Issue 683 7 May 2018

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ISSUE 683 7 MAY 2018 exepose.com @Exepose

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

When life gives you Lemmys...

Labour retains control of City Council Gwyn Wright News Editor

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HERE was no change in the composition of Exeter City Council on Thursday night as the results were counted from all 13 wards that make up the city.

At the last elections to Exeter City Council in 2016, all councillors were up for re-election, and voters chose their three preferred councillors. This year, the councillors who received the third highest number of votes were up for re-election, with one councillor in each ward being up for re-election. Turnout on Thursday was 36 per cent, which was down three points on the 2016 elections.

Leak became a financial risk after taking three years to repair

We got some very good Councillors onto the Council

Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter

Students concerned over state of venue

eposé: “we’ve had complaints from touring bands about it. It’s permanently water damaged our stage decking, and obviously it’s a hazard because there are a lot of electricals going all over the stage.”

They were concerned, and knew that others had been: “that’s why we reported it so many times [...] There was a risk, without a doubt.”

Last night, 10 Labour councillors, two Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat were defending their seats.

Labour only needed to retain one of the seats up for grabs on Thursday to retain overall control of the council.

There was no net change in the number of seats held by each party.

The Conservatives lost a councillor in the Pennsylvania ward but offset this by gaining a seat in the St Loye’s ward. Labour claimed that they had last won that ward at a high-water mark for the party, and were unsurprised with that result.

The Liberal Democrats managed to hold their seat in the Duryard and St James’ ward, which contains most of the University campus as well as the area around Victoria Street.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Guild maintains that Lemmy events will go ahead next year Image: Owain Evans

Oliver Weaver & Megan Davies News Team & Editor

maintain the building, but the origin of the leak was not identified until last week.

EXCLUSIVE

Fortunately, we have never had to cancel a gig

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LEAK in the roof of the Lemmy has taken over three years to repair. Campus Services have made several assessments since the leak was first reported by the Guild back in 2014, when the roof was refurbished. The University own and

Guild Spokesperson

Students and part-time staff have raised concerns about the leak in the

FEATURES Misogyny and assault in Indian culture PAGe 11

last week, as water has been seen pouring down the side of the air-con unit and onto the main stage in the Lemon Grove auditorium. Buckets were put out to collect water. Last week rainwater was seen, “coming from even more places than [before],” due to heavy rain and strong easterly winds. “Students have known about the ‘Lemmy Leak’ for years now”, a Battle of the Bands musician said.

A Lemon Grove assistant told Ex-

ARTS+LIT Queer heroes to celebrate PAGe 16

Editors Print: Megan Davies & Graham Moore Deputy: Katie Jenkins & Alicia Rees Online: Harry Bunting & Natalie Keffler editors@exepose.com

Comment Editors Print: Isabelle Gray & Deepa Lalwani Online: Bea Fones & Josh Gammage comment@exepose.com

Arts + Lit Editors Print: Lauren Newman & Tabi Scott Online: Emily Pirie & Kristina Werner artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Aaron Loose & Alex Wingrave Online: Jaysim Hanspal & Jamie Moncrieff music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Chloe Kennedy & Ben Faulkner Online: Harry Caton & David Conway screen@exepose.com Science Editors Print: Scarlett Parr Reid & Gabriel Yeap Online: Ayesha Tandon & Rhys Davies sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Josh Brown, Owain Evans & Wil Jones Online: Luke Clarkson & Ben Hart sport@exepose.com Chief Photographer Chelsea Lee photography@exepose.com Copy Editors Peter Firth, Charlotte Forrester & William Harrop Proofers Peter Firth, Jaimie Hampton, Charlotte Forrester, David Conway, Alex Wingrave, Harry Caton, Aaron "Foot" Loose, Rhiannon Moore, William Harrop, SportiBoi, Scarlett ParrReid, Penny Dinh, Nicky Avasthi, Jaysim Hanspal, Chloe Kennedy, Johnny Chern, Gwyn Wright

@ exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exepose Advertising Kate Watkins kate.watkins@exeterguild.com (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.

Exeter graduate appointed Home Secretary PAGE 3

COMMENT Exeter Unmask - responses to racism on campus PAGE 6

FEATURES Youth activism: is our generation apathetic?

PAGE 10 Image: Brian Solis

Lifestyle Editors Print: Bethan Gilson & Rhiannon Moore Online: Katie Baker & Rowan Keith lifestyle@exepose.com

got arguments for and against, but all we really want is just for our deadlines to be over, so we can go back to just avoiding the Library whenever possible as usual.

Third term can be a slow one, and for many a fairly stressful one, but fear not - Lifestyle has got you covered, as we talk about managing mental wellbeing and picking the most restful and relaxing places to study (page 15). Our Arts + Lit writers, meanwhile, are discussing their favourite creative (and productive!) ways to unwind (page 17). Some people have found more productive way to unwind: Sport have spoken to EUWRFC about their recent Twickenham win.

Sometimes, though, it's nice to take a peek outside the university bubble and look into what's happening in the world around us. With that in mind, our focus for much of this issue has been on Pride, ahead of 2018’s celebration on 12 May. Features takes us to Pride celebrations around the world (page 12), whilst our Lifestyle writers give us insight into their personal experiences and look at the history of Pride (page 14). Arts + Lit and Music discuss influential LGBTQ+ artists (pages 16 and 19 respectively), whilst Screen talks us through queer representation in modern filmmaking (page 22). Over in Science, we discuss LGBTQ+ in STEM fields; meanwhile Comment are looking at things from a different angle, examining ‘rainbow capitalism’ and the commodification of Pride and queer culture (page 7).

We hope you enjoy reading our first issue just as much as we enjoyed creating it. 'Til next time, Megan and Graham

Image: Pax Ahimsa Gethen

Features Editors Print: Niamh Elstone & Neha Shaji Online: Chloë Edwards & Bryan Knight Foreign Correspondents Co-ordinator: Ellie Cook features@exepose.com

Happy third term, everybody!

If there is such a thing, anyway.

Hopefully this new edition of Exeposé will provide a little bit of reading material to alleviate the drag of exams and coursework - for a little while at least.

We’re certainly very excited about it, because this marks the first issue created by our new 2018/19 committee – not to mention our own first issue as Editors! As with every change of committee, we’re coming in hot with a whole host of fresh ideas and fresh talent across each section.

So put that revision to rest for half an hour: grab yet another cup of coffee, hide your highlighters, and put away those prompt cards, because we’ve got a whole issue’s worth of interesting and exciting content to distract you with!

In light of the conclusion of the BLS investigation, News have taken a look at how the university has handled this racist incident (page 3). Comment take a look at the student response and the success of the Exeter Unmask rally, with one of the rally’s organisers discussing how effective such responses can be in tackling racism on campus. Elsewhere, News raises questions about the state of maintenance around campus, and particularly recent work undertaken at the Lemmy (page 4) – personally, we’re just glad that somebody is visiting the Lemmy at all...

Over in Features, we take an intensive look into sexual assault and misogyny in India (page 11), in light of incidents and protests both recent and otherwise. Meanwhile, Comment asks the lighter questions – should freshers be using the library during the stressful peak times of Term 3 (page 6)? We’ve

NEWS

Image: Sarah Adler

News Editors Print: Jaimie Hampton & Gwyn Wright Online: Edd Church & Hannah Stevenson news@exepose.com

Editorial

Image: HM Government

EXEPOSÉ

Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ

SCIENCE The Facebook scandal: staying private online PAGE 27

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE!

There are even more great articl es on the Exeposé website.

From the latest university news to current affairs, music and theatr e reviews and more, visit us at www.exepose.com

Worldwide university news Gas leak fears in Melbourne misplaced

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HEN the strong smell of gas started to permeate around the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, there was an immediate fear that a gas leak had occurred and over 500 people were evacuated. Emergency services decked out in specialist gear searchedfor the cause of the smell after it was first reported in the campus library. The smell, however, turned out to be caused by rotting fruit. The durian fruit releases an odour so pungent that it has been banned from hotels and public transport across much of southeast Asia. The stench appeared to have spread through the air conditioning system and the source of the smell was found rotting in a cupboard. The 40 or so firefighters called to the scene handed the situation over to the Environment Protection Authority who were tasked with removing the waste. The university has since been given the all clear and teaching has resumed as normal.

Images: N Chadwick/Geograph

Peking University denies rape claim

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EKING University has been accused of trying to silence a student who petitioned for the release of documents about an alleged rape. The student in question, Yue Xin, published a letter on Monday claiming that the University had harassed and intimidated her by calling her in for several meetings late at night and suggesting that she may not be able to graduate. Since then, she says that her advisor and mother stormed into her room and forced her to delete all petitionrelated documents. She was driven home, and has not returned to University, according to the Chinese Digital Times. Her name is now blocked in online searches.

The petition relates to an allegation from classmates of a former literature student at the University, who claims that she was raped by a professor before committing suicide in 1998. It calls for the University to release all documents relating to the case. The professor in question denies the allegation.

Uni's bid to become drug free campus

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UCKINGHAM University is to ask students to sign contracts promising not to take drugs on its property, in a bid to become Britain’s first drug-free campus. Buckingham’s Vice-Chancellor, Sir Anthony Seldon, said “Universities need to shake themselves up and take more responsibility for students in their care.” As reported in the Sunday Times, there has been a 42% increase in the number of UK students disciplined for drug use since 2015. Cambridgeshire’s former chief constable and current drug policy adviser, Tom Lloyd, said Buckingham’s proposal “infantilised” adult students, and that “prohibition is a hugely costly, counterproductive and harmful failure.” A spokesman for Buckingham University said no date had been set for the introduction of the policy whilst it was working on the details for implementation.

University revokes multiple scholarships

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HE University of Texas at Tyler has revoked between fifty to sixty scholarships. Many of those, who were offered scholarships by the university are Nepalese students. Would-be students received an email informing them of the bad news. The sudden announcement comes mid-way through their visa applications, and other preparations to travel to a new continent. Whether Texas at Tyler intends to follow this announcement with assistance remains unclear. This is not the first time that scholarships have been revoked by a university.

Last year the University of California, Irvine, attempted to revoke around eight hundred scholarships, but uproar from students prevented the university from going through with it.

Stories by Carys Wilkinson, Owain Evans, Bea Fones and Adam Robertson Charlton

News

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NEWS EDITORS: Jaimie Hampton Gwyn Wright

Uni takes action after Bracton Law Society investigation

Jaimie Hampton News Editor

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HE aftermath of the investigation into the Bracton Law Society has resulted in a series of projects being launched, with the aim of the university becoming a more inclusive and academic community. The University has established a new provost commission, overseen by the Provost, Professor Janice Kay, which will lead the recommendation and implementation of new initiatives to ensure an open and diverse community.

We are excited to see the campaign grow from strength to strength

Guild Spokesperson

The Students’ Guild have launched a campaign, under the banner of ‘We Are All Exeter’, which is designed to celebrate the diversity on campus and in the city. The

campaign intends to create a campus and city where everyone feels welcome and included by seeking to eradicate racism and all forms of harassment and discrimination.

Over the next month, students will host events to allow others to sample aspects of multiple cultures from Exeter. A Guild spokesperson stated: “The Students’ Guild is thrilled that the value and importance of the #WeAreAllExeter campagin is being recognised in the University’s effort to tackle discrimination on campus. Starting in 2016/17, the campaign aims to make Exeter an inclusive and welcome place for every person, regardless of gender, race, religion, sexuality or age. Two years later and we are excted to see the campaign grow from strength to strength and to see our student leaders guide the way towards equality.”

Last week, the University launched a new online hub, which intends to give greater prominence to all students on advice about racism, abuse and harassment.

The online hub provides the contact de-

Image:Wikipedia

tails needed if a student is in an emergency, needs medical attention, advice or wellbeing support. The University aims to add an anonymous reporting tool shortly.

In future, the online hub will provide witnesses and victims of harassment with the ability to report events confidentially.

In exceptional cases, where the University is aware of serious bullying or harassment, they may investigate the situation in accordance with its duty of care to ensure the safety

and wellbeing of all staff and students. This can occur even if the individual decides not to make a formal complaint.

Currently, the University is working with the Student’s Guild to support them in organising a Respect Festival event on Streatham campus before the end of Term 3. The Exeter Respect Festival is the city’s annual celebration of diversity, which aims to use performing and creative arts to engage the wider community in saying no to

Exeter graduate appointed as new Home Secretary Mike Rogers News Team

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NIVERSITY of Exeter graduates have been given key posts in a Cabinet reshuffle spurred by the resignation of Amber Rudd, who faced major criticism during the Windrush Scandal. Sajid Javid MP, who studied economics and politics, has been appointed as Home Secretary, whilst James Brokenshire, who studied law, is now Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Mr Javid MP, now Home Secretary

attended Downend School and Filton College in Bristol, before graduating from the University of Exeter in 1991.

Mr Javid was a prominent member of the University’s Conservative Society, during his time as a student, and was elected as the First Year Representative of the Guild’s Student Council.

Mr Javid has been MP for Bromsgrove in Worcestershire since 2010, and his appointment makes him the first Muslim to hold one of the Great Offices of State, as well as the first Home Secretary from an ethnic-minority background. On the Windrush scandal, Mr Javid said: “It immediately im-

pacted me. I’m a second-generation migrant, my parents came to the country from Pakistan, just like the Windrush generation.” On growing up in Bristol, Mr Javid stated that “They often tell you that unless you wear an old school tie or have the family contacts, you just won’t get a chance to work in the City.

But they were wrong.”

I certainly recall with much fondness my time studying law at Exeter.

James Brokenshire MP

James Brokenshire, who studied at

the university around the same time to Mr Javid, reflected on his time at Exeter fondly. Mr Brokenshire said, “I certainly recall with much fondness my time studying law at Exeter. I graduated in 1990 and my experiences prepared me well for my subsequent career as a corporate lawyer and partner of a major city law firm before the move to politics.”

Mr Brokenshire recently made a remarkable comeback to Parliament, after undergoing major surgery to remove a cancerous lesion on his lung over ten weeks ago but managing to return to the backbenches in late February.

Image: Ministry of Housing , Communities, Local Govt’s Photostream/Flickr

racism and prejudice. The first event was held in 1997 and the university is a gold sponsor of the event. From 2009, the event has been a two-day free festival, with over 20,000 people attending per year.

A Higher Education Funding Council for England Catalyst fund project, called ‘Safeguarding Black, Asian and Minority students’, has released a survey asking students to discuss their experiences of witnessing racial harassment on campus. The survey is confidential and will be used to inform University policy and practice. The project is unaffected by the HEFCE’s closure in March 2018.

In response to the announcement of these projects Neha Shaji, an organiser of the anti-racism rally by Exeter Unmask against the Bracton Law Society stated: “I have a tentative hopefulness, and hope that this is a continued campaign rather than a one off.” The University hopes that these projects will ensure a more inclusive community.

Student cuts hair for charity

Gwyn Wright News Editor

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ARRIET Stack, a third-year Drama student, is cutting her hair and donating it to The Little Princess Trust.

On her JustGiving Page, Hattie states: “I have always had long hair for as long as I can remember and have never thought about cutting it short. I am extremely lucky and, at times, have taken my hair for granted, which I’m sure many of us do.”

Hattie originally set a fundraising target of £150, but that has already been exceeded. The charity provides wigs, free of charge, for children and young adults (up to the age of 24) who have sadly lost their hair own hair during cancer treatment and other illnesses. This is achieved by working with specialist suppliers and experienced hairdressers who offer wigs tailored to the individual child’s needs.

Talking to Exeposé, Hattie said: “Family members close to me, including my mum, have had cancer. Although my mum noticed her cancer early so didn’t lose her hair, I’ve known and heard of families affected by it. Therefore, I have been raising donations for the cause, and give that extra bit of confidence to those that have lost their hair.”

The Trust also relies solely on the efforts of enthusiastic community fundraisers. Hattie’s fundraising page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/harriet-stack.

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7 MAY 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

NEWS

LED streetlights linked to cancer Alex Wingrave Music Editor

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STUDY led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, which has involved researchers from the University of Exeter, has discovered a link between the ‘blue light’ emitted

by LED streetlights in many large cities and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, utilised data from more than 4,000 people in 11 regions of Spain. Whilst lighting is used to create ‘orange’ emissions, modern lighting emits a bright ‘blue’ colour. Participants exposed to more blue light were found to have double the risk of prostate cancer and 1.5 times more likelihood of developing breast cancer. The study was conducted using images taken from the International Space Station to evaluate light levels, the first of its kind to use this method. Dr Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel, of the University of Exeter, stated: “Humans have evolved to need light during the day and darkness at night. As towns and cities replace older lighting, we’re all exposed to higher levels of “blue” lights, which can disrupt our biological clocks. It’s imperative that we know for sure whether this increases our risk of cancer.”

Success for Exeposé in publication awards Jaimie Hampton News Editor

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XEPOSÉ continued its award-winning streak at this year’s SPA (Student Publication Association) National Conference, where the efforts of members were praised. In the ‘Best Publication’ category. Exeposé was highly commended, whilst James Angove, Print Features Editor 2017/18, won the award for Best Interview. The winning article was an interview with ex-undercover police officer Neil Woods about the war on drugs

I’m looking forward to working hard in the next year

Owain Evans, SPA Exec

Exeposé was also shortlisted for ‘Best Overall Digital Media’ and ‘Best

Sports Coverage’. Owain Evans, Print Editor 2017/18, was elected onto the SPA’s executive committee, where his involvement in student journalism to continue after graduating university.

The Student Publication Association is the largest student media association, representing student publications and journalists across the UK. The national conference is held annually, which hosts the SPA’s prestigious awards ceremony whilst supporting, training and showcasing student journalists and their work.

In response to Exepose’s success at the conference, Owain Evans said: ‘‘I am delighted to be taking on the role of Development Officer at the Student Publication Association. We have a fantastic team with representation from all kinds of publications. I’m looking forward to working hard in the next year to represent newspapers and magazines from across the country’’.

CONTINUED FROM FRONT UKIP, who fielded 12 candidates in 2016, did not field any candidates this year. The campaign focused on Labour’s signature proposal to replace the current bus station in Exeter with a new facility encompassing a new bus station alongside a new leisure complex called St Sidwell’s Point. Although most residents are said to be opposed, Labour insisted that the proposal would go ahead. The Conservatives pledged to cancel the St Sidwell’s Point proposals and adopt a new approach to the city’s leisure policies.

Ben Bradshaw MP (LAB)

Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter, told Exeposé: “[The picture is] very good in Exeter, given the situation nationally. We gained a seat in Pennsylvania from the Conservatives and we lost a seat in St Loyes, which we never expected to win

Jaimie Hampton News Editor

UNIVERSITY of Exeter team, led by Professor Tamara Galloway, won a Guardian University Award for policy-changing research on microplastic pollution. The team found that microplastic particles are permeating the food chain of sea creatures, therefore those with a seafood diet could swallow up to 11,000 pieces of plastic a year. Ingesting microplastics can also prevent animals from consuming their natural prey, leading to starvation and death. In response to winning the award, Professor Galloway said: “We’re so delighted to win this award, and I’m really pleased to see how our research is making a difference in this critical area.” The research has played an important role in highlighting the widespread damage that non-degradable microplastics can cause. The Guardian University Awards 2018 aims to celebrate the innovative ways that universities are updating themselves to meet the demands of today’s world.

Little change in City Council composition

Given the picture nationally, it was a really encouraging result

Microplastic research wins award

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Image: Electoral Commission

Image: Cardiff Student Media

two years ago. So the Conservatives are now really confined to Topsham and St Loyes, and given the picture nationally, it was a very encouraging result and we got some very good councillors onto the Council.

On the picture nationally, he said: “We haven’t got London through yet, but I think it’s – hopefully it’ll be a bit of a wake-up call to the party that we have to do more nationally, we have to do more to broaden our appeal, particularly in those parliamentary constituencies that Labour needs to win back to form a majority government.”

The strong results for Labour stood in contrast to a set of mixed results nationally. Labour performed well in areas with high concentarions of young voters, socially liberal voters and remain voters. The party made fewer inroads than expected in areas where they failed to make progress at the general election and need to win in order to secure a parliamentary majority. This was particularly true in areas with higher concentrations of older, more socially conservative and pro-Brexit voters.

University expands parental leave scheme Gwyn Wright News Editor

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HE University of Exeter has claimed that the new parental leave package which came into place on 6 April this year is among the most generous in the public sector.

Gone are the days when staff [...] feel they have to choose between having children and career progression

Jacqui Marshal, Deputy Registrar

Under the old arrangements, employees were entitled to maternity,

adoption and shared parental leave for 8 weeks at full pay, followed by 16 weeks of leave at half pay and statutory maternity pay.

Under the new arrangements, mothers and fathers will be entitled to a full six months of parental leave at full pay, and then a further 13 weeks at statutory pay. Mothers attending fertility treatment will also be entitled to five days leave at full pay, while fathers will be entitled to two days leave to attend relevant appointments.

This change accompanies a wider set of reforms which the University hope will create a more family-friendly environment for their employees.

These include the ability to claim any additional childcare costs incurred

when lecturers attend conferences, designated breastfeeding rooms on all University campuses, the ability of parents to request a phased return to work after taking leave and a support network to help parents balance their work and family responsibilities.

The University also offer a flexible home working policy for parents juggling work and family responsibilities as well as emergency leave for famillies whose child becomes ill. At the momemt, 100 per cent of academic staff at the University return to work after taking parental leave.

Jacqui Marashall, deputy registrar and director of peo-

ple services and global partnerships at the University, said “Gone are the days when staff, including early career researchers, feel they have to choose between having children and career progression”.

Image: Kasman

NEWS

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Indoor gigs threatened by easterly winds Uni receives largest donation CONTINUED FROM FRONT “As much as our electrics are waterproof as possible, there’s always going to be a point that it isn’t.”

Though not specifically considered a health and safety risk until last week, a Guild spokesperson said that the issue had represented a financial risk to the Guild, as gigs and events would have been cancelled if specific weather conditions had been met, triggering the leak. Until serious concerns over the severity of the leak were raised last week it had been treated as facilities maintenance not warranting immediate attention. This was despite the Guild reporting the issue to the University on several occasions.

The spokesperson also said that damage to equipment and lighting had occured in the past as a result of water damage. As this was a result of a roofing error, the roofing company had to replace £22,000 worth of lighting three weeks before Freshers’ Week four years ago, sources have told Ex-

eposé. A concerned student tweeted @ ExeterGuild last week with pictures of water dripping from the ceiling and buckets on the stage, full of water. The Guild thanked the student for “the pictures of the pipe and bucket.” Going on to say that “Plans for events held in the Lemon Grove next year will be announced in the run up to Freshers’ Week 2018.”

A Guild spokesperson suggested to Exeposé that fixing the roof took so long because of difficulties in identifying the origins of the leak. A thorough assessment last week with the use of thermal-imaging, for the first time, allowed Campus Services to identify the leak as originating along the horizontal wall of air-conditioning pipework. This had escaped previous inspections.

A Guild spokesperson said: “Due to an issue with the sealing of the roof, Cornwall House has a minor but inconvenient passage for water ingress in an isolated area of the main hall. When Exeter experiences severe weather, ingress can be exaggerated and, on occa-

sion, we have had to consider the experience of the building users on the continuity of an event. Fortunately, for ticket holders, we have never had to cancel a gig in the hall as the water ingress has been manageable.

“The Students’ Guild is committed to putting on the best quality gigs, events, and shows possible for every student studying at the University and we can’t wait to welcome our exciting line up of acts over May and June.”

A University of Exeter spokesman said: “Estates services staff have worked hard to fix leaks in Cornwall House caused by faults in the rendering of the tower which holds the water supply to the building. Finding the cause of the leak has proved complex, and we have had to use specialist surveying and thermal imaging equipment to identify where the water was coming from “We would like to thank the Students’ Guild for their understanding while these works were carried out. Repairs have now been completed.”

Rhiannon Moore Lifestyle Editor

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XETER University has just received its largest monetary donation to date to build the Mireille Gillings Neuroimaging Centre, with the aim to further the research of dementia treatments worldwide. Dr

Image: University of Exeter

Mireille Gillings was 22nd on women’s ‘Rich List’ in 2017, with a net worth of £900 million. Dr Gillings is famous in the neuroscience field, and Mireille herself became an honorary graduate of the University in 2017, prompting her generosity.

Alongside her husband, she has been a pioneer in neuroscience and biopharmaceutical innovation for many years. Dr Gillings said: “As a neuroscientist I understand that the application of new scanning technology and techniques has the potential to transform neurological research. This new, state-of-the-art, imaging centre will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in the molecular understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurological disease.” The intention of this centre, which will be built on the Royal Devon & Exeter hospital site, is that clinical trials will be vastly accelerated and should double the development and research of drug therapies to treat patients living with Alzheimer’s disease worldwide. This donation will highlight the importance of Exeter as a leading hub for Dementia research in Britain.

7 MAY 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

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Comment

COMMENT EDITORS:

Deepa Lalwani Isabelle Gray

Resistance: more than celebration year or so ago might just have come to try out some shish kebab; an entirely white friendship group of girls will come wearing bindis – but is this the change we’re looking for? Is the priority to introduce the ‘touristy’ aspects of culture to locals, rather than to include people of colour within existing society? Would constant ‘positivity’ celebrations showcasing culture just give more than we get back?

Neha Shaji Exeter Unmask Rally Organiser

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ACISM is never an “isolated incident.” Instead, it’s more of a societal plague, fluttering around academia, institutions, politics, and the privatized workspace. It’s got everything to do with colonial jokes and railway jokes and it’s got everything to do with direct threats and abuse. Thus, whilst racism remains a stubborn stain permeating deep into society, efforts to prevent such incidents must be just as continuous.

The organisers of the Exeter Unmask rally, including myself and several other extremely powerful speakers and BAME representatives from the University did state, that when we decided to set up such a form of resistance, it couldn’t be a oneoff, drop and run, protest for the sake of protesting. It had to (and with cautious optimism, I’d say it did) bring about change on both an institutional and societal level,

Resistance must push back against negativity

Image: Sarah Ader

rather than be a space to hear some trauma and leave, patting each other on the back that we’re not “that bad, at least.”

‘Positive celebrations’ for people of different cultures need to be looked at long and hard. Whilst Pride has been largely about the community it is meant to support, with straight presence in an ally capacity, the opposite might unfortunately hold true for

a cultural celebration. That’s to say, cultural celebrations in primarily white areas are often more of a chance for people to come and play ‘dress up’ in Indian or Arabic outfits, rather than be a medium of change.

Celebration may be needed, but what is paramount is inclusivity. A celebration will expose local people to chicken tikka; someone who may have been racist a

The message that, I think, we should try to give off should not be “look at how lovely chicken tikka tastes! Boy, you guys sure didn’t know how fantastic our culture was before you yelled racial abuse at us, huh?”

Positivity and celebration is necessary but it does not need to be all we do. Culture needs to be applauded and celebrated

for and by those of that culture, not as a response to racism. Racist group messages should not be rewarded with a full cultural fest of Diversity Party II: Electric Boogaloo – it should be faced by the voices of people who have faced injustice.

Resistance must push back rather than merely celebrate. Celebration is indeed a vital part of diaspora culture, but resistance needs to include, alongside celebration, stories and experiences. Laws and punishments. It must be a statement of visibility, a pushback against negativity rather than a generic celebration of culture.

One might question – why does your resistance have to be so different to Pride?

But Pride too is a resistance, a celebration, and a statement of visibility – perhaps capitalist culture may begin to co-opt such parades, but Pride is still a stalwart and admirable symbol of struggle in both the Western and non-Western worlds.

My resistance may be colourful, festive, and triumphant, but it will not be a celebration.

Should freshers revise in the library?

Hugh Dollery Contributor

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S we roll into the exam season, the inevitable debate arises over whether first years really need access to the library as other, older panicked students dash past the barriers from 8am on peak days to nab a hotly contested seat or box in the silent study area. It might come as a shock to second and third years alike, but us freshers have as much right as any other year group to use the library.

I understand the misconception that many must have, as they try to comprehend: “Why are you even in the library in the first place? You do realise you only need 40% to pass the year right?” My response: why stress myself out in second or third year attempting to understand how the library’s (often cryptic and chaotic) shelving system works? This would be at the same time as I’m dashing around at the eleventh hour, trying to find that absolute diamond of a quotation as the clock slowly ticks away for a deadline that actually does count.

To be honest with you, I have found that it can be a cocophony of third years printing off their draft dissertations for the nth time that irritates everyone. It’s their sheer volume (in number and noise) that is disruptive, not

the first years, who sigh collectively as they frantically scribble corrections in red biro all over their fresh masterpieces, hot off the press.

Freshers have just as much of a right to use the library Whilst we may not always be the most hardworking compared to our older scholarly colleagues, our presence cannot be viewed as a hindrance by others just because their work, in their eyes at least, is seen to be more important.

If third years really want to bag a seat, why not bring a sleeping bag and set up shop in the corner or down a library aisle?

Just a thought.

Images: pxhere.com & Designmodo

James Murphy Contributor

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E all know campus gets busy, particularly during exams.

Well, those of us who’ve been through exams at least once know.

First years don’t. Perhaps this explains why they, yearly, descend upon campus for their oh-so-vital exams like fire ants. The library is hot, it’s crowded, and someone might die. Some freshers show up purely to eat a Marketplace meal deal, smearing egg mayonnaise all over the walls and into everyone’s airspace like some crazed middle-

class skunk, then promptly pack up their multi-coloured fine-liners, ring-binders, and a stapler which even they aren’t quite sure why they brought, before leaving for that arduous trek back to Lafrowda.

The library is a quiet place, a special place.

The library contains, at this time, panicked writers of dissertations with cans upon cans of Red Bull that, sadly, don’t even have any Jägermeister in them. It is a transcendent zone for those of us whose degrees count for something at this stage, and who have pretended we ourselves are still freshers until there’s little time left to save it. And don’t say “just use Amory; freshers don’t understand Amory”. Nobody understands Amory.

The library is hot, and someone might die Perhaps this is why I’m bitter. Perhaps it’s envy, for their carefree lives, for two more years on our beautiful campus with it’s high student-to-tree ratio, for the fact that nothing they do has any consequence (unless they’re into weirdly specific years in industry).

But still, all this in mind, you know they really don’t need to be there, because your deadline is tomorrow, and you’ve left it to today again because you’re a self-destructive moron. Those bloody Freshers.

7 MAY 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

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Profiting from Pride at Exeter Pride last year than unsponsored ones.

Becky Wilson Contributor

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Some would rather have a parade with a few adverts than no parade

The truth is: Pride festivals cost money. Despite the revenue they generate in concert tickets, merchandise (a Pride flag at the London Parade costs a modest £10), and drinks, club and hostel profits, Pride festivals still seem to require a formidable corporate sponsorship. Many would say that they’d rather have a parade with a few adverts than no parade at all, but at some point the adverts outweigh the LGBTQ+ floats. Some companies hardly bother to tack some colour onto their van, while others (like Nando’s) create a whole marketing campaign directed at the ‘party aspect’ of Pride, with no reference to what they’re doing for their LGBTQ+ employees.

It’s an ongoing debate within the community, particularly as Pride festivals are increasing in size and popularity. At Brighton Pride, the parks and concerts have become more and more expensive, when they were once free to

sign of ‘liberation’ that the community can openly inhabit the streets of major cities without having to hide or apologise for our identities?

Transgender issues are still heavily stigmatised

The problem with LGBTQ+ liberation is that it is already been historicised. Due to these widely publicised festivals, people consider LGBTQ+ rights as ‘achieved’. The fight is over; we already have equal marriage. This beckons to the shortening of LGBTQ+ identities to the cisgender gay or bisexual person. Gender neutral bathrooms, access to hormone therapy for transgender people, and education on pronouns, are still sorely lacking.

The corporations at Pride festivals put all the emphasis on the beauty of love and acceptance, focusing almost entirely on sexuality. Transgender issues are still heavily stigmatised and a poorly understood part of the community. Companies stay safely within the bounds of that which is already (on the large part) celebrated and accepted, not daring to compromise their

Exeter Pride

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MAY have decided to write this article in the midst of an exam related breakdown, which perhaps gives a good idea of how I’m feeling about my first-year exams. This is the first year since GCSEs that my exams don’t ‘count’ for anything and finding the motivation to revise through that is excruciating.

It’s so hard to know if it’s worth stressing yourself to the max when all you need is that mystical 40%. But is that really the case? I’ve heard it said over and over that the better you do in your first year, the better you’ll do when it actually counts, and I think to an extent that’s true. If you can master exams in the first year, it’ll definitely be a whole lot easier when it counts. University exams are so different to the glorious spoon-feeding, comprehensive mark schemes of A levels and I think freshers exams should be a chance to work out how to navigate them. I’ve de-

cided personally to take this year to see how much revision I need to do to get decent marks. For my A-levels I practically learnt my texts inside out (I can still quote most of book nine of Paradise Lost off by heart), and I want to work out this year if I actually need to know all of that, as most of it is never going to be useful in the exam.

The lack of guidance doesn’t help

The lack of guidance from lecturers doesn’t help at all here. Our exams weren’t even mentioned to us before the Easter break; we were placated with the promise of a single revision lecture when we returned, one week before the exam. I don’t think that is enough.

There’s a massive jump between school exams and university exams and I think that’s something the lecturers should help prepare students for, in a greater way than a single revision lecture.

Whilst I do appreciate the emails being circulated about destressing during ex-

Image:

Freshers’ exam fear Emma Fear Contributor

popularity while raising awareness for marginalised parts of the community or ongoing political battles.

In this context, it seems that the Pride parade perpetuates the simplification and erasure of LGBTQ+ issues, while profiting from the community. It is often falsely referred to as ‘Gay Pride’, reducing the multitude of LGBTQ+ identities to one label. The heavy corporate sponsorship is counterintuitive to improving LGBTQ+ rights; rather, it gratifies people outside of the community who come for the festival and believe they have ‘done their part of equal rights’, and helps to increase the capital of huge corporations.

The point is not that Pride cannot be both political and have sponsorship but that at the moment, sponsorship is dominant.

Image: adolfoleite0

AINBOW capitalism, most recognisable in the Skittles’ van in the London Pride parade, with all the skittles turned white to give the rainbow to Pride. This statement straddles the gap between visibility for LGBTQ+ peoples and a shallow marketing strategy. However, this idea is not alone.

Anyone who attended a Pride parade this past year has probably commented on the stream of advertising floats–everyone from Tesco to Spotify donning a rainbow flag and joining the bandwagon. It’s not an overstatement to say that there were more Nando’s Pride flags

enter. Companies continue to privatise areas of the festival and profit from the community without subsidising the experience for LGBTQ+ people. This limits the experience of Pride to people who can afford it, meaning it is not accessible for all LGBTQ+ people.

As the LGBTQ+ community reach more milestones in political rights, they are identified increasingly as a marketable commodity. Even ‘equal marriage’ co-opts LGBTQ+ people into neoliberal systems that perpetuate desire and lack as an invitation to the inner chambers of capitalism. Companies profit from including a token LGBTQ+ couple–most often white, cis, gay men with disposal income–in their campaigns.

Rainbow capitalism is only on the rise, and Pride parades are the most notable and frequent signifier of this trend.

The question is: if the sponsorship doesn’t subsidise LGBTQ+ events, contribute to LGBTQ+ charities or feed back into community, then who is it really for?

Pride originated in the 1969 Stonewall Riots, initiated by police raids on the Stonewall Inn in New York. It was violent, anti-establishment and the participants inhabited a range of LGBTQ+ identities. Would the people in the early riots be warmed by the co-option of Pride festivals into a summer festival, used to advertise chicken and promote student music subscriptions? Or is it a

ams, preventing this stress by offering more guidance to first years would be much more helpful than a group session about time management.

The amount of stressed messages on various group chats desperately asking each other if one seminar leader has given more guidance than another (spoiler: some have) shows that I’m not alone in thinking that first years need more help getting through their first university exams. I also don’t think I’m alone when I say that perhaps it’s a good thing we only need 40%...

Image: Dean and Barb

Deepa Lalwani Comment Editor

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RIDE in Exeter was one of my favourite parts of last year.

Not only did the giant rainbow flag spanning the entirety of the Forum brighten my day every time I had to go to the library, but the actual Exeter Pride day, this year taking place on Saturday 12th May, gave me something to look forward to amongst my revision and deadlines stress.

The parade, which goes all the way through town, accompanied by many groups including the University’s own LGBTQ+ Society and Staff, leads straight to Bury Meadow Park (Exeter Central), set up as a festival of sorts (I vaguely recall them having pretty affordable gin-related cocktails available).

The sunny day that Exeter Pride luckily fell on last year was only part of its appeal - it was genuinely heartwarming to see people of all ages coming to celebrate and embrace different identities, including some adorable toddlers.

The on-stage acts were also vaguely entertaining, but if I’m honest, Exeter Pride felt more like a giant picnic with some fun comedy acts than part of a political movement. That being said, I am looking forward to going again this year, if only to surround myself with more rainbow paraphernalia as a relaxing revision break.

Image: Deepa Lalwani

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Features

FEATURES EDITORS: Niamh Elstone Neha Shaji

The revolution may not be televised, but it will be tweeted

Charlotte Forrester, Copy Editor, discusses youth activism and challenges the stereotype of apathetic millenials

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LL we do is look down as we scroll on our phones, only looking up when we want a good angle and lighting for our next selfie. That’s what a lot of media and politics tells us anyway. That young people have lost the ability to engage with the world – seeing retweets and likes as a replacement to IRL interaction. This extends to activism as well, apparently.

Where our elders marched on the streets and campaigned for change, we’ve been told that we have not, and will not, replicate this sort of action.

A lot of us realise that this is simply not true, but everyone else may be catching up with that opinion too. With the recent coverage of March for Our Lives in newspapers (as well as trending topics), youth activism is still a huge part of our modern world. The activists of today are part of a long history of young people fighting for change, just a handful of examples are included in this article.

Young people have always called for change The White Rose Movement was a youth-led collective that spread antiNazi propaganda during the height of the regime. It began at the University of Munich in May 1942, formed by Sophie Scholl, along with her brother Hans.

The group distributed pamphlets that called for democracy and social justice, as well as spreading the belief that a Nazi victory would ruin Europe. The organisation made public declarations, such as painting anti-Nazi slogans and crossing out swastikas.

The following year, just as they

Image: Rosa Pineda

began to gain visibility and make an impact in raising awareness, the secret state police arrested Sophie Scholl. She and her brother were found guilty of sedition against the established order.

They were executed by guillotine, along with more than eighty other alleged conspirators. Sophie was regarded as a martyr for the anti-Nazi cause.

Historic moments in youth activism are still being made today On 16th June 1976 in the township of Soweto, students organised a peaceful march opposing a decree issued by the Bantu Education Department in South Africa which imposed Afrikaanslanguage education. Many teachers and pupils were unable to speak the language fluently, and viewed it as the language of an oppressive, racist regime – considering Afrikaans was spoken by the ruling National Party.

The demonstration grew to include thousands of schoolchildren. The South African police used brutal force on the marching students. This included the use of tear gas, and eventually, bullets.

One photograph, taken by a local journalist, depicted a lifeless 12-year-old called Hector Pieterson being carried after being killed by police gunfire. The image went global. It portrayed the police brutality and cruelty of the racist regime, and forced the rest of the world to confront Apartheid. The student opposition led to a massive uprising that spread to more than 100 urban and rural areas throughout South Africa.

Another instance of youth activism

is depicted in the 2014 film Pride, the London Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) group was formed in July 1984 during the miners’ strike. Starting as just a bucket collection to support the strikers, the LGSM founding members decided that more needed to be done to raise awareness of the miners’ cause in the lesbian and gay community. London LGSM donated to the Nottinghamshire Women’s Support Group and created alliances with the South Wales mining communities of Dulais. The money was used to help striking miners to sustain their families – enabling them to continue their resistance for as long as possible. LGSM is best known for their ‘Pits and Perverts’ benefit concert which raised thousands for the cause. This was all led by Mark Ashton, a 23-yearold who saw that change comes from solidarity. Tragically, he died in 1987 from AIDS. He is still acknowledged today, as an activist hero in the British LGBTQ+ community.

Student opposition led to a massive uprising Historic moments in youth activism are still being made today. In America specifically, demands for gun control have come overwhelmingly to the forefront of political conversation. This is mainly due to the work of young people. Key names include: Parkland survivor Emma González (prominent in the #NeverAgain movement) after she confronted lawmakers and the National Rifle Association about gun violence, and Clifton Kinnie (outraged by the shooting of unarmed Michael Brown and as an advocate for Black Lives Matter) who connected 30 schools in Ferguson to help register young voters and conduct a mass walkout. On 24th March, a student-led demonstration took place called ‘March for Our Lives’.

The movement’s official website states that they are working to “assure that no special interest group or political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country”. Hundreds of thousands attended, making it the biggest protest seen since the Vietnam War era.

Youth activists are making waves in

Image: Fibonacci Blue

Britain as well. Leading voices include: Samuel Remi-Akinwale and Elijah Walters-Othman. They are the creators of ‘Team Future’ – a youth campaigning collective aiming “to build the political power and voice of marginalised young people”. Fatima Awil, an anti-FGM campaigner who took part in the Girl Summit, an event which works towards ending child or forced marriage within a generation, and the Girlguiding Advocate Panel which is a group of young women who shape the advocacy of Girlguiding – they were a major influence in the government making Sex & Relationships Education compulsory in all English schools last year.

However, these are not just lone voices. Young people in general are becoming more politically and socially aware. The recent EU referendum and General Election saw a massive increase in youth engagement, both in terms of campaigning and voting turn-out.

Social media, contrary to the common belief that it is a contributing factor to political apathy, has been a major aid for education and activism. ‘Clicktivism’ has been massively influential in being an accessible means for young people to gain knowledge, as well as being a stepping stone to activism off-screen.

Young people are using new tools to create change.

Even on our own campus, students have been advocating for worthy causes.

Our own Exeter students are challenging the apathetic youth stereotype. During the UCU pension strikes of last term, a ten-day student occupation took place in solidarity with the strikes. The group of students occupied the John Usher meeting room where the VC’s Executive Group were set to meet to show support

for their lecturers and demand that action be taken.

Another example of the fantastic work that our students are doing is the Anti-Racism Rally, organised by the student-led Exeter “UNMASK” in just a couple of days. A whole range of speakers were given a platform to speak in front of hundreds of students and staff members, who also joined in chants about how racial discrimination is not “Our Exeter”. The voices of the BAME community blasted through a megaphone and had a profound impact on the attendants. This action forced plenty to confront their own privilege as white students and to assess how they can be part of the solution, not the problem.

Our own Exeter students are challenging the apathetic youth stereotype This goes to show that the same messages of solidarity in activism, so essential in the history of social justice, are also found amongst the students in the forum. From a hashtag on a tweet, to a homemade banner at a demonstration, social media is one of the many tools that is combatting youth political apathy, not enabling it. The revolution may not be televised,: but it will be tweeted.

Youth activism is as enthusiastic as it has ever been, even if the image of the typical advocate is not what it once was. Much to the university student stereotype, activism is a part of campus life for many of us. Young people have always called for change, but now more than ever, we are demanding to be heard.

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The Grievances of Goddessess Nicky Avasthi discusses the brutal assault of a child and the deep rooted misogyny in Indian culture Content Warning: Sexual Assault

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CHILD in India is sexually assaulted by a group of men and killed. Politicians march in outrage. A reaction that would normally make sense, in this case does not, for these Hindu right-wing groups were not protesting the brutal torture, rape and murder of eight-year-old Asifa Bano.

Instead, they were rallying against the arrest of eight Hindu men; the men responsible for Asifa’s horrific demise.

To sheltered Western audiences, this may sound unthinkable, but in India, countless women being violated and raped every single day is the reality of life.

The Indian government did not react to either murder promptly or harshly enough In 2012, twenty-three-year-old Jyoti Singh was tortured, gang raped and murdered in an unprecedentedly violent and savage manner. She and her friend, Awindra Pandey, were lured onto a bus under the false pretense that it was legitimately being used as a vehicle of public transport. It was on this bus that six men severely beat Pandey and took turns violently raping Jyoti. Not only did these men rape her, they also bit, beat, sodomised and orally penetrated their helpless victim. And if this wasn’t enough for these vile men, they also used a large metal bar to penetrate Jyoti with, completely destroying her internal organs.

Left for dead, Pandey and Jyoti made it to a hospital where Jyoti was able to hold onto consciousness long enough to make a statement about the attack with the police before speaking her last words to her father and passing away four days later.

As soon as news of Jyoti’s ordeal broke, the country was up in arms. Protesters took to the streets and instead of joining them, the government tried to put an end to this show of solidarity. For what purpose?

One might ask what kind of government would try to put an end to support for a woman who was

attacked, tortured and was on the brink of death, but the ruling UPA local authorities dismissed the incident as being one of many, and not worth the attention.

After Jyoti’s death, however, the protests took a new shape. Candles were lit across India. People mourned for the loss of India’s Daughter.

Jyoti’s death and subsequent governmental silence was a huge loss, not merely to acquaintances and family, but for the spirit of the nation’s women, but for the young and protest-hungry in the nation, it sparked hope. Hope for change and a society that was more self-aware, for a better India. People began taking more of a stand against the mistreatment of women than ever before, as the incident became internationally discussed.

However, the government was not quick to follow the public’s example. One of Jyoti’s attackers was just six months shy of eighteen when he committed the crime, so was tried as a child in juvenile court. Because of this, he was given the maximum punishment of three years in a correctional facility, much to the public’s outrage. The general consensus amongst India’s public was that he should have been subject to capital punishment like the rest of Jyoti’s attackers, instead he was released after serving his three year long sentence.

Although the Indian government didn’t react to Jyoti’s murder promptly nor harshly, it did eventually trigger some significant changes in laws regarding the rape and assault of women. In 2013, new legislation, legalizing capital punishment for repeat rape offenders amongst other stricter punishments for sex crimes, was

passed. As well as this, a bill to try minors who are charged with capital offences such as rape and murder, as adults, was introduced in parliament under the Modi administration. However, this change has come too late as far as justice for Jyoti is concerned, since her attacker had already been tried as a minor and had been allowed to walk free after serving his time of three years.

Some politicians marched in support of the rapists After the vocal outrage India’s population expressed over Jyoti’s rape and murder, the logical assumption would be that women felt safer reporting rape and sexual result. However, this has not been the case. Largely, this is down to the victim blaming culture that is still very present in India. The mentality of, ‘what was she wearing,’ ‘what time was it,’ 'why was she drinking,’ ‘she put herself in that vulnerable situation,’ is alive and kicking, and these were the questions that circulated within primetime debates.

Unsurprisingly, this mentality was present in Jyoti’s rapists, too. Mukesh Singh, one of Jyoti’s attackers, was interviewed from jail and it was in this interview that he blamed Jyoti for her own rape and murder. According to Mukesh, if a woman was targeted by gangs of male rapists or would be rapists at night, she was to blame for having gone

out at such a time in the first place. He, and a large part of the Indian population, albeit subconsciously, believed “a girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy.”

With a national mentality like this paired with the topic of sex and sexual relations being taboo, it comes as no surprise that women in India don’t feel safe reporting rape and other forms of sexual assault.

Another factor that contributes to women’s hesitance to report assaults when they happen is the fact that, often, the perpetrators themselves are police officers and/or bureaucrats, making the system to which women are expected to report assaults too corrupt and unapproachable. In fact, the group of perpetrators who gang raped and murdered the eight year old Asifa Bano includes a retired government official and four police officers. Whilst it is true that India is developing rapidly and quickly catapulting to superpower status, it is clear that a lot of social progress still needs to be made, particularly as far as the treatment of women within society and screening processes to prevent assaulters and rapists from gaining positions of power within society are concerned.

After Jyoti’s tragedy struck the nation and touched everyone’s hearts, there was a national expectation for the government to take more preventative measures against rape and for violence against women to decline significantly. However, neither of these things really happened.

In fact, Delhi is still nicknamed the “rape capital of the world”, with the unsaid notion that the true statistics of violence against women in India are undoubtedly much direr than reports tell, owing to the aforementioned societal taboos and obstacles to reporting rape and assault.

Young Asifa’s murder brought the nation to an uproar not only because people wanted to see the change that wholly hadn’t been delivered after Jyoti had been killed, but also because members of the Hindu Ekta Manch, including some local leaders of India’s leading party the BJP, had the audacity to march in defense of the accused rather than in support of Asifa. In a country where the people who are meant to be protecting the public are oftentimes the ones attacking and raping, one famously riddled with corruption, it seems almost hopeless that women will feel safe.

Misogyny can be seen in the seemingly most casual interactions between men and women. For instance, the way many men simply look at women on the streets of India shows this mentality. Men in India stare at women as though they have every right to, as though women owe them something even if it be mere visual pleasure. Only when this mentality changes, when men in India realize that women are their equals and begin to treat them as such, could one hope to see India become a safer place for women.

Often the perpetrators themselves are police officers Six years ago, Jyoti Singh’s horrific fate shook India. Today, Asifa Bano’s captivity, torture and rape has revolted the same nation, highlighting the disappointingly little change that those six years have brought to India. The public want justice for Asifa and for every woman who has been subject to violence and abuse. The Indian government and society in general have objectively failed to deliver sufficient change thus far, but with Asifa’s murder shining a huge spotlight on this very serious problem, there is a chance India’s women will be able to step out from the shadow of their fear one day and live in a country that respects them enough to let them live safely and happily.

If you’ve been affected by these issues, we would recommend the following helplines: Rape Crisis Online https://rapecrisis.org.uk Devon Rape Support 01392 208756 Sexual Assault Victim Support 0808 168 9111

Image: George Hodan, the.mutator

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FEATURES

Around the world in

days

Features writers explore the world of LGBTQ+ movements

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HE gay community has been slowly making strides toward legislative progress in the Western world, with Australia recently having voted in support of gay marriage.

Yet the world still has leaps and bounds to go when it comes to equality everywhere, whilst some countries legalize same-sex couples adoptions, others criminalize same sex relationships.

The LGBTQ+ community in India is visible yet often ignored India

India had followed the colonial law, Section 377, imposed by the British during imperial rule – criminalizing all manner of “unnatural” sex, including homosexual relations.

In a historic 2009 ruling, sex between consenting adults of any gender was decriminalized – yet this was overturned in 2013, and Section 377 is back in place.

Indian political opinion on the ruling is divided, with Rajnath Singh of the ruling party claiming that HIV/AIDS would be “promoted” by decriminalizing homosexuality, whilst Arun Jaitely of the same party is in support of overturning Section 377.

The left-leaning Congress party is generally in favor of decriminalizing homosexuality, with leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi vocally expressing support.

The LGBTQ+ community in India is often visible yet incredibly ignored.

Pride movements and parades happen in most Indian cities, frequented by colourful banners, drag queens, and members of the hijra community. However, these events are often met with opposition from the large population of the religious right wing in the country, regardless of religion.

Neha Shaji, Features Editor

Singapore

Nicknamed the 'Little Red Dot', Singapore is a modern, cosmopolitan city with very old-fashioned views on LGBTQ+ rights. Singapore does not recognize same-sex relationships; therefore, couples are unable to purchase public housing, of which over 80% of the population live in; or to adopt children. Interestingly, female homosexual relations have never been criminalized.

The Little Red Dot’s LGBTQ+ voice has emerged since 2009 in the form of the Pink Dot Rally, but it still has a long way to go, attracting controversy from the various religious groups in Singapore. Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision to ban foreign residents and foreign sponsors from helping or attending the event hindered the 2017 rally. Ultimately, while only sporadically enforced on private sexual conduct, Section 377A of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of up to two years imprisonment for homosexual behaviour, remains entrenched in the Singaporean psyche, bound by their ideal of the nuclear family.

marriage and relationships are still not recognized, which becomes an issue when applying for residency with a partner or something more extreme like when some significant other dies and their partner is excluded.

There is hope however with Taiwan’s movement to allow same-sex marriage and the high court in HK ruling that a lesbian couple could apply for a dependent visa. Moreover, some of HK’s biggest companies, around 120, that have a major standing in government, politics, sports, business and cultural events are open supporters of improvement in Hong Kong. The biggest influencers are arguably Cathay Pacific and the Tourism Board.

One may wonder if Hong Kong is allowing this move because of the tourism benefits. With 15,000 athletes and a predicted 40,000 guests expected to travel to see the games, it is predicted a profit of HK 1 billion for the city. But even so, such a widespread event hopefully will push Hong Kong forward in recognizing same sex couples and others within the LGBTQ+ community.

Rosie Shepard

Alexandra Gough

There is hope, with Taiwan's recent movement to allow same sex marriage Hong Kong

With its success in bidding on the 2020 Gay Games as the first Asian country to ever host the games since its start in 1982, the committee is critical of Hong Kong’s lack of protection for sexual minorities. Mr Choi, the director of the bidding team, hopes that the games in 2020 will push the HK government to create nation-wide anti-discrimination laws to protect the LGBTQ communities. Whilst homosexuality was decriminalized in the early 90s, same-sex

The Labour party committed to support LGBTQ+ rights due to support from the National Union of Mineworkers who voted for the party's support.

United Kingdom

The activist group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) was formed in support of the 1984-1985 British miners’ strikes. Formed by Mark Ashton and Michael Jackson, they came up with LGSM after collecting donations for the miners at the 1984 Gay Pride march in London. By the end of the strike, there were eleven groups throughout the UK, and the London group alone raised over £11,000 (~£33,000 in 2017) for the striking miners. The alliances formed between the LGBTQ+ community and British Labour groups were an important turning point in the progression of LGBTQ+ issues in the UK. Miners’ labour groups supported, endorsed, and participated in various Gay Pride events throughout the UK. In addition, at the 1985 Labour Party conference, a resolution committing the party to the support of LGBTQ+ rights was passed, due to voting from the National Union of Mineworkers.

Germany Image: Rose Brasil

liberal-minded policy making and progressive thinking, which is why it came as a surprise to learn that same-sex marriage was only legalized there in 2016, despite polls suggesting that 83% of German citizens were already in support of it. But while German citizens may have had a slightly longer wait for equality than the likes of their UK or even American counterparts, Berlin’s Gay Pride event (known as Christopher Street Day) is now the biggest in Europe, and general consensus certainly seems to be one of love and acceptance towards the Gay Pride movement.

Christine Cornock, Germany Correspondent

Australia

Australia's Pride movement is one of the biggest in the world, with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras happening annually since 1979. A commemoration of the Stonewall riots in 1978 was broken up by police in Sydney, despite being a legal demonstration.

Since then, Sydney pride events have gathered huge traction despite internal disputes regarding businesses being granted floats in parades. Australia legalised samesex sexual activity as recently as 1997, having inherited much of its anti-homosexual legislation from the British empire. Same-sex marriage was legalised in late-2017 after a bitter campaign, culminating in the voluntary 'Australian Marriage Postal Survey' in SeptemberNovember 2017 which saw 61.6% of

Olivia Powell

Germany has a reputation for being a pioneering country when it comes to

Image: JoeInQueens, Chi Chia-Wei

12,727,920 votes cast as a 'yes' vote.

Australian parliament passed the law legalising same-sex marriage on the 7 December.

Pride parades in Russia faced homophobic attacks on multiple occasions Russia

Russia has a complicated relationship with LGBTQ+ rights, and one which has had more breaks than breakthroughs over the years. An early, temporary victory for the LGBTQ+ community was won in the form of the decriminalisation of same-sex sexual activity in 1917 under Vladimir Lenin. While no policy of support towards a Pride Movement was followed by the early Soviet Union, homosexuality remained legal until 1933 when Joseph Stalin recriminalised it. It was then decriminalised again in 1993. However, Pride parades in Russia have faced homophobic attacks on multiple occasions since 2000, and Moscow was sued in 2010 for its resistance and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community by the EU Court of Human Rights.

Edd Church, Online News Editor

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keep calm, carry on: revision breaks

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Image: rawpixels

Image: ‘gagnonm1993’, Pixabay

lgbtq+ representation in film

looking back at pride

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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Rhiannon Moore Bethan Gilson

ARTS + LIT EDITORS Lauren Newman Tabi Scott

MUSIC EDITORS Alex Wingrave Aaron Loose

SCREEN EDITORS Chloe Kennedy Ben Faulkner

STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Alfred and Alicia 7 MAY 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

lifestyle

We're here, we're queer Lifestyle writers share their previous experiences of Pride in light of the upcoming event the story of pride

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RIDE originated in New York in 1970. It began as a riot led by Marsha P. Johnson, an African-American transgender woman who threw the first brick in what are now known as the Stonewall Riots. From the 1970s to the 90s, Pride was a political protest as opposed to the celebratory attitude we have now.

PRIDE WAS A POLITICAL PROTEST The first celebration of Pride was called 'Christopher Street Liberation Day' and was held on Sunday June 28th, 1970, to commemorate one year since the first day of the Stonewall Riots. Brenda Howard is hailed as the 'Mother of Pride" as she played an integral role in this commemoration and originated the idea of a week's worth of events surrounding Pride Day; this provided the basis for the annual LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations that are held around the world every June.

The 1980s and early 1990s marked a turning point in the Stonewall Riot commemorations.. It shifted from a political outlook of marches for 'freedom' and 'liberation' to a more celebratory philosophy surrounding gay pride that we find most familiar in our contemporary celebrations.

PERSECUTION OF LGBTQ+ INDIVIDUALS IS STILL PREVALENT Of course, our lifestyle contributors have faced hardships as a result of their sexuality and gender expression in terms of everyday prejudices. Things are a bit different in Africa, where the persercution of LGBTQ+ individuals is still prevalent. Only three out of fifty four countries are holding official Pride events. Ugandan LGBTQ+ citizens have been fighting for their right to celebrate their sexuality and gender expression, but the past two years have seen the events shut down by militant forces. It is clear that our contributors feel lucky that they have a space to express themselves truly, but we can't forget those who are still fighting for their right to celebrate and live their truth.

Bethan Gilson and Rhiannon Moore, Lifestyle Editors

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GREW up just outside of Brighton, but I didn’t attend Pride until I was eighteen.

Despite invitations from straight friends, I never went. I felt like I wasn’t allowed to be there; everyone was celebrating who they truly were and I couldn’t even tell the people closest to me. So in May 2017, when I was settled in Exeter, and everyone around me knew how flamboyantly bisexual I truly am, I was beyond excited to go to my first Pride. We doused ourselves in glitter, and the (few) straight people in our friendship circle helped us paint our faces. The joy was tangible, and reflected by the beautiful weather, and I got to hold a pug. A pretty damn good first Pride. And those friends came to stay for Brighton Pride, too! The same air of celebration had flooded the city, but looking back, one section of the parade stands out.

The stream of people holding signs; “Queers Good, Corporations Bad”, and “Support LGBT Refugees”. Pride should be about celebrating who you are.

Amelia Chisholm

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WASN'T quite sure whether to go to Pride last year. It was my first one, it was right in the middle of exam season and I did not know of anyone definitely going. I needn't have worried. I caught the parade as it walked into Northernhay gardens on what was, quite possibly, the loveliest, sunniest day ever and someone immediately struck up conversation with me. Pride was entirely joyous from that moment onwards. Exeter is a relatively small pride event compared to the likes of London Pride, giving it the atmosphere of a village fete - but without the coconut shies and with far more rainbows. In somewhere as seemingly homogenous as Exeter it was absolutely amazing to see so many people revelling in their differences. People say that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth but they’re so very wrong – Pride takes that title, hands down.

Image: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv

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Ellie Foulds

ONLY properly began to understand what Pride was around 2014, after seeing posters for London Pride on the undergound.

Prior to this, I’d seen it as a festival of sorts, a celebration of sexual freedom and love.

Pride is all of those things, but it’s so much more than that: it’s a political movement, an annual march that commemorates the Stonewall rebellion of 1969, where trans women of colour led the fight against the persecution of LGBT+ people. Since then, Pride events have sprung up globally, even reaching Exeter, where the annual Pride day will soon be taking place on 12th May. It can be incredibily nerve-wracking to attend an event that is all about expressing yourself, especially if you’re questioning or in the closet, but I’d really encourage anyone who’s interested to attend – Pride is a wonderful place where you can always find friendly people to talk to, or just hear about different people’s experiences!

James Angove

Image: Max Pixel

AVING attended three different Pride events in two cities and marched in one of the parades, I have some experience of Pride events from different perspectives. The first Pride I attended was Birmingham pride, where I watched the parade, and the atmosphere was incredible. The second and third Prides I attended were in Leicester, the first of which I marched in, both of which I went to the big party in Victoria Park after the parade with performers on stage and vendors selling flags and badges. Marching in the parade was my highlight of Pride, as it really gives you a sense of belonging to be among your friends and hundreds of strangers, all promoting the same cause. The atmosphere at Pride is always electric, and it has a very communal feel. I’ve had conversations with total strangers, bumped into my old form tutor, and come across friends I haven’t seen in ages at Pride events, and this community is why Pride is so important to me.

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LTHOUGH I came out as bisexual a few years ago, I still haven’t been to Pride.

Despite more than 300,000 Brits identifying as bisexual, I still feel like my sexuality isn’t seen as legitimate. Bisexuality is almost always misunderstood, and many believe that those who identify as bisexual are just ‘going through a phase’.

I STILL FEEL LIKE MY SEXUALITY ISN'T SEEN AS LEGITIMATE Pride is important to me because bisexuals need visibility (especially after what happened at London Pride last year). I want to live in a society where I won’t feel the need to validate my sexuality and having bisexual groups at Pride makes this goal more realistic. So this year, I’m excited to attend Pride, as I fully understand the importance of ensuring that the bisexual community is both seen and celebrated.

Jaimie Hampton, News Editor

Deepa Lalwani, Comment Editor

Image: James Angove

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HEN I was 19, I was in Hanoi when Pride was on. At the time, I was out to only few people. I'd never been to Pride.

So, I thought it would be a great chance for me to embrace LGBTQ+ culture and connect with the community. I decided to go to Pride with my cousin. I'd never come out to my parents, so I snuck out of the house!

Hanoi Pride was life changing experience for me. For the first time, I was surrounded by so many LGBTQ+ people. I realised something very important: the community, unlike how they are shown on TV, are not just flamboyant punky people. There is no specific way LGBTQ+ people dress and express themselves. I don’t fit into the stereotypes as represented in the media, but that doesn’t mean my experience of my sexuality is invalid. Hanoi Pride was the first time I felt proud and safe to be myself. I am grateful I got to experience my first pride in such a lovely city, and in such a lovely atmosphere.

Penny Dinh

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EDITORS: Rhiannon Moore & Bethan Gilson

lifestyle

7 MAY 2018 |

Examining our mental health

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Daphne Bugler gives her top tips on how to look after yourself this exam season.

XAMS are a challenging time for everyone. Whether it’s the hours spent inside revising, the unhealthy food binges, or the lack of sleep- it isn’t the healthiest time, and this can naturally have a negative impact on our mental health.

Mental health is something that affects all of us, whether it be a more serious and debilitating part of our lives in the form of anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses, or in determining how we respond to stress and emotions. It’s important during exam season to make sure we pay close attention to mental health, and set aside time to make sure we’re doing okay.

MENTAL HEALTH IS SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS ALL OF US There will always be people who tell you that the best ways to remain productive are just to make sure you get enough sleep, eat healthily, and exercise. However, we all know that for the average student, its very unlikely that any one of these things can actually happen, let alone all three. There are however, some realistic ways that we can all try and manage the cur-

rent times slightly better. As someone who has completely different. This way when you return gone through many an emotional breakdown to studying it’ll (hopefully) mean you’re more over my dissertation in the past month, I can engaged again. honestly say some of these tips I’ve Get outside. As the weather collected from those around starts to get nicer, going me can help. outside for a 15 minute Find time for your walk or run can be friends.

Revising the perfect break. tends to mean Exercise is great that you spend for mental health a lot of time by and can really yourself, so it's imclear your head, portant to make plus looking at sure you take regsomething other ular breaks, sothan a computer cialise, or organscreen for a bit ise study dates. Of can help relieve course this can be stress. dangerous if your Eating healthfriends are very ily during exams distracting, but it is of course imcan also help you portant, but also motivate eachothincluding some er and not feel like comfort foods in you’re in it alone. there can really help Take some time out of you push through the long Image: Brooke Cagle your day for other things. Whether hours of work. this be procrasti-baking or watching Netflix ‘Tidy room, tidy mind’. Take time to make in bed, it can really help you stay focused to sure you keep your house and room clean and spend some time each day doing something organised.

Stay hydrated. This is one of the easiest things you can do to take care of yourself, so don’t forget to keep water on you on long campus study sessions.

Honestly don’t feel like it's not okay to cry, this is a natural way your body relieves stress. Taking some time to yourself to process everything and let yourself be emotional isn’t something to feel bad about.

Focus on yourself. Don’t worry about missing out if everyones going out but you’d rather stay in bed watching Netflix. At this stressful time just focus on what will make you feel better, and remember you’ll make up for any nights out after exams.

HONESTLY DON'T FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT OKAY TO CRY Of course I’m not saying that doing any of these things will magically remove all of your revision stress, but taking time for yourself in the midst of revision stress can really help focus your work and keep you powering on.

Don’t forget to look out for those around you as well, stressful times are normally when we need our friends the most.

A change of scenery

Three Lifestyle writers give you the lowdown on Exeter's best study spots Image: rawpixel.com

A&V Booths

The Gardens of Reed Hall

Waterstones Café

It may not seem an obvious choice, or rather it may seem an incredibly obvious choice after being under your noses all along, but I am personally partial to working in the A&V booths, and here’s why you should be as well! Firstly, they are practical; they are right next to the hot water tap AND the microwave, putting you in the perfect position to view the length of the microwave queue (it sounds trivial but it could save you precious minutes you could be studying in). Secondly, you have so much space! The desks are huge, so as long as there aren’t too many of you there is plenty of room to spread out your laptop, books and general intellectual scribblings, all in one place!

Thirdly, it’s sociable. Now I know what you are thinking, revision isn’t meant to be sociable, but you can still get your head down and work, it just means when you want those crucial breaks your friends are close by to help you de-stress and go on an all-important snack trip. Finally, the background noise isn’t too loud (apart from lunchtime…) and therefore productivity is still very much feasible, but without it being as intimidatingly silent as the library, where one little coughing fit can result in making multiple enemies that are unafraid to give you as many death stares as it takes to make you too uncomfortable to stay.

With the weather gradually improving, with revision and deadlines looming over our heads, how are we supposed to strike a balance between making the most of the sunshine and still putting in the hours to get those coveted grades? There are countless places around Exeter to hole up and study with a cup of coffee and a book, or plug in your laptop and crack on with your essay, but when the sun is out, who really wants to be stuck inside? The gardens of Reed Hall provide the perfect atmosphere to soak up the sun whilst also getting in some reading and revision without the constant interruption of other people around you. You can get up and stretch your legs for a break, or just take a moment on one of the many benches around the gardens to chill out and de-stress. It can feel productive to say you’ve spent the last six hours holed up in the library, but there’s nothing wrong with packing up your books and heading outside instead. Personally, I like to be somewhere on campus for the 'academic' atmosphere, but far away from everyone else’s stress and hubbub. And if you’re hanging out in the Reed Hall gardens, you can always pop inside to the café for that much-needed caffeine kick…

Picture this: exams season is here, you’re full of roughly ten tons of caffeine, and your house is full of similarly stressed out students. The solution? Waterstones Café. Yes, it’s true that a café may not be the best place for someone with a growing caffeine addiction, but the home-from-home feel of this bookish haven is one of the best Exeter has to offer.

If you’re a library person, be warned that this place might not be right for you. Inhabiting a corner of the Waterstones store at Roman Gate, the café boasts a warm, welcoming atmosphere along with all the background chatter and clinking of cutlery. Grab yourself a hot beverage of your choice (or even one of the homemade soups if you’re feeling peckish), and take your pick of the various different seating options available. Table? Sofa? Reclined chair? The choice is yours.

Also boasting a dedicated study area upstairs, the café seems to tick all the boxes. Indeed, the staff at the café welcome you to take your refreshments from the café upstairs; you might be able to find some more peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the main café, and actually get some work done in the process.

Natalie Keffler, Online Editor

Bea Fones, Online Comment Editor

Lauren Geall

arts + lit I need a hero

To celebrate Pride month, Arts+Lit writers reflect on queer pioneers who’ve shaped the art world

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HEN reflecting on queer heroes Alice Walker and her seminal novel, The Color Purple, come to mind. In 1982, Walker bravely released the novel and opened dialogue on a number of issues ranging from domestic abuse, sexism and homosexuality.

Protagonist Celie is forced to marry an abusive man, “Mr”, after facing years of sexual abuse at the hand of her father.

Celie meets Shug Avery, a blues singer, and they form a romantic relationship. Celie’s relationship with Shug empowers her to leave the abusive husband and overcome her traumatic past. The book was met with a barrage of criticism damning its explicit exploration of homosexuality, but Walker never backed down.

Walker’s courageous inclusion of such a storyline not only contributed to breaking down conversational barriers, but also laid foundations for the acceptance of homosexuality, especially amongst the African American community.

Bryan Knight, Online Features Editor

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SCAR Wilde’s quote to “be yourself; everyone else is already taken”, appears to perfectly encapsulate the spirit of being unafraid to embrace one’s own identity. Wilde himself is an iconic figure with his plays, books and poems still being well known today. Whereas in the 19th Century, Wilde was viewed as a criminal because of being a homosexual, being imprisoned in 1895 and serving two years hard labour before being released and spending the last three years of his life in exile.

Fortunately his incredible talent for writing has not been forgotten, with his plays and novels containing many poignant messages resonating over a hundred years after being written. So, in light of the upcoming Exeter Pride weekend, be your biggest fan, because “to love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

Natalie Keffler, Online Editor

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UDRE Lorde was a lesbian African American writer and activist. A champion of civil rights, feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, Lorde’s work primarily took the form of poetry and essays. Her writing, particularly the collection of essays entitled Sister Outsider, explores the various experiences of oppression she suffered as a lesbian black woman, and as such, she is often seen as a founder of much of the modern intersectional feminist movement.

Writing during the 1980s, however, Lorde angered white feminists who she wrote were “agents of oppression” alongside white men in her seminal essay The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House. Now, her work is frequently quoted as inspirational and uniting as she writes: “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences”.

Deepa Lalwani, Comment Editor

Banned Books

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EHINDE Wiley jumped into the public consciousness earlier this year when his painting for Obama’s official presidential portrait was revealed; however, he has been making waves in the art world for over a decade. Wiley is an African American who identifies as gay and through his work ,queers ideas of temporality, sexuality and gender. Through painting African American models wearing their own clothes in the style of classical Western art, Wiley uses a traditional art form to queer temporality and comment on the cultural position of African Americans. He removes backgrounds from his work, replacing them with extremely intricate patterns, again removing the painting from any one temporality and also queering masculinity combining the stereotypically masculine with a traditionally feminine background. In his queering of temporality, sexuality and gender, Wiley carves out a space in the highbrow art world for queer people and for queering identities.

Rowan Keith, Online Lifestyle Editor

Lauren Newman, Arts + Lit Editor, investigates the significance of censorship in the literary world

HEN one conjures up the subject of literary censorship in one’s mind, the poignant images of Nazi book burnings throughout Germany and Austria in the 1930s immediately spring to mind. When examining the photographs of hundreds of Jewish, pacifist and religious works (amongst others) going up in flames, or visiting the Bebelplatz memorial in Berlin, it is easy to view the practises fostered by the Nazi regime in restricting literature as alien to modern 21st century ideals of treasuring it. Though if, dear reader, you have managed to remove yourself from such horrific images of moral and political exclusion, it is almost as easy to witness similar attitudes toward such novels throughout the world today.

Although the idea of banning books due to their sexual, political and therefore “controversial” topics seems alien to the American ideals of free speech enshrined in their ever-sacred constitution, a large number of modern-day Americans are not shy in their open derision of certain books that do not

share their almost puritanical ideals of what literature should be. In 2015, controversy was provoked when John Green’s Looking for Alaska was revealed as the ‘most challenged’ book by the American Library Association, which tellingly was above E.L James’ Fifty Shades series in the amount of complaints made to libraries to have it removed.

A PRETTY ACCURATE LANDSCAPE OF THE REGULAR TEENAGE EXPERIENCE The author’s debut novel describes a pretty accurate landscape of the “regular teenage experience” complete with descriptions of teenage love, school politics, and the pitfalls of puberty. None of which I would argue seems alien to the teen in either America, the UK or any other Western country. However, due to the potentially “controversial” scenes depicted

by Green, including a passage detailing a

failed attempt at oral sex, Looking for Alaska has been banned in many provincial areas of America. In response to the uproar, the author posted a video on YouTube which ultimately hailed the power of books to “challenge and interrogate- [to] give us windows into the lives of others and give us mirrors so we can better see ourselves”. Other books which appeared on the list in 2015 included Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and David Levithan’s Two Boys Kissing both of which depict gay and lesbian relationships with nuance and sensitivity.

However, as easy as it is to assume the position of moral superiority fostered by our previous position as colonialists in this matter and deride the Americans for such treatment of fantastic literature the UK has participated in its fair share of censoring literature. Although 1983 seems shockingly recent, Susanne Bosche’s children’s book Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin which described a child growing up with a gay father and his partner became involved in huge national debate and was widely derided by the tabloid

press, including The Sun which claimed the “vile” book was distributed in schools (which it never was). As a result, the issue eventually was discussed in parliament and the book unfortunately contributed to the formation of the famous Clause 28 of the Local Government Act which prohibited the local authorities from ‘promoting’ homosexuality. The author herself was outraged, commenting that “I feel angry that my intentions in writing this book - namely to give children a little more knowledge about the world - have been twisted by grown-up people who chose to use it as a weapon in a political battle”.

THE UK HAS PARTICPATED IN ITS FAIR SHARE OF CENSORING LITERATURE Unfortunately, the restriction of literature in relation to sexuality, politics and religion is a phenomenon that is not contained in the past, but alive and well in the 21st century.

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arts + lit

7 MAY 2018 |

EDITORS: Lauren Newman and Tabi Scott

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New beginnings

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‘Johannes was (not) born to them, but -’ a creative writing piece by Neha Shaji, Features Editor

BIRTH is a technicality, a beginning is only precious to those whose life began then.

He is not their child, not biologically, he has nobody’s bright golden hair, and nobody’s shining blue eyes, but they make him a beautiful, angelic child. He is only ten months old when they adopt him. He is full of chubby elbows and gurgling smiles, food rubbed over his face, and he is the sun, he is their sun. He has ten tiny fingers, and ten tiny toes and with every smile and squawk, he makes their hearts feel like tender, raw things. His coming was almost Biblical – as if with his presence he’d put a stop to long nights spent snapping at each other, covert blame and snide, poisonous words.

BUT WAS HIS EXISTENCE NOT A MIRACLE? But now they ride on the lapels of parenthood by instinct, and they wake at 3 am, they feed with bottles and the boy, the little boy with his wet eyes and his white toes, he brings the sun with him, pulls it into their dark life. (He really was a very ordinary boy – he cried as much as any other

baby). cheeked and blue eyed? Did it matter that he They name him Johannes. would never have to face the sneers Rohan had Johannes is two, and he has begun to walk, to as he fixed displaced hips on overweight men? with teetering, nervous steps. He (It didn’t). mutters useless, meaningless “Have I failed you?” Rohan words, and it is safe for laughs, placing Johannes Laura and Rohan to tell on his legs and balanchim about their lives, ing him on a makeabout their terrible, shift seesaw. “That terrible days, beis – my being a doccause Johannes tor. A doctor who did not undercan’t solve his own stand, he only lisinfertility. Or hers. tened with a foot I’d rather not know. in his mouth, and Is that failure.” his fists beating at a “Bleh.” plate of peas. SomeRohan takes it to times, after Laura has mean a compliment. He accidentally lost the life longed to have seen JoImage:Pixnio of a patient, she goes to Johannes grow from an infant, he hannes, holds him against her longed to have been present at the chest and wonders at the baby’s pulse, and birth where he must have emerged, squalling. she thinks alive, alive, alive.

Failure? He wonders. Is not being there for your Did it matter they were reverse-white sav- own son’s birth a failure? But was his existence not iours? That Laura and Rohan were brown skinned a miracle? Birth was merely a beginning by definiand black eyed while their baby was ruddy tion, and he was theirs, and hence, technically –

Rohan was there for his birth. (He wasn’t wrong, technically. But isn’t every birth a technicality?)

IS NOT BEING THERE FOR YOUR SON’S BIRTH A FAILURE? Johannes is six, and there is always light where he is. A strange, wonderful light, seeping under doors like a flood, light fluttering around the boy, and he is always smiling, and he loves to sing, and he is like a sun. Laura holds the light of Johannes close, and it burns her, bright and tart, like citrus. She hears Johannes singing when he is playing, wild and light, and she knows the boy has a wonderfully bright future. (He was, in fact, a very ordinary, very naughty boy – there was nothing star-like about him).

The three of them fit together with clicks and hums, and they are so, so happy when they speak of things they do not care of, and things they do care of. Laura and Rohan speak to Johannes of everything, but they never mention how his coming saved their lives.

Creative ways to unwind Arts + Lit writers offer some healthy ways to spend revision downtime

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FTER a heavy revision session, the last thing I want to do is something that involves more deep thinking and concentration. For me, painting and drawing provides the perfect balance between doing something fulfilling that requires little thinking effort. Painting rests the mind from the endless onslaught of facts and figures, instead allowing the creative parts of the brain to be set free. There is something deeply satisfying about making something- it is both soothing and relaxing, yet leaves you feeling productive. If you’re stuck for ideas, start simple. Sketch what’s around you: your flatmate, your dog, your emergency exam-stress snacks, anything. Fill a page with colours which suit your mood. Paint a place you’d rather be than stuck in your room revising.

Whatever it is, just try pouring ideas out of your mind, rather than feeding more into it, and you’ll feel so much better for it.

Lowenna Merritt

Y first encounter with Oh Comely magazine came in a Greek airport last summer. Settled into my Ryanair seat, I had no idea what a discovery it would turn out to be, flipping through its exquisite pages now, reminiscing a time so much more carefree. A breath of fresh air in a magazine, Oh Comely describes itself as a powerful mix of words and pictures, covering ‘food, recipes, film, fashion, music, art and culture.’ This only begins to do justice to the beautiful array of illustrations, articles, interviews and book reviews within its pages. I’ve unearthed so many wonderful small brands, inspirational women doing incredible and unique things, music and books, through this airport discovery. Its hashtag ‘one good thing’ encourages us all to find beauty in the simple moments of the everyday, and its themes of companionship, self-love, and sisterhood a reminder to take care of ourselves and those around us - a valuable message surrounding exam time.

Lissy Webb

Image: Flickr

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Image: PxHere

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N between bursts of deadline stress, I always find comfort in a good book, usually accompanied by some music of one type or another. I finally got around to reading The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman just before the Easter break, which largely lives up to the reputation of its predecessors, namely the His Dark Materials trilogy, including The Golden Compass, which has also been adapted into a film. I have also read The Graduate

by Charles Webb which is one of the most gripping novels I’ve read in a while. Whilst quite short at roughly 180 pages, it’s exhilarating and really puts you into the mind-set of the central protagonist Ben. He has a crisis following his graduation from college and is trying to seek meaning in his life, so it is easy to see why the film was such a success and helped launch the career of Dustin Hoffman because of its relatable topics, although the book on its own is worth celebrating.

Chris Connor

OBERT Icke’s adaptation of Hamlet on BBC2, directed for the screen by Rhodi Huw, weaves television and theatre together in an effortless example of a modern day Shakespeare performance. It gives a modern feel with 21st century clothing for costumes and an elegant, minimalist set, all while maintaining an authentically Shakespearean performance. The adaptation invigorates early modern theatre with moments of 21st century life, making this the perfect introduction for those who are unfamiliar with this particular play or any of Shakespeare’s work. Aspects of the modern day bleed into the early modern performance with mock BBC reporters delivering chorus lines. Elements of horror are achieved through eerie security camera footage which blurs and fades to deliver the perfect jump scare moments. The passion with which the actors deliver their lines disintegrates any language barriers, and lulls the audience into this classic world of suspense tragedy.

Tabi Scott, Arts + Lit Editor

Image: Wikicommons

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music

I will love the way I am

AYLEY Kiyoko burst onto the LGBT music scene in June 2015 with the release of her music video ‘Girls Like Girls’. As a previously obscure artist, ‘Girls Like Girls’ was incredibly important for Kiyoko, gaining her a massive LGBT audience. Since then, she has gone on to release several more visuals centring around female same-sex attraction, including 'Cliff’s Edge', (notably the first of her music videos where she displays her sexuality), 'Sleepover' and 'Feelings'.

She also takes a main role in the production, having directed and starred in all of her videos since ‘Cliff’s Edge’ (with the exception of 'One Bad Night', which she directed, but doesn’t star in). Kiyoko shows female queerness in an explicit way that is not often shown in media: she subverts tropes of men chasing after women in ‘Feelings’, a continuous shot video portraying Kiyoko in the stereotypical masculine role, playing chase with another girl, gauging whether she is interested in her.

Her work has led fans to bestow nicknames upon her including "Lesbian Jesus" highlighting her importance to her fans: primarily young women who also experience some attraction to the same sex. Fans of Kiyoko have praised her music for empowering them, and for helping them to accept their sexuality.

Similarly, Janelle Monáe made a very recent venture into LGBT music. Her 2018 visual ‘Make Me Feel’ features Monáe pursuing both a male and female love interest, in a club setting with the bisexual pride flag colours featuring prominently.

M o n á e hinted at

Image: Caitlin Ison

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Ellie Foulds celebrates the artists making waves in the LGBTQ+ cultural movement same-sex attraction in her 2013 video ‘Q.U.E.E.N.’, but ‘Make Me Feel’ is an overt celebration of bisexuality. It was received extremely well by fans, being dubbed a ‘bisexual anthem’ and accumulating over 11 million views on YouTube in two months.

Since the release of ‘Make Me Feel’, Monaé has released a short film, making strong feminist statements and focusing on relationships between women of colour. Her music empowers women to own their sexuality. It challenges taboos around female sexuality that are still prevalent in society, where derogatory terms are thrown at women who are vocal about their sexuality, while men are often praised for doing the same. Monáe has been praised by fans and the LGBT community extensively, creating a lot of excitement on social media around her new album, Dirty Computer.

Another important voice in LGBT music is DJ SOPHIE, who pushes the boundaries of music genres and is notorious for her minimal social media presence and limited interviews. While she dislikes the idea of ‘coming out’, SOPHIE has been open about being a transgender woman since the release of ‘It’s Okay to Cry’ in 2017. SOPHIE chose to remain relatively anonymous at the start

of her career, only placing her voice and image alongside one another for the first time with the release of ‘It’s Okay to Cry’.

SHE SUBVERTS TROPES OF MEN CHASING WOMEN SOPHIE’s music blurs the lines between genres, linking to the focus on the fluidity of gender in her music. Like Kiyoko, SOPHIE has been directing her own music videos, as well as starring in them, perhaps unsurprising as she has always carefully controlled her public image. Her most recent video, ‘Faceshopping’, addresses the implications of self image, as well as the role of social media in our lives.

LGBT music is having a massive impact on young people today, whether it’s helping them to accept their identity as a member of the LGBT community, or whether it’s normalising LGBT identities and relationships. These three women, and many other fantastic artists, are working hard to normalise marginalised identities, and their work should be praised as the important part of a cultural movement that it is.

You had me at hello

Aaron

F

ario

M en ti

ROM the first thundering riff of 'Born Young and Free' to the emotive closing notes of 'Back to You', the two sets of Yorkshire-born siblings who form Marmozets live up to the weird and wonderful standards they aspire to on their debut album, the Weird and Wonderful Marmozets.

Too many bands are lazily described as 'raw', but in Marmozets' case, it's an apt description - lead singer Becca MacIntyre snarls and growls her way through thirteen rip-roaring bangers, chock-full of grungey baselines, aggressive guitar hooks and blisteringly urgent drum work. Singles like 'Why Do You Hate Me?' and 'Move Shake Hide' are bristling with energy and passion, balancing anthemic sing-along choruses with meaty, mosh-inducing riffs.

There's no filler to balance these headbangers; 'Is It Horrible?' tells the tongue-in-cheek story of a regretful hungover morning over a pleasantly sludgey musical backdrop, and 'Hit the Wave', well, e: M

Computer, there is radical pain written in these funky, poppy cuts. Her response is to write songs that champions the margins and empower the oppressed.

Musically, the record is a hotpot of weirdo ideas pulled from neo-soul, Fritz Lang, Diamond Dogs, contemporary classical , and Octavia Butler’s shapeshifting novels. Sure, these inspirations read like an art student’s special mentions, but Monáe and her collaborators remix them into a whooping, deviant music that is entirely her own.

Most importantly, it has the tunes. ‘Dance or Die’ foretells the coming of a messianic ‘she’, reminding us that Monáe is nobody for false humility, while the brilliant ‘Cold War’ is her ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’, a psychedelic soul call to arms for outsiders everywhere. But there are also Innervisions style experiments like ‘Mushrooms and Roses’, a pitched vocal ballad about a golden Eden where androids and humans mix without interference.

Not everything works. Crawling orchestral closer 'BaBopByeYa' is ritzy yet aimless.

But the album crackles. Ms. Monáe clearly pictures herself as a prophet, leaving us with two options; she’s either a complete swindle, or exactly who she says she is. I’ve made my decision.

Image: tankboyprime

ANELLE Monáe’s startling 2010 debut, The ArchAndroid, is a queer sci-fi concept album that often sounds like an artefact from a distant galaxy. It’s almost sort of true. She recorded most of the album’s 18 tracks in Atlanta, the Georgian capital that’s home to a remarkable cultural history; luminaries in chief include Martin Luther King JR and OutKast, whose Big Boi pops up here as executive producer. Some call it the Capital of the New South, simply because the city’s progressive outlook feels at odds with the reactionary neighbours.

Feelings of alienation are key to what The ArchAndroid is all about. Listen to 'Cold War,' and try not to gasp when Monáe hollers ‘I was made to believe there was something wrong with me’. Although nowhere near as lyrically explicit as Dirty

Imag

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Aaron Loose and Alex Wingrave, Music Editors, sing the praises of their favourite debut albums it does what it say on the tin, hitting you with a humongous and ferocious wave of sound. 'Vibetech' shows off the band's heavy math rock roots, throwing around time signatures and technical guitar lines in a perfect pocket of chaos. It's exactly the kind of anger you want to hear on a debut album, a young band ready to show their teeth.

This aggression isn't without balance; piano-led tearjerker 'Cry' and the absolutely sublime 'Captivate You' allow Becca to show her soulful and vulnerable side, and the band excels just as much at crafting melodic and touching soundscapes as they do at melting your face off with a breakdown.

In the often bland and homogeneous world of modern rock, this is the kind of debut album which every band should be making - an impassioned and genuinely raw mission statement that sinks its claws in and refuses to let go.

Alex

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music

7 MAY 2018

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Queer spaces: the home of music

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James Angove investigates the history of legendary disco club, The Paradise Garage

'M Coming Out' by Diana Ross epitomises disco in so many ways. Produced by Nile Rodgers, the song features rejoicing horns, a funky bassline, and a commanding vocal performance. The track was also quickly adopted by the LGBTQ+ community as a gay anthem, a move entirely appropriate for a genre that owes the gay community so much.

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the whole audience. You have 100 people singing along on the dancefloor … It becomes divine: a love epidemic.”

And this love epidemic spread to everyone - no matter what race, sexuality or class they happened to be. Equality was ingrained into the genre, integral to those who listened, and to the venues in which it played throughout the 80s. However, there was one particular club that stood out, both for its exceptional music and its liberal attitude. Every SaturImage:: Wikimedia Commons day night, the spirit

THE LOVE EPIDEMIC SPREAD TO EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR SEXUALITY

Disco’ s history began in the early 1970s across urban America, as artists paired their funk and soul influences with a 'four-on-thefloor' drum beat to create music that simply wills you to dance along. Unlike its musical ancestors, disco was designed for the club and its driving beat and typically anthemic chorus gave the genre luminescent energy personality. As Nicky Siano, once a resident DJ at the legendary Studio 54, suggests, disco “unites

of disco radiated outwards from a converted trucking garage that was nestled among the tower blocks of South Manhattan. The Paradise Garage was the essence of the genre, described by expert Melvin Cheren, as "the one place that reflected the rainbow that had produced disco’s pot of gold”.

Led by pioneering resident DJ Larry Levan, the venue hosted the likes of Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, and a young Madonna.

The venue provided a safe haven for those who came, soon establishing a congregation united by dance. Paradise Garage was known for its mainly queer, black attendees for whom the experience was a chance to be themselves. The nights that ran from evening through to the next morning became known as “Saturday Mass.”

Also known as the

Introducing: Declan McKenna Nicky Avasthi champions indie rock's most politically conscious new voice

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beauty in McKenna’s lyrical voice; a maturity that goes beyond the mere sixteen years he’d lived when he wrote these tracks.

MORE THAN YOUR STANDARD INDIE ARTIST

Image:: Wikimedia Commons

F you haven’t already heard of him, all I can say is that you are missing out big time.

At just nineteen years old, Declan McKenna has already started to make waves in the music industry, so much so that he won the Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2015. Now, I don’t know about you, but at nineteen I was pretty much just aimlessly floating around university without much clue as to how I’d actually ended up in higher education, so winning a coveted music award didn’t seem likely to happen.

McKenna is more than your standard emerging indie artist. He has a real knack for writing lyrics exploring current issues and adding an appealing melody to them. This not only makes his music perfect for putting on quietly in the background as you slave away at particularly grueling coursework and revision, but also makes it great to listen to during a well-deserved revision break (can you tell I have exams on my mind?).

Two of McKenna’s most politically aware songs are 'Brazil' and 'Paracetamol'. 'Brazil' is an incredibley piercing critique of football money and power, while 'Paracetamol' explores the misrepresentation of transgender teens in the media. There is a real

Not only does McKenna have a real gift for songwriting, he is also an incredibly charismatic performer. Having seen him in concert several times, I can safely say that this guy does not disappoint. With each performance I found he’d become more engaging, with a captivating stage presence. Unlike most live artists, McKenna isn’t afraid of his audience. He builds a relationship with every single person watching him from the pits, often crowd surfing and jumping behind the barriers to dance and sing with his audience.

If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: Declan McKenna is going places, and his journey is one that is, without a shadow of a doubt, going to be a pretty damn exciting one.

“Gay-rage”, the venue was unashamedly queer.

From the queue, for instance, one could just about gaze at the club's colourful logo: a tambourine-holding man whose face remains hidden behind his bulging bicep. But more than simple iconography, the Garage was closely involved with the gay community, particularly during the 80s. It is reputed that Paradise Garage held the very first HIV/AIDS benefit night on Thursday 8th April 1982. The evening raised over $50,000 for what is now the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and firmly established the club’s place within LGBTQ+ history.

Even though the needle lifted for the last time in September 1987, the Paradise Garage's ethos continues in the multitude of queer spaces that have come after it, in the music produced out of it and, most importantly, in the people who still remember it. One attendee of a 2014 commemorative party perhaps puts it best: “[The Garage] meant freedom.

That’s what it meant to me. The freedom to be who you wanted to be, to do what you wanted to do, the way you wanted to do it.”

REMEMBER THIS? THE CROOKES Hold Fast Feburary 2012 Hold Fast by The Crookes is the perfect summer album. I don’t care that you’ve never heard of them, this is fact. You know how every summer you recall the warmest, most nostalgic memories of summers past, and try to transpose that onto the present-day when you’re inevitably older, sadder, and more weathered? This album encapsulates all the feelings.

It begins with the explosive ‘Afterglow’, a sunsoaked track that’s joyously reminiscent, and ends with ‘Collecting Skies,’ a more meditative song conjuring images of blue skies and warm sunsets. Every song has its own distinct mood and the album deserves to be listened to from beginning to end.

The Crookes were an indie-pop four-piece from Sheffield who disbanded last year and never made it into the mainstream, but Hold Fast, is a stunning collection of music which I can’t believe has been overlooked. I’m sure part of the reason I find this album so nostalgic is the fact that I was raised on a strict diet of indie but its technical skill and catchiness stand up on their own. My personal favourite is ‘The I Love You Bridge,’ a melancholic ballad which garners even more meaning if you know the tragically romantic story behind it; Google the Sheffield ‘I love you’ bridge. It’s a fascinating story to accompany this hidden gem of an album.

Harry Bunting, Online Editor

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OPE

N�TO�ALL�STUDENTS

Casual, part-time and summer work, internships, placements,

THURSDAY 10 MAY 2018 11AM – 2PM THE FORUM, STREATHAM CAMPUS

graduate roles and postgraduate study. www.exeter.ac.uk/summerfair

screen

Pride of place

Exeposé Screen writers discuss their favourite representations of LGBTQ+ in film

Being John Malkovich (1999)

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Chloe and Ben’s Picks:

ELEASED in 1999, the feature debut of both director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich serves not only as a commentary on the nature of celebrity in modern American culture, but also as an analysis of sexuality and self.

These themes exist in Kaufman’s other films (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind debates the role of memories in a person’s identity), but never has his writing been more overtly queer than in Being John Malkovich. While it is hard to discuss the plot without spoiling it, it can be noted that the characters are as queer and lively as the plot of the film itself.

The premise of the film is about Craig’s (played by a dishevelled John Cusack) entanglement in a love triangle with his distanced wife (Cameron Diaz) and his attractive co-worker (Catherine Keener) after discovering a tunnel in his office which leads inside the head of actor John Malkovich (played by himself ). It’s magical realism to the extreme; bizarre, hilarious, and somewhat disturbing.

It presents a unique opportunity to present queer identities in their most pure and abstract. The transgender metaphor here is obvious, especially as a later plot arc involves a cis-gendered female character utilising the Malkovich portal in an attempt at sexual liberation in a man’s body. Kaufman’s later work, Synecdoche, New York, deals directly with transgender issues, featuring characters that utilise acting and theatre to transition over the course of the film.

Being John Malkovich blends absurd imagery and concepts with characters that feel relatable and moments that feel inevitable. The movie brings you into its world with such determination that viewing it feels like crawling into the head of Kaufman himself.

Ryan Allen

A Single Man (2009)

Pride (2014)

Aligarh (2015)

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HERE’S something so touching about Pride (2014). It’s the sort of film where you realise you are smiling and hadn’t even noticed. A combination of beautiful cinematography, carefully crafted by an artistic eye: vibrant colours, eighties outfits, the wealth of incredible characters - all recipes for a beautiful, one of a kind film.

Pride is hilarious and full of witty one liners, but then transitions into beautiful and poignant moments of powerful solidarity in the face of shared adversity - the need for friendship and finding a place you belong. It’s uplifting but real, funny, yet heartbreaking. There is a richness about each character, with so many storylines seamlessly weaved together. The depth in the multitude of personalities and backgrounds unite and lead to such touching encounters. An undercurrent of heartbreak runs throughout. Pride deals with the realities of life for the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s in a realistic, tender way. It’s Bromley walking home in the half light, not realising what awaits him, his secrets laid bare on the kitchen table for all to see.

Watching Pride several years on feels a little like coming home. It’s a reminder that sometimes, against all odds, change comes a little at a time in the most unexpected ways, and that hope is always on the horizon. It’s a film that encourages you to stand up, and “have some pride”, whoever you are. Perhaps that’s why it stirs so much nostalgia, a message every sixteen-year-old needed to hear. It’s the cry of Gethen: “I’m in Wales and I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not”, to Jonathan encouraging Sian to do brave things with her life.

That beaten up yellow van, winding its way through those green hills, made history in so many ways.

Lissy Webb

Carol (2015)

Love, Simon (2018)

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UEER cinema in India is an underground phenomenon, one that is acknowledged, yet not spoken about in public for fear of breaking Section 377, the colonial law that criminalizes homosexuality. The treatment of LGBTQ+ people in India is a direct parallel to Indian queer cinema – trans hijras are forced into poverty, and those who identify as LGBTQ+ are tolerated, unless exposed as a member of the community. The film Aligarh tells the true story of one such exposure: the late Ramachandra Siras, a professor of poetry in the renowned Aligarh University outed for having a covert relationship with a male rickshaw driver.

Professor Siras, a sensitive man who loved poetry, had his house broken into and his personal life invaded by TV crews that filmed intimate moments with his lover. Yet instead of the film crews being arrested, Professor Siras was ousted from the university on grounds of “morality”, and a court case filed against him.

Technically, the film is beautiful. Wide Allahabad sunsets, open swathes of water, and almost romantic conversations between Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao. Wide-angle shots are used to centre Bajpayee in a crowd, often highlighting the multitudes of dirty looks and sneers he received after he was outed. The dialogue is poetic, as Professor Siras’ own poetry is read out during montages.

The technical aspects emphasise the ugly subject matter: how the very visible, yet incredibly ignored, LGBTQ+ community in India is treated. The film was boycotted for its subject matter by the people whom would have benefitted the most by hearing it. As Professor Siras says, “how can you understand who a lover is, when you don’t understand love itself?”

Neha Shaji, Features Editor

Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2018)

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EDITORS: Ben Faulkner and Chloe Kennedy

7 MAY 2018

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To infinity - and beyond Ben Faulkner, Screen Editor, reviews Marvel’s latest colossal blockbuster AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemworth, Josh Brolin 2018, 150 minutes

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HIS is the most ambitious filmmaking project of the century – partly because of how brazenly Marvel hyped it up themselves – and it’s handled with all the vision and finesse of masters of their craft. With a film possessing 70+ characters, it had every reason to seem over-stuffed and over-complicated, but somehow this unfathomable mess of an ensemble is woven together seamlessly.

This is a film for the fans – it’s a monstrous series finale for those who have been invested in the episodes that preceded it.

It’s impossible to discuss the film with any substance without some hint of where the film goes – if you haven’t seen it, seriously stop reading.

It’s a tired cliché, but I didn’t check my watch once. The opening scene thrusts us straight into a film that feels darker and bigger than anything they’ve done before; Marvel turn their back on their classic exposition-heavy first acts. The film never loses this momentum. Sure, with so many characters

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convincingly driven by its characters. The flaw that’s spearheading the criticism among many critics is the issue of consequence: or, the lack thereof. On some level, it’s a fair complaint: Marvel harnesses despair and anguish on levels it hasn’t before, but the consequences may feel undermined by the huge metal glove that can manipulate time and reality to its desire.

My issue with this, however, is it’s an unavoidable issue, one written into the DNA of the source material – as with all Marvel films, you have to buy into the spectacle, or you can pick holes in every shot. Secondly, it’s a criticism that ignores how well the Russo brothers convey the anguish and I left the cinema feeling hollow – and, for a film in the MCU, that was incredibly refreshing.

For me, it was a film of MCU firsts. The first time I’ve genuinely feared the villain. The first time they’ve created moments that are heart-wrenching. The first time I felt genuinely shocked. Sure, it’s one for the fans – and, for this reason, I find many of the criticisms understandable. But, if you know what you signed up for, it’s everything you’ve been waiting for, and everything you didn’t expect.

Thank you to EXETER VUE for providing this screening

A silent win?

Chloe Kennedy, Screen Editor, evaluates the representation of the deaf community in film

HE film the deaf community has been waiting for: A Quiet Place – but it’s not without its flaws.

Disability on screen has been a thing of rarity, particularly if this includes actors with disabilities actually playing the roles. According to the UK film industry body Creative Skillset, only 0.3 percent of the total film workforce are disabled, with 14 percent of people in employment aged 16-24 considering themselves disabled (according to the Office of National Statistics). It is clear, then, that contains actors who identify as disabled are overdue their representation.

and so much plot to establish I think we can always carries this strange air of loneliness: he forgive an eventual steadying of the pace, but feels relentlessly determined, but also vulnerit never loses its sense of urgency. What’s so able and desperate. It is – if it had to go to any admirable is that the pace feels organic and character in particular – his film. character-driven: it feels like the heroes are But, the surprising standout was the charfrantically scrambling in the face of a seriously acter who, up until very recently, used to be troubling threat. And their fear is completely the most forgettable: Thor 2.0. I feel it’s imporearned, because Thanos is superb. tant to make a distinction between the Even its greatest fans know that Thor we’ve seen since Thor: Ragthe MCU (Marvel Cinematic norak and the one we saw in Universe) has had a serious the first two solo outings: villain problem, and it’s Hemsworth has always pretty understandable. been good, but he’s Killmonger and Loki clearly allowed more have been interesting freedom with the and complex, but vilcharacter now, and lains in all stand-alone the change is remarkMarvel films are never able. In Ragnarok he going to be seriously was hilarious, but here convincing when we he holds so much of the know there are big, enfilm’s pathos with sensisemble films on the horizon. tivity and subtlety. Thor’s arc Image: Marvel Studios And the more we see each villain in Infinity War represents what’s brushed aside, the less convinced we so good about the whole film: nevare. So, it’s a relief that Josh Brolin’s Thanos er have they worked in so much humanity is everything the MCU needed. Compelling, amongst all the spectacle. unpredictable, and genuinely threatening, It is not without fault. There are a few Thanos is paramount to the film’s success. textbook marvel moments: a few bits of misHe somehow never becomes a cartoon, and placed comedy and a couple of dramatic moremains intellectually and emotionally real ments that hinge on unnecessarily fine marenough to remain understandable. He’s formigins. Yet, generally the film felt well balanced dable enough to command every scene, but between comedy, drama, and action, and was

SILENCE IS DEPIcTED AS SCARY

A Quiet Place, categorised as a horror, takes place in a land transformed by the need to be silent in order to survive, since the creatures that haunt the film hunt by sound. This is not the first time we have seen this on screen

(think Alien and Jurassic Park), but it is one of the few (in mainstream cinema) that is 95 percent without dialogue. The film places us with Regan (Millicent Simmonds), daughter of Lee and Evelyn (John Kransinski and Emily Blunt), who is hearing impaired both in the film and in real life; according to Kransinski (director and star), casting a deaf actress was “non-negotiable”. Before sound-hunting creatures prowled the land, the family learnt sign language to be able to communicate with their deaf daughter, Regan.

In this sense, Regan’s disability motivated the key tool they needed to be able to survive in the terror-world. In suppressing sound, the family begin to crave it; sign language can only get you so far in their world. Silence is depicted as scary. This, in turn, leads to a slightly damaging representation – although, this is not to dismiss the film entirely. It is clearly important to present deaf roles on screen. The film has increased inclusivity. The cast and crew learnt sign language to be able to communicate effectively and inclusively on set. Kransinski (director and star) also made sure they had a language interpreter and a deaf advisor on

set. In fact, Simmonds has been working as an activist for the deaf community (can we also note: she is only fifteen!), using the film to open the floodgates to more representations of disability on screen, with more opportunities for actors who identify as having a disability. Simmonds, in an interview with Now This, inspirationally declares: “anything you want to do is possible. Just work hard, and people will recognise that”.

Disability on screen has been particularly in the limelight after The Shape of Water achieved Best Picture. The film portrays, in its leading role, a mute woman (Sally Hawkins) who communicates via American Sign Language. However, Hawkins (although great in the role) is not an actor who has a disability. This brings the question: should disabled characters be played by disabled actors? This is a much larger debate, but one thing is for certain: representation of disability on screen is important and, even better, a platform that accepts disability should be reachable. The Shape of Water and A Quiet Place challenge past representations of disabilities being a category and demonstration of ‘The Other’,

and are important in opening up the doors for further portrayals.

Despite its problems, ultimately I hope that A Quiet Place motivates other filmmakers to include representations of disability on screen; including hiring more disabled actors.

It is about time that the construct between ‘able-bodies’ and ‘disabled bodies’ are broken down and replaced by simply: bodies. But it’s looking like we still have a long way to go.

Image: Paramount Pictures

study break

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STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD

Across

SUDOKU

Down

1 Lariat (5)

1 No score (tennis) (4)

4 British country - the first stop for 17 3’s

2 Carer hugs (anagram) - extra fee (9)

1 Down 9 (7)

3 See 17 Across

8 Different form of the same thing (7)

4 Involve (6)

9 Locomotive (5)

5 Cowardly (7)

10 Punish physically (8)

6 Large stove (3)

11 Musical note (or Homer’s cry?) (3)

7 Squalid place - nigh dull (anagram) (8)

13 Continent (with brothers in 17 3’s 1 Down 11 Fondly rag (anagram) - long-bodied

9?) (6) insect

15 Middle Eastern country (with folks to be told

12 Relating to ships (8)

in 17 3’s 1 Down 9) (6)

14 Tropical American plant (7)

17/3 American R&B group formed in 1958 16 European country mentioned in 17 3’s 1

hates joy (anagram) (8)

Down 9 (6)

18 Group of aeroplanes (8)

19 “Forty all” (tennis) (5)

21 Asian country mentioned in 17 3’s 1 Down 20 Chair (4)

9 (5)

22 Distinctive doctrine (3)

23 Light (French) dish (7)

24 Energetic Latin American dance (7)

25 13n country mentioned in 17 3’s 1 Down 9

(5)

Trivia corner 1. at which battle was henry vi’s son killed?

2. which vegetable is a welsh national emblem?

3. which citrus fruit’s flavouring is used in earl grey tea?

4. WHICH way does the dragon face on the welsh flag?

5. from which exeter shop does muse frontman matt bellamy buy his guitars?

ANSWERS

6. true or false: exeter pub ‘the old firehouse’ inspired jk rowling’s ‘leaky cauldron’ 7. who is the regular host of hqTrivia (in the uk)?

‘Shazza’ Carpenter.

Manson’s Guitar Shop, McCoy’s Arcade; 6. False (sorry); 7. Sharon Trivia: 1. Tewkesbury; 2. Leek; 3. Bergamot orange; 4. Left; 5.

Russia, 19 Deuce, 20 Seat, 22 Ism. Dragonfly, 12 Nautical, 14 Cassava, 16 Down: 1 Love, 2 Surcharge, 4 Entail, 5 Gutless, 6 Aga, 7 Dunghill, 11 Squadron, 21 China, 23 Soufflé, 24 Lambada, 25 Egypt.

13 Africa, 15 Israel, 17/3 The O’Jays, 18 Across: 1 Lasso, 4 England, 8 Variant, 9 Train, 10 Chastise, 11 Doh,

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7 MAY 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

Science I

SCIENCE EDITORS:

Scarlett Parr Reid Gabriel Yeap

Take Pride in science

Penny Dinh examines the challenges and progress of the scientific LGBTQ+ community

TS the 21st century: society is supposedly more accepting towards the LGBTQ+ community now.

But facts and research might tell you a different story. This issue is surprisingly prevalent in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Maths and Engineering), a field that supposedly deals with facts with objectivity, a field where there is no place for biases.

I remember after watching the film The Imitation Game, when I learned about Alan Turing for the first time, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that someone who contributed so much for this country, who contributed so much to STEM was treated that way. I thought had his life not been cut short by ignorance, and prejudice towards his sexuality, he would have been able to contribute so much more to Maths and Computer Science. In the UK, homosexuality is no longer a ‘gross indecency’, and the rights of LGBTQ+ people have been

increasingly recognised, with the ‘2010 Equality Act’, and the legalisation Same-sex marriage in 2014. This m e a n s that today, LGBTQ+ scientists like Alan Turing are no longer punished for being who they are, and that their contribution to science should not be disrupted or cut short.

However, the LGBTQ+ community do not receive the same protection and recognition everywhere in the world; in a number of countries, LGBTQ+ people would even face death penalty for expressing themselves, for being themselves. These countries are not safe for LGBTQ+ people, and especially LGBTQ+ scientists. I can’t help but wonder how many Alan Tu-

Image: Lucy Djevdet, Pixabay

ring’s cases there would be in these countries where LGBTQ+ people are criminalised.

But death penalty and other legal punishments are not the only obstacles for LGBTQ+ scientists. Looking at the statistics, STEM is a predominantly male field, and STEM workplaces tend to perpetuate hegemonic masculinity; research have found that this social context correlates with hostility toward non-heterosexual identities and non-

binary gender expressions.

In a number of countries, LGBTQ+ people would even face the death penalty for expressing themselves.

It has also been found that bias and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in STEM-related environments are worse than other professional settings. Experience of workplace inequalities is widespread among LGBTQ+ STEM employees, according to a recent study

by Erin A. Cech and Michelle V. Pham , Social Sciences Journal, in 2017.

The lack of LGBTQ+ representation in STEM is also a systemic issue that hinders the LGBTQ+ participation in STEM. If you were to ask me

to name contemporary successful scientists, or CEOs of leading tech companies, I don’t think I could name someone who is not a cis-gendered straight man. This lack of role model would prevent potentially talented LGBTQ+ individuals from considering STEM careers in the first place. LGBTQ+ individuals carry extra burden in achieving success in STEM as the result of the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in this field.

Given the prevalent experience of inequalities and discrimination by STEM employees, it is very important that you think about scientists when attending Pride this year. By advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, you are advocating for hard-working and motivated scientists who face discrimination in their workplace due to their identity, and for potentially talented LGBTQ+ individuals who are put off STEM careers.

The day after tomorrow

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Ayesha Tandon, Online Science Editor, discusses the rising tides of concern for climate change

T’S hard to deny that over the past hundred years or so, humans have made a bit of a mess of the planet; air pollution, deforestation, and (of particular interest in the news right now) the vast quantities of plastic that we are throwing away, and that are carried by ocean currents to the far corners of the earth! Sadly, though, if you think that our effect on the oceans is limited to the pollution that we throw into them, then you would be wrong. In a recent paper, climate scientists have warned that global warming is causing serious disruption to ocean currents themselves, and that our climate problems may be about to get a whole lot worse.

Flash floods, hurricanes, and an impromptu Ice Age With 71% of its surface covered by water, our ‘Blue Planet’ is aptly named.

In fact, without the ocean, the remaining 29% of the planet would be completely uninhabitable. Mankind have a lot to answer for regarding our treatment of the planet, and the oceans have been incredibly forgiving of our behaviour, soaking up and storing half of the CO2 that we produce, as well as vast

quantities of heat. In fact, the ocean is a key regulator of our planet, transporting and distributing heat around the globe, and keeping the land at a liveable temperature.

Without the ocean, the remaining 29% of the planet would be completely uninhabitable.

So how does the ocean regulate land temperatures so effectively?

When you make yourself a mug of coffee in the morning (or afternoon, evening, 2am. Hey, I’m a student too– no judgement!), you know that in the few seconds that you spend stirring your drink, your spoon gets burning hot. Take the spoon out, and it will cool down just as quickly. The coffee on the other hand will stay warm for much longer (luckily for you)! What you have just observed is thermodynamics at work! Essentially, liquids are able to hold vast amounts of heat compared to solids, and so they heat and cool more slowly. The exact same principle works with our oceans and land masses. The ocean stays a steady, constant temperature, reacting extremely slowly to external temperature changes, and protecting the land against extreme temperatures by giving it heat in winter, and taking heat away in summer. In fact, one of

the reasons that the UK has such mild disaster movie The Day after Tomorrow, (some would say ‘boring’) weather, is Hollywood director Roland Emmerich that we are a tiny island surrounded by takes a stab at imagining what would a huge ocean that protects us from ex- happen if the AMOC suddenly shut tremes of temperature. down. Cue flash floods, hurricanes, and As well as buffering against extreme an impromptu Ice Age… Perfect movie temperatures, there are a huge number material. of ocean currents that transport heat But is this idea really as crazy as it around the planet, moving heat from seems? hot land masses at the equator to the In short, yes. Humans would have colder ones at the poles. One particular to work pretty hard to completely shut group of currents, AMOC (the Atlantic down one of the largest systems of Meridional Overturning Circulation) is ocean currents on the planet. However, especially active in heat transport. This that is not to say that we aren’t having vast system of currents covers much of an impact on it. As global temperathe Atlantic ocean, and even includes tures rise, and the ice caps at the North the Gulf stream. It works a bit like Pole continue to melt, a huge amount a conveyer belt. Warm surface water of fresh water from the North Pole is from the tropics is carried up towards moving down into the Atlantic. This the North Pole, where it cools, grows addition of cold, low-density denser, and sinks before travelling back water is effectively causdown south again. This system moves ing a backlog, slowing vast amounts of heat from the tropics down the entire conup towards the North Pole, where it is veyer belt. AMOC is then transferred into the atmosphere. now the weakest that There are a huge number of ocean it has been in 1,600 currents that transport heat around the years, 15% slower than it planet, moving heat from hot land masses at the equator to the colder ones at the poles.

Image: NEUpaddy, Pixabay In the 2004

was just 50 years ago! This slow down means that less heat will be transferred up North, and temperatures will get more extreme.

The US should be prepared for hotter weather, whilst back in the UK, winters are set to get colder. On top of mere temperature changes, the hydrological cycle across the entire Northern Hemisphere will be start to shift, causing god-knows-what further knock on effects.

So buckle up Britain! Our boring weather seems like it’s set to get a lot more interesting..

Facing the book of judgement Gabriel Yeap, Science Editor, brings the gavel down on Facebook

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UMANS are social beings.

How many times have you heard that one before? It’s probably the most honest statement about humanity there is, but also arguably the most understated one. Without our social behaviour, we would not have built our pyramids, our civilizations, our technology, or in fact any of our most prized achievements; it’s what makes us great. But somewhere deep within our connectivity within the concrete maze as ceaseless hustle and buzz-stle we have become so reliant on staying connected online with one another we’ve voluntarily automated our trust, giving it out freely as if it were charitable. We have forgotten that in this world there are the givers, the takers but also the betrayers.

That is where Facebook should come under scrutiny for what they're doing with our data, under very our noses.

Nothing in life comes free. That’s true even for Facebook. You see, Facebook’s business model is based solely on its huge online metropolitan of 130 million accounts, each buzzing with online

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activity and highly productive, producing around 300 petabytes of data, that’s a thousand million million bytes, more than the number of stars in the observable universe. Facebook hoards all this information, a process which some would say poses a risk to personal privacy - particularly if that information were to be made accessible to other parties..

Nothing in life comes free, that's true even for Facebook This is where the problem comes in, since Facebook certainly has little to no regulation on what those other parties may use the information for. Of course, it’s always a little inconvenient when mum shows up just in time for the flash of La Senza lingerie on the screen - but it could be a lot worse if, say, your right to vote in the name of democracy were to be channelled into the funnel of a foreign machine that fixes the next most powerful man in the world (excluding the Avengers of course),

namely the President of the United States. Such were the concerns raised in the case of Cambridge Analytica.

Sadly, the nightmare does not end there. Facebook is involved in two scandals, the second being that of a matter which hits much closer to home, and that is its user privacy and data security.

Maybe you’re asking what all this has to do with you? You haven’t been affected. At least not yet. So why worry?

The question is do you care about your data being sold in this way, and should you? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Facebook users like you and me generally volunteer to share your profiles in the belief that it makes the apps they use perform better and for social reasons, so Facebook is held to a double standard. It has little to no responsibility has a middleman to a willing seller and an even more willing buyer. But there is something you need to understand.

They offer this service in exchange for your essence, your personality which drives big business and marketing conglomerates better target their products,

or even worse, ensures which country rises to be the next superpower, or falls under the manipulation of its own citizens. Your data has a much bigger role to play than you can ever imagine.

We have forgotten that in this world there are the givers, the takers but also the betrayers Regulating Facebook is a complicated balancing act. There have been suggestions for solutions which force more disclosure on FB adverts, and responsibility in the software they create, not allowing it to be leveraged for the use of another’s personal interest. Yet, we still need to face the hard truth that the horse is out of the stable, and we’ve merely locked an empty stable with a gold lock.

Let’s not drown our rights in the noise of our own technological advancement, let's start being cautious about who’s using our data and use it to voice the cries of those who have no voice.

AI don't think so

Olivia Powell approaches the artificial intelligence revolution

HETHER it’s adverts for the Amazon Alexa, Sophia the robot tweeting or 'Black Mirror' throwing its viewers into a hellscape where personal security robots routinely hunt and kill humans, our society has Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the brain. With its applications seemingly endless, an AI takeover seems inevitable. However, it has some drawbacks that may stop this superintelligent revolution in its tracks.

Ostensibly, AI looks overwhelmingly positive. It can adapt, act, sense, learn and reason in response to the real world, which means that AI sys-

tems can act in the same way a human can, but have the intelligence of a computer and can solve and reason far faster than any human could. This is incredibly useful, as it means that, developed fully, AIs would take over potentially dangerous tasks, thus meaning that workplace deaths and accidents would be virtually non-existent.

AI systems can act in the same way a human can, but have the intelligence of a computer and can solve and reason far faster than any human could.

In addition, as AIs can ‘think’ and ‘see’ for themselves, they are invaluable in helping those who are disabled, and AI technology is already in use for those who are blind or partially sighted.

'Seeing AI'- an app produced by Microsoft- is able to identify the user’s surroundings, read text and currency, and even detect facial expressions. Likewise, AIs would be useful in looking after those who are not able-bodied, the sick and the elderly as, unlike a human, they cannot get sick themselves, do not need breaks and are available 24/7. Their superior reasoning skills also mean that AIs can be applied across Geralt, Pixabay businesses and ag-

riculture; for example, an AI called 'FarmLogs' is currently used by one out of three farmers in US to monitor their fields and therefore maximise their crop yields and profits. AI has the potential to benefit so many people in so many ways, and these ways will likely increase as more research and development goes into superintelligence.

If we are to put our faith in AI, then mistakes cannot be afford to be made However, whilst AI is incredibly useful, it can also be dangerous. Tesla recently suffered massive setbacks when their Model X self-driving car struck a concrete median and killed the driver, Walter Huang. The crash itself has been thought to have occurred as the navigation system of the Tesla misread the lines on the road and drove the car into the median. Tesla released a statement to ABC news in which they said that ‘the only way for this accident to have occurred is if Mr Huang was not paying attention to the road ahead, despite the car providing multiple warnings to do so’. Even if Mr Huang is at fault for failing to watch the road,

it does not take way from the fact that AI itself is flawed as it failed to recognise the lines on the road– something that is arguably crucial for a self-driving AI to do. In addition, whilst he was aware that the AI was not perfect, Mr Huang should have been able to take his hands off the steering wheel for more than six seconds without a crash occurring– which is unfortunately what happened. If we are to put our faith in AI, as those who will need self-driving cars in order to get around and will be unable to intervene should the car’s navigation system fail (for example, the visually impaired), then mistakes like these cannot afford to be made.

Overall, I believe there is a bright future ahead wherein AI is developed and applied in ways that help both businesses and people with their problems.

However, I also believe that AI in its current state can be flawed when it comes to doing things ‘better than a human’, e.g. driving, proven by the Tesla accident. Whilst AI is undoubtedly great in many ways, it does have a long way to go before it is fully integrated into society, especially if people are to be reliant on it, whether this be in businesses or in their everyday lives. Still, it is undoubtedly exciting to consider the potential benefits that we can reap from AI.

SCIENCE

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Under The Sea

Laura Butula Contributor

Images: Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons

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HETHER it’s pronouncing a squawk, hum, or ultrasonic serenade, scientists have recently highlighted that countless members of the animal kingdom have been gifted with the aptitude for musical competency.

While we humans indulge in song for expressive persistence, it turns out that other animals actually depend on melodies to survive. This is not to say that all species rely on vocalisation solely for mating and fecundity; nonetheless, this is generally the case.

A prime yet unfamiliar example of this is mice. Yes, mice sing, however the sound that males articulate to attract mates is so highly pitched that human ears cannot detect it. Ingeniously, scientists have lowered the frequency of these calls and learned that the larynx mimics the role of a dj, helping push the air out of mice’s vocal cords to finalise sound production. Could we really even handle listening to the passionate messages between rodent lovers if distinguishing mice song was innately possible? We have to give it to the little critters though- seemingly, mice vocalization will further communication research and will help scientists better understand certain disorders like autism.

At the other end of the spectrum, antelope squirrels utter a quavering vibration in order to alert their peers of approaching threats. These distinctive sounds tend to resonate within the shrubby habitat; consequently, notified individuals have enough time to scramble back into their burrows and wait for the safety signal.

So far, we’ve acknowledged that certain species jazz up nature for procreative and security purposes, but what about a resolute combination of the two? Because of their cyclical and multifaceted tunes, humpback whales are thought to have the most intricate song in the animal kingdom, singing their “little” hearts out to challenge rivals and to communicate whereabouts. The note hierarchy is as follows: numerous units, a sub-phrase, a phrase, and a theme blend to compose a thirty-minute soundtrack which is then repeated for several hours.

Think of these cetaceans as polyphonic perfectionists, as a species that is deeply contingent on their invented harmony.

It’s evident that birds and bonobos aren’t the only talented soloists out there; nature embraces an irreplaceable relationship between survival and sound, and, giving a slight twist to the famous catchphrase, it is in each species freedom to “just keep singing”.

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SCIENCE

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Grow a brain

Megan Davies, Editor, explores the exciting and accidental discovery of growing miniature human brains

OW do you make a minibrain? Methods vary, but you want to start with some human pluripotent stem cells, stem cells that can split into multiple cells when you put them in the right environment– for some other organs, you can use adult stem cells too– and let them multiply. This means that you could take cells from your arm.

Unlike in the past, when you had to form two-dimensional chains of cells, scientists have started raising stem cells freefloating in broth, where they aggregate and grow. They will start to form tiny balls, which you can look at through a microscope, and see… a teeny tiny brain! (roughly the size of a 14-week-old foetus’ brain) How do you maintain a brain without a body? Instead of blood, you give it oxygen, either via broth or by cutting them up and letting them multiply again.

These miniature brains are called organoids. Researchers have been using them to replicate human organs; we can’t produce full organs this way, and they lack certain important components, but

lentil-sized organoids can help understand organs’ structures. Indeed, where they aren’t researching brains, scientists have been building tiny organs of all sorts: kidneys, lungs… Using organoids is simply easier than invasively dissecting a human and could help us understand diseases such as Epilepsy or Alzheimer’s, or, some imagine, to help regenerate damaged organs.

Each mini brain is roughly the size of a 14-week old foetus' brain Brain organoids have already been used to research drugs for 'Timothy Syndrome', a rare illness linked to heart issues, malformations, Autism spectrum disorders. It is caused by an overactive calcium ion channel: organoids have allowed scientists to experiment with drugs that block this channel. It’s helped us figure out how 'Zika' viral infections work,

and to find several compounds that can block infection. Those were tested, in a first instance, in two dimensions, and then a selection was tested in a 3D environment, on organoids.Another use for organoid brains is assembling models of mini brains.

It's helped us to figure out how Zika infections work.

A research team at Stanford University used two separate dishes to grow tiny models of two separate, but adjacent, parts of the brain. They then put them into the same tube and, just like a full-size brain, the two parts knew to find each other and build enough connections to practically fuse overnight. Video recordings showed that elongated cells started jumping from one small part of the brain to the other!

This still leaves the idea of tiny brains developing in labs feeling slightly Frankenstein-like. However, the disad-

“one can fairly say that the neurons “want” to make a brain but, lacking proper guidance, don’t quite know how to go about it”.

Organoids lack important elements that would allow them to grow more vantage of using organoids is that they’re much simpler than ‘real’, in-vivo, organs, but that they are still more complicated than the in-vitro systems used by scientists. This means that researchers are still finding out how accurately their findings transfer onto humans. Organoids lack important elements– such as immune cells– that would allow them to grow more, and that would allow them to mature past the age of cells found in foetuses.

That’s why the term ‘mini-brain’ is contested: science writer Philip Ball, whose stem cells were used to make a brain organoid, writes that

Images:_DJ_, Flickr Pixnio

Toast to a shorter life

Rachel Jones discusses concerns over excessive alcohol consumption and a shortened life-expectancy

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F you asked the ‘archetypal’ university student what is their favourite type of alcohol, the response would be A LOT (and for a reasonable price, naturally). Yes, it is undeniably true that alcohol plays a big role in many student’s social lives, whether it be that glass of wine at the end of the day, that one quiet pint (or maybe a few) down your local with some mates or letting loose and ordering that tray of shots on a night out.

Apart from the risk of waking up to a rough hangover the following morning, how dangerous can it be? According to a paper published recently in the Lancet medical journal, drinking more than the daily UK recommended limit could shorten your life expectancy.

One unit of alcohol shaves 15 minutes off a person's life So, the first question to ask is just how much alcohol is too much?

Ashamedly, I had to do a quick google search to find the recommended UK drinking limits and found that they currently stand at 14 units of alcohol a week for both men and women, ideally spread over three or more days. This roughly equates to be 6 glasses of wine (175ml), 6

pints of beer or 14 shots (25ml).

The aim of this international study was to help bring about a global consensus on the threshold for the low risk limits of alcohol consumption that currently vary substantially across nations.

The research consisted of 83 studies across 19 countries analysing the drinking habits of 600,000 par ticipants.

The ages, sex, diabetes status, smoking habits and other factors of relating to cardiovascular disease of the participants were also considered. It was found that over half of the participants were consuming more than the recommended weekly limit of 100 g (5-6 glasses of wine) of alcohol whilst a shocking 8.4% were drinking more than 350 grams per week!

Calculations from the study suggested that a 40-year old person drinking 4 units of alcohol

The main outcome from the research is that drinking more than the recommended amount does increase the risk of developing several cardiovascular diseases and by drinking less alcohol it can help us to live longer. However, there is a little good news. No evidence was found that suggested an increased risk of death for light drinkers (drinking below 100g per week). This means that the research doesn’t challenge the claim that drinking a ‘little’ alcohol does lower the risk of heart attacks. above the daily limit, for instance drinking three glasses of wine a night, could lose one to two years off their average life expectancy.This equates to each extra unit of alcohol shaving 15 minutes of a person's life, on par with smoking a cigarette.

The UK drinking limit is 14 units per week Angela Wood from the University of Cambridge and lead author of the paper has said that ‘despite it (alcohol

consumption) being associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks, this must also be balanced against the higher risk of several – and potentially fatal - cardiovascular diseases’.

The findings of the study support the new UK guidelines on alcohol consumption and go further to suggest that other countries, including Italy, Portugal and the USA (who advocate a higher drinking limit for men), should seriously consider lowering their recommendations. The authors also wanted to stress the fact that guidelines should act as a threshold and not as a target for alcohol consumption.

Guidelines should be a threshold and not a limit for alcohol consumption Personally, I think the idea that alcohol is beneficial for our overall health sounds too good to be true.

The results of this research should be considered seriously by all nations and inspire support for increased education about the impacts of our sometimes-excessive alcohol consumption.

That being said, will it stop me from indulging in the Ram after the summer exams are all over? Probably not.

Images: TKaucic, Pixabay and Ethanol-2D-skeletal.svg, Wikipedia

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Double delight for rugby duo

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AM Morley and James McRae, two students at the University, have been awarded contracts with Exeter Chiefs after their stellar performances throughout the year.

Both have featured prominently for the Exeter Braves - the Exeter side that competes in the Aviva A League, comprising senior Chiefs squad players and academy players - as well as featuring for the University 1s.

McRae and Morley played a pivotal role for EURFC this year, especially in the last 20 minutes of the varsity win against Bath back in March, with McRae picking up the man of the match award for his display.

The Chiefs finished top of the Aviva Premiership table and seek to defend their domestic title as they take part in the play-off semi-final at Sandy Park on Saturday 19 May.

Grecians settle for play-offs

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EFEAT away at Stevenage killed off all remaining hope of Exeter City securing an automatic promotion place. The disappointing 3-1 defeat against a weakened Stevenage side, matched with 3rd place Wycombe overcoming Chesterfield 2-1, sees the Grecians enter the playoffs for the second consecutive year – they lost 2-1 in last year’s final.

With one game to play, just three points separate City in 4th from Lincoln in 7th, though if either Lincoln or Coventry lose, and Mansfield win, then it will be Mansfield who make the playoffs.

The head-to-head record against these sides doesn’t look promising; despite winning away at Notts County, and at home against Lincoln and Coventry, the Grecians have suffered defeats in all these reverse fixtures, on top of losing at home to Mansfield and drawing away.

Still, if Jack Stacey’s last minute winner in last year’s semi-final has taught us anything at all, it isn’t just that anything can happen, it’s that anything does happen.

Wembley awaits the semi-final victors.

Photo: Pixabay/Maxopt

Progress in the Premier League?

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Josh Brown, Sport Editor, assesses the progress made by LGBTQ+ groups in football

HERE'S been a relatively large like more of an absolute necessity in footamount of progress regarding ball with every passing season.

LGBT equality within the counBut sport, and football in particular, try’s most prominent sport in the last cou- isn’t immune to change, and there is hope ple of years. that the positive reaction to campaigns Significant steps to raise awareness up to this point will serve as a catalyst for were arguably first taken by the rainbow further progress: the Premier League anlaces campaign back in 2016, which also nounced in November last year a three-year featured the Wembley Arch being lit up in collaboration with Stonewall, encouraging the colours of the rainbow. participation “in any capacity” within the The campaign, which began in elite sport football and rugby across the UK, soon .As part of the agreement, Stonewall spread to cricket, where the England and will help the Premier League provide an Wales Cricket Board joined the campaign. inclusive environment for staff, with other By and large, there was an immensely posi- major focuses being staff training and protive response, with players, managers, clubs grammes to combat the use of “unacceptaand officials showing solidarity with the ble language and homophobic abuse” that campaign. remains rife not just in the stands but also The campaign’s organisers, Stonewall one of the biggest campaigners for LGBTQ+ rights - estimated that as much as 72% of football fans have heard homophobic excuse.

The sport has a notoriousPhoto: Egghead06 ly conservative culture embedded within it; whereas other sports have embraced video technology, association football has shunned it; where segregation of fans is a thing of the past in several sports, it looks

on social media.

Already, LGBT supporters’ groups appear to be thriving, especially on social media – Arsenal’s LGBT supporters group is the biggest in the country, with over 650 members and 5,000 followers on Twitter, while their North London rivals Spurs’ group aren’t far behind.

Back in 2015, the two groups even played a derby game, supported by Kick It Out, that was refereed by former Spurs player Steffan Freund - Spurs won 7-1.

But make absolutely no mistake, there is a long way to go just yet. No player has ever come out as gay while in the top flight of English football – something that was emphasised when I spoke to the chairman of Arsenal’s LGBT group, Gay Gooners, Dave Raval. Attitudes take a lot longer to change on the terraces than they do in other social spheres, and ultimately until having LGBT players at the very highest level of male sport is normalised, accepted and encouraged.

Raval is keen to push this process; Arsenal were the first of about 40 professional

clubs in England that have an LGBT supporters group.

On the pitch, perhaps the closest we come to an openly gay Premier League player is Thomas Hitzlsperger, formerly of Aston Villa and West Ham, who came out before his retirement in 2014.

The sport's culture is notoriously conservative The UK is nearing the forefront for progress on the issue – comments along the same lines of those made recently by Maurizio Sarri, Napoli’s head coach, during a touchline altercation with former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, would never be welcomed here – but that doesn’t change the fact that the issues players face by openly coming out are numerous; it opens up an entirely new line of unacceptable abuse for homophobic opposition players and fans.

It’s important to end, however, by asserting that progress is being made, and LGBT groups such as Arsenal’s under Raval act as a catalyst for future change.

Alongside them, the role of campaigning groups such as Stonewall take on such vital importance – football won’t change on its own.

EUAFC 1s back in Premier South CONTINUED FROM BACK The second half, however, saw Exeter fail to keep up the pressure.

The half-time whistle had come at the wrong time - given just five or ten minutes more, they'd have found the net again. Instead, they were condemned to another 45 minutes of stalemate.

Each side fought their way forward, only to fail to capitalise. Several times, Exeter showed their inability to win the aerial challenges in the Reading penalty area. As the sun set and the floodlights (eventually) lit up, it was clear that an extra half hour was in order.

We expected to win that but not in the way we did today JAMAL BARTLEY, EUAFC 1s CAPTAIN

As with the first half, Exeter started on the back foot. One Reading attempt was headed off of the goal line, another shortly afterwards tipped over the bar as Joe Home showed off his acrobatics.

This time, things would be different. Reading may have had the pressure, but it was Exeter whose quick moves forward saw them make the

breakthrough. Bartley's finish sent the Exeter touchline into hysterics. The comeback complete, Exeter now sat on top, as the Reading goalkpeer contemplated why his hands weren't as big as his mouth.

The final few minutes of the half, and all of the second half of extratime, were a mad scramble. Reading threw everything forward, while Exeter towards the end focussed on aiming for the corner and holding up time. With the season coming down to five minutes of holding on, Exeter expertly cleared attempt after attempt, as ball after ball was sent into the mixer. Finally, the whistle went and the Exeter bench ran onto the pitch in jubilation.

Two years of work had paid off.

Exeter, relegated from the top tier after their 2015-16 season.

"It was a hard game," 1s Captain and extra-time hero Jamal Bartley told Exeposé after the match.

"We expected to win that but not in the way that we did today - coming back from 2-0 down in the first half but credit to all the boys and the manager and the rest of the club who've helped us get to this Play-Off Final.

"We thought we deserved it all season. From those 7am starts, to the Play-

Off Final in Reading, we couldn't ask for more, could we?

When asked about the slow start, Bartley responded: "I think it's just the nerves, the expectation to do well in this game. I think once we got the nerves settled, we got our heads in the game, and managed to play some really good football.

"We believed in our abilities, and we believed in our teammates."

The win means that Exeter will take to the pitch against Bath, Cardiff Met, Hartpury, Swansea and USW next season.

BUCS Premier South Play-Offs

Semi-Finals Exeter .......................................... 3 Chichester .................................... 2 Topsham Sports Ground, 25 April Cambridge ................................... 4 Reading ........................................ 5 Trumpington Sport, 28 April Final Reading ........................................ 2 Exeter .......................................... 3 After Extra Time - 2-2 after 90 minutes Arborfield Leisure Centre, 2 May

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'S IN A ER PT N A R C O C

Cabbage Patch bleeds green

SPORT

Wil Jones, Sport Editor, catches up with EUWRFC after their triumphant trip to Twickenham

OLLOWING an unbeaten home record, the EUWRFC 1s finished level on points with Premier South tabletoppers Hartpury, before going on to pip their Gloucestershire-based rivals in the BUCS Championship final last month.

Captains Hannah Gascoigne and Clara Neilson told Exeposé of their delight with a "great season" for the club. " The club has come a long way this year," said Gascoigne.

Neilson echoed this: "It has been a great season - fielding two BUCS teams and culminating in winning [in the final against Hartpury] at Twickenham. We have over 60% of members joining having never played rugby before so to be able to get so many girls playing every week is a credit to the coaches, support staff and the girls themselves."

"Winning at Twickenham summed up all the sacrifice and commitment the girls put in throughout the year," continued Gascoigne.

"It was never going to be easy and 100 minutes of rugby put us to the test both mentally and physically, but we’d worked too hard to simply give up."

"We have been really close as a group this year and to win with some of your best friends was amazing," said Neilson. "We wouldn't have been able to get there, however, without every member of the club, coaches, support staff and the Athletic Union -- so a massive thank you to everyone!"

I sat down with senior players Poppy Leitch, Cat McNaney and Jenna Claridge to find out more Congratulations on your victory at Twickenham.

What was it like playing at the famous 'Cabbage Patch'?

Poppy Leitch: It was pretty exciting as most of the Uni girls hadn’t played there before and there was a good atmosphere when we came out.

Jenna Claridge: There was a great group of girls who came up to support us and they really did make it feel even more special.

And what about the match itself?

PL: It was probably the hardest game I’ve played in.

JC: It was hard at half-time, going into the changing rooms nine points down [but] it didn’t feel unachievable at that point. We didn’t feel like we were going to lose at any point.

PL: I didn’t even think of the score until the final whistle (of normal time with the scores tied at 32-32). I just knew we were going to score again – and then we did! (With a penalty in the first period of extra time) Cat McNaney: We knew what to do on which parts of the pitch. We just had to make sure we played in the right areas of the pitch and keep the ball. Possession was everything PL: We beat them previously in the season (22-10 in November '17) and the way we won was by starving them of possession. That was [head coach] Jo Yapp’s message – if we keep the ball they can’t win. The last 20 min-

utes of extra time was ‘ok, don’t give them the ball’ so we ended up picking and going for 20 minutes.

JC: We massively played to our strengths, I think, and that was what won us the game in the end - we played smart.

PL: They didn’t play smart at times, they made silly mistakes and when it was important for us to make clinical decisions we did that.

It was amazing to win with your best friends at Twickenham CLARA NEILSON, CLUB CAPTAIN

Aside from capping off the season with that great win, what's it been like to be part of EUWRFC? JC: Basically, we do everything together as a club. We spend so much time together, we’re all friends as well as team-mates.

CM: We know each other so well - sporting, socially and academically.

PL: It definitely makes a difference. It’s even the things like how to manage each other in games, like at half time – who you know needs a bit of picking up, and who needs to be left alone to just get on with it JC: It makes it easier though to play for each other. We do play for each other and for Jo, and it did make us dig that extra bit deeper.

CM: We could trust each other to do their jobs as well. We know the forwards can pick and go to put the backs where we need to go.

JC: Leading up to Twickenham we had such good fun, and I think that’s half the battle. We’ve had quite a few away trips and nights in a hotel, so we were quite used to it. It feels like holiday with your friends because it’s so much fun. It doesn’t feel like a chore, we do play and have fun with our friends.

That team ethic and togetherness sounds like it's played a big part in contributing to your success as a team, but are there any players within the club you think have stood out this year?

JC: I’d like to mention one because I

don’t think she’ll say it, but Poppy had a great game [at Twickenham].

PL: Thanks!

JC: She was just outstanding -- just brute force. Poppy’s got a lot of experience – I hadn't played rugby before I came to Uni, so I always look to her for reassurance in the forward pack.

PL: Yeah, thanks Jen…!

JC: It’s true! I knew you wouldn’t mention yourself, so now you’ve got a shout-out!

PL: I would say everyone on the pitch has a standout thing they do. Ebony will happily run into anyone. Sian’s carrying, JJ’s throwing – it’s the same with the bench. Zoe's pace…

JC: Zoe had hardly played any rugby before coming to Uni, but at Twickenham she was shutting down international players, people who played in the Six Nations – CM: Yeah, she was going around the outside not even thinking twice about it.

PL: She probably didn’t even know who they were, she was just: “see yah!” With Hartpury, I’m not sure if they had full trust in all their bench, and for us we have strength throughout the squad.

CM: In the last 20 minutes, Jenna had to go off with cramp and couldn’t play PL: Hmmm, cramp…for twenty minutes…

JC: It was bad cramp!

CM: But we knew we had a second row who could come on and do her job for twenty minutes, we weren’t phased at all about the changes.

PL: Which is nice, to not have someone come on and be like “oh, no, do they know the lineout call?” They can come on and we just keep going.

With the end of the normal season, how are you finding the transition to 7s?

JC: We’ve had two 7s tournaments recently .

PL: Jenna’s just come back from the Trophy 7s, so she’s tired...

JC: I had a deadline this morning as well,

so – CM: We didn’t have long, did we?

PL: No, but I almost feel like that helped us. I think if we’d had too long between Twickenham and 7s, people might have burnt out and lost focus because we were so knackered.

CM: A lot of people knew how to play 7s already – last year we were teaching a lot of people to play, but this year it was just refining skills and people knew what they were doing.

PL: It was nice to get two squads out. In the past there have been complications with the AU and funding and we haven’t been able to have a Champ and Trophy team, so it’s nice that more girls got to play this year than last year.

I just knew we were going to score again and we did!

POPPY LEITCH, EUWRFC

There has been some sad news recently regarding club member Katie Simon's illness. How has EUWRFC responded and supported her?

PL: With Katie, someone who’s been a massive part of the club for a few years – she’s been on a year abroad this year but even though she was gone it wasn’t like she was away. She came and visitied, wished us good luck and asked how the games went.

JC: She’s our biggest supporter.

PL: She briefly mentioned she wanted to be water girl if we got to Twickenham, and we were like “yeah, yeah”, thinking she was just saying it off the cuff, but when we spoke to Jo about it she said: “no, let’s try and get it done”.

And she’d had chemotherapy two days before she ran on water for us at Twickenham – which is such a massive credit to her. It was great to see how happy it made her to see us win at Twickenham.

CM: She loves it. She lives and breathes rugby and comes down to visit whenever she can and she’s free. She’s coming to our end of

season dinner and some festivals we’re going to on the social side.

JC: She’s got a justgiving page as well, and the club’s been a really prominent advertisement for that.

CM: Some other clubs and universities also helped us. We beat Edinburgh in the semi-final and then they retweeted it.

PC: It’s great, women’s rugby is a small world and everyone looks out for each other.

With the academic year drawing to a close, will you be staying involved with EUWRFC next year?

CM: We’re all playing next year, we all have one more year left.

PL: No-one ever wants to leave the club – this is the problem!

JC: We’ll all be going in to our fourth years at the club, we all stick together!

PL: Clara our captain is going into her 7th year at the uni, playing for the club…so some can’t leave, and we joke about people staying on all the time – we’ve got Canadian twins who became foreign students at the uni so they play rugby here and stay at the club. You meet so many great people and get trained by such great coaches – Finally, any personal highlights for this year?

CM: Beating Hartpury three times out of four… *laughter* JC: This is coming from an ex-Hartpury student!

PL: I do think that lifting the trophy was a great pinnacle moment, definitely, but when the final whistle blew in Twickenham everyone went crazy, I’ve never seen anyone respond like that before. Everyone was crawling around [with tiredness].

CM: When we got to the changing room as well we all just looked at each other to sort of say "we just won BUCS!" JC: At the beginning of the season we sat down with Jo and the other coaches and we set our targets for the year. This year, it’s been the first time we’ve smashed every one. We wanted to win all our home games at Topsham, which we did. We wanted top two in our league, which we did, and to get to Twickenham, which we did and went one step further and won it. I don’t think you can have a better season than we’ve just had.

PL: There’s not just one highlight. I’d relive the last 10 months again…maybe not the 100 minute game because it was so hard! But even the horrible bits, like tough losses at the start of the season that were hard to swallow – JL: We lost to Hartpury first game of the season 50-odd points to 5.

CM: No one was disheartened though, were they?

PL: Yeah, we were just like, "whatever, we’ll beat you at Twickenham!" I would say it’s all been one whole highlight, I couldn’t just pick just one.

JC: To…and find out we’ll more go again and donate next year! to Katie Simon's JustGiving page, visit justgiving. com/fundraising/kjsimone.

Sport

7 MAY 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

32

SPORT EDITORS: Josh Brown Owain Evans Wil Jones

The Greens are going up!

Image: Owain Evans

Men’s Football Reading 1s .................................. 2 Exeter 1s .................................... 3 After Extra Time (2-2 after 90 mins) Owain Evans Sport Editor

E

UAFC 1s have returned to the top flight of BUCS football after a thrilling comeback win away to Reading in the Play-Off Final.

Two early goals had put Reading on a course for promotion, but the visitors drew level before the interval

before finally finding their winner in extra time.

Exeter had fought their way to this point, finishing on top of the Western 1A division, before seeing off a struggling Chichester side who were trying to cling on to their top tier status.

Reading posed a different challenge, although a 5-0 trophy tie in Topsham in November had proved that the South Eastern 1A champions were beatable.

On a May evening in Arborfield, just south of Reading, not a thought was on the Roma-Livepool tie as the hosts kicked off. After the match, EU-

AFC 1s Captain Jamal Bartley would put their start down to “nerves”, and those nerves were costly. Reading’s first corner of the match was headed goalward-bound, and with some confusion as to whether the ball had crossed the line, the referee - who also happened to be a Reading student - did not hesitate in pointing to the centre circle, to a few small protests. Just seven minutes in, Exeter were chasing the game.

It didn’t get much better from there. Soon after, with the ball being knocked about the box, Reading doubled their advantage by drilling one

home in the 20th minute.

Exeter had turned the game completely around, and had a third in sight A dangerous free kick aside - which was gathered easily by the Reading keeper down low - it took Exeter until around the half-hour mark until they saw their first real chance. Several runs down the right flank by George Bratt

had proven to be dangerous, and soon he was creating goals. Exeter capitalised on a loose ball to claw one back, courtesy of Christopher Lund. Just two minutes later, they found the net again. This time, Darren Ofoe powered it past the keeper.

In just two minutes, Exeter had turned the game completely around, and had a third in sight. Unfortunately, there wasn’t long enough left in the half, and the sides went in level at the break.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

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