Exeposé Issue 665, 13 February 2017

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EXEPOSÉ S ISSUE 665 13 FEB 2017

THE VALENTINE’S SPECIAL

The Trump effect on Exeter

Ben Cam-Londesbrough Editor

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Image: Sachi Minami

been launched - and that initial enquires suggest the signs may have been “a deeply offensive joke parodying a sketch in a TV comedy show.” The Union of Jewish Students, a national organisation, condemned the incident, saying it indicates that some students do not welcome minorities. “The discovery of a swastika at the University of Exeter is concerning, particularly so recently after Holocaust Memorial Day when we remember the atrocities committed by the Nazis against Jews and other minority groups. Universities ought to be safe and welcoming for all students, but this vandalism undermines that principle...

PhD student from the University of Exeter was stopped from boarding a plane at London Heathrow bound for the US, amid the travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump. He said that he was detained “because of President Trump’s executive order”, which states that anyone who has nationality or dual nationality of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are not permitted to enter the US for 90 days, or be issued an immigrant or non-immigrant visa. The unnamed student has been studying as a postgraduate at Exeter for the past five years, and said he obtained a visa months previously from the US Embassy in London. He had been due to present his research undertaken at Exeter at a ‘prestigious US institution’. He said that he was travelling to “present a paper on my specialist area along with two academics I am working with. As I was about to board the plane they looked at my passport and stopped me and someone who said they were from Homeland Security arrived and said it was because of President Trump’s executive order.” He continued, stating that “This is really sad because we have great collaboration with academic colleagues in the United States and I had been invited to present my work to them months ago. It was a shock.” Exeter University Vice Chancellor Sir Steve Smith said that Exeter welcomed people from around the world and would “actively support any staff and...

REPORT INCLUDES OFFENSIVE IMAGES

Swastika found in Birks Susannah Keogh Editor

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swastika carved into a door and a “Rights for Whites” sign have been discovered by Exeposé in a University hall of residence, following anti-Semitic slogans claiming “the Holocaust was a good time” at a social last term. A sign entitled “Rights for Whites” adorns the door of a student room in Llewellyn Mews, whilst a large swastika was carved into a door in on-campus halls Birks Grange, with the University only removing the latter when sent photos by Exeposé - despite it being reported almost

a week before. Mark Kiner, Publicity Secretary of the University of Exeter Jewish Society, told Exeposé that the University has a reputation amongst Jewish parents, who don’t want to send their children to study at Exeter. “As far as everyone in the Jewish Society knows, the University hasn’t done anything about it. It’s unfortunate because Exeter does have a reputation, especially amongst Jewish parents.” The discovery follows Peer of the House of Lords Baroness Deech’s claims in December that some of Britain’s top universities were becoming no-go zones for Jewish students, referencing Exeter. This followed the revelation that students

SABB ELECTIONS MEET THE CANDIDATES

at a Snowsports social wore white t-shirts with slogans including “Don’t speak to me if you’re not white.” In response to the Baroness’s comments, however, a University of Exeter spokesperson told The Telegraph that allegations of the University being an unwelcoming place for Jewish students were “completely untrue.” Whilst Kiner praised the Guild for making Jewish students feel safe and supported, he said the reputation of the University as an anti-Semitic place “keeps spreading because the University doesn’t tackle it. We want Jewish students and Israeli students to come here.” A University of Exeter spokesperson told Exeposé that an investigation had

Sexeposé Special on the eve of valentine’s day, Exeposé gets down and dirty


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Editors Print: Jeremy Brown, Hannah Butler, Susannah Keogh & Ben Londesbrough Online: Theodore Stone & Jessica Stanier News Editors Print: Rachel Ashenden & Natasa Christofidou Online: Georgia Roberts & David Smeeton news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Bea Fones & Matthew Newman Online: Olivia Horncastle & Rowan Keith comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Georgina Bolam & Katie Jenkins Online: Samuel Fawcett & Kate Jones features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Jade Beard & Laurel Bibby Online: Alma Crespo & Lucy Ronan lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Emma Bessent & Tash Ebbutt Online: Anna Blackburn & Izzy Hilliard artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Rory Marcham & Helen Payne Online: Sam Norris & Harry Williams music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Mark Allison & Zak Mahinfar Online: Cormac Dreelan & James Hands screen@exepose.com Games + Tech Editors Print: Jabez Sherrington & Sam Woolf Online: Ben Assirati & James Freeth games@exepose.com

Editorial.

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@ exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exepose Advertising Ross Trant R.Trant@exeter.ac.uk (01392) 722607 The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.

A cappella awards for university teams

Sex in the city (of Exeter)

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ET'S get down to it: we're going to talk about sex. And don't worry, this isn't going to be like some weird sex ed class. No lecturing here - we're just going to talk about sex, baby. Oh, and the sexy subject of the elections for our new Sabbatical Officers - we chat to the canditates and give you the rundown of next week in our tenpage pullout. But our front page this week is a more sombre affair. We were horrified to discover the existence of anti-Semitic and racist signs in university halls of residence, especially after we revealed last year anti-semitic slogans at a white t shirt social. With Jewish parents reportedly not wanting to send their children to study at Exeter, we hope the University takes concrete action to show that #WeAreAllExeter. Elsewhere in News, we hear from the Iraqi PhD student who was banned from delivering his research in America after Trump’s executive order. We're pleased Sir Steve publicly spoke out in support of the student, and hope Exeter students can offer support and solidarity as well. Features carried out an exclusive survey into Exeter student’s sexual habits, big and small. Nearly half of those surveyed told us you feel pressure to be sexually active, and 92% think there's a

Science Editors Print: Victoria Bos & Beth Honey Online: Rebecca Broad & Marti Marks sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Owain Evans & Lara Hopkins Online: James Angove & Ollie Lund sport@exepose.com

NEWS

sexual double standard towards men and women. So turn to pages 12 and 13 to find out how much action your fellow students have been getting. Over in Lifestyle, there’s an exclusive interview with mysterious student blogger “Sex and the Exeter Girl”, who writes about her sexy escapades for all to read. Her blog is a brilliant, empowered discussion of student life, which also shows the funny side to sex: Helen Fielding, eat your heart out! Always on the hunt for that perfect playlist for your one night stand, or want to finally seduce your Netflix-and-Chill companion? Don't fear, Music have you covered, with their pretty comprehensive guide to the right song for every moment of the night. Screen ask whether there's too much nudity on our screens - Game of Thrones, we're looking at you... Games take a look at catfishing and the dangers of meeting strangers online, following an account in our last issue from a student who found themselves the unwitting victim of a catfisher. And Science gets down and dirty with the biology behind sex, and what makes us *ahem* tick. Oh, and breaking from the sex theme, Sport preview the upcoming Rugby Derby. That's all from us; enjoy the paper, send us an email if you have any different opinions, and don't forget to vote!

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COMMENT Exploring sexuality at university PAGE 9

FEATURES The modern sexual experience and Exeter sex survey PAGES 12-13

SCIENCE A scientific look at lonely hearts PAGE 32

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Worldwide university news Fraternity brawl leads Art students create to student death dangerous chemical

Scholarships to be given only to males

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STUDENT was killed in a brutal attack at the University of Pennsylvania- alledgedly choked to death by his fraternity brother. Brady DiStefano and Caleb Zweigh were both recent members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, but Zweigh died after an altercation on the Friday night. A UPenn representative said: “'Our hearts are broken w h e n something like this happens, 'It is just tragic and horrible for all involved. And we are continuing to provide support to the family and to all the Greek community that was involved and the entire university community.'

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NIVERSITY of Cambridge students inadvertently created a chemical harmful to human health, with one unnamed persons being taken to hospital as a result. According to police, the chemical was created as a byproduct to an art experiment the students were undertaking. A local resident told Cambridge News: “I was at home when all of a sudden I saw an unmarked police car, two fire engines and two ambulances turn up at a house up the road. My first thought was that it must be something really bad. It was a shock to see all the emergency vehicles to say the least." Cambridge isn’t the only university where students have accidentially caused an emergency incident - the University of Bristol was forced to be evacuated after a science experiment gone wrong.

HE University of Sydney is offering scholarships of $27,000 AUS that gives preference to male applicants. According to Danny Sun, the head of the scholarship office, this decision was taken in order to counter grants that seemingly discriminate against students who are not aboriginals. Veterinary students received an email from the scholarship application office stating that "preference will be given to applicants who are: from rural or regional areas, male, interested in large animal practice ... [and] an Australian citizen.” In response to this, the women's officer on the Students' Representative Council at the University of Sydney said that female vet students were "horrified.”Furthermore, the University’s Women’s collective is requesting that the term “male” is removed from the eligibility requirements.

Israeli University holds medical cannabis

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COURSE in medical cannabis has been introduced by the faculty of health science at the Ariel University in Israel. The course has been recognised by the Council for Higher Education and will be accepting 117 students onto the programme. According to the Jerusalem post, the course aims to be informative on the history and current status of medical cannabis, the legal backgrounds of the drug and its legal regulations. Students can only apply for the course if they’re in the medical administration field, with at least one year of study at the University. Dr Michael Dor, a senior lecturer in the faculty of Health Sciences will be leading the course. Stories by Susannah Keogh, Editor, and Natasa Christofidou, News Editor


News

13 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

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NEWS EDITORS:

Rachel Ashenden Natasa Christofidou

Protests and graffiti as Exeter condemns Trump CONTINUED FROM FRONT

...students who are affected” adding that he could not “condone a policy that… impedes research”. He continued: “Without free movement of people and ideas, the whole world suffers, and this is why we believe the imposition of travel restrictions by the US government based on nationality both undermines the principle of academic freedom and jeopardises the advancement of knowledge between nations.” The university “cannot condone a policy that restricts these freedoms, curtails intellectual partnerships or impedes research,” he added. The student praised the University’s support, explaining that he was “really pleased by the support my colleagues at Exeter University have offered me. I have studied in the UK for five years doing postgraduate research which I hope will benefit everyone around the world. If this

Order stops academics collaborating to improve people’s lives that is a sad thing.” This comes in the wake of a major backlash in Exeter over President Trump and his travel ban - including a protest in Exeter’s Bedford Square, attended by hundreds of students, local residents and visitors to the city.

Without free movement of people and ideas, the whole world suffers Sir Steve Smith, University Vice Chancellor

Organiser and student Malaka Mohammad, 25, said the aim of the demo was to stand up against Trump’s decision and in solidarity with refugees and those discriminated against. “We think this is a national betrayal and we want to stand in solidarity with those affected,” she said. “We want to stand up with Germany and Canada and other countries who have

been brave enough to speak out. Unlike our Government here and Theresa May who have chosen to be silent.” Exeter’s MP Ben Bradshaw also commented on the protest, stating that he was “delighted constituents in Exeter share my concerns and have organised today’s vigil.” In addition, multiple graffiti slogans with the words ‘F**K TRUMP’ have been spray painted onto walls around Exeter. One found on a wall at Musgrave Row was removed last Friday, but the same slogan still remains on Thurlow Road. According to Exeter Express and Echo reports, this isn’t the first time that political graffiti has been found in Exeter - with several slogans appearing following the Brexit vote. A spokesman for the authority said: “We would urge anyone who has any information on graffiti and the perpetrators to contact the police on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Photo: Jeremy Brown

Uni faces backlash after Students’ Guild #WeAreAllExeter and #HumansOfExeter campaigns launched student safety email Rachel Ashenden News Editor

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The email in no way made a statement about how sexual assault is wrong

Rebecca Broad.

The University further advised students to not walk alone when possible. They suggested that students: stick to welllit and busy areas; avoid short cuts and isolated areas; avoid anyone they do not know, only use licensed taxi, and do not accept lifts from strangers. On the Exeter FemSoc Facebook page, students expressed frustrations about the way the email was written. Rebecca Broad raised the issue: “Did it annoy anyone else that such a long email

Owain Evans Sport Editor

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HE Students’ Guild has launched a new campaign that aims to increase inclusivity and celebrate the diversity that exists within our community. The campaign, named #WeAreAllExeter, claims to offer an opportunity for students to share their stories, as well as a chance to “learn more about [their] friends and fellow students and their lives.” Led by a team of Sabbatical and other Guild officers, as well as STAR, LGBTQ+ Society and the Athletics Union, #WeAreAllExeter is currently being widely promoted around Devonshire House, with staff at several Guild outlets wearing t-shirts in support of the campaign. The campaign is also being run with the support of several other organisations, such as Refugee Support Devon, This Girl Can and Exeter Pride. One of the more visible arms of the campaign is the #HumansOfExeter series, which sees photographs of various students across campus accompanied by a brief tale of their background posted on the Guild’s Facebook page. Other are also being encouraged to upload their photos in a similar style using the hashtag, in an attempt to allow more students from differing backgrounds to have their stories heard. These campaign photos are being

shared on Facebook in installments, with a caption of a brief insight into the student’s life, for example one focused on student January Mim: “I’m from Seoul, South Korea. I’ve been living in Exeter almost two years. I study drama. I have always wanted to study drama since I was young. There are a few international students here from Canada and Australia, but then there’s a stereotype that Asian students are really good at maths but not at humanities. People don’t expect that much when they see Asian students studying humanities and arts, which is wrong.” Several events are also being held under the #WeAreExeter umbrella, with black and LGBT history events taking centre stage, among others. Societies

that want to hold events as part of the campaign have to agree to advertise their event more broadly, welcome others, ensure that the event covers the topics at hand fairly and that any costs are kept as low as possible so that nobody is excluded from taking part. The campaign also offers an outlet to those who feel that the University or Guild aren’t inclusive enough to have their voices heard. Students who feel this way are encouraged to speak to the Advice Unit, use the Reporting Information Directory (RID) or to use the #WeAreAllExeter page on the Guild website to provide feedback.

Photo: Yong Yan Wang

HE University has responded to accusations of “victim blaming” after an all-student email on 8 February reminding students to stay safe when walking home in the evening. Students were sent the email after local police informed the University of two separate incidents involving female students being approached and sexually assaulted by a male dressed as a food delivery driver while walking home alone in Exeter. The email warned students to be cautious of being approached by an individual in similar circumstances and to report anything suspicious to the police.

in no way made a statement about how sexual assault is wrong?” There was no reiteration of victim innocence, she said adding that this could have been a “good link to Guild’s #NeverOK campaign” instead. Another student added that she was “annoyed at the tips itself ”, and would rather be informed that the police are making the streets safer, “not that I shouldn’t walk on my own.” After more than 200 comments debating the issue - alongside a muchpraised comment by Nightline’s Will Vasey, reminding students they can contact Nightline when walking home alone - a moderator chose to close the thread. Meanwhile a University spokesperson told Exeposé: “Everyone at the University of Exeter fully recognises sexual assaults are never the responsibility of the victim and are entirely the fault of the perpetrator. “The email was intended to be a clear and succinct message, and to direct students towards appropriate support from our Wellbeing Service, the Guild and external agencies,” they said. “We fully support the Guild’s #NeverOK campaign.” Alec James, VP Welfare & Diversity added: “It is terrible that these sexual assaults have happened. We were made aware of this email before it went out and given the chance to feed into it, adding content notes and reference to the Advice Unit and Nightline. We encourage students to take the guidance on board.”


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offers prestigious Lasting recognition for a “unique Chancellor” Uni scholarship for Hannah Butler Editor

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TAFF, press and visitors including Exeter’s Lord Mayor gathered on campus on 10 February for the unveiling of a bronze statue of Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE, former Chancellor. Vice Chancellor Sir Steve Smith began the ceremony, which Baroness Benjamin attended with her husband and two sisters. Thanking her for “being such a memorable and dedicated Chancellor of our University,” he said the statue “will stand for evermore in a place of prominence on campus.” “Her friendly nature and personal warmth with each and every student is without doubt going to be our prevailing memory,” Smith added. Benjamin attended the graduations of 35,000 students in 175 ceremonies during her decade as Chancellor. “Thank you Floella for your hard work and dedication, for being a wonderful ambassador for the University, and particularly for the words of encouragement and inspiration you gave every graduating student,” Smith said. “You have been a unique Chancellor.” The statue’s sculptor Luke Shepherd, from Cardiff, also attended the ceremony with his wife. Shepherd has previously worked on portrait sculptures of celebrities including Billy Connolly and Christopher Biggins, and has had works displayed in national museums across the UK. Students’ Guild President Toby

Gladwin followed Sir Steve’s speech with yet more praise – recalling the “infectious positivity” Baroness Benjamin brought to every ceremony she attended. “What united students at the University of Exeter across all our campuses was that whatever they were studying and however long they studied, waiting for them at their journey’s end was Floella and an affectionate hug,” he said. “A hug that has become student folklore and in its brevity acts as the perfect metaphor for the Exeter experience. A beaming welcome with open arms of friendship, a sustained and meaningful embrace that goes above and beyond the norm, followed by a departing resolve to ‘change the world’ as they leave the stage and enter the terrifying ‘real world’. Benjamin herself then gave an emotional and entertaining speech thanking Sir Steve for the opportunity. This was one of those “who would have thought it?” moments, she said, remembering arriving in England almost 60 years ago from Trinidad as a bewildered young girl. Calling upon students to remember the “three Cs” – consideration of others, contentment, and confidence in who you are as a person – she gave heartfelt recognition to the friends and University officials at the ceremony, before unveiling the statue to loud applause. Under the new statue is a time capsule containing messages from students personally greeted by Floella at graduation ceremonies during her decade at Exeter.

Photo: Hannah Butler

American students

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HE University of Exeter is set to offer a prestigious scholarship to American students as part of a newly formed partnership with The Marshal Aid Commemoration Commission. The partnership will enable America’s leading students the opportunity to embark on postgraduate study at one of the UK’s leading universities. Whilst the university will meet the cost of tuition fees for up to two students, maintenance and travel costs will be funded by the The Marshall Commission. The Marshall Commemoration Commission have financed American students to undertake postgraduate courses in the UK for over 60 years and are currently partnered with 33 universities. As a new partner, the University can also invite Marshall scholars to visit for lectures and presentations. On announcing the partnership at a special signing ceremony, Professer Sir Steve Smith said: “The University is honoured to have the opportunity to welcome some of the most talented students from the United States to our campus, and we look forward to showcasing the world-class research and internationally excellent education that Exeter has to offer.” It is hoped that the new scheme will increase the University of Exeter’s recognition as a leading destination for postgraduate study. Jade Beard, Lifestyle Editor

Current Sabbs reflect on elections week Rachel Ashenden News Editor

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ITH Sabbatical campaign week commencing Monday 13 February, current Guild President, VP Activities, VP Welfare and Diversity, and VP Education, spoke to Exeposé regarding their advice for the hopeful new Sabbatical candidates for academic year 2017/18. This year 8 students are running for Guild President, Regarding tactics for campaign week, Toby Gladwin, current President, said that “it’s important to encourage student engagement which can be done in person, on campus, online through social media or through the debates but it is essential for getting someone to vote.” He added: “My hope for the future of the Guild, is that more students get involved with us because you can genuinely shape the experience to make it what you want to improve it for so many others.” On a similar note Tristan Gatward, VP Activities, emphasised that the Sabbs are “able to constantly change and evolve things in order to improve the student experience year upon year. This goes

for anything from needing financial and housing advice to improving the food on site or even putting on a campus music festival.” Reflecting upon the experiences of campaign week Alec James, VP Welfare and Diversity told Exeposé: “Sabbatical Election week was possibly the best, most memorable experience during my time as a student! My advice would be chat to people, both potential voters but also other candidates running alongside you, the week is so much more enjoyable if you’re getting on well!”

to a successful campaigns week, saying to “make sure you know who is campaigning, how long they are campaigning for, and where they are based.” He stressed that as it is a tiring week the campaigners should ensure that they get rest and sleep. This year the Guild are also offering two new paid part-time positions, these are VP Postgraduate Taught and VP Postgraduate Research. For the VP Postgraduate Taught, candidates must be a continuing and current MA, an M.Res or an M.S.c student at the university when elected. To be a VP Postgraduate

Sabbs change and evolve things in order to improve the student experience year upon year Tristan Gatward, VP Activities “On results night, I was reminded that this role isn’t really about me at all, it’s about students, and ultimately you’re there to serve people. If I were to say one thing to the new Sabbs it would be to try and keep that in the front of your minds.” Current VP Education Harry Reeve has advised that organisation is integral

Photo: Students’ Guild

Research, candidates are continuing and current M.Phil or PhD students at Exeter. These roles will allow students to conduct their postgraduate study whilst also being a Sabbatical officer, to ensure that their research is still up to date, rather than taking a year out from study to perform these roles. These Sabbatical officers will be essentially responsible for representing the views and needs of the postgraduate masters to the Guild. Duties involve encouraging the participation of these students in the work of the Guild and the life of the University, and to ensure that

the Guild is effective in its representation of postgraduate masters students with the University.

The new roles will be effective in reaching out to the postgraduate community Harry Reeve, VP Education Regarding these new postgraduate positions Harry Reeve has said “I am incredibly proud that we have been able to introduce the new VP Taught Postgraduates and VP Research Postgraduates this year. I am hopeful that these two new roles will be effective in reaching out to the postgraduate community, and encourage important change to their student experience. I feel like this has been a long time coming at the Guild and it’s wonderful to be able to put that change in motion.” Throughout campaigns week, there will be 7 live panel debates, for the 7 paid roles, headed by Xpression. More information about these events can be found on the Guild website. Voting in the elections will be live between Monday 13th until Friday 17 February, and results will be announced on the Friday night.


NEWS

“A deeply offensive joke parodying a TV comedy show” CONTINUED FROM FRONT

...and indicates instead that some students do not welcome their minority peers.” Tally Myners, a first year student who lives in the corridor where the swastika was discovered said it made her feel “unsettled because it was right outside my room.” In 2011, Exeter hit the headlines a after a speaker at a student talk on campus claimed “Hitler was right” and “antiSemitism doesn’t exist.” “Racism in any form is not tolerated. The University’s Director of Campus Services launched an urgent investigation as soon as he was made aware of this and the graffiti and offensive slogan were immediately removed. “

Racism in any form is not tolerated University of Exeter Exeter has increasingly come under the spotlight in recent years over diversity on campus, with Oscar winning actress Emma Thompson’s son Tindyebwa Agaba encountering racism in his first year studying at the University - leading Thompson to describe Exeter as a fitting home for BNP leader Nick Griffin. The University’s African Caribbean

Society said they were shocked and saddened to hear about the “Rights for Whites” sign.

NN Summers has asked customers to return any “black power wand” vibrators, due to fears that they could become damaged after prolonged use. The product is known to comply with relevant CE safety testing standards, however the store has taken precautionary measures due to a small number of reports. Complaints have commented that several wires from the product had become exposed at the base of the vibrator. Manufacturers predict that products with the code 74701 are amongst the affected batch. Exeter’s branch of the female lingerie and sex toy store has put a precautionary notice on their window, showing a picture of the “black power wand” that reads: “The quality and safety of our products are of paramount importance to us. Therefore, as a precautionary measure we are recalling the above product.” Furthermore, the notive advises customers to visit the store for more details on returns. Alternative, customer services have been advised about the issue and are able to provide further infromation.

Mark Kiner, Jewish Society Publicity Secretary

Photo: Susannah Keogh

University students triumph at a cappella awards Suzanne Barrett Contributor

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ITH four Contemporary Capella Recording Award Nominees (CARA) nominations and a place in The Varity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Capella (ICCA) semi-finals, Semi-Toned and Illuminations, two of the University of Exeter’s a cappella groups, have triumphed exceedingly this year. Semi-Toned has been nominated for four awards at the 2017 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, a huge honour for the all-male a cappella group. Just last December, the group was crowned the winner of ‘The Choir’, Gareth Malone’s BBC Two competition.

Photo: Illuminations

The group has been nominated for: Best Hip-Hop Song, Best Religious Song, Best European Album and Best Male Collegiate Arrangement. The members of Semi-Toned have commented: “We’re so thrilled to have been nominated for multiple CARAs! It’s such a great feeling to know that all the hard work that we put into ‘Sing Theory’ has been recognised. We’re especially taken aback by the nomination for best European album. Being a university group we don’t often get a chance to be represented worldwide so this is really exciting for us.” The red-carpet event will be held on 8 April in Boston, with a live awards presentation. In the meantime, the group have

Sex toys recalled by Ann Summers

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Exeter does have a reputation, especially amongst Jewish parents

“We understand that the Students’ Guild is attempting to tackle this with schemes such as #WeAreAllExeter, and would encourage more of this in the future to prevent these incidents happening again. We would be happy to discuss potential changes with the university to avoid these situations, as we believe the Exeter community should do more to protect those who are affected and prevent the perpetrators.” Alec James, VP Welfare & Diversity, described the events as “unacceptable.” “I was deeply saddened to see this had happened. We were in touch straight away with affected students and took it to University management. We will meet as students, sabbs and University to make sure this doesn’t happen again, this should be a place that all students feel welcome in.”

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released a music video available to watch on youtube.com for their cover of Beyoncé’s ‘7/11’ which was nominated for two of the awards listed. Their entire album is also available on Spotify.

Being a university group we don’t often get a chance to be represented worldwide so this is really exciting Semi-Toned Semi-Toned will be performing in Exeter (The Barnfield Theatre on 24 March and The Terrace on 30 March), before heading off to the US for their tour over the Easter Holidays. Meanwhile, Illuminations - the mixed a cappella group here in Exeter - have gone through to the 2017 ICCA SemiFinals, the competition that inspired the film ‘Pitch Perfect’: Phil George, the group’s beatboxer, was awarded with Best Vocal Percussion (VP) prize in the competition for a 12 minute set which included renditions of Imagine Dragons’ ‘Radioactive’, Evanescence’s ‘Lithium’. and ‘He Lives in You’ from The Lion King. So far, they will be competing against: The Rolling Tones (King’s College London), Cadenza (University of Cambridge), The Bristol Suspensions (University of Bristol),

Aquapella Bath Uni (University of Bath) and all other groups advancing from the ICCA United Kingdom Regional Quarterfinals. Illuminations told Exeposé:: “After months of endless rehearsal and late night pizza orders to revive exhausted group members, we were thrilled and honoured to place 2nd in the ICCA quarter finals in the Northcott Theatre on Sunday evening. This means that we advance to the semi-finals in London on March 25th and we couldn’t be more excited! They added: “Sunday’s competition was a mind-blowing and exhilarating night packed with talent, including our wildly brilliant fellow semi-finalists Aquapella from University of Bath (3rd place) and the Bristol Suspensions (1st place). We were privileged to share the stage with such gifted and professional groups like University of Bristol’s Pitch Fight and we were blown away by the rest of our Exeter a cappella family – the Bluebelles, the Sweet Nothings and SemiToned delivered awesome performances and showcased their immense skill with superb arrangements. We can’t wait for the next step on our ICCA journey and wish all other competing groups the best of luck!” The semi-finals will be held in London in the New Wimbledon Theatre on 25 March.

Exeter in project to slow down global warming

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STUDY led by a gathering of universities including Exeter claims that increasing the water table could facilitate to block warming boost crop yields and preserve peat soils. The research shows that by raising the level below which the bottom is saturated with water in radish fields by 20cm not just lessened soil CO2 emissions by expanding the normal take-up of CO2 but, conjointly enhanced harvest development. Today, 33% of greenhouse gases released by humans are brought by agriculture, however, the planet is facing a world shortage of food and therefore, agricultural land may be a precious resource, adding to the challenge of food security: “This is very important in a time of global warming, when reducing greenhouse emissions is a global priority” stated Professor Walter Oechel.. Reducing CO2 emissions from peatland soils won’t just help the UK to achieve the objectives set for the Paris climate agreement, but can likewise facilitate the development and extension of UK’s lifetime agricultural peatland soils. To pursue their studies, students from the University of Exeter will analyse alternative crops and consider the impact of compost use on greenhouse gas emissions and profitability. Barbara Balogun, Contributor




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ELLO, it’s me. I was wondering if after all these months, you’d like to meet. Yes, my office isn’t in the social hub that is DH1, and no, the glass door to enter isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as that which my Guild counterparts have. And yes, we are at the top of the hill, and sometimes that can be a daunting proposition early in the morning, or in the blistering wind and rain which Exeter has become synonymous with. And no, we don’t have a Comida, a Costa or a Pret, but we do have a bloody good microwave and kettle, and occasionally Red Bull come in and stock up our fridge. This has been another immensely successful year for the Athletic Union. We currently sit 5th in BUCS, going into the final weeks of leagues and knock-out competitions. Intramural sport continues to grow with student participation continuing to increase. Make sure to check out our calendar of events for this month’s This Girl Can campaign, following an extremely successful introductory week in Term One. From a personal perspective – more videos and a President’s blog have been manifesto wins, whilst working with Playerlayer and Tilt has proved particularly rewarding. I believe these steps have left the Athletics Union in good stead for future years. As I’m sure some of you saw from the Exeposé front page last week, the gym got a little bit busy in January. Now this is nothing new; the same thing happened last year, and we’ll probably see it again next year too. January is peak time for gym memberships purchase and use, but it isn’t something to fret about. I want as many people involved in sport and physical activity as possible, and the Russell Seal Fitness Centre is integral to our strategy. And yes, there are provisions for development in the near future which are really exciting and will alleviate some stresses and concerns. Finally, Rugby Varsity - the biggest student sporting event of the year - takes place on Wednesday 15th February. Sandy Park, the home of Exeter Chiefs, will play host as EURFC 1s take on University of Bath in a BUCS Super Rugby fixture; not one to be missed!

Bea Fones Matthew Newman

A pole new perspective?

THE SABB Josh Callander AU President

COMMENT EDITORS:

Bea Fones Comment Editor

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PROBABLY didn’t come into my own regarding feminism and activism until I came to university. But since I’ve been here, I’ve realised that its more important than ever to keep on challenging perceptions, in a time when society seems increasingly confused about how to view my sexuality and my expression of it.

The pole community owes strippers for making the art what it is today I am a pole dancer. No, I’m not paid for it, whether that be to moonlight in a strip club or compete on any level. The first part of that sentence reeks of “But I’m not a stripper!”, a sentence which by and large, raises my hackles and makes me prepare for shouting down anyone idiotic enough to use it to sanitise “pole fitness”. But I’m using it for quite a different

reason. I can’t sing the praises of strippers enough, to be frank. The ones I know are amazing women, entrepreneurs who have played the system in a way most wouldn’t dare. And I wouldn’t presume that a few “stripper style” pole classes put me anywhere near their level of ability and mental, as well as physical, strength. Too many people in the pole community are willing to tear down strippers to make sure that they aren’t seen as “slutty”, that the way they do pole is the right one, that it’s “just exercise!” Thankfully, this attitude is changing. The pole community owes strippers for making the art what it is today; there’s no way that pole fitness would have been brought into the mainstream without its place in strip clubs, regardless of what die-hard “pole athletes” might tell you about Chinese Pole or Mallakhamb, com-

pletely different sporting activities which just happen to involve a pole too. It’s okay to see pole as a sport, or an art form, or to be drawn to the exotic aspects of it. And above all, there’s nothing wrong with being a stripper! I don’t know how many times I’ll have to say that. Sex work is work. Those who partake in it deserve workers’ rights, and our respect. I’ve become less interested in ticking off moves and tricks one by one, and more interested in putting on the seven-inch heels and learning how to flow, pull off some floorwork, and connect with myself. Humans are sexual beings; there’s no way of getting around it. So why are we, particularly women and non-binary people, still vilified for portraying our sexuality? We’ve got to appreciate, however, that being able to express our sexualities, to be

“sex-positive”, is a privilege in itself. It’s all well and good for a middle-class, cisgender white woman to speak out about her sexual exploits in order to lessen the taboo and judgment society places on promiscuity, but could a working class trans woman of colour do the same with as little repercussion? Of course not. Expressions of sexuality are no longer seen as quite the scandal they used to be, but that doesn’t mean that a growing culture of “sex positivity” is entirely inclusive.

impending debt. It’s not all terrible, but I do gloss it over and glam it up to others; over Christmas, I was bought handbags, lingerie, and perfume from one of my regulars. I instagrammed them with #ThankYouDaddy; a white-washed background adorned with expensive gifts and accompanied by dollar sign emojis. And yet, the next day I returned them all for either cash, or a store coupon I could use to buy something more practical. There’s a pressure to enjoy it, to be reaping the benefits. But sometimes it destroys you.

I do not feel I can engage in constructive debate or campaigning on campus without outing myself. I find a polemic attitude in the student body; sex workers are empowered and happy, or sex workers are victims. There seems to be no understanding for those in the middle. Those with good days and bad days. Those who’d rather not work, but also thank whatever deity is out there that sex work exists because if it didn’t, as I don’t qualify for a loan, I wouldn’t be in higher education. My only wish is for total decriminalisation. The Nordic model – where you criminalise clients and not workers – doesn’t work. Clients, through fear of prosecution, become more secretive and this makes it impossible to vet them. I am in a relationship. The first one I’ve had since becoming a sex worker. Of course, he struggles. I’ve just read what I’ve written so far to him, and he cried at “I will have had sex with 5 different people’, even though he will likely be the sixth at the end of the day. Finding the right person to be with when you have professional sex can be tricky to say the least, and my current partner has been surviving my work for four months. He had a baptism of fire; when we first met, I was working a lot and doing extreme bookings like hardsports,

as I had a fee deadline to pay. So he had to adjust to the world quickly, which he did.

Being “sex positive” is a privilege in itself We’re all learning. Being more open about sex can only be a good thing. But we need to be aware that this isn’t a possibility for many. Marginalised groups continue to be vilified for asking for the same rights as those who fall within a sexually normative picture of society. Those of us who are in a position to speak out often take our position, and our voice, for granted. It’s our responsibility not to.

Sex work: the middle ground

“Claire”* Contributor

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CN: Rape, HIV, sex work

’M writing this in a state of nausea; an effect of the post-exposure HIV medication which I have to take after a client last week removed his condom, and forcefully continued to have sex with me against my wishes. As a white, Devonshire, middle-aged straight man, the likelihood of him carrying the virus is low. But I cannot take risks. Neither can I take rest. This medication makes it impossible for me to transmit HIV, and so I can continue to work, until I am tested in 6 weeks, without posing harm to others. And I need to work; tomorrow I am seeing four men – one of whom I will see with another escort in a hotel on the outskirts of town for a threesome. By the time I collapse into bed tomorrow evening, I will have had sex with 5 different people. I’ll also be able to pay my rent, some of my fees, and buy some food for myself. I tend to work like this; batches of clients over 24 or 48-hour periods, and then concentrate on uni work for the next several weeks. My mental health makes holding down a “normal job” difficult. So I do this; quick money to cover

I actively worry that [the university] would expel me if they found out And the days it does are the worst. I don’t feel supported by the University in fact, I actively worry that they would expel me if they found out how I’ve managed to pay them for their tuition. They could support me with condoms, sexual health advice, wellbeing appointments, someone – anyone – to go to when I’ve been raped. Or even guidance on how to pay taxes (believe it or not, I am registered with HMRC and pay tax on every booking I take). But I can’t ask for these things without putting my degree in jeopardy.

My current partner has been surviving my work for four months. Tomorrow is the busiest day I’ve had since I met him though, and we’re currently working on strategies to get through it. It’s one of the situations where comforting doesn’t work; because I need the work, distraction can only go so far as he wants to be exposed to the reality in order to deal with it properly. All that’s is left is endurance and love, the latter hopefully outweighing the former. *name changed to protect anonymity If you’ve been affected by these issues, we would recommend the following helplines and organisations: Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Exeter 01392 436967 English Collective of Prositutes 020 7482 2496 Guild Advice Unit (anonymous, university independent) 01392 723520


This is my Sexeter:

COMMENT

9

Exeter students on sexuality outside the dominant university narratives Anonymous

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This was simultaneously great and terrifying: Sex – awesome. I’m not actually straight? Oh shit.

XETER has been great for two things regarding my sexuality, the first being the opportunity to experiment. Before university I was “bicurious”, but to everyone else I was straight. And I kept on convincing myself as well that I was. A month after coming to Exeter, however, all it took was replying to a post on Yik Yak one night, and I was speaking to my would-be friend-with-benefits.

Over a couple months I slowly cameout to the people most important to me, and that’s the other real positive I’ve found in Exeter: not a single friend here has been anything other than supportive.

Anonymous

we’re interviewing for a job, serving at the Ram or playing against on the pitch.

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GBT students’ experience is mixed. On one hand, people who don’t identify with traditional genders and sexualities can nowadays be open without fear of discrimination or exclusion. While the University runs many initiatives and has a (presumably) thriving LGBTQ+ Society, many LGBT students simply don’t feel the need to participate in LGBT-related activities and events. This could be a good thing: after all, doesn’t it show that we’ve reached an ideal where gender and sexuality don’t even cross people’s minds? Some might liken it to our “colour-blind society”, where we look beyond the skin colour of someone

Anonymous

M

Y grandfather, who normally values studies and work more than anything, often asks me how are my lovers faring. Either he knows me very well and is aware that I spend more time between books or he is starting to question my spinster status. Or maybe he expects me to go crazy at university and start herding lovers like if they were cattle. Or… is he pressuring me into finding a stable relationship? Am I being just paranoid? Truth is, love relationships at university are as hard to decipher as any ambigu-

Not a single friend here has been anything other than supportive

It’s the whitewashing of gay life that makes the picture “mixed” So what’s the ‘on the other hand’ of this mixed experience? Just as the colourblind analogy is ludicrous, LGBT individuals remain marginalised in many ways, whether deliberately or, in my experience, inadvertently. I’m gay. I’ll admit, even writing that can be difficult. I’m not a member of the LGBTQ+ Society. I’ve never done anything gay rights-related. I don’t go to Vaults. I’m not, however, secretive about

ous essay question, maybe even more perplexing. In fact, I would say that most of us find ourselves lost within our obscure sexuality; its multiple facets and possibilities. This is why my experience is a series of pulland-release tensions struck by the tragedy of my romantic awkwardness and disinterest. When I ask my friends why I don’t find some-

Whilst no-one has reacted badly, I do get asked some very weird questions on a frequent basis. “You’re lucky you have so much choice!” Well, kind of. I guess there are more people to choose from, but definitely doesn’t mean more people choose me! Sadly, more often than not, there isn’t more loving, its just extra opportunity to stumble over words and look awkward in front of Exeter’s attractive members of both sexes. “So, which do you prefer?”.Really? I know people ask this only because they’re interested but being asked it really has

become a pet peeve. To answer, it just changes. For example, if I’m dating a man, I may temporarily not have a lot of interest in women and vice versa. However, to me bisexuality is the potential to like both, and all though some people lean one way or the other, for me I just can’t answer in general the question of which I prefer. “Oh, you must be up for a threesome then.” A stereotype I cannot deny in my own case. To clarify, neither I nor any other bisexuals are necessarily depraved people who can’t keep it in their pants. If my partner doesn’t want to try it, we won’t do

it - simple as that. All I’m saying is it’s on the bucket list for sure!

my sexuality - although I do come out (and go back in) selectively. My housemates and good friends know; others do not. So what’s the problem? The issue with a culture that looks beyond your mate’s sexuality is that their being gay is then usually forgotten about. Fortunately, I’ve rarely faced homophobia, and only the occasional slice of banter has got at me. However, it’s the whitewashing of gay life that makes the picture “mixed” – particularly around Valentine’s and with this issue of Sexeposé. It might seem petty but watching mates pull ‘worldies’ or ‘solid sevens’ on Top-Top while you dance uneasily beside them (ensuring it’s not too camp) feels exclusive. True, nine in ten people are straight, you remind yourself, so you have fewer guys to choose from (plus who

wants to pull on Top-Top anyway?). But when you don’t want to appear too camp, are terrified to approach anyone at the bar and, even if you do get lucky, couldn’t be seen dead necking another guy on the dancefloor for fear of laughs or stares, your sexuality still feels second-rate, and you continue to awkwardly third-wheel on Top-Top.

ing dick pics from 60-year-olds. Tragically these apps also bring together vulnerable and volatile people, and are causing rises in physical and sexual attacks and in drug use. And, all the while, the less well-informed label gays as easy, or sleazy. So all of this leaves gay men like me in a quandary. I’m not ashamed to be gay. I support things like gay marriage . I also still want to go out with my mates, play on my sports team and turn up to seminars without an ‘I’m gay’ sign around my neck. I don’t want to start campaigning or join the LGBTQ+ Society. Perhaps this means I am just ‘ordinary’, but happen to be gay, as if that were an add-on, to show I deviate from the norm. Or perhaps this shows I’m part of a heteronormative society, with an innate self-resentment. I’ve recognised I’m gay, but I don’t identify as gay.

one, just because I want to know how they perceive my enigma love-life, they will answer that others are just too intimidated, while inside I am thinking: how can they be intimidated if I just run away from them altogether?

University, then, becomes this legendary place where you should discover who you are; experimenting and such, or just finding The One: that guiding torch. What about us, individuals who are not interested in finding our soul mates through trial-and-error? That most likely, will find a cute-meet a disastrous inconvenience? Who believe that tinder is more time-consuming than anything, especially because texting makes us as anxious as we near our deadlines. Individuals that either; ignore love altogether or who prefer consuming secondhand romance through friends or romcoms; while thinking to themselves, maybe this is what I need… maybe not. Then deciding against it because it is too messy,

The less well-informed label gays as easy, or sleazy Therefore, meeting like-minded students is difficult. Many turn to apps like Grindr, which can lead to dates or pals, but also to unsexy hook-ups and receiv-

Whatever’s in their pants just isn’t an important factor to me “But don’t you miss [genitalia my partner does not have]?” Plain and simply: no. To me sex is in the connection and communication, I try to stay open minded and whatever’s in their pants just isn’t an important factor for me.

too dramatic, too much effort. So you say “why the rush, why the need to pair everyone as if we were in Noah’s arc?” And then you stare at your reflection and state out loud: “Great, you are going to die alone”.

Most of us find ourselves lost within our obscure sexuality This is my Sexeter: a hither and thither, sentiments that leave a bittersweet taste. Ambivalence and uncertainty, apathy and anxiety; all of them in conflict and mismatched, making me wonder if sexuality is even that important. Or at least for me, it isn’t.



13 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

11

Features

FEATURES EDITORS:

Photo: pri.org

Georgina Bolam Katie Jenkins

My body, their choice?

Zeena Starbuck, Foreign Correspondents Coordinator, discusses the lethal politicisation of women’s reproductive rights

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OMMENTARY on the 2016 American presidential election made it out to be a fight between two individuals; voters had to pick good or evil, evil or less-evil, Republican or Democrat. Yet the debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made it clear: the election was not just about who got to sit in the Oval Office, but about the politicisation of women’s bodies. Women have been politicised in a historically unprecedented way: across the globe they have had to fight to their right to vote, their right to own land, their right to take custody after divorce and even their right to “own” themselves. In contemporary American politics, the politicisation of women has manifested in the debate over reproductive rights, seen in the sparring pro-choice/antiabortion movements. This election saw Trump take the office and bring with him a staunchly anti-choice Republican cabinet. Since 1973, abortion in the USA has been technically legal: the Supreme Court verdict in Roe v. Wade made abortion the decision of the woman and disallowed federal or state restrictions on abortion legality. However, the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling opened the gateway for the anti-abortion movement to take political action and restrict women’s reproductive rights it allowed states to regulate abortion procedures and enact laws that would both discourage women from getting abortions and prevent abortion clinics that provide not only abortions, but fundamental reproductive healthcare, from remaining open. These restrictions are commonly called TRAP laws - Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. These laws

include legislation forcing mandatory waiting periods between consultation and abortion, forcing women to view an ultrasound, and forcing doctors to recite scientifically unsound “risks” abortions carry.

The election was about the politicization of women’s bodies These TRAP laws were passed with a pro-choice President, but in Republicancontrolled states. Now, with not only Republican but aggressively antiabortion Republicans controlling the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, the abortion debate is taking the main stage and going global. One of Trump’s first actions upon taking office was to sign an executive order reinstating the Mexico City policy: the global gag rule. The executive order blocks any federal funding totalling 9.5 billion dollars from going to NGOs that provide or even discuss abortion such as International Planned Parenthood Federation, which does not spend any federal funding on abortion services. This is only the start of what will be a frighteningly anti-choice regime. The war against abortion is undeniable, and given, abortion is still a hugely debated topic around the world. The problem is that these anti-abortion legislations are antiwoman, and hurt women who are most vulnerable in society. Take Trump’s war against Planned Parenthood: he said in a speech that he would defund Planned Parenthood, acknowledging they help millions of women, but simply because they also provide abortion. Yet Planned Parenthood is legally barred

from using one single federal dollar to fund its abortion services. Rather, the government funding goes to the 97 per cent of other services they provide: contraception, pap tests, breast exams, STD screening and treatment, among other services. Not only would defunding Planned Parenthood reduce women’s access to basic reproductive health facilities, but it would hurt women from lower-income backgrounds more than anyone. 79 per cent of Planned Parenthood clients have incomes at or below 150 per cent of the federal poverty rate. TRAP laws and defunding of women’s health facilities hurt the most vulnerable in American society and contribute to the raging socio-economic inequalities Trump claims to be fighting against. The gag order will perhaps have the most frightening consequences, since it takes this domestic war to the global stage. This order has been flip-flopping since the Reagan era, with Democrats overturning it and Republicans reinstating it. Therefore, there are statistics that speak for themselves: when George W. Bush reinstated the order to a lesser extent than Trump in 2001, abortions increased in Subsaharan Africa. Why? Because these NGOs provide contraception to women and men, including the pill, IUDs, and condoms, since their own governments do not. Take away funding, and you take away contraception. Take away contraception, and you increase the unwanted pregnancies. Taking away abortion will not stop women from having abortions, it just means they resort to dangerous back-alley methods, herbal remedies, or even throwing themselves down stairs in an attempt to terminate their pregnancy. Legislation

is part of larger a political effort to reign women in and prevent them from having equal rights. Ask yourself, are there any legislations in the USA or UK that prevent men from accessing contraception, vasectomies, arousalenhancers, or anything related to their reproductive organs? The answer is no. In fact, in the USA the government has helped fund citizens to buy Viagra and vacuum erection systems, aka penis pumps. Now, think globally. You may know that in 2014 Iran banned vasectomies in an effort to increase birth rates. This is one of the only global examples where government legislation has restricted male control over their reproductive rights. Of course, Steve Bannon’s alt-right Breitbart News labeled this move as “violating men’s reproductive rights”.

Take away funding and you take away contraception So why are women’s reproductive rights put under scrutiny? There are many reasons, and in the USA tea party politics and fundamentalist religious activism are actively responsible. However, the overarching problem is that women have been oppressed and are too often confined to fit with patriarchal norms. Traditional gender roles have assigned women the role of birther, mother, housekeeper. Women are not conceptualized as sexual beings, and thus, sexual freedom is frowned upon. This manifests in abortion restrictions that punish women for having sex, in contraception restrictions that prevent women from having sex freely, and even in day-to-day interactions where women

are shamed for “sleeping around”. While gender roles vary from culture to culture, female sexual oppression is a global reality: anti-abortion legislation prevents women from using modern medicine to control their reproductive organs, while female genital mutilation physically prevents women from accessing their own sexuality. The fact of the matter is that women can be sexual beings. It is their choice, and government policy has no business restricting women in any capacity for something personal and natural. Perhaps the biggest hypocrisy is that the anti-abortion movement in the USA refers to itself as “pro-life.” The movement deems women as secondary citizens by asserting that their life does not matter as much as a ball of cells, a foetus, or an unborn child. A woman’s life is not important enough to allow her to make her own decisions about her own body. Her life is so inferior that the government restricts access to contraception, then punishes her when the thing that contraception could have prevented occurs: pregnancy. Anti-abortion legislation retains gender inequality and enforces unnatural gender norms. Moreover, it prevents women from taking control over their own bodies. Women have too long been objectified and presented as tools for male entertainment. Government restrictions have confined women inside their bodies, deeming their minds, sexualities, and ideas as secondary to that of men. Yet no policy can truly take ownership of something that is inherently yours. Women worldwide must recognise that their body is their choice, and we must fight to ensure all women have this right.”


FEATURES

12

More sex please, we

Katie Jenkins, Features Editor, and Jack Morgan Jones, Copy Here come the girls

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CCORDING to many women, Robin* is a catch. Athletic, attractive, poised for a First… Hell, he even knows grammar! Or, at least, that's how it seems to Robin, sitting proudly at his kitchen table one morning: sweaty-clothed, greasy-haired, fresh from the lair of a one night stand. How was it? “It was… She was…” He shrugs, smiling sheepishly. Does he like her? “She’s… I dunno…” He pauses for a moment. “Like, she’d be attractive if she had a bit more self-respect.” What’s that supposed to mean? He hesitates for a moment, the words poised on the very rim of his tongue, before a friend of his jeers, “You mean she’s a slut?” Robin pauses for a moment, stares down, then smirks: “Well, yeah. She’s just a bit of a whore.” ‘Slut’, ‘slag’, ‘whore’… For many young women, the sexual rhetoric is simple. “A slut is someone, usually a woman, who’s stepped outside of the very narrow lane that good girls are supposed to stay within,” defines feminist activist, Jaclyn Friedman. In short, she’s a woman who’s strayed into the sexual sphere; a woman who’s dared to brandish the assertion previously attributed to men. 20-year-old student, Miranda*, recalls one encounter she had with a one night stand: “He kept asking me, ‘what’s your number? What’s your magic number?’ So eventually, I said to him, ‘OK, I’ll tell you if you tell me.’ He told me he’d slept with 12 people, and I said, ‘oh, that’s the same as me’. Then, he looked at me, and he said in these exact words, ‘That’s absolutely disgusting!’ We had slept with exactly the same number of people, yet he judged me purely because I was a woman.” Since the oestrogen-spangled dawn of the battle for gender equality, discussion of female sexuality has lurked at the heart of feminist thought. For pre-Suffragette Victorian audiences, the sexually passive ‘Angel in the House’ was only further idealised by the promiscuous alternative: the ‘Fallen Woman’. For feminists of the 1960s-1980s, abortion and contraception were sought as integral components of women’s emancipation. Meanwhile, for

millennials, the prominence of porn, social media, and hook-up culture have ensured that “it’s rare for a woman of our generation to meet a man who treats her like a priority instead of an option” (Elite Daily.)

Female sexuality is definitely still shackled by labels such as 'slut' Yet, what of Generation Z? The socalled ‘post millennials’, born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, for whom technology and lad culture are, arguably, even more inherent composites. “I think that female sexuality is definitely still shackled by the constraints of labels such as ‘slut’ or ‘fuckgirl’”, says second year English student, Kimberly*. “However, nowadays she appears as a counterpart (rather than a subordinate) to that mystical creature, the fuckboy.” Certainly, if critics have attributed anything to the contemporary fourth wave of feminism, it’s the explosion (vaginafirst) of the sexually empowered female: a figure who has dominated modern celebrity culture. “I feel like I’m one of the biggest feminists in the world because I tell women not to be scared of anything,” proclaimed Miley Cyrus in 2013, shortly after that VMA performance, gyrating on Robin Thicke to the oh-so-empowering anthem, ‘Blurred Lines.’ Nicole Scherzinger, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian have all followed suit, proudly flaunting their naked selfies and scantilyclad performances as milestones in the fight for female empowerment. “[Certainly] female sexuality needs to be normalised, but I do think that comes at the risk of perpetuating the fetishisation of the female body,” says Miranda. “Talking about sex, laughing about it, experimenting and owning it are different to ‘performing’ sexuality, which equally both elevates and commoditises it.” Falmouth student, Emma, is in agreement: “Women are still stuck, often defined by how they are sexualised over

and above any other traits. This is why apps such as Tinder are so highly used as it allows people to judge on looks and their appeal as a sexual object.” As the very pinnacle of 21st century ‘hook up culture’, Tinder has – time and again – been dragged into the very heart of modern sexual identity. Where Jane Austen once dreamed of catching eyes across a sweaty Viennese waltz, post-millennials seek for that hopelessly romantic swipe right, ever starcrossed by the other 510 matched suitors. “I use Tinder because it means I can flirt and be irresistibly charming, whilst wearing no make-up, in bed, with a pizza,” laughs 19-year-old student, Annabelle*. Derby student, Katie, meanwhile has accredited the success of such apps - especially among men – to an everexpanding ‘lad culture’: “I think the development of feminism has encouraged women to use Tinder more as they care less about traditional opinions of them, but lad culture has certainly caused more men to use it.” Defined by the NUS as “a group or ‘pack’ mentality residing in activities such as sport and heavy alcohol consumption, and ‘banter’ which is often sexist, misogynist and homophobic,” lad culture is – for many women – the underlying motive behind the sexual double standard. “Sex for women is seen as fine dining – indulged, considered, taking your time, rare. Sex for men is like a bodrum kebab after a night out… The only thing to remember in the morning is the greasy carton,” says Miranda. “I think it’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of blaming things such as porn, but there’s more going on

(S)Exeter by Numbers... In the spirit of Sexeposé, Features carried out a little survey into the sexual habits (and histories!) of Exeter students. Almost 200 of you responded - and the results were pretty interesting! Here's what we found out...

30% of you lost your virginity aged 16 or under

here. It’s so ingrained that women should be passive in sex that even

Image: Wikipedia our language ensures that men are the dominant sexual: there are no female equivalents for ‘penetration’. The clitoris and g-spot are not taught about in sex education. Face sitting is censored from porn in the UK. Female pleasure is invisible and rare, mythical and uncelebrated.”

Sex for men is like a bodrum kebab after a night out “The female sexual experience in the public eye is still quite male-focused and subsequently quite hetero-centric,” says second year Drama student, Violet*. “Particularly as a lesbian, I feel there’s a pressure [to be sexually active] as it’s almost like there’s a need for me to be with someone to legitimise my sexuality, for example, when people assume I’m straight or going through a ‘phase’.” Yet, although the double standard

18% 37% have sex more than once a week

is relentlessly fictionalised in films such as Easy A, for many members of Generation Z, such conservative notions are – although present – irrelevant to their sexual experience. A recent survey, for example, found that Americans between the ages of 13 and 20 are more open-minded than their millennial counterparts when it comes to issues of gender and sexuality: a liberalism that

have had 8+ sexual partners

certainly translates to modern female sexuality. “Yes, there are still shackles in many respects,” concedes 21-year-old Maria*. “But I think there’s more freedom for us to tell men what we want from sex. Literally, you just need to talk, otherwise life becomes insatiably complicated.” “At a younger age I definitely believed there was a sexual double standard,” agrees 16-year old Ellie. “But ultimately women can do whatever they want. It’s their choice.” * Names changed for anonymity Katie Jenkins

49% feel pressure to be sexually active

Ima


13 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

e're post-millennials

y Editor, discuss the modern sexual experience for Generation Z Boys will be boys

S

EX is a sport – it’s a game of inches. There. That’s the kind of opening you wanted, wasn’t it? The joke (a good one) doesn’t express any great truth about sex, and yet, all joking aside, there might be something essential about humour that allows us to talk honestly about sex. Talking about it with hardhearted seriousness might seem more appropriate when one considers the recently-elected-most-powerful-manin-the-world. However, the recentlyelected-most-powerful-manin-the-world is not representative of most men in t h e

and sex. To make my point, I can think of no greater clarifier than the surreptitiously knocked-over box of cheerios and its

Sex is a sport - it's a game of inches circumstantial message in the discharge. These rib-tickling ‘SEND NUDES’ videos get at an essential truth: that humour, and specifically self-deprecating humour, is the crutch men often rely upon to get sex. It’s well known that the male Tinder game counts for nothing if it isn’t funny. Making funny is an ancient tactic, but the medium through which it now occurs is very new. Social media has changed sex, and while a social media presence is not a pre-requisite for sex, the online world complicates an already complex foreplay. It’s one more thing – multifaceted and in flux – that must be navigated else it become more of an obstacle to, and less a facilitator of, sex.

Us boys often choose to navigate this new landscape alone. Why? Because to admit any sexual ignorance with your fellow brother is essentially to imply that you were once pre-pubescent. And that is fundamentally uncool. Don’t misunderstand me here – most guys do talk very openly about sex. What we don’t do is have earnest talks. At most we’ll skim over studies which claim that young people have less sex nowadays than they used to, shrug them off as a dodgy hack job, and spend the rest of the day wondering if everyone else is having much less sex than we are or much more sex than we are… It’s always one or the other… It’s a testament to how seriously we treat the issue that we are unsatisfied by the persistent falsehood that ‘the truth lies somewhere in between’. Guys talk sex, but not in earnest. We don’t ask each other questions like: how do we get better sex? Wanting to have better sex is not the same as wanting to get better at sex. Better sex is an elusive compound requiring something beyond what you or your partner can as individuals bring to the party. The problem is that the traditional method o f

ge: Mark Taylor world, and his comments as he said them are to be found in none of the world’s male locker-rooms. Anyone can talk with seriousness about pussy grabbing. It’s much harder to talk with seriousness about the common man and his common penis. Embarrassing as it may seem, it is with laughter that we must come at men

64%nds

view frie st ge as the big a u x se l e influenc

Image: flickr.com

sounding this out – that of the date – is a deuce of an ordeal. There’s the fiscal shudder, there’s the risk of lost time, and then

there’s our very own national psychosis of low expectations. Even if at times we overcome this rosy pessimism, lapses are recurrent as we paradoxically contend with both our own Hollywood standards and an online saturation of attainable and perfect looking people (why make an effort when there are so many?) Caught between these two poles, we delay better sex by turning small subjective faults into the biggest things in the world. Funnyman Bertie Wooster best described this process of deterioration. “You know how it is when you’ve had one of those lovers’ tiffs and then go off to a solitary dinner. You start brooding over the girl with the soup and wondering if it wasn’t a mugs game hitching up with her. With the fish this feeling deepens, and by the time you’re through with the poulet roti au cresson and are ordering the coffee you’ve probably come definitely to the conclusion that she’s a rag and a bone and a hank of hair and that it would be

Us boys often choose to navigate this [sexual] landscape alone madness to sign her on as a life partner.” If the answer to getting better sex is that men and women alike need to give their time to better people, then we all need to pull our own weight and for that a better understanding of the male defect is required. Ladies – and at the risk of mansplaining men to you – the majority of us really are simple creatures. If you will wear hoodies saying ‘Don’t Touch Me’ then we might end up taking you all too literally. Other than this rebalance towards an open mind, stumbling upon better sex probably has something to do with accountability. In medieval times, highborn maidens weren’t passive sleeping beauties and prudery was not considered a virtue. Women were expected to be sexually active and would publically demand the same from their husbands.

think there is a stigma against sexual promiscuity

100% think there is a sexual double standard between men and women

Every generation thinks they were the first to discover sex castration for him. Sex, as poor Abelard found out, is the most serious of sports. But this is exactly why it’s so funny and why it’s surprisingly sage of us dudes to talk about it without much seriousness. At times it may be prudent to recognise the importance of being earnest, but we must never forget that The Importance of Being Earnest was a comedy of errors. Laughing about sex offers an educational release. On sex specific to our generation, it’s become something of a cliché to say that “every generation thinks that they were the first to discover sex.” This parental boast fails to take into account the new mediums through which sex is discovered, and other such challenges to premature and ejaculatory clichés can be found if you only know where to look. They invert notions of chastity; they subvert the holiness of marriage; they prove to be fallacious; the claim that for love to be true love it must be enduring and even everlasting or whatever other fairytale we suckle on to get ourselves off in the night. These are not generational challenges but challenges from a genre. Humour illuminates the absurdities in ourselves. In the 1950s comic novelist Peter De Vries made the sexually-frustrated Reverend Mackerel say: “Show me a man who doesn't marry again and you’ve given me a pretty good idea of what the first one was probably like.” To respectively much greater and much lesser extents, this applies for women as it does for men, and for sex as it does for marriage. Jack Morgan Jones

...and here's what you had to say on the topic:

92% 81%

In the twelfth century, the young student Héloïse fell into a tremendous passion for her teacher called Abelard and her famous attempt to seduce him succeeded. Admittedly, their story is not a textbook parable. It all ended in disaster for her and

of male students first watched porn aged 16 or under

"Sex is a double edged sword. If you've never done it you're a prude; if you sleep around people say you're a whore." "I'm not saying that people at uni are sexually driven and cannot be stopped but people focus on sex so much it ends up losing its worth" "Before I lost my virginity... I felt like there were so many expectations from other people about what I should and shouldn't be doing in my love life"


#WeAreAllExeter is a campaign committed to making Exeter an entirely inclusive place. Through events, asking questions and giving people space to meet and tell their stories, we aim to create an environment where, no matter what our background, everyone feels at home and welcome.

exeterguild.com/weareallexeter


lifestyle

ARTS + LIT

E X X X H I B IT MUSIC

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SEX AND THE EXETER GIRL

Photo: Wood Awards

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GAMES + TECH BEING A HOPELESS ROMANTIC

Photo: Pexels

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SEXePOSé MUSIC PLAYLIST

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screen

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SEX ON SCREEN

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DATING APPS REVIEWED

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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Jade Beard Laurel Bibby

ARTS + LIT EDITORS Emma Bessent Tash Ebbutt

MUSIC EDITORS Rory Marcham Helen Payne

SCREEN EDITORS Mark Allison Zak Mahinfar

GAMES + TECH EDITORS Jabez Sherrington Sam Woolf 13 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ


lifestyle

Let's talk about sex, baby W

Lifestyle talk lube, love and libido with a student sex blogger

HAT made you decide to start your blog, ‘Sex and the Exeter Girl’? I used to be the biggest prude about sex. I remember seeing a diagram of an uncircumcised penis in Sixth Form – it made me scream and fall off my chair. For me, sex has always been a scary topic. I’m not sure why – might have something to do with going to an all girls’ school and having minimal male contact! Two years ago I lost my virginity, but my boyfriend and I broke up soon after (he didn’t ejaculate and evacuate, don’t worry!). Then last year I was practically celibate – I didn’t have sex all year, but I did sexual things. It was around this time that I realised how much I enjoy talking about sexual stuff – even though I was crap at blowjobs, the fact I accidentally bit a guy’s penis made a hilarious story over the breakfast table! Then this year I decided I wanted to have sex, and I thought the way to make that less scary would be to write all about it. In painstaking detail. So the blog is my way of seeing the funny side to sex – it makes it less of a big deal. Slut-shaming can be a huge issue for female students when it comes to the subject of one night stands or “sleeping around”. Have you ever felt judged by your peers or friends? What do you think can be done to tackle such negative attitudes towards female sexuality? I think I’m lucky because my housemates have never judged me for sleeping around (minus that one time I went straight from a one night stand to a seminar without showering). As one of my mates says, "this is what our twenties are for." I think the judgement comes more from myself. I am a feminist and I’d always tell my friends to have sex with whoever they want, whenever they want. But I set myself completely different rules. I’ve had casual sex a few times and I felt a bit dutty and upset afterwards. But I know that that’s ridiculous, since girls should be able to have as much sex as they want! I think the negative attitudes often stem from girls bitching about each other. We have to call this out when we see it. When your mates are slutshaming, it subconsciously makes you feel it’s not OK to enjoy sex with strangers. And that’s ridiculous. There are often misconceptions about sex based on experiences of sex education at school. Do you think the education you received adequately prepared you for sex and relationships now that you’re older? Absolutely not. Up until I was 18 I thought

you had to be on your period to get pregnant. Plus they taught us about condoms back in Year Nine. Where was the refresher course in Sixth Form? Most of my proper sex ed came from rumours from girls who were more sexually experienced. I remember being in Year 10 and all of us were gathered around this girl who was telling us about losing her virginity. It was the scariest lunchtime of my life – she went into graphic detail about cherries and how they pop and there’s blood everywhere… It was really grim, and (as it turns out) not technically true. Not everyone does bleed their first time. Also I feel that a lot of the things we were told were just blatant lies.

thing. So for our next ‘date’ he suggested pizza and a movie. I got all excited, thinking he was taking me to the Firehouse, then he messaged me saying "No, I thought we could order in :p". Yeah, he used the ‘:p’ face, so I should have known we were doomed from the start. He then went on to say it wasn’t a date and was "just hanging out". I think Tinder is a great way to meet people and to have fun. I know people who use it purely for sex – they sext over the app, send booty texts and eventually hook up. But then my sister met her long-term boyfriend on the app, too. I think it’s more of an app for hooking up, but there are exceptions who are looking for a relationship out of it.

We were told that we should never use lube because it destroys condoms. That’s just a big fat lie! Water-based lubes are fine, and they make sex way more fun.

You’ve also written openly about your experiences with cystitis. Many students have experience of suffering from STIs and UTIs, but often feel embarrassed to talk about it. How would you encourage other students to feel confident talking about such issues?

Let’s talk Tinder. The app has become an increasingly fundamental way for students to meet other singles, whether it be for a casual hook-up or a serious date. Have you found Tinder to be a successful dating method? I have only ever had one Tinder date, and it was really fun. Unfortunately, I went into the whole thing thinking it was a proper date. And I started to like him, too – he had a Devon accent and said he loved Taylor Swift aka the dream. But he thought it was just a casual hook-up

I think cystitis is one of those things you can talk about quite openly and people won’t be too grossed out. Although it is embarrassing having to tell your parents you have a UTI that most people get from too much/rough sex. STIs are another story. I think they are way more stigmatised – if you admit you’ve had a STI during ‘Never Have I Ever’ then the room erupts into questions, and you’ll feel pretty judged!

I think students have to chat about it more openly, so it doesn’t become such a big deal. Like how mental health has become way less stigmatised in recent years because people are more open to admit to their mates when they’re struggling. With STIs and UTIs it’s important to remember that they don’t define you. It’s just an infection that will clear. It has no bearing on who you are as a person.

HE DIDN'T EJACULATE AND EVACUATE, DON'T WORRY! Masturbation is another subject that many girls feel embarrassed about. What are your thoughts on masturbation, porn and even sex toys? What advice would you give to a student who feels ashamed about masturbating? I started masturbating when I was 15 and, at the time, I was pretty religious and thought it was a sin. But as I’ve grown older I’ve realised it’s completely natural. If you know you can do something that will give you pleasure, why wouldn’t you do it?! Plus it’s important to know what you like. I’ve been with guys before who have been clueless down there – I’ve had to show them how it’s done, like an interactive sat nav. If you know what you like then you can avoid awkward moments. It annoys me that there is a stigma around female masturbation. In Year 8 all the boys at the back of the bus would openly talk about wanking, whereas girls would feel too embarrassed to chat about it. I think it’s really sad young girls feel ashamed to talk about what they like! Porn is a tricky one. It does make me feel uncomfortable and I am quite selective in what type of porn I will watch – if the entire focus is on the man’s pleasure, then I’m not down for that. I don’t really watch porn anymore because I’m in a relationship – but when I was single I’d watch it because I didn’t have anything to fantasise about. That said, I’m a fan of vibrators – so much so that my mates bought me one for my birthday last year! Best present ever. Only downside is I never know where to store it when I’m at home – I would be mortified if my parents found it!

Follow Sex and the Exeter Girl at sexandtheexetergirl.wordpress.com Image: images4free.com


EXHIBIT

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EDITORS: Jade Beard and Laurel Bibby

LIFESTYLE

13 FEB 2017

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To the left, to the left...

T

Helen Payne, Music Editor, reveals how to create the perfect Tinder profile

If you’re looking for long-term lovin’ or just a cheeky fling then I reckon Tinder, nowadays, is one of the best places to find that. Who needs the outdoors when you can plan six dates in a week from the comfort of your own cosy bed? A girl’s got to eat, right? I’m not having pasta and grated cheese for the third night in a row. Time to find myself a date.

roll, Facebook or Instagram to show off your best side. Pick carefully, it’s a cut-throat world. It may be analysed as a little creepy if you’re on your own in every single one: Why don’t you have any friends? Similarly, don’t only have full squad pics as people looking through your profile won’t know which one you are. I, personally, would go with a solid solo selfie first, ensuring essential contouring is on point. The first picture is that tricky one that establishes whether the swiper wants to see more of you or not, so make it a banger – you’ll have time to demonstrate your awesome personality later, despite this being (for me) the most important part. But alas, Tinder is not so, and the photographs are ranked of higher importance than your witty banter. Next, maybe choose a couple of pictures with one or two different friends pre-sesh, chilling at the park, playing pranks in your student house (I’m so fun) and finally a big group photo to show that yes, I do in fact have a large group of people who find me tolerable. So you should too, dear swiper.

Step 1: The pictures

Step 2: The radius

Like in that aforementioned real life thing, people tend to judge looks pretty harshly. I’ve found Exeter though, on the whole, to be pretty open and not as unforgiving on looks as the blond-gym-girl-stereotype may have once suggested. If love at first sight is what you’re after, choose a great pic of yourself. Helpfully, you can choose up to six photos from camera

No swipers will be able to see how wide you cast your net for those plenty of fish left wandering aimlessly in the sea, but the more desperate you are, the bigger your search must be. When using Tinder, I set it only to within a few miles of Exeter so mostly students like myself would appear on my screen. However, if you’re willing to travel to, say, Bristol or

INDER is a dry, flammable material, often being wood or paper, used for lighting a fire. Or, in our current non-caveman days of matches and gas fireplaces, an app primarily used by our age group to meet people, go on dates, and receive cringe-inducing chat up lines without the embarrassment of that whole real life thing getting in the way.

THE MORE DESPERATE YOU ARE, THE BIGGER YOUR SEARCH MUST BE

even *shudder* Plymouth then that’s possible too. If you’re really desperate, 160 kilometers is the furthest distance one can search in (still waiting for Tinder Global) without paying for the premium Tinder Plus service which actually has some pretty cool benefits - like re-winding your last swipe (DEFINITELY needed), and skipping the queue so you’re the top profile in your area. And it’s not even that expensive. But do you really want to be the kind of person who pays for Tinder?

Step 3: The bio I find the bio the most important part of the Tinder world. It’s the first place you can reveal your personality to the potential swiper. I’ve noticed some common themes amongst users that I would advise against. I probably wouldn’t swipe right for you if your bio is just aubergine and peach emojis as, to be honest, I’m looking to date, not for casual sex. But hey, they might be into that. If that’s you, that’s you. Own it.

I WON'T SWIPE RIGHT IF YOUR BIO IS JUST AUBERGINE EMOJIS Equally, “Not really sure what to write here” is boring and unimaginative – I am the type who thrives off creativity, so a massive bucket of soz, but you’re not the one for me. Think of

something funny that’ll hook your swiper’s interest, or even just list your hobbies, taste in music, or favourite film. Be yourself.

Step 4: The first encounter and having good chat When I used Tinder, there seem to be two kinds of chat up line: the cheesy one-liner/ sexual innuendo/straight up asking for sex, or the simple ‘hey’. The latter conversation will go as follows. "Hey". "Hey". "How are you?" "Good, you?" "I’m good too". To avoid this, think of a question to make the swiper (who has already found you attractive, by the way, go you) think and stay interested. Alternatively, some chat up lines are hilarious, and if done correctly without insensitivity or overpowering, disturbing sexual invites (or grammatical mistakes, instant no) you may bag yourself a cheeky reply, culminating in a witty tennis match of puns and funs. If you’ve met someone you get along with via instant message, chances are you’ll get along with them even better in real life. Disclaimer: chatting on the app may result in awkward bumping into in Unit 1’s smoking area. Deal with this as you best see fit. And there you have it: You’ve bagged yourself a date with a fairly attractive human who’s not too cringe-inducing, likes hockey like you do, and saw the same gig as you in first year. My work here is done, the swiper has been snaffled in my rabbit snare-net-hook like the analogy confused pro-fisherwoman I am.

Dildos and dildon'ts

It’s a Friday night and I’m round at this guy’s place. It’s starting to get steamy and alcohol makes me a little adventurous, so for once I was enthusiastic about taking the lead and going on top. It was going swimmingly until we decided to ‘change up the pace’, and as I started getting a bit out of breath (I’m not the fittest of people), I tried to adjust to a more intimate position. He, however, had other ideas, and accidentally punched me in the face. Not exactly the most romantic move. To make matters worse, this awful turn of events triggered one of the worst nosebleeds I've ever When the sex is that good, you’re had, leaving the poor guy to just throw tissues at me that he willing to let him interrupt a house Christluckily found in his bedside table. I say ‘poor guy’ - it can’t mas dinner for a quickie. Tipsy enough to blur out have been that bad, because whilst I was stemming his Exetah chat about his new Polo white shoes, I dragged the flow from my aching nose… he just him up to my room. It wasn’t long before I found myself pinned carried on. against my window as my blinds begin to detach from the wall and fall onto my head, smashing my half-full wine glass. As if explaining the incident to my landlord wouldn’t have required an extensive process of coming up with an excuse, my housemates had to sit there listening to a sexually unsatisfied gold rusher with ruined shoes. Not to anyone's surprise, a Christmas cracker and a free mince pie was enough to distract him.

I had been seeing this guy for a few weeks and we were getting on really well - I really liked him. I went round to his house one evening and we cooked dinner together - fish with pesto, vegetables and red onions, which he chopped. After dinner we went upstairs to his room and started making out, getting a bit heated, as it does! It was when we started to remove clothing and his hands started wandering when I felt it - a stinging sensation like nothing I have ever felt before - it burned like a bitch down there. And now I always make my boyfriends wash their hands before sex, ESPECIALLY when handling raw onion.

Three Lifestyle writers divulge their funniest sexual escapades

Images: MaxPixel, wikimedia


EXHIBIT

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LIFESTYLE

EDITORS: Jade Beard a

You're my cup of tea

Paige Evans shares the top five cafés for every relationship status

DATE NIGHT SHOULD ALWAYS REMAING A THING COFFEE IS NOT JUST FOR LOVE, BUT FOR LIFE

O

DDLY, this time of year is ‘breakup season’. Christmas is over, and you don’t need anyone to keep you warm anymore. You don’t need to think about what happens when exams hit, or when summer’s calling you to run to opposite side of the world… without them. As a third year, I guess it also means that you don’t need to adult properly. You don’t need to think about the logistics of how it’s going to work post-graduation; when you can’t just stroll into their room after a night out at three a.m., holding a Subway with way too much barbeque sauce, expecting them to deal with you all night, and then the next day. And if they don’t, you only live a couple of streets away. So, slowly and somewhat evidently, everyone seems to be breaking up. The same

conversations are being said – the sympathy, or the reassurance that you’ve done the right thing. Still, you can never forget, that this is February. Consumerism, let alone your really keen other half/your really sickening coupled friends, won’t let it slip from your mind that this is the time for love.

DATE NIGHT SHOULD ALWAYS REMAIN A THING You might be thinking of taking someone out. You might be considering spending some time with your pre-existing loved one. You may just want to escape the whole thing. But, in each of these scenarios, the idea of

Photo: Laurel Bibby

the café will be in your mind. A nation of tea drinkers? Yes, but with 1.7bn cups of coffee being sold each year, from over 18,000 outlets, we are clearly experiencing a booming UK coffee market. Exeter is no exception to the rule. A hub of independent hideaways tucked away in its pretty Devonshire alcoves, Exeter also hosts the mainstream chains, sitting comfortably on its high street. We all use cafés for different reasons. Catching up with a friend, feeble attempts to do some work, or to share some time with someone in a cosy, intimate setting. We’re not all in the same boat.So without further ado, here’s a guide for what cafés to consider during this romantic season, and some that may not be your cup of tea.

First Date – BEST: Cellar Coffee WORST: Tea on the Green WHY?

It’s noted that it sounds generic. ‘First date? To the quay!’ But, sometimes things are generic because they work. Not only is Cellar Coffee along the infamous quay, associated with its beauty and the typical Exeterstudent date idea, but you have to walk the whole length of the quay to get there, giving you chance to woo your date upon arrival and then continue the affection on the walk back. If things are not going as swimmingly as you planned, you have the view to take your minds off it and to provide an

Photos: Barbara Balogun Photo: Hannah Butler


and Laurel Bibby

13 FEB 2017

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Photos: Bea Fones alternative topic of conversation. Cellar Coffee is also a unique café in itself. It’s a hidden gem, not found along the high street or Fore Street and has the chilled atmosphere that you’ll need for a first date. It’s not over fancy, but feels youthful and hip – and the comfy sofas offer opportunity for a main course of laughter, served with a side of cuddling.

COFFEE IS NOT JUST FOR LOVE, BUT FOR LIFE Tea on the Green, admittedly, is still lovely. It just lacks the relaxed vibe that you need when you’re with someone you like very much, who knows that you like them very much. There’s a lot of pressure, and with Tea on the Green’s old-fashioned design, things could become rigid and awkward. I’m not knocking it completely; it’s right by the Cathedral Green, which is another scenic spot. It’s just probably more appropriate for when your family comes to visit.

Honeymoon – BEST: Glorious Art House WORST: Starbucks WHY?

You’ve successfully broke the ice, did the grafting, made it official, and you’re very, very happy. A moment to appreciate this triumph – ‘Huzzah! Hurray! Gold stickers all round! You go, Glen Coco! Grandma will be proud!’ Whilst Grandma’s approval and gold stickers may be a good ode to celebrating your loved up happiness, so is a Glorious Art House hot chocolate. Positioned on the artsy Fore Street, Glorious Art House is a cherry on Exeter’s cake. Potentially too quirky or isolated for a first date (if you’re the only two on the top floor with another awkward couple, things can get a little strained), Glorious reflects the characteristics and emotions

aligned with the first few months/year of a relationship – fun, unexpected, and never a chore. The staff are incredibly friendly, furthering your positive mood and with the location being slightly away from the high street rush, you can feel like you’re in your own little worlds, together. There’s even a little courtyard for when it’s sunny, as well as lots and lots of chocolate. Need I explain Starbucks? Starbucks kills it. The height of the normal coffee chains, Starbucks is really a choice to go to with friends. On a date, you’re experiencing the rush of dopamine and other fancy chemicals in your brain; you don’t want to accompany this with the norm. You can do better.

Comfortable – BEST: The Imperial WORST: Caffè Nero WHY?

You’ve been together for a while now, and all the initial thrills can come off. You’ve seen them at their worst. Boy, they’ve seen you at your worst. There’s nothing you can hide from them anymore. But, surprisingly, they’re still here. Phew. Not saying that romance completely dies when you get comfortable – date night should always remain a thing. Even my grandparents still do it (points to the older generations). But when you’re both tired after an abysmal day because your seminar leader has a vendetta and won’t give you higher than a 55, you just need the Imperial. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Imperial, and everything that you need is there. The coffee is super cheap and does the job, and you can both sit in the Orangery and you can hide in a less open corner, have a catch up, and keep to yourselves. You’re enjoy each other’s company, and don’t need any thrills to change that. Caffè Nero, on the other hand, is like you’re still trying, but not hard enough. It has that European edge of serving proper Italian coffee, but the overall aesthetic isn’t that exciting. Caffè Nero feels like the oldest feeling

high street branded café; it feels like the elderly uncle you’re going to visit. Overall, you either need to commit and go full out, or you need to accept that you’re not fussed, and go simple. There’s nothing wrong with The Impy, but there’s something wrong with putting on a pretence of trying when you really don’t need to.

Breakup – BEST: Exploding Bakery WORST: Costa WHY?

The stage that no one ever wants to reach. I would never suggest actually breaking up in a café – if you enjoy drinking your coffee rather than wearing it, or not having it drowned in your ex’s tears, then I’d say have the conversation in a less hazardous space. Still, cafés offer the best environment for talking, and going for a coffee to clear the air is something that most of us are familiar with. Exploding Bakery, whilst in hindsight might offer images of your relationship being destroyed, is probably the best café to tend to your wounds. The coffee is exceptional; it may not have as much variety, but the reduced menu is ideal for those who don’t really know what’s going on in their life, and in their heads. The décor isn’t over the top, so you can focus on the situation at hand. But, most importantly, the Exploding Bakery’s range of cake, bakes and pastries is phenomenal. When things are going downhill, you can relieve the pain through your sweet-tooth, and comfort eat your way back to feeling whole again. Avoid Costa. Don’t get me wrong, I get a Costa on campus at least once a week. It’s a treat. But from experience, seeing the heart-shaped stencil appear on your cappuccino following a break-up debrief session is a one way ticket to a very public emotional breakdown. And the cakes don’t really hit the spot to truly fix that sore spot in your chest. Or your gut. Again, like Starbucks, avoid the

norm – get away from the holiday hype, and focus on what you need.

Single – BEST: Artigiano WHY?

Artigiano has an independent feel, which lets you embrace your own independence. With its free Wi-Fi, multiple plug sockets, and both group and smaller tables, Artigiano gives you access to work or socialise alone or with others, giving you complete control. This accompanies its sophisticated atmosphere; it’s current, stylish, and stands out for the usual high street cafés. Hence, it makes you feel like you’re moving forward towards something new, but without isolating yourself. It’s central on the high street, and so you’re right in the centre of the city’s action. Additionally, the drink and food menu is adventurous. It’s exciting, makes you try new things (I thoroughly recommend the Toasty Nougat loose leaf tea and the coconut and dark chocolate flapjack), and therefore lets you immerse yourself in the key things of leading a happy single life – the ability to do new things without being held back, and doing things that you want to do. Its buzzing atmosphere, uniqueness, and warm environment reminds you that it is so okay to be alone. And that we should enjoy being alone. Being alone is sometimes the greatest thing. Like this café. The worst coffee shop for when you’re single? No such thing. Okay, you may get the odd café that is populated by many couples. You may see one too many Valentine’s references, and one too many themed drinks and treats. You might’ve had a heart-shaped stencil on a cappuccino on your last break up. Yet, their happiness shouldn’t diminish yours. You can still drink some great coffee and eat some delicious cake, regardless of your relationship status. Coffee is not just for love, but for life.


arts + lit HE Hopelessly Romantic

Eloise Hardy is hopelessly devoted to being a true romantic

I

broke up with my long term boyfriend this year, someone who made my heart flutter and slightly sweat about the thought of seeing him; my hands always shook when we made eye contact and I saw fireworks when we kissed. We broke up, and now I’m alone for Valentine’s Day. Spoiler alert: I’m actually a serial romantic. No, really. I’m also an English student, which means I have an overactive imagination and a habit of overthinking things so much that it becomes an entirely self-functioning narrative in my head alongside everyday boring life-stuff. This is why books and films are so much better in real life. So, in my heartbreak, I turned to entirely fictional characters to bring me joy. Joy to my entirely sterile, single and horribly depressing nonfiction existence. Take, for example, Bridget Jones. I have a lot in common with her. Honestly, I do. Worn the most embarrassing underwear when getting with someone? Check. Being drenched whilst wearing a totally flimsy outfit so everything is on show? Check. Embarrassing myself on television? Check. It’s all there. In fact, I might actu-

F

ally be Bridget Jones… but there goes my imagination again. Speaking of Bridget Jones, who doesn’t want a Mark Darcy? I have a bit of thing for him if I’m honest. (Marry me Colin) No one pulls off a Christmas jumper like he does, and I hold a bit of a torch for the stuffy quiet types. On a totally separate note, I’ve always loved Wuthering Heights’ Catherine Earnshaw. Any English students reading this, will probably be thinking “Really?” but hear me out. She’s a selfish cow, but all the men are in love with her and she is such a drama queen about everything that she literally dies. What a way to make your point so everyone can get

along. It obviously didn’t really work out that way, but you have to admire her efforts. In terms of making your point, Jane Eyre is pretty successful, and she doesn’t actually die in the process. She describes herself as a “rebel slave” pretty early in the novel, and then goes on to rebel against anything that tries to make her unhappy; Mrs. Reed’s unfair accusations, Rochester’s attempt to make her his mistress, and St. John’s desire to transform her into a missionary wife. She is the best kind of character and puts herself first and guess what? She still gets the guy she loves in the end. I love Jane- she gets everyone to chase her and

The gendered body

still stays cool as anything in the process. Cool as a cucumber Jane. Top notch Jane. My bae Jane. What a top lady.

IN MY HEARTBREAK, I TURNED TO ENTIRELY FICTIONAL CHARACTERS TO BRING ME JOY The romantic heroes aren’t always greatthe Edward Cullen and the Christian Grey types of the world still exist unfortunately, spreading submissive femininity and BDSM misogyny with general arsehole vibes to the masses. I would genuinely rather do a Bridget and fall bare-arse first on a camera during live television than fall into a Bella-like state of depression when my love life doesn’t work out. Don’t worry guys, I’m holding on this Valentine’s Day (despite evidence to the alternative). But if you do have a spare Mark Darcy somewhere, feel free to send him my way.

Emily Garbutt explores how the female form adheres to fashion trends

OR as long as people have been making art, human bodies have been the subject of paintings, sculptures, photography and film. We have always liked looking at other people, and, ultimately, looking at ourselves. The changing nature of art is a reminder that human bodies are subject to the whimsy of fashion, that the skin and bone and fat and muscle that we inhabit are ultimately arbitrary objects as susceptible to trend forecasts as clothes or shoes. And throughout history, no other body has been quite so scrutinised by the spectator’s gaze than the female body. The Ancient Greeks may have liked their statues with their marble kits off, but the female form was shamed for the very nature of its femininity and nude female sculptures were often covered up. However, once they decided it was okay for women to have corporal forms under their tunics, it’s clear from sculptures of Aphrodite of Cnidus et al that fuller figures were the definition of beauty. Paintings and portraiture of the European Renaissance period presented rounder figures as the height of beauty, while the Victorians preferred hourglass silhouettes. However, unlike classical sculptures, these figures were a little more modest. Beneath the gowns and petticoats lurked corsets and all other manner of garments that look like they should belong in one of the more

gruesome exhibits in the Tower of London. Fuller figures may still have been in fashion, but this was a very specific type of figure. One with broken ribs and a poor respiratory system, evidently. The 20th century saw another type of body become fashionable. During the flapper fad of the 1920s boyish silhouettes were often present in art, exem-

plified by idolised celebrities like Clara Bow. Then came Marilyn Monroe and a return to curviness, or Hollywood’s definition of curves, at any rate (her waist was tiny, okay). Gamine frames were back in vogue in the 1960s, epitomised by women like Audrey Hepburn and Mia Farrow. In the 21st century, thin bodies are still seen as the

ideal, despite an often halfhearted push for “plus size” models. Of course, all of these “trends” are very much Western fashions, Eurocentric fads that are, by and large, still usually imposed on the rest of the world (surprise surprise). It could be argued,that the self-portrait was, and continues to be, an important tool for the female artist, an opportunity to blur the line between object and subject. Perhaps the first thing that jumps to mind is Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits; the unflinching black of her monobrow, the shadow of facial hair on her upper lip, and her refusal to conform to the Eurocentric ideal of the female body. When the standards that female bodies are held to are so prone to changing on the fickle tides of fashion, the importance of female artist’s autonomy over the representation of their bodies shouldn’t be overlooked. With the rise of photography in the 21st century, this task is easier than ever. With nearly every phone having its own camera, capturing your own image has never been more accessible, even if this nudge towards a shift in the politics of looking is often subject to criticism and regularly scheduled thinkpieces about narcissism. In the words of art critic, John Berger: “You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting ‘Vanity’”.


SABBATICAL ELECTIONS GUIDE 2017


Guild President

2

MANIFESTO LUKE AVERY Age:

22

Subject: MA Classics Societies: Classics, Entrepreneurs, Snowsports, Lacrosse

HELENA BRENNER Age:

23

Subject: Business and Management Societies: Riding, Hungarian, Spanish

SHADES Age:

20

Subject: English Language & Literature Societies: International Students’ Council, UNICEF on Campus, Women’s Football

KANE DAVIS Age:

21

Subject: Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Societies: RAG, Forensics Society, Biosoc

MANIFESTO

E

NCOURAGE, endorse, and advertise for non-Guild events (sports varsities, music nights, theatre performances etc.). Personalised career plans, and world class skills training to replace eXfactor and the Exeter Award. 1 in 5 recent Exeter graduates don’t have jobs! Make ‘student ideas’ a central part of student experience; a highlight of iExeter and a key part of Guild emails. Currently, only a third of students have ever voted, and most ideas that affect all of Exeter are decided by less than 100 students. Vote on ‘Guild Ideas’ to have a real, meaningful impact on how things are run. Integrate the Uni and CareerZone websites, and improve iExeter to be more useful and user-friendly. Expand the Ram, guide how the new ‘hubs’ are developed, and continue Toby’s quest for more study space.

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OR me, the University has a great relationship with the student body. That’s why I’d like for this relationship to continue to be strong in representing both the university and students’ requirements. One of my main priorities is reshaping the mental health services provided at university, because I know many students are facing problems in this area and require more assistance. On another note, I want to improve iExeter by including some new features: using a system where students can anonymously review their houses and landlords would improve the overall quality of residences. I also want the module feedback students make in Accelerate to be published to students, with a list of steps colleges intend to take to improve the biggest criticisms identified. Additionally, I would like to integrate the services provided by certain colleges to the entirety of the university, such as peer mentoring and personal tutorstudent relationships.

I

CAN sum up my manifesto in one sentence: I want to enhance the university experience for all students, reduce bureaucracy in guild procedures and make Exeter a safe and inclusive community. But I’d love to tell you more, so here goes: Appointment of a figurehead who is in personal contact with students and student-led groups to handle queries related to society finances. Providing clarity on the criteria, application process and deadlines associated with mitigation. Stress relief workshops and events on campus not just during exam season but also during high deadline season (coffee deals , bouncy castle!) Offering key-information (housing, mental health and wellbeing) from the Guild through more pictures and less words to make it more accessible and offering translations of the same to international and INTO students. Introducing career-focused modules starting first year. Grab and go food outlets like subway around campus.

I

THE biggest problem facing exeter

Toby Gladwin

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

ROLE MODEL

FAVOURITE SPOT ON CAMPUS

The biggest problem is how we approach the big problems we have. We leave it all in the hands of a few, but we’re a university of over 21,000 talented students. If the Guild could find a way for us to work together and make sure all of our voices are heard and acted upon, then the biggest problem might not seem so big after all.

My assumption that everyone else likes change – in first year I applied for a bar-staff job at Moz and wrote a three-page letter about all the different ways we could change the queue so people wouldn’t spend an hour getting crushed every Monday. I didn’t get a reply.

Bruce Wayne. He invents Batman to become a symbol for something, and repeatedly says that actions matter more than intentions. Nobody remembers what you meant to do, they only remember what you do – and I always have that philosophy at the back of my mind.

The Holland Hall balcony – I’ve been on so many adventures that either started or ended there, including my first and last nights as an undergrad. I’ve met incredible people, been to balls, watched fire-breathers, live music, and fireworks… and I suppose the view’s ok too.

I believe the biggest problem currently facing Exeter as a city is an environmental one; Exeter does not recycle food waste and struggles with a litter problem. This could be alleviated by providing more bins and a food waste collection service to the wider community (it’s currently only provided to university accommodation), to make recycling much easier. By creating a more sustainable system, costs would be cut and the city would become more environmentally friendly.

I like to be in control, and if I’m not, I’m usually planning my next move to organise my life. It makes me restless at times, but when I figure everything out it reduces my own stress. It also makes me proactive and determined to achieve the best I can.

Michelle Obama is a powerful woman that used her influence to reach and improve people’s lives. She was able to cultivate a career, raise a family and become a figurehead for her nation who is loved and admired. She also promoted many educational programs globally that inspired younger generations.

Anywhere that is sunny! As a Brazilian, I often miss the sunshine and so I think we are really lucky that there are many places to eat, rest and study where the sun shines through. Our campus is covered in green spaces that are especially relaxing on a sunny day.

I think the biggest problem facing Exeter is lack of awareness. This lack of awareness is on both the students’ and the Guild’s end. Majority of students are blatantly unaware of the services and support that the Guild offers, and are thus often dissatisfied, while the Guild is often unaware of students’ problems due to lack of input from students and (sometimes) underrepresentation.

My biggest weakness is that sometimes I take on a bit too much, but I believe it pays off in the end.

The closest thing I have to a role model is my grandfather. I attribute most of achievements in life to the fact that I’m a confident, honest, people-person all of which he helped me inculcate in myself.

My favourite spot on campus are the chairs right outside the library by the forum entrance, I’ve spent enough time there for it to be known as Shades’ spot to my friends. It allows me to de-stress as I often meet new people and catch-up with friends.

Beyoncé. Slayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy kween.

There’s a lush little room downstairs in Hatherly that has sofas and booths for studying. It’s a great place to sit and do work!

A crippling fear of hills. Exeter has been difficult. The Teaching Excellence FrameI really want students to know they can cause change to happen at the work (along with rising food University. At a glance: better food, protected funding, more plugs, improve the prices, merging of student loans and grants, rising rent prices) inLemmy, and A&V at St. Luke’s. creases burden of debt and the cost of living as a student. As a Guild we must mitigate against this as much as is reasonably possible. ’M working towards a Better, Student Focused, Successful Guild.

Current President:

For the average student: money.


SABB ELECTIONS 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

MANIFESTO PETER GILLIBRAND Age:

20

Subject: PPE Societies: RAG, Welsh Soc, EURFC, EUMCC, Soc Exec Rep, ESV (Summer Adventures)

ED MUDD Age: ? Subject: ? Societies: ?

SOMA PIRITYI Age:

21

Subject: Philosophy and Politics Societies: Make Exeter Better Together Community

WILL VASEY Age:

22

Subject: MA European Politics Societies: Nightline, Exeter Student Volunteers, Postgraduate Society

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

THE biggest problem facing exeter

MANIFESTO

I

HAVE five key points. Society and Guild incentives, increase study space availability, campaign against rising tuition fees and to show where our money goes, a better re-freshers week and events around exam week. My manifesto is based around growing the Guild into something an average student knows what they do to represent them. It is a manifesto that is increasing through asking students what they want. Unfortunately I can’t list all my manifesto points, but they will be available on my social media platforms and, if you want to chat to me, I’m always available. #PeteForPres.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

ROLE MODEL

FAVOURITE SPOT ON CAMPUS

There isn’t a singular problem, but one that strikes to mind is the student housing prices. I am staying in the same house in Exeter next year (I’m considering a Masters) and the price has risen by about £30 a month. If the University wants to keep growing student numbers, this has to be addressed due to the importance of this factor on student budgets.

I care too much about what others think. Whilst this could be perceived as a weakness, but I think of it as a strength too. I care about what people want and that’s one of the very reasons I am running for President.

My brother, Adam. He is severely autistic and is an amazing person. He inspires me everyday to leave my house and take life in my hands and to help and represent people. He is also the main reason I run marathons, despite knowing that I do it.

It has to be DH1. One of my favourite things to do is to sit back with a Comida/ coffee and talk to friends in the heart of the student activity on campus.

Students forget that we are in charge at the University - not anybody else. We are customers here, not puppets whose managers and directors are our employees who get their salaries to provide us a high quality service. It always harms my ears when candidates use the word ‘lobby’. We do not need to lobby here. Students only need to decide what they want and that must happen immediately. Why else do we pay £9000 per year?

I tend to think only about others and do not care about myself. Only a limited number of people know that behind the Make Exeter Better Together Community stands only my saved money. Financing such a huge group (500+ members) caused me some hungry moments over the last few months.

Hungarian freedom fighters of the Revolution of 1956. These people were fearless and willing to step up when it counted. They were not slothful sacrificing everything including their own life for what they believe in (democracy and equality). I cannot name people who deserve more respect than these heroes.

The Forum. Every time when I have a chance to admire it I always feel I am standing in the heart of Exeter. But not the building blocks and the modern facilities rather the colorful and lovely people what makes it so special for me.

The steeply rising cost of living. Accommodation, both on and off campus, goes up in price every single year. This means lots of people are now spending the vast majority of their maintenance loans on accommodation. Prices are often increased without any improvement in the quality of properties. The high cost of living means those from poorer backgrounds with no bursary, or without parental support, soon may not be able to attend this incredible university

I’ve struggled with delegation of tasks, often preferring to do them myself. This is something I’ve learned a lot about since becoming co-president of Nightline, and being a Welcome Team Senior. Delegation skills are vital to leadership and something I’m working hard to improve.

Roger Federer. He’s an incredibly talented tennis player who has won a record 18 Grand Slams. But more importantly for me, he’s always incredibly graceful and humble, regardless of the result. He shows huge respect to his opponents and is a real gentleman. Those are qualities I admire.

There are so many amazing places to pick from on this beautiful campus. But I’d have to say the gardens by Reed Hall on a sunny Exeter day. They’re an incredibly tranquil and pretty spot. Perfect for reading a good book or a spot of quiet contemplation.

Exeposé contacted Ed during the production of this Sabb pullout but were told he “ceebs with inteviews and stuff.” Asked whether we could publish this, he told us that if we were “really thirsty for something to write” we could do.

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Y whole manifesto is about protection of students. First of all I want to protect them against the University who decided not to hear anymore the voice of students. It does not matter if we speak about tuition fee rise or lectures at 8:30am. The problem is the same. Furthermore I want to protect students against the greed of the societies. It is clear that over the last few years the membership fees totally got out of control. To regulate it I will create a total fee-value investigation for all societies which can reconstruct the balance between prices and services. Last but not least I want to protect our EU and international students against the possible consequences of Brexit. I want to ensure that these people can finish their degrees. And finally I want the dream of thousands of students, a proper social event time table in iExeter to come true.

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’M Will Vasey the #BowTieGuy. I want to make sure your time at university is as affordable, enjoyable and safe as possible. I’ll do this by expanding the Housing Co-operative I founded. This will help bring down rents for students by taking the profit motive private landlords have out of renting. I’ll also ensure you’re fully prepared for adult life with my ‘Financial Information Directory’ which will give information on how to get a good credit rating, how taxes work etc. I’ll make sure you get safely from a night out by lobbying to start a night bus, as they have at other unis such as St Andrews. I’ll also start dedicated careers fairs for those interested in entering the charitable and artistic sectors. Please do have a look at the full manifesto for more of my ideas. And remember to Vote Vasey the #BowTieGuy.

...ok, no-one likes being called “thirsty.” But if Mudd wants to play hard-to-get, that’s cool. Like, totally. Moving away from that little awkward encounter… the competition for President this year is looking hot. Eight candidates?! That’s more than we’ve seen in a while. Bad news for those running (and for us, trying to squeeze them onto a doublepage) but excellent news for the student body, who’ve got an excellent array of fresh meat to sink their manifesto-studying teeth into. It’s a tough old job, this one. The newly-elected President will represent the student body, talking to

students and sharing their concerns and ideas with the Guild and University. They will act as a key point of contact for the local community, overseeing internal and external communication. As Officer Trustee they also “safeguard the good name and values of the Guild,” “ensure the effective and efficient administration of the Guild,” and “ensure the financial stability of the Guild.” Yep: it’s a handful. Whoever bags this role will have to be good at making their voice heard – but it’s not all about who can shout the loudest. We need someone who’ll genuinely listen to what we need as students, and

do their best to get our points across in a considered and level-headed way. A diplomat, if you will. From housing to mitigation, Student Ideas to mental health services, we’re happy to see issues we’ve covered this year and care deeply about feature in the manifestos. Oh, and we’re super hyped how many candidates want to improve things foodwise on campus. Ram expansions? Subway? Bring it all our way, guys. Basically, if we can’t have Beyoncé, Michelle Obama or Bruce Wayne, we guess one of this lot will do just fine. HB


VP Activities 4

MANIFESTO ALASDAIR GIBBS Age:

20

Subject: Psychology Societies: RAG, Xpression FM

BECCA HANLEY Age:

21 (22 in Sabb Week)

Subject: Maths Societies: Xpression FM, Lib Dems, Footlights, ExTunes, Dancesport

CHARLIE SMEE Age:

23

Subject: MA Medieval Studies Societies: EUTCo, Footlights, Theatre with Teeth, Drama, HistSoc, Welcome Team, Residence Life Team, University Singers, Badminton

Tristan Gatward FAVOURITE SPOT ON CAMPUS

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

ROLE MODEL

HESE are my bright ideas for growing our societies, boosting I think growing intake numbers risk damaging the student our student experience and developing our democracy: experience. The total number of Exeter - Reimagine the Lemon Grove from the ground up. A new look, students went up by more with better facilities, and opening on a new night. - Refresh Refreshers. A one-off Refreshers’ Fair, an end-of-exams than a thousand in 2016/17, which is why campus feels celebration, local club nights and a week of #WeAreAllExeter. - Ensure value-for-money sign-ups. Get societies to justify their increasingly crowded. The gym membership fees, offering free or affordable events as part of is packed, the library is often at full capacity, and societies their full calendar. - Build society links. Introduce a termly Big Society Coffee are having to get creative with where they host events. Morning and internal event calendar for committees. - Create a dedicated start-up fund for new societies, with small loans or grants, growing our Guild.

My handwriting. It’s honestly more like hieroglyphics than English. Thankfully you asked me to type this, because otherwise it would’ve been like cracking the Enigma code.

Mary Berry, CBE. Our national treasure was born before the Second World War began and she’s still keeping the standard of cake-baking in this country very high. I can only hope to offer the Guild the same service she’s offered the culinary arts.

Amory. Sometimes I go in with a blindfold and spend an afternoon trying to get back out. The game reinvents itself every time.

Students who can’t afford to a) live here, and b) have the university experience, including joining societies, if they cannot afford membership. #WeAreAllExeter and we all deserve equal opportunities. Whatever background you come from, I believe that our futures can all be just as bright, and that’s what this initiative will hopefully bring about. In the last year Exeter’s percentage of deprived pupils admitted to the uni has fallen (HESA, 2016).

I find it very easy to get stressed. Doing a maths degree, a part time job and a few committees means there’s always something I should be doing.

Michelle Obama. She’s an incredibly smart and talented woman who’s always conducted herself with grace and elegance and has championed some fantastic initiatives such as Let Girls Learn.

I love working in The Grove. They have great milkshakes, food, and their playlists are on point.

The biggest problem for Exeter is space. Space to work, space to play and space to live. Student numbers are continually rising and increases in the cost of education, accommodation and living are, quite rightly, driving students to expect more. In recent years, the University hasn’t kept pace with these demands. We need to ensure that we’re using all existing space, as well as building more for future years and providing affordable accommodation.

Chocolate fingers. No, really, I’m not a great conversationist. I have Asperger’s which can sometimes make socialising a bit tricky. I’m fine if there’s a purpose to the conversation but can struggle with small-talk. I’ve been aware of this for a while though and I’m continually working to improve on it.

Norman Wisdom, a twentieth century comic actor but so much more. Despite a difficult childhood, he became army flyweight boxing champion, an amateur footballer, dancer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author, philanthropist and a fantastic serious as well as comic actor. He did everything and gave everything his all.

In the winter, Queen’s Café is warm, a great place to work or meet and has the best coffee on campus. In the summer, the area around Roborough and the chapel is quiet with great views over Exeter and I associate it with theatre and music, my favourite pastimes.

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- Improve A&V: reducing paperwork and bureaucracy, as well as introducing a student staff member at St. Luke’s. - Introduce a wellbeing course for committees and regular meetand-greets with Sabbs, staff, and Soc Exec, so you know where to go for help. - Improve employability and networking by creating an alumni network, introducing societies to relevant professionals, and potentially increasing income via donations. - Create a Guild crowdfunding page for easier fundraising. - Increase recognition by creating an online volunteering log, and a bigger and better Societies’ Ball with awards. - Investigate improvements to the room booking system, and ways to tackle the lack of society space. - Hold an international careers fair with overseas opportunities that aren’t just TEFL and study abroad.

P

UT Your Faith in Smee for VP Activities. I’ve loved getting involved as much as possible at Exeter and I want to make your experience here as great as it can possibly be. Students’ concerns often remain the same each year. I will be a stronger voice to represent you and find lasting solutions. Space on campus: I will open up spaces like the Great Hall, make the Lemmy bookable as three separate areas and install more lockers. Money & Funding: I will introduce a Society Startup Fund, a dedicated Arts & Culture budget, and I’ll protect ExTunes and XMedia funding. Eating options: I will ensure that food outlets offer appropriate options, install more microwaves and kettles and add a covered patio to the Ram. Advertising: I will setup an online system for the DH1 advertising screens and add other screens, increase advertising space and streamline the Guild events page.

F EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

THE biggest problem facing exeter

Current VP Activities:

OR this year’s VP Activities candidates, funding is the key, with a particular focus on smaller societies; this is clearly great news for all of us, and will hopefully boost the variety of social options on campus next year. Alasdair Gibbs’ society socialising sounds like a positive change, as do his cost-saving measures - it’s nice to see he’s

putting students first. However, I wonder if his Lemmy redesign ideas are a step too far? Exeposé are glad to have heard from Becca Hanley about the future of student media, and a Guild crowdfunding page (as seen at other universities like York) has the potential to bolster our university community for the better. Charlie Smee’s arts and culture

budget is a breath of fresh air, but obviously it all depends on the implementation: over the years, we’ve seen some questionable (and expensive) sculptures pop up on campus, so hopefully he’s planning on supporting student societies instead. But are voters interested in more advertising screens around DH1? *Insert generic Black Mirror comment here* JB

“This is clearly great news, and will hopefully boost the variety of social options on campus next year”


VP Education Age:

20

Subject: Ancient History Societies: Classics Soc, Lacrosse, XTV

Bry loveless Age:

20

Subject: Theology with Arabic Studies Societies: Xpression, Theology Society, AMES Society, Theology SSLC Student Ambassador

matt wilcock Age:

22

Subject: History & Politics Societies: HistSoc, Exeposé, Hockey

Harry Reeve

MANIFESTO 1. Advertise free study space. Keep DH1 and Pieminister open 24/7. Look into expanding the Business School’s ‘free study room pod’ system. 2. Expand the University’s academic health resources. Lobby the University to have a student welfare officer in every department building, and promote the Individual Learning Plan. 3. Combat drop-out rates by improving services for minority groups. Increase support for interrupted students, study abroad students, and lobby the Uni to translate academic forms and pages on the website. 4. Rebrand SSLCs to improve visibility. This includes strategy skills days and clearer description of roles. 5. Write a handbook of all University and Guild funding options for subject committees and societies, so funding is more accessible. 6. Promote modularity. Longer descriptions of modules, rethink module choice procedures. 7. Promote our research and academic community.

In Exeter, we often only hear the loudest voices. As a community we all have unique needs, and want different things from university. As we saw from the “hubs” project, there is a tendency to lump all students together as having the same problems. As VP Education, I want to ensure that all voices are heard, whether that be a grumble about a module, or a call for help about something more serious.

I can’t cook. I’ve really tried to learn, but no matter what I do I’m still awful. My dream is to become one of those people who actually uses tupperware and stuff like that, and doesn’t just roll out of bed and order Domino’s for breakfast.

My role model is a uni friend, who always bounces back from the worst. She will run out to buy cheesy chips when you’re cursing that evil course tutor, and will bring makeup wipes to every situation. If I become anything like her, I will feel pretty darn good.

I love DH1, its the best spot for procrastinating. I’ll sit there for hours on end, clutching my cold Comida coffee and “having meetings” about who did what last night.

For the University, the biggest problem has to be intake. We’re a popular Russell Group university, so it’s no wonder that increasingly more students want to join us, but that becomes more of a worry as accommodation and campus services are stretched. For the students, the biggest problem will likely be the increase in fees according to TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework). With fees set to rise, making sure that students still get a quality student experience is of the highest importance.

Second to cake, my biggest weakness if definitely over-committing myself. I tend to enthusiastically say yes to something, without thinking of the implications that could have (e.g. a 12 hour day on campus…) #FOMO is real and it’s also a problem - getting exhausted isn’t fun and it isn’t healthy!

It would have to be my 97-year-old grandfather who is currently on holiday in Portugal. He’ll probably be driving back from the airport in his lime green soft-top next week. Otherwise, Canon Andrew White: he’s a man of incredible courage who, in spite of living with MS, has worked much of his life in Baghdad and even invited ISIS to dinner.

Hands down, the Forum wins every time. I love the energy that it has as the hub of campus and the sense of community there is there. I honestly could spend most of my day there!

Communication between the four different branches of University; students, professional services, faculties, and academic staff. So many good ideas and Some of your ideas so far: answers get stuck somewhere - Expand the iExeter app to include a grade calculator. in between. Also most student - Organise a TED-style conference. questions have been answered - Lobby for more bursaries for working class and black scholars. - Host welcome socials to kick-start the tandem language scheme before but the information is - Encourage student-led classes to spread skills from coding to not easily accessed. To help you ‘get along with it all’ I will look event oganisation. firstly at where all this informaLike I say, read the whole manifesto and submit your ideas at the tion is hiding and how we can link students to answers in a above link. Top suggestion wins a prize. clear and fun fashion.

Can I write 3,000 words in 24 hours? Create a campaign video despite my subpar acting? Dance away in Unit 1 sober from 10pm-2am? Sometimes we all want to crash, give up, blame circumstances and I’m guilty of that too. I’ve done the above three in the past week. Some more self-belief would go a long way.

JK Rowling, for following a wonderful idea on a train to its magical end. For mental fortitude, perseverance, and belief in the world she was creating Rowling belongs in Exeter Hall of Fame. I’m rereading her books in German now - calling it ‘revision’. Sticking to an idea, making it happen - you show ‘em JK!

Library -1. It’s 6am, the essay deadline is no longer on the horizon, but four hours away. You’ve been here since 10pm, with half of your History class. Caffeine, Domino’s, and the laughter of friends has got you this far. It’s the one sole crucible of studentship. Then sweet success of submission: “On time!” Three cheers to all!

M

Y manifesto is entitled #togetherweARE because together we need Access to, Resources for and Engagement with our education. Access to education is about giving students regular support and equal opportunities, including: a fairer timetable for everyone; pushing for two weeks of January exams; a review of deadline clustering, mitigation processes and module assessments. Resources for education is about materially supporting all students to enable effective learning and study, including: pushing for more quality student space; online applications to request new books; expansion of the current study space app; free coffee for students with four 8:30s; charging stations on campus for laptops and iPhones. Engagement with education encourages students to take ownership of their degrees and look into employability opportunities beyond: giving all the ability to access SSLCs online through the iExeter app; re-thinking reading week; ensuring that, even with the potential increase in fees, students still get a quality student experience.

M

Y manifesto remains open to your suggestions at www.exeternamegame.com - please go there and submit your suggestions! The idea behind this is to celebrate, encourage, and connect student ideas.

D EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

Current VP Education:

THE biggest problem facing exeter

MANIFESTO helena leslie

SABB ELECTIONS 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

ESPITE the Guild’s last-minute panic to find candidates for VP Education this year, this trio all seem up to the task. It’s good to see some focus on SSLCs, which have a lot of potential and yet never seem to engage with students in an effective or productive way. Promoting research with conferences and talks also sounds like a welcome addition. However, none of the

campaigns seem willing to combat the ridiculous costs of study books, which are crippling students. Helena Leslie seems especially focused on study space, which is obviously incredibly important at Exeter, but arguably she isn’t proposing many other benefits for the typical student. Bry Loveless has a detailed manifesto - and surprisingly it’s

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BIGGEST WEAKNESS

the only one to mention reading week - but perhaps she should have realised, for example, that new books can also be accessed online. Finally, Matt Wilcock’s unique idea of crowd-sourcing suggestions sounds promising, but it relies on a politically-engaged campus; looking at the Student Ideas page these days, it could go either way, but we’re optimistic that Exeter could deliver.

JB

FAVOURITE SPOT ON CAMPUS

“None of the campaigns seem willing to combat the ridiculous, crippling costs of study books”


VP Welfare & Diversity

6

Age:

23

Subject:International Relations with French and Spanish Societies: Soul Choir, Intramural Football, Ethical Exeter campaign

HAYDEN COOPER Age:

22

Subject: Archaeology and Anthropology Societies: Socialist Students, Friends Of Palestine

HOPE HUGHES Age:

20

Subject: History & Politics Societies: RAG, Mind Your Head

KAT KARAMANI Age:

21

Subject: Psychology Societies: DVP Wellbeing, Liberation Council, Ultimate Frisbee, Exeposé, Just Love, ECU, RAG

Alec James

THE biggest problem facing exeter

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

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FAVOURITE SPOT ON CAMPUS

For me the biggest problem facing Exeter is that not all students at our university are able to make the most of their time here. Exeter is so full of opportunities, but low selfesteem, not feeling included, unaffordability, and mental health issues can be barriers to someone joining a society, getting involved, or being inspired by their degree. We only get a few years of student life, and we all deserve to enjoy them.

So my biggest weakness is that no matter how early I begin something, I will be working on it till the last second. (Like this survey, I’ll admit!) If Exeter has taught me one thing, it’s that even if you want to keep improving something, submit drafts. ALWAYS submit drafts….

Definitely my old drama teacher. She saw us students as individuals rather than just a class who needed to pass exams. She gave up so much time to put on school plays, help students out and be a supportive figure, and I aspire to be like that myself.

Moberly! I know this halls of residence can often evoke a sceptical eyebrow-raise in conversation, but I wouldn’t trade my first year in Exeter or the people I met for anything. Even the daily ascent of Cardiac Hill can be looked back on with some degree of nostalgia.

N five points: Fairer mitigation, better mental healthcare, safeguards Kind of a cheating answer but for international students, a disabled students’ officer, and stress. People are so stressed and about so many things: living affordability on campus. costs, grades, deadlines. Stress - We need a mitigation system which is uniform and where doctor’s makes everything harder to deal with. notes can’t be overturned. - We need drop-in sessions for mental health and a radical campaign around it. - We need to push prices down and freeze rent on campus. - We need a portfolio to defend international students from deportation. - We need representation for disabled students.

Rather than saying “umm” or “ahh”, I’ve got a terrible habit of swearing. Often leads to people thinking I don’t like them, which is well awkward.

José Sarria. World War Two veteran. Drag Queen who held protests outside prisons against anti LGBTQ laws. First openly gay man to run for office in the US. Founder of one of the largest LGBT charities in world history.

The spot with the stream and the forest in between Amory and Laver. I’m in a deep romantic love with that spot, it’s proper quiet and occasionally you see squirrels.

I’d have to say Carrie Fisher. She was an incredible advocate for mental health and addiction awareness. She was forthright and no-nonsense and basically didn’t take anyone’s shit. She used her platform to discuss sexism, ageism and mental health and was fearless in doing so. Also, big Star Wars fan.

Day-to-day you can probably find me lurking around DH1 and A&V, but I’d say my favourite spot on campus is the path between the Forum and Reed Hall. We’re so lucky to have such a green campus and it’s so nice in autumn.

Joe Biden - he is an inspiration and the support that he gives to Obama is the support I want to give to all students... plus memes.

Outside Reed Hall, it is so beaut and chill - if you haven’t gone yet go!! May even increase your wellbeing!

MANIFESTO JESS CASSIDY

Current VP Welfare & Diversity:

I

AIM to make positive changes in four key areas: mental health support, making student life more affordable and less stressful, more celebration of diversity and the environment. I believe mental health discourse needs to reach even students who are reluctant to contact wellbeing services. This means straightforward advice in course induction talks, clarifying online support, and supporting student initiatives on campus. Plus more funding and more wellbeing staff on campus. Students also deserve affordable accommodation, later release dates for houses to reduce housing stress, subsidised graduation gowns, cheaper healthy food on campus and a reading week. I will listen to students and support changes to facilitate diversity, like greater accessibility and more gender-neutral loos. I will also celebrate diversity more and co-ordinate more platforms and publicity for student and society events. Among other environmental improvements, I will provide better rewards for re-using coffee cups in order to cut waste.

I

H

I, I’m Hope, and I’d like to represent you as your VP Welfare & Diversity. My key manifesto points are: supporting the housing co-operative to address the cost of student housing, organising weekly drop-ins so students can voice their concerns and provide feedback (or just have a chat!), improve and standardise mitigation procedures so that everyone has access to the same support regardless of course, provide a platform for campaigns that promote diversity, and offer drug testing kits to students. I want to be able to represent and support every Exeter student, and that means talking to you guys about what you need, and adjusting where necessary. I want Exeter to be as safe, inclusive and supportive a place as it can be, for everyone. If I’m elected it will give me an opportunity to consult more students about what they #HopeFor, so I can push for what you, as Students, need.

I

‘M planning to introduce of meditation classes and self-defence classes that I’ve already begun putting into place. As DVP Wellbeing I’ve begun contacts for installing a nap room on campus. I’d also like to introduce subsidies for societies; this would be an opportunity for students unable to afford society memberships to take part in things they’re passionate about. I’ll create a new multifaith prayer space on both Streatham & St Luke’s campus and introduce an International Week once a term. I plan to remove Saturday exams, to make certain that January exams are spread over two weeks, and to ensure that every course receives a reading week (or half-week if the course can’t allow a full week) so that everyone gets rest. I’ll introduce an initiative whereby if a student has walked 10,000 steps or more, Monday-Sunday, they receive a free hot drink the next week. And I’m working for a ‘veggie & vegan’ cafe in Amory. Food waste, with donations continuing to go to homeless projects, and a clothes collection for refugees.

The University is increasing fees DSP. and student numbers each year without making the necessary expansions to key support services. Landlords are capitalising on high demand for student housing, halls are getting increasingly expensive and the wait times for the wellbeing centre are unacceptable. The increase in fees has to reflect an improvement in the quality and quantity of support services for students, as well as a commitment to affordability by the University. Students who can’t afford to a) live here and b) have the university experience - including joining societies if they cannot afford membership. #WeAreAllExeter and we all deserve equal opportunities. Whatever background you come from, I believe that our futures can all be just as bright and that’s what this initiative will hopefully bring about. In the last year Exeter’s percentage of deprived pupils admitted to the uni has fallen (HESA, 2016).

I will work on something all through the night if I feel I have to, just to make it perfect, meaning I don’t always prioritise sleep/rest.


SABB ELECTIONS 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

MANIFESTO

THE biggest problem facing exeter

Y manifesto is all about ensuring that student voices are heard. I do not want anyone to feel like they are ignored or not represented by the Guild whether they are a postgraduate, experience mental health problems or from a group that faces societal oppression. Creating a Community Engagement Award similar to the Exeter Award which will incorporate sustainable welfare-related projects and volunteering is something I am determined to offer you. I want to harness the considerable potential of the student body to promote positive change, and to create a specific pathway towards recognition of this in order to foster a greater sense of community. In all, you can expect a practicality from campaigns that go further than just raising awareness and actually result in great, great change. Let’s celebrate the diversity of a campus where, beneath the surface, we all bleed green.

The biggest problem facing Exeter in terms of university students is the current strain on welfare resources evident by the length of time students can be made to wait for an appointment with our Wellbeing Services. It’s amazing that mental health issues are becoming less stigmatised and more people are seeking help, but the University and the Guild need to work on accommodating student welfare needs.

Not engaging with Guild societies. Anxiety always got the better of me and prevented me from going alone. If you are reading this, know that you will not meet any other candidate more ready to fight your corner. You don’t need to go it alone.

Leslie Knope from Parks & Rec, I have a framed photo of her on my desk. She is so enthusiastic and dedicated towards everything she does, even when everyone around her believes her goals are impossible to achieve. Exeter is my Pawnee, and it would be really cool if I could be Exeter’s Leslie Knope.

My favourite spot on campus is probably the duck pond by Washington Singer, I spent a lot of downtime there between experiment slots when I was doing my psychology dissertation two years ago. It’s a good quiet place to sit with a hot chocolate.

1. Coin machine in the Forum. 2. Pads and condoms vending machines in the Forum toilets. 3. Properly working printers. 4. Psychological career mentoring lectures. 5. More guidance on healthcare. A leaflet with full information on health support will be included in arrival packs. 6. Resolving problems with accessing Wi-Fi and slow-working computers. 7. Online platform with a simple interface to help students get direct psychological support. 8. Provide charging points.

Underestimation of psychological problems students face. Depression is more common than we think it is. Depression is different from stress, and it really affects our lives on daily basis. The public view of depression and its symptoms needs to be changed.

Impatience. I always need to have things done quickly and I don’t like waiting for people.

My high school teacher. This is a person who always remembers to smile at you, who’s always there to listen and support you. She would always remind me that apart from getting a degree and building a career, it is important to stay kind.

Camper Coffee in the Queen’s Building, undoubtedly. Coffee and great views- all I need to get inspiration to study. I love staying there after my Chinese lectures.

I think it’s when people suffer I think it could be that in silence, because it is in those I’m way too nice. times I feel that people need the most support.

Bob Goff. He leads an NGO that provides education to kids in conflict zones, and is a lecturer and an itinerant speaker. But more than that, he’s someone who believes in whimsy, and in spreading love and joy everywhere you go - which is something I want to do with my life.

To study? I really like the part of the library where the checkout kiosks are, and the tables outside the -1 silent study room. To just chill and explore? I love the forested area behind Lafrowda and the Business School.

I have a lot of selfdoubt and sometimes I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. It’s about believing in yourself when you want to do something. There’s nothing that can’t be fixed, and I should always try and do, otherwise I might regret it, and end up doubt myself again.

My biggest role model would have to be Shaun King, a social activist in the United States for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. He is not afraid to criticise and advocate for change. It’s always interested me how he’s managed to weave social media so deeply in his activism and invoke action.

My favourite spot on campus is Reed Hall Gardens. I really love ducks, and I always see them waddling in the pond whenever I visit to clear my head. It’s a really quiet space and just makes the world seem really calm and still. And I get to feed ducks.

MANIFESTO LOUISE ORD Age:

22

Subject: MA Philosophy and Sociology of Science Societies: Postgraduate Society

Olena Savytska Age:

19

Subject: International Relations with Security and Strategic Studies with Mandarin Societies: Ukrainian Society, MUN, Politics Society

Samuel Shie Age:

21

Subject: Politics and International Relations Societies: Nooma Society, Exeter Model UN Society

Nicola Wong Age:

20

Subject: Drama Societies: Shotgun Theatre, Theatre with Teeth, Drama Society, ExTunes

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

M

I

NCREASE exposure for volunteering opportunities and incentives to volunteer: Breakfast for Nightline; Volunteering Fair twice a term (including ESV, RAG, and town opportunities); More recognition of volunteers - awards!; More exposure and publicity of the volunteering database on the Guild website; Donation boxes at Guild outlets all year donations will go to ESV and RAG every alternate month; More easilyavailable and accessible wellbeing and housing information; Guide available on everything you need to know about housing; More publicity towards alternative Wellbeing services available; #SelfCareSaturdays! Activities on Campus to de-stress during stressful times: bouncy castle on campus, bubble wrap, fruit, free snacks and coffee/tea/hot chocolate; Continue and expand #NeverOk and #WeAreAllExeter: Feel that we need to address racial prejudice; Listening to you!; Booth in the Forum, in INTO and at St. Luke’s fortnightly with coffee, hot chocolate, tea and biscuits; Sit in once a month on different council meetings.

I

’M dedicated to creating a Students Guild that can better support our students. I’d like to set up a Pastoral Team, that can work as a student group under the advice unit to act as a mid-point for support before students go to Wellbeing. I’m also dedicated to creating a longterm campaign for diversity, which will be called #BreakingBarriers. It’ll take the form in Forum overhaul and food markets, and national societies will be able to place bids to participate. I’m also working on sustaining the campus grounds and creating more points of recycling across campus. Housing is a huge issue: students are panicked into buying houses that aren’t great. I’d like to sit down and discuss with real estate agents and student landlords in July and discuss housing contracts and stagger out the release of houses. This way students can feel less panicked over housing and make informed choices.

W

ELFARE & Diversity always seems to be a hotly-contested position, and this year is no different, with a total of eight candidates running! They all seem equally fit for the role and passionate about the position. The job description for Welfare & Diversity is to ensure “that each

Wellbeing support is a huge issue. Most students are not able to get wellbeing support right away. By relocating the advice unit space to a more centralised space, they know that they can go to alternative spaces for support. I’d also like to introduce a Pastoral Team which acts as an intermediary between students and wellbeing. Both teams can relieve pressure on wellbeing and support students in the short term.

and every student has adequate support for any issues that they might encounter as a student... and to proactively represent students’ rights on and off campus.” So, how do these candidates want to do that? Well, most of them touch on the affordability of uni. Many also want to sort out the absolute mess that is

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Exeter’s accommodation. Another big one appears to be mental health provisions and funding for wellbeing. With a wealth of interesting and original ideas littered throughout, including drug testing kits, meditation classes, a Pastoral Team, and more opportunities for volunteering, this one will be a close call indeed. BL

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FAVOURITE SPOT ON CAMPUS

“They all seem equally fit for the role and passionate about the position”


AU President 8

THE biggest problem facing exeter

MANIFESTO

JIM BALSHAW Age:

22

Subject: Economics with European Study Societies: Men’s Football, BFS

ISSY COLE Age:

20 (“but I turn 21 during campaigns week!”)

Subject: Anthropology Societies: Triathlon, Anthropology Soc

BIBEK GURUNG Age:

21

Subject: Philosophy & Theology Societies: Badminton, Volleyball, Calisthenics, Table Tennis, Chess, Debate

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

M

S the current Welfare officer on the AU exec I want to create a welfare in Sport pledge to make it a central and common topic of conversation within all clubs. This means clubs pledging to increase awareness through designated welfare representatives or sending more people on Student mind courses. I want to increase the publicity of BUCS Wednesdays. I would engage more in social media promotion and organise transport for spotlight fixtures so that we have bigger home crowds resulting in better performances. I would increase the AU’s charitable initiatives, and nominating a charity each. I would help clubs run sponsored events and encourage involvement with Guild projects such as the refugee clothes collections. The AU needs to be more inclusive, with higher female participation. I want to run more free circuit sessions and running groups as well as lobbying the sports park to freeze gym prices.

I

want to give back to YOU. The students of Exeter who have made my time at University the amazing gift that it is. I want us to work together to forge a United AU that strives for excellence and settles for nothing short of perfection. The best sports university in the country deserves the best from its AU and I vow to help you get it. Let us start by first... 1. Strengthening the alumni programs currently present within the AU. 2. Expanding our social media by 50% as well as improving the quality and range of the content that we release. 3. Increasing the number of international students participating in sports. 4. Making stash more affordable to students. To accomplish anything worthwhile requires the help of your friends. So, I ask you now to please be my friend and help me unite our AU.

A

pretty mixed bag of AU candidates this year, and it’s nice to see an equal split of male and female candidates too. With six candidates running compared to only two last year, it’s a popular role with plenty of competition. All six candidates are involved in a diverse range of sports societies, with not all BUCS sports. Although AU president is a sabbatical role, they are accountable to the Athletic Union Council and

Josh Callander

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

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EXETER HIGHLIGHT

Sometimes I love admin a little bit too much, and that makes me look a bit boring. I also love a good dad joke (debatable as a weakness) and if I think of one I will tell you. But I can down a pint in 8... minutes.

My Grandad, he was incredibly selfless. He sadly passed away when I was doing my GCSEs, but he was a doctor and spent his whole life helping others despite his own problems. It’s something I try to replicate as football club captain, and wish to do again as AU President.

The football varsity this year. Tom, my co-club captain, and I worked so hard with the AU to pull it off and in the end it was a fantastic evening. 3300 attended to watch us thrash Swansea 4-2, but most importantly help us say goodbye to Loris, with his family watching. A wonderful evening for the EUAFC, and the University as a whole.

From an AU perspective one of the biggest problems is encouraging those who previously have little or no interest in sport to get involved. As such a successful sporting University I can imagine it would be intimidating to join clubs, therefore I want to make sport as accessible as possible by having more one off sports tournaments and more pitch up and play sessions.

Peshwari naan! Although it may be bad for you, there is nothing like Raj to end the night…

For me, it’s my friend and past Senior Women’s Rowing Captain, Seun. Having worked with her on committee and trained everyday together I’ve never seen someone manage life so well. Alongside studying medicine she manages GB rowing trials, is the current Boat club VP and a constant source of positivity.

My sporting highlight is winning rowing BUCS gold last year. Nothing beats that feeling when all the hard works pays off. My non-sporting highlight is the postexam period last summer, so many events to enjoy, a great way to end the year, especially when the sun is shining!

The biggest problem facing the University at the moment is the inability of our facilities to accommodate the rising number of students each year. Having more students is great for the university. However, we do need to be careful not to reduce the quality of experience of the individual students. If this means that we need to start investing more money into newer facilities then that’s what I think ought to be done.

Fear of failure. I’m a dreamer who one day wishes to change the world. What terrifies me is the possibility that I might fail. That is why I put my heart and soul into everything that I do, and I would carry this attitude with me as your AU President.

Batman. Batman taught me that you don’t need to have super powers or magic rings to do great things and to be a good person. You just need to strive to be more than what you currently are and be relentless in your endeavour to do so.

Becoming the VicePresident of the AU. Being elected VicePresident is one of my proudest accomplishments to date, and it was through this that I began to develop a genuine sense of confidence and self-belief. Along with a passionate desire to give back to the University that gave me so much.

Y manifesto aims at improving all sides of sport, be it an In terms of sport, equality; not AU club, intramural or casual gym-goers, in multiple ways to just between genders, but also make the student experience the most enjoyable it can be: the level of sport. No matter what sport people 1. Reduce the gap between male and female AU clubs. play or what level they play at, everyone should take part knowing that the environ2. More, bigger and better Varsities. ment they play in is at a high quality standard and that their 3. Restructure Intramural leagues to solve their issues. achievements and/or issues are fully recognised and acted upon 4. Increased coaching opportunities for all sports club. when necessary. 5. Move AU membership to a fully online platform.

A

Current AU President:

Exec, rather than the Students’ Guild like the other Sabb roles. Part of their role is to spend five working days every term over at St. Lukes campus, but the AU Pres is primarily based at the Sports Park on Streatham campus. Both Alex Harper, Jim Bashaw and Issy Cole address the issue of gender participation in sport, although it would have been interesting to hear how the latter proposes to address this inequality.

Accessibility is something the candidates have in common, with all wanting to make all levels of the AU accessible, regardless of whether they’re BUCS level or intramural. Harper’s proposal for women’s only evening sessions and Cole’s policy of more free circuits and running groups would be set to make the AU more inclusive. Robinson’s idea of an AU for all is welcome, and it’ll be interesting to see how her policies reflect this. SK


SABB ELECTIONS 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

MANIFESTO

THE biggest problem facing exeter

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

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EXETER HIGHLIGHT

HE theme of my campaign is ensuring the Athletic Union is accessible and inclusive to all students. I believe that everyone should feel they have a stake in the AU, every student should be able to find a sporting opportunity they enjoy. The work of the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign will be further extended to encourage female participation in sport. I propose women’s only evening sessions in the ADC gym to give girls the opportunity to train in a less intimidating environment. I will work with external clubs and coaches to host taster sessions in sports, such as sitting volleyball, which are accessible to disabled students. I will also lobby for open, beginnerfriendly taster sessions throughout the year, providing a gateway into university sport. Finally, I will promote stronger cooperation between the Guild and the AU. Together we can extend the reach of media campaigns and improve the Exeter experience.

In my opinion, the biggest problem is that Exeter doesn’t always feel like a unified community. It seems that at times AU clubs are perceived as having little in common with Guild societies, but we’re all part of the same university! Sport has an incredible power to bring people together. I believe that if all students, not just BUCS competitors, feel they are invested in the AU, it will help foster a more unified community.

I can be bad at delegating, I like to be in control of everything when I’m working on a project. Group projects for my course and playing team sport have both taught me to acknowledge my weaknesses and utilise others’ strengths, which has been essential in putting together my campaign.

Dame Sarah Storey embodies the drive and determination that marks a truly great athlete. After illness prematurely ended her successful career as a Paralympic swimmer, she switched to cycling and became utterly world-dominating, securing 27 world titles. Her exceptional resolve is truly inspirational.

My highlight is beating Leeds Met in a BUCS quarter final. We were clear underdogs but managed to pull out a win in front of an amazing crowd at Duckes. That feeling of achievement shared with so many friends epitomises everything I love about sport at Exeter.

For Exeter Uni there is definitely an all round space issue. From student housing to study space to training space. The student population keeps growing and the various facilities are struggling to keep up. There isn’t particularly a quick fix when the growth is both beneficial and detrimental. Exeter City in general? I think the homelessness issue really needs more attention. There are organisations and systems in place but they could use more support.

My lack of upper body strength! Realistically I’m learning how to not micromanage - when something isn’t done how I think it should be, or it’s not done on time, I struggle to not step in, even if I know I shouldn’t.

I’m not sure... I think inspiration comes from lots of people in lots of areas – I’d like to emulate Maya Angelou’s honesty and communication skills, Audrey Hepburn’s compassion, and Sophie Christianson’s perseverance and dedication through adversity to achieve excellence.

The events that, three years ago, I would have laughed at the idea of being involved in: Rock Solid, Touch Rugby, Intramural. My highlights have been spending time with good friends doing things I would never have considered possible before uni, which have shown me what I’m capable of.

Di

ALEX HARPER Age:

22

Subject: History Societies: Lacrosse, setting up a Dodgeball Society

EMILY ROBINSON Age:

21

Subject: Theology and Religion Societies: EUFAS, Theology Soc, Taekwon-Do

IMO WADE-PALMER Age:

T

I

believe in building an AU that includes people regardless of ability or confidence. An AU that is present and active on all campuses. That publicises one off events, taster sessions, and sporting opportunities all year round. An AU that is closely connected with the Guild and is easy to understand. An AU for All, so everyone can enjoy sport at uni. Whether or not you’re good at your sport, whether or not you can play regularly, whether or not you’ve missed the freshers week opportunity to try something new. Sport should be something that everybody can try, and everybody can love, whether or not you’ve ever tried it before, even if it’s a big BUCS sport. I believe in making the AU work for you, to help you get the best out of your time at Exeter. I’m asking for your help to make an AU For All.

I

want to create an AU which addresses important issues and In a sporting context, not enough The temptation of TP Steven Gerrard, a true Winning the league leader on and off the with EULFC. keeps us in touch with our past students sports get the recognition they on a Wednesday pitch! deserve

20

Subject: Philosophy and Theology Societies: Women’s Football

DID YOU KNOW? BEING A SABB IS A 12 MONTH POSITION commencing 1 July THE POSITIONS OF GUILD PRESIDENT, AU PRESIDENT, VP ACTIVITIES, VP WELFARE AND VP EDUCATION WERE PAID IN 2015-16 A Salary OF £18,500 pER ANNUM

Photo: Yong Yan Wang


SABB ELECTIONS 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

6

Campaigning: who’d do it?

Laurel Bibby Lifestyle Editor

“H

Running a great campaign takes a lot of work in a wide range of areas, from time management and scheduling to T-shirt designs, social media and video editing. Watching so many different components come together is a pretty impressive feat, and I learned so many new skills during the week. On that first rainy Monday on Cardiac Hill, approaching someone to talk about a Sabb campaign seemed like the scariest thing in the world, but by the end of the week I was having in-depth discussions with students I’d never met

Photo: Edwin Yeung

EY, you’ve put down a lot of hours to campaign for on the Doodle – how many are you actually willing to do?” I said it during Campaign Week last year and I’ll say it again now: there aren’t many things I would voluntarily get up for at 6.30am – five days in a row. Nevertheless, regardless of whether or not I’d been hit by a stroke of madness that week, there I was: standing in the rain on Cardiac Hill at 8am on a Monday morning, trying my best to engage groups of tired, grumpy, out-ofbreath Freshers and wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into. Campaign Week is crazy, there’s no denying it. Whether you’re a bewildered first year arriving late to class after listening to five different pitches on your way up Forum Hill, or a seasoned third year with your head down, earphones in and readily prepped line: “I’ve already voted for [insert name on campaigner’s T-shirt here]” (yeah, we know you’re lying), it’s a week that throws a spanner in the works. For campaigners, however, it’s a tad different. The week begins months in advance, from the moment a friend says: “so I’m thinking of running for Sabb…” all the way through to dancing round the

As corny as it may sound, I’d say most people volunteer out of friendship. When something is so important to a mate that they’re willing to give up their entire life for a good few weeks, you want to support them, and dancing around on a hill handing out a seemingly endless supply of foamy bananas seemed like the best way to do that. Aside from having a great (and only occasionally stressful) time with your mates, there’s also a lot to be learned from the experience of campaigning.

Forum filming the all-important video. For the week itself, think a solid few hours a day (or in the case of Keen Bean Laurel, at least six) on the hill, chatting away to completely random strangers about why your friend is the best person for the job, in the desperate hope that somebody, somewhere will stop and listen. “So, why do it?”, I hear you cry. Standing on a hill in the February rain probably doesn’t sound like the most enticing experience, but I promise you the pros outweigh the cons ten-to-one.

before about our shared hopes for the Guild. The issues that the Sabbs address matter to a huge amount of people, and it’s so positive to open up a conversation about what students want.

On that first rainy Monday, approaching someone seemed like the scariest thing in the world Finally, apart from Welcome Team, I struggle to think of a time in my life where I’ve felt such high levels of teamwork, camaraderie and sportsmanship, not only from my teammates but from competing candidates, campaigners and Guild staff alike. I made a ton of new friends last year, many of whom were campaigners on different teams – some even from teams we were campaigning against. It’s not easy standing on a hill for seven hours chatting to randomers (who almost definitely regret agreeing to talk to you), but the atmosphere that week made it more than worth it. I’m about to go corny again, but the hours spent on that hill made me appreciate the amazing community we have here. I’m not exaggerating when I say that last year’s Campaign Week was one of my favourite experiences at Uni and whether your team wins or not, it’s an experience to be proud of.

Election by numbers Last Year:

Guild President: 4 Activities: 3 Welfare: 7 Education: 4 AU President: 2 VP Taught Postgraduate: VP Research Postgraduate: -

total: 20

Voting opens

13 February

This Year:

2017

2015

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42.14%

UTars

O ye N R e

TUver t

h

O

2014

2016 40.85%

36.14%

Guild President: 8 Activities: 3 Welfare: 8 Education: 3 AU President: 6 VP Taught Postgraduate: 2 VP Research Postgraduate: 2

total: 32

activities + au

welfare + education

pg taught + pg research

guild president

Voting closes + results

13 February

14 February

15 February

16 February

17 February

debate

debate

debate

debate




EXHIBIT

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ARTS + LIT

EDITORS: Emma Bessent and Tash Ebbutt

13 FEB 2017 |

#NeverOK

Alejandra De Bárcena discusses the romanticisation of abuse in literature

HAT if we are responsible for romanticising abuse? From reggaeton to soap operas, abuse is normalized with ease. Often overlooked, women are the ones romanticising thesekind of relationships; forcing men to manup, to become the bad boy so that we respect them and don’t “friendzone” them. It is paradoxical that, in the majority of cases, these fictions are written by women for other women, a hidden but nonetheless complicit little cog in the grand scheme of patriarchy. While women around the world march for their rights, there are books teaching young girls that a slap and kiss is the pinnacle of romance, a dramatic passion we should all strive for. But the message of the #NeverOK campaign is clear. Why would we accept such behavior in books if we wouldn’t be okay in real life? This is not a debate about whether or not we should depict abusive relationships in books, but a matter of whether or not we should romanticise them. Their underlying message is that jealousy and possessiveness are true love, aggression and guilt-trips are part of a healthy relationship.

publishing world has showcased is that literary quality is not as important as sale figures. I picked up A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet wanting a good fantasy novel, but the so-called “romance” completely overshadowed the plotline. Cat

FROM REGGAETON TO SOAP OPERA ABUSE IS NORMALISED

constantly vocalises denial to the sexual advances of the hypermasculinised protagonist. This is justified by writing in first person; making us know that she is attracted to him. Is her internal dialogue a consensual approval that is supposed to make the readers root for him? No, it is feeding rape culture. After all, deep down she really does want him, so he doesn’t need to keep his hands off...right? Contemporary novels, or chick-lit, are yet

These novels don’t pass the Bechdel test. They don’t have parallel comparisons, no sensitivity, no morality to the story, not even a bit of Austen’s free indirect speech to actually look into the psychological impact of the plot on the characters from a more neutralised perspective. What I ask for is characterisation, not convenient tropes and lazy writing. Some believable context and not contradictory justifications. So far, what the

more conspicuous with abusive relationship narratives. There’s Dreamland by Sarah Dressen, a horrific yet believable depiction of how easy it is to fall into cyclical violence and how difficult it is to get out. Then we have Anna Todd’s After series: a perfect spec-

a train-wreck. Dreamland instead is classified as depressive and off-putting. No one likes reality. We want abuse to be pretty. The fact that After is a One Direction fanfiction is crucial to understand the popularity of the work with its pre-established readership of teenage girls. The series centers around a relationship of classic good girl meets bad boy. Gradually, she is able to change him (a fairytale resolution), but for me, it is a pyrrhic victory because most of their relationship is founded in a cruel charade with distinctive abusive signs. Should we confine fanfiction to the realm of internet? Or at least, only publish those who are positive in their portrayal of all matters pertaining to sex and gender?

CONTEMPORARY NOVELS ARE MORE CONSPICUOUS WITH ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS

imen of romanticising toxic relationships. If one searches the term “popular abusive relationships” in the book-reviewing ‘Goodreads’ website, Dreamland is first, while After is neatly tucked away on the second page. Interestingly enough, Twilight is number 12. After gathering 1 billion reads online, After was published in print by Simon & Schuler, a prestigious publishing house. The most common description of the book is “addictive”, and I guess it can be compared to watching

Art from the Heart

To understand this desire to consume romanticised abuse we can classify audiences into the two female protagonists of A Streetcar Named Desire: either you are a horrified Blanche or a thrilled Stella. A Blanche will compare it to primitives: “Maybe he’ll strike you or maybe grunt you and kiss you”; while a Stella will justify it stating: “I’m not in anything I want to get out of.” It’s worth being thrown around when you get to stroke Marlon Brando’s oilstained biceps at the end of the day, apparently. If we are prone to romanticise this kind of literature, we as well might do it in real-life situations. We have a duty to abuse victims to be critical of what is published, so that when these things happen in real life, we are able to take action instead of trivialising it.

Ruth Braham showcases eternal love through the timelessness of Shakespeare

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lovestruck Romeo croons “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” in a scene millions have watched in the past four hundred years all over the globe. One wonders if William Shakespeare even dreamt of the profound effect his many works would one day have had on society. Common expressions “Wild goose chase” and “Break the ice” are residual, colloquial evidence of his impact on the English language. Shakespeare is also credited with the first “your mum” joke in recorded history (for proof see Titus Andronicus). One of the reasons Shakespeare has had such a profound impact is the strength of his characters, many of whom give moving speeches exploring the deep, grounded emo-

tions we all feel. Anyone watching a properly performed “To be or not to be” or seeing Henry V grapple with his responsibilities feels the characters emotions in a very real way. Tragedies and histories aside, some considerable accolade must also go to the romantic

CANNOT FAIL TO LEAVE THE AUDIENCE WITH A WARM FUZZY FEELING comedies Shakespeare penned: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and my personal favourite Much Ado About Nothing (side note: nothing can also be pronounced “noting”,

Elizabethan slang for sex). These swing rapidly between heart-warming and hilarious and cannot fail to leave the audience with a warm fuzzy feeling, despite some extremely convenient endings - I’m looking at you, Puck. Shakespeare’s continued relevance lies in the universal themes he explores: the cyclic nature of revenge (Titus Andronicus, or as I like to call it, the one with the pies), the burden of leadership (Henry V and Hamlet) and the tragic consequences of prejudice (extremely relevant with the current political climate and deeply embedded in the narratives of Othello and The Merchant of Venice). One needs only look around to see that love and loss, passion and pain, revenge and redemption are still shaping real lives in our modern world.


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Feeling sexy? Exeposé Music Editors have created a playlist just for you

HE soundtrack to your steamy shenanigans is always a tricky path to tread. There’s a lot of romantic songs out there: heck, 90% of all songs EVER are about love, or some form of love (okay I made that figure up, but it very much feels like it, wouldn’t you agree?), from the mushy “You’re my one and only forever and ever” to the vile and down-right misogynistic “slap dat bitch’s ass witch’o sweetcorn stick”. There are records about love everywhere we go, and we can’t ever really escape that. We, as humans, are programmed to find a partner who makes us feel complete, so it’s only natural that we make a literal song and dance about it. Usually, when you’ve found that special person, intimacy becomes a big part of your relationship, and so it should. Intimacy is important, and so is the playlist alongside it. Set the mood too far up the ol’ cheesy scale and you’ve got yourself a laugh in your face, and the mood ruined. Set the songs too far over the party bangers side of the love see-saw, and said see-saw will be going so fast you break the springs. (Again.) You need a music mix just right…

Alt-J – Intro The xx – Intro Norah Jones – Turn Me On You’ll want an introduction for your evening together, surely. If we think of the first few tracks as pre-foreplay, you’ll be going at it the correct way. The xx are known for being one of the most played artists for sex playlists, so it is only natural we include them here. The introduction to their first album (conveniently titled ‘Intro’, on an album called xx: you won’t forget that in a hurry) is perfect as an opener. You lean across your messy study desk, strewn with pages of notes on Freud and your dog-eared copy of Twilight (better conceal it with your Norton Anthology, they won’t go anywhere near that), and hit play on Exeposé Music’s Sexposé Spotify playlist. You look over and give your partner those sultry eyes that match the breathiness off Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim’s vocal pattern alongside that twinkling guitar riff that you won’t be able to get out of your head (and forever will remind you of this particularly eventful evening). Next on the playlist is another introduction to a first album. You want to seem a little bit edgy for your new partner, but actually couldn’t find anything edgy because you aren’t really edgy, so settled with a nice little comfortable pretend-edge bit of Alt-J. This song is a riser, like yourself. It starts with some delicate dancing around on piano keys, paralleling your flirting earlier on in the night, then builds to the deeper, rich layers the band do so well, along with that vibey synthesised bassline that cruises effortlessly along the bottom of the track. Your partner melts at the sound. Good

choice. If bae is as great as you think they are, they MUST have seen Love Actually, one of the loveliest romantic films, which plays this Norah Jones track. It’s got the basic structure of a simple soft jazz kit and that romantic piano floating around, but the title says it all.

Chet Faker – ‘No Diggity’ Hermitude – ‘Hazy Love’ Kaytranada – ‘You’re the One’ The heat is starting to rise, so naturally the songs gently should too. Impress your lover with the sexiest cover of ‘No Diggity’ in existence. Feel free to sing along with dear old Chet, “Baby you’re a perfect ten”. They’ll love it. It is a slow track, but has a pulsing rhythm that will definitely get you both more involved in the moment. The Hermitude track takes a slightly more electro/chill step forward. Building on Estelle’s airy, entrancing vocals (anyone remember ‘American Boy’? Same lady, more grown up), we get a nicely produced song that pretty much reiterates your evening to you in song form. This is one night of love that’s hazy with emotion and, most probably friction induced sweat. Kaytranada is a producer of “woozy” house beats with hip-hop inspiration, so if that’s your or your partner’s thang, this will almost certainly get your groove on in the bedroom. It’s a sexy masterpiece, with just the right level of vocals to synths. With lyrics breathing in your ear “I just can’t say no to you”, it’ll turn you both on just listening to it. So you get under the bed covers.

Sexeposé MIXTAPE You can check out our playlist in its entirety on by following exeposemusic on Spotify Jonny Morris ‘What Took You So Long?’ - The Courteeners Ben Londesbrough ‘Fuck You Tonight’ - Notorious B.I.G Rory Marcham ‘Sexy Thing’ - Hot Chocolate Daniel Wakefield ‘Tango Till They’re Sore’ - Tom Waits Sam Keat ‘Come On Eileen’ - Dexys Midnight Runners Zak Mahinfar ‘Sexual’ - NEIKED Ft. Dyo Hannah Butler ‘I like you so much better when you’re naked’ - Ida Maria Chris Filsell ‘Big Willie Style’ - Will Smith

The Supremes – ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ Wavves – ‘When Will You Come’ Usher – ‘Climax’ Etta James – ‘At Last’ Okay, so these might not be the best mix of songs to play next to one another (Usher and The Supremes, seriously?), but it’s what they say that counts. You’ve been going at it for a while now. Things are starting to chafe, you’re both a bit sweaty, and you kind of just want it to be over now so you can watch a bit of Netflix before falling asleep in each other’s arms. As a game of give and take, you’ll just have to wait. ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ comes on. Your partner takes it as a joke, but you half meant it seriously... Hurry up, loved one, I’m done. After a minute or two of thrusting and waiting, Usher arrives to save you (Never thought I’d have written that sentence). As one of the most successful pop-R&B artists of the mid 90s - 2000s, his climatic track of high rise vocals and classic Usher sound of 2012 will hopefully bring your partner to their peak (as Usher often does). Your heads hit the pillow simultaneously, you both fall back breathless in true sit-com style. At last. Oh Etta, thank you.


EXHIBIT

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13 FEB 2017

EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne

MUSIC

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Album of the week: Elbow

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Helen Payne, Music Editor, gives her verdict on the Mancunian indie rockers’ latest album Photo Credit: keywordsuggest.org

ELBOW Little Fictions 3 February

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first fell in love with Guy Garvey after being introduced to The Seldom Seen Kid by a dear friend in high school. I had joined his band as a secondary (and let’s face it, pretty shit) guitarist, and we practised in a decked out shed in the drummer’s garden. I loved it. “Let’s cover ‘The Fix’”, the bassist suggested. Obviously I’d heard ‘One Day Like This’, but nothing could prepare me for the musical awakening I proceeded to encounter that evening and from then on, in my mind I decided Guy Garvey and co can do no wrong. I bought Asleep in the Back and listened to it falling asleep in the back of a car during a long journey, and I revelled in the beauty of Build a Rocket Boys! upon release too. So I jumped (so very high, in fact, over an Olympic high jump pole) at the chance to review their latest album, Little Fictions. If you’re an avid reader of music journalism like myself, you’ll know that most of the big magazines are saying this record is no different from their oth-

ers: if you were bored of them before (sorry, but you’re wrong), this won’t change your opinion. If their previous six albums make your heart soar, this will continue to do so. Elbow have a fool-proof formula of textures that works for them. You’d struggle to find a band that can dip their toe in a puddle of melancholia, then immerse themselves in oceans of epic magnificence as easily as this one does, which is exactly what we get on the uplifting ‘Magnificence (She Says)’, written about a little girl playing on a beach, “with little feet stood in the sand”. The track works a drum beat that is always one step ahead of the listener, with snippets of a bass riff leaving you wanting more without feeling hard done by, and of course Garvey’s huge voice that could fill a museum, yet still be amazingly gentle. ‘Trust the Sun’ is a particular favourite for me, using quiet chords and a raspy tapping snare that you might have expected on Asleep

in the Back, contrasting sorrowful verses with aspirational, full piano phrases that join the party for a subtle chorus. “You’re my reason for breathing”, Garvey sings, voicing my opinions towards him impeccably. When I grow up, I want to be Guy Garvey. ‘K2’’s vocal delay emphasises the band’s opinions on Brexit: “I’m from a land with an island status / makes us think that everyone hates us / maybe they do”. I’m not about to get all political (I’m a music editor, not a politics correspondent), but their engagement with the distresses of the world at the moment is done so with a positive sheen, a sparkling song that suggests we should all just get along. Silly Brexit. Let’s all listen to this album and reassess the important things in our lives. The title track surprises me, as Elbow tend to do. I think the song is going in one direction, with a sustained little piano section, then the band turn my whole map upside down and rip

it apart with afrobeat splashes, a cowbell, and what I’m pretty sure is the sound of a reversed cymbal. Lyrically, it doesn’t stop growing. Most bands fit words into neat little stanzas, but Elbow’s overspill of words reminiscent of ‘Starlings’ is an element of theirs I find most fascinating. It makes them so different, and for me, so lovable. Elbow will forever remind me of my treasured teenage years, letting ‘The Fix’ out to the world of a small Cardiff suburb on a midsummer’s eve. And I’m so happy that Little Fictions can be added to their discography. It’s as perfect as Elbow get.

LITTLE FICTIONS IS OUT NOW ON POLYDOR RECORDS

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Further Listening SONG OF THE WEEK Sampha

Julie Byrne

Future Islands

Fionn Regan

Father John Misty

‘The Meetings of the Waters’ ‘Pure Comedy’ Process Not Even Happiness ‘Ran’ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Average and Boujee

Tom Murphy reviews the hip-hop collective’s sophomore record and surpise US No.1 MIGOS Culture 27 January

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AST month the multi-talented Donald Glover gave his Atlanta co-stars Migos the ultimate shutout. In his Golden Globes acceptance speech for ‘Best Comedy’ he branded the North Atlanta rap trio’s ‘Bad and Boujee’“the best song ever”. Now Culture’s lead single sits imperiously at the top of the US singles chart, a fitting place for a group that have permeated so effectively into modern popular culture. The trio’s chemistry is utterly astounding. The consistently masterful delivery of triple rhymes can at times give the impression that a single person is rapping. Adlibs are barked and screeched throughout the album, colourfully emphasising lyrics without detracting from the

tight, concise flows of the rappers. Each member possesses distinct charm. Quavo exhibits the craftsmanship in creating consistently memorable hooks that is unparalleled within the hip –hop game. Takeoff ’s deep vocal style is perfectly gritty and threatening. While Offset’s lyrical prowess litters the album with nimble wordplay. Migos’ piercing triple rhyme style has been key in crafting the hugely successful contemporary Southern rap aesthetic. Heavyweight rapper Travis Scott’s feature on ‘Kelly Price’ repays the Quavo lyric he lifted to title his album Birds In the Trap Sing McKnight. While the viral, commercial behemoth ‘Bad and Boujee’ is destined to light up club dance floors for years to come, second single ‘T-Shirt’ is Culture’s best track. Quavo’s lyrics twin Migos cultural significance with the predatory appropriation of the groups distinct style, tightly rhyming “Do it for the culture / They gon’ bite like vultures”. Takeoff ’s flagship chopped up verse is

perfectly aligned with the kick drum heavy beat, while Quavo’s staccato, piercing hook twins itself perfectly with Nard and B’s dark, mesmerising instrumental. The track’s minimalistic instrumental grandstands the trios sharp lyrics and distinctive flows. While the guest appearances on the record are largely underwhelming, Lil Uzi Vert’s feature in ‘Bad and Boujee’ is charmingly energetic. Metro Boomin cements his position as Atlanta’s hottest producer with a rhythmic minimalist instrumental. Not all tracks match up to the albums blistering singles. Opening track ‘Culture’ is weak, sounding like an offcut track from featured artist DJ Khaled’s Major Key. ‘Deadz’ starts promisingly; opening with a horn saturated, ominous instrumental but fades into a flat hook and forgettable feature from usually reliable fellow Georgia rapper 2 Chainz. The album does lack any real thematic variation. Focusing entirely on the materialism, problematic, casual misogyny

and drug focused motifs of their previous album and twelve mix tapes, Migos fail to transgress the normal themes of mainstream rap. Arguably Southern raps most influential current artists, Quavo, Takeoff and Offset’s second studio album is a cohesive trap record, packed with club bangers and tight rhymes. The hottest hip-hop record of 2017 so far, Culture is a solid, interesting album, that manages to somehow manages be fresh without challenging the well established tropes of mainstream rap. Banishing the excruciatingly painful and repetitive lyrics of pervious hits such as ‘Versace’, mainstream rap rarely reaches the quality of Migos’ Culture.

CULTURE IS OUT NOW ON ATLANTIC


EXHIBIT

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MUSIC

EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne

13 FEB 2017

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What does ‘punk’ mean in 2017? George Stamp puts his stamp on pop-punk’s attempt to revitalise a lost genre

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UNK is dead!”, cry the forlorn dadrockers lamenting the loss of their Buzzcocks and Dead Kennedys only to be displaced by Fall Out Boy and Twenty-One Pilots. There’s no shortage of punk-rock-loving individuals nostalgically fetishising the bygone age of battered leather jackets, colourful Mohawks and metal spikes as long as your fingers as the current fan base for the new age of ‘poppunk’ dance around to ‘Thnks fr th Mmrs’ as though it were Taylor Swift’s latest single. Inevitably, there will be those that question whether punk is truly dead if these bands are the representatives of punk music in 2017.

AS THICK AND GUTSY AS GOOD CUSTARD Pop-punk is a heavily commercialised, wellproduced, major label-driven version of the punk rock sound of the 70s/80s. The songs typically consist of ultra-compressed vocals, guitars as thick and gutsy as good custard and some of the most anthemic, festival-headliner-ready choruses ever written. For me personally, poppunk has never appealed. This is for a couple of reasons that I can aptly justify: 1) I don’t like heavily compressed rock music. It feels soulless and flat. Rock music that has more dynamic range and a grittier quality to the production is

far more appealing to my ears. 2) It has always bothered me that people insist on calling the music “punk”. Pop-punk, in itself, is oxymoronic. Punk is the subculture/genre of oppressed, alienated minorities. Individuals who don’t fit in, who have something to say (either personally or politically) and who want to deliberately challenge the norms that they reject. To me, pop-punk is a sterile “up yours” to everything that the punk movement has ever represented. Before I get crucified by the masses of poppunk fans out there for slamming their favourite bands, I would like to clarify that my perspective is NOT simply that the music is inherently bad. I don’t like it, for sure, and I can give my reasons, but I cannot argue that pop-punks are not good musicians, songwriters or performers because that would be a cruel lie. There are even a handful of pop-punk albums I genuinely do admire, Green Day’s Dookie and Jeff Rosenstock’s Worry being examples of this. I also respect the devotion of pop-punk fans to their favourite artists. My argument, in fact, is aimed at those who look at these examples of modern ‘poppunk’ bands and make the sweeping statement that punk as a movement or as an ethos is gone. Likewise, that too would

be a cruel lie. To say that punk is ‘dead’ and cite Blink-182’s California as your only real justification is plain stupid. Pop-punk is supposed to appeal simply because it is more ‘pop’ than it is ‘punk’, and ‘pop’ isn’t even inherently a bad thing. However, the mere presence of loud guitars and shouty vocals is not what constitutes music that represents punk. In 2017, we have to look outside the limited sphere of rock music as our source of angry, politically-charged and identity-affirming music. Punk is not a rational force. It is not about logical structure, rather artistic anarchy. It is about disturbing the confines of mainstream media. Punk, regardless of genre, must be immediately obnoxious. It must scare, it must annoy and it must be abrasive. Death Grips are one of the most relevant, genuinely punk acts to be active in 2017 and yet, this is a group built on the principles of hip-hop. They use samples, rapped vocals, synthesisers, drum machines – everything indicative of a hip-hop act. However, when you listen to ‘Hot Head’ from 2016’s Bottomless Pit you’re not exactly listening to Drake. It’s an abrasive whirlwind of anger. Grinding synthesisers, screamed and shouted vocals, pummelling drums; to say it’s an easy first listen would be a brave statement. It’s

freaking crazy, and fundamentally, ‘punk’. Their performances are punishingly loud, sweaty and dangerous experiences. Having had the privilege of seeing the band live, it was the most intense show I have ever witnessed. Never before have security guards look so terrified, with one poor staff member exclaiming, “why can’t people just be nice to each other?!”. To answer his rhetorical question with another: when has punk ever been about being nice?

PUNK IS ALIVE AND KICKING - WITH EMPHASIS ON THE KICKING To emulate the old-hat ideas of 70s punkrock in 2017 would yield a product wholly pastiche. While I would disagree with anyone who says modern rock music can’t be boundarypushing: that is not the only form punk music can take. It is a liberating idea to me that punk is less of a form or genre than an ethos, a subculture and a mind-set. Look outside the confines of traditional punk-rock. Look to Crystal Castles’ experimental take on dance music, Sleaford Mods’ unique spoken-word-post-punk blend, indulge in G.L.O.S.S. with their extreme, gender-political, hardcore rock sound. Punk, as an ideology, is not threatened by commercialised pop-punk. Punk is, in fact, alive and kicking.

Where segalls dare

Ned Blackburn reviews Segall’s latest contribution to his rapid release rate TY SEGALL Ty Segall 27 January

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RADITIONALLY, the mid-career eponymous album release is spun one of two ways - restatement or reinvention. In the first case, the artist looks to cast off the highfalutin concepts and dodgy stylistic experiments of their past and embrace a (ugh) ‘back-to-basics’ approach - think Pearl Jam or Killing Joke. In the second, the opposite is intended - to make a statement of musical change, like Blur’s sharp turn into Pavement-esque indie rock and The Velvet Underground’s exchanging of avant-garde for dreamy folk.

AN ENORMOUS SLAB OF RETRO ENERGY

It is less clear where the new LP by indie mainstay Ty Segall fits into this framework. His 14th release in 10 years, Segall functions as somewhat of a sampler of his vast catalogue, incorporating playful psych-pop, fuzzy glam and pummelling garage into an attractively digestible half-hour package. There’s even a 10-minute epic in the form of album centerpiece ‘Warm Hands/Freedom Returned’, segueing through several distinct movements varying from Sabbath sludge to loose jazz-rock. It’s the most ambitious track Segall’s ever done and works wonderfully, aided by Steve Albini’s characteristically uncluttered production. Though much of his career has been spent in lo-fi, the success of this shift to a clearer sound, less forgiving of lazy songwriting is testament to Segall’s grasp of the fundamentals. Indeed, if there’s anything con-

sistent about Ty Segall, it’s the solid melodies and hooks on almost every track - opener ‘Break A Guitar’ is pure Marc Bolan worship, with Segall straddling a meaty guitar riff with tight harmonies and a typically bratty lead vocal. Shamelessly derivative - absolutely, but who cares when it’s this much fun? ‘Freedom’ begins sounding rather unfortunately like a Kasabian B-side but redeems itself with lush harmonies and a killer chorus, while the tender ‘Orange Color Queen’ sees Segall doing his best Ray Davies impression over lilting acoustic rhythms. If there are major flaws, they are of context and comparison. Given his rapid rate of recording and release, for all its strengths the album risks being just another entry in an already huge discography that musically doesn’t break new ground for Segall. The lack of a true stylistic focus is both a strength and a drawback - it provides welcome variety, but this lack of commitment to a single theme also means that there are better, more

focused examples of Segall’s tender acoustic ballads (Sleeper) and psychotic noise throwdowns (Slaughterhouse) to be found in his back catalogue. The second issue is one of ambition - it is clear how talented a songwriter and frontman he is. However, it also makes one wonder what could be - if he spent years rather than weeks writing and recording his next release; if he made more of an effort to look forward rather than to the past for inspiration; if he decided to be more than just the brilliant student coasting along on a 2:1. Until that question is answered, Ty Segall remains an enormously enjoyable slab of retro energy, and a great starting point for anyone looking for an entry into a unique, ever-expanding musical legacy.

TY SEGALL IS OUT NOW ON DRAG CITY RECORDS



screen How much sex is too much? Emma Bessent, Arts + Lit Editor, looks at the role of sex on screen

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N a culture increasingly obsessed with the public performance of gender and sexuality, it shouldn’t really surprise anyone that telly is getting raunchier awards season after awards season. After all, the western world is totally preoccupied by the concept of the body and what we do with it in private, reflecting something of a growing Orwellian anxiety.

IT’S DIFFICULT TO DENY A GENDER IMBALANCE I’m not frightened of seeing a bit of exposed flesh on screen. Television and film are, after all, primarily visual mediums; you expect a certain level of reliance on the physical attributes of characters. The fourth wall demands a sense of voyeurism and we expect to see what normative notions of privacy usually conceal from us, so it’s ridiculously prudish to say that sex has no place on the screen. We rely on fiction in its limitless forms to socially educate us, informing our responses to real world situations, and sexual

relationships aren’t exempt from this. Complications appear when this understanding of how fiction can shape and normalise perspectives on crucial issues is disregarded in favour of sensationalism. The power of the male gaze creates a surplus demand for female nudity in both film and television. Although a topless Aidan Turner has recently made middle aged women all over the globe sweat through two series of Poldark, it’s difficult to deny that there is a gender imbalance in the filming and production of sex scenes. Take Black Sails for example; a rich, maritime premise which could have easily have made for a visually arresting and narratively dense experience, but chose instead to dedicate half its screen time to gratuitous scenes of lesbian sex. I’m not even sure I made it to the second episode after watching two lead females with such potential for depth and intrigue be reduced to fetishised bodies. But there must be an audience for it - how else would they have funded four series? Shows and films with bigger budgets often show a similar contempt for actually thinking about the social impact of sex scenes. Orange

is the New Black, darling child of Netflix, has come under fire for its graphic commercialisation of lesbian relationships too. Black Swan had no qualms about stripping its protagonist bare mentally and physically, romanticising psychological damage as well as objectifying the female body.

IF I SEE ANOTHER NIPPLE I AM GOING TO SCREAM It’s hardly a problem created by our generation, either. I mean, come on; it took 23 films for the infamous 007 to find his way into a film without consequently finding his way into its leading lady’s underwear, and that was probably only because Judi Dench’s waist measurements weren’t considered suitable for a topless scene. But don’t worry, he still manages to find a spare moment to screw a supermodel. Simply disrobing a character doesn’t automatically make them either passive or an object. Sex scenes can form part of a meaningful

narrative inspection of what makes someone tick. Game of Thrones is often railed against for its sexism and unnecessary lewdness, and there are moments when you think “if I see another nipple I am going to scream” - especially when minor characters and extras appear naked - but so many of its critics can be countered by the mere fact that the principal female characters have genuine reasons to take their clothes off. The world they inhabit is patriarchal to the extreme and the female body is commodified, but the storyline’s intelligent and ambitious women know that and they use it. Even when the ugly, sexualised violence of rape is portrayed, the plot doesn’t try to brush it off as a Fifty Shades moment of sadistic passion. It is recognised as a transgressive violation of another person; a real and lived experience. Ultimately, sex sells. Sensuality and screens go together. They’re a natural pairing. But it would be great if film and television attempted to imbue all characters with some semblance of a second, or even third, dimension, before removing their costumes.

Time Lady?

O

Victoria Bos, Science Editor weighs up the pros and cons of a female Doctor Who

N 30 January, Peter Capaldi announced that he would be handing in his sonic screwdriver and stepping down from the titular role in Doctor Who following this year’s Christmas special. Whilst this broke many a Whovian’s heart, it also lead to a familiar excitement. Once again, it is time to find the next Doctor! As per usual, between the fans, the tabloids, and the bookmakers, a huge list of contenders has been created, including the likes of Ben Whishaw, Richard Ayoade, and Tim Roth. However, whilst fans are excited to know who will be taking over the TARDIS, there is most definitely an elephant sitting in the corner of the control room.

THERE IS AN ELEPHANT IN THE CONTROL ROOM Since Stephen Moffat took over as showrunner in 2010, he has not been shy in pointing out that the Time Lord power of ‘regeneration’ can lead to a change of gender as well as face. A perfect example of this is the creation of the

Mistress, better known as Missy, a new female regeneration of the Time Lord villain the Master. Even before this, following David Tennant’s departure, there were calls for The Doctor to become a Time Lady, with this pressure only growing as the years have passed. Though the idea of a female Doctor has divided fans, I have no doubt that the concept could work. However, it would have to be dealt with properly. In terms of casting, there is most certainly a gravitas needed in order to portray the Doctor. Whoever takes

the role on, male or female, will have to be able to portray both the care free time traveller as well as the darker “Oncoming Storm”. To simply choose a female actor because of her gender would be a grave mistake. Emma Watson is a favourite currently being touted and though she is a fine actress, she is not the Doctor. Shoehorning her, or another actress like her, into the role would just lead to disappointment all around. Linking in to this is the issue of the character itself. Whilst a female Doctor would be

new ground for the show, it is established that each Doctor has their own character and mannerisms. There is a worry that in creating a strong and independent female Doctor, we would just be dealt a rehash of Missy, River Song, or one of the companions. This would a disservice to the character and the show’s history. If the Doctor is female, then she will have to be her own woman. Of course, the writers would have to decide how to handle the story. In the episode ‘Hell Bent’, a male Time Lord was shot and regenerated into a female. The only repercussion was that a soldier came in and changed his mode of address from “Sir” to “Ma’am”, as if this was something which happened every day. Obviously, as the Doctor is the title character, they may have to take a little more time to examine the concept. In all honesty, as Stephen Moffat is also stepping down, it would not be a surprise if he left his mark with a female doctor. This could present a fantastic opportunity for the incoming writing team, but may well prove a disaster if not handled properly. Let’s just hope we’re not looking for yet another new Doctor sooner than we thought.


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Trumping hate Vicki Baker argues that politics has a place in show business

A

S an Arts and Humanities student I’ve become fairly used to being asked what I actually study and why I think this is worthwhile. For years, my answer has been fairly vague, but completely valid; “Well, imagine a world without arts and entertainment. Sucks doesn’t it?” And it’s true; we all listen to music, read books and magazines, and watch films. Take any of these creative industries away and we’re looking at a very different, dull, lifestyle. At the beginning of this year, however, Meryl Streep stood up at the Golden Globes defended her beliefs, her industry, and those in society who cannot stand up for themselves. In doing so, she also provided me with a much better answer to that all too tedious question. Art, in whatever form, can make a difference. It encourages us, inspires us, and teaches us life values. Of course, this is something we’ve known all along. As kids Pocahontas taught us the importance of understanding each other’s differences, and A Bug’s Life showed us that evil can be overthrown if enough of the ‘little people’ speak up. When we got older, Mean Girls was there to tell us that our most suc-

cessful selves are our true selves, and just last year, we all binge watched in horror as Orange Is The New Black presented the terrifying, and very real, consequences of people abusing their positions of authority.

ART ENCOURAGES US, INSPIRES US, AND TEACHES US LIFE VALUES Those involved in these works are acutely aware of the messages they are sending, something which was made apparent by the acceptance speech given by the cast of OITNB at the SAG awards. Just like Streep, Taylor Schiling never named any one person in her speech, but everyone watching her in the crowd and at home knew exactly what she was referring to. In one mere sentence, she accepted her responsibility as an actor to do everything in her creative power, a power which places her on a very public stage, to speak out against actions which she be-

Hacked off

lieves are wrong. And she knows that whatever work she produces, just like the Disney films we watched with our babysitters or chick flicks we watched at sleepovers, has the power to inspire its audiences to do the same. If recent history has taught us anything, it’s that the general public won’t necessarily listen to those who ‘know what they’re talking about’. They’ll listen to people telling them what they want to hear, true, but also to people whom they like, respect and are familiar with. And if these people believe that something is worth saying and worth fighting for publicly, then surely it is not only their right, but their duty to stand up and do so. By taking this step, these astute, engaged, and culturally aware (not at all ‘over-rated’) actors are showing that they take their role and responsibilities, not just as celebrities but as human beings, seriously. What these various speeches have acknowledged is that it’s not just political beliefs which are being fought for, but beliefs in common decency and humanity- and if art as a whole doesn’t provide a space for this then I don’t know what does.

Mark Allison, Screen Editor, reviews the Oscar contender from director Mel Gibson HACKSAW RIDGE Director: Mel Gibson Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington 2017, 139 minutes.

THRE ARSAA

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HEN Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan was released in 1998, it revolutionised the modern war film. It was by no means the best that the genre had to offer, but the first to convincingly capture the shattering sights and sounds of the battlefield. Spielberg launched a generation of imitators, from Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down to David Ayer’s Fury. Following in the same tradition, Mel Gibson has returned to the director’s chair with Hacksaw Ridge, a bloody and visceral tale of courage in the face of incomprehensible horror. Ultimately it’s a messy, if ambitious film, which stumbles upon moments of greatness in an otherwise by-thenumbers tale of the Pacific war. Hacksaw Ridge focuses on the remarkably true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a profoundly religious young man who enlists in the US Army during the Second World War but refuses to carry a weapon into battle. We follow his journey from small-town Virginia to the battlefields of Okinawa, where his bravery as a combat medic made him the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour. From its opening frames to the biblical final shot, Hacksaw Ridge is laughably heavy-handed,

which is not always a terrible thing. The central cast of characters, including Garfield’s Doss, are all fairly one-note, but just about well-drawn enough to be worth investing in. Dialogue is consistently on the nose and the soundtrack is always sure to remind the viewer how they should be feeling. It’s compelling enough and never quite insults the viewer’s intelligence, but don’t expect to be dealing with complex moral dilemmas.

HACKSAW RIDGE IS LAUGHABLY HEAVY HANDED Structurally, the film is split very clearly into two halves, spending time to introduce Doss’s home life before he ships off to the Pacific. This first portion of the film follows a series of familiar clichés, all of which call to mind other, better films. There’s a portrayal of a naïve young romance which would feel at home in The Notebook, so suffocating is the layer of schmaltz. Then comes a brutal boot-camp training sequence, borrowing heavily from Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket but accompanied by an extra side of cheese. Following this, the film even collapses into a predictable court-room drama for an inexplicable ten minutes. These early vignettes aren’t poorly done, but disappointingly simplistic; it feels perfunctory and a little bit useless, as if Gibson is itching to get the boring stuff over with before the violence starts.

And blimey, does it start. More or less from the moment the film shifts to Okinawa is the audience thrown into the maelstrom of battle. The carnage and bloodshed of war are represented here in unrelenting detail. Desperate young men are riddled with bullets and blown to pieces with abandon, while the camera repeatedly switches to slow motion as squads of Japanese soldiers are engulfed in flames. At times, these combat sequences feel like they would be more at home in a horror film, and it’s to Gibson’s credit that he creates such an overbearing sense of confusion and dread. His obsession with graphic violence, exemplified in his previous work from Braveheart to The Passion of Christ, remains as present as ever, but it’s just nauseating enough to avoid feeling pornographic. At its best, Hacksaw Ridge features some of the most impressive reproductions of war ever put to film, which is why it’s such a shame when it falls into incredulous moments of action movie cliché. A superfluous duel with a Japanese sniper is just one forgettable encounter which feels tonally incongruous with the rest of the film, and it diminishes the otherwise immersive effect. Despite its eccentric protagonist, then, Hacksaw Ridge is relentlessly conventional. Gibson clearly has a story to tell, and he does so without complication or restraint. Punctuated by spells of excellence and a convincing central performance (Garfield’s Oscar nomination is well deserved), Hacksaw Ridge is a worthy entry in the war movie annals, but as a whole it fails to move far beyond mediocrity.


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EDITORS: Mark Allison and Zak Mahinfar

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Return journey

Netflix’s iBoy

Rob Selby reviews the long awaited sequel to the Nineties classic from Danny Boyle

James Fane Trefusis gives his verdict on the latest venture into the feature film market from Netflix

T2: TRAINSPOTTING Director: Danny Boyle Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller 2017, 117 minutes.

THREARSAAA

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N a sequel-heavy age of cinema, we should not be surprised when old classics are resurrected once more after 10 or maybe even 20 years. The quality is uneven, and most are comparable to the exhuming of a decomposing corpse, the stench invading our nostrils with no sign of dissipating (I’m looking at you, Bad Santa 2). There are a few who succeed, replacing blatant pastiche with an inventive reworking. To my relief, T2: Trainspotting is the latter and the risk has paid off. Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to Scotland to rekindle old relationships with the very friends he betrayed 20 years ago: Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) who bemoans the fact that despite having inherited his aunt’s pub in Leith, the “wave of gentrification has yet to wash over us”, with the surrounding area reminiscent of The Great Gatsby’s valley of ashes. Spud (Ewen Bremner) retains a boyish innocence that still does not distance his own memory from dark events of his past. Meanwhile, Begbie (Robert Carlyle) resides in prison, ready to hatch an absurdly ill-thought out scheme to break free and seek revenge. Age has affected them all in different ways; leaving behind sons that lack the brash machismo of their forebears, having to confront a confusing benefits system (Spud’s story goes a bit ‘I, Daniel Blake-esque’), and even a tragi-comic erectile dysfunction sequence. What begins as a character focused narrative soon transforms into a desperate chase between Begbie and Renton, which doesn’t capture the same frenetic energy as the ending scenes of Trainspotting, but retains a terrifying atmosphere the audience can revel in. Hodge’s screenplay is also not afraid to depart from Irvine Welsh’s 2002 novel Porno. Rather than focussing wholly on Sick Boy’s scams, our attention is repeatedly drawn to Spud, who becomes the spiritual heart of the film as he dwells on past experiences and his misspent youth. More visually, Spud’s nostalgia is captured in the interweaving of shots from the original film in a masterful and dreamlike style of cinematography, especially a section notably omitted from Trainspotting where Renton and Begbie frequent

the dilapidated Leith Central Station, whereupon they discover a drunk, homeless old man who is later revealed to be Begbie’s father. “What yis up tae lads? Trainspottin’, eh?”. This technique can be attributed to cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who deftly splices the shots of the original throughout; the out-of-focus image of Renton walking across Waterloo Bridge into his new future remains a highlight in this respect. This is what truly shone out most.

IS IT A NOSTALGIA TRIP CLOAKED IN A SAD AND MISERABLE VENEER? Boyle has repeatedly stated that he wanted T2 to acknowledge the original hit, but in a most subtle and “Proustian” way, giving audience members who were old enough to see Trainspotting in 1996 the ‘exquisite pleasure’ of tasting the sweet madeleine that was the “Choose Life” monologue; that was the peak of Britpop; that was New Labour, and all greatest moments of the 90s. The more reflective and nostalgic tone has led some like Nigel Andrews to comment that T2 did not have “the same kind of focus, or locus, for its dark thrills and morality”. But I would riposte that the themes of ageing and masculinity over time compels the sequel to adopt tones of slowness and of reflection, with the effect of conjuring up moments of sadness and beauty. Begbie’s troubled relationship with his son provides one such instance, and there wasn’t a dry-eye among the audience when they eventually reconciled. The contrast in tone is underscored by the eclectic mix of music which, as with the visual effects, pays homage to the original film whilst also acknowledging the passage of time. A Prodigy remix of Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust For Life’, for example, adds a darker and more mature timbre. There are countless moments in cinema when we have asked if a sequel has truly justified itself. Is it purely a nostalgia trip cloaked in a sad and miserable veneer? The answer for T2 is a definite no. Sick Boy does accuse Renton of being “a tourist in his own youth”, only returning for a sense of nostalgia, but Renton, and much like all of us, cannot help but to dwell on the brevity of life and the desire to enjoy every moment. Don’t look back with nostalgia; choose opportunity not betrayal; choose life.

IBOY Director: Adam Randall Bill Milner, Maisie Williams 2017, 90 minutes.

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E have seen similar concepts to the premise of iBoy in two entertaining if insubstantial Hollywood productions. One being Luc Besson’s slightly bonkers Lucy, and the other the fun Bradley Cooper starvehicle Limitless. In those flicks the respective leads gain access to a heightened level of consciousness by using more than the limited 10 percent of their brain’s capacity. iBoy dispenses with this highly dubious science and instead uses the perhaps conceptually lazy gunshotwound-to-the-head as the start of its own high concept plot. Through this event, an ordinary London school boy Tom, played by Ben Milnes, gains cognitive access to the entire internet and the ability to hack into any device with his mind. He then proceeds to disrupt the activity of the drug gang members who attacked him and his potential romantic interest, a part elevated by Maisie Williams. It helps that she is probably the best written character in the film, as Williams exudes a plucky confidence while convincingly conveying a sense of psychological damage.

THE FILM DOESN’T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT GENRE IT’S GOING FOR Milnes makes a strong enough lead as the nerdy kid who gains superhuman powers, a la Peter Parker. Yet with this comparison we get onto one of the biggest problems with the film: what genre is it going for. It’s caught somewhere between a sub-par superhero movie, one of

those London urban hood films, and a cyber punk thriller. Instead of making the film an interesting mash up of genre conventions, it instead makes the whole thing a bit muddled. It doesn’t help that it takes itself pretty seriously apart from one line, from Maisie Williams of course, that makes self-aware fun of the ridiculousness of a vigilante named “iBoy”. In addition, while there a few entertaining moments of Milnes using his powers to mess with his enemies, the film doesn’t really make these powers come alive in any particularly exciting ways.

THE WHOLE THING IS VERY HANDSOMELY SHOT WITH SLICK VISUALISATION The whole thing is very handsomely shot and the visualisation of the digital world is all quite slick, if a little uninspired when compared with similar sequences in Lucy or BBC’s Sherlock. In spite of this sci-fi glossiness, the film deals mostly in gloomy urban crime clichés which lack much impact. The result is that the crime elements eschew any grit, while the more fantastical moments are weighed down by the downbeat subject matter. The criminals themselves do provide some entertaining villainy, for example the young gang leader played with oily blonde menace and a constant sneer by Charley Palmer Rothwell. Rory Kinnear brings gravitas in the films climax as the drugs kingpin and is given some juicy monologues. However, he also brings a last minute revelation which seems quite out of place and isn’t really elaborated on. Overall, the ninety-minute run time ends up dragging to an unremarkable conclusion, and you can find similar ideas handled more dynamically elsewhere. It may a give a fresh, British crime cinema spin on modern sci-fi conventions, but this doesn’t set it apart from what’s come before.

Newsreel IMDb shake up

Split Sequel

La La Land

IMDb has announced that it is shutting down its message boards, much to the dismay of our editor Mark Allison.

M. Night Shyamalan has revealed that there will be a sequel to his recently released box office hit, Split.

Damien Chazelle’s musical has picked up the biggest gongs at both the Directors’ and Producers’ Guild Awards.



games + tech App-y with your love life?

Jabez Sherrington, Games + Tech Editor, downloads and tries out some alternatives to Tinder

happn

pros:

badoo

cons:

- Innovative - Simple - Low cost

pros:

- Low userbase - Battery draining - Odd interface

Happn is an app with a great idea, that just needs better execution. The main concept is that you ‘happn’ across people as you wander about in your day to day life; people you cross paths with who also have the app appear in a clunkily-organised list, and you can heart anyone in it you wish. You can buy credits for a low cost, in order to ‘wish’ people - the equivalent of a super like - which is actually quite needed, as the app does not really notify people if they’ve been hearted or not. Letting people only know if they’ve mutually liked each other works on Tinder, but here, due to the messy interface, it makes the app incredibly confusing; people do not usually disappear from your met list unless you match, and manually clicking them off works unreliably. The other big issue is that the ‘crossing paths’ mechanic uses an odd system - apparently I’ve crossed someone called Emily 34 times in 24hrs, when I spent most of that time doing dissertation work in my flat. And it took an absurd amount of battery life to calculate that (probably?!) incorrect information.

- Large userbase - Lots of features - Regular updates

cons:

pros:

- Hidden costs - Aggressive ads - Confusing interface

I was really intrigued by Badoo - 100 million downloads on the Google Play store and good reviews to boot had me in high hopes for a good Tinder alternative. These hopes were crushed when I actually installed and utilised the app. Badoo does a really good job of hiding how expensive it can be. At first, you think you can get away without subscribing, but you gradually realise how much you need the microtransaction-based ‘superpowers.’ You can’t even see who has liked you without subscribing to a rather expensive premium monthly subscription. It’s a shame, because these negatives are quite recent editions; the app was a lot better in the past. This is a shame, as Badoo boasts far superior updates and features than all of its competitors - regular content additions, advanced profile management, etc; the app has so much to offer, but you have to pay a premium to get it - and even then, adverts still litter the page, spambots run rife, and you’re not connecting with as many potential people as Tinder - which is far cheaper.

/5

The verdict?

bumble

/5

- Unique - Easy to use - Completely free

okcupid

pros:

cons: - Low userbase - Connectivity issues - Message history

Bumble is my favourite alternative to Tinder. not least due to the fact that it only allows messages if the woman contacts first. It boasts an incredibly slick interface that is designed well - battery life is barely impacted by use, the messaging system is smooth and profile-editing is a breeze. The main downside to the app, is the userbase. You simply don’t really see many people using it - you’ll burn through your swipe queue in minutes, and then wait days for someone to log on and go through theirs. Other drawbacks are that the app sometimes has trouble making you appear online, and your message history sometimes does not load - but these happen quite infrequently compared to Tinder’s connectivity and messaging issues. Bumble has other really unique features that make it stand out, and work well. It forces one person in a match to message within 24hrs, which stops the awkward ‘who messages first’ pause. Unfortunate if you can’t get to your phone, though. It also lets you know if you have people who’ve swiped right on you - forcing you to go through your queue, and potentially meet and talk to new people.

/5

- Huge userbase - Simple - Flexible options

cons: - Poorly designed - Bad tech support - Website is better

OKcupid has been around for years as a browser-based dating website, and I feel that after testing out their app, they should stick to what they do best - webbased serious dating, instead of a broken app that offers little extra features. To begin with, a lot of people can’t even use the app. A myriad of errors will come up during account creation - wrong passwords and ‘incorrect’ email inputs repeatedly occur for no reason, and god forbid if your second name is too long for their form; the app locks down, and sometimes crashes your phone. If you use your PC to make the account, then log-in via the app, you’ll not find many improvements. Sluggish windows within the app make it hard to navigate easily, and all of the features that work well in a browser - profile management, picture uploading, matches - are really buggy on your phone. It could be worth trying out - especially if you’re after serious relationships, and want a huge pool of people to be potentially matched with. But there are recent updates to the app that have rendered it an absolute mess.

/5

I’d say it’s quite tricky to find alternative fuel for your fire than a good old bit of Tinder. The biggest drawback to good competitors is the userbase. Tinder just has so many people using it, that any alternative will have less chance of finding you your soulmate, partner, or happy evening...

BYTE-SIZE blast from the past by Sam Woolf

God of War Santa Monica Studio PlayStation 2

2005 AAAA

Sometimes all you want from a videogame is mindless violent fun. A simple hack and slash experience that you can sit down with for a few hours and lose yourself in whilst beating down wave after wave of cookie cutter bad guys. However, such mindless games can often be oversimplified messes that are ultimately more boring and repetitive than anything else. Thankfully, this is not the case with God of War. You play as Kratos, the war ravaged ex-Spartan general who sold his soul to Ares, the Greek God of War, for a life of unparalleled power. However, following an unforgivable betrayal from Ares, it is now the player’s job to guide Kratos as he seeks his enact his revenge upon the all-powerful deity. You’ll traverse the crumbling ruins of the war-torn city of Athens, wander in the swirling sandstorms of the desert of lost souls, and delve into ancient crypts in search of the mythical Pandora’s Box. In spite of its somewhat repetitive button mashing gameplay, God of War keeps things fresh by gradually introducing a menagerie of different enemies for Kratos to annihilate and incorporating some truly creative environmental puzzles. Also, considering the game features the winning combination of sex, excessively brutal violence, and Greek mythology, you’d be hard pressed to find a game that makes you feel quite so godly.


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Plenty of catfish in the sea heartbreaking tale actually, but I won’t spoil it for you. The point is: if you strike up a relationship with someone online, you can't assume that people are who they say they are. No matter how many pictures they have on Facebook. But hang on: how do you get from dodgy online fake persona to this rather odd maritime metaphor of the 'catfish'? Well, perhaps the most striking line of the documentary was this: “They used to take cod from Alaska all the way to China,” Angela’s husband Vince explained. “By the time the cod reached China the flesh was mush, tasteless.” To keep the cod moving, someone came up with the idea of putting catfish in the tank to “keep the cod agile.” “There are people who are catfish in life, who keep you on your toes,” Vince said. “They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh.” Poetic, right? But while Nev’s story might have ended *relatively* peacefully, the resulting MTV series showed that catfish

scenarios are often anything but. Take Spencer Morrill, from Nashville. He genuinely believed he was dating Katy Perry for six years. Turns out it was a teenager from Gloucester. I’d hazard a guess Spencer wasn’t feeling too fresh after that discovery. Neither was our anonymous Comment writer, whose chilling tale featured last issue. Thinking he’d met “the man of his dreams,” he arranged to meet someone who, it turned out, wasn’t who he’d said he was. Sharing this story was no doubt extremely hard, and we were so grateful this student felt able to. After all, you never think it’s going to happen to you. Happily, I’ve never found myself catfished. But reading last issue’s account highlighted just how easily it can happen. You don’t have to be desperate, or stupid. All it takes is a little misplaced trust. If you’re an honest person, it can be hard to believe someone could do something like that.

So why would they?! Well: after some intense research (*cough* MTV) I’ve decided there are two kinds of “catfish.” The first? Those who simply don’t feel able to meet people as themselves. There have been some truly heart-wrenching episodes revealing would-be lovers who set up fake profiles, met someone – and then found themselves unable to pick their way out of the lies, terrified they’d face rejection. Of course it’s wrong… but haven’t we all wished we could be someone else at times?

YOU CAN'T ASSUME THAT PEOPLE ARE WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE Infinitely more sinister are the catfish who deliberately reel someone in. Our Comment writer suspects his Tinder match was one of these – but luckily, friends stepped in before he got the chance to find out. So, how does one avoid being catfished? Well, we all know the safety lecture: meet in a public space, don’t get in a car with a stranger, tell someone where you’re heading… but thing is, you can take all the precautions and still end up heartbroken. Even if you never thought you were dating Katy Perry. So by all means keep hunting down your 2k17 romance on Tinder. But when you meet them, do me a solid and be safe. And in addition to that: guard your heart. Sure, there’s plenty of fish in the sea… but no-one wants to fall hook, line and sinker for the catfish. Not on Valentine’s Day.

SUDOKU #32

CROSSWORD # 95 Across

Down

1/23/11/18 A thing which alternates between emotional extremes - tips to heavenlier halo (anagram) (4-4,12)

2

External (5)

3

Adventure (7)

4

Of late (8)

4

Jockey (5)

8

See 17 Down

5

Wax cylinders (used on a 15 date?) (7)

9

Deny (6)

6

Hours of darkness (5)

10

Threesome (4)

7

Disappoint (3,4)

11

See 1

12

Rowdy - gangster (7)

12

Easter snack (3,5,3)

13

Fiercely competitive struggle (3,4)

15

Loving (8)

14

Beg (7)

18

See 1

16

Nice goodbye for French 15s? (5)

20

A word's last syllable - Latium (anagram) (6)

17/8 ___, 1 Across, a 2011 15 comedy film starring

21

Retaliate (6)

22

Indecently - lewdly (8)

Emma Stone (5,6)

Down: 2 Outer, 3 Exploit, 4 Rider, 5 Candles, 6 15 Romantic, 20 Ultima, 21 Avenge, 22 Impurely. Recently, 9 Negate, 10 Trio, 12 Hot cross bun, Love-hate

relationship,

4

PUZZLES BY ALFRED

ANSWERS Night, 7 Let down, 12 Hoodlum, 13 Rat race, 14

STUDY BREAK

Bar (of gold, say) (5)

Beseech, 16 Adieu, 17/8 Crazy, Stupid, 19 Ingot.

19

1/23/11/18

MEAN, you can’t make a Tinder profile without connecting it to Facebook,” my housemate reasoned. “So you kinda know people are legit, don’t you?” I agreed, whole-heartedly. Anything to justify that upcoming Tinder date I definitely wouldn’t be telling mum about. After all, this guy was 100% a real person. I’d already scrolled back to his secondary school leavers’ photos. I knew who he went to Amsterdam with last year. I could take a pretty good guess at who his BFF was. I’d found his Insta, Twitter and LinkedIn. Oh, not to mention the match reports he wrote for his university paper back in 2013. I’m not sure when exactly I decided a welltended online presence was synonymous with proof of identity… but somewhere along the line, I had. I definitely wasn’t about to get catfished. The word “catfish” first crept onto my radar back in second year. My housemates and I had struck up a deal: we’d all introduce the others to our favourite trashy TV show. Alongside Made M in Chelsea, Ex on the Beach and Geordie Shore (my contribution, but we won’t talk about that) something was brought to the table. Something utterly brilliant. An MTV miracle, so to speak. It was Catfish: The TV Show.. From Nev Schulman’s dreamy eyes to the constant drama unfolding each episode, I was soon hooked (pun intended). Basically, the show is a spin-off of 2010 documentary Catfish – which saw Nev filmed by older brother Ariel and friend Henry Joost. To cut a long story short, he’d been having something of an online relationship with sexy girl-next-door “Megan.” Well, so he thought. Turns out “Me an” was actually older woman Angela. It’s a pretty

Across:

“I

Hannah Butler, Editor, warns of the dangers of meeting strangers online


13 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Science 32

SCIENCE EDITORS:

Victoria Bos Beth Honey

Great Sex-pectations

Sophie Carr takes a satirical glance at the biological aspects that still affect our sexual desires and mate choice Woman, 19, seeks biologically-perfect mate

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EEKING a male with a waist-tohip ratio of between 0.8 and 1. I will be measuring. Any less and you clearly don’t have enough energy in your body to father our kids. Sorry. Must have a prominent brow and chiselled jaw. This is not negotiable. Otherwise you probably won’t have enough testosterone to be at your peak sexual health. I am not prepared to take that risk. Attractiveness is required. By that, I mean your face and body must be as symmetrical as possible. By mating with someone attractive, our kids are more likely to be attractive and I can ensure that my fabulous genes are passed on. Moreover, if you’re symmetrical you’re more likely to be healthy. Then you can father more kids and take care of us all. A similar level of attractiveness to myself is a good indicator that neither of us will cheat on each other. I would estimate myself as a 6/10. If you believe you are significantly higher or lower than this, then I will feel uneasy about selecting you as my partner. Must have reasonably similar genetics to myself. Will provide my DNA profile on meeting. I’ve read some studies implying that similar genetics are involved in friendships and mate selec-

tion. Would be nice if we could get on as friends, as well as reproductive mates. Mind you, our genes can’t be too similar, I don’t want people to think we are related. Seeking partner who is successful and financially stable. Not looking to invest my precious eggs in a man who cannot provide for our future children. High social status is also preferable, as men of a higher status can access more resources. Obviously. My mate should have the same values and beliefs as myself. I am a nonreligious, academic student who values personal traits including altruism, kindness and humour in a partner. If you do not share these values then we may argue and you might leave me. Then who will take care of me and the kids? If you plan to/have ever been unfaithful to a partner, then please do not respond to this advertisement. I understand that reproducing with various women greatly increases a man’s chance of passing on his genes, however, I am not into that. I want a man who will stick around and provide me and my children with resources. Think I sound too fussy? I’ll be the one pushing the babies out, so I think I’ll hold out for Mr Right, thanks.

Male, 22, looking for youthful, fertile female

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’M looking for a woman with a symmetrical face, indicative that you have fewer genetic mutations and have coped well with environmental pressures. If you’re symmetrical you’re probably healthy enough to bear and raise my children. How sexy. I’ve also read that if you’re a symmetrical dancer, I’ll be more attracted to you. So if you throw some symmetrical shapes, whatever that entails, you’ve got my attention. As well as symmetry, a small face and chin is a good indicator that your oestrogen levels are just right. Perfect for child-bearing. A smaller face will also make your eyes ‘pop’, even more so if you wear eyeliner. A woman with big eyes will get me feeling all protective and loving. Blonde hair is preferred, as this will remind me that you are young and fertile, and that I can reproduce with you. You know how children sometimes have blonde hair when they are young, but it darkens with age? We men can’t help but associate blonde hair with youth. As for your body, a study shows that the most attractive women have a BMI around 20.85. So if that’s you, great, but I’m more keen to know about a woman’s hips. A waist-to-hip ratio any-

My docking station or yours?

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EX robots. It sounds a bit weird, doesn’t it? Let’s be honest, it makes you a bit nervous. The idea of having sex with robots has been often labeled as “upsetting” and “bewildering” by the media. People have even gone so far as to launch a campaign called the “Campaign Against Sex Robots”. It’s unquestionable that there is a certain ‘ick’ factor attached to the idea of such an act. It seems to be pathetic, creepy even, to sleep with them. It eliminates human contact, and Swiss researcher Oliver Bendel even believes that they will, in effect, bugger us to the grave, owing to the fact that they don’t tire out. It makes sense that these amorous androids freak us out, and, looking back at how we’ve reacted to previous advancements over the years, these fears are predictable, if unsound. Our squeamishness is more of a form of technophobia, a naturalistic fallacy generated by our uneasiness with forms of radical change. Erotic writing, pinups, porn, and so on, have all been subjects of moral hysteria. At the end of the day, this are now seen as roughly positive additions to sex lives. The same will probably happen with robots.

Are you happy with the size of your penis?*

100%

50%

0%

where between 0.61 and 1.18 is generally considered as a sign of good health and having enough energy to bear and raise kids. I’m not after a play-boy bunny, who on average have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, I’m after some curves. Let’s not forget boobs. Not to offend the no-doubt beautiful, smallbreasted girls out there, but big boobs are another sign that you are a healthy, child-bearing woman. But I’m not all about looks! Sharing my attitudes and beliefs are important for boosting my self-esteem and generally getting on with each other. More than this, if you show any positive traits like kindness or generosity, I am more likely to find you physically attractive. It’s a win-win. If you’re going to cheat on me then forget about responding. Infidelity is a definite deal-breaker. Studies have shown that men show more sexual jealousy than women and I don’t want to be feeling jealous. Of course, it’s only fair that you women get to be choosier than men. You carry and deliver the babies after all. But I’m a man who is willing to commit and is ready to start passing on my genes. Please respond if you are interested and I shall evaluate you in person.

Y

N

*British Sex Survey 2014


SCIENCE

33

Here we see flirting in its natural habitat

Graham Moore channels his inner David Attenborough and looks at the most bizarre mating habits in the animal kingdom

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T’S no use being told that there are ‘plenty more fish in the sea’ when all those potential love interests seem to be swimming away as fast as they can. Not so for these flirtatious fauna, however, who have certainly got the skills where it counts – if you’re feeling lonely around this Valentine’s Day, perhaps now is the time to start taking notes.

Giant Cuttlefish, Sepia apama

Bowerbird, Chlamedyra nuchalis

Box Jellyfish, Copula sivickisi

Prairie Vole, Michrotus ochrogaster

Whilst cuttlefish sex is pretty odd – utilising the sort of weird face-enveloping techniques usually relegated to the darkest corners of Timepiece – their courtship can be pretty incredible. Cuttlefish can change colour to suit their surroundings, which comes in handy during mating season when competition is fierce males seek to impress females and scare off rivals using vibrant colour-changing displays. Female cuttlefish are not averse to having multiple partners, so the lucky male will stand guard. Other smaller males have learned to get around this by changing their colours to pose as females, enabling the female to get some on the side, whilst presumably giving the first male an unexpected chance to explore his sexuality.

Despite the bowerbird’s genus, Chlamedyra, sounding more likely to prompt a hasty trip to the sexual health clinic, the males of this species have still got a trick or two up their feathery sleeves. These Australian residents are named for their elaborately woven bower structures, which they build to impress the females – like a sexuallycharged episode of Grand Designs. The male birds adorn their bowers with rocks, bottle caps, and other such curios, and a recent study by one Prof. John Endler (Deakin University) revealed that they are proficient in using forced perspective optical illusions to make themselves seem larger and more attractive. I can think of one or two uses for forced perspective in human flirtation, but I won’t go into detail here – I’m sure it’ll come to you, if you just think about it long and hard…

The box jellyfish, it seems, is really into oral sex. Not that it has much choice – jellyfish, as a rule, have just the one orifice: the opening of the central ‘manubrium’ tube is both anus and mouth. Most jellyfish avoid sex altogether, simply releasing their sperm and eggs into the water, however the box jellyfish decided somewhere along the line that it was time to get kinky. When they gather for the customarily weird jellyfish orgy, the male jellyfish manually transfers a package of sperm to the mouth of the female, who then swallows, enabling a direct fertilisation. The male also coats his sperm cells with some of his stinging cynidote cells; containing a protein used for anchoring, enabling the sperm to better stay attached to the female. The females then partially digest the sperm cells, allowing better bonding with her eggs.

Fear not, you hopeless romantics – love is not dead, and the prairie vole is here to prove it. Unlike most similar species, M. ochrogaster is typically monogamous, and remains so for life. Prairie vole couples engage in affectionate grooming, exhibit biparental behaviour, and (heartbreakingly – I never knew I’d get so invested in vole romance) most voles seem unable to move on after their loved one has passed away, exhibiting signs of loss-induced depression. The vole’s social bond is formed by long-term interaction between partners, and so many a vole’s one night stand has resulted in love. Aside from being undeniably adorable, the behaviour of the prairie vole has also presented an excellent opportunity for scientific research into the neural (and genetic) basis of mammalian social bonding.

Do it like they do on the Discovery Channel Tash Ebbutt, Arts & Lit Editor, explores whether our furred and feathered friends also enjoy ‘doing the deed’

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RGUABLY, sexual pleasure plays a dramatic role within human society. Due to our civilised nature, we as humans do not have to worry about reproduction. Our sophistication within the natural world has placed us at the top of the hierarchy, meaning that the continuation of our species is more than likely. But what about the animals of this planet? Do they, like humans, experience sexual pleasure? Do they even crave for the situation to arise which will satisfy their sexual desires? Of course, there have been numerous research projects undertaken by scientists across the globe in their efforts to solve this mystery. In order to begin to discover whether or not animals experience pleasure that could compare to sex, low key studies into animal behaviour must be undertaken. For example, in 2001 a study by Jeffrey Burgdorf and Jaak Penskepp discovered that laboratory rats enjoyed being tickled and would actively seek out this sensation. This brings about the question on whether the same desire would be triggered in relation to sexual experience. To determine this, studying certain instances of sex would be helpful. This could include sexual acts be-

tween different age groups, sex occurring outside of the purpose of breeding and even same sex relationships. Bonobos, for instance, experiment with animals of the same sex; a non conceptive sexual act which distinguishes itself from the biological need for reproduction. White Faced Capuchin monkeys also engage in sex in a similar manner. Primatologists have discovered that female solicitation of males by this specific group sometimes separate from reasons surrounding fertility. Instances such as pregnancy and the period of lactation after birth make conception impossible, yet some females will actively engage in sexual acts. If the biological need has been made impossible, the assumption is that the female desires to have sex recreationally. But it is not just primates that extend the biological constraints of sex. Lionesses may procreate up to one hundred times per day over the week in which they ovulate. This is more sex than needed to conceive, so again the assumption is that the lion is seeking sex presumably for personal pleasure. Cougars and leopards have also been known to do this. Remaining in the realm

of the big cat world, cheetahs have been found to engage in foreplay by licking their partners genitals as part as their courtship ritual. Goats, hyenas and sheep have also been found to do this. A NASA funded study in the 1960s saw a male adolescent dolphin masturbate creatively by wrapping a live eel around its penis, thereby showing a desire for pleasure outside the evolutionary discourse.

Orgasm was shown to be more likely if the male copulating with the female was higher than her in the social structure Intercourse, foreplay and experimentation outside the boundaries of reproduction all seem to play a part within the animalistic realm of sexual pleasure, but what about the climax? Within that term of pleasure is the assumed role of the orgasm. Do animals orgasm, and is this the motivation that drives them to seek out sex? A study on the macaque primate showed that females experienced physiological reactions which signified orgasm.

These included body movement, grasping of the male, as well as an increased heart rate and vaginal spasms. Interestingly, orgasm was shown to be more likely if the male copulating with the female was higher than her in the social structure of the group. This suggests that social hierarchy can be important within the presence of animal orgasm. Despite such studies, an animal cannot inform us whether or not they have orgasmed, therefore the answer will always to some extent remain uncertain. Regardless of whether or not animals experience pleasure is their place in the aforementioned natural hierarchy. Animals have more to worry about in the wild than humans do, so recreational sex will not always be at the top of their priorities list. Mark Bekoff, a biologist at the University of Colorado, admits that sex and its relation with pleasure originate from the most primitive parts of the brain, and therefore both man and beast will experience similar sensations of pleasure but it is the differences in vulnerability which differentiates the two. Bekoff uses the example of wolves. Wolves abstain from sex for more than half the year, so does that mean it is unpleasant? No. The fact is

that wolves engaged in sex are more vulnerable. The male locks onto the female for at least half an hour. There is also the continuation of family to consider. If wolves procreated in summer, their cubs would be born in the middle of winter, which would limit rates of survival. Animals may enjoy sex, they may actively seek to satisfy their insatiable desire for pleasure, but evolution will always take the superior stance. Reproduction and the continuation of a species will triumph over an animal’s pleasure, but that is not to say that this enjoyment does not exist.


South West Rug Leading

So far...

Jack Owlett Prop 3rd Year Business Management

D

Lara Hopkins, Sport Ed Captain Sim

ESPITE having lost their opening games away to Loughborough and Hartpury, EURFC 1s have had a strong season, winning their following nine games. This meant they were pressing their two main rivals at the top of the Super Rugby table. However, a first loss at Topsham just last Wednesday has put a lot of pressure on their next two games. To finish second in the table and secure key home fixtures for the knockout stages, the 1s need to win their final two games, preferably with at least one bonus point, and hope Loughborough lose away to Hartpury. This surprise loss came against Durham, a team EURFC had beaten 17-50 just a few weeks previously. The squad squandered a 22-5 lead to lose 22-23, after poor discipline gave the visitors a penalty shot and left the home team with only 14 men on the field. The Derby should see a formidable side fielded. Prop Jack Owlett and Number 8 Tom Lawday have been part of the Exeter Chiefs squad for recent AngloWelsh Cup wins, captained by Sam Skinner. Hopefully Wednesday will see another win at Sandy Park for this trio and their University teammates.

Thomas Rhodes Prop 3rd Year Marketing Management

Elliot Roof Prop 3rd Year History

Rauf Birler Hooker 2nd Year Mechanical Engineering

Callum Young Hooker 2nd Year Sport Science

Fred Hosking Second Row 3rd Year Human Biosciences

Q: You lost the first 2 games of the season, why do you think this was? A combination of factors. I think it was a new year, new team, a lot of big players left at the end of last season and left some big holes to fill. We did have some issues at the beginning of the season but we sorted them out very quickly and we’re on a nice little run at the moment. That little run included winning nine games in a row but we’re still taking each day as it comes and we’re not taking any games for granted, but we’ve definitely corrected some of the issues. Q: How has the change to Super Rugby affected your BUCS season in terms of having to travel further and play a higher quality of games throughout the season? This year there are no easy fixtures; it’s the best four teams in the north and the best four teams in the South. Going up to Durham, Northumbria, Leeds, Loughborough, it’s certainly a lot more travel and it does make it tougher

Simon Linsell Second Row 3rd Year Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies

Sam Skinner Second Row 3rd Year Business Economics

Matthew Eliet Back Row 4th Year International Business Management

Ed Forshaw Back Row 2nd Year Economics

BUCS Super Rugby POS

PLD

PD

1

Hartpury College

13 154 53

2

Loughborough

13 165 51

3 4

Exeter Durham

12 153 43 12 -33 37

5 6

Bath Cardiff Met

12 -5 28 13 -34 20

7 8

Northumbria Leeds Beckett

12 -245 16 13 -155 4

*Table correct as of going to print

Tom Lawday Back Row 3rd Year Sport Science

Rory Lorimer Back Row 2nd Year Geography

James McRae Back Row 2nd Year Sport Science

PTS

Follow along with the latest from the South West Rugby Derby on Twitter with @ExeposeSport and using the hashtag #RugbyDerby

Q: Do you think the change has improved the competition? Yeah, definitely. I think the standard of the competition has rocketed up, every game presents a challenge. There are big games every week and this means that the quality of rugby on show is obviously better too. The guys who play for both the University and Exeter Chiefs seem to manage really well and it’s obviously fantastic having boys who are training day in day out with the Chiefs and playing with them, and when they can play for us that’s obviously great for us and forces us to improve our game and train at their standards. Most of them are available every week, Sam [Skinner] is a bit more in and out but should be available for the Derby. Q: You beat Bath 17-26 in November was that a tough game? It was. Bath away has always been a tough fixture for us and that night the conditions were tough and it was also earlier on in the season when we were still correcting some of our mistakes so to get that win away was really good. It was a tough win so I’m not expecting an easy home fixture either. Q: Has much changed for either side between November and now? It’s hard to say. We’ve had some good


gby Derby 2017 the side

ditor, chats to EURFC 1s mon Linsell wins and they’ve had some good wins, and they’ve also started to climb the table too. They’ve put a string of wins together and have also beaten some good teams. I think both teams will be stronger than when we met last term. Q: Do you think the change of atmosphere at Sandy Park, with it being a night time fixture instead of your usual afternoons at Topsham, will affect the team at all? Not really. We’ve had quite a few evening kick offs, playing Durham at night, and also Loughborough and Bath, so that shouldn’t affect things. If anything, the boys relish playing under the lights. Q: What does it mean to be playing in uni colours at Sandy Park? Really amazing. I’ve never played there before. A lot of these boys played there last year and the year before that but for me it’s a new experience and also something all the boys will relish. It is nice change; Topsham is a fortress for us and whilst we enjoy playing there, to have this special occasion once a year is really good. Q: What is the format for the stages after the normal league season? It’s knockouts. The higher you come in the League, the better your qualification position and the more likely it is you’ll get home fixtures. Q: Loughborough have only played one more game but have four more bonus points, could that adversely affect the seedings? It could do. It’s all a bit more up in the air and it’s started to get a bit congested at the top. Hartpury were running away with it but ourselves and Loughborough have closed in on them and it’s too close to call, but bonus points do make a difference and will be important. Q: Finally, is the ultimately aim to defend last year’s BUCS gold at Twickenham? Of course. With the calibre of the team we have here there is no excuse not to make it to Twickenham for the finals but it does depend on the day. There are some great teams out there and we’re not taking anything for granted but we should be there.

EURFC 1s 2016/17

Jack Rouse Back Row 2nd Year Sport Science

Wednesday 5 October v Loughborough (A) L 20-11 Wednesday 12 October v Hartpury College (A) L 41-18

Aaron Bagwell Scrum Half 1st Year Sport Science

Wednesday 19 October v Northumbria (H) W 59-12

Ed Houchin Scrum Half 1st Year Human Biosciences

Wednesday 2 November v Leeds Beckett (A) W 10-27 Wednesday 9 November v Loughborough (H) W 28-24

Ted Landray Fly Half 3rd Year Geography & Economics

Wednesday 16 November v Cardiff Met (H) W 49-29

Charlie Wicks Fly Half/Full Back 3rd Year History

Wednesday 23 November v Bath (A) W 17-26 Wednesday 30 November v Hartpury College (H) W 42-10

Hugh Campbell Centre 3rd Year Sport Science

Wednesday 7 December v Cardiff Met (A) W 15-22

Mike Haines Centre/Full Back 2nd Year Sport Science

Wednesday 25 January v Durham (A) W 17-50 Wednesday 1 February v Leeds Beckett (H) W 31-14

Tom Holdsworth Centre 3rd Year Sport Science

Wednesday 8 February v Durham (H) L 22-23

Chris Swash Centre 3rd Year Sport Science

Wednesday 15 February v Bath (H) KO: 19.45 Wednesday 22 February v Northumbria (A) KO: 13.00

Callum Roberts Winger 3rd Year Natural Sciences

Wednesday 1 March BUCS Championship 1st Round Wednesday 8 March BUCS Championship QF Wednesday 15 March BUCS Championship SF Thursday 30 March BUCS Final (Twickenham)

Neil Warne Winger 3rd Year Geography

Dom Thorne Winger 2nd Year Sport Science

Jamie Wilcock Full Back 3rd Year Sport Science


Sport

13 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Meet the team: all you need to know about your Rugby Derby squad

A chat with EURFC Captain Simon Linsell about the season so far

Page 34

Page 35

SPORT EDITORS:

Owain Evans Lara Hopkins

Photo: Yong Yan Wang

2s top their table

Men’s Hockey Exeter 2s ..................................... 3 Plymouth 1s ................................. 1 Owain Evans Sport Editor

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HILST the surrounds of the water Astro may not quite be the same as a soldout Home Park, Devon Derby week got off to a flying start for Exeter as EUMHC 2s defeated Plymouth 1s by a scoreline of 3-1 and in doing so clinched the league title. The match got off to a flying start, with Exeter going straight down the

pitch on the attack. Tunmise Ashaye got a shot off which was blocked by the visiting goalkeeper, but Charlie Speller was present to tuck away the rebound and send Exeter towards victory with little more than a minute on the clock.

A solid defensive effort helped keep the visitors out Plymouth retaliated from the restart by claiming most of the possession, but they failed to do very much with it. This became a pattern - Plymouth would often go on the attack, but their advances

were tame and rarely seemed to strike any fear into the hearts of the Exeter contingent. For all this wasted possession from the visitors, it was Exeter who had the next serious chance on goal. A short corner provided an impressive chance, with Ben Palmer’s shot glancing just past the post. On 13 minutes, Exeter doubled their advantage. Palmer’s shot from near the edge of the shooting circle was tapped in from close range by Ben Cooke, leaving Exeter clearly in the ascendancy and with the league title in sight. The remaining 20 minutes played

out with Plymouth having more of the ball, but yet again they failed to create meaningful chances. With Plymouth failing to convert any of their chances, the two sides went in at half-time with EUMHC leading 2-0.

The match got off to a flying start, scoring immediately The visiting side came out for the second half looking to fight their way back into the game. Just a few minutes in, a short corner provided an opportunity that was finally converted, and

EUMHC looked set for a long second half of defending their lead. The game was suddenly livening up. Plymouth threw the kitchen sink at a comeback attempt. They caused some frustration to the Exeter back line, and for once they also caused some concern that they would claw their way back to level pegging. However, a solid defensive effort helped to keep the visitors out, and EUMHC finally sealed the result with Speller increasing the lead to two goals once again as the game entered its final few minutes. Plymouth would have no reply, and Exeter came out on top not just in this game, but also the BUCS Western 1A.

For live scores and in-depth reports, follow us on Twitter @exeposesport


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