ lives.

Mitigating against increased student numbers is a top priority for me and I would focus on study space, social space and food on campus. I would introduce free cash machines in some halls alongside more microwaves and kettles around campus. I would also implement a universal room-booking system, get online access to society accounts and protect the Xmedia budget. I would also introduce a monetised Lifetime Guild Membership – for more information please look at my manifesto, tweet @Vote_Toby or talk to me around campus. Remember, Vote Toby!

IN my approach to the Presidency of the Students’ Guild, I hope to both use my own initiative as an elected leader, and to be continually active in representing current and existing ideas of the student body.

Thus, major points such as introducing a ‘Drop-in Wellbeing Clinic’, a ‘House Search Tool’, and expanding the popular Guild points system to include for example, coupons to receive free Lemmy entry, represent my own initiatives, whilst, providing more recycling units, microwaves and kettles across campus, and introducing information on free lecture halls and seminar rooms into the iExeter app, represent existing

Biggest problem facing Exeter?

1. The Guild offers a lot of services already that students don’t know about and don’t utilise, and the answer would be both better informing these students and increasing the existing services.

The biggest problem for this would be with the perception of the Guild that it’s not for them, there is so much that the Guild can offer.

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A monetised Lifetime Guild Membership

ideas.

1. To put it simply, the housing crisis.

Every year, accommodation prices go up, not just for campus-provided accommodation, but also private accommodation. There are a lot of knock-on effects.

2. President is Laura, VP for Welfare & Diversity is Naomi, VP Education is Bethan, and Katie is our VP Activities, and then there’s Jack who’s our AU President.

3. John Lennox, he’s a Professor of Mathematics at Oxford. He has multiple

2. Laura-Jane Tiley is President, Bethan Jones is VP Education, Naomi Armstrong is Welfare and Diversity, Katie O’Connor is VP Activities and Jack Bristow is AU President.

3. Russell Crowe in Gladiator as Maximus Decimus Meridius. He’s a strong leader, he’s a strong character who’s also got incredibly strong morals and a sense of purpose that he never falters from. And also it’s classical, and I love Gladiator the film.

4. DSP Arena Mondays. Classics have been going there fortnightly as long as I can remember. It’s always a great night.

honours, and is heavily involved with the Oxford Apologetics, and has had a number of debates with Stephen Hawking.

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YOUR GUIDE

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

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4

Coupons to receive free Lemmy entry

4. My favourite night out has got to be Cheesy Tuesdays. I do a lot of dancing, and love making a fool of myself.

LAURA-JANE TILEY - MORE THAN JUST A FRINGE?

LAURA-JANE Tiley, popularly known as LJT, successfully secured the Guild President position after an effective and visible campaign last year. LauraJane’s plan to schmooze Exeter students featured some hilarious social media videos (including a Vine of her exiting the Library doors on Plus One the wrong way, as the words ‘thug life’ appeared on screen). She also whetted student’s appetites by handing out copious amounts of free tea and biscuits to students in the Forum. Arguably, the main manifesto points that grabbed students’ attention were Laura-Jane’s

promises for a salad bar in the Ram and a Guild Points loyalty system that would reward students for using Guild outlets.

Laura-Jane has delivered on her Guild Points loyalty scheme, offering students points when they shop in any Guild outlet on campus, which they can accumulate and then redeem for the value of certain products. However, there have been some teething problems with the scheme, as reported by Exeposé when we revealed that over £6,000 worth of Guild Points remained uncollected last term.

With regards to healthier eating options on campus, Laura-Jane has ensured that food outlets Comida and the Guild Shop offer vegetarian and vegan alternatives.

However, her promises for a salad bar in the Ram have failed to materialise. Although Laura-Jane has provided an alternative, with the Ram now offering the option to ‘create your own salad’ which is made to order.

Laura-Jane has also worked on the ever-present issue of Sabb visibility, by starting up a periodical LJ-Tea Time in the Forum,where she chats to students.

A key Exeter problem that LauraJane promised to tackle was the issue of a lack of space and overly-long queues on campus. Her manifesto points included a pre-order system whereby students can skip the queues in outlets and a live ‘traffic report’ on Twitter letting students know how the queues are coming along. Neither of these pledges appear to have been implemented as of yet. The problem of an overpopulated campus is one that is increasingly relevant to Exeter students, so it will be important for next year’s Guild President to continue tackling this issue.

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EXEPOSÉ

www.exepose.com

3

RESIDENT

1. I think there’s a big divide between

CURLY fries fans rejoice. All four candidates in the running to be next year’s Guild President are firmly in the twisty chip camp. They also all (just about) managed to name all the current Sabbatical Officers, so have clearly been doing their homework. Beyond that though, the four individuals running don’t have a great deal in common.

A couple of the candidates touch upon the lack of student housing, with Bendor-Samuel suggesting a ‘house search tool’ and Steve Hawkins stating his concern about the University’s failure

1. I feel the biggest problem isn’t the material stuff necessarily, but it’s about what happens to us during our time at university. And I guess one of the biggest problems is that when we come to university, sometimes it goes so quickly that we don’t get a chance to really explore – explore the different opportunities, get stuck in with societies and really enjoy our degree and the holistic experience of university, so I feel that’s

students and the University, especially now that a lot of students feel like there isn’t really any connection between what they’re doing and how the university reacts to them. Whether it comes to student housing, whether it comes to study space, or whether it comes to term times, there is a really big problem with engagement from the University to actively listen to students, getting their feedback and acting on what students want to do.

2. Laura-Jane Tiley, President; Bethan Jones, VP Education; Katie O’Connor, Activities; Naomi Armstrong, Welfare and Diversity and Jack Bristol is AU President.

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a major issue.

2. President is Laura-Jane Tiley, VP Activities is Katie O’Connor, VP Welfare Naomi Armstrong, VP Education Bethan Jones, and the AU President – Jack? I don’t know.

5

Favourite night out?

FEMI KALEJAIYE Age: 21 Subject: Law

3. People who give – they inspire me.

4. Good question. I’m not really nocturnal, you see. I like Artigiano’s. Yeah, the Thursday nights there – they’re really good. I go there with a Master’s student and some PhD students and, yeah, I really have a good time.

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There’s a big divide between students and the University 3. Locally, I’d say one of my local MPs Sarah Wollaston. She is absolutely fantastic with a lot of the stuff she does.

On top of that though, I really like George Orwell for his conviction and integrity.

4. It’s either Urban Underground or the Old Firehouse.

Societies: NOOMA, Law

STEVE HAWKINS Age: 20 Subject: PPE Societies: Atheist, Humanist and Secularist Society, Conservative Association, Philosophy

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

Curly fries fans rejoice.

All four Guild President candidates are firmly in the twisty chip camp

‘‘

I’M fed up with feeling the University isn’t connected with student issues.

From study space to teaching times to finding student housing, I believe the Guild must take a stronger approach to fighting for students. As a society president, a Lemmy barman, and a city council candidate, I know the best things that happen on campus are student-led. My platform is about fixing the guild, giving students a leading role in enacting change in the University. By fighting for a Guild led by students, not merely student officers, we can revolutionize the Guild-student relationship for the better.

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I will passionately represent you

‘‘

UNIVERSITY is a key point in our lives where our character is rigorously tested but made so much stronger. It’s important to allow space to be free to explore our interests and talents and get involved with life on campus. That’s why my manifesto aims to build a Guild that encourages us to THRIVE and not merely survive at university. This involves lowering living costs, supporting entrepreneurship and risk-taking, empowering students with a greater voice and rewarding society involvement. I will passionately represent you in order to deliver the rich and meaningful experience we need at university. Vote Femi to THRIVE, not survive.

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Who is your role model?

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Name the current Sabbs

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

to try and address the problem. BendorSamuel and Kalejaiye both highlight living costs and accommodation prices as major issues, whilst Gladwin’s primary concern lies in the area of overcrowding on campus.

Probably the most original manifesto idea comes from Classics President Gladwin, who suggests a Lifetime Guild membership, which would allow graduates to contribute financially to societies after leaving Exeter. Bendor-Samuel’s dropin Wellbeing clinic is also a welcome attempt to tackle one of the biggest issues

for students. Kalejaiye takes a business angle, emphasising the need to create a risk-seeking and entrepreneurial culture within the Guild. Hawkins states few concrete plans in his 100 words - we’ll be intrigued to see what he comes up with in preparation for the debate.

One issue we don’t feel the candidates have properly addressed is how the Guild can have an impact beyond the Exeter student bubble. After all, our President needs to be able represent us on a national stage, and not just closer to home.

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GUILD PRESIDENT

4-5

VP EDUCATION

6-7

Age: 27

Subject: MSc Economics and Econometrics Societies: Business & Finance

ROY OSBORNE Age: 21

Subject: Maths Societies: ExSoc, Maths, DebSoc

8-9

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VP ACTIVITIES

10-11

EXEPOSÉ

AU PRESIDENT

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VP EDUC

Each candidate’s manifesto plus

SASHA ALBA AMY D’COSTA

VP WELFARE & DIVERSITY

Biggest problem facing Exeter?

MY main focus is to approach education through knowledge-based learning, a combination of experience and theoretical training. Factors affecting a student’s academic potential are just as important as the course syllabus and will be given equal attention.

Being subject chair for PGT Economics has increased my belief that supportive academic staff makes all the difference. Through my tenure as VP Education, I shall continue the good work of my predecessors in addition to some changes to make studying abroad an opportunity to gain an open and adaptive attitude, which leads to a more holistic educational experience.

1. At this stage, the observations I’ve made in the past three to four months is that it seems to be, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to gauge the undergraduate student population, but at least at the graduate level it appears to be stress levels. There is a lot of stress.

HEY, I’m Roy Osborne, third-year Maths student, and running to be your VP Education! In my time here at Exeter, I have worked with the Guild and University, both as Subject Chair and College Officer, and want to bring this experience into shaping the future of education at the University. If elected, I would ensure that Postgraduates receive the representation they deserve, reform the January exam period and term two to make it fairer on students, promote college-specific study space, improve the way the University responds to student feedback and much more!

enced studying here is a distinct lack of specialised study space within the individual colleges. There’s a lot of big study space available out there, a lot of it is in the Library or the Loft etc, but some buildings for example Washington Singer are really quite sparse, in how much space they offer students, and there is disparity between the colleges I feel that there is a lot to be done to have a sort of uniformity between all colleges on how much they offer. For example Queens has a café: why not add that to Harrison or Washington Singer for example? I feel like that is one of the biggest issues at the moment.

1. I think the biggest issue I’ve experi-

2. So Jack Bristow is AU. Bethan Jones

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I really enjoy the concept of a social gathering

2. There’s Bethan Jones for VP Education. I know… just the one.

3. There are so many qualities I admire in different people, but I might like to draw upon Gandhi’s teachings of nonviolence and encourage others to do the same. I admire Barack Obama’s oratory skills, I think that he does a wonderful job when it comes to connecting people.

I would say that I’m very influenced by leaders in the European Union as well.

It’s a very hard job to accomplish, and they work very hard.

4. I really enjoy the concept of a social gathering, not necessarily Unit 1, but it could be Unit 1, but just with people, dining and sharing one’s experiences.

Company makes one either great or miserable.

– VP Education. LJT for President. Katie O’Connor for Activities and Naomi Armstrong for Welfare and Diversity.

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YOUR GUIDE

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

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6

Reform the January exam period

3. Honestly, Leslie Nielsen. Absolutely brilliant man, hilarious, it was a real shame to see him go. Brilliant comedian.

4. Absolutely Cheesy Tuesdays.

BETHAN JONES - MORE THAN A GREAT SINGER?

A FEW of the key debates that underpinned the VP Education debate last year included concerns with study space on campus and other education issues that have emerged following the expansion of the University. Some of the policies Bethan proposed to combat this expansion included promoting iExeter’s free space-checker as well as using unused lecture theatres for extra study space. These policies haven’t yet been fully achieved, although there has been progress with increasing the visibility and recognition of SSLC (Student Staff Liaison Committee) representatives.

The current VP Education has also achieved her promise of helping students with their course costs by developing the course cost-checker app.

There have also been steps put in place to push the University to recognise student and staff opinion more effectively when it comes to major University decisions.

However there are still some noticeable gaps in Jones’ manifesto where changes are yet to have been implemented. Though there has been an increase in the number of recorded lectures, we are yet to see all students enjoy the benefits of this facility as Be-

than pledged in her manifesto.

Jones also promised to introduce a reading week for every student regardless of subject, but this policy hasn’t yet been realised and doesn’t look likely to happen anytime in the near future. Perhaps this was an unrealistic goal and it is interesting to assess just how likely Sabb promises are, especially considering they only have a year to implement their desired changes.

Bethan also highlighted the issue with Exeter’s number of staff; last year Exeter were placed at 24th in the country for its student to staff ratio. Sadly, it looks as though very little has been

done to make progress with this proposed change either.

There was also an idea put forward to improve transport links for students studying at both the Streatham and St. Luke’s campuses. Bethan even suggested introducing a shuttle bus for those needing to get to Luke’s, although currently this idea has not materialised.

In terms of improving student satisfaction at the University, Bethan pledged to continue the ongoing review of the personal tutor system, ensuring separate tutors for academic and pastoral support. While such a move would be welcomed, it has not yet happened.

www.exepose.com

3

CATION Name the current Sabbs

IN our humble opinion, the biggest issue facing the next VP Education ought to be how to deal with the increasing problem of a lack of study space. In an Exeposé survey undertaken back in October, 90 per cent of students asked stated that they thought there was not enough space to study on campus.

Harry Reeve and Roy Osborne both highlight study space as a key area for improvement within the University. Osborne suggests that the disparity between the amount of study spaces available in different colleges needs to be addressed, whilst Reeve

2. I know Bethan Jones, VP Education, who I know from first year. Katie O’Connor is the VP Activity. Laura is the President and Naomi is diversity and Welfare. Jack Bristow is AU president who I know from first year too, he lived

‘‘

Tailoring your degree to how you want it

1. What’s most important in my manifesto is tailoring your degree to how you want it. Obviously, we pay £9,000 a year on our degrees so I feel like the biggest issues people face is taking options they’re not really happy with or not having enough information about their modules. Going to a prestigious university like Exeter it’s really important to feel like you’re really getting your money’s worth out of your degree.

‘‘

‘‘ in Birks.

On a big night, I’ll only have seven drinks

3. My parents. They always wanted better things for me and I didn’t realise that until I was much older.

90 per cent of students stated that they thought there was not enough study space on campus

4

Age: 21

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

7

Favourite night out?

HARRY LIU

Subject: Engineering Societies: Engineering

4. Arena, Arena, Arena. I have a 3-5-7rule, in the pub I’ll have three drinks max. On a normal night out I’ll have five drinks, and if I go out on a big night I’ll only let myself have seven. Self control.

2. Katie O’Connor is Activities, Jack Bristow is the Athletics Union, Bethan Jones is Education, Laura-Jane Tiley is President and Naomi Armstrong is Welfare.

3. It’s a cross between – this is quite terrible that I’m saying this – but it’s between JK Rowling – who, because I like Harry Potter, from near the start of my life was probably my favourite author – but realistically my role model is probably my mum.

HARRY REEVE

Age: 20

Subject: Drama Societies: EUTCo, Muy Thai, Harry Potter, Theatre With Teeth

4. Most definitely Arena, on Cheesy Tuesday or Thursday Antics night.

That’s my favourite time to go out.

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

‘‘

IT is without doubt that Exeter’s education is renowned worldwide. However there are issues that have come to light through a collective voice of students that are threatening our academic excellence rather than accelerating it.

There are 5 key areas that call for action: • Resources and Study Space • Efficient Academic Regulation • Engagement between Staff and Students • Visibility in Module Options outside of your Discipline • Employment Stability and Further Education If you believe in change, then believe in me, ‘Believe in Reeve’.

1. I think it’s a problem that faces all students, it’s a sense of ability to make changes. I lacked that at the beginning of my studies and didn’t realise I could take control of my education. Coming to the end of my fourth year now, I’ve realised I can take control. I can represent students and make it a better education because we are the consumers and we should be able to decide how we do it and how we do it.

‘‘

I WISH all students would have more control of their education. From working as a Subject Chair, and speaking to people from other subjects, both Science and Humanities, I concluded that people want resources to be available and accessible, and have better materials being provided.

I also aim to further increase the visibility of Academic Representatives, through this, students voice would become ever more clear.

Flexible resources and louder student voices would show students’ that they have the control of their education, a feeling I wish I had in the first three years of my degree.

Who is your role model?

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EXEPOSÉ

merely earmarks study space his first bullet point in his manifesto - we imagine he’ll expand on these later in the debate.

Whilst she does pledge to cater for the often under-represented postgrad students, Sasha Alba Amy D’Costa’s proposals seem a little bit on the vague side. Also failing to name any of the Sabbatical Officers other than the current VP Education Bethan Jones, it would appear that D’Costa has some work to do ahead of Sabb week proper.

Harry Liu wants to give students control over their education through

improving the visibility of Academic Representatives and access to resources. We’re not too sure what that means exactly, but it sounds a fairly reasonable pledge for a potential VP Education to make.

Considering the current political climate, full of debates about tuition fees and the increasing commercialisation of Higher education, the VP Education role is of greater importance than ever. Three out of four candidates standing are subject chairs, making for what looks set to be a wellinformed and competitive contest.

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

YOUR GUIDE

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GUILD PRESIDENT

4-5

VP EDUCATION

6-7

Each candidate’s manifesto plus

VP WELFARE & DIVERSITY

8-9

1

VP ACTIVITIES

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EXEPOSÉ

AU PRESIDENT

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VP WELFARE & Societies: FemSoc, Socialist Students, Guild Council, Exeposé

LEAH FULLER Age: 21

Subject: Psychology Societies: Mind Your Head, RAG, Guild Council, Meditation, Psychology Soc

LAURA HOWARD Age: 21

Subject: Biological Sciences Societies: ExeTech, XTV, Shotgun, Footlights

ALEC JAMES Age: 22

Subject: Geography Societies: Oxfam, ECU, Student Ambassador, Green Unit, Environment Officer

I’M Leah, Co-President of Mind Your Head Society. I promise to represent all students and be #ThereForYou. Key ideas: Peer support groups (preventative and post-treatment), safeguarding funding for cultural and faith events, more microwaves and hot water taps on campus, funding for the Wellbeing Centre for online therapies and eating disorder treatments, accommodation price freeze, free self-defence classes, more transport to/from St. Lukes, working with local agencies to release houses later, free con-

AS VP Welfare and Diversity I would work directly with students to address their concerns and improve their student experiences, particularly those who may be overlooked by the current system.

It’s important to prevent students from low-income families being held back, and I want to ensure academic colleges are doing all they can for struggling students and particularly those with mental illnesses. I believe that it is important to have a personal understanding of these issues to tackle them properly and thereHI, I’m Alec, a third-year Geography student. I want to shape an Exeter where everybody feels welcome, that all students can call home. I want to cut the bits of university life that cause preventable stress by pushing for more wellbeing funding, spreading January exams over two weeks, freezing accommodation prices and negotiating with letting agents and landlords.

I want more (cheaper and healthier) food options on campus (more food outlets also means shorter queues). I also want a more sustainable university, increasing recycling and cutting food waste. My door

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1. The biggest problem is wellbeing and stress. There’s a lot of strain on the Wellbeing Centre at the moment and lots of people are struggling from some sort of stress-related issue.

doms in the Lemon Grove, creating an online advice forum, increasing prayer space, foodbank collection point.

1. I would probably have to say the stresses that the everyday student faces - everything from wellbeing support to the housing issue as well as changes to the teaching day.

2. Guild President, Laura-Jane Tiley; VP Education is Bethan Jones; VP Activities is Katie O’Connor; VP Welfare and Di-

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fore feel I will be able to do the best job as your VP next year.

There’s a lack of support from colleges

1. Personally, I think one of the biggest problems is a lack of support from academic colleges. I think there’s a lack of communication between different departments as well.

will always be open to hear your ideas. #Alectme 1. I think housing has been a major issue this year. The cost of living is expensive, and overcrowding on campus is a big issue as well.

2. Naomi Armstrong doing Welfare and Diversity; LJT, President; Katie O’Connor, VP Activites and then Bethan Jones, Education and Jack Bristow in the AU.

2. President is Laura-Jane Tiley, VP Activities Katie O’Connor, VP Education Bethan Jones, VP Welfare and Diversity is Naomi Armstrong and then the AU President is Jack Bristow.

3. Rachel Yankey, who’s an England football player. Just because of her determination to do what she loves regardless of what anyone else says .

4. I like going to Cavern Indie Night.

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versity is Naomi Armstrong and then AU President is Jack Bristow.

Free condoms in the Lemon Grove

3. I’d say my Mum and my Nan! They’re the strongest women I have ever met.

4. I’m a sucker for Cheesy Tuesdays! Just because I love going old school.

2. Naomi Armstrong VP Welfare and Diversity; Laura-Jane Tiley, President; Bethan Jones, VP Education; Katie O’Connor, Activities; AU President Jack Bristow.

3. I think Shonda Rhimes. She’s a TV writer and I really admire her - the fact that she came from an underprivileged background and was still able to get herself to where she is now.

4. Cheesy Tuesdays. Easily.

3. Martin Luther King. Bit of a classic but I think he’s wonderful because he worked relentlessly to solve injustices that he saw in the world and didn’t let anything get in his way.

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4. I’ve got a soft spot for the Lemmy but Arena Mondays I think – DSP.

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Subject: History

Links with the AU to promote wellbeing

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Age: 20

groups with marginalised and minority groups to ensure their voices are heard.

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LUCY CURRY

MY central aim is to tackle the campuswide problem of wellbeing struggles, which are almost unavoidable at university. Every year, the strain on the Wellbeing Centre increases so I’m aiming to make campus a welcoming and happy place by tackling issues before people have to go there. My key points are: housing sessions explaining bills and tenancy rights, stronger links with AU to promote wellbeing through sport, better diversity of food, increased funding and support for the student nightline and regular focus

Biggest problem facing Exeter?

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I want more food options on campus

2

EXEPOSÉ

www.exepose.com

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4

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

& DIVERSITY ‘‘

Move term two to a later date in January

1. A lack of integration with diversity. I feel that students don’t have enough opportu-

SAFE spaces, trigger warnings, no platforming, all weapons of the ‘Regressive Left’. Vote Paul for VP Welfare and Diversity to save free speech, tackle mental health issues on campus and make the most of Exeter’s international student body. Vote for someone who won’t make token gestures but trigger real change.

Abolish the ineffective “Liberation Council”: Better address the mental health issues faced by young men on campus whilst continuing to promote mental wellbeing in general for everyone: ‘Cultural

Appreciation not Appropriation’: Remove the ‘Safe Space code’: Hold another referendum on Exeter’s membership of the NUS.

DO you like colouring books, bubble wrap and tea? Then you’ll love my signature ‘Mindfulness Mondays’ initiative where all three will be available! I’m Will Vasey, 3rd year History student, Welcome Team Senior, ESV Freshers’ Representative coordinator, pink bow-tie wearer and tea enthusiast. I’m standing for VP Welfare and Diversity as your time at Exeter should be enjoyable, safe and inclusive. My focus is on mental health, body confidence, sexual harassment and steeply rising living costs.

Oh – and a bouncy castle during exam pe-

riods to help de-stress wouldn’t go amiss.

So look out for me, Will Vasey, the #bowtieguy 1. I think the biggest problem facing Exeter students, would be rising living costs. But I think if we can improve transport options through subsidised bus passes or introducing more shuttle buses going.

2. Yeah, I think so. Jack Bristow is the AU president. I think Katie O’Connor is Activites. I know the other names but I

2. Laura-Jane Tiley, is Guild President.

Jack Bristow is AU President. Bethan Jones is VP Education, Naomi Armstrong is VP Welfare & Diversity and Katie

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There are

certainly a

diverse range

of candidates running

2. Naomi Armstrong VP Welfare and Diversity, Katie O’Connor VP Activities, Laura-Jane Tiley President; Bethan Jones VP Education and Jack Bristow Athletic Union President.

3. Muhammad Ali. He was a brilliant athlete and professional and he always held to strong, prominent beliefs.

4. Friday at TP or Arena.

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Age: 21

Subject: Sociology & Criminology Societies: XTV, Jewish Society, Boxing, Afro-Caribbean Soc

don’t know their positions. Bethan Jones, Naomi Armstrong and Laura-Jane Tiley.

Hold another referendum of the NUS

3. It’s got to be Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest leaders that this country has ever had.

4. Probably something quiet like ABode or going out for cocktails.

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O’Connor is Activities.

A bouncy castle during exam periods

3. It’s my mum. It’s not really a very original answer but she’s not here anymore.

But she was the kindest person to everybody and, for me, that’s something I would really like to try and emulate.

Favourite night out?

MIKHAILE PERKINS

Age: 23

PAUL ROTA

Subject: MA Translation Societies: Conservative Association, Freedom Soc

Age: 21

WILL VASEY

Subject: History Societies: Game of Thrones Soc, XpressionFM, Student Volunteer

4. Cheesy’s, I think.

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

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FOR a Welfare & Diversity election, there are certainly a diverse range of candidates running this year. The white middle-class stereotype is a pervasive one at Exetah, something we picked up on in our “How white is Exeter?” investigation last term.

Unsurprisingly, the major issue many of those running cite is wellbeing, with waiting times at the Wellbeing

1. It is the regressive left-wing politics that the Students’ Guild has been employing in the past few years. I’m talking safe spaces, trigger-warnings, no platforming.

nities to showcase their talents.

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ing with the Guild to increase publicity, advertising spaces for International, Arts & Culture societies. Negotiate with the University’s exam board to move Term two exams later date in January.

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EMPOWERING and connecting people, working alongside trusted welfare organisations to assist the Wellbeing services, so that students get the right help they need ASAP! Coordinate and promote, mental health and learning disabilities awareness workshops across St. Luke’s and all academic colleges on a termly basis. Expand dietary food options for multi-faith students.

Also, continue campaigning for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free food options for all University catering outlets. Work-

Who is your role model?

‘‘

Name the current Sabbs

Centre growing ever longer and the mental health of all genders and ethnicities under the spotlight. Several candidates have very clear ideas. Leah Fuller’s free condoms at the Lemmy and Will Vasey’s bouncy castle are both likely to prove popular. Meanwhile, Mikhaile Perkins leads the way in terms of diversity, pledging to increase dietary options for multifaith students. In an ambitious move,

9

Alec James aims to extend January exams to two weeks, whilst Laura Howard has the more modest aim of improving support for students from academic colleges. The debate will be interesting what with Fem Soc’s Lucy Curry and Paul Rota certain to clash ideologically. Both have a focused vision of how they want to transform Exeter and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

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GUILD PRESIDENT

4-5

VP EDUCATION

VP WELFARE & DIVERSITY

6-7

8-9

Age: 19

Subject: Philosophy & Theology Societies: ExTunes, Big Band, Concert Band, Bluebelles, Shotgun Theatre

TRISTAN GATWARD Age: 21

Subject: English Societies: Pearshaped, Exeposé, XTV, Xpression FM, Deadpoets

10-11

EXEPOSÉ

AU PRESIDENT

12

VP ACT

Each candidate’s manifesto plus

ABI ELLISTON

1

VP ACTIVITIES

AS your potential VP Activities, making participation stress-free and straightforward is my top priority.

I will safeguard all funding and space while lobbying for more, develop the promotion of volunteering endeavours, and increase the self-catering facilities on campus.

I will also develop links with local businesses and encourage society collaboration, to achieve an even more involved, community-centric student body.

As ExTunes President, I worked with the Guild while listening to students’ concerns - something I wish to continue through open hours.

Activities bring colour to your uni-

75 per cent of Russell Group Universities precedent events in the Activities job description to benefit student experience. Three that don’t are in London.

The other is Exeter.

I’ve spoken to the producer of Isle of Wight Festival, and want to follow the blueprint from other Universities for a post-exam campus festival.

Further changes I plan to make include lobbying the University to show relevant society events on the timetable (iExeter) limiting Facebook’s monopoly over organisation, easing sign-ups over Freshers’ Week, making Lemmy and room booking systems more transparent, and initiating a fund which societies can bid for to encourage visiting

Biggest problem facing Exeter?

versity experience and I want to make them as accessible and fun as possible.

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Making participation stress-free and straight forward

1. The main reason I wanted to run was to get as many people involved as possible.

speakers.

1. The biggest problem facing Exeter students is not having enough events catered towards their student experience. I think there is a lot of space that is not being used in the right way, and a lot of space that is not being used at all, and with increasing student numbers that is really going to be reflected in the student study space and a lot of others in terms of events.

2. President LJT – Laura Jane Tiley, Katie O’Connor as Activities, Bethan Jones Education and Naomi Armstrong as Welfare and Diversity.

I think people who are involved are very involved, but all the activities are such a wonderful part of the university experience, so I want to try and get as many people involved as possible.

2. Katie O’Connor Activities, LauraJane Tiley as President, Bethan Jones is Education and Naomi Armstrong is Welfare.

3. Oh gosh - that’s a big question. Amy Poehler I guess. I don’t know…

4. Cheesy Tuesdays. I just love that you can sing along to it.

3. Leonard Cohen. He’s a Canadian poet and musician. I think the way he thinks and the way he writes makes for some really interesting developments in poetry and music. I could go on for hours – I’m doing my dissertation on him.

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YOUR GUIDE

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

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A post-exam campus festival

4. Saturday night Cavern – Indie night.

I would say a lot of the R-House events are great. Cavern’s my hideout.

KATIE O’CONNOR - MORE THAN JUST THE GLASSES?

KATIE O’Connor took office as VP Activities last year. A fair amount of emphasis was placed on improving student participation in Exeter activities, as well as making Guild spaces easier to book for student societies.

On top of this, Katie pledged to ringfence a proportion of society grants for use by smaller, emerging societies, as well as pledging to support less wellknown publications like Exetera by promoting them alongside major student publications like Exeposé.

So far, one of the noticeable chang-

es that has been achieved by O’Connor is the introduction of a Refreshers’ Activities Fair in January that gave students who had missed the boat to join societies in September a second chance to get involved.

Progress has also partially been made in allowing societies to advertise more easily on the digital advertising boards. We’ve also seen some improvements in the variety of pop-up vendors on campus, where Katie promised to provide more healthy eating options in this area.

However O’Connor’s aim to support more student traders has not been followed through yet. We have seen very few extra student businesses given space on campus.

There still seems to be a lot of work left to do if Katie is to achieve all of her manifesto aims, which include making the Lemmy easier to book for socials as well as introducing new spaces for activities to use.

Neither of these policies have yet been worked on, and there’s also disappointment for all you pudding lovers as

it doesn’t look like we’ll have desserts in The Ram anytime soon.

On top of this, little has been done so far to support small publications or put aside any more money for those obscure, struggling societies that were pledged extra funding.

Efforts to lure more musicians, comedians and events to campus also don’t seem to have come to fruition, although students can look forward to seeing DJs David Rodigan and Hannah Wants when they play the Lemmy on 11 and 24 March respectively.

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EXEPOSÉ

www.exepose.com

3

TIVITIES Name the current Sabbs

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vegan options in the Ram, the Grove, the Terrace and X-Keys.

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I’M Sam, a Philosophy student hoping to be your VP Activities. Here’s the ‘Jackson 5’ - my five-point plan to improve our Guild: Recognition: note committee positions and hours volunteered on students’ achievement records.

Opportunities: termly memberships offered from Freshers’ Week. A start-up fund for new societies.

Engagement: feedback boards outside Guild outlets and Sabb Office, so students can leave suggestions or ask for support, anytime.

Spaces: reform the room booking system.

Build rapport with Exeter venues to open up off-campus spaces.

Food: wider variety of vegetarian and

Who is your role model?

A start-up fund for new societies

1. I think there’s quite a lot of disillusionment with the Guild at the moment. I think a lot of people are quite frustrated with the problems that the University’s come out with such as the extension of the teaching day. There’s not a lot of spaces around campus for students who want to use them. There is a danger that the stu-

3. Matt Bellamy of Muse, who is just an incredible talent but knows how to translate that to an incredibly personal relationship with fans of the band. He’s incredibly talented and very well spoken very much an eloquent gent – but he also has this sparkling talent.

11

Favourite night out?

SAM JACKSON

dents feel like the Students’ Guild is treating them as customers.

2. Guild President is Laura-Jane Tiley, VP Activities Katie O’Connor, Naomi Armstrong for Welfare and Diversity, Bethan Jones VP Education and Jack Bristow who’s AU President.

4

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

Age: 21 Subject: Philosophy Societies: RAG, Xpression FM, Philosophy

4. It’s probably Cheesies.

“THE MORE I LEARN ABOUT SOCIETIES THE MORE AMAZED I AM”

TWO late dropouts ensure this election is less contested than initially expected.

Strange really, considering Activities is the position most involved with active student life. Nearly everyone at university is involved with a society in some form or another, and hence it was disappointing not to see more candidates running.

Our “Society rich list” front page, published in November, revealed the vast financial differences between wellestablished societies versus niche groups.

VP Activities is responsible for keeping this in check, making sure funding and support is distributed fairly and appro-

grips with the big issues and working out what that means for Exeter students, the Green Paper consultation being just one example. It’s been a steep learning curve and I suspect it hasn’t finished yet.

A great part of the role is collaborating on campaigns and projects. Since September, staff, students, Laura-Jane and I have been working hard

‘‘

to plan and deliver Refreshers and seeing it all happen two weeks ago was my highlight of the year so far.

As a Sabb team who work so closely together, we are at any one time working on a number of campaigns, projects or issues and it’s amazing to finish one with a

sense of satisfaction, before swiftly moving on to the next.

Being VP Activities is a brilliant excuse for me to meet and get involved with groups of students who previously remained a mystery to me.

The more I interact and learn about the 230+ societies and student groups, the more amazed I am. Some of the events, fundraising and sessions that take place are remarkable!

Factor in that students also manage to complete their degrees on top of everything else they have going on, and it’s

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

With all three candidates proving vast involvement with societies, VP Activities is a tough one to call

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NEXT week sees the return of the Sabbatical Elections, an exciting and emotional week for everyone involved. Since the last election week, the year has passed in the blink of an eye, and, halfway through my tenure, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on what it’s like to be VP Activities.

My idea of how the year would go was wildly off the mark. It has been fast-paced, surprising and set against a back-drop of huge change in the higher education sector and student movement.

One of the challenges has been getting to

priately to the societies that need it most.

Abi Elliston plans to lobby for increased society space - definitely a valid proposal considering the vast number of students crammed onto campus. We’re also definitely in favour of increased self-catering facilities on campus - we’ve spent too many hours queuing at the sole A&V microwave. Tristan “Michael Eavis” Gatward’s flagship policy is the hugely ambitious and exciting idea of creating a post-exams festival here on campus.

A potential nightmare for our Health and Safety officers, but the prospect of a Streatham Fest could make Gatward a

hard not to be impressed.

Whether I am working hard to find solutions for the society space problem or lobbying the University to increase its discipline-specific employability support, I always keep in mind why I am doing it.

Being a Sabb can be hard. The hours are long, people are critical and sometimes it can seem like you’re not getting anywhere. However, the satisfaction you get when you do make progress totally makes it all worthwhile.

KATIE O’CONNOR, VP ACTIVITIES

household name. Extra food options for vegetarians and vegans in the Ram and other campus outlets, as well as a catchy five-point manifesto are offered by Sam Jackson, who also hopes to tackle student “disillusionment” within the Guild.

Despite personal interest from all three candidates in music, we were surprised to see that none of them chose to focus on the departmental overhaul and subsequent problems this has caused.

With all three candidates proving vast involvement with societies and student groups, VP Activities is a tough one to call.

AU PRESIDENT 1-3

GUILD PRESIDENT

4-5

JOSH CALLANDER Age: 21

Subject: Middle East Studies Sport: American Football

HARRY GROCOTT Age: 21

Subject: Geography Sport: Touch Rugby, Football, Rugby

VP EDUCATION

6-7

VP WELFARE & DIVERSITY

8-9

FOR the past two years I have been involved in the Athletic Union Executive Committee, first as Participation Officer under Andy Higham and this year as Vice-President to Jack Bristow.

For my own club, American Football, I was Publicity and Funding Officer and I’m now Club Captain. I want to create a more visual and dynamic Athletic Union; showcasing our sporting talent through promotional media, creating more informal sporting opportunities and being the student sporting voice.

Sport has shaped my time at University, I hope I can do the same for you. #GoJosh 1. What is the biggest problem facing Exeter students?

Personally, from a sports point of view, I’d say accessibility to sport. If you

I HAVE nominated myself for a position as AU President. My key manifesto points are: 1. Online memberships for AU clubs. It makes it faster and simpler for prospective members, as well as club committees, and avoids large volumes of cash! I work for the Guild who use a very similar system so I already have experience with how this works.

2. Improve intramural organisation.

Teams don’t turn up, balls are missing, lack of referees… Small changes will make a big difference for social sport.

3. Marquee home fixtures. Increase and improve crowd turnout to home games.

4. More feedback. Anonymous forums and feedback will make sure the AU is tailored towards what students want.

1. What is the biggest problem fac-

‘‘

10-11

12

look at recent statistics, about 40 per cent of Exeter students engage regularly with sport. One of the things which I think Exeter could do better is engage in a wider community better, whether it be through sport or whether it’s just helping each other out.

‘‘

EXEPOSÉ

AU PRESIDENT

A more visual and dynamic AU

2. Can you name the current Sabbs?

The AU President is Jack Bristow; the Guild President is Laura-Jane Tiley; VP Activities is Katie O’Connor; Welfare is Naomi Armstrong and Education is

ing Exeter students?

I think overpopulation is a big issue.

The other day the gym stopped letting people in because it was too busy and if you’re paying £200 a year to use it, that’s not great. People also find it difficult to find study space.

2. Can you name the current Sabbs?

Yeah, so Jack Bristow is AU President. Laura-Jane Tiley is Guild President… uh… the other three, I can tell you what they look like. There’s the blonde one who does Education. There’s the black-haired one who does Welfare.

I know both Presidents at least.

3. Who is your role model?

I would have to go for someone sporty, as sports are my thing. Steven

Bethan Jones.

3. Who is your idol?

The Liverpool part of me wants to say Steven Gerrard, but I’ll probably go for something closer to home – my parents. I think the can-do attitude, working two jobs kind-of-mentality is what I’d respect most.

4. What’s your favourite night out in Exeter?

Wednesday Timepiece. It’s good fun; it’s a good social event. It’s nice being able to talk to everyone there. It’s nice having the club mentality that everyone who plays BUCS on a Wednesday is out together. It’s like a camaraderie: the AU together. Sport is one of the best things about Exeter.

Gerrard I’d say is an idol. He is the sort of person that is playing at a really high level and can take it a step further and I think that’s really impressive.

‘‘

I think overpopulation is a big issue

4. What’s your favourite night out in Exeter?

It’s got to be Arena-based. I’m not a massive Timepiece fan, Arena tends to be more consistent. We used to do Monday night as our social so it’s got a bit of sentimental value. So I’ll go for Monday night Arena.

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

It was disappointing to see neither candidate mention lad culture as something they hope to tackle

‘‘

THIS year’s AU candidates’ manifestos both appear to completely overlook (intentionally or otherwise) what we feel is the biggest issue that needs to be, and continues to fail to be, addressed by the Athletic Union. We are of course referring to so-called ‘lad culture’ in its various forms. University sports teams are often accused of creating or sustaining a poisonous atmosphere that encouraged unsafe levels of drinking and inappropriate behaviour. Like it or not, Exeter is not exempt from this issue, as proved by an Exeposé undercover investigation in September 2014. Hence, it was disappoint-

VP ACTIVITIES

‘‘

YOUR GUIDE

SABB ELECTIONS 2016

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12

ing to see neither candidate explicitly mention lad culture as something they hoped to tackle or address should they be elected.

Both candidates are leaders on the field and have considerable knowledge of the workings of the Atheltic Union: Harry Grocott runs Touch Rugby Society while Josh Callander is Captain of American Football.

Grocott cites “overpopulation” as the biggest issue facing Exeter students, but is this really the case? January is peak gym time, after all, and this response appears to be reactionary rather than pro-

gressive. He also failed to name all the current Sabbs. Callander cited “accessibility” as his main focus, but didn’t mention intramural in his manifesto, probably the most accessible form of sport at Exeter - an oversight, perhaps?

With no AU President debate taking place this year, it’s even more important to read these candidates’ manifestos carefully if you are intending to vote. Amusingly, both candidates chose Steven Gerrard as an idol… The real question we want answered, however, is will either of their pledges be hitting the back of the net?

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SCREEN

NEWS 1-6

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 14-16 10-13 8-9

SCREEN The 88th Oscars front-runners Best Picture The Big Short Bridge of Spies Brooklyn Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Room Spotlight

Best Actor Bryan Cranston, Trumbo Matt Damon, The Martian Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Best Actress Cate Blanchett, Carol Brie Larson, Room Jennifer Lawrence, Joy Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Director Adam McKay, The Big Short George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant Lenny Abrahamson, Room Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

MUSIC 18-21

SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

SPORT 42-44

1 FEBRUARY 2016 | Exeposé Screen

SCREEN EDITORS Akash Beri Ben Londesbrough

EXEPOSÉ

@ExeposeScreen

Diversity faux pas screen@exepose.com

Mark Allison examines the prevalent issue of diversity in Hollywood

I

T’S been a controversial few months for the film industry, as the question of diversity has reached from the pages of the internet to Hollywood’s biggest awards ceremony. The gender pay gap has seen particular focus, as Jennifer Lawrence penned an essay on her own experiences and began a very public debate.

We need to look at deeper issues of race in Hollywood More recently, the announcement of this year’s Academy Awards nominations has led to accusations of institutional racism in Hollywood and the resurrection of #OscarsSoWhite. Over the past two years, all forty nominations for the acting categories have been exclusively white, leading to high-profile boycotts including Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee. Over seventy years since a black woman first won an Oscar, it might be surprising that the Academy and the wider industry still have a problem with diversity, but the truth is that Hollywood’s problems with representation go even deeper than may be assumed. Much of the debate on the Academy Awards nominations has centred on the makeup of the Academy itself; a 2012 survey found that membership was 94 per cent white and over three quarters male.

This lack of representation has obvious repercussions in voting habits, but it’s overly simplistic to place all of the blame with the Oscars. Rather than accusing Academy voters of racism, we need to look at deeper issues of race in Hollywood, and why performers of colour aren’t receiving proportionate exposure. Indeed, some critics have controversially suggested that black talent simply wasn’t worth rewarding this year. If this is true, then it must be asked why quality roles and opportunities aren’t being offered to minorities. As 2015 has proved, untraditional casting decisions can win big at the box office, with Star Wars: The Force Awakens quickly becoming one the most suc-

cessful films of all time. So why aren’t these opportunities coming along more often?

Crucially, the people who make decisions in the film industry are predominantly white and male. Figures like Kathleen Kennedy, the female president of Lucasfilm, are becoming more common, but remain an unfortunate minority. Meanwhile, the Oscar winning documentarian Michael Moore has spoken about the total lack of African Americans in the Los Angeles film circuit. If quality films aren’t being made for actresses and people of colour, then they have little chance of being cast, let alone nominated for an Academy Award. Both George Clooney and Idris Elba have recently pointed to a decline in opportunities for ethnic minorities, women, and disabled people, and their failure to be properly represented at Awards Ceremonies is only a symptom of this deficit.

It’s still rare for the cast to accurately reflect our changing society Facing pressure from both artists and fans, the President of the Academy, Cheryl Booths Isaacs, has promised a series of reforms to the voting body of the organisation, claiming that the nominations controversy has left her “heartbroken and frustrated”. Whilst these measures are to be welcomed, they will do little to address Hollywood’s inherent problems with inclusion. In the industry’s biggest and most acclaimed films, it’s still rare for the cast to accurately reflect our changing society, and that

remains our challenge if we intend for our art to better imitate life.

Mantlepiece or a doorstop?

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Victoria Bos questions the validity of award ceremonies, asking if they are worth anything anymore

U

NLESS you have been hiding under a rock for the last few months, you are probably aware that 28 February 2016 marks the 88th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. Yes, it is that time again.

Time for celebrities to walk down the red carpet in clothes that are eyewateringly overpriced, for those involved with the films to put on a fake smile as their competitors win and for us to be told what the best films of the year are, apparently.

Ricky Gervais recently quipped that he uses his Golden Globe as a door-

stop, and the same question here has to be asked: are the Oscars really fair or worth anything now?

The first issue with the Oscars is how films are nominated and voted for. In December, the list of potential nominations is sent to members of The Academy, an honorary professional organisation. This has just under 6,000 members, who then rank them in their designated category with those with the highest scores being nominated.

The winners are then determined by a second round of voting, from the same group, when they are allowed to vote in all categories. Now, this sounds fine, until you find out that the Academy membership is hardly representative of the film industry today. So do the awards given really represent general opinions?

This brings me on nicely to another major issue, which is that the awards are so disconnected from what we, the viewing and paying public, think and care about. We, as the public, are the

target markets for these films, yet our opinions are never taken into account, even in terms of us voting with our feet and our wallets. For example, the biggest grossing film of 2015, and indeed in history, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, did not receive a Best Picture nomination, or anything to do with its acting. The second highest grossing film of the year, Jurassic World, got no nominations.

This is hardly representative of the film industry today, or indeed the world Now, I’m not saying it should all be based on footfall, but I think we as the intended audiences of these films should have some say in how we reward the productions we think have done well. After all, we are the ones paying for the privilege of seeing them.

A final clear issue is the built in bias

towards certain genres within the Academy Awards, especially in regards to the coveted Best Picture award. Generally speaking, the films that win this are dramatic films, which focus on social or historical issues. In the whole 88 years of the Oscars, a horror film has only ever won Best Picture twice, with The Exorcist in 1973 and then Silence of the Lambs in 1991. In terms of fantasy films the only film to ever win was The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in 2003. More damningly, despite some well-loved films being nominated, such as Star Wars in 1977 and Avatar in 2009, no science-fiction film has ever won Best Picture in the history of the Oscars. In 2015 combined the genres of science-fiction, horror and

fantasy had a combined market share of 39 per cent, so why are there only two films nominated (The Martian and Mad Max) which could possibly fall into these categories, whilst the rest appear to fall into the Drama category which only secured 18 per cent of the market share? On top of this, even though they were nominated, the chances of them winning are slim-to-none.

Still, it’s all fair and above board, isn’t it?

Congratulations to whoever wins at the Oscars, but these issues could very well mean the films could fade away into obscurity, despite the fact they won the awards. After all it is down to those of us who watch them to keep them alive, not a trophy.

And the Oscar goes to...

Joe Oxlade argues for the Academy Awards’ value in today’s cinematic climate

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HE Academy Awards, along with many other film awards around the world, including the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, are

unique opportunities for filmmakers and actors to be rewarded for their challenging craft. In an age where anyone with a phone camera can film something and upload it on the Internet, we must have these opportunities to reflect on the very best of world cinema. This is also a chance for the greatest films that don’t have the budget of the big blockbusters to get the credit they deserve. For example, the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was introduced in 1947, which provided a life-changing opportunity for the film industries of countries other than the UK and US; one of this year’s nominations was Theeb, a Jordanian film with a budget of just over £250,000, the price of a Lamborghini Aventador. As Brits, we let decisions like ‘Every-

thing is Awesome’ from the Lego Movie not winning Best Original Song, (which admittedly was a joke) completely mar our judgement of the prestige of these awards, in the same way that that we let one wet day become ‘typical British weather’ and one late parcel become ‘bloody Royal Mail’. The Academy is built up of approximately 6,000 filmmaking professionals (mainly Americans), with the Los Angeles Times recently conducting a survey that states the voter population is, 94 per cent white, 76 per cent male, and have an average age of 63.

However, despite this blatant, old-malewhiteness inherent to The Academy, I think that their criticism does provide something of worth. These people have seen a substantial amount of the films produced each year, completely separating their judgement from online criticism, where anyone can post a review without knowledge of the industry.

One of the major criticisms of the Oscars this year is that none of the nominated directors are female, but this is only the case because the biggest names such as Kathryn Bigelow and Sofia Coppola did not produce films this year.

Accusations exist of institutionalised sexism within the film industry; that’s not something I’m trying to deny, but that

is a larger fault with Hollywood or even a more prominent societal fault; the Academy Awards panel can only make their judgement based on the quality of the films produced that year, not the ones they wish had been.

It encourages the industry to create truly great cinema As for the accusations of racism, one of the main criticisms last year was Chiwetel Ejiofor not winning Best Actor in 2013 for his performance in 12 Years a Slave. No one seems to have remembered that his co-star, Lupita Nyong’o, won Best Supporting Actress and indeed 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture. Sydney Poitier was the first black actor to win Best Actor for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field, which occurred right in the heart of the American race riots, where traditional institutions such as the Academy Awards would have been looking for any excuse to show disapproval.

Despite the glamorisation of the event, the Oscars provide us with a valuable occasion to explore the best of the year’s films and performances. It encourages filmmakers and actors to create truly great cinema, rather than focus on profit, and provides an outlet for lower budget and foreign films to gain mainstream appeal.

The hilarity of reality TV 26

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Eamonn Crowe, Deputy Editor, takes us through the best of the worst of the new-age soap operas

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S university students, we are expected to be pretty cultured and socially conscious people. However, sometimes after a long day of contemplating existentialist questions and discussing politics, I just want to get into bed and watch some mind-numbingly awful television. Reality shows are the answer to this conundrum. While these programmes won’t do much for your cultural awareness, there is something utterly compelling about watching rich Americans fall apart in front of cameras. Although these shows are (worryingly) based on exploiting people purely for entertainment purposes, sometimes you just want to enjoy a show for the trashy, hot mess it is. As the great 21st Century American philosopher Kim Kardashian once said after cropping her own daughter out of a selfie, “Can I live?” Here is my list of the best of the worst reality shows…

The Real Housewives (2006-present) franchise is a reality phenomenon that has spanned across nine locations.

The shows follow a group of affluent and ridiculous women who routinely throw parties for dumb reasons and then use these events to argue about even dumber things. Although there have been some dark storylines, the shows mostly stay on the light side of things, also providing some truly surreal moments and arguments.

Like when Atlanta housewife Kenya Moore declared she was ‘gone with the wind fabulous’ and then literally twirled off into the night. However, the most bizarre moment in Housewives history was when New York castmember Aviva threw her prosthetic leg across a restaurant, claiming it is the “only thing fake about her”. They may not exactly be traditional housewives, but they are great television.

The Hills (2006-2010) is the founding father of this TV genre and is perfect for those who prefer lighter reality soaps. Following Lauren Conrad and her rich (exclusively white) friends in LA, the show documents these pretty young things as they work and play.

The fact the show aired in 2006 means watching it is a great way to relive the early noughties, with the cast all wearing patterned headbands and carrying around Sidekick phones. The show also gave birth to one of the most hated reality TV show couples ever, the aptly-named Spencer and Heidi Pratt.

Whether it’s Lauren’s weirdly profound Valley-girl quotes, such as “sometimes it just is what it is, you know” or her screaming “you know what you did!” at Heidi in a nightclub, The Hills is an easy watch and a reminder of a simpler, more innocent time. A day when reality stars didn’t have to be bat-shit crazy or viciously violent to secure another season. Instead of wine throwing, these girls just tend to stare a lot as the sound of a Natasha Bedingfield pop ballad rises in the background – however, it is still at least better than The Only Way is Essex.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians (2007-Present) follows the first family of reality television, who are now impossible to escape. Although they’ve looked deathly bored in every scene since 2012, their flagship show has offered up some golden moments

over the years. Standout scenes include Khloe having her vagina waxed and subsequently burnt by her own sister and Kim hysterically crying about losing a pair of $75,000 diamond earrings in the ocean, only for sister Kourtney to respond in her monotonous tone: “Kim, there’s people that are dying”.

Mob Wives (2011-Present) This show is basically the rated 18 version of The Real Housewives. Following a group of Italian-American women on Staten Island who are married to or daughters of notorious crime families, the show offers a fascinating insight into the criminal underworld and what it’s like to have your husband go to jail.

The cast follow a strict, yet warped code of ethics, in which loyalty and respect prevails and ‘ratting’ (talking to the police) is considered the ultimate sin.

These woman are also not to be messed with. The show features more F-bombs than you could ever imagine, has witnessed some of the most vicious reality show fights in TV history, and trash talking that would make your grandmother faint (“I want to rip her face off like a bath-salt zombie and eat it”).

While watching this programme will leave you feeling pretty shameful and maybe even angry, there is a car-crash quality to this show that makes it hard to look away. Especially when they’re coming out with one liners like “I’m going to hand her body to her mother”.

Don’t watch with your parents in the room. Or in the same house.

Is Joy joyful or joyless?

Katie Russell reviews another David O. Russell film with Jennifer Lawrence Joy Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper Director: David O. Russell 2016, 124 minutes

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ON’T be deceived by the title – Joy will make you cry at 20-minute intervals. It tells the story of a very smart, but unappreciated housewife, Joy (Jennifer Lawrence), who is struggling to support her two children and her divorced parents. At the start of

the film, Joy is a doormat. At times, it is frustrating to watch her being a spineless jellyfish when her mother demands so much, or her condescending father (Robert De Niro) makes snide comments.

After cleaning up smashed glass with a mop and cutting her hands to pieces as she wrings it, Joy is inspired to create a mop that will wring itself. It sounds like a simple idea, but we find out that nowhere else sells this product.

Joy is smart and starts designing the model. With the upbeat music, Joy’s plan of action and her high-ponytail hairdo, we all get our hopes up that

things are going to turn around. But she faces many, many setbacks – both in the business world, and in her family life.

This is a rags-to-riches tale much like Cinderella, but with one key difference To say that her family are pathetic would be a severe understatement.

Joy’s father constantly belittles her ideas, and his girlfriend is unnecessarily mean to Joy from the word ‘go’.

The worst character in the film is Joy’s

half-sister Peggy. The film not-so-subtly explains that Peggy is jealous of Joy’s creativity, but this explanation falls flat on its face. Peggy is an awful character – she has no redeeming qualities. Amazingly, Joy doesn’t let these toxic people affect her – she rises above it and perseveres with her plans, with a little help from her lovely ex-husband.

This is a rags-to-riches tale much like Cinderella, but with one key difference: Joy doesn’t need a prince to save her. I found it refreshing that the film did not need a love interest for the strong female character. At points, I was worried that Joy would end up

with the top TV producer, Neil Walker (Bradley Cooper) since he is gorgeous, wears lovely cream suits and, judging from his signet ring, is loaded. But a rushed romantic ending was thankfully not chosen. The film ends with Joy confidently walking down the street, wearing sunglasses (despite it being winter) a leather jacket and a big smile on her face.

It is so beautiful watching a character grow a backbone before your eyes and work hard for her success. Be prepared to laugh with J-Law, be prepared to cry with J-Law, be prepared to do both simultaneously.

Photo: liveforfilms.com

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Emily Kerr, Arts & Lit Editor, interviews young, published writer, Madeline Dyer

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ADELINE Dyer may be your typical third-year English student, but she’s also a published author.

Her first novel, Untamed, was published in May 2015, and has made it onto Amazon UK’s bestseller list for dystopian novels. I asked her a few questions about her inspiration and journey.

Can you give us a glimpse of what your novel is about?

Sure! Untamed is a dystopian story of addiction, betrayal, and survival. It’s got some pretty dark content in it, including torture scenes—but there are some lighter moments too. A few people have classed it as ‘Mad Max meets The Hunger Games’.

It makes us wonder if we’re bordering on the development of our own dystopian society The official hook is: When an Untamed girl is

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kidnapped and converted by the Enhanced Ones, she must remember who she was meant to be or else risk the extinction of her people.

What was the spark that made you want to start writing Untamed?

I’ve always loved writing, and Untamed was the third manuscript I completed. It started off as a bit of an experiment, as my first two were fantasy, but I soon realised how much I loved writing dystopian

fiction, and couldn’t stop exploring the Untamed world.

The actual premise of the novel was inspired by a scene from the music video from “La La La” by Naughty Boy ft. Sam Smith, where a piece of meat that looked a lot like a human heart was being sold at a market, and I just started thinking about which emotions were linked to the heart. And then I thought: what if someone could just walk into a market and buy the emotions that they want to feel? What if you could control what others feel? And so Untamed began…

Why dystopian fiction? We’ve all heard of big names like Margaret Atwood and George Orwell-which authors have influenced you I love the rawness that dystopian fiction has, and how this genre exposes real problems that currently exist in our world. Dystopian societies tend to magnify one aspect of a real-life issue, blowing it completely out of proportion, to show the negative

consequences this has on specific groups of people. I think this way of exposing current political and social issues makes these matters accessible to everyone.

Dystopian fiction doesn’t tend to be preachy, but there nearly always is some kind of moral message that can be taken away. I think the most crucial thing about a dystopian world is how it interacts with the real world—how it makes us think and view everyday things in a different light, how it makes us wonder if we’re bordering on the development of our own dystopian society. Or maybe we already live in one…

I love Margaret Atwood’s books, and the first dystopian novel I read was Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, but one of my favourite dystopian authors has to be Teri Terry—her books have definitely influenced me.

What are the challenges of creating an intricate and alternative world for your characters to live in?

I’m guessing you spent many hours behind a desk in order to formulate your ideas…

Worldbuilding is one of my favourite parts of writing! Once I had the premise for Untamed Untamed,, I set about creating and developing the rules of the world. In some ways, this was tricky, as I had to make sure there were no contradictions or holes. And I wanted it to seem realistic and believable. I needed to know everything about the world my characters inhabited. It was definitely challenging!

Have you found it difficult to juggle your studies alongside writing? Already being published at such a young age is so impressive!

Thank you! The short

answer is definitely yes. It’s probably the hardest thing. In theory, I try to balance it so I write in the holidays, and concentrate on my studies during semesters— although this never really happens, as I just love writing, and often find myself drafting out scenes when I should be studying. I think the hardest time to juggle everything was during the second year, as my publisher’s schedule meant I was working on inhouse edits for Untamed for the whole of the second term! It was definitely difficult getting all the reading and assignments for my modules done. But I actually really enjoyed the editorial process — my editor was fabulous.

It still amazes me that people are reading my novel What was it like to get your hands on a physical copy of your book for the first time?

It felt amazing! Up until that point, my book hadn’t really felt ‘real’ — even though I’d proofread and checked the galleys for both the ebook and the paperback, it still hadn’t hit me until my box of author copies arrived.

What has been the most exciting moment following the publication of Untamed?

I think the day I received my first letter from an excited fan (one I didn’t know!) was the most exciting moment.

It still amazes me to think that people are reading my novel!

What more can we expect from Madeline Dyer? J. K. Rowling has left quite a legacy, can you see people wandering campus envisaging the places that inspired you?

I’ve signed a book deal with Prizm Books, and my second novel, Fragmented, is due to release 7 September 2016. I haven’t thought about people wandering around campus envisaging the places that inspired elements of my fiction… but it’s definitely an exciting thing to think about!

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Emily Harris, Online Screen Editor, raves about Shotgun Theatre’s latest performance Avenue Q Exeter Phoenix 18 - 21 January

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HEN I think of how Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx penned Avenue Q,, I imagine two drunk guys sitting in a pub, saying things like “what about a song about everyone being a little bit racist, I mean we all are, a bit”, “I love porn. What about a song about internet porn?” and “Hey Rob, what the fuck are you gonna do with that BA English of yours?”

Finally after a few rounds of beer, Jeff admits, “Look, Rob. I

love Sesame Street. I love musicals. I love taboo. I think puppets having sex would be weirdly hilarious”. Rob whips out his keyboard, and Avenue Q is born.

Dubbed as the Sesame Street for grown ups, Avenue Q offers a comedic perspective on the classic comingof-age narrative. Princeton moves to Avenue Q, intent upon finding his “purpose” in life. Along the way he encoun-

ters several characters: love interest Kate Monster, Nick and Rod (parodies of Ernie and Bert), and obviously, Gary Coleman from Different Strokes – because why not? An undeniably challenging production, the stars of the show are the puppets, meaning the cast have the job of operating their fabric friends whilst maintaining the illusion that they are real characters.

Nonetheless,

I had great expectations for Shotgun Theatre’s production of the highly-acclaimed musical.

Firstly, it is necessary to point out that the set is fantastic – it captures the urban vibes of backstreet New York with a sense of vibrancy to match the cartoon-like puppets. This is the setting for the entire show, and it certainly caters to every song, mood and action accordingly.

Avenue Q far exceeds what is expected of an amateur production, and it wouldn’t be out of place on the West End. The cast are perfectly matched to their characters, which is a testament to both the performers and the creative team. The puppetry is executed flawlessly; it doesn’t take long before the cast becomes invisible and the puppets take over. It’s a true expression of multi-dimensional talent.

Hannah Bloom, who plays Kate Monster, is particularly impressive; her vocals are powerful throughout her performance, and she maintains a great balance of sensi-

tivity and comedy. Kate Monster’s rival in the musical, Lucy (The Slut), played

by Alice Kenny, is another stand-out.

Described as “a boa-wearing nightclub singer who likes to seduce young guys”, Kenny’s sultry voice and all-round performance is remarkable. Jasper Frost, who plays Trekkie Monster, a parody of a porn-obsessed Cookie Monster, must also be commended for his incredible, and startlingly accurate vocals.

It wouldn’t be out of place in the West End Perhaps my favourite performance is that of Fergus Church, who plays the character of Rod, an investment banker struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. His vocal stylings are tuned to perfection, and his sense of animation is entertaining throughout the show.

Without a dull moment, the storyline moves fluidly and the audience remain lively and engaged. A bold and exciting show, director Rosie Thomas has created one of the best amateur dramatic performances I have ever seen. I tried to think of critiques, but have quite happily failed in doing so.

So I’ll conclude that there is indeed “life outside your apartment”, and you should go and see it. It might just be one of the best things you see all year.

Lumiere lights up my world like nobody else

Emily Wheeler gives us a glimpse of her favourite artworks at the capital’s biggest-ever festival of lights - Lumi-yeah!

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T’S that time of the year again, when tourists and locals alike can see London in a completely new light, and it’s all thanks to Lumiere. This incredible street exhibition is produced by the Artichoke group and supported by the Arts Council and the Mayor of London. This year, the work of international artists lit up the streets of London from 14 to 17 January. Pitched as one of the biggest cultural events of the year, the festival is a springboard for other installations and exhibitions across the capital.

So far the festival has been a success, pedestrianising parts of Oxford Street, the Mall, Piccadilly and Regent Street for people to view the illuminations. Huge numbers gathered to ad-

Arts in the news

mire and photograph the artist’s works, and businesses reported a 10-25 per cent trade increase from this same week last year. However, tweets went out on Saturday night warning of crowd control issues and advising visitors to come the next day instead - at moments, the festival was too popular for its own good, although organisers remain “delighted” with the turnout.

At moments, the festival was too popular for its own good The works on show share the common theme of light but are otherwise interesting and varied both in content and style: Tae gon Kim’s “Dresses”

Picture of an Irish potato sells for £750,000

reminds me of the creepy bride in the recent episode of Sherlock, but actually draws inspiration from Roland Barthes’ A Lover’s Discourse, tackling themes of love and the expression of desire.

“Litre of Light” is a more immersive project and acts as a critical social commentary on both the absence and necessity of light for communities worldwide. Artist Mick Stephenson collaborated with Central St Martin’s students to create the sustainable light bulb: filling a plastic bottle with water, adding a drop of bleach and pushing it through a hole in the roof. This simple idea can refract as much sunlight through it as a 55-watt bulb, and has been pioneered in developing countries and post-disaster zones across the

world. Audiences at King’s Cross can walk through the tunnel of light made by bottles designed by local school children, experiencing the sustainable technology for themselves.

In the St James area of London, Beth J Ross’s: “I Haven’t Changed My Mind in a Thousand Years” simply and elegantly delivers uplifting ancient proverbs in her young son’s illuminated handwriting. The writings come from an 11th Century

Banksy creates artwork showing Les Mis’ Cosette being teargassed

Philomena Cunk gets her own TV show (about Shakespeare)

manuscript found in Durham Cathedral and surprised artist Ross with their contemporary relevance.

“Aquarium” is perhaps one of my favorite pieces from the festival, as Benedetto Bufalino and Benoit Deseille turn the redundant red phone box into an escapist display of exotic fish. The colourful little fish are supposed to “invite us to dream of travel and escape from our everyday lives”. Although sceptical about the piece’s escapist qualities, I love the playfulness of this work, which finds fun in an iconic symbol of British city streets.

Fairy tales found to date back thousands of years

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Eamonn Crowe, Deputy Editor, reviews EUTCo’s heavenly new production Angels in America Northcott Theatre 20 - 23 January

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HE 1980s AIDS epidemic and its brutal effects forms the basis of Tony Kushner’s moving Angels in America, and EUTCo’s handling of such a delicate, yet enduringly relevant topic is masterful.

The story follows two couples, Louis (Ollie McLellan) and Prior (Henry Smith), and Joe (Nick Cope) and Harper (Sophy Dexter). Their respective worlds come to a grinding halt when Prior contracts HIV and Joe struggles to come to terms with his closeted homosexuality. All four leads play their roles with exceptional fervour and intensity, with Smith and Dexter standing out especially. Dexter’s humorous, yet tragic depiction of an agoraphobic, Valium-addicted housewife makes the audience painfully aware of her fragility. Smith’s agonising portrayal of Prior’s illness is heightened by his brilliant use of physicality, which is particularly difficult to watch in a captivating scene where Prior chokes and collapses to the floor. Cope plays Harper’s embattled husband Joe, successfully and subtly

handling the conflicted relationship between his Mormon faith and his sexuality. This is especially great in a moving scene where he calls his strictly Mormon mother to confess his sexuality, only for her to hang up the phone.

Louis’ problematic views and destructive reaction to Prior’s diagnosis don’t make him a very likeable character, yet McLellan plays him in such a way as to emphasise his flawed humanity, which we can all relate to.

Audiences may not be

expecting the surreal elements of the play, which come to the fore in the second act. Prior is visited by deceased ancestors, played by Danny Baker and Calum Wragg-Smith, who bring some much needed comic relief to the sombre situation of Prior’s decline in health.

Here, the play’s intricate staging must be commended. There is always action to follow on stage and the strategic placement of furniture allows for actors to climb out of cupboards and sofas.

The supporting cast, while not greatly visible, give further insight into the socio-political issues that the play explores. Special mention must go to Jason Pallari as the image-conscious Roy Cohn. Pallari brings an incredible authenticity to the role, even if his superb New York accent does sometimes make it difficult to catch his lines.

It’s a triumph, and the cast’s professionalism shines throughout The intricacy of the subplots and the way in which this demonstrates how the AIDS epidemic affected people of all social statures is one of the play’s best features and the audience is truly immersed in 1980’s New York - a landscape full of traditional views being troubled by fresh social challenges.

The play concludes with the Angel of Death (Harry Gaff) coming to take Prior, and the use of lighting and sound here makes this a startling conclusion, leading to a few jumps in the audience. Overall, Angels in America is a triumph, and the cast’s professionalism shines throughout, with them even managing to make anal sex on a Central Park bench weirdly profound. Of course, things have moved on since the 1980s, yet the battle for equality is far from over, meaning that this play and its fantastic cast still manage to pack a punch.

This week, we’re featuring the artwork of second year Laura Betts, an English and Drama student Ink on paper The inspiration for drawing with biro on maps came from my love of doodling. I draw on anything; tickets, books, notes. I love having a background to draw on, as it adds so much more interest. In an art project on To Kill a Mockingbird, I began using location to inform my art which led me to start drawing on top of maps.

Biro is, in my experience, much easier to work with than pencil or paint. However, it is very unforgiving.

Once a stroke has been made, there’s no going back.

These mistakes would be obvious on a plain piece of paper, but the lines on a map disguise them and even help to make the drawing become part of the maps features. I also source a lot of inspiration from art accounts on Instagram and I love experimenting with different materials and methods.

More of Laura’s art can be found on her Instagram: @laurasuzanne_

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“Shagged by the white plague”

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Lewis Norman, Science & Tech Editor, chats to environmentalist and Guardian columnist George Monbiot about the derelict state of our countryside, the perils of sheep farming and serving up squirrels

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EORGE Monbiot is one of the most outspoken experts on environmental science in the world. He is the author of several books including Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain, Heat and, his latest, Feral: Searching for Enchantment on the Frontiers of Rewilding, the latter being the foundation for his talk with Alan Watson Featherstone at the University of Exeter. Famous for standing up to armed police officers, and attempting to coordinate a citizen’s arrest of Tony Blair, I wanted to discover more about the motivation for his controversial actions in the name of his passion for the natural world. It was only fitting that I first asked Monbiot what the word ‘environmentalism’ actually means. Naturally, the answer wasn’t a straightforward one.

Mobiot says: “I suppose environmentalism has two parts. It isn’t really an ideology that you can believe in as such, because environmentalism is appreciating that we have a serious ecological crisis on our hands and actually doing something about it. It is understanding that we can live in a better world than the one we have today.”

I then drew Monbiot’s attention to Cowspiracy, the Leonardo DiCaprio produced documentary on the damage that industrial-scale farming does to our ecosystems and climate. I reminded him one of the closing sentences is: “you can’t claim to be an environmentalist without adopting a vegan diet”. I asked him whether this statement coincided with his definition of environmentalism.

“Well I am a vegan, not only because of the environmental impacts but it makes sense, it’s good for you!

I’m probably not vegan in the most traditional sense of the word though.

When travelling, I keep in accordance with the culture of the places that I visit and I might switch to a vegetarian diet. In this country, it is probably best that I identify as a ‘pestetarian’; I’ll eat anything that can be considered a pest, and that includes squirrels, badger and deer.” In a blog post from August 2015, Monbiot expands on this by claiming that we’ve become so far detached from the processes of the meat industry that we find the idea of skinning and eating roadkill abhorrent, despite playing no part in its death. In reality, the battery farming of animals such as pigs and chickens is far worse, ethically, than scooping up a squirrel from the side of the road. It’s also far more detrimental to the environment.

It is probably best that I identify as a ‘pestetarian’... that includes squirrels, badger and deer But what about free-range farming?

And is there a future in self-sufficient farming; could I grow all of my own food and have very little impact on the environment?

“Unfortunately, as far as the environment is concerned, free-range farming is, in many cases, even worse than battery farming. Free-range chicken and pig farms pollute groundwater and rivers and have often caused soil erosion. What’s interesting is that, curiously, we romanticise these landscapes.

We fetishise the burned and blackened landscapes associated with burning ag-

riculture when we really shouldn’t be.

It is the same for self-sufficient farming, when you consider the amount of space that it actually takes to rear one sheep.” Talking to a packed-out alumni auditorium, Monbiot poetically tells an anecdote of his relocation to the Welsh countryside. “The hills had been sheepwrecked, comprehensibly shagged by the white plague. Anything that hadn’t been destroyed by sheep had been grouse-trashed or deer-destroyed… and here is something that Countryfile won’t tell you: shepherds do not make their money from sheep, it’s a loss making activity. They make their living from farm subsidies where the only prerequisite is that your land has to be in agricultural condition; it doesn’t actually have to produce anything.”

“We actually live in a landscape adapted for elephants.” This is met by gentle laughter, which he points out is a wonderful example of shifting baseline syndrome. “Megafauna are the default state of any ecosystem.

We had elephants, hippos and rhinos, and Trafalgar Square had lions long before Nelson’s column came along.”

In response to this, I asked Monbiot whether he thought there was too much political interest in the formation of environmental policy, should we be putting the scientists in charge? He responded to me by clarifying that politics was about the interactions of people and their opinions; there is always going to be politics involved because that is how the world works. Despite this, as expected, he does tell me that he finds our government toxic, driven by the person-

al interest of Cameron and his cronies.

“But do you think that the government makes conscious decisions to ignore the impacts that large-scale farming has on the landscape, or do you think that it is simply a matter of being poorly educated on the fundamentals of ecology?” I query.

“I do think the latter is very true in some cases. I think there are some politicians, not naming any names – Liz Truss – who simply just don’t understand the basics of environmental science. Again, not naming any names – Liz Truss – these people are businesspeople, born into a society driven by entrepreneurial interest. She can’t even begin to comprehend the basic science behind the damage that agriculture does.” He corroborated this by dwelling briefly on the climate change talks that occurred in Paris at the end of last year.

“I’m quite happy about it, it’s a

miracle compared to what it could have been. But, let’s be honest, it’s all just talk.”

I explored Monbiot’s views on the impact that students have, or could potentially have. “Students have always been criticised for having very fixed ideas”, I begin. “To be honest, we behave like we have the power to change the world. I see divestment campaigns and protests going on all the time, but are we really doing enough?”

“Well, I can tell you that students today do far more than they did in my day, much of which genuinely impresses me. There is always more that can be done though and it is your generation that is, unfortunately, going to have to deal with the consequences of what my generation has done to the planet. However, I’m not saying that my generation has fucked everything up and it’s your problem now, I think we collectively need to up our game and do something about the huge ecological crisis that we currently have.”

I was left craving more, feeling like I’d barely scratched the surface.

Thus, I will leave you with the closing words of his lecture: “We need to invoke a sense of positive environmentalism; follow us and the world will be a far better place. We need to give people a promise of replacing the silent spring with a raucous summer.”

Ouse to blame?

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33

Becca B on the December destruction

Flora Carr, Features Editor, reveals the cause of the floods that wreaked havoc up North

I

AM stood on a restaurant terrace, overlooking the River Ouse. Surrounded by tourists with their iPhones poised, I look out at the water battering past us. The river is so high; I can see the details of each current, thin streams like the veins on an old man’s hands. The wind churns up the river, beating it westwards and into streets and homes. I think of my family home, now decked out in Christmas decorations, and flooded once before; I remember running downstairs in the morning to find my dad scrambling in and out of the basement, holding dusty boxes to his chest. They were full of photos, now with swollen Technicolor stains where the ink had run. Not again, I think.

The York floods take place in the days after Christmas, the water levels reaching their peaks on the 27 December. On our way to a screening of the new Star Wars movie, my mum, sister and I arrive to find the cinema being evacuated. “We just can’t risk it,” says a guy in a high-res vest, the rain hammering against his umbrella.

During the day, broadband and Wi-Fi is down in most of the city, meaning that shops have to hastily stick “Cash only” signs to their doors. For a tourist city, it’s the last thing shop owners need during the January sales.

York isn’t the only area in the UK to flood during the holiday season. Rivers in cities York, Leeds and Manchester all burst their banks. York, with its two rivers, the Foss and Ouse, was always going to be in danger. Cumbria is also badly hit, with heavy rainfall between 4-6 December leading to mass devastation from flooding. Areas near York are also badly hit; in Tadcaster, the town’s historic bridge is destroyed. Nine severe flood warnings are in place during the last week of December.

So what exactly caused the flooding that led to all this destruction? With so much national news coverage, you’d think that we’d have some idea. But politicians, scientists and meteorologists all seem to have very different ideas. From the El Niño weather phenomenon to a serious lack of sandbags, here are some of the floods’ potential causes.

There’s been widespread criticism about the government’s flood defence budget Firstly, global warming seems an obvious one. Because warmer air can hold more moisture, heavier precipitation is expected in the years to come. Researchers at Oxford University and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) calculated in early December 2015 that man-made climate change was partly responsible for Storm Desmond’s torrential rain, which devastated parts of Scotland, the Lake District and Northern Ireland. The UK Climate Projections of 2009 estimate a sea-level rise of between 13cm and 76cm for the UK by 2095.

However, the effects of climate change have been enhanced recently due to El Niño. El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs every seven to eight years. To break it down, it’s basically a warm weather phase; warm waters of the central Pacific expand eastwards towards North and South America. The phenomenon has been attributed to recent warm weather and wetter winters in the North-

ern hemisphere (still dreaming of that White Christmas?). It’s not only been linked to the UK floods and Storm Frank, but to the worst floods seen in 50 years in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

Whilst global climate change and natural phenomena seem to have played a big part in causing the floods, it seems there were other factors which didn’t help matters. There’s been widespread criticism about the government’s flood defence budget; the 2010 Autumn Statement announced a cut of 15 per cent.

There’s also been anger over a purported North-South divide in funding to flood defenses, which David Cameron has denied.

And even when the flood defenses are in place, that doesn’t seem to mean they always work. One of the reasons York was hit so badly by the December floods is because of the decision to lift York’s Foss Barrier, a key part of the city’s flood defense system, due to its pumps were at risk of electrical failure. Carlisle’s £38m flood-defence scheme was also breached, despite having been constructed only five years before. Besides, when water is prevented from flooding one area, it often leads to another area being flooded, with water being diverted to rural areas to protect larger, more populated urban areas. Just think of the images we saw so recently on television screens, of cows huddled on a dry patch surrounded by flooded farmland.

Other man-made factors seem to have contributed to the December destruction. Building on flood plains (that Geography GCSE kicking in yet?) means that currently around four million residential properties at some risk of flooding, ac-

cording to the BBC. Despite a 2007 government review about the risks of flooding to homes, large-scale building on floodplains has continued. In fact, according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), housing in areas where flooding is likely has grown at a rate of 1.2 per cent per year since 2011. In Cumbria, which was hit by flooding in 2007, there has been no real long-term change in house prices; though whether that continues after the latest floods remains to be seen. Britain’s relative lack of greenery doesn’t help either.

The UK is one of the least wooded areas in Europe, and trees are a natural flood defense, the roots increasing the ground’s ability to hold water.

Areas of York that were seen as low risk were underwater, leaving locals to wonder whether anywhere is safe Here in York, there’s still anger and confusion about the causes of the floods.

Whilst David Cameron’s visits to the city were highly publicised, his promises to help those affected fell on deaf ears, particularly after the revelations about the government’s recent cuts to flood defenses. Areas in York that were seen as low risk were underwater, leaving locals to wonder whether anywhere is really safe; and whether things will only worsen next year. And whilst my house has been thankfully spared, I know plenty of friends who are less lucky. The thought that, as the climate warms up, the flooding might worsen, is a sobering one.

This Christmas saw thousands of homes flooded or without power.

With communities only just recovering, the country is wondering how to move forward.

“If we have to choose between people and wildlife, we will always, of course, choose people.” That was Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency. David Cameron recently said about the Environment Agency’s role of “trying to balance up the effects of nature on the one hand and protecting property on the other hand” that “the time for that is over”.

Unfortunately Bevan and Cameron were talking about future flood defence strategies. And here is the damaging crux of the matter: they were actively perpetuating the myth that there is a choice to be made. Do we help nature, or do we help people?

That choice is often non-existent; as the Environmental Adviser Tony Juniper tweeted me, “Of course we need a both/and, not either/or perspective. This is very old fashioned thinking.”

Can what is best for people be best for wildlife, and viceversa? Restoring and protecting wetlands, peat bogs, marshes, forests – these are great for nature and flood defences. These environments hold water for longer before releasing it into the water course, reducing peak flow. Dredging removes material from the river bed to deepen the water course, a drastic technique favoured by environmental engineers. It’s disastrous for wildlife, and it’s disastrous for communities downstream who then receive a massive body of water.

I hope that the people vs. nature debate is just a political spearhead to gain public support, that the country’s leaders don’t actually believe this rubbish. But I also don’t: environmental issues are too important to use as campaigning soundbites, and the public deserves to be educated rather than persuaded.

Photo: The Independent

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SCIENCE & TECH

Biweekly Breakthroughs What the duck?

A recent fossil discovery has revealed “Superducks” once roamed the lush lands of Montana.

Found by the Judith River Formation, the unearthed bones of the duck-billed Probrachylophosaurus Bergei provide a vital clue as to how dinosaurs got their distinctive crest.

Given the small, triangular bony protrusion atop its skull, scientists now believe the 5-ton herbivore, which was over 9 metres long, to be the common ancestor of the Acristavus (81 million years old) and the Brachylophosaurus (78 million years old).

Leg growth rings also revealed that the Probrachylophosaurus was 14 years old when it died – not yet fully grown. Another of the species, this time more adolescent in age, was also uncovered, though its remains were less complete.

By Fiona Potigny

Cannibalistic crack It’s no news that large doses of cocaine stop the functioning of brain cells; evidence is clear and convincing. What researchers haven’t been able to tell until now was the reason why cells die from cocaine. The answer – they eat their insides.

To regulate themselves, cells undergo various processes, among them being to clean up damaged cell components through autophagy. Observing the mouse brain on a cocaine high, Dr Guha from Johns Hopkins University has found that this housekeeping process was being overdone.

The good news is that the better understanding of cell suicide also inspired better solutions to stop the process. CGP3466B, a compound that disrupt autophagy, has been shown to rescue mice from the dire effects of cocaine on the brain.

By Alina Ivan

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Our ninth neighbour

Sam Jarman unpacks the discovery of Planet X, the potential new addition to our solar system

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HE search for Planet X could finally be over. Two astronomers from the California Institute of Technology believe they’ve found solid evidence of a giant planet lurking in the frigid depths of the outer Solar System. If they’re right, the planet could be the biggest find within our Solar System since the discovery of Neptune, over a century and a half ago.

Astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown were looking at objects in the Kuiper Belt, the ring of icy asteroids and dwarf planets constituting the remote edges of our Solar System. These Kuiper Belt Objects, or ‘KBOs’, have elliptical orbits around the Sun, meaning they pass closest to the Sun at one end of the ellipse, the perihelion, and are furthest away at the other end, the aphelion.

Something was strange about several of the KBO orbits observed by the astronomers: their perihelia were tightly clustered together, a highly unusual occurrence given their orbits were of all different shapes and sizes. Even more strangely, the KBOs in these orbits passed their perihelia at around the same time, meaning the objects themselves would cluster together periodically. Batygin and Brown calculated that the chances of this pattern being a coincidence were miniscule.

So what could be the cause of these strange orbiting behaviours? The astronomers theorised that the KBOs must be influenced by the gravity of a previously unseen object, locking the

KBOs and the mystery object in a gravitational ‘dance’ with each other, with the Sun in the middle. By measuring how fast the KBOs were moving and mapping the exact paths of their orbits, Batygin and Brown could make predictions about the properties of the mystery object. Their findings were staggering.

To cause the exact observed motions of the KBOs, the mass of the object would need to be 10 times larger than the Earth’s, making it a gas giant slightly smaller than Uranus. Planet X would also have an elliptical orbit, with a perihelion at 200 astronomical units (Earth-Sun distances, or AU) away from the Sun,

and an aphelion between 600 and 1200 AU away. For perspective, Voyager 1, the probe which has allegedly ‘left’ the Solar System according to some definitions, is still just a little under 134 AU from the Sun. Such a huge orbit would mean one year on Planet X would last 15,000 Earth years.

The Kuiper Belt is vast and remote and could be hiding further unusual KBO orbits

Since we haven’t observed Planet X directly, we can’t add it to our list of nearest neighbours just yet. But scientists are optimistic that Batygin and Brown’s findings are a strong case for a new addition to the Solar System. What’s more, the Kuiper Belt is vast and remote, and could be hiding further unusual KBO orbits that have yet to be observed, meaning there could be more objects like Planet X out there. At a time when the discovery of exoplanets has taken the world of astronomy by storm, it’s exciting to think we could have yet to discover all of the planets on our own doorstep.

Photo : The Washington Post

Procrastination plantation

Jeremy Brown, Arts and Lit Editor, test runs Forest to boost his productivity

Forest App Store £0.79

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DON’T often pay for apps. In fact, swiping through my phone, I can’t find a single one which I actually purchased. Maybe it’s because I’m northern. Maybe that’s a bit politically incorrect. So when I impulsively forked out 79p for Forest about a week ago, I almost surprised myself.

I wanted to see if this minimalist utility could help me escape the slippery slope to graduating with the infamous ‘BA in Procrastination’. Forest is an app which aims to stop you using apps — or at least, it strongly encourages you to stop using apps. The theory, like the design, is incredibly simple. You set the timer, and leave your device with the app open. Then

you do some work, and — if you complete it without caving in to the temptations of social media — it rewards you by planting a virtual tree in a virtual field. The more work you do, the larger your forest grows.

But if that Facebook notification is just too interesting to ignore, or that Tinder match needs stalking ASAP, and you leave the app, your tree will die. As a bonus they’ve made the trees look very sweet — and the dead ones look very sad — so it feels especially evil when you murder them.

So far, I’ve been setting it for thirtyminute stints, and it’s definitely succeeded: there are quite a few moments where I’ve wanted to randomly check social media out of boredom, and been told off

by the positive messages on the stylishyet-minimal mint-green display: phrases like “put down your phone” or “hang in there!”I haven’t even failed yet, because I’m a perfectionist and I don’t want a dead tree ruining my perfect plantations.

The app is even running while I write this; unfortunately, that highlights one of its flaws.

Because I’m meant to be doing university work: as helpful as the app is, it ultimately still relies on your own willpower to some extent, and (as we all know) there are always other ways to procrastinate. However, when I do sneak on my computer, I’m far more aware that I should be at work, and this guilt eventually sets me back on track.

There are a few added extras in Forest, most notably the clearly-displayed statistics, offering a run-down of each day’s successes and failures. If you gather enough points, you can ‘buy’ other varieties of tree for your forest; if you earn even more, a company will plant a real-life tree in a country like India or Zambia — at the time of writing, a total 5746 trees have been planted by app-users. It’s a nice touch, giving physical rewards for hard work.

As I crucially learnt from this year’s series of The Apprentice, gamification is a growing field, and the gamification of concentration is a brilliant idea.

In a world where the majority of people are embarrassingly reliant on technology, it’s nice to use this dependency for good. By tapping into a love of cute trees and an appreciation of neatness, Forest really could be the simple saviour of the student. They definitely aren’t barking up the wrong tree with this one.

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GAMES Arranging a musical fantasy Exeposé Games

GAMES EDITORS Jack England Evan Jones

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Photo: Spiele Musik Konzerte

Jack England, Games Editor, interviews Thomas Böcker of Final Symphonies

S

QUARE Enix, and SquareSoft before them, have always been known for their beautiful and emotive soundtracks, from the heart-wrenching To Zanarkand to the passionate One-Winged Angel.

The music from their games, as a whole, have topped the Classic FM Hall of Fame charts for many years, with Final Fantasy coming in at ninth in the latest poll. The majority of this fame can be placed on the legendary composer Nobou Uemastu, who has created music that is adored by millions. Interest in these scores are not looking to waver either, with concerts of Final Fantasy music such as Distant Worlds or Symphonic Fantasies selling out across the world with a crowd that most pop stars would be envious of.

All our team members love what they are doing, as clichéd as it might sound

Fantasies off the ground, which is exactly why my first question to Thomas Böcker was to find out what he attributed his success to. “I would say a mixture of passion and luck” he begins. “All our team members love what they are doing, as clichéd as it might sound. We’re always striving to produce exciting concerts that set new standards, and are constantly pushing ourselves to work harder and to learn more from the experience.”

It’s not just hard work that gets you to the top though, and in a world where some consider video game music below par, there’s a lot of luck involved too. Fortunately for Thomas Böcker, as he goes on to say, “there are some won-

London Symphony Orchestra or the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra who believe in what we are doing and are willing to support us”.

This was exactly what I personally wanted to hear, it’s always difficult when you tell someone that you prefer Dearly Beloved over Moonlight Sonata, as it cemented confidence in what Böcker has created. Of course, there are a lot of people who don’t believe video game music should be placed on par with ‘real’ classics, even when performed by a worldfamous orchestra. I was interested to see what Thomas Böcker thought of this, and how the stigma that is attached to video game music can be tackled and it was

unwillingness to give it a try. There is no question that some video game music has been created with more care - and some with less, but with arrangements such as we did for Symphonic Fantasies, Final Symphony and Final Symphony II, it is clear that there can be high quality to it.”

I have always been very interested in video games, getting a Commodore 64 at the age of seven Video game music doesn’t just have a lot of love and attention attached to it;

then, it has obviously been a huge part of his life. When it comes to video game concerts, Böcker had read about similar performances in Japan and felt something similar should happen in Europe, but unfortunately at the time it never did. But every cloud has a silver lining though, as Thomas goes on to say that “when nothing happened, I decided I had to produce one by myself, which I did back in 2003, and that has started the whole movement we see today.”

Creating such wonderful concerts has obviously given Thomas a plethora of different experiences and my final question was related to this. I wanted to know what his most memorable was. “Final , on the Japan tour. For the first time, a foreign orchestra performed video game music in Japan - the London Symphony Orchestra. I was standing Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, and he decided to sneak into the concert hall, to watch the audience reacting to the last two pieces of the concert. I followed, and when the last note was played and the Japanese fans gave standing ovations, which rarely happens there, he came to me, hugging me, expressing his gratitude. It was definitely the most memorable experience in my career, and it will be hard to top.”

Contrary to the name, Final Symwon’t be the last we hear from Böcker, and for that, we’re pleased.

É

Symphonic

Symphonic Fantasies London will feature the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Chorus and two incredibly talented soloists, Slava Sidorenko and Rony Barrak on 6 October 2016 at the Barbican. Simply scan the QR code for tickets.

We’ve gotta go fast this 2016 EXEPOSÉ

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David Agnew reminisces over Sonic the Hedgehog’s journey on his 25th birthday

T

HE blue blur has been dashing across our screens since his first game, Sonic the Hedgehog, back in 1991 but this year marks his triumphant 25th birthday.

When Sonic first appeared, he became an instant classic, a high-speed, edgy mascot that the 90s kids needed and adored.

From this first game, he spawned a series that has not only crossed generations, but also platforms.

Sonic the Hedgehog isn’t just known for his gaming delights though. In 1993, a television series starring our favourite hero began broadcasting, adding a whole extra dimension to his two-dimensional world. Sonic was everywhere you looked; Sonic lunch boxes, Sonic pencil cases,

from 2D to 3D didn’t bode well for Sonic.

Whereas Mario and his pals flawlessly transitioned onto the Nintendo 64 with no problems at all, Sonic was plagued by the one thing that defined him: his speed.

Flying across the screen in every direction didn’t exactly make for a great game and it was even worse considering he also lost the majority of his attitude when viewed in a new dimension.

This didn’t stop the developers from trying though, and when SEGA’s final console, the Dreamcast, was released, it brought with it the divisive masterpiece that is venture fans wanted, without knowing it.

A fullydeveloped world, multiple

Sonic rucksacks. It looked as though everything had been infected by the hedgehog.

Each game released was met with critical and commercial success, with fans raiding stores in order to get the latest version of the game. However, the transition

characters, an in-depth story and great controls to match.

Sonic Adventure brought a new-found appreciation for the aging mascot.

Sonic was everywhere you looked; Sonic lunch boxes, Sonic pencil cases, Sonic rucksacks

the recent release of Sonic Boom, which was met with almost as much despair.

Sonic Boom was an absolute flop, and has forced the Sonic Team to consider not only how these games should be made,

another Adventure game,

also met with great reviews and joy-

Sonic Boom was an absolute flop, and has forced Sonic Team to change their ways

kiss and time travel, not to mention enough bugs

Moving into 2016 though, things do hopefully look brighter as Sonic heads back into the second dimension with a new anniversary title.

It’s completely unknown which direction Sonic Team will go through, however Johnny Gioeli, of Crush 40 fame, who have written and performed songs for many Sonic the Hedgehog titles has said, “We are planning a few performances for 2016 to commemorate the anniversary of Sonic, we might participate in writing new songs for the anniversary game... stay tuned”.

With a new logo to boot, Sonic is looking good at 25 and hopefully he’ll finally be able to celebrate his birthday in

Coming out of her Cocoon this point either, with

Exeposé Games looks at Lightning’s newest fashion partnership with Louis Vuitton

T

HERE probably isn’t a lot of overlap between the people who are fans of Final Fantasy XIII and those who enjoy to spend their cash on Louis Vuitton handbags. But in the modern world, it’s worth exploiting every available avenue and obviously Vuitton’s team knows more than we do about it as Lightning Farron, the lead protagonist of Final Fantasy XIII, has begun starring in her own series of adverts showing off the fancy French fashion statements.

It makes me feel excited, a feeling similar to when I venture to unknown lands The upcoming ‘Series 4’ campaign has Lightning wielding some of the upcoming items for the Spring and Summer Collection in a way that makes it obvious she’s not a girl to mess with, especially on a dark night. Now, you may be asking yourself why a video game character has been cast as the model for Vuitton’s latest

set of bags. But creative director Nicolas Ghesquière has the answer, explaining that “Lightning is the perfect avatar for a global, heroic woman”. He goes on to mention that in a world where the lines are constantly blurred between reality and virtual life, there’s no reason to think Lightning is anything but ‘real’.

The character also went on to have a Q&A session with The Telegraph where she expressed her gratitude for being invited to take part in the photoshoots and advertisements. For the majority of gamers, Lightning is known to wear sturdy armour suited for battle, and when questioned about hanging up the combat gear in exchange for dresses

she ‘responded’ honestly: “It makes me feel excited, a feeling similar to when I venture to unknown lands.”

She went on to mention that her time working for the Louis Vuitton family was “a new adventure – a new fantasy – that I will enjoy from the bottom of my heart.”

Here at Exeposé Games we are always the first to admit that fashion isn’t our strongest suit, but we’re also sure that the animations for the advert also seem a little strange.

It looks to us like for the most part Lightning has had her signature blade photoshopped out for the accessories, as she’s still jump-

ing around as if she’s in the middle of a warzone.

Lightning does look good regardless, and the casual look definitely suits her more than the blood stained armour we’re used to. It’ll be nice to see whether she’ll stay in the fashion world or head off back on an another adventure after this gig.

Lightning does look good, and the casual look definitely suits her more than the blood stained armour Regardless, Final Fantasy fans all over the world have seemingly dropped everything instantly to go and watch the fifteen-second video of the pink haired heroine (or even the thirty-second if you’re feeling particularly trendy) and maybe you should too.

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GAMES

The Orange Box Which gaming hero would you want as your Valentine?

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JABEZ SHERRINGTON Tifa Lockheart locked my heart as a kid JACK ENGLAND I’d just take a fire flower because they’re so hot

S

O here we are - the release of the highly acclaimed, then much derided, and then highly acclaimed once again, Early Access title. For those not in the know, ‘Early Access’ is a game that consumers can purchase during development, giving them access to playable but unfinished versions of the title.

JAMES BEESON Lara Croft - because pointy boobies

tastic job of exploring the

merciless. Like X-COM, hero deaths are permanent, but unlike X-COM, there are no save options so second chances are non-existent. The game has utterly unforgiving combat mechanics and the slightest mistake can snatch defeat from the

able last year have been heavily nerfed.

Yet whilst the full release has made some great new additions, the game still has a plethora of issues. Some of the mechanics, such as the dodge and turn order, are complicated to the point of being seeming randomised and trying to overcome these mechanics requires mining through a nightmare of stats screens and items with totally arbitrary effects.

In addition, success is hardly rewarded. In fact, it’s almost actively punished.

Heroes that level up cannot be taken on lower level quests but they often do not have the skills required to take on harder quests. So the player becomes trapped grinding away at low level quests to raise the momentum necessary for harder quests only to all too often see that effort come to nothing.

To make this worse the game increases difficulty in a way that just doesn’t work. Not only does it buff the stats of enemies, but it also stacks the more arbitrary mechanics heavily against the player. All semblance of strategy dissolves

jaws of victory. Coupled with the stress mechanic this makes the game extremely challenging and whilst this makes every victory feel great, it’s also where some problems start to creep in.

My view on Darkest Dungeon changes from elated to exasperated from one minute to the next. Catharsis at a satisfying victory will be replaced with outrage as the game suddenly triggers an event that cripples my heroes, completely beyond my control. It is true that the mechanics that made the game near unplay-

into farce as the game becomes dominated by unfair chance determined to punish a successful player.

Whilst I’m not condemning the game itself outright, as it is wonderfully designed and much improved upon for the full release, it can often be too much.

Indeed, the stress mechanics are unique and interesting, and beating hard quests feels great, but there’s still too much grind and too much punishment of success for this title to break the shackles of a typical three-star review.

constantly

battling

stressful dungeon environments would take. This is

Longest Night is an indie game that involves you sitting around a campfire and tracing constellations in the stars. There’s a little more to it than that though, as it also features an emotive story that you will always remember.

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1 FEBRUARY |

because heroes who suffer too much trauma from fighting monstrosities can find themselves beset with psychological afflictions. These afflictions can be cured by sending them back to the home base but doing so puts the hero out of commission for a while. Thus, the balancing act of consistently defeating demons whilst maintaining the mental wellbeing of your best troops is both addictively engaging and ludicrously frustrating.

However, in the

Free Game of the Week

Longest Night

SPORT 42-44

spirit of the game itself, I am resolved to taking on such ominous adversity. Such a task is likely to be extremely frustrating and almost certainly a failure but I hope it’s engaging and enjoyable to read nonetheless.

A simple introduction then. Darkest Dungeon is a rogue-like dungeon crawler with base management elements. The player controls an army based in a small hamlet, tasked with defeating some ancien evil that has entrenched itself into the land. So far, it’s just your generic fantasy game. However, Darkest Dungeon has many unique qualities which differ-

THEODORE STONE GLaDOS in potato form.

Because that would be tubular.

HAMISH MACKINNON Any of the cute birds at St. PigeoNation’s would do

GAMES 36-38

Alexander Roberts reviews the intensely stressful Darkest Dungeon Darkest Dungeon Red Hook Studios PC, Mac, Steam Out now

MAX HONIBALL Quiet from MGSV - she makes me speechless

EXEPOSÉ

A Lovecraftian nightmare NEWS 1-6

There’s too much grind and punishment of success for this title to break a third star review

Never forget your Nintendogs

Rebecca Broad reminds us not to forget our furry friends this year

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HERE was the cops & robbers stage. There was the football cards stage. And then there was Nintendogs.

Suddenly the computer lay abandoned.

The shrieks of my Rollercoaster Tycoon customers faded away to the sound of joyful barks and the dulcet tones of puppy event commentators Ted and Archie.

I was really disappointed when I unlocked the Shetland Sheepdog in-game as it looked nothing like an actual Sheltie I got the Labrador version one Christmas; my best friend had the Dalmatian.

We’d do meet ups and try to work out how to get new breeds. I couldn’t bear

to replace any of my puppies in the Dog Hotel or, God forbid, to rehome any, so I always had the limit of three: a Labrador, a Husky and a Schnauzer. I fell in love with a real-life Shetland Sheepdog when I was ten, and was really disappointed when I unlocked the virtual breed because it looked nothing like an actual Sheltie (but got a real one, four parent-nagging years later).

Between 2005 and 2009, nearly 22 million copies of Nintendogs were sold.

That was more than any of the Mario games, Brain Age or Animal Crossing (another favourite of mine: shake those trees, run away from the bees!). Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s CEO for the glory period

think from time to time about

NOT FOR PROFIT AS A REGISTERED CHARITY, ALL STUDENTS' GUILD INCOME IS RE-INVESTED INTO SERVICES AND FACILITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS.

EXEPOSÉ

STUDY BREAK

www.exepose.com

41

BREAK

STUDY CROSSWORD # 81

SUDOKU # 17

Across 1

Infatuation - affection (4)

3

Exactly (at a given time) (2,3,3)

9

Nutritious - replacement tooth? (7)

10

So far (2,3)

11

Aware of (a 2’s 6 gesture, say) (2,2)

12

Relating to sight - capitol (anagram) (7)

15

Large cage for birds (6)

16

To read more about a role and download an application form, search for the internship’s reference code on My Career Zone.

Shellfish that clings to rocks - met lip (ana

Part-time Student Internship Vacancies:

gram) (6) 19

Let care (anagram) - thick dark syrup (7)

21

Rectangular stiff paper (sent on 2’s 6 to the 1 Across of your 1 Down) (4)

23

Frame (for a crime) (slang) (3,2)

25

Relationship - more can (anagram) (7)

26

SBP 3415 Student Researcher/Analyst:

General stop of activity (in a crisis, e.g.)

ANSWERS:

(8) 27

The Greek god of 1 Across (4)

13

Down 1

Being - individual (4)

2

Sweetheart (whose 6 is February 14th?) (9)

4

Useless (2,4)

5

Vital organ (on a 2’s 6 21?) (5)

6

24 hours (3)

7

Completeness - tilt a toy (anagram) (8)

8

(Romantic?) meal (6)

Joint associate (9)

14

Loyal (like two in 1 Across?) (8)

17

Wages (6)

18

Develop again (6)

20

Roman god of 1 Across - the equivalent of 27 (5)

22

Without (4)

24

(Facial) twitching (3)

ANSWERS:

Tic.

Eros. Down: 1 Life, 2 Valentine, 4 No good, 5 Heart, 6 Day, 7 Totality, 8 Dinner, 13 Copartner, 14 Faithful, 17 Income, 18 Regrow, 20 Cupid, 22 Less, 24

WEATHER

Across: 1 Love, 3 On the dot, 9 Filling, 10 As yet, 11 In on, 12 Optical, 15 Aviary, 16 Limpet, 19 Treacle, 21 Card, 23 Fit up, 25 Romance, 26 Lockdown, 27

Exeter’s outlook for the week ahead

Mon 1st

High Low

°C

7°C

Tues 2nd

8°C

4 °C

Wed 3rd

9°C

3°C

Thur 4th

10°C 5°C

Fri 5th

9°C

5 °C

Sat 6th

9°C

4 °C

Sun 7th

8°C

4 °C

Data accurate at time of print

‘‘

PUZZLES BY ALFRED

WORDS OF WISDOM...

When you’re asked to do housework, do everything wrong.

You won’t be asked again.

Paris Hilton

Cartoon by Katie Learmont

Closing date: 4 Feb 2016 Salary: £9.00 per hour Location: Torquay A Student Researcher/Analyst is required to work for Hamish Renton, a marketing consultancy, specialising in the food industry. Based in Torquay, this role involves conducting analysis and compilation of in-depth reports. This SBP is part-time and flexible SCP 3427 Research Support Intern (Social Network Analysis Data Gathering) Closing date: 15 Feb 2016 Salary: £9.27 per hour Location: Exeter This role arises from the AHRC Connected Communities Grant Understanding Everyday Participation. The role is to scope local Dartmoor formal and informal cultural assets and Boards of Directors, to contribute towards a Social Network Analysis. This SCP paid role is available from March to July.

Don’t forget!

Looking for a part time job whilst studying? Don’t miss the Casual Jobs and Internships Fair on Tuesday 9 February between 11am-2pm.

42

EUNC Hert-broken by loss NEWS 1-6

SPORT

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE With the second half underway, Gloucestershire brought on a new flyhalf who made an immediate impact.

The small number ten ran the length of the pitch and would have scored had Lipetz-Robic not put in a fantastic tackle. However, the referee awarded a penalty in front of the posts, deeming the challenge to be too high. The visitors capitalised and took the points, but Exeter soon forced their way back into the opposition’s half and captain James McCrae took the ball from the back of a ruck to score under the posts.

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 10-13 14-16 8-9

MUSIC 18-21

SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

SPORT 42-44

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

EXEPOSÉ

The EURFC coaches had some stern words with the youngsters, who responded well with a few huge tackles in the visitors’ half Bizarrely, McFarlane’s conversion attempt was charged down, but the excitement of the second half continued as Gloucestershire charged back into Exeter’s 22 from kick-off. An overlap saw the winger beat his defender to score in the corner and close the gap to 17-8.

However, the young Exeter side continued to show their opposition back into the game with a number of missed tackles allowing Gloucestershire to bring the scoreline up to 17-15.

After some stern words from the coaching staff, the freshers responded well, managing to force a knock-on and win possession in a dangerous area.

Scrum-half Rory Penfold snuck the ball over the try line and a great conversion from McFarlane took the score to 24-15.

Exeter continued to capitalise on their opponent’s mistakes. Penfold opted to tap and go from a number of penalties and the hosts soon found themselves camped back down in Gloucestershire’s 22 again. Fly-half McFarlane managed to find centre Jacob Bushnell on an arching line with a perfectly weighted pass and the 13 cut through the defensive line to score under the posts.

The icing on the cake came as a final attack saw a last try for the hosts. The final score was 36-15 and a great deal of credit is owed to the Gloucestershire 1s. However, the Fresh 1s continued to display skill and composure especially in the second half and deserved to come away with a gutsy win.

>> Captain Lydia Regis throws a pass to Goal Attack Ellie Gibbons as Exeter tried to regain some momentum. Photo: Edwin Yeung.

NETBALL Sarah Gough Editor

Exeter 1s Hertfordshire

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UNC 1s returned from the Christmas break with a determination to avoid relegation but fell to a disappointing 33-53 defeat to Hertfordshire.

Being the last home game for the majority of the team, Wednesday’s clash was attended by an expectant crowd willing the girls on. With the visiting side currently middling the table in third place, Exeter had every chance of pulling out a winning performance.

BUCS Rugby Union Western 1A P W D L Pts Exeter 3s

10 10 0 0 49

Southampton 1s

8 7 1 0 34

Hartpury 3s

10 5 0 5 24

Gloucestershire 1s 10 4 1 5 23 Cardiff 2s

6 4 0 2 20

Plymouth 1s

8 2 0 6 10

The side fought back admirably, providing a fitness and precision which was somewhat lacking previously The hosts began confidently, with a relaxed first centre pass followed by an immediate turnover hitching them

to 2-0 up. Training and tenacity were evident as strong feeds into the D compounded with resilient defence to further increase the Green Army’s lead.

However, Hertfordshire forced their way back into proceedings with some excellent mid-court marking and the score was soon tied at 7-7. Every mistake felt crucial as Exeter failed to capitalise on their early success: a couple of careless passes followed by some sloppy footwork allowed Hertfordshire to edge ahead.

With the away side only leading by one, all was still to play for in the second quarter. Exeter immediately struck lucky with a back line decision and converted the opportunity into a goal: scores were level at 13-13. Captain Lydia Regis showed impressive strength at Goal Defence, forcing errors from Hertfordshire’s attack and winning multiple balls. The play was swiftly moving from goal-to-goal, with both teams linking up with finesse. It was only after a couple of misjudged passes from centre court that Exeter lost their momentum. Despite some honourable defence from Rhian Bethell at Centre, chances were no longer falling in the home team’s favour.

Hertfordshire intensified their attack

and stretched out a considerable lead, dodging around Exeter players with ease. Simple, close-range shots were missed and by half time Hertfordshire were dominating the court boasting 32 goals to Exeter’s 19.

“I think we had a great start and I don’t think Hertfordshire expected the combination we had” Lydia Regis, Captain

Positions and players were rotated in the third quarter in an attempt to instigate a change in the state of play.

It was a scrappy start for both sides but soon Hertfordshire’s precision outclassed Exeter’s wild, hopeful passing.

Some dynamic play from Ellie Gibbons as Goal Attack kept spirits alive for the Greens but the goal gap continued to widen. Captain Regis cried an “Oh shit, sorry!” as her down-court throw veered wide – a statement which encapsulated this quarter for Exeter. It seemed too tough of a chase for the home side with Hertfordshire entering the final quarter with a 20 goal lead.

Georgie Ormandy offered a fresh pair of legs as Centre in the final fifteen minutes and reinvigorated Exeter’s game. The side fought back admirably, proving a fitness and precision which was somewhat lacking previously. With attack and defence linking up elegantly, Exeter managed to draw the final quarter at 8-8. It wasn’t enough to impact the final result however, as Hertfordshire ultimately maintained their significant lead at 53 goals to 33.

Speaking after the match, the first team captain Lydia Regis said: “I think we had a great start and I don’t think Hertfordshire expected the combination we had. Then they were able to get back in the game and we dipped in the first quarter. We didn’t really adjust to their style of attack and defence very well.” She continued: “They were zoning our through-court really well, which we found really difficult to punch through.

We knew technically what to do, drive hard and take on a player. On court, it was very, very difficult.”

EUNC 1s next face league-toppers Brunel on 3 February. Placed fifth in the Premier South league, they are trailed only by Bath, who have one game in hand.

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EUMHC 1s crush Bristol again www.exepose.com

>> Clockwise from left: Max Weaper dribbles in another attack, Alex Manton-Jones looks for a pass and Ben Francis tries to win possession. Photos: Sachi Minami

MEN’S HOCKEY Owain Evans Sports Team Exeter 1s Bristol 1s

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7 1

HE EUMHC 1s cruised to a 7-1 victory over the struggling Bristol 1s to continue their unbeaten record this season.

The hosts got proceedings underway on a cold January afternoon, looking to put the game to bed as quickly as possible. Exeter had the better share of the chances to score during the opening few minutes, due in particular to their man advantage after Bristol had a player receive a green card a little after one minute in. Despite some very close misses, however, Exeter failed to capitalise.

Soon, it would be the visitors to have a man advantage. Mark Loughrey was shown a green card in the seventh minute, yet Bristol failed to get a good shot off from the ensuing penalty cor-

ner. This would set the tone for a Bristol side that failed to record many good opportunities.

Exeter then set up several waves of incisive attacks, frequently getting the ball into the area, but they couldn’t get clear shots on goal. It took until the 19th minute for the deadlock to finally be broken, when Ben Francis knocked the ball into the area, where Alister Scott dived at the ball to turn it into the Bristol net with his outstretched stick.

With a 4-1 lead, Exeter never looked as though they were under any pressure. They extended the lead yet again It wasn’t long before EUMHC doubled their lead. A short corner found Mark Loughrey, whose powerful shot was just enough to squeeze past the keeper.

However, the somewhat deflated

Bristol side still didn’t give up. Exeter’s failure to clear the ball away from the area allowed Bristol to reduce the hosts’ lead to 2-1.

Exeter continued to have a few more disciplinary issues as the half progressed; Noah Sharples tripping up a Bristol defender whilst trying to turn the ball into the net, and being shown a yellow card for his troubles.

Bristol didn’t manage to capitalise on their advantage, and the game slowed down to a plodding pace as halftime approached, with Exeter trying to wind the clock down and make sure that the lack of manpower did not allow the floodgates to open at the back.

Exeter had one chance left in them before the interval. Conor Caplan thought that he’d managed to score in the dying moments, although it was quickly ruled out as the umpire judged it to have been scored off his body and not his stick.

The two teams went in to the half-time break with the score at 2-1 in EUMHC’s favour.

A light drizzle began to fall over the

Water Astro during the half-time interval, but Exeter were undeterred by the increasingly slippery conditions, and quickly managed to make up for the disallowed goal before half time by increasing their lead to 3-1 just two minutes into the half. Ben Francis managed to add to the lead even further, with a goal from a short corner in the 40th minute.

Alister Scott dived at the ball to turn it into the Bristol net with his outstretched stick With a 4-1 lead, Exeter never looked as though they were under any significant pressure. They extended the lead yet again with Ed Fleet’s penalty stroke, which was awarded after a Bristol defender blocked a shot on the goal-line with his foot, an illegal move in hockey.

The away side seemed to be gaining more of a share of the possession, but it would take a while before they managed

to get themselves any really notable attempts on goal. Even the shots which they did have were mostly off target, or simply failed to be a serious challenge to Exeter keeper Jack Banister. It was the hosts who put the ball in the net yet again, in the end, as Matt Richards this time managed to bundle the ball in at the left post to increase the score to 6-1 with just 12 minutes left.

Richards would nearly double his tally shortly afterwards, but his powerful shot cannoned off the crossbar and fell just on the wrong side of the goalline. Exeter still had time to add to their lead, however, and with just two minutes left in the game, Scott picked out Caplan, who buried the ball in the back of the net to make the final score 7-1 to Exeter.

Exeter’s season has already seen them take the league title well in advance of the season’s end, in a one-sided match which was also against Bristol, and now all that remains is to maintain their current unblemished streak until the end of the season.

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SPORT

NEWS 1-6

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE 14-16 10-13 8-9

MUSIC 18-21

SABB ELECTION SCREEN PULLOUT 24-26

ARTS & LIT SCI & TECH 28-30 32-34

GAMES 36-38

SPORT 42-44

1 FEBRUARY 2016 |

EXEPOSÉ

SPORT Fresh 1s Fencers foil Aberystwyth win again Exeposé Sport

SPORT EDITORS Rob Cross Emmott Leigh

MEN’S FENCING

Harry Angus Mens’ Fencing Captain Exeter 1s Aberystwyth

131 94

A

FTER a spell of defeats, the Mens’ fencing team played host to a marvellous 131 - 94 victory over close allies Aberystwyth. With Exeter wallowing in the relegation zone, there was an added importance to this match, but Exeter’s injury-plagued squad was able to find form when it mattered most.

The in-form Daniel Povey started proceedings in the best possible way; a measured and confident 5-0 victory over one of their best fencers. Loïk Lütkehus made his match debut and fenced confidently despite the strong opposition. This high level of intensity was sustained throughout foil, with several big margins of victory putting Exeter firmly in the driving seat. In foil points are scored by jabbing the target area, which is from the neck to the groin and doesn’t include the arms. Povey continued his scintillating form with a 7-0 victory along with another 5-0 victory, whilst Tobias Holloway registered an emphatic 8-1 victory.

With the final score at 131-94, this victory will give Exeter’s fencers the belief that they can ensure relegation is avoided Next came sabre, for which points are scored by slashing above the waist.

It is the category in which Aberystwyth’s team have always proved a close match for the home side. Captain Harry Angus started shakily, losing four hits in quick succession after struggling to adjust from fencing foil to fencing sabre. Although basic technique is similar across all 3 weapons each have weapon has its

In this issue of Exeposé Sport...

own set of rules and it’s hard to quickly swap between them as each requires a whole separate skill set. After regaining his focus, however, Angus pulled back three hits, ending the bout 5-3. Despite this, Exeter clinched victory by five hits thanks to strong performances from regular starters David Parfitt, Harry Angus and Daniel Povey.

Freddie Eastwell Sports Team Exeter 3s Gloucestershire

E

Fantastic tackling and a strong defensive line kept them from scoring

BUCS Fencing Western 1A

7 6 0 1 18

Cardiff 1s

7 5 0 2 16

Swansea 1s

6 4 0 2 12

Southampton 1s

7 3 0 4

9

Exeter 1s

6 2 0 4

6

Aberystwyth 1s

7 0 0 7

0

Netball 1s overcome by Hertfordshire Page 42

36 15

URFC’s Fresh 1s clinched an exciting 36-15 victory on 27th January over the University of Gloucestershire 1s. Captain James McRae started at Number 8 due to injuries in the back row and led his side to a hard-fought and well-deserved victory.

The first half was rather slow-moving and neither side could take control of the game without conceding unforced errors. Exeter came under some pressure from the visitors as Gloucestershire’s large pack started to make an impact. However, some fantastic tackling and a strong defensive line kept them from scoring and this would prove pivotal later in the match.

By the final epee round, in which points can be registered by hitting anywhere on the body, Exeter needed just 30 hits to ensure that victory was achieved. The team performed impeccably, scoring an incredible 45 hits to 23. Zachary Burgess registered three big wins whilst the ever skilful Brian Ting pulled off an emphatic performance with only three hits scored against him over his three fights. Sammy Chan also performed excellently in his first full match appearance.

With the final score at 131 - 94, this victory will give Exeter’s fencers the belief that they can ensure relegation is avoided. Heading to Swansea on Saturday and Cardiff the following Wednesday, they will be confident in replicating the same sort of performance.

Men of the match go to Daniel Povey, who performed excellently over both foil and sabre and Brian Ting, most notably for his 5-0 victory over their strongest fencer.

Bristol 1s

sport@exepose.com

MEN’S RUGBY

The in-form Daniel Povey started proceedings in the best possible way

P W D L Pts

@ExeposeSport

Watson ran through on goal before pulling it back to present Richards with a simple opportunity to complete his hat trick

>> Harry Angus on the offensive in his foil encounter. Photo: Rob Cross

EUMHC 1s continue winning streak Page 43

The deadlock was finally broken with ten minutes of the first half remaining; some lovely handling saw fullback Jesse Lipetz-Robic slide into the corner and a fantastic conversion from James McFarlane ensured the bonus two points were added.

Minutes later, after a great kickoff return from Exeter, winger Dom Thorne was in for the team’s second try of the game. With only a few minutes of the first half remaining, the score was kept at 12-0 thanks to some fantastic defending on the hosts’ try line. Gloucestershire then had the opportunity to get back into the game with a kickable penalty in front of the posts but the fly-half dragged it wide.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

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